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Keith digs into what's really going on with apartments now that values in many markets have dropped 20–40%. You'll hear why larger multifamily properties have been hit so much harder than one-to-four unit rentals, and what that means for both current owners and new buyers. "The Apartment King," Brad Sumrok, joins the conversation to share how recent economic shifts, financing structures, and market forces have reshaped the apartment landscape—and why he believes we may be near a key turning point in the cycle. You'll also learn how investors are approaching deals differently today, what makes certain markets and property types more attractive right now.  Resources: Learn more about Brad here. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/594 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.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach 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— GREletter.com  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 us. Apartment Building values have fallen 2030, even, 40% over the past few years. Investors lost millions. What are all the reasons that it happened? And when will apartments turn around? I'm joined by the apartment king today on get rich education.   Corey Coates  0:26   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 include 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   Keith Weinhold  1:09   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 chailey Ridge personally while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com you   Corey Coates  1:40   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  1:59   Welcome to GRE from Monterrey, California to Monterrey, Mexico and across 188 nations worldwide. America's favorite shaved mammal on a microphone has got his slack. John, act back on track for another wealth building week with you. I'm Keith Weinhold. This is get rich education, and I'm still not wearing a pair of Dockers. We all know that the one to four unit space single family homes, up to four plexes have held under their values despite soured affordability, but five plus unit apartment buildings are a drastically different story. We're going to talk about just how much value they've lost recently, and the reasons why it's about more than just the interest rates doubling and tripling that began in 2022 Today's guest is an apartment educator. His students have had both losses and wins over time. I'll ask about both, because adversity is where you get the lessons now today, you might buy an apartment building at a steep discount compared to what it sold for five years ago. And who might you buy an apartment from today, it might not be the type of seller that you're thinking about because of owners defaulting you might now be buying it from a bank that had to basically repossess it. Yeah, you might try to buy it from a lender at 60% of the loan amount. Well, a lender doesn't want to do a 40% write down, so they're going to try to get more and see. That's how this could practically look today for an apartment owner that survived the crisis and is still standing today. They're asking themselves, now, why would I sell at a discount if I don't have to? So they're probably going to try to hold on. And then, of course, the tenants in these apartments don't know that any of this is going on now. I own a lot of single family rental homes myself, also apartment buildings in the one to one and a half million dollar range is where I've played, and often that ends up being eight to 12 units, because in that space, I don't need partners to invest in assets of that size. One to $2 million is also small enough so that you're not competing with institutional money and other players. Today, I'll tell you what I did with some of those buildings myself when interest rates reset about four years ago, and before you and I wrap up the show today, I've got something to tell you about what's coming in future. GRE episodes here stuff that's really unexpected as the apartment King waits in the wings. One last thing to tell you about, like I mentioned to you recently, investors say that they want an opportunity, but what they really want is certainty. Once certainty arrives, the opportunity. Is gone.    Keith Weinhold  5:01   Our GRE live event last Thursday was a success. It is about how central Florida is the most compelling housing market right now, with the builder offering rate buy downs as low as 3.75% and, you know, I just ran the numbers on something, and I can hardly believe this. All right, right. Now owner occupied mortgage rates are near 6% this means investment property rates are almost 7% with the rate by down to 4% here's how your cash flow looks with a 30 year fixed rate mortgage on a 300k loan with a 7% rate, your p and i payment is 1996 at a 4% rate. It's just 1432, this is a reduction of $564 per month, a whopping payment difference. That's really the difference between treading water and stacking cash flow on these brand new build properties that we're talking about here in Central Florida. So talking about opportunity and certainty, that is a big measure of both. Yeah, before I ran the numbers, I didn't realize that the spread was this wide. With high demand for these properties, the builder does have some more available, a long term fixed rate of around 4% it should be up for you now you can see the limited time replay of GRE, freshest live event at grewebinars.com, in case you want to look into This again, grewebinars.com let's discuss the apartment market. Foreign apartment building values have fallen at 20% 30% even 40% over the past few years, depending on the market that they're in today, we're going to learn how bad it is, why it happened, and if that actually creates an opportunity here in the late 2020s, decade, our guest is known as the apartment king. He is the number one nationally known educator and mentor for apartment investing. He started with a bang in 2002 by making his first ever real estate investment, not a four Plex like I did, but a 32 unit apartment building, and he's now owned and invested in over 11,000 units and over 1 billion in assets under management. He's received awards like the naa independent owner of the year, and he's the star of the massively popular in person events that he puts on, which you'll learn about soon. Hey, it's been several years. Welcome back to the show. Brad sumrock,   Brad Sumrok  7:46   hey, Keith. It's really good to be on again. Nice to be here.   Keith Weinhold  7:50   Brad and I were together in person last month, and we also talked physical fitness. Then Brad is one of the fittest guys you'll ever meet in person. He just looks fantastic. We want to hear about your apartment forecast shortly. Brad, let's talk about the hard stuff. First, you've endured adversity since we last had you here several years ago. Tell us about that.   Brad Sumrok  8:14    Well, look, I mean, I think anyone that's been serious about investing in apartments over the last five years. And I'll also say it this way, anyone who did a deal and say 21 the middle of 21 till probably the end of 2022 it's very likely that that property is worth less today than than it was when we bought it. So that, in itself, has created, you know, adversity, because I got into the business in 2002 and the market went up until 2008 and we went through a downturn in 2008 nine and 10, as is, I'm sure you're aware. And then the market went up again until around 2021, mid year. And then, due to so many reasons, and I could go into those reasons, but let me just just cut to the chase. That you alluded to is we had another downturn, and so the downturn, you know, impacts property values, it impacts confidence, it impacts investor appetite to do deals. It impacts just about everything related to the business, on the investment side, and the other business that I'm in, which is the seminars, the events and the mentoring. So it's been a big downturn, and we could go into those, you know, into the reasons why, and I'm sure you'd like to know my take on that. But now is a great time, because things are recovering, and one of the things Tony Robbins teaches Keith is pattern recognition. It's like I've been through two downturns, and I could see the patterns, and it occurs to me that we're at or near the bottom of a cycle. So like it's also a good time to be gearing up.   Keith Weinhold  9:50   Now, many realize but for those uninitiated on this, the one to four unit space really didn't feel much pain starting in 2022 so much of that is time. Two people get long term fixed interest rate debt on the one to four unit property, but it's shorter term debt on five plus unit apartment buildings. So when interest rates went up, people soon had to pay those higher rates. They were underwater. That's really the genesis of so much of the apartment building pain.   Brad Sumrok  10:19   Well, and I would say, look, it was, I'm going to throw a bunch of things at you here. So we had the pandemic, right? And during the pandemic, people got paid to stay home from work, right? The government printed, what, $5 trillion worth of money, right? And so that kicked off what became a period of, like, very high inflation. And you know, the published number was 9% but I think a lot of people experience certain items that were a lot more than 9% like, for example, for sure, in 2022 when we bought a 286 unit property, you know, we were able to replace all the appliances inside of a unit in The kitchen, you know, for $1,800 and even today it's like $3,200 so that's a little bit more than 9% and so we had that. So we had the printing of money, we had inflation, we had variable rate debt. Why did people do variable rate debt? The first thing I'll say is there is a place for variable rate debt. But what happened in 2021 and 2022 is the fixed rate lenders, which are typically the government sponsored agencies Fannie and Freddie. They were still lending money, but because of their criteria for lending, if you would go with one of those loans, you would get like 50% leverage the shorter term lenders that would give you the three year loans, you can still get like 75 to 80% leverage. So the vast amount of people that were buying anything in 2021 and 2022 I mean, I'm not just talking about myself. I'm talking about people with 2030, 4050, 70,000 doors all over the country, they were buying with short term debt. And historically, short term debt performs at or better than long term debt. I mean, think about it, when you get a long term, 10 year fixed rate loan and multifamily you have prepayment penalties. You know, when the market's constantly going up like it did, from 2012 to 2022 you could get that fixed term loan. You could pay it off early, you could pay the seven figure prepayment penalty, and you could still make lots and lots of money, and that's what people were doing. So when you bake in the prepayment penalties on long term debt, you know short term debt is oftentimes the better option. Well, nobody saw the Fed raising rate 16 times in 12 months. And look, I don't care what anybody says, Nobody predicted it. If they had predicted it, they would be probably the richest person in the world right now, right nobody saw a comment like, there may have been some people that said, hey, yeah, this is going to happen, or this is going to happen. But what actually happened with the Fed rates over a very short period of time was unprecedented. Unprecedented means it never happened before. So it's not something you could anticipate or something anyone can model. Okay? And so what that did is most of us had what's called an interest rate cap, which is an insurance policy that if the rates go up too much, that yours is capped. But the problem with those rate caps is they're only good for like, two years, right? So we're buying these deals in 2021 and we're getting short term debt, which is a three year debt. And in two years, in 2023 the rate cap expires, and now the rates are 9% instead of 3% and when we bought the deal, the rate cap insurance was $40,000 and now it's a million dollars. And so you're in a very awkward, unfriendly financial situation. And it wasn't just that. So it wasn't just inflation, it wasn't just interest rates. And many of us sung belt markets, specifically Texas and Florida, which historically have been some of the best markets to invest in, because of migration and no taxes, and then landlord and business friendly environments. Well, these states also suffered a lot of named storms, with, you know, hurricanes and wind storms and hail storms and so in these markets, at the same time, we had rising rates. At the same time, we had massive inflation. Now we also have insurance rates doubling or even tripling in some occasions. And then the final thing was, during the pandemic, a lot of the multifamily projects that were in the middle of being built, these development projects, they all slowed down. People couldn't work. And so back in 2020, or after we're fully recovered from the pandemic, some of these markets, like Nashville and Austin and Dallas and Houston and Phoenix, they got deluged Keith with new supply coming on, like a disproportionate amount of new supply. So there's like five. Five things that contributed to multifamily being really tough in the last few years. And so it wasn't just people with short term debt that had challenges. It was probably just about anybody that bought a deal within an 18 month timeframe that I outlined before that just really experienced challenges, and some of those people are still in deals, right? And so let's just take a deal that's, you know, a $10 million deal with a $7 million loan. Well, that deal right now might be only worth 7 million, yeah, and that's the opportunity. So the owner that has that deal may get punched in the face, so to speak, you know, by the market, and they may lose their equity in that deal, but the borrower coming in, or the buyer coming in, like one of my mentees right now, had a deal that was listed at 11 million, and he's picking it up for seven, which is, like, at or below the current loan value. So one buyer group's loss is the new buyer group's opportunity, if that makes sense   Keith Weinhold  16:03    right? 100% there's nothing unusual at all about the mortgage rate levels that began to go higher about four years ago. The unusual part, and Brad has touched on it, is the rate of increase, with mortgage rates doubling or tripling in a short period of time, within about a year or so, but yeah, it's a great point. It's about more than the mortgage rates. It's about increasing insurance costs and increasing expenses of all types, like you talked about with the appliances there, and then, even if you were able to weather all that as an apartment building owner, with all of the supply coming on to the market, when supply exceeds demand, we know what happens to price, and we also know that you can't raise rents very much with all of this supply coming on the market, but the supply of new apartment buildings, that inflow, that wave, is beginning to die down, because builders got the memo quite a while ago that they need to stop building at such a fast pace in places like Florida and Texas and you know, Brad, there are a lot of asset classes that have been beaten up lately. We can always point to a few. You can look at Bitcoin or nfts or even commercial office space. Now those assets might bounce back, but they don't have to, because no human needs those things. But I expect apartments to bounce back because having a place to live is a primordial Maslow and human need. It's almost inevitable. In fact, shelter is at the base of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. So a bounce back has almost got to happen. Yeah.   Brad Sumrok  17:46   Look, it's becoming the big word right now in politics. Right is affordability. And so when you look at affordability, if you take a median priced home in this country of say, $400,000 I don't know if that's the actual median, but maybe it's around 400 420,000 100, $420,000 yes, to buy that home. And who's going to buy a $420,000 home? It's going to be a working class family making 60 to 70,000 a year, right? They could rent a median priced apartment unit for $1,800 a month, or they could pay a 20% or a 10% down payment on a $400,000 homes, and they need 40 to 80,000 down right, or maybe less, but they still need a down payment and that p i, t i, the principal, interest, tax and insurance is going to be around $3,100 okay, so there's a $1,300 per month gap, and that's a big, big gap for that working class family. And so where are they going to live? Like we're becoming more and more of a renter nation? Keith, and the statistics that I read say that only 27% of American families can even qualify to get a mortgage, yeah, on a $400,000 home. So we're becoming more and more and more of a nation of renters by necessity. And so the demographics like look, all markets are not equal. You got to know what's going on in your market. But there are markets, ie locations, geographies that have even a higher affordability gap. You know, some markets have a 2000 a month or a $2,500 a month affordability gap. So you're going to find more and more people renting in these markets.   Keith Weinhold  19:37   Yes, there is a premium to ownership opening up that gap, and that's why we have this wave of renters that's really already begun. In about the last year, the American homeownership rate has fallen from 66% to 65% 1% doesn't sound like much, but that already means that we have 1.3 million new renters. We're going to talk to Brad some more, including about. His apartment market forecast you're listening to get rich education. Our guest is apartment King. Brad sumrock, more when we come back, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold,    Keith Weinhold  20:09   flock homes helps you retire from real estate and landlording, whether it's one problem property or your whole portfolio through a 721 exchange, deferring your capital gains tax and depreciation recapture. It's a strategy long used by the ultra wealthy. Now Mom and Pop landlords can 721, the residential real estate request your initial valuation, see if your properties qualify@flockhomes.com slash GRE. That's f, l, O, C, K, homes.com/gre,   Keith Weinhold  20:45   you know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why? Fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products. They've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest. Start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom family investments.com/gre, or send a text. Now it's 1-937-795-8989, yep. Text their freedom. Coach, directly. Again. 1-937-795-8989,   Hal Elrod  21:58   this is Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning, and listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream.   Keith Weinhold  22:13   Welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. We're talking about a sector we have not talked about very much lately because it's been in rather moribund condition, but we are beginning to turn the corner where there are more opportunities in apartment building investing, because it's been beaten down an awful lot. And Brad, that plays right in to your apartment forecast. So tell us about some of the highlights of your apartment forecast.   Brad Sumrok  22:38   Yeah, sure. And one of the things that I want to share with you, Keith, is that, you know, back in the peak of the market, the market peaked, say, at the end of 21 early 22 there were so many investors that were in multifamily or that wanted to be in multifamily. And the other thing that caused this so called, you know, downturn that I didn't mention before is, let's take this $10 million deal. If a property was listed at $10 million you'd literally have 30 to 40 buyer groups pursuing that deal, bidding up the price. Yeah. And so a $10 million Listing would sell for 11 and a half million Okay, now what I'm seeing is that same $10 million deal might sell for a seven to 8 million and you might be the only buyer going after the deal. Wow. And how do I know? Because you said, like, I run a an investor community and and I have active multifamily buyers, and I coach them, and I look at their deals, and this is what's happening. And the other reason I know is I sold two of my deals personally in 2025 and both of the deals that I sold, I bought in 2015 where we had 10 year fixed rate debt. So we didn't sell because we had a three year loan. We needed to sell because we had a 10 year loan due. And look, first thing I'll say is I made money, because over that 10 year period, values did go up. They peaked in 2022 and they came back down that because I bought it so long ago. That's the one lesson that I think people also want to understand, is over the long term, the values always tend to go up, but there are short term ups and downs that one would need to be aware of. But when I sold these two deals like I didn't have many buyers one deal in particular. I mean, I had eight buyers going after the deal, but only one was anywhere close to what I wanted. So I was negotiating with myself, you know, telling the buyer and his broker, hey, you know the other guys are here, and you got to come up on price and you got to come up on terms. But truthfully, I was bluffing, because I didn't have anybody that was coming up on price or coming up on terms. And so part of why I'm answering this way is when you look at the forecast, one thing that that I want people to know is that those. Of us that are in the business now and that have our pencils up, and we're underwriting deals, and we're making offers, like I used to teach Keith, don't make lowball offers, because you'll develop a reputation of being that guy or that borrower or that buyer that submits lowball offers, right? And word will get around in that market? Well, right now, like low ball offers are expected, and I would encourage people, let's just say you make an offer that whatever the deal pencils out to. So if you know how to underwrite deals correctly, and they're offering 10 million as a listing price, and you're coming up at seven or 7.5 don't be bashful to make the offer, and you may be the only buyer in the game. So that's one thing is like the competition that I'm seeing right now on the buyer side is not a lot of competition, and that's definitely shifted to a buyer's market. So people need to know that. The other thing I would say, on the macro level, is there's still a lot of uncertainty out there, and the uncertainty is kind of becoming like what I would call a new normal. You know? I'll speak for myself. When Trump was elected and at the end of 2024 I thought it was going to be amazingly well for all of us real estate investors, right? And there are some things that have been like the big, beautiful bill that restores 100% bonus depreciation like this is a really good thing, but you know, the tariffs, the immigration policies, some of the things that he's doing, you know, they have mixed impact for us and our in the economy and in real estate and in multifamily. And the thing is, when he first started doing that again, like lenders, they didn't know how to price debt, like, what's going to happen with tariffs, what's going to happen with ice what's going to happen with immigration, you know? But now that we're a year in to his second term, I can tell you a couple things. Debt is back. Lenders are lending. They're confident. Lenders are issuing debt like you can get 70 to 75% of your acquisition funded by a commercial lender. The government agencies are lending. Freddie Mac is lending. Fannie Mae is lending, and they have a mandate to lend 20% more money in 2026 than they did in 2025 so that bodes well for people that want to get, you know, affordable workforce housing, which is my specialty, also known as Class B and Class C housing. So the lenders are lending like, there's a lot of debt out there. One of the challenges is the equity. There's a lot of institutional equity. But if you're going to the retail investor who got into the business three to five years ago. They don't want to hear about your next deal right now, they're wondering about, hey, what about the deals that I'm in? Right? So one of the things that I'm doing, Keith is, and I think, you know, this is like, you know, I build up a huge investor community from 2012 to 2022 and I did it by traveling the country, speaking at conferences, sponsoring trade shows, talking about the benefits of investing in apartment buildings, how it changed my life, how it enabled me to retire from a six figure income in just three years, and how I've helped many, many other people Do the same, and also just sharing experience today, every asset class, every 10 to 15 years is going to go through a correction. And so where we're at now. And I wasn't the only one on the forecast. I brought in John Chang who is the senior intelligence officer at Marcus and millichep, one of the biggest commercial real estate firms in the country, and he presented about 20 or 30 slides that by and large were very bullish on where we're at in the market cycle. Why now is a great time to be looking at apartment buildings, a lot of the same things that I've been talking about. Prices are down. It's a buyer's market. We have a huge affordability issue. More and more people are becoming renters, and so what I'm committed to do, Keith and I don't know if I shared with you my travel schedule, like when we met each other last month, but I'm on the road every single week going to another city, talking about where I see us right now in the market, and why people should be looking at deals and making offers right now. Because to me, you know, Warren Buffett said it best. He's like, you want to be fearful when everybody else is being greedy, and you want to be greedy when everybody's being fearful. And right now, people are on the sidelines. They're waiting for some green light, like for the Wall Street Journal to come out and say, Hey, now's a good time, you know? I mean, look, Trump, just the point of the new Fed chair, right? And so we know interest rates are going to go down like that's one of his goals, and the guy that he appointed is going to lower rates. So we're looking at a future, a very near future, where we have lower rates, and lower rates is going to create more demand, again, for people that want to buy. I invest in apartments now, look, if you wait another year, I still think it's going to be a good time, but I think we have a better time right now.   Keith Weinhold  30:10   I sold one apartment building in 2022 for about $1 million and I sold another one of my apartment buildings in 2023 for about $1 million I had bought those in 2013 with 10 year balloon loans, so I was enjoying that nice fixed rate as late and as long as I could, until 2022, nine years and 2023, 10 years before the rate went up on me. But of course, my new buyer had to pay that rate, so it limited the amount that they could offer for it. However, to your point about investing for a long time horizon, I still had profits on those nine and 10 year holds, but yeah, to your point, Brad about the looser lending, this is huge. I read a summary of the latest national Multifamily Housing Council meeting, and one of the biggest takeaways that came out of that meeting is that there is abundant debt available. It's in increasingly attractive terms. And a lot of people think about mortgages, and they just think about the rates, and you should that's certainly important, but they don't think as much about the propensity for others to lend. How loose, or how tight are those standards? They're loose, yeah.   Brad Sumrok  31:25   And, I mean, look, the first deal I did in 2002 the interest rate was 6.35% the rates right now are less than that, you know, as of the date of this recording. So, you know, I always talk about a base case of a $10 million deal. It may seem large to you or to people listening, but like in my world of syndication, where we're not just looking at the real estate piece, but learning how to raise money to buy real estate so we could have a bigger property that's professionally managed and become a true business owner like Robert Kiyosaki talks about, do you want to be self employed? I tell my students, buy a six Plex. Do you want to own an apartment business by 60 units and hire a management company? So when I'm talking about this $10 million deal, you know, you can get a $7 million loan right now for probably in the mid 5% and it would be non recourse, and you could probably get three years of interest only, meaning for the first three years, you're going to have a higher cash flow. So like, this is a really good loan compared to 2021 when we could get 3% debt. It's not but remember that 3% loan was a short term loan. You know, it wasn't a 10 year fixed rate loan, it was a short term loan, and we all saw what happened with that when they raised rates so many times in such a short period. So the fixed rate debt is very competitive based on, like, the long term, 20 year average, and it's lower than it was when I started.   Keith Weinhold  32:55   Well, we've been talking about elements of your apartment market forecast, and of course, that's going to inform your Buy Box. Brad, you mentor students constantly and oftentimes we think about a Buy Box. We think about then in terms of geographic market, but as we look for an opportunity, we also might think about some other things in your Buy Box, for example, new build versus vintage build. So with all of this traveling you do, and you're in the markets, and you're informing students, and you're looking at students prospective deals as well. But tell us more about what a good buy box is for the near term in apartment buildings.   Brad Sumrok  33:36   Yeah. So look like what is in the buy box, right? So one is going to be your location. And so, you know, how do I select a good location? Just some tips and strategies around that is, I look for landlord and business friendly environments. In other words, if the tenant doesn't pay, do they get to stay or not, you know, so I like to be in market so that they don't pay, that we could legally, you know, not have them consume our product for a long period of time. So I also look at things like job growth and population growth, affordability gap. New supply is a percentage of inventory, you know, the new supply coming online in a diversified economy. So, like, you want to get your geographies nailed down. Like, where you buy matters, like, there's no substitute to I would rather pay more for a property in a location that meets that criteria than less for a property that doesn't. Yeah. So geography is important. You want to pick your property size, like, how many units, or what's the price point. Okay? And this is huge, because if you're gonna buy your own deal with your own money, which is another reason I prefer syndication. Let's say you have pick a number, 100,000 to invest. Like you can only buy a $300,000 property, two units somewhere, three units somewhere, you know. Or zero units somewhere, right, right? So if you have expanded your you know, your mind and your skill set to do a syndication 100,000 doesn't limit you to your own money, you know. And then I would say, Well, what is a great size for a first time syndicator is I would target somewhere around 60 to 80 units, and at 100,000 a unit, which is a ballpark price for maybe a nice B class property or high C Class property, and a market that meets the criteria that I outlined earlier. You know, you're looking at, say, a six to $8 million property. And so what you could do from there, Keith is, you could say, Okay, well, you know, this is why, like in my educational course, I use a $10 million property, because the numbers are easy. But even just say, Well, I'm going to do an $8 million property, you'd say, Okay, I need two to 3 million down, depending on the debt, right? And then I'm going to get a the balance in a loan, you know, because you could get a 70 to 75% loan. So then you ask, Well, where am I going to get to 2 million, right? If I have 100 I need $1.9 million and so then you got to start thinking about like, do I have access to people or work or in the neighborhood or at the community or at the church, you know, or do I go to masterminds and conferences and meetup groups like, where I saw you Keith last month, like, there's a lot of investors there with a lot of money, right? And some of them are looking to be passive investors. And so, you know, there's a whole nother conversation around, you know, raising capital. And if you can't raise capital, then you may want to bring in some people on your GP team that could help you raise capital, as long as you're following, like the SEC compliance and again, that's another discussion. That's the importance of having the buy box so you have your geography, your property size, your property class. You know, again, if you just want the new construction stuff. There's some people out there, like big name, famous people, that are highlighting their 800 unit a class deals that they're buying. And of course, like you or I that are just getting started, can't go buy that deal. And so why? You know the institutions are going after the large A class properties in the best areas. And so where I've made my niche Keith, and what I would recommend most people start is start with the older vintage properties, start with the 1970s properties, and then maybe work your way up to the 1980s and 1990s properties. And why is this is because the institutions don't want those properties, and they're still able to be professionally managed. Like, if you go and buy 100 unit C Class property, as long as it's not in a bad neighborhood with, like, high crime or whatever like that. Like, these are very honest, hard working, working class people that need a clean, safe and functional place to live, and you'll be able to get better returns on a C or A B class, also known as like the cap rate. And again, that's another discussion, but you'll be able to get a better return on an older vintage property than you would on a vintage property. And you're not competing with the institutions, but you're also not competing with the mom and pops, because the mom and pops are going to take that 100,000 they have and go buy a duplex. You know, they're not going to want to syndicate a deal. They're not going to want to have partners. They're not going to want to deal with the so called complexities of buying a company. And that's what buying an apartment community is, Keith, it's buying a company. You're buying a business that has an income stream already being generated those customers, they're called residents. They're called tenants, you know, but if you just go upstream from buying real estate or buying an apartment building, we're buying a cash flow producing business that's existing, that's in place, and then our job is to figure out how to run it better and more efficiently. You the   Keith Weinhold  39:04   You the listener, you might have access to, say, 500k in equity that's sitting in your existing properties. And some of these numbers that Brad and I are throwing around are rather large, $10 billion but one of the biggest epiphanies that I think your students have is that doesn't need to be much of your own money. We're talking about what's called the capital stack to take down a $10 million apartment building. Maybe you borrow seven and a half million of that. Maybe you raise 2 million of that from your other investors in the syndication, and then you put your 500k into the deal, and there you have $10 million in order to make that purchase. But yes, that does involve a learning curve and the SEC rules and all that. But the big takeaway here is you don't need much of your own money. You can leverage other people's money, even for the down payment. And Brad, you're also an expert at showing people how to pay almost. Zero tax, which is another discussion unto itself, but some of your students start with zero experience, and within a few short years, I mean, you've had hundreds of people that have either retired early or increased their net worth by over a million dollars. A lot of success stories,   Brad Sumrok  40:17   yeah, look, I mean, I started with no previous real estate investing experience. My experience was going to college, studying hard, getting decent grades, becoming an engineer, you know, being fired once, being laid off once, and reading Robert Kiyosaki books that motivated me to to go out and seek specialized education. And I think it was Jim Rohn that said formal education, like degree could get you a job, and specialized education like you can get in a conference or a mastermind or a mentorship program. And that's also how I started. I went to a weekend workshop back in 2001 and I bought the mentorship program. And boy, I'm glad I did, because, you know, that's how I got into my first 62 units. So you don't need to have experience. What you need to have is a powerful reason, a powerful why? Why do I want to be financially free? Like apartments is just a vehicle. I didn't choose apartments because I love departments. I choose departments because they cash flow, they go up in value, and you have amazing depreciation benefits.   Keith Weinhold  41:23   Yeah, I'm the same. I don't love apartments in a way. I don't love real estate. I love what these things do for me    Brad Sumrok  41:30   exactly. Yeah? So, like, you don't have to have experience. In the other category, of people that have come into my community that don't have apartment experience, a lot of them have real estate experience, Keith, that are doing, like, single family homes, short term rentals, or maybe smaller, multi unit deals. And they listen to a show like this, and they're like, huh, I want to transition from doing these smaller types of assets with my own money and self managing to scaling into a syndication.   Keith Weinhold  42:03   Brad has taken countless people from get rich education to got rich education. His core values are faith, finance, fitness, family and fulfillment. He is committed to helping people experience not just financial success, but personal fulfillment, purpose, contribution, freedom and Brad and his investor community have contributed over $1 million to charity. Is really the person you want to learn from if you want to think about going bigger with multifamily apartment buildings. This has been great, Brad. Let our audience know how they can connect with you and learn more?   Brad Sumrok  42:42   Yeah, sure. So I would say this is where I should just be very clear here, okay, but I'm gonna give a couple options, because that's what I'm so of course, there's a website which is my first and last name.com, B, R, A, D, S, U, M, R, O, k, for those of you on social media, I respond to my own social so you'll find me again. B, R, A, D, S, U, M, R, O, K, on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.   Keith Weinhold  43:13   Brad, it's been so valuable. It seems like American apartment buildings are in for redemption story here. It's been great having you back on the show.   Keith Weinhold  43:29   Brad and I both emphasize physical fitness, and we chatted about that a good bit when we were together last month. I think he looks better than me. To summarize, the reasons for this historic collapse in apartment building values. It was the combination of soaring interest rates, massive inflation, spiking insurance costs, construction soared, and it created an oversupply, and that oversupply still is not absorbed. In fact, according to the outlet apartment list, the National multifamily vacancy rate recently hit 7.2% that's the highest in the history of the index, which dates back to 2017 and that's chiefly due to apartment oversupply. Have apartments really hit the bottom? Brad just said, we're at or near the bottom, and it's a good time to be gearing up as far as what's coming. To give you an idea of new apartment supply, what takes about two years from construction start to completion. And now you can't just have all US apartment construction come to a complete stop. You have to keep people working. And there are almost 400 MSAs in the United States, so you couldn't coordinate a complete ceasing of construction across every area. So how about the level of new construction starts in apartment units today, and the way that HUD counts it is the number of units started in buildings of five plus units the recent peak. Was about 600,000 annually in 2023 and today it's closer to 400,000 there it is that slowing pace of new apartment construction. If you jump into multifam, be careful of properties with deferred maintenance, because understand that you have a lot of underfunded owners Now Brad can tell you specifically what to look out for his rat race to retirement event is March 28 and 29th in Dallas. It's a two day hands on workshop. You'll learn how to find apartment deals, how to underwrite deals, how to raise capital management and your exit. Discover how you can retire in five years or less by owning apartments again. His website is Brad sumrock.com    Keith Weinhold  45:49   coming up on future episodes here on the get rich education podcast. We're about to go on a run. The next stretch of GRE is loaded. We've got fresh topics with some game changing monolog content that I'm going to share with you new guests, distinguished experts, we're going to break down an innovative way to sell properties that could completely change how you think about your exit strategy of the 50 US states. I'm going to discuss some awful states to invest in, including ones with population loss. On another episode, a distinguished subject matter expert and I are going to dive deep on does America really have a housing shortage, not in apartments which are oversupplied, but is there a shortage in the one to four unit space? That's our topic, because you probably heard contradictory information in the media about whether there's a shortage or not, and then some outlets say there's a housing shortage of 2 million units. Others, 10 million. They're all over the place. We're going to sort it out on an upcoming episode. Does America really have a housing shortage? Then the youngest guest to ever appear on the show will be with us. He's a 19 year old college student that has a real estate investing related major, and since last year, he and I have befriended each other. He was born in about 2006 so it'll be interesting to see how he views the investing world and what they teach him about real estate investing in college today, he is probably the most impressive teenager that I've ever met in my life. Then six weeks from now, we will have an epic get rich education podcast episode 600 on a subject as paradoxical and complete with a GRE contrarianism That builds real wealth, debt is the American dream will be episode 600 if you're serious about building wealth, be sure to follow or subscribe to the show. We are going on a run. If you know someone in your life who needs to think differently. If you know one investor who's still waiting for perfect conditions. This will help them tap the Share button and tell them about the show until next week. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your daydream.   Unknown Speaker  48:14   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  48:42   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth, building, get richeducation.com  

Think you're just “not a people person”? Most tech leaders quietly believe this about themselves, and it's exactly what's holding them back.In this episode, Martijn Versteeg, founder of peer leadership community Group Effort and former CPTO with a background in organizational psychology, makes the case that it's not: human behavior follows predictable patterns you can understand and work with, just like any system. The conversation covers a six-variable model for understanding what drives behavior and disengagement on your team, why popular personality tools like MBTI and DiSC often do more harm than good, and a clear structure for delivering bad news without the usual stress buildup. We also get into what it really takes to let go of hands-on coding when you move into leadership, why developing a product mindset matters even if product isn't in your title, and the psychological risks of heavy AI use that most teams still aren't thinking about.Key topics discussed:The 6 human needs that predict human behaviorWhy MBTI and DiSC often do more harm than goodHow to stop avoiding difficult conversationsDeliver bad news clearly using a 10-second ruleWhy becoming a bottleneck is a slow career killerBuilding a product mindset when you're in techThe mental health risks of heavy AI useWhat peer groups give you that books can'tTimestamps:(00:00:00) Trailer & Intro(00:03:06) Why Small Steps Matter More Than Career Turning Points(00:05:11) About Martijn Versteeg(00:07:01) How Can I Learn People Skills Systematically?(00:13:19) Six Human Needs That Predict Behavior(00:17:28) How Does It Compare to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?(00:19:49) Why Are Personality Tests Like MBTI Unreliable?(00:23:20) How Do I Use Pain and Pleasure to Drive Growth?(00:28:30) How Do I Handle Conflict and Difficult Conversations?(00:32:47) A Model for Delivering Bad News in 10 Seconds(00:36:12) How Do I Transition from Tech Lead to Engineering Leader?(00:41:12) How Do I Let Go of Coding as a Leader?(00:42:49) The Vanilla Orchid Story: Why Leaders Must Let Go(00:46:55) How Can Engineers Develop a Product Mindset?(00:53:17) What Are the Hidden Risks of AI for Mental Health?(01:02:19) What Is the Value of Learning Through Podcast Conversations?(01:07:19) Why Consuming Knowledge Is Not the Same as Producing(01:09:06) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Martijn Versteeg's BioMartijn Versteeg is the founder of Group Effort, a Netherlands-based collective that empowers tech and product leaders across Europe through peer groups, offsites, and specialized training. As a key figure in the global product community, he is also an organizer of the Product Mastery Conference, where he helps curate insights for the next generation of product leaders.Before founding Group Effort, Martijn built and successfully sold an EdTech IT platform and spent over five years as an Agile coach and Scrum Master. His unique perspective on leadership is rooted in high-performance athletics; at just 22 years old, he served as the National Rowing Coach for Singapore.Today, Martijn is a vocal advocate for community-led learning. He frequently challenges leaders to move past the search for “golden nuggets” of wisdom and instead focus on the consistent, incremental iterations that solve the “hard people stuff” in scaling organizations.Follow Martijn:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/versteegGroup Effort – groupeffort.nlNewsletter – groupeffort.nl/newsletterFree training on Massive Action-Taking for Product Leaders – groupeffort.nl/actionLike this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/248.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

Bienvenue dans Entrez ! Plat, Dessert. Dans cette série, notre journaliste Audrey Largouët part sur le terrain et se faufile dans les cuisines des chefs !Pour ce dernier épisode de la saison, on prend la direction du 3ᵉ arrondissement de Paris pour une immersion chez Maslow Temple, l'une des adresses végétariennes les plus en vue de la capitale. Aux côtés de Mehdi Favri, chef exécutif et cofondateur du groupe Maslow, on explore une nouvelle manière de proposer de la cuisine 100% végétale.Grands classiques revisités, volumes assumés, sourcing exigeant et organisation pensée pour limiter l'impact environnemental : ici, la contrainte devient un véritable terrain de jeu créatif.Une immersion avec les équipes passionnées de Maslow, de la réception des produits au service. Équipes qui ont un défi de taille en tête : changer le monde, rien que ça, ou du moins mettre d'accord végétariens et viandards… en parlant à l'œil et aux papilles. Un épisode garanti sans tofu !Cette série audio est réalisée en collaboration avec Eureden Foodservice et produite par Lacmé.Journaliste : Audrey Largouët ; Réalisateur : Benjamin Macé ; Productrice : Alice Deroide ; Vidéaste ; Édouard Jacques Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

==============================================SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1==================================================== DEVOCIÓN MATUTINA PARA MUJERES 2026“SUBLIME BELLEZA”Narrado por: Sirley DelgadilloDesde: Bucaramanga, ColombiaUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist Church===================|| www.drministries.org ||===================22 de FebreroComplejo de JonásJonás huyó del Señor (Jonás 1:3).El Complejo de Jonás fue nombrado por Abraham Maslow, psicólogo y autor de la teoría de la jerarquía de las necesidades humanas. En la pirámide de Maslow, la autorrealización como necesidad ocupa el lugar más alto y es anhelada recién una vez que otras necesidades anteriores son atendidas, tales como: necesidades fisiológicas, necesidades de seguridad, necesidades sociales y necesidades de estima.Jonás recibió la misión de predicar en Nínive, capital de Asiria y una de las mayores y más crueles ciudades del mundo antiguo. Ante esa comisión, Jonás pensó: "Es imposible. ¡Creo que Dios se equivocó esta vez!". Ignorando la sabiduría de Dios y dudando del poder divino, abrió una brecha para que Satanás lo desalentara y huyó.Bien, pensemos: ¿no era esa una responsabilidad pesada? Sí, lo era. Pero aquel que lo había enviado tenía todas las condiciones para asegurar su éxito. Si hubiera confiado, Jonás se habría ahorrado las energías gastadas en el miedo, el fracaso y la inseguridad.No creo que Jonás tuviera sus necesidades como explica la teoría de Maslow, pero quizá su pirámide debería haber contenido la necesidad de dependencia divina: el escalón esencial para la autorrealización.Según Maslow, Jonás sería el arquetipo de quien teme a la autorrealización y huye o se esconde, saboteándose a sí mismo y renunciando a su propia vocación. En verdad, Jonás temía ser ridiculizado, si Dios perdonaba al pueblo y sus predicciones no se cumplían. Dios le dio a Jonás la oportunidad de repensar sus mediocres conclusiones, enviando una tormenta.Esa tormenta tenía un propósito especial, y Dios no la aquietaría antes de tiempo. Los marineros místicos echaron suertes, y esta cayó sobre Jonás. Él les contó que había huido de Dios. Y fue lanzado al mar.Dios seguía al control: un gran pez lo tragó. Y, después de tres días y tres noches en ese ambiente oscuro y maloliente, Jonás percibió su pequeñez. Todavía había cosas por aprender, pero era una lección a la vez. Entonces el pez vomitó a Jonás en tierra seca, y él fue a Nínive.Dios también nos dio una misión intransferible. Mientras la realizamos, tenemos la oportunidad de experimentar a Dios y las grandes cosas que él puede realizar por nuestro intermedio.No sé cuál es tu misión, pero no dudes de lo que él es capaz de hacer. Avanza en la completa dependencia divina y observa el milagro. 

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What if you could diagnose exactly where you are on the happiness scale—and why? In this groundbreaking episode, Harry Loyd unveils his brand-new "Subjective Life Quality Index"—a 7-stage chart that maps human happiness from rock bottom (0) to enlightenment (10+). Dr. Alex Loyd calls it "as good, if not better" than Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Erikson's Stages of Development, and Kübler-Ross' Stages of Grief. This is the chart's first public presentation. You're seeing it before it's even digitized. ✓ What You'll Discover: ✓ The 7 stages of subjective life quality (0-10+) and where most people get stuck ✓ Why "waiting on the world" (7) is a transitory stage you can't stay in ✓ The "empty cup" trap (5-6): dependency, anxiety, and the "I'll be happy when..." cycle ✓ Why most people are stuck at a 5 (the dependent/anxiety zone) ✓ The honeymoon effect: why happiness from worldly things only lasts 5 minutes to 6 months ✓ Learned helplessness (3-4): the depression zone and why it's sustainable (which makes it dangerous) ✓ Destructive behavior (1-2): hedonism, materialism, narcissism—when desires become needs ✓ Rock bottom (0-1): disillusioned—but why this stage can actually move you UP ✓ The two paths from "waiting on the world": deserving vs. contending ✓ Jacob (8): when pain becomes meaningful and suffering minimizes ✓ The High Road (10+): enlightenment, fulfillment from BEING not achieving ✓ Fragmented intent: the "last enemy" that keeps you from staying at 10+

Hoy hablamos de: 1. Los niveles humanos pueden interpretarse a través de las teorías de Abraham Maslow, Clayton Alderfer, David Hawkins y Lawrence Kohlberg. 2. Alderfer plantea tres niveles simultáneos: existencia, relación y crecimiento. 3. El nivel más bajo está dominado por la supervivencia, el miedo y el orgullo. 4. El miedo acompaña todos los niveles, pero en su forma exagerada limita al ser humano. 5. Históricamente, la humanidad ha permanecido mayormente en el nivel de supervivencia. 6. El nivel relacional introduce amor y alegría como experiencias humanas más elevadas. 7. Muchas acciones humanas siguen motivadas por miedo al castigo o necesidad de aceptación (Kohlberg). 8. El nivel más alto implica actuar por convicción ética y principios universales, no por miedo. 9. La “gran paradoja”: el miedo y el orgullo que nos frenan son en gran parte construcciones mentales. 10. La evolución humana consiste en pasar del miedo y el ego a la conciencia, el corazón y la ética. Música: 1. soundcloud.com/nhamer-garcia/hamer-metamorphosis 2. Valkiria. Nhamer García. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwSu1nKgAo Si quieres invitarme a algo, puedes hacerlo aquí: 1. https://www.ivoox.com/support/36379 2. Paypal: contacto@buscadoresdesentido.es 3. Transferencia a nombre de Álvaro Gómez Contreras en la cuenta: ES98 1491 0001 2930 0007 5447 Si quieres contactarme puedes hacerlo en : contacto@buscadoresdesentido.es

Welcome to Mid-Week Momentum—your short reset to refocus, realign, and keep leading your life… on purpose.Today, let's talk about something simple…but life-changing.Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Let's dig in!

If your goal is to "recover from your eating disorder," what happens when you get there? Then what? Here's the problem: When you set the goal to recover, you're setting a goal with a finish line. But recovery isn't a destination. It's a journey of BECOMING. In this episode, I'm challenging you to shift your focus from what you want to change to who you need to become to achieve freedom. And it starts with understanding your NOW needs. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, I break down why you can't move forward in recovery if your basic needs aren't even being met—and what to do about it RIGHT NOW. In this episode, you'll discover: Why setting a goal to "recover" sabotages your success What recovery will make OF you (not just what it will give you) The problem: You're reinforcing a belief that you can't find freedom Maslow's Hierarchy explained: Basic needs → Psychological needs → Self-fulfillment Why you can't function without basic needs met (food, water, sleep, safety, stability) How the eating disorder hijacks your brain and keeps you from meeting essential needs Why low self-esteem and broken relationships stem from unmet BASIC needs The shift: Stop focusing on what you want to change, start focusing on who you want to BECOME One challenge: Do one thing every day you don't want to do How to validate your feelings, own your needs, and grant yourself permission The truth: No one is going to recover FOR you—you have to do something about it The wake-up call: You decide where your time goes. And if you don't decide, the world will decide for you. MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS & ED RECOVERY The 5-Tier Model: 1. BASIC/SURVIVAL NEEDS (Foundation) Food, water, air, sleep, shelter, clothing, safety, stability, predictability The problem: When your brain has been hijacked by an eating disorder, you're not even getting these basic needs met. Without nourishment, you literally can't function. 2. PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS (Built on Basic Needs) Social connections, relationships, self-esteem, confidence, intimate connection, friendships, accomplishments, independence, self-respect The truth: If your basic needs aren't met, your psychological needs WON'T be met. This is why you have low self-esteem. This is why relationships feel broken. 3. SELF-FULFILLMENT NEEDS (Top of Pyramid) Problem-solving, growth, exploration, creativity, purpose, meaning The reality: You can't get here if you're not nourishing your body. Without basic needs met, self-fulfillment is impossible. THE SHIFT: FROM RECOVERING TO BECOMING Stop asking: "How do I recover from this eating disorder?" Start asking: Who do I need to BECOME to gain freedom? What does freedom look like to me? What are my NOW needs? What can I do TODAY to honor where I want to go TOMORROW? The truth: Your past and current distorted identity has created your current reality. It sabotages your success. This false identity creates negative habits that lead to negative outcomes—and reinforces the cycle. The problem isn't that you can't do it. The problem is you're consistently staying in the cycle that reinforces the belief that you CAN'T. YOUR NOW NEEDS: THE CHALLENGE This week, do ONE thing every day that you don't want to do. Then ask yourself: How am I currently meeting my needs today? What needs do I need met RIGHT NOW? Are my BASIC needs even being met? Remember: Without nourishment, you can't even begin to move into love, belonging, self-esteem, or purpose. THE 4 STEPS TO HONOR YOUR NOW NEEDS STEP 1: VALIDATE YOUR FEELINGS & OWN YOUR NEEDS Admit and identify a NOW need: Do I need to eat breakfast earlier? Do I need two more hours of sleep? Do I need to feel safe and protected? How will I create that? Set the goal of WHO you're becoming in the process. STEP 2: GRANT YOURSELF PERMISSION & SET PRIORITIES Give yourself permission to put yourself FIRST. Permission + Priorities = Power We give grace and compassion to everyone else, but struggle to do the same for ourselves. Today, WEAR permission. Rock it out. STEP 3: REFLECT, PRAY, JOURNAL, THINK Don't overthink. Just think. Ask yourself: What are my NOW needs? What do I need to feel satisfied, purposeful, joyful, happy? What do I have to do RIGHT NOW from a basic need standpoint to step into what I ultimately want for my life? STEP 4: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT No one is going to recover FOR you. No one is going to: Gain the weight for you Sit in your head for you Be at the finish line for you You have to do something different. Because the truth is: You can listen to this show on repeat, but if you don't DO something about it, you're going to sit here stuck. THE TRUTH ABOUT RECOVERY When I actually recovered from my eating disorder, I didn't recognize my old self. I didn't even know who she was. I was fully transformed. Recovery isn't about checking a box. You still wake up. You still look at yourself in the mirror. You're still learning, growing, doing, BECOMING. Change your focus: From what you're trying to achieve → To WHO you need to be to achieve it. KEY QUOTES

Aujourd'hui, Graphic Matter donne la parole à Antoine et Valentin, les fondateurs de Services Généraux, un studio d'une quinzaine de personnes. C'est inhabituel, puisque le podcast accueille le plus souvent des indépendants ou des structures beaucoup plus petites.Services Généraux, est un studio de création d'images qui s'est construit autour d'une idée claire : développer une structure à la hauteur des projets auto-initiés qu'elle souhaite pouvoir produire. Un studio pensé comme un outil, capable d'articuler commandes et recherches, contraintes économiques et liberté créative.Dans cet épisode, Antoine et Valentin reviennent sur leur manière de concevoir les images : une approche profondément conceptuelle, où le sujet et sa mise en scène priment sur le style ou la technique. Services Généraux travaille l'ensemble des modes de production de l'image, prise de vue réelle, 3D, image de synthèse, post-production, intelligence artificielle, avec une attention constante à ne jamais se laisser enfermer par un outil ou une esthétique imposée. L'IA, largement intégrée aux pratiques, fait d'ailleurs partie des sujets abordés, avec recul et précaution.Antoine et Valentin parlent aussi très concrètement de leur rôle de chefs d'entreprise : le recrutement, l'organisation et l'implication des équipes, la gestion de la croissance, la visibilité du studio, la stratégie de développement, et le poids réel des responsabilités que cela implique au quotidien.Enfin, une partie de la discussion est consacrée à Sisyphe, leur court métrage auto-initié, sur lequel ils ont travaillé et investi les moyens du studio. Ils le décrivent comme leur projet le plus personnel à ce jour, celui qui concentre l'ensemble de leur savoir-faire, aussi bien sur le plan conceptuel que technique. Le film sera présenté à Paris le 26 février, à l'Espace Commines, accompagné d'une exposition et d'un livre retraçant toute sa genèse.➡️ @servicesgeneraux generaux.servicesLes références : - @_fetva_ - The Creative Act: A Way of Being – Rick Rubin : Essai sur la création comme état de disponibilité- Le mythe de Sisyphe : mythologie grecque- La pyramide des besoins de Maslow (concept sociologique) : Modèle hiérarchisant les besoins humains- Virgil Abloh- Ill Studio par Thomas Subreville- Anti Studio : studio international fondé en parallèle de Services Généraux- IconoclasteLogo SG by @abbr.projectsPour faire un don et soutenir le podcast.Pour vous inscrire à la newsletter mensuelle de Graphic Matter.Pour suivre le podcast @graphicmatterpodcastMerci pour votre soutien, on se retrouve toutes les deux semaines pour une nouvelle rencontre. Conception, production, curation, graphisme : Louise GomezHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Why do some men stay driven for decades—while others burn out, stall, or constantly need another motivational hit?In this episode of The Impossible Life Podcast, Garrett Unclebach and Nick Surface break down the three forces that motivate every human being: pain, pleasure, and purpose—and why only one of them can sustain you long-term.Using real life examples, they explain why pain and pleasure work—but only temporarily. Pain will make you move, but it won't keep you moving. Pleasure will excite you, but it always fades. Most men live trapped in this loop, mistaking emotional intensity for direction.The conversation reframes motivation not as a feeling, but as a fuel source—and shows why purpose is the only fuel that grows stronger the more you use it. Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy, biblical teaching, and personal experience, Garrett explains why purpose is intrinsic, eternal, and tied directly to who God created you to be.In this episode, you'll learn:The difference between pain-, pleasure-, and purpose-driven motivationWhy motivation based on feelings always runs outHow chasing comfort and success can still leave you emptyWhy purpose produces energy instead of consuming itHow Jesus describes a motivation that never leaves you thirstyHow to identify what's actually driving you in your health, faith, marriage, and financesThis episode isn't about hype or temporary discipline. It's about becoming the kind of man who doesn't need to be motivated—because he's anchored to purpose.If you've ever felt stuck, burned out, or frustrated that motivation never lasts, this conversation will give you a new framework—and a better fuel—to move forward.Join a group of likeminded Impossible Life listeners in our FREE Skool community by clicking here.Get the Purpose Playbook by clicking hereGet the FREE Basic Discipline Training 30 Day Program by clicking hereJoin us in Mindset Mastery by clicking hereIf you're a man that wants real accountability and training to be a leader, click here.Level up your nutrition with IDLife by clicking hereGET IN TOUCHSocial Media - @theimpossiblelifeEmail - info@theimpossible.life

#768 If you don't know where you're going, how will you ever get there? In this powerful lesson from Module 3 of the Build My Money Machine program, Choose Your Own 7-Figure Adventure, host Justin Williams explores the importance of personal clarity and how it directly fuels your path to entrepreneurial success. Using lessons from Alice in Wonderland, brain science, and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, you'll learn why most people are lost — and how to rise above the noise by defining your ideal life. From e-foils to business models, this episode is packed with stories, mindset shifts, and a practical visioning exercise to help you design your dream life and figure out what it will take to fund it. Let's get clear, get focused, and get ready to build! (Original Air Date - 6/5/25) What Justin discusses on today's episode: + Why most people lack direction + Power of personal clarity + Lessons from Alice in Wonderland + How the brain filters information + The Bader-Meinhof phenomenon explained + Maslow's Hierarchy and goal setting + Creating your ideal life vision + Aligning business with personality + Estimating the cost of your dream life + Designing a business like a game Watch the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠video podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ of this episode! Did you love this episode? Listen to ⁠⁠Module 2⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ next! Ready to create a 7-figure business of your own? Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BuildMyMoneyMachine.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started today! To get access to our FREE Business Training course go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/training⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most effective strategy for leading change isn't fear-based urgency, but love? In this episode, Kevin sits down with Mohammad Anwar to explore a rethinking of how leaders can approach change by centering people, building trust, and creating psychological safety. Together, Kevin and Mohammad discuss why traditional change management approaches fail, how fear activates resistance, and why prioritizing emotional intelligence and human connection leads to sustainable transformation. They dive into six behavioral principles that underpin "love as a change strategy," including embracing discomfort, practicing empathetic curiosity, and wielding influence effectively. Mohammad also challenges conventional models like Maslow's hierarchy, advocating instead for love and belonging as the true foundation of human needs. Listen For 00:00 Why change requires leadership 00:35 Podcast welcome and purpose 01:39 Introducing Mohammad Anwar 03:35 The big idea Love as a Change Strategy 04:59 Defining love in a business context 07:38 The problem with fear based change 08:30 How love became the strategy 09:38 Personal crisis and leadership turning point 12:35 Football story and love as performance fuel 15:19 Why Maslow's hierarchy misses the mark 17:22 The six principles of leading change 22:55 Why empathetic curiosity matters 26:41 The hardest principle embrace discomfort 29:48 Choose your hard 32:34 Where to learn more and get the book 33:27 Final reflection now what Mohammad's Story: Mohammad Anwar is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Love as a Business Strategy: Resilience, Belonging & Success and his latest book, Love as a Change Strategy. He is the President and CEO of Softway and Culture+. A proud American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow (Class 59), Mohammad's story is as bold as his ideas. At just 20 years old, while still pursuing his B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics at the University of Houston, Mohammad launched Softway with his family. What began in 2003 as a small web development company for local merchants has since grown into a global, people-first consulting firm specializing in digital transformation, culture, communication, and AI integration—without sacrificing humanity. https://www.softway.com/ https://www.culture-plus.com/ https://www.loveasastrategy.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/manwarsoftway/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamsoftway/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/culture_plus/ https://loveasachangestrategy.com/ This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations Love as a Change Strategy: Innovation, Growth, and Transformation by Mohammad F. Anwar, Frank E. Danna, Jeffrey F. Ma, Christopher J. Pitre  Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. (The Stoic Virtues Series) by Ryan Holiday  Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao  Like this? Becoming a Change Maker with Alex Budak The Problem with Change with Ashley Goodall The Art of Change with Jeff DeGraff Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we'd be thrilled if you'd let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here's a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes   

In this episode, the conversation dives deep into the profound connection between our physical environment and our personal well-being. Moving beyond the "wow factor" of aesthetic style, the discussion centres on Conscious Home Design—a philosophy that treats the home as a powerful tool for personal development and a direct reflection of one's truest self.The dialogue explores how to move past merely accommodating a client to truly hearing their needs. By layering architectural precision with emotional intelligence, the discussion highlights how a home can be organised to support the activities that foster human excellence, from creative expression to physical vitality.This episode explores the vital importance of ensuring beautiful designs are grounded in reality and budget from the outset to maintain the joy of the building journey. By applying Maslow's hierarchy to the floor plan, the conversation illustrates how a home can serve more than just basic shelter by dedicating specific zones to inner growth, wellness, and the quality of our connections—giving, receiving, and reciprocal.Listeners will discover how to identify and remove "friction points" in a layout to create a daily boost in efficiency and mood that compounds over decades. From strategically placing activities according to the sun's path via the "sunny window effect" to creating physical touchstones that allow for a conscious mental shift into a space of sanctuary, this episode challenges you to view your four walls through a new lens. It is a masterclass in sensitive, user-centric design that organises space to nourish the soul and facilitate a richer, more authentic life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week... "Upon reflection perhaps, at last, we learn from experience that the smoothest and safest course to take through life is the one that truly and immediately allows complete soul expression.” (Source: James Burgess on the Sabian Symbol for Leo 13° - 14°)This week-ahead reading for Feb 2-8, 2026 is an excerpt from this week's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Somatic Space class⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Renee Sills. For the full-length forecast and embodied practice for this week, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purchase the recording here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Mentions:Read EA community member O's full astrology post for this week hereTHESE ARTICLES ON SIKSIKA/BLACKFOOT INDIGENOUS FRAMEWORKS that Maslow's hierarchy of needs were influenced by are excellent templates for societal remembering and futures: https://kindredmedia.org/2021/10/indigenous-self-actualization-is-communal/https://www.resilience.org/stories/2021-06-18/the-blackfoot-wisdom-that-inspired-maslows-hierarchy/

