Podcast appearances and mentions of matt weber

Matt Weber, Owner/CEO of Alpha Overhead Door in Montana, shares the values that guide him as he builds Alpha Overhead into something that not only fulfills his family's dreams, but also meets the needs and aspirations of every individual and their families employed by his company. From sharing a single bedroom with his parents and siblings as a young boy, to assembling a team of business and personal mentors whom he meets with weekly, Matt discusses the entrepreneurial legacy passed down to him, the challenges he's faced, and the rewards of giving back to his community! Connect with Matt at AlphaOverhead.com Also in Studio: Cole Waltner of @ChasingTheWildOutdoors 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:13 - Morning Routines, Health, Aging 00:25:22 - Childhood & Background 00:36:09 - 911: “Where Were You…” 00:45:33 - Presidential Debate 01:29:14 - Alpha Overhead Door AlphaOverhead.com 02:16:22 - Who Are Your Mentors? 02:22:47 - What Podcasts Do You Listen To? 02:30:58 - What Are Your Go-To Tunes To Chill Out? 02:40:02 - What Apps Do You Use The Most? 02:44:57 - Audiobooks 02:53:30 - “Tough Man Complex” & Mental Health

In this podcast, Dr. Matt Weber, a podiatrist with Ridgeview Specialty Clinics, brings his knowledge and experience around the causes of ankle instability, how common it is, and the different approaches for therapy and management. Enjoy the podcast. Objectives:Upon completion of this podcast, participants should be able to: Recognize ankle ligament instability from a patient's clinical history and exam. Diagnose ankle problems (pathology) assiciated with ankle instability, including acute injury vs. chronic conditions. Choose appropriate treatment protocols for an ankle instability condition. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation criteria, standards and policies of the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA). Ridgeview is accredited by the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  CME credit is only offered to Ridgeview Providers & Allied Health staff for this podcast activity. After listening to the podcast, complete and submit the online evaluation form. Upon successful completion of the evaluation, you will be e-mailed a certificate of completion within approximately 2 weeks. You may contact the accredited provider with questions regarding this program at Education@ridgeviewmedical.org. Click the link below, to complete the activity's evaluation. CME Evaluation (**If you are listening to the podcasts through iTunes on your laptop or desktop, it is not possible to link directly with the CME Evaluation for unclear reasons. We are trying to remedy this. You can, however, link to the survey through the Podcasts app on your Apple and other smart devices, as well as through Spotify, Stitcher and other podcast directory apps and on your computer browser at these websites. We apologize for the inconvenience.)  DISCLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT  The information provided through this and all Ridgeview podcasts as well as any and all accompanying files, images, videos and documents is/are for CME/CE and other institutional learning and communication purposes only and is/are not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician, healthcare provider or other healthcare personnel relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient's medical condition; and are property/rights of Ridgeview.  Any re-reproduction of any of the materials presented would be infringement of copyright laws.  It is Ridgeview's intent that any potential conflict should be identified openly so that the listeners may form their own judgments about the presentation with the full disclosure of the facts. It is not assumed any potential conflicts will have an adverse impact on these presentations. It remains for the audience to determine whether the speaker's outside interest may reflect a possible bias, either the exposition or the conclusions presented. Ridgeview's CME planning committee members and presenter(s) have disclosed they have no significant financial relationship with a pharmaceutical company and have disclosed that no conflict of interest exists with the presentation/educational event. Thank-you for listening to the podcast. SHOW NOTES:   *See the attachment for additional information.  PODCAST OVERVIEW Ankle Sprains - 25% go on to further sprains. - Graded 1-3 - Anatomy - Ottawa ankle rules - Physical therapy - Acute vs chronic Ankle Surgery - Brostrom Gold (pants over vest) - Attenuated Gracilis Repair - Following surgery - 3-4 weeks immobilized, then boot for 2-3 weeks, then physical therapy. - 4 months post injury - back to activity Thanks to Dr. Matt Weber for his expert knowledge and contribution to this podcast. Please check out the additional show notes for more information/resources.

The company that would eventually become Kum & Go was founded in 1959 by Tony S. Gentle and William A. Krause in Hampton, Iowa. That first humble location in the middle of the Iowa countryside has grown to 400 locations across 13 different states in the Midwest, and today, Kum & Go brings A Fresh Perspective™ to the customers and communities it serves.The brand's purpose to make days better for customers can be found in its broad range of products offering more than traditional convenience store fare. Whether it's freshly brewed coffee or fresh hot food that's made to order in each store every day, Kum & Go has created a place where customers can fuel up at the pump and fill up in-store.Kum & Go's &Rewards program allows members to earn at the pump and in-store. Points can be converted into fuel discounts or cash. Redemption starts at 100 points. Exclusive member-only deals on food, beverages, fuel, and more offer customers additional incentives to enroll in the program through the app, via the brand's website, or even in-store.Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Matt Riezman, Director of Brand Marketing, Matt Anderson, Director of Digital Customer Experience, and Matt Weber, Director of Business Insights & Analytics at Kum & Go, about the brand's &Rewards program, the impact of the electronic vehicle (EV) market on loyalty strategies, and how the pandemic forced Kum & Go's team to become more agile in leveraging technologies.

Matt Weber is a street photographer who has been documenting New York City for the past 40 years. In the early 80's he worked as a cab driver for 12 years, this authentic view of a 1980's New York witnessed during nightly drives led him to acquire a camera in 1984 to photograph the uniquely raw, aggressive & real occurrences he would see. He speaks on the change in New York he has lived from the 70's to today, getting into shooting photos, driving a cab throughout the 80's, money, his experience with changing technology and more. http://patreon.com/angelandzpodcasthttp://instagram.com/artprimohttp://artprimo.com

In this sermon, Matt Weber takes us to the early church and draws out attention an issue that threatened gospel advance almost from the very beginning. The greatest threat to God moving in our midst isn't our weakness or our sin, it's a lack of true relationship with Jesus Christ.This is the second of several sermons in a special series that will contain all of the sermons and workshops delivered at the 2022 Thee Generation Youth Summit at Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, WI this past October 12-14, 2022.If you were blessed by this sermon, don't forget to make plans to join hundreds of others young people next October 11-13, 2023 for our annual meeting in Menomonee Falls, WI. For more information, please visit theegeneration.org/summit.

If only your website could talk…but maybe it can! Discover how to understand what your website is trying to tell you. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/458

If you have listened to my podcast for a while, you might remember that Matt Weber was my guest on episode 59.  And guys, here's why I initially interviewed him on my podcast and here's why he's here again.  I was so fascinated by his story because he lives in a smallish town in Georgia called Dunwoody and I don't even remember how I was introduced to him or if I just found him on Instagram, but I just so loved what he was doing. He is being so hyperlocal and I was looking up things that he was doing on his podcast and knew I had to get this guy on here. I had to get inside of this dude's brain because he is doing it the way I believe realtors should do it. And so I wanted him to be here again because he has immense value to add and he's full of humility. He'll act like he's never done anything, but he's unbelievable. And so if you want to learn how to be hyperlocal but immensely relevant, don't miss this episode!  Connect w/ Matt: Podcast: https://whatsupdunwoody.com/ (https://whatsupdunwoody.com/) Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/matthewweber/ ( https://www.instagram.com/matthewweber/) Want a better presence online, but don't have all the time you need to put into it?! You're welcome! :) http://www.contentcompounding.io/ (www.contentcompounding.io) Connect with Coach Kyle: Website:https://kyledraper.com/ ( )https://kyledraper.comfacebook/ (https://kyledraper.com) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKyleDraper/ (https://www.facebook.com/CoachKyleDraper/) Instagram: https://instagram.com/coachkyledraper (https://instagram.com/coachkyledraper) Everything Else:https://linktr.ee/coachkyledraper ( https://linktr.ee/coachkyledraper) Do you love the music in my intro and outro? Hit up @michaelglennmusic on IG to get your own! https://www.instagram.com/michaelglennmusic/ (https://www.instagram.com/michaelglennmusic/) Want FREE Social Media Advice? http://bit.ly/topofmindsellingfbgroup (http://bit.ly/topofmindsellingfbgroup) Need a Dynamic Speaker for an Event or Group? Duh...Me! http://bit.ly/coachkylespeakerkit (http://bit.ly/coachkylespeakerkit)

Do not forget to check out the previous episodes of the HogFBPodcast. Please leave a review, a rating and as always keep an eye out for the Monday night #Hogfbchat on Twitter at 8pm CST. Always make sure that you like and subscribe to the Podcast. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hogfbplt4m/support

We had the pleasure of interviewing Louis Knight over Zoom video. Singer/Songwriter Louis Knight is ready to heat up the charts with his new heartfelt single “Burn This All Down.” The single was released along with a must-watch fiery music video. “Burn This All Down” details Louis' personal journey over the past couple of years, taking a step back from his love of music during the height of the pandemic due to the difficulty of the industry highs and lows. After feeling lost and consumed by fear, Louis was able to find his niche sound and rebuild himself from the ground up as the one-of-a-kind artist he was truly meant to be. The new song marks the first page of Louis' next chapter of music: an emotionally charged 6-track EP to be released later this year. The British-born, Philadelphia-raised, and currently LA-based music artist began his musical journey as a Top 7 finalist on Season 18 of ABC's American Idol. After wowing the judges each week with his gut-wrenching vocals and lyrical storytelling capabilities, Louis was brought back as a Comeback Contestant for Season 19 where he made it to the Top 12. Upon leaving the show, Louis released his debut original single “Change” – which amassed over 1-Million streams across all music platforms. His passion and talent led him to work with music industry icons including 6x Grammy-winning mix engineer Michael Brauer (Coldplay/John Mayer), as well as talented music producer Matt Weber. Having an eclectic range of influences including Lewis Capaldi, Niall Horan, James Arthur, Dean Lewis, and Tom Grennan; Louis brings a unique and authentic sound while writing music that speaks to the universal longings of hope and perseverance. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com.www.BringinitBackwards.com#podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #LouisKnight #BurnThisAllDown #AmericanIdol #Season18 #ABCAmericanIdol #Top7 #AI #NewMusic #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB https://www.bringinitbackwards.com/follow/ Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bringinbackpod

Jacob Siciliano and Cameron Sullivan sit down with girls' basketball head coach Matt Weber and Summer Srodulski to preview the Knights up coming game against the Hersey Huskies.

