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Today, in a special bonus episode, we bring you a major panel from the Ukraine Freedom Summit in London, moderated by Dom and featuring a distinguished lineup: Lt General (Ret.) H.R. McMaster (U.S. National Security Adviser to President Trump, 2017–18), Boris Johnson (Former UK Prime Minister), Sergey Vysotsky (Deputy Chairman, Association of Strategic Communications, National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries), and Michael Kofman (Senior Fellow, Russia & Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).Titled “The Strategic Architecture of Victory,” the discussion offers candid reflections on Western failures, why Europe struggled to unite in the face of a growing Russian threat, Putin's motivations, America's true strategic position, insider insights into Ukrainian weapons procurement, and the West's capacity to wage a long war.Please note: this panel was recorded several weeks ago, prior to the developments of recent days.Speakers:Lt General (Retired) H.R. McMaster (US National Security Adviser to President Trump from 2017 to 2018)Boris Johnson (Former Prime Minister of the UK)Sergey Vysotsky (Deputy Chairman of the Association of Strategic Communications, National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries)Michael Koffman (Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)Learn More about the Ukraine Freedom Summit and the Borderlands Foundation:https://ukrainefreedomsummit.org/ukraine-summit-london-2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After talking about some of his experiences at PASIC50, McMaster University (ON) Percussion and Music Cognition Professor Michael Schutz stops by to talk about his PASIC50 Scholarly Research Presentation on Xylophone Music (06:00), his job at McMaster, the percussion ensemble program there, the Canadian Percussion Network, the city of Hamilton, and cold weather (20:55), growing up in Northern Virginia, his musical background , and his years as a soccer goalie (40:55), attending Penn State for undergrad and studying under Dan Armstrong and Giff Howarth (48:05), his master's degree time at Northwestern (IL), studying with Michael Burritt and being in school with lots of outstanding percussionists (57:20), teaching percussion in Virginia and getting his Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Virginia (01:08:35), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on musicality, great books, the Toronto Blue Jays, and great food in many cities (01:20:40).Finishing with a Rave on a recent performance by the American Ballet Theater (01:42:50).Michael Schutz links:Michael Schutz HomepageMichael Schutz's McMaster pagePrevious Podcast Guests Mentioned:Shawn Mativetsky in 2023Victoria Sparks in 2018Nicholas Papador in 2024Gifford Howarth in 2024David Skidmore in 2025Sean Connors in 2025Peter Martin in 2025Robert Dillon in 2025Matthew Coley in 2021Eric Hollenbeck in 2025Cory Hills in 2024Jeff Barudin in 2018Raves:American Ballet Theatre
In this episode, Steve Lentini and Rafael McMaster discuss the transformative power of mindfulness and consciousness in youth education. They explore the importance of teaching life tools to young people, the impact of personal experiences on their journeys, and the mission to create a community of conscious youth. The conversation highlights the importance of perspective, gratitude, and creative expression in overcoming adversity and promoting mental well-being. They also emphasize the importance of accountability and self-improvement in personal growth, ultimately aiming to inspire a movement towards a million conscious young people. We discuss the value of developing the "observer level of thinking," which equips young people with practical tools for emotional resilience and self-control. As Lentini says, "Our Brains are Beautiful and not Always Our Friend."Rafael McMaster is the founder of Indivisible Arts and www.indivisiblearts.org. He is also the author of the book, "FundaMentalLife Tools," available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/2GAVGuu. He takes the work of the "acorn brain," that Lentini has done for over 20 years with adults to our youth. Please consider support Rafael's work. Gratefully yours, Steve
Cole Stukenholtz & Nate Rohr relive the football win at the Rose Bowl over UCLA, and the performances of Emmett Johnson and TJ Lateef. They also peek ahead to how much more challenging the next two games will be. Matt McMaster, co-host of Gary & Matt on 1620 The Zone in Omaha, joins the conversation about TJ Lateef and how the UCLA game plan could inform future games and teams' roster building. Husker Volleyball is still unbeaten, but they lost a set at UCLA for the first time in 47 sets. Five matches remain before the NCAA Tournament. Men's and women's hoops are both 3-0 and play this weekend, with the men taking on Oklahoma in their toughest test yet. GBR!
Will future wars be decided by who controls space—cyber and outer—and which superpower has better paired geostrategic thinking with emerging technologies? Anne Neuberger, the Hoover Institution's William C. Edwards Distinguished Visiting Fellow and a former White House and Pentagon cyber policy advisor, joins GoodFellows regulars Sir Niall Ferguson, John H. Cochrane, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to discuss what she sees as a “cyber gap” between China and America, the need for the US to rethink traditional weapons platforms (hello, drones), plus how Dwight Eisenhower's warning of a “military industry complex” is being redefined by the tech sector's growing role in present-day and future warfare. After that: the three fellows weigh the significance of a utopian socialist recently elected mayor of a very capitalist New York City, a new “algocracy” (algorithms running the government) in Albania, the UK's fabled BBC in hot water over alleged editorial bias, plus whether the “war of the tomorrow” may be in . . . Venezuela? Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
Taking a strengths-based approach to developmental disability: the F-words for child developmentBMJ Paediatrics Open - Dr Olaf Kraus de Camargo“When challenges exist, children and families may benefit from supports that are tailored to their individual strengths and support needs, irrespective of whether or not a child has one or more diagnosed condition(s).”Strengths-based and client-centred approaches in the field of childhood disability have been proposed in healthcare for decades, but in many places in the world, our service structures and therapeutic endeavours still are directed at fixing/compensating deficits in a prescriptive way. In the field of child developmental (disability) services, we have recently seen the publication of Canadian and Australian policies and frameworks that explicitly endorse this strengths-based approach, recommending in particular the use of the F-words for Child Development first published by CanChild scientists Peter Rosenbaum and Jan Willem Gorter in 2012.This commentary reflects on how strength-based approaches and client-centred care, developed over the last 50 years, have culminated in a paradigm shift in how we define and promote ‘health'.https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/9/1/e003418
Historically, the U.S. has had a habit of overestimating the capabilities of its enemies. Why? Is this an intentional security strategy? Or does the U.S. need to change the way it gathers enemy intelligence? Former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster gives hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen a crash course on military intelligence and national security advising. The conversation covers why the overestimation of enemies happens, including historical examples of misjudgments, the role of proxies in modern conflicts, strategic considerations involving major powers like China, and the threat of information warfare. Find All Else Equal on the web: https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/allelse/All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week on The Middle of Culture, we close out our dive into Transformers with Transformers One, last year's animated prequel that tells the origin story of Optimus and Megatron. We rave about how shockingly good it is—beautiful animation, heartfelt storytelling, and voice performances that actually make you care about robots punching each other. Along the way, we talk about Sanderson's declining prose, the “YA-ification” of modern fiction, the decline of mass-market paperbacks, and why we'll always have a soft spot for dumb robot movies done well.Episode NotesOpening BanterPeter returns from travel (Boise and Napa), happy to be home.Eden vents about a rough week and hostile engineers during digital accessibility training, complete with an on-campus shooting alert mid-meeting.Peter describes an incredible dinner at Bistro Jeanty in Napa (truffle deviled eggs, beef bourguignon, and chocolate croissant bread pudding).Books & ReadingPeter finishes Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes (yes, the “Piña Colada Song” guy)—a darkly funny and satisfying story about the McMaster's School of Homicide.Reads Artificial Condition, the second Murderbot novella, and starts Write Your Novel from the Middle.Discussion on how story structure midpoints define theme and cohesion.Critique of Brandon Sanderson's Wind and Truth: great worldbuilding, but noticeably weaker prose since losing his longtime editor.Eden speculates that the issue might extend to the whole fantasy industry—less editing, more aesthetic consumerism, and the death of the mass-market paperback.Broader talk on the “dumbing down” of fiction and the rise of YA and “New Adult” markets catering to comfort rather than challenge.Music & Games CornerPeter dives into rediscovering Psychotic Waltz, Psychonaut, and Oramet—bands that balance progressive creativity with restraint.New release highlight: PowerWash Simulator 2.Eden tests two disappointing gacha games (Duet Night Abyss and Resonance Solstice) and finally uninstalls all HoyoVerse titles.Back to Final Fantasy XIV, excited about the new patch allowing full cross-class glamours.Main Feature – Transformers One (2024)Both agree: it's the best Transformers movie ever made—heartfelt, gorgeously animated, and genuinely emotional.Plot rundown: Orion Pax (Optimus) and D16 (Megatron) rise from the oppressed underclass of “Cogless” robots, uncover Sentinel Prime's corruption, and witness the birth of Autobot vs. Decepticon ideology.Core theme: friendship, betrayal, and revolution—the tragedy of two friends who believe in justice but choose different paths.Voice acting highlights:Brian Tyree Henry's nuanced Megatron is phenomenal.John Hamm nails the duplicitous Sentinel Prime.Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth have real chemistry, even if Hemsworth is the weakest link.Laurence Fishburne brings gravitas as Alpha Trion.Keegan-Michael Key's Bumblebee is purposefully annoying but fits the tone.Praise for the movie's subtle callbacks to the 1986 film (“You don't have the touch or the power”), strong emotional beats, and sense of earned tragedy.Both lament how poorly it performed at the box office—“we are part of the problem”—and hope it gets a sequel.Brief detour comparing the animated film's depth to the shallow chaos of the Michael Bay series.Closing ThoughtsTransformers One feels like the first time the franchise truly understood its own heart.Recommendation: watch it—it's smart, emotional, and fun as hell.
"The Mirror" Pastor Lloyd McMaster 11.9.25
Matt discovered Nebraska Crossing yesterday!
200,000+ leaders have become unbeatable with my elite leadership operating system, will you be the next? Join The Unbeatable Leader Challenge Today: https://www.unbeatableleader.comIn this episode of the Mark Divine Show, host Mark Divine welcomes Rafael McMaster, a visionary creative director and youth mental health advocate. McMaster discusses the shortcomings of the education system in promoting creativity and self-awareness, and shares practical tools for emotional resilience. His non-profit, Indivisible Arts, helps youth cultivate mindfulness and creativity through art. The conversation covers the importance of integrating art into education, the development of a Creative Consciousness community center, and the upcoming online platform to extend these tools nationwide. McMaster's insights emphasize the need for awareness, acceptance, and intention to foster mental well-being in young people.Key Takeaways: -Art as the Language of the Soul and a Tool for PresenceThe absence of art and creative expression in early education leads to a lack of soulful presence and self-connection later in life.-The Mental Health Crisis Among Youth and the Power of Consciousness ToolsTeaching youth to become the "aware observer" of their thoughts (mind watching) and providing them with practical tools like awareness, acceptance, intention, gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, and connection can build emotional resilience and self-regulation.-Community, Co-Creation, and the Ripple EffectBuilding a movement of conscious youth and empowering them to teach each other creates a ripple effect, spreading positive change far beyond the initial group.BUBS Naturals: I use BUBS Naturals daily for focus, recovery, and hydration—all built on a mission to honor a fallen Navy SEAL. Use code UNBEATABLE for 20% off any one time purchase or subscription at www.bubsnaturals.comGuest Links:Website: https://www.indivisiblearts.org/ & https://www.rafaelmcmaster.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcmaster.peace/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-mcmaster-ba573531/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVP8eNYx58zbFZuBSZj6b8wFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rafaelmcmasterart/Mark Links: Website: https://unbeatableleader.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@markdivineofficial/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markdivineofficialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdivine/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markdivineofficial/Subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@markdivineofficial for more inspiring conversations on leadership, growth, and impact.Rate and review the show to help us reach more listeners.Share your thoughts and takeaways in the comments!Timestamps:00:00 Introduction: Defining Art and Its Importance00:41 Welcome to the Mark Divine Show01:23 Introducing Rafael McMaster: Visionary and Advocate02:21 The Power of Art in Everyday Life04:40 The Crisis in Arts Education08:16 Mental Health and Youth: A Growing Concern10:23 Teaching Consciousness and Emotional Resilience16:44 Innovative Approaches to Youth Education26:06 The Heart of Service26:29 Overcoming Homework Hurdles27:45 The Impact of Phones on Youth29:40 A Movement for Conscious Youth30:21 Tools for Overcoming Challenges31:54 The Neurology of Addiction33:56 Mental Health Epidemic43:03 Creative Consciousness Community Centers48:00 Conclusion and Call to Action#leadership #mental toughness #mindset #peakperformance #NavySEAL #executivecoaching #resilience #selfimprovement #growthmindset #unbeatablemind #highperformance #mindfulness #personaldevelopment #warriormindset #stoicleadershipSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this conversation, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster discusses his experiences in the Trump White House, focusing on foreign policy challenges and achievements, particularly in the Middle East and relations with Russia. He emphasizes the complexities of dealing with Hamas, the dynamics of Israeli security, and the implications of U.S. foreign policy shifts under Trump. McMaster also reflects on his role as National Security Advisor and the lessons learned from that period. Be sure to check out the On Brand with Donny Deutsch YouTube page. Takeaways: Hamas is unlikely to disarm, complicating peace efforts. The Palestinian people remain hostages under Hamas control. Israel's military actions have changed regional dynamics. Public perception of Israel is influenced by longstanding narratives. Trump's foreign policy marked a significant shift in U.S. strategy. The importance of understanding the nature of adversaries like Iran and Russia. McMaster's book aims to provide a balanced view of Trump's presidency. Challenges within the Trump administration affected decision-making. Putin's ambitions pose a long-term threat to global stability. The need for a strong U.S. response to Russian aggression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this inspiring episode, Aveline sits down with Douglas Pflug—elite coach, mentor, and retired police officer—to explore what it truly means to overcome adversity and live life on purpose. Doug shares powerful stories about conquering childhood illness, bullying, and PTSD, and reveals how finding his “granite” (core values) has enabled him to empower others to reclaim their voice. Tune in as they unpack vulnerability, resilience, leadership, and the life-changing impact of small acts of kindness for individuals and future generations.Here's a summary of what they discussed:05:12 Childhood illness fostered early resilience. 09:58 Traumatic events shaped Doug's service mindset. 13:06 The power of vulnerability in leadership and growth. 21:06 A single thank-you card reignited Doug's purpose. 42:58 Advice for supporting youth through bullying and self-doubt.…and so much more.Enjoy! ✨YouTube Episode: Here's some information about our guest, Doug:Douglas P. PflugExecutive Leadership Coach | Author | Speaker | Mentor | BuilderDouglas P. Pflug is a nationally recognised leader, coach, and mentor with a distinguished career spanning over 35 years in leadership, law enforcement, and high-performance coaching. A retired Sergeant with the Guelph Police Service and former Provincial Coordinator at the Ontario Police College, Doug has shaped countless leaders through his unwavering commitment to excellence, resilience, and community service.Doug is the founder of IRONWILL 360° Leadership, an executive coaching and mentorship platform empowering leaders to rise through the ranks by cultivating elite leadership traits. His expertise is captured in his acclaimed books, Finding Your Granite: My Four Cornerstones of Personal Leadership, Ironwill 360° Leadership: Moving Forward – 12 Emerging Trends for Forward-Thinking Leaders, and his latest release, A Blueprint to Level 5 Unicorn Leadership. Each book reflects Doug's passion for developing resilient, authentic leaders who balance professional will with personal humility.As an elite strength and conditioning coach, Doug has mentored athletes across the NHL, AHL, NCAA, OHL, and national and provincial levels. He served as the Guelph Storm Hockey Club's Strength and Conditioning Coach for 27 years, winning four Ontario Hockey League Championships. His leadership extended to Wrestle Canada, the University of Guelph Gryphon Football Team, and the Guelph Wellington Buns Master Rollers Special Olympics Floor Hockey Team, achieving three consecutive Canadian Championships and three silver medals at the World Special Olympics Winter Games.Doug's dedication to service extends beyond the arena. He and his wife Michelle, an internationally recognised forensic expert, established the Gryphon Football Pflug Family Community Service Award, honouring athletes who exemplify leadership and community commitment. He has been a proud supporter of the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Olympics Canada since 1989.A Cornell-certified executive leader and McMaster-educated HR professional, Doug combines academic excellence with frontline experience. His accolades include being named one of Canada's 123 Remarkable Canadians, the Sovereign Medal for Volunteers, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Governor General's Police Exemplary Medal, and the City of Guelph Mayor's Award for outstanding contributions.Today, Doug continues to inspire through keynote speaking, leadership development seminars, and his Mental Wisdom Podcast, where he explores resilience, mindfulness, and the intersection of technology and leadership. He splits his time between Boblo Island and Guelph with his wife Michelle and service dog Arizona “Zoe,” enjoying boating, exercise, and charitable work.Doug's leadership...
Rafael McMaster Founder Rafael McMaster is an artist who began his career in fashion and has designed clothing lines for Puma and others. His design career led to multiple lines of snowboards, brand and design work for Chris Paul, Matthew McConaughey and MEK denim as well as Webby award nominated websites. In 2016, McMaster hit a wall. Everything on the outside looked perfect— a great family, house, car, and position at a world class creative entertainment agency— but inside Rafael felt spiritually bankrupt. His friend Dave Brubaker told him, "You got to the top of the corporate ladder only to realize your ladder was on the wrong building." Looking for a change and a new vision for the next chapter of his life, Rafael sought to volunteer at his daughter's elementary school and show his art locally. Having painted for 20 years as a hobby, friends and patrons alike encouraged Rafael to share his art professionally. It was this inspiration that led him to two surprising facts: there was no art class offered in his daughter's elementary school, and there were zero galleries in his hometown of Hermosa Beach. Rafael felt this was his calling—to cultivate art and its awesome power to connect— within his community. Inspired into action, he founded the South Bay Artist Collective, a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose purpose is to cultivate creativity, consciousness, and connection through art. He founded the gallery and creative lab Resin within months, and began a world-class youth creative arts program, weaving in decades of professional creative direction, graphic design, fashion design, and original music into a dynamic and comprehensive arts program. All of these thriving entities are now known as Indivisible Arts. https://www.indivisiblearts.org/ https://www.rafaelmcmaster.com/ LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-mcmaster-ba573531/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rafaelmcmasterart/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcmaster.peace/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVP8eNYx58zbFZuBSZj6b8w
James, Steve, and Charles are back for a Halloween treat: H.R. McMaster joins at the top for a chat about military matters: the Maduro regime and boat strikes; UAVs and the fight in Eastern Europe; the Department of War and our readiness. Plus, the fellas defend cultural confidence, brave the Great Feminization, and name the most horrifying flick they've seen.- Sound from this week's open: Senator John Kennedy on the shutdown.
James, Steve, and Charles are back for a Halloween treat: H.R. McMaster joins at the top for a chat about military matters: the Maduro regime and boat strikes; UAVs and the fight in Eastern Europe; the Department of War and our readiness. Plus, the fellas defend cultural confidence, brave the Great Feminization, and name the […]
My conversation with Dr Colin Clarke starts at about 34 minutes after headlines and clips Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous soul Colin P. Clarke, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of The Soufan Center. His research focuses on domestic and transnational terrorism, international security, and geopolitics. Dr. Clarke previously served as the Director of Research at The Soufan Group and as a Senior Research Fellow with The Soufan Center. Prior to those roles, Clarke was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he spent a decade researching terrorism, insurgency, and criminal networks. At RAND, Clarke led studies on ISIS financing, the future of terrorism and transnational crime, and lessons learned from all insurgencies since the end of World War II. Clarke is also an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) – The Hague, a non-resident Senior Fellow in the Program on National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), an Associate Fellow at the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET), and a member of the "Network of Experts" at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. He serves on the editorial board of three of the leading scholarly journals in the field of terrorism studies, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Perspectives on Terrorism. Clarke has testified before Congress on numerous occasions as an expert witness on a range of terrorism-related issues, appears frequently in the media to discuss national security-related matters, and has published several books on terrorism and armed conflict, including his forthcoming Moscow's Mercenaries: The Rise and Fall of the Wagner Group (Columbia University Press, 2026). Clarke has briefed his research at a range of national and international security forums, including the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, Society for Terrorism Research International Conference, the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), and the Counter ISIS Financing Group (CIFG), which is part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. In 2011, he spent several months as an analyst with Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-Shafafiyat at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, working for General H.R. McMaster, the former U.S. National Security Advisor, where he was responsible for analyzing criminal patronage networks in Afghanistan and how these networks fueled the insurgency. Clarke has a Ph.D. in international security policy from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). Join us Thursday's at 8EST for our Weekly Happy Hour Hangout! Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo All things Jon Carroll Hire DJ Monzyk to build your website or help you with Marketing
At a time of “hot wars” across the globe, there's also an ideological “cold war” featuring two foes: those who embrace freedom and those who oppress it. Michael McFaul, the Hoover Institution's Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow and author of the newly released Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, America, Russia and the New Global Disorder, joins GoodFellows regulars John Cochrane and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to discuss where he departs from the Trump administration on its approach to Russia and China (one autocracy economically dwarfing the other), his suggestions for course change, and why he holds “guarded” optimism for America's future. After that: John and H.R. go “trick-or-treating”—weighing the pros (“treats”) and cons (“tricks”) of a new White House ballroom, a Chinese military purge, the latest inflation numbers and gold prices that no longer glitter, a CEO's tariff worries, New York City on a non-hallowed eve of “democratic socialism,” plus a new and tougher American citizenship test (could Sir Niall Ferguson pass it?). Finally, as Halloween approaches, John and H.R. give us their go-to candies. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
Matt lies to Gary, Jimmy and our Zone family and comes clean on the air.
H.R. McMaster, the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, and a lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, joined The Guy Benson Show today to discuss President Trump's continued disruption of international norms and why McMaster believes that disruption has led to historic results in his second term. McMaster highlighted Trump's dominance on border security, U.S. energy independence, renewed pressure on Iran, and the successful return of hostages from Hamas captivity to their homes in Israel. McMaster also weighed in on the President's decision to militarily strike cartel boats allegedly smuggling drugs, saying he supports the mission but believes there must be "more transparency" around the strategy. Finally, McMaster closed by discussing the ongoing war in Ukraine, and why now, he says, is the moment to call Putin's bluff. Listen to the full interview below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"I'm in a better place"On today's episode, we're heading down to the new local haunt and trying to keep ourselves alive in the meantime, while we revisit the found footage classic Hell House LLC (2015). Joining me on today's episode is previous guest Travis McMaster.We talk about this fun, little found footage movie and how it has a fun Pennsylvania connection and talk about the fun that comes with local legends that we pass around oratorically. This is a fun episode right before Halloween, so grab some candy and join us as we talk about this fun little film :)Show E-Mail: cultcinemacircle@gmail.com----Follow Travis on Instagram and Letterboxd----Follow Cult Cinema Circle on Instagram, Bluesky, and Letterboxd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join Dr. Francisco Sagasti, former President of Peru, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss lessons from Sagasti's leadership, regional challenges to freedom and prosperity in Latin America, and his latest books, which explore the life and relevance of Sir Francis Bacon's philosophy for today's international system. Reflecting on Peru's turbulent political landscape and its role in a new era of geopolitical competition, Sagasti shares his perspective on the recent ouster of President Dina Boluarte and his advice to the interim leadership. He explores the roots of popular discontent in Peru, the demands of citizens seeking accountable governance, and his concerns about sovereignty from an economic and cognitive warfare perspective. Despite these pressures, Sagasti discusses his continued confidence in democracy and the qualities that must be rekindled in political leadership to sustain it for future generations. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Dr. Francisco Sagasti served as President of Peru from November 2020 to July 2021. Sagasti previously served in the Peruvian Congress where he headed his party's parliamentary caucus and chaired the Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee. He has been Head of Strategic Planning at the World Bank and President of the United Nations Council on Science and Technology. Sagasti has taught at the Wharton School, IE Business School, and the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Sagasti is currently a professor at Pacífico Business School in Lima. He is the founder of the Peruvian think tank GRADE. He is a prolific scholar who has authored over 25 books and hundreds of academic papers. Sagasti holds engineering degrees from the National Engineering University in Peru and Penn State University, as well as a PhD in operations research and social systems sciences from the University of Pennsylvania. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
Brian McMaster is a dynamic entrepreneur, faith-first leader, and lifelong student of health, peak performance, and personal mastery. As Founder and CEO of M&M Quality Solutions, Brian has built the company from the ground up into a trusted logistics and fulfillment partner serving premier health, wellness, and lifestyle brands nationwide. Driven by excellence and grounded in purpose, Brian brings a fearless spirit to both business and life. He’s a 4th-degree black belt in taekwondo, a passionate adventure-seeker, and a dedicated biohacker who is constantly exploring the best ways to optimize mind, body, and spirit. His disciplined daily routine reflects a deep commitment to health and longevity — blending cutting-edge biohacking tools, advanced recovery methods, and spiritual practices to sustain peak physical, mental, and spiritual performance. As a pilot-in-training, At the core, Brian is a devoted husband who credits his wife, Amber, as his anchor — a steady source of love, encouragement, and strength throughout every chapter of his journey.Full Show Notes: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/mcmaster/ Episode Sponsors: LVLUP Health: I trust and recommend LVLUP Health for your peptide needs as they third-party test every single batch of their peptides to ensure you’re getting exactly what you pay for and the results you’re after! Head over to lvluphealth.com/BGL and use code BEN15 for a special discount on their game-changing range of products. BlockBlueLight: BlockBlueLight BioLights are the only lights extensively tested and recommended by building biologist Brian Hoyer as truly flicker-free, ultra-low EMF, and circadian-friendly, with three modes (day, evening, night) that support natural rhythms and optimize sleep quality. Get 10% off your first order at blockbluelight.com/Ben (discount autoapplied at checkout). Apollo: Apollo is a safe and non-invasive wearable that actively improves your sleep. Head over to apolloneuro.com/bengreenfield and use code BENGREENFIELD for $90 off. Boundless Bar: If you’re ready to fuel workouts, sharpen your focus, and support whole-body vitality, grab your Boundless Bars now at boundlessbar.com —and save 10% when you sign up for a Boundless Bar subscription.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gary and Matt debate Matt's Chicago skills.
Watch this episode on YouTube.LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster and Brad Bowman join host Cliff May to explain why diplomacy only works when backed by force. From Gaza to Ukraine, they trace how strength — not illusions — shapes outcomes and frustrates the ambitions of the Axis of Aggressors: Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang.
Text us your feedback on this episodeWhat if art could be more than creativity...what if it could be a lifeline for youth mental health?In this episode, Lunden sits down with Rafael McMaster, creative director, artist, and youth mental health advocate, to explore how art and mindfulness are helping a new generation build emotional resilience. As the founder of Indivisible Arts, Rafael has developed programs that empower youth through creativity, mentorship, and tools for emotional well-being.We talk about his upcoming book FundaMentaLife Tools (2025), his mission to raise a million conscious youth, and why creativity is one of the most powerful ways to heal from pain, overcome adversity, and step into growth.If you've ever wondered how to help young people thrive in today's world, or how creativity can fuel healing at any age, this conversation will light you up.Connect with Rafael:IG: @mcmaster.peacePodcast: The New Normal ModcastWebsite: https://www.rafaelmcmaster.com/Who is Rafael McMaster?Rafael McMaster is a creative director, artist, and youth mental health advocate who has dedicated his life to uplifting youth through a fresh approach to mindfulness and creativity. As the founder of Indivisible Arts, Rafael leads a transformative youth development nonprofit that equips young people with practical tools for emotional resilience and self-control. His unique blend of mindfulness, mentorship, and creativity has made a profound impact on youth across Los Angeles, particularly those facing adversity.McMaster's newest endeavor, the forthcoming book FundaMentaLife Tools (2025), offers a hands-on toolkit for emotional well-being rooted in the same practices that have empowered youth through Indivisible Arts' flagship curriculum, Creative Wisdom Tools. Whether he's coaching individuals to turn pain into power or guiding teens through transformative creative practices, Rafael brings heart and visionary thinking to conversations about healing, growth, and the future of mental health.Support the showFREE Self Love & Sweat Monthly Life Coaching Calendar: http://lifelikelunden.com/calendar2 FREE HIGH INTENSITY RESISTANCE TRAINING WORKOUTS: https://lifelikelunden.activehosted.com/f/169One-On-One Life Coaching & NLP with Lunden:http://lifelikelunden.com/vipConnect with Lunden:IG: @lifelikelundenYouTube: https://youtube.com/lundensouzaLinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lundensouza/Twitter: @lifelikelundenUse code LUNDEN25 for a discount on Snap Supplements: https://snapsupplements.com/lunden25 Podcast Sound Design Intro & Outro: https://hitspotaudio.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube.LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster and Brad Bowman join host Cliff May to explain why diplomacy only works when backed by force. From Gaza to Ukraine, they trace how strength — not illusions — shapes outcomes and frustrates the ambitions of the Axis of Aggressors: Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang.
One great power (China) has a relentless thirst to build that comes with a terrible human cost, while its main rival (America) is a more lawyerly and free society that's prone to stifling ideas both good and bad. On the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dan Wang, a Hoover Institution research fellow and author of the bestseller Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, joins GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson and H.R. McMaster to discuss what the future holds for the two Cold War 2 rivals, plus Wang's firsthand experiences witnessing China's engineering boom and enduring its draconian pandemic policies. After that, the fellows weigh in on President Trump's recent United Nations address and the state of that institution, the likelihood of Trump's Gaza peace plan coming to fruition, the provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, plus the merits of a US military strike inside Venezuela to counter narco-terrorism. In the lightning round: why America's military brass gathered at Quantico; National Guard troops head to Portland, Oregon; Scotland's frustration with illegal immigration; and the feasibility of the US regaining Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
El presidente de la Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia rechazó los ataques físicos y digitales convocados contra el gremio en Bogotá.
Kim Beckinsale and Alina McMaster, both in their mid-50s, race with Mountain Designs Wild Women, along with their teammates Cass Kimlin and Del Lloyd, who are both over 40. The team made history last year by becoming the first all-female team to win the 450 km Legend Expedition Race along Australia's Great Ocean Road, finishing in 73:09:27 and outracing men half their age. They unpack how women-only team chemistry—less ego, more communication, and strategic towing/help—can be a superpower over multi-day, map-and-compass courses on little sleep. They also share how their training has evolved with age (fewer “flog yourself” sessions, sharper intensity, bigger recovery) and how menopause shows up (heat management, sleep shifts, mood) without slowing performance. Kim and Alina are currently at Expedition Canada 2025, getting ready to tackle a 750+ km trek–bike–paddle course starting September 25. Follow along: www.expeditionracecanada.caKim Beckinsale is a Health & PE teacher at Sunshine Beach SHS with 36+ years in education and prior leadership roles at Coorparoo and Cleveland District SHS. Queensland School Sport Life Member (2013) and Triathlon 30-year service awardee (2022). A triathlete since the early '90s and adventure racer since 2004, she holds coaching quals across triathlon, athletics, paddling, MTB, orienteering, plus Remote First Aid & CPR. Co-owner of Tri Adventure (f. 2009), which coaches athletes and runs The Wild Women Adventure Race (2012, Australia's first all-female AR) and The Amazons Australia (2025, first ARWS all-women's event).Alina McMaster is Australian Partner at Eventplus and Owner/CEO of AROC Sport, organizing outdoor endurance events. Co-founded Ultra-Trail Australia in 2008 (then The North Face 100), which grew into the world's second-largest trail event before its sale to Ironman in 2018. A former Australian cross-country ski champion and World Cup/Universiade representative, she dominated domestic multisport (Winter Classic, JLW Challenge, Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri, Jindabyne). In the late '90s–early 2000s, she and husband Tom Landon-Smith raced on one of the top adventure racing teams globally.ResourcesHistoric Win for the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team at Legend Race in Australia, Wild & Co.AR World Series, Expedition CanadaWild Women in action video clips. Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-pageLearn More and Register for our Feisty 40+ Strong Retreat: https://www.womensperformance.com/strongretreat Learn More and Register for our 2026 Tucson Bike Camp: https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/camp Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Phosis: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://www.phosis.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% offWahoo KICKR RUN: Use the code FEISTY to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/maTzL This podcast
After experiencing stomach pains and fevers in the spring of 2023, Jordan Vanstee's then 2 year old son Kian was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Kian went through very difficult treatment at McMaster's Children's Hospital in Canada , but with the help of his Disney Hero Mickey Mouse and the Make a Wish Foundation, Kian is now in remission and is living his best life possible.
Meet Abby McMaster—known to many as @Kindly_Abby—a faith-driven wellness leader, powerhouse business builder, and voice of encouragement for thousands online. As a wife, mom, and influencer, she's created lasting impact by building three 7-figure teams in the health and wellness space, showing others how to align purpose with income and thrive in both life and business.But Abby's story isn't just about success—it's about resilience. She shares how life's hardest battles became the fuel for her mission to turn pain into purpose and setbacks into spiritual strength. Through honesty and hope, Abby inspires others to grow not only financially and physically, but also emotionally and spiritually.In today's Truth Talks episode, we dive into:How Abby built her wellness business on a foundation of faith and mentorship.The role of adversity in shaping her story and strengthening her calling.What it looks like to navigate success while staying grounded as a wife and mother.How she empowers others to build impact-driven lives and businesses centered on faith.This conversation will leave you encouraged, challenged, and ready to see your own struggles as stepping stones toward growth.
Today, on episode 68 of Night Owls, Joe Klein is joined by a very special guest: H.R. McMaster. A graduate of Westpoint, he served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and retains distinguished careers in military leadership, policy, and history. His book Dereliction of Duty, a critical account of the Vietnam war, has become required reading throughout the military. His new book, At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, was released in hardcover in August of last year. He is also the author of the History We Don't Know Substack. Here, McMaster discusses his journey from military service to becoming the National Security Advisor under Donald Trump. McMaster shares insights on counterinsurgency warfare, the complexities of U.S.-Russia relations, and the current state of American democracy. He emphasizes the importance of national service and the need for a united American identity, while also addressing the challenges posed by groups like Hamas in the Middle East. The discussion concludes with reflections on the future of U.S. foreign policy and the role of the military in society.
As a seemingly interminable conflict in Ukraine concludes its 43rd month of ground combat, aerial drone strikes, and stalemate, America's culture war enters a new phase with the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, followed by the suspension of late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel for an on-air comment made in the aftermath of Kirk's murder. GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster discuss the current state of affairs in Ukraine (Sir Niall fresh off a visit to Kyiv), Kirk's murder as a watershed moment in a potential new cycle of political violence, plus whether America has reached a tipping point regarding free speech and government meddling for partisan benefit (our resident “grumpy economist” calling for the elimination of the Federal Communications Commission). Finally, a little sunshine (as in the Sundance Kid): the three fellows offering their favorite Robert Redford movies in honor of the recently deceased (and Scottish?) screen legend. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
Is creativity the key to unlocking better mental health?In this inspiring episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall talks with Rafael McMaster—artist, author, youth mental health advocate, and founder of Indivisible Arts—about the powerful connection between creativity and youth mental health. Rafael shares how redefining art as “the language of the soul” can transform not only how we view creativity, but how we nurture resilience and self-awareness in the next generation. They explore the hidden epidemic of mental health challenges, the importance of teaching practical life tools, and why community support is essential for empowering youth to thrive.
Send us a textThe dividing lines in America have never been more dangerous than when we stop seeing each other as neighbors. In this powerful exploration of our fracturing society, we dive into Virginia's contentious governor race between Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Sears – a microcosm of America's broader political divisions where competence battles culture wars.We then examine the alarming pattern of military leadership purges under both Trump administrations, where generals and admirals are being dismissed not for incompetence but for speaking truth to power. From Mattis and McMaster to the recent firings of General Charles Brown Jr. and others, these dismissals represent a fundamental shift where loyalty to a person trumps loyalty to the Constitution. When military expertise is sacrificed for political alignment, our national security suffers.The episode confronts America's epidemic of gun violence, with over 100 school shootings already in 2025. After each tragedy, we witness the same cycle of outrage followed by inaction. Have Americans decided that the blood of their children is an acceptable price for maintaining their perceived safety against perceived enemies? Our fetishization of violence reflects not strength but profound fear.Most disturbing is our growing indifference to human suffering, exemplified by the murder of Ukrainian refugee Arania Zarazuska on a Charlotte light rail. Bystanders watched without intervening as a young woman who survived war was killed in what should have been a safe haven. This wasn't just a system failure but a moral one – we've erased the category of "neighbor" from our social consciousness.How do we rebuild a society where we see each other as fellow humans rather than existential threats? It starts with leaving room for others to grow and change, with committing to being our best selves even when it's easier to be our worst. The path forward requires us to reason together, recognizing that we share one planet and nobody is leaving. Support the show
In the milestone 100th episode of "Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?", co-hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso celebrate their podcast's century mark with a fast-paced, insightful, and at times humorous look back at some of their most memorable moments, guests, and listener interactions. Without a guest this week, Ray and Jim turn the spotlight on themselves, their audience, their incredible slate of past guests, and a region that keeps changing the strategic map.The hosts set the tone for a reflective and dynamic show, diving into listener emails and social media comments that illustrate the podcast's loyal following from locations across the globe. Ray and Jim revisit some of the most interesting, provocative, quirky and timely lines from prior guests--including former US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, U.S. Pacific Air Forces Commander General Kevin Schneider, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, President Surangel Whipps of Palau, former U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Phil Davidson, and sitting Philippine Secretary of Defense Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro--challenging each other to recall who said what and why those remarks matter in today's Indo-Pacific landscape.A central theme is the evolving nature of U.S. strategy, from discussions of "spheres of influence" and the shift in national security focus to debates over U.S. credibility and engagement in regions beyond the Indo-Pacific. The hosts analyze how once-standard priorities such as the rules-based order and extended U.S. presence are now questioned domestically and abroad. Listener comments prompt discussion of perceptions of America across the region, concerns over interference, and the shifting balance of great power influence. The episode highlights President Whipps' steadfast support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese economic inducements--a striking example of Indo-Pacific agency and risk-taking in the current geopolitical climate.Memorable moments include insights from Secretary Teodoro on the critical role of the rules-based order for smaller states, self-deprecating tales of military karaoke anxiety from General Schneider, and a glancing critique of U.S. foreign policy “whiplash,” recalling both Afghanistan and Vietnam withdrawals. The podcast's ability to draw high-profile guests and engage in candid, sometimes irreverent dialogue is evident as the hosts reminisce. Woven through the humor and storytelling is a serious undercurrent about U.S. credibility, PRC aggression, alliance management, and the centrality of the Indo-Pacific in global affairs.The hosts close with tributes to listeners, their inimitable producer, Ian Ellis-Jones, and their gratitude for reaching 100 episodes amidst rapidly growing listenership--now surpassing 40,000 subscribers across all platforms. As always, we encourage feedback and celebrate our incredible audience, and promise to continue featuring the perspectives and stories that matter most to Indo-Pacific watchers.
Send us a textToday on the Move Daily podcast, I'm chatting with Dr. Stuart Phillips, a Distinguished University Professor at McMaster, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health, and Director of both the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence and the McMaster Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Health Research. If you've ever wondered how much exercise you actually need to build muscle, protect your bones, and stay strong as you age, this conversation is going to be a game changer!We talked about the minimum effective dose versus the optimal dose for strength training, how much protein you really need, and what strategies actually work for preventing muscle loss and bone density decline, without getting lost in all the social media noise.This episode will leave you with clarity, confidence, and a simple guide you can follow daily, no gimmicks, no overwhelm, just the science of what works. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.Follow Stuart Phillips here: InstagramFacebookFOLLOW ALONG with Move Daily Fitness!Follow on InstagramFollow on FacebookFollow on PinterestIndemnity** All information provided by Move Daily Fitness and Tracy Steen is of a general nature and is furnished for educational/entertainment purposes only. No information is to be taken as medical or other health advice pertaining to any individual's specific health conditions. Move Daily is not engaged in rendering any medical services. Move Daily makes no guarantee regarding the accuracy, timeliness or relevance of any text, video or audio content. Any content provided is not a diagnosis, treatment plan or recommendation for a particular course of action regarding your health and it is not intended to provide specific medical advice. Do not delay in seeking the advice and diagnosis of a medical professional because of anything you may have read or interpreted from Move Daily Fitness content. Consult your health care professional before participating in or acting on any recommendations found on Move Daily Fitness. You agree, at your exposure, to indemnify and hold Move Daily Fitness and Tracy Steen harmless from any and all losses, liabilities and injuries, or damages resulting from and all claims, cause of action, suits, proceedings and demands against Move Daily Fitness and Tracy Steen, arising from or related to decisions or recommendations you make using Move Daily Fitness content. You agree that use of this information is at Shop Legion Supplements and use discount code: MoveDailyThis is an affiliate link. The Move Daily Membership is a paid monthly subscription for women, which gives you access to a huge amount of resources to help support you in reaching your health goals. Whether you're looking to lose fat, gain lean muscle, focus on your nutrition, give time to wellness or simply wish to dial in your overall health, we can support you in achieving your objectives. Join today!Support the showThanks for moving daily with us in your fitness, wellness and nutrition! Be sure to follow us here:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TracySteenMoveDailyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/movedailyfitness/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracy.steen1TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tracysteenSubscribe to my podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375873/support
Cole Stukenholtz & Nate Rohr preview Husker football's Akron game, discussing the need for more big plays from the offense and more pass rush from the defense. Matt McMaster, co-host of Gary & Matt on 1620 the Zone, joins the guys to give his thoughts on Nebraska's performance against Cincinnati and details what he expects from the 2025 season. Husker volleyball engineered a stirring comeback in a reverse sweep win over Kentucky, and Cole & Nate breakdown Dani Busboom Kelly's lineup changes and the team's resolve to fight back against another top-10 opponent. Finally, their picks for NU-Akron. GBR!!
Is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's embrace of his Russian and Chinese peers a mere signal of his displeasure with American tariff policy, or the beginning of a deeper geopolitical realignment? Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster discuss the significance of Modi's summitry with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. This leads into a broader conversation about Ukraine's durability (with Niall soon to visit Kyiv), as its conflict with Russia becomes a predominantly drone war. Also discussed: the question of power-wielding in Washington—the American president derided as a modern-day fascist for his use of executive authority; the differences between Trump Derangement Syndrome in the past versus the present; the Federal Reserve's independence (and sprawl); plus the merits of the federal government taking a 10% equity stake in chip manufacturer Intel. Finally, some bad news for our London fans: While the GoodFellows will be gathering in the UK's capital city, there are no plans for a rooftop concert à la the Beatles atop their Apple Corps building. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
Johnny Cadillac welcomes his manager for his upcoming MWA match, former KLIN voice, and current Co Host on 1620 The Zone, Matt McMaster!
The wholesome segment you didn't know you needed...
On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for September 2, 2025: we're looking at the ad wars that are heating up and we're on the campaign trail with Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in Walhalla; Rep. Joe Wilson was recently in Syria; we find out what Gov. McMaster thinks about Taylor Swift's engagement; and more!
Listen to ASCO's JCO Oncology Practice Art of Oncology article, "No Versus Know: Patient Empowerment Through Shared Decision Making” by Dr. Beatrice Preti, who is an Assistant Professor at Emory University. The article is followed by an interview with Preti and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Dr Preti explores the challenges which may prevent oncologists from fully engaging with patients during shared decision making. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: No Versus Know: Patient Empowerment Through Shared Decision Making, by Beatrice T.B. Preti, MD, MMed, FRCPC During a recent clinic, I saw three patients back-to-back, all from minority backgrounds, all referred for second opinions, all referenced in the notes for being different forms of difficult. Refused chemo, refused hospice, read one note. Refused surgery and chemo, read another, unsure about radiation. Yet, despite the documented refusals (I prefer the term, decline), they had come to my clinic for a reason. They were still seeking something. As an oncologist trained in a program with a strong emphasis on shared decision making between physician and patient, I approach such situations with curiosity. I consider optimal shared decision making a balance between the extremes of (1) providing a patient complete choice from a menu of treatment options, without physician input, and (2) indicating to a patient the best course of treatment, in the eyes of the physician.1 This is a balance between beneficence (which can often turn paternalistic) and patient autonomy and requires a carefully crafted art. Many of my consults start with an open question (Tell me about yourself…?), and we will examine goals, wishes, and values before ever touching on treatment options. This allows me to take the knowledge I have, and fit it within the scaffold of the patient in front of me. A patient emphasizing quantity of life at all costs and a patient emphasizing weekly fishing trips in their boat will receive the same treatment option lists, but with different emphases and discussions around each. Yet, many physicians find themselves tending toward paternalistic beneficence—logical, if we consider physicians to be compassionate individuals who want the best for their patients. All three patients I saw had been offered options that were medically appropriate, but declined them as they felt the options were not right for them. And all three patients I saw ended up selecting a presented option during our time together—not an option that would be considered the best or standard of care, or the most aggressive treatment, but an option that aligned most with their own goals, wishes, and values. This is of particular importance when caring for patients who harbor different cultural or religious views from our own; western medicine adopts many of its ideas and professional norms from certain mindsets and cultures which may not be the lenses through which our patients see the world. Even when a patient shares our personal cultural or religious background, they may still choose a path which differs from what we or our family might choose. It is vital to incorporate reflexivity in our practice, to be mindful of our own blinders, and to be open to different ways of seeing, thinking, and deciding. I will admit that, like many, I do struggle at times when a patient does not select the medically best treatment for themselves. But why? Do we fear legal repercussions or complaints down the road from not giving a patient the standard of care (often the strongest treatment available)? Do we struggle with moral distress when a patient makes a choice that we disagree with, based on values that we ourselves do not hold? Do we lack time in clinics to walk patients through different options, picking the method of counseling that allows the most efficiency in packed clinical systems? Is it too painful a reminder of our mortality to consider that, especially in the setting of terminally ill patients, aiming for anything other than a shot at the longest length of life might be a patient's preference? Or are we so burnt out from working in systems that deny us sufficient choice and autonomy (with regards to our own work, our own morals, and our own lives) that, under such repeated traumas, we lose touch with the idea of even having a choice? I have a number of patients in my clinic who transferred care after feeling caught between one (aggressive) treatment option and best supportive care alone. They come looking for options—an oral agent that allows them to travel, a targeted therapy that avoids immunosuppression, or a treatment that will be safe around dogs and small children. They are looking for someone to listen, to hold their hand, to fill in the gaps, as was told to me recently, and not skirt around the difficult conversations that both of us wish we did not have to have. Granted, some of the conversations are challenging—requests for ivermectin prescriptions, for example, or full resuscitation efforts patients with no foreseeable chance of recovery (from a medical standpoint) to allow for a possible divine miracle. However, in these cases, there are still goals, wishes and values—although ones that are not aligned with evidence-based medical practice that can be explored, even if they are challenging to navigate. As my clinic day went on, I spoke with my patients and their loved ones. One asked the difference between hospice and a funeral home, which explained their reluctance to pursue the former. Another asked for clarification of how one treatment can treat cancer in two different sites. And yet still another absorbed the information they requested and asked to come back another day to speak some more. All questions I have heard before and will continue to hear again. And again. There is no cure for many of the patients who enter my GI medical oncology clinic. But for fear, for confusion, perhaps there is. Cancer wreaks havoc on human lives. Plans go awry, dreams are shattered, and hopes are crushed. But we can afford some control—we can empower our patients back—by giving them choices. Sometimes, that choice is pitiful. Sometimes, it is an explanation why the most aggressive treatment option cannot be prescribed in good faith (performance status, bloodwork parametres), but it is a choice between a gentle treatment and no treatments. Sometimes it is a choice between home hospice and a hospice facility. I teach many of the learners who come through my clinic about the physician's toolbox, and the importance of cultivating the tools of one's specific specialty and area of work. For some (like surgeons), the tools are more tangible—physical skills, or even specific tools, like a particular scalpel or retractor. For others, like radiologists, it might be an ability—to recognize patterns, for example, or detect changes over time. For those of us in medical oncology, our toolbox can feel limiting at times. Although we have a handful of treatments tied to a specific disease site and histology, these often fall short of what we wish we could offer, especially when studies cite average survivals in months over years. But one of our most valuable tools—more valuable, I would argue, than any drug—is the communication we have with our patients, the way we can let them know that someone is there for them, that someone is here to listen, and that someone cares. Furthermore, the information we share—and the way we share it—has the potential to help shape the path that our patient's life will take moving forward—by empowering them with information to allow them to make the decisions best for them.2 Although having such conversations can be difficult and draining for the oncologist, they are a necessary and vital part of the job. My clinic team knows that we can have up to six, seven such conversations in the course of a half-day, and my clinic desk space is equipped for my between-patient routine of sips of tea and lo-fi beats, a precious few moments left undisturbed as much as possible to allow a bit of recharging. By finding a safe space where I can relax for a few moments, I can take care of myself, enabling me to give each of my patients the time and attention they need. When patients thank me after a long, difficult conversation, they are not thanking me for sharing devastating, life-altering news of metastatic cancer, prognoses in the order of months, or disease resistant to treatment. They are thanking me for listening, for caring, for seeing them as a person and affording the dignity of choice—autonomy. I have had patients make surprising decisions—opting for no treatment for locally-advanced cancers, or opting for gentle treatment when, medically, they could tolerate stronger. But by understanding their values, and listening to them as people, I can understand their choices, validate them, and help them along their journey in whatever way possible. Providing a choice affords a suffering human the right to define their path as long as they are able to. And we can give patients in such situations support and validation by being a guide during dark days and challenging times, remembering that medically best treatment is not always the best. When a patient says no to offered options, it does not (necessarily!) mean they are rejecting the expertise of the physician and care team. Rather, could it be a request to know more and work together with the team to find a strategy and solution which will be meaningful for them? Mikkael Sekeres: Welcome back to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. This ASCO podcast features intimate narratives and perspectives from authors exploring their experiences in oncology. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. Today we're joined by Beatrice Preti, Assistant Professor at Emory University, Adjunct Professor at Western University, and PhD candidate with Maastricht University, to discuss her JCO Oncology Practice article, "No Versus Know: Patient Empowerment Through Shared Decision-Making." At the time of this recording, our guest has no disclosures. Beatrice, thank you so much for contributing to JCO Oncology Practice and for joining us to discuss your article. Beatrice Preti: Well, thank you so much for having me today. Mikkael Sekeres: It's an absolute treat. I was wondering if we could start with sort of a broad question. Can you tell us about yourself? What was your journey like that landed you where you are right now? Beatrice Preti: Oh goodness, that's a very loaded question. Well, I am originally from Canada. I did all my training in Canada at a couple of different schools, McMaster, Queens, Western University. Before medicine, I was always interested in the arts, always interested in writing, always interested in teaching. So that's something that's really, I guess, come forth throughout my medical practice. During my time at Western, I trained as a gastrointestinal medical oncologist, so that's my clinical practice. But on the side, as you've noted, I've done some work in medical education, got my Masters through Dundee, and now doing my PhD through Maastricht in the Netherlands, which I'm very excited about. Mikkael Sekeres: That's fantastic. What's your PhD in? Beatrice Preti: Health Professions Education. Mikkael Sekeres: Wonderful - can never get too much of that. And can I ask, are you at the stage now where you're developing a thesis and what's the topic? Beatrice Preti: Yeah, absolutely. So the program itself is almost exclusively research based. So I'm thinking of more of a social psychology side, looking at impression management and moral distress in medical trainees, and really along the continuum. So what we're looking at is when people act in ways or feel that they have to act in ways that aren't congruent with what they're feeling inside, why they're doing that and some of the moral tensions or the moral conflicts that go along with that. So a good example in medicine is when you're with a patient and you have to put on your professional face, but inside you might be squirming or you might be scared or worried or anxious or hungry, but you can't betray that with the patient because that would be unprofessional and also unfair to the patient. Mikkael Sekeres: Wow, that's absolutely fascinating. How does that change over the course of training? So how does it change from being a medical student to a resident or fellow to a junior faculty member? Beatrice Preti: So I'm only one year into the PhD, so I don't have all the information on this as yet. Mikkael Sekeres: You don't have all the answers yet? What are you talking about? Beatrice Preti: Yeah, they're telling me I have to finish the PhD to get all the answers, but I think that we certainly are seeing some kind of evolution, maybe both in the reasons why people are engaging in this impression management and the toll it takes on them as well. But stay tuned. It might take me a couple of years to answer that question in full. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, I just wonder as a, you know, as a medical student, we go into medical school often for reasons that are wonderful. I think almost every essay for somebody applying to medical school says something about wanting to help people, right? That's the basis for what draws us into medicine. And I wonder if our definition of what's morally right internally changes as we progress through our training. So something that would be an affront to our moral compass when we start as a medical student may not be such an affront later on when we're junior faculty. Beatrice Preti: Yes, definitely. And I think there's a lot of literature out there about coping in the medical profession because I think that by and large, especially in the lay community, so premedical students, for example, but even within our own profession as well, we don't really give enough credence to the impact a lot of the things that we do or witness have on us personally. That lack of insight doesn't allow us to explore coping mechanisms or at least think things through, and oftentimes what we're seeing is a survival instinct or a gut reaction kick in rather than something that we've carefully thought through and said, you know, “These situations are stressful for me, these situations are difficult. How can I cope? How can I make this more sustainable for me, knowing that this is an aspect of medicine that really isn't escapable.” Mikkael Sekeres: What a fascinating topic and area to be studying. I can't wait for all of the findings you're going to have over the course of your career. But oncology is a field that's, of course, rife with these sorts of conflicts. Beatrice Preti: Yeah, definitely. Mikkael Sekeres: I'm curious if you can talk a little bit about your own story as a writer. You say you've always been a writer. How long have you been writing reflective pieces? Beatrice Preti: Oh, goodness. So there's certainly a difference between how long I've been writing reflective pieces and how long I've been writing good reflective pieces. I can vaguely remember, I think being perhaps 10 years old and writing in school one recess period, sort of both sides of a loose leaf piece of paper, some form of reflection that would have ended up straight in the rubbish bin. So that was probably when it started. Certainly in medical school, I published a fair bit of reflective writing, poetry. That continued through residency, now as a junior attending as well. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, you're excellent at it and I can't see any rubbish can that would accept your pieces for the future. If you feel comfortable doing so, can you tell us what prompted you to write this particular piece? Beatrice Preti: Yes. So this piece was written Friday night around 9:00, 10:00 at night, literally at the end of the clinic day that I described. Coming on the heels of talking about coping, I think for many people in medicine, writing is a coping mechanism and a coping strategy that can be quite fruitful and productive, especially when we compare it to other potential coping strategies. Sometimes it's certainly difficult to write about some of the things we see and certainly it's difficult sometimes to find the words. But on this particular night, the words came quite easily, probably because this is not an isolated incident, unfortunately, where we're seeing patients coming for second opinions or you're encountering patients or you're encountering people who you are not directly treating in your everyday life, who express frustrations with the health care system, who express frustrations with not feeling heard. I think all you have to do is open social media, Facebook, Reddit, and you'll see many, many examples of frustrated individuals who felt that they weren't heard. And on one hand, I'm not naive enough to think that I've never left a patient encounter and had that patient not feeling heard. I'm guilty of many of the same things. Sometimes it's nothing that we've done as physicians, it's just you don't develop a rapport with the patient, right? But it made me think and it made me wonder and question, why is there this mismatch? Why are there so many patients who come seeking someone who listens, seeking a solution or a treatment that is maybe not standard, but might be a better fit for them than the standard? As you know, oncology is very algorithmic, and certainly, as many of the the fellows and residents who come into my clinic learn, yes, there are guidelines and yes, there are beautiful flow charts that teach us if you have this cancer, here's the treatment. But for me, that's only half of the practice of oncology. That's the scientific side. We then have the art side, which involves speaking to people, listening to them, seeing them as people, and then trying to fit what we're able to do, the resources we have, with what the patient's goals are, with their wishes or desires are. Mikkael Sekeres: I completely agree with you. I think sometimes patients come to our clinics, to an examination room, and they look at it as a place to be heard, and sometimes a safe space. You'll notice that, if you've been practicing long enough, you'll have some couples who come in and one of our patients will say something and the partner will reflect and say, "Gee, I never heard you say that before. I never knew that." So if people are coming in expecting to be heard in a safe space, it's almost nowhere more important to do that when it comes to treating their cancer also. Beatrice Preti: Yes. And as I say again to many of our learners, different specialties have different tools to treat or help alleviate sickness, illness, and suffering. For example, a surgeon has quite literal tools. They have their hands, they have their eyes, they're cutting, they're performing procedures. By and large, especially in medical oncology, we are quite limited. Certainly I have medications and drugs that I can prescribe, but in the world of GI oncology, often these are not going to lead to a cure. We are talking about survival in the order of months, maybe a year or two if we're very lucky. So the tool that we have and really the biggest, best treatment that we can give to our patients is our words and our time, right? It's those conversations that you have in clinic that really have the therapeutic benefit or potential for someone who is faced with a terminal illness and a poor prognosis more so than any drug or chemotherapy that I can give as a physician. Mikkael Sekeres: I love the notion that our words and our time are our tools for practicing medicine. It's beautiful. You mentioned in your essay three patients who, quote, and you're very deliberate about using the quote, "refused" because it's a loaded term, "refused" recommended medical intervention such as chemotherapy or surgery. Can you tell us about one of them? Beatrice Preti: Ah, well, I would have to be quite vague. Mikkael Sekeres: Of course, respecting HIPAA, of course. We don't want to violate anything. Beatrice Preti: But I think that was another thing too on this day that struck me quite a bit that it was three patients back to back with very similar stories, that they had been seen at other hospitals, they had been seen by other physicians - in one case, I think a couple of different physicians - and had really been offered the choice of, “Here is the standard of care, here is what the guidelines suggest we do, or you can choose to do nothing.” And certainly in the guidelines or in recommended treatment, you know, doublet chemotherapy, triplet therapy, whatever the case may be, this is what's recommended and this is what's standard. But for the patient in front of you, you know, whose goal may be to go to the beach for two months, right? “I don't want to be coming back and forth to the cancer center. Can I take a pill and maybe get blood work a few times while I'm there?” Or you have a patient who says, “You know, I tried the chemotherapy, I just can't do it. It's just too strong. And now they've told me I have to go to hospice if I'm not going to take the recommended treatment.” While in the guideline this may be correct for this patient who's in front of you, there may be another option which is more, in quotes, “correct”, because, is our goal to kill as many cancer cells as we can? Is our goal to shrink the cancer as much as we can? Is our goal even to eke out the maximum survival possible? As an oncologist, I would say no. Our goal is to try to line up what we can do, so the tools, the medications, the chemotherapies, the drugs that we do have in our tool kit, and the symptom medications as well, and line those up with what the patient's goals are, what the patient's wishes are. For many people, I find, when faced with a terminal illness, or faced with an illness with poor prognosis, their goal is not to eke out the last breath possible. They start to look at things like quality of life. They start to look at things like hobbies or travel or spending time with family. And oftentimes, the best way to facilitate that is not by doing the most aggressive treatment. Mikkael Sekeres: In my memory, you evoke an essay that was written for JCO's Art of Oncology by Tim Gilligan called "Knuckleheads" where he had a patient who was, big quotes, "refusing" chemotherapy for a curable cancer. And one of his colleagues referred to the patient as a knucklehead and they asked Tim to see the patient to try to suss out what was going on. And Tim, he used one of our tools. He talked to the person and it turns out he was a seasonal construction worker and it was summer and he was a single dad where the mother of his children wasn't involved in their care at all. And the only way he had to make money during the year was the work he did during the summer because he couldn't work in the winter. So for very primal reasons, he needed to keep working and couldn't take time to take chemotherapy. So they were able to negotiate a path forward that didn't compromise his health, but also didn't compromise his ability to make a living to support his family. But again, like you say, it's that people bring to these interactions stories that we can't even imagine that interfere with our recommendations for how they get cared for. Beatrice Preti: That's a beautiful example of something that I really do try to impress on my learners and my team in general. When someone comes to you and if a recommendation is made or even if they are skeptical about a certain treatment pathway, there is always a ‘why'. One of the challenges and one of the things that comes with experience is trying to uncover or unveil what that ‘why' is because unless you address it and address it head on, it's going to be very difficult to work with it, to work with the patient. So as you said, it's common people have family obligations, job obligations. Oftentimes as well, they have personal experience with certain treatments or certain conditions that they're worried about. Perhaps they had a loved one die on chemotherapy and they're worried about toxicities of chemo. And sometimes you can talk through those things. That needs to be considered, right? When we talk about shared decision-making, you, the patient, and it might be an experience that the patient has had as well that are all in the room that need to be taken into account. Mikkael Sekeres: You invoke the phrase "shared decision-making," which of course, you talk about in your essay. Can you define that for our listeners? What is shared decision-making? Beatrice Preti: Oh, goodness. There are different definitions of this and I am just cringing now because I know that my old teachers will not be happy regardless of what definition I choose. But for me, shared decision-making means that the decision of what to do next, treatment along the cancer journey, etc., is not decided by only one person. So it is not paternalism where I as the physician am making the decision. However, it's not the patient unilaterally making their own decision as well. It's a conversation that has to happen. And oftentimes when I'm counseling patients, I will write down what I see as potential treatment options for this patient and we will go through them one by one with pros and cons. This is usually after an initial bit where I get to know the patient, I ask them what's important to them, who's important in their life, what kind of things do they enjoy doing, and trying to weave that into the counseling and the discussion of the pros and cons. Ultimately, the patient does make the choice, but it's only after this kind of informed consent or this informative process, I guess, so to speak. And for me, that is shared decision-making where it's a conversation that results in the patient making a decision at the end. Mikkael Sekeres: You know, it's so funny you use the word ‘conversation'. I was going to say that shared decision-making implies a conversation, which is one of the reasons I love it. It's not a monologue. It's not just us listening. It's a back and forth until you know, we figure each other out. Beatrice Preti: Yes. Mikkael Sekeres: I wonder if I could ask you one more question. In your essay, you ask the question, "Do we struggle with moral distress when a patient makes a choice that we disagree with based on values that we ourselves do not hold?" Do you think you can answer your own question? Beatrice Preti: So this is getting to my academic work, and my PhD work that we spoke a little bit about in the beginning. I think it's something that we need to be mindful of. Certainly in my training, certainly when I was less experienced, there would be a lot of moral distress because we are not all clones of each other. We are people, but we have our own beliefs, we have our own backgrounds, we have our own experiences. There are times when people, and not just in medicine, but certainly in medicine, certainly patients make decisions that I don't quite understand because they are so different from what I would make or what I would choose for myself or for a family member. On the flip side, I think I've gotten myself, and I've had enough experience at this point in my career, to be able to separate that and say, you know, “But this is someone who has clearly thought things through and based on their own world view, their own perspectives, their own life experiences, this is the choice that's best for them.” And that's certainly something that I can support and I can work with a patient on. But it takes time, right? And it takes very deliberate thought, a lot of mindfulness, a lot of practice to be able to get to that point. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, I think that's a beautiful point to leave off with here. We've been talking to Beatrice Preti, who is an assistant professor at Emory University and an adjunct professor at Western University, and a PhD candidate with Maastricht University to discuss her JCO Oncology Practice article, "No Versus Know: Patient Empowerment Through Shared Decision-Making." Beatrice, thank you so much for joining me today. Beatrice Preti: Absolutely. Mikkael Sekeres: If you've enjoyed this episode, consider sharing it with a friend or a colleague or leave us a review. Your feedback and support helps us continue to have these important conversations. If you're looking for more episodes and context, follow our show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen, and explore more from ASCO at asco.org/podcasts. Until next time, this has been Mikkael Sekeres for JCO Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show Notes: Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio: Dr Beatrice Preti is an Assistant Professor at Emory University Additional Material: Knuckleheads, by Dr Timothy Gilligan and accompanied podcast episode.
Brandon McMaster is a musician in the bands Former and Lucky Shot. Brandon's story I will kind of categorize as one of really knowing your passion and having that love really stick with you through lots of ups and downs. His story is one of reinvention, and a lot of self-reflection. We start with discovering that love of music through his mom, to starting bands in high school, to helping launch the band Sleeping With Sirens. He opens up about the story of Sleeping with Sirens and what led to leaving the band, and while all that was happening, he was dealing the loss of his mom, and we chat the years of growth that followed in dealing with that grief. Something in this one that I really appreciated Brandon sharing as candidly is he does, is his navigating of ego and identity. I think it's difficult for many of us, I know myself included for sure, to look back on things and take some blame or responsibility. Brandon makes some really good points here about navigating some ego checks during his time in music. We also talk what it was like when he actually stepped away from music for a little bit and found new ways of creativity in the culinary world with his project Nandan Street Food. Eventually, music came calling again, but this time with a different mindset, one rooted in love for the craft, not chasing recognition. We talk about the highs, the lows, and everything in between. This is what I'd call a really great raw conversation, an honest look at grief, growth, and what it really means to follow your passion when it just keeps calling. ----THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: PromoWest Productions - @promowestlive For all upcoming shows & event info of who's coming through Columbus, OH, visit promowestlive.com or to purchase tickets directly, visit AXS.com The Scatter Joy Project - @thescatterjoyproject The Scatter Joy Project is a local Columbus nonprofit focused on fighting for mental health. They aim to make mental health care accessible and affordable for everyone. They sell apparel with 100% of the profits funding their crisis text line, their network to help people find the mental health help they need, and their very own therapy fund. So whether you're looking to get help or want to donate to help support the cause, Scatter Joy is right for you. Find more info at www.thescatterjoyproject.com HOM Sound Baths - @homsoundbaths Need a moment of deep rest and renewal? Join HOM for their experiential sound baths, where music, atmosphere, and community come together.
What inspires a young boy to dream about a career in the US Army and then, after graduating from West Point, manage to prepare for—and survive—combat? In a “solo” installment of GoodFellows, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Hoover's Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, a former national security advisor to the president, and a highly honored combat veteran, discusses his childhood in Philadelphia, the inspiring figures he encountered during his Army years, his roundabout journey to becoming an armor officer, lessons from tank battles in the Middle East, and the importance of faith. He also describes a post-service life in California, where, ironically, an Army man makes sense of world affairs while chillaxing on a paddleboard. Also joining the show: Katie McMaster, who recounts how she and her husband met (it was love at first sight), the challenges of being a military spouse, the day H.R. said goodbye to his head of hair (he shaved his head at her insistence), plus her ongoing campaign to spare her Orange County neighbors from the blare of H.R.'s favorite tunes. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
In this episode we are talking with Raphael McMaster about why it's so important to be proactive about our children's mental health—and how this early support helps them grow into caring, connected individuals. Instead of waiting for problems to escalate, we can build habits and environments that strengthen emotional well-being from a young age. At the same time, we can help children develop a collective consciousness Rafael McMaster is a creative director, artist, and youth mental health advocate who has dedicated his life to uplifting youth through a fresh approach to mindfulness and creativity. As the founder of Indivisible Arts, Rafael leads a transformative youth development nonprofit that equips young people with practical tools for emotional resilience and self-control. His unique blend of mindfulness, mentorship, and creativity has made a profound impact on youth across Los Angeles, particularly those facing adversity. After a successful creative agency career (including 5 years as a Creative Executive at Creative Artists Agency), Rafael shifted his focus from the creative industry to community impact. What began as a volunteer effort at his daughter's school evolved into a thriving nonprofit, a public gallery space, and an after-school program grounded in tools-based mental wellness and creative freedom. Alongside learning tools for mindfulness, youth get to explore a wide range of creative media, including everything from portraiture and sculpting to music production and 3-D design. McMaster's newest endeavour, the forthcoming book FundaMentalLife Tools (2025), offers a hands-on toolkit for emotional well-being rooted in the same practices that have empowered youth through Indivisible Arts' flagship curriculum, Creative Wisdom Tools. Whether he's coaching individuals to turn pain into power or guiding teens through transformative creative practices, Rafael brings depth, heart, and visionary thinking to conversations about healing, growth, and the future of mental health. Learning Points: • Why do we need to be proactive when it comes to our children's mental health? • What is Indivisible Art? • What are the 7 Fundamental Life Tools? Social Media: Business Website: http://www.indivisiblearts.org/ Personal Website/Blog: http://www.rafaelmcmaster.com/ LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-mcmaster-ba573531/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rafaelmcmasterart/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcmaster.peace/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVP8eNYx58zbFZuBSZj6b8w
What to expect from this week's Putin–Trump summit in Alaska? Hoover Institution Director and former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice—no stranger, she, to engaging in statecraft with Russia's enigmatic president—joins GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster for a spirited conversation about Vladimir Putin's motives (is the summit only for domestic Russian consumption?), how to characterize the present US-Sino competition (Secretary Rice tossing cold water on “Cold War 2”), plus the sensibility of the Trump administration's threats to withhold federal research funds from leading universities in order to change campus cultures. Following that, Sir Niall recounts his recent sit-down with Argentinian president Javier Milei (is that nation's “vibe shift” real or contrived?); and tariff-agnostic John Cochrane assesses the progress of the Trump administration's ever-evolving trade strategy. Finally, the three panelists discuss the recent 80th anniversary of the only wartime use of atomic weapons and the importance of its annual remembrance.
General H.R. McMaster joins Jamie Weinstein to discuss Iran's weakened military state, the United States' backtracking in Ukraine, and the conditions needed for a new Palestinian political order. The Agenda:—Iran's nuclear program: Maybe not obliterated, but definitely devastated—Israeli and U.S. coordination—“Whenever an Iranian leader is speaking, they're lying to you.”—War in Ukraine—Transparency of the modern battlefield—Putin doesn't have all the cards—Pressuring Egypt to open their border to Gaza's population Show notes:—Tucker Carlson interview of President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian—H.R. McMaster's piece for The Dispatch: Trump Ends the Folly of De-escalation— H.R. McMaster's book: Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In contrast to the 20th-century bosses of industry who ran America's big cities, New York City seems poised to elect an unabashed socialist with dreams of government-run bodegas, rent freezes, and wealth redistribution. Rick Caruso, noted Los Angeles real estate developer and possible political candidate in 2026, joins GoodFellows regulars and Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss the future of America's big cities—whether his other major cities will follow Gotham's lead, plus how to bring needed change to municipalities notoriously averse to innovation (and in LA's case, a city perhaps unprepared for the 2028 Summer Olympics). The three fellows next reflect on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, now entering its 42nd month with no end in sight, then engage in a “lightning round” that touches on Harvard's reported desire to create a Hoover Institution of its own; Hunter Biden's skewed take on illegal immigration; the Epstein scandal's effect on the MAGA movement; plus a “heated” debate over why Sir Niall and his countrymen choose to live without air conditioning. Recorded on July 22, 2025. Subscribe for clarity on today's biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.