Podcast appearances and mentions of mason dixon line

Brooklyn College distinguished political science professor and New York Times Bestselling author Jeanne Theoharis talks about her new book, "KING OF THE NORTH: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life of Struggle Outside the South" about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s turbulent efforts organizing above the Mason-Dixon Line and how his work can lead us today.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Franklin County played an important role in the Underground Railroad. It’s location on the Mason-Dixon Line signaled escaping slaves entry through the north, and the mountainous terrain afforded numerous hiding places in caves and wooded areas. “Over the years I've heard research historians refer to South Central Pennsylvania as ground zero of the Underground Railroad. Over the years I've heard research historians refer to South Central Pennsylvania as ground zero of the Underground Railroad, “said Janet Pollard, Executive Director of the Franklin County Visitors Bureau. John Brown was an abolitionist who participated in the Underground Railroad and helped to protect escaped slaves from slave catchers. “In aiding those enslaved individuals well we had of course this area Chambersburg was the northern headquarters of John Brown when he planned his raid for Harper's Ferry so he launched from the Kennedy farm but in Chambersburg is where he housed he housed some of his men that were part of his provincial government because he'd had a plan to establish different government secretaries of state secretaries of war he had different people that he had placed here and they were living in Chambersburg in the spring and even into the fall of 1859.” Listen to the podcast to hear the full interview. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Carla Wills and Negest Rucker joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss their family connections to slavery in Maryland and the Catholic Church. Recommended books related to this episode:The 272 : the families who were enslaved and sold to build the American Catholic Church / Rachel L. Swarns.The ledger and the chain : how domestic slave traders shaped America / Joshua D. RothmanSlavery and freedom on the middle ground : Maryland during the nineteenth century / Barbara Jeanne Fields.Facing Georgetown's history : a reader on slavery, memory, and reconciliation / edited by Adam Rothman and Elsa Barraza Mendoza.The half has never been told : slavery and the making of American capitalism / Edward E. Baptist.Tobacco and slaves : the development of southern cultures in the Chesapeake, 1680-1800 / Allan Kulikoff.Gleanings of freedom : free and slave labor along the Mason-Dixon Line, 1790-1860 / Max Grivno.Music used in this episodeTitle: Good Kids InstAuthor: HoliznaRAPS/https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznaraps/good-kids/good-kids-inst/Source: Free Music Archive / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznaraps/good-kids/good-kids-inst/License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Alt episode titles : Hegemony, Iniquity, Occlusion Dehumanization, Erasure, Indoctrination We've been here before, we've never left. The place where a z*on*st and a n*zi can exist inside the same washed up, shock jock recycled racist tech magnate bureaucrat, use the quintessential anti-semitic gesture on national television and be defended by the head of a million dollar anti-semitism watchdog org that mostly just targets Black people. Yes, even here: a place where neo n*zis came up short in Lincoln Heights, the first all-Black, self-governing city north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and got ran out, they shit took, their flag burned. Happy Black History, Present, Futures Monf and 365 days of the year in my anita baker voice. Sending you all our tender love no matter where you are, what you are going through, whether it's genuine fear from a place of privilege, comfort from having felt a false sense of safety in the promise of a democractic administration or a delayed reaction to living under a Herrenvolk democracy, join us for the first episode of the year in our attempt to ease the collective anxiety with a little, gentle, reality check and reminder of where you are and more importantly, who you are, from the Federal Act-Rite Administration (with love). "Racism and racially structured discrimination have not been deviations from the norm; they have been the norm"---Charles W. Mills "White supremacy forced white americans into rationalizations so fantastical that they approached the pathological."--James Baldwin Everything's going to be okay. Know Your Rights, Resources about ICE: https://baltimorebeat.com/know-your-rights-in-english-spanish-and-french/ https://maketheroadny.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/KYR_FLYER_ENGLISH-single.pdf Cincinnati Stand Up, Dialing in from the Resistance: https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/cincinnati-residents-burn-swastika-flags-of-neo-nazi-demonstrators/article_73b5e730-e95c-11ef-9e39-372cfa716541.html Excerpt from Queering the Color Line by Siobhan B. Somerville Consider becoming a patron to support this podcast: www.patreon.com/ihartericka or make a one-time donation via Venmo (@Ericka-Hart, Paypal: ericka@ihartericka.com). Thank you!

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. MHIRJ Academy graduate Jonah Lopez envisions a bright future in aviation…the retiring captain of the Sistersville Ferry shares his memories made in 12 years of crossing the Ohio River…and hike the 311-mile Allegheny Trail through wild and wonderful West Virginia…on today's daily304. #1 – From WINGSPAN – When Jonah Lopez looks back on his journey, it's clear that he's not one to sit still. Now a graduate of MHIRJ Academy in Bridgeport, he proves that you don't need experience in aviation to thrive—you just need the drive to learn and adapt.  He joined the U.S. Army at 18 as part of the 459th Engineering Company, learning to build bridges and handling demolitions. After he transitioned to civilian life, aviation wasn't even on his radar. But when a friend told him about the MHIRJ Academy, he saw an opportunity he couldn't pass up: learning a hands-on trade while getting paid. The academy offered a career path with room to grow and new challenges every day. Jonah's leap from military service to aviation proves that big changes are worth the risk. His advice to anyone on the fence about their next step—especially fellow veterans—is simple: “Don't stop. Run to the opportunity. Aviation offers challenges, growth, and a sense of accomplishment you won't find everywhere.” Read more: https://wingspan.mhirj.com/Jonah_Lopez   #2 – From WJCT-TV – The city of Sistersville, West Virginia, is home to the last ferry crossing in the Mountain State. The Sistersville Ferry has been serving this tiny community for more than 200 years.  For the past 12, Captain Bo Hause has been at the helm. He took this job after driving boats for the U.S. Coast Guard for 30 years. It's the only ferry in West Virginia and one of only six ferry crossings left on the entire Ohio River.  Now he's retiring. Reporter Zack Harold with West Virginia Public Broadcasting took a ride with him.   Hause says he's ready for some longer journeys, beyond the back and forth of the Ohio River. And when the ferry season restarts in the spring, this 200-year-old tradition will be kept alive by a new captain who will pilot the only ferry in West Virginia.  Read more: https://news.wjct.org/national-news/2025-01-05/longtime-captains-retirement-begins-a-new-chapter-for-a-west-virginia-ferry-ride   #3 – From THE TREK – The 311-mile Allegheny Trail reigns as the longest trail within the Mountain State, stretching from the Mason-Dixon Line at the Pennsylvania border to Peters Mountain at the Virginia border.  The trail passes through a variety of landscapes along the way, including rural countryside, riversides, and the crests of mountain ridgelines. The heart of the trail runs through the Monongahela National Forest and includes a mix of state parks, state forests, and private land. In the days leading up to the trail's 50th anniversary last year, the West Virginia Scenic Trails Association made a real push to improve the trail, clearing overgrown sections, reworking tread, repairing old shelters, and even building new ones.  The ALT gives you the opportunity to hike a trail that has yet to be discovered, and it's in great condition right now. To learn more and plan your hike, visit www.hikethealleghenytrail.org. Read more: https://thetrek.co/the-allegheny-trail-311-miles-through-wild-and-wonderful-west-west-virginia/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

*Announcement for RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA!* ***Corey just got word that he's picked up a date at GOODNIGHTS COMEDY CLUB in RALEIGH January 16-18.... thats very soon! You can get tickets at GoodnightsComedy.com *** Sup, Airheads? After addressing the fires in California for a brief moment up top, This week, Lord Trae and Professor CHO start with a discussion that has intrigued southerners of all ages for quite some time: What REALLY counts as The South? And are some territories that claim residence there just a bit too fancy to fit in? After that the boys talk about the lost art of written correspondence, and Corey posits that fancy/rich people do a better job at maintaining it. Also from this discussion: Holiday cards and wedding invitations - can you really expect us stupid men to be on top of this? And finally, Professor CHO learns us about some of the differences in Shakespeare's Henry V and the actual King, Henry himself, including a weird omission concerning an injury King Henry V received in battle at the ripe age of 16!Also had some terrific Air Mail this week, so thanks to everyone who submitted theirs at PuttinOnAirs@gmail.comLove y'all... be safe! Go to TraeCrowder.com to see Trae on the road! Go to BlueChew.com and use promo code POA to try Blue Chew for free! Mando's Starter Pack is perfect for new customers. It comes with a Solid Stick Deodorant, Cream Tube Deodorant, two free products of your choice (like Mini Body Wash and Deodorant Wipes), and free shipping. As a special offer for listeners, new customers get $5 off a Starter Pack with our exclusive code. That equates to over 40% off your Starter Pack Use code POA at ShopMando.com Visit BetterHelp.com/POA today to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*Announcement for RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA!* ***Corey just got word that he's picked up a date at GOODNIGHTS COMEDY CLUB in RALEIGH January 16-18.... thats very soon! You can get tickets at GoodnightsComedy.com *** Sup, Airheads? After addressing the fires in California for a brief moment up top, This week, Lord Trae and Professor CHO start with a discussion that has intrigued southerners of all ages for quite some time: What REALLY counts as The South? And are some territories that claim residence there just a bit too fancy to fit in? After that the boys talk about the lost art of written correspondence, and Corey posits that fancy/rich people do a better job at maintaining it. Also from this discussion: Holiday cards and wedding invitations - can you really expect us stupid men to be on top of this? And finally, Professor CHO learns us about some of the differences in Shakespeare's Henry V and the actual King, Henry himself, including a weird omission concerning an injury King Henry V received in battle at the ripe age of 16!Also had some terrific Air Mail this week, so thanks to everyone who submitted theirs at PuttinOnAirs@gmail.comLove y'all... be safe! Go to TraeCrowder.com to see Trae on the road! Go to BlueChew.com and use promo code POA to try Blue Chew for free! Mando's Starter Pack is perfect for new customers. It comes with a Solid Stick Deodorant, Cream Tube Deodorant, two free products of your choice (like Mini Body Wash and Deodorant Wipes), and free shipping. As a special offer for listeners, new customers get $5 off a Starter Pack with our exclusive code. That equates to over 40% off your Starter Pack Use code POA at ShopMando.com Visit BetterHelp.com/POA today to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Ever wonder how the Northern Panhandle got its shape? Like the state itself, it came about as the result of a contentious dispute…a Monroe County farm is the winner of the Pitch Southern WV Business Idea Competition…and 26 small business owners graduate from a Goldman Sachs program at Bridge Valley CTC…on today's daily304. #1 – From WV EXPLORER – You've probably heard of the Mason-Dixon Line, but what about the Ellicot Line?  West Virginia's remarkable shape is partly defined by its odd Northern Panhandle, a finger of land that extends northward more than 60 miles from its central mass. Home to Wheeling, the state's first capital, the panhandle's origins date back to the 1700s and a contentious boundary dispute between Virginia and Pennsylvania that helped shape the history of the U.S. According to Weirton-based historian Paul Zuros, both colonies issued land grants before the American Revolution and sent soldiers and frontiersmen to settle the same land. The dispute eventually became so aggressive that the Continental Congress was forced to step in.  Read more: https://wvexplorer.com/2024/11/19/west-virginia-northern-panhandle-origin-dispute/   #2 – From WV HIVE – Michelle and Derek Miller, owners of Waymaker's Meadows Farm in Monroe County, are celebrating a significant milestone as winners of the Pitch Southern West Virginia Business Idea Competition. The competition was coordinated by the West Virginia Hive Network.  Their farm-to-table business, which offers fresh lamb, chicken and duck eggs, and produce, took home the first-place prize of $2,500. Their winnings will be used to purchase mobile electric coolers that will allow their meat, eggs and produce to be offered to customers in a wider geographic region.  The early positive customer interest in Waymaker's Meadows Farm has the Millers taking steps for expansion. They are now leasing an additional 90 acres of land and have added more farm animals. Read more: https://wvhive.com/2024/12/owners-of-waymakers-meadows-farm-in-monroe-county-are-winners-of-pitch-southern-west-virginia-business-idea-competition/?es_id=d668199133   #3 – From METRO NEWS – Nearly 30 small business owners are the first cohort in West Virginia to be graduating from a $100 million national funding initiative through America's leading multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs graduated 26 small business owners from its signature business-education program, 10,000 Small Businesses, at BridgeValley Community & Technical College earlier this month. The commencement is part of the programs' $100 million Investment in Rural Communities grant, an initiative to reach rural small business owners across 20 states over five years. West Virginia marks the seventh state to host graduates from the program to date after it was launched last year. Goldman Sachs Foundation President Asahi Pompey compared the program to a “mini MBA,” in that it's set up to expand business owners' business-education knowledge and growth. Read more: https://wvmetronews.com/2024/12/13/nearly-30-small-west-virginia-business-owners-graduate-through-goldman-sachs-program-at-bridgevalley/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

You've had Wendy's Nuggs dipped in sauce. But have you had them covered in sauce? Wendy's New Saucy Nuggs take the Crispy and Spicy Nuggs you love and turn them up to 11.Choose between flavors like Buffalo. Honey BBQ. Garlic Parm. Or, if you're a real heat seeker, try Spicy Ghost Pepper, only on Wendy's signature Spicy Nuggs. This show is brought to you by Panini America, makers of the most collectible sports cards on the planet. The Luminance football card series features NIL autographed cards from players including Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers, Cam Ward, Jalen Milroe, Dylan Raiola, DJ Lagway, and Luther Burden. To start collecting, visit PaniniAmerica.net.  This show is also sponsored by PrizePicks, America's most fun daily fantasy game. Use the code STAPLES to play $5 and get $50 instantly. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/STAPLES(0:00-11:49) Intro - CFP Rankings, Ole Miss discussion(11:50-26:18) Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart joins the show(26:19-28:30) 0 Days since Ari's last mic issue(28:31-36:25) Indiana at Ohio State preview, Presented by PrizePicks(36:26-40:52) PaniniAmerica.net(40:53-43:14) Over-sized Hoodie discussions(43:15-50:52) Injuries for CFP teams(50:53-54:54) One single win that changed everything?(54:55-57:26) What happens if Army beats Notre Dame?(57:27-1:00:12) News on Julian Lewis Commitment(1:00:13-1:04:26) Deep Dive into Texas(1:04:27-1:06:08) The Mason Dixon Line and Provo, Utah(1:06:09-1:15:37) Conclusion: JT's Inspirational Message Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart joins the show! Dart discusses: — Ole Miss playing with no margin for error after the LSU loss — What the Georgia win meant — What it's like to have a private jet sponsorship Next, it's time to preview the biggest game of the week: Indiana at Ohio State! What does center Seth McLaughlin's injury mean for the Buckeyes? Can Indiana stretch the field against Ohio State's defense? Next, it's time to answer your questions in Dear Andy/Dear Ari… — How much will the College Football Playoff committee take injuries into account? — What happens if Army beats Notre Dame? — Has a program ever changed trajectory (upward) during a losing season? Watch us on YouTube instead! https://youtube.com/live/b5uGis0sslA Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

