Podcasts about observe

Pathfinder Church | September 20, 2026 | Dion GarrettLife is busier than ever, often pushing our minds and bodies to their breaking points. We know that we should find ways to recharge, but how do we do that when there's always something that needs to be done?! And when we do take precious time for ourselves, how do we make sure it's actually restorative?Website | https://pathfinderstl.orgOnline Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/givePodcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcastsFacebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstlInstagram |  https://instagram.com/pathfinderstlSt. John School | https://stjls.orgContact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com Episode 3541: Brigid Elsken Galloway describes the craving that surfaced after a painful professional rejection, years after she had quit smoking, and what she learned by examining it instead of obeying or suppressing it. She offers a short practice: observe the feeling without indulging it, ask what actually triggered it, and address the thought directly rather than pushing it away. Her argument is that an unhealthy urge is usually a signal pointing at a need that has gone unmet. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-overcome-unhealthy-cravings-when-youre-feeling-down/ Quotes to ponder: "At the heart of every craving is an unmet need." "Observe, don't indulge. Become curious about the nature of your thought." "Rather than fill that void with a negative habit or unhealthy choice, consider what it is you really lack." Optimal Health Daily is a daily health and wellness podcast where we narrate the best articles on nutrition, fitness, weight loss, and healthy habits, read to you by a professional narrator so you can improve your health a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Photography is supposed to be fun. But somewhere along the way, as we get better at it, acquire more gear, learn more techniques, and start expecting more from every photograph, some of that original excitement can fade.In this episode, Court explores how to bring some of that playfulness, curiosity, experimentation, and excitement back into photography. This isn't really an episode about taking technically better photographs. In fact, that's sort of the point. It's about enjoying the process, trying things without worrying whether they'll work, and occasionally giving yourself permission to make some genuinely bad photos along the way.From simplifying your camera kit and creating photo assignments to breaking your own habits, printing photographs, shooting with friends, and sometimes leaving the camera at home altogether, Court shares practical ways to reset your photographic brain and rediscover some of the excitement that probably got you hooked on photography in the first place.In This EpisodeSimplify your gear. Try heading out with one camera and one lens. Removing choices forces you to work a little harder creatively and spend less time managing equipment.Give yourself a very specific photo assignment. Photograph only shadows, reflections, textures, one color, things in motion, or subjects less than a foot off the ground.Limit yourself to one focal length. Even with a zoom lens, pick something like 35mm and don't touch the zoom ring.Pretend you're shooting film. Give yourself exactly 24 photographs, or tell a complete photo story using only five images.Make photographs you never intend to share. Take Instagram, portfolios, competitions, and other people's opinions completely out of the equation.Break your normal photographic habits. Photograph wildlife wide, landscapes with a telephoto, moving subjects at slow shutter speeds, or scenes at apertures you'd normally avoid.Learn one small new technique. Try focus stacking, panoramas, intentional camera movement, exposure bracketing, astrophotography, macro, or black-and-white photography.Try a completely different genre. Wildlife photographers can photograph architecture. Landscape photographers can try street photography. Travel photographers can spend an hour chasing insects and wildflowers.Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Instead of asking whether the light or weather is "good," ask what kind of photography those conditions make possible.Spend more time with fewer subjects. Pick one tree, flower, bird, landscape, or street corner and photograph it for 15 or 20 minutes. The interesting photographs often start after you've exhausted the obvious ones.Observe wildlife instead of simply collecting photographs of it. Once you've "got the shot," keep watching. Behavior, light, composition, and interactions can change quickly.Print your photographs. Even a simple 4x6, 5x7, or small collection of prints can completely change your relationship with an image.Photograph with other people. Seeing what catches another photographer's eye can reveal compositions and ideas you would have walked right past.Occasionally leave the camera at home. Experience a hike, sunset, wildlife sighting, or beautiful place without constantly evaluating it as a photograph.Remember why you started. Photography becomes a lot more interesting when you start asking "What if?" again.Mentioned in the EpisodeCourt Whelan on YouTubeSearch "Court Whelan Photography" on YouTube for photography tutorials, editing videos, techniques, and photo-travel content.https://www.youtube.com/@courtwhelanFoxPrintSmall Polaroid-style photo prints and other easy ways to turn digital photographs into something physical.https://www.foxprint.com/collections/square-printsCourt's WebsitesCheck out my photo portfolio here: shop.courtwhelan.comSign up for my photo and conservation blog at www.courtwhelan.comFollow me on YouTube (@courtwhelan) for more photography tipsView my camera kit and recommended camera gearSponsors and Promo Codes:MPB.com - Buy, Sell, or Trade Camera GearArtStorefronts.com - Mention this podcast for free photo website designBayPhoto.com - 25% off your first order (code: TWP25) ArtHelper.com - a photo community to learn, share and be inspiredArthelper.Ai - Smart tools to promo and showcase your art.LensRentals.com - WildPhoto15 for 15% off

“This man receiveth sinners.” — Luke 15:2 Observe the condescension of this fact. This Man, who towers above all other men, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners — this Man receiveth sinners. This Man, who is no other than the eternal God, before whom angels veil their faces — this Man receiveth sinners. It […]

Before We Dive InWriting and Recording this on September 10th — the day of the new moon, in the dark. I have absolutely no get-up-and-go. The aspects this week are going to pick that up. But right now: very on-brand for the dark moon that I am recording in it.A few important things before we get to a week that is genuinely significant.Venus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — I need to say something I've been sitting with. This is the seventh time I've run this class since 2017. Seven Saturn squares, seven chakras. It feels like a completion cycle, and there's a real possibility this is the last time I run it in this form. I feel immense shifts happening within me and within my work. If you have been thinking about joining, please do not wait. This one is particularly potent. I am working on the slides right now. The last time we had a Retrograde in Scorpio was 2028. That was my second class and I remember it as life changing for me and attendees. louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026What you get: seven weeks, eight calls (all recorded), a course portal with pre-work videos, slides in color and black-and-white, materials you can keep. And the class itself is not just astrology — it's a heroine's journey, guided meditations that retrieve lost parts of yourself, a regeneration journey, healing tools. We follow the myth of Persephone, Demeter, and Hades, alongside Inanna, through the Venus cycle. This is the last Scorpio Venus Star Point in our lifetimes. We start October 1st.Dragon Rider tier adds a year's membership in my Spiral Codex community (beginning after the class), a 30-minute one-on-one session with me, and a personalized gift from Otter Spirit chosen based on your chart energy.Price stays at $397. I had been considering raising it — I'm not.For other presentations please see the end of the email. The Overall EnergyWe are in the week following the Virgo New Moon, the Venus sign change, the Mercury sign change, and Uranus stationing retrograde — all of which happened on September 10th. The nodes are still parked at 29° Leo/Aquarius until October 9th. The entire Aries stellium remains retrograde: Neptune, Manwë, Saturn, Pallas Athena, Eris, and Vesta. And Chiron — who has been visiting Taurus — returns to Aries on Thursday.Venus has passed the Star Point degree of 0° Scorpio that she will return to at the Cazimi on October 23rd. She is heading into the underworld, and this week's occultation — the last Moon-Venus gate before she goes retrograde — is the pivotal moment.The Cards — A First GlanceFrom the Red Seeds Tarot by Linda Hill (Etsy, UK) and the Witch Oracle by Angie Sullins: Death (I Am Transition), Three of Torches, Seer of Torches reversed, and Lady of Perpetual Rebirth.The Death card and the Lady of Perpetual Rebirth bookending the week, with the Three of Torches (enthusiasm picking up) and the Seer reversed (not yet feeling your inner divinity, but the reminder to look) in between. Perfect for a week whose centrepiece is a Venus occultation at 2° Scorpio conjunct Haumea. More at the end.Day by DaySunday, September 13 — Moon in Libra. Air Grand Trine. Pallas Athena and Asteroid Lilith Square Off.We open the week with the Moon in Libra — balance, justice, how we relate, the scales.The Moon sextiles Jupiter in Leo. Jupiter was occulted by the Moon just last week at 15° Leo — the king hidden behind closed doors for transformation. Now the Moon, having moved all the way to Libra, reaches back with this fire-and-air sextile. A few more leaders with overblown egos will fall. It's time to rule from the heart. Jupiter will go retrograde in Leo and pass back over that territory. The transformation of what Jupiter represents is ongoing.The Moon squares Asteroid Lilith — who is being overtaken by Mars (in Cancer, moving forward) but is not finished. She is saying clearly: we are not going back. We are starting to move into the new paradigm. Things are starting to change.The Moon opposes Pallas Athena — the pattern-seer, the wise strategist, whose grey eyes see everything and nothing escapes them. We are starting to see the patterns more clearly now. And then Pallas Athena squares Asteroid Lilith directly — these two warriors in conversation. Pallas Athena with her strategy, Asteroid Lilith with her original equality: I was created from the same dirt. Equal. And it's time we worked from that. Restore balance.The Moon squares Mars in Cancer (more things falling or collapsing, the Libra Moon pressing for action and balance through cardinal signs) and then Ceres is opposed by Black Moon Lilith — the Great Mother and the shamed, hidden, elemental feminine in tension. Ceres is saying: move within. Take care of all your needs, met and unmet. Find what genuinely feeds you. Restore wholeness. And from that wholeness, you are more able to help create the new paradigm we're moving into.The Moon then makes a beautiful air grand trine to Hekate and Chariklo in Aquarius — the torchbearer and the cosmic doula, the way-shower and the grace-spinner, both in the sign of the future, the collective, the innovative. Ideas, new patterns, communication, social interaction — all of these weaving the new story. The path forward is through integration, through the Aquarian future, through humanitarianism and genuine care for each other.The Moon squares Juno (about to station direct — more on that Wednesday) and opposes Eris and Vesta — table-flipping and inner flame in tension with the scales of balance. Flip the inner tables first. And finally: Mars in Cancer trines Nessus — a water trine, leaching out the ancestral poisons, the old toxic patterns. Like bloodletting: get rid of them. They are holding us back.Mercury in Libra trines Uranus — an air trine at degrees very close to the first basket peak in July. Innovative new ideas. New thought, new inventions, aha moments. We are having collective awakenings in multiple ways simultaneously.I've been reading Nietzsche — Thus Spoke Zarathustra. His “God is dead” was not triumphalism; he meant that we, collectively, have killed the concept. And I find I'm glad we're moving away from the monotheistic, external, patriarchal God toward finding divinity within — moving away from intercessories. Which connects directly to the Hierophant reversed we had last week. The contracting is happening at every level.Monday, September 14 — The Venus Occultation. The Last Gate. The House-Raising Party.This is the day I most want to give space to.The Moon enters Scorpio and first opposes Chiron in Taurus before Chiron returns to Aries on Thursday. Scorpio digs deep; Chiron shows where the light gets in — the wounds around greed, materialism, our severed relationship with the senses and the earth. What does it mean to restore that balance? This is an ongoing excavation.The Sun in Virgo sextiles Mars in Cancer — Earth and water together, an opportunity for the guardian energy, the protective energy, the slow-and-meaningful energy to align with the Sun's call to purposeful, humble, stewardship-oriented action.And then: the Moon occults Venus.An occultation is like an eclipse — the Moon passes directly across the face of a planet, hiding it from view. We had the Jupiter occultation last week. Now Venus. And this is the last Moon-Venus conjunction (gate) before Venus goes retrograde — the last gate of this descent cycle.It happens at 2° Scorpio. Two is the number of the divine feminine: grace, cooperation, the receptive, the relational, the most powerful intuitive energy.Venus is conjunct Haumea — the Hawaiian creatrix goddess, the handle of Barbault's Basket, pure regeneration and rebirth. The Death card arrived in the cards this week. This is why.Venus is also square Pluto — death and rebirth energy, the shadow excavated for the buried treasure — and quincunx Neptune retrograde in Aries, making an aspect of adjustment: how have we lost connection with something essential in this long Martian-dominated era?That last point matters. The last Venus Star Point was at 2° Aries. This one is at 0° Scorpio. These are both Mars signs. And after this Scorpio Star Point — the last in our lifetimes — the Venus Star Point moves into Libra for over a hundred years, and then Pisces. Both Venusian signs. We are genuinely leaving a Martian era and entering a Venusian one. This occultation is a massive reset right at that threshold.The occultation runs from approximately 9:26am to 1:42pm Universal Time — check your local time equivalent, or simply look for when Moon and Venus are conjunct in your app.The Sabian symbol for 3° Scorpio (rounding up from 2°):A house-raising party in a small village. The village gathers not for entertainment but for the practical work of creating shelter. Many hands apply themselves to a single essential task, and the structure rises through coordinated effort. The image is purposeful and warm — a portrait of community focused on something that genuinely matters.The theme of this degree is collaborative intensity. The capacity to mobilize shared energy around a genuine need. The recognition that some structures require more than one person to build. There is a maturity here — in accepting support, and in offering it — so that what gets made is sturdy enough to last.Think of that in collective terms. Think of the Venus class. Think of community and what we're building together.The Omega symbol (Sandbach): A mysterious food, a small piece of which will satisfy hunger for days. Governed by the angel Rochel — lost and found, restitution. This degree possesses innate knowledge of what is needed to sustain life, versus what may be desired based on fantasies or addictive needs. There is something highly concentrated about this energy, so that what it may seem to be at first may be quite different from how it's experienced as it unfolds over time. It's hard to get to know, hard to assimilate, but any attempts to do so are well worth the effort.The Chandra symbol: Pigs being fed. Scorpio is the sign of desire. Overeating is often an attempt to fill what has been denied in other areas. At its best, this degree revels in what is taken in — love, a beautiful painting, a sunset, a bowl of mac and cheese. If not in deep and sincere touch with its true soul desires, it may binge chronically in an attempt to get something it never quite gets.This is the invitation of this occultation: what do you truly desire? What genuinely feeds your deepest needs? Not the addictive filling, not the binge seeking what it never quite gets — but the mysterious food, a small piece of which satisfies for days.I've been speaking with a friend about integrating Internal Family Systems work with astrology. The 8 C's of the Self: compassion, creativity, curiosity, confidence, courage, calm, connectedness, and clarity. And 5 P's: presence, persistence, perspective, playfulness, and patience. All of these are about coming into the Self — understanding yourself, accepting yourself, loving yourself — and from that place, bringing a completely different energy into the world. Rather than filling the hole. Rather than seeking from the outside what can only be found inside.After the occultation: the Moon conjuncts Haumea and squares Pluto. Then Venus conjuncts Haumea directly — the goddess of love meeting the goddess of regeneration at this threshold degree, in the deep water sign.We are being reborn.Tuesday, September 15 — Moon Gaining Light. Water Grand Trine. Neptune-Pluto Sextile.The Moon in Scorpio is gaining light now — we are past the new moon and entering the action phase. The Moon makes a water trine to Ceres — feeling our deepest needs, going very deep into our emotional world. Intense, but real.Venus at 3° Scorpio squares Pluto — she is moving into the underworld journey now. This is exactly what we'll track together in the class: Venus descending, confronting the shadow, finding the inner gold.A water grand trine forms: Moon in Scorpio, Asteroid Lilith in Cancer, Mars in Cancer, and Nessus in Pisces all in flowing conversation. Step into the interconnectedness. Wash away the old toxic patterns. These inherited poisons have been holding us back, and the water is dissolving them.Neptune and Pluto perfect another exact sextile — this ongoing aspect of collective transformation toward something more spiritual and interconnected. The building of something genuinely different is happening at the largest possible timescale, whether or not it's visible from inside the noise.The Moon squares Chariklo (helping write the new story) and sextiles the Sun — the first major Moon-Sun aspect since the new moon on the 10th. Earth and water. Creative energy coming from the depths.Wednesday, September 16 — Juno Stations Direct. Moon into Sagittarius. Hekate at the Crossroads.Venus is sextiled by Black Moon Lilith — the goddess of love and desire receiving support from the energy of the shamed and hidden wild feminine. Do the shame-and-vulnerability work. Brené Brown territory. What has been hidden in you? What has been shamed? That's what we're starting to surface as Venus approaches her retrograde.The Moon in Scorpio squares Hekate — so much retrograde energy in Aries, Hekate saying: we're not quite ready yet. The path forward involves the retrogrades. Venus and Mercury are both about to go retrograde through the same territory. After that, things will start to change in a big way — next year. But this is quite the process.The Moon reaches the anaretic 29° Scorpio and squares the Nodes at 11:48am Eastern — activating both eclipse points simultaneously. Purging more of the old attachments: to rules, to people, places, things, to the way things were. We cannot create the new until we've let go of a lot of the old.And then: the Moon enters Sagittarius. You may start to feel the shift — a little more get-up-and-go, a little more vision, a little more optimism. About time. The Sagittarius Moon shoots its arrows toward the future.Right after the ingress: Mercury in Libra squares Pholus — more things being revealed, the Pandora's box of our institutions still open. All the infighting globally, all the extremes — I genuinely believe we had to see all of this before we could create the new. The new is coming up underneath. It's just not visible from inside the chaos.The Sagittarius Moon opposes Sedna in Gemini (adapt or transform; communities renegotiating how they survive), trines Neptune, sextiles Pluto — the big agents of change, activated again.Juno stations direct. Her retrograde back into Capricorn has been reviewing our contracts with man-made laws, institutions, and structures — looking at what's out of balance, what needs to change. Now she starts moving back into Aquarius. New contracts. More meaningful ones. This is actually a significant shift.Thursday, September 17 — Chiron Returns to Aries. Moon Gains Light. Few Aspects.A quieter day in terms of number of aspects — but not in weight.Asteroid Lilith activates the water grand trine that has been building through the week — still washing out, still leaching the poisons, still saying we are not going back.The Moon in Sagittarius sextiles Mercury — opportunity for new ideas, new ways of thinking and communicating. The Moon is gaining light fast now.The Moon trines Saturn retrograde in Aries — what more old structures and self-limiting beliefs need to be released?And then, at 9:52pm Eastern: Chiron goes back into Aries. He'll be there until early 2027, revisiting territory he needs to complete before returning to Taurus for the longer stay.What does Chiron in Aries re-excavate? Wounds around the individual self, around identity, around who we are in ourselves. The message we received from the culture about what strength and individuality mean — rugged, power-over, domination — and the medicine of finding what genuine individual power actually looks like: coming from within, not over. We've been starting to find it. Chiron is going back to gather whatever bits need to be dug out before Taurus calls him back.Friday, September 18 — Venus Day. Ceres Squares Saturn. First Quarter Moon. Venus at the Basket Degree.Venus Day. And it delivers.Black Moon Lilith oscillates back into Sagittarius — freedom-restriction-freedom. The oscillating tension between the institutions' grip on us and the wild elemental self.Mercury in Libra squares Ceres in Cancer — what genuinely feeds us? What are our needs, and how do we take responsibility for meeting them? Not waiting for others to do it. This is the thesis of my Ceres book.Vesta and Eris meet again — devotion and focus meeting the original table-flipper. The most important place to flip the tables first is within. Those attachments to old rules, to needing someone else to tell you what to do or what to believe. You can have support. But being told what to think is different from being helped to understand.Mercury opposes Saturn — words and thoughts facing the structures and rules. The mythology of rugged individualism, manifest destiny, the hero's journey as the only journey. Write something new. Something more harmonious for everyone.Ceres squares Saturn at 13° Aries/Cancer — and this is an echo worth noting. When Ceres was discovered on January 1st, 1801, she was square Saturn in Leo — the sign of kings. I have always felt that her discovery chart encoded the eventual fall of kings and dominant leaders: Ceres, the Great Mother, at odds with the rules of the king. Now they square each other again, in cardinal signs. Ceres in Cancer: family, home, ancestors, the needs of the people. Saturn in Aries: rugged individualism, the old rules. Cardinals square: initiating something new. You may see another fall from grace around this day. The echo aspects are potent.The Sun in Virgo trines Juno at her station point — the Virgo Sun, wanting to do the right thing, in flowing conversation with our sacred contracts. More meaningful contracts are possible. This is the energy of building something sturdy.And: Venus is at 4° Scorpio — the first peak degree of Barbault's Basket. She is exactly at the degree where all four outer planets gathered in July. Venus leading the way, as always, into what's next.The day closes with the First Quarter Moon at 25° Sagittarius, squaring the Sun in Virgo. The action phase beginning in earnest. The crossroads.The Sabian symbol (26° Sagittarius): A flag-bearer in battle. This degree represents courageous dedication to principles bigger than yourself. The flag is not a tool of devastation — it's a symbol of shared values. Immutable signs with the Sun in Virgo: what is more meaningful? What is more useful? How do we create the future together around these bigger principles? Courage under pressure. Commitment to values. And the oxygen-mask wisdom: put yours on first, then put some personal wants aside for the greater good.The Omega symbol: A candle mysteriously undisturbed by wind. Sandbach titles this degree Beyond Mind. Thoughts are like wind — they push against everything and create turbulence. When you gain the power to detach from busy mind, there is an increasing steadiness that brings you closer to spiritual clarity. This degree carries a creative vision that is impervious to the agitations of inner voices.The Chandra symbol: Climbing the steps of the Pyramid of the Sun. To ascend — not by flying, but in a more substantial way, with something solid under your feet. This is about finding meaning and purpose and following the highest and clearest vision of it. Getting beyond what is shallow, superficial, and trivial can be arduous — but this meets the challenge with steadiness and purpose.Steadiness. Solid ground. A vision impervious to wind. A commitment to something bigger than yourself.That is your First Quarter Moon.Saturday, September 19 — Moon into Capricorn. Venus Receives the Moon's Grace. The Week Closes.The Moon moves into Capricorn overnight and closes the week with its early morning aspects.After the First Quarter, the Moon makes a fire trine to Chiron in Aries — just returned. Visionary, purposeful, the Sagittarius spirit meeting the medicine. What medicine do you need to create this vision? What healing is required for the steadfast purpose beginning to form?Juno has moved exactly one minute forward from her station — barely, but she's moving. New contracts are beginning.The Moon squares Eris and Vesta early — the tables are being flipped again, the inner flame is being tended. We are creating new structures. More revelations may surface today, including possibly the Epstein files re-emerging.In Capricorn, the Moon squares Neptune (retrograde in Aries) early in the morning — Neptune saying let go of the me-first attitude, the power-over energy. Create something genuinely new from here. And then the Moon makes a lovely unbroken flow trine to Venus — the Moon and Venus in earth and water, in gentle supportive conversation. All of this moving toward the retrograde. All of it connected.The Cards in DetailDeath — I Am Transition:A time of endings. Old lives, shared and beloved, are changing or gone. There may be some loss and pain this week — personally, culturally, collectively. Death and mourning is a process. Acceptance builds slowly as we lament and grieve for what was. But transformation beckons.Soon, you will start to feel the blood in your veins, and know that you are alive and have this big life journey to complete. In these extraordinary times that we are in.The Death card arrived at the same time as the Venus occultation conjunct Haumea. Regeneration, rebirth, the creatrix goddess. One cannot be separated from the other.Three of Torches (Wands) — I Am Enthusiasm:The Sagittarius energy is coming. You can feel it building from Wednesday onward — the arrow being drawn back, the vision beginning to form. The Three of Torches is that moment: enthusiasm. Grabbing it by the horns. You may feel less like lying on the mat in a quiet room — the life force returning.Seer of Torches, reversed — Reminder of Inner Radiance:Upright, the Seer of Torches is I Am Divine — the knowing that you are a divine being having a human experience, the natural inner radiance that doesn't need external validation. Reversed this week: you're probably not quite feeling this inner selfhood yet. You're not quite there yet with that inner divinity. That's okay. This is just a reminder: it's there. Look within. Notice your inner radiance, even just briefly. It hasn't gone anywhere.Lady of Perpetual Rebirth (Witch Oracle by Angie Sullins):Death comes for all of us — but this isn't a death card. It's a rebirth card.It's an invitation to clean and clear what needs to end, in order to welcome the new. What ideas or beliefs have become weighty, overwhelming, outdated? What thoughts no longer fit you? What convictions cause exhaustion or even illness when you embody them?Our Lady of Perpetual Rebirth is here to usher out the old and midwife the new.Pay special attention to your dreams. There are signs and symbols showing themselves to you right now that will indicate what wants to be loosened and released. The new vision, new awareness, new life that is circling you will also send out strong signals. Pay attention. Listen. Watch. Observe.This is the time to let go of what no longer serves.A witch can welcome death with the same enthusiasm a moth displays when flying into fire. She hurls herself towards her own endings, knowing her next beginnings live inside the fire of her passion — the heat of longing, calling her forward.Summing UpThe last Venus Gate before the retrograde — an occultation at 2° Scorpio, the divine feminine number, conjunct Haumea the regeneratrix, square Pluto, adjustment to Neptune. A house-raising party. A mysterious food that satisfies for days. Pigs being fed, or not, depending on whether they're in touch with their true soul desires.Juno stations direct. Chiron returns to Aries. Ceres and Saturn square at the echo of her discovery chart. The First Quarter Moon at the flag-bearer degree, the candle undisturbed by wind, the climbing of the pyramid with solid ground underfoot.And four cards that say: something is ending. The enthusiasm is coming back. Your inner radiance is there, even if you can't feel it yet. And the witch hurls herself toward her own endings, because she knows her next beginnings are already inside the fire.See you at the retrograde. Join me in the Heroine's Journey. You will not regret it. https://www.louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026— LouiseAtlanta Astrology Association (MAAS) — September 17th: I'm presenting on Ceres and my book. First-time attendees can come free. Email me at louise@louiseedington.com if you'd like to attend.OPA Live — September 20th: A panel of three astrologers on the Venus retrograde. A wonderful preview if you're deciding whether to join the class.London School of Astrology Chiron Weekend — October 17th–18th: On Zoom, $99 (mostly to charity), recommended by Melanie Reinhart and Brian Clarke. I'll be covering Chariklo as part of my Chiron presentation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cosmicowlastrology.substack.com/subscribe

LUA NOVA EM VIRGEMÁRIES: Trabalho, rotina e saúde entram em destaque. É hora de organizar as obrigações, cortar excessos e cuidar melhor do corpo. Pequenas mudanças na rotina podem produzir resultados importantes ao longo do ciclo.TOURO: Amor, prazer e criatividade ganham força. Um projeto pode começar a tomar forma, mas será preciso colocar a mão na massa. Menos expectativa e mais realização. Aproveite o período para produzir algo que tenha a sua marca.GÊMEOS: Casa, família e raízes entram em foco. Organize seu espaço, resolva pendências domésticas e olhe para questões do passado que ainda interferem no presente. É hora de reconstruir aquilo que dá sustentação à sua vida.CÂNCER: Comunicação, estudos e deslocamentos ficam movimentados. Converse, escreva, aprenda e circule, mas tenha cuidado com excesso de informação. Nem tudo merece sua atenção. Confira os fatos antes de acreditar ou transmitir qualquer coisa.LEÃO: Dinheiro e segurança material exigem atenção. Reveja gastos, organize as contas e perceba onde sua energia está sendo desperdiçada. O momento favorece uma relação mais realista com o dinheiro e a construção de maior estabilidade.VIRGEM: Lua Nova no seu signo abre um novo ciclo pessoal. É hora de reorganizar a vida, mudar hábitos, corrigir erros e abandonar aquilo que já não funciona. Não tente transformar tudo de uma vez. Comece pelo que é realmente essencial.LIBRA: Um período de recolhimento começa. Algumas coisas precisam terminar antes que outras possam nascer. Descanse, observe e limpe aquilo que está pesando. Nem todo afastamento representa perda. Às vezes é simplesmente preparação para um novo começo.ESCORPIÃO: Amigos, grupos e projetos futuros passam por uma seleção. Algumas pessoas podem se aproximar enquanto outras perdem espaço naturalmente. Observe quem realmente contribui para sua vida. Também é hora de transformar sonhos em planos concretos.SAGITÁRIO: A carreira ganha importância. Responsabilidades aumentam e aquilo que estava mal organizado pode exigir correção. Não espere resultados imediatos. O que você construir agora com disciplina poderá se tornar uma estrutura muito mais sólida no futuro.CAPRICÓRNIO: Estudos, viagens, conhecimento e visão de mundo entram em revisão. Questione suas certezas, pesquise e procure enxergar além daquilo que você já conhece. Este ciclo favorece aprendizado, mas exige pensamento crítico e menos ingenuidade.AQUÁRIO: Dinheiro compartilhado, dívidas, impostos, investimentos e compromissos financeiros pedem organização. Não empurre problemas com a barriga. Coloque as contas sobre a mesa e descubra exatamente onde estão suas vulnerabilidades.PEIXES: Relacionamentos e parcerias entram em avaliação. O que funciona na prática tende a se fortalecer; aquilo que existe apenas no discurso pode começar a mostrar suas fragilidades. Reciprocidade, compromisso e responsabilidade serão fundamentais.RECADO DA LUA NOVAVirgem não promete milagres. Promete trabalho.É hora de limpar, organizar, corrigir, cortar excessos e preparar a próxima colheita.O futuro não começa amanhã.Começa naquilo que você está fazendo agora.Para solicitar o seu mapa astral acesse Saimagos.com ou mande mensagem no meu celular (11) 96690 6266

Pamela Meyer is an internationally recognized expert in deception detection, social observation, and human behavior. She is the bestselling author of Lie Spotting and her new book, How to Read the Room. Pam has trained executives, organizations, government agencies, investigators, and leaders around the world to recognize behavioral signals, navigate complex interpersonal dynamics, and build trust. In this episode, she explains why observation is one of the most overlooked skills in business—and how learning to read people and understand a room can make you more effective at influencing, negotiating, and building relationships. On this episode we talk about: How Pamela turned a natural ability to read people into a career in deception detection and behavioral observation Why successful businesses solve problems people already know they have—and how timing and luck factor into success Why teams often fail socially before they fail intellectually How to read a room by pausing, observing, and paying attention to who has influence The different ways you can build influence without forcing your ideas on people How to recognize inconsistencies between someone's words, body language, and behavior Why intuition can be a valuable signal—and how to distinguish it from unsupported assumptions Top 3 Takeaways Pause before you speak. When you enter a room, resist the urge to immediately contribute. Observe who's talking, who's being listened to, who has influence, and how people are responding to one another. You can learn a tremendous amount simply by paying attention. Influence is a long-term game. You don't need to make your impact in the middle of a meeting. Build relationships, understand the chain of influence, use back channels strategically, and recognize when waiting for the right moment will be more effective than forcing an immediate outcome. Pay attention to inconsistencies. When someone's words don't match their body language, facial expressions, or timing, your intuition may be picking up on a genuine signal. Learning to identify those inconsistencies can help you make better decisions about whom to trust. Notable Quotes "Teams fail first socially before they fail intellectually." "You would be amazed at how many unbelievably talented, well-off CEOs I've worked with that cannot do it." "When you instinctively trust somebody or you're instinctively repelled by them, what you're really doing is you're seeing an inconsistency between their words, their body language, their messaging." Connect with Pamela Meyer: Website: PamelaMeyer.com Books: Lie Spotting and How to Read the Room A Word from Our Sponsors: - The most successful business owners don't do it all themselves — they delegate. Upwork lets you build a team of highly skilled specialists for every function your business needs, so you can focus on what you do best and let experts handle the rest. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! - Go to Leesa.com for 30% OFF select mattresses (through September 13, 2026) PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code TMM, exclusive for my listeners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Start Your Transformation Now  In this episode of The Jim Fortin Podcast, Jim explores the limitations people experience, focusing on the belief that life must be constantly managed, monitored, and controlled to keep it from falling apart. He explains that control is rarely the answer, and that forcing it only brings the kind of exhaustion most people are trying to escape.  Jim describes the idea of the "invisible contract,” and how it controls most entrepreneurs and professionals. He draws on his own experience, running a company with a full staff, to break down how constant control leads to catastrophic collapse. Instead, he offers listeners a different approach, dismantling the illusion piece by piece. He asks listeners what they actually control and reveals that the universe and every living thing in it has always existed without their permission.  If pedaling the bike of life has left you worn out, this episode offers a way off the bike entirely.  What You'll Discover in This Episode:  (03:29) The invisible contract — Jim names the unconscious agreement most high achievers live by. It explains that everything will fall apart if they stop managing everything.  (11:42) The hustle culture trap — Jim explains why the belief that success requires constant struggle is backwards and how it violates the “be, do, have” model.  (12:44) The cause of exhaustion — Jim explains why the effort to control life is the root of the very exhaustion people are trying to escape.  (16:19) What you actually control — Jim walks listeners through the realization that they control neither the economy, the weather, their bodily processes, nor even their own thoughts.  (22:31) The failure of mind management — Jim reveals how trying to fix "bad weather" in life validates the illusion of things being broken, and why spirituality is just ego in disguise.  (26:08) The unmanaged life experiment — Jim offers listeners a 24-hour assignment and urges them to adopt the phrase, "I am not the manager of this moment."  Listen, apply, and enjoy!  Transformational Takeaway  Exhaustion doesn't come from life being heavy. The real cause is the constant, low-grade effort to govern a life that was never yours to direct. Set down the role of middle manager for a day and see what happens. Use the day to observe your thoughts instead of reframing them. Observe the sensation instead of solving it, and let the universe do what it has always done. You are not the manager of this moment. Just be.  Let's Connect:  Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn  LIKED THE EPISODE?  If you're the kind of person who likes to help others, then share this with your friends and family. If you have found value, they will too. Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts so we can reach more people.  Listening on Spotify? Please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!  With gratitude,  Jim 

Week 2 — Your Body Is Listening to Everything — Are You?What if the tension in your neck isn't just about your neck?What if your breathing, nervous system, fascia, muscles, thoughts and emotions are all part of a much bigger conversation happening throughout your body?In Week 2 of Somatic in September, Heidi Hadley takes us beneath the surface of Australia's spectacular Great Barrier Reef to explore a powerful idea:Your body is not a collection of separate parts. It is an interconnected system.Just as a coral reef thrives through thousands of living relationships, your body relies on constant communication and adaptation.Your fascia, muscles, nervous system, breathing and sensory experiences don't operate independently. They continually influence one another.And when we stop focusing solely on individual “problem areas” and begin paying attention to the relationships between the parts, something can shift.Perhaps wellbeing isn't about achieving perfection.Perhaps it's about improving connection.

LOOK IN THE MIRROR: YOUR COMPANY REFLECTS YOUR LEADERSHIPWhen employees fail to meet expectations, it is easy to blame their attitude, ability, or lack of initiative. But when the same problems continue appearing throughout a company, leadership must be willing to ask a harder question:“Have we properly taught our people how to succeed?”In this episode of The Pest Control Marketing Domination Podcast, Casey Lewis challenges pest control owners and managers to take an honest look at their leadership, training, and accountability systems.Your employees are not mind readers. They cannot consistently meet standards that have never been clearly defined, demonstrated, practiced, and measured. Whether the problem involves answering phones, converting leads, communicating with customers, selling recurring services, earning reviews, or following up on estimates, the company will ultimately reflect what its leadership teaches—and what it tolerates.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:Why repeated employee problems are often leadership or training problemsThe difference between giving instructions and actually teachingHow unclear expectations create inconsistent performanceWhy leaders must demonstrate the behaviors they expectHow role-playing and reviewing real customer interactions improve performanceWhy accountability without coaching usually produces frustrationHow to determine whether an employee's problem involves ability, confidence, effort, attitude, or inadequate trainingWhy constantly rescuing employees prevents them from developingHow to create standards that employees can understand and followWhy you must inspect what you expectTHE TEACH LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORKT — Tell employees exactly what success looks like.E — Explain why the responsibility matters to the customer, the company, and the employee.A — Act it out by demonstrating the correct behavior and practicing realistic situations.C — Check performance using meaningful measurements and direct observation.H — Help employees improve through coaching, feedback, tools, and continued practice.THE SEVEN-DAY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGEChoose one important responsibility that your team is currently struggling with. It could be telephone sales, customer follow-up, technician communication, review requests, recurring-plan sales, punctuality, or customer retention.During the next seven days:Write down exactly what successful performance looks like.Explain the expectation and why it matters.Personally demonstrate the correct process.Let the employee practice through role-playing.Observe the employee performing the responsibility.Provide immediate, specific feedback.Measure whether performance improves.At the end of the week, ask yourself:“Did the employee fail—or did leadership fail to properly prepare the employee?”Leadership is not proven by how well you can perform every job yourself. It is demonstrated by how effectively you prepare other people to succeed—even when you are not standing beside them.Your customer experience, company culture, sales performance, and reputation all reflect the standards your leadership consistently teaches, demonstrates, measures, and reinforces.ABOUT CASEY LEWISCasey Lewis is the founder of Rhino Pest Control Marketing and the host of The Pest Control Marketing Domination Podcast. Casey helps pest control and wildlife-control companies generate more opportunities, improve sales conversion, implement CRM automation, strengthen customer follow-up, and build sustainable marketing systems.CONTACT RHINO PEST CONTROL MARKETINGWebsite: https://rhinopestcontrolmarketing.comEmail: casey@rhinopros.comPhone: (925) 464-8383Podcast: The Pest Control Marketing Domination PodcastReady to improve your marketing, follow-up, sales systems, or leadership processes? Contact Casey and the Rhino Pest Control Marketing team to start a conversation.

Ep 256 One World in a New World with Elinor StutzWhat if the experiences that nearly break us are actually invitations to discover who we came here to become?In this inspiring episode of One World in a New World, Zen Benefiel welcomes international bestselling author, speaker, sales innovator, and Nice Girls DO Get the Sale author Elinor Stutz for a remarkable conversation about intuition, resilience, relationships, storytelling, self-belief—and turning life's unexpected challenges into service.Elinor's story changed dramatically at age 55.Following two serious traffic accidents and hospitalization, she experienced what she describes as a near-death experience surrounded by brilliant golden light. Two extraordinary visions emerged: one of herself speaking before audiences and another resembling a "life report card."One side reflected what she had accomplished.The other—community service—was blank.In that moment, Elinor made a commitment that would redirect her life: if she walked out of the hospital, she would find ways to give back and empower others.She did.But perhaps even more remarkable is what followed.Elinor shares how speaking directly and confidently to her surgeon became part of what medical staff later called her miraculous recovery. She recounts an extraordinary encounter with a mysterious physician after the accident, the intuition that compelled her to leave the Ambassador Hotel shortly before Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, and the breadcrumbs that continued appearing throughout her life.Yet this conversation isn't simply about extraordinary experiences.It's about what we do with them.Elinor and Zen explore how curiosity, careful observation, listening, intuition and genuine interest in another person can transform everything from sales and leadership to friendship and everyday human connection.Her sales philosophy is remarkably simple:Stop trying to sell people and start getting to know them.Ask better questions.Listen carefully.Observe.Share stories.Discover what actually matters to the person in front of you.Elinor demonstrates that philosophy through wonderfully entertaining stories—from selling Girl Scout cookies at age ten and interviewing her way through a male-dominated corporate sales culture to turning a hostile security guard into an unexpected ally with one tiny Halloween candy bar.Behind the humor is a profound lesson:People remember how we make them feel.Perhaps relationship-building isn't a sales technique at all.Perhaps it's simply what happens when we become genuinely curious about another human being.And perhaps resilience begins the same way—by becoming curious about ourselves.Elinor's closing invitation beautifully summarizes a lifetime of experience:Believe. Become. Empower.Believe in yourself.Become the person you know you can be.Then empower others to discover the same possibility within themselves.Join us for a warm, funny, surprising and deeply human exploration of resilience, intuition, storytelling, sales, service and what becomes possible when we finally decide to live life our own way.What might change if you stopped trying to convince people—and became genuinely curious about them instead?Connect with Elinor: Elinor's Books: https://amzn.to/4ymX2t8Elinor's website: https://smoothsale.net/Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZl_29zHxehqeL89KSCWFA/join__________Coherence Engine - https://AIUniversalEngine.comA different view of reality: https://youtu.be/uhhWJhwEtX8

போக்கு வருத்து ஒழுங்குகளைப் பேணுவோம் மவ்லவி அஸ்ஹர் யூஸுஃப் ஸீலானி | Azhar Seelani 28-08-2026, Jumma Masjid An-Noor, Khobar

This week, Shaye interviews Dr. Robin Faulkner, a veterinarian with decades of beef industry experience, about fall calving systems and herd health. Faulkner outlines why fall calving can add value by spreading calf supply to better match year-round packing capacity and by producing more mature fall-born bulls, while noting location-specific challenges.   He emphasizes aligning calving with weather “thermal neutral” windows to reduce stress, disease risk, and negative fetal programming, and highlights nutrition as the key constraint for rebreeding when forage quality declines into winter. He advocates proactive, season-ahead management: forage testing, equipment readiness, calving kits, and facility preparation. On vaccines, he stresses tailoring protocols to handling and marketing constraints, using vaccination and weaning to improve marketability, and timing products to their effective protection windows, including pre-calving scour vaccines for colostrum immunity.   He discusses fall fly pressure and timing fly control to vulnerability periods, and urges responsible treatment and stewardship of insecticides, dewormers, and antibiotics to preserve efficacy.   Learn more at https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef    Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0   Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/    00:00 Fall Calving Kickoff 01:18 Meet Dr. Faulkner 03:15 Why Calve in Fall 06:06 Weather Stress Window 09:50 Nutrition and Rebreeding 12:44 Pre Calving Prep 17:35 Vaccines for Value 23:20 Vaccine Timing Matters 29:42 Fly Control Strategy 32:46 Treatment Stewardship 42:45 Observe and Adapt

We recommend listening to the teaching, From Slavery to Freedom (Freeing Your Mind) | Part 12, before listening to this episode.Afterburn: also known in the fitness world as the “afterburn effect.” Simply put, the more intense the exercise, the more oxygen your body consumes afterward. This effect could occur spiritually after Rabbi Berkson's intense weekly teachings. This Afterburn Q&A session lets your mind and soul absorb more understanding (oxygen).Afterburn | From Slavery to Freedom (Freeing Your Mind) | Part 12• We need to be reminded • Remember from where you came• It needs to be painful for there to be change• They were all traumatized!• Don't tell me you don't know what to do• Observe. Learn. Adjust.• Enjoy by doing• Look for opportunities to get extra• Never too old to be liberated • There is a battle, and you have to choose a side • A joyful, submissive expectation for a trustworthy authoritySubscribe to be notified of new content each week.Learn more about MTOI:https://mtoi.orgThe MTOI App https://mtoi.org/download-the-mtoi-appFollow MTOI:https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwide https://www.instagram.com/mtoi_worldwidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@mtoi_worldwide Contact MTOI: 

Here is the free media kit from Federal Tech Podcast  The explosion in sensors and remote devices has led to many discussions in the federal tech community.  In fact, there is a podcast called Feds at the Edge.  Today, we look at how an AI native startup can help the military make accurate and speedy decisions at the tactical edge. Our guest is Carrick Longley, the CEO of ZenithFlow.  He came to understand the problem of operating in a contested environment while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.  He begins the discussion by examining decision-making in a remote environment.  Traditionally, one may use the well-known OODA loop.  That is to say: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. This concept may have had application in earlier environments.  However, today, a warfighter may lose communication in the first few minutes in a contested environment.  They could be in a world where disinformation is present, and decisions are extremely difficult. During the interview, Longley discusses circumstances in which a warfighter may be deluged with information yet lack a way to filter the most important data.   Longley expands upon a concept called "cognitive domain." From his perspective, data is not the problem.  He states that the way we process the information makes sense. That way, we can make better decisions off that data. For Longley, speed in decision-making is accomplished by moving the human's decision earlier.  He emphasizes the importance of early detection and pre-bunking of adversarial narratives, as well as the need for synthetic audiences to test messaging effectiveness. Listen to the interview to learn how a network must be able to operate in isolation and still inform military leaders to make decisions that are rapid, accurate, and effective.

Here's what I'm testing from today's experience.Notice where your internal reality may already have changed, but your physical life is still organized around an older version of you.For a moment, don't try to fix it.Observe.What feels rigid?What wants more movement?Where are you forcing something that might respond better to flexibility?What happens if you hold yourself steady and gather information before deciding what it means?Record what you notice.

Today we are talking about something that I think we all need to know about…  How to reset your dopamine. And before you think this is going to be one of those extreme episodes where I tell you to throw your phone into the ocean, stop drinking coffee, sit in a dark room for three days and eliminate everything fun from your life… That is absolutely not what we are doing. Because dopamine isn't bad. We need dopamine. Dopamine is part of what makes us want things. Pursue things. Work toward goals. Get up and go. The problem is that we are living in an environment where we can get enormous amounts of stimulation with almost zero effort. Open Instagram. Refresh your email. Check likes. Open TikTok. Eat something hyper-palatable. Buy something. Get a notification. Watch another episode. Click another video. Check your texts. Pick up your phone because you have 17 seconds with nothing to do. We have essentially eliminated boredom. And I think we need to talk about what that is doing to us. Because I don't think most people have a motivation problem. I think some people have made normal life too boring compared to the stimulation they consume all day long.   Think about this. Working toward a goal is slow. Building a business is slow. Getting stronger is slow. Improving a relationship is slow. Reading a book is slow. Learning something difficult is slow.     But your phone can give you novelty every half second. So what happens when your brain gets accustomed to incredibly stimulating rewards that require almost no effort? The things that actually build an awesome life can start feeling painfully boring.   And THAT is what I want to change today. I've been going deep into what Andrew Huberman, Chris Williamson, Stanford addiction psychiatrist Anna Lembke, Peter Attia and Gary Brecka have discussed around dopamine, reward, pleasure, discomfort and motivation. And there is one massive theme that keeps coming up: We need to stop getting so many rewards without earning them.   We need less cheap dopamine… And more earned dopamine. More accomplishment dopamine. More anticipation. More effort. More challenge. More doing hard things and feeling awesome afterward.   So today we're going to talk about what dopamine actually does, why our modern environment can completely screw with our motivation, what people mean by a dopamine reset, and most importantly… How we actually do it. Not forever. Not perfectly. But intentionally enough that normal life starts feeling interesting again.       Because imagine waking up and actually WANTING to work on your goals. Imagine sitting in your car without immediately opening your phone. Imagine finishing a workout and letting that accomplishment be the reward instead of instantly needing another stimulus. Imagine being fully engaged in dinner. Or a conversation. Or a walk. Or your kids. Or your work. That's what we're after. Not less enjoyment. More enjoyment from the things that actually matter. FIRST… WHAT IS DOPAMINE? Dopamine isn't simply the "pleasure chemical" This is probably the biggest misunderstanding. Dopamine plays a huge role in motivation, pursuit, learning, reinforcement and determining what your brain decides is worth pursuing again. Think less "this makes me happy" and more: "Go get that again." It's a molecule heavily involved in wanting and pursuing. Huberman explains dopamine in terms of baseline and peaks You have a baseline level of dopamine. Then certain experiences generate temporary increases above that baseline. The important part is what happens afterward. A big dopamine peak can be followed by a period where dopamine activity falls below where it was previously. This is part of why something incredible can sometimes leave you feeling strangely flat afterward. The higher and more frequently we chase enormous peaks, the more ordinary activities can start losing their appeal. Think about it like contrast If you eat incredibly sweet processed foods all day… A blueberry doesn't taste very sweet. There isn't anything wrong with the blueberry. Your reference point changed. The same general concept applies here. When your environment becomes filled with intense stimulation… Quiet feels boring. Reading feels boring. Work feels boring. Walking feels boring. A normal conversation feels boring. Your life didn't necessarily become boring. Your stimulation threshold changed. WHAT I MEAN BY "CHEAP DOPAMINE" I'm going to use the phrase cheap dopamine throughout this episode even though scientifically dopamine itself isn't cheap or expensive. What I mean is: A high-reward experience requiring very little effort. Things like: Endless short-form videos Constant social media refreshing Notifications Online shopping Gambling Highly processed foods Video games for hours and hours Constant snacking Drinking Continually checking texts Refreshing email Internet rabbit holes Watching episode after episode after episode Constant novelty And here's the key… None of those things has to be inherently evil. It's the dose. The frequency. And whether you've lost control over your consumption. There's a massive difference between choosing to watch a movie on Saturday night… And being literally unable to stand in an elevator for 25 seconds without checking your phone. That's the part I want us to notice. THE WORLD HAS REMOVED THE WAITING This might be one of the biggest problems. Almost everything used to have some friction. You wanted food? You cooked it. You wanted entertainment? You waited until your show came on. You wanted to talk to your friend? You called them. Maybe they weren't home. You wanted to buy something? You drove somewhere. You wanted information? You found a book. Now? Everything is immediate. Food. Entertainment. Shopping. Attention. Validation. Communication. Information. Novelty. Almost every human desire has an app attached to it. And our brains evolved in an environment where rewards generally required work. Now we can receive reward after reward while lying horizontally on the couch. That is a massive mismatch. THE PLEASURE-PAIN SEESAW One of my favorite explanations comes from Dr. Anna Lembke. She describes pleasure and pain almost like opposite sides of a balance. When we repeatedly push hard toward pleasure… Our brain tries to restore balance. And over time, you may need more of the stimulus just to experience the same effect. This is incredibly obvious with severe addiction. But I think it's useful to recognize much milder versions in ourselves. Have you ever: Opened Instagram for five minutes and 45 minutes disappeared? Finished a show and immediately needed another episode? Finished dessert and started looking for something else sweet? Checked one notification and then somehow checked four different apps? Picked up your phone without consciously deciding to? That automatic reaching is important. You aren't necessarily choosing anymore. You're responding. And I want us to get back into choosing. WHY NOTHING FEELS EXCITING ANYMORE Sometimes people say: "I'm unmotivated." "I don't feel like working." "I can't concentrate." "I'm bored." "I don't really feel excited about anything." Obviously there can be many medical, psychological and situational reasons for those feelings. But there is another question worth asking: How much stimulation are you consuming? Because if you're exposing yourself to novelty constantly… Your brain never gets a chance to be bored enough to create. Never bored enough to think. Never bored enough to solve a problem. Never bored enough to decide what you actually want. We're treating boredom like an emergency. I actually think boredom is incredibly productive. Some of my best ideas happen when there's nothing else coming into my brain. And we are filling every single empty pocket.   DOPAMINE STACKING Huberman talks about something that I think is fascinating: stacking multiple dopamine-producing experiences together. Think about a workout. Exercise itself can be rewarding. But now we add: Pre-workout. Favorite playlist. Phone. Texts. Social media. Energy drink. Maybe stimulants. Maybe a reward meal afterward. Maybe we post the workout and check responses. We've taken one intrinsically rewarding activity and stacked reward upon reward upon reward. And his point isn't that you can never do those things. It's that you don't necessarily want every good experience in life turned up to 100 every single time. Sometimes train without the perfect playlist. Sometimes walk without the podcast. Sometimes drink the coffee without simultaneously scrolling Instagram. Sometimes eat without watching television. Separate the rewards. You don't have to eliminate pleasure. Stop supercharging every experience. LEARN TO LOVE EFFORT This might be my favorite part of the entire episode. We need to stop making the reward exclusively something that comes AFTER the work. "I'll work out and then I can have this." "I'll finish this project and then I'll reward myself." "I'll complete my work and then I'll scroll." There's nothing wrong with celebrating accomplishments. But we also want to train ourselves to associate the effort itself with something positive. Because if the entire purpose of doing something difficult is the reward waiting at the end… The work becomes something you're trying to escape. Instead: "This discomfort means I'm getting stronger." "This is hard because I'm growing." "I'm proud of myself for doing this when I don't feel like doing it." "This is what keeping promises to myself feels like." "This is who I am." That shift is huge. The workout becomes the win. Doing the work becomes the win. Keeping the promise becomes the win. USE DISCOMFORT ON PURPOSE This theme comes up across a lot of these conversations. We're living in an unbelievably comfortable world. Temperature-controlled houses. Food everywhere. Cars. Couches. Entertainment. Delivery. Escalators. Amazon. Everything is optimized to eliminate friction. But voluntary discomfort can be incredibly valuable. Exercise. Walking. Strength training. Running. Sauna. Cold exposure when appropriate and done safely. Doing something physically difficult. Getting outside when conditions aren't perfect. Taking the stairs. Having the difficult conversation. Doing the work you're avoiding. The idea isn't: "Suffering is good." The idea is: Stop organizing your entire life around avoiding discomfort. Because challenge followed by satisfaction is very different from pleasure followed by emptiness. One you earned. One you consumed. We need both fun and hard things. But modern life has heavily tilted us toward consumption. DON'T START YOUR DAY WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S DOPAMINE Here's something I think would change a lot of people's lives. Do not roll over and immediately hand your brain to your phone. Because instantly you've got: Texts. News. Instagram. Email. TikTok. Other people's emergencies. Other people's opinions. Other people's lives. Other people's accomplishments. Other people's bodies. Other people's vacations. Other people's businesses. Other people's problems. Before you've even decided what YOU want your day to look like. I would rather protect that first part of the morning. Wake up. Water. Sunlight. Walk. Workout. Journal. Think. Plan. Work. Whatever your routine is. Just don't immediately flood your brain with novelty. You should decide the direction of your day before an algorithm decides it for you. THE 2.0 DOPAMINE RESET Okay. Here is what I would actually do. Not some insane internet detox. A realistic reset. RULE #1: Identify YOUR cheap dopamine Ask yourself: What do I compulsively reach for? Not what does the internet tell me is bad. What has control over ME? Maybe yours is: Instagram. TikTok. Shopping. Sugar. Video games. News. YouTube. Email. Texting. Something else. Identify the top one or two. Don't try to become a monk overnight. RULE #2: Take a meaningful break from the biggest offender If something truly feels compulsive, consider taking a real period away from it rather than constantly trying to moderate it. Try deleting it for a week. Maybe two. Maybe 30 days. See what happens. You might be shocked by how often your hand reaches for an app that isn't there. That's valuable information. RULE #3: Stop filling every gap This is a HUGE one. We're bringing back empty space. Stand in line. Just stand there. Drive five minutes. No podcast. Walk around the block. No headphones. Sit outside. Do nothing. Take a shower without content playing. Cook dinner without a video. You are retraining yourself to tolerate a lower level of stimulation. And here's the funny thing… After a while it doesn't feel low stimulation. It feels peaceful. RULE #4: Create phone-free zones Pick places where your phone does not belong. Examples: Bedroom Dinner table Gym Family time Bathroom First hour of the morning Last hour before bed Don't rely purely on willpower. Change your environment. Leave the phone somewhere else. Make the bad habit inconvenient. RULE #5: Turn off almost every notification Notifications are someone else deciding when your attention moves. Think about that. Unless something legitimately requires immediate attention… Turn it off. RULE #6: Stop stacking everything Coffee + Instagram + television + food + texting? No. Pick one. Workout + podcast + scrolling between sets + energy drink + Instagram? Simplify it. Let an experience stand alone. Food can just be food. Coffee can just be coffee. A walk can just be a walk. A conversation can just be a conversation. RULE #7: Get your dopamine through pursuit This is the big replacement strategy. You can't just remove things. You need better things to move toward. Exercise. Building something. Learning. Working. Creating. Sports. Relationships. Adventure. Goals. Competition. Skill. Experiences. Meaningful challenges. Get obsessed with something difficult. That is completely different than being addicted to consumption. RULE #8: Do one hard thing every day I love this rule. Every day, intentionally do something that you'd rather avoid. Workout hard. Make the phone call. Send the proposal. Clean the closet. Have the conversation. Finish the project. Run the hill. Get into the cold water if that's safe for you. Walk when you'd rather sit. Do the thing you've been procrastinating. You start creating evidence: "I don't have to feel like doing something in order to do it." That is power. RULE #9: Prioritize sleep Your brain isn't operating independently of your body. If you're chronically sleep-deprived, everything becomes harder. Motivation. Impulse control. Training. Food choices. Emotional regulation. Focus. Peter Attia and Huberman both hammer sleep for a reason. If we're trying to optimize our brain while sleeping five hours… We're focusing on the wrong end of the problem. RULE #10: Morning sunlight and movement Huberman talks frequently about getting outdoor light early in the day to anchor your circadian system. I love pairing that with movement. Outside. Walk. Light. No Instagram. Let your nervous system wake up naturally. It's incredibly simple. And simple things done repeatedly tend to beat complicated hacks. THE 24-HOUR CHALLENGE Here is your challenge. For the next 24 hours: No phone for the first 30 minutes after waking. No social media until you've completed something productive. Turn off unnecessary notifications. No phone while eating. Take one walk without headphones. Do one difficult thing you've been avoiding. No double-screening. If you're watching TV, you're not also scrolling. Put your phone outside your bedroom tonight. Let yourself experience boredom. Notice every time you instinctively reach for stimulation. Don't judge yourself. Observe yourself. Because awareness is the beginning of changing anything. THEN TRY SEVEN DAYS Now let's level it up. For seven days: Reduce your biggest cheap-dopamine behavior dramatically. You don't need to eliminate all pleasure. In fact, please don't. Go to dinner. Laugh. Drink your coffee. Listen to music. Hang with friends. Enjoy your life. This isn't punishment. We're trying to reclaim our ability to enjoy NORMAL things. That's the goal. Less artificial stimulation. More real life. ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION Before you reach for something, ask: Am I choosing this, or am I escaping something? That question can completely change things. Why am I opening Instagram? Because I intentionally decided to spend 15 minutes enjoying it? Fine. Or because this task got difficult? Why am I eating this? Because I'm hungry and I want it? Fine. Or because I'm uncomfortable? Why am I drinking? Because I'm celebrating with friends? Or because I can't tolerate sitting with how I feel? Why am I checking email for the 47th time? Because I'm waiting for something important? Or because working on the project in front of me is harder? That pause between impulse and behavior… That's where your power is. CHEAP DOPAMINE VS EARNED DOPAMINE This is the easiest way I can summarize the episode. Cheap dopamine: Consume. Scroll. Click. Watch. Refresh. Snack. Buy. Escape. Earned dopamine: Build. Train. Create. Learn. Connect. Explore. Compete. Finish. Accomplish. The first category isn't evil. But if the balance of your life is overwhelmingly consumption… Don't be surprised when your motivation disappears. Shift the ratio. More creating. Less consuming. More doing. Less watching. More participating. Less observing. More real life. Less digital life. WE NEED ANTICIPATION BACK I think anticipation is disappearing. When everything is immediately available… There's nothing to look forward to. And looking forward to something is part of the fun. Plan the trip. Wait for Friday night. Save the amazing dessert for dinner. Don't buy everything the second you want it. Put the concert on the calendar. Build toward the race. Earn the reward. Delay things intentionally sometimes. The waiting isn't ruining the experience. The waiting IS part of the experience. YOUR LIFE SHOULD NOT NEED CONSTANT ENTERTAINMENT This might be the line I want you to remember. You should not need to be entertained every minute in order to enjoy your life. Your kids shouldn't either. We need boring car rides. We need afternoons with nothing scheduled. We need conversations without phones. We need walks. We need staring out the freaking window. We need thinking. We need daydreaming. We need opportunities for our brains to say: "Okay… what should we do?" Creativity often appears after the stimulation disappears. THE GOAL IS NOT LOWER DOPAMINE This is important. We're not trying to crush dopamine. We're not trying to become emotionless. We're not trying to avoid things that make us feel amazing. We're trying to protect our ability to feel amazing. That's different. We want the vacation to feel incredible. The concert. The accomplishment. The amazing dinner. The business win. The race. The adventure. The hug. The goal. The experience. We just don't need to manufacture an artificial mini-version of that feeling 800 times between breakfast and lunch. Leave some room. Let your baseline exist without constantly smashing the stimulation button.   Here's what I think is so interesting about all of this. We have designed a world where almost everything that used to require effort can now be accessed instantly. And that sounds like freedom. But if we're not careful… Convenience becomes dependence. Entertainment becomes distraction. Pleasure becomes compulsion. And access becomes addiction. The answer isn't to reject modern life. I'm certainly not giving up my phone. I'm not giving up coffee. I'm not giving up Instagram. I'm not giving up amazing food or concerts or trips or all the fun things. I want MORE life. That's actually the entire point. I don't want to spend my life looking down at a screen getting tiny rewards when there are enormous rewards available by actually participating in life. I want the dopamine from doing the workout I didn't want to do. Building the business. Taking the trip. Making the memory. Trying something new. Getting really freaking good at something. Having an amazing conversation. Being completely present with my kids. Creating something I'm proud of. Doing something hard. That's the dopamine I want more of. And maybe the simplest takeaway from this whole episode is this: Stop making pleasure so easy and effort so optional. Let yourself work for things. Let yourself wait for things. Let yourself be bored. Let yourself struggle. Let yourself anticipate. Let yourself earn some of the really good feelings. Because when we stop trying to make every moment maximally stimulating… Something really cool happens. Normal life starts becoming awesome again. And that is how to be awesome at resetting your dopamine.