In this episode Matt Weber and I discuss the flaws around making a New Year’s resolution. Most people will make some form of a “resolution” this January first. The problem with this is most peoples misunderstanding of willpower. Your willpower, like a muscle, gets tired and is a very unsustainable strategy to enact permanent change. While recording this episode I make a reference to a study regarding willpower of which I had little detail. I only could remember the gist of the findings. Well, the research I was trying to explain is referred to as The Chocolate-and-Radish Experiment, a study by psychologist, Ray Baumeister. (For more detail visit this article from The Atlantic, “The Chocolate-and-Radish Experiment That Birthed the Modern Conception of Willpower” The point Matt and I are trying to make is that a decision to change without a plan is only a hope or a wish that sets up disappointment and a even a feeling of failure that can have dangerous effects on your confidence. Set a goal, make a plan and remove distractions! Visit The Agent Mind online… https://theagentmind.com/ Join The Agent Mind Facebook Group… https://www.facebook.com/groups/theagentmind Book a Call with TJ… https://calendly.com/the-agent-mind-book-tj Learn about Joining the Team… https://theagentmind.com/contact

Matt Weber, the newest addition to The Agent Mind Podcast interviews TJ this time around. Matt has been a fan and supporter of the show since the beginning and will be joining us as co-host here and there. Matt, asks TJ about his favorite episodes and what he has learned along the way. This sort of show is usually reserved for a milestone episode and although it’s not the 100th, we thought it would be a great way to initiate Matt. Visit The Agent Mind online… https://theagentmind.com/ Join The Agent Mind Facebook Group… https://www.facebook.com/groups/theagentmind Book a Call with TJ… https://calendly.com/the-agent-mind-book-tj

In this episode, molly, gaz, and matt have the ever crucial debate of tswizzle or john mayer which just so happens to be the crux of their friendship. @anthony.gazzola @mo_cleary @matthewbweber

In this Friday morning session, Matt Weber takes the mask off and confronts us all with this probing question—is your walk with Jesus real? Is His love for you real in your everyday experience, or is it sterile and fake? The greatest measure joy and freedom can only come as we walk in the reality of Christ's unconditional love.This is the eighth of twelve in a special series that will contain all of the sermons and workshops delivered at the 2021 Thee Generation Youth Summit at Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, WI this October 13-15, 2021.If you were blessed by this recording, don't forget to make plans to join hundreds of others young people next October 12-14, 2022 for our annual meeting in Menomonee Falls, WI. For more information, please visit theegeneration.org/summit.

Life is tough, and sometimes, it seems like today's CR is a bit too high. So what do you do? Get more people in the party! We welcome Josh Simons of Jasper's Game Day to talk about mental health and suicide prevention through TTRPGs. In our “Playing the Other” segment, we welcome Matt Weber with a great discussion about his physical disabilities and his decades of gaming experience. Content Warning: Suicide, Body shape discussion, Mental Illness, Phobias 0:00 Introduction 2:26 Josh Simons & Jasper's Game Day 32:34 Playing the Other with Matt Weber 1:10:34 Wrap-up Manually captioned. Transcript available at our website. Jasper's Game Day Website: https://jaspersgameday.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaspersGameDay Facebook: https://facebook.com/JaspersGame Instagram: https://instagram.com/jaspersgameday Discord: https://discord.gg/MWfwpc9 YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/youtubeJGD Josh Simons Links Twitch: https://twitch.tv/joshuasimons Islands of Sina Una stream: https://twitch.tv/rockpunchATL Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshuaMSimons LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/joshuamsimons Matt Weber links Reddit: u/DeliveratorMatt Wyrmworks Publishing Limitless Heroics - Including Characters with Disabilities, Mental Illness, and Neurodivergence in Fifth Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/372478/Limitless-Heroics-Including-Characters-with-Disabilities-Mental-Illness-and-Neurodivergence-in-Fifth-Edition Website: https://WyrmworksPublishing.com Patreon: https://Patreon.com/wyrmworkspublishing Maps: https://wyrmworkspublishing.itch.io Facebook: https://facebook.com/wyrmworkspublishing Twitter: @wyrmworksdale

In this episode, we talk with Matt Weber, a faculty member in the Department of Communication at the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. With more than a decade of experience researching information ecosystems, organizations and communities, Matt focuses on the use of large scale web data to study processes of change. In addition, Matt has been an active member of the web science community. He's the program co-chair for the ACM 2021 Web Science Conference, and delivered a keynote at this year's conference. In this episode, Matt explains the process of web archiving, along with some of the questions it enables us to explore. He touches on how his own research, some of which centers on news media production, fits into all this. And he discusses some of the challenges and issues that surround web archiving, as well as pathways to solutions. To hear these insights and more, listen to this episode. Click here for this episode's transcript, and here for this episode's show notes.

The show is going through some changes and with it comes a new co-host! You might remember Matt Weber, CEO of Alpha Overhead Door; he was on the show earlier this season. He's joining Kelli as the new co-host of Campfire Hour! Catch up with them and all the changes in this episode. This episode is sponsored by Wild Alaskan Seafood Box! Take 50% off your first subscription when you use code CAMPFIREHOUR here: https://bit.ly/3r7xmhZ

This week Ryan talks to Matt Weber from Alpha Overhead Door. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torsion-talk/message

If it’s up for more than four hours, you need to give them a call. Your garage door, that is. Good leadership and good systems are good business. Matt Weber & Jonathan Mauger share their knowledge of both and how they’re building their team and scaling like they never have before. They know a lot about garage doors, but even more about people. Enjoy this episode and then take advantage of this offer from our sponsor Wild Alaskan Seafood Box and get 50% off your first subscription with code CAMPFIREHOUR at https://bit.ly/3r7xmhZ. Matt admitted on the show that he loves salmon. Be like Matt. 

In this Unsung Startup episode we dive into Matt Weber's raw cookie dough business and how he built his company, Scooped. 

We are back with episode 23 and we are blown away by the story you are about to hear. Matt Weber joined us and shared his incredible testimony. From spending hard time in prison to witnessing first hand the grace and favor of God...and crazy stories in between. We say this a lot but I promise you DO NOT want to MISS this one. ** SPONSOR** Covenant Rescue Group Covenant Rescue Group was formed with the specific mission to generate resources and direct them strategically in the fight against human trafficking. We believe there are men and women across the world who have been uniquely gifted to enter harm's way to rescue the vulnerable, protect the weak and administer justice to the wicked. Unfortunately the assets, training and tools needed aren’t always readily available. Visit their website and help support this organization. https://www.covenantrescue.org/ CONTACT: If you have any questions or want to send us suggestions, you can contact us by sending an email to thereismorepodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thereismore/support

Matt Weber, Fit For Work's National Director of Sales, takes us through a rapid-fire story of a company who's been innovating in their business sector since 1998. This simple statement is sending shock waves through their business sector: “We prevent people from getting injured.”Here's another: "Fit For Work achieves a 50% reduction in injuries and the accompanying costs."  If those statement don't seem earthshaking to you, it's because you're not a Safety Manager, Plant Manager, or a CFO. Fit For Work has shaken up their industry by changing the "injury equation," as Matt calls it. The old model is what I call “Break/Fix.” The successful model from Fit For Work is to      forecast the next injury before it happens because they go to the source of the injuries - the work place.

Matt Weber is the CTO at Forager, a freight-matching startup and the leader in cross-border logistics that combines cutting-edge technology and decades of industry experience. In this episode, Matt talks about the idea behind building their cross-border freight-matching marketplace, shares his experience of transitioning from running an agency to running a software company, explains the reason for building a web app rather than a mobile app, and shares his vision on the future of Forager. Visit www.cleevio.com if you're interested to build a digital product.

