Podcasts about tv

Netflix announced plans on Friday to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming business, in a deal that would send shock waves through Hollywood.On Monday, Paramount made a hostile bid for the studio, arguing that the Netflix deal would be “anti-competitive.”The Times journalists Nicole Sperling, Kyle Buchanan and Lauren Hirsch discuss what it all means for the future of TV and film.Guest:Nicole Sperling, a New York Times reporter in Los Angeles who covers Hollywood and the streaming revolution.Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter and the awards-season columnist for The New York Times.Lauren Hirsch, a New York Times reporter who covers the biggest stories on Wall Street, including mergers and acquisitions.Background reading: Netflix planned to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in $83 billion deal to create a streaming giant.Paramount made a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.Photo: Aleksey Kondratyev for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, Bronwyn Newport, is in it for the friendships! Bronwyn opens up about leaving the Mormon church, becoming an American citizen, and striking a balance between vulnerability and self-preservation on the show. She reflects on what she's learned about herself from being on TV and the power of conversations she's had with family members when the cameras are rolling. Lovett also checks in on how Bronwyn is feeling ahead of the upcoming RHOSLC reunion and who her closest friends are going into that almost certainly messy conversation.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the H3 Show we talk about awkwardness at the Streamer Awards, and Hila helps translate Trisha & Moses' new Israeli reality TV show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey BillOReilly.com Premium and Concierge Members, welcome to the No Spin News for Monday, December 8, 2025. Stand Up for Your Country.  Talking Points Memo: Bill breaks down the massive taxpayer fraud case in Minnesota. Law professor and former White House ethics lawyer Richard W. Painter joins the No Spin News to discuss who is responsible for the Minnesota fraud scandal. Is Gov. Tim Walz (D) incompetent?  Bill explains that Trump supporters often don't get invited on network TV but critics do. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is the latest example. The Coast Guard has made its largest cocaine bust since 2007. Final Thought: Staying organized this Christmas season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Moylan joins Kate to discuss the premiere episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo. Reality Life with Kate Casey What to Watch List: https://katecasey.substack.com Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/katecasey Twitter: https://twitter.com/katecasey Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katecaseyca Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itskatecasey?lang=en Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113157919338245 Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/shop/katecasey Like it to Know It: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/katecaseySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we're diving into some reality TV-related news and gossip! And it's breakup-themed. First, we discuss former “Bachelor” contestant Onyeka Ehie's viral TikTok series, “The Danish Deception,” and the story's fallout. Then, we talk about Kat Izzo and Dale Moss' very expected breakup, some new details about Juliana Pasquarosa and Grant Ellis' breakup, and Alexa and Brennon Lemieux from “Love Is Blind” season 3's shocking divorce. Plus, Cassie Randolph is married! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ross Mathews opens up to Jennie about his unlikely rise from a Tonight Show intern to a beloved TV personality by choosing authenticity over fitting in. He shares how love, loss, bold leaps and everyday joy have shaped the life he’s living now… one built on gratitude, humor and being unapologetically himself. Follow the "I Choose Me" Podcast on Instagram and TikTok Follow Jennie on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Ken sits down with reality TV star and survival expert Bear Grylls. Learn how to reach your full potential by moving past your comfort zone, why struggle is essential for growth, and what it takes to raise resilient kids in an imperfect world. Next Steps: ·     

 It looked like feel-good weight loss… until Netflix told us the truth. This week, Amanda and Reese are joined by former contestant Tracey Yukich Lane (@traceyyuckichlane) to unpack how The Biggest Loser went from “inspirational reality show” to one of the most culty franchises in TV history. From weigh-in rituals and trainer worship to isolation, fear tactics, and nationwide public shaming, we're diving into the behind the scenes world that had millions of viewers cheering for transformation while contestants were barely surviving it. Why did we believe this was healthy? How did it become so successful? And what happens when a show about losing weight starts demanding you lose yourself too? Grab your branded sweatband and your cognitive dissonance... this episode gets messy.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviewed Dr. Farrah Laurent. A former emergency room nurse turned entrepreneur and career coach, shares her journey from bedside care to building a six-figure business helping new nurses land high-paying jobs and launch their own ventures. The conversation explores nursing as a lucrative and flexible career path, the importance of mindset, and the power of personal branding.

Hey, Heal Squad! Today we're diving into the organ almost nobody thinks about… yet it quietly controls your energy, your metabolism, your sleep, your skin...everything. And it might just be the key to your deepest healing. We're joined by Siggi Clavien, Founder & CEO of The Liver Clinic, who has dedicated his life to stopping the alarming rise in liver disease. Ready for this? Over 40% of the population now has fatty liver disease and more than 70% of those cases have nothing to do with alcohol. Yep! The real culprits are hiding in your everyday life, and Siggi drops two shockers you absolutely won't see coming. But here's the hope: Your liver regenerates itself every three years. Meaning you have the power to rebuild it stronger than ever, and today, Siggi shows us what we can do to begin learning more about our livers and the very first signs your liver is struggling (think: brain fog, poor sleep, stubborn weight you can't lose) and how those subtle clues might actually be your body's earliest SOS. Can't wait for everyone to take action and give their livers the love they deserve. HEALERS & HEAL-LINERS:  Alarming Rise in Liver Disease: Liver disease is up 400% and over 70% of cases are non-alcohol–related, despite assumptions that drinking is the main cause. Causes are now connected to chemical overload, like micro plastics, pesticides, medications & artificial sweeteners. Early Signs & Silent Progression: First signs are subtle: brain fog, sleep disruptions, weight gain, and mitochondrial dysregulation (especially for women). Sleep, Repair & Liver Overload: The liver performs major repair work during sleep. Alcohol dramatically worsens sleep because it forces the liver into overtime. HEAL SQUAD SOCIALS IG: https://www.instagram.com/healsquad/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healsquadxmaria HEAL SQUAD RESOURCES: Heal Squad Website:https://www.healsquad.com/ Heal Squad x Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HealSquad/membership Maria Menounos Website: https://www.mariamenounos.com My Curated Macy's Page: Shop My Macy's Storefront EMR-Tek Red Light: https://emr-tek.com/discount/Maria30 for 30% off Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/maria  Thrive Causemetics: https://thrivecausemetics.com/healsquad Get 20% OFF with this link!  Briotech: https://shopbriotech.com/ Use Code: HEALSQUAD for 20% off  GUEST RESOURCES: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siggiclavien  The Liver Clinic: https://theliverclinic.com/ De-Liver-ance Elixir: https://us.loveyourliver.com/ ABOUT MARIA MENOUNOS: Emmy Award-winning journalist, TV personality, actress, 2x NYT best-selling author, former pro-wrestler and brain tumor survivor, Maria Menounos' passion is to see others heal and to get better in all areas of life. ABOUT HEAL SQUAD x MARIA MENOUNOS: A daily digital talk-show that brings you the world's leading healers, experts, and celebrities to share groundbreaking secrets and tips to getting better in all areas of life. DISCLAIMER: This Podcast and all related content (published or distributed by or on behalf of Maria Menounos or http://Mariamenounos.com and http://healsquad.com) is for informational purposes only and may include information that is general in nature and that is not specific to you. Any information or opinions provided by guest experts or hosts featured within website or on Company's Podcast are their own; not those of Maria Menounos or the Company. Accordingly, Maria Menounos and the Company cannot be responsible for any results or consequences or actions you may take based on such information or opinions. This podcast is presented for exploratory purposes only. Published content is not intended to be used for preventing, diagnosing, or treating a specific illness. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health-care emergency, please contact a qualified health care professional for treatment.

Support our sponsors this week by using the links below for the exclusive Solomonster offers!HIMS ▶ Start your FREE online visit today at http://www.hims.com/SOLOMONSTER for your personalized hair loss treatment options!EXPRESSVPN ▶ Get an extra FOUR MONTHS FREE of the #1 trusted VPN at http://www.expressvpn.com/solomonsterSolomonster reviews WWE Raw with another main event loss for LA Knight, only this time, he's clearly been written off TV.  Hopefully he's just getting a well-deserved vacation but the reality is, when someone talks smack the way he does and repeatedly fails to back it up, you develop a stigma.  Not something a heel turn may not be able to fix, but even still, the booking needs to be there to support it.  Whether that is the case here remains to be seen, but it's not a good look.***Follow Solomonster on X (formerly Twitter) for news and opinion:http://x.com/solomonsterSubscribe to the Solomonster Sounds Off on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSolomonster?sub_confirmation=1Become a Solomonster Sounds Off Channel Member:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9jcg7mk93fGNqWPMfl_Aig/join

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviewed Dr. Farrah Laurent. A former emergency room nurse turned entrepreneur and career coach, shares her journey from bedside care to building a six-figure business helping new nurses land high-paying jobs and launch their own ventures. The conversation explores nursing as a lucrative and flexible career path, the importance of mindset, and the power of personal branding.

The news to know for Tuesday, December 9, 2025! We'll tell you what message President Trump is trying to send to voters as he heads back to battleground states. And what to know about a new aid package for American farmers. Also — a shift in U.S.–China policy that supporters say could boost the economy, while critics warn it could put the economy at risk. Plus — where another powerful winter storm is headed, what new data shows about a potentially life-saving shot for newborns, and which movies and TV shows earned the most Golden Globe nominations. Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!    Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!  See sources: https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/shownotes Become an INSIDER to get AD-FREE episodes here: https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider Get The NewsWorthy MERCH here: https://thenewsworthy.dashery.com/ Sponsors: Shop my favorite pajamas at SKIMS.com! After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code NEWSWORTHY at https://www.oneskin.co/NEWSWORTHY #oneskinpod To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to ad-sales@libsyn.com    

Rohan Goswami, business reporter at Semafor, and Katie Campione, senior TV and labor reporter at Deadline, discusses the recent merger talks for Paramount and Netflix to buy up parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, including news of Paramount's "hostile" bid of $108 billion — one of the largest ever.

Sia Nejad is joined by Buckets, Tom Casale, and Jeff Hochman as they hand out their BEST BETS in the College Basketball, NHL, Soccer, and MORE! (0:00) Intro (5:05) Buckets' Soccer Picks (9:00) Jeff's NHL Picks (13:40) Free SportsLine Bets (18:05) Tom's CBB and CFB Bets (21:12) Bonus Bets (30:16) Recap Screens

Amy is joined by author Naima Brown to discuss her newest novel, Mother Tongue, exploring the consequences of change, finding our authentic selves, motherhood, right-wing radicalization, and the importance of fiction in our fight against patriarchy.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyNaima Brown holds degrees in Middle Eastern Studies, Anthropology and Religious Studies. Her essays have appeared in Vogue Australia, the Guardian Australia, and more. She wrote, along with Melissa Doyle, the non-fiction book How to Age Against the Machine. She has spent over a decade working in news, current affairs and documentary - save for her brief stint in reality TV, which inspired her first novel, The Shot. She was born and raised in Northern California before living and working in Yemen and Afghanistan, and now lives in New South Wales with her husband and her dog. Her second novel, Mother Tongue, was published in March 2025.

Paramount and Netflix are vying to buy up parts of Warner Bros. Discovery.On Today's Show:Rohan Goswami, business reporter at Semafor and Katie Campione, senior TV & labor reporter at Deadline, discuss the recent merger talks, including the politics at play, and what it means for consumers.

Today we jump back 15 years to two back-to-back episodes of the PWTorch Livecast from Dec. 6 and 7, 2010.On the Dec. 6, 2010 episode, PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell and PWTorch columnist Bruce Mitchell, they discussed with live callers last night's TNA Final Resolution PPV, the Jeff Hardy situation, TNA's lack of responsibility and accountability, Samoa Joe's contract status and whether he'll turn up in WWE, tonight's Raw and which of the plotlines will receive the most attention, when the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame inductees might be announced, why Shawn Michaels might receive main event HOF induction status this coming year, Jeff Jarrett vs. Triple H in a big foot contest, a tribute to "Dandy" Don Meredith with Bruce singing!, and more.Then on the Dec. 7, 2010 episode, PWTorch Livecast with host Wade Keller and Jason Powell, they discussed the Raw main event featuring Miz vs. Jerry Lawler, plus the King of the Ring tournament, C.M. Punk on commentary, TNA Impact Thanksgiving ratings, Jeff Jarrett's MMA spoof and latest push, and more during the Livecast. Then in the previously VIP-exclusive Aftershow, they discussed Rock's "Faster" movie which Jason saw and go more in-depth on Raw analysis of other subjects.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wade-keller-pro-wrestling-podcast--3076978/support.

What we love to hate this week, from TV & TikTok to pop culture and beyond! When we aren't binging Sister Wives, 90 Day Fiance, Teen Mom and all the cringey crap on TLC and Bravo, you can find us recapping it all on your favorite podcast app at WE LOVE TO HATE EVERYTHING!SHOW LINEUP:-Weekend update -Spotify Wrapped 2025-Sister Wives (TLC) -Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)-RHOSLC -RHOBH -SNL (Melissa McCarthy/Dijon)-West End Girl (Lily Allen)-Hollandaise sauce arrives at McDonald's Canada -Tarantino v Dano -AMBER ALERT: Cate & Ty clap back, Amanda finds different ways to drive dangerously, Janelle has a new BOYFRIENDDDDD!--DVR ALERT: Lala and Ambyr Childers PodcastLEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/384445/1/grbop5liib63rf2tSnark and sarcasm is highly encouraged as we see what our favorite family is up to, as well as a dip into the latest pop culture news and highlights. Subscribe on YouTube, Patreon, and your favorite podcast app!Please like and subscribe on Youtube!Join our private Facebook Group "We Love to Hate Everything"Coming up this week on Patreon:patreon.com/lovetohatetv + patreon.com/trpod*THE ENTIRE BACKLOG OF AMANDA LOVES TO HATE TEEN MOM IS AVAILABLE FOR only $3*WE LOVE TO HATE TV*Tier 1+: 9-1-1 S2 E10 "Merry Exmas"*Tiers 2+: Sister Wives S15 E2 "Felons No More"TOTAL REQUEST PODCAST9-1-1 S2 E10 "Merry Exmas"GIRL DINNERGirl Dinner Episode 70 "He-Man & She-ra Christmas Special" (1985)CHECK OUT AMANDA'S OTHER PODCAST POD AND THE CITY!!! Available on Itunes/Spotify etc, Youtube, and Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick brings Hollywood Reporter TV critic Dan Fienberg back for a fresh round of TV talk, starting with the latest SNL episodes and the unexpected charm of “Pluribus.” Dan runs through his newest reviews, including the Netflix western “The Abandons” with Gillian Anderson and the HBO Max hockey drama and love story “Heated Rivalry,” and he offers an early look at the wonderfully unhinged HBO comedy special “Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh.” They also size up the newly announced 2025 Golden Globe nominations across TV and film. Esmeralda Leon joins Nick afterward for a gleefully odd detour into the history of radiators and how these clunky metal giants actually heat a home. That leads to stories about terrible landlords, the misery of board meetings, and even a memorable Tom Skilling moment that sneaks in before the laughter dies down. [Ep 410]

(00:00-11:35) Is this the saddest song ever? This show gets in the way of people's jobs. Jackson loves The Scientist by Coldplay. Lots of sad songs getting sent in. Is SLUH an all girls school? Schwarber back with the Phillies.(11:43-21:48) No one said it would be this hard. What's the worst choice Doug has ever made? Sorry I asked. Stapling Clearsil pads to your head to combat baldness. Audio of Paul FInebaum saying nobody watches Notre Dame on NBC. College football TV deals. Audio of Jim Bowden talking about Jordan Walker's trade value and 'staying patient.'(21:58-27:12) E-Mail of the DaySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an impressive, yet confusing demake of Mega Man X and Mega Man X2. Then stick around for VIP: Starring Pamela Anderson as Vallery Irons, a Playstation game based off of the comedic bodyguarding TV series! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be JAZZ JACKRABBIT 2 — a cult classic sequel to Epic's 2D platformer series! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more! Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope. Check out what games we've already ranked on the Big Damn List, then nominate a game of your own via five-star review on Apple Podcasts! Take a screenshot and show it to us on our Discord server! Intro music by NORM. 2025 © Hardcore Gaming 101, all rights reserved. No portion of this or any other Hardcore Gaming 101 ("HG101") content/data shall be included, referenced, or otherwise used in any model, resource, or collection of data.

We're now a few days on from Friday's World Cup kick-off-times draw — and for fans of England and Scotland, the picture is suddenly very clear. We now know exactly where the groups will be played, and exactly when you'll need to be in front of a TV — or setting an alarm. Dotun is joined by Tim Vickery and James Young.

We are less than 2 weeks away from Christmas! Bobby and Amy share their Mount Rushmore of Christmas movies. Bobby shares why it is time NOW to soft launch your resolutions. So we each share what we are learning towards doing differently in the New Year. Bobby gives the cast 3 TV shows, can they name the 1 actor who was in all 3 of the TV shows? We celebrate Sam Hunt's birthday and talk to Raymundo about how he has moved on from him being his favorite artist. We also talked about the Zac Brown Band concert controversy over the weekend and who we have seen the most in concert.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Support Our Sponsors! HungryRoot- Get 40$ OFF Your First Hungryroot Box + Get A FREE Item In Every Box For Life! Go To https://www.hungryroot.com/lightsout & Use Code: LIGHTSOUT ZocDoc - Download The ZocDoc App For FREE! Go To https://www.zocdoc.com/lightsout Aura - Get $35 OFF Aura's Best-Selling Carver MAt Frames! Use Code: LIGHTSOUT At Checkout! Go To https://www.on.auraframes.com/LIGHTSOUT Rula - Thousands Have Already Trusted Rula To Support Them On Their Journey Toward Improved Mental Health. Go To https://www.rula.com/lightsout Tovala - For A Limited Time, Save Up To $300 On The Tovala SMart Oven When You Order Meals 6+ Times! Go To https://www.tovala.com/lightsout & USe Code: LIGHTSOUT Lights Out Merch: https://milehighermerch.com/ Higher Hope Foundation: https://higherhope.org Follow & Subscribe To The Show! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3SfSNbkVrfz3ceXmNr0lZ4 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lights-out/id1505843600 Social Links: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lightsoutcast Twitter: http://twitter.com/lightsoutcast Instagram: http://instagram.com/lightsoutcast Suggestions/Comments: lop@milehigher.com Merch: https://lightsoutcast.shop/ Request A Topic Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOikdybNMOzpHIjLy0My2fYF0LXgN3NXDC0BQNFNNSXjetpg/viewform?usp=sharing Podcast sponsor inquires: adops@audioboom.com Host: Josh Twitter: http://twitter.com/milehigherjosh Instagram: http://instagram.com/milehigherjosh Writer/Co-host: Austin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin_leee_/ Editor/Producer: Daniel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/horrororeo Creator hosts a documentary series for educational purposes (EDSA). These include authoritative sources such as interviews, newspaper articles and TV news reporting meant to educate and memorialize notable cases in our history. Videos come with editorial context added bolstering educational and artistic value. Please review at your leisure. Sources: https://pastebin.com/vjb7mrJu 

Kate discusses what to watch this week including Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – The Final Show – Special (Disney+), Here Come the Irish (Peacock), Charmed by the Devil (Oxygen), and Sean Comb: The Reckoning (Netflix). Reality Life with Kate Casey What to Watch List: https://katecasey.substack.com Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/katecasey Twitter: https://twitter.com/katecasey Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katecaseyca Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itskatecasey?lang=en Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113157919338245 Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/shop/katecasey Like it to Know It: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/katecaseySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(SPOILER) Your Daily Roundup covers Bachelorette filming overnights, a lazy content creator insult happens again, US Weekly with another horrible Kelce story, Alix Earle is single again, & two TV recommendations that I binged the last few days.   Music written by Jimmer Podrasky (B'Jingo Songs/Machia Music/Bug Music BMI) Ads: ZocDoc – Click on https://zocdoc.com/RealitySteve to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. Hello Fresh – Go to https://hellofresh.com/RealitySteveFM10 to get TEN free meals + free breakfast for life! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MUSICThe three surviving founding members of KISS -- Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss -- paid a visit to The White House on Saturday where President Trump recognized them as one of this year's five recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, which is presented to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. Guitarist Ace Frehley, who died in October following a fall at his New Jersey home, was represented by his daughter Monique. https://youtu.be/MoEAlhUTVnEFollowing the ceremony in the Oval Office, the State Department hosted a dinner for the honorees, which also included actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Crawford, country singer George Strait, and R&B singer Gloria Gaynor. Taking the podium there, the President spoke in more detail about each recipient.With a chair left empty in memory of Ace Frehley, KISS were honored by Garth Brooks, who, upon taking the stage said, “I see some faces of confusion. No we are in the right segment of the show, people” before performing "Shout it Out Loud."Also paying tribute were Criss Angel, Marcus King, and Cheap Trick who ended the show with "Rock and Roll All Nite."Highlights of the show will air on CBS and Paramount+ on December 23rd. Garbage was performing in Australia recently, and apparently someone started tossing a beach ball around. Shirley stopped the show to RANT about the beach balls . . . sarcastically shouting, "Guy with your big [effing] beach ball. Ooh, I'm so scared of you. So thrilled by you. What [an effing D-bag]." https://consequence.net/2025/12/garbage-shirley-manson-beach-ball-video/ TVMiley Cyrus gagged while describing this fear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday night. It's caused such a problem in her daily life, that she's even known for being a Grinch during Christmastime because of her issue with wrapping paper. She has an issue with how it feels, and the way it sounds, especially if it's touched by DRY hands, which is common during winter. Jack Osbourne and his wife, Aree Gearhart, are expecting their second baby together. https://people.com/jack-osbourne-expecting-baby-no-5-his-second-with-wife-aree-gearhart-photo-11862457 MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS:Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is the new number one movie in North America. https://variety.com/2025/film/news/box-office-five-nights-at-freddys-2-debut-zootopia-2-900-million-1236602529/ AND FINALLYJane Seymour isn't a doctor . . . but she played one on TV . . . and she's sharing the secret to feeling decades younger.Jane is 74 now. But she actually needs to keep looking at her birth certificate to believe it. https://people.com/jane-seymour-says-she-feels-20-to-30-years-younger-at-74-exclusive-11862954Dr. Quinn shared THREE of her secrets, and there's good news: It isn't out-of-touch, celebrity stuff . . . it's so relatable that YOU can live it. Here they are:1. Non-stop working and challenging yourself. Quote, "I work 12-, 14-hour days on sets and keep up with everyone. I don't need cue cards . . . I learn pages after pages and I have a lot of energy . . . "I keep working, and I keep pushing myself to be better . . . because I love what I do . . . it keeps me young." 2. Spending time with family, and having active friends. Quote, "I have grandchildren and my own children, some of whom are in their early 40s. I'm part of their social circle. So I've never been sort of put in the group of, 'Oh, now you're an older person . . .' Not at all. Quite the opposite." 3. Don't dismiss new things, embrace them, and join in. Jane says she's "much more open-minded" about life now, and is "not stuck in my ways." She adds, "People say, 'Are you going to wind down?' I go, 'I am winding UP' I am loving life. NOW is it . . . I only want to do things that I'm passionate about . . . and I make sure that, even if it's work, that I turn it into a fun life experience." AND THAT IS YOUR CRAP ON CELEBRITIES!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's funny podcast, the Rizzuto Show crew spirals into holiday madness: Rizz debates the etiquette of glove-on vs. glove-off handshakes at charity events, Lern accidentally floods her bathroom after a heroic post-bath “just a quick whiz,” and Rafe gets into it with a “supersets guy” at Planet Fitness like it's Festivus for the rest of us. We also unpack questionable medical advice about ear piercings draining your gallbladder “power lines,” epic gift-buying confessions, and why everyone is pressuring Rizz to go look at Christmas lights even though it's clearly his personal nightmare. This one's got Bert Kreischer, clogged toilets, table-flipping servers, holiday anxiety, and the most St. Louis morning chaos the internet can legally handle. Tune in for daily humor, weird news, and the kind of entertainment gossip only this funny podcast crew could turn into gold. Connect With The Rizzuto Show → https://linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Follow The Rizzuto Show Daily Comedy Podcast online → https://1057thepoint.com/RizzShow.Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO. Daily Show Notes: We spoke with comedian and Hollywood movie star, Bert Kreischer about his upcoming St. Louis show and new TV show coming out on Netflix. Ted Drewes' St. Louis Holiday Giveback is just one week away. They will have coupons for a free doughnut from Donut Drive-In as a thank you for buying a sweatshirt or donating a new unwrapped toy to their toy drive with Bengie Molina Do ear piercings in men hinder their gallbladder health? - Instagram Kohler's Poop-Analyzing Toilet Cam Might Also Flush Your Privacy Down the Drain | PCMagA 22-year-old waitress, Megan Hollis, was reportedly arrested for disorderly conduct after flipping a table at Lakeside Grill. The incident occurred when a party of ten celebrating a birthday left her a $5 tip on their $304 bill - Help Megan FIGHT BACK St. Louis pet clinic wrecked after car crashes, flips over at high speed | ksdk.com Star Wars: A New Hope's 50th Anniversary Re-Release Gets New Theatrical Return DateIs It About Time We Toss the Garter Toss Tradition? Best cities for singles: St. Louis cracks the top 10What Is a Beige Flag? Meaning, Signs, and Context | 7 Cups‘Quiet Divorce' Is on the Rise. Is Your Marriage Doomed? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, Heal Squad! This week, we're diving into one of the most powerful (and sometimes hardest) practices of all… choosing JOY. Not the shiny, perfect kind, but kind that shows up even when life is messy, uncertain, or heavy. We're revisiting some of our most impactful guest moments that taught us how to build joy instead of waiting for it. Dr. Tiffany Moon shares her “joy equation” and how shifting expectations can instantly create more happiness in everyday life. World-renowned psychologist Katarina Blom breaks down the science of happiness and why gratitude and pain can exist at the same time. And Sahil Bloom reminds us how to come back into balance when life knocks us down. PLUS, one of the most moving conversations we've ever had… Bozoma Saint John shares how she chose to live, laugh, and love again after devastating loss, a reminder that joy isn't about pretending everything's okay… it's about choosing life anyway! This episode is your gentle reminder that joy is still available to you. Sometimes, all it takes is making space for it. HEAL SQUAD SOCIALS IG: https://www.instagram.com/healsquad/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healsquadxmaria HEAL SQUAD RESOURCES: Heal Squad Website:https://www.healsquad.com/ Heal Squad x Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HealSquad/membership Maria Menounos Website: https://www.mariamenounos.com My Curated Macy's Page: Shop My Macy's Storefront EMR-Tek Red Light: https://emr-tek.com/discount/Maria30 for 30% off Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/maria  Briotech: https://shopbriotech.com/ Use Code: HEALSQUAD for 20% off  FULL GUEST EPISODES:  Dr. Tiffany Moon: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1149-the-joy-prescription-you-need-for-a-better-life/id1320060107?i=1000727023869 Katarina Blom: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/86-how-to-be-happy-w-psychologist-katarina-blom/id1320060107?i=1000475022375  Sahil Bloom: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1021-the-5-types-of-wealth-that-change-your-life/id1320060107?i=1000688847471  Bozoma Saint John:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/887-how-to-proactively-choose-joy-w-bozoma-saint-john/id1320060107?i=1000658882943  ABOUT MARIA MENOUNOS: Emmy Award-winning journalist, TV personality, actress, 2x NYT best-selling author, former pro-wrestler and brain tumor survivor, Maria Menounos' passion is to see others heal and to get better in all areas of life. ABOUT HEAL SQUAD x MARIA MENOUNOS: A daily digital talk-show that brings you the world's leading healers, experts, and celebrities to share groundbreaking secrets and tips to getting better in all areas of life. DISCLAIMER:This Podcast and all related content (published or distributed by or on behalf of Maria Menounos or http://Mariamenounos.com and http://healsquad.com) is for informational purposes only and may include information that is general in nature and that is not specific to you. Any information or opinions provided by guest experts or hosts featured within website or on Company's Podcast are their own; not those of Maria Menounos or the Company. Accordingly, Maria Menounos and the Company cannot be responsible for any results or consequences or actions you may take based on such information or opinions. This podcast is presented for exploratory purposes only. Published content is not intended to be used for preventing, diagnosing, or treating a specific illness. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health-care emergency, please contact a qualified health care professional for treatment.

Brad is joined by Alan Elrod, CEO and founder of the Pulaski Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens to democracy when entertainment values replace empathy. They start with the Olivia Nuzzi scandal and what it exposes about journalistic ethics, voyeurism, and the public's fascination with watching someone fall apart in real time. From there, Brad and Alan zoom out to look at the rise of reality TV and algorithmic social media, tracing how both have shaped a political culture that thrives on humiliation, moral certainty, and the dehumanization of anyone outside one's tribe. The discussion turns to the viral hit Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and what its popularity reveals about our appetite for spectacle and dysfunction. Brad and Alan dig into why empathy and curiosity are essential for a functioning democracy and how those virtues are being eroded by the panopticon we now live in—one where everyone is a potential broadcaster and every misstep can become a public referendum. They explore how cancel culture, mob justice, and entertainment-driven politics harm people across the political spectrum, and connect these themes to the “Trump effect” that blurred the line between celebrity culture and governing. The episode closes with a look at a new national security document that frames American identity through Western supremacy, raising questions about how foreign policy, entertainment, and democratic decay are more intertwined than we might think. A sharp, timely, and at times unsettling exploration of what happens when a nation starts confusing spectacle for civic life. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza Subscribe to American Exceptionalism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. My Guest: Patrick Lencioni is the founder of The Table Group and a bestselling author of 14 books, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The 6 Types of Working Genius. Behind his achievements (valedictorian, straight A's, business success) were childhood wounds that drove him to prove himself. Key Learnings "I think I'm really good at anticipating people's objections." I think about what they might be thinking and what I need to put out there. Whether talking interpersonally, giving a speech, writing a book, or on a podcast, I like to think about what the other person might be objecting to. Lean into empathy. I always felt like I needed to prove myself in order to be successful and to feel safe. That's not healthy.  "When people tell you they got straight A's and were the valedictorian, the student body president, and got accepted to all the schools they wanted to get into, there's a wound there." Based on my personality type, I shouldn't have done all those things, but it was out of the need to prove myself. Which wasn't healthy for me. My parents had a hard time being affirming because of their own lives. It wasn't until I was 55 years old that a friend who's a psychologist said, "You, my friend, have childhood wounds you've never dealt with." I got good Christian counseling and realized that the way I grew up, I wasn't supposed to grow up that way. It's common in athletes & CEOs to feel like they haven't done enough. They need to do more. "You're a noun, not a verb. You are enough, and you're not defined by what you do." Great achievements come out of fear, but "true greatness is best when it's only in the things that you're meant to be great at, and that you're doing it out of freedom and passion and love, not out of fear of failure." I remember seeing Tiger Woods on the Tonight Show when he was four years old. He was being groomed to be a golfer when he was four. It's best in life when we discover who God means us to be, then we do the things we're supposed to do and we're okay with not being good at the things we're not supposed to. Are we too affirming now as parents? People who are pretty darn good at everything it's usually because they're doing something out of fear. When I was a kid, my parents came from World War II and the Depression. It was like, hey, you got a roof over your head. There was a lot of suffering, and they weren't really attuned to that. Now we are hyper worried of our own kids suffering. No, suffering is actually good. They need to know they're loved and safe, but they're not gonna be protected from what is necessary for their development. The mistake I made was, oh no, I don't want them to feel like I did. Thankfully at my age, I'm now interacting with my mostly adult children and explaining to them what I did wrong. The Teammate Trifecta - How should we use it?: When I wrote The Five Dysfunctions of a Team right after 9/11, I thought, "That's the book on teamwork." Then we realized you need The Ideal Team Player (humble, hungry, and smart) to hire people that fit on teams. Years later, we came up with Working Genius: Are they in the right seat?  3 steps to building a team: Don't let people on the bus if they're not humble, hungry, and smart. Make sure you have them in the right chair based on their gifts. Then teach them the Five Dysfunctions. Pat's Two Working Geniuses: Invention and Discernment "Invention means I love to come up with ideas out of nothing. Discernment means I love evaluating things, curating things. God wired me to do that kind of thing." When people say, "Pat, we have five minutes, and we need a new idea," I just take a deep breath and smile. One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Every new idea I've come up with has been in the field, working with people. I asked Jim Collins, "Jim, you do all this research with data. I go into a room with leaders and just think, What's going on here?" He said, "Pat, that's just as valid as what I do. That's called field research and face validity."  What is Pat terrible at? Finishing things. People say, "Well you finished 14 books." And that's because I had the help of others to make me finish those.  I got a 4.0 in high school. That wasn't my personality. I went to every class in college, never blew off classes. My personality is the kind that should blow off classes that don't matter. But I was so afraid of failing and disappointing my parents and teachers that I did anything they asked. That was not natural; that was fear-based. Can we use fear as useful fuel? "You can use it in the short term, but if you're doing it in your life, no." "We should celebrate what other people are better than we are at things. We should literally celebrate what we suck at." If we have two kids and one's creative and the other's disciplined, we tell the creative one to be more disciplined and the disciplined one to be more creative. No. We have to say, understanding that you're not creative is good for you. That's not who you're meant to be. The hardest thing about being a parent is constantly asking yourself, "Am I pushing them too hard or not enough?" The hardest question you ask yourself as a parent is, "Am I pushing my kids too hard or not hard enough?" This question also applies to yourself.  In Working Genius, should I work on my working frustrations? The short answer is no.  Working Genius is all about knowing what you love to do. Enablement and Tenacity are my working frustrations, and so many of those things fall into parenting. I'd say to my wife, "Hey, Laura, let's outsource some of these things." Out of fear and guilt, she said no because she felt like she'd be a bad mother. Outsource the work you don't enjoy, and when you have to do it, try your best and don't feel guilty with the result. The electrical company turned off our power for not paying the bill. We need to accept our deficiencies and need to be able to laugh at the things we're not good at.  Ryan's Learning Leader Team: When your whole team has Tenacity as their working genius, your team loves to finish things. You will never be flaky. You might stick to something that needs to be changed way before it needs to be. In my company, we're always up for a change in plans, but not great at following through. If your team doesn't have Wonder and Invention, force yourself to borrow from others outside the organization to get new ideas. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Vulnerability-based trust changes everything in teams. Eric Spoelstra uses Five Dysfunctions with the Miami Heat. He started when they acquired LeBron James. He said, "I don't know what offense we're gonna run this year, but I know we're gonna use the Five Dysfunctions." I love it in basketball, especially because you see them on the court. When people can be so vulnerable that they can say it was my fault, or I need help, or I'm sorry I was kind of a jerk yesterday at practice, it changes everything. But when you have a player who doesn't admit when they made a mistake or who blames everybody else, the ceiling of that team being great is so low. Humble, Hungry, Smart has been a great tool for athletic teams. I define it: no ego, it's about the team (humble). Hungry means I go above and beyond. Smart means I have emotional intelligence. I have the team members say, "Which of those three is your lowest?" It is crazy how people will call out. The goalie said, "I'm not smart. I yell at guys on the field, and I demean them. I gotta get better." Another kid said, "I need to be hungrier. I don't do the workouts at home." Pat phrases it this way when meeting with athletic teams. "Okay, everybody, look around at your teammates and think about the thing they want to get better at. If you want to be a good teammate, when you see your teammate doing the thing he just admitted he wants to get better at, you need to call him out on it." Once people start to have that language, it's amazing how they're coaching each other. And if as a coach yourself, I think you should tell people, "When I was a player, this was mine." They're gonna go, hey, if the coach admits that, I'll do it too. For leaders with Enablement & Tenacity as top geniuses, how do they avoid burnout? You have to be willing to start with "I am prone to burnout if you guys aren't aware of what's going on." The people with enablement and tenacity will say, "I'll just do it," and then they do. We had 12 employees and only one had Tenacity. We said we are going to kill her because every time we have to get something done, we're gonna say, "Jackie will finish." When people have enablement and tenacity, they and everybody else need to say, let's not abuse them. How do we assess a company in a short amount of time without focusing on their financials?  When I go into a company, I find out what their meetings are like. If there's no disagreement and they're not exhausted at the end of a meeting, that's a red flag. If good people are leaving an organization, that's a massive red flag. I like going around and checking interactions. Is there an intensity with people together? Or are they alone and quiet? Also, keep an eye on customer reviews. What are the customers saying? There are two extremes of humility problems: arrogance on one end, and lack of confidence on the other. I first identified humility as a problem when I saw a CEO who didn't care about his company's results, but if he went on TV and answered questions about why they didn't meet their numbers, he would make jokes and make others laugh. If he was happy from that versus getting the results they needed, that's an issue. What specific traits do leaders need to have to get hired? A leader has to simultaneously believe they are no more important than the people they lead. They also have to accept the fact that their behaviors and words ARE more important than others in the company. "The one thing the leader has to do is break the tie." This past Friday, I was in a meeting trying to deal with a strategic issue between two great people. I dropped a curse word and said, "Listen, I'm pulling the CEO card right now. I don't do it all that often, but since I am the CEO, this is where we're going." Because I don't pull it every time, people are glad to have a CEO that will do that. If you're doing it every time, you lose credibility. Advice for young professionals: I wrote a book called The Motive, and what I say to leaders when they're young is: make sure your motive for being a leader is about sacrificing and suffering for others. "I want to help this organization, or I want to be the kind of person that takes on more than others for their good." Leadership is a lonely and selfless thing. It's wonderful, but the personal economics of leadership are not good. If you don't sign up for that, don't be a leader. Too many people say, I want to be a leader. And if you really scratch below the surface, they'll say, I think it would make me feel important, I'd get attention, maybe I'd make money, I'd have power. When that's your motive for being a leader, you're not gonna be a great leader. Reflection Questions Pat says people who were perfect students (straight A's, valedictorian, student body president) often have childhood wounds driving them. What in your past might be driving your current achievements? Are you operating from freedom and passion, or from fear and the need to prove yourself? He teaches his kids' sports teams to identify which of Humble, Hungry, or Smart is their lowest, then hold each other accountable when they see teammates struggling with that area. What would you identify as your lowest, and who in your life could you invite to call you out when you're not living up to it? Pat says the motive for leadership should be "sacrificing and suffering for others," not feeling important or controlling what you work on. If you're honest about why you want to lead (or why you currently lead), what's really driving you? Would people who report to you say you're other-motivated or personally motivated?

John's monologue this time is about the competition groups for the FIFA world cup having a ceremony that involved bestowing a brand-new Peace Prize to Donald Trump. Then, he welcomes back Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who is the Senior Minister for Public Theology and Transformation at Middle Church in New York City's East Village. She is a womanist whose preaching, teaching, speaking, writing, and activism are aimed at racial equality, gun control, economic justice, and equal rights for all sexual orientations and genders. And then, TV's Frank Conniff jokes with John and listeners about the latest news and Trump's twisted trickery.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the show: Ineos has a brand new kit (which hasn't put off new signings), Premier Tech's phone has been blowing up, and cycling on TV could be getting all mixed up once again. If you are a member and you want to get the Member Feed on Spotify (new!), you can follow these instructions.

Valenti and Rico discuss the growing issues with college football and the influence the TV networks have over the sport.

In part one of Red Eye Radio with Gary McNamara and Eric Harley, Gary reflects on his days spent watching wholesome TV like "The Walton's" and "Little House on the Prairie". Jumping into the news, reports are in that the classic holiday movie "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is under new scrutiny of improper characterization, the controversy of lies behind the bombing of Venezuelan drug boats, Rosie O'Donnell's "Trump Deranged Syndrome" and music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". For more talk on the issues that matter to you, listen on radio stations across America Monday-Friday 12am-5am CT (1am-6am ET and 10pm-3am PT), download the RED EYE RADIO SHOW app, asking your smart speaker, or listening at RedEyeRadioShow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask David Why do I obsess? Why do I have to be perfect? How can I share my feelings without oversharing? The answers to today's questions are brief and were written prior to the show. Listen to the podcast for a more in-depth discussion of each question. Here are the questions for today's podcast. Zhang asks: I have intrusive daydreams and obsess about getting things perfect? What's causing this? And what can I do? Yevhen asks: How can I use "I Feel" Statements without oversharing? But first, we start today's podcast with a comment from Susan, one of our podcast fans. She extends our discussion of whether friendship is more of a human "need" or a human "want." She describes her work with Dr. Daniel Herman, a Level 4 certified TEAM CBT therapist. Hi Rhonda, Matt, and David, First, I wanted to say I am so glad sweet Rhonda is feeling better. This is wonderful news! I have been a fan of Dr. Burns books for 10+ years and of the podcast for 3 years. I just finished listening to podcast #469 on friendship and felt compelled to share my story as it relates to Team CBT. Three years ago, my 23 year-old son entered a 90 day inpatient rehabilitation center for a marijuana addiction followed by 1 1/2 years in a sober living facility. Six months into his recovery, I reached out to Dr. Daniel Hermann, a Team CBT level 4 therapist. At that time, my son's progress had been steady yet I was still suffering greatly. One of many thoughts that contributed to my suffering was that my friends couldn't understand what I was going through. Although I have been fortunate to have had many wonderful friendships for 30+ years, Although I was open with my friends about my struggles, I generally didn't feel they understood what I was going through and I felt isolated. Fortunately, Dr. Herman did not try to convince me that I "needed" these friendships or to be understood to "get through" this difficult time. Instead, he helped me to look at the situation realistically, without distortions. My positive reframe regarding my friends was "I wish I could have felt closer to my friends during this difficult time. However, there are many ways in which I have supported myself and I have found other outside sources of comfort also." I made a very detailed list of the myriad of ways I had supported myself which brought me great comfort and empowerment. I was able to accept that I wasn't feeling as close to my friends as I would have liked, without blaming them or myself. I also let go of my belief that my friends "should" have been able to empathize better with what I was going through. I learned that although I truly value these friendships, if I expect them to mean everything to me in every situation, I will be setting myself up for a lot of suffering. I am so happy that sweet Rhonda had those strong friendships to help her during such a dark time. She is very fortunate! Since Rhonda had a change of heart during the podcast, the following comments are based on her beliefs at the beginning of the podcast: that the support of her friends is a need and that she could not have "gotten through" her treatments without it. Did Rhonda mean that she would have not sought cancer treatment, the treatments would have been ineffective, or that she would have ended her life without the support of her friends? Would she have told a client of hers in a similar situation that she needed to focus all her time and effort on developing meaningful friendships rather than treating her cancer because friendship was the true need? Obviously, I don't believe she would have and am glad that she had a change of heart regarding this belief. Thank you all for your wonderful podcasts! Susan The point I was trying to make is that Dr. Hermann himself did not appear to believe in these self-defeating beliefs, contrary to public opinion. This was essential to me coming to the same conclusions. (To be clear, he NEVER told me what to believe lol. I was paying him but I did all the work! Frustrating at times but coming to my own conclusions was the only way to internalize these messages.) Zhang asks: I have intrusive daydreams and obsess about getting things perfect? What's causing this? And what can I do? Dear Dr. Burns, Thank you so much for your kind and prompt reply. I truly appreciate you taking the time to direct me to the additional resources on your website—I have found them and am already finding them very helpful. Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in responding. The beginning of the new semester has kept me quite occupied, and I have only now found a moment to write to you properly. I am writing to you again because I have been struggling with some persistent challenges and was hoping I might ask for your guidance. Lately, I often find myself distracted by vivid, intrusive daydreams—I create elaborate imaginary stories or visualize worst-case scenarios, such as natural disasters. In addition, I have developed what feels like an obsessive need to keep my books in perfect condition. Even minor wear causes me significant anxiety, and I find it difficult to stop thinking about it if I cannot repair the damage. These thoughts and behaviors are beginning to affect my daily life, and I was wondering if you might have any advice or suggested resources that could help me better understand and manage them. Thank you once again for your generosity and support. Your work has already made a profound difference in my life. Warm regards, Zhang  David's response Thanks, Zhang. There are many methods and ideas in When Panic Attacks, my book on anxiety. In particular, the Hidden Emotion Technique might interest you. If you are in the US, there is a class on it in the Feeling Great app, which is free until the end of September, so move fast. Also, I would like to include this as an Ask David, if that's okay. Can use your first name, or a fake name. Best, david   Yevhen asks: How can I use "I Feel" Statements without oversharing? Hello Dr. Burns, Rhonda, and Matt, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the remarkable work you're doing in the field of TEAM-CBT. Your books and your voice of reason have been an immense help to me in some of the most difficult times. Dr Burns, I always feel amazed hearing your wisdom and patience each time you explain the concepts. Even those concepts that were explained before. Additionally, thank you Dr Burns, Rhonda and Matt, for the exceptional Feeling Good podcast you host. Each new episode is a highlight of my week and nearly always offers profound insight and encouragement. On a lighter note, I sometimes play your podcast at night when I have trouble sleeping. It really helps me drift off within 20-30 minutes

Our panel of NFL Experts Sia Nejad, Mike McClure, and Danny Brasco break down all the Props and Bets for Monday Night Football's Eagles vs. Chargers game!

Sia Nejad is joined by SportsLine experts PropStarz, Will Brinson, Mike McClure, and Mike Barner as they give out their BEST BETS for the Eagles vs Chargers Monday Night NFL Football, NBA Props, and MORE! (0:00) Intro  (2:40) Should We Change the College Football Playoffs? (6:45) Mike's MNF Bet (8:42) Propstarz MNF Prop (15:51) Mikey B's NBA Prop (17:37) Sia's MNF Negative Correlation Parlay (18:55) Will's MNF Picks (23:10) MNF Bonus Picks and Props (32:12) 1st TD Scorer Picks (42:05) Recap

What does it really take to build a multi-six-figure author business with no advertising? Is running your own warehouse really necessary for direct sales success — or is there a simpler path using print-on-demand that works just as well? In this conversation, Sacha Black and I compare our very different approaches to selling direct, from print on demand to pallets of books, and explore why the right model depends entirely on who you are and what your goals are for your author business. In the intro, Memoir Examples and interviews [Reedsy, The Creative Penn memoir tips]; Written Word Media annual indie author survey results; Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition; Business for Authors webinars; Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant; Camino Portuguese Coastal on My Camino Podcast; Creating while Caring Community with Donn King; The Buried and the Drowned by J.F. Penn Today's show is sponsored by Bookfunnel, the essential tool for your author business. Whether it's delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out ebooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. Check it out at bookfunnel.com/thecreativepenn This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Sacha Black is the author of YA and non-fiction for authors and previously hosted The Rebel Author Podcast. As Ruby Roe, she is a multi-six-figure author of sapphic romantasy. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights, and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Two models for selling direct: print on demand vs running your own warehouse. Plus, check out Sacha's solo Rebel Author episode about the details of the warehouse. Cashflow management Kickstarter lessons: pre-launch followers, fulfillment time, and realistic timelines How Sacha built a multi-six-figure business through TikTok with zero ad spend Matching your business model to your personality and skill set Building resilience: staff salaries, SOPs, and planning for when things change You can find Ruby at RubyRoe.co.uk and on TikTok @rubyroeauthor and on Instagram @sachablackauthor Transcript of the interview Joanna: Sacha Black is the author of YA and nonfiction for authors, and previously hosted the Rebel Author podcast. As Ruby Roe, she is a multi-six-figure author of sapphic romance. So welcome back to the show, Sacha. Sacha: Hello. Thank you for having me. It's always a pleasure to be here. Joanna: I'm excited to talk to you today. Now, just for context, for everybody listening, Sacha has a solo episode on her Rebel Author podcast, last week as we record this, which goes into specific lessons around the warehouse in more detail, including financials. So we are going to come at this from a slightly different angle in our discussion today, which is really about two different ways of doing selling direct. I want us to start though, Sacha, in case people don't know your background, in case they've missed out. Can you just give us a quick recap of your indie author journey, because you haven't just come out of nowhere and jumped into this business and done incredibly well? Sacha's Indie Author Journey Sacha: No, I really haven't. Okay. So 2013, I started writing. So 12 years ago I started writing with the intention to publish, because I was writing before, but not with the intention. 2017 I first self-published and then two years after that, in 2019, I quit the day job. But let me be clear, it wasn't because I was rolling in self-published royalties or commissions or whatever you want to call them. I was barely scraping by. And so those are what I like to call my hustle years because I mean, I still hustle, but it was a different kind. It was grind and hustle. So I did a lot of freelance work. I did a lot of VA work for other authors. I did speaking, I was podcasting, teaching courses, and so on and so forth. 2022, in the summer, I made a realisation that I'd created another job for myself rather than a business that I wanted to grow and thrive in and was loving life and all of that stuff. And so I took a huge risk and I slowed down everything, and I do mean everything. I slowed down the speaking, I slowed down the courses, I slowed down the nonfiction, and — I poured everything into writing what became the first Ruby Roe book. I published that in February 2023. In August/September 2023, I stopped all freelance work. And to be clear, at that point, I also wasn't entirely sure if I was going to be able to pay my bills with Ruby, but I could see that she had the potential there and I was making enough to scrape by. And there's nothing if not a little bit of pressure to make you work hard. So that is when I stopped the freelance. And then in November 2023, so two months later, I started TikTok in earnest. And then a month after that, December the eighth, I went viral. And then what's relevant to this is that two days after that, on December the 10th, I had whipped up my minimum viable Shopify, and that went live. Then roll on, I did more of the same, published more Ruby Roe books. I made a big change to my Shopify. So at that point it was still print on demand Shopify, and then February 2025, I took control and took the reins and rented a warehouse and started fulfilling distribution myself. The Ten-Year Overnight Success Joanna: So great. So really good for people to realise that 2013, you started writing with the intention, like, seriously, I want this to be what I do. And it was 2019 when you quit the day job, but really it was 2023 when you actually started making decent money, right? Sacha: Almost like we all need 10 years. Joanna: Yeah. I mean, it definitely takes time. So I wanted just to set that scene there. And also that you did at least a year of print on demand Shopify before getting your own warehouse. Sacha: Yeah, maybe 14 months. Joanna: Yeah, 14 months. Okay. So we are going to revisit some of these, but I also just want as context, what was your day job so people know? Sacha: So I was a project manager in a local government, quite corporate, quite conservative place. And I played the villain. It was great. I would helicopter into departments and fix them up and look at processes that were failing and restructure things and bring in new software and bits and bobs like that. The Importance of Business Skills Joanna: Yeah. So I think that's important too, because your job was fixing things and looking at processes, and I feel like that is a lot of what you've done and we'll revisit that. Sacha: How did I not realise that?! Joanna: I thought you did know that. No. Well, oh my goodness. And let's just put my business background in context. I'm sure most people have heard it before, but I was an IT consultant for about 13 years, but much of my job was going into businesses and doing process mapping and then doing software to fix that. And also I worked, I'm not an accountant, but I worked in financial accounting departments. So I think this is really important context for people to realise that learning the craft is one thing, but learning business is a completely different game, right? Sacha: Oh, it is. I have learnt — it's wild because I always feel like there's no way you can learn more than in your first year of publishing because everything is brand new. But I genuinely feel like this past 18 months I have learnt as much, if not more, because of the business, because of money, because of all of the other legal regulation type changes in the last 18 months. It's just been exhausting in terms of learning. It's great, but also it is a lot to learn. There is just so much to business. Joanna's Attempts to Talk Sacha Out of the Warehouse Joanna: So that's one thing. Now, I also want to say for context, when you decided to start a warehouse, how much effort did I put into trying to persuade you not to do this? Sacha: Oh my goodness, me. I mean a lot. There were probably two dinners, several coffees, a Zoom. It was like, don't do it. Don't do it. You got me halfway there. So for everybody listening, I went big and I was like, oh, I'm going to buy shipping containers and convert them and put them on a plot of land and all of this stuff. And Joanna very sensibly turned around and was like, hmm, why don't you rent somewhere that you can bail out of if it doesn't work? And I was like, oh yeah, that does sound like a good idea. Joanna: Try it, try it before you really commit. Okay. So let's just again take a step back because the whole point of doing this discussion for me is because you are doing really well and it is amazing what you are doing and what some other people are doing with warehouses. But I also sell direct and in the same way as you used to, which is I use Bookfunnel for ebooks and audiobooks and I use BookVault for print on demand books, and people can also use Lulu. That's another option for people. So you don't have to do direct sales in the way that you've done it. And part of the reason to do this episode was to show people that there are gradations of selling direct. Why Sell Direct? Joanna: But I wanted to go back to the basics around this. Why might people consider selling direct, even in a really simple way, for example, just ebooks from their website, or what might be reasons to sell direct rather than just sending everything to Amazon or other stores? Sacha: I think, well, first of all, it depends on what you want as a business model. For me, I have a similar background to you in that I was very vulnerable when I was in corporate because of redundancies, and so that bred a bit of control freakness inside me. And having control of my customers was really important to me. We don't get any data from Amazon or Kobo really, or anywhere, even though all of these distributors are incredible for us in our careers. We don't actually have direct access to readers, and you do with Shopify. You know everything about your reader, and that is priceless. Because once you have that data and you have delivered a product, a book, merchandise, something that that reader values and appreciates, you can then sell to them again and again and again. I have some readers who have been on my website who have spent almost four figures now. I mean, that is just — one person's done that and I have thousands of people who are coming to the website on a regular basis. So definitely that control and access to readers is a huge reason for doing it. Customising the Reader Relationship Sacha: And also I think that you can, depending on how you do this model, there are ways to do some of the things I'm going to talk about digitally as well. But for me, I really like the physical aspect of it. We are able to customise the relationship with our customers. We can give them more because we are in control of delivery. And so by that I mean we could give art prints, which lots of my readers really value. We can do — you could send those digitally if you wanted to, but we can add in extra freebies like our romance pop sockets, that makes them feel like they are part of my reader group. They're part of a community. It creates this belonging. So I think there is just so much more that you can do when you are in control of that relationship and in control of the access to it. Joanna: Yeah. And on that, I mean, one of the reasons we can do really cool print books — and again, we're going to come back to print on demand, but I use print on demand. You don't have to buy pallets of books as Sacha does. You can just do print on demand. Obviously the financials are different, but I can still do foiling and custom end papers and ribbons and all this with print on demand through BookVault custom printing and bespoke printing. The Speed of Money Joanna: But also, I think the other thing with the money — I don't know if you even remember this, because it's very different when you are selling direct — you can set up your system so you get paid like every single day, right? Or every week? Sacha: Yes. Joanna: So the money is faster because with Amazon, with any of these other systems, it can take 30, 60, 90 days for the money to get to you. So faster money, you are in more control of the money. And you can also do a lot more things like bundling and like you mentioned, much higher value that you could offer, but you can also make higher income. Average order value per customer because you have so many things, right? So that speed of money is very different. Sacha: It is, but it's also very dangerous. I know we might talk about cashflow more later, but— Joanna: Let's talk about it now. Managing Cashflow With Multiple Bank Accounts Sacha: Okay, cool. So one of the things that I think is the most valuable thing that I've ever done is, someone who is really clever told me that you're allowed more than one business account. Joanna: Just to be clear, bank accounts? Sacha: Yes, sorry. Yeah. Bank accounts. And one of my banks in particular enables you to have mini banks inside it, mini pots they call it. And what I do with pre-orders is I treat it a bit like Amazon. So that money will come in — you know, I do get paid daily pretty much — but I then siphon it off every week into a pot. So let's just say I've got one book on pre-order. Every week the team tells me how much we've got in pre-orders for that one product and all the shipping money, and I put it into an account and I leave it there. And I do not touch it unless it is to pay for the print run of that book or to pay for the shipping. Because one of the benefits of coming direct to me is that I promise to ship all pre-orders early, so we have to pay the shipping costs before necessarily Amazon might pay for its shipping costs because they only release on the actual release day. But that has enabled me to have a little savings scheme, but also guarantee that I can pay for the print run in advance because I haven't accidentally spent that money on something else or invested it. I've kept it aside and it also helps you track numbers as well, so you know how well that pre-order is doing financially. Understanding Cashflow as an Author Joanna: Yeah. And this cashflow, if people don't really know it, is the difference between when money comes in and when it goes out. So another example, common to many authors, is paying for advertising. So for example, if you run some ads one month, you're going to have to pay, let's say Facebook or BookBub or whoever, that month. You might not get the money from the sale of those books if it's from a store until two months later. In that case, the cash flows the other way. The money is sitting with the store, sitting on Amazon until they pay you later. This idea of cashflow is so important for authors to think about. Another, I guess even more basic example is you are writing your first book and you pay for an editor. Money goes out of your bank account and then hopefully you're going to sell some books, but that might take, let's say six months, and then some money will come back into your bank account. I think this understanding cashflow is so important at a small level because as it gets bigger and bigger — and you are doing these very big print runs now, aren't you? Talk a bit about that. The Risks of Print Runs Sacha: Yeah. So one of the things I was going to say, one of the benefits of your sell direct model is that you don't have to deal with mistakes like this one. So in my recent book, Architecti, that we launched at the end of September, we did a print run of a thousand books, maybe about 3,000 pounds, something like that, 2,000 pounds. And basically we ended up selling all thousand and more. So the pre-orders breached a thousand and we didn't have enough books. But what made that worse is that 20% of the books that arrived were damaged because there had been massive rain. So we then had to do a second print run, which is bad for two reasons. The first reason is that one, that space, two, the time it's going to take to get to you — it's not instant, it's not printed on demand. But also three, I then had to spend the same amount of money again. And actually if we had ordered 2,000 originally, we would've saved a bit more money on it per book. So you don't — if you are doing selling direct with a print on demand model, the number of pre-orders you get is irrelevant because they'll just keep printing, and you just get charged per copy. So there are benefits and disadvantages to doing it each way. Obviously, I'm getting a cheaper price per copy printed, but not if I mess up the order numbers. Is Running a Warehouse Just Another Job? Joanna: So I'm going to come back on something you said earlier, which was in 2022 you said, “I realised I made a job for myself.” Sacha: Yeah. Joanna: And I mean, I've been to your store. You obviously have people to help you. But one of my reservations about this kind of model is that even if you have people to help you, taking on physical book — even though you are not printing them yourself, you're still shipping them all and you're signing them all. And to me it feels like a job. So maybe talk about why you have continued — you have pretty much decided to continue with your warehouse. So why is this not a job? What makes this fun for you? The Joy of Physical Product Creation Sacha: I wish that listeners could see my face because I'm literally glittering. I love it. I literally love it. I love us being able to create cool and wacky things. We can make a decision and we can create that physical product really quickly. We can do all of these quirky things. We can experiment. We can do book boxes. So first of all, it's the creativity in the physical product creation. I had no idea how much I love physical product creation, but there is something extremely satisfying about us coming up with an idea that's so integrated in the book. So for example, one of my characters uses, has a coin, a yes/no coin. She's an assassin and she flips it to decide whether or not she's going to assassinate somebody. We've actually designed and had that coin made, and it's my favourite item in the warehouse. It's such a small little thing, but I love it. And so there is a lot of joy that I derive from us being able to create these items. Sending Book Mail and Building Community Sacha: I think the second thing is I really love book mail. There is no better gift somebody can give me than a book. And so I do get a lot of satisfaction from knowing we're sending out lots and lots of book presents to people and we get to add more to it. So some of the promises that we make are: I sign every book and we give gifts. We have character art and, like I've mentioned before, pop sockets and all these kinds of things. And I get tagged daily in unboxings and stories and things like this where people are like, oh my gosh, I didn't realise I was going to get this, this, and this. And I just — it's like crack to me. I get high off of it. So I can't — this is not for everybody. This is a logistical nightmare. There are so many problems inherent in this business model. I love it. Discovering a Love of Team Building Sacha: And I think the other thing, which is very much not for a lot of authors — I did not realise that I actually really like having a team. And that has been a recent realisation. I really was told that I'm not a team player when I was in corporate, that I work alone, all of this nonsense. And I believed that and taken it on. But finding the right team, the right people who love the jobs that they do inside your business and they're all as passionate as you, is just life changing. And so that also helps me continue because I have a really great team. Joanna: I do have to ask you, what is a pop socket? Sacha: It's a little round disc that has a mechanism that you can pull out and then you — and it has a sticky command strip back and you can pop it on the back of your phone or on the back of a Kindle and it helps you to hold it. I don't know how else to describe it. It just helps you to hold the device easier. Joanna: Okay. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was confused. I'm like, why are you doing electrical socket products? Know What Kind of Person You Are Joanna: But I think this actually does demonstrate another point, and I hope people listening — I hope you can sort of — why we are doing this partly is to help you figure out what kind of person you are as well. Because I can't think of anything worse than having lots of little boxes! And I've been in Sacha's thing and there's all these little stickers and there's lots of boxes of little things that they put in people's packages, which make people happy. And I'm like, oh, I just don't like packages of things. And I mean, you geek out on packaging, don't you as well? Sacha: Oh my goodness. Yeah. One of the first things I did when we got the warehouse was I actually went to a packaging expo in Birmingham. It was like this giant conference place and I just nerded out there. It was so fun. And one of the things that I'm booked to do is an advent calendar. And that was what drove me there in the first place. I was looking for a manufacturer that could create an advent calendar for us. I have two. I'm not — I have two advent calendars this year because I love them so much. But yeah, the other thing that I was going to say to you is I often think that as adults, we can find what we're supposed to do rooted in our childhood. And I was talking the other day and someone said to me, what toy do you remember from your youth? And I was like, oh yeah. The only one that I can remember is that I had a sticker maker. I like — that makes sense. You do like stickers. And I do. Yeah. Digital Minimalism vs Physical Products Joanna: Yeah, I do. And I think this is so important because I love books. I buy a lot of books. I love books, but I also get rid of a lot of books. I know people hate this, but I will just get rid of bags and bags of books. So I value books more for what's inside them than the physical product as such. I mean, I have some big expensive, beautiful books, but mostly I want what's in them. So it's really interesting to me. And I think there's a big difference between us is just how much you like all that stuff. So if you are listening, if you are like a digital minimalist and you don't want to have stuff around your house, you definitely don't want a warehouse. You don't want all the shipping bits and bobs. You are not interested in all that. Or even if you are, you can still do a lot of this print on demand. Then I think that's just so important, isn't it? I mean, did you look at the print on demand merch? Did you find anything you liked? The Draw of Customisation Sacha: Yeah, we did, but I think for me it was that customisation. We are now moving towards — I've just put an order in this morning for 10,000 customised boxes. We've got our own branding on them. We've got a little naughty, cheeky message when they flip up the flap. And it's little things like that that you can't — you know, we wouldn't have control over what was sent. So much of what I wanted, and some of the reasons for me doing it, is that I wanted to be able to sign the books. I was being asked on a daily basis if people could buy signed books from me, and it was driving me bonkers not being able to say yes. But also being able to send a website mailing list sign-up in the box, or being able to give them a discount in the box. I mean, I know you do that, but yeah, there was just a lot more customisation and things that we could do if we were controlling the shipping. Also, I wanted to pack the boxes, the books better. So we wanted to be able to bubble wrap things or we wanted to be able to waterproof things because we had various different issues with deliveries and so we wanted a bit more control over that. So yeah, there were just so many reasons for us to do it. Print on Demand Is Still Fantastic Sacha: Look, don't get me wrong, if I suddenly wanted to go off travelling for a year, then maybe I would shut down the warehouse and go back to print on demand. I think print on demand is fantastic. I did it for 14 months before I decided to open a warehouse. It is the foundation of most authors' models. So it's fantastic. I just want to do more. Joanna: Yeah. You want to do more of it. Life Stage Matters Joanna: We should also, I also wanted to mention your life stage. Because when we did talk about it, your son is just going to secondary school, so we knew that you would be in the same area, right? Sacha: Yeah. Joanna: Because I said to you, you can't just do this and — well, you can, you could ditch it all. But the better decision is to do this for a certain number of years. If you're going to do it, it needs time, right? So you are at that point in your life. Sacha: Yeah, absolutely. We — I mean, we are going to move house, I think, but not that far away. We'll still be in reachable distance of the warehouse. And yeah, the staying power is so important because it's also about raising awareness. You have to train readers to come to you. You have to show them why it's beneficial for them to order directly from you. Growing the Business Year Over Year Sacha: And then you also have to be able to iterate and add more products. Like you were talking earlier about increasing that average order value. And that does come from having more products, but more products does create other issues like space, which may or may not be suffering issues with now. But yeah, so for example, 2024, which was the first real year, I did about 73 and a half thousand British pounds. And then this year, where — as we record this, it's actually the 1st of December — and I'm on 232,000. So from year one to year two, it's a huge difference. And that I do think is about the number of products and the number of things that we have on there. Joanna: And the number of customers. I guess you've also grown your customer base as well. And one of the rules, I guess, in inverted commas, of publishing is that the money is in the backlist. And every time you add to your backlist and every launch, you are selling a lot more of your backlist as well. So I think as time goes on, yeah, you get more books. Kickstarter as an Alternative Joanna: But let's also talk about Kickstarter because I do signed books for my Kickstarters and to me the Kickstarter is like a short-term ability to do the things you are doing regularly. So for example, if you want to do book boxes, you could just do them for a Kickstarter. You don't have to run a warehouse and do it every single day. For example, your last Kickstarter for Ruby Roe made around 150,000 US dollars, which is amazing. Like really fantastic. So just maybe talk about that, any lessons from the Kickstarter specifically, because I feel like most people, for most people listening, they are far more likely to do a Kickstarter than they are to start a warehouse. Pre-Launch Followers Are Critical Sacha: Yeah, so the first thing is even before you start your Kickstarter, the pre-launch follow accounts are critical. So a lot of people think — well, I guess there's a lot of loud noise about all these big numbers about how much people can make on Kickstarter, but actually a lot of it is driven by you, the author, pushing your audience to Kickstarter. So we actually have a formula now. Somebody more intelligent gave this to me, but essentially, based on my own personal campaign data — so this wouldn't necessarily be the same for other people — but based on my campaign data, each pre-launch follower is worth 75 pounds. And then we add on seven grand, for example. So on campaign three, which was the most recent one, I had 1,501 pre-launch followers. And when you times that by 75 and you add on seven grand, it makes more or less exactly what we made on the campaign. And the same formula can be applied to the others. So you need more pre-launch followers than you think you do. And lots of people don't put enough impetus on the marketing beforehand. Almost all of our Kickstarter marketing is beforehand because we drive so many people to that follow button. Early Bird Pricing and Fulfillment Time Sacha: And then the other thing that we do is that we do early bird pricing. So we get the majority of our income on a campaign on day one. I think it was something wild, like 80% this time was on day one, so that's really important. The second thing is it takes so, so very much longer than you think it does to fulfil a campaign, and you must factor in that cost. Because if it's not you fulfilling, you are paying somebody else to fulfil it. And if it is you fulfilling it, you must account for your own time in the pricing of your campaign. And the other thing is that the amount of time it takes to fulfil is directly proportionate to the size of the campaign. That's one thing I did not even compute — the fact that we went from about 56,000 British pounds up to double that, and the time was exponentially more than double. So you do have to think about that. Overseas Printing and Timelines Sacha: The other lesson that we have learned is that overseas printing will drag your timelines out far longer than you think it does. So whatever you think it's going to take you to fulfil, add several months more onto that and put that information in your campaign. And thankfully, we are now only going to be a month delayed, whereas lots of campaigns get up to a year delayed because they don't consider that. Reinvesting Kickstarter Profits Sacha: And then the last thing I think, which was really key for us, is that if you have some profit in the Kickstarter — because not all Kickstarters are actually massively profitable because they either don't account enough for shipping or they don't account enough in the pricing. Thankfully, ours have been profitable, but we've actually reinvested that profit back into buying more stock and more merchandise, which not everybody would want to do if they don't have a warehouse. However, we are stockpiling merchandise and books so that we can do mystery boxes later on down the line. It's probably a year away, but we are buying extra of everything so that we have that in the warehouse. So yeah, depending on what you want to do with your profit, for us it was all about buying more books, basically. Offering Something Exclusive Sacha: I think the other thing to think about is what is it that you are doing that's exclusive to Kickstarter? Because you will get backers on Kickstarter who want that quirky, unique thing that they're not going to be able to get anywhere else. But what about you? Because you've done more Kickstarters than me. What do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned? Reward Tiers and Bundling Joanna: Oh, well I think all of mine together add up to the one you just did. Although I will comment on — you said something like 75 pounds per pre-launch backer. That is obviously dependent on your tiers for the rewards, so most authors won't have that amount. So my average order value, which I know is slightly different, but I don't offer things like book boxes like you have. So a lot of it will depend on the tiers. Some people will do a Kickstarter just with an ebook, just with one ebook and maybe a bundle of ebooks. So you are never going to make it up to that kind of value. So I think this is important too, is have a look at what people offer on their different levels of Kickstarter. And in fact, here's my AI tip for the day. What you can do — what I did with my Buried and the Drowned campaign recently — is I uploaded my book to ChatGPT and said, tell me, what are some ideas for the different reward tiers that I can do on Kickstarter? And it will give you some ideas for what you can do, what kind of bundles you might want to do. So I think bundling your backlist is another thing you can do as upsells, or you can just, for example, for me, when I did Blood Vintage, I did a horror bundle when it was four standalone horror books in one of the upper tiers. So I think bundling is a good way. Also upselling your backlist is a really good way to up things. And also if you do it digitally, so for ebooks and audiobooks, there's a lot less time in fulfillment. Focus on Digital Products Too Joanna: So again, yours — well, you make things hard, but also more fun according to you, because most of it's physical, right? In fact, this is one of the things you haven't done so well, really, is concentrate on the digital side of things. Is that something you are thinking about now? Sacha: Yeah, it is. I mean, we do have our books digitally on the website. So the last — I only had one series in Kindle Unlimited, and I took those out in January. But so we do have all of the digital products on the website, and the novellas that we do, we have in all formats because I narrate the audio for them. So that is something that we're looking at. And since somebody very smart told me to have upsell apps on my website, we now have a full “get the everything bundle” in physical and digital and we are now selling them as well. Surprising. Definitely not you. So yeah, we are looking at it and that's something that we could look at next year as well for advertising because I haven't really done any advertising. I think I've spent about 200 pounds in ads in the last four months or something. It's very, very low level. So that is a way to make a huge amount of profit because the cost is so low. So your return, if you're doing a 40 or 50 pound bundle of ebooks and you are spending, I don't know, four pounds in advertising to get that sale, your return on that investment is enormous for ads. So that is something that we are looking at for next year, but it just hasn't been something that we've done a huge amount of. A Multi-Six-Figure Author With No Ads Joanna: Yeah. Well, just quoting from your solo episode where you say, “I don't have any advertising costs, customers are from my mailing list, TikTok and Instagram.” Now, being as you are a multi-six-figure author with no ads, this is mostly unthinkable for many authors. And so I wonder if, maybe talk about that. How do you think you have done that and can other people potentially emulate it, or do you think it's luck? It's Not Luck, It's Skill Set Sacha: Do you know, this is okay. So I don't think it's luck. I don't believe in luck. I get quite aggressive about people flinging luck around. I know some people are huge supporters of luck. I'm like, no. Do I think anybody can do it? Do you know, I swing so hard on this. Sometimes I say yes, and sometimes I think no. And I think the brutal truth of it is that I know where my skill set lies and I lean extremely heavily into it. So what do I mean by that? TikTok and Instagram are both very visual mediums. It is video footage. It is static images. I am extremely comfortable on camera. I am an ex-theatre kid. I was on TV as a kid. I did voiceover work when I was younger. This is my wheelhouse. So acting a bit like a tit on TikTok on a video, I am very comfortable at doing that, and I think that is reflected in the results. Consistency Without Burnout Sacha: And the other part of it is because I am comfortable at doing it, I enjoy it. It makes me laugh. And therefore it feels easy. And I think because it feels easy, I can do it over and over and over again without burning out. I started posting on TikTok on November the 19th, 2023, and I have posted three times a day every day since. Every single day without stopping, and I do not feel burnt out. And I definitely feel like that is because it's easy for me because I am good at it. Reading the Algorithm Sacha: The other thing that I think goes in here is that I'm very good at reading what's working. So sorry to talk Clifton Strengths, but my number one Clifton Strength is competition. And one of the skills that has is understanding the market. We're very good at having a wide view. So not only do I read the market on Amazon or in bookstores or wherever I can, it's the same skill set but applied to the algorithm. So I am very good at dissecting viral videos and understanding what made it work, in the same way somebody that spends 20,000 pounds a month on Facebook advertising is very good at doing analytics and looking at those numbers. I am useless at that. I just can't do it. I just get complete shutdown. My brain just says no, and I'm incapable of running ads. That's why I don't do it. Not Everyone Can Do This Sacha: So can anybody do this? Maybe. If you are comfortable on camera, if you enjoy it. It's like we've got a mutual friend, Adam Beswick. We call him the QVC Book Bitch because he is a phenomenon on live videos on TikTok and Instagram and wherever he can sell. Anything on those lives. It is astonishing to watch the sales pop in as he's on these lives. I can't think of anything worse. I will do a live, but I'll be signing books and having a good old chitchat. Not like it's — like that hand selling. Another author, Willow Winters, has done like 18 in-person events this year. I literally die on the inside hearing that. But that's what works for them and that's what's helping grow their business models. So ah, honestly, no. I actually don't think anybody can do what I've done. I think if you have a similar skill set to me, then yes you can. But no, and I know that I don't want to crush anybody listening. Do you like social media? I like social media. Do you like being on camera? Then yeah, you can do it. But if you don't, then I just think it's a waste of your time. Find out what you are good at, find out where your skill set is, and then lean in very, very hard. Writing to Your Strengths and Passion Joanna: I also think, because let's be brutal, you had books before and they didn't sell like this. Sacha: Yep. Joanna: So I also think that you leaned into — yes, of course, sapphic romance is a big sub-genre, but you love it. And also it's your lived experience with the sapphic sub-genre. This is not you chasing a trend, right? I think that's important too because too many people are like, oh, well maybe this is the latest trend. And is TikTok a trend? And then try and force them together, whereas I feel like you haven't done that. Sacha: No, and actually I spoke to lots of people who were very knowledgeable on the market and they all said, don't do it. And the reason for this is that there were no adult lesbian sapphic romance books that were selling when I looked at the market and decided that this was what I wanted to write. And I was like, cool, I'm going to do it then. And rightly so, everyone was like, well, there's no evidence to suggest that this is going to make any money. You are taking a huge risk. And I was like, yeah, but I will. I knew from the outset before I even put a word to the page how I was going to market it. And I think that feeling of coming home is what I — I created a home for myself in my books and that is why it's just felt so easy to market. Lean Into What You're Good At Sacha: It's like you, with your podcasting. Nobody can get anywhere near your podcast because you are so good at it. You've got such a history. You are so natural with your podcasting that you are just unbeatable, you know? So it's a natural way for you to market it. Joanna: Many have tried, but no, you're right. It's because I like this. And what's so funny — I'm sure I've mentioned it on the show — but I did call you one day and say, okay, all right, show me how to do this TikTok thing. And you spent like two hours on the phone with me and then I basically said no. Okay. I almost tried and then I just went, no, this is definitely not for me. And I think that this has to be one of the most important things as an author. Maybe some people listening are just geeking out over packaging like you are, and maybe they're the people who might look at this potential business model. Whereas some people are like me and don't want to go anywhere near it. And then other people like you want to do video and maybe other people like me want to do audio. So yeah, it's so important to find, well, like you said, what does not work for you? What is fun for you and when are you having a good time? Because otherwise you would have a job. Like to me, it looks like a job, you having a warehouse. But to you, it's not the same as when you were grinding it out back in 2022. Packing Videos Are Peak Content Sacha: Completely. And I think if you look at my social media feeds, they are disproportionately full of packing videos, which I think tells you something. Joanna: Oh dear. I just literally — I'm just like, oh my, if I never see any more packaging, I'll be happy. Sacha: Yeah. That's good. The One Time Sacha Nearly Burnt It All Down Sacha: I have to say, there was one moment where I doubted everything. And that was at the end — but basically, in about, of really poor timing. I ended up having to fulfil every single pre-order of my latest release and hand packing about a thousand books in two weeks. And I nearly burnt it all to the ground. Joanna: Because you didn't have enough staffing, right? And your mum was sick or something? Sacha: Yeah, exactly that. And I had to do it all by myself, and I was alone in the warehouse and it was just horrendous. So never again. But hey, I learned the lessons and now I'm like, yay, let's do it again. Things Change: Building Resilience Into Your Business Joanna: Yeah. And make sure there's more staffing. Yes, I've talked a lot on this show — things change, right? Things change. And in fact, the episode that just went out today as we record this with Jennifer Probst, which she talked about hitting massive bestseller lists and doing just incredibly well, and then it just dropped off and she had to pivot and change things. And I'm not like Debbie Downer, but I do say things will change. So what are you putting in place to make sure, for example, TikTok finally does disappear or get banned, or that sapphic romance suddenly drops off a cliff? What are you doing to make sure that you can keep going in the future? Managing Cash Flow and Salaries Sacha: Yeah, so I think there's a few things. The first big one is managing cash flow and ensuring that I have three to six months' worth of staff salaries, for want of a better word, in an account. So if the worst thing happens and sales drop off — because I am responsible for other people's income now — that I'm not about to shaft a load of people. So that really helps give you that risk reassurance. Mailing Lists and Marketing Funnels Sacha: The second thing is making sure that we are cultivating our mailing lists, making sure that we are putting in infrastructure, like things like upsell apps. And, okay, so here's a ridiculous lesson that I learned in 2025: an automation sequence, an onboarding automation sequence, is not what people mean when they say you need a marketing funnel. I learned this in Vegas. A marketing funnel will sell your products to your existing readers. So when a customer signs up to your mailing list because they've purchased something, they will be tagged and then your email flow system will then send them a 5% discount on this, or “did you know you could bundle up and get blah?” So putting that kind of stuff in place will mean that we can take more advantage of the customers that we've already got. Standard Operating Procedures Sacha: It's also things like organisational knowledge. My team is big enough now that there are things in my business I don't know how to do. That's quite daunting for somebody who is a control freak. So I visited Vegas in 2025 and I sat in a session all on — this sounds so sexy — but standard operating procedures. And now I've given my team the job of creating a process instruction manual on how they do each of their tasks so that if anybody's sick, somebody else can pick it up. If somebody leaves, we've got that infrastructure in place. And even things down to things like passwords — who, if I unfortunately got hit by a car, who can access my Amazon account? Stuff like that, unfortunately. Joanna: Yeah, I know. Well, I mean, that would be tragic, wouldn't it? Sacha: But it's stuff like that. Building Longer Timelines Sacha: But then also more day-to-day things is putting in infrastructure that pulls me out. So looking more at staffing responsibilities for staffing so that I don't always have to be there, and creating longer timelines. That is probably the most important thing that we can do because we've got a book box launching next summer. And we both had the realisation — I say we, me and my operations manager — had the realisation that actually we ought to be commissioning the cover and the artwork now because of how long those processes take. So I'm a little bit shortsighted on timelines, I think. So putting a bit more rigour in what we do and when. We now have a team-wide heat map where we know when the warehouse is going to be really, really full, when staff are off, when deliveries are coming, and that's projected out a year in advance. So lots and lots of things that are changing. And then I guess also eventually we will do advertising as well. But that is a few months down the line. Personal Financial Resilience Sacha: And then on the more personal side, it's looking at things like not just how you keep the business running, but how do you keep yourself running? How do you make sure that, let's say you have a bad sales month, but you still have to pay your team? How are you going to get paid? So I, as well as having put staff salaries away, I also have my own salary. I've got a few months of my own salary put away. And then investing as well. I know, I am not a financial advisor, but I do invest money. I serve money that I pay myself. You can also do things like having investment vehicles inside your business if you want to deal with extra cash. And then I am taking advice from my accountant and my financial advisor on do I put more money into my pension — because did I say that I also have a pension? So I invest in my future as well. Or do I set up another company and have a property portfolio? Or how do I essentially make the money that is inside the business make more money rather than reinvesting it, spending it, and reinvesting it on things that don't become assets or don't become money generating? What can I do with the cash that's inside the company in order to then make it make more for the long term? Because then if you do have a down six months or worse, a down year, for example, you've got enough cash and equity inside the business to cover you during those lower months or years or weeks — or hopefully just a day. Different Business Models for Different Authors Joanna: Yes, of course. And we all hope it just carries on up and to the right, but sometimes it doesn't work that way. So it's really great that you are doing all those things. And I think what's lovely and why we started off with you giving us that potted history was it hasn't always been this way. So if you are listening to this and you are like, well, I've only got one ebook for sale on Amazon, well that might be all you ever want to do, which is fine. Or you can come to where my business model is, which is mostly even — I use print on demand, but it's mostly digital. It's mostly online. It's got no packaging that I deal with. Or you can go even further like Sacha and Adam Beswick and Willow Winters. But because that is being talked about a lot in the community, that's why we wanted to do this — to really show you that there's different people doing different things and you need to choose what's best for you. What Are You Excited About for 2026? Joanna: But just as we finish, just tell us what are you excited about for 2026? Sacha: Oh my goodness me. I am excited to iterate my craft. And this is completely not related to the warehouse, but I have gotten myself into a position where I get to play with words again. So I'm really excited for the things that I'm going to write. But also in terms of the warehouse, we've got the new packaging, so getting to see those on social media. We are also looking at things like book boxes. So we are doing a set of three book boxes and these are going to be new and bigger and better than anything that we've done before. And custom tailored. Oh, without giving too much away, but items that go inside and also the artwork. I love working with artists and commissioning different art projects. But yeah, basically more of the same, hopefully world domination. Joanna: World domination. Fantastic. So basically more creativity. Sacha: Yeah. Joanna: And also a bigger business. Because I know you are ambitious and I love that. I think it's really good for people to be ambitious. Joanna: Oh, I do have another question. Do you have more sympathy for traditional publishing at this point? Sacha: How dare you? Unfortunately, yeah. I really have learnt the hard way why traditional publishers need the timelines that they need. This latest release was probably the biggest that — so this latest release, which was called Architecting, is the reason that I did the podcast episode, because I learned so many lessons. And in particular about timelines and how tight things get, and it's just not realistic when you are doing this physical business. So that's another thing if you are listening and you are like, oh no, no, no, I like the immediacy of being able to finish, get it back from the editor and hit publish — this ain't for you, honey. This is not for you. Joanna: Yeah. No, that's fantastic. Where to Find Sacha and Ruby Roe Joanna: So where can people find you and your books online? Sacha: For the Ruby Empire, it's RubyRoe.co.uk and RubyRoeAuthor on TikTok if you'd like to see me dancing like a wally. And then Instagram, I'm back as @SachaBlackAuthor on Instagram. Joanna: Brilliant. Thanks so much for your time, Sacha. That was great. Sacha: Thank you for having me.The post Two Different Approaches To Selling Books Direct With Sacha Black And Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Join host Lynn Hoffman in this encore presentation of one of Comedy Saved Me’s most beloved episodes featuring television icon Tom Bergeron. In this insightful and hilarious conversation, the legendary host of Dancing with the Stars and America’s Funniest Home Videos opens up about how comedy became his lifeline throughout a remarkable career in entertainment. In This Episode, Tom Bergeron Shares: Tom takes listeners on a journey from his early days in local radio to becoming one of America’s most trusted and beloved TV hosts. Discover how his quick wit and comedic instincts helped him master the art of live television, navigate unexpected on-air moments, and build a career spanning decades at the top of the entertainment industry. Key Highlights Include: • Early Comedy Influences - Tom reveals the comedians and performers who shaped his comedic sensibility and inspired him to pursue entertainment • Behind-the-Scenes Stories - Exclusive anecdotes from his years hosting Dancing with the Stars, America’s Funniest Home Videos, and Hollywood Squares that have never been shared publicly • The Power of Humor in Live TV - How comedy and improvisation became essential tools for handling the unpredictable nature of live broadcasts and connecting with millions of viewers • Resilience Through Laughter - Personal stories about using comedic advice to overcome professional challenges, career transitions, and life’s difficult moments • Lessons from a Legendary Career - Hard-won wisdom about authenticity, staying grounded in Hollywood, and the healing power of making people laugh Why Listen to This Episode: Tom Bergeron’s warmth, honesty, and razor-sharp wit make this conversation essential listening for anyone who loves comedy, television history, or inspiring stories of perseverance. Lynn Hoffman’s thoughtful interview style draws out both the laughter and the deeper truths about how comedy can sustain us through life’s challenges. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Tom’s work on DWTS and AFV, a comedy enthusiast, or someone seeking inspiration about the transformative power of humor, this episode delivers heartfelt moments and genuine laughs in equal measure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode of The Professional Noticer, Andy welcomes Pat Kelly—retired Hollywood screenwriter and debut novelist behind the upcoming thriller Rifle Season, already being hailed as "the first big thriller of 2026."  Tune in to hear Pat and Andy walk through the heart-pounding premise of Rifle Season. Listen as Pat explains the authenticity behind the hunting details, the character dynamics that drive the story, the almost-missed Glock safety error caught by publicist David Brown, and why Simon & Schuster and 20th TV are already all-in on this gripping new series. Pre-order "Rifle Season: A Thriller" on Amazon — Available January 27, 2026: https://amzn.to/48mxD8D

In this week's Flagship Flashback episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast from ten years ago (12-8-2015), PWTorch editor Wade Keller and ProWrestling.net head honcho Jason Powell took calls and vent with callers once again over the decline of Monday Night Raw, the wretched final segment with Sheamus and Roman Reigns, the ridiculous USA Network commercials with Reigns and Wyatt Family, and more with a ton of caller interaction and no shortage of passionate rants.Then in the previously VIP-exclusive Aftershow, they continued their discussion on Raw including whether Roman Reigns would even be good at being a heel if he turned, plus email questions from listeners.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wade-keller-pro-wrestling-podcast--3076978/support.

We dig into the one question everyone on the Right is asking: What exactly is motivating Marjorie Taylor Greene? After her eyebrow-raising break from President Trump a move few in the America First movement saw coming, conservatives are now wondering whether this was a strategic calculation… or a career-ending mistake. Grant analyzes her entire 60 Minutes interview, the tone, the messaging, and the motives to expose what’s really going on behind the scenes. Her choice of 60 Minuets may tell us more than the entire interview. Grant breaks down every possibility.Is MTG positioning herself for a U.S. Senate run in Georgia, trying to sand off the edges to appeal to moderates?Is she attempting to rebrand herself as a more “mainstream” figure ahead of 2026?Or did she genuinely believe distancing herself from Trump would broaden her influence? Is she vying for a high profile TV gig on CNN? We also confront the tough truth: When you go back on your pledges, it looks disloyal and disloyalty makes you vulnerable. Has MTG overplayed her hand? We break it all down. https://GrantLovesGold.com www.EnergizedHealth.com/Grant www.PatriotMobile.com/Grant Https://Twc.Health/Grant Use "Grant" for 10% Off See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Caroline chats with Dominique Sachse, a three-time Emmy award-winning nominee and fellow podcaster. Ever felt like life post-50 means slowing down or how to set yourself up for success when you turn 50? Dominique shares her amazing journey from being a traffic reporter to a flourishing podcaster and social media icon after age 50.

We begin with Frank Crist presents, 'They're Fine, Just Fine,' and Amy Donaldson is back with her sports report. After that, we award the winner of Boner of the Day, and Bill tells us about his eye doctor visit. Then, Bill Frost is back with what to watch on TV, and we play a round of Beat Gina followed by some Geek News. As always, we finish out with Boner Recap and news.

Reposted from Wax Episodic, which you can find at: https://podcastica.com/podcast/wax-episodic — Alright, s#!t got real in one of the most disturbing episodes of television we've ever seen. Join Shawn and Jason as we talk it through. Mentioned: Harvard Project Implicit (tests on unconscious racial biases): https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html Next up on IT: Welcome to Derry: The season 1 finale, S1E8 “Winter Fire”! Let us know your thoughts. We'll be recording the Tuesday after the episode airs.  You can email or send a voice message to weallfloat@podcastica.com. Or join our Discord where you can leave comments and chat with hosts and other listeners: https://discord.gg/6WUMt3m3qe  Or check out our Podcastica Facebook group, where we put up comment posts for each episode, at facebook.com/groups/podcastica. Other Wax Episodic shows: We cover these other intelligent, engaging, oftentimes delightfully twisted shows: Pluribus (Apple TV): Everyone is transformed into a pleasant hive mind — except for Carol (Rhea Seehorn), the most miserable woman on the planet, who must save the world from happiness. It's sounds weird, and it is… in the best way. Showrun by the great Vince Gilligan, of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Podcast hosted by Jason and Karen! Fallout (Amazon): A crazy retro-futuristic post-apocalyptic melange of wholesomeness and depravity. One of the best looking shows on TV, funny as hell, violent AF (but in a cartoony way), and with a great cast, including Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) and Walton Goggins (The White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones). Not to be missed! Hosted by Jason, Kara, and Kasi. Alien: Earth (FX): From the brilliant Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), this one really scratches that sci-fi itch. A greedy corporate tech overlord transfers the consciousness of a group of terminally ill children into highly performant synth bodies. And the Xenomorph is in it, too. Also, Tim Olyphant! Hosted by Jason, Kara, and Randy. Check out other shows on our network at podcastica.com.  Show support and get ad-free episodes and a bunch of other cool stuff: patreon.com/jasoncabassi  Or go to buymeacoffee.com/cabassi for a one-time donation. Digging our podcast? A quick, free, and easy way to show support and help bump us up in the charts is to give us a rating or a review: On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wax-episodic-alien-earth/id1824392797 On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7sA66ySwVRIsdzBBdriEGV?si=87f36cd30cc54dc5  Or just search for “Wax Episodic” wherever you get podcasts.  Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Overthinking It Podcast, we pay tribute to Tom Stoppard and discuss one of his greatest plays, “Arcadia” (1993). Episode 909: Tom Stoppard was an English Playwright originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Joining me this episode to discuss their travel and holiday stories is the brilliant BAFTA-winning magician, comedian, and TV presenter - Stephen Mulhern. Enjoy!! Please subscribe and review. Thanks, Alan. xx ‘Life's A Beach' everyone's favourite travel podcast is here to give you all the vitamin D you need. More celebrity passengers unpack their travel suitcases dishing the dirt on their holiday high-jinks. Buckle up, sit back and enjoy the inflight entertainment!! A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@keepitlightmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices