Podcasts about makes

This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.On today's edition of The Briefing, Dr. Mohler discusses the White House announcement of an agreement between Israel and Hamas on first stage of peace treaty, the big questions raised by the government shutdown, the naming of Bari Weiss as editor in chief at CBS, and the significant increase in boys named ‘Yahya' in Great Britain in 2024.Part I (00:14 – 01:08)Real Hope For Peace in Gaza: White House Announces Agreement from Israel and Hamas on First Stage of Peace TreatyPart II (01:08 – 15:20)Who Will Surrender in the Government Shutdown? What's Behind the Ever-Expanding Government Debt? – Big Questions Raised 8 Days into the ShutdownPart III (15:20 – 21:20)There's a New Editor in Chief at CBS: Bari Weiss, Great Enemy of Woke, Takes Over Important Role at CBSPart IV (21:20 – 26:57)A Parable of Islam's Rise in Great Britain: ‘Yahya' Makes the Biggest Jump in Popularity Amongst Boys' Names in Great Britain in 2024Yahya blows up in Britain by Washington Examiner (Dominic Green)Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every weekday morning.Follow Dr. Mohler:X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeFor more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu.For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com.To write Dr. Mohler or submit a question for The Mailbox, go here.

Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Tuesday, October 7, 2025.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and worldwide.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!WE'RE FINALISTS FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS SIGNAL AWARDS. HELP US WIN!Click here to vote!:https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/historyMichael Fox is also a finalist in the History Podcast category for his truly unique, rich, and inspirational weekly series Stories of Resistance------------Click here to vote for Marc Steiner!: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/individual-episodes/cMarc Steiner is a finalist for Best Host of an Individual Episode 

What started on a Denver apartment stovetop has turned into an eight-figure clean haircare brand trusted by tastemakers and barbers alike. In this episode, Boone Whiteside and Ben Medalie share how they built Highland from DIY experiments into a business that redefines performance, health, and sustainability in haircare. From mixing pomades in a KitchenAid to landing in 150+ barbershops and salons across the country, their journey shows how staying lean, purpose-driven, and authentic can transform an industry. Make sure to check out Highland at: https://www.highland.style/   Check out my new book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kRKGTX Sign up for Starting Small University to join our interviews LIVE and ask questions: https://startingsmallmedia.org/startingsmalluniversity Visit Starting Small Media: https://startingsmallmedia.org/ Subscribe to exclusive Starting Small emails: https://startingsmallmedia.org/newsletter-signup   Follow Starting Small: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingsmallpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Startingsmallpod/?modal=admin_todo_tour LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/cameronnagle   Thank you to this episodes mid-break sponsor, Edel Golf, customizing all scoring clubs to help get you at least one shot better, because even one shot can change everything. Makes sure to check them out at https://edelgolf.com/

We invite Joanna May into the clubhouse again in this supersized episode to design a game about stowing illicit goods into spacecraft as it's being built!(Note: Minor hiccup with the audio recording in the first 2 minutes, so Lydia is off mic briefly but it fixes itself.)Tangrams - WikipediaWe mention Dogpile!, a game we made in a previous game jam.Dogpile!PromptDesign a puzzle game about loading passengers and/or cargo into various spacecraft (or other transport).Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count4 or moreRulesThe ship is a pad of paper with outline of ship (legal pad sized)The interior is blank, what you draw is the interior spacesEach turn, the freighter captain draws the modulesFalse walls, freezers, to shape what you can put in thereThey have their own secret goalEach turn, the other players are smuggling things (they don't know about what others are doing)ContrabandEach turn they can put one thing in there or move a thingMaybe you have to slide it only, you can't pick it up after it's been addedEach game has an ending determination and then also a scoring systemEveryone loses if ship gets caughtHidden role game?Freighter CaptainMakes the shipContraband smugglerTries to add the most of contraband as they canHonest workerWants to add the most of the goal as possibleInspectorWants to find the smuggler

Sermon NotesI. IntroductionJoseph Campbell (not a Christian, but a student of mythology/religion) observed:“What we are looking for is a way of experiencing the world that will open to us the transcendent...”Human beings are incurably spiritual—we seek transcendence.Some through traditional religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam).Others through mindfulness, energy work, nature, etc.Two key points:Affirm the desire for transcendence—it is real and God-given.Learn to discern authentic transcendence from false or self-referential spirituality.II. The Text: Exodus 2:23–3:12Context: Moses in Midian, tending sheep near Horeb.Not seeking a spiritual encounter; God initiates it.Key Question: What can we learn about genuine transcendent encounters?Two themes: Person and Paradox.III. The PERSON Moses EncounteredThe Angel of the LORD (v. 2)More than just an angel → identified with God Himself.Possibly the pre-incarnate Christ (Word/Logos).Authentic TranscendenceEncounter with someone other than himself.Not self-discovery or inner potential—real personhood beyond Moses.God is personal, not impersonal force/energy.The Burning Bush SymbolismFire = light, warmth, purification, judgment.Bush not consumed → God is self-sustaining, absolute reality, source of all existence.Childlike question: “Who created God?” → answer: no one. He is the source.Authentic transcendence = encountering the self-existent God who draws near.IV. The PARADOX of God's PresenceGod Knows Moses by Name (v. 4)God is relational, loving, intimately aware of Moses' story.God's nature = love and relationship.But… God's Holiness Creates Distance (v. 5)“Do not come near; take off your sandals, for this is holy ground.”Holiness = God's otherness + moral purity.Human corruption (sin) incompatible with holiness.Illustration: fresh snow → pure → later becomes dirty slush.Result: God is both near and distant → paradox.Resolution of the ParadoxGod Himself provides the way for humans to approach.In Moses' case: humility (remove sandals).Later: OT sacrificial system.Ultimately: Jesus Christ.His cross removes sin barrier.Makes access to God's holy presence possible.Application: Spirit is HOLY; without Christ we would be consumed, with Christ we receive Him with joy.V. ConclusionWe are spiritual beings with souls that crave transcendence.Not every spirituality satisfies—self-focused versions fall short.At the burning bush, Moses encountered:Absolute reality.A personal God.Holy presence made accessible by God's provision.Our souls find satisfaction only in the Triune God—Father, Son, Spirit.Call: Don't settle for less than the real.Discussion Questions:How would you define transcendence? Have you had any experiences in your life that you would describe as transcendent?If, as the sermon suggests, genuine spirituality is not self-referential (simply connecting with more of yourself), is deeper self-knowledge still important? If so, where is it found? Is there a connection between encountering the real God and discovering the real self? How so?Read Exodus 3:3-4. Do you believe it is significant that God did not call to Moses until he turned aside to see the strange sight? Do you think God would have still spoken to Moses if he had not turned aside? How might this speak to the lack of encounters with God that many experience today? As you reflect on that, consider Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem:Earth's crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God,But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,And daub their natural faces unaware.Read Exodus 3:7-12.  What was the ultimate purpose of Moses' encounter with God at the Burning Bush? What was God's purpose for revealing himself to Moses? Is there a link today between our personal encounters with God and a greater purpose like mission?Questions?Do you have a question about today's sermon? Email Randy Forrester ().

On this week's show we look at three gadgets that we think are responsible for the year of home automation. We also discuss Dolby Vision 2. All that plus your emails and the week's news on episode 1220 of the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast! News: Live TV streamers leave viewers more satisfied than cable ‘The Paper' to premiere on NBC after Peacock success Samsung's $2,000 Smart Fridges Now Serve Ads, Owners Are Furious Other: Panasonic Blu-ray & DVD John's Streaming Cost Spreadsheet These Gadgets Are Responsible for the Year of Home Automation We have been involved with home automation for a long time and have seen a lot of gadgets come and go. The category was mostly for DIYers or for people with deep pockets. It wasn't until these  three products came out that the year/decade/century of automation was officially upon us.  Philips Hue Smart Bulb - Philips essentially defined smart lighting and is used in 50M+ homes for ambiance/security the world over. Many have copied Philips but for us nothing beats these lights. Nest Learning Thermostat - The Nest Learning Thermostat revolutionized home climate control as the first smart thermostat, pioneering the category with its innovative self-learning technology and sleek design in 2011. Although we use the ecobee and recommend it, the category would not be where it is without the Nest Thermostat.  Ring Video Doorbell - The Ring Video Doorbell revolutionized home security by pioneering the smart doorbell category, introducing remote video monitoring and two-way communication in 2014.  What is Dolby Vision 2 Dolby Vision 2 is a next-generation HDR format announced by Dolby Laboratories on September 2, 2025, at IFA 2025. It builds on the original Dolby Vision by introducing AI-driven tools, enhanced creator controls, and features that extend beyond traditional HDR, such as improved motion handling. The format is designed to deliver more accurate, director-intended visuals across a range of TVs, adapting to content, viewing environments, and display capabilities. It comes in two tiers: Tier Target TVs Key Focus Dolby Vision 2 Mainstream TVs Core upgrades via new image engine and Content Intelligence for improved picture quality. Dolby Vision 2 Max High-performance TVs (e.g., premium Mini-LED) All core features plus premium extras like Authentic Motion for maximum brightness, contrast, and cinematic fidelity.   Main Features Here are the primary features of Dolby Vision 2: 1. Dolby Image Engine A more powerful processing engine that enhances overall image rendering, enabling higher brightness, sharper contrast, and more saturated colors while preserving artistic intent. Supports bi-directional tone mapping, allowing creators to optimize content for specific TV capabilities (e.g., brighter displays) without losing fidelity. 2. Content Intelligence (AI-Powered Optimization) An AI suite that automatically adjusts picture settings based on content type, viewing environment (e.g., room lighting), and device. Light Sense: Upgraded ambient light detection combined with reference data from the source material to dynamically tweak brightness and visibility. Precision Black: Improves shadow detail and clarity in dark scenes, addressing complaints about HDR appearing too dark; creators can embed room/bias lighting info and black-level sliders for precise control. 3. Authentic Motion (Premium Motion Handling) Available only in Dolby Vision 2 Max: The world's first creator-driven motion control tool, enabling shot-by-shot adjustments to reduce judder (stutter) while avoiding the "soap opera effect." Makes 24fps cinematic content feel more fluid and authentic, ideal for movies, sports, and fast-action scenes. These features aim to make Dolby Vision 2 backward-compatible with existing Dolby Vision content (with some improvements), but full benefits require new TVs and mastered content.  Industry Adoption: Hisense will be the first TV brand to introduce Dolby Vision 2 to its lineup. These TVs will be powered by MediaTek Pentonic 800 with “MiraVision™ Pro” PQ Engine, the first silicon chip to integrate Dolby Vision 2. Timing and availability will be announced at a later date. Joining Hisense, CANAL+ is the first media and entertainment group to commit to enhance its lineup – from movies and TV shows to live sport – in Dolby Vision, leveraging the latest innovation to enrich the viewing experience for its subscribers.  

Tacos are a great way to get more vegetables into your diet and they're quite cheap to make as the fish goes a long way! Makes 6 tacos – enough for 2-3 people Ingredients 100-150g gurnard, cut into three pieces (can use any fish really) ½ tsp sea salt 2 tbsp flour 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp each butter and oil 6 small corn or flour tortillas Guacamole 1 avocado A small handful of fresh coriander Lemon or lime juice Chilli (fresh or flakes) to taste Salt and pepper to taste To serve 1 cup shredded lettuce (or cabbage, spinach, or grated carrot) 1 tomato, diced (leave out if not in season) Fresh coriander Hot sauce A squeeze of lemon or lime juice Method Dust the fish pieces in sea salt, then in the flour and finally in the cumin seeds. Fry with oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. While the fish cooks, warm each tortilla in a dry pan. I do them in a stack and keep rotating and turning them, so they all get well warmed through. To make the guacamole, smoosh together (in a blender or by hand) the avocado, coriander, lemon or lime juice, chilli, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Thin with a little cold water, if you like, to get a smooth purée. To serve, smear each tortilla with guacamole, top with lettuce, then fish pieces, tomato, fresh coriander, and hot sauce. Squeeze over some lime juice. Fold and EAT! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 It is more important how you say it than what you say!Human beings are feeling beings that can think…The most important things in a normal conversation are not the words; 80% of a conversation is what we express with our body, emotions, how we say it, in which pitch we say it…The emotions are more important than facts or data… For instance, if you say something angry, you are wrong … because the other person feels threaten…Feeling sells, data tells.If I want to sell something then I build up first the self-esteem of the customer and then I can sell easily every nonsense. I need just to tell some data afterward… The reality is that the customer has already decided to buy this product and then the customer needs some data about why he had made this decision… And even you think you are not so… Imagine a very handsome person is approaching you with a very attractive smile and you already love this person… Now, it is easy to sell something to you or to seduce you… Only, when you are the leader of a group you can be angry because the people have to do what you want! For instance, your kid is angry when you have hurt your kid, and so your kid is wrong… Makes sense… You drive your car and you get angry and abusive and use smear words … If your kid would do the same it will be punished by you!People can't discriminate between themselves and their belief system.If we attack their belief system with facts they get emotionally!Because they feel threaten and even we want to help them to become a better person. People can't discriminate between emotions and facts…People don't act rationally/logically  … And that is true for nearly 99% of the people!And what is about Democracy?How can people vote rationally when they can't act rationally/logically? How would it be if we learn to discriminate between facts and feelings? If somebody is angry it doesn't mean that he is wrong… We have to look for the reason why he is angry!!!! If you can't deal with your emotions and with other emotions, you can't make the best decision!How would it be, when you next time make a decision: Ask honesty why you want to decide so? What are the underlying emotions that drive your decision?Is it not better to ask a friend who is neutral to make a better decision? My Video: People don't act rationally https://youtu.be/fdqKKFpvWh0My Audio on Podcast: RELAX WITH MEDITATION or see link in the end.   My Audio: https://divinesuccess.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/Podcast.B/People-don't-act-rationally.mp3

Tänk OM? Hur stort skav i bröstet hade Malin gått runt med om hon slutade skriva nu (vilket hon inte kommer att göra!)? Hon frågar sig när (om!) det är det läge att ge upp en dröm? Cilla från sin flank berättar om att polisen är anledningen till att hennes skrivande går trögt just nu. De diskuterar också vikten av att vara nyfiken på sina karaktärer och sin berättelse och att det kan ta lång tid innan karaktärerna är trygga med en som författare. Makes sense? Lyssna för svar på den frågan och en hel del annat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Make music! Make art! Makes games! To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Super Mario Maker on the Wii U, Patrick and Mark discuss their favorite creative outlets in Nintendo games.SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/nintendocartridgesocietyFRIEND US ON SWITCH / SWITCH 2Patrick: SW-1401-2882-4137Mark: SW-8112-0583-0050

we unpack the Charlie Kirk assassination questions, sift media narratives vs. facts, confront the censorship creep dressed up as “hate speech”, and revisit the Epstein files as a litmus test for elite accountability. We also tackle geopolitical pressure points (including the Israel debate), analyze digital forensics around chats and “confessions,” reflect on memorial optics and power plays, and—most importantly—chart a path where faith becomes the compass for clearer thinking and better action. Where I've been, why I'm back. We open with a candid reset: how the mission blurred, why the mic went dark, and what brought it back. The answer is both personal and public—a resolve to tell the truth in a way your kids could replay someday and still find courage in. The assassination lens—questions that won't die quietly. We examine the lone-gunman storyline, angle-of-shot disputes, timelines, and the now-infamous chat fragments. Not to force conclusions—but to keep the questions precise, persistent, and public. Media narratives vs. receipts. Next, we pressure-test official statements, “fact checks,” and neatly tied bows. If an explanation demands your blind trust, we'll ask for the evidence—and show you where the holes still are. Free speech, relabeled. Then we move into the censorship fight: how “hate speech” framing is being used as a lever to silence inconvenient opinions, and what stress-tests (big and small) reveal about who holds the switch. Geopolitics, incentives, and the unmentionables. We engage the Israel debate and broader foreign-influence questions with sober skepticism and documented context—because real analysis follows incentives, not hashtags. Epstein as the honesty test. We revisit the files, the evasions, and the convenient amnesia. If leaders won't tell the truth about this, why trust them on anything harder? Forensics & ellipses. We decode the chat logs and digital “confessions,” highlight linguistic oddities, and separate what's provable from what's theatrical—so speculation doesn't drown the signal. Memorials, optics, and power. We assess the staging, speeches, and symbolism—not to snark, but to understand how grief, politics, and influence collide in public rituals. Faith as compass. Finally, we pivot from critique to construction: Scripture-anchored principles that make life better—and make activism braver, wiser, and harder to co-opt. That's the new North Star. Call to Action If you believe truth still matters, subscribe now and turn on alerts. Watch full episodes on YouTube, get deeper dives on Substack, and follow along on social for clips, receipts, and live Q&As. Your listens, shares, and reviews keep this mission moving—thank you for riding with me. All the Links One tap to everything: https://linktr.ee/theaustinjadams   Support My Business: Https://roninbasics.com ----more---- Full Transcript  Adams archive. Hello, you beautiful people and welcome to the Adams Archive. My name is Austin Adams, and thank you so much for listening today. On today's episode, we're gonna talk about where the heck I've been for over a year, because this is my first podcast back and I cannot be more excited about it. So we'll talk about what happened that caused me to drop off the way I did off of social media, off of my podcast. Uh, it has to do with obviously some of the. Political situations that are happening, some of the infighting, kind of just finding my own way and my own mission again. And so I'll tell you all about that journey and actually how I was affected by Charlie Kirk, and he inspired me to grab the microphone back and begin to continue my journey of speaking out for that mission. So then we're gonna talk about all of the happenings with the Charlie Kirk assassination. Absolute tragedy. It has now been. 13 days, almost two weeks since the event happened. And we're gonna talk through all of it. We're gonna talk through Charlie Kirk's character. We're gonna talk through some of the learnings that I had from Charlie Kirk, and all of the clips that we've all been seeing over the last couple of weeks. Uh, we're gonna talk about, um. All of the questions that I have surrounding his assassination. 'cause I have a lot of them. I have gone through and had analyzed many of the previous, uh, assassinations that were super high profile and politically motivated in the past. And through that lens I have a lot of. Questions a lot of them. And so we'll walk through what all of those questions are. We'll walk through what the actual narrative that's being given to us by the government is we'll talk through what are those current plot holes, who is talking about them. And even more importantly, who's not talking about them. We will talk about, uh, and when I say that, I'm mostly sa saying, you know, cash Patel and the FBI and the, you know, the governmental agencies that are responsible for this. Although, I would say one thing we're gonna talk about too is that Cash Patel actually came out and, uh, kind of, uh. Called it what he saw a lot of people talking about. So we'll go through the FBI director's tweet that actually broke down a lot of the conspiracies, so we'll, we'll go through that as well. Then we're gonna talk through what, what could be the political motivation to this? Who could have, this is actually been, if it's not the guy they're saying it is, if it's a patsy, who could it have actually been? Right? A lot of people are throwing out the word real, and I don't know if that's the only name that we should be throwing out in the political landscape that we're in. I have a couple other theories. So then we'll talk about how freedom of speech has been under attack since this happened, and why that's the worst possible reaction you could have ever had to Charlie Kirk's assassination. And then we'll talk a little bit about the memorial 'cause I have some weird thoughts about that, including some thoughts about Erica Kirk, although she had an amazing speech. So nothing to take away from that. But I got some questions guys. I got some questions and I'm here to talk about it with you. So stick around and before I forget. Leave a review, hit that five stars, subscribe. If this is your first time here, thank you so much. I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. If this is the first time listening to me in over a year, I appreciate you too. I'm so glad to be back. Thank you for listening, and without further ado, let's jump into it. The Adams archive. All right, let's jump into it. So the first question you might have is, where the heck have you been to Austin? Good question. Let me answer that for you. So about a year ago, um. With all the situations that was happening politically, Trump kind of looking like he was getting into office and I kind of lost my mission in, in what I was doing this for, right? We go all the way back to the very first episode. The goal of this podcast was to give my thoughts in a way that I thought that my children, my grandchildren, could hear my opinions as to certain current events and previous historical events. And if nobody ever listened to it, that would be pretty cool to me if my children listened to it and got to hear their dad, their grandpa, their whatever, talk about these events, first person, and not have to take it from some textbook that was written for them without any additional narratives around what actually happened. So that's where this started. Then that turned into me being, uh, very politically motivated in, in a lot of the things that I saw that I think were against the better good of our country. And being the patriot that I grew up being, uh, I wanted to correct those and speak out about those things and, and give my opinion on those things and be a voice for people like you who maybe didn't have the time or the energy or the effort to be able to do these types of things or, um, you know, maybe the, the, I don't know. I would say hopefully not. Uh. You know, eloquence to be able to do so. Um, so that was some of the reasoning behind what I did this four, right? If nothing else, my children could listen to it and they would think that's pretty cool. And I would think that's pretty cool. And along the way, a lot of you guys also cared about my opinion. And so I found myself in a situation where I continued to continue, continued to talk about current events. And I found, found myself getting washed out a little bit, um, because. It felt like we were winning, right? It felt like the war was kind of won. It felt like we overcame the, uh, the wokeness that was ingraining itself into our society, and, and the, the pendulum had swung back. And so I didn't feel as motivated to take the time to speak out about those things as, uh, energetically as I had previously. And so. From there. I also have a business or multiple businesses. I have a family, and so I decided to put my time, energy, and effort into that. But now I realize after tying this into the full narrative here, where that went wrong, right? There is a bigger picture here for those children who will be listening to this, for those grandchildren who would be listening to this. And what I would say to them is, let your voice be heard. Your voice matters, and. But I think there's a reason, there's a, there's a way that I kind of went wrong with what I was doing before, and hopefully I can correct that. It fell very much into the right verse left category right. What I found to be really interesting watching a lot of the clips with Charlie Kirk is that he wasn't just taking his finger and wagging it at people and telling them what they were doing wrong. He was telling them how they could do better and then pointing them in a direction that would help them do so. And by a direction, I mean up towards God, towards Jesus, towards the Bible, towards biblical teachings and how they can improve their life. If they followed these teachings, your life will get better. They don't just tell you, you shouldn't do that thing, right? You should, well, maybe you shouldn't do that thing, and let me show you how this can help you to improve your life, not only in this facet, but in others. And so I think that was something that was missing from my approach before where I don't think I gave enough positive. Answers to the negativity that I found myself having to bask in every day. Right? There was just so much negativity, whether it was the trans stuff, whether it was the, the political landscape or the wars that were breaking out or all of these things like the, the, it just was so heavy and so negative constantly without the guiding light to push people towards. That was what Charlie Kirk. Was able to do and the impact that he had. And what we saw is that the, the biggest theme about Charlie Kirk wasn't his socioeconomic beliefs, his his beliefs on the tax regulation or his judicial beliefs on certain laws and regulations. Like it wasn't, it was none of that. Right? The reason that Charlie Kirk had such a big impact was because he pointed. People up, he ported them towards something better, even if he was critiquing something that they were doing. And usually this morality that he found himself holding was based fundamentally in those teachings that he learned from the Bible. And I, myself, as you, you may know from the years that you've been listening to me, wasn't as, uh, entrenched in my faith as maybe I am now. And I'm glad to say that I, I'm there. I found it. I've, over the last couple of years, I, I have been able to. Read more about the Bible, read more about Jesus, read more about Christianity, and have been able to find something for myself and my family that has made me a better man and have made me a better leader for those around me. And so, um, yeah, that's what I got to say about it guys. Like it was so negative and there was no better way, right? It was just, this is bad, this sucks. You guys are terrible. This is not good for humanity. It was never like, Hey, but check, check this thing out over here. This is pretty cool guys. Like this could actually help you improve your life. And, uh, and so I'm, I'm happy to say that I've found that, and, and the, the way that I plan to approach this moving forward is not that of like left verse right. It's not blue verse red and it is truly about good verse evil. That is what this podcast will be about. If I see something that I think is morally wrong, I will call it out, whether it's on the left, whether it's on the right, whether it's nothing to do with politics, I will call it out. That is the goal of this, and so if you don't like that, if feel free to leave now, that's perfectly fine with me. That's perfectly fine. I will find my tribe, although I have an inkling to think that the people who have been listening to me are also on the same wavelength as me, and for so long I have also criticized Trump and, and the things that he's doing. And, uh, I will continue to do so if those things I believe are morally unethical, including the Epstein files. Right in including the preemptive strike on Iran, including like some of these things that we've been talking about that I've been calling out for quite some time. That is going to be the theme of what we're doing here, guys. Okay. So with all that being said, I found a better way and I am so thankful that Charlie Kirk kind of paved the way for this type of discussion. And, uh, happy to say that I'll be picking up the mic myself along with many, many other people to hopefully continue his legacy. All right. With all that said, let's talk about the event with Charlie Kirk. Right? And one of the things that he taught me is that politics is the battleground for morality, but it's not the only battleground, right? There's so many other things that we need to discuss and talk about, including the health movement, including, you know. So many different topics. And so there's been a complete illusion of choice, right? It's not left versus right. It's not blue versus red. It's good versus evil. And what we saw with Charlie Kirk was absolute evil. And where that came from, we're gonna get to the bottom of it. Alright? So the mainstream narrative with Charlie Kirk is that there was a lone gunman who acted alone, who assassinated Charlie Kirk because of his beliefs on trans ideology. That seems to be the narrative, right? That's the writings on the bullet, right? He, he took himself onto the top of the rooftop and took a shot from almost parallel to Charlie Kirk, and it went into his neck and didn't have any exit wound, and Charlie died right there on the spot. And then, then some weird stuff happened and occurred that we'll talk about too. So one of those things being. One thing that I seem to have the biggest problem with here is that so many people, Donald Trump, k Patel, uh, even Erica Kirk, during the Memorial service, everybody is out there saying that. Anybody who tells you that this is case closed at this point, September 23rd, 2025. Anybody who tells you that this is case closed with Charlie Kirk's assassin, we should stop. Looking at other, other, pulling on other strings, looking in other directions, asking questions that aren't anything to do with this man, Tyler Robinson, then you should be suspicious of them. One, he's made no confession. Why are reacting like this is the guy if there's no confession? He hasn't been tried by a jury. It's not even the court of public opinion at this point because it's not the public's opinion. It's the court of government opinion. We're being told by everybody in the government right now that this is the guy stop asking questions case shut. He did it. Gonna get the death penalty. Doesn't that seem weird in a society that you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty? That is how this is supposed to go. The government does not get to jump on a news cycle. Say he did it. We know he did it. We don't have the evidence yet besides these discord, discord, uh, discord chats that Discord says didn't exist. Right. And we'll look at those chats together 'cause those are super suspicious. So he goes on the roof, he shoots him, then he gets off of the roof right after dissembling his rifle, which would take more than a minute to disassemble. Big pothole there. Right shot shot him with a 30 out six into the neck, but it apparently had no exit wound. Very weird, right? According to the surgeon that worked on him, according to the PR agent, that works for Turning Point, that's the case because of his bone density. Okay? Anybody who knows anything about guns would tell you that a 30 out six caliber rifle, right, a 36 bullet would completely have an exit wound. No situation where that doesn't occur. That is meant for big game, right? No way. That's the case. So shoots him, jumps off there, goes into a forest, goes, walks through the back area of this, you know, of UVU, takes his rifle, puts it into his backpack while he is on the roof, jumps off the roof, goes into the woods, wraps, reassembles his rifle. Wraps it in a towel, leaves it in the middle of the woods. Just the murder weapon. Right? Just the murder weapon. The one thing that you probably don't wanna leave, the one thing decides to leave it in the towel there. Okay. Then goes to his car, seems to do something for several hours, including go to a McDonald's or a Dairy Queen, I think was where the picture was taken. The same day and then lingers allegedly around where he left his rifle during a huge lockdown, right? Helicopters, tons of police presence lingers around there for like six or seven hours according to the timelines, waiting for the perfect moment to jump in and get his rifle weird. So let's look at those text messages and see what they're telling you was said between them. And this is him and his boyfriend slash trans lover that he lived with. All right, here we go. Here are the text messages. Now, some of the biggest questions people have about this is the type of language that they're using, right? Some of the specific words here come from this bottom paragraph. Now, one thing I'd like to point out that I thought was brilliantly pointed out by. Candace Owens producer or somebody that was on the set with her is that there is a ton when it comes to the Tyler Robinson text messages. There is a ton of ellipses, ton of them. Every single sentence it seems like right ev, above each of these individual text message, ellipses, ellipses, ellipses, ellipses, ellipses. That's not written. That's saying that they cherry picked different statements from different parts of the conversations and omitted others. That's not evidence being given to the public. That's doctored evidence being given to the public. And by the way, there's no timelines here. You know how every single texting platform since a IM has told you when a message came through. They're not telling you that here. Pretty suspicious. Now, if you get to the bottom of this doctored conversation that apparently happened on Discord, but Discord said didn't happen on Discord, you would see this, this writing by Robinson to his trans boyfriend, roommate, lover. And what people are saying about this, by the way, is that it sounds like. They put something into chat, GPT saying that, oh, write a conversation between two people in their twenties where they're talking about, you know, X, Y, and Z. Right? What I would do if I was writing this, if I was the FBI writing this, right? If I was the FBI, writing this conversation between Tyler Robinson and his boyfriend, trans lover, here's the prompt that I would give it. I would say. Write a conversation between two Gen Z men. Both are gay, one is trans, and make it check these evidence boxes. One, he used his grandpa's rifle. Two, he left it in the forest. Three he wrote on the bullets. Four, he X, Y, and Z. Right? Write down the line. Here's exactly what the evidence that I need you to integrate into this discussion. That's what this looks like. Now, what other people are saying is that it doesn't look like people took the, the prompts that they put in said between people in their twenties. It sounds more like they said people in the twenties, like in the 1920s, makes it so much more believable with the way that they're talking. So some of the questions, some of the su suspicions that people have around this are this particular statement which says, I'm wishing I had circled back. This is talking about how he left the, the gun within the forest. I'm wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle. Vehicle. Kind of a weird term for a 20-year-old male to use and not somebody who's. Federal law enforcement, which is what it much more sounds like. I'm worried ab, I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back grandpa's rifle. I don't even know if I, it had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. I worry about my prints. I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. Outfits another weird thing for a 20-year-old male to say, most guys don't change outfits. They change clothes. Most guys don't drive a vehicle. They drive a car. Weird. Didn't have the ability or time to bring it back with me. And I also should probably give you where these ellipses are. 'cause we've already had three in this singular sentence where they're jumping around and cherry picking statements anyways, uh, and changed outfits. Didn't have the ability or time to bring it with me. Or to bring it with ellipses, I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find Prince. How the F will I explain losing it to my old man, the old man and grandpa. Thing's kind of weird. Kind of weird. Maybe some people say that. My old man, like it's still going back. It sounds a little, little off to me right now. There's a bunch of other things in here, but the biggest thing is the ellipses. The biggest thing is the vernacular. The biggest thing is how weird and off this sounds for a 22-year-old. Guy to speak this way. Okay. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's weird. Probably is. Now, let's look at the tweet from Cash Patel. All right. He wrote this, I think it was two days ago now, on the, yep, the 21st. He wrote a direct. Response to all of the cons, all of the conspiracies, right? Cash Patel says, Hey, I'm going to address these conspiracies. So Cash Patel wrote this tweet addressing these conspiracies, and here's what he had to say about it. As the director of the FBII am committed to ensuring the investigation in the Charlie Kirk's assassination is thorough and exhaustive. Pursuing every lead. Pursuing every lead. Um. To its conclusion. The full weight of America's law enforcement agencies are actively following the evidence that has emerged, but our efforts extend beyond initial findings. We are examining every facet of this assassination. We are meticulously, and I'm gonna break down each one of these for you. 'cause he says all of the different conspiracies, not all of them. He points out some of the inconsistencies in their reporting, and I'll go through what each one of them are broken down into it in detail. We are meticulously investigating theories and questions, including the location from where the shot was taken. The possibility of accomplices, the text message, confession and related conversations, discord chats the angle of the shot and impact how the weapon was transported. Hand gestures observed as potential signals near Charlie at the time of his assassination and visitors to the alleged shooters, residents, and the hours and days of leading up to September 10th, 2025. Some details are known today, while others are still being pursued to ensure every possibility is being considered. So let's go back up and let's talk through each one of these individual things that he's addressing. One is including the location from where the shot was taken. Okay? And I'd like to remind you guys when it comes to Charlie Kirk's assassination, we've been training for this, we've been studying for this. We have an entire society. Who has spent five years uncovering government conspiracies. Now they think in real time they can pull one over on us on a, with a huge world stage assassination. And we're not gonna figure this out. Like guys, we've been training for this from C-O-V-I-D-J-F-K assassination, MLK assassination, right? All of those, we know when there is a lone shooter. That lone shooter. A lone shooter is never usually the person that actually conducted the hit. That's what we call a patsy, the fall guy, right? We know this. That's the formula of these conspiracies, right? That's what happened with JFK. That's what happened with MLK, right? We go back and back to each one of these major assassinations or assassination attempts, right? You go back to the assassination attempt by Trump, which. Weirdly enough, we know far more about Tyler Robinson at this point than we ever figured out about Trump's assassinator, right? Or attempted alleged assassin. Kind of weird, kind of weird that Trump's not even asking questions about why this guy tried to kill him. Kind of weird. Trump. Trump, the guy with the biggest ego in the world. We all know it. Is not even trying to figure out why this kid tried to kill him. You know, the one that was in the BlackRock commercial, kind of weird and everybody just dropped it. Everybody dropped it. Nobody's asking questions about that anymore. We're not even exploring that. That conspiracy over done case closed, shut, bye. But we have been studying for this. We have been. We, we were born in the dark. You simply adapted Bain. Right? We have been studying for this. They think they can pull one over on us. They think you're stupid, just like they've thought for a hundred years. Just like they thought they did when they pulled off JFK, just like they thought you were when they pulled off MLK. Right? Just like they thought when they were doing Operation Northwoods or MK Ultra, or. Any one of these things, right? Go back. I got a whole list of episodes for you to listen to on government conspiracies, but guess what? We're too smart for this now, and we are in real time uncovering exactly where the potholes are, which took us 50 years with the other assassinations. We're gonna figure this out guys. We're not gonna let this go. So here are some of the things that Kash Patel pointed out. We are meticulously investigating theories and questions, including the location from where the shot was taken. Right? Question number one, was the shot actually taken by the man who was running across the top of the building from the location that was directly in front of Charlie Kirk? Well, that would be kind of weird if it was actually a 30 out six cartridge because the location. Everybody's thinking is probably more likely an exit wound, which usually, and everybody saw that video, everybody has PTSD from it. It was horrible to see. That's usually where you see that type of blood amount coming from the body. Not an entrance wound, the exit wound. So that would mean that he wasn't shot from straightforward and it hit here. He was shot maybe from this direction, which is what people are exploring. There was another location that people seem to think there's even videos online where people are slowing down and saying that they saw a bullet from that direction, right? Or I guess the direction to Charlie's right from where he was facing right and up instead of directly in front of him. So people are slowing down that footage and seeing that. So that would mean that there was not only one person on the roof over here, but potentially one person on the roof over here. Not only that. There's also another theory because they seem to have cemented over the patio area that he was shot on, right? All of that, that, you know, the crime scene within 48 hours, they went and covered the entire thing, kind of suspicious. But what people saw when they were covering that with. That there was actually immediately behind, and I saw this on X and I didn't even believe it. I thought this was AI being used to put fuel on the fire of the conspiracies with Charlie Kirk. I didn't believe this one until Candace Owens came with receipts and said there is a trap door behind where Charlie Kirk was sitting. That image is real weird. Very weird. So the question being asked there is, could that person have shot him from that trap door behind him? Seems crazy. Seems super wild. But guess what? People are crazy. Governments are crazy and they've done wild stuff forever. That seems like a pretty clean way to make this happen. Barely gotta even open it, right? Other people are looking at the microphone. Trolley's shirt and seeing how that completely moved. Right. Some people are thinking that it's a, you know, do you wanna get really into the weirdness? I don't agree with it. And I, I think this is, uh, kind of a gross conspiracy where they're saying that it was like some sort of, um, device that would shoot out the blood. Right. But other people are saying, is that where the bullet came from? There's a microphone on him. Right, so, so many questions about it. Just from that first, first statement, so many different theories, so many different possibilities, and I'm sure there's thousands of others possibilities just from that first statement that we're not even thinking of yet. The next question is the possibility of accomplices. Now, this is a weird one. There is a man, there was a man, an old man on the scene after Tyler Robinson allegedly pulled the trigger. Who raised his hand, threw himself in, into the, the, the police and said, I did it. I shot him. And that guy later going to jail for child pornography on his phone. Surprise, surprise, then says, I just did that 'cause I wanted the guy to get away. Hmm. That seems pretty weird to me. Does it not? That seems pretty weird. What person in a situation like that, they hear a gunshot. They, they, let's start from the beginning. They go to an event for somebody they dislike. Now, that's not out of the norm, especially for Charlie Kirk. He invited those people out. He wants to debate those people perfectly fine. Makes sense. Maybe he went to the location for that. Okay. Let's say that then gunfire rings out. In the midst of the chaos, he sees Charlie Kirk get shot. He decides I'm going to not only say that, you know, I'm, I'm gonna raise my hand, say that I did it, which means that he thought through, not only that, but he thought through the idea that, well, I'm probably not actually gonna go to jail for this. If I say that I do it right now, that's also gonna help that guy get away. And that means I'm gonna get away with, or I'm gonna get out of here because there's no real evidence to indict me. Because he's basically saying, I'm gonna be the fall guy for this. Right. Weird. Who thinks to do that during gunfire? Super weird. And who thinks through that far and says, well, I know they're not gonna be able to indict me. I know they're not gonna be able to charge me, even though I'm admitting to it in this moment. It's really just gonna allow that shooter to get away. And by the way, I care so much about that shooter. I don't want him to go to jail for this. I'll be the fall guy all in within a minute or two of this shooting happening. Five minutes, whatever. It's. Super weird. Now other people are saying he was on a discord chat with other, uh, 20 other people and there was a Utah L-G-B-T-Q-I-L-M-N-O-P, something about, uh, gun owners or learning to use guns within that community. Okay? Pretty weird, right? 20 people in the Discord chat. Only Discord still says that they have nothing to do with this. Still says that they don't have the the, the messages. The next one is the text message confession. We just went through that. Super suspicious. The next one is related conversations, discord chats. Okay. The next one is the angle of the shot in the bullet impact. We need an autopsy. The third one is fourth one, fifth one, whatever it is, how the weapon was transported. Was it taken down in real time? That took him an entire minute. Well, that's weird because he jumped off the building within 15 seconds. So how did he take that down? Put it in his backpack, like disassembled a rifle, which takes about a minute. That rifle specifically puts it in his backpack, a backpack that wouldn't fit that rifle. Also suspicious, then gets into the woods, changes his clothes, reassembles his rifle, wraps it in the towel. Throws it in the bush. Yeah, nothing makes sense about that. Okay, good. And then visitors to the alleged shooters residence in the hours and days leading up to September 10th, people were saying with around Tyler Robinson's, uh, location where his house, where he lived with his boyfriend that he had out of state plates visiting his house in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting. Okay, so there's everything Cash Patel is addressing within his tweet about this, but at least he's addressing these things. Now. I don't know if he really had a choice in this environment, right? Anything that Charlie or that that Kash Patel says at this point, I'm just super suspicious of because I've seen him lie about Epstein so many times at this point. Why would we believe anything that he has to say about the assassination of Charlie Kirk? Why would we believe anything? He has lied to the community. He has lied to your face. He has lied to the American people so many times about Epstein. So many times, right? We still don't have answers of why the security footage was cut at the exact time that Epstein was. Suicide. Still don't have that answer. Right? And we'll get into the reasons why. I think, you know, this happened in just a moment, but these are some of the questions that people have, right? So now who, if not he, if not Tyler Robinson, who could it be? Now there's a whole online community of people pointing the finger. It is real. And the reason for that is somewhat legitimate. Everybody. Everybody who has been watching Charlie Kirk over the last several months has seen that Charlie has been criticizing Israel, has been super skeptical, whether it's about what they're doing in Gaza, which he called an ethnic cleansing, literally word for word, just a month ago, to tying Mossad to Jeffrey Epstein, which he said just a month, a month and a half ago. With Patrick Beda, his podcast, I believe it was, and then hosting AM Fest, where he had Dave Smith debate somebody, and not only debate them, but demolish them on the topic of Israel. And how what they're doing is wrong and how it's a genocide and how it's horrible and atrocious. And then he also spoke about how he believes the Mossad and Israel are blackmailing all of the politicians in the us, not all of them, but many of them. And he also spoke about APAC and how he thinks that, you know, they should be registered under Farah, which is also quite interesting. Something that JFK talked about almost in the weeks prior up to him getting assassinated. Then you get into the situation with the Hamptons that Candace is talking about, which is the fact that there was a meeting of influencers, and by influencers, I say all of the traditionalist, uh, corporate influencers in this space, right? All of the Zion. Pr you all of the Zionist daily wire. Um, and then you have some people sprinkle in there that aren't that. But a lot of it had to do with the, you know, the, the entrenched corporate influencers that have been propped up by those types of organizations. And meeting there with Charlie. And originally the idea was that they were gonna talk about menani, the, the, you know, New York, um, mayor. And then it turned into a somewhat. Very serious, uh, cornering of Charlie Kirk about Israel and how, what he's doing wrong. And then that led to a final Stitch effort by Benjamin Netanyahu of offering Charlie Kirk $150 million to Turning Point USA. Why would he do that? Why would you offer $150 million as a country to a foreign country's, uh, media company? Well, for influence. To turn it into a propaganda arm for you, and guess what? Charlie Kirk said, no. Guess where we're at now. Just a month later, he's dead. Makes pretty logical sense, right? That's one of the theories and that's a fair theory, but I don't think it's the only theory that we should be pursuing a question that I have. Who else is gaining off of this? Who is gaining something from this assassination? And maybe we marry these two ideas, right? Every assassination in the last a hundred years was not done by a lone gunman in this political sphere. And there was always some, some of these two, one of these two organizations or groups, Masad, CIA, that's it. Now, it's not to say that there's other foreign governments that aren't doing these things and doing it in different locations, but all of the prominent ones that we know of likely allegedly had to do with one of those two organizations or both of them. So when we look at this situation, the fact that nobody is calling out the Trump administration or the CIA or our local domestic government being a part of this. Seems like a big hole to me. Why? Why would they do this? Who's set to gain from it? Well, Trump has a 39, a 39% approval rating. Right now. Trump has lost much of his base because the litmus test for him being truthful and honest and really wanting to improve American politics and drain the swamp, as he would say was Jeffrey Epstein. Then he went on the gaslighting tour telling us, Jeffrey Epstein is a hoax. It doesn't even really exist. He didn't traffic it to anybody. He was backed up by Dan Bongino. He was backed up by KS Patel. He was backed up by Pam Bombi. Right. Who also said that there was 10,000 hours worth of tapes of horrific things that they found, but then retracts that later. Right. That was the litmus test. That's how we knew if he was being honest or not, and he wasn't, and he lost his base. He lost me. I tried to convince everybody that I talked to to vote for Trump. I would not do that again at this point because he's not being honest and he's very likely a part of the Epstein files. I've reported on that before. Several times. He was on the flight logs, right? He, there's 17 different separate pictures of him at different times. He drew that picture for his birthday and gave it to him. Kind of suspicious and weird. Um, lots of reasons. Lots of reasons. So now with a 39% approval rating, you see what happened at the memorial service, which looked like to me more of a Trump rally when Trump got out there, right? Walked out with his WWE walkout song and fireworks shooting down and a a, a live musician singing. I'm proud to be an American. Right? Not amazing grace. Not, not anything glorifying Charlie Kirk's legacy. I'm proud to be an American. The same song Trump came out to, to his rallies and he treated it like a rally. Majority of the statements that came out of Trump's mouth were not about the legacy of Charlie Kirk. Now he ended most of his sentences trying to tie it back, and Charlie would agree with me on this, that we've done a great job on X, Y, and Z. Right? Then gives his big reveal about vaccines. And Tylenol and autism, right? Uses this as his podium to come out and try to gain public approval again, and we'll get more into detail on that in just a second, but I just thought that's weird. But first, before we jump into that, let's talk about this bringing up Pam Bondy's name is The Situation with Hate speech, let's watch Pam Bondy's own words when it comes to the difference between hate speech and free speech. According to her, here we go. There's free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie in our society. Do you see? More law enforcement going after these groups who are using hate speech and putting cuffs on people. So we show them that some action is better than no action. We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate, speech, anything, and that's across the aisle. There's free speech and then there's hate. So let's be clear what she's talking about there, because she, she came out and said, oh, I was, I was speaking about people who are making threatening remarks. No, no. That's not what hate speech is. Right? There's laws around making violent threats, right, that are credible. But when she's talking about this here, what you have to understand when you have Republicans clapping right to the sound of her saying that they're gonna go after people for hate speech, especially in light of like this Jimmy Kimmel switch of hands where they made it seem like they were actually gonna get rid of him, but they actually didn't. Right. What they were doing is called a shock test, right? They were trying to figure out what would the public's response be if we go after people on mainstream media and get rid of their platform by leveraging, you know, the tools of the federal government, right? Because that's what happened here, is that. Apparently Trump went to the FCC Board and put pressure on them, and they went to A, B, C, and to Disney and to all of these affiliates, and they basically got him pulled off. Right, but the, the point of that was not to actually pull him from the air because today's Tuesday the 23rd and he's going to be aired again already. They were trying to figure out exactly what your response would be. Republicans, Democrats, both sides of the aisle, libertarian, everybody. They were trying to figure out what the response would be, and you guys, maybe not you, but you guys failed right on both sides of the aisle. Right. We were so against hate speech when it had to do with COVID, when it had to do with, uh, the Black Lives Matter riots when it had to do the L-G-B-T-Q-I-E, letter P, whatever, right? We were so against it until it's time for us to, right. The Voltaire quote, uh, I wholly disagree with what you have to say, and I will put down my life to defend your right to say it. Something like that, right? And so the idea. That they were testing you, they were trying to figure out how you would respond, right? And they did that. And now he's gonna be back on air. And now they know that you'll crumble under pressure. And again, maybe not you, but the general public. And so we have to be clear here. This hate speech that Pam Bondy is talking about is not going to be about Charlie Kirk. This had nothing. This statement has nothing to do with Charlie Kirk. They tried to make it seem like that with Jimmy Kimmel. Interesting timing. But it has nothing to do with that. What it has to do with is going to be your criticism of who Take a guess Israel. That will be the new shadow banning crusade. That will be the new lose your platform, get banned from Instagram, Twitter, x, TikTok, all of them, right? That is gonna be the new battleground that will have to be fought on for free speech, right? It's no longer COVID. It's no longer LGB, whatever. It's gonna be Israel. That's what these laws will be used for. And guess what? If you're under 30, if you're under 40, and even if you're on the right, generally statistically, you don't agree with what's happening and what Israel's doing, and so they will come after you. That's what she says at the very bad, at the very end of that clip on both sides of the aisle. Well, what are both sides of the aisle saying that they don't like? It's about Israel. That's gonna be the anti-Semitic hate speech that's going to cause you to get banned on Instagram or TikTok. Right? Trust me. Lost my TikTok. Totally banned from TikTok and lost my Instagram platform for, from growing for like two years during COVID because I was speaking what the truth if they, if they knew that you were lying, they wouldn't have to silence you because the truth eventually comes out. Right. They wouldn't have to label you because they know that what you're saying, right? They don't have to say you're anti-Semitic or you're anti-vax, right? They called you anti-VAX when they didn't like the facts of what you were saying about vaccines, right? They called you vaccine hesitant, right? All of those situations, this will come around to bite you. So if you are the person clapping to this, realize this is not. For what you think it is and it is always and will always be a Trojan horse for the government to gain more power. And guess what? That's what we're against here. Right? Right. That's what we're against here. We do not want to centralize more power to the government to tell people what they can and what they cannot say or think, or this is not the minority report. We're not able to handcuff people for thoughts or words. That is what our forefathers, the founding fathers said explicitly, the freedom of speech is what everything else is built off of. The First Amendment is protected by the Second Amendment, and all the other amendments have to be protected by the First Amendment. That's it. So disgusting, not something I support. Absolutely not, and just further makes me dislike Pam Bondi. All right. Now moving on to the Charlie Kirk Memorial, which I think is important to this to touch on too. There were some beautiful moments. There were some kind of weird moments, right? Some things to do with Erica Kirk that some people are now pointing out is kind of weird. We'll talk about those. Uh, so some of the things that I would like to point out that were positive about this one, I do think it's incredible that we're having a national discussion about our faith. One Nation under God, one nation under God. I think it's amazing that you had all these Christian artists out there singing the gospel. Pretty awesome, pretty cool, all the biggest ones, right? Brandon Lake was there, right? You had all these huge artists there that were, were singing amazing songs. Uh, and then you had almost every politician that was there mentioned. God, Jesus. Right? The believing of Charlie Kirk and what had brought this, this new rising of Christianity within our country. But I do think that there was some bad faith actors leveraging that name, right. Leveraging the name of Jesus in a way that I find to be disingenuous. Right? I also didn't like Jack Poso ex's talk where he was basically doing some sort of weird, like. Rally cried. His, like thinking it was like his coming out party for, for himself to take the stage and not just like honor the, the legacy of Charlie Kirk. I do think that the, uh, you know, Tucker Carlson had some amazing highlights, one of which was talking about exactly what we were talking about earlier, where he was pointing out that, you know, the, the, the very similarities of the story of Jesus and him being crucified for saying things that. A specific party didn't seem to like him saying and was alluding to that being the exact case here, which I thought was interesting. Uh, especially in light of Candace Owens and him being the one that was given a platform to speak at this event and still platforming, platforming stupid word, but still talking about that in an open discussion for this specific party, right, of people that he was claiming might have something to do with this. Right. Tucker's moment was amazing. You should go listen to his entire speech. I thought it was incredible. Uh, now when we get into, uh, Erica Kirk's moments, you know, the, the fact that she was able to stand on stage, I'm not this good of a man yet. The fact that she was able to stand on that stage 10 days after her husband was assassinated, and forgive the person that she's saying assassinated him or believes that assassinated him. Man, that was unbelievably powerful. Unbelievably powerful and incredible. And, and I also loved the part of her statement. You know, often when it comes to Christianity and people getting into Christianity, especially women, they seem to have this negative idea of Christianity based on the idea that they should be subservient or servant to their serve, their husband. And there's this complete wrong way of thinking about it that I think Erica addressed perfectly, which was that you are not his employee. Do, do treat your wife as if she is your partner. You are partner. She is your partner, you are her partner, and she's not your employee. She's not your slave. Right? And I thought that was a great way to address the women of this nation who are maybe interested in Christianity in their Christian faith and exploring it further, but finding some distaste for the way that some people misrepresent the biblical teachings in the way about the way that you should look at your wife and the way that she should, uh, you know, kind of. Allow you to lead your family, right? That doesn't mean that you take advantage of her. And I thought that was a great statement that she made as well. Now, a couple of things that I thought was weird about this, weird about the, the, the situation at the, uh, the memorial service, one being. Trump came out to Charlie Kirk's memorial, like he was about to storm John Cena in the WWE Fireworks and sparklers and music being sang by somebody in the background. God bless America, the whole three minutes, not a little excerpt, the entire thing. And then Trump walked on stage and had the audacity for 30 to 40 minutes, however long it was to barely touch on the legacy of Charlie Kirk. I thought this was completely distasteful. I thought it was gross. Everything that Trump talked about was himself. It seemed like he took that opportunity as a moment for him to try to win back the popularity of the people with a 39% current approval rating to try to, Hey guys, also, you know, this guy died, but also I'm amazing. Look at all the great things that I'm doing. And Charlie thought so too, and that's exactly how he stated all these things was like he would do a whole thing on what he's doing. That's great. Right. The, the vaccine or the autism thing with Tylenol. And then he would, and Charlie would, Charlie would love it. Charlie would love it. He would just, he would put an exclamation point that was about Charlie. He would tie him into every single statement, but none of the statements were truly about Charlie. Maybe the first five minutes, I thought that was gross. I thought it was distasteful. I don't think that was the right platform. This is literally something to honor the legacy of a great man, and you took it as an opportunity for you to grandstand at this man's podium over his casket. Figuratively speaking to talk about how amazing of a job you're doing when you know the general public totally disagrees with you on that. Starting with the Epstein files, it was gross. It was weird. Not the place, not the time. The next thing that I thought was weird was the ending, and, and I'll preface this with I'm. I am not going to, I'm, I'm going to preface this with the idea that I don't believe there's actually something, well, I'm not gonna say that I don't believe it. I don't have any credible evidence that there's something here yet. But there's something weird about the way that Erica Kirk went about her, the ending of that. Like, it was very pageant esque. Right. And she was Miss Arizona, right? Like she was in that environment. So maybe that's just the, the. Muscle fibers, the fast twitch muscle fibers, they're the muscle memory that turns on when she gets on a stage and starts public speaking, which is super fair and, and also we'll also preface this with the fact that if you tell anybody that they need to stand in front of a 10 million people and give a speech about their dead husbands who was assassinated, who died 10 days ago, and also do it next to the president, they're probably gonna act a little weird. But there's a lot of people in the public who are starting to ask questions about Erica Kirk and if she's, uh, in any way, shape, or form, not thinking either in the best interest of Charlie's legacy or something of that sort. I dunno. I don't necessarily agree with it. I did think there was a few weird points. One being at the very end with the hug with Trump, it looked very pageantry. It looked very like, uh, like a photo op. Not like you're literally actually grieving your husband's death and then you so happen to hug the president and lay your head on his chest and like weep in this weird, pageantry way. I just didn't like it. I thought it was weird. I, again, I'm not trying to be disrespectful to her. I have the, the utmost respect to her and her family. I just thought it was weird and a lot of other people did too. I'm not the only guy. Now, this started a whole thing around Erica Kirk and people digging into her background. One of the things that people are starting to point to, and I have found no evidence of this, no proper evidence that supports this, and I looked, but people are saying that Erica Kirk had this. Nonprofit that she started like 20 years ago, almost. Not sure how that's possible with her being 36 or so, 37. Uh, she started this thing called the Romanian Angels and where she set up an orphanage in Romania. And uh, there was some people alleging that locals were saying that they were in some way, shape or form trafficking children or selling them through some adoption channels in the US or. Something of the sort like that I found no evidence of that. But how many people do you know at 19, 18 years old start a Romanian, uh, children's orphanage and work with the US military to do it? Uh, I also saw some. Allegedly, I have not seen any, any validation of this. Some people saying that her dad was, had some ties into, um, like the military industrial complex in Raytheon. I saw some other people pointing out that a, she was a casting director during the time, uh, or not a casting director, but there was like some, she claims to have been in some way, shape, or form a part of the, the movie industry or some sort of like a casting person that would find talent or would, there was something around that, that idea. And people were saying it's kind of weird that at the same time that. Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant. She also is a part of Miss Arizona and he's also friends with Jeffrey Epstein. I don't see a connection there. Doesn't make sense to me. And then last but not least, her and Charlie met in Israel of all places. Somewhat interesting. They met for a job interview. He went to interview her, said he didn't wanna hire her, he wanted to marry her, or something along those lines. Great background story. Beautiful love story. Uh, and again, what I'm saying about majority of this is there's no substantial evidence that supports any of these theories at all. I don't. I do not think that there's anything to the Romanian Angels thing at this moment. I don't think that there's, it is kind of a weird coincidence with the Miss Arizona thing and then them meeting in Israel at the same exact time. Kind of weird, but again, doesn't lead me to believe anything. I just had a weird gut feeling when I saw her on stage. And again, that maybe is just the, the muscle memory kicking in with her pageantry and the way that she was on Trump just seemed awkward and weird and like very forced, very photo oppy to me. Uh, I dunno, time will tell. A bunch of people are looking into it a hopefully, and, and you know, all likelihood is that she's a great person because Charlie wouldn't have married her if that wasn't the case. Some people just come off super genuine and some people don't know how to go in front of a crowd like that without, you know, turning on a different mask. Uh, and I'm my gut feeling she's probably a great person and she also probably is used to being in a pageant and has those muscle memories when she gets on the stage and speaks in front of millions of people. That's what makes sense to me. All of that being said, this whole thing's weird guys. It stinks. There's something going on here. There's more than what they're telling us. We need to figure it out. Is it Israel? Is it the us? Are they trying to stop somebody from speaking out and building a large organization of youth, right? The next 20 years from now, the people who are under 30 right now that are completely against Israel are gonna grow up and they're gonna be the next stage of politicians. And how easy are they gonna be bought off when they think Israel is the literal state of the devil? Right. So something weird are going on here. Never let a good crisis go to waste. That's what we're seeing with Pam Bondi and Freedom of Speech, right? That's what we're seeing with the Shock test with Jimmy Kimmel, and we still don't know what's gonna come out from Cash Patel, but I'm glad that he addressed all of those points. Again. All that being said, thank you for being here. I'm excited to go down this journey with you and continue to bring you the truth. Continue to call out things where I see fit and I will see you next time right here on the Adams Archive. Thank you Adams Archive.

Send us a textKatie and Bridget try to look away from the Alpha Zombies running (if you know, you know), as they re-watch this month's NOstalgic Happy Hour: 28 Years Later! We've finally made it to the third movie of the 28 Days Later franchise and spoiler alert - THERE'S STILL LOTS OF ZOMBIES GOOD GOD! Come along as we meet Spike, a 12 year old boy who lives in a cute coastal town in Scotland with his parents. When his dad takes him to the mainland for some good old manly zombie hunting, he discovers that there's a doctor living there just lighting fires nonstop. Not sure how we didn't see that from our town, but fine! When Spike's dad refuses to get help from the doctor for Spike's mom, who's clearly dying, Spike threatens to shank him, distracts the entire village all at once, and sneaks mom out onto the mainland to get her some help. It JUST. MAKES. SENSE. GUYS! This movie asks the deep questions such as: Why are there different breeds of zombies now? Whatever happened to the immunity subplot people could have to zombies that was talked about in the 2nd movie? How magical IS the placenta!? All that and more in this beautiful movie to look at, though you might question if you were roofied or not while watching it. Released in 2025, it stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, and special guest appearance in a Juicy Couture tracksuit: Jack O'Connell.

Interview Summary You know I really like the innovative nature of Food On The Move, and I'm eager for you to tell us more about what it involves. But before we do that, how does a young, highly successful musician turn to battling food insecurity? What led you to create Food On The Move? It took me years to say I even created it. I didn't even use the term founder because I really had this sense of partnership that was a part of how it came to be. But I did found or 'start' Food On The Move because I have just a deep sense of gratitude in my life experience and also maybe a calling? I call it the tap on the shoulder that said there's more for you to do. There's more for me to do. And I didn't really know what that meant. I wanted to invest in Oklahoma and where we're from because as a musician, first you travel, you leave, you go out, you connect with people all over the world. But there's something about building and doing well for your community from the town you're from. And I was inspired by a former US ambassador. A man named Edward Perkins, who was an incredible representative of our country. He worked in some of the most difficult parts of the world representing the US and working with other nations. And his story struck me so deeply because he found ways to partner and transform communities as an ambassador. And I got to know him after his time as an ambassador because he was teaching as a professor at OU (Oklahoma University), in Oklahoma. And I asked him, I said - I want to honor your life. I want to learn from you. If I was to begin to really impact my community, Oklahoma where I'm from and maybe beyond, where would you begin? And he said, I would start with food. That's so interesting. You know, your concept of partnership is so interesting. I'd like to dive into that a little bit deeper in a little bit. But first, tell us about your organization and what it does, how it works, what it tries to accomplish. Yes. So, inspired by Ambassador Perkins' example, we set out to ask the right questions more than have the answers. And in 2014, I just basically cold called everyone in the community that worked in food - from the food bank to the food pantries and said ‘help me understand the gaps.' Help me understand where it's hard to accomplish change. And the term food desert began coming up more and more. And food deserts are communities without grocery stores. So, think of it as the canary in the mine. Sort of when a grocery store goes, the neighborhood is declining. Because they're small margin organizations they have a hard time staying afloat and when they go it's hard to bring them back because you need either a company like a big chain or a small business that doesn't have a lot of resources. And oftentimes that decline continues, and it impacts the community. So, with Food On The Move I basically brought together partners to create an access point in food deserts where it's was all in kind. From food trucks that could bring great, tasty food and give people dignity and excitement and energy, to partners that are doing food safety training and teaching people to cook. And places like Oklahoma State University extension where they train people about how to prepare food because they may not know. And so, all these partners came together, and we basically spent five years just learning and serving people in those communities. And focusing on an environment that was not about raising a bunch of money; it was really about who is already in this space that we can garner relationships with and get to know the communities. And now those events continue to be flagships. We call them food and resource festivals. They are a pay-as-you-can. You show up, you get access to fresh produce, you have food trucks, you have wraparound services. You have people that are in the community, in different nonprofits, for-profits, and government organizations that we all collaborate with. And we reach people where they are while serving and getting to know them and learning from them. And through those relationships, through those events - which we still do - what it's brought us to is the innovation and education side, and ultimately transformation. We realized in order to change food deserts, end food deserts, bring grocery stores back, that we had to get to the heart of the food system. Which is we had to be teaching people to grow things again, rebuild the local foundation of farmers being trained, use new, innovative systems like indoor growing and aquaponics, hydroponics. And basically, we had to kind of build the foundation back that's been lost since post World War II in our community, like many places. And that means a food hub to bridge farmers to distributors. That means training those farmers for the future. And it ultimately means building a new model for a grocery store. So, we are at the heart of that now with a project we call Food Home, where we are building a campus that is like a microcosm of the food system. Hopefully could be the end of this year, we'll see. Construction is always tricky. But, for sure by the start of first quarter next year, we'll be opening a 10,000 square foot urban farm, which is a training facility, and producing hundreds of thousands of pounds of food every year, and this is really the launchpad for future farmers. My God, I mean, and one of those things you mentioned would be wonderful to dive into and talk about a lot. Because I mean, each is impressive in its own right. But you bring them together, you're probably doing some of the most extensive, impressive things I know of around the country. Let me ask how you address the fundamental issue that we've actually faced ourselves. So communities often feel set upon by outsiders coming in to help. You know, it could be a philanthropy, it could be universities, it could be somebody, you know, who's just coming in well-meaning, wanting to help. But nonetheless may not know the communities or understand the realities of day-to-day life and things like that. And people from communities have often told us that 'we're in the best position to come up with solutions that will work for the members of our own community.' How did you work through those things? Well, this is always why my story elevator pitch tends to be too long. Because I want to actually talk about that element. It's not super elevator pitchy because what it involves is building relationships and trust and what I first learned from Ambassador Perkins. I'll tell you a small story of his example and it really rocked me. I asked him where would you start if you wanted to change community? Because I'd learned from his story that he had actually done it. He was sent to South Africa at the heart of the Apartheid Movement to with a mission from at the time President Ronald Reagan, to free Nelson Mandela from prison and help dismantle the Apartheid system. This is about as high a mark as anybody could have. And he had no policy. They said you're going to make policy. And what he did was so extraordinary, and I think is the mark of his success. And that's, to answer your question, he said, I recognized that every ambassador had held court. You are one step away from the president of the United States, which means you're always the most powerful person in the room. And other ambassadors, he'd ask them to come to him. But you had this deep divide between Black and white, deep divide between economics. And so, what he did was he told his team when he went to South Africa, he said, put the American flags on the front of the car, roll the windows down and take me to the townships. Take me to the neighborhoods. They need to know I'm here. And he took the time to build real relationships and build trust with communities. Black, white, rich, and poor, you know, old and young. He really did the time. And so that model, though obviously South Africa is a deeply entrenched community that, you know, especially that time. And this is kind of world politics, but I listened to that. And I thought, wow, we have a divide in our own community. And it's true of so many American cities. And where people, they see an area and they say that's not my community. They're going to come to me. And so, Food On The Move is built on we will build a partnership-based foundation which is like a block party where you walk up, and I'm a musician, I'm a DJ. So, we have a DJ playing music, we have food trucks. It smells great. You have smiling faces. You have a feeling that when you go there, you're not there, like, I need help and I'm in a soup kitchen. It's like there's a community party and you get invited and everyone's available to go there because if you want to give, you can go. If you don't have a dollar in your pocket, you go. And everybody leaves with the same treatment. And that foundation, the way we go about building those relationships, that is the heart and soul of how we are getting to the question and then trying to answer: we need more grocery stores, and we need more farmers. Because we heard it from the neighborhood. And I'll wrap up the answer a little bit which is to say we have multiple community farms as well as our own training farms. And we've worked in middle schools to teach young people to grow things with high-end aquaponics. You know, statistically the worse school in the city. But we've seen it just rocket people to engagement and better education and being fired up to come to school. But the community grow beds are the real test because you can't just drop a community grow bed and say, ‘Hey, isn't this awesome? Here's your grow bed.' You have to stay engaged with community, but you also have to invite them to be participants. And so, we work with our neighbors. We treat one another as neighbors, and you are right, it is wrought with pick your cliche. You know, the complex of the outsider coming in with money. The contrast between racial issues and economic issues. It's so wrought with problems potentially. But I believe that real solutions are possible when you build relationships. It sounds like one of the, you didn't say this directly, but one of the most important things you did was listen. Tell me about that a little more. Well, yes. I mean, I said it. I kind of coined this phrase now because I realize it's so true. We really started with I think good questions, not good answers. And so, the listening... first of all, the listening started with people that were doing work. So, if you went to the food bank, the question wasn't, ‘hey, we're here to help.' This is what we want to do. It was what's going on? You're the food bank, you guys have been here since the '80s. And hey, you're the health department. Hey, you're a food truck, like, what do you see? And I determined early that we needed to always have three pillars. We need to always have representation of for-profit, non-profit, and government agencies at some level. And so, a food truck is a business, right? They understand how hard it is to get people to show up and make a living, right? And you know, a nonprofit or an agency they know about service, they know about the stats. And frankly, however you are on the political spectrum, the government agencies, whatever they happen to be, they have a role to play. They have, whether big or small. Again, people of different walks of life have different views on that. But they should be a part of the conversation no matter what. And so, that was the first step. And then I like to say, an example Kelly, of kind of the dynamic shift is - if you walk up to somebody you barely know, you're not going to tell them like, ‘hey man, I'm not sure about that shirt. Or you got something in your tooth,' you know? Or, ‘have you really considered redecorating your house? Like, it's kind of dated.' Those are things you get to say to friends. You know, you tell a friend, ‘hey man, you know, suck it in. You're taking a picture.' You know? And so at the foundation, the questions we were asking were also why do you think this has happened? Why is a neighborhood that was a thriving new neighborhood in 1965 now dangerous and in decline. And talking with elders. And they became and have become some of our greatest advocates. And you know what? It's not flashy. You show up and you just keep showing up. And you show up when it's rainy and you show up when it's cold. And at some point people go. Wow. Like they're actually going to do this. So, you know, we're still doing it. We're not there. There's no finish line on this. So consistent with what we found in our own work about the importance of showing up. I'm happy that you raised that particular term. Speaking of terms, when I introduced you there, I used this term that I pulled right from your website about the legacy issues created by food insecurity. What do you mean by that? Yes. So legacy issues. You know, people develop heart disease, diabetes, frankly anxiety, ADHD/ADD things. A lot of stuff that's diet and a lot of things that's habit. So, if you grow up in a house that nobody ever cooked really. Because the neighborhood lost its store. Mom and dad were busy. Maybe a single parent home. You know, look, my wife and I have blessed, we have seven children. Wow. And we have a full house. And even with, you know, plenty of resources and plenty of support, it's still hard to do right. It's still hard to eat well. You know, you're running and you're gunning. And so legacy issues are habits. Eating habits. Consumption habits. By the way, poverty does not discriminate on race. Poverty hits whoever it hits, right? And so, Black and white, different backgrounds you'd be speaking with somebody that, 'like I've never seen a red bell pepper. I didn't know that existed. I've never seen What is That's a kiwi. What's a kiwi? I don't want to eat that.' You know? And so, the legacy issues are health, habits, education. Also, if you've never had access to resources, if you've never had an uncle that became an attorney or somebody that knew how to manage money because your neighborhood was a history of decline. You just don't know anybody. Or even worse, you have communities because of poverty that everybody in your family knows somebody that was in jail or was headed to jail because of their climate, their environment. And things that occur because of limited, you know, resources. And things that happen among, you know, communities with less available to them. And you have to take judgment and just throw it across the room. Just completely eject any sense of judgment. And recognize that somebody that's grown up with those different parameters, they're carrying those around. So, you're trying to restart. You're trying to begin again. And say, you know, let's get us back to having as little baggage behind us. Let's get diabetes out of the way. Let's get heart disease (out of the way) and we're going to do it by eating good food. Or getting educated. And it's not going to happen quick. It's going to happen through probably an entire generation if we're lucky. Now, let me ask a related question about dignity because this comes up in the way you've spoken about this. And in the way our country has addressed hunger. I mean, going back to when the War on Hunger began really in the 1960s, it was a nation's compassionate response to a very real issue that so many people faced. But the solution wasn't to try to give people more financial means so they could buy their own food and not have to face this. It was to give them food. But to do so in ways that really did destroy dignity in many ways. How are you addressing that and how does that term figure into the work you're doing? Well, I love the way you couch that. And unfortunately, among these discussions, people glom onto certain aspects if they have their own sort of paradigm that's ingrained. And one, you have to throw out ideology and focus on, I think, common sense. And the short answer is we believe in teach a man to fish as the philosophy. There is no way to ultimately change things if your goal is not aligned with creating opportunity, creating, transitioning folks that have not been able to support their families, to finding ways to transform that. And that comes by getting to know one another. That comes with creating education. And that comes with looking at the whole system. And so, when I brought sort of to my team this answer or this proposal of why we need to build Food Home. The Food Home campus. It wasn't just that I had some epiphany that I walked into the desert and came back with an idea. It was built around the work we were doing. And we already had somebody that wanted to build a grocery store. We already had somebody that was farm focused, thinking about food hub to bridge the gap with farmers. We had a study that was done by a local foundation that said we don't have enough farmers right now to get all the local food. And we need local because it's more affordable. We shouldn't be paying for our lettuce to travel from California to Oklahoma. We don't need to do that. And so, dignity and building the transition, the future, is about looking at the whole and being willing to do, I think, the hard work. Which is to realize our food, our food economy has to change. And recognizing that opportunity is not a bad word, you know? Economic investment in communities. These are good things. And at the same time, you meet people where they are. You meet them right where they are. And when COVID happened, our pitch about building Food Home and building the food systems and training people to grow things, it pivoted a little bit. Because people saw for the first time in a generation what it's like when the food's not there. Like you're in Oklahoma and we were the distribution partner for the USDA doing Farm to Family boxes. Food On The Move was. We had trucks that were designated for us from farmers that had been supported by government purchasing to bring food to food banks, and to resources, to communities. And we had a truck that was a state away and we were supposed to go get that truck and give it to people that needed it in our neighborhood in Oklahoma. And we were going guys, if we had a food home, a food hub, a bridge between local farmers, every community would know where their food is coming from. And so there is a food security side of this discussion as well which is that we need to have sovereignty. We need to have structure that gives us access and that builds long-term economic sustainability. And Oklahoma is a great example of this. We used to have a very thriving local farm community system. All my grandparents, my parents, they went to farmer's markets. They bought great food. And many of those folks working in that land because there's not a food hub that bridges this medium farmer to the distributors - they've lost economic ability to scale. And they do better to sell their land to a developer and grow sod or put a bunch of houses on it. And that has got to change. You know, you reinforce the idea that there's a lot of ingenuity in communities. And lots of good ideas about how to solve the problems. And many times, the people that are wanting to help communities can be helped best by just supporting the ideas that are already there. Because, as I said, we've encountered so much ingenuity from people in the communities who've been thinking about these issues for a long time. Let me ask something. You kind of began this by talking about food deserts and grocery stores leaving areas. And you've come up with a lot of creative ways of compensating for the loss of grocery stores. But what about correcting that problem. What about getting more grocery stores back into these areas? Is that something that you guys deal with? That's ultimately our mission. I mean, I say the mission is the solution so that I don't want to put it into one square box called a store. But the store departing is at the heart of the key question we're asking. Why? And so, the Food Home campus is a four phased vision. And the first two phases are underway, or about to be open with the food hub and the urban farm. The second two are a community hub, which is teaching and training people to prepare and cook food better, getting urban and rural together. And the last phase, which started as the first, by the way. It began as the first thinking we're just going to get a store. We realized you had to get the food chain right before you could build a better store. And so the model for a store, we believe, is going to be probably a hybrid between a fresh delivery and a physical place that is there living right at the heart of a neighborhood. Let's do an update on this here as we get to opening that door, because I believe what we've seen is the umbrella that allows the small store is still needed. That's, kind of, we're stepping in with a food hub. We're stepping in with a bigger footprint, buying power, larger volume, purchasing local. But really entrepreneurs where single operators are invested in owning and operating that store. They're also committed more to that store. It's not just a corporate line item. I'm interested in studying, frankly, some of the really smart food franchisees that have understood the power of creating economic models that are sustainable. But you have to connect them to a bigger umbrella to help support that medium grocer. It's going to be a combination of those things. But yeah, we have to get stores where you can actually buy your food and it is affordable and it is quality. Quality becomes an interesting issue here. And I haven't looked at the research literature on this for a little while. When I did, there was some research looking at what happened to the quality of nutrition in neighborhoods where grocery stores had left or had come back in. And it didn't seem to make a lot of difference in terms of overall nutrition profile of the people there. It provided some real benefits. Access. People didn't have to go a long way to get their groceries. Costs tended to come down, so there were some real benefits aside from nutrition. But just focusing on nutrition, of course a big supermarket brings more fresh fruits and vegetables. But it also brings aisle after aisle of highly processed, highly calorie dense foods that aren't necessarily helpful. So, the fact that you're working on the healthy food part of the equation and finding ways to get foods from farms to people, not necessarily from a big food processing plant. From farms to people, is really an important part of the overall picture, isn't it? Fresh produce is the sort of heart and soul of the food dilemma. And so yes, it is very, very tricky. You know, a little bit like how do you raise a child to have good habits? We're all trying to have good habits and we still eat hamburgers and fries because they're delicious. So, going back to dignity, I do not believe, and this is my perspective mixed with the data and the experience. I don't believe, the opinion side, in deciding whether or not people deserve certain things. And early on when we started the food pop-up events, I suggested, 'hey, call the food trucks. Have the pizza truck come have because they're awesome and they're mobile and they can show up.' And we had some folks that were partners that kind of went well, but that's greasy food and that's, you know, it's X, Y, and Z. And this is what I said to that: it's like, look, our job is first to meet people and treat them like we would want to be treated. And then we work on the produce. And so, with a grocery store, you're absolutely right. You can't just drop good food somewhere and think everybody's going to get healthy. Most people are going to eat what they like. But mostly the barrier to entry on healthy food is economics. People do not have the dollars to buy the kale or to buy the fresh tomatoes. Most people actually do, find that they will, you know, consume that food. But you have to get the generational conversation happening where families have grown up seeing fresh produce. Cooking with fresh produce. And they can actually buy it. And that's not going to happen unless we get food closer. Because the closer food allows us to cut down the margin that's going to transportation and make quality food more affordable. Makes good sense. So you've been at this a while. What have you learned? How do you look at things differently now than when you started? I learned that creating change is not for the faint of heart. First of all, you better really sort of revel in a challenge. And also, we've touched on several of the elements of what I've learned. You have to build trust. You can't expect people to just change just because you say so. You also have to be really interested in learning. Like, not just learning because you have to, but you have to be interested in understanding. And I think that's at the heart of getting to solutions. It's not even just asking the right question. It's actually being interested in the answer to that question. Like it's wanting to genuinely know. And so, these are all things I put in and I'll say the last, which is not the sexy one. It's difficult to build a good organization that's sustainable. And we've spent the second half of the Food On The Move journey building a strong team, hiring the right CEO, building a great board, having governance, having sustainability in your culture. I mean, these are business things and you know, I'm the founder. I'm a board member. I'm at the heart of who we are, but we've had to build a team. And so, anybody that wants to make things sustainable or create sustainable change, and this would be my last takeaway to your question, is you have to grow past yourself. You have to be anticipating giving that away. Growing much, much further than the bottleneck of the big idea person. But you also have to stay in stewardship mode. So, that's kind of where I am now is how do we make this continue to grow towards the solutions we're hoping for? And how do I stay engaged, fired up, focused, inspired to get the team involved, but also trust people on the team to do what they have been asked to do. I'd like to pick up on something that you mentioned along the way, which is work that you're doing on urban farming, and you mentioned things like hydroponics and aquaponics. Tell us a little bit more about that. Wo we came across hydroponics and aquaponics because when you look at growing methodologies, one of the challenges we have is our eating habits have changed. People don't just eat seasonally. We've become accustomed to getting strawberries year-round and getting all these different flavors. And you can't expect that that's just going to happen. We're not just going to change that and make everybody eat the harvest of Ohio or the harvest of Tulsa. Like we all expect good food when we do go to the store. The economics of food means people are ready to buy certain things. And for a sustainable grocery store, you need to have the things that people will buy. So, aquaponics and hydroponics are new technologies that were pioneered to create high production and high volume in areas that might have different climates. You can grow year round. The things that grow best are leafy greens, but you can grow all kinds of things. Tomatoes, you know, vining plants. Cucumbers. You can grow incredible amounts of food. A large portion of your food can be grown through these indoor systems, and they cost more to start than a traditional dirt farm. But once established they produce year round, they are more resilient with obviously pests and weather and things like that. With aquaponics and hydroponics you have systems that naturally are organic. They need to be organic because that's how they function, you know? Fish tanks, you know, that are naturally fertilizing. The fish are giving the plants what they need. This is cool stuff. So, we were led to those systems because sustainability and better food and more of it for small communities in a place like Oklahoma where you have hot and cold, and if you can grow year round, then you could have a cash crop that somebody could build a business with and provide better for that store. And not be buying it from Mexico or California. I mean, God bless Mexico and California, but we're putting too much food on a truck. And it's older than it should be, and it's sprayed with stuff because it needs to look good when it shows up, and that's hurting everybody. So, we need new methodologies. Well, and not only are you producing food, but it's a community driven solution because it's right there. People in the community can own it, can run it, can work at it, and things like that. And just it's mere presence probably signals something very positive that is good economically good nutritionally, but also good psychologically, I think. So, let me ask one parting question. Hunger has been an issue in the United States for a long, long time. And it continues to be. And now there have been even more cutbacks than before and the SNAP program and things like that. Are you optimistic that we can address this problem and do you think a local very creative and innovative local solution that you're talking about in Oklahoma, can that be exported and replicated and are you optimistic? Let me just ask you that. Are you optimistic is an interesting question because I don't think we can afford not to be optimistic. If you ask a parent, are you optimistic your child will eat, there's no choice there. Your child will eat. Or you will die trying to feed them. And I've spoken to, you know, leadership groups and rotary clubs and nonprofits about different aspects of my journey. And I think the heart of this issue is to not make it an option that we don't solve this. We cannot talk about feeding our community. And by the way, I don't mean feeding them just like I said, through nonprofit, but changing the culture and eliminating hunger in this country. And really, it's facing hunger. We can't make it an option that we don't. My perspective is, I think it's going to take, solutions like what Food On the Move is doing, which is at the heart of understanding our food systems. And we are definitely building. Everything we're doing is to try and have a model hoping that what we're doing in Oklahoma, which has a lot of parallels to, you know, whether you're talking about North Carolina or Ohio or Missouri, or Houston. All these communities have a lot of similarities. We believe that if we can show that you build trust, you then develop models, you then train future farmers. You build an infrastructure to launch and bridge the gap between small and medium farmers. And then here's a model for a better store that's sustainable. We believe that we're going to be able to show that that is a long road, but the road that is maybe less traveled but needed. And that could be the difference that's needed. So, it's fingers are crossed. BIO Tulsa native Taylor Hanson grew up in a home where artistic expression was encouraged and celebrated. At the age of nine he, along with brothers Isaac and Zac, formed the band HANSON. Just five years later their debut album was released and the lead single, “MMMBop”, hit number one in 27 countries, and earned the group 3 GRAMMY nominations. At the age of 20, he co-founded 3CG Records, allowing the band to produce music on their own terms, and is recognized as a longtime advocate for independent music globally. The group continues to produce meaningful music for its ever-growing fanbase. Hanson possesses a deep commitment to social change. In 2007 he inspired others to make an impact through simple actions, co-founding non-profit Take The Walk, combating extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2014, he founded Food On The Move, which provides access, education, and innovative solutions, to transform food deserts and the legacy issues created by food insecurity. Since its founding, Food On The Move has distributed millions of pounds of fresh produce to members of the Oklahoma community, and is a leader in the movement to reshape sustainable local food systems. He has been instrumental in a number of community-oriented music initiatives, including contributing to “The Sounds of Black Wall Street”, to commemorate the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, spearheading “For Women Life Freedom” highlighting the human-rights atrocities taking place in Iran, and currently serves as is a National Trustee of the Recording Academy. Hanson, his wife Natalie, and their seven children, make their home in Tulsa, where he was recently named Tulsan of the Year. 

Hello Libration Nation! Our book this week is Catwings a whimsical and heartwarming tale by beloved author Ursula K. Le Guin. The story follows four ordinary kittens born with an extraordinary gift—they have wings. As they set out to find a safe place in the world, the kittens discover both the beauty and challenges of being different. With gentle language and charming illustrations, Catwings is a modern classic that captures the magic of imagination, the courage of leaving home, and the comfort of finding where you belong.My guest this week is the amazing Dr. Julia Skinner, she is a food writer whose work includes the award-winning book Our Fermented Lives. She is the founder of The Culinary Curiosity School, and also runs Root, a food-focused community and consulting organization offering classes, consulting on creative projects, a weekly newsletter, and more. She's also the founder of Roots and Branches, where she coaches other writers to help them find their voice and share their most important work with the world. She is also a nature lover, a teacher, and a traveler who firmly believes in finding, and sharing, the magic of everyday life. She has a PhD in Library & Information Science, and lives between Atlanta, GA and Cork, Ireland. As a special treat for Libration Nation: use the code DRINKSPOD to for 30% off anything at both The Culinary Curiosity School and Roots and Branches (Thank you Julia!)You can follow her work in her newsletter, or find her on social:@bookishjulia (writing)@rootkitchens (food)@yourrootsandbranches (coaching)@culinary.curiosity.school (culinary courses) For our drink we have two options: Simple Cat Lovers' Cocktail This is basically a Kentucky mule, with an added herbal garnish and/or herbal syrup (depending on your preference) in place of lime. Stir together 1 - 1 1/2 c ginger beer to 1 shot bourbonAdd herbal syrup (below) to taste (optional)Garnish with fresh lemon balm, basil, or mint: lightly crush or roll before adding to the cocktail for maximum flavor Herbal syrup (makes about 1 quart): Combine 2 c sugar to 2 c water with a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Add 1-2 c packed fresh herbs, depending how strong you'd like it (like basil, mint, lemon balm, or mountain mint). Simmer on M/L for 10-15 minutes or until aromatic and flavorful. Cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container. Catwings Cocktail (tailor made by Julia!) This cocktail has a few steps, but I promise they're worth it: And you can batch out the syrup and tea by doubling or tripling the recipe to make these for a group or to keep the ingredients on hand in the fridge (where they'll last a week). The tea can be nice on its own, and any leftover syrup is perfect for adding to coffee or other beverages or drizzling on desserts. For a non-alcoholic version, swap in your favorite NA gin, or try this sea buckthorn-based NA spirit. Makes 4 cocktails For the herbal tea:(Note: you may not have all these dried herbs available. If not, just use 1/4-1/2 tsp catnip and 1 tsp chamomile. Or, just a chamomile tea bag). · 1/4 tsp dried catnip· 1/4 tsp dried chamomile flower· 1/4 tsp Angelica root· 1/4 tsp elecampene Steep the herbs in 3/4 c hot water for 10-12 minutes. Strain and cool completely. For the lemon balm syrup: (Note: You can play with other herbs you like here too, catnip, mountain mint, and/or basil might be fun choices depending on your tastes and what's available). · 1 packed cup fresh lemon balm leaves· 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar· 2/3 c water· pinch salt· 1 c sugar Heat all ingredients together over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until fragrant and flavorful. Remove from heat, then cool completely and strain. For the cocktail · Divide the herbal tea across 4 rocks glasses (add ice, if desired)· Add 1 shot gin to each glass· Add 1 shot of syrup to each glass and stir· Top with sparkling wine or soda water to taste.· Garnish with fresh lemon balm, if desired.In this EpisodeSteering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin

Main Idea: Kingdom Family is Genuine Family.1. Life at God's table Invites Ridicule.2. Life at God's table Robs satan's People.3. Life at God's table Makes you Family.

In spring I start to get impatient for those gorgeous summer fruit. It's then that I'll resort to using tinned fruit, and New Zealand peaches are some of the best you can get. Makes 20x30cm tray Ingredients 200g butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups plain flour + extra 1 tbsp 2 tsp baking powder 1 can tinned NZ peaches, drained and fruit chopped 1/3 cup sour cream Method Preheat oven to 175 C. Line a Swiss roll tin. Cream the butter and sugar and then beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in 2 cups flour and the baking powder and press all but ½ cup of the mixture into tin. Scatter the chopped peaches over the base. Add the extra tablespoon of flour to the remaining dough and mix together. Strew this over the fruit and dab teaspoons of sour cream over the top. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden. Leave to cool and slice either into fingers or squares. Serve warm as a dessert with whipped cream or ice cream or keep airtight in fridge and eat as a slice. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every business transaction has hidden tax opportunities waiting to be discovered, if you know where to look. This week on the IC-DISC podcast, I spoke with Mike D'Onofrio from Engineered Tax Services, who's spent 17 years helping business owners maximize their tax strategies through engineering-based specialty tax services. Mike joined ETS after working in corporate M&A and private equity, where he first recognized the critical need for specialized tax expertise during business transitions, and what struck me about Mike's approach is how his firm combines professional engineering expertise with tax strategy to deliver comprehensive solutions. They handle everything from cost segregation studies and energy incentives to insurance optimization, processing hundreds of cost segregation studies weekly across every property type imaginable. Mike's philosophy centers on what he calls "HABU" - highest and best use - focusing on their core expertise while partnering with specialists like us for complementary strategies that create immediate opportunities for businesses to improve cash flow. The conversation reinforced something I've noticed across successful advisory relationships: the best results come from specialists who stay in their lane while building collaborative teams. Mike's emphasis on maintaining human intelligence alongside technology adoption resonated with my own experience that relationships still drive business success.     SHOW HIGHLIGHTS ETS processes hundreds of cost segregation studies weekly, from single-family rentals to NFL stadiums, proving tax strategies scale across all property types. The recent bonus depreciation bill plus R&D tax credit enhancements now allow 100% first-year expense capture, creating immediate cash flow opportunities. Mike's "HABU" principle (Highest And Best Use) drives their decision to stay specialized rather than compete with partners in overlapping services. Engineering expertise combined with tax strategy creates unique value—ETS knows roof types, electrical systems, and construction costs that insurance carriers demand. After recognizing insurance as clients' second biggest pain point after taxes, ETS launched a complementary insurance division leveraging existing property data. Mike advises his 25-year-old self to surround himself with people much smarter, crediting uncomfortable situations with experts as his greatest learning opportunities.   Contact Details LinkedIn - Mike D'Onofrio (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfdonofrio/) LINKSShow Notes Be a Guest About IC-DISC Alliance About Engineered Tax Services Mike D'OnofrioAbout Mike TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dave: Good morning, Mike. Welcome to the podcast. Mike: Good morning, Dave. Great to be here with you today. Definitely. Dave: So where are you located at the moment? What part of the world are you in? Mike: Yeah, well, I'm in my home base today in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dave: Okay. Mike: Yeah. I've always liked Charlotte, a pretty part of the country. Charlotte's a beautiful place, man. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Great school, high school, college, so I know the Midwest and I still love Cleveland, of course, a Browns fan and a Indians guardians fan and Cavs. But moved to South Florida right after that, right after college and was living in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and we're still based there. Our corporate acres is there, but my wife and I had originally met in Charlotte, and we love the seasons. I love the ability to, I see those mountains in your background. I love the ability, we don't have the same type of mountains as you do, but love getting out to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, seeing the fall, the leaves, and can get to the beach, can drive down to Wilmington or Charleston in a couple hours. So we're right in the middle. We're bus to be here and have the Dave: Options. Yeah, it's a great location. You have four seasons and a slightly milder winter than Cleveland, Mike: That's for sure. It seems like winters have softened up a little bit in Cleveland, but man, I remember the mornings going out to the bus when I was a little kid with snow piled up over my head and the drifts up on the side of the house. I'll never forget those days. That was awesome. That was a real winter. But now in Charlotte, if we get a dusting of snow or a little bit of ice, it's usually gone by noon. Dave: Yeah. I was born and spent the first 13 years of my life in northwest Iowa and was the oldest of two boys. So I remember having to get up an hour early to go shovel the driveway just so mom and dad could get to work in that. So yeah, my saying is the worst Texas summer is still better than the best Northern Winter is my theory. Mike: You got it, man. High five to those of us that have shoveled snow driveways, walkways, figured out a snowblower with the chains on the wheels and all that fun stuff that comes with winter. Dave: So by some people's interpretation, we come from the same place because I've discovered people not from the Midwest, they think Ohio, Iowa, and Idaho are all the same place. Mike: Yeah, Dave: They're just all somewhere up there. Yes. It's up Mike: Somewhere up there in the Midwest. Folks like myself grew up in Ohio and Cleveland and Detroit and Chicago. I mean, definitely they think that's the heart of the Midwest, but they forget about the Midwest. Goes pretty far west. Right. Dave: It does. All the way to the mountains. So, well, let's get into it. So when did you join engineered tax services? Mike: Wow, it's been a big part of my life. Exciting journey. Like I said, after college I moved down to South Florida and my background was in more corporate m and a private equity working on the finance side of things in transactions, in private equity back in the day, they would call it kind of strategic intermediary work where we would either work on the buy side or sell side with the client. So I worked with a lot of clients and business owners that were maybe interested in transitioning out of their business. Maybe they were a food manufacturer or distributor. And interestingly enough, one of my mentors in life, his name is Bruce. Bruce was one of the first international CEOs with McDonald's corporation. Oh, really? Yeah, one of Ray Croc's, first five or six right hand key people. Before McDonald's had any international business, the first place that they went outside the US was to Latin America and the Caribbean. And I met Bruce in South Florida my early career, and we really saw an opportunity together, old school style, to go through his Rolodex and be like, man, I have a lot of relationships within the McDonald's and the finance ecosystem. So we started working with many different company owners, like I said, distributors, producers of different things, and we had some great success. And along the way I saw that there was really a need to understand specialty tax credit and incentives and strategies depending on who the client was, whether it was the seller of a company or a property or buyer of that was really to dig into the details of, Hey, what's the best way to make this transaction as tax efficient as possible? Tax was always the first pain point, either from the seller's point of view, maybe there was a big potential cap gain situation, how to structure that deal or from the buyer or investor's point of view, how to maybe capture some additional credits and incentives that they hadn't thought about, like research and development tax credits, or maybe there was a big piece of real estate or property involved in the transaction, like a manufacturing facility or office buildings or retail locations. So while digging in deeper in some of those transactions, I met Julio Gonzalez in Engineered Tax Services. She's going on 17, 18 years ago, and it was a small boutique firm at the time, engineered tax, and we were very focused on serving CPA firms nationally as that specialist. And I saw a great opportunity to really become a more diverse, focused specialist, and not only help CPA firms, but help private equity, the real estate investor, anything in that transaction to really help understand the tax code for the bonus depreciation or energy credits and incentives. Sure you do. Maybe they do domestic or international type of trade in that business, and there's a structure that might be a little bit more savvy than they're familiar with. So man, 17, 18 years ago is when I started with ETS, and we've grown substantially over the years from a handful of people in a small boutique firm in downtown West Palm Beach, Julio, and myself and Kim and Heidi and others, though I think pretty well, and we've really expanded, and so now not only still working with those CPA firms nationally, to be that specialist working with other professionals like you of really just how to maximize each transaction, understand the inevitable changes in the tax code with the different administrations. There's the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Trump 1.0, 2.0, what happened just now in July with a big beautiful bill, but the CARES Act, the Path Act, the previous tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the CHIPS Act, whatever the stimulus plan or new tax incentive of the day was. That was our job to really dig into that, be a great job educating around that and bringing it as proactively and transparently to the CPA community as well as the investors and owners. Dave: Yeah. I became acquainted with ETS and about the same time you did, and Julio invited me to South Florida and gave you the tour of the cool office building that you all rehabbed. Mike: Yeah. Then he was Dave: Kind Mike: Enough to, was that the one on a Vernia Street when he had just purchased it? Was it, Dave: I forget the street. It was like maybe a six story old building Mike: That's still his building and our corporate headquarters on the corner of Vernia and Olive for any of you that are down in West Palm Beach, and we'd love to show you around. It's a cool building. Dave: And then he was kind enough to host me at a Dolphins football game. Mike: I remember those days. Right. Dave: And for whatever reason, he was considered a bit of a VIP by the Dolphins, so I was able to go down on the field before the game, and I think I even had a photo taken with a Dolphin's cheerleader on each side of me that for whatever reason, it never made it up on the wall in our house. I'm not sure why, if that would've been a problem with my wife or now with a photo of two Dolphins cheerleaders hugging me, Mike: Dave, I think I have different versions of the exact same picture with myself and some friends. I have a great one with myself and my dad. Maybe we'll use some technology and pop some of those pictures up for others to see when you publish this podcast, or maybe we'll just keep those private for ourselves. But yeah, we used to Julio's involvement with the Dolphins and the family behind the scenes. We did. We did some amazing, not only professionally working with those types of property owners and venues, we did the cost segregation study on the Miami Dolphins Stadium when it was renovated. Dave: Oh, Mike: Yeah, I remember that. And a lot of others, Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins. I did some work on the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the Superdome in New Orleans, the Raiders facilities, the Buffalo Bills not allowed to give out any confidential information, but everybody's looking to save in tax and take advantage of whatever strategies are available in the code. But personally, obviously, we love sports and entertainment and being able to build the relationships with our clients, so we had a very cool double founder suite there in those early days that we used to all meet in West Palm Beach, have some fun on the Saturday, take the bus down on the Sunday morning. Yeah. We did that for years, and we still do some of that in Miami and in some different cities. I'll be doing some of it in Charlotte. But yeah, man, those were fun times. We really built amazing relationships still with clients today that actually, I saw a client yesterday that said, Hey, Mike, I was at the Green Bay game. I remember when we were down on the field and one of the Green Bay players said, hi. He is like, Hey, man. That was a childhood legend of mine that I'd always wanted to meet. And then of course, that's really cool. Sometimes we got to meet what Dan Marino and folks down in the tunnel in the Dolphins. Dave: Well, the other cool thing was Julio intentionally picked a Monday night game that he invited me to, so that made it even more fun. National game. Mike: Oh, yeah. Makes for a late evening getting home, that's for sure. Dave: It does. And so I just have to warn you, Julio was a guest on the podcast about three or four years ago, so he set the bar pretty high, so no pressure my Mike: Oh, yeah, none at all. But I Dave: Know being a former athlete, you're probably a little bit competitive, so I'm sure you'll want to point out to Julio that you think you did a better job. Mike: Yeah, just a little bit, Julio, and we spend a lot of time together. We were together yesterday in Fort Lauderdale at an event with a great mix of clients and we're real competitive from a business aspect, obviously wouldn't be great for our clients. He was a wrestler in his younger days. That was also a wrestler, really just to stay in shape for baseball. I was a baseball player. I think you had asked me before, I always keep a couple baseballs around my desk. I like to futz with them when I'm working here in the office, but think about the different strategies, whether you need to throw the curve ball or the fast ball or the riser, whatever it is. I think about just those different grips and strategies. So yes, I'm a bit competitive, to say the least. Dave: Sure. I know the firm has grown. What's your elevator pitch today? When people ask who ETS done, who ETS is and who do they serve? Mike: Well, engineered Tax and Advisory had the advisory portion of it as well, because that's engineered tax services been around a long time. We're really good at doing the specific engineering based services that the CPAs or the property owners need to get the bonus depreciation or the energy credits and incentives onto the tax return. So that's doing the cost segregation study as a licensed professional engineering and specialty tax firm, we've been doing those for going on 24 years or doing the energy analysis or helping with, like you do, calculate the construction costs, the transfer costs, the sales tax, the property tax. That's what engineered tax services is excellent at doing as that specialist as that. Dave: I'm sorry, that's more than just cost segregation though, right? Mike: Oh, yeah. Yeah. There's cost segregation and bonus depreciation available on real estate, new construction purchases, renovations. So we're very involved. We do hundreds and hundreds of cross segregation studies a week across the country on all different types of assets from smaller single family investment properties and VRBO to manufacturing facilities and multifamily and apartments and hospitality and everything you could imagine up to different sports and recreation stadiums. But that's one subset of what engineered tax does that. Then there's the energy incentives and credits, the 1 79 D, the 45 L, the investment tax credits for renewables like wind and solar and geothermal and turbines and other types of things. But on the advisory side, we work it backwards. That's more the consultative approach with the clients to figure out what is the need. Maybe there's a liquidity event with a business owner that's selling a business. Maybe there's a capital need from an acquisitions point of view or an expansion point of view where some of the IC disc strategies might come in. Maybe they're wondering about opportunity zones or enterprise zones or historic tax credits or preservation and conservation type strategies, or buying equipment or a jet and aviation strategies. Because all of those things that I just mentioned, there's either a specialty tax component with bonus depreciation or section 1 79 or an actual tax credit, like research and development tax credits. We help bring it all together as a very experienced and comprehensive specialist around the tax code, anything available, federal, state, local incentives, credits, rebates, working with the CPAs, working with professionals like you, working with the high net worth or the company owner. That's what we pride ourselves in, is being very comprehensive depending on what the opportunity and the need is for the client. Dave: Okay, and speaking of clients, do you think of the CPA firm as your client or the actual end user or both? I think because done a really good job cultivating those CPA firm relationships. Mike: Yeah, Dave, that's a good question. I first and foremost see the CPAs as our client, but also our strategic partner because remember, we're a specialist. We don't do the full accounting audit and tax filing work for the client. We sit in the specialist seat. I explain it all the time to my friends and new clients when they're trying to figure out what we do. If I was in the medical profession, we would be a brain surgeon or a heart surgeon or some other type of specialist within medicine that works together with the general practitioners and others in medicine on the tax code and helping with the tax literacy, the tax strategy, the specialty credits and incentives like icdisc. How do we bring up those types of situations and opportunities? Usually it's working with that CPA firm to identify the client need and then being comprehensive and entrepreneurial with that client. So long-winded answer to that is both. I see the CPAs as both our client and our strategic partner in situations, but definitely once I work with the company owner or the investor, they're also ultimately our client. So I need to deliver at a high level to both the CPA and both the client, or if I meet the client directly and you are the company owner that's asking us questions about a situation or a strategy, we push to be introduced to the CPA to make sure that we're collaborative, attacking that strategy from the beginning and become a great compliment to the CPA service so they can focus on what they do best, the accounting audit or tax type or bookkeeping type work that they do, and then just like you really helping to layer in that specialty strategy that maybe they're not as familiar with or really just need some help from a bandwidth perspective. Dave: Sure. I've come across other firms that do some of the same services you all do. And what do your clients and CPA firms tell you that makes ETS different and why they have chosen to partner with ETS over another firm? Mike: First of all, I think about that all the time. That's a question that comes up often. When we started 24, 25 years ago, there was very few firms that were doing some of the things that we do there. There were CPA firms that did cost segregation studies, but usually that was the higher level firms, the Deloitte, the KM KPMGs, the E and Ys, excellent high level firms, but they were really only doing it for their higher level corporate type clients as we democratize the tax code and brought that tax strategy to middle market type businesses, entrepreneurs and investors, the strategy there was really to work as comprehensively with different types of as possible. And the difference to me is first of all, our longevity and our professionalism and our diversity of the type of services that we're doing uniquely as a licensed professional engineering firm that also does specialty tax credits and incentives. That's one of the biggest differentiators to me is we are a licensed professional engineering firm. The type of engineering that we do is cost engineering, looking at the cost of an acquisition, the cost of a purchase, the cost of a new construction of a property, and be able to break that down into accounting and tax format that the CPAs can then use. So that's where the hybrid of the engineering expertise and specialty tax expertise, so that unique structure of our firm, that unique ability to do multiple things and also have the energy incentives team in-house where if it's a new construction of a property or a big value add, repositioning, not only can we do that cost segregation study, we can comprehensively do that energy tax credit and incentive analysis. We have to do energy modeling. That's pure engineering type work, doing the energy incentive modeling to see what the energy efficiency of those components are. Or on a renewable energy project. We have a client that's building a really big mixed use project that has some geothermal investment tax credits there. Those are pure engineering and energy efficiency type knowledge that we're able to bring comprehensively. So it's really the comprehensive approach of bringing engineering specialty tax energy incentives and credits. We also have an insurance division, which is very unique for our industry because I knew years ago that the second biggest painful point for our clients after tax figuring out tax minimization strategies is how do they lower costs and make sure they're protected from an insurance standpoint? And we do have a part of our firm that is engineered insurance services to compliment engineered tax services. We already have all the, Dave: Yeah, tell me about the insurance company because I'm less familiar with that, and when did you start it? Are you licensed in all the states? Mike: Yeah, we are. We've been quietly developing that over the last couple of years. I said, my background's from Cleveland, Ohio. Coincidentally, the firm that we partnered with is based in Cleveland, Ohio. When we formed a new entity together, engineered insurance services, went back to all the different carriers and got relicensed with all the top national carriers, all the names that folks would know well. So now as a nationally licensed insurance agency and brokerage firm, we focus on property casualty liability, cyber risk, flood, E and O, D and O, all the things that every company and every property owner needs. But we can do it comprehensively and uniquely because we're already doing the cost segregation studies on a lot of these properties. So we know what the cost basis is, we know what kind of roof it is, we know where it's located. We know the age of the electrical system and all the situations with the property, and also that owner, how they operate that property. That's what, just like the IRS with cost segregation study, they want to see the details and then yes, you can capture the benefits of bonus depreciation. The insurance carriers, they want to write insurance policies at very competitive rates, but they want to see it in detail. They want to understand that building. They just don't want an estimate that a broker submits to them. So we've had amazing success over the last year and a half of rolling out that program, doing it comprehensively with what we're already doing for that client. Dave: That's really, Mike: That's the other reason that we're very unique compared because there are some great firms that do cost segregation or that might do an energy analysis or that might do a research and development tax credit study, but very few firms, if any, that know about really take that comprehensive approach to be able to do tax energy insurance and the specialty consulting with engineered advisory with what we're doing, And it resonates. It really resonates with clients because I feel like they really need someone that is, first of all, thinking entrepreneurially like them, because sometimes they're not getting it from maybe their legal team or their CPA team or their other advisors that they're working about taking that entrepreneurial approach, taking that proactive approach before the end of the year or before that renewal term for that insurance policy or before that building gets purchased or before the renovation happens, what should they be thinking about? And that's what I really try to work on with our team and our clients is be very proactive, be very transparent of the good, the bad, the ugly of different situations that clients should consider and then always be thinking entrepreneurially like our clients do because they appreciate it with your business and what you do with IC disc. Sometimes folks just haven't heard about it or they don't understand it, or they didn't do something proactively and now they're trying to unwind a situation, but I'm really excited about what we do. If you can't tell, I think, No, it definitely comes, the future is very strong, especially with the passage in July of Trump's, I call it the big beautiful bonus depreciation tax bill because bonus depreciation and section 1 79 enhancements for equipment and other things and other things that will be, I think, expanded with opportunity zones and research and development tax credits. The way that they also just enhanced that program as well. Many folks don't understand it yet because there was a requirement to amortize some of the expenses of r and d over five years, but now you get the research and development tax credit plus a hundred percent of the qualifying expenses being able to be captured year one, so that's very powerful for US companies. Dave: Yeah, no, that is great. And one of the other things that I appreciate about you all is that you all really stay in your lane. I feel like on the tax side, there's other firms that do cost and r and d that have just broadened their tax focus even more broadly, pick up things like the IC disc. So it's hard for me to get excited about referring a cost segregation study to a firm that does IC disc, so I've always, Mike: Yeah, it's a bit of a competitive overlap in those situations. Dave: Yeah, yeah. It's a less comfortable introduction. Mike: We have a saying within our organization, we call it habu, right? Highest and best use, what is my highest and best use? What should I be focused on doing for that client? My highest and best use is not trying to understand and replicate your service around icdisc. The best situation is for me to recognize opportunities and then bring in David and his team to implement a strategy for the client and the CPAs like that as well, because we're not trying to do what they do. We're just trying to compliment different situations, be a specialist at what we're really good at, and in our engineered advisory platform. That's where I can bring in you for the IC disc. I might have someone else that I'm working with if that client's buying an aircraft, for example, of how to legally structure it correctly, how to maximize the tax benefits, and I want to be an amazing, whether you want to call it an offensive coordinator or quarterback, that I might be throwing the ball sometimes. Other times I might be passing it off to somebody else, but I want to build a great team so that we're successful at the end for the client. Dave: Sure. No, that's certainly been my experience with you guys. What do you love most or enjoy most about your current role with ETS? What really gets you excited? Mike: Well, my title, I'm not big on titles, but it's managing Director of Engineered Tax and Advisory. So technically what that title means is I direct and I manage, I direct high level client relationships and strategic partnerships and strategies and new product development. I also help manage our, I work together with our executive team to help manage our executives across the country, either if they're in business development, some of them obviously are in engineering or other specialties within our firm or the legal team that does some structuring work for clients, but that's what I do. My favorite part of what I do is the relationships that I'm building with the clients. It might be a brand new relationship. It might be one from 15, 20 years ago, but it's watching that. Yeah, it's watching that CPA firm grow or helping that CPA firm grow and expand or diversify their services or meeting that entrepreneur that has a business and they're trying to understand the tax code, how to lower taxes, how do I increase cashflow? What are the risks or pitfalls, and really working with that entrepreneur or that business owner together with that ccp. That is my most favorite part of what I do, because I'm an entrepreneur at heart. I got it from my family, my mom and dad. Were always very entrepreneurial, but it's hard. You can't do it yourself. It takes a great team. I mentioned a couple of mentors that I worked with. I hope that one day I can be a mentor to some of these people that we've worked with over the years, and maybe it is the specialty tax or the energy incentives or the structuring or strategy, but also personally, we learn a lot about our clients and we share a lot personally with them. But that's absolutely my most favorite is the relationships that we've built, the stories and the journeys that we've had together. And if we do a good job, we actually do very little marketing and advertising out there. Of course, I speak at some events and do some sessions around the country, but largely our business has expanded very successfully because of those relationships and those referrals and that organic growth. Like, Hey, have you heard about engineered tax? And do you know what Mike does? You should give him a call. I watch my emails every day, and that's what makes me so happy is I remember that relationship. I remember that Miami Dolphins game, whoever it was, or the dinner that we might've had, or the beer that we might have shared somewhere where we personally built that relationship, And that's something that I'm even more so focused on right now because our world is now moving very fast in terms of technology and ai, and I think that's great, and we are a tech enabled company that we utilize those things to deliver our services and strategies as efficiently as possible for the client. But I think even more so right now, it's all about, hi again, human intelligence. We want to talk, just like you and I are doing right now, folks want to meet, yes, they want tech enabled strategies and AI to help us do things better. I think that's great, but I have, and we have a renewed focus on the human intelligence, the human relationship, the human strategy together, because I think we can do so much more if we get back to the old school relationship building strategy, building together at the human level, and then of course we'll utilize technology to make that better, faster, stronger. Dave: Yeah, no, and that's certainly that. Those relationships are certainly my favorite part of the business. The clients, the CPA firms, the other advisors, lawyers, you guys. So man, I can't believe how the time has flown by. So as we're rounding the home stretch, I have just a couple more questions. Mike: All right. Dave: If you could go back in time and give advice to your 25-year-old self, what advice might you give? Mike: Continue to surround myself with people much smarter than me. As I look back, the biggest opportunities that I had was being in what I thought at the time was uncomfortable situations with people that like, wow, this person really knows what they're doing with real estate, or This person really knows what they're doing with finance. But now looking back those situations of surrounding myself with really smart or savvy people or someone much more experienced than I was, that's where I really learned the opportunities around real estate development, around relationship building, around strategy, and structuring. Those mentors that I spent time with. I would tap myself on the shoulder and say, do more of that. Do more of that. If there's people that are wasting my time or going down avenues that really aren't good for me professionally or personally, don't waste time with that. Put myself in the room at the table in uncomfortable situations with people much smarter than myself. And even today, I try to do that every day is with some of the new technologies around AI or crypto or finance or strategy or real estate. Who are the innovators? Who are the people that really seem to be leading? I try to put myself in those situations, so that's what I would remind my young self is to take advantage of mentors, because you can really learn, and sometimes it's not until years later that you realized what you learned. Dave: Yeah. I think that's great advice, not only for your 25-year-old self, but any 25-year-old and probably any business professional who's still trying to learn and grow. Mike: Yeah. One other thing. Dave: Yeah, Mike: One more thing. As Steve Jobs used to say, don't focus on, I would tell myself not to focus on what I think the path is at that point, because the path is going to change the strategy, the job course of action, the winds are going to change. Ebb and flow, I always say is my personal mantra. The tide comes in, the tide comes out, but you can always learn to surf. You can't stop the waves, but you can always learn to surf. So don't try to be too tactful in the direction that you're going, because things will change. Companies will change and expect that change is what I'm trying to say. So expect the change that will continue to happen in our lives. Dave: Okay. Well, yeah, I like that. Thank you very much. So as we wrap up, I really just have one more question, and that is, is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had asked V? Anything we didn't talk about that we should have? Mike: You asked some really good questions. It sounds like we could talk all afternoon if we wanted to. The only thing you didn't ask me is about my family, and actually the thing I'm most proud of, I mentioned I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. My wife Laura, has been an amazing force in our relationship for stability and really helping me to do what I do because being on the road, it's very challenging. But my son Rocco and my daughter Lucia, are getting old and driving now as later stage teenagers. It's having those rocks behind me that really help with this ability to allow me to do what I do with our clients nationally. So I really appreciate them, and that's my other, that is my most favorite accomplishment in life of what I've been able to achieve with my family and do this professionally with engineered tech services and advisory. Dave: Yeah, understood. Yeah, because ultimately it's about relationships, both professional and personal at the end of the day. Well, anything else we didn't cover or shall we go ahead and wrap it up? Mike: I think we covered enough for now. I think we might have more to talk about. Again, I have some other ideas of topics we should talk about coming up here in the fall. There'll be some new things that we're doing. Dave: Let's do that. We'll have you back, not too distant. Future for a part two. Mike: All right. Dave: Well, Mike, I really, really appreciate the opportunity to work with you and the whole team, and you guys have taken great care of our clients. We really appreciate that and we appreciate the trust you all have placed in us to serve some of your clients as Mike: Well. Thanks, Dave. I appreciate you. Special Guest: Mike D'Onofrio.

Send us a textKatie and Bridget refuse to get on the train to the quarantined zombie land as they re-watch the 2nd installment in the series: 28 Weeks Later! We're back in London where apparently all the zombies have starved out and now the AMERICAN ARMY has come in to take over because that JUST. MAKES. SENSE!(?!) But unfortunately our beloved characters from the 1st movie are nowhere to be seen. Instead we've got siblings Andy and Tammy who are being reunited with their Dad, who shall be known as "Fucking-Don". When they find their Mom alive and well after their Dad gaslighted them into thinking he didn't leave her for dead, chaos ensues and yet another god damn zombie apocalypse commences. Although this time we at least have Jeremy Renner and Idris Elba to look at throughout it, so that's cool. We've got loads of questions, unlikeable/unknown characters, and little to no fun ethical conversations in this sequel to 28 Days Later, which doesn't really compare in the slightest. Released in 2007, it stars Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Robert Carlyle, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Idris Elba, Imogen Poots, and Mackintosh Muggleton.

Recorded September 12, 2025 It's episode 1-2-3 Off the Rails, and the crew is joined by two special guests for an especially thick and robust panel for a discussion of multi-display classrooms that either delight faculty or guarantee support tickets, the eternal war over dongles, aspect ratios, and those pesky 4:3 PowerPoints that just won't die. Special guests Tino Kaltsas and BC Hatchett jump into the chaos, sharing stories about bats in classrooms, rogue lighting complaints, and makeshift pandemic-era libraries-turned-classrooms. The panel debates whether multi-display AV systems are a blessing or a curse, all while tossing good-natured jabs and commiserating over faculty whiteboard obsession. And of course, it wouldn't be an Off the Rails live show without the Weekly Rivalry segment featuring this week's unlikely face-off between Wisconsin and Vanderbilt. With their original opponents chickening out, the Badgers and Commodores go toe-to-toe in a spirited four-quarter contest of AV wits, scored with touchdowns, field goals, and a surprising number of bats. News: https://www.cined.com/apple-iphone-17-pro-introduces-prores-raw-and-genlock-for-filmmakers/   AI-Generated Alternate Show Titles: Bats, Whiteboards, and Multi-Display Madness The One True Aspect Ratio (and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves) When Your Library Becomes a Classroom and Your Classroom Gets Bats Zip Ties, Velcro, and the Scars to Prove It Weekly Rivalry: Wisconsin vs. Vanderbilt—The Matchup Nobody Asked For Pumpkin Spice and PowerPoint Crimes Genlock, Dongles, and the Quest for Simplicity From Cheese Curds to Hot Chicken: A Higher Ed Showdown Please Stop Writing on the Auditorium Whiteboards   Far superior human generated alternate show titles: Broadcast-ish quality There's a button on your phone? Listen… she was sleeping I didn't realize that was a big fauxpas That's a piece of garbage on a chair Makes me want to start smoking again I have a maybe-even-worse scenario The goober who comes in off the street Somebody's got to speak a bit of truth Asking for a hammer to dig a ditch Sound freeze Bats in our belfry Chasing this thing around with a Dell box Did you tell them the sun moves? I was super pleased with it That's a great example of Marc being wrong We do math pretty well Test in production It's a squeaker!   We stream live every Friday at about 300p Eastern/1200p Pacific and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com    ▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends ► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends ► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social ► Email: mailbag@avsuperfriends.com ► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss   Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Welcome to this inaugural episode of our series Called to Worship! Co-hosts John Shimp and Pastor Karl Dyrli lay the foundation for this new series with a biblical overview of what worship truly is. They explore the mission of Fellowship Church and of Fellowship's Worship Ministry, helping us see why gathered worship as a local church is not only vital but commanded by God.   In this episode, they address common misconceptions about worship, point us back to the truth of Scripture, and remind us that every believer is called to worship—both individually and as a gathered people for the glory of God.   Start here to be encouraged and equipped to embrace your God-given calling to worship him with your whole heart.   Resources & Links I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thom S. Rainer

A French coed has her wicked way and gains some disciples.by jane700bond. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Ariella and the new French dame were enjoying some girl-on-girl exploration on the day they moved into the women's dorms at Briarwood College of Incanting Arts. The freshman coeds decided to make a contest of which of them would prevail as ‘Briarwood College Sex Goddess'.Suddenly there was a flash and the raucous sound of male voices cheering. “Magic!” one shouted and the gals parted and sat up quickly to view a neat hole in the wall that separated their room from that of the guys on the other staircase. “Magic!” he repeated “What do you think of that spell, ladies? We'll have to hang pictures or something over the hole when the rooms get inspected, but pretty neat, hey?”The guys climbed into the room and Ariella and Lucille, a little dishevelled, stood up in-front of them. They were two seniors, Tony and Dave, who Ariella rather liked; not the most handsome guys in the house, but fun and always up to mischief. “Wow its Ariella! Fuck you've grown-up.” continued Dave in his loud voice “and my god, who are you, beautiful?” he asked as he took in the glorious sight of Lucille.“This is Lucille l'Astique, daughter of the Marquis l'Astique le Grand,” explained Ariella “she's come over from France.”“Loose elastic?” Tony queried, fumbling the pronunciation - “I hope your knickers have loose elastic! Makes them easier to pull down! Ha, ha! And you dad's called ‘arse tickler?'. Fantastic, I cannot wait to get to know you better! He, he he!”“Huh!” shrugged Lucille, in a very Gallic way “And I suppose you think that is funny little guy! You will not slither-in your cock into me that easily!”Tony and Dave looked at each other and burst out laughing “Slither-in your cock, ha, ha, ha” laughed Dave, “Hadn't thought of that one! Ha, ha, ha. Mind you, not a bad idea if you ladies are that way inclined.” He smirked!Lucille without warning pulled her shift over her head and fully revealed her fabulous body to the others for the first time. Her golden skin shining in the late afternoon sunshine, her pert breasts erect, her pubis as naked and smooth as a baby's. “You little guys wouldn't know how to treat a lady! You are all noise and jokes. Look on me and become my slaves.”The guys stood in shocked amazement as the queen of the elves was revealed in all her naked glory and their jaws dropped open. Lucille went to her bedside table and picked up her wand. Pointing at each guy in turn she incanted “Pantus expeliamus.”Their trousers flew away and the guys were left naked from the waist, flaccid dicks hanging down. “Gorgeous giganticus.” Intoned Lucille and two large boners stood erect before her. Ariella was shocked again, this time at the way Lucille had used magic in this way to control the guys. Lucille then used a levitation spell on to the guys to lift and made them stand side by side on her bed their so their rock-hard erections were now at the same height as her mouth. “I do not bend my head to little guys.” She said mischievously.Lucille then taking Ariella by the hand, led her to Tony and curved the Moon Goddess's hand around his rampant dick. Lucille then went to Dave, whose dick was the same height as her lips, and took the shaft in her mouth rocking backwards and forwards with vigorous motions and with loud moans from the guy.Ariella was thinking that she was in danger of losing the Sex Goddess competition on the first day and began undoing her clothes while trying to continue to play with Tony's shaft. The front fastening bra soon came loose and putting Tony's dick in her mouth to cover it with plenty of her saliva took it out again began to rub it over her tits making both of them more and more aroused. The bulbous head exciting her as it circled around her nipples. She then grasped one of her breasts in each hand and pushing them together encircled Tony's cock in-between. Tony smoothly thrust up and down her saliva lubricated cleavage, as more dribbled from her mouth. In a few moments, pre-cum glistening at the end of the penis and Ariella first bent her neck licked this and then took the hard erection in her mouth again, thrusting back and forth as Lucille was doing.Ariella had not so much experience with guys, but was determined to learn more about their hairy muscled bodies and how they could give her pleasure. Lucille watched with a wicked look in her eye while she continued to gobble Dave's manhood greedily. And then she pointed her wand at Tony. She removed her mouth from Dave's engorged dick and incanted “Cumus atlanticus” at which Tony cried out as a sudden tremendous orgasm took him and cum spurted from his dick into Ariella's mouth. She backed away in surprise and as the cock swung out and free, more spunk spurted all over Ariella's tits and face, eyes and hair. It was a torrent and Ariella gasped as more sprayed out and into her mouth again which was still open in astonishment. She swallowed, but there was too much to cope with and she couldn't see with the white cream in her eyes.Lucille left Dave standing in shock on the bed and grabbed Ariella, pushing her own tits over Ariella's jizz soaked ones, the cum creating a fabulous lubricant. She licked Ariella's eyes clear of sperm and forced her mouth open with her tongue so they could share the fresh cum, greedily lapping up the salty fluid. Hooking her leg around Ariella's knee she then forced Ariella down onto the floor and slid her naked body over the other gal using her firm breasts to massage the still flowing cum into their skins. Tony's spunk worked like a delicious baby oil which Lucille now rubbed hard onto Ariella's clit and then used it to lubricate and widen her own cunt. With deep thrusting fingers she seemed to be trying to fill her vagina with Tony's magic sperm, while moaning in increasing ecstasy.The smell of sex was intoxicating Ariella and she screamed with delight as a red mist descended on her mind and the wild naked smooth body on body massage from Lucille continued with vigour and her clit hardened in anticipation.Lucille lubricated her own cunt with more of Tony's torrent of cum, using her fingers vigorously to push ever more the white creamy fluid into her own eager cavern and make herself as slippery inside as possible. Then as Tony's ejaculations finally subsided, with a groan he collapsed onto the bed. Lucille suddenly grabbed her wand again and pointing it at Dave shouted “Caininius penetratus!”She stuck her ass, high in the air as Dave, like an automaton, got off the bed and thrust his rock-hard pistol deeply and roughly into Lucille's now wide open, cum-lubricated, scorching hot vagina, doggy style. Lucille bucked as she still rubbed hard at Ariella's clit and sucked more cum from the overcome lass's burning nipples. Dave thrust hard and fast and it was obvious he would soon cum as the excitement was too much. Lucille's hand went to her wand again and she shouted “Orgasmus tremendicus”, pointing the wand at the point the two lass's sex mounds met and where Dave's shaft was deeply buried inside her own steaming cunt.There was an explosion in Ariella's clit and another in her g-spot and then there was a heavenly silence as the gals together left their bodies and danced in a red nebula of pleasure light years away. Colours swirled and a feeling of ecstasy overtook Ariella as she whirled away in space still holding and kissing her angel Lucille. The vision went on and then she felt orgasm after orgasm fill her ethereal body until there was nothing left to do but collapse into a wisp and disappear in the garden of pleasure that Lucille had created for her.After a while Ariella slowly wandered the long road back to consciousness, her spirit returning to her body as it cooled and she awoke to find herself lying on the hard wooden floor with Lucille asleep on top of her and Dave collapsed and spent above, his wilting cock half out of Lucille's still dripping cunt. Ariella felt very sticky and her eyes wandered around the room until she saw Tony back in his trousers sitting on a bed, knees hunched up, looking a bit like a gnome. He smiled wanly at her. “Fuck!” he said. “Magic!” she said and started to pull herself carefully from under the tacky bodies of Lucille and Dave. It seemed that the three were almost glued together with drying spunk.Abandoning the seemingly mesmerised Tony and grabbing her robe, she left her study and went into the shower room opposite. Here she stripped naked again and then stood under the warm water and started to rub the sperm away from her shoulders and breasts. Ariella noticed how wonderfully slippery and smooth the newly re-hydrated cum made the skin all over her body. With memories of what had just happened flooding back into her mind, her hand again found her clit and she gently massaged herself to another climax as she, surprising herself at the thought, imagined herself being fucked slowly from behind by the tall dark figure of Dr. Snake.Finally, satiated Ariella realised lumps of jizz had creating knots in her hair and they were going to be a pain to get out.Sexually satisfied for the moment, hair washed, conditioned and combed straight, Ariella thought seriously about what happened just now in the bedroom. “Nice! Clever! Exciting and magic!” she thought, “But far too quick. Lucille was too urgent and desperate. Poor Tony looked exhausted by his ordeal and Dave was a goner.”The orgasms were amazing, but there were other and better ways of achieving this surely, rather than using hypnotised guys and magic fountains of cum. There was, she thought, still a chance for her to become this year's Sex Goddess of Briarwood College, after all, if she could out do Lucille and make all the other students love her.First Day of ClassesThe next day, Ariella put on one of her newly bought bras and then her school blouse, realising as she did it up, that she should have bought new blouses as well as bras, as the buttons were straining over her now much bigger chest, revealing quite a cleavage.Then she found her kilt, which also being last year's, was probably a bit shorter than regulation, ending several inches above her knees!Lucille did not seem to be much of a morning person and moaned about the early hour, but eventually Ariella managed to get her into her new uniform and down to breakfast. Once fed, Ariella showed Lucille around the college for a bit before they both went to their Advanced Potions class. After that Ariella found someone else to take Lucille to her Necromancy class, a subject Ariella was not taking and Ariella was delighted she now had a free period and time to think.She went back to her room in the tower of Briarwood to consider the Sex Goddess competition seriously. The hole in the wall between her bedroom and the guys was hidden by a charm she had created the previous night and lifting it with a revealing spell, she climbed through to Dave and Tony's room.Considering that Lucille had rather abused them yesterday, even if they did get their rocks off, she thought she better be conciliatory. The sex, while exciting, had not been too kind or quite consensual as the guys had lost their free will under Lucille's spells. Once through the hole Ariella waved her wand and the gap disappeared again under the charm.Dave was sitting on his bed in his kilt, knees up balancing a large spell book on his thighs. “Hi Ariella.” He said warily. She sat down on the end of the bed by his feet. “Some friend you have through there! She's a bit over the top?”“Sorry Dave,” said Ariella, I had no idea she was going to do any of that stuff. Have you survived the experience unscathed?“.“Well, I can't remember much, except a massive orgasm blowing my socks off, but I'm sure some of those spells were illegal. Once I had woken up and got rid of the sticky mess in the shower, I found I was unscathed. Tony says that, despite the gallon of cum he ejaculated, his manhood still appears to be working fine. But, for goodness sake, whatever happened to foreplay and the guys also having some fun? We're not sex robots you know!”“Could have been my fault Dave,” Ariella said softly “we had already been through the foreplay bit by ourselves and I think Lucille was already overexcited when you and Tony arrived.” She laid a finger on Dave's naked shin and moved it up and down lazily through the light adolescent hairs.Dave sighed and said “Over-sexed that dame, and that's coming from me, a testosterone filled eighteen-year-old Slither-in alumnus!”Ariella started to play with the hairs on his legs, twisting them absentmindedly. “Ow!” said Dave and Ariella stop the twisting and put a hand carelessly on Dave's bare knee.“We are going to compete with each other for Sex Goddess of Briarwood College.” she said wistfully “But she seems to be so much more powerful than me and, wow, is she stunning to look at?”“Phew! Ariella, she does not stand a chance against you!” Said Dave.Ariella opened her eyes widely and she turned and looked at him, her hand descending nonchalantly from the knee an inch up the inside of his thigh.“You are stunningly beautiful! You're a natural and people like you. I like you and if we properly plan how to beat her wild bad magic, I am sure we can get you the crown.”With a dreamy look on her face, Ariella's hand carelessly caressed Dave's thigh and went further under the kilt. “Yeah!” She said with eagerness, “A Sex Goddess is worshipped, not feared!” Her hand went back to his knee.Then again, seemingly in a dream world of her own, Ariella's hand slowly started to explore again. Dave shifted with a sigh and moved the spell book onto the bed-side table.“Oh Dave,” she said “it's no good, I need more experience, especially with guys. She lent her head against his knee and, seemingly without conscious thought, her hand gently swept gradually onwards and inwards up the thigh until she suddenly met the tip of his shaft coming the other way which flicked up in salute. Dave moaned and as if suddenly realising what she was doing, Ariella's hand retreated.But as Dave was obviously not objecting to her exploring hand and feeling that now familiar horniness warming her cunt, she, more deliberately this time, adventured forward again and brushed the tip of his dick with her fingers.After a few tentative moments, Ariella's head slid down from his knee to his shin so she got a better view into the dimness under the kilt. "Everything in working order.” She thought as Dave's manhood pointed at her straight and hard. Carefully she reached forward and her fingers played around his bulbous head, pulling back his foreskin to release it. Finding pre-cum already forming at the tip, she carefully slid the oil around the top, gently massaging it. Dave groaned.As Dave sat still and breathless, her hand moved still deeper in and massaged the supple skin of his shaft. Then climbing up on the bed, her ass in the air, her head followed her hand under the kilt until she could kiss the tip of his now hot member and lick around the head.“Is this how you do foreplay?” She asked with a muffled voice.“Fuck yeah!” Said Dave and lifted his kilt back so he could see what she was doing. Slowly at first and then with increased confidence, up and down the length of his dick went her tongue, around his balls went her fingers massaging the ball-sack gently. His hand went his kilt buckle on the side to undo it. He lifted his backside off the bed to get rid of it which, somehow, caused his dick to pop neatly into Ariella's welcome warm mouth. He pulled the kilt away and dumped it on the floor.Ariella was gentle, she was caring and she loved massaging the straight hard shaft with both hands and tongue while Dave lay back in ecstasy, caressing the gal's head as she moved up and down.He lent forward and pulled up Ariella's kilt revealing her cute white ass sticking up in the air. He fondled it lovingly, hands massaging her bare cheeks as they explored the way round to her secret places.She moved further forward, slowly and sexily undoing the buttons of her tight blouse and then her bra to reveal hard and aroused nipples. She dripped saliva from her mouth onto her cleavage and slowly moved up Dave's body until she was in a position to use her breasts to massage his dick. Being closer now, Dave's hands could feel around her ass cheeks and find the aroused dampness of her cunt which he rubbed gently, probing with his fingers.After enjoying the sensation of Dave's massage for a few minutes, Ariella moved forward still more, now kissing, licking and nipping at his nipples and grounding his dick with her pubis, whilst he groaned with longing.Then she sat upright, her boobs proudly pointing in the air where he could grab and play with them. Slowly she rubbed her naked slit up and down the length of his broomstick hard shaft, cunt juices making her slow deliberate passage smooth and sensuous. His bulbous head found her clit and dick and clit danced together for some minutes in an erotic ballet of joy.Pushing herself back a little so the head of his penis was pushing at her labia and widening her cunt lips she sat up and holding the rod in one hand Ariella rubbed his dick up and down the length of her slit until with a sudden push and a gasp she forced herself down on it, taking the full length deep inside and then moaned with delight. She rose up and sank down in a slow rhythm, her hands massaging her own breasts. Then one of Dave's hands found her clit and using her fragrant cunt juices to lubricate it, started to rub her off.Feeling herself nearing climax and feeling the urgency in Dave's throbbing gun and trying to make the pleasure last as possible, she sat right up and released his cock before either of them came. Leaning forward and she rubbed her nipples into his much smaller ones. He loved it. Raising her ass skywards she slowly moved her tongue down his muscled stomach to again find his dick to play with it with her mouth and tongue.Ariella was still licking her own cunt juices off Dave's shaft when Tony quietly and unnoticed came through the door.Tony took in the scene quickly, Ariella with her fabulous ass in the air with her mouth clamped over Dave's member, whose eyes were closed in pleasure. With an instant erection he quickly climbed on the bed behind Ariella and lifted his kilt so he could plunge his boner straight into her wide-open pink wet cavern.Opening his eyes, at the sudden motion on the bed, Dave was surprised by sudden appearance of his friend, but Ariella was loving this new and surprising innovation. It was the first time she had had a guy take her from behind and after the first shock soon started to use her cunt muscles to clamp hard on the dick that was now ploughing deep inside her.She started copying Tony's fuck rhythm on Dave's cock, moving up and down quickly in time with Tony's urgent thrusts. She put one hand underneath her to reach back and find her clit and tweaked her nipples with the other whilst Dave bucked deeper and deeper into her mouth, catching her teeth with the head of his cock on each out-stroke.Shouting, Dave came first, shooting hot cum into her throat in a gush she could hardly swallow. His orgasmic cumming lit the fire in her clit and she started her first orgasm, tightening herself still harder on Tony's iron-hard rod that thrust deep inside her and she convulsed with shudders of desire. These shudders in turn released the sperm from Tony's balls and he filled her love tunnel with creamy white spunk. The feel of this red-hot release inside her then brought her vagina to climax and after quivering in pleasure for what seemed like minutes, she released Dave's dick from her mouth and fell spent and satisfied onto his chest, her tingling breasts resting on his taut muscular stomach. Her dive forward in turn released Tony from her tight cunt and he watched, still aroused, as his newly made cream pie begin to dribble out from between her legs.However, Tony was not finished, he still had more in him and he massaged his cum with his dick around her swollen cunt lips making Ariella moan. Then still using his hard cock, he spread the jizz over her naked arse, especially in the crease between the two ass cheeks. Then like a lion rampant thrust up and down between her well lubricated gap until a second spray of cum shot over her back. Finally, he sat down, on the end of the bed, and gently massaged the cum into Ariella's skin.“We were only discussing foreplay.” said Dave ironically.“Whoops!” said Tony, “Sorry Ariella, I saw your beautifully opened cunt and I couldn't help myself.”“It's no problem,” said Ariella dreamily from Dave's chest. “I enjoyed that.” She stretched herself out like a cat, her face coming up to meet Dave's and to kiss him gently on the lips and her feet moving back to rest on Tony's softening sticky manhood which she played with, with her toes.A bell rang to mark the end of period and the three jumped up knowing there were classes to get to in the next two minutes or points would be deducted. Hurriedly Ariella did up her bra, and her blouse buttons, then she pulled her kilt straight aware of the stickiness on her back, where Tony's cum was once again beginning to dry on her skin. She hoped it didn't show through her blouse.Then it was off to Divining The Future- 101, at a run, with Ariella aware of more cum slowly escaping from her cunt and dribbling down the inside of her legs. She hoped no one would notice any of the drips that were marking her trail along the campus corridor.The three arrived in the dungeon classroom just in time and breathless, with a heaving chest, Ariella chose a bench seat at the back, next to another Slither-In alumnus, called George. George smiled a wicked Slither-In smile at her and as she pushed her kilt back and sat down, he deftly managed to place his left hand, palm up, where she sat. Her cum soaked cunt came down on his fingers and she nearly yelped.George at first grinned at Ariella because of the trick he had pulled, but then started to frown as he realised that:Ariella was naked under her kilt,Her cunt was red-hot, andShe appeared to be smearing Tony's semen & her own cunt fluid over his hand.George tried to free himself, but Ariella was rather cross now and wanting revenge for this intrusion into her very personal space. She couldn't tell the teacher as she was still exuding Tony's cum, so she forced herself down on George's wriggling fingers trapping them and smiled an even more wicked smile back at George.She subtlety shifted herself so that George's index finger now met her still engorged clit and she moved herself with tiny movements so that George involuntarily started to massage it.She and George were having difficulty concentrating on the class and despite having sex so recently, Ariella was beginning to feel aroused yet again by this unexpected turn of events. She shifted herself slightly again and managed to find the tip of George's thumb, which involuntarily started to work its way between her hot cum dripping cunt lips. She slowly moved forwards and backwards as his thumb began to open her cunt once more and went deeper and deeper in.Meanwhile her small movements on the bench made George's trapped index finger rub her clit. Her eyes closed in pleasure.“Ariella!” came the voice of Miss Peacock, the Divination teacher “I'm glad to see you day dreaming with such a lovely smile on your face, but we haven't gone into trance yet. That's coming next.”Ariella sat up to attention, forcing George's thumb still further into her sex cave.

Title: From Hustle to Holdings: The Smarter Path to Passive Wealth With J. Scott Summary: In this episode of the Passive Income Attorney Podcast, host Seth Bradley discusses the importance of transitioning from active to passive income with guest Jay Scott, a seasoned real estate investor. They explore various investment strategies, the significance of due diligence in syndication, and the differences between house flipping and multifamily investments. Jay shares his journey from tech to real estate, emphasizing the need for teamwork in multifamily projects and the importance of understanding market conditions. The conversation concludes with actionable insights for listeners looking to create financial freedom through passive income. Links to watch and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V26Rze2S9TM Bullet Point Highlights: Active income is trading time for money, while passive income allows for financial freedom. Investors should focus on the highest and best use of their time. Flipping houses can be tedious and may not be the best use of time for high-income earners. Transitioning to multifamily investments can provide more control and cash flow. Market conditions can significantly impact investment strategies and outcomes. Due diligence is crucial when vetting syndication sponsors and deals. Understanding the underwriting process is essential for passive investors. Building a strong team is vital for success in multifamily investments. Investors should seek to understand the risks associated with their investments. Passive income allows for a lifestyle centered around family and personal interests. Transcript: Seth Bradley (00:10.188) What's going on, law nation? Welcome to the Passive Income Attorney Podcast, your favorite place for learning about the world of alternative passive investments so that you can practice when you want to and not because you have to. Now, if you're ready to kick that billable out of the curb, start by going to attorneybydesign.com to download the Freedom Blueprint, which will also get you access to partner with us on one of our next passive real estate investments. All right, let's talk about   the highest and best use of your time. We've talked about active versus passive income and for good reason, they are completely different. They're on opposite sides of the spectrum. When we talk about active income, we're talking about your job as an attorney, as a doctor or a business owner, where you trade your time in for money out. Depending on your skill set, background, education, work ethic, et cetera,   You know, this could be a great use of your time or it could be a terrible one. But when most people think about getting into real estate investing, they're torn. Should you do a fix and flip like you saw on HGTV? Should you invest in a REIT like your financial advisor and Charles Schwab told you to do? Should you buy a single family rental or invest in a syndication? There are endless options so I can understand why it's so confusing. Well, start with this.   ask yourself, what's the highest and best use of my time? If you're thinking about doing an HGTV fix and flip and your partner at a big law firm, for example, is that flip really the best use of your time? And don't be mistaken, a flip is transactional and it is active. So will you make more per hour on that fix and flip than you would at your job?   After you factor in the learning curve, the deal sourcing, the headaches, what it takes away from your job and everything else, it's not even close. Unless you truly love doing it, which some people do, it just doesn't make sense for high income earners. You should be focusing on transforming the income you earn actively into passive income streams. At different levels on the passive scale, that could very well be a single family rental or an Airbnb.   Seth Bradley (02:34.26) or could be passive investments into commercial syndications. But if you truly want to obtain financial freedom as quickly as possible, don't create more time consuming activities that aren't as fruitful as the active income stream that you already have. Focus on passive investments until you are financially free. And then you will have the freedom to transition or not into any   active activity you have a passion for. Today, we have a very special guest, Mr. Jay Scott of Bigger Pocket fame. Jay is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and the co-host of the Bigger Pockets Business Podcast. He has bought, built, rehab, sold, syndicated, and held over $70 million in residential property, and currently owns several hundred units. Jay is the author of four bestselling books on real estate investing,   with sales of over 300,000 copies. Get really excited for this, folks. You're in for a treat.   This is the Passive Income Attorney Podcast, where you'll discover the secrets and strategies of the ultra wealthy on how they build streams of passive income to give them the freedom we all want. Attorney Seth Bradley will help you end the cycle of trading your time for money so you can make money while you sleep. Start living the good life on your own terms. Now, here's your host, Seth Bradley.   Jay Scott, what's going on, brother? Welcome to the show.   Scott (04:09.196) Thanks. Appreciate you having me here Seth.   Absolutely, man. Appreciate you taking the time out of your day, We've got a little bit of history, but let's jump into your history, man. What's your story? Tell us about your background. Take it back as far you'd like to.   Yeah, I'll keep it short because nobody really cares about what I used to do. So I'm a tech guy by education and former trade. I worked in Silicon Valley for a long time, spent about 15 years doing the engineering thing and the product management thing. 2008 decided to get married. My wife and I, she was in the tech world also. We decided to leave and do something different so we could start a family.   focus on our family. Basically, we were both working ridiculous hours and it just wasn't sustainable if we wanted to start a family. So put our jobs in 2008, moved to the East coast, ended up flipping houses. Long, boring story about how that started, just kind of serendipitous. We didn't really plan it, never really considered real estate, but fell into flipping houses. Over the next eight years or so, we flipped about 400, 450 houses, was great. It ended up being the,   next career we were looking for, it gave us the flexibility to kind of raise our kids and never have to miss a soccer game or a piano recital, which was fantastic. But then around 2017-ish really got burned out on flipping houses and that's when I started to look for some new stuff to do. and that kind of leads me into what I've been doing the last few years.   Seth Bradley (05:41.742) That's awesome, man. That's a ton of houses you flip, man. think that that's, know, a lot of the folks who've been in the game for a long time, they've heard you speak on, you know, on bigger pockets and all of that. So, you know, what attracted you originally to house flipping rather than, you know, buy it holds or anything like that?   So I'll be honest, I don't love real estate. I love business. I'm a business guy. like when I was even when I was in the tech world, I got my MBA and I did some business development and I moved from the engineering side to the product side where I could be more involved in the business stuff. And I'm a business guy by heart. And that's what I love doing. So when it came to flipping houses,   For me, was, I could have been buying and selling anything. It ended up being houses. And again, not an exciting story. mean, literally the story was my wife was watching a show on HGTV with some people flipping houses and she said, let's give that a try. Just as kind of like a fun thing to do on the side while we were waiting for our wedding to come up. So it wasn't something that I ever thought about or planned to do. It just kind of happened.   And so if it weren't flipping houses, it would have been buying and selling something else. would have opened a restaurant or I would have opened a retail store or who knows what I would have done. But for me, the challenge was in the business. It wasn't the real estate piece of it. And so I've always enjoyed the scaling part. So yeah, flipping a house is great. Flipping five houses is great. But I always wanted to know, how do I go from flipping five houses to flipping 50 houses in a year? What are the systems and processes I have to put in place?   how do I build that type of business? That to me is what's exciting. And so for me, it's always been about not the real estate part of it, but about the building the business part of it.   Seth Bradley (07:25.248) I love that man. I don't think I've heard anyone just come out and say that, even though a lot of people are probably in the same boat as you that, you know, you don't have to love real estate to recognize that it's a great business. Right. Yeah. So that that's awesome. So tell me a little bit about your, your transition and what you're doing now, your current business, how you kind of progressed from house living to what you're about to tell us about.   Yeah, so 2017, I just got really burned out on flipping houses. It was good to us financially. We got good at it. I wrote a bunch of books on it, but I'll be honest, it was never fun. And as the years went on, it just ended up getting more tedious. I felt like I wasn't learning anything new. It was revising processes and creating new systems. it was fun, but I needed some new challenges.   So 2017, I decided, okay, done with flipping, actually went and started doing some business stuff. So I do some advisory work for some tech companies. I do some angel investing. And so for a few months, I actually considered getting out of real estate altogether, focusing on other business pursuits. But I actually, what I realized was that I didn't like the nuts and bolts of real estate. I liked the mechanics of real estate.   I loved the negotiation piece. I loved the asset management piece. I loved the putting deals together piece and I was good at it. And so while I really didn't wanna be flipping houses, didn't want to be involved in the day-to-day aspects of managing the projects. I enjoyed the deal part of real estate. And so in addition to that, after I stopped flipping, I had all this cash.   And I was like, okay, what am I going to do with this cash? I was using it to flip houses. We were doing 50 houses a year. It's put a lot of cash to work. Now I had all this cash. I'm a control freak. do invest in other people's syndications, but I don't sleep well at night when all my money is being managed by other people. So I said, how do I kind of take back control of my own cash as well as kind of get back into real estate? What can I do in real estate that I would enjoy? And now I can also deploy a bunch of my own cash. And what I realized was multifamily.   Scott (09:38.648) That was a great opportunity. And I had been thinking about multifamily for a long time. But what I realized was from the syndication side of multifamily, could, one, I could have the control. could be a general partner. could control the deal. I could put the deal together. I could manage the deal. But also I could come in on the limited partner side as an investor. And it was a great place to deploy my capital. So I could deploy my capital in deals that I had full control over. So 2017, I decided I wanted to get into multifamily, probably wanted to get into syndication.   I reached out to a friend of mine, Ashley Wilson, who managed a company called Barred Down Investments. She and her husband had started the company a couple of years earlier. They were doing exactly what I wanted to do. And so I reached out to Ashley and I said, hey, I would love to learn multifamily. I don't expect you to like just take all this time and teach me so I can often be your competitor. But here's what I am willing to do if you're willing to do this. I will come work for you for a year.   And in that year, you've got all my time, you've got all my energy, you've got all my knowledge, you've got all my contacts, I'll put money into your deals, whatever it takes. You mentor me for a year, you've got my commitment for a year. After a year, we can figure out if like, there's a place for me on the team or if I'll go off and do my own thing. But basically, let's work together for a year. And she loved that idea. mean, I think she liked the fact that I was really good with the systems and the processes and the operation stuff.   And I obviously loved the fact that I could jump into a team that was high functioning, already owned a lot of properties and was doing deals. So for the next year, I worked with her team. It took about a year and a half before we finally did a deal. But 2020, just before COVID, we started putting together a deal. That deal went really well. Ashley and I realized that we were like, just we made a great team.   We had a bunch of complimentary skills, the things that she was really good at, I wasn't, the things I was really good at, she wasn't, it was just a good partnership. Around the same time, her husband decided that he didn't really want to be doing real estate anymore. He kind of wanted to be a stay at home dad. He liked helping with the business. He ran the underwriting team and he did a lot of the analytics, but he didn't want to be a partner in the business anymore. So about a year and a half ago, Ashley came to me and said, Hey, would you want to join me and be a partner in the business?   Scott (11:57.678) 2020, 2021-ish. Ashley and I joined forces. She and I now run bar down investments and we do value add multifamily all around the country.   That's great man, said you weren't having fun anymore, you having fun now?   I'm having a ton of fun. And I think the big difference between then and now is when you're flipping houses, flipping houses is a very, it's a solitary venture. Yeah, you have contractors around you and you have eight real estate agents and you have closing agents and lots of 1099 people, lots of vendors and people that come in to help you. But at the end of the day, you're running the show. You're doing the four big things that you do when you flip houses.   you're acquisitions or you're running acquisitions, you're doing the rehab or you're running the rehab, you're doing the disposition or managing the disposition and you're raising the money. mean, all four of those things, you don't generally have a big team to do those things because it's just hard to scale a big team when you're flipping houses. The profits aren't there, the margins aren't there. Unless you're doing real high-end houses, the deal size isn't there. But in multifamily, the thing I love about multifamily is it really is a team sport. When you're doing it,   $10 million deal or a $50 million deal, it's not something that I could ever do myself. It's not something anybody or very few people can do themselves. Typically you have to be part of a team because things are very specialized. mean, the acquisitions piece, you need some of the best acquisitions people in the world to be finding deals in this market. The renovation piece to be renovating a 200 or 400 or 600 unit apartment complex, it's not like flipping a house. You need to have really good systems and processes. need to...   Scott (13:36.448) really know the renovation side of things. Managing the property, I mean, you have to know the asset management side. You have to know how to carry out a business plan. You have to know how to increase and reposition rents. You have to know how to decrease expenses and improve the efficiency of the management. And then on the sales side, that's a whole other world where you have to really know the market and be able to work with the brokers and know how to position the company for sale. And then finally, there's that raising funds piece.   And that's a whole world by itself, whether you're dealing with raising debt through a broker and you're going like just typical, like getting loans, or you're going out to private investors or institutions and you're raising equity, people that come in as partners. And I mean, that's a full-time job in itself, those two things. So when you do multifamily, you really need to figure out what are you great at? And then you need to surround yourself with people who are great at everything else. And so that's what I loved about multifamily. It allowed me to focus on what I was really   and then bring in people who are literally the best in the world at all the other stuff. And now it becomes a team sport. It goes from playing tennis to playing basketball. It goes from being yourself reliant and you have to do everything and be the best versus you have to be able to put together the best team and manage that team in a way that not only is everybody fantastic, but working together, they're better than the sum of their parts.   Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic, man. The whole team game part of multifamily and commercial real estate. It's really interesting because when you get into other businesses, it feels more competitive and kind of like if you if you have the secret sauce, you keep it close to your vest. You don't you don't tell everybody about it. Whereas when you're in this commercial real estate world, everybody's sharing ideas. Everybody's trying to partner. Everybody's trying to see how they can help you rather than just looking about, well, how can you help me kind of?   I call it, I'm gonna get in trouble here, but the Hollywood mentality where it's like, what can you do for me? Oh, you just drive a three series, you probably can't help me. So it's a different attitude.   Scott (15:41.294) Absolutely. I like to refer to it as co-op petition. It's like there are deals that you're going to do with other people and then there deals you're going to do yourself and you may come back to those people later. You may never come back to them, but everybody kind of looks out for each other because you never know when you may end up in a deal with somebody that previously you were competing against. And so anytime that you're not in a deal with somebody, you're still treating them as if, the next deal we could end up being partners. And the deal after that, we could end up being partners.   because it really is, it's a small industry, everybody knows each other. we really, again, going back to the sum of the parts is greater than the parts themselves. mean, working together, we can really do a whole lot more than if we just are purely competitive and try and take each other down.   Yeah, absolutely. And I think kind of going back, there's a lesson to be learned about how you were transitioning from house flipping and you were the best at it. And then you're like, okay, I want to go into multifamily and a syndication. You went and you sought out someone that was already in the game that knew what they were doing, that had the experience. And you said, what can I do to help you? What value can I bring to you to help you so you can teach me what you've done? And there's a lot of value to be found in that lesson for folks that are trying to   you know, get into the active side. A lot of listeners out there are passive investors already and they're, you know, maybe thinking about, maybe I want to do in the active side. And they're like, well, what can I do? Cause a lot of attorneys, especially in doctors and folks like that, they think they have this one track mind. They're only trained to do one thing. And they're like, what value can I provide as somebody else? But there are a lot of skills that you've learned in your W2 profession that you can apply to help other folks that are already in the industry.   Absolutely. I mean, I talk about it a lot, but even outside of real estate, I do a lot of advisory work and I'm still pretty active in the tech world. And I find companies that kind of bridge that gap between technology and real estate. all know about the Zillows and the Airbnb type companies. There are a lot of startup companies in that space too called property technology type companies. so...   Scott (17:46.998) I love to use my experience, my knowledge, my relationships to go into those companies and help them grow their companies. In return, I'm not an employee. I'm not even a 1099 contractor. In return, I'm getting equity so that if I can help make them successful, ultimately my equity is gonna be worth something. I'm gonna be successful as well. And so what I like to tell everybody like figure out what you're good at and then figure out who needs that expertise.   and then figure out how you can offer that expertise in a way that isn't trading necessarily hours for dollars. Figure out how you can trade your expertise, your knowledge, your Rolodex, your whatever it is for equity or potentially passive income so that you can grow potentially many fold as opposed to I charge $200 an hour or $300 an hour. mean, everybody loves $300 an hour, but the minute you stop working, you stop making that money. But if you can get equity, that equity can work for you for a while.   Yeah, absolutely. And it's tough for a lot of the WTs out there listening, they're highly paid professionals. It's tough to get off of that treadmill. For some folks it's easier because they're not making as much money, but for the lawyers, the doctors out there that are making a good amount of money in their profession, it's tough to try to see, you know, to stop trading time for money. But you've got to kind of see through the weeds there.   Yeah, well, what I tell people is, there's two types of income. There's your active income. That's the stuff that you're trading your time for, whether you're a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer or you're a house flipper or you're a consultant or you're a small business owner, whatever it is, that thing that when you stop working, you stop making money. And then there's a passive income. It's the thing you trade money for money. So you put your money out there and hopefully it continues to come back to you for the rest of your life or at least the next several years.   And so what I like to tell people is don't think about those the same. Those are completely different. figure out for your active income, figure out what the highest and best use of your time is. If you're gonna make more money as an attorney than you are flipping houses, don't flip houses just because you eventually want to retire on real estate. You can always use real estate for the passive side of things, but if you're gonna make more dollars per hour as an attorney or a doctor or a consultant, then do that because you wanna get out of that active income as quickly as possible.   Scott (20:05.9) And the way you do that is you make as much as you can and you move it over to the passive side. So focus on whatever it is that's generating the most dollars per hour for a shorter period of time so that you can then start moving that money over to the passive side and start building up the passive side. don't, people ask me all the time, should I flip houses or should I buy rentals? And I'm constantly telling them that's not the right question. Flipping houses is your active income. Compare that to all the other.   potential active incomes you can have. And rentals is passive income. Compare that to all the other passive investments you can make. And so don't say flipping houses or rentals say, should I be flipping houses or should I be an attorney? And don't say, I be flipping houses or rentals say, should I be doing rentals or should I be investing in syndications or dividend generating stocks or something else? And think of them very differently. then secondly,   Make sure as much of that active income as you can, move it over the passive side so that you can start that snowball rolling. I compound interest is the key to financial freedom. And the sooner you can put more money to work, the faster it'll compound and the sooner you can start to live on.   Yeah, I love that man. mean, lot of folks, you know, calls that I take, they're like, hey, they're attorneys. Should I quit my job or how do I quit my job? I'm like, if you want to quit your job, don't be hasty about it. First of all, you're probably making a good amount of money in your active income. You just need to figure out a way to transition that active to passive income and don't just quit your job. It's very difficult to flip houses, to do an HGTV fix and flip while you're working at a big law firm or something like that full time.   I tried to do it, I didn't do it very well. You're not even gonna make it nearly as much money as you would as a doctor, as an attorney, unless you get to level like you did, Jay, but that takes time and that takes a buildup of accumulation of skills and money to be able to get to that level.   Scott (22:05.826) Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, it's a math equation. mean, your passive income or your ability to build up enough income to be able to retire, whatever your number is, is based on how much can you put in per month into that wheel, that passive income growth machine? How much are you generating every year on what you're putting in? So what do your returns look like? And three, how long do you have to compound it?   And so everybody can go out into a compound interest calculator and say, okay, I have $5,000 a month that I can invest passively and I can return 12 % per year and I need $6 million to retire. Well, based on those three numbers, you can now figure out that fourth variable, is how long is it going to take? And so figure out how much do you have per month to put in? What's the rate of return you can generate and how much do you need? And that'll tell you how long it's going to take or   figure out how much you have to put in, how much your return is gonna be and how long you wanna spend. And that'll tell you how much you'll end up with at the end, either way you wanna look at it. But again, it's a pretty simple math equation, but too many people don't actually do that equation where they don't think about it until too late and they think, I wish I would have taken that $5,000 a month that I was spending on my second home in the Bahamas and put that into real estate so that I could have been.   compounding it and so now I could buy that home for cash five years or 10 years later.   Absolutely. Attorneys hate math, but I think they can handle that little equation. I want to take a step back for a minute because you got into house flipping in 2008, which is kind of like around the big crash. And now we're kind of at the height of a market. We don't know where that height is going to end, but we're definitely in it. Right. So can you maybe compare and contrast getting into, let's say,   Seth Bradley (24:01.652) one real estate venture in the middle of a crash compared to getting into another venture kind of towards, towards the upswing.   Yeah, so it's one of the reasons I like multifamily and I like commercial and I like syndication. Anytime you're doing purely transactional deals, buying something and then selling it, not generating any cashflow in between, you run a risk. If the market turns in the middle of the transaction, you're gonna lose money and you don't have a lot of ways to mitigate that risk.   Whereas if you're buying something like an apartment complex, or even if you're buying a rental property, or you're buying a self-storage complex, or you're buying anything that cash flows, the nice thing is if the market turns, you may not be in a great position. You may not be thrilled with what's happening with the value of your assets, but if you're still generating cash flow, you can weather that storm. Maybe it's gonna take, the average recession lasts about 18 months. And so if you can make enough income that you can keep yourself afloat for 18 months, or maybe   it's a horrible recession and it lasts three or four years. If you're still making income and you can keep yourself afloat for three or four years, the market's gonna come back. And so when we do our multifamily deals, yeah, we typically say we're planning to hold three to five years, but we also do all the underwriting to ensure that if we have to hold for six years or eight years or even nine or 10 years, that the numbers still work because.   Again, who knows what's gonna happen three years down the road, we could have a major recession that lasts four years and now we're seven years down the road. I wanna know that my multifamily investments in seven years, they're probably gonna be producing more cashflow. We're probably gonna see more growth in terms of population. We're probably gonna see more growth in terms of employment. Hopefully we're gonna see more wage growth once we come out of that recession. So all the economic indicators that kind of lead towards value growth in multifamily,   Scott (25:58.486) are going to happen over those seven years if I can just get my property seven years and not lose it. With a flip, well, I'm not generating any income. So if the bank calls the loan due or if my two-year loan comes due and I can't refinance, I'm screwed. But in a multifamily, I just waited an extra couple of years and I'm probably in a better position than I was anyway. So that's one of the reasons I love multifamily because we can't predict   what the economy is gonna do in the next couple of years. But I do know that whatever the economy does, it's probably gonna come back in the next five or 10, and I'm still gonna have the problem.   Yeah, yeah, that's great. That kind of rolls into this next question. How does a passive investor that's kind of vetting a sponsor, how do they check kind of the boxes to see if their sponsors are taking the extra measures to look into those risks that you just mentioned, to mitigating those risks, to taking those risks into account in their underwriting and things like that. How can they best vet the sponsor to make sure that they're thinking of those things?   So I invest in a lot of other people's syndications as well as my own. And so when I do that, I kind of look at five areas for due diligence anytime I invest in a syndication. Number one is the team. And that's probably the most important thing. For a lot of people, I have been pleasantly surprised that a lot of our investors have recognized that team is the most important aspect of the deal. I know in the flipping world, everybody was concerned about the deal. Nobody cared about   what was my experience, but in the multifamily world, a lot of investors recognize that the team has to be great. So number one is the team. Number two is location. Location is often overlooked, but at the end of the day, the thing that's gonna drive value for multifamily and for commercial real estate in general is gonna be population growth. So you want more people coming into an area, employment growth. So you want more employers coming into an area that will bring more people in. You want wage growth because that will ultimately drive rents up.   Scott (28:06.082) and you want employment diversity. You wanna know that if one industry takes a big hit, so for example, we invest in Houston, but we won't invest in the energy corridor of Houston because it's so reliant on oil and gas, that if the oil and gas industry took a big hit, the real estate around there would probably take a big hit. So we wanna see that there's good employment diversity. But at the end of the day, location is that next big thing. So team, location, number three is the deal itself.   So you need to know that the deal is gonna stand on its own. I wanna know that if I took a deal and I handed it to pretty much any other indicator, they couldn't mess it up too badly. Obviously, again, we're gonna go back to the team is super important, but I want the deal also to stand on its own. And I wanna know that the business plan for the deal, the hold period, the numbers and the underwriting, the pro forma for the property makes sense. So team location deal.   Number four is the returns. So obviously when I invest with somebody, I'm in it for the money. And so I wanna see that the returns are commensurate with the risk. I wanna know that the returns, if somebody tells me I'm gonna get 10 % returns in this deal versus 20 % returns in another deal, I wanna know, well, why am gonna settle for lower returns? I want the answer to be because it's a lot lower risk or because you're gonna get your money back a lot sooner, which is gonna allow you to compound it or whatever the answer is.   I want to know that the returns make sense given everything else. And then finally is the risks. At the end of the day, I'm always going to sit down with the syndicator and I'm going to say, what are you most concerned about here? Like where, if I'm going to lose money on this deal, where am I most likely going to lose money? They say, there's no shot of losing money. walk away because we all know every deal has risks and every syndicator knows what those risks are. And they're thinking about those risks. I just want them to tell me.   So if I'm gonna lose money on this deal, where am I most likely? Why am I most likely to lose money if I'm going to lose money? So those are the five things that I look for. Talking about each individually a little bit more. the team, I like to know that one, I wanna see how many deals the team has done together because again, like a basketball team, you can put the best basketball players in the world together. And if they've never played on the court together,   Scott (30:31.672) they're not gonna be necessarily the best team out there. You can find another team with five inferior players who have been playing together for 20 years and they're probably gonna be better because they know each other better. So I like to see teams that have worked together for a while. I like to see teams that have gone full cycle in deals. So it's easy to buy 10,000 units. It's hard to buy 10,000 units and also sell 10,000 units for a profit. So I wanna see that if a team has bought a lot of deals, they've at least sold some for a profit.   I wanna see a team that's putting their own money in the deals. So I want people that have skin in the game. If they don't have skin in the game, and I've seen plenty of syndicators that don't like to put money in the deals, well, they need to sweeten the pot for me somehow. So maybe they're saying, we're not gonna take any profits until at least year three, or we're gonna give you a better preferred return, a better split than you would get if we were putting money in the deal. I wanna know if you're not putting money in.   that you're at least giving me something that aligns our interests and ensures that you're gonna be working hard even though you might not have as much financial risk. So those are the types of things I like to see in the team. I like to see things like at least one or two people working full-time. If everybody's part-time, that's kind of a little bit scary. Obviously not everybody has to be full-time because there are a lot of jobs on a GP team that aren't full-time jobs. There are a lot of jobs that might stop the day you purchase the property. Like the person that's raising money, job's   pretty much done other than communicating status when the property's been purchased. But I do want to know that whoever's managing the asset is doing it full time. So that's kind of the team stuff. Location, again, population growth, employment growth, wage growth, and employment diversity. So those are the four big things I look for. Next is the business plan. So I want to see the biggest question when somebody goes in and...   does what I do, which is a value add multifamily. Basically they buy it, they raise the value of the property and then they sell it for a big profit. Where is that profit coming from? Generally the profits coming from raising the rents. There's also some lowering the expenses, but at the end of the day, raising the rents is kind of the big thing that's gonna generate the big profits in multifamily. And so I wanna know how are you raising the rents? And two, when you tell me that you're raising the rents from X to Y, where is Y coming from?   Scott (32:55.182) Show me the comps that tell me that why is a reasonable new rent, market rent for this property after you've done the renovation. So I wanna see the comps. So that's kind of the deal. The returns speaks for themselves. I wanna see like the structure of the deal. So when's the money coming back to me? Is it paid monthly? Is it paid quarterly? What are the returns look like? What's the preferred return? So is it a low preferred return, which means   that the syndicators are getting paid sooner, whereas at a higher preferred return, which means the syndicators have to do more for me before they take anything home. So that speaks for themselves. And then for the risks, I wanna know both the catastrophic risks. So what's the thing that's like going to make me lose all my money? Is there something out there that can cause me to lose all my money? Hopefully the answer is no, but there are probably some risks that are bigger than others. So we do a lot of deals in Houston. If somebody were to say to me, what's the biggest risk on your deals?   The answer is generally going to be weather. If we have a really bad hurricane, if we're in a flood zone, we probably have flood insurance and we have hurricane insurance. But if it's in a place that's never experienced the negative impacts of a flood or a hurricane, and we are not required to have flood insurance, but there's still a massive hurricane that wipes out that property, that's not going to be good. We're going to have to pay for that ourselves. So what's our mitigation there? We don't have a great one. Luckily.   the risk is really low. We don't buy in areas where there is that risk. And if there is, we're gonna get flood insurance. But I do want my investors to know that no matter where you invest, whether it's a risk and especially in Houston, if we see a storm bigger than anything we've seen the last 50 years, some of our properties could be at risk. And then there are the smaller risks. So maybe there's five other complexes being renovated all around us. Maybe there's class A, brand new class A being developed.   all around us. So basically our absorption of units is going to slow down because there's so many more units. Maybe there's one big employer in the area. Amazon just built a warehouse that's employing 8,000 people. Well, what happens if Amazon has a bad year and has to lay off 4,000 of those people? How's that going to affect us? So, so risks is the next thing. And the way I approach it is I literally sit down with the, with the syndicator and say,   Scott (35:15.554) What keeps you up at night? What are the biggest things you're concerned about? And so those are the things that I do. I have no problem basically saying to a syndicator, I need 15 or 30 minutes of your time to ask these questions. Typically the good ones will either find the times themselves or have somebody on their team that will sit down and answer these questions. If they're not willing to answer those questions, well, that's probably a good indication that that's not a good team.   Yeah. For our listeners out there, that breakdown was incredible. Rewind that, listen to those five items again. That's a quick, but thorough and awesome rundown of what you need to do. Just as at least the starting points for your due diligence. And that's, that's great that you said if they won't book a call with you either themselves or an investor relations person on their team, then it's time to, you can just walk away and look at the next, look at the next deal. One question I had on the deal.   So a lot of folks, it's kind of overwhelming to see an underwriting model or something like that. And being a passive investor, I don't know how much you even want to dive into it. Some people do, some people want to nerd out on it. Most people don't. And we don't generally have access to the T12 or the rent roll or anything like that. What are maybe some quick tips on how to maybe proof through that pro forma to make sure that the assumptions are reasonable and the pro forma is generally   a reasonable prediction of what we might expect from that investment.   Well, let me start, me take a step back before I answer that particular question and just say that even for you and me, mean, you know how to do an underwriting, I know how to do an underwriting. If you or I were gonna invest in somebody's deal, Joe Smith's deal, we're probably not gonna have enough information even though we know this business really well and we know the underwriting models really well, we're probably not gonna have enough information.   Scott (37:08.908) that we're going to be able to know for certain that Joe Smith's not trying to scam us out of money. So if Joe Smith is really smart and he could probably put together an underwriting that could fool us because we're just not gonna be putting in as many dozens of hours underwriting as he and his team are. So the number one thing I would say is make sure you trust your syndicate. This goes back to why team is so important.   because there's two types of things that Joe Smith can do. One, he could do a bad job of underwriting and come up with bad numbers. That's not good, but that's not nearly as bad as Joe Smith wanting to scam us out of money. So number one is make sure Joe Smith's not the kind of guy who wants to scam us out of money. And so work with people who are reputable. And that's why I would invest with you before I would invest with 95 % of syndicators out there because you're an attorney, you passed the bar.   you know that if you go and somebody finds out that you're trying to scam somebody, well, you're putting your entire career at risk. And so what I tell people is, so what do you have that really proves that this person is on the up and up? And maybe it's a track record. Maybe it's 10 or 15 years of doing deals. Maybe it's, I like to think with me, I've been doing this business for 15 years. I've done thousands of deals with hundreds or thousands of people.   And if you go out on the internet, nobody's gonna, you're not gonna find anything that's written negatively about me. So that's a good sign. But make sure that there's something out there that gives you faith in that syndicator, even if it's just somebody else that's invested in a couple of deals with them. So that's number one. So that's the way to rule out that catastrophic, they're trying to scam you risk. Then there's the more likely, what if they just didn't do a good job of underwriting risk?   And so for that, would say for people that have very little knowledge of how the underwriting works and how the numbers work, it can be really difficult. And so what I like to do is, or what I recommend people do is sit down and ask to do a Zoom call for 15 minutes with the investor relations person and say, hey, will you kind of walk me through the high level underwriting? And at least force them to go through and then just ask questions.   Scott (39:30.958) when they say something, even if you have no idea what you're talking about and they say, well, it looks like we're gonna be able to reduce expenses by implementing a rub system, blah, blah, blah. Oh, okay, well, what is rubs and how does that work? And at least make them explain it to you. At least then you'll get an idea that they're not making it up as they're going along, or at least you'll get that confidence that it sounds like they know what they're talking about. But the biggest thing that I would say is that whole comps thing.   And this is a question that a lot of people don't like to ask. But I actually, and when people ask me this question, it always makes me nervous because it's the hardest part of the business, but it impresses me when people do. to the underwriting or the investor relations person, what are the comps that you used for your post renovation market rents? So again, the thing that drives values in multifamily is after the renovation is completed, in theory, you should be able to bring your rents up higher.   and your rents, those higher rents, you should be able to figure out what they are by looking at other units that have already been renovated and seeing what their rents are. So if I buy one, two, three Main Street, and I know I'm going to put $8 million into it, well, now that property is going to comp out to 678 Main Street. And well, what are the rents at 678 Main Street? And so by asking, hey, so you're buying one, two, three Main Street, what are the comps for the rents after you renovate?   and they tell you, it's going to be 678 Main Street and 123 Smith Street, whatever it is, you can then go look up those properties and say, okay, well, it looks like a two bedroom at those properties is renting for 1200. Now I go back to the investor relations person or whatever information they gave me I see, oh, okay, after renovation, they have their rents at 1200. Makes sense. If that's a reasonable comp, they now have the rents at kind of where they should be.   If he says that six, seven, eight main streets, a comp, and you go look in a two bedroom at six, seven, eight main streets, 1200, but their underwriting tells you that after they do the renovation, they're going to be charging 1500. Well, why are you now $300 above this property that you said was a comp? And so that to me is kind of the first thing that I look at or the biggest thing I look at is what are the comps that they're using and does just a kind of first pass.   Scott (41:57.762) jumping on apartments.com or calling the complex and asking them what different things rent for. Does that coincide with what they're telling you their post renovation rents are gonna   Yeah, I love that man. I mean, it's not as simple as just going into an old dilapidated apartment building and saying, I'm to put granite countertops and hardwood flooring and stainless steel appliances in there. And then I'm going to triple the rent or double the rent. It's not that easy. If it's not in the right area that could support those, those market rents or that have potential tenants that want those types of things, it doesn't work. So that's why that's so important to check those comps to see what's around those apartments that you're going to be investing in to see if, they can achieve those.   those proforma rents. All right, man, before we jump into the freedom four, what's one last gold nugget for our listeners?   Absolutely.   Scott (42:45.634) Yeah, so again, what I would tell people is figure out your highest and best use on your active side. And then for the passive side, figure out how you're gonna scale. And I know a lot of people like to invest in a whole lot of different things, but I'm a big fan of doing some work so that you don't have to diversify as much. Diversification is great, but diversification,   is for people who aren't really an expert in anything. If you want to get your best returns, the way to get your highest level of returns is not to have to diversify. And the best way not to have to diversify is to get knowledgeable about whatever you're investing in. So if you decide you wanna invest in all your syndications, just cause that's what you and I do. So it's an easy example. If you want to invest in syndications and that's how you wanna grow your nest egg, my recommendation is,   get as much information about syndications as you can. Pick up a good book on syndications. Go find somebody that does syndications and say, hey, I'd to pay you a thousand bucks for five hours of your time. Or you just to walk me through what a typical deal looks like or what the underwriting looks like. Or go sit in on a hundred multifamily syndication investor videos, presentations. So you can see all the different things they're talking about and become as much of an expert there as you can. So that way you're reducing your risk without having to do a lot of the.   diversification. So focus on whatever your highest and best use of time is on your active income and then become as knowledgeable as you can for whatever you're investing in passively. What I like to say on the passive side is it's not truly passive. Nothing's truly passive. But the best investments are the one where all the work is done upfront. You do your due diligence and then it becomes passive.   Yeah, that's awesome, man. And then what you can do though is diversify within that strategy, right? Absolutely. Yeah, different asset types can have different business strategy, value add, or maybe you're dealing with just a class A where you're chasing yield or across different cities, different geographies, or across different sponsorship teams. There's other ways to diversify within that same type of investment strategy. Yep. All right, man, let's jump into the Freedom 4.   Scott (45:05.598) It's time for the Freedom Four.   What's the best thing you do to keep your mind and body healthy?   So for me, it's admitting when I need a break. I know so many people that it's a badge of honor to work 80 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, never take a vacation. I'm just the opposite. If I wake up one morning and I'm tired and I don't feel like working and I don't feel like I'm gonna be productive, I will grab a book. I might even turn on the TV. I might say to my wife, hey, let's go to breakfast or let's go spend the day, let's go to a movie.   And I have no qualms with just saying, I need a break today. Today's not gonna be a productive day. I don't need to pretend to work just so I can have that badge of honor that I work hard. And so, yeah, and that's one of the nice things about real estate. mean, I don't have a hundred percent flexible work-life balance. I can't do anything I want any time I want, but if I wanna take a couple hours off, I normally can. And so I'm not scared to do that.   Yeah, yeah, that's a great answer. With all your success, what is one limiting belief that you've crushed along the way and how did you get past it?   Scott (46:15.734) Yeah, I still have a lot of them. I think we all do. But I'd say the biggest one is that doing a big deal is not that much harder than doing a little deal. I'm not going to say a hundred million dollar deal is just as easy as a hundred thousand dollar deal. But if you're smart enough to do a hundred thousand dollar deal, you're smart enough to do a hundred million dollar deal. And the people that are out there doing those hundred million dollar deals, mean, we have, we now have a hundred million dollars assets under management.   I remember a couple of years ago, looking at the people that had nine figures under management and thinking, they're different. I can't do that. These are people, went to some school that I will never go to, or they were born into something that I was never born into, or they know people I don't know, or whatever it is. No, they're normal people. And the only difference between them and me was I wasn't thinking big enough.   and I wasn't willing to take some risks and I wasn't willing to acknowledge the fact that doing again, a hundred million dollar deal is certainly within my capabilities. So that to me has been probably the biggest one and it's made it a lot easier for me now to say, okay, $50 million deal, let's go do it, not think twice.   Yeah. I had a similar experience working in, in, big law, doing house flips, doing single family rentals, things like that. And even though my clients are doing 50, a hundred million dollar deals and I'm helping them close those deals, it was just like the mindset shift that, a minute, I can do those deals too. I'm actually giving them advice on how to, how to do this thing. I need to step up my game and, and, take some.   Exactly, it's the difference between people doing a hundred million, a hundred thousand, it's all mindset.   Seth Bradley (48:00.866) Yep, absolutely. What's one actual step our listeners can do right now to start creating more freedom.   take action. So the biggest thing that I see stopping people is just this fear to take the first step. And I know this doesn't apply to a lot of your listeners, but I talked to a lot of people who want to get into house flipping or they want to get into rentals and they've been thinking about it for years and they just never take that first step and then they end up giving up. One of the the few truisms I see in this business   is that there are two types of people I meet. Number one, I meet people that have never done a deal. They've done zero deals. And maybe they're still working on it. Maybe they've given up whatever it is, but they've done zero deals. And then the other type of people I meet in this business are people that have done a lot of deals. They've done five or 10 or 20 or 50 deals. There's one type of person I never ever meet in this business. And that's somebody that's done one deal. Because if you get that one deal, you're gonna get the second and the third and the fifth and the tenth.   Nobody does one deal and then says, okay, that's it, I'm done. can't do this. So what I like to tell people is, and that applies to a lot of things in life. If you can get over the hump and do it once, you're gonna get that snowball effect and it gets easier the second time. It gets even easier the third, it gets even easier the hundred. So don't give up until you achieve that first step or that first iteration of whatever it is you wanna achieve because that's gonna get that snowball rolling.   Yeah. Yeah. We preach that on their show all the time. Just like, you know, just do a deal, just invest in a deal so you can get that experience and it'll just kind of open up your mind to other opportunities. You'll just see opportunity all around you. Once you just do one deal last but not least, how it's passive income made your life better.   Scott (49:51.886) Passive income has given me the ability and the confidence to raise a family. Before this, my biggest concern with raising a family was I didn't want to be, I had, my parents were great, but my parents were always working. And I didn't want to be the same type of father that my parents were. Again, they were fantastic, but I wanted to always be there. I wanted to be at every soccer game, every piano recital.   I wanted to be able to go into school for the parent-teacher conferences. so passive income has really given me the ability to build my life around my family as opposed to building my life around   Love that, love that. It's been fantastic, brother. We're gonna listen and find out more about you.   Yeah, anybody wants to get more info, go to www.connectwithjscott, just letter J, Scott, connectwithjscott.com, and that'll link you out to everything you might wanna find.   Awesome man. Talk soon.   Scott (50:54.945) Awesome. Thanks,   All right, Mr. Jay Scott from Master House Flipper to multifamily syndicator. He's a master of creating profitable, well-oiled business machines. I've been reading Jay's bigger pockets books for years and it's awesome to have the opportunity to have him on the show today. Major key, focus. Focus on transitioning your active income to passive income and don't get distracted. All right, if you're ready for a change, you're ready to take action.   partner with us on one of our next passive real estate deals. Go to passiveincomeattorney.com and join our Esquire Passive Investor Club. All right, kiddos, as always, enjoy the journey.   Thank you for listening to the Passive Income Attorney Podcast with Seth Bradley. Do you want more ideas on how to generate multiple streams of passive income? Then jump over to passiveincomeattorney.com for show notes and resources. Then apply for the private Facebook community by searching for the Passive Income Attorney on Facebook. And we'll see you on the next episode.   Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en J. Scott's Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jscottinvestor/ https://www.instagram.com/jscottinvestor/ https://x.com/jscottinvestor https://linktr.ee/jscottinvestor

Matt Forbeck is all that and so much more. He grew up in Wisconsin as what he describes as a wimpy kid, too short and not overly healthy. He took to gaming at a pretty early age and has grown to be a game creator, author and award-winning storyteller.   Matt has been designing games now for over 35 years. He tells us how he believes that many of the most successful games today have stories to tell, and he loves to create some of the most successful ones. What I find most intriguing about Matt is that he clearly is absolutely totally happy in his work. For most of Matt's career he has worked for himself and continues today to be an independent freelancer.   Matt and his wife have five children, including a set of quadruplets. The quadruplets are 23 and Matt's oldest son is 28 and is following in his father's footsteps.   During our conversation we touch on interesting topics such as trust and work ethics. I know you will find this episode stimulating and worth listening to more than once.     About the Guest:   Matt Forbeck is an award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author and game designer of over thirty-five novels and countless other books and games. His projects have won a Peabody Award, a Scribe Award, and numerous ENnies and Origins Awards. He is also the president of the Diana Jones Award Foundation, which celebrates excellence in gaming.    Matt has made a living full-time on games and fiction since 1989, when he graduated from the Residential College at the University of Michigan with a degree in Creative Writing. With the exception of a four-year stint as the president of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and a year and a half as the director of the adventure games division of Human Head Studios, he has spent his career as an independent freelancer.   Matt has designed collectible card games, roleplaying games, miniatures games, board games, interactive fiction, interactive audiobooks, games for museum installations, and logic systems for toys. He has directed voiceover work and written short fiction, comic books, novels, screenplays, and video game scripts and stories. His work has been translated into at least 15 languages.   His latest work includes the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game Core Rulebook, the Spider-Verse Expansion, Monster Academy (novels and board game), the Shotguns & Sorcery 5E Sourcebook based on his novels, and the Minecraft: Roll for Adventure game books. He is the father of five, including a set of quadruplets. He lives in Beloit, Wisconsin, with his wife and a rotating cast of college-age children. For more about him and his work, visit Forbeck.com.   Ways to connect with Matt:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/mforbeck Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forbeck Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/forbeck.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mforbeck Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mforbeck/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/forbeck/ Website: https://www.forbeck.com/     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset today. We get to play games. Well, not really, but we'll try. Our guest is Matt Forbeck, who is an award winning author. He is a game designer and all sorts of other kinds of things that I'm sure he's going to tell us about, and we actually just before we started the the episode, we were talking about how one might explore making more games accessible for blind and persons with other disabilities. It's, it's a challenge, and there, there are a lot of tricks. But anyway, Matt, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Matt Forbeck ** 02:02 Well, thank you, Michael for inviting me and having me on. I appreciate it.   Speaker 1 ** 02:06 I think we're going to have a lot of fun, and I think it'll work out really well. I'm I am sure of that. So why don't we start just out of curiosity, why don't you tell us kind of about the early Matt, growing up?   Matt Forbeck ** 02:18 Uh, well, I grew up. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I grew up in a little town called Beloit, Wisconsin, which actually live in now, despite having moved away for 13 years at one point, and I had terrible asthma, I was a sick and short kid, and with the advent of medication, I finally started to be healthy when I was around nine, and Part of that, I started getting into playing games, right? Because when you're sick, you do a lot of sitting around rather than running around. So I did a lot of reading and playing games and things like that. I happen to grow up in the part of the world where Dungeons and Dragons was invented, which is in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, about 30 miles from where I live. And because of that I was I started going to conventions and playing games and such, when I was about 12 or 13 years old. I started doing it when I was a little bit older. I started doing it professionally, and started doing it when I was in college. And amazingly enough, even to my own astonishment, I've made a career out of it.   Speaker 1 ** 03:17 Where did you go to college? I went to the University   Matt Forbeck ** 03:21 of Michigan over in Ann Arbor. I had a great time there. There's a wonderful little college, Beloit College, in my hometown here, and most of my family has gone to UW Milwaukee over the years. My parents met at Marquette in Milwaukee, but I wanted to get the heck out of the area, so I went to Michigan, and then found myself coming back as soon as we started having   Speaker 1 ** 03:42 kids well, and of course, I would presume that when you were at the University of Michigan, you rooted for them and against Ohio State. That was   Matt Forbeck ** 03:50 kind of, you know, if you did it the other way around, they back out of town. So, yeah, I was always kind of astonished, though, because having grown up in Wisconsin, where every sports team was a losing team when I was growing up, including the Packers, for decades. You know, we were just happy to be playing. They were more excuse to have beers than they were to cheer on teams. And I went to Michigan where they were, they were angry if the team wasn't up by two touchdowns. You know, at any point, I'm like, You guys are silly. This is we're here for fun.   Speaker 1 ** 04:17 But it is amazing how seriously some people take sports. I remember being in New Zealand helping the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind. Well now 22 years ago, it's 2003 and the America's Cup had just finished before we got there, and in America beat New Zealand, and the people in New Zealand were just irate. They were complaining that the government didn't put enough money into the design of the boat and helping with the with the yacht and all that. It was just amazing how seriously people take it, yeah,   Matt Forbeck ** 04:58 once, I mean, it becomes a part of your. Identity in a lot of ways, right for many people, and I've never had to worry about that too much. I've got other things on my mind, but there you go.   Speaker 1 ** 05:08 Well, I do like it when the Dodgers win, and my wife did her graduate work at USC, and so I like it when the Trojans win, but it's not the end of the world, and you do need to keep it in perspective. I I do wish more people would I know once I delivered a speech in brether County, Kentucky, and I was told that when I started the speech had to end no later than preferably exactly at 6:30pm not a minute later, because it was the night of the NCAA Basketball Championship, and the Kentucky Wildcats were in the championship, and at 630 everyone was going to get up and leave and go home to watch the game. So I ended at 630 and literally, by 631 I timed it. The gym was empty and it was full to start with.   Matt Forbeck ** 06:02 People were probably, you know, counting down on their watches, just to make sure, right?   Speaker 1 ** 06:06 Oh, I'm sure they were. What do you do? It's, it is kind of fun. Well, so why did you decide to get started in games? What? What? What attracted to you, to it as a young person, much less later on?   Matt Forbeck ** 06:21 Well, I was, yeah, I was an awkward kid, kind of nerdy and, you know, glasses and asthma and all that kind of stuff. And games were the kind of thing where, if you didn't know how to interact with people, you could sit down at a table across them and you could practice. You can say, okay, we're all here. We've got this kind of a magic circle around us where we've agreed to take this one silly activity seriously for a short period of time, right? And it may be that you're having fun during that activity, but you know, there's, there's no reason that rolling dice or moving things around on a table should be taken seriously. It's all just for fun, right? But for that moment, you actually just like Las Vegas Exactly, right? When there's money on the line, it's different, but if you're just doing it for grins. You know, it was a good way for me to learn how to interact with people of all sorts and of different ages. And I really enjoyed playing the games, and I really wanted to be a writer, too. And a lot of these things interacted with story at a very basic level. So breaking in as a writer is tough, but it turned out breaking as a game designer, wasn't nearly his stuff, so I started out over there instead, because it was a very young field at the time, right? D and D is now 50 years old, so I've been doing this 35 years, which means I started around professionally and even doing it before that, I started in the period when the game and that industry were only like 10 or 15 years old, so yeah, weren't quite as much competition in those   Speaker 1 ** 07:43 days. I remember some of the early games that I did play, that I could play, were DOS based games, adventure. You're familiar with adventure? Yeah, oh, yeah. Then later, Zork and all that. And I still think those are fun games. And I the reason I like a lot of those kinds of games is they really make you think, which I think most games do, even though the video even the video games and so on, they they help your or can help your reactions, but they're designed by people who do try to make you think,   Matt Forbeck ** 08:15 yeah. I mean, we basically are designing puzzles for people to solve, even if they're story puzzles or graphic puzzles or sound puzzles or whatever, you know, even spatial puzzles. There the idea is to give somebody something fun that is intriguing to play with, then you end up coming with story and after that, because after a while, even the most most exciting mechanics get dull, right? I mean, you start out shooting spaceships, but you can only shoot spaceships for so long, or you start out playing Tetris, and you only put shapes together for so long before it doesn't mean anything that then you start adding in story to give people a reason to keep playing right and a reason to keep going through these things. And I've written a lot of video games over the years, basically with that kind of a philosophy, is give people nuggets of story, give them a plot to work their way through, and reward them for getting through different stages, and they will pretty much follow you through anything. It's amazing.   Michael Hingson ** 09:09 Is that true Dungeons and Dragons too?   Matt Forbeck ** 09:13 It is. All of the stories are less structured there. If you're doing a video game, you know you the team has a lot of control over you. Give the player a limited amount of control to do things, but if you're playing around a table with people, it's more of a cooperative kind of experience, where we're all kind of coming up with a story, the narrator or the Game Master, the Dungeon Master, sets the stage for everything, but then the players have a lot of leeway doing that, and they will always screw things up for you, too. No matter what you think is going to happen, the players will do something different, because they're individuals, and they're all amazing people. That's actually to me, one of the fun things about doing tabletop games is that, you know, the computer can only react in a limited number of ways, whereas a human narrator and actually change things quite drastically and roll. With whatever people come up with, and that makes it tremendous fun.   Speaker 1 ** 10:04 Do you think AI is going to enter into all that and maybe improve some of the   Matt Forbeck ** 10:09 old stuff? It's going to add your end to it, whether it's an ad, it's going to approve it as a large question. Yeah. So I've been ranting about AI quite a bit lately with my friends and family. But, you know, I think the problem with AI, it can be very helpful a lot of ways, but I think it's being oversold. And I think it's especially when it's being oversold for thing, for ways for people to replace writers and creative thinking, Yeah, you know, you're taking the fun out of everything. I mean, the one thing I like to say is if, if you can't be bothered to write this thing that you want to communicate to me, I'm not sure why I should be bothered to read this thing well.   Speaker 1 ** 10:48 And I think that AI will will evolve in whatever way it does. But the fact of the matter is, So do people. And I think that, in fact, people are always going to be necessary to make the process really work? AI can only do and computers can only do so much. I mean, even Ray Kurzweil talks about the singularity when people and computer brains are married, but that still means that you're going to have the human element. So it's not all going to be the computer. And I'm not ready to totally buy into to what Ray says. And I used to work for Ray, so I mean, I know Ray Well, but, but the but the bottom line is, I think that, in fact, people are always going to be able to be kind of the, the mainstay of it, as long as we allow that, if we, if we give AI too much power, then over time, it'll take more power, and that's a problem, but that's up to us to deal with?   Matt Forbeck ** 11:41 No, I totally agree with that. I just think right now, there's a very large faction of people who it's in their economic interest to oversell these things. You know, people are making chips. They're building server farms. A lot of them are being transferred from people are doing blockchain just a few years ago, and they see it as the hot new thing. The difference is that AI actually has a lot of good uses. There's some amazing things will come out of llms and such. But I again, people are over the people are selling this to us. Are often over promising things, right?   Speaker 1 ** 12:11 Yeah, well, they're not only over promising but they're they're really misdirecting people. But the other side of it is that, that, in fact, AI as a concept and as a technology is here, and we have control over how we use it. I've said a couple times on this this podcast, and I've said to others, I remember when I first started hearing about AI, I heard about the the fact that teachers were bemoaning the pack, that kids were writing their papers just using AI and turning them in, and it wasn't always easy to tell whether it was something that was written by AI or was written by the student. And I come from a little bit different view than I think a lot of people do. And my view basically is, let the kids write it if with AI, if that's what they're going to do, but then what the teacher needs to do is to take one period, for example, and give every student in that class the opportunity to come up and defend whatever paper they have. And the real question is, can they defend the paper? Which means, have they really learned the subject, or are they just relying on AI,   Matt Forbeck ** 13:18 yeah, I agree with that. I think the trouble is, a lot of people, children, you know, who are developing their abilities and their morals about this stuff, they use it as just a way to complete the assignment, right? And many of them don't even read what they turn in, right, right? Just know that they've got something here that will so again, if you can't be bothered to read the thing that you manufactured, you're not learning anything about it,   Speaker 1 ** 13:39 which is why, if you are forced to defend it, it's going to become pretty obvious pretty fast, whether you really know it or not. Now, I've used AI on a number of occasions in various ways, but I use it to maybe give me ideas or prepare something that I then modify and shape. And I may even interact with AI a couple of times, but I'm definitely involved with the process all the way down the line, because it still has to be something that I'm responsible for.   Matt Forbeck ** 14:09 I agree. I mean, the whole point of doing these things is for people to connect with each other, right? I want to learn about the ideas you have in your head. I want to see how they jive with ones in my head. But if I'm just getting something that's being spit out by a machine and not you, and not being curated by you at any point, that doesn't seem very useful, right? So if you're the more involved people are in it, the more useful it is.   Speaker 1 ** 14:31 Well, I agree, and you know, I think again, it's a tool, and we have to decide how the tool is going to be used, which is always the way it ought to be. Right?   Matt Forbeck ** 14:42 Exactly, although sometimes it's large corporations deciding,   Speaker 1 ** 14:45 yeah, well, there's that too. Well, individuals,   Matt Forbeck ** 14:49 we get to make our own choices. Though you're right,   Speaker 1 ** 14:51 yes, and should Well, so, so when did you start bringing writing into what you. Did, and make that a really significant part of what you did?   Matt Forbeck ** 15:03 Well, pretty early on, I mean, I started doing one of the first things I did was a gaming zine, which was basically just a print magazine that was like, you know, 32 pages, black and white, about the different tabletop games. So we were writing those in the days, design and writing are very closely linked when it comes to tabletop games and even in video games. The trick of course is that designing a game and writing the rules are actually two separate sets of skills. So one of the first professional gig I ever had during writing was in games was some friends of mine had designed a game for a company called Mayfair games, which went on to do sellers of contain, which is a big, uh, entry level game, and but they needed somebody to write the rules, so they called me over, showed me how to play the game. I took notes and I I wrote it down in an easy to understand, clear way that people had just picked up the box. Could then pick it up and teach themselves how to play, right? So that was early on how I did it. But the neat thing about that is it also taught me to think about game design. I'm like, when I work on games, I think about, who is this game going to be for, and how are we going to teach it to them? Because if they can't learn the game, there's no point of the game at all, right?   Speaker 1 ** 16:18 And and so I'm right? I'm a firm believer that a lot of technical writers don't do a very good job of technical writing, and they write way over people's heads. I remember the first time I had to write, well, actually, I mentioned I worked for Kurzweil. I was involved with a project where Ray Kurzweil had developed his original omniprent optical character recognition system. And I and the National Federation of the Blind created with him a project to put machines around the country so that blind people could use them and give back to Ray by the time we were all done, recommendations as to what needed to go in the final first production model of the machine. So I had to write a training manual to teach people how to use it. And I wrote this manual, and I was always of the opinion that it had to be pretty readable and usable by people who didn't have a lot of technical knowledge. So I wrote the manual, gave it to somebody to read, and said, Follow the directions and and work with the machine and all that. And they did, and I was in another room, and they were playing with it for a couple of hours, and they came in and they said, I'm having a problem. I can't figure out how to turn off the machine. And it turns out that I had forgotten to put in the instruction to turn off the machine. And it wasn't totally trivial. There were steps you had to go through. It was a Data General Nova two computer, and you had to turn it off the right way and the whole system off the appropriate way, or you could, could mess everything up. So there was a process to doing it. So I wrote it in, and it was fine. But, you know, I've always been a believer that the textbooks are way too boring. Having a master's degree in physics, I am of the opinion that physics textbook writers, who are usually pretty famous and knowledgeable scientists, ought to include with all the text and the technical stuff they want to put in, they should put in stories about what they did in you bring people in, draw them into the whole thing, rather than just spewing out a bunch of technical facts.   Matt Forbeck ** 18:23 No, I agree. My my first calculus professor was a guy who actually explained how Newton and Leipzig actually came up with calculus, and then he would, you know, draw everything on the board and turn around say, and isn't that amazing? And you were, like, just absolutely enamored with the idea of how they had done these things, right? Yeah. And what you're doing there, when you, when you, when you give the instructions to somebody and say, try this out. That's a very big part of gaming, actually, because what we do this thing called play testing, where we take something before it's ready to be shown to the public, and we give it to other people and say, try this out. See how it works. Let me know when you're starting out of your first playing you play with like your family and friends and people will be brutal with you and give you hints about how you can improve things. But then, even when you get to the rules you're you send those out cold to people, or, you know, if you're a big company, you watch them through a two way mirror or one way mirror, and say, Hey, let's see how they react to everything. And then you take notes, and you try to make it better every time you go through. And when I'm teaching people to play games at conventions, for instance, I will often say to them, please ask questions if you don't understand anything, that doesn't mean you're dumb. Means I didn't explain it well enough, right? And my job as a person writing these rules is to explain it as well as I humanly can so it can't be misconstrued or misinterpreted. Now that doesn't mean you can correct everything. Somebody's always got like, Oh, I missed that sentence, you know, whatever. But you do that over and over so you can try to make it as clear and concise as possible, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 19:52 Well, you have somewhat of a built in group of people to help if you let your kids get involved. Involved. So how old are your kids?   Matt Forbeck ** 20:03 My eldest is 26 he'll be 27 in January. Marty is a game designer, actually works with me on the marble tabletop role playing game, and we have a new book coming out, game book for Minecraft, called Minecraft role for adventure, that's coming out on July 7, I think, and the rest of the kids are 23 we have 423 year olds instead of quadruplets, one of whom is actually going into game design as well, and the other says two are still in college, and one has moved off to the work in the woods. He's a very woodsy boy. Likes to do environmental education with people.   Speaker 1 ** 20:39 Wow. Well, see, but you, but you still have a good group of potential game designers or game critics anyway.   Matt Forbeck ** 20:47 Oh, we all play games together. We have a great time. We do weekly game nights here. Sometimes they're movie nights, sometimes they're just pizza nights, but we shoot for game and pizza   Speaker 1 ** 20:56 if we get lucky and your wife goes along with all this too.   Matt Forbeck ** 21:00 She does. She doesn't go to the game conventions and stuff as much, and she's not as hardcore of a gamer, but she likes hanging out with the kids and doing everything with us. We have a great time.   Speaker 1 ** 21:10 That's that's pretty cool. Well, you, you've got, you've got to build an audience of some sorts, and that's neat that a couple of them are involved in it as well. So they really like what dad does, yeah,   Matt Forbeck ** 21:23 yeah. We, I started taking them each to conventions, which are, you know, large gatherings gamers in real life. The biggest one is Gen Con, which happens in Indianapolis in August. And last year, I think, we had 72,000 people show up. And I started taking the kids when they were 10 years old, and my wife would come up with them then. And, you know, 10 years old is a lot. 72,000 people is a lot for a 10 year old. So she can mention one day and then to a park the next day, you know, decompress a lot, and then come back on Saturday and then leave on Sunday or whatever, so that we didn't have them too over stimulated. But they really grown to love it. I mean, it's part of our annual family traditions in the summer, is to go do these conventions and play lots of games with each other and meet new people too well.   Speaker 1 ** 22:08 And I like the way you put it. The games are really puzzles, which they are, and it's and it's fun. If people would approach it that way, no matter what the game is, they're, they're aspects of puzzles involved in most everything that has to do with the game, and that's what makes it so fun.   Matt Forbeck ** 22:25 Exactly, no. The interesting thing is, when you're playing with other people, the other people are changing the puzzles from their end that you have to solve on your end. And sometimes the puzzle is, how do I beat this person, or how do I defeat their strategy, or how do I make an alliance with somebody else so we can win? And it's really always very intriguing. There's so many different types of games. There's nowadays, there's like something like 50 to 100 new board games that come out and tabletop games every month, right? It's just like a fire hose. It's almost like, when I was starting out as a novelist, I would go into Barnes and Noble or borders and go, Oh my gosh, look at all these books. And now I do the same thing about games. It's just, it's incredible. Nobody, no one person, could keep up with all of them.   Speaker 1 ** 23:06 Yeah, yeah, yeah, way too much. I would love to explore playing more video games, but I don't. I don't own a lot of the technology, although I'm sure that there are any number of them that can be played on a computer, but we'll have to really explore and see if we can find some. I know there are some that are accessible for like blind people with screen readers. I know that some people have written a few, which is kind of cool. Yeah.   Matt Forbeck ** 23:36 And Xbox has got a new controller out that's meant to be accessible to large amount of people. I'm not sure, all the different aspects of it, but that's done pretty well, too   Speaker 1 ** 23:44 well. And again, it comes down to making it a priority to put all of that stuff in. It's not like it's magic to do. It's just that people don't know how to do it. But I also think something else, which is, if you really make the products more usable, let's say by blind people with screen readers. You may be especially if it's well promoted, surprised. I'm not you necessarily, but people might well be surprised as to how many others might take advantage of it so that they don't necessarily have to look at the screen, or that you're forced to listen as well as look in order to figure out what's going on or take actions.   Matt Forbeck ** 24:29 No, definitely true. It's, you know, people audio books are a massive thing nowadays. Games tend to fall further behind that way, but it's become this incredible thing that obviously, blind people get a great use out of but my wife is addicted to audio books now. She actually does more of those than she does reading. I mean, I technically think they're both reading. It's just one's done with yours and one's done with your eyes.   Speaker 1 ** 24:51 Yeah, there's but there's some stuff, whether you're using your eyes or your fingers and reading braille, there's something about reading a book that way that's. Even so a little bit different than listening to it. Yeah, and there's you're drawn in in some ways, in terms of actually reading that you're not necessarily as drawn into when you're when you're listening to it, but still, really good audio book readers can help draw you in, which is important, too,   Matt Forbeck ** 25:19 very much. So yeah, I think the main difference for reading, whether it's, you know, again, through Braille or through traditional print, is that you can stop. You can do it at your own pace. You can go back and look at things very easily, or read or check things, read things very easily. That you know, if you're reading, if you're doing an audio book, it just goes on and it's straight on, boom, boom, boom, pace. You can say, Wait, I'm going to put this down here. What was that thing? I remember back there? It was like three pages back, but it's really important, let me go check that right.   Speaker 1 ** 25:50 There are some technologies that allow blind people and low vision people and others, like people with dyslexia to use an audio book and actually be able to navigate two different sections of it. But it's not something that is generally available to the whole world, at least to the level that it is for blind people. But I can, I can use readers that are made to be able to accept the different formats and go back and look at pages, go back and look at headings, and even create bookmarks to bookmark things like you would normally by using a pen or a pencil or something like that. So there are ways to do some of that. So again, the technology is making strides.   Matt Forbeck ** 26:37 That's fantastic. Actually, it's wonderful. Just, yeah, it's great. I actually, you know, I lost half the vision of my right eye during back through an autoimmune disease about 13 years ago, and I've always had poor vision. So I'm a big fan of any kind of way to make things easier,   Speaker 1 ** 26:54 like that. Well, there, there are things that that are available. It's pretty amazing. A guy named George curser. Curser created a lot of it years ago, and it's called the DAISY format. And the whole idea behind it is that you can actually create a book. In addition to the audio tracks, there are XML files that literally give you the ability to move and navigate around the book, depending on how it's created, as final level as you choose.   Matt Forbeck ** 27:25 Oh, that's That's amazing. That's fantastic. I'm actually really glad to hear that.   Speaker 1 ** 27:28 So, yeah, it is kind of fun. So there's a lot of technology that's that's doing a lot of different sorts of things and and it helps. But um, so for you, in terms of dealing with, with the games, you've, you've written games, but you've, you've actually written some novels as well, right?   Matt Forbeck ** 27:50 Yeah, I've got like 30, it depends on how you count a novel, right? Okay, like some of my books are to pick a path books, right? Choose Your Own Adventure type stuff. So, but I've got 35 traditional novels written or more, I guess, now, I lost track a while ago, and probably another dozen of these interactive fiction books as well. So, and I like doing those. I've also written things like Marvel encyclopedias and Avengers encyclopedias and all sorts of different pop culture books. And, you know, I like playing in different worlds. I like writing science fiction, fantasy, even modern stuff. And most of it, for me comes down to telling stories, right? If you like to tell stories, you can tell stories through a game or book or audio play or a TV show or a comic, or I've done, you know, interactive museum, games and displays, things like that. The main thing is really a story. I mean, if you're comfortable sitting down at a bar and having a drink with somebody, doesn't have to be alcohol, just sitting down and telling stories with each other for fun. That's where the core of it all is really   Speaker 1 ** 28:58 right. Tell me about interactive fiction book.   Matt Forbeck ** 29:01 Sure, a lot of these are basically just done, like flow charts, kind of like the original Zork and adventure that you were talking about where you I actually, I was just last year, I brought rose Estes, who's the inventor of the endless quest books, which were a cross between Dungeons and Dragons, and choose your own adventure books. She would write the whole thing out page by page on a typewriter, and then, in order to shuffle the pages around so that people wouldn't just read straight through them, she'd throw them all up in the air and then just put them back in whatever order they happen to be. But essentially, you read a section of a book, you get to the end, and it gives you a choice. Would you like to go this way or that way? Would you like to go beat up this goblin? Or would you like to make friends with this warrior over here? If you want to do one of these things, go do page xx, right? Got it. So then you turn to that page and you go, boom, some, actually, some of the endless quest books I know were turned into audio books, right? And I actually, I. Um, oddly, have written a couple Dungeons and Dragons, interactive books, audio books that have only been released in French, right? Because there's a company called Looney l, u n, i, i that has this little handheld device that's for children, that has an A and a B button and a volume button. And you, you know, you get to the point that says, if you want to do this, push a, if you want to do that, push B, and the kids can go through these interactive stories and and, you know, there's ones for clue and Dungeons and Dragons and all sorts of other licenses, and some original stories too. But that way there's usually, like, you know, it depends on the story, but sometimes there's, like, 10 to 20 different endings. A lot of them are like, Oh no, you've been killed. Go back to where you started, right? And if you're lucky, the longer ones are, the more fun ones. And you get to, you know, save the kingdom and rescue the people and make good friends and all that good stuff,   Michael Hingson ** 30:59 yeah, and maybe fall in love with the princess or Prince.   Matt Forbeck ** 31:02 Yeah, exactly right. It all depends on the genre and what you're working in. But the idea is to give people some some choices over how they want the story to go. You're like, Well, do you want to investigate this dark, cold closet over here, or would you rather go running outside and playing around? And some of them can seem like very innocent choices, and other ones are like, well, uh, 10 ton weight just fell on. You go back to the last thing.   Speaker 1 ** 31:23 So that dark hole closet can be a good thing or a bad thing,   Matt Forbeck ** 31:28 exactly. And the trick is to make the deaths the bad endings, actually just as entertaining as anything else, right? And then people go, Well, I got beat, and I gotta go back and try that again. So yeah, if they just get the good ending all the way through, they often won't go back and look at all the terrible ones. So it's fun to trick them sometimes and have them go into terrible spots. And I like to put this one page in books too that sometimes says, How did you get here? You've been cheating there. This book, this page, is actually not led to from any other part of the book. You're just flipping   Speaker 1 ** 31:59 through. Cheater, cheater book, do what you   Matt Forbeck ** 32:04 want, but if you want to play it the right way, go back.   Speaker 1 ** 32:07 Kid, if you want to play the game. Yeah, exactly. On the other hand, some people are nosy.   Matt Forbeck ** 32:15 You know, I was always a kid who would poke around and wanted to see how things were, so I'm sure I would have found that myself but absolutely related, you know,   Speaker 1 ** 32:23 yeah, I had a general science teacher who brought in a test one day, and he gave it to everyone. And so he came over to me because it was, it was a printed test. He said, Well, I'm not going to give you the test, because the first thing it says is, read all the instructions, read, read the test through before you pass it, before you take it. And he said, most people won't do that. And he said, I know you would. And the last question on the test is answer, only question one.   Matt Forbeck ** 32:55 That's great. Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 32:57 that was cute. And he said, I know that. I that there's no way you would, would would fall for that, because you would say, Okay, let's read the instructions and then read the whole test. That's what it said. And the instruction were, just read the whole test before you start. And people won't do that.   Matt Forbeck ** 33:13 No, they'll go through, take the whole thing. They get there and go, oh, did I get there? Was a, there's a game publisher. I think it was Steve Jackson Games, when they were looking for people, write for them, or design stuff for them, or submit stuff to them, would have something toward the end of the instructions that would say, put like a the letter seven, or put seven a on page one right, and that way they would know if you had read the instructions, if you hadn't bothered to Read the instructions, they wouldn't bother reading anything else.   Speaker 1 ** 33:42 Yeah, which is fair, because the a little harsh, well, but, but, you know, we often don't learn enough to pay attention to details. I know that when I was taking physics in college, that was stressed so often it isn't enough to get the numbers right. If you don't get the units right as well. Then you're, you're not really paying attention to the details. And paying attention to the details is so important.   Matt Forbeck ** 34:07 That's how they crash from those Mars rovers, wasn't it? They somebody messed up the units, but going back and forth between metric and, yeah, and Imperial and, well, you know, it cost somebody a lot of money at one point. Yeah. Yeah. What do you   Speaker 1 ** 34:21 this is kind of the way it goes. Well, tell me, yeah. Well, they do matter, no matter what people think, sometimes they do matter. Well, tell me about the Diana Jones award. First of all, of course, the logical question for many people is, who is Diana Jones? Yeah, Diana Jones doesn't exist, right? That's There you go. She's part game somewhere? No, no, it doesn't be in a game somewhere.   Matt Forbeck ** 34:43 Then now there's actually an author named Diana Wynne Jones, who's written some amazing fantasy stories, including Howell's Moving Castle, which has turned into a wonderful anime movie, but it has nothing to do with her or any other person. Because originally, the Diana Jones award came about. Because a friend of mine, James Wallace, had somehow stumbled across a trophy that fell into his hands, and it was a pub trivia trophy that used to be used between two different gaming companies in the UK, and one of those was TSR, UK, the United Kingdom department. And at one point, the company had laid off everybody in that division just say, Okay, we're closing it all down. So the guys went and burned a lot of the stuff that they had, including a copy of the Indiana Jones role playing game, and the only part of the logo that was left said Diana Jones. And for some reason, they put this in a in a fiberglass or Plexiglas pyramid, put it on a base, a wooden base, and it said the Diana Jones award trophy, right? And this was the trophy that they used they passed back and forth as a joke for their pub trivia contest. Fell into James's hands, and he decided, You know what, we're going to give this out for the most excellent thing in gaming every year. And we've now done this. This will be 25 years this summer. We do it at the Wednesday night before Gen Con, which starts on Thursday, usually at the end of July or early August. And as part of that, actually, about five years ago, we started, one of the guys suggested we should do something called the emerging designers program. So we actually became a 501, c3, so we could take donations. And now we take four designers every year, fly them in from wherever they happen to be in the world, and put them up in a hotel, give them a badge the show, introduce them to everybody, give them an honorarium so they can afford to skip work for a week and try to help launch their careers. I mean, these are people that are in the first three years of their design careers, and we try to work mostly with marginalized or et cetera, people who need a little bit more representation in the industry too. Although we can select anybody, and it's been really well received, it's been amazing. And there's a group called the bundle of holding which sells tabletop role playing game PDFs, and they've donated 10s of 1000s of dollars every year for us to be able to do this. And it's kind of funny, because I never thought I'd be end up running a nonprofit, but here I'm just the guy who writes checks to the different to the emerging designer program. Folks are much more tied into that community that I am. But one of the real reasons I wanted to do something like that or be involved with it, because if you wander around with these conventions and you notice that it starts getting very gray after a while, right? It's you're like, oh, there's no new people coming in. It's all older people. I we didn't I didn't want us to all end up as like the Grandpa, grandpa doing the HO model railroad stuff in the basement, right? This dying hobby that only people in their 60s and 70s care about. So bringing in fresh people, fresh voices, I think, is very important, and hopefully we're doing some good with that. It's been a lot of fun either way.   Speaker 1 ** 37:59 Well, I have you had some success with it? Yeah, we've   Matt Forbeck ** 38:02 had, well, let's see. I think we've got like 14 people. We've brought in some have already gone on to do some amazing things. I mean, it's only been a few years, so it's hard to tell if they're gonna be legends in their time, but again, having them as models for other people to look at and say, Oh, maybe I could do that. That's been a great thing. The other well, coincidentally, Dungeons and Dragons is having its best 10 year streak in its history right now, and probably is the best selling it's ever been. So coinciding with that, we've seen a lot more diversity and a lot more people showing up to these wonderful conventions and playing these kinds of games. There's also been an advent of this thing called actual play, which is the biggest one, is a group called Critical Role, which is a whole bunch of voice actors who do different cartoons and video games and such, and they play D and D with each other, and then they record the games, and they produce them on YouTube and for podcasts. And these guys are amazing. There's a couple of other ones too, like dimension 20 and glass cannon, the critical role guys actually sold out a live performance at Wembley Arena last summer. Wow. And dimension. Dimension 20 sold out Madison Square Garden. I'm like, if you'd have told me 20 years ago that you know you could sell out an entire rock stadium to have people watch you play Dungeons and Dragons, I would have laughed. I mean, there's no way it would have been possible. But now, you know, people are very much interested in this. It's kind of wild, and it's, it's fun to be a part of that. At some level,   Speaker 1 ** 39:31 how does the audience get drawn in to something like that? Because they are watching it, but there must be something that draws them in.   Matt Forbeck ** 39:39 Yeah, part of it is that you have some really skilled some actors are very funny, very traumatic and very skilled at improvisation, right? So the the dungeon master or Game Master will sit there and present them with an idea or whatever. They come up each with their own characters. They put them in wonderful, strong voices. They kind of inhabit the roles in a way that an actor. A really top level actor would, as opposed to just, you know, me sitting around a table with my friends. And because of that, they become compelling, right? My Marty and my his wife and I were actually at a convention in Columbus, Ohio last weekend, and this group called the McElroy family, actually, they do my brother, my brother and me, which is a hit podcast, but they also do an actual play podcast called The Adventure zone, where they just play different games. And they are so funny. These guys are just some of the best comedians you'll ever hear. And so them playing, they actually played our Marvel game for a five game session, or a five podcast session, or whatever, and it was just stunningly fun to listen to. People are really talented mess around with something that we built right it's very edifying to see people enjoying something that you worked on.   Speaker 1 ** 40:51 Do you find that the audiences get drawn in and they're actually sort of playing the game along, or as well? And may disagree with what some of the choices are that people make?   Matt Forbeck ** 41:02 Oh, sure. But I mean, if the choices are made from a point of the character that's been expressed, that people are following along and they they already like the character, they might go, Oh, those mean, you know that guy, there are some characters they love to hate. There are some people they're they're angry at whatever, but they always really appreciate the actors. I mean, the actors have become celebrities in their own right. They've they sell millions of dollars for the comic books and animated TV shows and all these amazing things affiliated with their actual play stuff. And it's, I think it, part of it is because, it's because it makes the games more accessible. Some people are intimidated by these games. So it's not really, you know, from a from a physical disability kind of point. It's more of a it makes it more accessible for people to be nervous, to try these things on their own, or don't really quite get how they work. They can just sit down and pop up YouTube or their podcast program and listen into people doing a really good job at it. The unfortunate problem is that the converse of that is, when you're watching somebody do that good of a job at it, it's actually hard to live up to that right. Most people who play these games are just having fun with their friends around a table. They're not performing for, you know, 10s of 1000s, if not hundreds of 1000s of people. So there's a different level of investments, really, at that point, and some people have been known to be cowed by that, by that, or daunted by that.   Speaker 1 ** 42:28 You work on a lot of different things. I gather at the same time. What do you what do you think about that? How do you like working on a lot of different projects? Or do you, do you more focus on one thing, but you've got several things going on, so you'll work on something for one day, then you'll work on something else. Or how do you how do you do it all?   Matt Forbeck ** 42:47 That's a good question. I would love to just focus on one thing at a time. Now, you know the trouble is, I'm a freelancer, right? I don't set my I don't always get to say what I want to work on. I haven't had to look for work for over a decade, though, which has been great. People just come to me with interesting things. The trouble is that when you're a freelancer, people come in and say, Hey, let's work on this. I'm like, Yeah, tell me when you're ready to start. And you do that with like, 10 different people, and they don't always line up in sequence properly, right? Yeah? Sometimes somebody comes up and says, I need this now. And I'm like, Yeah, but I'm in the middle of this other thing right now, so I need to not sleep for another week, and I need to try to figure out how I'm going to put this in between other things I'm working on. And I have noticed that after I finish a project, it takes me about a day or three to just jump track. So if I really need to, I can do little bits here and there, but to just fully get my brain wrapped around everything I'm doing for a very complex project, takes me a day or three to say, Okay, now I'm ready to start this next thing and really devote myself to it. Otherwise, it's more juggling right now, having had all those kids, probably has prepared me to juggle. So I'm used to having short attention span theater going on in my head at all times, because I have to jump back and forth between things. But it is. It's a challenge, and it's a skill that you develop over time where you're like, Okay, I can put this one away here and work on this one here for a little while. Like today, yeah, I knew I was going to talk to you, Michael. So I actually had lined up another podcast that a friend of mine wanted to do with me. I said, Let's do them on the same day. This way I'm not interrupting my workflow so much, right? Makes sense? You know, try to gang those all together and the other little fiddly bits I need to do for administration on a day. Then I'm like, Okay, this is not a day off. It's just a day off from that kind of work. It's a day I'm focusing on this aspect of what I do.   Speaker 1 ** 44:39 But that's a actually brings up an interesting point. Do you ever take a day off or do what do you do when you're when you deciding that you don't want to do gaming for a while?   Matt Forbeck ** 44:49 Yeah, I actually kind of terrible. But you know, you know, my wife will often drag me off to places and say we're going to go do this when. Yes, we have a family cabin up north in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that we go to. Although, you know, my habit there is, I'll work. I'll start work in the morning on a laptop or iPad until my battery runs out, and then I shut it down, put on a charger, and then I go out and swim with everybody for the rest of the day. So it depends if I'm on a deadline or not, and I'm almost always on a deadline, but there are times I could take weekends off there. One of the great things of being a freelancer, though, and especially being a stay at home father, which is part of what I was doing, is that when things come up during the middle of the week, I could say, oh, sure, I can be flexible, right? The trouble is that I have to pay for that time on my weekends, a lot of the time, so I don't really get a lot of weekends off. On the other hand, I'm not I'm not committed to having to work every day of the week either, right? I need to go do doctor appointments, or we want to run off to Great America and do a theme park or whatever. I can do that anytime I want to. It's just I have to make up the time at other points during the week. Does your wife work? She does. She was a school social worker for many years, and now as a recruiter at a local technical college here called Black Hawk tech. And she's amazing, right? She's fantastic. She has always liked working. The only time she stopped working was for about a year and a half after the quads were born, I guess, two years. And that was the only time I ever took a job working with anybody else, because we needed the health insurance, so I we always got it through her. And then when she said, Well, I'm gonna stay home with the kids, which made tons of sense, I went and took a job with a video game company up in Madison, Wisconsin called Human Head Studios for about 18 months, 20 months. And then the moment she told me she was thinking about going back to work, I'm like, Oh, good, I can we can Cobra for 18 months and pay for our own health insurance, and I'm giving notice this week, and, you know, we'll work. I left on good terms that everybody. I still talk to them and whatever, but I very much like being my own boss and not worrying about what other people are going to tell me to do. I work with a lot of clients, which means I have a lot of people telling me what to do. But you know, if it turns out bad, I can walk I can walk away. If it turns out good, hopefully we get to do things together, like the the gig I've been working out with Marvel, I guess, has been going on for like, four years now, with pretty continuous work with them, and I'm enjoying every bit of it. They're great people to work with.   Speaker 1 ** 47:19 Now, you were the president of Pinnacle entertainment for a little while. Tell me about that.   Matt Forbeck ** 47:24 I was, that was a small gaming company I started up with a guy named Shane Hensley, who was another tabletop game designer. Our big game was something called Dead Lands, which was a Western zombie cowboy kind of thing. Oh gosh, Western horror. So. And it was pretty much a, you know, nobody was doing Western horror back in those days. So we thought, Oh, this is safe. And to give you an example of parallel development, we were six months into development, and another company, White Wolf, which had done a game called Vampire the Masquerade, announced that they were doing Werewolf the Wild West. And we're like, you gotta be kidding me, right? Fortunately, we still released our game three months before there, so everybody thought we were copying them, rather than the other way around. But the fact is, we were. We both just came up with the idea independently. Right? When you work in creative fields, often, if somebody wants to show you something, you say, I'd like to look at you have to sign a waiver first that says, If I do something like this, you can't sue me. And it's not because people are trying to rip you off. It's because they may actually be working on something similar, right already. Because we're all, you know, swimming in the same cultural pool. We're all, you know, eating the same cultural soup. We're watching or watching movies, playing games, doing whatever, reading books. And so it's not unusual that some of us will come up with similar ideas   Speaker 1 ** 48:45 well, and it's not surprising that from time to time, two different people are going to come up with somewhat similar concepts. So that's not a big surprise, exactly, but   Matt Forbeck ** 48:56 you don't want people getting litigious over it, like no, you don't be accused of ripping anybody off, right? You just want to be as upfront with people. With people. And I don't think I've ever actually seen somebody, at least in gaming, in tabletop games, rip somebody off like that. Just say, Oh, that's a great idea. We're stealing that it's easier to pay somebody to just say, Yes, that's a great idea. We'll buy that from you, right? As opposed to trying to do something unseemly and criminal?   Speaker 1 ** 49:24 Yeah, there's, there's something to be said for having real honor in the whole process.   Matt Forbeck ** 49:30 Yeah, I agree, and I think that especially if you're trying to have a long term career in any field that follows you, if you get a reputation for being somebody who plays dirty, nobody wants to play with you in the future, and I've always found it to be best to be as straightforward with people and honest, especially professionally, just to make sure that they trust you. Before my quadruplets were born, you could have set your clock by me as a freelancer, I never missed a deadline ever, and since then, I've probably it's a. Rare earth thing to make a deadline, because, you know, family stuff happens, and you know, there's just no controlling it. But whenever something does happen, I just call people up and say, hey, look, it's going to be another week or two. This is what's going on. And because I have a good reputation for completing the job and finishing quality work, they don't mind. They're like, Oh, okay, I know you're going to get this to me. You're not just trying to dodge me. So they're willing to wait a couple weeks if they need to, to get to get what they need. And I'm very grateful to them for that. And I'm the worst thing somebody can do is what do, what I call turtling down, which is when it's like, Oh no, I'm late. And then, you know, they cut off all communication. They don't talk to anybody. They just kind of try to disappear as much as they can. And we all, all adults, understand that things happen in your life. It's okay. We can cut you some slack every now and then, but if you just try to vanish, that's not even possible.   Speaker 1 ** 50:54 No, there's a lot to be there's a lot to be said for trust and and it's so important, I think in most anything that we do, and I have found in so many ways, that there's nothing better than really earning someone's trust, and they earning your trust. And it's something I talk about in my books, like when live with a guide dog, live like a guide dog, which is my newest book, it talks a lot about trust, because when you're working with a guide dog, you're really building a team, and each member of the team has a specific job to do, and as the leader of the team, it's my job to also learn how to communicate with the other member of the team. But the reality is, it still comes down to ultimately, trust, because I and I do believe that dogs do love unconditionally, but they don't trust unconditionally. But the difference between dogs and people is that people that dogs are much more open to trust, for the most part, unless they've just been totally traumatized by something, but they're more open to trust. And there's a lesson to be learned there. No, I   Matt Forbeck ** 52:03 absolutely agree with that. I think, I think most people in general are trustworthy, but as you say, a lot of them have trauma in their past that makes it difficult for them to open themselves up to that. So that's actually a pretty wonderful way to think about things. I like that,   Speaker 1 ** 52:17 yeah, well, I think that trust is is so important. And I know when I worked in professional sales, it was all about trust. In fact, whenever I interviewed people for jobs, I always asked them what they were going to sell, and only one person ever answered me the way. I really hoped that everybody would answer when I said, So, tell me what you're going to be selling. He said, The only thing I have to really sell is myself and my word, and nothing else. It really matters. Everything else is stuff. What you have is stuff. It's me selling myself and my word, and you have to, and I would expect you to back me up. And my response was, as long as you're being trustworthy, then you're going to get my backing all the way. And he was my most successful salesperson for a lot of reasons, because he got it.   Matt Forbeck ** 53:08 Yeah, that's amazing. I mean, I mean, I've worked with people sourcing different things too, for sales, and if you can rely on somebody to, especially when things go wrong, to come through for you. And to be honest with you about, you know, there's really that's a hard thing to find. If you can't depend on your sources for what you're building, then you can't depend on anything. Everything else falls apart.   Speaker 1 ** 53:29 It does. You've got to start at the beginning. And if people can't earn your trust, and you earn theirs, there's a problem somewhere, and it's just not going to work.   Matt Forbeck ** 53:39 Yeah, I just generally think people are decent and want to help. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've had issues. Car breaks down the road in Wisconsin. Here, if somebody's car goes in the ditch, everybody stops and just hauls them out. It's what you do when the quads were born, my stepmother came up with a sign up sheet, a booklet that she actually had spiral bound, that people could sign up every three three hours to help come over and feed and bathe, diaper, whatever the kids and we had 30 to 35 volunteers coming in every week. Wow, to help us out with that was amazing, right? They just each pick slots, feeding slots, and come in and help us out. I had to take the 2am feeding, and my wife had to take the 5am feeding by ourselves. But the rest of the week we had lots and lots of help, and we were those kids became the surrogate grandchildren for, you know, 30 to 35 women and couples really, around the entire area, and it was fantastic. Probably couldn't have survived   Speaker 1 ** 54:38 without it. And the other part about it is that all those volunteers loved it, because you all appreciated each other, and it was always all about helping and assisting.   Matt Forbeck ** 54:48 No, we appreciate them greatly. But you know every most of them, like 99% of them, whatever were women, 95 women who are ready for grandchildren and didn't have them. Had grandchildren, and they weren't in the area, right? And they had that, that love they wanted to share, and they just loved the opportunity to do it. It was, I'm choking up here talking about such a great time for us in   Speaker 1 ** 55:11 that way. Now I'm assuming today, nobody has to do diaper duty with the quads, right?   Matt Forbeck ** 55:16 Not until they have their own kids. Just checking, just checking, thankfully, think we're that is long in our past,   Speaker 1 ** 55:23 is it? Is it coming fairly soon for anybody in the future?   Matt Forbeck ** 55:27 Oh, I don't know. That's really entirely up to them. We would love to have grandchildren, but you know, it all comes in its own time. They're not doing no well. I, one of my sons is married, so it's possible, right? And one of my other sons has a long term girlfriend, so that's possible, but, you know, who knows? Hopefully they're they have them when they're ready. I always say, if you have kids and you want them, that's great. If you have, if you don't have kids and you don't want them, that's great. It's when you cross the two things that,   Speaker 1 ** 55:57 yeah, trouble, yeah, that's that is, that is a problem. But you really like working with yourself. You love the entre

LOL From 2009.  Makes you think about how much you should spend on expert advice, and staplers. 

Today we're talking about Pakistan in the 80s. Specifically about their "president" (military dictator) at the time. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq did some real dirt on his way up the totem pole to seize power and once he was up there he did some more, but he also managed to do a few good things, I can't deny him that. He just happened to do more bad than good. Makes for an interesting story though. I mean, just look at a picture of him. He's the perfect Bond villain. Enjoy!

The kettle is boiled, the tea is stewing, and we're ready to go! That's right, Dr Matilda Siebrecht is back to join you onTranscript your tea-break, this time with a slightly new focus and a different name: Tea-break Archaeology. Listen in to hear all about Matilda's research background, why she got into podcasting, and how she's been inspired by “cosy archaeology”.TranscriptsFor rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/teabreak/36LinksBlog: Mugs, Makes, and MicrowearAPN Discord serverContact the HostEmail: matilda@thearchaeologiststeacup.comhttps://www.thearchaeologiststeacup.cominsta: @the_archaeologists_teacupfb: /TheArchaeologistsTeacuptwitter: @ArchaeoTeacupArchPodNetAPN Website: https://www.archpodnet.comAPN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnetAPN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnetAPN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnetTee Public Store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/archaeology-podcast-network?ref_id=5724AffiliatesMotion

She arrives earlier than needed + Makes lifelong friends Tuesday 9/9/25

Keith discusses the factors driving rent growth, emphasizing income growth, supply constraints, and affordability.  He highlights that population growth has a weak correlation with rent growth, citing examples like Austin and San Francisco. The fastest rent growth is in San Francisco (4.6%), Fresno (4.6%), and Chicago (4%), while Austin (-6.8%), Denver (-5%), and Phoenix (-4.1%) show declines.  GRE Coach, Naresh Vissa, joins the conversation to talk about the administration's focus on lowering rates and the potential for higher inflation as a result. He encourages investors to stay informed and take advantage of opportunities when rates are low. Resources: Book a free coaching session with Naresh at GREinvestmentcoach.com Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/570 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, vital trends are moving the rental real estate market. And learn what really drives rent growth. It's probably not what you think. Then inflate, baby. Inflate. Why this administration wants inflation today on get rich education.   Speaker 1  0:22   Since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors, and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests and key top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki, get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com   Corey Coates  1:08   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:18   You Keith, welcome to GRE from Whippany New Jersey to Parsippany New Jersey. Not much distance there and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold, and you're listening to this week's episode of Get rich education, where it's not just about your ROI. It's about your roti, your return on time invested, and your return on life. Everyone says that population growth is what drives rents, yes, but that's just one part of it, and it probably isn't even the most important factor. There is evidence of this, from Harvard research to what HUD has found. Austin, Texas recently added 500,000 people, rents spiked, and then supply flooded in and rents stalled. Head count wasn't enough. I discussed that in depth when I walked the streets of Austin last year. San Francisco lost population, but yet rents rebounded and remain among the highest in the nation. Harvard's housing research shows that population growth only has a weak correlation with rent growth. So what actually does drive rents? Well, income growth, supply constraints, and then staying under the 30% affordability ceiling, which is HUD's definition of what a cost burdened household is, right? That means that a tenant spends more than 30% of their income on rent. That is cost burden, and this pattern holds from ancient Rome to modern Manhattan, rents follow paychecks, not head counts and on the supply side, well, not all metros are created equal. Some have quantified it with what's called a supply elasticity score, places like Houston can seemingly build endlessly, while Manhattan and San Francisco cannot. So it's that difference that explains why incomes turn into rent growth in one market but not in the other. So if you're chasing fast growing metros, okay, but be careful, because headcount does not equal pricing power. Paychecks are what do well today, rents are falling in boom towns, but they're climbing in what we would call legacy, established metros, the year over year, rent change across US, metro areas really has a striking contrast. The three with the fastest rent growth are San Francisco up 4.6% Fresno also up 4.6% and Chicago up 4% and the three biggest declines in rent are Austin down 6.8% Denver down 5% and Phoenix Down 4.1% rent contraction in those three cities. And here's the problem during that 2020, to 2022, real estate surge. Years ago, investors piled into Sun Belt markets, and they sort of expected this endless growth, but then new supply flooded Austin, Phoenix and Denver, pushing rents down and vacancies up, and all three of those are cities that I visited during the boom and I saw the. Cranes in the air myself, and yet, at the same time, older supply constrained metros, like in the northeast, in Chicago and in San Francisco, they are quietly regaining momentum. That's where demand is steady. Construction is limited, and that's why rents are ticking higher. So this is why, like I've talked about before, it's good for you to invest in some Sunbelt areas, say, like Florida and then others that have this steady demand, like, say, a place in Ohio. And it's worth pointing out, too, how unusual it is that a city like Austin has a 6.8% rent contraction. We all know that housing prices are more stable than stocks, sure, but real estate rents are even more stable than housing prices, so this rent aberration that was caused by such wild overbuilding in Austin. Now, I recently attended a presentation on the rental housing market. It was put together by John Burns. He's the one that presented it, and he's the owner of the eponymous John Burns research and consulting. And people pay good money to attend these presentations, and he's a guy worth listening to, always with good housing market insights, and some of his insights while they're the same ones I've shared with you for a while, like how there's been a persistent lack of housing supply in the Northeast and Midwest, and still an abundant supply in the south. The Northeast is the only region of the nation that's adding more jobs than new homes at this time, the top amenities that tenants want today are a driveway in a yard. Pretty simple things. They're not a pool in a clubhouse. They're a driveway in a yard. And if you think about them, it totally makes sense, and that's why single family rentals have become such a booming industry, because that's where tenants are getting a driveway and a yard and burns. Also pointed out that most US job growth is in low income jobs. The presentation talked mostly in terms of headwinds versus tailwinds. Lower immigration. Well, that's a headwind. That's a bad thing for real estate investing, since immigrants tend to be renters. The tailwinds The good thing that includes less future supply coming out of the market, fewer apartments and fewer build to rent, deliveries coming online, fewer being added between today and 2028 and another positive for the next two decades at least, is the fact that since people are having fewer kids, that makes people less likely to settle down, buy a home and need a good school district. Well, that is good for people renting longer, longer tenancy durations, and John Burns also spotlighted how building material cost inflation is up 40% from pre pandemic times fully 40% more in material costs. But that Spike has since flattened out. However, it is just another reason why home prices can't really fall substantially. Today's prices are baked in, and his summary overall is to be bullish and bet on the tailwinds those real estate investing positives that is mostly due to future rent growth because the new supply is going away, and it's going to continue to stay difficult to buy a home, more rent growth, and that's the end of what he had to say. So as you're out there, targeting the right areas and renters for your properties, I've talked before about how new build rental property is a sweet spot, since your builder will often buy down your mortgage rate. For you, new build is where you can attract a good quality tenant. Look for a moment, just forget finding a tenant that can just barely afford your unit because they're spending 30 to 33% of their income to pay you rent, because, see, in that condition, there's no room for you to get a rent increase. If you can offer great value to your residents and target a 10 to 15% rent to income ratio, aha, you are really in good shape, because the easiest rent growth is retaining happy residents that are conditioned to accept 5% rent increases. Well, that is more likely in a nice new build property. That's where you attract a better tenant. And if they were to move out, they would have to take a lesser property so they will stay and pay the rent in. Increase, and they're going to have the capacity to do so when the rent is only 10 to 20% of their income.    Keith Weinhold  5:25   Now, when we talk about a major factor that trickles down to rents, the level of inflation, a lot of this comes down to the Fed chair and even the president, to some extent. And you know what's interesting, half the nation bashes whoever is president, and the entire nation bashes whoever is the Fed chair. Look, every recent Fed Chair has been maligned and bashed more than a pinata at a toddler's birthday party, bashed open more than an umpire at a little league game. Well, since 1980 there have been five of them, Volker, then Greenspan, then Bernanke, then Yellen and now Jerome Powell, most of that group is known for substantially lowering interest rates, yet they've remained unpopular anyway. And you know the irony here? The most popular of these five is Paul Volcker. He's the only Fed chair that's celebrated, and yet he jacked rates in the 1980s to up near 20% yes, 20% he really made borrowers feel the pain, but yet he's the only guy that's celebrated, because that's how he stomped that out of control inflation fire, 45 years ago, in 1981 mortgage rates peaked between 18 and 19% yet Somehow he's the Fed share that we celebrate? Well, here in more modern times, will the Fed eventually have to do the same thing? This is because Trump wants inflation now. The short term, talk is about lowering interest rates, but there are so many inflationary forces that you've got to wonder about how interest rates could very well go much higher later to get on top of this inflation that I'm telling you Trump actually wants. Now, of course, no one is going to come out and explicitly say that they want inflation, but that is now so implied, there are a ton of policies that the administration favors that are super inflationary. Some are a little deflationary, like deregulation, but they are overwhelmingly inflationary. Look tariffs, that's inflation on goods, mass deportations, that's labor inflation, reshaping the Fed in order to lower rates. That's inflation, the one big, beautiful bill, act that's lots of spending and largely inflationary. I'm telling you, Trump wants inflation now I'm not here to evaluate these policies for being good or bad. This is about policies, not politics, and understand it's not just the US government. It's every government everywhere that secretly wants inflation. And why do they want that? Well, first, it fuels spending. If you know that your dollars are going to shrink in purchasing power tomorrow, well then you're going to spend today, and consumer spending makes up 68% of us. GDP, yes, Amazon, thanks, you. Secondly, inflation shrinks the government's debt. The third reason that governments everywhere want inflation is because it foils deflation. In a deflationary world, people hoard cash like its gold bullion, tax revenue dries up and the economy stalls, and also inflation. It facilitates wage adjustments. It helps the labor market function. If economic conditions are weak, well, then employers can implement real wage cuts just by keeping salaries flat right where they're at. I mean, that is so preferable to cutting nominal wages directly and giving employees a pay cut notice. Everyone hates seeing that. So those are what four big reasons why governments will take their gloves off and fight in a steel cage match to the death to ensure inflation. So most expect a rate cut at the Feds meeting next week. But if this continues and there were massive cuts, you know, there's something else you've got to ask yourself, do you really want to live in an economy where massive rate cuts occur. I mean, that's what the 2008 global financial crisis and the covid pandemic in 2020 brought to us. So massive cuts mean there's some giant problem out there. Therefore, although the Trump and Powell rivalry, it might make you. Interesting theater and headlines. You know, let's not get carried away. Let's put things in perspective. What matters to you more is how many dollars you're leveraging, the efficiency of your property operations and the quality of your business relationships. Really, the bottom line is that fed tweaks are background noise inflation, that is the long term engine that makes your real estate profitable. Focus there, and let the politicians keep doing the yelling concerns about ongoing inflation and what that means for real estate investors, that's next. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to get rich education.    Keith Weinhold  8:57   The same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President Chaley Ridge personally while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lendinggroup.com. That's Ridge lendinggroup.com.    Keith Weinhold  8:57   You know what's crazy your bank is getting rich off of you. The average savings account pays less than 1% it's like laughable. Meanwhile, if your money isn't making at least 4% you're losing to inflation. That's why I started putting my own money into the FFI liquidity fund. It's super simple. Your cash can pull in up to 8% returns, and it compounds. It's not some high risk gamble like digital or AI stock trading. It's pretty low risk because they've got a 10 plus year track record of paying investors on time in full every time. I mean, I wouldn't be talking about it if I wasn't invested myself. You can invest as little as 25k and you keep earning until you decide you want your money back, no weird lockups or anything like that. So if you're like me and tired of your liquid funds just sitting there doing nothing, check it out. Text family. 266, 866, to learn about freedom. Family investments, liquidity fund again. Text family, to 66866,   Ken McElroy  17:26   this is Rich Dad advisor Ken McElroy. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream.    Keith Weinhold  17:34   we have a familiar voice back on the show. It's an in house discussion here with our own GRE investment coach since 2021 he's helped you completely free, usually over the phone, learning your own personal goals and then helping you find the market that's the right fit for you, and even help connect you with the exact property address that helps you win the inflation Triple Crown, like say, 321, Mulberry Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They say that formal education will make you a living self education will make you a fortune. Well, he's got them both. He's slinging an MBA, and he's an active real estate investor just like you and I. Hey, welcome back to the show investment coach and race Vista.    Naresh Vissa  18:25   Hey, Keith pleasure, to be back on.    Keith Weinhold  18:27   Inflation is something that affects real estate investors even more so than it does the general public. Since we're borrowing large sums of money and the inflation discussion sure has been interesting lately, you just can't quite get rates back down to 2% still, they've been elevated for years. So talk to us from your vantage point about inflation and future inflation concerns.   Naresh Vissa  18:51   Well, Keith, I am concerned about inflation. This is the first time in a year or so that I'm concerned with the direction and with the policy surrounding inflation, here's why. And I brought this up when I was on your podcast in July, the current administration is not talking at all about the fact that inflation is rising. We saw the CPI, for example, hit 2.3% which was four year low earlier this year, and since then, inflation has gone up. That is concerning, that inflation is going back up without any rate cuts. Yet it's gone back, I don't want to say gone back up, but it's gone up. And remember, the Federal Reserve inflation target is 2% so we want to get as close to 2% as possible. And the number one issue in the 2024 election, and the number one issue today is still the cost of everything is right, is too much, which we'll talk about, from gas prices to home values to rents to grocery that's the. Big one, the cost of groceries, the stuff that you buy at grocery stores, etc, everything is just too expensive. Of course, education, you name, childcare, everything is just too expensive. Inflation is still, I think the administration needs to really tackle this problem. They need to really, really tackle it, because it is the number one issue. It is what people essentially, their vote is, is based on it's not necessarily based on some peace agreement in a foreign nation. It's not based on some social issue. The number one issue is going to be this inflation problem. It's are things affordable? Do I have money in my bank account to pay for X, Y and Z? So I am concerned because, yes, tariffs are inflationary. That's kind of common sense. Now I think tariffs can be good. Tariffs can keep inflation in check. If they're handled the right way, we will see that. But my bigger concern is that inflation has been rising. We're not anywhere close to that 2% and we know with a very high degree of certainty that the Federal Reserve is beginning their rate cutting cycle next week with the September rate cut, and that's going to be extended. We've seen President Trump. He's very public, his Treasury Secretary, his Secretary of Commerce, all the economic advisors who he has, they're very transparent about the fact that they want rates slashed, and they want rates slashed quickly. And so we know that we're going to get a rate this is going to be a rate slashing cycle. It's going to be great for the upper class, if you want to call it, it's going to be great for real estate investors, but for the common man, the byproduct of that is going to be higher inflation. There's just no way that you can cut rates so quickly, so low, and you're not going to see inflation. That's my concern. Now on the other hand, and again, we have to see how this plays out. On the other hand, I brought up earlier this year, I've referenced Doge. I think Doge is doing a good job cutting government spending, trying to scale back some of the government initiatives, not that the government's always going to spend we know that, but it's you need to cut back, and doges is trying to do that. That's a plus. But even bigger, I talked about some foreign wars, right? Well, I think that the Middle Eastern conflict and the Russia Ukraine conflict, both of those actually are disinflationary, or fixing those conflicts, creating peace. We've seen a ceasefire in the Middle East. We've seen a peace agreement in Ukraine, and they're disinflationary because of some of the items that I brought up. I think oil is going to dip below $50 a barrel as a result of these peace agreements, these ceasefires. So we're going to see oil prices go down. When you see oil and energy prices go down, you see the cost of almost everything else go down, because you need oil and energy to transport everything else. If you're building a house, you have wood and steel and lumber and and all sorts of materials. And it's you need a truck to transport all that. And the truck is probably it's not an EV truck. You're getting these big trucks that are using diesel fuel. So if we can bring down the cost of of oil and gas and electricity, which these taking care of these conflicts will do, creating peace will do the price of those products, oil, the natural gas, the electricity, the wheat, the grains, those are your groceries. The cost of those are going to come down. So I think it's very positive what we're seeing with this idea of peace in regions that make a huge difference to the global economy. So I'm curious to see, like I think we could see greater than 100 basis point decrease in inflation just by solving these conflicts 1% or more, like I legitimately think so, and that's without the tariffs. That's without the federal rate cut. So even if we're at, let's say, two and a half percent inflation today, and you shave off 100 basis points up now you're at one and a half, and then you throw in tariff inflation, you throw in the rate cut inflation, and we're around 2% so that's the ideal scenario that the administration is hoping for. It's let's create peace, let's have a freer market, and then they can scale back a lot of these tariffs too, because many of these tariffs against India, for example, they can scale back the United States can scale back the 50% tariff on India. That tariff was India got hit with because they're buying Russian oil, and you take care of the Russia conflict. Now it's we say, oh, India, you know, we'll scale back to go back to your 25% tariff, or maybe even less, if you do X, Y and Z. For us, we can expect to see many of these tariffs scaled back. We can expect to see the price of specific goods and services, the prices decrease, which will bring down inflation. That's what I'm optimistic about. Hopefully all these agreements hold, which I think they will, and we can expect that, and the Fed can begin its rate cutting cycle, and everything will be booming, and everything will be great. This is the. Deal scenario. I'm not predicting this. This is the ideal scenario for the administration,   Keith Weinhold  25:05   when both war and terrorists get as bad as they can possibly get. From there, they can only get better, each of which would be disinflationary. Now, the CPI inflation has been reported at 2.7% each of the past two months. But when we talk about rates, Trump wants lower rates, of course, and I think we all know that the Fed's fear of lowering rates is that high inflation could resurface. One thing though, that few think about is that lower rates lead to higher inflation, which kills off the national debt faster. But when we think about upcoming federal reserve rate cuts anytime, whether this was 10 years ago today or 10 years into the future, these are the type of lessons that I like to talk about. All right, when we look at the last Fed meeting, there was no rate cut, but then awful jobs numbers were reported right after that. That's why some think that there could be a 50 point rate cut at the next meeting. The Fed meets eight times a year, so there's about a month and a half between meetings. Now, the Fed doesn't have to wait for a meeting to make a rate cut. They can do an emergency rate cut between meetings, like we saw during covid, but sometimes they're reluctant to do that because that really spooks markets, and that makes people think, oh my gosh, there was an emergency rate cut. Maybe things are worse than we thought. What's going on that triggers concern?   Naresh Vissa  26:24   Well, I think that would be a huge mistake to have an emergency. Yeah, anatomic was obviously an emergency. That was a global emergency. Makes sense. 2008 I remember, I was just college student, but that was an emergency because we saw people lining up on the streets of Manhattan with all their boxes of laid off work, and we saw that on Phoebe. You know, that was a trying time. I think that's out of the question. It's completely unnecessary, especially when the Fed meets every 45 to 50 days. It's, you know, you can wait another 20 days until the next meeting and then make a decision when you have lower rates than the cost, the borrowing costs on the debt, it goes down so the government can refinance its debt, and they would pay less keyword interest dollars. That's a plus, the other plus with tariffs. And I really hope, again, this is just my opinion. I hope this is what happens. But the government is raising quite a lot of tariff revenue, so close to $30 billion last month. And we can expect, in the first full year, next year, it's going to have raised close to half a trillion dollars just for fiscal year 2026 that's the expectation, about half trillion dollars worth of tariff revenue. And I hope that the government uses that pair of revenue to pay down the debt, because when you're paying down the debt, you're dissipating inflation. What I actually don't want them to do is to give us back that money, because they've been floating that around, saying, Oh, we got all this tariff revenue. Let's get it back as a tariff dividend, and every American gets hex, you know, $100 in their bank account or something   Keith Weinhold  28:01   very altruistic. Of you patriotic,   Naresh Vissa  28:04   I would much rather that they use 100% of it to pay down that debt, because the country is going to be better off as a whole over the long term, and in turn, the people will be better off over the long term. The people may not see it. They may want their $200 check or $100 check or whatever it might be, but over the long term, I think the tariffs are overall working out quite well. We're not seeing the crazy inflation that the mainstream expert predicted. I don't think we're going to see the crazy inflation that the experts predicted, if you it's not going to be because of the tariffs, in my opinion, I think it's going to be if there's this aggressive rate cutting cycle that juices the markets and the cost of everything just just goes up. And this ties into real estate investing, because when the Fed starts cutting, that's a very good time for real estate investors to pay attention when the Fed stops cutting immediately. That's a an even better time to pay attention when the rates have bottomed. And this has to deal with timing the real estate market. I'll give you an example. I own several properties. Of one of my properties when the Fed was cutting in 2020 it took about a year for all those cuts to permeate into the mortgage market and into the the market as a whole. It took it. The inflation didn't go up overnight. The inflation didn't go up in April of 2020 or or May of 2020 it went up in April of 2021, it took about a year. So I actually refinanced one of my properties in July of 2021, I refinanced my my property, and I saved about 110 basis points on that refinance. And that's what I mean by timing the market. Because, if you're paying attention, part of it was I knew, Okay, the Fed has stopped. It's cutting. And you know, let's follow the more. Good market. Let's follow the Treasury yield curve and all that. And I jumped in. I literally refinanced at the bottom, like at the absolute bottom. There was about a three month window that was the bottom, and I refinanced. I did the application all that at the beginning of those three months, and it was and I got that great rate at the end of those three months. And I think there's going to be a tremendous opportunity for real estate investors. And I'm sure the Bane This is why I'm a little concerned about inflation as well, because the big hedge funds, the big real estate investment firms, the big banks, the blackstones, the blackrocks, they're going to be ready, and they're going to buy up. They're going to buy up real estate again, and investors, including our GRE investors, they're going to start buying up too. So pay attention. We're going to cover it here. We're going to cover it here, on the podcast and in the newsletter. But pay attention to these rates, because it'll be, I don't want to say, a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it will be a once in a cycle type of opportunity to jump in and get some bottoming real estate values as well as bottoming real estate mortgage rates at the same time. So that equilibrium point is only, like I said, about three or four months long. So we're going to be coming to that point and timing it sometime, I think next year, 2026   Keith Weinhold  31:21   talk to us about the vibe that you're getting from GRE listeners that contact you for a free coaching session. It's really hard to time the real estate market. Why don't you help us out with that? Let us know about a listener or two that you recently helped.   Naresh Vissa  31:37   Well, we have free real estate investment coaching here at GRE. It's absolutely free of charge. You can call, text me, email me whenever you'd like. People can book a free meeting with me, and it's a session. It's an immersive session on real estate investing. So we can go over all of that on our call. You can reach out to me unlimited times, like I said, it's I'm here just to help you throughout and along your real estate investment journey, I've helped hundreds of people invest in real estate, hundreds so it's buying turnkey, cash flowing real estate properties, so our investors can buy properties, and use my guidance and advice to help them buy properties. I also help them if they already own properties, how to optimize their portfolio, how to find new markets. I help them with their existing properties, dealing with property managers, with contractors, even with issues that things aren't always great in real estate, sometimes things can be bad. So listener Paul, for example. Listener Paul, he had a problem with the builder, and he submitted earnest money, and he wanted his earnest money back. Many, many years had gone by, and he came to me and he said, Hey, Naresh, you know, I've got all this money tied up, and the builder's not giving me the money back. Can you help me? And so I got him in touch with the right people, and within three or four months, he got all of his money back, plus interest on all the missed payments. So he got everything back as a lump sum, and then he thanked me and said, Thank you so much. I can sleep better at night, and I'm just I'm doing very well now, and he was ready to buy his next property.   Keith Weinhold  33:15   That's an example of where a deal went wrong and the builder didn't perform and build a property.   Naresh Vissa  33:19   Yes, exactly. Think of me as a trusted advisor, but also as a super connector, someone who can get you in touch with all the right companies and people to make real estate investing very sound. We have listener Joe, who bought many properties through us. He bought his first property through me and through GRE through our coaching program, and that first property worked out really well. So then he said, Hey, I want to buy a second property about six months later. So he bought a second property, and that worked out well. And then he said, let's go with it. And he bought all these with the same provider. So once he reached four, because my rule is, you don't want to go more than four or five in one market. Then he asked me for the next he said, what market do you recommend next? So then I recommended the next market, and then he bought another three or four in that market, and he built a nice little portfolio of seven or I mean, some people think it's little, some people think it's big, of seven or eight properties. So that's very common with the coaching program, where our listeners are really happy. If things are going great, I'm here for them. If things are not going the way that they expected, I'm here to help fix that problem.   Keith Weinhold  34:30   Maurice, is there to help you start building and grow a portfolio. Now, how do you yourself analyze deals and find properties before you let our listeners know about them?   Naresh Vissa  34:40   Well, we work with 15 to 20 different providers around the country, 15 to 20. So these providers are always reaching out to me, emailing me, calling me, leading me voicemails, texting me, saying we've got this great deal. We've got this great incentive. So I parse through all of that, and I find a handful of what I think is best. US and many of these deals, I send them to you, Keith, to promote in your Don't quit your Daydream newsletter, which people can subscribe if they go to get rich education.com. I send them there, and I let our listeners know on the phone when they set up calls, or I have notes on every meeting. So I'm able to send all of these deals to them, and that's how I put the best deals in front of them.   Keith Weinhold  35:25   Most of the coaching calls are over the phone rather than zoom the race. Sure can arrange a zoom call with you if you prefer. You really don't need to do too much to prepare for the call either.   Naresh Vissa  35:38   No, not at all. Just sign up for the meeting, and I'll run things. I'll run the meeting, I'll run the call. It's very straightforward. It's a session. It's very immersive, very interactive.   Keith Weinhold  35:49   Yeah, and you just have to book a time with Naresh once there and afterward. Yeah, it's really casual. Naresh is very open to you text messaging him if you have any ideas, or if you just heard about something on the show that you want to know more of. But yeah, booking that first coaching call is really what opens the door to the communication. And you really staying up to date on things. You can find a race through GRE marketplace. And alternatively, you can learn more about him with his bio. And importantly, book a time on his calendar by going directly to GREinvestment coach.com for a while now he's had times available Monday through Friday, and even some weekend slots available, and yeah, keep in touch with him, because property inventory is ever changing, especially with late breaking news like we've had this year of Home Builders Offering major incentives like buying down your mortgage rate to about 5% so staying up to date has hopefully brought you, the listeners, some really big wins already this year. Naresh, do you have any last thoughts?   Naresh Vissa  35:49   Definitely book a meeting with me. You won't regret it. I think even if you think that you own all these properties, you have all this experience, I think you'll find that the resources we offer it through our free coaching program, there will be one or two nuggets that you didn't know about that will still help you. So it doesn't harm anybody to book that free session with me. If you don't think you need my help, maybe it's just a five minute call and we touch base and we're good to go. That's fine too, but I highly recommend that people get in touch with me. We go from there so that you can continue to have a fruitful investment journey.   Keith Weinhold  37:28   Naresh has been valuable as always. Thanks for coming back out of the show.    Naresh Vissa  37:31   Thank you very much, Keith.   Keith Weinhold  37:38   Yeah, some sharp insight from Naresh as always. Now, when you think about making your next property move, consider how, compared to a few years ago, uncertainty has largely abated and real estate has stabilized. Think about how back in 2020 covid was the big uncertainty concern 2021 it was this real estate boom and an inventory shortage. You would get 50 or 80 offers on one property, and buyers were waiving inspections. That was tough. That was such a seller's market in 2022 that's when you had inflation and the supply chain chaos. That's when CPI inflation peaked at 9.1% in 2023 the big uncertainty concern was interest rate shock and the affordability crisis. And last year and this year, they've pivoted more to macro economic concerns. So therefore today's chief concern gets somewhat more buffered from real estate. Now I discussed the direction of rents earlier in today's show, the recently released Kay Shiller numbers came out, and they show that national home prices are up almost 2% annually, 13 cities or higher and seven or lower. By the way, this continued nominal price appreciation that frustrates the bejesus out of those perpetually wrong crash predictors. They have been wrong even longer than the people waiting for flying cars to show up. And where will prices continue to go from here, probably even higher now, America just hit somewhat of a milestone in this cycle. You might remember that mortgage rates peaked at 7.8% almost two years ago. Well, mortgage rates have now slid down to six and a half 6.5% and here's why this has become significant, right? Just compared to when rates were 7% per the nar 2.8 million Americans now qualify to buy a home. 5.5 million more will qualify at 6% and 7.7 more will qualify at five and a half percent. My gosh. Now. Now, of course, not every newly qualified buyer is going to pounce on a property, but only if a fraction of those do. Can you imagine how this demand increase will stoke prices? There are still only about 1.1 million homes available today. So not only are mortgage rates at a fresh low, but inventory choices, although they're still historically low, they are now at a six year high, and this is all while there's less buyer competition. So today's buyer conditions are really improving, and the bottom line here is that you are in the best position in more than five years to find the right property while still avoiding a bidding war, you have really got some properties to choose from. That is the takeaway, and you don't need to do much to prepare for an immersive free call with Naresh. You know what your situation is, although you probably do want to have about a 20% down payment for a property ready to go, some of which cost as little as 200k in these investor advantage markets, whether you've never bought any property in your life, or if you have dozens, it probably will benefit you. You can easily book a time that works best for you right on a GRE investment coaches calendar that way. There's no back and forth, and you can set it up now. Should you so choose at GRE investment coach.com Until next week, I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 3  41:38   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice, please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  42:02   You know, whenever you want the best written real estate and finance info, oh, geez, today's experience limits your free articles access, and it's got paywalls and pop ups and push notifications and cookies disclaimers. It's not so great. So then it's vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that adds no hype value to your life. That's why this is the golden age of quality newsletters. And I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor, and it's to the point, because even the word abbreviation is too long. My letter usually takes less than three minutes to read, and when you start the letter, you also get my one hour fast real estate video. Course, it's all completely free. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream letter. It wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be easier for you to get it right now. Just text gre, 266, 866, while it's on your mind, take a moment to do it right now. Text gre, 266, 866,   Keith Weinhold  43:18   The preceding program was brought to you buy your home for wealth, building, get richeducation.com

Prioritizing yourself isn't selfish—it's survival. This FYF brings a listener's bold boundary win, a reminder that rest prevents burnout, and a big team celebration with the launch of a brand-new coaching app. Plus, Lesley and Brad drop an affirmation that will remind you of your one-of-a-kind gift to the world.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why standing firm on your policies builds respect in your business.The real cost of burnout and how it impacts your ability to show up.Saying yes to breaks and travel as a way to protect your energy.How better systems free up energy for you and your clients.Episode References/Links:Cambodia October 2025 Retreat - https://crowsnestretreats.comSubmit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  It's Fuck Yeah Friday. Brad Crowell 0:01  Fuck yeah. Lesley Logan 0:02  Get ready for some wins. Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Brad Crowell 0:48  Welcome Be It Pod squad. It is September 5th, Friday. It's Fuck Yeah Friday, and I'm, obviously, Brad here, stepping in for Lesley for the first part of this episode. She's gonna take over the second half of this episode here, where we're bringing your wins, and she's going to celebrate a win, but we're going to start today off a little bit differently with an affirmation, in a way that I think Lesley is going to get a kick out of. I hope you really enjoy it. So feel free to sing along. This is an encouraging, amazing song that I've often drawn inspiration from, and I think you're gonna love it. Brad Crowell 1:21  I've paid my dues time after time. I've done my sentence but committed no crime and bad mistakes I've made a few. I've had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I've come through. And on and on and on. We are the champions, my friends, and we'll keep on fighting till the end, because we are the champions. We are the champions. No time for losers, because we are the champions of the world.Brad Crowell 2:24  You know it. You know it. You hear it in the background. You are singing that song, too. I love this song because it's very relatable. You know, even though you know it's Queen and they're like epic rock stars, but listening to those lyrics, listening to that song, is something that I've always found relatable. You know, I've paid my dues time after time. I've done my sentence, but I committed no crime, right? How often do we feel like that, where we are feeling like I'm doing everything right, and yet things still aren't going my way? And maybe along the way, you know, and bad mistakes I've made a few. Maybe along the way we've made some bad mistakes. I've had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I've come through, right. And as a small business owners, you might feel like that too, but you will come through this. And I wanted to celebrate that chorus with you. We are the champions, my friends. You know we're gonna keep fighting. And that's, that's the thing, when you're, when you are, doesn't even have to be just in business, but in life, you know, one foot in front of the other, y'all. Keep on going. Consistency, persistency. You got this. You can do this. We are the champions, and we'll we're the champions of the world. So really excited to have you joining us this week for this Fuck Yeah Friday. I'm gonna pass the torch here on to Lesley to celebrate a few of your wins, and then hopefully, you know, you're gonna take encouragement and send in your own win to us as well so we can celebrate you on an upcoming Fuck Yeah Friday. So thanks for being here today. Lesley Logan 4:00  All right, now, for the next part of the episode where I share a win of yours. So, win of yours. We had a couple wins from Melissa Capitano, so we'll go through these. Stood up for myself when a client tried to bully me, she didn't think I should charge her for a late cancel because she had been a client since the founding owner, and she was good friends with her. She also told me that she never got any warm and fuzzy feelings from me and that I wasn't friendly towards her. I stood my ground. She told me she's going to pretend the conversation didn't happen, and proceeded to buy a 12 pack and book privates with one of my instructors. So I'm counting it as a win. So I just want to say it is interesting being a business owner, the requests that people ask or demand or think that they are worthy or entitled to, it really does show like, I don't know how this person would like live their life, but clearly there was some sort of luxury, or maybe their family was gifted things or given things based on a last name or whatever. But here's the deal, when you agree to a frequent or patronize an establishment, they have rules, and when you participate in that business, you are agreeing to participate with the rules. Now, if you don't like that, you don't have to patronize the establishment. That's why we live where we all have a place like there's more than one Pilates studio. There's more than one lunch place. There's more than one sandwich place. It's extremely rare in most of the world, where you listen to podcasts, that you are the only thing that exists, and even if you are, you still are worthy of having rules and boundaries for how people can participate with you. And the fact that, like, she's been a client with the original owner, that's cool and that she didn't get warm and fuzzy feelings for you, that's not your fault, right? You weren't creating a best friend environment. You were creating a business that can make people safe and have a place where they can call home for their Pilates practice for years and years to come. So, way to go, Melissa, way to stand for yourself. And I think it's hilarious. It's just like, okay, well, this conversation didn't happen. Like, interesting. Sometimes we have to be a mirror for people. Okay, you have another win. So my win. I'm on the road now, on our way to a family reunion. I needed this break. I've been teaching 35 to 45 hours a week for the last three months. I seriously thought about just staying home and letting my family go, but I remembered what Ella said about you're not helping anyone if you burn yourself out. So anyway, we are on the way stop to pick up lunch, taking Brad and Lesley with me on the road. She's wearing a shirt with Brad and I on it, and I love that so much. And it's really, thank you Melissa for making this a win so we could talk about this as a group. Seriously, you're a zero help to anyone burnt out. You are so not helpful to anyone. One of my friends from a group that I was in. I, by the time I'm recording this, I'm seeing that her husband's in the hospital, and like her, she and her kids, like, flew immediately to go see him. He was in a different state than where they live, and after about 36 hours, she flew the kids back home, because taking care of the kids and him and herself is, like, not an option, right? And the hospital's not the place where they can feel stress free and like, where little children can like, relax either. So she did something for herself so she doesn't burn out, right? So everyone can be protected. There's no right answers in those situations. You might have done something differently, but the point I'm sharing with that story is, Melissa's story, with you is there's always a reason to not go on the trip. There's always a reason to not start the thing. There's always a reason to not take the day off or not go out. And if what the thing that you are saying you don't want to do is used to fill your cup and you're just tired, go do it, because it's going to fill your cup. You're not going to fill your cup at home. You're going to find things to do at home. You're not going to relax. You're not going to rest when you are working that hard in your business, and there are seasons for that you must make sure you are taking care of yourself. So, Melissa, kudos to you. Hats off to you. And thank you for sharing this win so that other people can be inspired that that that is something that they can do. So if you are feeling like close to burnout now, my loves like, what is the thing that you are thinking you shouldn't do? Right? Are you already making excuses? Like, oh, you know that that October trip I shouldn't do. I had somebody reach out about the Cambodia retreat, and they're like, I really want to go. This is like, my dream retreat, but I just start a new job, like, five months before the retreat. Okay, totally understand not every job is reasonable. Maybe they don't have vacation time built up by five months. But also, like you're not gonna lose your job by saying, hey, by the way, in October, I need one week off to take care of myself. If you show your work that you are a better employee after resting, they're going to let you do that. Most places do. Now, you work for an asshole. I can't help you there. Lesley Logan 8:40  All right, a win of ours. So we actually released an app this summer, guys, we did it. Our team did it. It hit the deadlines that we'd set for ourselves. It works. People are using it. They love it. So we've always had, we've already had an app for OPC. People could take classes. You don't have to be a member to use the app, like you can listen to podcast on it. There's like, free tutorials you can watch on it. There's some free challenges. But if you're a member, you can be in the community. You can chat with us, you can take your classes on the app. Makes it really fun to do is take it yourself wherever your phone can go or your iPad can go. So we've been working on that for Profitable Pilates, and it's beautiful. It's really simple. It's really easy for our members to use. So, Agency members, instead of being in Slack now have one place to go to chat with the community, to share their wins, to have a moment to watch videos from me that are notes of inspiration, to see when the next office hours is, to book coaching calls, to watch courses all in one place. And for seven half years prior to this, they had to go to a website and to Slack and, you know, all this different stuff. And so we're, you know, we're so grateful that the way that technology has gone, that we have this opportunity to do this. And I'm really happy with the way the app is, way it looks, way people are using it. I'm just so proud. So this is one of those wins that months in the making and was a more of a team win than a me win. But you know, I am someone who often doesn't like change. I know it's kind of crazy. You think I love change the way I like preach like you should, like, just act like you're already the person you want to be. But like, I always worry about, like, oh my God, we have to transition people from one thing to the other thing. Are they going to do it? Will they come? Are we going to lose people? I don't want people to have a bad time. Like, there's a lot that can go wrong in a transition. And we, you know, it's hand holding everybody is not the easiest thing to do. Some people need it. And so I just am so grateful and so excited for what we've done. And now, y'all, if you want to coach with us, you get to use an app, and it's great. And of course, there's still Zoom calls and things like that. Anyways, really, really grateful for that, really, really proud of that huge win, and I'm just glad I get to celebrate that with you. Lesley Logan 10:53  Okay, your affirmation, another affirmation, but one that's a little easier. There is something in this world that only I can do, that is why I'm here. There is something in this world that only I can do, that is why I'm here. There's something in this world that only I can do, that is why I'm here. You know why I love this it's because I literally tell our aAgency members all of the time, you are the only person who can do what you do the way that you do it. Sometimes I have to say it slower for people to hear it. You are the only person who can do what you do the way that you do it. There are many people who went to the same training that I did in 2008 and are the same age and have the same experience and we teach differently. There are people who stayed with Jay and Sandy and all these people, and we all teach Pilates in theory the same way, and yet they'll be different than me always, and I'll be different than them. So you are the only person who do what you do the way that you do it. You're it. So never play small. Doesn't help anyone. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 11:58  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 12:41  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 12:46  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 12:50  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 12:57  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 13:00  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In today's episode we will talk about the "Back to school" period in September and how it looks like in Greece. We will also talk about some traditions and preparations for the new school year.E: Καλό μήνα! Επιστρέψατε από τις διακοπές; /Happy new month! Did you come back from vacation?D: Ναι! Ετοιμαζόμαστε για την επιστροφή στο σχολείο. Εσείς; /Yes! We're getting ready for back to school. How about you?Ε: Εμείς γυρνάμε αύριο από το χωριό και τα παιδιά δεν θέλουν να φύγουν με τίποτα! / We're coming back from the village tomorrow, and the kids don't want to leave at all!D: Μία από τα ίδια κι εμείς όταν φύγαμε από τους παππούδες. Πού να δεις χαρές που θα κάνουν στις 11 Σεπτεμβρίου που θα ανοίξουν και πάλι τα σχολεία. / Same with us when we left the grandparents. Just wait till you see how happy they'll be on September 11th when school starts again.Ε: Τι τάξη θα πάνε φέτος; / What grade are they going to this year?D: Η Μαρία θα πάει πρώτη Λυκείου και ο Παναγιώτης Δευτέρα Γυμνασίου. Εσένα; / Maria is going to 10th grade (first year of high school) and Panagiotis to 8th grade (second year of middle school). Yours?Ε: Ουάου! Η Μαρία τελειώνει το σχολείο σιγά σιγά! Εμένα ο μεγάλος θα πάει Τετάρτη Δημοτικού και ο μικρός νηπιαγωγείο. / Wow! Maria is slowly finishing school! My oldest is going to 3rd grade in primary school, and the little one to kindergarten. D: Άντε με το καλό. Και από του χρόνου στο Δημοτικό και ο Γιώργος! / That's great. And next year George will be in elementary too!Ε: Ναι, αυτός χαίρεται λίγο περισσότερο για την επιστροφή στο σχολείο από τον Ανδρέα! / Yes, he's actually a bit more excited about going back to school than Andreas is!D: Λογικό! Το ίδιο και η Μαρία… αγχώνεται πολύ που μπαίνει στο Λύκειο φέτος./ Makes sense! Same with Maria… she's very stressed about starting high school this year.Ε: Το φαντάζομαι. Εμείς αύριο θα πάμε να πάρουμε μία  καινούργια τσάντα και ένα παγούρι για τον μικρό. Θέλεις να έρθεις; / I can imagine. Tomorrow we're going to buy a new school bag and a water bottle for the little one. Want to come along?D: Φέτος λέμε να χρησιμοποιήσουν τις περσινές τσάντες και κασετίνες και για τα υπόλοιπα σχολικά είδη θα πάμε αφού ξεκινήσουν τα σχολεία και ξέρουμε τι χρειάζονται. Μπορούμε όμως να κανονίσουμε έναν καφέ πριν μπούμε στη ρουτίνα. / This year we decided they'll use last year's bags and pencil cases, and for the rest of the school supplies we'll shop after classes begin, once we know what they need. But we can definitely plan a coffee before we get back into routine.Ε: Εννοείται! Μέσα στο Σαββατοκύριακο θα είμαι ελεύθερη, πάμε όποτε θες! / Of course! I'll be free over the weekend, let's go whenever you want!D: Θα ξαναμιλήσουμε μέσα στη βδομάδα! / We'll talk again during the week!Check out our Instagram @greek_lang_experts or visit our website for our upcoming⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Greek classes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!If you enjoyed this episode please rate our podcast and leave a comment!

In Space, No One… Makes it out alive? Unless you’re a cyborg. This week Jason and Rosie are talking about the flashback episode of Alien: Earth, episode 5! They are asking the important questions, are we even team human anymore at this point? This podcast remains to be team aliens! Let’s talk about what happened aboard the Maginot and breakdown the story so far. Follow Jason: IG & Bluesky Follow Rosie: IG & Letterboxd Follow X-Ray Vision on Instagram Join the X-Ray Vision DiscordSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welkom bij Nerd Culture #223, de Gamekings podcast waarin we het laatste nieuws en de heetste geruchten uit films, series en alles nerdy bespreken. In deze aflevering duiken we onder meer in de langverwachte terugkeer van Knight Rider op het grote scherm, gemaakt door niemand minder dan de makers van Cobra Kai. Daarnaast hebben we groot Marvel-nieuws: Jon Bernthal's Punisher krijgt volgens de laatste berichten een prominente rol in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Natuurlijk checken we ook trailers, opvallende statements en het laatste nieuws rondom franchises als Star Wars, Gladiator en Gremlins.The Punisher krijgt een grote rol in Spider-Man: Brand New DayHet MCU staat op scherp, want er gaan sterke geruchten dat Jon Bernthal's Punisher een grote rol krijgt in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Volgens scooper Daniel Richtman zou Frank Castle zelfs meer in beeld komen dan andere helden die in de film verschijnen, zoals Hulk en mogelijk Yelena Belova. Dat is groot nieuws: fans verwachten vaak een cameo, maar dit klinkt alsof Castle echt verweven raakt met Peter Parker's verhaal. Hoe hard gaat Marvel durven om de rauwe, gewelddadige toon van The Punisher samen te brengen met Spidey's wereld?Met Tom Holland terug als Peter Parker, Zendaya als MJ en Michael Mando's Scorpion die opnieuw zijn opwachting maakt, belooft dit een stevige mix van bekende gezichten en nieuwe dreigingen. Regisseur Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) heeft zijn handen vol, maar de potentie is enorm. In de podcast bespreken we hoe deze crossover de Spider-Man films kan veranderen – en of Frank Castle misschien wel dé gamechanger wordt voor Phase 6. Makers Cobra Kai komen met Knight Rider filmNa jaren van geruchten lijkt het eindelijk te gebeuren: Knight Rider krijgt een officiële filmadaptatie. De iconische 80's serie die David Hasselhoff tot superster maakte – met de onvergetelijke KITT, de AI Trans Am – wordt nieuw leven ingeblazen door de makers van Cobra Kai. Universal heeft bevestigd dat Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg en Josh Heald niet alleen het script schrijven, maar ook de regie en productie op zich nemen. Daarmee lijkt het project meer kans te maken dan eerdere pogingen, want rebootplannen rondom Knight Rider gaan al meer dan vijftien jaar rond. Van Kevin Hart en John Cena tot James Wan en zelfs gesprekken met James Gunn en Robert Rodriguez: niets kwam echt van de grond. Maar nu het team achter Cobra Kai aan het stuur zit, is de verwachting hoog. In de podcast bespreken we of Knight Rider nog relevant kan zijn in 2025, en hoe AI anno nu perfect past bij KITT's comeback.Timestamps:00:00:00 Nerd Culture #22300:00:40 Donkey Kong Bananza00:04:48 Gamescom00:05:34 Supermarkten00:11:27 B&B Vol Liefde00:13:10 Twin Peaks00:14:25 28 Years Later00:15:34 Huey op zwemles00:22:10 Bugonia Trailer00:25:10 Superman nieuws (Koos krijgt een krat bier!)00:30:36 Stelling 1: The Last Jedi is beter dan The Empire Strikes Back00:35:38 Star Wars deelt eerste beeld Starfighter00:42:33 Volledige cast Star Wars: Starfighter00:45:47 John Williams houdt niet van filmmuziek 00:50:14 Stelling 2: Filmmuziek (John Williams) kan zich meten met orkestrale muziek00:53:46 SISU: Road to Revenge Trailer00:56:27 John Bernthal's Punisher is geen cameo maar de grootste rol naast Spider-Man00:59:18 Jackie Chan's stunt team werkt aan Spider-Man Brand New Day01:00:34 Wanneer wordt teasen spoiler?01:02:40 Kumail Nanjiani dacht 10 jaar in de Marvel Cinematic Universe te spelen01:04:01 War of the Worlds 4 miljoen keer bekeken01:07:17 Makes van Cobrai Kai komen met Knight Rider film01:10:28 Streamer Raja Jackson slaat worstelaar bijna dood01:15:23 Pierce Brosnan staat open voor terugkeer als James Bond01:18:26 Ridley Scott is onvermoeibaar en werkt aan Gladiator 301:20:09 Gremlins 3 toch opeens in limbo01:22:46 The Lowdown Trailer

IT'S FRIDAY BABY!!! If you missed the LIVE show at 5am pst / 8am est, NO WORRIES, here it is for you to sit back, sip your coffee and get your Music on before work!!! TOMPodcast on Mixcloud and The Old Man's Podcast give you More Music / Less Talk Right Here, Right NOW so, Turn it on and TURN IT UP!!  Music is what Makes you Special, Listen, Like and FOLLOW!!! See you next Friday for another LIVE Early Bird Music Show!!! Later Gators!! *Get everything you need to start your own successful podcast on Podbean here: https://www.podbean.com/tomspodcastPBFree *Visit our webpage where you can catch up on Current / Past Episodes: www.theoldmanspodcast.com     *Contact us at: theoldmanspodcast@gmail.com     Checkout and Follow the Writings of Shonda Sinclair here: Roaming the Road (of Life):https://www.shondasinclair.com/   *TOMPodcast Music Shows: https://www.mixcloud.com/TOMPodcast/

Makes sense.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Codesport’s Matt Hickey is back in the Garage as F1 fires up for the 2nd half of the season.McLaren reckon their drivers are getting on well (unlike some of the other inter team rivalries over the years) but surely there’ll be a blow-up between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at some stage? Cadillac will give Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas the keys next year. Makes sense right? But can this new F1 team sneak a point or two and be better than ‘cellar dwellers’ in ’26? RedBull is currently 4th in the Constructor’s standings (is it crazy to think that) and while it’s not in Max Verstappen’s nature to wave the white flag surely the team will start to shift its focus to next season and the new regs. And while Daniel Riccardo recovers from a dirt bike crash hopefully he writes a wish list of post F1 Motorsport events he’d like a crack at….Bathurst anyone? It’s two blokes talking Motorsport with an F1 flavour as the sport’s summer break comes to an end and we rev up for the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend. Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

0:00 - The Avalanche released their national TV schedule today. 17 total games across ESPN, ABC, and TNT. For what it's worth, you can always find every single Avalanche game right here on Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 (regardless of which TV channel has it).20:13 - Let's get back to the BIGGEST SPORTS HEADLINE OF THE DAY! It's absolutely the most important sports story across the vast, sprawling, wide wide world of sports. 33:03 - Sam Ehlinger was released by the Broncos, then signed to the practice squad. All this cut vs waived vs released vs signed to the practice squad stuff is confusing. Makes our heads spin. We need a Jake Coyne equivalent to explain NFL roster gynamstics. 

Hello and welcome listeners to Episode 28 of Side Quest Podcast. On this episode, your hosts, Jake from Guitar Case Full of Reviews and David from Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast stick with the slasher genre. This is inspired by students and set on a small college campus. The movie selected was Final Exam (1981). The premise is intriguing and shows what doesn't necessarily work. Makes for an interesting discussion though! Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy coming on this journey with us! Also make sure you check out Jake over on Guitar Case Full of Reviews along with everything else that he does along with his social media at Dark Mariachi Studios.Social Media:Dark Mariachi Studios: ⁠YouTube⁠Email: journeywithacinephile@gmail.comReviews of the Dead Link: https://horrorreview.webnode.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dgarrettjrTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/buckeyefrommichLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/davidosu/Instagram: davidosu87Threads: davidosu87Journey with a Cinephile Instagram: journeywithacinephileThe Night Club Discord: Journey with a Cinephile

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! If you missed the LIVE show at 4am pst / 7am est, NO WORRIES, here it is for you to sit back, sip your coffee and get your Music on before work!!! TOMPodcast on Mixcloud and The Old Man's Podcast give you More Music / Less Talk Right Here, Right NOW so, Turn it on and TURN IT UP!!  Music is what Makes you Special, Listen, Like and FOLLOW!!! See you next Friday for another LIVE Early Bird Music Show!!! Later Gators!! *Get everything you need to start your own successful podcast on Podbean here: https://www.podbean.com/tomspodcastPBFree *Visit our webpage where you can catch up on Current / Past Episodes: www.theoldmanspodcast.com     *Contact us at: theoldmanspodcast@gmail.com     Checkout and Follow the Writings of Shonda Sinclair here: Roaming the Road (of Life):https://www.shondasinclair.com/   *TOMPodcast Music Shows: https://www.mixcloud.com/TOMPodcast/  

Message Title: Divine Acceleration - Speed of On Time 2In this video, our global lead pastor, Pastor Shola Okodugha, continues from yesterday's teaching and teaches that strength is required to carry and birth what God has placed in your spiritual womb. You don't just need strength to endure, you need strength for acceleration.Strength is not limited to the physical; it is everything required to conceive, sustain, and deliver God's purpose in your life.Key Scriptures:- Genesis 24:10-15- Psalm 90:12He also raised a prayer Point:Oh Lord God of my father, give me good speed today.He further teaches what Divine Acceleration does:-Removes physical and spiritual burnout- Renews hope and strength- Enables you to cover great ground in a short time- Makes your journey mysterious to othersWhy the Spirit Realm Matters:- The earth was created to depend on the realm of the spirit.- The realm of the spirit gives access to the past, present, and future at the same time.Ecclesiastes 5:9 -“The profit of the earth is for all…”Pastor Shola wraps up the message by indicating Signs You're Surviving (Not Living Fully):- You do so much but see little results- You're constantly burnt out- You have to calculate everything before enjoying anything- You're always at the mercy of others' decisions- You have potential, but nothing to show for itWatch this message and receive strength for divine acceleration in every area of your life.——ABOUT THE NEWWe are a people of love and excellence who are result-oriented, spirit-led, word-rooted, prayer-driven, and kingdom-conscious. Led by Pst. Shola Okodugha, we are on a divine assignment to equip and raise men; to release people from strongholds that have stifled them from taking their rightful places, and to give young people an avenue for their God-given gifts to find expression.OUR CREED"As sure as God helps us,We will not give upWe will not cave inWe will not quitWe will not failWe will not dieUntil our job is doneAnd victory is won"——Partner with us to spread the influence of God all over the world. Give - https://pay.squadco.com/TheNewglobal——BROADCAST DETAILSMinister: Pst.Shola OkodughaDate: 19/08/2025——Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the latest content: http://bit.ly/subscribethenewliveWebsite: http://wearethenew.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearethenew_global/#TheNewLive #SholaOkodugha

- Bloomberg: All US-Bound iPhone 17 Models Launching from India - Morgan Stanley Sees Apple Story “Turning the Corner” - UK Backs Off of Demand for Back Door into Encrypted iCloud Data - Fourth Public Beta of watchOS 26 Makes the Scene - Apple Seeds New AirPods Pro 2/AirPods 4 Firmware to Developers - Apple Expands Self Service Repair to Canada - Montana Launches Digital ID Program for iOS and Android - Apple TV+ Gives “Palm Royale” Season-Two a Mid-November Premier - Apple Watch Challenge Celebrating US National Parks on Tap for Sunday - Sponsored by CleanMyMac - Now with Cloud Cleanup. Try 7 days free and use code MACOSKEN20 for 20% off at clnmy.com/MacOSKen - Securing Saint Paul and naming a culprit on Checklist No. 436 - Find it today at checklist.libsyn.com - Catch Ken on Mastodon - @macosken@mastodon.social - Send Ken an email: info@macosken.com - Chat with us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. Support the show at Patreon.com/macosken

A round-up of the main headlines in Sweden on August 20th, 2025. You can hear more reports on our homepage www.radiosweden.se, or in the app Sveriges Radio. Presenter/Producer: Kris Boswell.

Billy Wayne Davis joins Brendon M. Walsh in the new WRP to talk about Billy Joel, ICE, religion, comedy, and everything else, including, quitting drinking, gangs, having kids, and...well, you'll just have to watch or listen to the whole giant long in-depth episode. I hope you enjoy listening to two cool guys talking about life! We love you! Go see Billy do a show! https://www.bwdtour.com/ Join the Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/worldrecordpodcast 00:00 Welcome to the show! 04:20 TDBJ 09:30 AA 16:35 Don't Tell BW is doing stand up again 23:05 Makes u feel good 29:18 Play about football 39:57 CC TBS 45:16 BWD Dates

Australian guitarist Davey Lane discusses his new album 'Finally, a Party Record', joining You Am I at 18, meeting Paul McCartney & nerding out on vinyl! Listen to the new album here. Topics Include: Davey Lane discusses his new album "Finally, a Party Record" and the ironic title choice Originally titled "The Great Unraveling" but changed to something more approachable and chipper Despite upbeat title, songs deal with dark subject matter that inspires his songwriting Finding peace with mental state and place in world as he's gotten older Always includes glimmer of optimism even when writing about romantic catastrophes going wrong Makes music as compulsion, not for career goals - realistic about posthumous appreciation Big Star, Nick Drake - artists appreciated later in life Avid record collector who browses sections aimlessly rather than shopping with lists Discovers new bands like Comets on Fire by hearing them playing in record stores Vinyl is primary listening format - meditative experience that keeps him focused and level Thinks about album sequencing early, including crossfades between songs on new record Beatles were gateway drug, fascinated by production techniques on Sgt Pepper's at age seven Met Paul McCartney in 2017 backstage in Melbourne through Jimmy Barnes and Michael Gudinski Took Valium beforehand, talked about McCartney's jacket instead of asking musical questions Started transcribing You Am I songs as teenager, sent tabs to drummer Rusty Got invited on stage at 16 to play with You Am I at all-ages show Returned to high school as local hero after performing with established rock band Tim Rogers called offering solo tour opportunity, left university after two days to tour Officially joined You Am I in 1999 at age 18 after proving compatibility on tour Took years to feel like full band member rather than nervous new guy Learned importance of authenticity over networking and career-focused schmoozing in music industry Collaborated on The Rites project covering Stevie Wright's "Evie" to raise money for legend Recorded with Saints' Chris Bailey on what became his final album before passing Created experimental Dual Monophonic vinyl with Tim Rogers and King Gizzard's Stu McKenzie Each vinyl channel contains different arrangement of same song, can be heard separately Technical challenges getting proper stereo separation on vinyl pressing required multiple attempts New album on Cheer Squad Records features striking red and yellow vinyl pressing Cover art deliberately references Rod Stewart despite not particularly liking that album Record designed to catch browser's eye in record stores like albums that attracted him Interview wrap up Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

FULL SHOW : Max Gawn is in to talk round 23 and Melbourne's search for a Coach; Ed Kavalee tells us about his soccer trip and hosting the Adult Entertainment Awards; and we find out what Makes you Rage! Tomorrow: Broden Kelly and Melbourne Storm's Cam Munster. Catch Mick in the Morning LIVE from 6-9am weekdays on 105.1 Triple M. To watch your favourite new Breakfast Radio crew in action, follow @molloy and @triplemmelb on InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well that was a tough watch. Makes you appreciate QB2 a million times more. Well regardless I go position by position and tell you my thoughts coming out of an ugly preseason loss to the Browns.https://sportspyder.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/news?pid=4349

Tired of being held hostage by thoughts like "When can I eat next?" or "I need to work this off"? In this game-changing episode, Lindsey introduces her signature Triple Threat Tool that stops ED thoughts from spiraling and puts YOU back in control of your mind. Learn the exact 3-step framework to go from being controlled by eating disorder thoughts to being completely in control of your recovery. Key Takeaways You can't fight what you don't acknowledge, and you can't change what you don't challenge Your ED thoughts aren't actually YOUR thoughts - they're learned responses The Triple Threat Tool threatens the lies, the spiral, and the ED's power over your choices You're allowed to have the thought - but you don't have to believe it or act on it Deciding your comeback in advance stops spirals before they start The Triple Threat Tool Breakdown Step 1: NAME IT - Who's Really Talking Here? Purpose: Identify whether this is your ED voice or your authentic voice How to Do It: Give your ED voice an actual name (Restriction Rachel, Control Freak Carla, Body Critic Betty) Separate the ED voice from who you really are Recognize these aren't YOUR thoughts - they're learned responses from diet culture Example: ED Thought: "I shouldn't eat this cookie" Name It: "That's Restriction Rachel trying to control my food choices" Step 2: TAME IT - Take Your Power Back Purpose: Acknowledge the thought without giving it power How to Do It: Refuse to let the ED voice drive the bus Thank the voice but decline to take orders Set boundaries with your ED thoughts like you would with a demanding person Example: Tame It: "Thanks for sharing, Restriction Rachel, but I'm not taking orders from you today" Lindsey's Example: "Rachel, you've been fired. I'm in charge of my nourishment now" Step 3: FRAME IT - Create Your New Truth Purpose: Replace ED lies with recovery-aligned thoughts How to Do It: Create thoughts that feel true and move you toward recovery Not fake positive affirmations - authentic recovery truths Choose thoughts that serve your healing journey Example: Frame It: "My body needs consistent fuel throughout the day, and this cookie is part of my recovery" Real-Life Triple Threat Examples Food Thought Scenario: ED Thought: "I need to work out extra today because I ate something different last night" Name It: "That's Control Freak Carla" Tame It: "Carla, exercise isn't punishment for eating" Frame It: "I move my body because it feels good, not to earn or burn off food" Body Image Scenario: ED Thought: "I look disgusting in this dress" Name It: "That's Body Critic Betty" Tame It: "Betty, your harsh comments aren't welcome here" Frame It: "My body deserves to be treated with respect, and I choose clothes that make me feel comfortable" ED Voice vs. Authentic Voice Guide Your ED Voice: Is harsh, critical, and demanding Uses words like "should," "can't," "need to," "have to" Makes you feel anxious, guilty, or ashamed Wants you to be smaller, eat less, control more Your Authentic Voice: Is kind, curious, and flexible Uses words like "I choose," "I want," "I deserve" Makes you feel peaceful, empowered, or hopeful Wants you to be nourished, rested, and free Common ED Thoughts to Practice With Food Thoughts: "When can I eat next?" "What am I allowed to eat?" "How can I avoid eating?" "I need to work this off" "I shouldn't eat this" Body Image Thoughts: "I look huge in this outfit" "If I eat that, I'll gain weight" "I'm bigger than everyone else" "People are judging my body" "I'm disgusting" Powerful Quotes from This Episode "You can't fight what you don't acknowledge, and you can't change what you don't challenge." "Your eating disorder thoughts aren't actually YOUR thoughts." "You're allowed to have the thought. There's no judgment in having an ED thought pop up." "You are not your thoughts. You are the thinker of your thoughts." "Your ED voice is loud, but your authentic voice is stronger." When to Use the Triple Threat Tool In front of the mirror when body image thoughts attack At meal times when food anxiety kicks in The moment any ED thought enters your mind - don't wait for it to spiral During social eating situations When getting dressed or shopping for clothes Before, during, and after exercise This Week's Homework Give your ED voice a name (make it specific to your struggles) Identify your 3 most common ED thoughts Write out your Triple Threat response for each one Practice your comebacks - decide in advance what you'll say Use the tool immediately when any ED thought pops up Lindsey's Personal Example Situation: Standing in front of closet, choosing what to wear ED Thought: "You can't wear that dress, you look huge, everyone will notice how much weight you've gained" Name It: "That's Gina trying to make me hide my body" Tame It: "Gina, you don't get to dictate my wardrobe choices anymore" Frame It: "I'm choosing clothes that make me feel comfortable and confident in my recovery" Result: Wore the dress, had an amazing day, realized Gina's opinion had nothing to do with reality Signs You Need This Tool Food thoughts consume your mental energy throughout the day You spiral from one negative thought into restriction or shame You feel controlled by thoughts about your body or food You believe every critical thought about yourself You can't distinguish between ED voice and authentic voice What Mastering This Tool Looks Like You catch ED thoughts before they spiral You feel empowered instead of controlled by your mind You can enjoy meals and social situations without mental chatter You respond to body image thoughts with compassion instead of criticism You're present in your life instead of trapped in your head Ready to Master Your Mental Game? If you want to learn how to use the Triple Threat Tool in every situation and build an entire toolkit of weapons against ED thoughts, go to www.herbestself.co and fill out an application to work with Lindsey. Stop trying to figure this out alone. Your ED voice has had you for years - but it doesn't get to have your future. Connect with Lindsey Website: www.herbestself.co  Private Facebook Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com  Client Applications: www.herbestself.co/services  About the Host Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She created the Triple Threat Tool during her own recovery journey and now teaches women how to boss around their ED thoughts instead of being bossed by them. If this tool empowered you, please share it with someone who needs to learn how to control their ED thoughts. Your support helps more women discover they don't have to be held hostage by every thought that pops into their head. *While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

Title: Million Dollar Monday - Mike Hoffman Summary: Mike made his first million in real estate during the COVID short-term rental boom, and his last million by flipping outdated vending machine routes into modern micro markets selling unconventional products like shampoo and Tide pods. His next million will likely come from leveraging AI to scale vending and small business operations. He emphasizes the rapid evolution of AI and its ability to replace manual tasks, predicting a near future where AI-powered robots handle everyday chores. Links to Watch and Subscribe: https://youtu.be/1EOavier6ug Bullet Point Highlights: First million: Real estate + COVID timing (short-term rentals) Last million: Vending machines → flipped old routes into micro markets Sold high-ticket items (e.g., $35 shampoo) in vending setups Tech improvements + AI driving down costs, boosting efficiency Next million: Scaling vending/small biz ops with AI tools Believes AI is replacing human roles fast (e.g., virtual assistants) Predicts humanoid AI robots in homes within 5 years Transcript: Seth Bradley (00:00.172) Welcome to Million Dollar Mondays, how to make, keep, and scale a million dollars. Mike is a super successful entrepreneur in the vending machine business and beyond. Tell us, how did you make your first million dollars?   Yeah, Seth, probably actually through real estate and just getting a little bit kind of lucky with timing with COVID and short term rentals and some of that. But yeah, that's probably how I got the first million.   Gotcha. Yeah. Real estate usually plays a role in the everybody's strategy down the line, whether they're in, you know, in that primary business or not, you know, whether they start out there or they end up there, real estate usually plays a part. How'd you make your last million?   Yeah, that's a good question because it's completely different than real estate, but it's actually been vending machines. that's been kind of fun. just, you you talk about product market fit whenever you're an entrepreneur with a business. And that was just kind of the perfect storm right now of traditional vending really kind of being outdated. And we found a product market fit.   with it. Gotcha. Cool. And that was from, was this maybe mostly attributed to kind of buying those routes, those larger routes?   Mike Hoffman (01:14.646) Exactly, yeah, buying old school routes and really kind of flipping them like a house with modern micro markets, charging with different products and what would fit in a vending machine like more of the unorthodox, know, toilet paper and tide pods and things that wouldn't fit in a traditional vending machine. I mean, we'll sell $35 bottles of shampoo in these micro markets. So just kind of go and add it in a different way.   Yeah, and then with the aging population, there's got to be more and more of these things popping up. So there should be more opportunity for people to get involved or for people like yourself to just snag everything, right?   Yeah, think there's no chance I could snag everything, not even just in this town alone that I'm currently in. I mean, machines are getting cheaper, the technology is getting way better with AI. And nowadays, it's not what fits in a vending machine motor. It's okay, what's shelf space? So if it's a bottle of shampoo or a glass Coke, it doesn't matter because it's not just getting thrown down the chute of a traditional machine.   Makes sense, makes sense. Last, how are you planning on making your next million dollars?   I think probably with AI, we're doing a lot of interesting stuff with helping people scale their vending routes that is applicable to any small business. And so I'm really intrigued. Just every time I go down a rabbit hole with some new AI tool, I feel like there's another better one that just came right behind it. So I just think it's kind of that time where you can really get ahead by just learning right now in this kind of wave of AI.   Seth Bradley (02:49.27) Yeah, totally makes sense. mean, people that are not paying attention to AI, whether it's simply using chat GBT instead of Google search are getting left behind quickly because it's just advancing so fast. I can't even imagine what this world's going to look like five years from now, the way that things are moving.   It's crazy. Three years ago when I was working for a tech company selling software to the government, I would have to work with three secretaries to schedule a meeting with the general to sell their software. Now my EA is literally an AI bot and everyone that's scheduling time on my calendar, they don't even know they're talking to a non-human, which is perfect.   Yeah, 100%. I predicted within five years, everybody's going to have a humanoid robot in their home with AI instilled, and they're going to be doing physical things for us at our homes.   I hope so. I hope they can go to Costco, get all our groceries, do our laundry, the dishes.   Yup. Yup. Awesome,   Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Mike Hoffman's Links: https://www.instagram.com/mikehoffmannofficial/ https://x.com/mrpassive_?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedhoffmann/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.passive https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en

Lil Tay Joins OF on 18th Birthday and Makes 1 MILLION Dollars In 3 Hours!

Headlines says the majority of people don't change their underwear often Do you really need to flex in song form these days? Makes you wonder how product placement in music really works We gotta talk about Summer Slam and holy hell was it good

Title: How to Make Millions with Vending Machines with Mike Hoffman Summary: In this conversation, Seth Bradley and Mike Hoffman delve into the world of vending machines as a business opportunity. Mike shares his journey from a Midwest farm boy to a successful entrepreneur in the vending industry, highlighting the evolution of vending technology and the potential for passive income. They discuss the importance of location, understanding demographics, and the scalability of vending routes. Mike emphasizes the need for upfront work and learning before delegating tasks, while also addressing the misconceptions surrounding passive income in the vending business. In this conversation, Seth Bradley and Mike discuss various aspects of entrepreneurship, particularly in the vending machine business. They explore the importance of capital raising, the journey of self-discovery, influences that shape business decisions, and the definition of success. The dialogue emphasizes the significance of flexibility, discipline, and focus in achieving entrepreneurial goals, while also touching on financial milestones and the attributes that distinguish successful entrepreneurs. Links to Watch and Subscribe:   Bullet Point Highlights: Mike's journey from a classic Midwest farm boy to a successful entrepreneur. The evolution of vending machines from traditional to smart technology. Understanding the importance of location in the vending business. The analogy of baseball levels to describe starting in vending. Scaling up from single A to big leagues in vending routes. The significance of demographics in product selection for vending machines. The potential for passive income with proper systems in place. The need for upfront work before achieving passivity in business. Vending is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it requires dedication. The future opportunities in the vending industry are expanding rapidly. Raising capital can dilute ownership but may be necessary for rapid growth. Self-discovery often leads to unexpected career paths. Influences in business can come from personal experiences rather than just mentors. Success is often defined by the ability to prioritize family and flexibility. Entrepreneurs work harder than in traditional jobs but gain flexibility. Discipline is crucial for saying no to distractions. Successful entrepreneurs often focus on niche markets. High foot traffic locations are ideal for vending machines. AI is transforming business operations and efficiency. Networking and connections can lead to valuable opportunities. Transcript: Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:04.898) Mike, what's going on buddy? Doing great brother, doing great. How about you?   Mike (00:06.748) Don't worry,   Mike (00:11.664) Good, I'm a little flustered. I usually have my mic set up over here, but I guess we just moved and it's not here today. I guess, yeah, new office and it's been a whole hot mess.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:19.822) New office or what?   Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:27.862) Nice man, nice. I see you got the whiteboard cranking back there. Love to see that.   Mike (00:33.114) Always. I love your background. That's sweet.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:38.03) Thanks man, yeah, I'm on camera all the time so I like I need to just build this out instead of using like a green screen so Made the investment made it happen   Mike (00:44.86) Totally.   Yeah, absolutely.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:49.442) Have we met in person or not? I don't know if we've met at a Wealth Without Wall Street event or I couldn't tell. Okay. No, I did not go to Nashville last year.   Mike (00:58.478) I don't think so. don't think you're... Were you in Nashville last year?   Mike (01:04.634) No, okay. No, I don't think we've met in person. Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:08.256) Okay, all good, man. All good. Well, cool. I'll just go over the format real quick. We'll do kind of a shorter recording. We're do like 30 minutes, something like in that range. And then we'll just kind of like break. And then I'll, want to record a couple of other quick segments where I call it Million Dollar Monday. I'm kind of asking you about how you made your first, last and next million. And then 1 % closer, which would just be kind of what separates you, what makes you the   top 1 % in your particular vertical. So we'll just kind of record those separately. Those will be real short, like five minutes or so.   Mike (01:44.924) Okay, yeah, I'll follow your lead. All good.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:47.15) Cool. Cool. Let's see. I think I already have this auto recording. So we're already recording. So I'll just jump right in.   Mike (01:55.377) Okay.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:57.782) Welcome to Raise the Bar Radio, hosted by yours truly Seth Bradley. We today we've got Mr. Passive, Mike Hoffman. Mike, welcome to the show.   Mike (02:08.189) Thank you for having me fired up to be here.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:10.855) Absolutely man, really happy to have you on. I know it's been a little bit of a trek here to get our schedules lined up, but really stoked to have you on today, man. I see you said you moved into a new office. You've got the whiteboard cranking, so love to see it.   Mike (02:25.372) yeah, whiteboards are the only place I can get my thoughts down.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:29.399) Yeah, man, it makes a difference when you actually write something rather than type it or even on a mirror board where you're doing it online. just there's something about physically writing something down.   Mike (02:41.328) You know, I'm glad you said that because yesterday I flipped to Seattle for a quick work trip and I didn't have wifi and I literally had three pages of just, I, was so like the clarity of some of these kinds of bigger visions I have now from just being able to write for an hour on a flight was, I was like, man, I gotta do this more often.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:00.363) Yeah, for sure. The key though is once you write it down, it just doesn't go into the trash or into a black hole somewhere where you never see it again. So that's kind of the disadvantage there. If you have it on your computer and you're taking notes or you have it on a mirror board, at least it's there to reference all the time. If you write it down on paper, sometimes, I've got my Raze Masters book right here for notes, but it's like, it might go into the abyss and I'll never look at it again. So you gotta be careful about that.   Mike (03:27.184) Yeah, yeah, I need to check out the Miro boards. I've heard a lot of good things about them.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:31.467) Yeah, yeah. Awesome, Mike. Well, listen, for our audience who doesn't know anything about you, maybe just tell them, you know, tell them a little bit about your background. Tell them about your your main business and we can take it from there.   Mike (03:43.354) Yeah. So I think for those that don't know about me, I'm a classic Midwest farm boy started with a classic, you know, showing cattle at the county fair and all of that and had a lemonade stand growing up. And then my first job was actually at McDonald's, you know, thinking about the whole success of that business model. But when I was coaching and, out of college, I got my first rental and I was like, wow, this is crazy. making money without.   really much time involved. and then with my work in Silicon Valley, know, Seth, was classic Silicon Valley, you know, cutthroat job that, startup life and traveling three weeks out of the month. And I was on, I was in airports all the time. And was like, these vending machines I would run into at airports were just so archaic. And so I went down this path of like unattended retail and kind of the future of, of that. And that's really where I just see a huge opportunity right now.   And so it's kind of what led me into all these different income streams that I'm passionate about.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:49.431) That's awesome, man. Well, let's dive into that a little bit deeper. me about these income streams. It centers around vending machines, right? But I'm sure there's a lot more to it. I'm sure there's a lot of different entry points for people. Maybe just kind of give us a general synopsis to start out.   Mike (05:06.78) Yeah, so I think the big thing with, you know, if we're talking vending specifically as an income stream, you know, most people think of vending as the traditional machines where you enter in a code, you put your card on the machine and then a motor spirals down a Snickers bar or a soda and you go into the chute and grab it.   Nowadays, there's these smart machines that literally you just unlock the door, or even if you go into, land in the Vegas airport right at the bottom of the escalator where it says, welcome to Las Vegas, there's a 7-Eleven with gates and AI cameras, and there's no employees in the 7-Eleven. And it just tracks whatever you grab and to exit the gate, you have to pay for it. So like, there's just this huge market now where we just installed it in urgent care.   less than two months ago and we can do over the counter meds in that machine because it doesn't have to fit into a motor. It's just shelf space. You identify with the planogram with the AI cameras like, okay, Dayquil in this slot or Salad in this slot and then whatever they grab, gets charged to the person that pulls it from it.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (06:15.469) That's interesting, man. Yeah, I mean, my initial thought too, was just like the traditional old vending machine where you're getting a candy bar or a cola out of there. But yeah, nowadays, now that you mentioned that, you see this more and more every single day where you've got these scanners, you've got kind of self-checkout, that sort of thing. So that's kind of, that expands that world and really opens it up to the future, right? Like it just really, that's what we're trying to get to, or at least we think we wanna get there, where we're kind of removing humans and...   kind of working with technologies and things like that.   Mike (06:49.488) Yeah, and I think, you know, removing the whole human thing. mean, those machines still got to get stocked and you know, there's not robots running around doing that. But I just come back to, I was a Marriott guy when I was on the road all the time and I'd go to these grab and goes at a Marriott and grab a, the end of the night, I'd grab like a little wine or an ice cream sandwich. And I literally had to go wait in line at the check-in desk behind three people checking in just to tell them, Hey, put these on.   room charge and I was like if I had a checkout kiosk in that grab-and-go I could have just removed all the friction for this customer experience.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:27.772) Right, 100%. Yeah, I mean, there's a place and time for it and there's more and more applications for it that just pop up every single day and you can kind of spot that in your life as you're just kind of moving through, whether you're checking into your hotel or whatever you're doing.   Mike (07:41.456) Yeah, yeah. So that's just kind of what excites me today.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:45.973) Yeah, yeah, so when a stranger asks you what you do just in the street, what do you tell them? Because I have a hard time answering that question sometimes too, but I'd love to hear what your answer is.   Mike (07:56.804) Yeah, I would just say it depends on the day. You know, what do you do or what's your, you know, it's like at the golf course when you get paired up with a stranger and they're like, tell me about what you do for your career. And I just say, I'm a classic entrepreneur. And then I'm like, well, what do you do? And it's like, well, tell me about the day. You know, what fire are you putting out? Like today we just got the go ahead for five more urgent cares for our local route. But then, you know, we have a community of operators across the country that we help really build.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:57.933) haha   Ha ha ha.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:09.879) Yeah. Yeah.   Mike (08:25.616) Vending empires and so we had a group call this morning. So literally, there's a lot of just, you know, it's classic entrepreneurial life. You never know what the day's script is gonna be.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:36.161) Yeah, for sure. And you focus a lot on not only on your own business, but also teaching others, right? Teaching others how to kind of break into this business.   Mike (08:45.402) Yeah, that's my passion, Seth. When I got into my first investment out of college was a $70,000 rental, you know, putting 20 % down or 14K and using an emergency fund. like my background in going to college was as a coach. like I knew I wanted to kind of take that mindset of like coaching people, you know, teach them how to fish. I don't want to catch all the fish myself. It's just not fulfilling that way. So that's really where my passion is.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (09:15.373) Gotcha, gotcha. tell me about like, tell me about step one. I mean, how does somebody break into this business? Obviously your own personal business is probably very advanced. There's probably a lot more sophisticated investing strategies at this point and you've got different layers to it. But somebody just kind of starting out that said, hey, this sounds pretty interesting. This vending machine business sounds like it can be passive. How do you recommend that they get started?   Mike (09:40.57) Yeah, so I'm always, I view like the whole vending scale as similar to Major League Baseball. You got your single A all the way up to the big leagues. And if you're just starting out, I always recommend like find a location where you can put a machine and just learn the process. Like to me, that's single A analogy. you know, that always starts with, people want to jump right to like, well, what type of machines do you recommend?   products, how do you price products? And the first question I'll always ask Seth is, well, what location is this machine going in? And they're like, well, I don't know yet. I was just going to buy one and put it in my garage to start. And it's like, no, you need to have the location first. So understanding that, is it a pet hospital? Is it an apartment? Is it a gym? Where is the foot traffic? And then you can cater to what's the best machine for that type of location.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (10:36.887) Got it, got it. Now is this a kind of a rent, you rent the space to place the machine with that particular business or wherever you're gonna place it or how does that all come together?   Mike (10:47.644) not typically, some people are kind of more advanced, like apartment complexes are used to the revenue share model. So they're going to ask for a piece of the pie for sure, for you to put the machine in their lobby. but like, you know, when we're talking urgent carers or even pet hospitals are viewing it as an amenity. And so we probably have, I don't even know how many machines now 75 now, and we, you know, less than half of those actually,   Seth Bradley, Esq. (10:50.423) Okay.   Mike (11:15.1) us rent or ask for a revenue share to have them in there. So I never leave lead with that, but we'll do it if we need to get the location.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (11:23.989) Interesting gotcha. So it's really a value add for wherever you're gonna place it and that's how most people or I guess most businesses would look at that and then you're able to capture that that space   Mike (11:27.366) Mm-hmm.   Mike (11:34.236) Yeah, absolutely. So, um, a great case study is we have a 25 employee roughing business here in Oregon. And you might think like, only 25 employees. It's not going to make that much money. Well, we do $1,200 a month. And the cool thing about this, Seth, is the CEO of this roughing company literally did napkin math on how much it costs for his employees to drive to the gas station during their 20 minute break. And then   How much they're paying for an energy drink at the gas station and then how much gas they're using with the roofing like the work trucks to get to and from the gas station So he's like I want to bring a smart machine into our warehouse Set the prices as half off so that four dollar monster only costs his rofers two dollars and then we invoice him the the business owner every month for the other 50 % and so he actually   Calculated as a cost savings not asking for money to rent the space   Seth Bradley, Esq. (12:35.597) Yeah, gotcha, gotcha. That makes sense. That makes sense. I love the baseball analogy with the single A, double A, triple A, even into the big leagues here. know, a lot of the folks that listen to this are already kind of, you know, in the big leagues or maybe think about some capital behind them. Like how would they be able to jump right in, maybe skip single or double A or would they, or do you even suggest that? Do you suggest that they start, you know, small just to learn and then maybe invest some more capital into it to expand or can they jump right to the big leagues?   Mike (12:48.891) Yeah.   Yeah.   Mike (13:03.966) I think they can jump right to the big leagues. this is, I'm glad you brought this up because just listening to some of your episodes from the past, there's no doubt that you have people that could buy a route like a off biz buy sell today. And I think this is a prime opportunity. it's very similar to flipping a house. you, you know, there's a route in Chicago, I think it was for $1.1 million, you know, whatever negotiating terms or seller financing or, or what have you, got a lot of, your, your   audience that is experts in that. But the cool thing about these routes is they have the old school machines that have the motors and that are limited to, this type of machine, you can only fit a 12 ounce cannon. Well, guess what? The minute you buy that route, you swap out that machine with one of these micro markets or smart machines. Now you just went from selling a 12 ounce soda for $1.25 to now a 16 ounce monster for $4.50.   Well, you just bought that location based on its current revenue numbers and by swapping out that machine, you're going to two or three acts your revenue just at that location. And so it's truly just like a value play, a value upgrade, like flipping the house of, okay, there's a lot of deals right now of these routes being sold by baby boomers where it's like, they got the old school Pepsi machine. Doesn't have a credit card reader on it. They can't track inventory remotely via their cell phones. So   They're not keeping it stocked. Like all those types of things can really play in your favor as a buyer that just wants to get to the big leagues right away.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (14:37.651) I love that. When you say buy a route, what are you really buying? Tell me about the contractual agreement behind that. What are you really buying there?   Mike (14:47.184) You're just buying the locations and the equipment associated with it. So like this Chicago route, it's like, we have machines in 75 properties all across the Chicago suburbs. And they could be medical clinics. could be apartments. could be employee break rooms at businesses, but that's when you start diving into those locations. It's like, I have a snack machine and a soda machine here. Well, you swap that out with a micro market that now instead of.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (14:49.279) Okay. Okay.   Mike (15:13.626) that machine that'll only hold a small bag of Doritos that you charge two bucks, well now you get the movie size theater bags that you can really put in there in a micro market. Like naturally just that valuation of that route based on those 75 machines current revenue, I mean you're gonna be able to two or three X your revenue right by just swapping out those machines.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (15:35.959) Wow, yeah, I love that analogy with real estate, right? It's just like a value add. It's like, how can I bring in more income from what already exists? Well, I need to upgrade or I need to put in some capital improvements, whatever you want to call it. Here's the vending machine upgrades or a different kind of system in there. And you get more income. And obviously that business in itself is going to be worth more in a higher multiple.   Mike (15:58.396) Absolutely. mean, a great example of this is we had a machine in an apartment complex and it was your traditional machine with the motors and you have to enter in the code. Well, we could only put in four 12 ounce drinks and then chips. Well, we swapped that out with a micro market. Well, now that micro market, we literally put in bags of Tide Pods for laundry, like these big bags of Tide Pods. We'll sell those like hotcakes for 15 bucks. And our old machine,   Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:25.281) Yeah, let's say those aren't cheap.   Mike (16:27.246) Yeah, our old machine Seth, it would take us to get to 15 bucks, we'd have to sell eight Snickers. That's one transaction.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:33.547) Right, right. Yeah, yeah. How do you do an analysis kind of based on like what you think is gonna sell there, right? Like you're replacing, let's say a Dorito machine with Tide Pods, you know? So you have to individually go to each location and figure out what will work, what will sell.   Mike (16:47.738) Yeah.   Mike (16:51.834) It's all about demographic. Absolutely. So, you know, we have, we have, we have a micro market and a manufacturing plant that's, it's a pumpkin farm and there's a ton of Hispanic workers. So we do a lot of like spicy foods, a lot of spicy chips. do, we do a ton of, mean, the sugar or sorry, the glass bottle cokes. They do, they love their pastries.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:53.431) Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (17:06.349) Yeah.   Mike (17:15.868) So we just doubled down on the demographics. So yesterday I was filming at one of our micro markets that's in a gym and they crushed the Fairlife protein shakes, like the more modern protein shakes, but they won't touch muscle milk. So we're literally taking out one row of muscle milk just to add an extra row of Fairlife shakes. So you're constantly just catering to the demographics and what's selling.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (17:40.632) Yeah, yeah, this is awesome. I mean, this is literally just like real estate, right? Like you go and you find a good market. You're talking about demographics, right? Find the market, see what they want, see how much you can upgrade, how you can upgrade. If it's an apartment, it's a unit. If it's here, it's the product that you're selling and the type of machine, or maybe it's a mini market. A lot of things to kind of tie your understanding to here.   Mike (17:45.926) Yeah.   Mike (18:05.904) Yeah, absolutely.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (18:07.615) Yeah, awesome, man. Awesome, Where are you at in your business? Like what, you know, what are the big leagues looking like right now? You know, what are you doing to expand your business, raising the bar in your business?   Mike (18:18.692) Yeah, I'm going after that's a really good question. I'm going after kind of these newer markets and we're kind of past that point of like, okay, let's pilot in this location. For example, that urgent care, we didn't know if it was going to be a good location two months ago when we installed. Well now it's already crushing it. Well, there's six other urgent cares in town and we just got to go ahead on five of those six. So like for me, it's doubling down on our current proof points of where.   okay, we know that manufacturing plant, the pumpkin farm does really well. So let's start getting intros to all their, manufacturers of the products they need to grow pumpkin. know, like we're just doubling down on scaling because now we have the operational blueprint to really just kind of to go after it.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:03.917) Gotcha, gotcha. Tell me about how passive this can really be, right? So I used to have, before we switched over to the new brand, Raise the Bar podcast, it was the Passive Income Attorney podcast, right? I was really focused on passive investments, focused on bringing in passive investors into my real estate deals, things like that. And I think that word passive gets thrown around quite a bit, right? And sometimes it's abused because people get into things that are not truly passive.   Mike (19:18.427) Yeah.   Mike (19:28.784) Mm-hmm.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:33.517) What's your take on that as it relates to the vending business?   Mike (19:38.49) Yeah, so I think as far as with the vending business, there's clearly upfront leg work that needs to be done, whether that's finding locations or any of those things. So I have a route that is here in Oregon, and then we bought a route last year in Illinois and have scaled that route. I spend 30 minutes a week on each route now. that these urgent cares and stuff, like we have an operator that's running the whole route.   Here's the problem, Seth. It's like people are so scared to build systems to ultimately systemize things or they're too cheap to hire help. And I'm the opposite. like, you know, kind of like Dan Martell's buy back your time. Like I have like a leverage calculator and like I constantly think about is this worth my time? Cause as you know, you're busier than me. Like it's so limited.   for me, my routes, I would consider them passive, like one hour a week is, is nothing in my mind. But as far as like, you know, I'm, I'm also a passive investor on, we're building a, an oil loop station in Florida and I sent my money a year ago to, to my, active investor and I haven't talked to him since. Like that's actually truly probably passive now, you know, I'm not doing anything, but there's, there's different levels to that. And I'm a huge believer like.   don't delegate something until you know what you're delegating. So people that want to start with the vending routes, sure, if you want to buy a route that already has an operator, that's one thing. but these, if you're starting a vending route for your kid or for your stay at home wife or whatever, as a side hustle, like get in the weeds and install that first machine. So when you hire help to take over the route, you know what you're delegating.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:09.773) Mm-hmm.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:27.021) Yeah, that's key. That's key. And you you described just like any other business, right? I think that's kind of where people get themselves into trouble. That sometimes they get sold the dream that is truly passive. And eventually it can be. I mean, you're talking about an hour a week. To me, that's pretty damn passive, right? But you know, upfront, you you've got to learn the business. You've got to know what you're getting yourself into. Like you said, you've got to learn before you delegate so that you know what you're delegating.   There is going to be some upfront work and then as you're able to kind of delegate and learn Then you can make it more and more passive as you go   Mike (22:00.88) Yeah, I mean, it's no different than what's the same when people tell you that they're busy. I mean, you're just not a priority. Like that's a fact. you're not. People say it's the same thing when people come to me and they're like, I'm so busy. It's like, okay, well let me, let me see your schedule. Where are you spending your time? You know, it's like when people are like, I can't lose weight. Okay, well let me see your food log. What did you eat yesterday? Did you have ice cream? Like this is like the same kind of thing. That's where passive I think has been really abused.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:16.097) Yeah. Yep.   Mike (22:29.638) To me, the bigger issue is like, vending is not get rich quick. And so like, if you're expecting to leave your nine to five tomorrow and vending is going to make up for that in one day, like that's not going to   Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:41.089) Right, Makes sense. Speaking of passive, do you raise capital or do you have any kind of a fund or have you put together a fund for something like this?   Mike (22:51.48) We haven't put together a fun, we're definitely buying routes is definitely becoming more and more intriguing. And I know there's some PE players starting to get into the vending game, but it's something we've been definitely considering and on our radar of do we want to.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:58.541) Mm-hmm.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:10.231) Gotcha. Cool. I mean, you brought in money partners for some of those routes yet, or is that still something you're exploring too?   Mike (23:18.168) No, I think it's just something we're thinking about. mean, what do you recommend?   Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:21.089) Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'd recommend I mean, it depends, right? Like I'm I'm scared to turn you by trade, but I don't like to say you should always raise capital no matter what. Right. Like you've been able to scale your business as you have and grown it to where it is without bringing outside capital. It sounds which is great because you own 100 percent or with whatever business partners you might have. You know, when you start raising capital, you're giving a large chunk of that piece away, not necessarily your whole company. But if you're buying   you know, a set of routes or that sort of thing. You you're gonna give a big piece away to those past investors if you're starting a fund or even if it's up. Even a single asset syndication here for one of these, you know, these routes, you could put it together that way. You know, it's just something to consider. But a lot of times when people are looking to scale fast, right, if they wanna grow exponentially, you've gotta use other people's money to get there or hit the lottery.   Mike (24:08.294) Mm.   Mike (24:15.856) Absolutely, no, agree. That's spot-on and I actually before you know the Silicon Valley company That I was part of we had a we went through probably series a B C D C ground   Let's just say we weren't very fiscally responsible. So I come from the, you know, it's like the ex-girlfriend example. I don't want to just start taking everyone's money.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (24:42.413) Yeah, yeah, that tends to happen with some startups, right? Like before you get funding, you're super frugal because it's your money and every single dollar counts. And you're like, I don't want to pay, you if it's software, you don't want to pay the software engineers. I'm going to out, you know, put it, you know, hire Indian engineers, that sort of thing. And then once you get a few million bucks that you raised in that seed round, then it just goes and you're like, whoa, wait a minute, let's hire 20 people. You know, it's you got to be careful about that.   Mike (25:05.606) Yeah   Yeah, yeah, that's a great, great take on it.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:11.245) Yeah, it's, yeah. It's a question I love to ask and I think it's about time for that. So, in a parallel universe, tell me about a different version of you. So a different but likely version, right? Like, for example, for me, I went to med school for a year and a half and then I dropped out and I ended up becoming an attorney. So that was like a big turning point, right? So I could have easily at some point just said screw it and became a doctor and that would have been a totally different route than I'm going down right now.   What's an example of something like that for you?   Mike (25:42.524) Wait, are you being serious about that? I took the MCAT too. I got into med school and then I, yeah, I was pretty mad in school. And then the more I learned about exercise science, I was like, organic chemistry is not fun.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:44.321) Yeah, totally.   yeah? There you go.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:57.39) It is not fun. I did not love that. I majored in exercise physiology and then I ended up switching to biology because it was just a little bit of an easier route to get my degree and go into med school and I went for a year and a half and then I dropped out because I absolutely hated it. I knew I didn't want to do it. I was just more attracted to business and that sort of thing.   Mike (26:16.346) Yeah, that's crazy. That's awesome. parallel universe. I, that's a really good question. I don't know. I, kinda, I have two kids under three and the other side of me wishes I would have traveled more.   you know, I mean, we'll get there hopefully when they get out of high school and someday. But right now I just think there's so many different cultural things and ways to skin the cat. And it's just fascinating to learn some of those things.   Mike (26:55.352) yourself in those cultures.   go to different cultures and really like understand how they did things for a time, a period of time to really just learn their thinking.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (27:07.777) Yeah, I love that man. I had a similar experience of what you're describing. I didn't travel abroad really other than like, you know, Canada and Mexico until I studied abroad in Barcelona during law school and I got to stay there for a couple of months. So you actually had some time. It wasn't like you're just visiting for a week or a weekend or anything like that. You got to kind of live there right for a couple of months and it just totally changed my, you know, my outlook on life and just the way that you see things like I feel like we're in the US and we just think   Mike (27:19.627) Seth Bradley, Esq. (27:37.76) US is number one and there's only one way to do things the way that we do things that kind of attitude. And then when you go to Western Europe and you see that culture and you drive or get on a train, it's like an hour away and you're in a totally different culture and they're doing it a certain way as well and it's working. You just see that other people are doing things differently and still being successful at it, still having a thriving culture and it's just awesome to see.   Mike (28:03.312) Yeah, absolutely.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (28:06.251) Yeah. Tell me about some major influences in your life. What turned you or got you into that, the vending business? It's not one of those typical things. mean, I know you're in the education business, so you're kind of really spreading the word about this type of business. But I would say when you started, there might not have been a mastermind or educational courses around this. mean, how did you kind of get drawn into that? Were there any particular people or influences that brought you in?   Mike (28:29.308) you   Mike (28:36.188) Yeah. So the, biggest influence for me to get into vending, uh, wasn't actually a person. It was actually, was, um, I had landed, I was coming back from the Pentagon from a trip back to the Bay for the startup we were talking about. And I was in the Denver airport and 11 PM, you know, our flight was delayed. And then they're like, Hey, you have to stay in the airport tonight. The pilot went over their hours for the day, blah, blah, blah. So I went to a vending machine and I remember buying a bottle of water.   I think it costs like at the time three bucks or something. I knew that bottle of water cost 20 cents at Costco. And I was like, there is someone that's at home with their kids right now making money off me and they're not even at this mission. Like the machine is doing the work. So I had like an aha moment of like, what are my true priorities in life? And like, why am I chasing this cutthroat startup from.   Palo Alto and trying to make it when reality was my priorities are freedom to spend more time with my family. So that's really kind of what led me into this path of starting a vending machine side hustle to keep our lifestyle as we had kids. We wanted to have a nanny and we wanted to be able to still go on dates and things like that as a couple with my wife. So that's really kind of my family and just like...   having the freedom to do things. Like that's what I'm really passionate about.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (29:59.084) Yeah. Yeah. I mean, building on that, and you may have already answered that, but what does success look like for you?   Mike (30:01.766) next   Mike (30:06.268) an empty calendar.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:08.621) Good luck with that. Good luck with that.   Mike (30:11.516) Oh man, I was gonna say, how do we crack that code? No, yeah. No, but I think success to me is doing things like picking up my daughter at three and even being able to say no to the things that aren't gonna get you to where you need, like the discipline piece of this too.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:15.708) man.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:33.995) Yeah, yeah, mean, you know, for me, it's kind of similar, right? It's not going to be able to empty that calendar. Not yet, at least maybe here in the future. But for now, it's pretty filled. But it is it's flexible, right? Like us as entrepreneurs, you know, we probably work more than we ever worked when we were in our W-2s. But at the same time, it's you know, we're working in our own business for ourselves, for our families. And we have the   Flexibility, a lot of people will say the freedom, right? But we have the flexibility to move things around. And if you want to pick your kids up at school at three, or you do want to take a weekend off, or something comes up in your schedule, you have the flexibility to do that. Whereas if you're kind of slaving away at the nine to five, you can't really do it.   Mike (31:04.486) Yeah. Yeah.   Mike (31:20.198) Yeah, that's spot on. mean, I just wrote that down, but flexibility is, cause you're right. When you started becoming an entrepreneur, this is what I tell people all the time when they want to get a venting around is like running your own business. You are going to work harder than you do for your boss currently at your W-2. Like you have to do payroll. You have to do, like you gotta like make sure there's money to actually do pay, you know, like all those things that you just don't even think about when you have a W-2. It's like, today's   Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:39.543) Yeah   Mike (31:48.89) You know, this Friday I get paid. Well, when you run a business, mean, that money's got to come from somewhere.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:51.905) Yeah   Right, yeah, 100%, man, 100%. All right, Mike, we're gonna wrap it up. Thanks so much for coming on the show. Tell the listeners where they can find out more about you.   Mike (32:05.286) Yeah, so thanks for having me. This has been great. I have free content all over the place. can find me on the classic Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, but I also have vendingpreneurs.com is where we help people that are more interested in actually the vending stuff. But I've been really trying to double down on YouTube lately because there's just a lot of content and you can't get it off a one minute reel.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:32.417) Love it, man. All right, Mike, appreciate it. Thanks for coming on the show.   Mike (32:35.91) Thanks for having me.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:37.227) Hi brother. Alright man, got a couple more questions for you. We do like a quick, kind of do the full podcast episode and then I'll just do kind of a quick episode that'll follow up on a Monday and then another one on a Friday. Cool.   Mike (32:55.814) See you.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:59.693) We out here.   Welcome to Million Dollar Mondays, how to make, keep, and scale a million dollars. Mike is a super successful entrepreneur in the vending machine business and beyond. Tell us, how did you make your first million dollars?   Mike (33:20.922) Yeah, Seth. It was probably actually through real estate and just getting a little bit kind of lucky with timing with COVID and short-term rentals and some of that. But yeah, that's probably how I got the first million.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:25.229) Mm.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:37.079) Gotcha, cool. Yeah, real estate usually plays a role in the everybody's strategy down the line, whether they're in that primary business or not, whether they start out there or they end up there, real estate usually plays a part. How'd you make your last million?   Mike (33:53.956) Yeah, that's a good question because it's completely different than real estate, but it's actually been vending machines. So that's been kind of fun. just, you you talk about product market fit whenever you're an entrepreneur with a business. And that was just kind of the perfect storm right now of traditional vending really kind of being outdated. And we found a product market fit with it.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:57.57) Right. Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:16.215) Gotcha. Cool. that was from, was this maybe mostly attributed to kind of buying those routes, those larger routes?   Mike (34:23.32) Exactly. Yeah. Buying old school routes and really kind of flipping them like a house with modern micro markets charging, with different products and what would fit in a vending machine, like more of the unorthodox, you know, toilet paper and tide pods and things that wouldn't fit in a traditional vending machine. I mean, we'll sell $35 bottles of shampoo in these micro markets. So just kind of, go and add it in a different way.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:49.857) Yeah, and then with the aging population, there's gotta be more and more of these things popping up. So there should be more opportunity for people to get involved or for people like yourself to just snag everything, right?   Mike (35:01.102) Yeah, I think there's no chance I could snag everything, not even just in this town alone that I'm currently in. I mean, machines are getting cheaper, the technology is getting way better with AI. And nowadays, it's not what fits in a vending machine motor. It's okay, what's shelf space? if it's a bottle of shampoo or a glass Coke, it doesn't matter because it's not just getting thrown down the chute of a traditional machine.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:05.387) Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:27.521) Makes sense, makes sense. Last, how are you planning on making your next million dollars?   Mike (35:34.3) I think probably with AI, we're doing a lot of interesting stuff with helping people scale their, their vending routes. that is applicable to any, small business. And so I'm really intrigued. Just every time I go down a rabbit hole with some new AI tool, I feel like there's another better one that just came right behind it. So I just think it's kind of that time where you can really get ahead by just learning.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:06.209) Yeah, totally makes sense. mean people that are not paying attention to AI whether it's simply using chat GPT instead of Google search are getting left behind quickly because it's just advancing so fast. I can't even imagine what this world's gonna look like five years from now the way that things are moving.   Mike (36:23.132) It's crazy. Three years ago when I was working for a tech company selling software into the government, I would have to work with three secretaries to schedule a meeting with the general to sell their software. Now my EA is literally an AI bot and everyone that's scheduling time on my calendar, they don't even know they're talking to a non-human, which is pretty   Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:43.479) Yeah, 100%. We're gonna, I predicted within five years, everybody's gonna have a humanoid robot in their home with AI instilled and they're gonna be doing physical things for us at our homes. Yeah. Yep. Yep. 100%. Awesome, All right, moving on to the next one.   Mike (36:50.181) Yeah!   Mike (36:57.917) I hope so. I hope they can go to Costco get all our groceries do our do our laundry The dishes   Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:11.501) You're clearly in the top 1 % of what you do, Mike. What is it about you that separates you from the rest of the field?   Mike (37:19.056) Ooh, that's a good question, Seth. I think it's just discipline, know, discipline and focus. One of the hardest things is being able to say no with the things that don't align. And when I was growing up, I had a quote that has really stuck with me. That's like, it's better to be respected than liked. And I think that really resonates. Like naturally as a human, you want to be liked and help people, but the 1 % are really good at saying no.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:47.649) Yeah, I love that man. That's a great answer. Kind of building on that, what do you think the number one attribute is that makes a successful entrepreneur?   Mike (37:57.468) probably focus. Yeah. Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:59.212) Yeah, focus. Yep. The one thing, right? The one thing.   Mike (38:04.186) Yep. That's why you come back to like the most successful entrepreneurs. They always niche down and they niche down because they just, got hyper-focused. Like this is kind of why for me, you know, I started this passive Mr. Passive on social media before I even got into Vendi. Well, now everyone's like, well, how passive is Vendi? And well, it's like, what's really interesting is I was posting all these different, what I thought passive income streams in the time, but everyone, 95 % of the questions I got about   Airbnbs are all my different investments was about bending. So I just niche down on, on bending and I just looked back on that and I was like, it really forced me to focus.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (38:43.263) Awesome, awesome. What's one thing someone could do today to get 1 % closer to success in the vending machine business if they are really interested in learning more?   Mike (38:53.892) tap into your connections and find a location that has high foot traffic, whether that's a friend that works at an urgent care, a sister that lives at an apartment. You know, you take your kid to that gymnastics studio that has a ton of foot traffic between 4 PM and 8 PM. Like all those locations are prime locations to put one of these modern smart machines in. so, tapping into your connections, well, you know,   Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:24.567) Love that man. Awesome. All right, Mike, I appreciate it, brother. We'll to meet in person sometime,   Mike (39:30.574) I would love to. Where are you based, Seth?   Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:31.789) I'm in San Diego, where you at?   Mike (39:34.78) I am in Eugene. Yeah, Oregon. I'll come down your way though.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:37.39) Cool We're planning on doing yeah, we're planning on doing so me and my wife we have a Sprinter van and Last May we did we did going back to the flexibility piece, right? We did 32 days in the van up through Wyoming Montana and then into like Into Canada and they're like Banff and Jasper and all the way up to Jasper and then we circled back on the west coast Through Vancouver and then down back to San Diego Yeah   Mike (40:05.52) What?   Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:06.829) Pretty wild, pretty awesome. And the reason I brought that up is this year we're gonna do shorter trip. We're probably gonna do two, maybe three weeks at the most, but we're gonna do kind of the Pacific Northwest. So Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver and all those parks and stuff up there.   Mike (40:17.254) Yeah.   Mike (40:21.744) Yeah, you definitely have a, have you been to Bend before? Bend is like my, that whole area, Central Oregon is, and even Idaho, like all those kind of, yeah. That's awesome. Please let me know when you're up this way. I mean, I'll come meet you wherever. That'd be amazing. Absolutely. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:24.641) Yeah, yeah I have.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:38.861) Sure man grab a coffee or beer. I appreciate it. Yeah, let's do it. Yeah all right brother great to meet you and I will send the information on when this is gonna get released and give you you materials and all that stuff so we can collaborate on social media   Mike (40:51.964) Okay. Okay. Yeah. Is a lot of your audience, like passive investors?   Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:58.593) So most of that, so now I'm rebranding. I rebranded because I'm gonna be speaking more towards like active entrepreneurs, Active entrepreneurs, people raising capital, that sort of thing. Whereas before it was based on passive investors and people really focused on attorneys. So I'm an attorney and I was raising capital from attorneys for my real estate deals. Now I'm really more into selling shovels. I'm scaling my law firm. I'm chief legal officer for Tribest, which is, we've got a fund to fund.   Mike (41:20.262) Mm-hmm.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:28.085) legal product there as well. So we're really trying to bring in active, active entrepreneurs and people raising capital.   Mike (41:29.777) Yeah.   Mike (41:36.572) Okay, because I got that, I was just thinking through when we talking about that oil development project, that could be a good, the guy that runs that fund could be a good interview for you. Just thinking through your audience, because he's always looking for investors into his fund and like these oil lubs are just crushing it.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:49.901) Cool. Yeah.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:58.464) Yeah, cool. Who is it? Just, I don't know if I know him or not.   Mike (42:02.183) Um, Robert Durkey, he's out of Florida. has, his problem is he's sitting on a gold mine that has no, like he's old school, doesn't know social media, any of that. So that's why I think he'd be perfect for you. Cause I think you could help him and he could definitely help you with some kickback. Yeah. So cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we meet soon. Okay. See you Seth. Bye.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:05.645) I don't think I know. I don't think I know.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:13.889) Yeah. Gotcha.   Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:20.705) Cool, okay, sounds good man. Yeah, I appreciate the introduction.   Yeah, all right brother. Talk soon. See ya. Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Mike Hoffman's Links: https://www.instagram.com/mikehoffmannofficial/ https://x.com/mrpassive_?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedhoffmann/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.passive