Matt Weber and Justin Dike, are just two regular guys in Dunwoody.  But they have created a brand that the City of Dunwoody has rallied behind.  Blogs, Facebook Groups and an awesome Podcast to talk about all things Dunwoody.

In 2007, after nearly a decade of experience in numbers-focused direct-response marketing, Matt Weber used a business broker to buy a small jack-of-all trades agency that provided sales training, traditional media marketing, and a small bit of web development. Over time, that agency became ROAR! Internet Marketing, where Matt is now President. The agency's forte today? Measurable actions. In this interview, Matt explains what a buyer can expect from a business broker, how to select one, broker limitations, and a broker's role in facilitating business acquisitions. He warns that it will be challenging to evaluate transactional opportunities in the next few months. But, he also expects to see a lot of merger and acquisition activity as companies adjust to the COVID-impacted business environment. Matt's general tips? Agencies will need to be more aware of costs now, “throttle back” on anticipatory hiring, , and eliminate “tool bloat” (buying multiple tools with the same functionality).  Matt is no stranger to change. In 2007, websites were little more than glorified brochures. Matt shed virtually everything of the original business, rebranded it, and focused heavily on digital marketing conversions and direct response. Early on, 85-90% of the agency's revenues came from web development. Today, 80% of his agency's revenues come from recurring digital marketing services, primarily for three verticals: elective medical (almost recession-proof), recurring-business home services (need-based), and manufacturing (which has a completely different cycle than consumer-based marketing). Matt says, when you focus your efforts on a limited number of verticals, you “leverage your success more effectively,” and follows that with the comment: “Diluted focus yields diluted results.”  Matt has created a free tool, Smylelytics.com, which he compares to a car's “check engine” light. (It won't tell you what is wrong, but it will tell you when to take a look.) Twice a month, Smylelytics evaluates a company's Google Analytics, translates the information into memorable, themed photographs, and emails the company with the (good/neutral/bad) “news.” Matt serves as a national trainer for the Grow with Google program, where he presents small- to medium-sized businesses with a one-day class that covers Google My Business, Google Analytics, and Google Data Studio tools. He also speaks at conferences, frequently on the topic of, “5 Things Your Website Is Trying to Tell You but You're Afraid to Ask.” Here, he provides a brief overview of those 5 things: Does your website, as a salesperson, feel confident in selling your business? Is it effective in turning leads into sales? Where should you focus your limited time and budget?What do the analytics show you about which efforts are paying off and which are not?  Is your landing page making a good first impression? What does your landing report say about what your first-time visitors do on their first visit? Who likes you best? Focus your efforts on communicating with those who like you the most. Are certain pages repelling your customers? Stop serving the bad pages. Mayt is available on his agency's website at: RoarontheWeb.com or on Twitter @BestWebDesignFL. Transcript Follows: ROB: Welcome to the Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Rob Kischuk, and I'm joined today by Matt Weber, President at ROAR! Internet Marketing based in Altamonte Springs, Florida just outside of Orlando. Welcome to the podcast, Matt. MATT: Thank you. Great to be here. Been looking forward to this for some time. ROB: Excellent to have you here. I've been looking forward to this as well, especially with some of the interesting nuances of your own history and background. Why don't you kick us off, though, by telling us about ROAR! Internet Marketing and what the company specializes in?  MATT: Our real specialty is conversions. We've been around since 2007, and back then we started lead tracking, lead recording, and a focus on measurable results. That came from my background in direct marketing. I did direct mail. I did nearly a decade of direct response marketing where if you couldn't measure it, you didn't do it. Back in 2007, that's not what websites were. In 2007, websites were kind of glorified brochures, and nobody was really talking about conversions and goals and tracking things. That was our entrée into the marketplace, and we were really one of the pioneers in that area. We've continued to evolve that – to the point, though, where we've gotten a little bit less into web design and more into digital marketing. When we started the agency, 85-90% of our revenue was web development, and now 80% of our revenue is recurring digital marketing services. So our forte is measurable actions. ROB: Who were some of the first sorts of clients that were really open to thinking about their website as less of a brochure and more of a destination and opportunity to actually get action? I think some people were willing to spend more money on expensive brochures for a while, but who started turning that corner to thinking more progressively about their websites? MATT: Elective medical. Cosmetic surgeons, LASIK, cosmetic dermatologists. They came into 2007 with a fairly refined understanding of how much a new patient is worth, and they had some sensitivity to cost per lead. So that's where we get our start, and that was the segment that was most receptive to our messaging, followed by home services. They were also receptive to that because they were prolific direct mailers. So, they did receive that message well, and we're still in those two verticals today. ROB: That makes sense. Certainly, a lot of elective medical can potentially be fairly large tickets, fairly decent margins, and probably also so on the home services side. Was it larger project stuff, or were you also finding things even down to emergency plumbers? MATT: More things that had a recurring value – your pest control company where it was an average lifetime value rather than a transaction value. They got it pretty quickly. Let's say you engage with a pest control company; you're going to typically stay with them for 2+ years at $70 a month or $80 a month. Those companies understand lifetime value as opposed to transaction value, so this worked well for them. ROB: That's a great line of thinking, especially to find your way into some of those good long-term customer lifetime value – not so much restaurants and that sort of thing. You started in 2007. You started at perhaps an inopportune time, much as anyone who started a business last year may feel right now amidst this coronavirus crisis/shift/recession, whatever we wish to call it. How did those next couple of years going through that financial crisis with the business change your thinking, and how is it shaping how you think about the virus era and post-virus era that we are in and heading into? MATT: I want to answer the second part of that question first because we have always run our business imagining that we were always in the worst of times – because we were, in 2007-2008 and early 2009. We were in times where we were watching this deposit so that we could make this payment. We were running checks to the bank and then saying, “Okay, now we can make this payment.” Everything was almost on a minute by minute basis. We never forgot that. I think it's a lot like people listening who might have grandparents or great-grandparents from the Depression era and how that affected their spending all the way up until their late life. That happened to us and a lot of businesses, so we always managed the company as if times weren't great. That's helped now. We're in a stronger financial position, we're a financially strong company, and a lot of that is the attitudes that 2007 and 2008 brought with us. ROB: How much of that comes naturally for you? I think any entrepreneur, and especially in the marketing and agency world, one of the first questions you're asked when you meet anybody is “How many people do you have?” It's this tempting ego number to hire a little bit ahead of need. Probably throttling back on that along the way, was that a natural thing for you? Or was it an acquired discipline? MATT: It's an acquired discipline. You brought up a great one: labor. I think a lot of agencies do hire before the need. Another one is tools. I run into a lot of agency owners that have six or seven or eight different tools that duplicate functionality. These tools reshape themselves, they come out with something new, so the agency buys a subscription to this one without canceling the subscription to that one, and all of a sudden they've got what I call “tool bloat.” They've got subscriptions to a bunch of different things they didn't even know they were subscribing to. That happens as well. Being mindful of that I think is a result of the 2007, 2008, and 2009 experience, where we track everything we spend on a recurring basis, what we've committed to, and we're very cautious about our labor expenses. ROB: How do you manage those labor expenses when you do start to get close to the margin? I think we've all had that experience where we have a little bit more work than we can do or maybe a lot more work than we have capacity to do. How do you think through some of those inflection points? MATT: We've got quite a few spreadsheets and calculations that we do behind the scenes, and there's a premise behind it, and that is: we don't want to be that agency that hires up, loses an account, and lays off. We mathematically figure out not only what the point is when we need to hire somebody, but what's above that so that if we lost anything, we don't want to lay off. I'm happy to say that since 2007, we have never laid off a single employee because we've lost an account. We've eliminated a position because the scope of work changed, but we've never eliminated a position because we've lost a client. Now, when we go to hire people, yes, people are looking for money, absolutely. But at some level, they're looking for stability. A little bit lesser so today than maybe 6 years ago, but we get to tell those people, “This is our philosophy. We don't want to hire up and lay down. That's not who we are. We want to build a team, a coherent team, and we want to build for retention.” We've been very fortunate in that. We've got folks that have been with us for 10 years, 8 years, 7 years, and it's because of that philosophy. They know underneath it all, we're trying to build something progressively stable. ROB: That's insightful. One thing that goes along with that dynamic you discuss of losing an account and laying people off is also revenue concentration. Some agencies can be anywhere between let's say 30% and 70% all-in with one client. How do you think about revenue concentration? Is it something you try and manage, or is it something you just deal with and manage around? MATT: We definitely try to manage to it. In fact, we not only manage revenue concentration within a client, but we try to manage revenue concentration within a vertical. Our three verticals are elective medical, home services, and manufacturing. Those were chosen because elective medical is almost recession-proof. In fact, a couple of our cosmetic surgeon clients had some of their best years in 2007 and 2008, surprisingly. Home services are need-based, so it's hard for a consumer to give up let's say their pest control company, as an example. Then manufacturing has a completely different cycle than some of the consumer-based marketing that we do. So, we not only look at revenue concentration per client, we look at it per vertical. We don't want to be heavily invested into any one of those three verticals. ROB: Really interesting, and makes a ton of sense. Matt, how did you get into this business in the first place? What led you to move from whatever you were doing before to starting ROAR? MATT: I was working for the broadcast industry. That's where I grew up. I spent 15+ years in the broadcast industry. Then I worked for an exciting and fast-paced direct response marketing company, and I was in a job that was very challenging. A lot of travel, a lot of 65+-hour weeks. My wife at the time also was in a very challenging position, and our daughter was about two years from graduating high school. We looked around and said, “What does life look like after our daughter leaves the house?” We came to the conclusion that if you are going to kill yourself for somebody, why not kill yourself for yourself? So, we went on this process of buying a business. Interestingly enough, we ran into a business that at the time – and this is early 2007 – was a high-end luxury home theater business. I was going through the financials and going through the business, and it was owned by a gentleman who was an extremely smart engineer, and he had a great business from a technology standpoint, from an execution standpoint – but he was a horrible marketer. I thought, “Ah, this is for me because that's my strength. I'm a great marketer.” I was just about to put pen on a contract to buy that business, and our business broker called and said, “Hey, there's another thing out there. Why don't you take a look at it? It's an advertising business.” Of course, business brokers call everything an advertising business. So we went and looked at it, and it was a guy who had started this small shop that did a little bit of everything – it did sales training, did traditional media, and it did, back in 2007, a little bit of web development. We looked at 2007 and we said the future is digital, the future is web, the future is not traditional, and the future certainly wasn't sales training to us. So, we bought that company in early 2007 and began to morph it. We got rid of its traditional market offerings, got rid of the sales training, rebranded it, and got heavily invested into conversions and the direct response portion of digital marketing. And that's how we got into it. ROB: I think a lot of people may not be familiar with working with a business broker. Is that something you had done before? Is that something you would do again? Maybe in this season there's other businesses that would be worth acquiring? MATT: I think so. You're right, I think we're about to enter an interesting time for merger activity and acquisition activity. I do think a business broker is a time saver. It doesn't give you a pass on doing your own homework because business brokers can never be an expert in your line of work. In the acquisition opportunities that we've evaluated since then, that is very apparent. They don't know the metrics to ask and they don't know how to peel back the onions of the financials to look for what really is a healthy agency. But they do save time. In fact, a lot of agencies that might be for sale – how do you find out about them? It's not like you can drive by and they're going to put a “for sale” sign on the outside of the building. The only way you might be able to find out about them is if they're represented by a business broker. So, I do think if you're looking to acquire something in the coming months and years, definitely find a business broker that you can trust and build a rapport with. I think it's a little bit like buying and selling a home. You have to have a rapport with your real estate agent, and that real estate agent needs to have some level of expertise. You wouldn't engage with a real estate agent who doesn't really know the neighborhood that you're buying in, and you might not do the same thing with the business broker. Don't engage somebody who doesn't have at least some high level awareness of the type of business that you're looking at. But they are not going to be the expert, and you're going to need to bring a fair amount of analytical power to the evaluation of any potential transaction. ROB: That's a very timely insight, I think. For someone who hasn't worked with a business broker before, I think a lot of times when you generally talk about acquiring or selling an agency, quite often they're revenue and retention financed. How does that dynamic work with a business broker? Is it similar, where there's an earn-out and payback period? Or is it a little bit more of a buyout and transaction since there is a middleman in there who isn't involved at all in retaining clients the way you might be doing if you were acquiring an agency more directly? MATT: Yeah, brokers aren't really keen on the whole earn-out scenario. [laughs] But they're going to attach a value to the transaction regardless of how that transaction is funded, ultimately. So, the broker is going to seek its commission based on what that topline value is, and it's going to be paid at the beginning portion of that transaction. If the transaction takes years to complete, the broker will get his money upfront. ROB: So, the rest of the transaction, are you then able to still revenue finance it and set those terms directly with the owner? MATT: Yeah, and that's part of the negotiation. I think we're going to see changes in that upcoming. I think that we're going to see some vulnerabilities for shops that are heavily invested in these segments that we just talked about. If you're running a digital agency and 80% of your revenue is coming from restaurants right now, I sympathize with you. You're in a tough spot. If 80% of your revenue is coming from travel and tourism, I empathize with you. You're in a tough spot. So, what is that owner going to do? Maybe that's an agency where that owner says, “You know what? Maybe it's time for me to look at other things.” You have to then bring in the power of where that revenue came from, what it could be, and could you potentially help diversify that revenue? It's going to be a challenging time in the next few months to evaluate transactional opportunities. ROB: Going back to the start of the business for you – you talked about how you've navigated a previous financial crisis, but I think another thing you've navigated is in 2007, as you mentioned, websites were essentially glorified brochures, and social media was in an infancy if at all. LinkedIn I think was around, and Facebook I think was around for college kids. As additional marketing channels have come online and become viable, how have you navigated the process of when this is relevant to someone in manufacturing, when it's relevant to someone in elective medical, or when it's time to sit on it and tell them to take a back burner and maybe it's not time to put their business on TikTok? MATT: Great question, and this is where analytics comes in. This is why it's such an exciting time to be a small or medium sized business owner. If you think about where it was to be a business owner in the early 2000s – and way before that – the data was in the hands of agencies, and the data was in the hands of media outlets. You really couldn't answer that question that you just asked with clarity. But now the data is in the business owner's hands. The paradigm has changed. It's not a matter of speculating whether TikTok is of value or whether Facebook is of value. It's a matter of making sure you have the measurements setup in place and answering that question objectively. We have this conversation a lot. You've got a lot of companies that are way too heavily invested into social media because they thought it was cool, because it was the thing to do and everybody was writing a blog article on how you have to use Facebook 5 years ago. But then when you got into the numbers and you broke down the facts, a lot of folks weren't getting the ROI off of that investment they made into social media, and they were overly prioritizing it. So, the answer to your question is you've got to have the analytics and you've got to get the data set up, which has grown so much since 2007. Now everybody has the key to unlock the answer to that question with clarity. ROB: Very, very interesting. It makes sense, too. Data-driven decisions help here, especially when you have these transaction/conversion focused clients who know what a lead is. It's always easier to have an objective discussion around that. Now, if you rewind and if you were going to do this whole ROAR! Internet Marketing thing over again from scratch, what are some of the things you would consider doing differently if you were starting over? MATT: The biggest thing I would do differently is we were way too late to get into the game of specializing in the three verticals that we've chosen now. We at one time were proud of the fact that our portfolio contained everything from A to Z, and we would look at the world and go, “The world's our oyster! Everybody's a great prospect!” Ultimately that turned out to frustrate our salespeople. It sounded good, but it really wasn't a smart thing to do. When you focus your efforts on a limited number of verticals, all of a sudden you prospect better, and the biggest thing that you do differently is leverage your success more effectively. When you look at any particular business that knocks on your door as a prospect, you typically may not have a great story to tell them of what you've done in the past. When you narrow your focus and somebody knocks on your door in one of those verticals, you're very confident that you have a success story to share with them, and that becomes compelling. So that's absolutely the one thing that I would do differently faster. I would focus faster. ROB: There's so many interesting levels of discipline in here, because I think some people get into the entrepreneurial world and they think about the excitement, they think about the risk-taking, and I think they think about that correlating highly with running a successful business. It sounds to me, if we peel back the DNA here a little bit, it sounds like you have built in habits that lead to running a healthy and successful business that is good for your team, that gives margin to invest in them, and candidly – at least, a lot of people I know who have this sort of habit – it's actually better for their personal bottom line than having a bunch of employees and an infinite number of lines of business. How have you thought about the difference between a healthy business and the ego around it? MATT: I think running a business sometimes is kind of like the Olympics. For most folks, you have to specialize in a particular event and do well in it, but there are those rare individuals that can participate in the decathlon and be good at 10 events. I found out that I'm not one of those people. I need to focus on a particular specialty. So that's what we've tried to do. We've tried to focus on being a fantastic digital agency that produces results and tried to attract employees that share that singular vision. We're not thinking about this exciting app that we could do next week, and then we've got this idea for this other app that we could build the month after that. Not that we haven't tried to expand beyond our range; we have. But it's been cautious and it's been measured. I had a former boss tell me one time, and it sticks with me for a long time, that diluted focus yields diluted results, and that is something that I continue to live by. I'm very conscious of where our mental time and attention goes. If our mental time and attention gets diluted, we see it. We see it show up in the numbers that we track. Sometimes it's my role as the president to bring us back and make sure that we're focusing. ROB: Matt, outside of ROAR, you have a couple of other interesting things that you shared, and probably some other interesting new hobbies amidst this pandemic. Among some of the professional things that you do, interestingly, when people are traveling, you go on the road and speak with Google, actually. What do you share about, and how did that come to pass in the first place? MATT: Yes, I'm a national trainer for the Grow with Google program. About 10 years ago, a call came into the office and our office manager answered it and she said, “Hey Matt, Google is on the phone for you.” I said, “Sure they are.” There's all these people masquerading as Google. But I pick up the phone, and indeed, it's Google. On our website at the time, we had some videos that were called “60 Seconds to a Better Business Website.” We did this series about helping small and medium sized business owners get better results from their website, and they somehow found it. They saw I'm in the video, and they said, “Hey, we'd like you to come to Atlanta and audition for this program to be a trainer.” At the time, the program was called Get Your Business Online (GYBO). So I went to Atlanta, I auditioned, and I got the job. For the next 3 years, I traveled all over the country for them, teaching Google content. They disbanded the program, and then about 2 years ago they brought it back under a different name, GWG (Grow with Google). A little bit different content. So, they host these events all throughout the country. They're typically a day long, and in that day of presentation where they invite small and medium sized businesses, they'll do a class on Google My Business, they'll do a class on Google Analytics, they'll do a class on the Google Data Studio tools. I'm one of the people – there's 13 of us – that teaches those classes. All totaled, I've gone to 37 different states teaching for Google and teaching those classes, and it's been a blast. It's been a real blast. ROB: That's a really good credential. It's a good tip of the hat to what you know and the business you've built. Specifically, you've presented on “5 Things Your Website Is Trying to Tell You,” I believe you said that you're afraid to ask. What is our website trying to tell us that we're scared of? MATT: this is a program that I do outside the Google confines for a lot of conferences and trade events. It's called “5 Things Your Website Is Trying to Tell You but You're Afraid to Ask.” Real quickly, the five things: Number one, it's trying to tell you whether it feels confident selling your business. Ultimately, your website is just a salesperson. That's all it is. Just like you would measure the effectiveness of a salesperson – how many leads did they turn into sales? – you really need to be doing the same thing for your website. It's going to tell you whether it feels like it's doing a good job at that. The second thing it's going to do is it'll tell you how to prioritize your time if you let it. We're all investing in these different marketing activities, and if you look at your analytics, they're going to tell you which ones are paying off and which ones are not. We really need to focus. Unless you've got an unlimited budget and unlimited time, you've got to stop doing maybe your organic efforts because your paid is so much more profitable, or vice versa, stop doing your social because your organic is – but if you've got limited time and budget, you've got to focus. Your website will tell you how. The third thing that your website will tell you if you let it is, are you making a good first impression? One thing that's never changed is that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, and that's true everywhere, and it's true with websites. If you look at your landing page report, it'll tell you what first-time visitors due when they come to your website for the first time. It may not be making a great first impression, and that could be costing you money. The fourth thing your website is trying to tell you is who likes you best. It's 2020. We don't market to everybody anymore. That's ridiculous. Let's shave that down and we'll find that women are more receptive to our message than men, or 35 to 54s are more receptive to our message than 18 to 24s, or we'll find out that people in the city are more receptive to our message than outside of the city. Whatever that pattern is – there's always a pattern – somebody likes you best. Let's spend our time and energy talking to them rather than trying to convince the whole world that they should buy our product or service. The last thing that your website is trying to tell you is some of your food is not very good. It's trying to tell you that some of your pages are just flat-out repelling people. If you imagine being a restaurant owner for a second, and every single time you put down a particular dish on a table – every time – people looked at the dish and they got up from the table and walked out of the restaurant – imagine that happened to you. Ultimately, what would you do pretty quickly? Stop serving the dish, right? If you think about websites, you know what we're all doing? We're still serving the dish. Because we do have a page that you can look at the statistics and go, oh, people look at that page and go, “Ugh!” and they get up and leave. If you look at your exit page report, you'll see what pages that's happening, and you've got to cure that because if you don't, then you're just like that restaurant owner who's continually serving that dish that's forcing people to walk out the door. So those are five things that your website is trying to tell you, but you're afraid to ask. ROB: I can definitely see why a lot of us would stick our head in the sand on that and try to do the thing we do every day rather than looking in the mirror and actually thinking about the data on our website and the page that everybody bounces from. It's straightforward, but I think we all certainly need that reminder. One other thing in your background I can't pass up and I have to ask about is Smylelytics. That's just a fun, catchy name, but what is Smylelytics that you have created? MATT: I've met a lot of small and medium sized business owners, and I talk to them about data like you and I are talking about right now, and they nod their head politely – and yet even my own clients, who I try to make data a little bit more accessible and enticing to them, they've got busier things to do, frankly. A lot of my clients are owner/operators. They're running the business, they own the business. So, I thought, how do I get this treasure trove of data that can be fundamentally business-changing to them in a way that they want to look at it? What Smylelytics does is takes your Google Analytics data and translates it into memorable photographs. So you can go to Smylelytics and you can pick a photo set – maybe you like sailing; there's a sailing set. Maybe you like dogs; there's a dog set. Maybe you're into cute babies; there's a cute baby set. You pick that, and then Smylelytics is going to send you an email twice a month, and it's basically going to turn your analytics data into red, yellow, green. Super simple. If things are going well for your amount of visitors, then you're going to get a happy baby face if you selected the baby. If things aren't going well, then you're going to get a sad baby. You don't have to think about it, you're not worried about charts, you're not worried about graphs, you're not worried about formulas, you don't have to dig your way through the weeds of Google Analytics. In a nanosecond, you can get the Smylelytics email, which comes out twice a month, and you can instantly know, “Hey, things are going well / things are going not so well.” It's kind of designed to be like the check engine light on the car. The check engine light doesn't tell you anything. It just tells you that you should go talk to somebody. That's what Smylelytics is designed to do: give you the confidence that everything's going okay, fantastic. If it's not, you know it, and whoever that trusted resource is in your life, then you ought to tell them, “Hey, we should look into this.” Maybe it's nothing. Just like that check engine light, sometimes it's something significant, sometimes it's not. But you should pay attention to the check engine light, and that's what Smylelytics does.  ROB: The way you describe it – we can't tell because we're on a podcast, but it does make me simple. Is that a paid tool? Is that a free tool? MATT: It's absolutely free. ROB: Great. We'll get that in the show notes as well. It's Smylelytics.com, is that right? MATT: Right. ROB: Excellent. Matt, when people want to track you down and want to find out more about you and ROAR! Internet Marketing, where should they go to find you? MATT: We are RoarontheWeb.com. That's where you can find ROAR! Internet Marketing. And on Twitter, I am @BestWebDesignFL. ROB: Legit. You can tell you started up in an SEO environment. That's so important to this day, amongst all the other things you've learned along the way. Thank you so much for joining us, Matt. I think you've had a lot to share that's really helpful, and we can all bring a smile to our faces and websites in this time. MATT: Great. Enjoyed talking to you. ROB: Thanks so much, Matt. MATT: Bye bye. ROB: Thank you for listening. The Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast is presented by Converge. Converge helps digital marketing agencies and brands automate their reporting so they can be more profitable, accurate, and responsive. To learn more about how Converge can automate your marketing reporting, email info@convergehq.com, or visit us on the web at convergehq.com.

Winter. ----- Hannah Culbert (https://twitter.com/ThistleCrimes) appears courtesy of Dames & Dragons (http://damesanddragons.com, https://twitter.com/dragondames). “As If Everyone Were Dead” by The Flowers of Disgust is used entirely without permission, as is their wont. Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/ Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Ethan Bremner: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtC-izQidkvSxdLEtGSZlog  Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

Ryan and Matt discuss a bunch of current issues concerning COVID19, marketing for home service companies, and industries to watch. Home Service Company SEO Surewinder.com Sommer-usa.com Servicetitan.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torsion-talk/message

Ryan invites Josh his general manager at Aaron Overhead Doors, Matt Weber from Alpha Overhead Door, and Benny from UGA Business Development Center. We discuss COVID19, how it's affecting us, things were doing to help, and Benny discusses details about SBA and the PPP loan and the EIDL loan. Check out our sponsors: Surewinder.com Sommer-usa.com Servicetitan.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torsion-talk/message

Autumn. ----- David Hanna (https://twitter.com/bigmacinpod) plays Randall on Bike Brigade (https://twitter.com/kids_bikes, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kids-on-bikes-podcast/id1434874408) and hosts Macintosh & Maud (https://twitter.com/MacintoshMaud, https://www.macintoshandmaud.com). Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/ Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Ethan Bremner: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtC-izQidkvSxdLEtGSZlog  Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

Ryan & Matt Weber discuss decisions they're facing with their garage door companies during this time dealing with the Coronavirus. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torsion-talk/message

Spring draws to a close. ----- Kitty Dorkling appears courtesy of The Mortal Path, which can be found on your podcast app of choice, or online at https://twitter.com/TheMortalPath or https://themortalpath.com/  Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Ethan Bremner: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtC-izQidkvSxdLEtGSZlog  Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

Ryan interviews Matt from Alpha Garage Doors and Greg from JAG & Sons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torsion-talk/message

Spring begins.   ----- Griffin Coldiron appears courtesy of Ghostlight Media. Find Ghostlight online at https://twitter.com/GLMPods, and Another Path at https://twitter.com/AnotherPathPod.  The Deep Forest is available at https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year/the-deep-forest. Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod and I forgot to get any links from Ethan.

Ryan interviews Matt Weber from Alpha Overhead Doors and they discuss business, growth, hiring a GM, and much more. Catch this amazing episode of Ryan & Matt chatting about business. Oh, don't forget to check out our sponsors: surewinder.com sommer-usa.com Servicetitan.com suchmedia.co Garage Door Repair Suwanee --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torsion-talk/message

a new season; principles for a gothic punk world; the deep forest; setting the stage ----- The Deep Forest: https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year/the-deep-forest Thanks to Serasomatic of the Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons actual play podcast Sacrosanct for performing this week's intro! Find Sacrosanct at https://sacrosanctrp.wordpress.com/ or https://twitter.com/SacrosanctRp  Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/ Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

Jason Grefer and Matt Weber discuss all the latest of the winter sports with Princeton Middle School. For all things Princeton Viking Athletics, go to vikenation.org

The staff face an ethical dilemma. ----- Track: KomikuArtist: BlueAlbum: It's time for adventure !Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure_/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_-_13_Bleu Track: AntipaticoArtist: J Hacha De ZolaAlbum: AntipaticoLink: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J_Hacha_de_Zola/Antipatico_1380/Antipatico Track: El DesgraciadoArtist: J Hacha De ZolaAlbum: AntipaticoLink: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J_Hacha_de_Zola/Antipatico_1380/El_Desgraciado Track: Frozen JungleArtist: KomikuAlbum: It's time for adventure ! vol 2Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure__vol_2/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_vol_2_-_07_Frozen_Jungle   Track: AriaArtist: Kimiko IshizakaAlbum: The Open Goldberg VariationsLink: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kimiko_Ishizaka/The_Open_Goldberg_Variations/KIMIKO_ISHIZAKA_-_Goldberg_Variations_BWV_988_-_01_-_Aria__44k-24b Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

A moth arrives, but it is not the only thing that arrives. ----- Track: BalanceArtist: KomikuAlbum: It's time for adventure ! vol 2Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure__vol_2/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_vol_2_-_01_Balance Track: Princess Cheese BurgerArtist: KomikuAlbum: Poupi's incredible adventures !Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Poupis_incredible_adventures_/Komiku_-_Poupis_incredible_adventures__-_48_Princess_Cheese_Burger Track: KomikuArtist: BlueAlbum: It's time for adventure !Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure_/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_-_13_Bleu Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod  

A card is drawn.----- Track: El DesgraciadoArtist: J Hacha De ZolaAlbum: AntipaticoLink: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J_Hacha_de_Zola/Antipatico_1380/El_Desgraciado Track: AntipaticoArtist: J Hacha De ZolaAlbum: AntipaticoLink: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J_Hacha_de_Zola/Antipatico_1380/Antipatico Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

David attends Noir at the Bar, where local and national crime writers read excerpts from their current and future works (with a side of murder ballads). Readers include Jeff Strand, Hank Early, David Powell, Andy Davidson, Nathan Ballingrud, Roger Johns, Emily Carpenter, Matt Weber, and Robert McCammon. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aoaptb/support

Unexpected tensions come to light! ----- Track: Green Leaves Artist: Jason Shaw Album: Audionautix: Acoustic Link: (sorry, freemusicarchive.org is down, will try to get a proper link later!)   Track: Face to face tension Artist: Komiku Album: THE GIRL WITH THE BASEBALL BAT Link: (sorry, freemusicarchive.org is down, will try to get a proper link later!) Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

At the conclusion of the fifth annual Thee Generation Youth Summit, we enter the hum of excitement to join our own evangelists on the floor. Don’t miss this quick recap of God’s distinct work over these few days, as well as a challenge for the upcoming year.2019 Sermons: https://www.theegeneration.org/youth-summit/Matt Weber’s Testimony: https://www.theegeneration.org/the-crazy-man/Next year’s Youth Summit will be held October 14-16, 2020! Make plans to join us and bring others to be a part of a generation that believes in the power of 0/100!To leave a question or testimony recorded in your own voice, please call our messaging service at (262) 355-THEE. For more faith inspiring resources and information about joining the Thee Generation, please visit theegeneration.org.

Today I Interviewed Matt Weber a Digital Marketing Expert and Grow With Google Speaker. Matt is also the CEO and President of ROAR Internet Marketing and has helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow their business online. You can Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/scottvanko27/

Told you one of those people was going to be trouble. ----- Track: El DesgraciadoArtist: J Hacha De ZolaAlbum: AntipaticoLink: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J_Hacha_de_Zola/Antipatico_1380/El_Desgraciado   Track: BalanceArtist: KomikuAlbum: It's time for adventure ! vol 2Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure__vol_2/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_vol_2_-_01_Balance   Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

One of these people is definitely going to be trouble, but it's hard to be certain which.   ----- Track: No Disclaimer Artist: Jesse Spillane Album: Art of Presentation Link: (sorry, freemusicarchive.org is down, will try to get a proper link later!)   Track: Meerkats in Love Artist: Jesse Spillane Album: Art of Presentation Link: (sorry again, freemusicarchive.org is still down, will try to get a proper link later!)   Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

In which a small problem turns out to be a large problem. ----- Track: Lacrima DesperideArtist: Damiano BaldoniAlbum: Crystal LakeLink: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Crystal_Lake/Lacrima_Desperide   Track: KomikuArtist: BlueAlbum: It's time for adventure !Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure_/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_-_13_Bleu Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

Welcome, honored guest, to the House of Black Lanterns. How can we make you comfortable? ----- Track: Variatio 2 a 1 Clav. Artist: Kimiko Ishizaka Album: The Open Goldberg Variations Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kimiko_Ishizaka/The_Open_Goldberg_Variations/KIMIKO_ISHIZAKA_-_Goldberg_Variations_BWV_988_-_03_-_Variatio_2_a_1_Clav__44k-24b   Track: Princess Cheese Burger Artist: Komiku Album: Poupi's incredible adventures ! Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Poupis_incredible_adventures_/Komiku_-_Poupis_incredible_adventures__-_48_Princess_Cheese_Burger   Track: Antipatico Artist: J Hacha De Zola Album: Antipatico Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/J_Hacha_de_Zola/Antipatico_1380/Antipatico Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

We had an idea for what you might call a "non-standard campaign concept", so we sat down to figure out exactly what a game about haunted hotel staff looks like. Join us for a chat, won't you? ----- Main theme: “Hoof, Heart, & Hiss” by Matt Weber http://mattwebersmusic.wordpress.com/   Find us online at: http://thechimera.space http://twitter.com/chimerapod http://facebook.com/chimerapod itsthechimera@gmail.com   Josh Hall-Bachner: http://twitter.com/charlequin Braden Lamb: http://twitter.com/bradenlamb Jeffrey Bard: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ Kacey Smith: [stand in front of a mirror at midnight and call her name three times] Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: https://firstparishbeverly.org/about-us/minister/ Vin LaBate: http://twitter.com/mrreciprocity and also http://twitter.com/rarecandypod

Summary of today's show: The media rumors are swirling about who's in the running for the papacy and the speculation this past weekend swirled around Cardinal Seán in journalistic chatter around Rome. Scot Landry and Fr. Michael Harrington discuss the talk and the qualities that might make Cardinal Seán a consideration in the conclave. Then on the day before The Light Is On For You begins again for Lent, they discuss the Sacrament of Reconciliation and God's mercy and love extended for the forgiveness of those who seek Him. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr. Michael Harrington Links from today's show: Today's topics: Buzz about Cardinal Seán as papabile and the Sacrament of Confession 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. He talked about a story over the weekend from John Allen, who covers the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter newspaper and is considered one of the leading Vaticanists in the US. Allen wrote that the “buzz grows in Rome” for Cardinal Seán. First, Scot played a clip from Cardinal Seán at a press conference last week on what he's looking for in the next pope as he looks at the other cardinals to choose from in the upcoming conclave. He listed the things the new pope should have, which ends up being essentially a list that would make a superpastor: A leader with deep faith energy Passion organizational skills cultural experience who inspires the young facility with languages Scot and Fr. Michael Harrington both agreed that Cardinal Seán himself has many of these same qualities. Fr. Mike said he is also not afraid to introduce new programs and to be an evangelizer in new ways to introduce the faith. Scot said he's happy and willing to try new things. Some have worked out well, others less so. Fr. Mike said he's often the first to try new initiatives, like setting up the first blog by a cardinal, the first to set up a catholic media secretariat in his diocese, the first to take on a pastoral plan the size of Disciples in Mission, focused on evangelization. Scot said he received many emails from friends today telling him about Allen's story. Here's what Allen wrote: For a long time, conventional wisdom held that an American could not be elected to the Throne of Peter because you can't have a “superpower pope.” Not only do the Americans already have too much power, or so the theory went, but a shadow would hang over the papacy as part of the world would suspect its decisions were being secretly crafted by the CIA. In the early 21st century, however, some of the air has gone out of that bias, because the United States is no longer the world's lone superpower. As a result, for the first time an American seems thinkable. While the U.S. media has focused on Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York as the most plausible, if still remote, American prospect, another name has generated a surprising degree of buzz in the Italian press: Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, partly on the strength of his profile as a reformer on the church's sexual abuse scandals, and partly because of his Capuchin simplicity as a perceived antidote to the Vatican's reputation for intrigue and power games. Here's a sampling of what's been in the Italian papers over the last few days vis-à-vis the 68-year-old Capuchin cardinal of Boston. Marco Politi One of Italy's most-cited Vatican writers, Marco Politi gave an interview on Feb. 14 to the Suddeutsche Zeitung, the main daily in Munich, in which he was asked who the favorites are heading into the conclave. He replied: “There are no favorites. It's not like 2005, when there was a clear candidate in Ratzinger and a strong contrast in Martini. The situation is very fragmented, and there are many papabili. There's Cardinal Scola of Milan, and Cardinal Ouellet who heads the Congregation for Bishops. There are candidates from South America, as well as outsiders such as Cardinal O'Malley of Boston and Cardinal Erdo of Budapest. There's not yet any aggregation of votes.” AGI The “Italian Journalistic Agency,” or AGI, ran a piece three days ago on the church's “champions” in the fight against clerical abuse, lauding O'Malley for “restoring credibility to the church after the ‘escape' to Rome of his predecessor, Bernard Law, pursued by legal causes seeking compensation (to compensate the victims, O'Malley sold the archbishop's residence and moved to live in a small room at the seminary).” Arena Published in Verona, Arena had a run-down today of probable candidates for the papacy from outside Italy. “In the United States, the most likely figures are Timothy Dolan, the exuberant archbishop of New York, and Sean O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston,” it said. Il Giornale Last Tuesday, the day after Benedict's surprise announcement, Il Giornale published a run-down of possible popes. “There are diverse names of non-Europeans,” it said. “Among them, the name of the Capuchin archbishop of Boston, Sean O'Malley, is prominent, who resolved a situation rendered fairly dramatic not only by sexual abuses committed by priests but also by the cover-ups by his predecessor, Bernard Law. In recent weeks, among other things, Benedict XVI called to Rome as Promoter of Justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with responsibility for these cases, the ‘right hand' of O'Malley, Father Robert Oliver.” La Stampa Writing yesterday, Vatican-watcher Giacomo Galeazzi said that the candidate “indicated from the American bishops seems to be the courageous Capuchin friar O'Malley, the only cardinal, with the Archbishop of Vienna Christoph Schönborn, to publicly defend the victims of pedophilia (like Pope Benedict, who gave priority to efforts to render justice to those injured both in the soul and the body, and to relieve their suffering as much as possible) when the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, defined the scandal as “petty gossip” in an embarrassing salute to the pope in 2010.” Paolo Rodari The well-regarded Vatican writer Paolo Rodari treated O'Malley at greatest length in a blog post last Saturday. “There are many who ask themselves if the next pope will be a Capuchin,” Rodari wrote. “On paper, the Capuchins have the numbers for giving the papacy a turning point. They're close to the people, they don't have a ‘clerical' mentality, they emphasize collaboration with the laity, and they have an attractively simple model of life. Those are three characteristics cut out for a church that's paid a high price for its scandals. … O'Malley is a humble prelate, which is no bad thing in a Roman Curia that's suffering not just a few financial difficulties. It's no accident that he's a Prince of the Church who prefers his simple brown Capuchin habit to the sartorial splendor to which his office entitles him. He's a cardinal who loves to dialogue with his faithful through Twitter, and uses his personal blog as an important instrument not only of communication but for meeting everybody, the faithful and even non-believers.” Scot said these are strong endorsements and credible articles by six leading publications in Italy. Fr. Mike said it shows anything is possible. He said when the cardinals sit down, they will discuss what are the emerging issues at this time for the Church and what does the Church need now. Scot said this all brings it out of the realm that a Pope Sean is a non-starter. He said there's a greater than zero chance of an American pope this time for various reasons. John Allen continues: I can confirm the O'Malley buzz from personal experience. Right now, it's tough for an American journalist to walk into the Vatican Press Office without fielding questions from colleagues about him. At the moment, this is basically journalistic chatter. The real action will begin next week, when most of the cardinals will be in town for Benedict XVI's big farewell on Feb. 28. We'll see then if O'Malley has serious traction as a candidate. As the cardinals from other parts of the world start to take a serious look, they're likely to see both promising qualities in O'Malley and question marks. On the plus side, many cardinals have said they'd like a pope with a global vision, sensitive to the church outside the West where two-thirds of Catholics today live. O'Malley has a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literature, and has long experience of ministering to both Hispanics and Haitians. He worked in Chile as a priest, and served as the Bishop of St. Thomas in the Caribbean. He's deeply attached to many of the devotions popular at the Catholic grassroots across the developing world. O'Malley has at least a basic command of Italian, seen by most as a prerequisite for serving as the Bishop of Rome. O'Malley's simplicity isn't just a matter of wearing his brown habit, or insisting on being called “Cardinal Sean.” By reputation he's not given to building empires or playing political games, and on the back of the Vatileaks mess, ongoing questions about the Vatican Bank, and other perceived Vatican imbroglios, that profile could strike some cardinals as just what the doctor ordered. Despite his overall image as a moderate, O'Malley is by-the-book when it comes to matters of Catholic orthodoxy and is especially committed to the pro-life cause, making him attractive to cardinals concerned that the church hold the line on its positions in the culture wars. O'Malley is also passionate about the “New Evangelization,” expressed not only in his use of Twitter and blogs, but in his general approach to the role of a bishop. Certainly O'Malley's image as a house-cleaner on the sex abuse crisis doesn't hurt. Ironically, the best spokesperson for the O'Malley campaign at the moment may be his fellow American, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, who, fairly or not, has become the latest symbol of the church's failures. Controversy over his presence at the conclave has spread across the Atlantic; this week the widely read Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana has a cover package on “The Mahony Case,” including an on-line poll for readers to vote as to whether Mahony ought to participate in the election of the next pope. In that context, many cardinals may feel special pressure to pick a pope seen as having “clean hands” on the sex abuse crisis. Those positives, however, come intertwined with some features of O'Malley's biography that may give cardinals pause. For one thing, O'Malley has zero experience in the Vatican. While that means he's not identified with its recent meltdowns, it may also mean some cardinals will wonder if he'd be out of his depth trying to get the place under control, perhaps overly dependent on veteran insiders to get things done. For another, O'Malley is a sensitive soul who occasionally has seemed to struggle under the burden of office. In 2004, facing not only sex abuse litigation but also a painful round of parish closings, he put out an anguished letter to Boston Catholics in which he wrote: “At times I ask God to call me home and let someone else finish this job, but I keep waking up in the morning to face another day of reconfiguration.” On the heels of a pope who just resigned because he felt he no longer had the strength to do the job, some cardinals may wonder if O'Malley possesses the steel to withstand the burdens of the papacy. It's worth noting that O'Malley's record on the abuse crisis has not played to universal praise. The victims' group SNAP faulted him for delaying release of the names of accused priests in Boston, asserting that O'Malley “belatedly and begrudgingly posted a very partial list with minimal information, using hair-splitting excuses for not being more prompt or thorough.” Finally, while 34 previous popes have come from religious orders, there hasn't been one since the 19th century, and there's never been a Capuchin. In some circles, there's a belief that under ordinary circumstances popes ought to come out of diocesan structures rather than religious orders, on the grounds that the diocese represents the ordinary pastoral setting most people experience. In addition, the Capuchins themselves have usually held that they really shouldn't become bishops at all except in mission territories. Among the keenest devotees of tradition in the College of Cardinals, there might be some reluctance along these lines. Scot recapped that Allen talks about Cardinal Seán's strengths, including his connection to other cultures. He said Cardinal Seán comes alive when he speaks with and greets people from other countries and new immigrants. Fr. Mike said Cardinal Seán has the heart of an evangelist and loves working with young people. On the other hand, he said Allen notes that this is all journalistic chatter and in the conclave, it will be the Holy Spirit who cuts through politics and chatter to select the right pope. Scot said he confesses to being partial to Cardinal Seán, to respect his style of leadership, and how he dealt with the sexual abuse crisis, especially in being pastoral toward victims. One of the best ways to make disciples of all nations is to go out and love them and Cardinal Seán exemplifies that. Scot said there were three things he didn't like about the column. First, it is the use of a political word to describe Cardinal Seán as a moderate. He is completely orthodox, not trying to be ideological in anyway. Second, on the criticism of SNAP against Cardinal Seán, Scot has never heard them say a positive word about a bishop. Third, that as a religious Cardinal Seán doesn't have diocesan experience, given that he's been a diocesan bishop for almost 30 years. Fr. Mike confirmed that Cardinal Seán has a keen sense of how to be a diocesan priest with a pastor's heart. Scot asked listeners to pray for Pope Benedict and all the cardinals, but also to pray specifically for Cardinal Seán now as this article places a spotlight on him that he doesn't want, which unleashes both cheerleading and criticism from all sides. 2nd segment: Scot said starting tomorrow and for all the following Wednesday of Lent, all parishes and chapels of the archdiocese will be open for confession from 6:30pm to 8pm as part of the Light Is On For You initiative. Come back to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Bishop Robert Hennessey, an auxiliary bishop of Boston, leads this effort. Scot emphasized that the website TheLightIsOnForYou.org is a resource for much information on Penance. He noted some of the great lines that Bishop Hennessey gives in the video. He noted that confession is liking hitting the reset button. He said the story of the Prodigal Son is really the story of the Loving Father, who sprints out to his son who has been away, willing to forgive the ways he has hurt him. Fr. Mike said confession is one of God's greatest gifts to His Children. The bishop mentioned the excuses people give about being away so long or being embarrassed or thinking God can't forgive them, and Fr. Mike has heard them all. The Church across the country is embracing this initiative to tell people that they're wrong about this. Fr. Mike said if you're hearing those voices in your heart, that is not the voice of the Holy Spirit, but of the devil. He says every listener should go take advantage of the great gift of Reconciliation. The priest is waiting to receive and give you the loving mercy of God. Scot said if you don't know the prayers or what to do the priest is there to help you. Fr. Mike related a story of going to a juvenile delinquent institution. He heard the confessions of teens who had done some very bad things. As he tried to offer forgiveness, each would deny that God could forgive them and he wondered how he could break through to convince them that God would forgive them. Eventually, he started to ask if they were greater than God. When they would say No, he told them that no matter what their mountain of sins, God is greater than any sin they could commit. Scot said God is always reaching out to us to call us home to the confessional, no matter how long we have been away from him. Now, Scot shared CatholicTV's Fr. Robert Reed's message about confession: Scot said we can't be the person God has created us to be if we're burdened by all the sins we've accumulated since our last confession. Fr. Mike said so many are coming back to confession and so many young people. Whenever he's at a youth event, there are long lines of young people waiting to go to the sacrament of confession. Scot added that there are many humorous videos on TheLightIsOnForYou.org as well, including one from Matt Weber, who has been a guest on TGCL. Scot said a wonderful line: “I don't like going to confession, but I love coming from confession.” Scot talked about going to St. Anthony's Shrine on a regular basis and doesn't think he's had the same priest twice in more than a year. Fr. Mike said it's better to go to a regular confessor, like a spiritual director, who can help someone get through their spiritual barriers, but if that's the obstacle then just go. Fr. Mike emphasized that there will be a priest in every church and chapel on every Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8pm waiting for you to bring to you the loving mercy of God. Scot encouraged everyone to be an apostle of confession, going to confession and sharing the testimony of how it felt to be cleansed.

Summary of today's show: The Year of Faith is coming up quick and a group of lay volunteers, led by Chuck Alfano, in the Diocese of Springfield have organized a conference to help prepare. Scot Landry talks with Chuck and emcee Matt Weber about the genesis of the conference and the star-studded lineup of speakers, including Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Jeff Cavins, and Patrick Madrid. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Chuck Alfano and Matt Weber Links from today's show: by Matt Weber Today's topics: Year of Faith Conference in Springfield 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed listeners to the show. He mentioned that today is World Suicide Prevention Day, but in Massachusetts we're facing a ballot initiative on November 6 that would legalize physician-assisted suicide. He asked people to pray for a defeat of Question 2. Scot said he's a big supporter of big Catholic conferences and in Springfield, Mass., which is about an hour and a half from Boston, they will have a big conference for Preparing for the Year of Faith and The New Evangelization. Chuck Alfano is the event coordinator. Scot asked him how the idea for the conference came about. Chuck said he had the idea for the conference overnight but it's taken nine months of planning. He's studying for a Master's degree in theology and ministry and complained to a professor of a lack of Bible study programs and the professor told him to stop whining and get working. Once he had the idea for the conference, he started calling around to venues and calling potential speakers. Scot said it's an A-list of Catholic speakers, including Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Patrick Madrid, Jeff Cavins, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Sr. Jane Morrissey, and Matt Weber. The conference is on September 22. Matt Weber said he will be emceeing the evening, as well as talking about his new book “Fearing the Stigmata”. Scot said looking at the list of speakers, it appears everything went right for him which would be a sign of the Holy Spirit's favor. Why are they coming to Springfield? Chuck said many of them don't get to New England very often and saw this as an opportunity to come up this way. The Year of Faith begins October 11. Why did Chuck want to pick a date before the start of the event. Chuck said he went through every diocesan calendar to make sure there were no conflicts, but he also wanted to give people time to prepare for the Year of Faith. There will be events throughout the Year so this is an opportunity to get a jumpstart. This conference was created by lay volunteers. Scot asked Chuck why he picked Symphony Hall. He said it's centrally located in downtown Springfield with comfortable seating. Speaking of singing, Vinny Flynn from MercySong will sing the Divine Mercy chaplet a cappella in the morning. Scot asked Matt what he hopes young adults will get from the Year of Faith. Matt said he grew up in Springfield and feels a connection to Western Massachusetts. He's excited to welcome people to Springfield and showcase the charism, graces, and joys of the diocese. It's an opportunity come together as a community of Catholics throughout Massachusetts. Who doesn't want to celebrate a year of something so important to us. Matt said he's been living in Cambridge for the last five or six years as he's been in school and working there. Scot and Matt talked about how long it takes to get from Cambridge to Springfield, noting that it already takes a half hour just to get in the city of Boston so an hour and a half is nothing. He noted that Springfield has a lot to recommend it, including the Basketball Hall of Fame. Chuck said he wanted this to be a regional conference, not just a diocesan conference, because as he said these speakers don't get out this way very often. They've sent packets to 1,100 parishes throughout New England and are sending people out this weekend to many parishes throughout the region to sell tickets. 2nd segment: Scot said the first speaker is Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, the host of EWTN Live. Chuck said Fr. Mitch was supposed to attend a men's conference in Springfield in April but had to cancel at the last minute so he was very open to coming again.They talked about Fr. Pacwa's background. He's a founder of Ignatius Productions and holds a doctorate. He will be available for a book signing and will be celebrating the Mass. Chuck said the next speaker is Patrick Madrid, who is a great apologist and is great at explaining the Church's teachings. Matt said one of Madrid's books is a Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism. Jeff Cavins, the third speaker, is president of Ascension Press and is an author of the Great Adventure: A Journey through the Bible. It takes the reader through the Bible in a chronological manner. Chuck said one of the reasons for the conference is to raise money for those Bible study programs he complained about to his professor. Matt said Jeff was the producer of Life On the Rock on EWTN, a show for young adults, and he was once the understudy for Mother Angelica. Marcellino D'Ambrosio is a native of Rhode Island and lives in Fort Worth, Texas, now. chuck said he did his doctoral dissertation under Avery Cardinal Dulles. Chuck said D'Ambrosio is founder of the , which provides new resources for adult faith formation. Matt said he's created a series of segments for CatholicTV on the Year of Faith that will begin airing soon. He said whatever our skills, we need to chip in and get the word out. 3rd segment: Chuck said Sr. Jane Morrissey is a local Springfield Sister of St. Joseph who has worked in education and started a program called the for kids who need help with homework and don't have the resources at home. She's also worked in programs that benefit poor Latino families. Matt said his aunt is also a Sister of St. Joseph. He said Homework House is where his mother volunteered for many years and brought back many inspiring stories. Her topic is “Joy and Hope: the Gospel for the Modern World”. Sr. Jane just lost her sister to cancer a few weeks ago and they worked together on the talk together. Gaudium et Spes, one of the four major documents of Vatican II, will be a primary part of her talk. Scot asked Matt Weber about his story. About three years ago he started producing short “Andrew Rooney style” messages about a man in his 20s living out his Catholic faith. It's not easy to live your life as a young person today and so he's going to talk to about how to live out the same story he has. The health of the Church in the next generation of Catholics is still strong. Scot said one of the main reasons Pope Benedict called for a Year of Faith is because there is a crisis of faith. It's not that there are more atheists or agnostics than before, but that we're diluting the way we live our faith that way we're called. This isn't unique to Catholicism. Scot said for young people, it's cool to be spiritual, but not a member of a religious organization. Matt said looking at the media, you can see a lot of negative coverage of the Church. He was on WBZ's Nightside with Dan Rea and asked why the good things aren't covered by the media. Dan said it's because the media covers plane crashes, not planes landing well. So it's a steady diet of bad news about the Church and nobody at 17 wants to be a part of something not cool. It's cool to say that maybe there's a God, but not to commit to anything. Matt said he wants to tell them that it is cool to go to Mass and connect with Jesus Christ in the sacraments. chuck said the Year of Faith is for us to renew our faith, especially those of us going to Mass now, but we also need to know how to talk about our faith to those who have left. Matt talked about having gone to Catholic school for 20 years and then going to Harvard and getting challenged by classmates for being religious. Being challenged made him re-examine his faith and learn how to defend his faith. It was like going through a new confirmation preparation. Then Chuck talked about getting of high school and going into the military and how he stopped going to church. Twenty years later his sister told him their father's dying wish was for them to return to the Church. They found a priest on a Sunday morning to hear their confession and they went to Mass. Two hours later, their faith died in Chuck's arms. Chuck said there were group tickets available as well as individual tickets. Matt volunteered that during lunch he will pay the Mass Pike tolls for the first 10 people who ask him. Chuck said during the afternoon there will be an open panel for the spacers. Scot said he would give $50 to anyone who can a question about the Catholic faith that will stump the panel.