What if the right story can help a child feel seen, a quiet voice feel heard, and a classroom become a place of real connection? In Episode 205 of the Adventures in Learning podcast, Dr. Diane welcomes beloved educator, librarian, author, and a magician of a book matchmaker John Schu for a conversation full of heart, hope, theater, joy walking, and the life-changing power of books.John has a remarkable gift for connecting readers with the stories they need, not just the books they will enjoy, but the books that might help them feel less alone. In this episode, he shares how his deep observation, empathy, and lifelong experience of feeling “on the outside looking in” shapes his work as a teacher, librarian, author, and champion for young readers. He also introduces the three words that guide him in every school visit: care, connect, and capacious.We talk about John's newest picture book, Lily-May's Joyful Day, a tender companion to Ruthie Rose's Big Idea. Lily-May's story celebrates the quieter children in the room, the ones whose bags may not overflow with treasures, but whose hearts are full of ideas, wonder, and possibility. Together, we explore “joy walking,” a practice of slowing down, noticing the world, opening the suitcase of your heart, and making space for creativity to arrive. John also shares the personal connection between his joyful picture books and his powerful novel in verse, Louder Than Hunger. We talk honestly about the healing power of stories, why some books become lifelines, the importance of giving children access to the books they truly need, and how joy can be part of caring for our hearts through difficult work. We also take a joyful detour into Broadway, favorite current reads, and John's upcoming book, This Is a Theater,  a love letter to everyone who helps make theater magic happen.Chapters00:00 Welcome, John Schu, America's book magician01:14 Katherine Applegate's question: How does John find the right book for the right child?02:00 Reading hearts, noticing children, and sharing stories04:19 Care, connect, and capacious: John's three C's05:48 From This Is a Story to Lily-May's Joyful Day08:01 How Louder Than Hunger shaped Ruthie Rose and Lily-May12:53 When a book becomes a lifeline17:03 Joy walking: disconnecting, noticing, and opening the suitcase of your heart18:46 Bags of Y-O-U: helping students share who they are20:05 Quiet children, big hearts, and classroom belonging20:47 Broadway, connection, and the theater we need25:55 A sneak peek at This Is a Theater27:38 Mr. Schu's current book recommendations31:47 What is bringing John hope?Why listenHear John Schu explain how he matches children with books that may help them feel recognized, connected, and understood.Discover how Lily-May's Joyful Day can support classroom community, quiet students, reflection, and joyful learning.Learn about “joy walking” and John's classroom-ready Bags of Y-O-U activity.Listen to an honest, compassionate conversation about Louder Than Hunger, healing through literature, and the books that become lifelines.Leave with a fresh stack of Mr. Schu book recommendations and a renewed reminder to share your heart.Links and resourcesJohn Schu's booksExplore and pre-order Lily-May's Joyful Day, illustrated by Holly HatamThe Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading LifeThis Is a Story This Is a SchoolRuthie Rose's Big IdeaLouder Than HungerThis Is a Theater, illustrated by Jaime KimMentioned in the episodeThe Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine WargaMax, a Little Axolotl by Joey SpiottoOrris and Timble Star Stories by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Carmen MokSchool for Woodland Creatures by Lauren CastilloAdventures in the City of Storiesby Emma OtheguyWombat Waiting by Katherine ApplegateCall to actionTake a joyful walk this week. Leave your phone behind (or put it on airplane mode) and give yourself time to notice what is around you. Bring a notebook if you can. Listen. Wander. Observe. Let your mind make room for new ideas.And if you are an educator, try John's Bag of Y-O-U invitation with your students. Ask them to decorate a small bag and place two or three items inside that tell something meaningful about who they are. Make time to listen as they share. You may discover that the quietest child in the room has the biggest story waiting to be heard.Support the showShare this episodeIf this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friendStay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! *Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

On September 5, PERWIRA, in collaboration with Le Pine Funerals in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, will provide an opportunity for the Indonesian diaspora to ask questions or discuss their preferred funeral arrangements for the future—particularly regarding the religious traditions, customs, and cultural practices typically observed back home. - Pada tanggal 5 September ini PERWIRA yang bekerjasama dengan Le Pine Funerals di Glen Waverley, Melbourne, akan membuka kesempatan bagi diaspora Indonesia untuk menanyakan atau membahas proses pemakaman yang mereka inginkan apabila tiba waktunya. Terutamanya yang menyangkut tradisi keagamaan, adat dan budaya yang biasanya diterapkan di tanah air.

Most businesspeople have no idea how low the standard of professional presenting really is. We attend the same conferences, listen to the same internal speakers and watch the same predictable corporate presentations. Because everyone around us is operating at roughly the same level, mediocre communication begins to look normal. The Japanese proverb, "The frog in the well doesn't know the ocean", perfectly captures the problem. The frog assumes its small environment represents the entire world. In the same way, businesspeople often assume the presentations they regularly see represent the highest possible standard. They don't. To become more persuasive, credible and memorable, presenters must climb out of their familiar well and explore the much larger ocean of world-class communication. Why do businesspeople accept mediocre presentations? Businesspeople accept poor presentations because mediocre speaking is usually all they have ever experienced.When the surrounding standard is low, audiences and presenters become conditioned to expect very little. Most of us were not exposed to brilliant public speakers while growing up. High-school teachers often knew their subjects but were not trained to communicate them dynamically. University professors delivered hundreds of lectures, yet many relied on dense slides, academic jargon and monotone explanations. Politicians on television often avoid direct answers and retreat into carefully tested statements designed to offend nobody. Graduation speakers frequently offer predictable stories and tired advice. The same pattern continues in business. Internal meetings are filled with data dumps, crowded PowerPoint slides and speakers reading information that the audience can already see. Eventually, the frog assumes the well is the world. Do now: Stop judging your presentation skills only against colleagues. Compare yourself with outstanding professional communicators. Why is persuasion power so important in modern business? Persuasion power is essential because audiences are overwhelmed by information and have endless opportunities to ignore us. Good information alone is no longer enough to gain attention or inspire action. Executives receive emails, instant messages, dashboards, reports, videos, podcasts and social-media content throughout the day. Hybrid work has added even more online meetings and digital distractions. When a speaker begins presenting, the audience may be physically present but mentally elsewhere. They are checking messages, thinking about their next meeting or wondering whether the presentation has any relevance to them. A giant data dump will not solve the problem. Even accurate and valuable information loses impact when it is delivered without structure, emotion or context. Effective presenters combine credible data with storytelling, examples, contrasts and clear recommendations. They explain not only what the numbers are, but why they matter and what the audience should do next. Do now: Before presenting any data, identify the decision, action or change you want that data to support. How can storytelling improve a business presentation? Storytelling makes business information easier to understand, remember and act upon. It gives facts a human context and helps the audience see why the message matters. This does not mean every executive presentation needs a dramatic Hollywood-style narrative. A useful business story can be short and practical. You might describe a customer who nearly left, a project that failed because warning signs were ignored or a team that achieved a breakthrough after changing its approach. The story creates interest, while the supporting data gives the message credibility. Japanese business presentations often emphasise accuracy, detail and risk reduction. American presentations may place more emphasis on energy, confidence and individual recommendations. European and Asia-Pacific organisations vary considerably, but every audience benefits from clarity and relevance. The strongest approach combines the disciplines: solid evidence, cultural awareness, concise structure and a relatable example. Do now: Attach one customer, employee or project example to every major recommendation you make. Where can professionals find examples of great speakers? Professionals can now study outstanding speakers more easily and cheaply than at any previous point in history.The presenting ocean is available through YouTube, TED, podcasts, business associations and professional events. Content marketing has encouraged experts to place their ideas and communication skills on public display. Potential clients can sample a consultant, trainer, author or executive before deciding whether to engage them. Search for skilled speakers in your industry, but do not limit yourself to your own field. A technology executive can learn audience engagement from an educator. A financial specialist can learn storytelling from a documentary presenter. A sales leader can study structure and timing through a well-delivered TED Talk. In Tokyo, Chambers of Commerce, professional associations, universities and organisations such as Rotary regularly host speakers. Some will be excellent. Others will provide memorable lessons in what not to do. Both types are useful. Do now: Select three outstanding speakers and study how they open, transition, use stories, emphasise key words and close. What should you study when watching a professional speaker? Do not merely watch great speakers for entertainment; analyse the techniques producing the impact. Improvement comes from deliberate observation rather than passive consumption. Start with the opening. Does the speaker begin with a question, story, surprising fact or strong statement? Notice how quickly the topic becomes relevant to the audience. Listen to the voice. Skilled speakers vary their speed, volume and tone. They pause before or after important points. They emphasise keywords instead of giving every word identical weight. Observe physical delivery. Look at eye contact, posture, facial expression and gestures. Note whether movements appear natural or rehearsed. Examine the structure. Strong speakers guide the audience from one idea to the next. They use examples to clarify abstract concepts and repeat central messages without sounding repetitive. Also study unsuccessful speakers. Ask where you lost interest and what caused the message to become confusing. Do now: Keep a presentation observation notebook and record specific techniques you can test in your next speech. How much time does it take to become a better presenter? One focused hour of study each week can quickly separate you from most business presenters. The advantage comes not from extraordinary talent but from consistently doing what most people never do. Businesspeople often say they have no time to improve their communication skills. Yet persuasion affects leadership, sales, client relationships, change management, executive meetings and career advancement. The issue is rarely a complete absence of time. It is usually a question of priorities. Watch one excellent speaker for an hour each week. Take detailed notes. Before your next presentation, review those notes and select one or two techniques to apply. Do not attempt to transform everything simultaneously. Work first on the opening. Next, improve vocal variety. Then strengthen storytelling, eye contact or the closing recommendation. Small improvements compound. Within a year, you will have completed more deliberate presentation study than most professionals undertake in an entire career. Do now: Reserve one recurring hour each week for presentation study, note-taking and deliberate practice. How can leaders escape the presenting well? Leaders escape the presenting well by deliberately expanding their exposure, practising new techniques and refusing to accept mediocrity. Access to great examples means nothing unless it leads to changed behaviour. The modern presenting ocean is enormous. World-class speakers, executive interviews, university lectures, conference presentations and communication training are available online and offline. The barrier is no longer access. It is discipline. Persuasion is not an optional decorative skill for leaders. Leaders need people to understand priorities, support change, make decisions and take action. That requires messages that are clear, concise and convincing. Study the best speakers. Study the disasters. Take notes. Rehearse. Ask whether your presentation is built for the audience or merely convenient for you. The frog can remain comfortable inside the well. The professional presenter has to climb out. Conclusion Most business presenters are not competing against world-class communicators. They are competing against people who make little effort to improve. That is encouraging. A modest but consistent investment in observation, preparation and practice can place you well ahead of the field. Use stories to humanise data. Structure messages around audience needs. Study skilled speakers and deliberately apply what you learn. The ocean is already available. The only question is whether you are willing to leave the well. Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" in 2018 and 2021 and received the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2012. As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver leadership, communication, sales and presentation programmes globally, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including the best-sellers Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery and Japan Presentations Mastery, as well as Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His books have also been translated into Japanese, including ザ営業, プレゼンの達人, トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう and 現代版「人を動かす」リーダー. Greg publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook and X and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery and Japan's Top Business Interviews for executives seeking practical strategies for succeeding in Japan.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260830dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. Romans 8:19 Ten Minutes Sometime, give yourself ten minutes. Give yourself ten minutes for a profound teaching moment. Go to a place where you can let your eyes rest on a portion of God’s creation. If you’re near a shoreline, go to the water’s edge. If you’re near a trail that winds through a grove of trees, take a walk. If you’re driving past a scenic overlook, stop the car and put it in park. If you’re away from city lights and the night sky is clear, lie down on your back. For ten uninterrupted minutes, let God’s creation fill your field of vision. Watch it. Observe it. Study it. As you do, call to mind that God’s Word wants you to notice something about this portion of God’s creation. He wants you to notice that his creation is waiting. The oceans are waiting. The lakes, rivers, and streams are waiting. The trees are waiting. The mountains and valleys are waiting. The planets, stars, and galaxies are waiting. They are all waiting, the Bible says, in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. They are all waiting for that moment when the One through whom all things were made (John 1:3) will come back one more time. They are all waiting for the last day when all believers in Jesus will be identified. They are all waiting for that moment when the King of kings will come to roll up this broken place like an old carpet. They are all waiting for the moment when the Lord of lords will come to sweep away the presence and effects of sin once and for all. And when your ten minutes are up, realize that the creation before you now has ten fewer minutes to wait. For the One who entered this creation on our behalf, the One who lived a sinless life in our place, the One who died to wash us clean, the One who rose from death—this very Jesus has promised to return. And he always keeps his promises. Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I enjoy the beauty of your creation, let your Word show me that even your creation reminds me that you are in command, and that you will return. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260830dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. Romans 8:19 Ten Minutes Sometime, give yourself ten minutes. Give yourself ten minutes for a profound teaching moment. Go to a place where you can let your eyes rest on a portion of God’s creation. If you’re near a shoreline, go to the water’s edge. If you’re near a trail that winds through a grove of trees, take a walk. If you’re driving past a scenic overlook, stop the car and put it in park. If you’re away from city lights and the night sky is clear, lie down on your back. For ten uninterrupted minutes, let God’s creation fill your field of vision. Watch it. Observe it. Study it. As you do, call to mind that God’s Word wants you to notice something about this portion of God’s creation. He wants you to notice that his creation is waiting. The oceans are waiting. The lakes, rivers, and streams are waiting. The trees are waiting. The mountains and valleys are waiting. The planets, stars, and galaxies are waiting. They are all waiting, the Bible says, in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. They are all waiting for that moment when the One through whom all things were made (John 1:3) will come back one more time. They are all waiting for the last day when all believers in Jesus will be identified. They are all waiting for that moment when the King of kings will come to roll up this broken place like an old carpet. They are all waiting for the moment when the Lord of lords will come to sweep away the presence and effects of sin once and for all. And when your ten minutes are up, realize that the creation before you now has ten fewer minutes to wait. For the One who entered this creation on our behalf, the One who lived a sinless life in our place, the One who died to wash us clean, the One who rose from death—this very Jesus has promised to return. And he always keeps his promises. Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I enjoy the beauty of your creation, let your Word show me that even your creation reminds me that you are in command, and that you will return. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Most people don't think they're creative.I disagree.Creativity isn't something you either have or you don't. It's a skill—and like any skill, you can develop it.In this episode, I'm giving you five practical ways to become more creative: learn to observe without immediately judging, collect ideas throughout your day, build an environment that feeds your thinking, study creative people and pioneers, and most importantly—actually do something with what you're learning.Because creativity feeds your imagination. And imagination is what helps you take what you already know, combine it with your experiences, and see possibilities you couldn't see before.You probably don't need another book, another class, or another piece of information before you move forward. You may already have enough in the tank. What you need is to trust yourself enough to use it.So quit saying, “I'm just not creative.”Start exercising the muscle.Observe. Collect. Study. Create the environment. Then go do the thing.Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough. Peace.TEXT ME!Support the show

The Break Room (FRIDAY 8/28/26) 7am Hour 1) How are these students supposed to learn if your answer is always "no"? 2) Mini vans make sense 3) A very unique car goes up for auction

Explore the quiet focus of meditation practice. Observe how stillness shapes our perception of time and inner calm. This observation of moments offers a framework for understanding the role of mindfulness in daily life. By observing the transition from the frantic pace of a nighttime cityscape to the quiet reflection of a solitary figure, we examine how the mind settles when external stimuli fall away. Maintaining a sustained meditation practice offers a path to clarity and conscious awareness. Whether sitting by a river or resting in a dim room, the act of settling the body provides a foundation for the mind to observe its own patterns without judgment.If you enjoyed this episode, the best way to support the show is to subscribe, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who might find it interesting. You can find new episodes, links, and more at robbcast.com. Just a quick note: this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is medical advice, and exploring altered states always comes with real risks and responsibilities. Until next time — stay curious.

Aujourd'hui, dans "Esprits Libres", David Abiker reçoit Jean-Marie Colombani, éditorialiste et fondateur de slate.fr, et Géraldine Woessner, rédactrice en chef au Point. Ensemble, ils analysent les enjeux du premier grand rendez-vous politique de la campagne présidentielle 2027 : le débat économique organisé par le MEDEF. Alors que 20 000 personnes ont assisté à cet événement, les débats ont été de bonne tenue, avec chaque candidat exposant ses positions et propositions de manière posée. Cela augure-t-il d'une campagne plus sereine que prévu ? Pas si sûr, selon les intervenants.Géraldine Woessner souligne en effet que les différents camps politiques se sont clairement dégagés lors de cette rencontre. D'un côté, Marine Le Pen a cherché à rassurer les patrons, tout en assumant certains choix de société comme l'incitation des jeunes à entrer plus tôt sur le marché du travail. De l'autre, le centre-droit avec Gabriel Attal, Bruno Retailleau et Édouard Philippe a montré une certaine familiarité dans ses propositions. Enfin, la gauche incarnée par Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Marine Tondelier et Raphaël Glucksmann a réaffirmé son clivage avec les autres.Jean-Marie Colombani pointe quant à lui les limites d'un tel format, qui ne permet pas vraiment d'approfondir les débats et les propositions des candidats. Il regrette l'absence de véritables face-à-face, qui auraient permis d'aller plus loin et de pousser les candidats dans leurs retranchements.Malgré tout, cet épisode montre que la campagne présidentielle 2027 s'annonce riche en débats et en positionnements tranchés, avec en toile de fond la question de l'Europe, qui semble être un enjeu majeur pour les différents camps. À suivre...Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

This is the 100th episode of The Liberated Life. A hundred conversations about freeing yourself from what quietly drains you — and this one is about the thing underneath all of them: closing what needs an ending. One morning I went live, said what I came to say — and then couldn't find the button to end it. The control was hidden behind something else on the screen. So I did what capable, overwhelmed people do with the things they can't figure out how to close: I shut the laptop and hoped it had ended itself in the background. It didn't. It kept running. Still live, still draining — even after I looked away. That hidden button has a name. It's an open loop: a conversation, a promise, a decision, or a commitment that needed an ending and didn't get one. In this episode, I walk through what Open Loops are, why they cost you far more than their size, and how to close one. In this episode: • Why the things we walk away from keep running in the background • What an Open Loop actually is — and why a five-minute task can take up five days of your head • The four types: task, decision, relational (the "Unspoken Broken"), and self • How Open Loops get created (a late-night FaceTime from Australia taught me mine) • CLOSE — a simple way to close a loop on purpose: Capture, Locate, Observe, Speak, End/Evolve/Honor • PEACE — how to have the conversation when the loop is between you and someone else You don't have to overhaul your life. Pick your loudest Open Loop. Close it. That's where your energy comes back. Free tools at closetheloopsnow.com — a short quiz on how you communicate under pressure, the Close One Loop walkthrough, and the Difficult Conversation Simulator (try.pplskillz.com) to practice the conversation before you have it. From Robin Quinn Keehn, author of Stop Stealing From Yourself. If this resonated, there's probably an open loop of your own worth closing. My free Close the Loop tool walks you through it in about 15 minutes — a gentle place to start.

Pamela Potts is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of Every Leader Is a Coach.She is the creator of the Leader Coach Approach™ and OMO Method™, helping founders and senior leaders build trust, strengthen accountability, and multiply their impact through coaching-based leadership.With more than 25 years of experience building and scaling high-growth technology and ed-tech companies, Pamela brings a practical, human-centered approach to developing people and creating sustainable performance.SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Pamela Potts to explore why effective sales leadership is less about directing people and more about developing them.Pamela explains why successful salespeople don't automatically become successful leaders. Leadership requires a different skill set—listening deeply, staying curious, asking better questions, and helping people develop solutions they genuinely own.She introduces her OMO Method: Observe, Map, and Optimize, a practical framework for coaching without judgment, uncovering what is really happening, and helping people create their own path forward.The conversation also explores accountability, trust, consultative selling, and self-coaching. Pamela challenges leaders to stop becoming the bottleneck and become the multiplier—because great leaders don't simply manage people. They develop them.KEY TAKEAWAYSTrust starts with self-awareness. Understand your own perspective before trying to understand someone else's.Become a multiplier, not a bottleneck. Leadership is about developing capability in others. Great sellers don't automatically become great leaders. Coaching requires a different set of skills. Choose curiosity over judgment. Listen to understand instead of immediately trying to solve. Ask better questions. “Tell me more” can unlock insights that advice never will. Use the OMO Method. Observe, Map, and Optimize to turn challenges into opportunities for growth. Let people own their solutions. People are more committed to ideas they help create. Accountability belongs in coaching. Clear commitments, follow-up, and feedback turn conversations into action. Coach yourself first. Self-coaching creates the awareness needed to effectively develop others. Treat failure as data. Use setbacks as information for improvement rather than reasons to stop.HIGHLIGHT QUOTESWe stop being the bottleneck and start being the multiplier for our teams.What we're doing is listening to actually hear instead of solve.What we solve and what we contribute to is what we own.We're not going to manage people. We're going to develop people.Once you can coach yourself, then you can coach others as well.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESExplore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/HomeGet Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

What if meditation isn't supposed to make you feel better? In this podcast episode, I break down one of the biggest misconceptions about meditation, and show you how to work with racing thoughts, difficult emotions, stress, and discomfort (instead of trying to get rid of them). DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDED MEDITATION: www.deeprootedbliss.com/free You'll learn why meditation feels so hard to achieve when you first begin, why experienced meditators might still struggle with silent meditations, and a four-step practice — Notice, Get Curious, Allow, Observe — for overcoming any obstacle you face in your practice (and finally processing what comes up). WATCH THIS ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/FU2UhkGUN2c?si=HUpkcKisSXIWRZUd

What if the future isn't something we simply arrive at?What if the way we observe a possible future becomes part of the way we move toward it?In this episode, I explore the relationship between observation, attention, intuition, expectation, and the futures we experience.I've been thinking about this through my own experiences with uncertainty, relationships, tarot, intuition, and the process of learning to stop waiting for one particular outcome.Our expectations influence what we notice. What we notice influences our emotional state. Our emotional state influences our choices. And our choices influence what becomes possible next. There is nothing mystical required to see this happening in our everyday lives. And yet, there are also experiences that raise deeper questions about intuition and our ability to sense possibilities before we consciously understand them. To what extent do we have creative control over what happens next and to what extent are things predestined? And to what extent are you unnecessarily fixated on a future outcome that you have made it your fate?

NECROMANCER EP.146 – ONES THAT OBSERVE: SMILE 2 (2024) The necromancers honor their pop star film tour obligations with Bret's horror pick, Smile 2. Being a pop star and a scream queen is not for the faint of heart but doing both at the same time, backwards, and in heels is something only Naomi Scott […]

In today's episode we're talking about Florida's state saltwater mammal, the dolphin. We will discuss why it's not technically correct to call them a porpoise, some fascinating behaviors they exhibit the exemplify their intelligence, some basic biology and more. Learn More:Sarasota Dolphin Research Program - https://sarasotadolphin.org/ Common Bottlenose Dolphin - https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/common-bottlenose-dolphin Dolphin- https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/aquatic/dolphin/ How You Can Help: Practice safe and ethical behaviors when interacting with dolphins: Swimming and feeding interactions increase risk of injury from boats, increases the incidents of entanglement in fishing gear, decreases dolphins' willingness to forage for food and may cause habituated behaviors to be passed on to calves and other dolphins. Observe from a respectful distance: It's recommended to view from at least 50 yards away and limit your time spent observing to 30 minutes or less.Learn to love dolphins! There are many smartphone applications and websites where you can track dolphins and learn about them along the way. Sources:Highlight: Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Inhabitance of the St. Johns River - https://sjrr.domains.unf.edu/highlights-2017/ Cetaceans and Primates: Convergence in Intelligence and Self Awareness - https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=acwp_asie Sarasota Dolphin Research Program - https://sarasotadolphin.org/

What if the most aligned thing you could do this week… was nothing?In this week's Weekly Invitation, Jessica Meils explores the wisdom of slowing down, releasing control, and trusting what you've already set into motion. Inspired by the Scorpio Moon, Sagittarius Moon, the integration of the recent Leo eclipse, and the message of The Arrow from the Mystical Shaman Oracle, this episode is an invitation to notice your inner dialogue, release what no longer aligns, and reconnect with your own inner wisdom.Sometimes the bravest thing we can do isn't push harder.It's trust.⸻This Week's Invitation* Notice the stories your inner dialogue is repeating.* Observe where you're gripping too tightly or trying to control the outcome.* Release what no longer aligns with the person you're becoming.* Trust that what you've already set into motion will unfold in its own timing.* Remember: sometimes doing nothing is actually choosing not to interfere.⸻ReflectionAsk yourself:* What story has been quietly directing my decisions?* Where am I trying to force an outcome instead of trusting the process?* What am I being invited to release so I can continue moving toward my own North Star?Ways to Work With Jessica1:1 Intuitive SessionsIf you're navigating a season of change, seeking clarity, or feeling called to reconnect with yourself on a deeper level, I currently have a handful of one-on-one session openings available.Each session is intuitively guided and uniquely tailored to you, blending mediumship, intuitive guidance, energy healing, and practical support to help you move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and self-trust.✨ Book a 1:1 Session:https://www.jessicameils.com/book⸻The Rooted & Rising Living Library (Coming Soon)The Rooted & Rising Living Library is a growing collection of audio teachings, guided practices, meditations, and reflections designed to help you build self-trust, reconnect with your intuition, and turn inspiration into a lived practice.Join the waitlist to be the first to know when the library opens.✨ Join the Living Library Waitlist:https://jessicameils.myflodesk.com/immersive⸻Rooted & Rising: The Gathering PlaceIf you're looking for ongoing support and community, The Gathering Place is my upcoming membership where we'll explore intuitive living together through monthly teachings, live gatherings, guided practices, and meaningful conversation.Join the waitlist to receive early access and Founding Member pricing when doors open.

Send us Fan MailWhen was the last time you realized that you—not your team—were part of the leadership problem?That realization can be painful, but it can also begin your most important growth.In this episode, Dr. Lisa DeVore, United States Air Force veteran and author of Pawprints on Leadership, shares how she confronted a low-empathy leadership moment and chose to grow from it.We discuss how authoritarian leadership models can cause us to prioritize rules and results over people, why reflection and apology matter, and how emotional intelligence and active listening make us better leaders.Lisa also explores the importance of followership and the lessons she learned from Bailey, her service dog—including the powerful truth that sometimes the person leading us has no title or words, just greater awareness.Subscribe to Unarmored Talk, share this episode with someone who leads others, and leave a review to help more listeners discover the show.Stay unarmored, stay authentic, and stay mentally fit. God bless.Connect with Dr. Lisa DeVoreBook — Pawprints on Leadership: [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0G2L2VZ89?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_SAMWGJ2YXEZ7DBNCB1PP&bestFormat=true]LinkedIn: [Dr. Lisa DeVore, PMP, SSM | LinkedIn]Chapters00:00 — Welcome and Guest Introduction02:49 — Lisa's Air Force-to-Space Force Path04:21 — Owning a Low-Empathy Leadership Moment07:15 — How Authoritarian Models Shaped Her08:41 — Why a Trusted Teammate Stayed12:51 — Followership as a Leadership Skill16:32 — Letting Bailey Lead When It Matters18:29 — Pause, Observe, and Give Yourself Grace20:01 — Where to Find Lisa and Final SendoffSupport the showBecome a Member Today! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_M2Kfxb2hN1uHdlDKGtuQw/joinWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6pF-fF29KO1rqQsabaxHHO1nQQtn5lhdStill Serving, Inc.: www.stillservinginc.comEmail: mario@stillservinginc.com

In this episode Andrea Samadi explores Phase 3 of the Brain's Operating System—movement, learning, and cognition—focusing on the recovery and adaptation side of the "movement loop." She revisits Dr. Kristen Holmes' insights on measuring strain, sleep, and recovery to show how movement provides the stimulus while recovery enables lasting adaptation and greater capacity. The episode offers practical steps: identify your stimulus, track recovery, find your weakest link, and use feedback to train smarter—not just harder—so measurement becomes a tool for meaningful change. IN EPISODE 405, WE WILL COVER: ✔ Why recovery is not the absence of work—it is where adaptation occurs → How recovery allows the brain and body to absorb stress and build greater capacity. ✔ Where Dr. Kristen Holmes fits into the Movement Loop → Movement creates the stimulus; recovery determines how effectively we adapt. ✔ Why measuring your data matters → What gets measured can be adjusted, repeated, and improved. ✔ How to identify your personal recovery patterns → Using sleep, HRV, resting heart rate, strain, stress, and daily behaviors to uncover what helps—or limits—your performance. ✔ Why your recovery formula is uniquely yours → The habits that improve one person's readiness may not produce the same results for someone else. ✔ How recovery helps create more predictable performance → When you understand your patterns, you can make better daily decisions instead of leaving your results to chance. ✔ How repeated behaviors become adaptation → Measure → Adjust → Repeat → Recover → Adapt → Build Capacity. ✔ Where the larger journey is taking us → A preview of The Journey of the Mind Workbook and its five-step process: Understand → Reflect → Apply → Measure → Become ✔ What comes next in the Movement Loop → A Bonus Episode applying recovery science to real-world data, followed by Dr. John Medina on how an activated brain turns experience into attention, learning, and lasting change. EP 405 — From Recovery to Adaptation: Revisiting Dr. Kristen Holmes in Phase 3 WELCOME BACK Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we bridge neuroscience, social and emotional learning, and human performance so we can create measurable improvements in our well-being, achievement, leadership, productivity, and results. I'm Andrea Samadi, and if you've been following along through Season 16, you'll know that we've been building what I call The Brain's Operating System for Human Performance—a neuroscience-based framework designed to help us understand how the different systems of the brain and body work together to influence how we learn, adapt, connect, lead, and perform. Our roadmap has five phases: Phase 1 — Regulation & Safety Where we built the foundation by asking: Is the nervous system regulated enough to learn and grow? Phase 2 — Neurochemistry & Motivation Where we explored the systems that drive us to act, persist, and pursue meaningful goals. And now, we are here—Phase 3: Movement, Learning & Cognition. This is where movement becomes the catalyst for learning, adaptation, and performance. The central idea of Phase 3 is that the brain does not change through information alone. It changes through experience. Through movement. Through challenge. Through recovery. And through the repeated process of adapting to what we ask our brain and body to do. I called the framework we are building in this phase: The Movement Loop: Movement (the stimulus) → Brain Activation (the brain responds) → Attention (the brain becomes engaged and ready to learn) → Learning (new information and experience begin changing neural pathways) → Recovery (the brain consolidates and restores) → Adaptation (the brain and body adjust to the repeated challenge) → Performance (the adaptation shows up in what we can do) → Greater Capacity (we become capable of more) Movement is the stimulus. Brain activation is the response. Attention opens the door to learning. Learning creates change. Recovery helps that change stick. Adaptation builds the system. Performance reveals the result. Greater capacity is what we gain. And then we repeat the cycle. In our last episode, EP 404, we revisited the groundbreaking work of Dr. John Ratey, who helped us understand the front end of this loop. Dr. Ratey showed us that: Movement changes the brain. Exercise activates the brain. It supports attention. It prepares us for learning. And it creates the biological conditions that allow the brain to change. But that leaves us with an important question. What happens after we create the stimulus? Because movement alone isn't enough. Training alone isn't enough. And more strain does not automatically equal more improvement. At some point, the brain and body have to recover from what we've asked them to do And that's where today's episode begins with the back end of the movement loop. WHERE THIS JOURNEY IS GOING Before we move into today's episode, I want to zoom out for a moment and share where I believe this entire journey is taking us. Because as we've been building The Brain's Operating System for Human Performance—making sense of the interviews we've gathered over the past seven years and organizing them into five phases we can all understand and apply—I realized we are doing something much bigger than simply reviewing past episodes. I had to stop for a moment and look at what we've built so far. And that's when something became clear: We are mapping a journey. We aren't finished yet—we are only in Phase 3—but as we continue into Phases 4 and 5, I think you'll begin to see the bigger picture. This is about more than learning how the brain works or connecting social and emotional learning skills to our daily lives. It's about asking: What will we actually do with everything we've learned once we've traveled through all five phases? That's what led me to what I'm calling The Journey of the Mind. We could just as easily call it The Journey of the Brain because we now understand how deeply connected the mind and brain are.[i] But for me, Journey of the Mind has a much older meaning. That phrase takes me all the way back to the late 1990s, when I had the opportunity to watch an unpublished video program with that title, created by my mentor, Bob Proctor. I had no idea where that experience would lead me. But it planted a seed. It encouraged me to stop looking outside of myself for every answer... and to begin looking inward. To become curious about my thoughts. My beliefs. My habits. My potential. And ultimately, the relationship between what happens inside of us and the results we create outside of us. That idea influenced my early writing and eventually became part of the path that led me here. And now, all these years later, I can see that the podcast has evolved into its own Journey of the Mind. Only now, we have neuroscience to help us understand what is happening along the way. We have hundreds of experts. Years of research. Stories. Experiments. Data. And our own lived experience. The five phases give us a way to bring all of that together. We began with Regulation and Safety, because before we can grow, the nervous system needs a stable foundation. Then we moved into Neurochemistry and Motivation, where we explored what drives our behavior. Now, in Phase 3, we are looking at Movement, Learning and Cognition—how experience changes the brain and how recovery and adaptation help us build greater capacity. Next, we'll move into Connection, Emotion and Social Intelligence, because none of us develops in isolation. And finally, we'll reach Integration, Meaning and Human Performance, where these systems begin to come together. And when we reach the end of Phase 5, I want to bring the entire journey into something practical. THE JOURNEY OF THE MIND WORKBOOK I'm currently developing a companion workbook for these five phases. The Journey of the Mind Workbook will help us take what we've learned and apply it to our own lives through a simple process: Understand. Reflect. Apply. Measure. Become. Understand the science. Reflect on our own patterns. Apply what we are learning. Measure what changes. And then ask the bigger question: Who are we becoming? Because the goal isn't simply to know more about neuroscience. It's to use what we know. To identify our gaps. Recognize what is working. Build a clearer understanding of how we learn, recover, connect, perform, and grow. And become more intentional about the future we are creating. The workbook is still taking shape, but it's coming. And my hope is that when we reach the end of these five phases, we won't just have more information. We'll have a map. A clearer understanding of our brain. A deeper understanding of ourselves. A way to measure our growth. And a framework for becoming who we are capable of being. Now, let's return to where we are today... Phase 3: Movement, Learning and Cognition. Before we go further, I want to give you a quick roadmap for today's episode. We're going to explore Kristen Holmes' work through 15 short parts, each one helping us move step-by-step through the recovery and adaptation side of the Movement Loop. (The left side of the loop). We'll begin by clarifying the difference between readiness and adaptation. Then we'll look at the stimulus–recovery–adaptation cycle, revisit Kristen's original idea that what gets measured gets improved, and connect that to what I've learned from tracking my own data over the past five years. From there, we'll explore the difference between training harder and training smarter, why movement is information, why the goal is not maximum strain, and how these same principles apply to learning and performance far beyond exercise. We'll also return to one of my favorite ideas from Kristen's original interview: Your competitive advantage is often built in your downtime. And finally, we'll bring everything back to the Movement Loop and ask the question that really matters: Is what I'm doing building more strain—or building greater capacity? So think of these 10 parts as a guided walk through the second half of the loop... from recovery... to adaptation... to performance... and ultimately to greater capacity. PART 1 — WHY ARE WE RETURNING TO DR. KRISTEN HOLMES? When we first interviewed Dr. Kristen Holmes in 2021 for EP 134[ii], she was Vice President of Performance Science at WHOOP. At the time, I had recently turned 50. I purchased WHOOP because I wanted to improve what I knew was my weakest link: sleep. And in that original conversation, Dr. Holmes introduced ideas that I've now carried with me for more than five years. One of them was this: “What gets measured gets improved.” Another was the idea that what we do in our downtime may actually give us our greatest competitive advantage. At the time, I understood this at one level. Sleep matters. Recovery matters. Strain matters. Your habits outside of the workout matter. But after five years of looking at my own data, I understand her message differently. And I think this is one of the most important things about revisiting experts over time. We hear something at one stage of our development... and then years later, we hear the same idea again with an entirely different level of understanding. We revisited this same 2021 interview earlier in this season during Phase 1: Regulation & Safety on EP 390.[iii] So why are we covering this topic again? Because I realized that Dr. Holmes' work sits at a critical intersection inside our Brain's Operating System. In Phase 1, her work helped us understand regulation and readiness. Her message was: Can your system handle what you are asking it to do today? But in Phase 3, the question changes. Now we're asking: Is what I'm doing today actually helping my system adapt? That's very different. In Phase 1, recovery helped us understand whether the system was ready. In Phase 3, recovery helps us understand whether the system is changing. And that's why we're returning to Dr. Kristen Holmes. Not to repeat what we learned. But to take it one level deeper. Just a note here: while I've been using WHOOP to measure my movement, sleep, strain, and recovery, WHOOP is only one tool. There are many other ways to track these patterns—from other wearable devices and apps to simple measures like sleep duration, resting heart rate, exercise intensity, energy levels, and how recovered you feel. The important point isn't the device you use. It's learning to pay attention to your own patterns and using that feedback to make better decisions. PART 2 — READINESS VS. ADAPTATION Now let's return to the Movement Loop we opened this episode with: Movement → Brain Activation → Attention → Learning → Recovery → Adaptation → Performance → Greater Capacity In our last episode, Dr. John Ratey helped us understand the front end of this loop—how movement activates the brain, supports attention, and creates the conditions for learning. Today, Dr. Kristen Holmes helps us move into the recovery and adaptation side of the loop—what happens after we create the stimulus. This is where we ask a different kind of question. In Phase 1, we looked at Kristen's work through the lens of readiness: What is my capacity today? How much strain can I tolerate? How well did I sleep? What does my HRV tell me? How recovered am I? Do I have the capacity to push? Or would backing off today serve me better? That was the Phase 1 question: Am I ready? But now, in Phase 3, we move one step further around the loop. Now we are asking: Am I adapting? Is the movement I'm doing helping me become stronger? More resilient? More efficient? Better able to recover? More capable than I was before? That is the shift from readiness to adaptation. And this is where Dr. Kristen Holmes' work becomes essential to Phase 3. Because movement may provide the stimulus... but recovery is what gives the brain and body the opportunity to respond to that stimulus, adapt, and ultimately build greater capacity. Or would backing off today serve me better? That was our Phase 1 lens. And it was foundational. Because if the nervous system is depleted, overstressed, or under-recovered, everything downstream is affected. But Phase 3 takes us another step forward. Now we are not only asking: Am I ready? We are asking: Am I adapting? ADAPTATION asks: What is changing because of what I repeatedly do? Am I becoming stronger? More resilient? More efficient? Better able to tolerate stress? Better able to recover? More capable than I was before? And this is where I think recovery is frequently misunderstood. Recovery isn't simply what happens when we stop working. Recovery is not the opposite of performance. Recovery is part of the process that creates future performance. That distinction changes everything. Because the goal is not simply to recover enough to get through today. The goal is to recover in a way that allows the brain and body to become better prepared for tomorrow. So I want to give you one sentence to keep in mind throughout this entire episode: Movement provides the stimulus. Recovery allows the adaptation. That's where Kristen Holmes' work enters Phase 3. Dr. Ratey helped us understand why movement activates the brain and creates the stimulus for change. Dr. Holmes helps us to understand what has to happen afterward if that stimulus is going to become something useful. Something the body can integrate. Something the brain can learn from. Something that eventually becomes greater capacity. PART 3 — THE STIMULUS–RECOVERY–ADAPTATION CYCLE Think about exercise for a moment. When you challenge your body, you create stress. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, some level of challenge is exactly what we need. It's called hormesis, right? The challenge is the signal. It tells the system: Something is being asked of me. But the signal alone isn't what we are looking for. What matters is what your body does afterward. You place a demand on the system. Then the body needs time and resources to respond to that demand. We can think of it very simply: STIMULUS → RECOVERY → ADAPTATION → GREATER CAPACITY The stimulus is the challenge. Recovery is the response period. Adaptation is the change. And greater capacity is the result. The purpose of training isn't simply to create more strain. (Which is what I did for years). The purpose is to create a strain that your system can successfully recover from and adapt to. And that idea changed the way I began looking at my own movement. For years, I thought: Harder must be better. Longer must be better. More must be better. If I could hike for three hours, that had to be better than walking for one. If I could push harder, I assumed I would get better results. If I felt exhausted after a workout, I often assumed that meant I had accomplished more. But the data started showing me something different. Sometimes more strain simply created... more strain. And if I wasn't sleeping enough...(because I was repeating the same thing without enough rest) if I wasn't recovering... if I was stacking high strain on top of stress... then I wasn't necessarily building greater capacity. I could actually be interrupting the very adaptation I was trying to create. This is why one of the most important questions in Phase 3 becomes: How much challenge can my system absorb, recover from, and adapt to? Not: How much can I force myself to do? And this takes us directly back to the lesson Kristen Holmes gave us five years ago. Because if we want to know whether the stimulus we're creating is actually working... we need feedback. We need to see the patterns. We need to understand the relationship between what we do and how our system responds. Which brings us to Part 4: PART 4 — WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS IMPROVED In our Phase 1 episode with Dr. Holmes, I shared something that has become very important to me over the past five years. Once you begin measuring your sleep, your recovery, your strain, and your habits... you stop guessing. And when you stop guessing, patterns begin to emerge. For me, some of those patterns took years to understand. I began seeing that: Too much strain + not enough sleep = poor recovery. Over and over again. I knew intuitively that I was pushing too hard. But knowing something and changing behavior are two very different things. The data eventually forced me to look at the pattern honestly. There were times when I was training hard... waking early... cutting sleep short... and then wondering why my recovery didn't improve. I was giving my system a stimulus. But I wasn't giving it enough opportunity to adapt. That distinction matters. Because the goal is not simply: How much can I do? The better question is: How much can I do, recover from, and adapt to? That is a completely different way of approaching human performance. PART 5 — MY UNDERSTANDING OF RECOVERY HAS CHANGED When I first bought WHOOP in 2021, my weakest link was sleep. I knew I needed to improve it. And I did. Not perfectly. But significantly. What I find interesting now is that as one weakness improves, another one becomes easier to see. That's the value of measurement. Your weakest link can change. In 2021, mine was sleep. Today, I can see other areas much more clearly. Strength training is one. Balancing different kinds of movement is another. And this is where I began looking beyond total exercise time. Instead, I started asking: How much time am I spending in lower intensity movement? How much time am I spending at higher intensity? What happens to my recovery when I increase strain? How much sleep do I need after harder training? How quickly do I recover? What habits seem to help me recover faster? What habits tank my recovery? That's a completely different mindset than: Did I work hard today? PART 6 — TRAIN HARDER VS. TRAIN SMARTER One of the biggest lessons I pulled from Kristen Holmes' work was the difference between training harder and training smarter. In our Phase 1 review, I shared one example that really challenged my assumptions. I went on a walk along the canal near my house. Nothing extreme. I was walking my dogs and wearing a weighted vest. And during this much more moderate activity, I was able to reach Zones 4 and 5 for short periods. That surprised me, because those higher-intensity zones could sometimes be difficult for me to reach even during much longer hikes. I noticed the same thing when I started comparing different trails here in Arizona. When I first moved to AZ, Camelback Mountain—especially the Echo Canyon Trail—was my go-to hike. I used to hike it after work and again on the weekends. It was short, steep, and intense—about a 2.5-mile round trip on Echo Canyon, with the Cholla side a bit longer. So when I later moved to another part of the Valley and started hiking Telegraph Pass at South Mountain, I initially thought: This isn't going to give me the same workout. Telegraph Pass felt less intense. It didn't have that same steep, all-out challenge I was used to on Camelback. But once I started measuring my hikes, or learning new trails that were longer, I saw something I didn't expect. The longer, lower-intensity hikes were sometimes producing more overall strain than the shorter, harder hikes. That honestly shocked me. Because I had always assumed that if something felt harder, it must be giving me better results. But the data showed me that wasn't always true. A longer period of sustained effort—even at a lower intensity—could place a greater total load on my system than a shorter burst of very difficult exercise. And that taught me something important: How hard something feels in the moment is not always the same thing as the total load it places on your body. That was one of the moments when measurement changed the way I thought about exercise. I stopped asking only: How hard did that feel? And started asking: How did my body actually respond? And this is where data becomes useful. Not because the number knows everything. But because the number can reveal something we might otherwise miss. It can become feedback. And feedback helps us learn. PART 7 — MOVEMENT IS INFORMATION Movement is not just calories burned. I hardly ever think about calories anymore. There was a time when I could tell you almost exactly how much effort it took to burn off certain foods. But I think about movement very differently today. Movement is not punishment for what we ate. Movement is not simply exercise. Movement is information. Every time we move, we send signals to the brain and body about the demands being placed on the system. How much strength do I need? How much endurance? How much balance, coordination, speed, or cardiovascular capacity? And when we repeatedly expose ourselves to manageable challenge, the system begins to learn from those signals. It responds. It adjusts. And, with adequate recovery, it adapts. So movement isn't just something we do to burn energy. Movement is one of the ways we teach the brain and body what we want them to become capable of doing.   PART 8 — THE GOAL IS NOT MAXIMUM STRAIN This brings me to what may be the biggest takeaway from today's episode. The goal is not maximum strain. The goal is the right amount of strain for your current capacity. Because too little challenge may not create enough stimulus. But too much challenge without adequate recovery can work against the very adaptation we're trying to create. And this is where Kristen Holmes' message about strain and recovery becomes so powerful. In Phase 1, we used recovery to ask: Should I push today? In Phase 3, we can use recovery to ask: Is my current training producing the adaptation I want? That is a much bigger question. And it applies far beyond exercise. PART 9 — THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO LEARNING Think about learning. We don't learn best by forcing information into the brain endlessly without rest. We need exposure. Attention. Practice. Then space. Sleep. Recovery. Integration. And then we return to the material again. Spaced Repetition. The brain changes through repeated cycles of challenge and recovery. So while we're talking today about Kristen Holmes, recovery, movement, and strain... the same architecture appears in learning. It appears in work. It appears in leadership. It appears in stress management. It appears almost anywhere humans are trying to grow. Challenge alone doesn't guarantee growth. Challenge + recovery + repetition creates the conditions for adaptation. PART 10 — YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS STILL BUILT IN YOUR DOWNTIME One of my favorite ideas from my original conversation with Kristen was something we revisited in Phase 1. Listen to Dr. Holmes' CLIP here. She talked about the importance of what we do in our downtime. That what happens outside of the performance itself may give us our competitive advantage. Five years later, I think I finally understand how deep that idea goes. Your workout may last an hour. Your hike may last two hours. Your presentation may last 45 minutes. Your game may last an afternoon. But adaptation is happening across the rest of the day. What are you doing with the other hours? Are you sleeping? Hydrating? Fueling? Managing stress? Allowing the nervous system to come back down? Giving the body what it needs to repair? That downtime isn't empty time. It's part of the training. PART 11 — RECOVERY IS AN ACTIVE PROCESS This is another mindset shift that helped me. I used to think of recovery as: Doing nothing. Resting. Taking a day off. But recovery can actually be very intentional. For me, over the past several years, that has included things like: prioritizing sleep hydration meditation breathing spending time outside lower-intensity movement infrared sauna red light therapy And again, the point isn't that everyone should copy my routine. The important question is: What actually helps your system recover? That takes us back to one of the central ideas of our recent Bonus Episodes. PART 12 — FIND YOUR GAP In Bonus Episode 2[iv], we introduced the idea of finding your gap. Instead of copying someone else's recipe for high performance, identify the variable that is currently limiting you. Maybe your gap is sleep. Maybe it's hydration. Maybe it's high stress. Maybe it's too much intensity. Maybe it's not enough movement. Maybe it's inconsistent recovery habits. Maybe it's strength. The point is that your gap is personal. And it can change. This is one of the most useful things measurement can give us. It can show us: Where is the breakdown in my loop? Let's return to the Movement Loop. Movement → Brain Activation → Attention → Learning → Recovery → Adaptation → Performance → Greater Capacity Where is your gap? Are you not moving enough? Are you moving but not recovering? Are you recovering but not challenging yourself enough to create adaptation? Are you pushing constantly without allowing your system to consolidate the gains? If you can locate your gap, you know where to begin. PART 13 — THE MOVEMENT LOOP THROUGH DR. KRISTEN HOLMES Let's walk through the entire loop now through the lens of Dr. Ratey and Dr. Holmes' work. MOVEMENT We create a stimulus. We challenge the brain and body. BRAIN ACTIVATION Movement changes our physiological and neurological state. This is where Dr. Ratey's work helps us understand why movement prepares the brain. ATTENTION An activated brain is better positioned to engage. LEARNING The brain receives information and experience. But learning isn't finished simply because we experienced something. RECOVERY Now the system needs space. This is where Kristen Holmes enters the loop. How well did we sleep? How much stress are we carrying? What was our total strain? How prepared is the system to absorb what we've done? ADAPTATION This is where the system changes. Over time, repeated cycles of challenge and recovery create new capacity. PERFORMANCE We begin to see the result. We move differently. Think differently. Learn more efficiently. Handle greater demands. Recover faster. GREATER CAPACITY And this is what makes the loop a loop. Because now tomorrow's starting point may be different from yesterday's. The system has adapted. So we can begin again. The WHOOP wearable device may have started with elite athletes, but optimizing performance isn't only for elite athletes. Any of us can measure our patterns, learn from the feedback, and use that information to build greater capacity. PART 14 — THIS CHANGES HOW I THINK ABOUT PERFORMANCE For most of my life, I thought performance was primarily about effort. Work harder. Try harder. Push harder. And effort still matters. But effort without adaptation can become a dead end. What I'm learning through this phase is that performance is much more dynamic. You need the stimulus. You need the challenge. You need the work. But you also need recovery. Because recovery is what allows the system to absorb the work. And that leads me to an important sentence I want us to remember: The goal isn't to prove how much stress you can tolerate. The goal is to become capable of more over time. That's adaptation. PART 15 — FIVE YEARS LATER, DR. HOLMES'  MESSAGE MEANS SOMETHING DIFFERENT When we first interviewed Kristen Holmes in 2021, the idea that what gets measured gets improved resonated with me immediately. That idea is partly why I bought a wearable device in the first place. I wanted data. I wanted answers. I wanted to improve sleep. But five years later, I think the lesson is bigger than measurement. Measurement itself isn't the goal. The goal is feedback. And feedback only becomes useful when we do something with it. Measure. Write it down somewhere. Observe what's happening month to month and year to year. Adjust. Recover. Adapt. Repeat. Measurement closes the learning/performance loop. That's why Dr. Holmes' work was worth revisiting here in Phase 3. Not simply because she studies recovery. But because measurement gives us information about whether the behaviors we repeat are actually creating the changes we want. PRACTICAL APPLICATION — HOW TO USE THIS THIS WEEK So let's make this practical. You do not need WHOOP. You do not need a wearable. You don't need complicated equipment. You simply need to start paying attention. Identify your current stimulus. What are you asking your body and brain to adapt to right now? Maybe it's: exercise strength training a new learning goal a demanding work schedule stress adapting to intensive heat in your new sauna Know what you're asking the system to do. Identify your recovery. Ask: How am I sleeping? How am I managing stress? Am I giving myself enough downtime? How do I feel the day after harder efforts? What patterns do I notice? Watch the relationship between effort and recovery. Does more effort always give you better results? Or is there a point where more becomes counterproductive? Find your gap. What is your weakest link right now? Don't try to fix everything. Start there. Look for evidence of adaptation. Ask yourself: Am I becoming more capable? Can I handle something today that used to be difficult? Am I recovering faster? Am I stronger? More focused? More resilient? If the answer is yes, your loop is working. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode 405,  let's bring this episode together. We brought Dr. Kristen Holmes back into our roadmap intentionally. In Phase 1: Regulation and Safety, Dr. Holmes helped us understand recovery as readiness. Sleep. HRV. Strain. Stress. Recovery. The question was: Is the system prepared for today? Today, in Phase 3: Movement, Learning and Cognition, we've looked at those same ideas through a different lens. Now the question is: Is the system adapting for tomorrow? That's the progression. Dr. John Ratey helped us understand that movement provides the brain with a powerful stimulus. Kristen Holmes helps us understand that the story doesn't end with the stimulus. We need recovery. Because: Movement provides the stimulus. Recovery allows the adaptation. Adaptation improves performance. Performance builds greater capacity. And then the loop begins again. ONE QUESTION TO TAKE WITH YOU Before you move on with your day, I want you to ask yourself one question: Am I creating more strain…or am I creating more capacity? They are not the same thing. You can push harder without improving. You can work longer without adapting. You can accumulate strain without building capacity. The goal is not simply to do more. The goal is to create a system where you can become more. FINAL TAKEAWAY And this brings us right back to Kristen Holmes's message from 2021: What gets measured gets improved. But today, I would add something to it: What gets measured can be adjusted. What gets adjusted can be repeated (in this new way) And what gets repeated—paired with the right amount of recovery—can become adaptation. That is how capacity grows. And that is where Kristen Holmes fits into Phase 3—not simply as an expert on recovery, but as a critical part of the science of change. And this idea—turning what we measure into meaningful change—is also shaping the larger vision for this podcast. At the start of this episode, we mentioned I'm developing a companion workbook called Journey of the Mind—a practical guide designed to help us move beyond simply listening to these ideas and begin applying them in our own lives. The workbook will guide us through five steps to apply what we have covered on this podcast. Understand. Reflect. Apply. Measure. Become More. With each episode we've covered. And this workbook began with an unexpected spark of inspiration. So, I want to offer one quiet acknowledgment: To the person who quietly helped illuminate this path for me—thank you. Sometimes, the people who influence the direction of our lives may never fully realize what their presence helped awaken. My vision from that the spark of inspiration I received will travel through this work and reach you listening—inspiring you to move forward on your own path and create a life that is more intentional, meaningful, and fulfilling than the one you knew before. Because inspiration doesn't end with the person who first awakens it. It moves through us. And when we act on it, one spark can grow into something that serves many others—far beyond what either person could have created individually. We'll explore the transformative power of human connection more deeply in Phase 4. Then, in Phase 5, we'll examine how connection, meaning, and contribution can become something that continues growing beyond us. But until then, we'll continue building this journey—one insight, one application, and one measurable change at a time. COMING NEXT Before we move on to Dr. John Medina and the next part of the Movement Loop, we'll cover our next Bonus Episode and show you what adaptation can actually look like in real life. In Bonus EP 3, I'm going to take you inside one of the clearest changes I've seen in my own data over the past several years: my resting heart rate. We'll look at where it started, how it changed, what may have contributed to that change, and why resting heart rate can become a useful window into how the body is adapting over time. Because this is really what Phase 3 is about. Not simply moving more. Not simply collecting data. But asking: Is what I'm doing actually changing my capacity? Then, for EP 406 we'll return to the research of Dr. John Medina and explore the next critical link in the Movement Loop: Attention. Because movement can activate the brain—but activation alone doesn't guarantee learning. The brain must first notice what matters. It must direct its attention. Hold that attention long enough to encode new information. And return to that information if it is going to become something we can remember and use. Dr. Ratey helped us understand how movement prepares the brain. Dr. Kristen Holmes helped us understand how recovery allows the brain and body to adapt. And Dr. Medina will help us understand what happens between those two points: How does an activated brain turn experience into learning? Because movement may open the door— but attention determines what enters and stays behind that door. And we'll reinforce one of the central ideas of this journey: What we repeatedly do shapes who we become. The question is: Are those repeated actions expanding our capacity and moving us toward our highest level of performance—or quietly holding us back? That's where we'll turn next as we continue building the Movement Loop. I'll see you next time. EP 405 — KEY TAKEAWAYS ✔ Why Kristen Holmes belongs in both Phase 1 and Phase 3 ✔ The difference between recovery for readiness and recovery for adaptation ✔ Why movement alone does not create improvement ✔ The relationship between stimulus → recovery → adaptation → greater capacity ✔ Why the goal is not maximum strain, but the right dose of strain ✔ How recovery completes the Movement Loop ✔ Why your weakest link can change as you improve ✔ How measurement provides feedback for better decisions ✔ Why downtime is part of the performance process ✔ The difference between accumulating strain and building capacity THE MOVEMENT LOOP Movement → Brain Activation → Attention → Learning → Recovery → Adaptation → Performance → Greater Capacity → Repeat Remember: Movement provides the stimulus. Recovery allows the adaptation. The goal isn't maximum strain. The goal is greater capacity. RESOURCES: Watch the full interview from 2021 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOgivjYhhW8 CLIP 1 Dr. Kristen Holmes https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Lg7FiWJKZc4 Phase 1: Regulation & Safety The Foundation Core Question: Is the nervous system safe enough to learn? Everything begins with regulation. Before we can focus, learn, lead, or perform, the brain first asks one fundamental question: Am I safe? Throughout Phase 1, our guests showed us that regulation isn't simply about reducing stress—it's about creating the biological conditions that allow the brain to learn, adapt, and thrive. Together we explored: Baland Jalal – how sleep, curiosity, imagination, and creativity prepare the brain for learning. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/hypnagogic-genius-capture-your-best-ideas-at-the-edge-of-sleep/ Dr. Bruce Perry – why regulation, rhythm, and relationships form the foundation of every healthy nervous system.  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/safety-first-why-a-regulated-brain-is-the-key-to-learning/ Dr. Sui Wong – how lifestyle medicine and autonomic balance build lifelong brain resilience. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/your-eyes-the-brain-s-early-warning-system/ Rohan Dixit – how heart rate variability gives us real-time feedback on our ability to regulate stress. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/breathe-to-reset-how-hrv-tech-reveals-hidden-stress/ Dr. Kristen Holmes – how recovery metrics reveal our physiological readiness to perform. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/ Dr. Antonio Zadra – how sleep and dreaming consolidate memories, regulate emotions, and generate insight. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/when-brains-dream-how-sleep-integrates-emotion-insight-and-creativity/ Together these conversations taught us that sleep and stress regulation aren't optional—they're the operating system that allows every higher brain function to work. Phase 2: Motivation & Neurochemistry The Direction Core Question: What moves us into action? Once the brain feels safe, it becomes ready to pursue goals. In Phase 2, we explored the internal chemistry that transforms intention into action. Our experts helped us understand that sustainable motivation isn't about willpower—it's about aligning our beliefs, thoughts, attention, energy, and movement. Together we discovered: Bob Proctor — our beliefs determine the direction of our lives. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/belief-first-the-neuroscience-of-motivation/ Dr. Carolyn Leaf — our thinking literally changes our brain chemistry. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/thoughts-as-biology-how-your-mind-shapes-neurochemistry/ Dr. John Medina — attention determines what the brain encodes and remembers. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/theory-of-mind-the-missing-link-between-attention-reward-and-motivation Dr. Anna Lembke- Dopamine, Motivation and Why the Brain Repeats Behavior https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dopamine-nation-the-pleasure%e2%80%93pain-balance-that-drives-motivation/ Dr. Friederike Fabritius — managing our energy allows high performance to become sustainable. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/fun-fear-focus-closing-the-motivation-loop/ Dr. Chuck Hillman & Paul Zientarski — movement activates the brain, preparing it to learn. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/move-to-learn-how-movement-activates-the-brain-and-fuels-motivation/ By the end of Phase 2, we introduced what became The Motivation Loop, showing how beliefs influence thoughts, thoughts influence actions, actions create results, and results reinforce future beliefs. Phase 3: Movement, Learning & Human Performance The Transformation Core Question: How does movement change the brain—and how does recovery transform that change into performance? Now we're taking the next step. Phase 3 builds on everything we've learned so far. If Phase 1 created a regulated nervous system... If Phase 2 created motivation and direction... Phase 3 explains how the brain and body actually become stronger. Together we've explored this process through conversations with: Dr. Chuck Hillman & Paul Zientarski — why movement activates the brain before learning. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/movement-first-how-a-20%e2%80%91minute-walk-lights-up-the-brain/ Dr. John Ratey — how exercise builds a healthier, younger brain. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/movement-matters-how-every-move-rewires-the-brain/ Dr. Kristen Holmes — why recovery determines adaptation and readiness. Dr. John Medina — how attention transforms movement into lasting learning. Jason Whitrock — how metabolism and cellular energy fuel long-term performance. WHERE WE ARE GOING NEXT Phase 4 — Connection, Emotion & Social Intelligence The Human System Core Question: How do we thrive with other people? The brain didn't evolve in isolation—it evolved through relationships. In Phase 4, we'll explore emotional intelligence, empathy, communication, trust, leadership, and psychological safety to understand how our relationships shape learning, well-being, and performance. Phase 5 — Integration & Human Performance The Complete System Core Question: How do all the systems work together? In our final phase, we'll bring everything together—regulation, motivation, movement, emotion, relationships, learning, and recovery—into one integrated framework. We'll discover how these systems work together to create measurable improvements in our well-being, achievement, leadership, productivity, and results. REFERENCES: [i] A Neurologist Looks at Mind and Brain, published October 1, 2003, by Phirose Hansotia.   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 134 with Dr. Kristen Holmes “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain.”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 390 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/what-gets-measured-gets-improved-sleep-recovery-peak-performance/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EP 2 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/find-the-gap-how-recovery-unlocks-predictable-performance                      

Observe AI raised $125M from SoftBank at an $850M valuation, went on to cross $50M ARR, and worked with some of the world's largest enterprises. But after 10 months everything changed.From a growth stage startup, Observe became an early stage startup, not because they did anything wrong, but because world changed forever very fast.In this episode, Swapnil, Founder & CEO of Observe AI candidly shares what it takes to rebuild a company after you have already built it, why changing people and culture are harder than changing the product, why today's AI winners could disappear as the technology stack changes, and why he thinks we are still in the first innings of AI.This conversation is as much about AI as it is about a founder's drive to win.Chapter Markers00:00 ChatGPT Made Our $850M Startup Irrelevant00:38 From SaaS to AI Agents04:30 Growing Fast, But Also Dying07:36 Why VCs Bet $200M+ on Observe09:26 FOMO Made Me a Founder13:30 We Had Users, But No Buyers15:27 Why BPOs Were the Wrong Market17:26 “I'll Never Sell in India”22:30 YC Made Me Think Bigger27:22 From $1M to $50M ARR30:13 Building AI Before ChatGPT31:11 The Birth of Observe 2.032:18 When ChatGPT Changed Everything33:15 When AI Agents Take Over34:58 Rebuilding a $50M ARR Product35:47 When Co-Founders Leave38:50 Will AI Actually Kill Support Jobs?43:51 “AI ARR Is Not Real”45:45 Most Pre-AI Companies Are Bloated47:34 Learning GTM by Doing It51:24 Changing Product Is The Easy Part58:29 Why Voice AI Is Just the Beginning01:01:25 The Founder Playbook01:04:10 What Makes a Great Product?01:05:37 “I'm Here to Win”-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram:   / theneonshoww  LinkedIn:   / beneon  Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn:   / siddharthaahluwalia  Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us Fan Mail

Head of Marketing for Observe at Snowflake Shruti Bhat has spent her career helping highly technical companies explain why their products matter, find the customers who need them most, and build go-to-market systems that can actually scale. In this episode, she talks about how founders identify their real market, recognize genuine product-market fit, hire their first product marketing and GTM leaders, and earn trust across engineering, product, sales, and marketing. Drawing on three startup exits, including Observe's acquisition by Snowflake, Shruti explains why demand generation often starts too early, what repeatability looks like in enterprise sales, and why the best GTM leaders know how to unlearn their old playbooks. This is a practical conversation about turning technical innovation into customer conviction. RUNTIME 41:29   EPISODE BREAKDOWN (2:28)  From Engineering to Product Truth (7:10)  Finding Observe's Enterprise Sweet Spot (16:48)  When Technical Founders Need To Hire A Product Marketer  (24:57)  Hiring Your First GTM Leader Depends on More Than Stage (34:27)  How GTM Leaders Build (and Lose) Trust With Technical Teams  LINKS Shruti Bhat on LinkedIn Snowflake Observe by Snowflake ______ Are you building something that's hard to explain? That's often a sign you're working on something interesting, but it raises the risk that you're missing out on fundraising, sales, hiring, and media opportunities. I help early-stage founders sharpen the narrative: what matters, why now, who needs to care, and why they're the right team to make it happen. If you're preparing for a raise, launch, important customer meeting, panel, or hiring push, I can help you pressure-test the story before the stakes get higher. Visit the Fund/Build/Scale website to learn more, or email fundbuildscale@gmaii.com

It's much easier to find the solution when you understand the problem. Tune in to a youngster's frame of mind. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/779/29?v=20251111