https://youtu.be/knpxJ7KATsU Joshua McMahon, President of McMahon Custom Homes and a business coach, is driven by a purpose he discovered the hard way: money wasn't his ‘Why.' His real ‘Why' is lifting others—helping people find clarity around their purpose, unlock their potential, and gain traction toward it. We explore Josh's journey from C-suite construction leadership and integrator roles to building his own company as an “evolved visionary.” Josh shares his Satisfaction Pyramid, explaining how customer experience is created upstream through brand awareness, team support, trade partner support, and training, which together produce the outcome every builder (and business) is chasing: customer satisfaction. Along the way, he breaks down why the construction industry struggles with talent, how coaching becomes a competitive advantage, and why McMahon Custom Homes wins through transparency, collaboration, and guiding clients to align budget with what truly matters. — Take 5 Steps to Satisfy Customers with Josh McMahon Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here, the Founder of the Summit OS group and the host of Management Blueprint. And my guest today is Joshua McMahon, the president of McMahon Custom Homes and a business coach. Although I don’t know how much time you have for that these days, josh. Welcome to the show.  Yeah, thanks for having me, Steve. We go a long way back, so it’s an honor to be a business owner and now be on your show.  Well, yeah, you are a business owner. In your previous, recent life, you was an integrator, a COO of a business. So you’ve been running construction businesses and have been C-level in other construction businesses, where we also collaborated. So we have been tracking each other’s journey, for sure. So, Josh, let’s start with my favorite question. What is your personal ‘Why’, and how are you manifesting it in your business?  Yeah. I think this is always a great question. And the real truth of this question, Steve, is that I didn’t know what it was for so long. I thought my personal ‘Why’ was just to make more money. And every time I made more money, I was just more miserable. I was never happy. So my ‘Why’ was never money. I really think my ‘Why’ is all about lifting others. And what I mean by that is I have this ability to extract other people's 'Why' and their purpose from them, help them better see that, get clarity around it and then help them get traction to go attack that 'Why'.Share on X And that’s really my ‘Why’, is to help other, lift other people to really achieve their greatness. So I get a lot of energy and joy from boosting others, and watching that untapped potential really take off.  That is fabulous. And I can see that, as a business coach, that's really very appealing to people when you can do that. How does it manifest in your construction business? You have these Custom Homes construction business, how does that help you there?  And this is where it was really born. So in the C-suite and as I grew in my business, the one part that you have to do is you have to know how to recruit. At least, I had to know how to recruit. And in order to recruit, you have to find the right talent at the right price. And what I was really looking for was that potential. I was looking for the right attitude—the right hunger. I was looking for those right pieces that I could make you a construction individual. I could make you a great construction manager, but I couldn’t fix those other things. And so when I could tap into that and take and help somebody see the vision of what I could do and what our company could help you do in your career, that’s where I was able to really take and 10X my recruiting ability, but also to really tap into that untapped talent that’s out there. Because, Steve, we have a hard time finding talent in the construction industry. Well, the talent’s out there. What’s making it hard is that we don’t recognize that talent, and we’re saying, you’ve got to be this perfect candidate. You've got to fit all these marks. You've got to check all the boxes.And I’m saying, no. I just need you to check a few boxes. I'm going to help you see how you can really fit into this organization and how we can help you thrive. So that's where my ability to see that in them, help them see that in themselves, and then help them tie it to our vision as a company. That's where it really gets a lot of fun.Share on X Yeah. It’s so interesting that it’s not just about doing the job, but it’s about being emotionally invested in doing the job. And how do you get your people emotionally invested? You have to find the motivation that they have inherently that you can tap into, and then you have to make your business attractive so that it inspires them, so that they feel excited to work with you there. That’s exactly what you’re trying to do. It’s like you’re not trying to fool anybody on anything, but to think people just get excited to come do work, or just do the job, or just collect the paycheck. If that’s your motivation, that’s the type of candidate you’re going to get. Then what type of culture do you have? So if you flip that and you say, “Hey, we want to help you  transform who you are, transform your career for the better, and it’s going to help us get to our vision. Well, Steve, that sounds like a win-win scenario to me. And that’s a really appealing piece. And that’s a thriving culture.  Yeah, culture eats strategy for breakfast, as Peter Drucker said. And especially in the age of AI, it's probably even more important, isn't it, that you have a great culture, because AI can copy everything, but it won't be able to copy your culture.  No, that's exactly right. I think AI is a great tool. It’s really going to help us magnify and improve our businesses. But if your culture is broken, AI is just going to magnify the brokenness of your culture, and then AI’s going to tell your people how to go find another job. That is probably true. I haven’t thought about that. So you developed this framework, we are a podcast of frameworks. I’m always looking for the framework and and you talked about this Satisfaction Pyramid framework. Yeah. Is this also something that helps create that culture? Tell me a little bit about this pyramid and how did you come up with it and what does it do?  Yeah, it’s an interesting thing, right? So you understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs. These are the things you need for survival and for happiness. And I've said, look, in home building, we've always talked about customer experience and customer satisfaction. We want people to be happy. And I'm saying, well, I don't know what that means. I don't know—if I hit my schedule, if I hit my budget, if I do everything on time, but they're still not happy—so what exactly am I missing? What's the missing link?  And kind of tying the hierarchy of needs to this triangle of customer satisfaction or happiness, I found that there are some really key fundamental pieces that we've got to lock into place to really get to the customer satisfaction and customer experience that we're seeking. For me, I think brand awareness is first. If your brand awareness is out there and it's really strong, people are going to gravitate towards it organically.Share on X That’s going to decrease your SEO spend, you decrease your marketing, decrease your turnover for people, because people want to be part of that. The interesting story on brands — and I don't know how true it is, I meant to look it up before this — but I saw something on social media about Tommy Hilfiger. And before he launched his clothing brand, he didn't have anything, but his brand was so far out in front of himself that people thought this was this great designer, and he hadn't designed anything. And it was all tied to that piece of brand. So if your brand is strong enough, you can do incredible things. So I think brand is super important.  Yeah. Let me just interject here. So probably 20 years ago, I was working with a company, and it was actually in the construction space. It was in the environmental construction space. And this company had an amazing brand. So the founder was a great thought leader, and he was blogging and talking in forums. And I really thought that this company's got to be a $50 million company. I mean, they're so powerful. And then they invited me to their board as a board member. I said, “Wow, this is such an honor.” This big company. And it turned out it was just a $5 million company. But the brand was so powerful that they looked much bigger.  Yeah. And that statement, that’s an appealing thing. So if you think of yourself as a high level achiever, an A-player, and you are gravitating to that brand, that’s what it’s going to do. You're going to bring in the right people, and then if you've got the right culture and the right other pieces, you're going to stick around with that company.Share on X So a $5 million company can look like a $50 million company and be really attractive to people that are interested in that type of world. Yeah. Super important. Love that story. The second thing for me is team support. This is where I really saw in my career as I grew. I can tell you, my first construction job at the construction management level, my VP of construction told me, and this is 20 plus years ago, I haven't forgotten it — he said, “My leadership style is to give you just enough rope to hang yourself.” And to this day, I have no idea what the heck that means. But what he did show me was he wasn’t going to support me. He wasn’t going to encourage me. He wasn’t going to help me grow. He was basically going to let me swim in the deep end. And if I made it, great. And if I didn’t, no problem — there's another guy behind me. And that’s the mentality of the construction industry. And what I said was, we do a great job of spending money for our sales team. Sales team needs training, we’ll spend the money on training. If the executives need training, we’ll spend the money on training.  But who’s training the middle managers? Who’s training the young men and women coming into the industry? Who’s training the people who don’t have the experience? There’s a big myth in that world. So I think from an internal standpoint — and mind you, coaching is a buzzword right now, just as leadership is — not everybody's a coach, and not everybody's a leader, and that's okay. But if you do have somebody who can coach on your team, and you can coach your team up internally, it’s a very big value add. And so for me, my coaching ability has been a real value add for people that I've recruited, for people I've had on my team, and people I've really invested in and helped grow.Share on X And quick story on coaching. I interviewed this young candidate, I mean, really good-looking kid. He had tons of talent, education, everything he needed, but no construction experience. Still, he had all the right soft skills. And it came down between our company and one of the big national builders. And typically, you’d go to the national builders, more money, more upside, more advantages. And he asked me, the last question he asked me, he said, “Why would I come work for you guys versus this other company?” I said, “Because they don't have me.” I said, I’m not saying this is an arrogant thing to say. I’m saying that I’m going to pour everything from me into you and help take you to where you want to go. You won’t get that anywhere else. Because when we’re done after three years, you can go anywhere you want. And that young man is currently making almost as much as I was making as a C-suite employee, and he’s out in the field running projects. And that’s only like a three or five year period. Like that’s incredible growth, but it’s because of the investment we made in him.  Yeah. There's this saying — I think it's Zig Ziglar — that people don't invest in their people, they don't coach their people, because they're afraid that they’re going to go away to the competition. And then Zig Ziglar asks, “Okay, but isn't there a greater risk that you don’t coach them and and they stay?”  Yes. This is always the thing. And I think a lot of people have a scarcity mindset where they’re so afraid of, if I pour into you, you’re going to go and you’re going to take it somewhere else. What I say is, I’m okay with that. Because when you go somewhere else, you're going to say, “Josh McMahon built me up. He gave me the foundation for my career. He put me in the position I’m in today. I have what I have because of my start. You should go there and get the training from him. There’s no sham e in that because, again, we go back to point number one: brand. That’s tight. That’s my brand out in front of our company that adds value to our company.  So I started my career at KPMG, and one of the ideas they had was this pyramid structure — up or out. But the idea was to take care of the people that even when they leave, they become ambassadors for you on the client side. And then they’re going to convince the client to hire KPMG to be their auditor. And I really like this.  It’s so special, right? Because what you, I mean, Steve, you think about this, we worked together two or three years ago. We still stayed in touch. Even though there’s no financial gain, we still help each other where we can because I want the best for you, as you want the best for me. And that’s what you’re really looking for.  Yeah, that’s true. And the thing about coaching is you have the double benefit, because the company benefits because it has motivated employees who are performing at the higher level than when they came in, and at a higher level than where you hired them, frankly. Correct.  And then they are building a career. So they are building a career equity for themselves. And actually that’s why you get a better ROI on these people, because they have more career equity, they have more skill level than what you have to pay them because you are growing them.  That’s exactly right. You’re building into those individuals that generational wealth that most of us are seeking, or think is out of reach. It's there. We just need somebody to believe in us, and that’s really that piece. The third thing for me, especially in construction, it’s the trade partners. And when I think about it, as a general contractor, look—I'm wearing a collared shirt. You're not going to see me on the job site swinging a hammer. I’m out there with the building plans. I’m verifying things. I'm scheduling. I'm doing more management-level work. That means my trade partners are carrying the lion’s share of the work that actually goes into place. And as a construction company, we don’t make money unless work goes in place.  So I have to do the same thing I'm doing with my internal staff with my trade partners. I have to build them up. I have to elevate them. I have to put them in a position to win.Share on X And this is very basic—schedule accurately. Treat them like people. Treat them with respect. When you go on the job, support them. Listen to their feedback. So if they’re sharing something that’s not working, listen to it with an open mind. And maybe we can do something different, or we can explain why we can't do something different, so they have a better understanding of the ‘Why’ behind what we’re doing. Yeah.  So the trade partners is my next big pillar.  And it’s harder to manage trade partners. I mean, I’m not in the construction, but it’s going to be harder because they are part-time with you. They have other commitments that they have to observe. They don’t wear your brand. They are being paid by someone else who may have a different corporate culture than your company has. And you have to bring them in part-time and make them as good as your standard.  Yes. The hard thing is you have to share with them your vision first. This is who we are. This is what we stand for. Share with them your core values. And then build them up and show them that they’re truly a partner in this. Most of us don’t treat them like partners. We treat them like subcontractors. We treat them like they're inferior individuals—less than me. And I think they can work for you part-time and do that. And you’re absolutely right. But if we treat them like people, we build them up, they’ll be there. Because I want to treat them in a way where, hey, you might be a great plumber, but you’re a terrible business person, and I can maybe help you better understand. I say this because I'm working with a young plumber who's bidding things, and he’s just all over the place. And I'm saying, “Hey, how did you come to this number?” “Well, I just know I need to make X dollars.” And I'm like, “Well, how do you know how much money you need to make? What's your break-even number? What's your overhead burden?” Starting to help him better understand how to break down the P&L, how to charge the right margin on the job so that you’re getting work as consistently as you want, but most importantly, so you can grow your business and continue to support my business as it grows too.Share on X Yeah, you want to create stability for them as well. And if you treat subcontractor well, then they’re going to prioritize you, won't they? So they have other customers that may not treat them as well. You’re going to get the most of the energy from them if you treat them well. And that’s also a huge benefit for your business. There’s nothing lost in that, right? Again, you’ve got brand ambassadors out there talking about, one, this guy builds a great house. He treats everybody great. You made the right choice buying with with McMahon Custom Homes. Because, Steve, if you’ve ever been on a job site, the trades will tell people what they feel, whether it’s good or bad. Yeah. So you are getting it no matter what.  Yeah. You go and you look at the construction site and ask around, and then you will get exactly the kind of general contractor you may be dealing with.  Yes. I mean, absolutely. We love to talk, and so you want people talking about good things and talking up your business and what’s happening in the field, and that’s extremely valuable. Okay, so step number one, brand awareness. We talked about that. Then supporting the team. Yes. So that they feel that they are growing and they are recognized as individuals, that you care about them. Yeah. Then the same goes with the trade partners. You support them even though they’re not your employees.  Yes.  What’s step four?  Yeah. Step four is training. Okay. And training, I think of training in terms of systems that you’re putting in place. Constant, never-ending improvement on those systems. Systems are not static, so training is a nonstop thing that we've got to continue investing in and keep helping to grow our team. So constant process improvement. Having KPIs in place, or metrics in place. And the reason for those metrics is simply where do we need to focus our attention? What levers do we need to pull? And then I go back to the training. So then we train up on metrics that maybe aren’t working the way that we want them to, or we’re not getting the result that we want to get out of them. That’s where the training really comes into place. And if we don't have that training in-house, what stuff outside of the company can we get them into? What type of training do they need to level them up? Because as I think about training, Steve, most of us think you’ve got to fit every box, you’ve got to be the perfect candidate. But you and I both know that I’m good at three out of the five things, and you’re good at two out of the five things. So we make a damn good team together. And that’s okay, and we need to better learn how to cross-train each other, level one another up, and then find those right tools.Share on X  Absolutely. Okay, so what’s the final piece of the flywheel?  Yeah. Well, I feel like if you're doing all these things, brand awareness, team support, trade partner support, and the right training, and you're doing this continuous basis, you're going to have customer satisfaction.Share on X That’s exactly what you want. You’re going to create that customer experience because look, at the end of the day, we’re only here because of the customer. If the customer’s not interested in buying my product, I don’t have a business. And so all of these pieces drive that customer experience. That’s what continues driving who I am. One thing I’m really focused on with customer satisfaction and experience is having good specifications written down. I think yes, we’re a custom home builder, but I have minimum standards that I want to achieve.  So I have the minimum standards. Now, if your budget says, “Hey, we can't quite reach that level,” well, we can certainly reduce our standard. And when I say reduce our standard, I don’t mean cut a corner. I mean change from, say, a Kohler faucet down to a Delta faucet. It’s still a great faucet. It’s still a great brand. Maybe just not the same brand that I would use at this level of home. Or we can go the complete opposite direction and elevate that standard. But just having that set in place, so that if I say, “Steve, this home's going to cost you $1.2 million,” and you're like, “Oh, great. Well, the other builder's $1.3 million, so you've got a better price,” okay, great. But what goes into the price? What are you getting for the price? So if I have those minimum standards baked in, I can tell you, This is what you're going to get for $1.2 million. Now we can go in and customize it and make it your home. Having clear expectations. How important are clear expectations even in our coaching business, right? And it’s not just clear expectations from me to you, it’s clear expectations from you to me. I need to understand what your expectations are. I need to know that I can achieve your expectations. And I think that if I believe I can’t, I need to be honest and say, look, I’m not the right builder for you. I’m not the right business for you. But here are..  Or maybe your expectations are not realistic. Sometimes, for the budget you have, you need to make some trade-offs. Maybe you can have this man cave, but you'll have to cut back on the kitchen, and you’ll have to discuss it with your wife. And that’s really key. So the thing that I love about being a custom builder is that my focus is on collaboration.Share on X If you say, “Hey Josh, the budget comes in at $1.2 million, but I really want to be at $1 million,” okay, great Steve. I’m here to collaborate with you and show you ways we can tweak things, pull this down, and future-proof your home. Because I want you to have the home that you want, and in two years you can probably afford that additional $200,000. I don't want to put you in a place where you can easily plug and play that versus oh, now I got to rip out all these walls. I got to redo this. It's not $200,000—it could be $300,000. So that’s where we can collaborate and really find the right pieces to put you in the best position.  That’s very interesting. This whole framework, the culture that you build here. Is this something that connects this whole framework, this idea that you have, how you’re projecting the culture out into the customer service? Is this why you started the McMahon Custom Homes?  It truly is. Well, two parts, Steve. One, I’m an entrepreneur at heart and I have fought this my entire life, and I’ve always thought there was something wrong with me. Why can’t I just get on board? Why can’t I just drink the Kool-Aid? Why can’t I just get in line? And two or three years I go into a company, I do great things, I start rebuilding things, and then I start to get that itch. And then I’m like, okay, I need to go somewhere else. And for a long time I thought it was, well, I’m just moving to a new company to make more money, which was true. I was making more money, but then I wasn’t happy. Again, it was never tied to the money, so it was really just that entrepreneur need. But the second piece was, I've noticed for ten years—a decade—that our industry is in need of a massive transformation. The antiquated way of doing business and how we do things. I think the builder suites and the stuff that we have at our disposal is really good, but it’s not what everybody’s looking for. But I couldn’t tell you, the owner, Hey, we’ve got to scrap this. We need to do this. Because ultimately, even as the integrator, my job is to bring your vision to life. And if this is part of your vision, then I need to bring this to life. And so I started to realize with my entrepreneur spirit and my own ideas, I needed to start developing my own home building business to start bringing some of that to life, to really satisfy who I am and do the things that I wanted.Share on X Yeah, this is so important because, as entrepreneurs, we have this frustration. We are somewhere and things are not going as well as you would like. And we don’t get to tell the boss how to do things because they have their own ideas and their own set ways, and then they just get irritated by all those ideas and they feel like we are just being disgruntled employees, and this frustration eats away at you. And at some point you say, okay, what the heck? I'm just going to rip the Band‑Aid off and try to figure it out, right? It’s very true. I mean, it’s funny now looking back on it because there were so many times where I just didn’t understand. I was like, “What the heck is the matter with me?” But you’re exactly right — you’re going to bang your head against the wall, and not everybody’s cut out to be an entrepreneur, right? I mean, it sounds really great being self-employed, doing your own thing, making your own hours. It sounds great.  But I tell you something, Josh, not everyone is cut out to be an employee either.  No doubt, Steve. So true.  So it’s the other side of the coin. I think many of us become entrepreneurs because we basically eliminate all the viable alternatives.  Yeah. Burn all the boats, right?  Yeah.  I think there’s so much value in this. The second time we really got introduced and got to work together, you introduced me to the book Second in Command by Cameron Herold. I’m a  Cameron Herold fan in the Second in Command book, and I read that book and I said, “Man, this is me. I can do this.” I love being more in the shadows, helping a visionary grow their business, and doing all that stuff. What happened was, I started to really enjoy being out there, networking, putting myself out, and getting in front of people.  And I was like, well, I’m a visionary. I can see what’s going on in the future. And I think I was more of a visionary than the person who said he was a visionary. So it was really like, then we’re clashing heads on which vision are we chasing. And I’m like, I got to get outta here because I’m steering you away from what you want to do, and that’s not fair to you.  I think there are two major types of visionaries. There are the born visionaries, and then there are the evolved visionaries. So you have the born visionary who is a visionary because they are just not able to execute, but they can come up with all the big ideas. And if they find people who can execute for them, they're in luck, and they might build a company. And then you have the evolved visionary who starts out doing the work, grinding, figuring things out, teaching themselves discipline and work ethic. And then they start to manage people because they’re doing it better, so they get more responsibility, and then they become an integrator or operator. And at some point, they want to come out of the cocoon and do it themselves. And maybe you’re that version of it, the evolved visionary.  You summed that up perfectly because that's exactly how this whole thing transpired.  Love it. So tell me about, what makes McMahon Custom Homes unique? Beyond the culture—is it the culture that makes you unique, or is there something else? From the eyes of the customer, what makes you unique?  I don’t know that it’s our culture that makes us unique. I think what really makes us unique is our process—how we do things. We start everything with an initial consultation, just myself meeting with the homebuyers. Typically, it's a virtual meeting where I want to learn more about your project. I’m interested in what you want to build, what your expectations are, what your non-negotiables are, and I just really explore everything under the sun about your project.  Then I'm going to ask the dreaded question: what's your ideal budget? Most—or a lot of—people say, “You know what, I don't want to give the budget. So I'll say, “Okay, what budget number scares you?” Because as a custom home builder, I’m going to help you design the home that you want for the price that you want. But I’m going to also share with you if it’s not possible. If you have a home design that's more than what your budget is, I'm going to share that with you in real time, as soon as I can. So I'm very transparent. And I learned this from working in my past, where we wouldn't share those numbers with clients. We had a client where we were a million dollars over their ideal budget. It was six to eight months of working with them and about $25,000 in actual costs. I don't need to tell you—the homeowner was not pleased, and the homeowner did not pay that bill.  So that was a major lost opportunity in the build, but also the opportunity cost and how much time we spent on it. I learned from that and said, “Hey, I don't want to do that. I don't need every buyer to be a yes. If I'm a good fit for you, and I'm a good builder for you, great—let's go.Share on X I want to build your house. I’m excited about building homes for people. But I don't need to build everybody's house, because for some people, it's just not the right fit. So for me, I'm your guide in this process. And that's what I really pride myself in. You want to build a home, I’m going to guide you through this process, help you with each step of the way. Help you with the county side, the field side. I’m here to guide you through that whole thing. We really work towards your budget, your ideal budget. We build it out. We’re very transparent. A lot of clarity on what we’re doing, where we can collaborate, where we can maybe say, Hey, instead of $80,000 tile package, we can get a $45,000 tile package. Because we’re really looking for what’s your vision for it.  Yeah.  What do you want to see? How do you want to feel? And we can help you pull that together.  Yeah, I think that’s very interesting, because I can see that there is value being created when you have an empathetic CEO who runs the business. You, in that case, who really gets to feel what the lifestyle of the individual is, what their vision is. You help them paint the picture so that you see it as well, and then you measure each element in proportion to their desires. Because maybe they want something like a really flashy countertop in the kitchen, but they really don’t care about what the deck is going to look like. Maybe it’s a stup*d example. And when someone buys, I don’t know, a standard home, then you are going to pay for stuff that you really don’t care about, and you are not going to get the stuff that uniquely is important to you. And with that approach that you’re doing, you are measuring everything to the right degree, and it’s going to be a perfectly balanced meal for the customer. That’s a great way of looking at it. That’s exactly right. And the deck versus man cave or versus this, that’s exactly the right way to look at it. A deck is a great add-on. It can be done anytime in the build. It can be done anytime. It's a minimal barrier to entry. Well, something on the inside of the house, the kitchen, the showstopper kitchen, that’s a different story, right? Because now you're impacting your life. You’re changing things. If we understand that the kitchen is a really prime target, then we want to make sure we commit enough money to that area. We want to make sure we commit enough design hours to that area. And maybe other areas are like, “Hey, minimum standard's great with us.” Perfect. Done.  Yeah. We only sleep in the bedroom, we don’t do anything else.  Exactly. Great point.  Which is a problem in itself. Anyhow, if someone would like to learn more and maybe learn your ideas—maybe they want to be coached by you, or they want to learn about McMahon Custom Homes, what it takes to align with your vision—and particularly if they're in Central Virginia where you work, where should they reach out and where can they find you? Yeah, so several different places. McMahonCustomHomesLLC.com is our website, so you can certainly find us there. We have an active Instagram account, McMahon Custom Homes. I have an active Facebook account, again, McMahon Custom Homes. I do have a LinkedIn account, McMahon Custom Homes, LLC. Also for myself, my wife and I host a bi-monthly podcast. We took a year hiatus, and we just started again in 2026. Our podcast is not on McMahon Custom Homes, but it's really about the construction industry, different things that you experience, and really just giving back and trying to help others learn from maybe stuff that we did or things that we’re experiencing. My wife is a designer. I'm the home builder, so you kind of get a good mixed bag. And that's Feed Me Your Construction Content, if you're ever interested in tuning into that.  Yeah. And if you would like to see what a collaboration between Josh and his wife looks like, then check out his website,  McMahon Custom Homes. You can check out his house, or their house, that they built together. And it’s a beautiful house.  Yeah. Thank you.  It's a good place to start. Josh, loved it. I loved your content. Really interesting how you created the Satisfaction Pyramid in construction. I think that parallel applies to other businesses as well. Obviously, the elements are slightly different, but brand awareness, supporting the team, supporting your partners, training your people, pouring into them, and then creating that customer satisfaction are important in any industry. So thank you. If you enjoyed listening to this show, make sure you follow us on LinkedIn and on YouTube. And stay tuned, because every week I bring an exciting entrepreneur or thought leader on this show. Thank you for coming, Josh, and thanks for listening. Important Links: Josh's LinkedIn McMahon Custom Homes website McMahon Custom Homes LinkedIn

In this class series, Rabbi Shmuly will explore the Torah of the mind. We will explore how Jewish thought intersects with modern psychological studies and theories by examining thinkers such as Freud, Piaget, Maslow, Frankl, and many others over 60 interactive sessions. Looking at consciousness, moral reasoning, ego, love, learning, and evil, how can we better understand why humans act as they do? Considering our relationships, traumas, memories, conflicts, and self-esteem, how can reflecting on the deep complexity of our minds help us live more meaningful lives? Further, how might Jewish ethics and Jewish philosophy help us ask not just “how do we live” but “how might we live?” Join us for a deep dive into the collective, individual, and Jewish mind.Attend these classes live over Zoom by becoming a member for just $18 per month: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member.------------------Stay Connected with Valley Beit Midrash:• Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValleyBeitMidrash ★ Support this podcast ★

We continue our series in John looking at John chapter 6 where Jesus declares to the crowd that he is the bread of life.  Together we explore what it means to fed by the one who calls himself our daily bread, and how this feeding forms us. This teaching references Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. What's Happening Join us in reading James Cone's The Cross and the Lynching Tree and RSVP to the roundtable discussion. Head to our website to find a list of Black History Month events happening in our city. Register for our Lent Workshop or listen to our conversation with our guide, Dr. Macie Sweet. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

A look at Self Determination Theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Expectancy Theory and how it all affects the classical musician. Followed by a small caveat on the mediocrity of Turkish cuisine. Grma x Inline G Merch ⭐️www.Inlineg.myshopify.comInline G Patreon ⭐️www.patreon.com/TheInlineGFlutePodcastInline G will ALWAYS be free of charge, but signing up to the Patreon helps let this podcast reach new heights, if you can afford it. You'll also get to ask questions to upcoming guests as well as get early access to some episodes. Or if you'd rather not spend money, subscribing to my YouTube channel and following me on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok is a HUGE way to support the podcast. It'll cost you nothing, and it really makes a difference to the algorithm gods. So please interact however you can; like, comment, or subscribe, and help keep this podcast lit xAnd finally; use the code “INLINEG” online or in person at Flute Center for; 5% off accessories, 10% off all sheet music, free shipping on new instruments and free shipping to trial instruments (USA only.)Chapters:00:00 - Submitted Poetry05:46 - Intrinsic, Extrinsic and Other Motivations11:43 - Maslow's Pyramids14:58 - Self Determination Theory (SDT)18:33 - Expectancy Theory and Ageism26:40 - Applying Motivation 

In this episode, we explore what it means to stay human in a time of collective trauma. We talk about messiness as a core part of being alive, how purity culture and rigid systems disconnect us from our bodies, and why agency, consent, and clear yeses and nos are essential forms of resistance. Together, we unpack how supremacy shapes therapy, relationships, and identity — especially through individualism, whiteness, and disembodiment — and imagine more liberating ways of practicing care, connection, and community. The conversation weaves personal reflection, cultural critique, and somatic wisdom, inviting listeners back into their bodies, their grief, and their shared humanity.Subverting Supremacy Culture in our Practice: Part 2Friday, January 30, 20262:00 PM  4:00 PMVIRTUALhttps://www.shelterwoodcollective.com/events/subverting-supremacy-culture-in-our-practice-part-2Working with people means navigating power, race, and trauma.This workshop will help you notice supremacy culture in the room and resist it. Due to the way Christian nationalism works in the US we create space to engage Christian supremacy and its manifestations of racialized heteronormativity that affects all bodies — regardless of religious or non-religious status. You will learn embodied, relational tools to strengthen your practice and reduce harm. Danielle S. Rueb Castillejo (she/her), Psychotherapist, Activist, Community Organizer; Jenny McGrath (she/her), Psychotherapist Writer, Author, Body Movement Worker; Abby Wong-Heffter, (she/her), Psychotherapist Teacher, Attachment Specialist; Tamice Spencer-Helms, (she/they), Author, Theoactivist, Non-Profit Leader are collaborating to create a generative learning space for therapists, social workers, educators, organizers, spiritual leaders, healthcare providers, and community practitioners. Together we will work with the ways supremacy culture shows up somatically, relationally, and structurally in helping professions. We will examine how dissociation, fragmentation, and inherited oppression narratives shape our work, and develop practices to interrupt these patterns.This workshop addresses diversity and cultural competence by:Examining how supremacy culture impacts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color differently than white-bodied practitioners. Naming cultural, historical, and intergenerational forces that shape power dynamics in clinical and community settings. Offering embodied, relational, and trauma-informed tools to practitioners working across racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic differences. Developing the capacity to recognize and intervene in oppression harm while maintaining therapeutic integrity and accountability. Participants will engage in reflective dialogue, somatic exercises, case-based examples, and guided exploration of their own positionality. The intent is not perfection but deepening collective responsibility and expanding our capacity to resist supremacy culture inside our practice and in ourselves. The workshop is designed to meet the Washington Department of Health requirement for two hours of health equity continuing education (WAC 246-12-820).The Blackfoot Wisdom that Inspired Maslow's HierarchyBy Teju Ravilochan, originally published by Esperanza Projecthttps://www.resilience.org/stories/2021-06-18/the-blackfoot-wisdom-that-inspired-maslows-hierarchy/ Danielle (00:05):Be with you. Yeah. Well, it seems like from week to week, something drastically changes or some new trauma happens. It reminds me a lot of 2020.Jenny  (00:15):Yeah. Yeah, it really does. I do feel like the positive in that is that similar to 2020, it seems like people are really looking for points of connection with one another, and I feel like there was this lull on Zoom calls or trainings or things like that for a while. People were just burned out and now people are like, okay, where in the world can I connect with people that are similar to me? And sometimes that means neighbors, but sadly, I think a lot of times that means people in other states, a lot of people that can feel kind of siloed in where they are and how they're doing right now.Danielle (00:56):Yeah, I was just thinking about how even I have become resistant to zoom or kind of tired and fed up and then all of a sudden meeting online or texting or whatever feels safer. Okay. Again.About? Just all the shit and then you go out in the real world and do I messed that up? I messed that up. I messed that up. I think that's part of it though, not living in perfection, being willing to be really messy. And how does that play out? How does that play out in our therapeutic practices?Jenny (01:50):Yeah, totally. I've been thinking a lot about messiness lately and how we actually come into the world. I think reveling often in messiness for anyone that's tried to feed a young child or a toddler and they just have spaghetti in their hair and everything's everywhere. And then we work so hard to tell kids, don't be messy. Don't be messy. And I'm like, how much of this is this infusion of purity culture and this idea that things should be clean and tidy? That's really actually antithetical to the human experience, which is really messy and nuanced and complicated. But we've tried to force these really binary, rigid, clean systems or ways of relating so that when things inevitably become messy, it feels like relationships just snap, rather than having the fluidity to move through and navigate,Danielle (02:57):It becomes points of stop or I can't be in contact with you. And of course, there's situations where that is appropriate and there might be ways I can connect with this person in this way, but maybe not on social media for instance. That's a way that there's a number of people I don't connect with on social media intentionally, but am willing to connect with them offline. So yeah, so I think there's a number of ways to think about that. I think just in subverting supremacy, Abby and I talked a lot about consent and how also bringing your own agency and acknowledging your yeses and your nos and being forthcoming. Yeah, those are some of the things, but what are you and Tamis going to touch on?Jenny (03:47):I'd be curious to hear what you think inhibits somebody's agency and why? Because I thought that was so great. How much you talked about consent and if you were to talk about why you think that that is absent or missing or not as robust as it could be, what are your thoughts on that?Danielle (04:06):Well, sometimes I think we look in our society to people in power to kind of play out fantasies. So we look for them to keep checking in with us and it, it goes along with maybe just the way the country was formed. I talked a little bit about that this week. It was formed for white men in power, so there was obviously going to be hierarchical caste system down from there. And in each cast you're checking with the powerful person up. So I think we forget that that plays out in our day-to-day relationships too.(04:44):And I think it's a hard thing to acknowledge like, oh, I might have power as a professional in this realm, but I might enter this other realm where then I don't have power and I'm deferring to someone else. And in some ways those differences and those hierarchies serve what we're doing and they're good. And in other ways I think it inhibits us actually bringing our own agency. It's like a social conditioning against it, along with there's trauma and there's a lot of childhood sexual abuse in our country a lot. And it's odd that it gets pinned on immigrants when where's the pedophiles? We know where some of them are, but they're not being pursued. So I think all of these dynamics are at play. What do you think about thatJenny (05:32):When you talk? It makes me think about something I've just learned in the last couple years, which is like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which has been turned into this pyramid that says you need all of these things before you can be self-actualizing. What is actually interesting is that Mazo sort of misappropriated that way of thinking from the Blackfoot nation that he had been living and researching, and the Blackfoot people were saying and have been saying and do say that they believe we come into the world as self-actualized. And so the culture and the community is designed to help that sovereign being come into their full selves.(06:20):And so actually the way that the pyramid was created was sort of the antithesis of what the Blackfoot people were trying to communicate and how they were living. But unfortunately, white psychology said, well, we can't acknowledge that this was from indigenous people, so we're going to whitewash it. We're going to say that Maslow created it and it's going to be wrong, basically. And I'm just thinking about the shift of if we view people and water and plants and animals and planets as sovereign, as beings that have self-actualizing agency, then of course we're going to probably want to practice consent and honoring them. Whereas if we view the world and people as these extractive things and objects, we're going to feel entitled to take what we want or what we feel like we deserve.Danielle (07:32):I'm not surprised though that we've extracted that hierarchy of needs from somewhere because as I write about, I've been writing a lot as I think about moral injury and what's happened to our society and how trauma's become a weapon, like a tool of empire in white bodies to use them as machinery, as weapons. One of the things I've thought a lot about is just this idea that we're not bodies, we're just part of the machine.(08:03):So then it would make sense to make a form, here's your needs, get this shit done so you can keep moving.Jenny (08:12):Totally. We just started watching Pluribus last night. Do you know what this is?(08:24):Is this really interesting show where there's this virus that comes from outer space and it makes everyone in the world basically a hive mind. And so there's immediately no wars, no genocide, nothing bad is going on,(08:43):Nobody is thinking for themselves except for this one woman who for whatever reason was not infected with the virus.(08:52):And it's so interesting and it's kind of playing with this idea of she is this white woman from America that's like, well, we should be able to think for ourselves. And everyone else is like, but wars are gone. And it's really interesting. I don't know where the show's going to actually go, but it's playing with this idea of this capitalistic individuation. I'm my own self, so I should be able to do that. And I know this, it's this place of tension with I am a sovereign being and I am deeply interconnected to all other beings. And so what does agency look like with being responsible to the people I'm in relationship with, whether I know them or not,Danielle (09:42):What is agency? I think we honor other people by keeping short accounts. I don't think I've done a good job of that much in my life. I think it's more recent that I've done that. I think we honor other people by letting them know when we're actually find something joyful about what our encounter with them or pointing out something loving. And I think we honor our community when we make a clear yes or clear no or say I can't say yes or no. Why can I tell you yes or no at a later date when we speak for ourselves, I think we give into our community, we build a pattern of agency. And I think as therapists, I think sometimes we build the system where instead of promoting agency, we've taken it away.Jenny (10:35):Yeah, I agree. I agree. I think I was just having a conversation with a supervisee about this recently. I who has heard a lot of people say, you shouldn't give your clients psychoeducation. You shouldn't give them these moments of information. And I was like, well, how gatekeeping is that? And they were having a hard time with, I've heard this, but this doesn't actually feel right. And I do think a lot of times this therapist, it's like this idea that I'm the professional, and so I'm going to keep all of this information siloed from you where I think it's ethical responsibility if we have information that would help things make more sense for our clients to educate them. And I often tell my clients in our first session, my job is to work myself out of a job. And unfortunately, I think that there's a lot in a lot of people in the therapy world who think it's their job to be someone's therapist forever. And I think I'm like, how do we start with, again, believing in someone's agency and ability to self-actualize and we just get to sort of steward that process and then let them go do whatever they're going to do.Danielle (11:54):I think that also speaks to can therapy change? I think the model I learned in graduate school has revolved a lot around childhood trauma, which is good. So glad I've been able to grow and learn some of those skills that might help me engage someone. I also think there's aspects I think of our society that are just missing in general, that feel necessary in a therapeutic relationship like coaching or talking from your own personal experience, being clear about it, but also saying like, Hey, in these years this has happened. I'm not prescribing this for you, but this is another experience. I think on one hand in grad school, you're invited to tell your story and know your story and deal with counter transference and transference and try to disseminate that in some sort of a blank way. That's not possible. We're coming in with our entire identity front and center. Yeah, those are just thoughts I have.Jenny (12:59):Yeah, I think that's so good. And it makes me think about what whiteness does to people, and I think a lot of times it puts on this cloak or this veneer of not our fullest truest selves. And I don't even think that white people are often conscious that that's what we're doing. I remember I am in this group where we're practicing what does it look like to be in our bodies in cross-racial experiences? And there's a black woman in my cohort that said, do you ever feel separate from your whiteness? Can you ever get a little bit of space from your whiteness? And I was like, honestly, I don't feel like I can. I feel like I'm like Jim Carrey in the mask, where the more I try to pull it off, the more it snaps back and it's like this crustacean that has encapsulated us. And so how do we break through with our humanity, with our messiness to these constraints that whiteness has put on us?(14:20):Oh, tomorrow. Oh my gosh. So I'm going to do a little bit of a timeline of Jenny's timeline, my emotional support timeline. I told Tamis, I was like, I can get rid of this if you don't think it's important, but I will tell you these are my emotional support timelines. And they were like, no, you can talk about 'em. So I'm just doing two slides on the timeline. I have dozens of slides as Danielle, but I'm just going to do two really looking at post civil rights movement through the early two thousands and what purity culture and Christian nationalism did to continue. What I'm talking about is the trope of white womanhood and how disembodied that is from this visceral self and organism that is our body. And to me is going to talk about essentially how hatred and fear and disgust of the black queer body is this projection of those feelings of fear, of shame, of guilt, of all of those things that are ugly or disavowed within the system of Christian nationalism, that it gets projected and put on to black bodies. And so how do we then engage the impact of our bodies from these systems in our different gendered and sexual and racial locations and socioeconomic locations and a million other intersectional ways? As you and Abby talked about the power flower and how many different parts of our identity are touched by systems of oppression and power(16:11):And how when we learn to move beyond binary and really make space for our own anger, our own fear, our own disgust, our own fill in the blank, then we are less likely to enable systems that project that on to other bodies. That's what we're going to be talking about, and I'm so excited.Danielle (16:32):Just that, just that NBD, how do you think about being in your body then on a screen? There's been a lot of debate about it after the pandemic. How do you think about that? Talking about something that's so intimate on a screen? How are you thinking about it?Jenny (16:52):Totally. I mean, we are on a screen, but we're never not in our bodies. And so I do think that there is something that is different about being in a room with other bodies. And I'm not going to pretend I know anything about energy or the relational field, but I know that I have had somatic work done on the screen where literally my practitioner will be like, okay, I'm touching your kidney right now and I will feel a hand on my kidney. And it's so wild. That probably sounds so bizarre, and I get it. It sounds bizarre to me too, but I've experienced that time and space really are relative, I think. And so there is something that we can still do in our shared relational space even if we're not in the same physical space.(17:48):I do think that for some bodies, that actually creates a little bit more safety where I can be with you, but I'm not with you. And so I know I can slam my computer shut, I can walk out of the room, I can do whatever I need to do, whether I actually do that or not. I think there sometimes can be a little bit of mobility that being on the screen gives us that our bodies might not feel if we are in a shared physical space together. And so I think there's value and there's difference to both. What about you?Danielle (18:25):Well, I used it a lot because I started working during the pandemic. So it was a lifeline to get clients and to work with clients. I have to remind myself to slow down a lot when I'm on the screen. I think it's easier to be more talkative or say more, et cetera, et cetera. So I think pacing, sometimes I take breaks to breathe. I used to have self-hate for that or self-criticism or the super ego SmackDown get body slammed. But no, I mean, I try to be down to earth who I would prefer to be and not to be different on screen. I don't know that that's a strategy, but it's the way I'm thinking about it.Jenny (19:20):As someone who has co-lead therapy spaces with you in person, I can say, I really appreciate your, and these things that feel unrushed and you just in the moment for me, a lot of times I'm like, oh yeah, we're just here. We don't have to rush to what's next. I think that's been such a really powerful thing I've gleaned from co-facilitating and holding space with you.Danielle (19:51):Oh, that's a sweet thing to say. So when you think about subverting supremacy in our practices, us as therapists or just in the world we are in, what's an area that you find yourself stuck in often if you're willing to share?Jenny (20:12):I think for me and a lot of the clients that I work with, it is that place of individualism. And this is, I think again, the therapy model is you come in, you talk about your story, talk about your family of origin, talk about your current relationships, and it becomes so insular. And there is of course things that we can talk about in our relationships, in our family, in our story. And it's not like those things happen in a, and I think it does a disservice, and especially for white female clients, I think it enables a real sense of agency when it's like, I'm going through the hardest thing that anyone's ever gone through. And it's like, open your eyes. Look at what the world is going through you, and we and us are so much more capable than white womanhood would want you to assume that you are. And so I think that a lot of times for white women, for a lot of my work is growing their capacity to feel their agency because I think that white patriarchal Christian capitalistic supremacy only progresses so long as white women perform being these damsels that need rescue and need help. And if we really truly owned our self-actualizing power, it would really topple the system, I believe.Danielle (21:53):Yeah, I mean, you see the shaking of the system with Renee, Nicole Goode. People don't know what to do with her. Of course, some people want to make her all bad, or the contortions they do to try to manipulate that video to say what they wanted to say. But the rattling for people that I've heard everywhere around her death and her murder, I think she was murdered in defense of her neighbors. And that's both terror inducing. And it's also like, wow, she believed in that she died for something she actually believed in.Jenny (22:54):Yeah. And I were talking about this as well in that of course we don't know, but I don't know that things would've played out the same way they played out if she wasn't clearly with a female partner. And I do think that heteronormativity had a part to play in that she was already subverting what she should be doing as a white woman by being with another woman. And I think that that is a really important conversation as well as where is queerness playing into these systems of oppression and these binary heteronormative systems. And this is my own theory with Renee, Nicole. Good. And with Alex, there is something about their final words where Nicole says, I'm not mad at you. And Alex says, are you okay? And my theory is that that is actually the moment where something snapped for these ice agents because they had their own projection on what these race traders were, and they probably dehumanized them. And so in this moment of their humanity intersecting with the projection that these agents had, I think that induced violence, not that they caused it or it was their(24:33):But I think that when our dehumanizing projections of people are interrupted with their humanity, we have a choice where we go, wait, you are not what I thought you were. Or we double down on the dehumanization. And I think that these were two examples of that collision of humanity and projection, and then the doubling down of violence and dehumanization(25:07):Yeah. It makes me think of, have you seen the sound of music?(25:13):So the young girl, she has this boyfriend that turns into a Nazi. There's this interaction towards the end of the film where he sees the family. He has this moment facing the dad, and he hasn't yet called in the other Nazis. And the dad says to him, you'll never be one of them.(25:36):And that was the moment that he snapped. And he called in the other guards. And I think it's making a point that there's something in these moments of humanity, calling to humanity is a really pivotal moment of are you going to let yourself be a human or are you going to double down in your allegiance to the systems of oppression? And so I think that what we're trying to invite with subverting supremacy is when we come to those moments, how do we choose humanity? How do we choose empathy? How do we choose kindness? And wait, I had this all wrong rather than a doubling down of violence. I don't know. Those are my thoughts. What do you think? Well,Danielle (26:27):I hadn't thought about that, but I do know that moment in sound of music, and that feels true to me, or it feels like, where do you belong? A question of where do you belong? And in the case of Alex and Nicole, I mean, in some sense the agents already knew they didn't belong with them, but to change this. But on the other hand, it feels like, yeah, maybe it is true. It just set off those alarm bells or just said like, oh, they're not one of us. Something like that.(27:19):It's a pretty intense thought. Yeah. My friend that's a pastor there in Minneapolis put out a video with Jen Hatmaker yesterday, and I watched the Instagram live of it this morning, and she talked about how she came home from the protest, and there were men all over her yard, in the neighbor's yard with machine guns. And she said they were trying to block her in, and they came up to her car and they had taken a picture of her license plate, and they're like, roll down your window. And she's like, why? And they're like, I gave you an order. She's like, but why? And then they took a picture of her face and they're like, now you have us in your database. And she's like, I'm not rolling down my window. Because when the last person did that, you shot him in the face(28:03):And she said they got out of their car and parked. And the neighbor who, I dunno why they were harassing her neighbor, she described him as a white male, but he was standing there and he was yelling at them to leave. And she said, at this time, there was like 50 neighbors out, like 50 people out on the street. And the ice van stopped, ran back, tackled him, slammed his face into the ice, beat him up, and then threw him in the back of the car and then dropped him off at the hospital or released him or something. And he had to go get wound care. And I guess just thinking about that, just the mere presence of white people that don't fit. I wonder if it's just the mere presence.Jenny (28:59):Yeah, yeah. Well, I think part of it is exposing the illusion of whiteness and this counterfeit collaboration that is supposed to mean based on melanin, that if you have this lack of melanin, this is how you're supposed to perform. And I'm really grateful that we have people with less melanin going, no, I would not that we want to die, but if my choice is to die or to give up my soul, I don't want to give up my soul.(29:50):I feel my heart pounding. It's scary. And I think there's also grief in the people I love that are choosing to not have a soul right now, to not allow space for their soul that are choosing to go into numbness and to bearing their head in the sand and to saying, we just need to have law and order. And I believe that they were made for so much more than that.(30:46):It is painful. I mean, it doesn't go(30:55):No, no. I've been watching a lot of sad movies lately because they helped me cry. One of the things that I loved when I was in Uganda was there was people who were professional whalers(31:12):They would be hired to come into funerals or ceremonies and just wail and grieve and move the group into a collective catharsis. And I really think our bodies need catharsis right now because there's so much we're taking in. There's so much we're moving through. And I think this is part of the system of white Christian supremacy, is that it has removed us from cultural practices of making guttural sounds together, of riving together, of dancing and shaking and screaming, and these things that I think our bodies really need individually and collectively. What are you doing in your body that feels even like 2% supportive with what we're navigating?Danielle (32:08):I don't know. I honestly, I've had a bad week or bad couple weeks, but I think I try to eat food that I know will taste good. That seems really silly, but I'm not eating anything I don't like.(32:27):That. Yeah, that's one thing. Yesterday I had a chance to go work out at 12 like I do every day, and I just noticed I was too fatigued, and so I just canceled. I called it in and ate lunch with someone and just, I didn't talk much, but they had a lot to say. So that was fine with me, hung out with someone. So I think, I don't know, I guess it was a hitting two needs for me, human face-to-face connection and also just actual food that tastes good to me.(33:09):Yeah. Well, so you're going to put that Maslow resource need in the chat or in the comments. Are you going to send it to me so I can put it in the(33:21):And then if people want to sign up for tomorrow and listen to you and Tamis, is that still a possibility?Jenny (33:26):It is, yeah. They can sign up, I think, until it's starting. So I don't know for sure. You should sign up for today, just by today, just in case. Yeah, I'll send you that link too.   Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

In this episode, we are joined by Zach Abrams, CEO of Bridge, to unpack the infrastructure behind the next generation of global payments. Zach discusses Bridge's mission to move stablecoins beyond mere trading use cases and into core financial services, a vision that recently led to its landmark acquisition by Stripe . He explains how stablecoins function as an innovation at every layer of the money stack, enabling payments that are fundamentally faster and cheaper than legacy systems like ACH or SEPA. They delve into the technical "puzzle pieces" of payments, from the inefficiencies of FBO bank accounts to the "cheat code" of compounding growth in the stablecoin sector. Zach introduces the concept of Stablecoin Orchestration and details why the current USDC/USDT duopoly is unaligned with high-velocity payments due to rent-seeking burn fees and AUM-focused models . Finally, the conversation explores the future of consumer finance, where non-custodial wallets act as bank replacements and a pluralistic ecosystem of local, company-issued stablecoins challenges the dominance of the US dollar Topics00:00 Intro & Context04:15 Legacy Rails vs. Stablecoin Innovation09:30 The "Cash App" Hack & Payments Creativity15:00 Why Bridge Joined Stripe21:45 Maslow's Hierarchy of Startup Needs27:10 Stablecoin Orchestration & Issuance Explained35:20 The Duopoly Problem: Why USDC/USDT Isn't Enough42:15 Orthogonal Competition: The "Europe" of Stablecoins49:00 Wallets as the New Primary Bank Account55:30 Regrets of a "Child of the Depression" FounderLinksZach Abrams on X: https://x.com/ZCAbramsBridge: https://bridge.xyzStripe: https://stripe.comGnosis: https://gnosis.io/Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io

La fe está regresando, pero no como antes. TikTok la volvió visible, el conservadurismo la empujó al centro y artistas como Rosalía tocaron una fibra que mucha gente no sabía que tenía. En este episodio desarmamos el revival religioso con datos, cultura pop y una idea incómoda: quizá no estás buscando religión… estás buscando pertenecer. Y al final, una pregunta que te va a dejar pensando: ¿quién se está beneficiando de este “regreso”?

So many of us orient ourselves around the question, "Where do I belong?" In this episode I ponder what flipping the script could do for us - "Where do I want to belong?" Join me and, as always, I'd love to hear your feedback so send that through to rachelcason@explorelifestory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Chris Schembra sits down with Jessica Weiss to unpack a radical but practical idea: happiness at work isn't something you wait for in a distant future, it's something you actively create, even in imperfect conditions. Drawing from Jessica's book Happiness Works, the conversation reframes happiness not as a fleeting mood or a vague “choice,” but as a set of tangible, science-backed tools anyone can use right now. They explore why the single most powerful first step toward happiness is simply finding a friend at work, how resilience is a muscle built through small, confidence-building decisions, and why “good enough” choices often lead to more satisfaction than endless optimization. Together, they dismantle common myths about happiness, connect gratitude and joy to long-term resilience, and show how depersonalizing failure and using feedback as data can transform setbacks into progress. The episode culminates in Jessica's five-part framework—connection, resilience, optimism, trust, and progress—offered not as a rigid sequence, but as a buffet of tools listeners can draw from as needed. At a moment defined by burnout, uncertainty, and rapid change, this conversation makes a compelling case that happiness isn't fluffy or naïve; it's a strategic advantage for individuals, teams, and organizations alike.10 Quotes“Happiness isn't something you wait for in the future; it's something you build, even in imperfect conditions.” “The fastest way to improve your happiness at work is shockingly simple: find a friend.” “Happiness is not the absence of unhappiness; it's having tools you can rely on when things get hard.” “Resilience isn't a personality trait. It's a muscle, and you build it through small decisions.” “Good enough decisions often create more happiness than perfect ones that take forever.” “Happiness isn't a choice. It's strategies, tactics, and habits you practice every day.” “Failure is inevitable. The real skill is learning how to depersonalize it and extract the lesson.” “Trust is the foundation of feedback—if you don't trust the source, the message won't land.” “Gratitude and joy aren't just reflections; they're mindset-shifting tools that build resilience.” “You don't need to change your entire life to be happier—small, consistent actions change the trajectory.” 10 TakewaysHappiness is actionable.It's not a vague feeling or personality trait—it's built through repeatable tools and behaviors. Connection comes first.Having even one genuine friend at work dramatically improves engagement, wellbeing, and performance. Resilience is built in micro-moments.Small, quick decisions create confidence and momentum over time. Perfection kills happiness.“Maximizers” suffer more than “satisficers.” Aim for progress, not perfection. Tools beat willpower.Relying on “choosing happiness” isn't sustainable. Systems and habits are. Gratitude trains the brain.Practices like joy journaling rewire attention toward presence, meaning, and resilience. Depersonalizing failure is a superpower.Treat setbacks as data, not identity, to grow faster and suffer less. Trust enables honest feedback.Without psychological safety and trust, feedback becomes noise or threat. Progress fuels motivation.Ending the day knowing you moved something forward is essential to long-term happiness. Happiness scales across life stages.From basic security to meaning and purpose, happiness tools apply at every level of Maslow's hierarchy.

Dans cet épisode sur la santé mentale parentale, on parle des besoins des parents, de l'habitude de s'oublier et de comment reconnaître et répondre à ses besoins pour se sentir mieux au quotidien. En tant que parents, nous sommes habitués de jongler avec les nombreux besoins de nos enfants. Mais qu'en est-il des nôtres? Comment s'insère la parentalité dans la fameuse pyramide de Maslow? Avec un regard à la fois professionnel et humain, cet épisode se veut un espace rassurant pour normaliser ce que vous vivez et vous rappeler que prendre soin de vos besoins n'est pas égoïste — c'est essentiel pour vous sentir mieux et pour accompagner vos enfants avec plus de douceur. Un épisode incontournable pour une vie plus équilibrée. Pour en savoir plus sur la conférence "Comment diminuer le mom rage", cliquez ici Pour notre épisode "Qu'est-ce que la matrescence", cliquez ici

In a world of minimalist trends and beige-on-beige living rooms, it's easy to feel as though your home should look like a page from a high-end decor catalog. But when you prioritize perfection over personality, your home may become just another place in which you feel pressure to "keep up". Let's ditch picture-perfect spaces in favor of lived-in havens. On today's show author Don Suttajit encourages us to curate homes that support our growth, restore our energy, and help us uncover who we truly are.   Here's a preview: [9:00] If we're not careful, advertising will sell us our identities [14:00] Busy-ness is a capitalist construct! [18:30] How to set your home up to be less of a stress-inducer and more of a haven [28:00] Havens aren't about aesthetics. They're about function and feel   Resources mentioned: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (via the National Library of Medicine) Tidy Less, Live More: An Identity-Based Approach to Organizing Your Home and Life This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Laurel Holland introduces Talor Stewart, creator of Conscious Home Design, and an architect from Vermont, to discuss how home design impacts personal life and relationships. This conversation emphasizes the importance of consciously designing your home with intention, which supports giving, receiving, and reciprocal relationships offering tips and strategies to put this practice into action.Talor highlights the significance of small changes, like adding plants and creating dedicated spaces, to enhance well-being. He references the Harvard Adult Happiness Study, which found that quality relationships are the biggest predictor of happiness and longevity, therefore focusing on this as an important part of the environment can reap great rewards. He also discusses Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the importance of designing spaces that support higher human needs, such as creativity and personal development. Talor offers a workbook and consultations to help individuals apply these principles in their homes.Journaling prompts are suggested to further your exploration. When I think about my home, how does it usually make me feel—and why?Which relationships in my life feel primarily giving, receiving, or reciprocal right now?If my home were intentionally designed to support my relationships, what would change first?Where in my home do I feel the most friction or tension?What is one small, intentional change I could make in my home that would gently support me in my day-to-day life?Links/Books mentioned - Conscious Home Design: The Guide to Living Your Best Life by Designing for Happiness, Health, and Relationship Success by Talor Stewart ⁠https://conscioushomedesign.com/⁠The email to send questions to Laurel Boivin is laurel@fluxflowcoaching.com and for Laurel Holland - laurel@liveyourinnerpower.com To connect with Talor visit https://conscioushomedesign.com/Host/Cohost/Guest InfoGuiding others to become effective leaders of their own lives, Laurel Holland has been on a journey of awakening and transformation throughout her life. Writing about inner work, Laurel has authored four books, including Crossroads and Love's 8 Laws. Her books, Live Your Inner Power, the Journal, and Courageous Woman, introduce, share, and explore the eight foundational practices for creating transformation from the inside out. Through her books, programs, and innovative talks, Laurel's great desire is to lift others up and courageously step into the life they came here to live. You can learn more about Laurel, her books, and work she does at liveyourinnerpower.comLaurel Boivin, life coach and founder of Flux+Flow Professional Coaching, helps high-performing professionals overcome overwhelm and disillusionment by increasing self-awareness and shifting perspective to improve performance, increase personal contribution, and experience a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose. Laurel began coaching after a 30-year corporate career.  A Reiki master and yoga practitioner, collector of sea glass and antiques, she lives in New Hampshire and summers in Maine.  You can learn more about Laurel and the work she does at www.fluxflowcoaching.com.Talor Stewart, creator of Conscious Home Design, begins with the belief that surroundings are much more than a backdrop; they are an active ingredient in a beautiful, intentional life. Whether it's designing kitchens for mindful meals, bedrooms that encourage true rest, or movement spaces that actually get used, he shows people how architectural details can empower their health, relationships, and personal purpose. His book and workbook, Conscious Home Design, as well as his online course materials distill these ideas for any family or space. Talor regularly consults nationwide and internationally for custom designs.

Summary In this episode, Andy talks with Barry Wolfe, author of It's All In Your Head: Why Psychology Doesn't Help Your Workforce Deliver Value - And What Can. Barry is a seasoned HR executive and business leader who has built a reputation as one of the rare "HR guys who actually has a head for business." In this frank and eye-opening conversation, Barry challenges many of the tools and ideas we've come to rely on in leadership and management. Andy and Barry discuss why frameworks like Maslow's hierarchy may be doing more harm than good, how personality assessments can become limiting narratives, and why our obsession with "fit" often backfires. But this isn't just a critique. Barry offers an alternative in the form of Value-Centric Leadership, a model that reframes how we think about work, leadership, and results. You'll learn about tools like The Same Page and the 4C's of leadership that can help you lead with more clarity and purpose. If you're ready to challenge what you think you know about managing people (and want practical tools to lead more effectively), this episode is for you! Sound Bites "Most of the hiring tools we use today are only marginally better than chance." "We act like we're selecting with science, but we're often just rationalizing our preferences." "Maslow never created a pyramid. That was a marketing add-on, not a scientific insight." "Psychology gave us language, but somewhere along the way, it became the product." "What do I want to pay people to do?" becomes "What results do I want to buy from them?" "We pay people to do activities, but it's because we want to buy results." "Nobody buys verbs. People buy nouns." "Maslow had no interest in actually validating his model. He just threw it out there." "If you get married and someone asks, what are you looking for in a spouse? Would you really say the upper left box?" "The guy who created the DISC assessment was also the creator of Wonder Woman." "Given the choice between thinking hard and spending money, most business leaders would rather spend money." "Part of the problem with these tools is you're learning about science through something called marketing." "We've got strategic plans, core values, mission statements. What's missing is being on the same page." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:45 Start of Interview 02:00 Barry's Early Career Influences and Business Perspective 06:42 Why Leaders Rely So Heavily on Assessments 09:25 The "Yes, Buts" of Psychological Tools 15:20 What We Get Wrong About Maslow's Hierarchy 19:00 From Paying for Activities to Buying Results 23:30 Connecting Project Work to Real Value 24:00 Introducing The Same Page 28:47 The Most Overlooked Element of Leadership 33:47z Looking Ahead at AI, Automation, and the Future of Work 41:22 End of Interview 42:03 Andy Comments After the Interview 45:19 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Barry and his work at ArgosHR.com. For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 473 with Jeffrey Hull & Margaret Moore. They have rigorously researched what it takes to lead, and I think you'll find their approach and findings to be a nice complement to today's episode. Episode 417 with Mary Crossan and Bill Furlong. They have deeply researched 11 dimensions of character, which has some nice alignment with the 4 C's that Barry talked about. Episode 47 with Henry Mintzberg. If you haven't been with us since the early days, it would be easy to have missed this episode with one of the foremost curmudgeons of management. I think you'll find his insights in episode 47 to be a helpful addition to what Barry talked about in this episode. Help Passing the PMP Exam If you or someone you know is thinking about getting PMP certified, we've put together a helpful guide called The 5 Best Resources to Help You Pass the PMP Exam on Your First Try. We've helped thousands of people earn their certification, and we'd love to help you, too. It's totally free, and it's a great way to get a head start. Just go to 5BestResources.PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com to grab your copy. I'd love to help you get your PMP this year! Join Us for LEAD52 I know you want to be a more confident leader—that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks! Level Up Your AI Skills Join other listeners from around the world who are taking our AI Made Simple course to prepare for an AI-infused future. Just go to ai.PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills Topics: Leadership, People Management, Business Psychology, Strategic HR, Hiring, Performance Management, Personality Assessments, Organizational Culture, Project Value, Team Development, Employee Experience, Decision Making The following music was used for this episode: Music: Summer Morning Full Version by MusicLFiles License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Energetic Drive Indie Rock by WinnieTheMoog License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Jane Dutton, standing in for Relebogile Mabotja, speaks to Ofentse Morake, Food & Beverage Manager at The Maslow Hotel Sandton, about the newly launched menu at Lacuna Bistro. Inspired by Sandton’s status as South Africa’s financial hub and cultural melting pot, the menu offers a refined yet accessible Mediterranean cuisine with a distinctive local twist. Tags: 702, 702 Afternoon, Talk radio, The Maslow, Hotel, Lacuna Bistro, Menu, Food, Cuisine, South Africa, Mediterranean, Jane Dutton, Relebogile Mabotja 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja is broadcast live on Johannesburg based talk radio station 702 every weekday afternoon. Relebogile brings a lighter touch to some of the issues of the day as well as a mix of lifestyle topics and a peak into the worlds of entertainment and leisure. Thank you for listening to a 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja podcast. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 13:00 to 15:00 (SA Time) to Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/2qKsEfu or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/DTykncj Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if humor wasn't a distraction at work—but one of your most powerful leadership tools?  In this week's episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast, Nicole Greer sits down with Hall of Fame speaker, author, and neurohumorist Karyn Buxman to explore how humor can be used intentionally—not for entertainment, but as a strategic leadership tool.Karyn shares the science behind humor and the brain, why levity improves engagement and resilience, and how leaders can use applied humor to build trust, reduce stress, improve creativity, and retain great people. From psychological safety to employee engagement, this conversation reframes humor as a serious advantage in today's workplace.If you want a culture where people feel connected, energized, and eager to stay, this episode will change how you think about leadership.Vibrant Highlights:[00:03:43] What “applied humor” really means—and why leaders need it in their toolbox[00:10:19] How humor calms the brain and restores problem-solving capacity[00:15:14] The three purposes of humor: entertainment, influence, and wellbeing[00:22:21] Why laughter builds trust faster than almost anything else[00:40:47] How humor directly impacts employee engagement and retentionConnect with Karyn:Karyn's Book: Lead with Levity https://a.co/d/5TjHYMTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karynbuxman/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KarynBuxmanFB: https://www.facebook.com/karyn.buxmanIG: https://www.instagram.com/karyn_buxman/X: https://x.com/karynbuxman**Free Assessment + Free Debrief**($500 value!): Have you lost your laugh? What's holding you back? Discover how your unconscious thinking may be stealing your success—and your joy. https://www.habitfinder.com/karynAlso mentioned in this episode:Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs https://www.cnn.com/world/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-explained-wellness-cecMan's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl https://a.co/d/ashMmalListen at vibrantculture.com/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts!Book Nicole to help your organization ignite clarity, accountability, and energy through her SHINE™ Coaching Methodology.Visit vibrantculture.comEmail: nicole@vibrantculture.comWatch Nicole's TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/SMbxA90bfXE

A CMO Confidential Interview with DJ Patil, Great Point Ventures investor and former U.S. Chief Data Scientist in the Obama Administration. DJ discusses why AI adoption is "lumpy" like unbaked cake mix, the difference between large models and focused applications, and why consultants are probably not the best way to make progress. Key topics include: Maslow's Hierarchy of AI with power, data and water as the foundation; a timeline juxtaposition of AI evolution versus culture and policy change; and his belief that marketers have a unique position to add "human connectivity" in to the mix. Tune in to hear a view on AI and health care as well as how Waymo almost ruined a date night. What does AI adoption *really* look like inside large organizations—and why does it feel so uneven?In this episode of **CMO Confidential**, host **Mike Linton** sits down with **DJ Patil**—former U.S. Chief Data Scientist, AI leader at eBay and LinkedIn, and longtime advisor and investor—for a clear-eyed update from the front lines of AI.DJ explains why AI progress feels “lumpy,” why culture—not technology—is the biggest blocker to ROI, and what boards, CEOs, and CMOs must do now to avoid falling behind. From autonomous warfare and small models to Wall Street hype cycles, job displacement, and what AI means for the future of marketing, this is a practical, executive-level conversation about what's real, what's noise, and what comes next.If you lead a company, manage a brand, sit on a board, or are building a career in marketing, this episode will recalibrate how you think about AI adoption, investment, and organizational change.

How, and for what, should life be optimised? Is the growing culture of optimisation leading us towards the homogenisation of culture? These days we're using technology to help us write, make decisions, as well as augment, biohack, sculpt and transform our bodies, inside and out, to look and feel younger and fitter. As we seem to optimise virtually every aspect of our everyday lives, do we somehow end up creating more labour and inefficiencies? The pursuit of human development and self-improvement is a perennial subject of fascination and study, from Aristotle's eudaemonia to Confucian ethics, Maslow's theory, and now, in a form familiar to many: self-help. What does it signal though, when the dominant messages of the marketplace today, and the markers of success and progress of experience, are defined by terms like efficiency and maximum engagement? Marking the year-end – and with a new year around the corner – we're examining what it means to optimise life. Hear hot takes from Infinite Scroll 荧屏沉溺 curator and creative technologist Thea-Mai Baumann, philosopher Emily Hulme, comedian and writer Alex Lee and computer scientist Elliot Varoy. Hosted by Steph Harmon, Culture Editor of Guardian Australia. This podcast is a recording of a live public event held on 10 December 2025. For more links and resources, including the transcript, visit Sydney Ideas website: bit.ly/48Rdjg5

All of us were fed a certain modern promise of success: Work hard, become competent, and success follows.  And you know what? Despite its flaws, it mostly works. Effort compounds. Competence pays off. Success arrives. But then something strange happened. The questions that matter most don't go away. They get louder. Not questions about strategy or leverage. Questions about connection. Meaning. Why all of this still feels… flat. Here's the part no one warns achievers about: The modern promise of success was never meant to answer those questions. And the more success works, the more convincing the lie becomes that it should. So achievers do what they're trained to do. They optimize harder. They take control. They try to solve the problem. That's when things quietly degrade. Optimization doesn't create intimacy. Control erodes trust. Problem solving doesn't generate meaning or fulfillment.  The very tools that built success start breaking the internal world. Not because something went wrong. But because they were never designed for this terrain. This episode is about that moment. The moment success still works… yet something feels disconnected. No guilt. No self-diagnosis. No "find yourself" detours. Just a clear explanation of why this happens, how achievers misread it, and what actually changes when success stops being the answer. If success has worked… but the deeper questions haven't stopped…  Hit play.  Show Highlights Include: What to do when you feel uneasy after success so you don't jump into the throes of a mid-life crisis (1:44)  How the modern promise of success can leave you disconnected, unfulfilled, and unhappy (even if it's helped you achieve external and material success - and what perhaps the #1 modernity philosopher recommends to fill that internal void) (2:47)  The understandable, but false (and even completely backwards) assumption of success that achievers naturally gravitate towards which makes them look successful "on paper," but a chaotic mess inside (5:05)  The "Hedonic Adaptation" trap you naturally fall into when you're successful that leaves you feeling broken (6:48)  What ancient masters of discipline understood about effort and how it fundamentally changes your character (this is why progress creates friction) (9:19) Maslow's forgotten next step after self-actualization that can finally return your sense of fulfillment (15:08)  For more about David Tian, go here: https://www.davidtianphd.com/about/  Feeling like success in one area of life has come at the expense of another? Maybe you've crushed it in your career, but your relationships feel strained. Or you've built the life you thought you wanted, yet there's still something important missing. I've put together a free 3-minute assessment to help you see what's really holding you back. Answer a few simple questions, and you'll get instant access to a personalized masterclass that speaks directly to where you are right now. It's fast. It's practical. And it could change the way you approach leadership, love, and fulfillment. Take the first step here → https://dtphd.com/quiz

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories in psychology.  First introduced in 1943, the theory posits that people have an innate desire to reach their maximum potential, but to achieve this goal, they must first have their basic needs met.  These needs can be both physical and psychological, but they play a major role in understanding people's motivations.  Learn more about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, how they came to be, and how the psychology behind it can be used to explain human behavior on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.  Sponsors Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Mint Mobile Get your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Chubbies Get 20% off your purchase at Chubbies with the promo code DAILY at checkout! Aura Frames Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/DAILY. Promo Code DAILY DripDrop Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code EVERYTHING for 20% off your first order. Uncommon Goods Go to uncommongoods.com/DAILY for 15% off! Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to This Year in Work! As we countdown to Christmas, we've pulled together the standout moments from our Tuesday episodes across 2025 — the stories, segments and listener questions that defined the year. From new workplace vocabulary to tech scandals, CEO tantrums and the wildest listener dilemmas, this episode is a celebration of everything that made TWIW what it is. Word of the Year: Duck Shuffler Our unanimous pick. A perfect term for those colleagues making a lot of noise on the surface while quietly shuffling chaos underneath. Straight from Episode 202 — and yes, the Bosnia-and-Herzegovina reference still makes sense in context. Stories of the Year: Big Toddler Energy When we first discussed CEOs behaving like overgrown toddlers, we didn't expect the avalanche of DMs, confessions, and even a YouTube thumbnail featuring us as actual toddlers. From Episode 196. Rule-Bending Leaders From Episode 200, the unforgettable debate on rule-breaking founders… including Al's confession about his beer-delivery business days. The Great Employment Heist Episode 214 gifted us one of the wildest workplace stories of the year: a single engineer secretly working for 22 startups and earning over $1m without doing the work. Hot Take of the Year: Gossip is Good Rebecca Taylor argued that workplace gossip isn't just normal — it's useful. One of our most talked-about segments of the year (Episode 194). Truth or Lies of the Year: The triangle that never was. From Episode 240, the myth-busting moment that sent LinkedIn into meltdown. Workplace Surgery Question of the Year: My Ex is My New Boss!! From Episode 180 — still one of the most awkward, gripping dilemmas we've ever received.

Send us a textWhat do self-compassion, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and gratitude have in common—and how can they help you navigate life transitions with more clarity and confidence?In this reflective episode, Debbie McAllister, Spiritual Transformational Coach and host of the Light Up Your Worth Podcast, shares her wandering thoughts on personal growth, emotional healing, and rebuilding your life from the inside out. Debbie explores how meeting your core needs, practicing self-compassion, and cultivating gratitude can unlock deeper self-worth and inner alignment.This episode is especially for women in transition—whether you're navigating career shifts, relationship changes, personal reinvention, or spiritual awakening—and looking for grounded, soulful guidance.What You'll Learn in This Episode• How self-compassion supports emotional healing and resilience• The role of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in personal growth and self-worth• Why gratitude is a powerful tool during times of transition• How to identify and release subconscious blocks and self-sabotaging patterns• Gentle ways to move forward with confidence and inner alignmentAbout Debbie McAllisterDebbie McAllister is a Spiritual Transformational Coach, intuitive healer, and host of the Light Up Your Worth Podcast. She helps women in transition identify and overcome internal blocks that prevent them from living out their deepest desi You've built a successful career, checked all the boxes—but inside, you feel exhausted, burned out, and lost. 'Is this all there is?'I'm Debbie McAllister, Midlife Fulfillment Coach. I created the Beyond Success Blueprint—a structured process for high-achieving midlife women who refuse to choose between success and fulfillment. I'll help you rediscover what lights you up and create your next chapter beyond titles, expectations, and exhaustio  Thank you for joining me on another episode of Light Up Your Worth. If today's conversation resonated with you, I invite you to leave a review and share this episode with a friend who's ready to create her next chapter beyond titles, expectations, and exhaustion. Remember, you've built incredible success and you deserve to feel aligned, fulfilled, and authentic. Visit light up your worth.net . Until next time, keep shining your liSupport the showI'd be honored to walk beside you in this intimate space through my monthly Light Up Your Worth Society soul circle. Come home to yourself and join our heart-centered community. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightupyourworth YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/Lightupyourworthpodcast Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/LightUpYourWorthwithDebbieMcAllister From my heart to yours, I'd love to invite you to support our podcast journey! If you've found value in our conversations and would like to share some love, you can treat me to a virtual coffee for just $5. It's a beautiful way to contribute whenever you feel called - no pressure, no commitments, just pure appreciation flowing both ways. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lightupyrworth Spread your light with our soul family across 35 countries and beyond!

Kim Costa brings over 30 years of experience in real estate, construction, and design, and she's on a mission to help people create homes that truly serve their lives. After realizing that many homeowners choose properties that look great in photos but quietly hold them back, Kim had an aha moment — one that led her to win an essay contest for The Oprah Show (and then famously tell them not to come film at her own house!). From that revelation came The Wheel House Assessment, a framework combining the Wheel of Life and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to help people turn their homes into launchpads for success in every area — from relationships and health to business and purpose. Today, Kim teaches executives, entrepreneurs, and families to see their homes as partners in success, and she's bringing her message to a national audience as a new co-host on American Dream TV starting in November.In this episode, Kim shares how our homes and workspaces directly impact our business, productivity, and overall fulfillment, and how real estate agents can take a more consultative approach to truly serve their clients in meaningful ways. She explains how understanding a client's deeper goals can help you guide them toward environments that actually help them live better, perform better, and reach their potential — while setting you apart as a trusted advisor, not just another agent.You Can Find Kim @:

Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this episode breaks down what it truly means to live with integrity, creativity, compassion and authenticity while freeing yourself from the opinions of others. It dives into acceptance, spontaneity, gratitude and purpose as essential practices for growth, emphasizing that self actualization is not a destination but a daily commitment to personal and spiritual evolution. By focusing inward, embracing empathy and maximizing your own potential, this conversation challenges you to live more fully, lead with compassion and show up each day as a better version of yourself. Own your power with this Success Tip.   For more about Rod and his real estate investing journey go to www.rodkhleif.com

Caleb candidly discusses feeling exhausted and unmotivated near the end of the year, despite the overall success and growth of his landscape contracting business. He shares his struggles with finishing projects, a $6,000 mistake involving light fixtures, and the challenges of scaling a business, tying his personal fatigue to his company's operational pressures. Throughout the discussion, he emphasizes the importance of authenticity and sharing vulnerabilities with his audience, contrasting his fatigue with the many things he has to be grateful for, referencing Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Finally, Caleb briefly explains and advocates for the problem-solving technique of first principles thinking. LeanScaper Revenue Intensive (January 20 & 21, 2026 in January 20 & 21) Auman Landscape on YouTube Primed For Growth www.companycam/kcpodcast Company Cam- 50% for 2 months! Linktree/AumanLandscape @aumanlandscapellc www.CycleCPA.com  Use code: Auman and save $200 when signing up. LMN Software Save on onboarding! Code: AUMAN

Description: Most coaches genuinely want to help—but good intentions don't override impact. In this Master Coach Series episode celebrating 200+ podcast episodes, Jess breaks down the seven coaching mistakes even well-trained coaches are unintentionally making that keep clients stuck. These mistakes show up across every niche—from life coaching to business coaching. Inside this episode, you'll learn how to coach at a higher, more effective, more ethical level by avoiding the patterns that derail client progress. You'll learn: Why cheerleading actually prevents transformation How "Curious George" questioning sabotages momentum The difference between coaching the symptom vs. the system How safety strategies drive self-sabotage The leadership skills every professional coach must master Why you can't coach a dysregulated nervous system The subtle (and uncomfortable) ways coaches become coach-centered instead of client-centered When you eliminate these blind spots, your coaching becomes sharper, cleaner, and dramatically more impactful—and your clients start getting the results they hired you for. If you're ready to elevate your skill set, stand out in a crowded field, and coach at a truly professional standard, make sure you're on the waitlist for The Art & Skill of Coaching Certification. Enrollment for the spring cohort opens soon. Learn more about The Art & Skill of Coaching certification: https://www.jessicademarchis.com/the-art-skill-of-coaching   ASC Waitlist:  https://purple-lion-72607.myflodesk.com/ascwaitlist    Stay in Touch: www.jessicademarchis.com IG @jess_demarchis_coaching   The Coach Skill Audit: https://purple-lion-72607.myflodesk.com/coachskillaudit    Coach Question of the Week: https://purple-lion-72607.myflodesk.com/agcj1mr1y3    Why intuition isn't coaching: How to spot and stop projection in sessions (Episode 181): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-skill-of-coaching/id1612960277?i=1000719596313   The shadow side of caring (Episode 83): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-skill-of-coaching/id1612960277?i=1000628415575   Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html  

In this episode of Excess Returns, Graeme Forster of Orbis joins us to discuss two major research papers: Six Courageous Questions for 2026 and Sunrise on Venus. We explore how long-running global trends may be reversing, what that means for U.S. dominance, the future of international and emerging markets, the risks and opportunities created by AI and massive CapEx spending, the dollar's shifting role, and how investors should think about valuation, humility, and navigating a world where the economic “water” is changing. This conversation is packed with global macro insight, long-term investing lessons, and practical frameworks for building more resilient portfolios. Topics Covered:• Why long-term market “water” becomes invisible to investors• Self-reinforcing global cycles and how China's WTO entry reshaped the world• Signs the 25-year U.S. outperformance cycle may be breaking• How tariffs, political shifts, and corporate reforms change the global landscape• Why international and emerging markets may now offer better expected returns• Why U.S. large caps are not the entire story of American exceptionalism• How to think about valuation, margins, and discounted cash flow models across markets• The AI boom, bubbles, capital cycles, and asymmetric outcomes• How AI CapEx constraints influence winners and losers• The shifting role of the U.S. dollar and why market shocks may behave differently• Maslow's hierarchy, needs vs. wants, and the return of state-driven capital investment• Deglobalization, reshoring, and the national-security lens for investing• How to evaluate China and Taiwan inside emerging markets• Why humility is an investor's greatest edgeTimestamps:00:00 Introduction01:02 Why Orbis wrote Six Courageous Questions for 202603:44 The David Foster Wallace “water” analogy and investing06:12 How a 25-year self-reinforcing cycle powered U.S. outperformance10:12 Signs the cycle may be breaking12:00 Corporate reform and opportunity in Asia13:55 Why active share, benchmarking, and incentives distort investor behavior17:31 Decomposing S&P 500 returns: margins, valuations, fundamentals20:20 Expected returns inside and outside the U.S.22:34 Why international stocks offer richer opportunity sets24:25 Currency implications and weakening dollar dynamics26:18 American exceptionalism beyond the top 10 mega caps28:49 Where Orbis is finding value today30:25 Biotech, healthcare, and post-COVID dislocation31:05 How Orbis thinks about valuation in an intangible-heavy world32:09 Is AI a bubble or the beginning of something bigger?34:30 Game theory of AI CapEx and right-tail outcomes36:00 CapEx cycles, history, and who benefits38:00 Indirect AI beneficiaries and the SK Square example40:35 Maslow's hierarchy and the shift from wants to needs42:32 Deglobalization, national security, and domestic reinvestment44:00 Capital returning to home markets and strategic industries46:00 Can anything reverse these structural trends?48:00 Balancing bottom-up investing with macro awareness49:45 The deeper risk in emerging markets: owning vs. avoiding51:00 Valuation still matters for long-term returns52:29 Corporate behavior, dividends, and re-rating cycles53:52 How Orbis views China vs. bottom-up opportunity55:34 Why great investors must be right 90–95% of the time in decision quality58:00 One lesson Graeme would teach the average investor

Who on KVJ Can BS the best on topics like- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs or Lazy Suzannes?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11-30-25 Elder Mills takes us on a journey of Maslow's Pyramid and breaks down how the world attempts to box in our identity, but also how we can break out of that box by knowing how we operate in the world while not being of the world through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 

277. Breaking Through Addiction in Marriage with Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith   *DISCLAIMER* This episode is intended for adults.   1 John 1:9 AMP "If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”   *Transcription Below*   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Leman Property Management Company   Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith are clinicians, speakers, and authors with over 20 years of combined experience in counseling, coaching, and guiding couples toward healing and transformation. Their mission is to help couples navigate the complexities of relational challenges, particularly in the aftermath of sexual addiction and betrayal trauma, fostering deep restoration and growth.   Matthew is a Professional Certified Coach (ICF) with a background in pastoral leadership, while Joanna is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, EMDR practitioner, and Certified Clinical Partner Specialist through APSATS. Both hold Master of Divinity degrees and have served together on multiple church leadership teams. Currently, they co-lead their private practice, The Raabsmith Team, where they specialize in helping couples rebuild connection, trust, and intimacy.   Their passion for this work stems from their own journey of restoration. After experiencing the devastating effects of sexual addiction and betrayal in their marriage, Matthew and Joanna embarked on a years-long pursuit of reconciliation. This transformative experience led to the creation of tools like The Intimacy Pyramid™, a practical model for relational restoration and growth co-created with colleague Dan Drake.    Their first book, Building True Intimacy (2023), has sold over 1,000 copies and provides practical guidance for couples to use the Intimacy Pyramid to create enduring connections. They also founded Renewing Us Recovery™, a comprehensive program designed to support couples in the later stages of relational restoration. In November 2025, they will host the inaugural Renewing Us Couples Retreat, offering workshops and connection opportunities for couples on similar paths of recovery and growth.   Matthew and Joanna live in Memphis, Tennessee with their three young children. They prioritize self-care through shared adventures, new experiences, and a weekly game of pickleball.   Free Resource Mentioned in Episode   Building True Intimacy book   Questions and Topics Discussed: What were the warning signs that you noticed when you were newlyweds that tipped you off to believing things weren't quite as they seemed? Are there any common life circumstances, whether nature or nurture, that predispose someone to be more likely to struggle with a sexual addiction? As couples seek to thrive in marriage, will you give us an overview of the intimacy pyramid you wrote a book about?   Other Episodes Mentioned During Episode: Pornography: Protecting Children, Personal Healing, Recovery, and Victory in Christ with Sam Black Pornography Addiction and Helpful Recovery with Crystal Renaud Day   Additional Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce: Anatomy of an Affair with Dave Carder Protecting Your Marriage Against Unfaithfulness with Dave Carder Stories Series: Recovery From Sexual Sin in Marriage with Garrett and Brenna Naufel Supernatural Restoration Story with Bob and Audrey Meisner Special Patreon Re-Release Wholehearted Quiet Time with Naomi Vacaro   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”   Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”   John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:12)   Laura Dugger: (0:13 - 1:38) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   Today's message is not intended for little ears. We'll be discussing some adult themes, and I want you to be aware before you listen to this message.   Leman Property Management Company has the apartment you will be able to call home, with over 1,700 apartment units available in Central Illinois. Visit them today at lemanproperties.com, or connect with them on Facebook.   Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith are my guests today. They are clinicians, speakers, and authors with over 20 years of combined experience in counseling, coaching, and guiding couples toward healing and transformation. Our conversation takes a few turns, from getting to hear their incredible and vulnerable story of healing and then getting tips for talking to our children about topics like sex, and also even receiving some practical wisdom and tips for enhancing our own marital enjoyment.   Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Matthew and Joanna.   Matthew Raabsmith: (1:39 - 1:40) So good to be here.   Joanna Raabsmith: (1:40 - 1:42) So glad to be here. Thanks for having us.   Laura Dugger: (1:42 - 1:51) Oh, truly my pleasure. And let's just start here. Can you share your story going back to meeting and falling in love and your first part of marriage?   Matthew Raabsmith: (1:53 - 2:17) Sure, yeah. It was a little bumpy at first, actually. So, I knew Joanna through her brother. Joanna's brother was one of my best friends, and I got to meet her whenever she would come in town and visit, and she would invade guy night. He would usually bring her along to like a Lord of the Rings movie or something, and I would be a little frustrated because I would be like, oh, you brought your sister. Great. That's wonderful.   Joanna Raabsmith: (2:18 - 2:24) A little off-putting, not super friendly. And I was like, your friend's kind of a jerk. We did not like each other at all in the beginning.   Matthew Raabsmith: (2:24 - 2:54) Not big fans. And eventually over some time, we started to realize we had a lot in common. We liked to do a lot of the same things.   And one summer that Joanna was in town, we started hanging out, started doing more and more together, and really just kind of developed a friendship, which was really fun. And at the very end of the summer, realized that there was something between us. And so, we went on one date.   Our first date, we entered a golf tournament. We won it, and that was a good sign.   Joanna Raabsmith: (2:54 - 2:55) That's a pretty good sign.   Matthew Raabsmith: (2:55 - 3:02) And we went on three more dates over the course of two months and got engaged.   Joanna Raabsmith: (3:03 - 3:07) And then two months after that, we got married.   Matthew Raabsmith: (3:07 - 3:16) Yeah. So, her brother went from like, yeah, it's cool you date my sister, to like, you're not ready to get married. But he's come around now.   Joanna Raabsmith: (3:17 - 3:19) 15 years later. Yeah.   Matthew Raabsmith: (3:19 - 3:40) And, you know, a lot of it was, I think we had a definite sense of being kind of called together, being, you know, something special about who we were as a couple. And also, a recognition that we wanted to figure out what a good marriage looked like. We were really excited about marriage, but we didn't really know what we were doing.   Joanna Raabsmith: (3:41 - 4:15) Yeah, I've had a really great model of healthy relationship. My parents have a wonderful marriage. They work really well as a team.   And so, I knew, like, I want something like that. But as soon as we got married, we realized, but how do you actually build that? There's no, like, instruction manual for, okay, here are the things to do to have a great relationship.   And so, we read books. We went to conferences. You know, we did what we could, but we still found ourselves getting stuck, not able to really create, like, that deep sense of, like, connection intimacy that we really wanted.   Matthew Raabsmith: (4:15 - 5:17) And we started kind of hunting more and more for resources. We found some incredible resources that really changed our understanding of the way relationships work, the way people work, and really, for us, shifted our entire focus of kind of what we wanted to do, even with our life. And as we started to do that, though, we still kind of found ourselves at this kind of glass wall.   We felt like no matter what we tried, there was always this kind of distance between us. And that started to grow kind of over the years that we were together. It wasn't getting better.   It was actually kind of getting worse and worse and worse. And so, Joanna had actually decided to, after we finished our first grad degree together, the idea was we were going to go be pastors. And so, we had finished our kind of theological training.   Joanna decided she wanted to get a master's in marriage and family therapy so we could do some work around marriages and ministry in that way. And her very first-class kind of just set our life in a completely different direction.   Joanna Raabsmith: (5:17 - 6:26) Yes. So, my first class in the MFT program was a two-week intensive called Shame and Guilt. So, that's a really fun two-week intensive to be a part of. And as a part of that, though, they had an anonymous pastor come and share his testimony of struggling with sex addiction, becoming sober, getting into good recovery, healing and restoration in his marriage, kind of like that whole journey. And as he was talking, something inside of me started stirring. And I knew, OK, what he's saying is resonating way too much with me right now.   I think this is the thing. This is what is keeping us stuck, not able to really create the relationship we want. And so, that day I went home and first I just kind of started talking about my class, what I learned, what this pastor had shared.   Right. And nothing. Right.   We're just kind of talking generally about it. And so, finally I couldn't do it anymore. And I just stopped and I looked him square in the eyes and I said, “Are you struggling with this in our marriage right now?”   Matthew Raabsmith: (6:26 - 8:03) Yeah. And for the first time in my life, 20 years, I had been struggling with pornography, sexual addiction, and acting out in our marriage. And for the first time in my life, I was honest.   I had lied for years, both with Joanna and everyone else. And the kind of floodgates just kind of opened up. And I finally said yes.   And it was really hearing the story, I think, is what did it for me. I think it was knowing that somebody else had made it, that their life hadn't come crashing down because that was the greatest fear for me. That the moment anyone found this out, everything in my life would be over. Everything that I loved would be gone.   And so, this kind of story of hope gave me a little bit of courage that day, to be honest. But that started a really long journey for us because there was a lot of damage that was done in both of my hiding. And now kind of this revelation, all the pain kind of came crashing down on Joanna and kind of her shoulders.   And so, we started a quite intensive recovery process. We talked about it being kind of a full-time job. I went to recovery for my addiction and for kind of my acting out behaviors. Joanna had to begin a process of healing from the trauma of this discovery. And that process took us a number of years. It really was a long kind of arduous journey, but one that we ultimately survived and now thrive in our marriage and get the incredible luxury and the kind of gift of helping other couples do that.   So, that's kind of where we find ourselves.   Laura Dugger: (8:04 - 8:30) That is incredible. I just really appreciate you sharing your story. Clearly, stories are so powerful and that's what led to some healing for you and hopefully can open the floodgates for somebody else listening.   So, if we go back in your story, then, Joanna, I'd love to start with you. What were some of those red flags in early marriage that things aren't quite as they seem?   Joanna Raabsmith: (8:31 - 10:28) Yeah, there are a few. You know, I think that, you know, one of the pieces we kind of talked about, like, OK, we knew we're still getting stuck because there's 90 percent that felt really good. But then 10 percent that was extremely chaotic, really destructive.   Right. We would get we call the pain cycles when we get emotionally dysregulated. And there would be some things that, right.   Sometimes we would get into pain cycles, get dysregulated. And I kind of understand why. Right.   Like something happened. There was the disagreement. But other times I couldn't put my finger on it.   Right. Matthew would just get really angry and really shut down. And I wouldn't be able to connect it to anything that had happened in our life.   And so, it was very confusing. It was really hard to understand what was going on. And I think kind of in the same way, when I would pull too close into that connection, that intimacy, he would pull back.   Right. And it felt like even though we both named this goal and this desire, he would never actually partner with me in it. And so, again, that was really confusing because the actions were not matching up with reality and what was happening.   And I think the other piece that was kind of true for us and true for a lot of other people is that our own sexual relationship was fraught with pain. And so, there was, again, a lot that was really good, but also a lot that was really painful and confusing. And some of the pieces just didn't connect.   Right. And I would wonder, OK, what's going on? Well, I guess this is just the reality that like this is how much we get to expect in this area of our life, right.   In our relationship. And so, it was when the pastor started describing his life and addiction and what that looked like emotionally, sexually, relationally. I was like, oh, those are all the things that I'm currently experiencing.   Here's one thing that would answer all those questions that I have. And so, I think that was part of it. He kind of told me, like, OK, this is it.   Laura Dugger: (10:28 - 11:00) That would be so eye opening. And my heart's going out to the couple who is maybe starting to identify with this. Was it and share whatever you're comfortable with from your story or the person's story who opened things up to you?   So, sexually, I'm wondering if it was for you, Joanna, if you were hoping to connect sexually and that wasn't happening and that was confusing. You didn't feel pursued. But I don't want to fill in the blanks.   So, could you elaborate?   Joanna Raabsmith: (11:00 - 12:03) Absolutely. Yeah. And we find it a lot of different ways than couples that we work with.   Right. And so, it can be sometimes on either side of the extreme. And so, for us, it was where there would be kind of times when he'd be fully present and interested and engaged. Right. And then all of a sudden, kind of like I described emotionally, he would just withdraw and not be there. And I would reach out to connect.   And that was this like non-response. And which, again, didn't match up with those other times when he was engaged and wanting to connect. And he would give some sort of excuse that didn't totally make sense.   Right. But I was kind of like, what else? What was I left with except that?   So, I would kind of believe that and go with it, even though it didn't sit right. And so, yeah, I think that was part of it. We will see on the other side for some other couples.   It's the opposite. And maybe that spouse is hypersexual in the relationship. Right.   To the point where there might be pressure, even pressure to do things sexually that people aren't comfortable with. And so, yeah, it can look a lot of different ways. But that was kind of what our disconnect looked like.   Laura Dugger: (12:04 - 12:33) That's so helpful. And there's two different directions I want to go, Matthew. So, I'll set it up.   I guess I'm thinking of the guilt and shame and how those are usually so present. So, I have two questions. Were you when Joanna came to you, were you at a point where you recognize something was off and you wanted freedom from this and or had tried freedom before?   Let's start with that and then I'll go into the other one.   Matthew Raabsmith: (12:34 - 14:40) Yeah, it really was holy timing in a lot of ways. I, you know, for a lot of years I had I hated what I did. I didn't feel like I could stop it, but didn't have a lot of interest in kind of doing anything to stop it.   I kind of just like would just say, “OK, this is going to be the last time.” And then, you know, of course it would come back. But I think at this point I had really started to see the damage that was happening to our relationship.   I could feel us growing close, growing further apart. I could see kind of Joanna and the confusion that she was having. And like she couldn't understand things.   She would ask me a lot of questions that I didn't have answers to. And so, I actually a couple of months earlier, we were at a worship service, and they had said like, “hey, if you are ready to give something up, if you feel like there's something holding you back, come forward and confess it.” And Joanna and I were sitting next to each other, and I remember feeling like the Holy Spirit just like pulling me to like get up out of my seat and I wouldn't move.   I was like, no, because she's going to ask me what I went down for. I'm going there's you know, there's a random kind of prayer partner at the front. I'm like, I'm not going and confessing this to some random person.   And so, I was ready. But I think like I said, I think there was no path forward. It was kind of confess this and everything stops and ends.   But everything like marriage ends, life ends. And so, when she when she brought this, it really did feel like God had kind of been answering a prayer that I've been praying of like, if you give me a way out, I'll take it. I'm desperate.   I want it to stop. And it felt like that. I think it was both this kind of terror and this hope that day.   And even when I said, yes, it was a little bit like, what have I done? Like, could this have been different? Should I have just gone and told someone else privately?   Right. But I think ultimately that it was out between the two of us and that we kind of knew it. We knew what we were dealing with made a huge difference.   But I mean, God had been working in my life, offering opportunities for so long. I just been saying no, no, no. And then finally, you know, I think my heart just broke and it was like, yes, OK, I'm ready for this.   Laura Dugger: (14:40 - 15:14) I love how the Holy Spirit equipped you with that humility and courage to be brave in that moment. And it's such a blessing for all of us to get to see the end or I guess not the end of the story, but you at this point in your story where you're thriving. And so, I hope that offers a lot of hope to people listening.   But let's also pause. And so, going back further in time, Matthew, this was the other part of my question. What was life and attachment and your growing up journey like?   Matthew Raabsmith: (15:15 - 18:09) Yeah, I didn't know that at the time. Right. I a lot of this I figured out in the last couple of years of recovery.   You know, if you would have asked me, you know, as I was growing up about my life, I would have told you I had the perfect family. I had the perfect life. I think I did not realize that some of the things that I was going through weren't perfect, were harder.   And part of that was because I think the way my family dynamic worked was we just swept everything under the rug. You know, whatever happened, we just kind of went, OK, and moved on from. And I learned to do that as a kid.   And that meant a lot of emotional chaos. There was a lot of physical chaos and kind of volatility in our house growing up. And even though I had parents who are still married to this day, have stayed together and have tried to create kind of a stable life.   There was a lot of emotional and kind of relational instability. We moved around a lot. And then once we started moving, I found myself more and more kind of isolated at school. I started dealing with bullying and some things that really kind of left me not knowing how to deal with the pain that I was going through. And so, my way of stuffing things under the rug was getting, you know, escaping, you know, kind of escaping into anything that I could. I watched a lot of TV.   I was a latchkey kid, so I would come home. I'd watch TV a lot in the afternoon and then TV kind of just turned to more and more. And I was exposed pretty young to pornography, actually at a church camp.   I was at a summer church camp. Someone brought a Playboy magazine, and I was exposed to pornography. And I kind of felt that high, that rush.   And that just became kind of a mode of my escape. Right. Of whatever I could do to engage sexually, whether with my mind or with others.   That's how I could get out of the pain I was in. That's how I could stop feeling kind of the chaos that I was having and not realizing that it was becoming this kind of adaptive habit, that it would just be this thing I would go back to more and more. And I grew up at a time that technology was still emerging.   So, I can remember when we got our first computer and no one was talking about safeguards or anything. And so, it was just kind of exposure. Here you go.   Here's everything you could ever want and don't need. And that really became my life. And the more and more that I did, the better and better I got at lying and hiding and even being kind of vulnerable in kind of fake ways.   I would mention things like, yeah, we all have this struggle. And even Joanna, I had told like, you know, that was a struggle of mine in the past, but I've moved on from it. Right.   I told myself and other people just kind of lie after lie after lie so that I could have really this double life. I could appear one way and then I could be acting a completely different way, kind of in the dark.   Laura Dugger: (18:10 - 20:41) Yeah. And that makes sense. I'm thinking back to two episodes.   We did one with a male, Sam Black from Covenant Eyes, and he speaks so much of the origins of pornography and that foothold that Satan gets. And so many times it is in childhood, unwittingly you're exposed and then what it can turn into. And then Crystal Renaud Day came on to share a lot of females struggle with this as well.   And so, I'll link to those if those are a help.   And now a brief message from our sponsor. With over 1700 apartment units available throughout Pekin, Peoria, Peoria Heights, Morton and Washington, and with every price range covered, you will have plenty of options when you rent through Leman Property Management Company.   They have townhomes, duplexes, studios and garden style options located in many areas throughout Pekin. And make sure you check out their newest offering. The McKinley located in Pekin is a new construction addition to their platinum collection.   Featuring nine-foot ceilings, large spacious layouts, beautiful finishes such as quartz countertops and garages. You won't want to miss this outstanding new property. In Peoria, a historic downtown location and apartments adjacent to OSF Medical Center provide excellent choices.   Check out their brand-new luxury property in Peoria Heights overlooking the boutique shops and fine dining on Prospect. And in Morton, they offer a variety of apartment homes with garages, a hot downtown location and now a brand-new high-end complex near Idlewood Park. If you want to become part of their team, contact them about open office positions.   They're also hiring in their maintenance department. So, we invite you to find out why so many people have chosen to make a career with them. Check them out on Facebook today or email their friendly staff at Leasing@LemanProps.com.   You can also stop by their website at lemanproperties.com. Check them out and find your place to call home today.   So, at that moment when you've confessed, Matthew, the floodgates open for you and Joanna.   What did life look like for both of you next and even individually your journeys?   Matthew Raabsmith: (20:42 - 22:30) Yeah, it was separate. We did not separate, but we were really focused on our two different journeys because they were so different. For me, I had to figure out what had really gone on in my life and what was really happening.   Because, like I said, I had become such an expert at hiding from myself and others that I didn't really know how to live any other way. And so, I, you know, Joanna kind of handed me a list of everything this pastor had done. She was like, here you go.   Right. She kind of handed me that list and was like, good luck. And so, I dove in.   I went to a men's intensive. And I think that was probably one of the key places for me to tell my story for the first time. I really took a look at my life and had some people help me take a look and recognize the trauma that I had as a kid exposure that I had experienced and what that really meant to me and helped me understand what I was doing.   But also, kind of what I was doing to myself, how I was really kind of killing myself from the inside out and preventing myself from having the kind of relationship I wanted with God and other people. And so, that discovery was in really ways kind of invigorating for me. I felt like I was living for the first time.   I think I had started to kind of get out of this kind of burden, this fear of always being caught. I told Joanna kind of the history of everything that had happened in my life and our relationship. And so, I was feeling this kind of renewed sense of like energy and excitement of like, this is good.   I want this life. I want the life there that I'm not in constant kind of fear and in constant kind of connection to this thing I hate. And so, which is really different than what Joanna was experiencing.   Joanna Raabsmith: (22:30 - 25:07) Yeah. So, for me, it was very jarring in the beginning. Everything I thought was real came crashing down around me.   And that was especially jarring because I had left kind of the direction, the path that I was on. Right. We talked about our story earlier.   It included two months of dating, two months of engagement before we got married. And that also included me dropping out of law school, getting married and moving to California to pursue a ministry degree so we could work as pastors together or do something together. And so, in that moment, all of that came crashing down.   And I kind of was very lost, not just in our relationship, but in kind of what in the world am I even doing here? What am I going to do moving forward if he doesn't choose recovery? Right.   And so, just all of those question marks, all in that one moment of him answering that question affirmative. And so, so there was like that heaviness on one side and then on the other side was this relief of finally everything I've been experiencing makes sense. Right. Finally, I feel like I actually know what's going on. And because of that, there could maybe be a path forward for us as well. So, is this very, very weird dichotomy in that moment? And so, but I think I knew right away, like, I can't be vulnerable. I can't be intimate with him anymore. Right.   I have to step back in our relationship and wait and see what he chooses to do. Is he going to choose to do the work of recovery and get healthy and start to be honest and safe or not? And so, that's so we kind of did kind of there's some space for a very long period of time while we focused on our own individual recoveries.   And that, again, was a little bumpy for me. This is over a decade ago. And so, there is very little information about what partners experience.   We call it betrayal trauma, and that just wasn't a very common word at the time. And so, some of the resources I plugged into came from a more we would call it codependent, co-addict focus, which just really didn't fit. So, I struggled to find resources that felt like they fit for my journey.   But once I did, it all again, my own healing process started to make sense. And it was so like freeing and liberating to understand. Like, oh, OK, this is what I'm going through. This is why I feel this way.   This is what it looks like to heal and move forward. And so, kind of beginning that process was so important because then when Matthew was kind of in a healthy, safe place, I was as well, and we can start to step in towards each other on that kind of more couples' journey at that point.   Laura Dugger: (25:07 - 25:17) I love how you did that wisely, though, separate first, not rushing into couples at that time. Absolutely.   Matthew Raabsmith: (25:18 - 26:33) Appreciate you calling it wise. I think we were terrified. Yeah, we'll take God's help.   I think he was like, you guys just work on your own stuff for a while. And in some ways, like I said, it was we didn't know what we were doing. But I think we knew we wanted there to be a future between the two of us.   But we knew it had to be completely different in some ways than what we had before, which was scary because we liked what we had before. Like we had a really great marriage in many ways. Right.   There was this portion of it, this hidden portion that was really infecting and killing it all. But what we did have together, we didn't want to totally lose. It just was really hard to know, especially early on, what's going to come forward.   Like, who are we still going to be as we go forward? Are we still going to be a couple who does things together? Right. Who works together? Or is that all kind of going to have to be different? Is that the only way that we have kind of moving forward?   And so, that was that was probably the hardest part was having like this sense of like not wanting to lose us. We were like, if we lost that, that was going to be miserable. And I think a lot of our work was about how do we eventually reclaim this marriage that we want, that we love?   Laura Dugger: (26:34 - 27:04) Yes, because from what I'm sensing, you're friends with each other, you're on purpose or on mission with God. He did a course correction change, putting you on this path to help couples. But your desire to work together, it's like He still honored that in the ministry of reconciliation.   And I'm assuming abundantly blessed it beyond what you could ever dreamed up what we're doing now.   Joanna Raabsmith: (27:04 - 27:42) Right. It's been amazing to see what God has done, how he's used our story, which is so fitting because it was someone sharing their story that brought our healing. And I think because of that and it wasn't right away; it took some time to get to the place where we felt open to God using our story to bring healing to others. But we found as we stepped into that, that we have received such a blessing.   Right. And just being able to sit with other couples in that journey and see them go from that place of pain and confusion to this place of restoration and thriving. Like there is no better work that we could have imagined for ourselves.   Laura Dugger: (27:42 - 28:09) Love that. And really, you did have to pioneer a path. There weren't many resources at that time.   So, that's another reason I'm grateful you can share your story, because I hope it unlocks freedom for others. So, if we're turning more outward now and you're helping as you work with couples, how do you help them identify the difference between sexual struggles and sexual addiction?   Matthew Raabsmith: (28:10 - 30:15) Yeah, that's a great question. And I think that it really kind of exists on a spectrum. And so, everything kind of exists under what we call problematic sexual behavior or unwanted sexual behavior.   Whenever someone is acting in a way sexually that doesn't align with their values. And then the question is, is how often, how compulsive, right? How habituated, right?   How really embedded is that practice? Because the more and more embedded it is and the more and more that I continue to act on that, seeing the damage that it's doing, that's really what qualifies as the addiction. The addiction is when I know that this is causing harm and I and I feel that even though I want to stop it and I've tried to stop.   Right. I can't stop the 12 steps has a great line. They say addicts, you know, addicts have no problem stopping.   It's staying stopped. That's hard for an addict. Right.   And so, that's usually a sign that there's an addiction. And really what that means is that just means that I'm going to have to be even more kind of thorough and scrupulous in my willingness to change a lot. Because if I have built an addictive lifestyle, that means everything I do kind of functions to support that lifestyle.   Right. And so, my part of that was this hiding. I lied about everything.   I would lie about anything just to make sure that I was in control of the narrative. And so, for me, it was recognizing that if I was going to move forward free of my addiction, then it had to begin with honesty, with this kind of radical honesty and transparency and growing in that consistently, because that was the way that I manifested this addiction and kind of kept it going. And so, that's really what the addiction is about, is recognizing what are the kind of pieces in my life that are supporting this addiction to continue to exist?   And how is God going to dismantle those things? Right. And how am I going to be a part of that dismantling?   Laura Dugger: (30:16 - 30:33) That's well said. And also, I'm curious, are there any common life circumstances, whether that's nature or nurture, that are more likely to predispose someone to more likely have this struggle with sexual addiction?   Matthew Raabsmith: (30:34 - 32:30) I mean, there are, I think, you know, the things that we tend to look for are trauma and trauma comes in so many different forms. So, trauma is more it's rare that it's a single event. It's often more a kind of consistent occurrences.   As I mentioned, you know, I can't speak to kind of one event in my life that I say this was the traumatic moment in which everything changed. But it was more of the chaos. And so, I grew up in a family that could be really, really, really loving and incredibly encouraging and fun and silly and in a heartbeat switch into one that was verbally and physically just chaotic and terrifying.   And it was that chaos that kept me on edge. What it did was it created in me kind of a system of always wanting to be on high alert. And that would exhaust me.   That would kind of wear me out. And I would want to kind of numb that kind of feeling away. And so, I think those traumas, I do think early exposure.   Right. I mean, I was exposed early before my brain was ready to really understand what it was dealing with. And I think the third component that we often see is a low level or a kind of really a void of sexual education.   There was I'm sure I had a small talk with my dad at some point, but we were not talking about pornography. We weren't talking about bodies. We weren't talking about sex from a kind of healthy, good way.   I grew up in the church, and it was kind of don't do this until you're married and then you'll be fine. Right. That was the sexual education message.   And so, those things, right, trauma, exposure and lack of kind of education usually forms in someone a difficulty of knowing what they're doing, knowing that it's destroying them before it's really kind of gotten a deep hole.   Joanna Raabsmith: (32:30 - 33:20) I think like the brain. The brain aspect to when we talk about addiction, there are usually chemicals involved in addiction being formed, being created. And so, I think also co-occurring disorders, right, that emotional pain, also things like anxiety, depression, ADHD, where my brain really likes the dopamine it gets from sexual acting out. Right.   And you can actually need it to feel OK. That can also be a factor in kind of especially that addictive side of these behaviors. When my brain gets really attached to that dopamine release that it's getting because maybe I have some other things going on or I just have emotional pain.   I don't know what to deal with, how to handle it, how to regulate that in a healthy way.   Laura Dugger: (33:20 - 34:30) There's so many good points there. I'll just highlight one because there's a profound piece that you were talking about with early exposure to evil and the corruption of it is extremely harmful. And yet not being exposed to God's good design for sex and hopefully being coached by our parents, that is both of those play a part in the addiction. And so, I'm thinking even as we shift to think about parents, I know I've had parents come to me and just say, I don't want to talk about this with my kids.   I don't want to rob their innocence. And my approach is if God made it, this is good. We can talk to them.   You're not robbing their innocence when you're sharing the good age-appropriate parts of sex. And it's so great to be that first one to share with them. And I think it does the opposite of what we would expect.   We're afraid that that might make them hyper sexualized. But would you speak to that? Any encouragement for parents?   Matthew Raabsmith: (34:30 - 36:37) Yeah, it's tricky. I mean, even as parents, we've got kids and its still kind of navigating it. But I do think what it does is it lets someone learn the things they need to in the timeline they need to.   I think part of one of the things is that, you know, really good sexual education starts young. I mean, they start six and seven years old or even younger, just talking about our bodies. Right.   Because I think that's part of it. Really, this is about understanding the goodness of our bodies. This body was created by God, the maker of heaven and earth, and he called it good.   And so, I think part of a good sexual education begins with that. And then, what's really nice is once you've started the conversation, that means if your children are exposed or if they're presented with things that don't line up with what they've been hearing, they now feel safe to come and talk about that. Because that's really what this was about.   I didn't feel safe to talk about what I was exposed to, what people were doing. Right. And what people were encouraging me to engage in.   And so, you know, my parents would ask me how it's going. I would not tell them anything because it wasn't a conversation that they were having with me. And so, I didn't think it was a conversation I was going to have with them.   And so, that meant that as I found myself further and further away from my values, I felt like, who am I going to share this with? And so, part of having the conversation is it normalizes with our kids that this is OK to talk about, which is actually what adults need. I mean, part of our work with couples as adults, we have to get them talking about sex and body parts.   I mean, it's amazing to have 30, 40, and 50-year-olds in our offices and in our sessions. And they're so uncomfortable. Right.   They don't want to talk about sex. They don't want to talk about their bodies. They don't want to talk about what their bodies do.   Right. And we keep being like, this is God's good stuff. Right.   There is goodness here. But you have to begin by talking about it. Right.   Having these conversations.   Joanna Raabsmith: (36:38 - 37:54) I tell all the parents I work with, your kids are going to pick up a narrative about what sex is and what sexuality is, whether you want them to or not. And so, would you rather be the first person to step in and give them a healthy view, a healthy narrative to understand? Right.   And this is beyond kind of the nuts and bolts that everything our kids are learning. They're trying to find a deeper meaning. They don't think it's unconscious when they're young. Right. But they're taking it and they're going, what meaning does this have for me? How does this inform my self-worth, my view of my own value as a human in my body?   And how does it inform my experience of the world and my safety in the world? And am I empowered to make decisions? Am I connected?   Do I belong? Right. All of those questions are asking.   And so, as they're confronted with issues of sexuality, it's going to inform those things. And the world will not give them a healthy narrative about it. Right.   And so, being able as a parent to step in and give them that healthy meaning, that narrative, that understanding of their worth and their safety as they're piecing together kind of sexuality, again, at that age-appropriate level is so important.   Laura Dugger: (37:54 - 38:30) Guess what? We are no longer an audio only podcast. We now have video included as well.   If you want to view the conversation each week, make sure you watch our videos. We're on YouTube and you can access videos or find answers to any of your other questions about the podcast when you visit thesavvysauce.com. And I love that you're talking about this with couples you work with.   So, will you give us an overview of the intimacy pyramid that you actually wrote a book about and you teach to couples?   Joanna Raabsmith: (38:30 - 38:31) Absolutely.   Matthew Raabsmith: (38:31 - 39:15) Yeah. I mean, it was born out of our journey because, as you said, we wandered for a while and we felt a little bit like Israel, just kind of, you know, knowing that the Promised Land was out there, but never really feeling like we could find it. And when we started to piece together, I think the kind of relationship that we had dreamed of reclaiming, we really ask ourselves, how can we make this a more direct, a simpler process, not just for couples who went through what we went through, but really for any couple who's hungry for this, for the couple like us when we were first starting.   It really wants an amazing marriage. And so, we really focused on a kind of simplistic idea of what are the core kind of foundational levels of building really healthy intimacy.   Joanna Raabsmith: (39:16 - 40:10) Yeah. So, the intimacy pyramid, it's actually a triangle. There's a visual that goes along with it.   So, if you imagine the different levels of the triangle, very similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, starting at the bottom, you have to start with honesty. And so, we definitely experienced that reality in our own relationship. Right.   This is something we learned from Couples in Betrayal, but like Matthew said, we realized this is where every couple starts. Am I willing to be fully open, fully honest and transparent in this relationship? Am I being my authentic self?   Right. And after that level of honesty, that's when we start to build safety. And that has to do with our ability to communicate in really healthy, constructive ways.   Even when it's hard, even when we're disagreeing, even when we feel like yelling at each other. Are we able to show up with that belief that we both have the same goal? We're trying to build something together.   Matthew Raabsmith: (40:10 - 41:57) And with honesty and safety, that's where we get to work on trust as a couple. That's that next level. And trust is where we start to be more partners, where we're really starting to kind of lean in, work together, kind of be courageous and saying, “Hey, this isn't just my life anymore, right?”   This is our life together. And as that trust is established, this is what allows for the incredible work of vulnerability. And there's been all these studies about vulnerability over the last few years and how important it is.   What we recognize, though, is vulnerability on top of nothing is actually really risky and kind of even dangerous. It's vulnerability that's built on healthy trust where we step in and we do share some of those deeper pains in those wounds, those fears. We start to really heal some of those kind of early traumas that we experience.   It's in that vulnerability. That's what allows a couple to be truly intimate. And it's when they've worked through each of these levels, what we find is these couples, when they reach this kind of this intimacy level, they're passionate about who they are as a couple. They love kind of their relationship itself. They have a purpose to it. They have a sense that like our marriage, our relationship exists for a reason, but they're also really playful.   They're silly. They're really kind of comfortable in their own skin. And it's those five levels really working together that allows them to experience a relationship that gives life. I think one of the things we know is that when God creates, it gives life. And so, God created marriage not to burden us, right? Not to kind of, you know, not even just to get us through, you know, kind of surviving life, but actually to bring more life.   Right. And not just life within the relationship itself, but life outside of it.   Laura Dugger: (41:58 - 42:22) Oh, I love it. And you're also working with couples. I've heard you speak before about the working on offering your spouse the gift of self-awareness. And so, what could couples expect? How do you actually work with them to grow in self-awareness and recognize things like the emotional process they go through in marriage?   Joanna Raabsmith: (42:22 - 43:48) Absolutely. So, awareness. So, in our book, we obviously detail the intimacy period much more.   And that's Building True Intimacy is the name of the book. But each of those levels we just walked through have different components that go into that. And awareness is kind of like one of the most important components of that honesty foundation.   So, we have to start with awareness and we can't really build anything if there's a lack of self-awareness. And so, when we work with couples, one of the first places we start is we kind of look at the past. Are they aware of what they've been through, what those experiences are, and how those experiences have shaped them into the person that is now in the present, showing up with their spouse.   Right. And so, once I start to have that insight from my past, from those experiences, how they shape me, I can better understand my present. What are the things that I feel and why do I feel those things in particular?   Right. And then when I feel those things in a relationship, and these are typically those kind of heavier, more challenging, more painful emotions. How do I respond?   How am I showing up? Because the reality is that all of us cope with emotional pain the same way we cope with physical pain. We go into fight or flight.   That part of our brain gets triggered and we respond with these kind of destructive relational coping behaviors that then hurt my partner.   Matthew Raabsmith: (43:48 - 46:22) Yeah. Like, for example, I told you about that chaos I experienced as a kid. And so, those would always happen around conflicts.   My parents would disagree about something. There would be some type of argument about, you know, and it could be anything where we were going for dinner or what color the curtains were. Right.   But it would create this chaotic environment. So, as I got married, the thing that I didn't like the least was any type of conflict. Joanna and I would get in when I could sense us disagreeing and we are both passionate.   We have opinions and we believe things and we get into this kind of disagreement and argument. It would freak my system out. And I didn't realize that because I didn't really know my past.   I didn't know what was going on. I would just really do anything to shut it down. I get angry and I try to get loud, or I just walk away in the middle of a conversation.   As Joanna was talking, I would just leave the room and my acting out was just a further manifestation of that kind of leaving the relationship. And so, part of my healing journey was to learn about my story and recognize, oh, OK, I can see what's happening. And what's really interesting is it still happens in our life today.   I've been in recovery for 12 years. I still feel the same things. Now it's more like when my kids are getting involved.   Right. And there's energy in the room and people are online. And then I go, oh, yeah, there it is.   There's my system again. It's starting to feel unsafe. It's starting to feel alone. And I know what it wants to do. It wants to get angry, or it wants to just shut down and walk away. And what's incredible is that we've learned the ability to see where we're at but also speak directly to that.   And so, what I get to do for myself now is I get to go, “OK, I know I'm feeling unsafe and I know I'm feeling alone. And I know I want to get angry to solve it, but it won't do it. But here's the truth. The truth is that I'm safe in God's economy. I'm empowered. I have an incredible partner in my life. I've never been alone. I've always had someone there for me. And Joanna is the perfect example of that.”   And that totally changes my sense of really kind of where I am. And it changes how I show up. I tend to be much more calm.   I ask questions rather than make demands. And it's that ability to kind of see where we're at and shift. That's just been such a game changer for our family and just for our own relationship.   We still have to work on it. You know, it doesn't always look that pretty. Right.   But when we do, it's amazing how different it goes.   Laura Dugger: (46:24 - 46:44) And then I just think of the generational impacts that has when people are willing to do the work. And so, if there's a brave couple out there who wants to seek their own help and healing, can you share where they can go for help, including the Raabsmith team and all that you have to offer?   Matthew Raabsmith: (46:46 - 47:30) Yeah, you know, we would love them to connect with us because I think one of the things we recognize was having guides along the way. I mean, we had to figure a lot out ourselves, but we also had some really incredible guides, some mentors, some coaches, some therapists. And so, we always just say, hey, connect with us.   You can find us at raabsmithteam.com. We have a heart for couples who want restoration and reconciliation because that's what we're getting to live and experience. And what's cool is our whole team, they're couples who've been through this work, but who also have been professionally trained to help other couples to just continue to guide and to grow relationships so that they're thriving and they're kind of giving that life.   Joanna Raabsmith: (47:30 - 48:10) Absolutely. We also love to give out resources. And so, we have the kind of we call it the honest connection.   And so, again, if you're starting this journey or even this is for any couple who wants deeper connection, deeper intimacy, learning how to do that on a daily basis in small ways is so important. And so, we have a worksheet that couples can take and use. We're happy to provide that for them for free and kind of try this for 30 days and notice the changes that you experience in your relationship.   And so, that's a great starting point wherever you are in relationship to begin that journey of connection.   Matthew Raabsmith: (48:10 - 48:14) And you just go to raabsmithteam.com/free and that resource is all yours.   Laura Dugger: (48:15 - 48:26) Wonderful. Add links for that in the show notes for today's episode. And is this then for any couple worldwide, nationwide?   Can you work with people?   Matthew Raabsmith: (48:27 - 48:55) We have we've got couples across the world, which is really fun. It's been really neat just to see the way that God has used our work. One of the things when we first started this journey, we started getting couples calling us saying, “Hey, I don't have anybody in my area that specializes in this, that understands this journey. Can I work with you?” And so, we kind of felt a calling to say we want to make sure that we connect with people wherever they are. And so, absolutely.   If you can hear our voice, you can work with us.   Laura Dugger: (48:55 - 49:14) I love that. And just as a little bonus practical tip, you kind of mentioned being proactive to thriving in marriage. Is there any encouragement that you could share or a specific practical tip that anybody could start to incorporate if they want to take their marriage to that thriving level?   Matthew Raabsmith: (49:15 - 50:12) Yeah, I think just the ability to slow down. We have a  nine, seven and six-year-old. We own our own business, and we like life and life can get incredibly fast.   And I think what we have found is when, as I was mentioning, when I learned the ability just to slow down, even if I don't fully just know myself slowing down and checking in, just where am I at right now? Where's my heart? Right. Where do I want to be?   I think I realize that so often my values and my actions aren't aligned when I'm moving too quickly. I'm not being the person that I want to be. And we see that in so many couples. We meet so many couples and there are two really great people who have a hard time working together. They have a hard time kind of being a team.   And it's usually because they're working so fast. They don't realize they're kind of working against each other. So, slowing down, I think, is such a big thing.   Joanna Raabsmith: (50:12 - 51:18) Another piece that's, again, really easy to start right away. A lot of couples we work with, and I think probably even us when we start a relationship, was there were two individuals in a relationship, and it was kind of either me or you. And starting to understand there's this third thing between you, the relationship. There's a third almost entity that really needs care. It needs nurture. It needs you to focus on its needs from time to time.   And so, beginning to approach the day, even approach conversations with this question of like, what does our relationship need right now? And even as you're trying to make decisions, what is the way we can decide this in a way that's good for our relationship or what decision benefits our relationship rather than does it benefit you or me? Because when you get into that struggle, it can become a competition.   It can become transactional really quickly. So, starting to ask that question, starting to talk about the needs and caring for the relationship very intentionally can be a way to shift that.   Laura Dugger: (51:20 - 51:38) Thank you for sharing that. I think that leads into my last question, because you already know we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for both of you, Matthew and Joanna, what is your savvy sauce?   Matthew Raabsmith: (51:39 - 52:22) I kind of mentioned this, but I think it's the willingness to be honest. I was so willing to lie to myself and kind of really hide from other people. And I didn't even know that I was doing it.   But as I have learned to be more honest in really kind of healthy ways, right. You can dump, you can whine, you can complain, you can get angry. But truly being honest meant just looking at what I was feeling and trying to kind of figure that out and name that.   As I have learned that ability to be honest with myself and with others, it has just opened up a new world of possibilities. And it has shown me how many people care for me; how much God cares for me. So, I think that honesty is something I just want to practice more and more every day.   Joanna Raabsmith: (52:22 - 53:30) I think for me, just in my own journey and working with so many partners, that importance of being able to make empowered decisions in my life. Right. That I am really intentionally choosing the direction I'm going in life.   Realizing that instead of going into this more helpless, powerless victim stance is such a difference. And really the only thing that changes a lot of times is mindset. You don't have to overhaul your entire life.   Right. You have to add in like four hours of self-care and all of these things. But starting to shift that mindset into, wait, I have power in the decisions I make.   And one of the ways that's really important to do that is growing that self-awareness. I cannot make empowered decisions if I'm not aware of where I'm at emotionally, physically, spiritually. Right.   If I'm not aware of my needs on a regular basis. And so, slowing down to check those things in, sometimes even multiple times in the day if you're not used to that. So, you're more connected to yourself, to what you need, what you want.   So, you can start making those empowered decisions.   Laura Dugger: (53:32 - 54:00) I love that. It's just so enjoyable to host a very lively couple who's humble and you've done your work. And then you're willing to share all this overflow of goodness with all of us.   So, I think my prayer is that the Lord would richly bless you for this open-handed generosity of wisdom and your story and experience that you've shared with us and modeled for us today. So, thank you to both of you for being my guest.   Joanna Raabsmith: (54:00 - 54:03) Thank you so much. It's a joy being here.   Laura Dugger: (54:05 - 57:47) One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.   Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.   First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Founders are praised for their grit — but what about their grace?In this powerful episode of The Flourishing Edge, Ashish Kothari sits down with Lisa Mikkelsen, Partner at Flourish Ventures, to explore the hidden mental and emotional costs of entrepreneurship — and how founders can thrive without sacrificing their well-being.Lisa shares hard-won insights from 25 years in startups and venture capital, where she's seen firsthand how “image management,” stigma, and burnout quietly derail brilliant founders. Together, they unpack how the VC world can evolve from “get rich or die trying” to “grow well and thrive together.”This is a must-listen for founders, funders, and anyone passionate about building sustainable success — from the inside out.

Hoffman's biography of Maslow: https://shorturl.at/NrQUC _______________________________________ If you appreciate my work and would like to support it: https://subscribestar.com/the-saad-truth https://patreon.com/GadSaad https://paypal.me/GadSaad To subscribe to my exclusive content on X, please visit my bio at https://x.com/GadSaad _______________________________________ This clip was posted on November 12, 2025 on my YouTube channel as THE SAAD TRUTH_1936: https://youtu.be/HHKs0fhJUxU _______________________________________ Please visit my website gadsaad.com, and sign up for alerts. If you appreciate my content, click on the "Support My Work" button. I count on my fans to support my efforts. You can donate via Patreon, PayPal, and/or SubscribeStar. _______________________________________ Dr. Gad Saad is a professor, evolutionary behavioral scientist, and author who pioneered the use of evolutionary psychology in marketing and consumer behavior. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Saad is a leading public intellectual who often writes and speaks about idea pathogens that are destroying logic, science, reason, and common sense.  _______________________________________

In this week's episode of Lessons from a Quitter, we dive into an unpolished but powerful reflection on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and how understanding it can help us navigate uncertainty and reduce unnecessary suffering. We explore the difference between "clean" and "dirty" pain and how our brains are wired to always look for problems—even when life is objectively good. By recognizing where we are on the hierarchy, we can cultivate more compassion for ourselves, redirect our minds toward meaningful goals, and find gratitude for the structure and challenges that keep us grounded, even in seasons of self-doubt or transition.

It’s tempting to be a very serious person in a very serious world. But what if staying soft was the most loving thing we could do? In this vulnerable and playful conversation, Kate sits down with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau—mental health advocate, speaker, and writer—to talk about childhood wiring, the masks we wear, and how we begin the lifelong work of coming home to ourselves. If you’re navigating heartbreak, trying to live in your body again, or just craving a little lightness without losing depth—this one's for you. SHOW NOTES: Gabor Maté – on trauma, addiction, and the pain beneath our coping mechanisms “Innocence is one’s ability to be found by the world.” – A reflection on David Whyte’s invitation to stay open Maslow, Indigenous wisdom, and the reminder that community is what makes us feel safe Support Guides: When Your Child is in Pain, When You've Been Hurt as a Child, Those Who Give and Need Support Come hang out in our new favorite corner of the internet: Kate's Substack. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.