Keith Payne (Good Reasonable People, The Broken Ladder) is a professor and author. Keith joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the effects of economic segregation, the roots of our current divisions, and how some people feel about dating others with opposite political views. Keith and Dax talk about the psychological immune system, the better-than-average effect, and how tribalism plays a role in people's politics. Keith explains the geopolitical effects of the Mason-Dixon Line, how education levels can predict someone's political affiliation, and the misconceptions of how income is effecting our politics. Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Fallingwater's listing the in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The State Museum of Pennsylvania has an exhibit honoring the place that held so much significance. According to Dr. Curt Miner, the Chief of Interpretation and Senior History Curator for the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the exhibit will be on display until January 5, 2025. "One of the things that we did in the course of researching this project is come across what I think is an absolutely fascinating fact. I believe it would be, which is that falling water in surveys is often ranked as the most recognized private residence in the world. Let that sit in for a little bit in the world. This building, this house that was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1938 for Edgar J. Kaufmann, who was, by the way, a department store magnate from Pittsburgh, has been heralded as the most recognized and most famous private residence in the world. And where is it? It's in Pennsylvania. It's in the small town of Mill Run, which is in in Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania." Dr. Miner also highlighted "A Place for All Exhibit. This exhibition tells the history of three integration efforts in Pennsylvania after World War II. These stories testify to the courage of those who sought to end racial segregation in all of its forms. "The subtitle of that exhibit is "Three Stories of Integration in Pennsylvania." The  genesis of that exhibit actually goes back two decades. We had a curator on staff. His name was Eric Ledell Smith. He was a specialist in African-American history. And he came up with an idea for us and it presented to the curatorial staff and to the museum eventually. And he said, I think we need to tell the story of the civil rights movement in Pennsylvania. And his premise was that the  Civil Rights Movement is often thought to be the story that takes place in the American South. When you think of civil rights and the movement led by Martin Luther King and others, you think of places like Little Rock, Arkansas, Birmingham, Alabama, Greensboro, North Carolina. You don't think about places like Levittown, Pennsylvania, and Bucks County or Girard College in North Philadelphia, or the Highland Park swimming pool in Pittsburgh. And yet, Eric argued correctly, Those were all places where the struggle for racial equality in the north took place. It was simply the idea that racial discrimination, and segregation did not stop at the Mason-Dixon Line. It went North even in places like Pennsylvania."Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alabama heads north of the Mason-Dixon Line this Saturday for another Big Ten-SEC showdown against Wisconsin. Blake Biscardi and David Wertheim preview the matchup and then discuss if they should we Buy, Sell, or Hold some notable teams around the country after a chaotic weekend of college football filled with upsets and close calls. Find out whose stock is worth investing and which teams to avoid. Finally, Blake and David make their Saturday Seven Selections for Week 3.

"You shall not transport yourself across this barrier." - Gandalf

Between 1763 and 1767 two British surveyors, Charles Mason and Nathaniel Dixon, established the dividing line between the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. For the two hundred years since, the Mason Dixon Line became known as the cultural divide between North and South, Union and Confederate. But is that correct? Jonn Elledge joins to discuss this and other boundaries including Ireland, India & Pakistan, Israel & Palestine, and most controversial of all, Middlesex. Jonn Elledge Links A History of the World in 47 Borders Jonn on Substack Jonn on X Aspects of History Mason & Dixon, by Thomas Pynchon Aspects of History Magazine Subscription, only £9.99 / $9.99 Ollie on X Thank you to our sponsor Incogni. Check them out at incogni.com/aspectsofhistory Check out Badlands Ranch: badlandsranch.com/AOH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sagamore Spirit Distillery (Baltimore, MD) WF0012 It's time to head north (just short of the Mason Dixon Line) to Baltimore, Maryland, where we're about to explore a distillery that shows is pride in Maryland Rye by only producing that one spirit. Join me as we talk with Ryan Norwood, the Director of Operations at Sagamore Spirit Distillery and learn what makes their spirits and a visit to their distillery special. I'll also give you a bunch of different activities you can take part in while in Baltimore. And on This Week in Whiskey Lore, we'll take a look at Chattanooga distilling's past, present, and future. Enjoy this episode and make sure to add this and any of the other 22 Maryland distilleries to your Wish List. Find details, maps, and tour booking links at whiskey-lore.com/maryland Sponsored by: Burnt Church Distillery (Bluffton, SC) 

Laura Bullard on Vox, suggests that the UMC tells us something about America. Recently, the denomination voted, by policy, to be fully inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community, eliminating any and all restrictions regarding membership, leadership in the church and ordination for clergy roles. The vote tallied in at 479 to 203 in favor of the historic change. Bullard posits that in America, most of the population would agree - and yet, in conservative Christian churches and denominations, there remains clear and stubborn opposition - often rooted in a reference to “Biblical Authority.” The two Kens - Ken Fong and Ken Kemp, reflect on their own journey - a change of mind and heart. They celebrate with the majority of the UMC - but recognize the new “Mason Dixon Line” that, like slavery and the Civil War, has triggered an exodus from liberal “mainline” churches. They have flocked to conservative “evangelical” churches that stake their claim on their myopic understanding of their 2,000-year-old sacred text that has created a crushing polarization - at a monstrous cost. This “controversy” has taken an enormous toll in broken lives, broken families, and split churches - not to mention the heavy cost of legal battles, raging denominational splits, massive wasted expenditures and endless arguments over real estate. Ken and Ken share their lament; but also their hope - that folks will take time to think again. The rewards are many. SHOW NOTESBecome a Patron | Ken's SubstackSupport the Show.

Skewers, tonight we welcome friend of the show and labor activist John Russell (of More Perfect Union) to discuss the biggest win for Labor in the South in recent memory: the decision by workers at a massive Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga to join the UAW. We'll talk about what it means, both right now and for the future of working people below the Mason-Dixon Line.Support the show

Author Rossi talks about her new memoir “The Punk Rock Queen of the Jews” with  Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. “The Punk Rock Queen of the Jews” is published by She Writes Press and filled with fabulous rich characters, hilarious dialogue taking the reader on a ride into a secretive oppressive Jewish Orthodox world and beyond to be released on April 23rd. Rossi grew up in New Jersey where she was expected to just marry a nice Jewish boy and to be a good kosher Jewish girl but by the age of 16 the rebellious Rossi was more interested in exploring the punk rock scene of the 80's and her sexuality. Then her adventure seeking days came to a screeching halt when her parents kidnapped her and dumped her with a Hasidic rabbi known for reforming wayward Jewish girls in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Rossi was forced to relinquish her pink hair and Sex Pistols T-shirt for maxi skirts and long-sleeved blouses in this repressive, misogynistic culture straight out of the nineteenth century where she endured not only bone-crushing boredom but also outright abuse and violence. Fortunately Rossi knew there was a better future for her as she broke free from her oppressors and made her way to NYC where she thrived. Beginning as a bartender the opportunity arose in the catering industry as she talked her way into any cooking job she could get. Rossi a self-taught chef and self-made entrepreneur ended up launching The Raging Skillet one of the most sought-after catering companies in NYC that Zagat dubbed as “the wildest thing this side of the Mason-Dixon Line”. We talked to Rossi about her inspiration for writing “The Punk Rock Queen of the Jews” and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.  Rossi is the catering director, owner and executive chef of The Raging Skillet for over three decades. She has earned a reputation as the go-to company for out-of-the-box catering and weddings. The Raging Skillet has been voted one of New York's Top Five Wedding Caterers by The Knot from 2009 through 2023. Her first memoir, “The Raging Skillet: The True Life Story of Chef Rossi” was published by The Feminist Press in 2015 and turned into a stage production “Raging Skillet” by playwright Jacques Lamarre that toured nationally. Currently Rossi has written two full-length plays, a number of one-act comedies, a one-woman stage adaptation of Queen of the Jews and numerous screenplays.        For More Info… LISTEN: 600+ LGBTQ Chats @OUTTAKE VOICES

Have you ever woken up on a Sunday and wondered, where is the Mason Dixon Line actually? Well neither have I but this week, you'll get your answer. Shout out to Denver, CO.@sundayconversation

Join us for a devilishly good time as we dive into the latest films hitting theaters this week! Movie Reviews Late Night with the Devil (2024) Directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes Written by Cameron and Colin Cairnes Starring David Dastmalchian Release Date: March 22nd, 2024 In 1977, a live television broadcast takes a sinister turn, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms. Prepare for a chilling journey into the depths of terror with this haunting tale. Immaculate (2024) Directed by Michael Mohan Written by Andrew Lobel Starring Sydney Sweeney Release Date: March 22nd, 2024 Follow an American nun's harrowing journey as she joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. But what begins as a warm welcome soon spirals into a nightmare of unspeakable horrors and dark secrets. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) Directed by Gil Kenan Written by Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman Starring McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd Release Date: March 22nd, 2024 The iconic Ghostbusters return to protect New York City from an ancient evil that threatens to plunge the world into a second ice age. With a blend of old and new faces, this chilling adventure promises thrills and laughter in equal measure. Road House (2024) Directed by Doug Liman Written by Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor Release Date: March 22nd, 2024 Ex-UFC fighter Dalton finds himself embroiled in danger once again when he takes a job as a bouncer at a seemingly tranquil Florida Keys roadhouse. But paradise quickly turns perilous as Dalton uncovers the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. Classic Movie Review Road House (1989) Directed by Rowdy Herrington Starring Patrick Swayze, Sam Elliott, Kelly Lynch Release Date: May 19th, 1989 Dive into the rowdy world of the Double Deuce, where bouncer Dalton is tasked with cleaning up the meanest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line. With his fists and his wits, Dalton transforms the roadhouse into a hotspot while navigating dangerous romance and local thugs. Stay Connected Website: www.ihatecritics.com Facebook: EveryoneisaCriticPodcast Twitter: CriticsPod Instagram: criticspod Patreon: patreon.com/criticspod Tee Public Link: criticspod YouTube: I Hate Critics YouTube Channel Jeff's Art: jefflassiter.com Sean's Reviews: seanatthemovies.blogspot.com Tune in to the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast for the latest film reviews, lively discussions, and more!

The Mason-Dixon Line was created to officially decide the boundary between states, but as enslavement became entrenched in the South, it became the dividing line between slave states an free states, making Western Virginia's proximity to Pennsylvania a locus of the Underground Railroad.

Before you watch the new movie on Prime Video, rewind to 1989 to revisit the original with Jason and Rob. Directed by Rowdy Herrington, Road House is the action drama film starring Patrick Swayze. The Double Deuce is the meanest, loudest and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and Dalton (Patrick Swayze) has been hired to clean it up. He might not look like much, but the Ph.D.-educated bouncer proves he's more than capable - busting the heads of troublemakers and turning the roadhouse into a jumping hot-spot. But Dalton's romance with the gorgeous Dr. Clay (Kelly Lynch) puts him on the bad side of cutthroat local big shot Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara).

On this episode of Our American Stories, the Mason-Dixon Line defined the American house divided between antislavery and pro-slavery. Yet this border war was pre-dated by another border battle—a colonial-era quarrel which ended only when the area separating Pennsylvania and Maryland's border was surveyed and mapped in the 1760s by the Englishmen Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. Here to tell the story is Dakota Bricker who hosts the YouTube channel, What In The History? Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up amidst the charming quirks of Southern life and the hallowed traditions of Judaism, my Virginia roots are as entwined with the scent of mama's morning grits as they are with the spiritual cadence of the Shema prayer. Pour yourself a bourbon-spiked coffee and join us on a nostalgic trip back to a Hebrew school where allegiance was pledged to both the Star of David and the Stars and Stripes. We look at how these morning rituals—grounded in regional culture or religious devotion—reflect a universal dedication to a higher purpose that transcends the Mason-Dixon Line.This episode is a tapestry woven with the threads of Southern Jewish identity, where I recount the meaningful act of pledging allegiance to faith alongside the country. We don't pay homage to the Shema as a daily declaration but delve into its powerful lineage—a reenactment of the moment when Jacob's sons sealed their commitment to God. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, we explore how this tradition resonates deeply within our lives, reminding us that, no matter where we're from, our days begin with affirming our values and a promise to serve something greater than ourselves. So, grab your seat at the table—Yankees and Southerners alike—and let's raise our cups to a day started with purpose and a pledge.Support the showJoin the WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content! JOIN HERE ---------------- SUBSCRIBE to The Weekly Parsha for an insightful weekly shiur on the Parsha of the week. Listen on Spotify or the new Jewish music and Podcast streaming platform 24six! Access all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our new website, themotivationcongregation.org ---------------- Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com

Watch this first reaction podcast where Kade makes Mercedes watch ROAD HOUSE starring Patrick Swayze and they give their review right after watching it with fresh eyes. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode of the CRWN Cinema Podcast!  ROAD HOUSE is about a bar called The Double Deuce that is the meanest, loudest and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and Dalton (Patrick Swayze) has been hired to clean it up. He might not look like much, but the Ph.D.-educated bouncer proves he's more than capable -- busting the heads of troublemakers and turning the roadhouse into a jumping hot-spot. But Dalton's romance with the gorgeous Dr. Clay puts him on the bad side of cutthroat local big shot Brad Wesley. Chapters: 00:00:00 Post-Movie Reaction 00:00:33 What this movie does really well 00:04:13 Dalton isn't who you'd think he'd be 00:05:50 Dalton letting the bullied get revenge 00:08:38 Debating the story development 00:11:49 The difference in a Dalton ran bar 00:12:59 Perfect casting for Dalton's evil counterpart 00:14:14 Speculating on Connor McGregor's role in the remake 00:15:40 The visual difference in Dalton's enemy 00:16:52 The scene that didn't belong 00:19:59 How similar will the remake be? 00:25:09 UFC Talk: McGregor's next fight 00:26:20 Her honest thoughts about Road House 00:27:56 Whole lotta t*tties 00:31:00 Good job on casting a hot chick 00:32:32 Cowboy martial arts + The throat snatch 00:35:08 Where the writing lacked 00:38:05 Debating if the beginning was badly written 00:42:17 The cherry on top of making the villain a douchebag 00:44:49 Our rating 00:47:39 Remembering Patrick Swayze's death 00:48:58 Explaining our score 00:50:25 Should older movies be given more slack? 00:54:49 Final thoughts 01:00:27 Outro --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/crwncinema/support

Let's discuss the Mason-Dixon Line, and add in a match recap. That goes together like grits and butter…or grits and sugar? Let's just pass on the grits.

Welcome to Phantoms & Monsters 'Personal Reports' - cryptid & unexplained accounts directly from the archives of Phantoms & Monsters, and the Phantoms & Monster Fortean Research team. Narrated by Lon Strickler. Join us in the chat, discuss, and ask me questions about the accounts. Featured in this edition: There is a region within the state of Pennsylvania where a vast majority of cryptid canine sightings have historically occurred. The Lycan Loop starts in northwest Pennsylvania near the Allegheny State Forest, extends southeast through the state, and ends near the southern reaches of the Susquehanna River near the Mason-Dixon Line. There have been sporadic reports throughout the state, but the Lycan Loop has proven to be a legitimate ‘hot spot.' The team and I have investigated these cases, some of which were originally reported and investigated by Butch Witkowski. So, relax and listen to these sightings and encounters. Then put yourself in the shoes of these witnesses and imagine how you would react to a similar situation. If you have questions, feel free to post them in the live chat. I will do my best to answer each. Hi. My name is Lon Strickler. I hope that you enjoy listening to Phantoms & Monsters Personal Reports. I have a question for you. Have you ever had an unexplained sighting or encounter? Do you have photographic and/or video evidence of your experience? Would you like to share your unique story with our readers and listeners? Please feel free to forward your account to me, either through my email lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com or by calling me at 410-241-5974. You can also go to my website at https://www.phantomsandmonsters.com and use the contact link on the homepage. Your personal information will be kept confidential if requested. I have been a paranormal and anomalies researcher & investigator for over 45 years. My reports & findings have been featured in hundreds of online media sources. Several of these published reports have been presented on various television segments, including The History Channel's 'Ancient Aliens,' Syfy's 'Paranormal Witness', 'Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files,' and Destination America's 'Monsters and Mysteries in America.' I have been interviewed on hundreds of radio & online broadcasts, including multiple guest appearances on 'Coast to Coast AM.' One of my encounters was featured on Destination America's 'Monsters and Mysteries in America' television show for 'The Sykesville Monster' episode. I am a published author of 9 books on various cryptid & supernatural subjects. In addition, I am an intuitive who has worked with hundreds of clients who sought help with their personal hauntings and unexplained activities. I never charge for my services. If you feel that I can help answer your questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks for your consideration. Do you have a report or encounter that you would like to be read on 'Personal Reports' & featured on the Phantoms & Monsters blog? Contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com Would you like to help us out? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lonstrickl0 Phantoms & Monsters Homepage & Blog - https://www.phantomsandmonsters.com Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Team - https://www.cryptidhunters.org Books by Lon Strickler - https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B009JURSD4 Credits: All content licensed and/or used with permission. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lon-strickler/support

Welcome to another recap of the exquisite watercolor painting of a show, The Gilded Age. This week we discuss George's inaction and the beginning of Bertha's unraveling, Larry Russell's erotic hijinks, Peggy's upcoming trip below the Mason/Dixon Line, Aunt Ada's devious clam chowder, and much much more.Watch The Gilded Age on HBO Max!Support the showFollow the podcast on Instagram!Follow Sloane on Instagram!Follow Zach on Instagram!And most importantly, become a Patron and unlock hundreds of bonus episodes!

On June 2, 1892, in the small, idyllic village of Port Jervis, New York, a young Black man named Robert Lewis was lynched by a violent mob. The twenty-eight-year-old victim had been accused of sexually assaulting Lena McMahon, the daughter of one of the town's well-liked Irish American families. The incident was infamous at once, for it was seen as a portent that lynching, a Southern scourge, surging uncontrollably below the Mason-Dixon Line, was about to extend its tendrils northward. What factors prompted such a spasm of racial violence in a relatively prosperous, industrious upstate New York town, attracting the scrutiny of the Black journalist Ida B. Wells, just then beginning her courageous anti-lynching crusade? What meaning did the country assign to it? And what did the incident portend? Today, it's a terrible truth that the assault on the lives of Black Americans is neither a regional nor a temporary feature, but a national crisis. There are regular reports of a Black person killed by police, and Jim Crow has found new purpose in describing the harsh conditions of life for the formerly incarcerated, as well as in large-scale efforts to make voting inaccessible to Black people and other minority citizens. The “mobocratic spirit” that drove the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol―a phrase Abraham Lincoln used as early as 1838 to describe vigilantism's corrosive effect on America―frightfully insinuates that mob violence is a viable means of effecting political change. These issues remain as deserving of our concern now as they did a hundred and thirty years ago, when America turned its gaze to Port Jervis. An alleged crime, a lynching, a misbegotten attempt at an official inquiry, and a past unresolved. In A Lynching at Port Jervis: Race and Reckoning in the Gilded Age (FSG, 2022), the acclaimed historian Philip Dray revisits this time and place to consider its significance in our communal history and to show how justice cannot be achieved without an honest reckoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

On June 2, 1892, in the small, idyllic village of Port Jervis, New York, a young Black man named Robert Lewis was lynched by a violent mob. The twenty-eight-year-old victim had been accused of sexually assaulting Lena McMahon, the daughter of one of the town's well-liked Irish American families. The incident was infamous at once, for it was seen as a portent that lynching, a Southern scourge, surging uncontrollably below the Mason-Dixon Line, was about to extend its tendrils northward. What factors prompted such a spasm of racial violence in a relatively prosperous, industrious upstate New York town, attracting the scrutiny of the Black journalist Ida B. Wells, just then beginning her courageous anti-lynching crusade? What meaning did the country assign to it? And what did the incident portend? Today, it's a terrible truth that the assault on the lives of Black Americans is neither a regional nor a temporary feature, but a national crisis. There are regular reports of a Black person killed by police, and Jim Crow has found new purpose in describing the harsh conditions of life for the formerly incarcerated, as well as in large-scale efforts to make voting inaccessible to Black people and other minority citizens. The “mobocratic spirit” that drove the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol―a phrase Abraham Lincoln used as early as 1838 to describe vigilantism's corrosive effect on America―frightfully insinuates that mob violence is a viable means of effecting political change. These issues remain as deserving of our concern now as they did a hundred and thirty years ago, when America turned its gaze to Port Jervis. An alleged crime, a lynching, a misbegotten attempt at an official inquiry, and a past unresolved. In A Lynching at Port Jervis: Race and Reckoning in the Gilded Age (FSG, 2022), the acclaimed historian Philip Dray revisits this time and place to consider its significance in our communal history and to show how justice cannot be achieved without an honest reckoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

On June 2, 1892, in the small, idyllic village of Port Jervis, New York, a young Black man named Robert Lewis was lynched by a violent mob. The twenty-eight-year-old victim had been accused of sexually assaulting Lena McMahon, the daughter of one of the town's well-liked Irish American families. The incident was infamous at once, for it was seen as a portent that lynching, a Southern scourge, surging uncontrollably below the Mason-Dixon Line, was about to extend its tendrils northward. What factors prompted such a spasm of racial violence in a relatively prosperous, industrious upstate New York town, attracting the scrutiny of the Black journalist Ida B. Wells, just then beginning her courageous anti-lynching crusade? What meaning did the country assign to it? And what did the incident portend? Today, it's a terrible truth that the assault on the lives of Black Americans is neither a regional nor a temporary feature, but a national crisis. There are regular reports of a Black person killed by police, and Jim Crow has found new purpose in describing the harsh conditions of life for the formerly incarcerated, as well as in large-scale efforts to make voting inaccessible to Black people and other minority citizens. The “mobocratic spirit” that drove the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol―a phrase Abraham Lincoln used as early as 1838 to describe vigilantism's corrosive effect on America―frightfully insinuates that mob violence is a viable means of effecting political change. These issues remain as deserving of our concern now as they did a hundred and thirty years ago, when America turned its gaze to Port Jervis. An alleged crime, a lynching, a misbegotten attempt at an official inquiry, and a past unresolved. In A Lynching at Port Jervis: Race and Reckoning in the Gilded Age (FSG, 2022), the acclaimed historian Philip Dray revisits this time and place to consider its significance in our communal history and to show how justice cannot be achieved without an honest reckoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

On June 2, 1892, in the small, idyllic village of Port Jervis, New York, a young Black man named Robert Lewis was lynched by a violent mob. The twenty-eight-year-old victim had been accused of sexually assaulting Lena McMahon, the daughter of one of the town's well-liked Irish American families. The incident was infamous at once, for it was seen as a portent that lynching, a Southern scourge, surging uncontrollably below the Mason-Dixon Line, was about to extend its tendrils northward. What factors prompted such a spasm of racial violence in a relatively prosperous, industrious upstate New York town, attracting the scrutiny of the Black journalist Ida B. Wells, just then beginning her courageous anti-lynching crusade? What meaning did the country assign to it? And what did the incident portend? Today, it's a terrible truth that the assault on the lives of Black Americans is neither a regional nor a temporary feature, but a national crisis. There are regular reports of a Black person killed by police, and Jim Crow has found new purpose in describing the harsh conditions of life for the formerly incarcerated, as well as in large-scale efforts to make voting inaccessible to Black people and other minority citizens. The “mobocratic spirit” that drove the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol―a phrase Abraham Lincoln used as early as 1838 to describe vigilantism's corrosive effect on America―frightfully insinuates that mob violence is a viable means of effecting political change. These issues remain as deserving of our concern now as they did a hundred and thirty years ago, when America turned its gaze to Port Jervis. An alleged crime, a lynching, a misbegotten attempt at an official inquiry, and a past unresolved. In A Lynching at Port Jervis: Race and Reckoning in the Gilded Age (FSG, 2022), the acclaimed historian Philip Dray revisits this time and place to consider its significance in our communal history and to show how justice cannot be achieved without an honest reckoning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

From Pennsylvania Heritage: "Anyone who has ever read about the Battle of Gettysburg or visited the historic American Civil War battlefield undoubtedly learned about the generals, the courageous soldiers who fought in the grisly three-day encounter, and the thousands that lost their lives on that hallowed ground in Adams County. The stories of the famous engagements that took place at Little Round Top, Devil's Den, and the George Rose Farm Wheatfield, as well as the climatic Pickett's Charge, are retold again and again. Not much has been written, however, about the ways in which the battle dramatically affected African Americans residing in and around Gettysburg at the time. In this border county just north of the Mason-Dixon Line, a hotbed of Underground Railroad activity existed, albeit covertly. During those three tumultuous days of bloody conflict in July 1863, many civilians assumed responsibility for taking care of the injured in makeshift hospitals and helping to bury the dead. Some carried food and supplies to the soldiers in the field, while others chronicled the aftermath of the catastrophic event through writings and photographs. For African Americans who lived near the battle, there was great danger in being seen. Many were fugitive slaves from Maryland and Virginia who fled to nearby communities or to the outskirts of Gettysburg for fear of being captured by Confederate soldiers and returned to slavery. Through their oral histories, descendants of African American families that once lived in Gettysburg suggest that their ancestors fled to Yellow Hill, a black settlement in nearby Menallen Township, situated a short distance from the main road that connects Gettysburg to the small communities of Biglerville and Bendersville. Historians believe Yellow Hill not only provided a safe haven during the battle, but also had played an integral part in the Underground Railroad before the outbreak of the war. In his 1992 book, A History of Adams County, Pennsylvania, 1700–1990, Robert L. Bloom, professor emeritus of history at Gettysburg College, wrote, “One such tradition is that fugitive slaves brought by the Underground Railroad founded the Yellow Hill settlement northwest of Biglerville. As a matter of fact, this black community dated back to the eighteenth century, although some of its original settlers may have been fugitive slaves...”   Local historian Deb McCauslin sits down with Matt to talk about the hidden history of Yellow Hill. Deb will also be one an upcoming episode of That's What She Said

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Travis Michael is all of what the title says. As he says he “played jump rope his entire life over the Mason-Dixon line spending time between the mountains of Johnstown Pennsylvania, and the city bay life of Baltimore”. As I spoke with Travis during our initial call as well as during our episode he is an incredibly curious person who also wants to do good in the world.   He will tell us a great deal about his new app called “Bridgd” which you can learn about at www.bridgd.com.   In addition to app development, he and his company help other companies and nonprofits improve their efficiency by streamlining and enhancing what they do and how they do it.   Now, Travis is completing work on his book, “Honor Thy Father” which he expects to have published in the August 2023 timeframe.   I think you will enjoy Travis and his wisdom. I know I did.     About the Guest:   Founder of Trav Media Group, Travis Michael played jump rope his entire life over the Mason-Dixon line spending time between the mountains of Johnstown Pennsylvania and the city bay life of Baltimore Maryland before traveling the United States helping companies as their one-stop Chief Marketing Officer. In his spare time, he's spending time with his family and friends while donating time to his church and community.     Ways to connect with Travis:   Website - https://trav.media Email - travis@trav.media Bridg'd App - https://bridgdcom.com Instagram & TikTok - @travismichael.official @trav.media      About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Greetings, everyone, I am Michael Hingson. And you are listening to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Today we get to talk with Travis Michael. That's his pen name and what He wants us to use, which is great. And it's his pen name because Travis is about to come out with a new book. And we will definitely talk about that in the course of the next hour or so. But Travis, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here.   Travis Michael ** 01:50 Michael, it's a pleasure being here. We have had so many amazing conversations that I'm excited to see where this one goes.   Michael Hingson ** 01:59 Well, let's start. Let's start with something that I love to do, which is learn a little bit about you as a younger Travis, where you started from what you did, and and kind of how you got where you are. I know you talked about jumping rope over the Mason Dixon Line going from Pennsylvania to Baltimore. See, I know how to say that. Right? Yeah. And I lived there for six months. So And anyway, so tell us a little bit about Travis.   Travis Michael ** 02:32 Yeah. So you know, I, I love to like preface this with like book recommendations. There's a really good book. It's called outliers. And it's basically about people that have had access to unique things in their lives, right, you know, what really defined your childhood and what drove you. And I was fortunate to be able to go to what's called a magnet school. So magnet schools, they had a four big professional focuses. And that was environmental science, Applied Engineering, visual, graphic art, and mass communication. And so by sixth grade, you're taking a two period class with that specialty and you transition every quarter, by seventh grade, you narrowed it down to two. And by eighth grade, you're taking that specialty class the entire year through. And so, you know, people, you know, kids that go through those types of experiences and have access to more tools, as laid out in outliers. I Bill Gates, people realize that he worked at a college that had a supercomputer. So he he actually worked in the lab of the supercomputer to have access and access to it. And then he was able to understand the different problems because he was there, troubleshooting. He was there helpdesk, essentially. And, you know, he took that knowledge and that knowledge base and was able to expand upon it. So you know, I love talking to people and finding out like, what really drives them and being able to expand upon that as well. So yeah, that was kind of me growing up, right, you know, the I try to like take in as much as I could. From a media standpoint, my focus was visual graphic art that has really driven me and my helping take people's visions and use my skills to drive their visions as well.   Michael Hingson ** 04:45 But you talk about really wanting to help people interact with people and help them I'm not trying to put words in your mouth as such but become better than they are what what caused you to have that kind of a wide scope and wide view of what you wanted to do, because that's far beyond graphics?   Travis Michael ** 05:03 Well, you know, right as a kid, you know, you're like, I want to, I want to change, I want to, I want to make a change, there's something that's not right. There's something that's off. And I just, I needed to I wanted to, there's a lot of blocks in communication, right there in and how people communicate and the ability to communicate. You know, and I, in middle school, I was, I think it was in the early 90s, when American Sign Language came into play. And whenever I moved up to Pennsylvania, in eighth grade, I had access to a, there was a young young girl in my grade, that she, she was deaf, and they offer sign language classes, and I took some sign language classes. I know very little, I think I know, the ABCs up to like, G. And that's where it stops. But I also knew that like, obviously, there was there's a huge disconnect there. Right, Mike? You know, there's, there's having the ability that there's, there's some sort of even social block right, in being able to communicate,   Michael Hingson ** 06:23 and that's something that has fascinated you, and that you've wanted to kind of address and you do that primarily through dealing with graphic arts, or do you go beyond that?   Travis Michael ** 06:34 Well, I like to go beyond that, right. And I just just got back from Chicago, and I ended up there is a stop at the Wonder Museum, and I would highly recommend if you have the opportunity to go to Chicago, definitely check it out. But it offered experiences and, you know, anytime any type of social engagement is an experience, and I want to be able to help those that have communication blocks, be able to communicate, in general, you know, being able to not be a fly on the wall, not just, you know, a person in the back, doing their best to read lips. And so, whenever I was in Chicago, there, I'm, I think I'm very approachable, Mike. And next thing I know, I'm being a tourist, I'm taking videos and pictures. And this gentleman approaches me. And he starts is puts up one thing, he starts signing, and you could hear just in his voice is I'm deaf. Just like that's like all he was able to get out of his voice at a very low get Gatsby. And then I, I he was trying to show no sign to me. I said hold on one second. It just so happens that I'm developing an app for deaf people. And I pulled the app out. And it started transcribing my voice as I was talking. And I was able to communicate. And we had a wonderful conversation about it, even whenever we were kind of walking and talking. That I was I had my chin down. I was kind of, you know, looking down and talking. And he's like, he's like, Hey, I'm up here. I can't read your lips. If your chin is down.   Michael Hingson ** 08:54 And I was gonna ask how did he understand you? It wasn't mainly lip reading, or I definitely want to learn more about the app. But did he read your lips? Is that how you he understood you?   Travis Michael ** 09:04 Yes, that's how he understood me, you know, as his education revolved around, being able to read my lips, you know, being able to read lips, period, not just my lips, anyone's lips. And you know, they can hear low tones. Yeah. And it's, it's very interesting. I had a we really didn't miss a beat in our conversations as I was able to use the app. And if there was something that he was trying to communicate communicate with me that wasn't getting through. He could just use my phone and type in whatever you type it in, and then hit play and it played out the speaker.   Michael Hingson ** 09:53 I when I was in elementary school, and I don't remember what grade I was in In but it probably was third grade. Or earlier, I'm going to say the third grade. We were at a Halloween party at the school. And I ended up sitting across a table from a gentleman who was one of the janitors at the school. And we talked for a while. And occasionally I looked away. And he didn't necessarily respond. But then he volunteered that he had been deaf since Pearl Harbor. And that he communicated, he did not, his voice was as natural as someone who was a full hearing person. But he understood people by reading lips. And it's the first time I ever had exposure to that. And he was very kind and very generous with his time telling me about it, because I became, of course, very curious being blind. And we had a wonderful conversation than in several since when when I was still at that school, but it is it is fascinating. And he was as good as a body could be at reading lips, he certainly understood me.   Travis Michael ** 11:14 So he was able to speak back to   Michael Hingson ** 11:18 Yes, he absolutely could speak back to me. And I had no clue that he was death, because he served in the military. So this was like, What 1958 or so. And he had been in the military and served at Pearl Harbor, and which is when he became deaf, so he continued to be able to speak very well.   Travis Michael ** 11:40 Ah, gotcha. That makes a lot of sense. And I   Michael Hingson ** 11:43 had no idea that he was deaf or, or anything other than just a person who could talk to me and I could talk to him. And then he told me about being deaf. And that was, I'm sure, in a sense, brave of him. But for me, it was fascinating. And I haven't thought about him very much since then. But this brought it up. And just as fascinating that you're having success, how's the app doing?   Travis Michael ** 12:11 Oh, it's wonderful, we're getting ready to launch the new the new user interface, it's a lot brighter cleaner. And you know, from there, because that's going to be the base base design that we have, we're going to be pushing out a lot more demos and videos, because now this is okay, we've proved out the model, it works. We've got approval from Apple and Google for the model. And now we're getting ready to do a full launch with some really neat upgrades, including voice segmentation. So if you're interested, you can find that app over to read br idgd.com. So that's bridged with no E. It's no e.com. And you can download and be a test user right now, we're, we're really excited to roll out the next version with some really cool updates, and ultimately expand out into other markets, including translations. And so stay tuned for some really awesome upgrades that are going to be incremental in connecting people not only of speaking and non speaking and hearing and non hearing, but languages all across the globe, as we build this thing out. So head over to bridged.com with no E, and sign up as a test user, and where we're really super stoked about getting this thing out here, Mike,   Michael Hingson ** 14:02 when will the next upgrades and so on come out?   Travis Michael ** 14:06 Yeah. So we're ready, getting ready for phase one be new upgrades will be coming early fall. So I think August, we're going to be really pushing it out. But we were probably going to have some short term upgrades, including the new UI, maybe not with the full scope. But we're, we're really close to full implementation. I think we're, you know, just to keep this moving. I think there's just gonna be I think it's gonna be like dollar 99 a month, very minimal, just to be a being able to support the technology. So it's not a whole lot, but it's something that we can put into a humanitarian effort to be able to connect with Many people have many different languages Have you   Michael Hingson ** 15:05 have you tested it with VoiceOver and so on to see that it's accessible from that standpoint.   Travis Michael ** 15:13 Really, we're just focusing on the, in real life, engage engagements, you can customize what's really beautiful about this, this app is the ability to then speak back, there's a lot of platforms where you can just, it just transcribes. But then the user has the ability to, to then type in a quick reply, or selective select from a series of quick replies that are already loaded, kind of like your emojis that you pull up another, it's like another keyboard, and you can have, you can actually program your quick reply keyboard, based on, you know, maybe you have, you're going to the doctor's office, and you have some, quote, some questions that need to be answered. And rather than picking them on the fly, you can add them into the keyboard under your favorites, you tap it, if you add it to the keyboard, and then it plays through the phone speaker. And you can go down and you've talked to actually talk to your doctor about these things. And being able to maybe have questions for you, just in general, just being able to converse, you know, pick the conversation type, it's going to help them be able to communicate better.   Michael Hingson ** 16:45 Well, the question I was asking what I was getting at is that with like iPhones and with the Google Android phones, there are what are called screen readers, there are software packages that will that will verbalize whatever comes across the screen. And in this case, you're going deeper than that, because you're also dealing with providing input by other means. And my question really was, have you explored making sure that the app is accessible using screen readers, for people who may not be able to necessarily see everything that comes across the screen, but needs to hear it. And that's a little bit different set of gestures, it is all part of what Apple provides. And, and the Google Android phones do, although I think Apple still does a little bit better job of it. But what what VoiceOver is, is a software package that will verbalize whatever comes across the screen. It also means that if I needed to, I could type messages. If somebody isn't a lip reader, for example, I'm assuming that this is part of what the app would allow one to do would be for me to be able to type and then it would appear on the screen. And voiceover would allow me as a blind person to be able to do that. So my question really was, are you looking at accessibility for the product across the board?   Travis Michael ** 18:20 Oh, absolutely. I think that it's going to be critical for for those types of conversations. And you know, and being able to last time we talked being able to add that. Well, I've also had some very interesting conversations with with Google. And I look forward to having more about exactly that. Being able to provide accessibility in improve their accessibility, that   Michael Hingson ** 18:54 I will have to download the app and and experiment and can give you some feedback regarding that. Because a lot of app developers don't really understand what they can really do to make visual and non visual, well, visual apps more usable by people who may not see what's on the screen. And so Apple provides a lot of information about that, but there are no requirements for any of that. So a lot of people don't necessarily see it, or they may make their app work. And then the next time a new update comes out, something gets broken because it doesn't become part of their process to keep that going. But I'll be glad to download it and take a look at it and see what it looks like. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun to do.   Travis Michael ** 19:46 Yeah, yeah, that's, you know, and we're gonna be, you know, constantly working on improvements. This is a definitely a new space that we're looking to help people explore And upon, and being able to have the ability to remove social norms, where, where social norms aren't necessarily good, where Deaf people are not communicating, they're typically standing in the back and being a wallflower. And because you don't know, or most people in that contact group, don't have don't have don't have the ability to communicate, whether it be ASL, or what have you, soy, or even, you know, having someone there that that knows ASL that can translate. And then it's, there's still that barrier, there's still that extra person. Whereas, you know, now you can kind of have that freedom to go to the store, go walk down the street taught, you know, talk to someone randomly. And it really helps clear that that pathway, right, right.   Michael Hingson ** 21:10 What What got you started doing this app?   Travis Michael ** 21:14 Well, so the president of the company is deaf. So this is I'm doing this, I'm creating this app for my client. And his dad, and I had been working together. Now his dad's the CFO of the company. And his dad, Todd Trichur, pulled me aside after one of our meetings that we had been working together on his HFC, one quick question. Can you build apps? I see. Well, yeah, absolutely. You know, I just developed an app for client out of Los Angeles, like an Uber like app that people can just book trips to and from the airports just right from their website. I said, Yeah, sure. Got it. Got a team, you know, we're really starting to roll on some big projects. He says, Well, my son was born deaf. And I've always had in my head that when the technology was there, we would build this app together. And being able to help deaf people communicate in real time, using this technology. And he's, you know, done a lot of market research. And I think it's time to just start pulling the trigger on this and move forward. So we go through many conversations. I built I personally built the user interface user experience that I've laid out for my developers, wonderful team that put this put what we have to get put the kind of the, the engine behind the machine. Well, I kind of just had the, the brick and mortar, right. So it's, it's been a wonderful experience. And we're picking up steam, and some other really, really cool projects that we're looking to take some of these industries by storm, with our creativity, and how we have how we start building markets in a positive way.   Michael Hingson ** 23:38 What's the name of your company?   Travis Michael ** 23:39 So my company is travel Media Group. You can find me online at if you just type in travel dot media. There's no.com It's just https colon forward slash forward slash Trev. Tr AV dot media, I think if you look down here, yeah, right there. Under my Zoom picture here, you can see my my website. I work with companies doing you know, it's great, because I have the ability to flex. And you know, I can be doing these wonderful mobile apps. And then I can also kind of switch into for marketing training, and working with different teams. On You know, I'm able to kind of be more budget friendly for nonprofits, where I can instead of doing it, I can train people, and then they can kind of work the plan. So, but I'm also doing, I still enjoy doing logos. I still want to, you know, doing custom websites, I build a custom website for a client out of Georgia, that does. Jet parks for private jets, build a custom, ecommerce quoting system for their website. And there, it's been just steamrolling, or our SEO has been wonderful. The ability to add parts to their, to their quoting system is, is pretty seamless. And then they can just quote out the prod the product and get people into their, their funnel a lot quicker. So it's, you know, a lot of this is is just problem, problem versus solution, finding the solution to, you know, unique problems and identify the market. You know, again, I do my own market research and with search engine marketing, and I try to understand the entire funnel. And, you know, a comp a company may have different a few different demographics that they're partnering to. Right. You know, I could be working with marketers, you know, and I can also be working with CEOs, you know, so many different parts and understanding supply chain as well. That's a big help.   Michael Hingson ** 26:20 Yeah, yeah. There's, there's a lot to that, isn't there?   Travis Michael ** 26:23 Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 26:24 How long have you been doing this? How long has the company been around?   Travis Michael ** 26:28 Yeah, so I started traveling media in 2017. I was just out as bootstraps in a computer, right? And just just talking, I saw one of my first clients that they dealt and drones, they they actually built drones. That got me into some really cool spaces. Gave a handful of clients in the aviation sector, one of one of them, does the, the drone light shows. So you know, if you're in the aviation world, the trade show booths, done, you know, even like, instructional instructional design. So on the back of all those drones that for those light shows, I there's a sticker that they put on him. And that sticker just happens to be my designed, very kind of Honeycomb like, so it's really cool.   Michael Hingson ** 27:29 What did you do before you started travel media?   Travis Michael ** 27:33 So same kind of space? Like I, right out of college, I was doing animation boards and malls, and then they go, can you do business cards? Can you do logo design? And can you do brochures? Next, you know, I'm doing billboards, I'm animation for commercials. I was then, you know, really getting into animation with After Effects. And you have some 3d stuff. And then I might, I would give designs to web developers, and they were just butchering my designs. And I was like, stop it, stop, quit, quit screwing up my design, they already approved this, this design, and you're not giving them anything remotely close. So I went in started teaching myself CSS and HTML, and it kind of I, I can understand JavaScript and PHP, but I can't really write it. But But now with with Chet GPT. You know, I'm, I'm also building unique plugins for that. That helped me with my technology. So we, for instance, we have the we have the the website for the for the bridge app. And then we have the app, right? And so there are two different, different things, but how do you get them to communicate with one another. So anytime someone registers on the app, a signal is then sent back to the website that actually has a database that can house that information. So that's so we're reusing that they're developing a REST API that gives them the ability to communicate with each other. So that's been, you know, just the evolution of technology and   Michael Hingson ** 29:40 explain that just a little bit more for me. I'm not quite sure I follow what yeah, what that's doing.   Travis Michael ** 29:45 Absolutely. So it, basically it's handling the user registration. So if you when you register on the mobile app, right, so Michael Pinkston, at my I go hangsen.com. And it goes to all that information is then. So your your profile is then created on our website, in our in our database, right? That database doesn't necessarily have to be on the website, it can be on an entirely different shooter. But for the kind of being able to control the two, we're able to create that that communication gap worried. So the app can then talk to the website. Does that make sense?   Michael Hingson ** 30:44 Yeah, I think I, I follow it. So and so by the app talking to the website, it and obviously keeps the profile up to date. What does it do for the user, in terms of communicating with others and so on?   Travis Michael ** 31:00 Well, all it does is, you know, if you lost your password, maybe you switch apps. Okay. So that's all it really handles. Right? Got it.   Michael Hingson ** 31:11 Okay. What do you think about this whole discussion of AI Artificial Intelligence, which well, not widgets, but artificial intelligence products, like, chat, GPT, and so on, you know, they've become so sensational, sensationalized? What do you what do you think about all of the furor around all of that?   Travis Michael ** 31:33 Well, it was coming. It's I mean, we it's been, you know, we've been working with autocomplete now for how long? Right? So like, that was just a form of AI. Yeah. And now we know, it's expanding into more of a user interface where the end user can dictate what the outcome should be. And so you really have to be able to figure out, it's your best use cases, for what you need. Right. I, people are afraid of the maliciousness behind it. I'm sure that there's some sort of kill switch. There, there would have to be.   Michael Hingson ** 32:33 The other aspect of it is that we keep hearing about all this potentially bad stuff with it. But look, we haven't eliminated the dark web. And we have the internet and the internet is is a way to get a lot of information to people and has been since the early 1990s. So it's always going to be dependent on what we use it for and how we use it for and hopefully, we have enough fried people who will use it. And that will hopefully set some of the tone about don't do bad things with it, because that's not appropriate. But the other part of it is, if you said, a kill switch, or we will have to probably put some governors on it because too many people are going to misuse it. When they don't need to they're gonna go down a rabbit hole, they don't need to go down.   Travis Michael ** 33:28 But Potentially, yes, potentially, potentially, I, you know, I'm not the I'm not the all things on this. But, you know, my, my theory is, you know, use your powers for good. Yeah. And, you know, we're getting ready to our next version. With with working closely with Google, hopefully, we're gonna get an early release of their new language model, that also includes the includes AI. So being able to better provide a better trans transcription experience, your voice to text is actually going to be more accurate. And also working on being able to segment people's voices, and ultimately using that as a security model. So as we identify, this is Michael Hinkson speaking, and in the back end, it creates a digital thumbprint that every time you're you're now you're now speaking, that it actually authenticates that it's you. Right. And it will also provide security from Ai duplication. You know, that's a one of the big focuses that we Been looking at these different different programs duplicate, you know, Morgan Freeman, like, obviously it's not Morgan Freeman speaking, it was the AI speaking like Morgan Freeman. And that's what we want to, you know, basically safeguard. We want to safeguard your voice, there's been too many incidents that I've come across where voice has been captured, manipulated and used for malicious.   Michael Hingson ** 35:43 Although I've said to, to a few people, jokingly, I know I'll really have arrived when I can hear John Wayne read The Hobbit. You even imagine that? Yeah, but you know, and, and the reality is, it's ultimately going to come down to how we use it and how we treat it. And it's going to be up to us. And that all comes down to moral compasses, and so on. Here's a question regarding your app, have you thought of, or is the capability coming are there where a person who's deaf or hard of hearing can sign the phone can pick it up and translate that into text or to voice that is spoken out by the phone,   Travis Michael ** 36:34 there is technology, I have even seen gloves that have been developed. And, you know, a lot of that is, you know, they're already using some of that movement stuff with, with robots, you know, as they've been, you know, focusing on you know, wrote a hand robotic hand going in acting like a human hand, you know, maybe even like, creating bionic hands for people that maybe we've lost a hand and the transfer of energy and those types of things. So, that's a little bit further outside of our scope. For this, we really wanted to start small.   Michael Hingson ** 37:18 Sure, no, I appreciate that. But the reason I asked the question probably is reasonably obvious. If I'm communicating with a person who is deaf and who doesn't speak, I can't see their signing. And so the question is, how will I communicate with him now, there are some technologies, for example, there is a device that a person can type on, and it will produce Braille at the other end, and obviously, you can type on a computer. And with voice technology, it can be heard, but it just seemed like it would be intriguing and interesting to think about the concept of the app, being able to take advantage of the camera on a smartphone, to see the person signing and verbalize that, but I don't know, all the ins and outs of the pluses and minuses of how hard that would be. My first job out of college was actually working with Ray Kurzweil, the developer of Omni font OCR. And that's when I also first got introduced to artificial intelligence because his first machines would reprint and the more they read, the higher the competence they gained of being able to read material, especially when characters were somewhat degraded, and it actually learned. But it just seemed like an illogical interesting idea might be for this. If signing is uniform enough, where a software package could be taught to interpret signing, if that could be the case, it would be trivial to then output it to voice because the phones already have the ability to talk anyway.   Travis Michael ** 39:02 Is there anything that like, would you know, I'm thinking I'm thinking of like hardware is there is like a, like a Bluetooth. Maybe, like a Bluetooth device where maybe as it would be typing, or as it would play out of the phone speaker. It could also be like felt, you know?   Michael Hingson ** 39:29 Oh, yeah, I mean, there are ways that there are refreshable braille displays that I can connect to my iPhone so that I can turn the speech off completely and use just the Braille display, to read whatever's coming across the phone, but I'm thinking of the other end of it is the person inputting information. And so I was thinking that if a person who was deaf signed how II See, would it be for that signing to be interpreted? Because if you said, you know, A through G, well, if somebody signs an A, can the phone be taught to recognize that a? If it can, then it doesn't matter what the output is, it could be outputted directly to the phone speaker or it could go to a Braille display or whatever. It's the recognition of the sign. That's the issue. Yeah.   Travis Michael ** 40:28 I think that might be something we tackle. As we start looking down the line. Whatever we get, we won't really want to get into AR augmented reality, like the Google Glasses and those types of things. Yeah. Because then as the person is speaking, you can then do like real life closed captioning. You could also do what you're talking about. So if I'm, I can actually, you know, sign. And then the AR, could then close caption the sign language, essentially? Well,   Michael Hingson ** 41:07 yeah. Well, yeah, I could close caption it. But the idea is that if it recognize the signing, then the output part today is very straightforward. Yes, it could close caption it and put it on a screen. Or since it's recognized it, it could just as easily go through the voiceover screen reader on the phone to verbalize it. Yeah, none of that's the problem. The issue is recognizing what is being signed from the signer. And so as you said, og augmented reality, if that's the way to do it. But anyway, it's an intriguing idea. And it would open up some interesting vehicles for communication, which, which would be kind of cool. So in addition to developing apps you work with, with other companies, and I know you're kind of almost a global chief marketing officer in a lot of ways, aren't you?   Travis Michael ** 42:05 Yeah, absolutely. You know, the companies bring me in to kind of turn their brand around, and not just turn their brand around, but, you know, help them embrace technology for for operational purposes, you know, that there's like, for instance, this new website has kind of acted as they're another sales tool, they website doesn't take a day off, it's there, you know, so being a collection hub for the for that business, and, you know, finding unique problems, and you're getting them getting their teams to kind of cheerlead the path forward. So working, I'll typically come in, I'll work very closely with the president CEO, to understand where they're where their mindset and leadership is, and help them prepare for the next steps, what their teams can be expecting time that their teams need to be allocating to these different projects, right? It's not just me, I don't just come in and wave a wand, and tada, here it is, their teams, your things will change dynamics will shift, you know, how do a step that you once did, or maybe three steps that you once did, are now done in one step? Because something system was optimized. So that's where I come in, but I also have to make sure that, you know, you know, maybe they what was done, what was once done was was wasn't done in vain. Like it was there. It was it some things are grandfathered in, that maybe aren't necessary, and a new system can be put in place. So,   Michael Hingson ** 44:14 companies are are always looking for or should be looking for ways to improve their processes. And I've talked to a couple of people on unstoppable mindset who were very much involved in trying to help companies really reorganize their basically their way of doing business, their, their way of getting things done inside the company, and so on. And so I appreciate exactly what you're saying, which is it's all about trying to become more efficient, and trying to have the best processes possible.   Travis Michael ** 44:49 Yeah, and I've there's a really good John Maxwell book. He's John Maxwell. If you read anything of his you'll be better for reading it. He's just one of those guys that has a very, very deep message. And I just read his book as good Leaders Ask Great Questions. And you really have to start asking great questions, if you're in this in a position of leadership. And, you know, I ask questions to prepare my, the companies that I work with, I don't ask questions to be nosy, or judgmental, I ask questions because I need to understand what their starting points are, what have they done? Where are they at? And how can they move forward? And that's a lot. And then I provide training around different aspects around that model. And they've, they've been proven to be very helpful and healthy and business's understanding their why why are they doing this? Who are they talking to? And what is the message behind what they're doing? And I'll take all of that, run it through my marketing machines, my branding, machines, design, technology, audits, all of that. Understand your industry, and, you know, what your, what your end goal is. And some of the companies, you know, I work with companies that are our profit, nonprofit, and defense, and they they all have many different hats in many different industries. And one industry does this, this, but not this, and then another company will go, Oh, I do not this, this and this, but we work together, and it's their partnerships. And there's something to be said about partnerships. That can really be beneficial, especially when you find people that are moving in the same direction as you.   Michael Hingson ** 47:11 Well, and, you know, one of the most important things that we can do as human creatures is to ask questions, it's it is curiosity, it is trying to learn, and when you're asking questions of company leaders, to help focus them in is clearly also helping you.   Travis Michael ** 47:33 Yeah. You know, and one of the great questions is, what books are you reading? Yeah. What books are you reading? Because I need to know that, that they have, if there's a point that I'm trying to get across, it's going to be better if I can, if I have a client read a book, or read a chapter, and then he can go, Okay, I see what you're saying. Now, here's how they overcame that. And, for me, it's a wonderful thing. It's a, you know, diagnose prescribe model, that hell helps me from the, you know, just giving book recommendations as and that has even even reading for me has been a huge shift. That was never me. That was never me. I was Bye, bye. Your kids are my little cousin graduated the other day. And my grandma was like, Oh, my goodness, she's on the Dean's list or the you know, the high dean's list and you know, forgetting being on the Dean's list for so long. I was like, that's wonderful. And I just kind of snickered I got you know, that was never May.   Michael Hingson ** 48:57 I love to read a lot of fiction, which I do for relaxing. But I also do like to read nonfiction. One of my favorite books, and I quoted often in one way or another in speeches is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, which is really, I think, the best short book that I found that describes what a good team should be and how to get there and I also love some of the Malcolm Gladwell books. I really enjoyed reading David and Goliath. Again, he puts a lot of things in perspective.   Travis Michael ** 49:35 Yeah. It's seeing the Go Giver. The Go Giver is wonderful. Yeah. Being able to get yourself into a, a mindset. And this person is struggling in sales. And he's like, there's this guy in the back that I swear I maybe see once every week and he's never We're here and all whenever he's here, he's just kind of feet up and kick back and everybody seems to love him. And if he's like, how does this guy do it? He's kind of getting the same sales. He's like, sales professional, he's, but he's, it's such like, what's the difference between sales and business development? Right. And so that was that's when things really changed and he was able to get understand mentorship. So if you're trying to understand mentorship, and that's a really good one as well. Let's see, Jocko willing and feel like Jocko is if I like I, my I I'm not I'm not really much of a reader, I audio books. I'm writing and I'm reading all day long. So by the end of the day, my eyes read Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 50:55 I love audiobooks. And they're becoming more prevalent. audio book sales continue to be on the rise, which is great. Even as print, sales have gone down some. And I think ebook sales are going up, but audio books are great. And even for people who are blind and so on the Library of Congress has a number of programs. And they're they're coming out with new programs to make access more easy and usable on things like smart speakers like the Echo, and so on, which is great. So I can turn a book on an echo now and listen to it while I'm either cooking or maybe not even doing anything else. But I can do it from any echo device in the house. Once the the app while the skill was activated, then every echo knows about it. So I can stop reading in one room and come back tomorrow and be in another room and tell it to pick up right where we left off. And it does, which is great. makes reading a lot more convenient.   Travis Michael ** 52:03 So for those who aren't familiar with how the echo work is it just you have like a main hub. And then like speakers in like multiple rooms,   Michael Hingson ** 52:11 no. Um, so the Echo is what they call a smart speaker. So there are echoes or echo dots. And Echo shows a lot of different ones, some have screens on them, and so on. But you connect it to your network. And then it communicates with, I assume the Amazon server that coordinates whatever goes on with echoes. And so you can have four or five echoes around the house. And I can go to one and I can say what's the temperature outside and it will tell me and so on. But there is the skill that actually the Library of Congress, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is, is creating, it's called My Talking books. And it's a skill that runs on the echo. So I can tell an a device to open the app, my talking books, and then I can say, let's say I'm starting from scratch, I could say open or find the Go get the Go Giver. And assuming it's in the collection, which is not a given at all. But assuming it's in the collection, it will find it from my voice input. And then it can start reading it. So I can read for an hour and then quit and come back. And if I have several echo devices around the house, I can go to any one of them because they all communicate with the same Amazon server somewhere in the world. And I can pick up right where I left off. But I find the Echo to be a really handy device for a lot of different things, whether it's even just doing whether I use it to control my home security system. Even turning the lights on and off and making sure they're off because I don't see them. And when my wife was alive, she was used a wheelchair. So it was also a lot easier if she were on the bed to just tell the system to turn on light. So it's really handy.   Travis Michael ** 54:15 So do you typically walk around the house with the lights off? Or?   Michael Hingson ** 54:20 Yeah, mostly I do I don't need to have them on. So my wife has passed so I you know we have solar so it doesn't really matter a lot but   Travis Michael ** 54:28 but that helps you with your electricity bill. Hmm, yeah, it   Michael Hingson ** 54:31 does a lot anyway, but I but I don't turn the lights on at night. So far it hasn't bothered the dog or the cat a whole lot. So it's just the three of us. There we go. But if they're sighted people in the house, I do like to help my light dependent friends by turning the lights on for they   Travis Michael ** 54:51 defended friends. I love it. You know?   Michael Hingson ** 54:55 Well, light dependency is a disability. It's just that technology is covered it up by Thomas Edison. and inventing the electric light bulb, but it doesn't mean that it isn't there. Well, above it, tell us about your book that you're writing. Yeah. So   Travis Michael ** 55:10 writing a book that it's really kind of about my my background, and, you know, really challenging family dynamics and being able to help break generational curses, and the through some of the events that I've experienced, that have kind of shaped me into who I am as a person, and you know, how I've developed some understandings about myself and kind of some really funny, really crazy, very serious events, you know, and I really wanted to share this because it the show was that a lot of the struggles that I went through, I went through myself, because if they've they've challenged a lot of my trust issues. And so if I understood that I went through it myself, and I'm sure that many others out there are going through challenging family dynamics as well. And I want to be able to help them, give them my share my perspective, and maybe maybe it helps them to, you know, kind of get over the some of some of their hurdles that they're having. And, you know, I'll kind of leave leave it with this. It's, it's forgiveness isn't always about, you know, forgiving. Let, it's not, it's not for the other person. Yeah. Forgiveness is for you. Yes. And you have, it's also about building a forgiving heart. Because we're human. And if all we can just be better humans, and develop forgiving hearts, I feel like this, this world would be in such a better place, and being able to move forward, and even build, build boundaries, you know, sometimes you just because you forgive, doesn't mean, you know, it's I, sometimes it's, it's good to kind of create that, that space to allow yourself to grow. But, you know, but having those spaces and you're still holding on to that, that old junk. It's,   Michael Hingson ** 57:27 it haven't really forgiven yet. Haven't really forgiven yet. And I, one of the things I talk about a lot are dogs, needless to say, and I talk about the difference between dogs and people in the dogs do love unconditionally, I believe that I watched a 60 minutes show the other day that talked about the difference between dogs and wolves. And there are actually physiological genetic differences, that they've been able to pinpoint, basically, what they call the friendly gene and a dog, and then we'll stone house. But I think dogs love unconditionally, but they don't trust unconditionally, what they are, however, unless they are, had they've truly been overly traumatized by something. Dogs are open to trust. And that's the difference between them and us. We're always into what if what if this person really is not interested in gaining my trust? Or what if they're going to abuse, the trust and all that, and we, we have become so mistrustful that we tend not to recognize any more the value and being open to the idea of trust. Now, if somebody doesn't earn our trust, okay, then we recognize that and we move on. But if somebody can, and we're open to that, what a wonderful thing.   Travis Michael ** 58:48 Yeah, it's being able to, you know, create that kind of space for yourself. It's, you have to be able to, you know, trust yourself a that, that you've gotten this far. And, and being able to continue to push forward. And, and build, build things, create things, you know, in love you loving what you're doing. And if you're not loving what you're doing, then you need to take the time outside of what you're doing, and figure out what it is and push towards what you want to do.   Michael Hingson ** 59:26 Yeah. And recognize that there are probably lots of people out there who would be really happy to support you. You'd be shocked. Yeah, absolutely would be shocked at the number of people who, if they really understood we'd be willing to support you. Well, so what's the name of the new book and when can we see it?   59:47 So the new book is called Honor thy father's and it really pushes towards the you know, the father dynamics and push towards you know, mentorship and Understanding how important it is to seek mentorship and being a good mentee. And, you know, I first discovered mentorship in Toastmasters, and Toastmasters is a an international public speaking organization. Wherever you're at in the world, I'm sure there's one nearby you, if you're trying to get better at public speaking, and really shed, that skin that has kind of kept you in this box. You know, Toastmasters is a wonderful organization, to be able to stretch your speaking skills in front of a supportive group of people who are trying to achieve similar results. So within that group, I, you know, that's something that I had to really sink in it within that group. They gave me a mentor. And I didn't know what a mentor was. And, you know, at some points, I was probably not a really good mentee, if I'm being honest, because I was kind of in my own head doing my own thing. And I've graduated from that. And we're wonderful friends and hate you. So he, he's my public speaking mentor, well, he's not he's he's in he's, we've also done develop great relationships and in sales and talking to people in systems and in growth, and he has a wonderful mindset. And but then, then there's other things and I've learned about mentorship, and so many other places that have provided me wealth and growth. So the the book is, we're we're looking to come out with it in the fall. But we are going to launch the marketing for it on Father's Day, ironically, so you can catch Honor thy father's. And I'll be promoting that. You can follow travel media, online and travel media group on Facebook, travis media, or I think it's Travis dot media, on Instagram, on tick tock, travis media as well. So you   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:13 have a picture of the book cover.   Travis Michael ** 1:02:17 design that right now. So as soon as we we get that out, I'll be sending it over to Mike,   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:23 please, because we will put that in the show notes, by all means.   Travis Michael ** 1:02:27 Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm sure. But I think by the time that we published this, I'll have the show. I'll have the graphic ready for you.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:35 Perfect. And any other pictures and other things that you want us to have? Well, I want to thank you, Travis once again for being with us today. This has been enjoyable and fun. We spend a lot of time talking about the app and I'm gonna have to go play with it and, and maybe give you some feedback, or at least learn a little bit myself, which will be kind of cool. Absolutely. Absolutely.   Travis Michael ** 1:02:58 Looking forward to hearing and hearing your feedback, Mike.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:01 But I really enjoyed today and I hope you did as well. And I hope all of you listening did we appreciate you doing so? So, enjoy it and get a hold of Travis let him know but I would appreciate hearing from you as well. We would love a five star rating from you wherever you're listening to unstoppable mindset. Five Star Ratings are greatly appreciated. You can also email me at Michaelhi M I C H A E L H I at accessibe A C C E S S I B E.com. Love to hear any thoughts you have, as well as suggestions for others that you think we ought to have an unstoppable mindset. We're always looking to make new friends. You can also go to our podcast page www dot Michael hinkson.com/podcast Michael Hanson is m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com/podcast. We'd love for you to go there. And you can leave comments there as well. But either way, please keep us posted. Let us know and trap us likewise, if you know anyone who want to come on love to to get your thoughts and you know we'll have to do this again. Especially once the book is out and you start getting comments and all that we'd love to catch up with you again on this.   Travis Michael ** 1:04:13 Absolutely. Thank you for your time, Michael, I greatly appreciate it.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:04:21 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Desmond Lomax is a Senior Consultant, Master Facilitator, and Implementation Leader in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work at the Arbinger Institute. Find Desmond on Linkedin Arbinger books: Anatomy of Peace | The Outward Mindset | Leadership and Self-Deception What I especially appreciated was how you were able to take this topic that is top of mind and many people out there are talking about it, but you were able to humanize it and you were able to allow the audience to be able to connect from a human to human level. That obviously is so important in every environment, every circle that we're in.  For our conversation, I wanted to bring that into the workplace, specifically hiring and integrating new people into the mix. But before we get into that, I'd love to just know how you get involved in this line of work. Desmond: I started in the prison system. I was a therapist for the prison system and it was my first introduction to marginalized people struggling to make it in society, outside of my personal experiences. I can't think of too many things more difficult than coming out of a prison system and returning as a citizen of the society and not feeling that you have the capacity or the resources to be able to do that successfully. So I went from a therapist to a manager, to a state director where I was in charge of all the programming outside of the prison in the state of Utah. From there, I started teaching courses in Forensic Social Work at the University of Utah. I'm a Licensed Clinical Therapist, so it all came together. I started doing many podcasts and videos about the things I've learned, and then my son passed away. I lost a child, he was a freshman in college. He committed suicide. I found myself in this unique position where I was like okay, Dezzy, you've been through some stuff now, you know what it's like to lose a child to something horrific. What can you do differently in society to create a greater sense of inclusion and belonging? I think that's what motivates me. My son seemed isolated and alone, even though we talked every day. We had a lot of communication and people cared about him, but there just wasn't a sense of belonging for him. I wanted to do something about that. I just took all of this background and my knowledge and as I was working with Arbinger, I joined their design team, and we created the curriculum called Outward Inclusion and I spent the last few years sharing the message of what it looks like in your organization and in your space where we can, 1)  see the humanity of another person, and then 2) understand our impact on that humanity. As simple as that sounds, there are things that we all have that interfere with our ability to do those two basic things. I've been working all over this country, all over internationally, just doing the work, being motivated by the loss I've experienced and the knowledge that I've gained. Katty: Thank you for sharing that and heartfelt condolences. I don't know how long ago that was, but it's always fresh in the heart of anyone who's lost someone. Thank you for sharing that with us. I appreciate that you took something so devastating and you were able to turn it around and then bring positive impact to others from it. Desmond: Yes, I hope so. What I've learned is that loss is energy. It's bonafide energy and either you do something with it, or it does something with you. I would like to say there are all these other options, but either that is the same energy that is just really hard. I've seen both of them in my life so I'm not trying to say I'm on one side or the other. But loss is a lot of energy that you need to transform into something or else that loss will transform you. That's what I've learned and that's what I'm trying to do. Katty: Thank you for doing that and thank you for including us in that conversation. Let's go back to the two-pointers that you mentioned. The first one was seeing the humanity in each other and the second one was impacting humanity. Can you talk a little bit more about that and how it impacts the workspace, specifically as we bring in new people into that workspace; a brand new hire joining an existing team that's been together for a long time? Desmond: I love that, Katty. I always say to people, good people, good hard-working people are often blind to their impact on others. The first step to understanding my impact is to humanize aspects of the workplace. If I'm not humanizing the workplace, and I'm seeing people as objects, either vehicles that are doing the work I need them to do, or obstacles that aren't doing the work I need to do or relevancies. When I see people through that lens, what's happening is that I'm spending a lot of time justifying my view of a human being good enough, and spending a lot less time understanding that human being in a way in which I can be more effective. Thus, the new employee coming into the workplace my view and my objectification of that new employee can impact my ability to improve their life-work situations. If they approach it like “Here comes a new employee. It's going to take nine months to get them on board. Three months to do this and one month...” If all they are is a problem that I now have to carry until I get them to a point of efficiency, they will sense that and they will resist. What we've learned is that all people will resist being objectified. If we can start looking at the resistance in our lives and how we are seeing people and their resistance to us, we can start to recognize that maybe there are ways in which I see this person, ways in which I objectify this person that might be creating some of this resistance. Katty:  You're saying that they're resisting because there's a feeling of sensing something coming from us that's creating that? They're putting their guards up. Is that what's happening? Desmond: Absolutely. Well, it's twofold. One thing, yes. A lot of times when we have resistance, it's because people have a sense of objectification. They see us objectifying them. The twofold is this, we may be doing things to objectify them and they may have emotional luggage that they bring with them to the circumstance where they've been objectified in the past that can also create some of those feelings. It can be twofold. It's not necessarily all on our side. As leaders, as people who are supervising, people who are co-workers, and we have a direct impact on people, we can only work on the latter part; our impact. How we impact these folks so that they feel seen, they feel valued, they feel they're a part of the process, and they feel amid all the difficulties that come along with work, that they matter to us. That's the part that we can control. Katty That we can hear their voices, right? Desmond: Yes. We can read a lot of books like, “How to Influence People and Make Friends,” and gain all the tools in the world, but people have a sense of when you acknowledge their humanity or not. What we've recognized is that in the hustle and bustle of work, when we're trying to accomplish what we need to accomplish, at times we are not humanizing the process. We do not see people as people and they are responding in a way that's resistant to us as their leaders or co-workers. Katty: What would you recommend both from the person who's starting their job, as you said, they're also bringing their baggage into the mix. We all have them, right? We travel with them. Hopefully one day we can set them down and lose that baggage. We're bringing that with us into a new role and our teammates, supervisors, all of them, everybody has their baggage of life with them. Right? How do we go about creating a space and creating dialogue around not allowing that to permeate? I would imagine that even during the interviewing phase, that probably can show up. Right? Desmond: Yes, this is something I've recently done in my whole life. I recently moved to a beautiful little town on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania side of the base and Mason Dixon Line. 35 minutes from Baltimore. Amish countries. I get the best of both worlds. I can have a fresh pretzel one night and a crab cake the next night. Anyway, I'm in heaven. We've been here for a year. We spend more time inside of our house fixing up our house may be engaging with the community. I go to my wife, like, “Hey, it's the Fourth of July. The Lions International Club is looking for volunteers. Let's do some social exercise.” Let's just get out and meet people and connect with people. It's a social exercise. We went out there for two days, we volunteered, flipped burgers and prepped hotdogs and hamburgers, and met a lot of people in the community. We have our social baggage; we have our challenges and fears that are associated with connecting with new people and being in a new space. In the midst of all that, we have to practice social exercise, social work, and our ability to connect with others in meaningful ways. If I'm the new employee, I may be disappointed if I'm waiting for someone to engage me positively. I remember one of my first days at the prison. I worked as a correctional officer for many years and then became a therapist. The correctional work wasn't for me. I wanted to help and I didn't feel like I was helping, so I became a therapist. On my first day as a therapist, one of the supervisors goes, “Hey, what are you doing here? Don't you work somewhere else now?”  I said no, I came here. He looked at me and he goes, “Why would you do that? This is horrible.” That was my first day at work. Sometimes, the social exercise we get from others is not the most positive thing.  Sometimes, as new employees, If we don't socially engage multiple people, we'll find ourselves in a situation where the people that are engaging us can be bringing a lot of negative energy. For the new employee, social engagement and social exercise, meeting new people communicating with people, sharing your background, and gaining a deeper understanding of others is just a great way to acclimate very quickly into the process. For new employees, it's the same type of work. For every person that comes in, there should be a system in place. We can understand them in a way that extends beyond the work and what I mean by that is when people feel seen and valued, you understand their role, and they feel supported, they work at higher levels than those that don't. There's this generation that I come from, where it's like I care about you because I give you a paycheck. That's my way of saying that you've worked, good job. You get a paycheck. Somebody's like, “Desmond, I'm confused what's with all this seen, valued, have a voice, and roles? Back in the day, you gave me a paycheck and I'm unhappy. People have changed. Pandemics will do that to them. People will change. They want more from their work environment. As leaders, a part of our social exercise is helping those people that we're supervising or co-working with feel that sense of belonging that's needed for work performed. Katty: What would you say to the managers who are in charge of creating that welcoming, open environment, how do they go about humanizing that connection and roll out the carpet, that welcome carpet for their new people? Desmond: I've got a great story about when I was a State Director. I realized that a lot of people didn't like me. So I was reflecting on what can you do when people inherently don't like you. Because I think it's the position when you are in charge and you make hard decisions. I think it's also the personality. Some people like my personality, some people can't stand me. It's the nature of life. It's okay. I realized that as a leader, the only way for people to see you or recognize your personhood is for you to make them a priority. So as a leader, everyone that got hired, I tell all my regional managers, you go to the HR to make sure they get all the paperwork done. You come right to my office. We have a 30-minute meeting to learn. I got to know and learn about that person and in that meeting, I got to learn about that person, I got to express appreciation for that person and I got to let them know I was there to support them. In 30 minutes, you can accomplish so much. Over several years, all of a sudden, I became a very, like well-appreciated supervisor. Because I simply took the time as we say in the DEI space, to close the proximity. Instead of being the supervisor over here (so far away in distance) now I'm the supervisor right here in support of you. You don't have to guess who I am. Right there. The proximity is closed and I'm right there to support you. Katty: Close the proximity. I love that. Desmond: Yes, supervisors need to close the proximity so that the people that are there being supervised by the other supervisees don't have to guess about the type of person they are. Katty:Really showing up as authentic leaders themselves. Desmond: Yes, if they are willing to do it. Some people don't like themselves. I work with hundreds of hundreds, thousands probably of leaders when you get down to it, who are very nervous, very insecure, and worried about how people are seeing them and their ability to lead. If I'm stuck in that space, how am I going to be anything for anyone else? Katty: If one isn't open, if they can't close the proximity for themselves, it's going to be hard to do it for somebody else. Desmond: Beautifully stated. At the heart of most conflict is our internal struggles with ourselves. When we're treating people poorly, it's simply a reflection of our self-worth. Katty: It's that baggage again. Desmond: There we go. It's universal. Make no mistake, it's universal. We all carry things with us that we have to address, we have to acknowledge, and we have to love to work through them to heal. I spent many years as a therapist and the number one issue I saw was that people were so resistant to their imperfections. They were so resistant to the fact that they wanted to accomplish something and they couldn't. I spent quite a lot of time asking them can you love that part of yourself? Can we do that first? I think we can start making some grounds for changing the behaviors that you want to change. Katty: Love that. That's sometimes easier said than done. Desmond: Katty, that's okay too. I have lifetime struggles that I'm currently dealing with that I'm trying to overcome. Things I'm trying to get better at and I struggle at those things all the time. Do you know what I call that? Being a human being. I am very human. They're just elements of my life that are very human and that I need to improve on and get better at, and things I need to love about myself that are hard to love and just going through that whole process. Katty: Thank you for sharing that. So that was point one. Let's talk about that second pointer, humanizing or creating impact with that. Desmond: I work with a lot of organizations and a lot of training has put us in this space. It's like, well, my intent is good. Let's just assume everyone has good intent. Let's just assume that we're all just, in the midst of our humanism, we all have good intent. Sometimes we're going to have conflict. I think that's a good place to start. But there's something we can do a little bit better, and that is having the courage, to understand how we're directly impacting the people who lead the Cowork in a positive and or negative way. I think that's the kicker. Do we have the courage to ask the right questions in a way, where we can get the answers we need to understand our impact? Because until we do, we're just kind of an ‘okay' leader. Katty: That is such an important point there. I was just talking about this the other day with someone about the interviewing process and how in some companies multiple rounds of interviews are necessary and multiple stakeholders are necessary to decide whether a candidate moving forward or not. The intent may be to include all stakeholders and that decision-making, but the impact on that candidate sometimes is either the company can't make a decision or they don't like me. They're not going to move forward with me. And we just don't sometimes recognize that our intent may be a bit intense, and the implication that it has to that person is a completely different one. Just having that awareness is so huge. Desmond: It is and like I said, that's just one aspect and just look at how powerful it is. If I can just address that aspect, we can figure out a system to interview people in a way in which they feel that they're joining a meaningful work family, joining a group of people that are willing to support them, instead of running them through this gauntlet. You can interview me six, seven times, but each time if I feel more at home with the organization, I'm fine, but if you're interviewing me five or six times, and I'm feeling unseen, I'm feeling like I'm more or less going through a process instead of being a part of a process. It's going to create the consequences you're talking about. That's why when we talk about this humanization, how does a human feel going through six interviews? Why don't we ask them and understand their impact? Leaders are busy and sometimes they just feel they do what they think is right and they're not asking impact questions. They're not figuring out the pros and cons. So they're just decent. Not great. Hopefully, they're good, but they're just decent leaders who are unaware of how they are impacting people. Or even worse, I really know I'm having a negative impact but I don't know what to do differently, so I'm just gonna keep an emotional distance from everyone, continue to do my job, and do it in a way where I can maintain my job and stay blind to the impact because if I dug deeper into it, it would come up in a way where I might need to change. Desmond: The most liberating thing we can do in life is change. It's okay to be different. I work in spaces where people are waiting for me to say or do something wrong. Many of us work in those spaces. If you're in the DEI space, the Inclusion and Belonging space, and it's become politicized, people are waiting for you to say something to validate their view or to be in opposition to their view. In situations like that, I have to be willing to humanize that process and say, “Yeah, I did say that and that's not appropriate.” Or, “Hey, I didn't understand that.” As we say at Arbinger, it's not about being right, it's about getting it right. I can be my most authentic if my mindset is if I make a mistake, I'll just work on getting it right. Some people are so hell-bent on being right, they can't move to that stage of getting it right which would greatly improve their capacity to lead others or to work with others. Katty: That's powerful. That recognition itself is powerful, to come to that as a leader of an organization and as a manager of a team, and recognize just what you said, that DEI space is about belonging and to have not only the foresight, but the strength to step into this unknown, or maybe it's uncomfortable, but that's okay. Because growth comes from that and that's a good thing. Desmond: I would add the DEI space is about office and work productivity. We neglect that part of it sometimes. It is about work productivity. Research has been out for a long time about how people perform when they feel a sense of belonging. We have to stop putting this DEI thing in a separate space. This is one of the things I talk about in my ADT talk. If I'm a leader, DEI is over here, away from me and I'm just doing the training. I'm trying to do this inclusion training to make sure my organization is going to be productive, but I haven't included myself in inclusion work. It's about the other folks, it's about the females, it's about the people of color, it's about people with different sexual orientations than I am. We're missing the main fact that it is about you, no matter what your background, orientation, or beliefs are. If we all are working on inclusion, instead of it being something these marginalized groups need in my organization, that's when it fails. It fails when I don't include myself in the inclusion process as a leader. And I'm somehow supporting and helping all these other groups, not recognizing that when I feel included in those groups and we're all feeling included, then productivity is a direct result. Katty: So powerful. It takes me to me. I'm an immigrant and I came here when I was in high school. In the middle of 9th grade, we immigrated to the States. I felt so excluded. I'm from Iran originally and this was in the middle of the hostage crisis. Probably not the best time, I felt, not the best time to be Iranian at that time, but I just felt very excluded. But I don't think anyone excluded me. I excluded myself because it felt like it was my protective layer of letting me exclude so that nobody says anything because that may hurt. Desmond: There may be a twofold thing there, Katty. I'm going to protect myself because that's a lot easier than opening myself up to criticism and there's also the second part of it that could be I literally came from a different country where maybe society doesn't see it as a great place, and because of that, I might be susceptible to things that aren't nice. So it can be twofold, and that's the complexity of the work. There are certain circumstances whereas an African American male, I'm probably a little overcautious. Like in how I engage people and how I communicate with people. I have bosses that are like, “Dezzy, you are way too agreeable.” I'm thinking in my mind like, do you guys want me to be disagreeable too? I don't. I don't want to come off as a disagreeable black guy that you work with. Agreeable works for me. Can you just let me let it work? So there are parts of it that are grounded in my overprotection of myself, and parts of it are grounded in a lot of evidence that I've had throughout my life where people look at my skin color and treat me differently and make assumptions about me based upon that. It's that twofold nuance there and it's universal. You've had the experience that, I've had to experience that, and many people experience that in a lot of different spaces. Katty: How do we ensure that in the workspace, in the hiring space, and in the recruiting space we can create this? We can close this proximity by using words where we can create a sense of belonging sooner than later. I think we recognize we need to do that but sometimes, it's too late and a candidate feels like they don't fit in. I'm leaving. Desmond: That's a great question. Organizations need a common language. They need a common way to communicate. At Arbinger Institute, we try to provide people with that common language, but in like a worst-case scenario, you need everyone in the organization to understand this is our organization's definition of inclusion, belonging, diversity, and of equity. We need a common language so that we can take care of the people that we're bringing in. The other part is we need to figure out where are our weak spots. Because most organizations are struggling internally with how they're treating each other. How can I expect the new people to come in and have a different experience? We need to work on the language. Focus on what's going on internally in our organization, and how we're currently treating each other, and then create a plan which humanizes the process across the board. I know so many organizations, that want to create all these new processes for all the incoming people and the staff that are there, are like what? Do they get a $1000 bonus for getting hired? I understand the need to get people in the door, but I'm telling you, like, you need to humanize. The process get the common language is to figure out how to take care of people internally, then create a plan that involves the incoming people as well as the internal people in this process of belonging. Katty: Because otherwise, you'll be creating separation. Desmond: That's one of the common issues we have when organizations are trying to implement DEI work, it's not inclusive. They're trying to diversify but it's not inclusive and it's not creating levels of belonging that they would like. A lot of organizations like “What we do now?” Get a common language, take care of your people internally, make sure they're supported, and whatever you do over the next few years to create a strong inclusion and belonging system, do it across the board. I tell people, everything that they do should be able to be implemented across the board. If you can't do it across the board, you need to reflect upon it and see what your purpose is. For example, there are a lot of groups and organizations like LGBTQ+, and Indigenous American groups. We have a lot of different groups and they're great if they're inclusive. If there is just a group for just people to talk amongst themselves about what's working and not working, then all it creates are silos. it's not inclusive. All the groups should be welcoming. All the groups should be sponsored in a way that they're providing education and support to everyone in the organization. I think from the recruitment and the new hires, doing things in a way where people are humanized across the board in the organization will get you a lot further than just focusing on the new hires who then come in, because then there are people who haven't gotten what they've gotten that are now having to train them. It's a lot of meaningful conflict. One thing is to the middle managers and most organizations, I say that the C-Suite tries to define the culture. The middle managers and first-line supervisors are running with it. What I've learned is that we're neglecting first-line supervisors and middle-level managers. We're neglecting them and putting them in a situation where they get negative both ways. They're getting negative from all the problems they've got to deal with, with their staff, they're dealing with all the problems they have to deal with from the administrators about them, and they're just caught in the middle making two or three dollars more an hour than their staff, thinking what the hell is this, right? What I've learned is that focusing on the trainers of these new hires, the first-line supervisors of these new hires, making sure they're cared for, they're trained in a way where they can be supportive, is everything. One of the most common things I see is “Hey Desmond, this is great training, but my first-line supervisor is still treating me like crap.” If we're not empowering our first-line supervisors, and caring for our first-line supervisors, then we're going to see ongoing issues with incoming staff. Katty: What I'm hearing, Desmond is once we create that plan, it needs to be operationalized across everything. It can't be my twist on how we're going to be doing it. This is how we're doing it across the board at all levels. We all have to step into it. We all have to believe it. We all have to accept it otherwise, probably from a core value standpoint, it's a mismatch anyway, right? It's probably not the right job for me. Someone who's not willing to embrace it. Katty: You know, Katty, you're on point. I'd add one more word, modeling. You have to model. The strongest implementation of work is modeling. I tell people all the time and they think I'm weird, but it's just truthful. I say ever since I went to preschool, my parents have taught me. how to be safe as a black male in America. Be careful how you behave. Be careful how people respond to you. If you feel you're in danger, walk away. If there's an issue, do this. If someone comes to you in the middle of the night, call us. In my day, it was a pay phone. Get to a pay phone and call us. My whole life since I was in preschool, I've been trained to behave or act in certain ways to make sure my environment is safe; safe as I can control. I received my Ph.D. starting at the age of 4, 1/2 to now, of understanding people. Understanding the energy they bring, understanding the safety they bring or lack thereof. Understanding their frustrations and anger. I am just focused on the nuances of the people I work with, for good or bad. So when you come to me with this great, do I project right or this great initiative that we're going to do? And I'm using my skills. I'm 49 now. I'm using my 45 years' worth of skill to evaluate you as a person. I'm going to have a pretty clear, clean sense of whether you're genuine or not about the work you're going to do. Or whether this is just one more thing that you've been obligated to do as my supervisor Katty: Checkbox, right? Desmond: Yeah. I'm not alone in this. I'm not the only one in society that has been trained for safety to pick up on the nuances of others. I know women who will tell me at least you can walk around at night. It's like I've talked to women who said, Oh my goodness, like that has been my experience, Ever since I've grown up, I've been very sensitive for my safety. So people know when people are thinking, they know when things matter to them. A lot of times we have these leaders that are going through the motions of the work. People know. Just before they even open their mouths, whether it's something authentic, or whether it's something you're just going to do the motions on. That's one of the reasons the DEI processes often fail. Katty: Tell me about the process you guys have at Arbinger and please share a little bit about Arbinger and what it is that you do and how you go into organizations to create impact. Desmond: We are an organizational change organization. We work on mindset change. One of our mottos is we like to humanize the workplace. We go into organizations through consulting and training, and we help create a common language. We call it the outward mindset, our ability to see people as people, or our ability to see people as objects. In the process of creating this language, we have multiple curriculums: outward performance, outward leadership, and outward inclusion, are just 3 trainings we have to help humanize the process, whether it's in performance, whether it's in leadership, or whether it's in inclusion work to humanize the process in a way in which people have a sense of our authenticity. In a way in which people feel seen and they respond based upon it. We have multiple frameworks built around this understanding that humanizing another person, that's our quickest way to create resolution. In most of our most complicated circumstances and situation. Katty: Amazing. I'll be providing your contact information and Arbinger if anyone wants to reach out to you and needs that support to bring that into their organization. But if they wanted to do it on their own, if they were so passionate about creating a sense of community and belonging and just being heard and being present, how did they go about it themselves? What's the first thing you talked about? A common language, but maybe that's beyond them, right? Maybe that's an organizational thing. Be just within their team, what can they do? Desmond: There are a few basics, you can start by reading. We have a couple of best seller books. One is called “Leadership and Self-Deception.” It's on Amazon, one of the best sellers on organizational behavior work. And one book is called “Anatomy of Peace.” It's probably one of the number one or #2 conflict resolution books on Amazon. Then a third book we have is called “Outward Mindset”. So those are good foundational books that you can start to read. You can read them as a team and then start to get some of that language together. We also have public workshops. You can go to www.arbinger.com. There are public workshops you can sign up for there as well to take a deeper dive into some of the things I'm talking about. We have a bunch of different mechanisms like I said, from the options of just grabbing one of those books, to signing up for a public workshop. We have a bunch of options that we offer as an organization. Katty: It seems that as long as someone is open to having those half-hour meetings that you were having with your team, which sounds like with existing and new people. We just really need to open up the door for bringing our full person to work, our full self to work. Just really look at people as if they are who they are, they're human beings. They're not the admin. They're not the tech guy. They're not the designer. They're human beings. A human is being there with challenges, struggles, aspirations, all of that and we need to see that. Desmond: Yes, and I will throw one more nugget out there for your podcast to reflect upon. When I don't see the humanity of another person, then I spent a lot of time justifying why they're not human or not as human as I am. When I stay in that justification, I form bonds of anguish and frustration with those individuals. When we're asking you to see people as people, we're not asking you to just only see the good side of people or take a Mother Teresa approach to life where you're giving everything of yourself. What we're asking for you to do by seeing another person's humanity, is breaking free of the bonds of anguish that are associated with seeing them as an object. We're asking for emotional and cognitive freedom. When you see the humanity of another person, it's a much better place to start. When you're looking at the challenges and conflicts of your life, if you start with objectification, it's always going to be much more difficult to resolve something than when you start with an analogy, another personality. And like I said, someone may say, well, That's what somebody is saying. I can feel it. But I'm telling you, we all struggle with this, and it's just a dilemma that we got to limit and learn to face while doing our work, doing busy work, and accomplishing the tasks that we need to do at work. Katty: That's probably it. We're so busy running around in ten different directions that it feels like if I take a pause back, and connect with you, I don't have time for that so can you do whatever you need to do? Desmond: Right. Katty, you're on point. We don't see it as a part of a long-term solution. Taking that 15 to 20 minutes to understand a person more deeply, to help that person to solve their concerns, were more likely to get the accountability that we seek. In objectification that's associated with correction and it goes back to the whole impact piece. Then I may not realize that my intent may be just to get it done quickly, but the impact that I'm leaving with you as well, you can't do it yourself. So let me do it for you. Yeah, that's a whole conversation there too. Desmond: Beautifully stated. Katty: Thank you so much for taking the time and talking about what it means to be inclusive, and what it means to create a space of belonging in a in a work organization. But really we're talking about beyond that, we're talking about just in any interaction between any two people. That's talking about. Desmond: I've learned  a quote recently that was like “when you interact with people, we want to leave them better than when the came.” The goal in life is to leave a person better off with the experience you've had with them then when they first interacted with you. I've made my mistakes and had my struggles in life for sure to accomplish that, but I think being much more aware that that's a process for me has been very helpful to recognize that each person is a person. One of my goals in life is to improve my impact on that person. Katty: Thank you for sharing that message with everyone. If we all could do that, it would be a beautiful world. Well, thank you so much again. As we wrap up this conversation, I will share the books that you mentioned. I know you've authored some of them, “The Anatomy of Peace.” Incredibly impactful. I got a chance to get that when we were at a ATD. I want to thank you for taking the time to being here with us and talking about this really, really incredibly important conversation. Not just because we need to check a box, but because we all need to see each other as the humans that we are. Desmond: Yes, and I will add, I didn't author the book, the Arbinger Institute as a whole did, but, thank you. You'll find the books and Amazon at the Arbinger Institute. They listed there as an institution. Thank you, Katty. I appreciate your time. Thank you for the invitation. Thank you for being the type of human being that's willing to lean into conversations that I think create solutions where we often don't see solutions. Some people see this space as a dilemma that we have to overcome or try to figure out, but there are a lot of solutions and inclusion in this space. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your podcast.  Katty: It's been a pleasure talking to you, Desmond. Thank you.  

Visit: https://bookshop.org/a/24820/9780312423209 Topics: Thomas Pynchon, Charles Mason, Jeremiah Dixon, 18th Century, Revolution, 1786, Mason-Dixon Line, Will Morgan, Synchronicity, Pynchonicity, George Washington, Ben Franklin, Ted Lasso, Geordie, Don Quixote, Melancholy, Transit of Venus, Carl Jung, 1882...

Time to send me question for the end of Season 2 question show!Getting around the colonies.South of the Mason-Dixon Line, there is way more water transport than I had realized. Which lead to fewer roads and more little trails than I expected. And the political philosophies tied up in why it was that way go deeper than I ever knew.So yes, there's discussion of roads or no roads - but we end up a little bit in the political philosophy weeds.Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot com Twitter: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFoodPost: @THoAFood

This week we catch up with Justin Ploof, a singer/songwriter/talented musician from St. Cloud who you might know as the lead singer of Mason Dixon Line or the frontman of Justin Ploof and the Throwbacks. He is an all-around wonderful human, and I'm so excited that he took the time to share his musical journey with us. Find Justin online: https://justinploof.com/homeTheme Song: "Queen of Our Hometown" by Rachel McIntyre Smith Stream it: https://open.spotify.com/track/6wxPmnjHeaxV5LkPqVEZuE?si=d467402b91b345efRachel's Website: https://www.rachelmcintyresmith.com/Follow Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelmcintyresmith/Experiencing and exploring everything that makes small towns great. Abbey (The Small Town Tourist) sits down with people to share stories about the towns they live in, the cool services they provide, and more. Visit online at https://thesmalltowntourist.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Favia Dubyk, a professional rock climber, physician, cancer survivor, and American Ninja Warrior contestant. Growing up below the Mason Dixon Line, Favia didn't discover her passion for the outdoors until med school. It was during a family visit that she stumbled upon rock climbing, and quickly fell in love with the sport. However, a couple of years into med school, Favia was diagnosed with cancer. But she refused to let that stop her. The fight to beat cancer gave her a new perspective on life and inspired her to become a pathologist. She also returned to rock climbing and received a call from American Ninja Warrior, which led her to compete on the show. Now, Favia spends her time traveling, competing, and practicing pathology. Join us as we discuss Favia's inspiring journey, why it's important to never give up on your calling, and why saying yes to everything can lead to unexpected opportunities. Tune in to this episode of the podcast to learn more! Life in Motion is brought to you by Actual Outdoors. They help build beautiful brands that highlight the approachable and authentic parts of outdoor recreation. Said simply - they “keep it real”. Find them online at actualoutdoors.com or on Instagram at @actualoutdoors. Tweet us and let us know what you think of this episode! @illuminecollect Find more episodes at www.illuminecollect.com/blogs/life-in-motion-podcast Since 2017 Illumine has donated over $29,917 to outdoor nonprofits and shared over 144 stories on the Life in Motion Podcast.

Tennessee's #1 podcast, the Ed and Bob Show #179! Public education vs Private education - which is best? What do we do that is the biggest waste of time? What's the Mason - Dixon Line? What state is the most rural? That and more! Easily listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Alexa with TuneIn, ChicagoTalks.com, NashvillePodcasts.com, KnoxvillePodcast.com, OrlandoPodcasts.com and at KnoxCounty.info! Contact the hosts at EdandBob@yahoo.com.

North Carolina and New York could not be more different: culturally, socially,  economically, historically and — most relevant to us — politically. This week on “You Decide,” Spectrum's North Carolina Politics Anchor Tim Boyum joined Errol to discuss how that, while they both essentially do the same jobs, their respective regions couldn't be more different. The conversation touched on the changing face of North Carolina politics, how Democrats there have struggled to find a new identity and what issues may hold them back. They also weighed in on New York's relationship with urban and rural areas and how it differs from the Tarheel State. Last, they looked ahead to the 2024 elections and revealed why their podcasts give them the opportunity to cover politics in a manner that's quite unlike their nightly television shows. Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message.

What are some differences between the north and the south? How do we describe and use things differently? And why does John think he can move the Mason-Dixon line wherever he wants?

What are some differences between the north and the south? How do we describe and use things differently? And why does John think he can move the Mason-Dixon line wherever he wants? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Princeton African American Studies professor Imani Perry says the South can be seen as an "origin point" for the way the nation operates. Her book, South to America, reflects on the region's history and traces the steps of an enslaved ancestor. "The South in some ways becomes the repository for the nation's sins, right?" she says. "And then it allows the rest of the country to conceive of itself as relatively pristine." South to America won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2022. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews pianist Kenny Barron's album The Source.

So much of the present day conversation about District 28 hinges on the dynamic between the Northside and the Southside. But why were the north and the south wedged into the same school district to begin with? When we asked around, no one seemed to know.What we do know are the consequences. As soon as the district was created, white and Black folks looked over the Mason-Dixon line and saw each other not as neighbors, but as competitors for scarce resources. And the Southside always seemed to get the short end of the stick.On this episode: how the first three decades of District 28 baked in many of the conflicts and disparities that persist to this day.Click here for a full episode transcript.Join us at the Queens Public Library on December 15!Are you using School Colors in your own teaching or organizing? Fill out this audience survey.School Colors is created, reported, and written by Mark Winston Griffith and Max Freedman. Produced by Max Freedman, with Carly Rubin and Ilana Levinson. Edited by Soraya Shockley. Additional reporting by Carly Rubin and Abe Levine.Project management by Soraya Shockley and Lyndsey McKenna. Fact-checking by Carly Rubin. Engineering by James Willetts. Additional research by Anna Kushner. Original music by avery r. young and de deacon board, with additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

The dividing line between the North and South is purely political. But the story of its creation is pretty interesting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So much of the present day conversation about District 28 hinges on the dynamic between the Northside and the Southside. But why were the North and the South wedged into the same school district to begin with? When we asked around, no one seemed to know. What we do know are the consequences.

Today on The Stacks Book Club we speak again with Imani Perry, author of the New York Times bestselling South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation. In our discussion of Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy, we talk destroying ourselves over heartbreak, treating people tenderly and the book's central metaphor of the house. We also touch on the seduction of beauty, and breathlessness.There are spoilers on this episode.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/03/30/ep-208-a-mercyBe sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our April book club pick will be! Connect with Imani: Twitter | InstagramConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonAthletic Greens - visit atheleticgreens.com/thestacks to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase.Listen to Seizing Freedom, a podcast that illustrates the myriad ways Black people have fought for and defined their own freedom.Apostrophe - Save fifteen dollars off your first visit with an Apostrophe provider at apostrophe.com/thestacks when you use code THESTACKS.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.