Many people ask how to change their reality, or how to manifest something they want. Most approaches focus on changing thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or actions. These can certainly influence our experience, but what if they are only part of a much larger process?After a lifetime of research, this is the model that best explains what I have observed:Reality is an interconnected fabric of threads of connectivity, an ongoing discourse I call the Communication Network of Reality. The threads themselves are “communication”.The important question then becomes not, “How do I create reality?” but, “Which reality am I presently compatible with, and how do I become compatible with the one I want?”Compatibility is not wishful thinking. It is the natural relationship between who we are being and the discourse in which we are already participating. Every choice, habit, expectation, conversation, and relationship either strengthens or weakens that compatibility.Over the years, I have watched people sincerely describe what they wanted in life, while continuing to cultivate compatibility with the very experiences they hoped to leave behind. I call this phenomenon “lip service”. Although, to be fair, “lip service” hints at the person doing so on purpose while when it comes to manifesting what we want, it is invisible (to the person) programs that rule the day, keeping them compatible with experiences they no longer want.In other words, people try to force outcomes while remaining deeply compatible with, and feeding, the experiences they wish to leave behind. They want peace while feeding conflict. They want abundance while reinforcing scarcity. They seek freedom while continuing patterns that generate entrapment.One possible misunderstanding is to think that compatibility means we are somehow destined to experience a particular reality, or that we must simply accept it. It doesn't. Compatibility points to the reality we spend the most time nourishing through our attention, thoughts, actions, choices, conversations, programs and relationships, whether we consciously chose it or not.Changing what we are compatible with begins by becoming aware of the countless ways we participate in a particular discourse, then consciously cultivating compatibility with the discourse we wish to experience.One practical exercise is deceptively simple.Throughout the day, pause several times and ask yourself, “What reality am I compatible with right now?”Do not answer intellectually. Observe your conversations. Notice your emotional reactions, assumptions, entertainment, habits, and expectations. These often reveal far more than our stated intentions. Did you notice yourself defending the very patterns you say you want to change?This is often where lip service becomes visible. What we say we want and what we are compatible with through feeding and energizing are not always the same.Relationships provide another valuable laboratory. The people with whom we cultivate the strongest threads of connectivity often reflect the discourse with which we have become compatible. They can reveal our current reality more accurately than anything else.Reality shifts are often gradual rather than dramatic. Small adjustments in compatibility accumulate until the surrounding discourse begins to reflect them in unmistakable ways.The model itself has remained remarkably consistent throughout my research. What has evolved is the lexicon I use to describe it. I have found that a simple change in language can make the construction of reality much easier to observe, understand, and investigate. Sometimes a new word does not simply describe an idea more accurately. It allows us to perceive relationships between incidents and manifestations that were difficult to recognize before.For now, one sentence summarizes the entire model:Become aware of the reality with which you are currently compatible. Then consciously cultivate compatibility with the reality you choose to experience.As a researcher of consciousness and reality, my work now focuses on refining practical methods that help people recognize their current compatibility and consciously cultivate a different one. The goal is simple: make the process understandable, repeatable, and accessible to anyone willing to observe and participate. If that's you, you know where to find me.The discussion doesn't stop here - listen to the full podcast episode for unfiltered insights from Inelia and our panelists. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dttr.substack.com/subscribe

What does it actually mean when someone tells us to “be like the Buddha”? In Fishing Without Bait Episode 527, Jim Ellermeyer sits down with longtime co-host and Producer Mike to explore Buddhism not as an unreachable ideal, but as a practical way of approaching everyday life. Being awake doesn't mean being perfect. It means noticing what is happening around us, recognizing what is happening within us, and becoming more intentional about what we do next. That leads Jim and Mike into a discussion about living on autopilot. Jim even brings up the longtime Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel as a playful connection to the idea of “sleepwalking through life.” How many days do we simply go through the motions without really participating? Learn more about Asleep at the Wheel: https://www.asleepatthewheel.com/ The conversation moves through compassion, boundaries, time, emotional reactions, expectations, and the Buddhist “middle path.” Jim reminds us that compassion does not mean becoming a doormat. We can care about other people while still deciding where our time, effort, and resources belong. Jim and Mike also explore non-attachment and the expectations we place on our future. Wanting a new job, a different career, a bigger house, or another version of life isn't inherently wrong—but suffering can begin when we convince ourselves that those outcomes must happen. That discussion leads Mike back to the spoken-word track “Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” a piece that has stayed with him since his teenage years. He reflects on its message about the role chance plays in our choices: sometimes things work, sometimes they don't, and we don't have to spend our lives regretting a road that didn't lead where we expected. Listen to “Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI Throughout the episode, Jim and Mike return to one central idea: mindfulness creates a space between what happens and how we respond. In that space, we can make a choice instead of reacting automatically. The challenge for this week is simple: stop trying to become perfect. Work on becoming more awake. Observe. Describe. Participate. And take the next step. Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player. Support Fishing Without Bait and receive ad-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait Pick up “Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book”: https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Burnout is not caused by too much work. That's the argument at the heart of this episode — and Yana Carstens has earned the right to make it. After 12 years in the design and tech space, and her own burnout behind her, Yana shifted into executive coaching, where she now focuses on burnout prevention and authentic leadership for women in tech. In this conversation, Yana and Toni get into what taking radical responsibility for your own wellbeing actually means — and why most of what we call "wellness" is polishing the car while nobody looks under the hood. They dig into hyper-responsibility, the reflex that makes everything your fault; why rest is a prerequisite for success rather than a reward for it; and how leaders who model genuine wellbeing quietly reset the culture of everyone around them. If you're stepping into a new role, carrying everyone around you, or wondering why the vacation didn't fix it — this one is for you. What we cover: ◾ Why tech-native executive coaches are so rare — and why coaching skills spread naturally through teams ◾ The three reasons wellbeing is a leadership issue: modeling, leading from your center, and preventing burnout ◾ Burnout is not caused by too much work — the root causes nobody talks about ◾ The Ferrari analogy: you're built for speed, but without the pit stops you break down ◾ Why unlimited PTO and spa days are polish, not maintenance — and what "under the hood" work looks like ◾ Rest is a prerequisite for success, not a reward for it — and how that belief shapes team culture ◾ Hyper-responsibility: the high-achiever trait that makes everything your fault ◾ Observe, don't absorb — and Toni's version, hold, don't carry ◾ The client story: the boss's bad mood that had nothing to do with her ◾ Moving from hyper-responsible to "response-able": pause, clarify, build the internal boundary system ◾ The honest truth: this pattern comes back under stress — and that's okay ◾ Worst advice Yana ever received (from another coach): "you need to put on an act" ◾ Best advice: if you believe things will work out, you see opportunities — if not, you see obstacles Useful Links Connect with today's guest, Yana Carstens, on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanacarstens/) and sign up for her monthly newsletter at https://realignandthrive.com/newsletter. Ready to learn to coach — for your self-coaching, your leadership toolkit, or a business of your own? Ignite Coach Academy is open for enrollment. Doors close September 11: https://tonicollis.com/ignite-coach-academy This episode was sponsored by our guest, Yana Carstens. Thank you Yana for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!  

What if this New Moon isn't asking you to manifest something new—but to create space for what's ready to leave?In this Weekly Invitation from Jessica Meils the Podcast, we're moving with the energy of the Leo New Moon solar eclipse on August 12.Eclipse season can bring change, endings, revelations, and unexpected shifts. Rather than rushing to decide what those shifts mean—or trying to control what comes next—this week's invitation is simple:Observe. Release. Allow.I don't personally use eclipses for manifestation or setting new intentions.Instead, I treat eclipse season as an opportunity to stay present, remain flexible, and notice what life may already be showing me.Where is something naturally completing?What feels ready to dissolve?What no longer feels aligned?What am I being shown without having to search for an answer?This isn't about fearing eclipse energy or expecting something dramatic to happen.It's about allowing ourselves to observe what is already moving without immediately trying to direct the outcome.Sometimes our spiritual practice isn't about doing more.Sometimes it's about creating enough space to recognize what's already changing.THIS WEEK'S INVITATION:Observe what is showing up.Release what is clearly ready to leave.Stay flexible.Allow yourself to be in the unknown without rushing to fill the space.And rather than setting a New Moon intention, consider one simple question:What is life showing me that I am ready to release?You don't need to force an answer.Notice what comes.Observe. Release. Allow.And trust yourself along the way.ROOTED & RISINGRoot deeply.Rise authentically.Trust yourself along the way.WORK WITH ME + WHAT'S COMING1:1 SESSIONSA limited number of private sessions are available:https://www.jessicameils.comROOTED & RISING: LIVING INTUITIVELYMy new $44 audio experience is coming soon—a practice-based experience designed to help you deepen your relationship with your intuition and learn to notice, experience, discern, and trust what you know.Join the Living Intuitively waitlist:https://jessicameils.myflodesk.com/immersiveROOTED & RISING GATHERING PLACEA deeper gathering place is taking shape behind the scenes for intuition, embodiment, self-trust, and living your own unique blueprint.Join the Gathering Place waitlist:https://jessicameils.myflodesk.com/osif9gm4lnFREE RESOURCES + MEDITATIONShttps://www.jessicameils.com/freebiesCONNECT WITH JESSICAWebsite:https://www.jessicameils.comInstagram:@peoplecallmejessABOUT JESSICAJessica Meils is a spiritual medium, intuitive healer, and mentor exploring astrology, intuition, mediumship, energy healing, embodiment, self-worth, spiritual development, and what it means to build a life rooted in self-trust.

In his sermon “On Family Religion,” Wesley said this about the education of children: “Instruct them early in the morning. Speak to them plainly. Observe the few ideas they have and graft what you say upon them. Teach them frequently. Persevere.” He likely learned these principles from the way his mother Susannah instructed him and his siblings, and it translated into a lifelong commitment to improving the educational systems throughout England. It is part of our legacy and ongoing work as United Methodists. Questions for reflection:1. Name someone who grafted some important aspects of faith onto your heart.2. If education is "a lifelong spiritual practice," what is something new you are learning in recent days?3. How is what you are learning shaping your character?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

During basketball practice, Enrique’s dad asked him and his friend to show the team how to pass the ball correctly. Enrique had practiced for weeks but feared messing up. He prayed, completed the drill, and said, “Thank You, Lord!” Later, his dad said, “I’m proud of you for working hard, Son. But I’m prouder that you prayed and praised God.” Enrique shrugged and said, “I just did what you do.” Throughout history, God has worked through healthy cross-generational relationships. Sharing His decrees and laws with the Israelites, He said not to add to them nor subtract from them (Deuteronomy 4:1-2). “Observe them carefully,” God said, “for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations” (v. 6). But God wasn’t only interested in how others perceived His people. He said, “Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (v. 9). Why? So that they “may learn to revere” God and teach “their children” about Him (v. 10). We don’t have to be parents or serve in children’s ministry to share our Spirit-empowered faith with younger people. Whether we’re praying for a younger person or a young family, providing resources to nurture spiritual growth, or offering encouragement, God uses our healthy cross-generational relationships to impact generations to come.

Your digestive symptoms may feel random—but recurring patterns can give you useful clues about what to do next. Bonus Episode

The 8/8 Lions Gate Portal is open, and this year it doesn't simply open and close. It opened with a powerful Full Moon, peaks on August 8th, and carries us straight into the Total Solar Eclipse on August 12th and the new eclipse cycle beginning. In this video, the 3 key things you need to know to make the most of this eclipsed Lions Gate, plus a card pull for the collective.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Steven L. Kwast and Chris Ponder take a 50,000 foot view this week, framing the whole "tools for truth" project through a military lens: the OODA loop. Observe, orient, decide, act, and whoever moves through that loop faster wins, whether it's a battlefield or the information war we're all living in. Kwast draws on everything from Sun Tzu to John Boyd to explain why speed and clarity matter so much right now, while Chris recaps the framework built across the last few episodes, life, logic, space, spectrum, form, force, ledger, capability, and starts connecting it to something bigger: an information economy built the way a periodic table or a blockchain gets built, one verified piece at a time. It's part strategy briefing, part philosophy class, and it ends on a reminder that none of these tools matter without the moral foundation to use them well.

Dave's summer vacation got cut from three months down to two, and Adam has a theory. New baby, plus he hasn't been working near as hard. Dave tried to get a second opinion from Anthony Fauci, who invoked the Fifth on advice of counsel, so we're left with the ruling as it stands. Either way, the new van is getting loaded and the Niles family is headed to a cabin in Michigan for two weeks. Fifties at night, fires in the morning and the evening, which means chopping enough firewood to replace what you burn. Golf, swimming, and a little aluminum fishing boat that Davey gets to ride in. Joseph and Joshua stay on shore. Joseph has a big knot on his head at the moment anyway.Sponsor: Amen app (from the Augustine Institute) Sunday morning in a Catholic family is not easy like Sunday morning. It's kids in the van, beat Father down the aisle, get to the pew. The Amen app is how the guys prepare their kids to receive the Gospel before Mass even starts, plus free access to Divine Mercy in My Soul and True Devotion to Mary. Since 2021 it's hit 950,000 downloads. Let's get them to a million. No paywall, no subscription, no upfront cost. Download the Amen app right now.Sponsor: Select International Tours When Adam and Dave went looking for help leading their first pilgrimage, every single person pointed them to Select International Tours. Having used them, the guys can vouch. Wherever in the world you want to go, head to selectinternationaltours.com and see what they have ready.On the drive back from Lady Pamela's family reunion in Arkansas, Dave counted three mopeds inside 45 minutes, which would be unremarkable in Portland and is deeply strange here. A moped gang remains unconfirmed but would be extremely cool. His reading time is going to Plato's Republic with the group at Deacon Harrison's house, book 10 now, while Adam has missed it all year and is on record that he'll haunt them if they kick him out.Dave also saw the new Odyssey movie, alongside Dr. Frank Grabowski, Juan in a dog onesie as Argos, and Deacon Harrison Garlick, who announced in the group text beforehand: "I have filled my heart with hate." Verdict, 7.5 for entertainment. They shouldn't have tried to cram the whole epic into one film, they changed the ending, which you can't do, and they folded the lotus eaters into Calypso's island. That last one guts the most important choice in the story. Odysseus rejects immortality for his family. That's the whole thing.The pour is Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, the flagship, from a bottle the distiller sent the guys when the show started and that has sat on the shelf about ten years since. The label reads: Warning, contains high levels of manliness. No age statement, and no, ten years in your house doesn't count. Whiskey only ages in the barrel. Small batch, four barleys, virgin charred American white oak. Not bourbon, not 51% corn. Made in the style of Scotch, right here in America.Then the topic: the five precepts of the Church, Catechism 2041, page 548 if you've got the classic 90s edition. This is the Church flexing authority, which she rarely does. Most of what she does is defensive. Papal infallibility is a negative power, not a positive one. The precepts are different. They bind, and they're the floor, not the ceiling.Attend Mass on Sundays and holy days, and rest from servile labor. Everybody knows the first half. The second half is the one that stings, because going out to eat after Mass means you're compelling somebody else to work. Nurses show up, gas stations stay open, and nobody needs to be demolished by guilt over a trip to the store. Don't be a Pharisee about it. Do take it seriously.Confess your sins at least once a year, meaning your mortal sins. Go monthly anyway, and do a daily examination of conscience, because you can't remember what you ate two days ago, much less where you lost your temper 28 days ago. Dave prays to Our Lady on the way in: help me make this confession as if it were my last. Adam leaves his phone outside, because it's listening, and that's not a conspiracy. And if you deliberately hold a mortal sin back, the confession is invalid and you've just added to the pile. Compound interest is powerful. Compound sin is worse.Receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. Observe the days of fasting and abstinence, which used to be far heavier, and nothing is stopping you from going heavier now. Adam has never once enjoyed fasting. Dave eats nothing until dinner and swears he thinks more clearly for it. Both of them fast every Wednesday with a group of men and offer it up for their wives and their families. That's the domestic priesthood doing what it's for.And help provide for the needs of the Church. Notice it doesn't say if you can afford it. Money is the easy part. Time is the sacrifice, especially in the seasons of fatherhood when there isn't any. Fr. Brian O'Brien's answer when somebody says the church really ought to do this: "I totally agree. You should do it." Your kids need to see you make some of your time sacred, not because nothing else was asking for it, but because you told everything else no.It all lands on stewardship. You don't owe God 10%. You owe Him 100%. The house, the money, the hours, and most of all the kids were never yours, and He's going to want all of it back. Adam is honest about where that gets hard: leaving work drained, walking in the door, wanting to shut down instead of engage. The fix isn't willpower. It's routine. A liturgy of the home. Because those minutes belong to Him too, and at judgment there won't be a single moment that goes unjudged.One housekeeping note. The Camp Out is always the last weekend of September, so put it on the calendar now. Sign-ups open at the end of August, late on purpose, because opening early means people sign up and don't come, and space is limited. Patrons still come free. This year the guys will be asking for donations on site, because Patreon numbers are down and 100% of what comes in goes straight back into the show. Neither of them takes an income from it.Protect what you were given. Provide more than the minimum. Establish a house that looks like the King is coming back for it. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDDave's summer vacation demoted from three months to two, with Fauci pleading the Fifth on the scienceTwo weeks at a Michigan cabin, chopping firewood to replace what you burn, and a little aluminum fishing boat15,000 miles on a brand new van because Oklahoma City is a multiple-times-a-week tripThree mopeds in 45 minutes in Arkansas, and the unconfirmed existence of a moped gangReading Plato's Republic with the group at Deacon Harrison's, book 10, and Adam's threat to haunt them if he gets kicked outThe new Odyssey movie reviewed: Juan in a dog onesie as Argos and Harrison Garlick arriving with his heart pre-filled with hateWhy folding the lotus eaters into Calypso's island wrecks the most important choice in the storyWhiskey of the week: Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, on the shelf ten years, "warning, contains high levels of manliness"Why an age statement stops the day it's bottled, because whiskey only ages in the barrelWhat makes Stranahan's American whiskey and not bourbon: four barleys, virgin charred American white oak, made in the style of ScotchBringing back the old show warning, sporadically and without noticeThe five precepts of the Church, Catechism 2041, and why they're the floor and not the ceilingPapal infallibility as a negative, defensive power versus the precepts as the Church flexing positive authorityWhy the Church legislates as little as possible and prefers freedom from the law over obedience to itResting from servile labor: the case against going out to eat after Mass, and why nurses and gas stations are fineSt. John Chrysostom on why you cannot pray at home the way you pray in churchConfessing mortal sins at least once a year, and why monthly confession is the better habitThe daily examination of conscience as the thing that makes confession possible at allDave's prayer to Our Lady walking into the confessional: make this confession as if it were my lastWhy Adam leaves his phone outside the confessionalSt. Alphonsus Liguori on concealing sin, and why an intentionally incomplete confession is invalid and grave matterThe Easter duty and St. Thomas Aquinas on why the Eucharist completes what baptism beginsAquinas's threefold purpose of fasting, and why the second reason is the most interesting oneSt. Basil the Great: fasting as a weapon for the valiant and a gymnasium for athletesFasting every Wednesday with a group of men and offering it up for your wife and familyProviding for the needs of the Church with time, not just money, and Fr. Brian O'Brien's "you should do it"Why churches were built with a piazza out front, and what that says about communityStewardship: you don't owe God 10%, you owe Him 100%, and He wants your kids back"It's the King's house" as a reason to actually take care of what you haveComing home mentally exhausted and shutting down instead of engaging, and why routine beats willpowerThe liturgy of the home: building routines so a weak will has somewhere to fallCatholic Man Show Camp Out: always the last weekend of September, sign-ups open at the end of AugustREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks &...