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In this episode Andrea Samadi explores how movement and sleep work together in a "brain operating system" for human performance, focusing on restorative sleep (deep + REM), personal WHOOP data, and the trade-offs created by early-morning exercise. She shares four lessons and a simple experiment to help listeners protect REM and deep sleep while maintaining an active life, emphasizing weekly rhythms, small changes, and tracking patterns rather than chasing perfect numbers. SEASON 16 | BONUS EPISODE 4 RESTORATIVE SLEEP Where Adaptation Happens Why deep sleep restores the body, REM helps integrate experience, and healthy habits must work together. ON BONUS EPISODE 4, YOU'LL LEARN: ✔ What restorative sleep really measures ✔ How deep sleep and REM support different forms of recovery ✔ Why REM percentage and duration tell different stories ✔ What my six-month sleep data revealed ✔ The hidden tradeoff behind my 4:00 AM hiking routine ✔ What happened when I slept just 21 minutes longer ✔ Why healthy habits can sometimes compete ✔ How to protect sleep without giving up movement ✔ 4 Lessons and a simple experiment for discovering your own best rhythm Episode Introduction Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we bridge neuroscience, social and emotional learning, and human performance to create measurable improvements in well-being, achievement, leadership, productivity and results. I'm Andrea Samadi, and throughout Season 16 we have been building what I call the Brain's Operating System for Human Performance—a neuroscience-based framework for understanding how the systems of the brain and body work together to influence how we learn, adapt, connect, lead and ultimately perform. We are currently in Phase 3: Movement, Learning and Cognition. Movement is the foundation of this phase because it affects far more than our muscles. When we move, we activate processes throughout the brain and body. Movement supports neurogenesis—the development of new neurons—particularly in areas involved in learning and memory. It strengthens connections between neurons through synaptic plasticity. We covered neurogenesis on EP 141[i] if you want to revisit that episode, if you are as curious as I am about how to regrow our brain cells. Movement that we are learning in this phase, also influences brain chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine, which affect motivation, mood, attention and learning. Movement can also strengthen our resilience by helping us manage stress and become more emotionally flexible. It builds sleep pressure, (the longer we stay awake, the more adenosine accumulates that increases our need or “pressure” to rest) which can support deeper, more restorative sleep. And over time, these changes may contribute to greater creativity, insight, endurance and human potential. But movement only creates the stimulus. The benefits don't come from movement alone. They come from the way the brain and body respond to that movement—and that response is called adaptation. Movement changes the brain. Adaptation changes the body. Recovery is what connects the effort we make today with the strength, resilience and capacity we hope to build tomorrow. Without adequate recovery, we can receive the stimulus without fully receiving the benefit. That is why sleep belongs inside the Movement Loop. Sleep is not separate from movement, learning or performance. It is one of the primary places where the brain and body respond to what we have asked them to do. Throughout Season 16, I've been sharing some of my own health and performance data as a living case study—not because everyone should try to reproduce my numbers, but because our individual trends can help us understand how neuroscience shows up in everyday life. I thought that if I was curious about understanding my numbers—and using them to improve my health, well-being and productivity—then other people might benefit from what I've learned along the way. My data has helped me see that movement, recovery and performance cannot be understood in isolation. They work together as a system: Movement creates the stimulus. Recovery creates the conditions for adaptation. Restorative sleep is one of the places where that adaptation unfolds. And this brings us to one of the most important recovery metrics I've learned to follow: Restorative sleep. We often celebrate what happens while we're awake: Our productivity. Our focus. Our learning. Our movement. Our performance. But much of the adaptation supporting those abilities happens while we sleep. Deep sleep supports physical restoration. REM sleep supports emotional processing, memory integration and cognitive flexibility. Together, these stages help convert the demands of one day into greater capacity for the next. This episode began with one honest question about my own routine: THE QUESTION: What am I gaining by waking at 4:00 AM to hike—and what might I be giving up by not sleeping longer? This is not simply an episode about sleeping more. It is about creating a rhythm in which two essential health behaviors—sleep and exercise—support one another instead of competing for the same limited hours. You will see my data exactly as it is. Sleep is one of the weaker links in my current health routine, which makes it a useful place to learn. The goal is not to judge the data. The goal is to let the data ask a better question. Lesson 1: Restorative Sleep Contains Two Stories WHOOP (the wearable device that I use to measure sleep) defines restorative sleep as the combined time spent in deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep. Combining the two creates a useful overview, but separating them reveals two different parts of the story. Deep Sleep or Slow-Wave Sleep: Physical Restoration Deep sleep is concentrated more heavily in the earlier part of the night and supports processes associated with physical restoration. It is relevant after hiking, Zone 2 exercise, strength training and other demanding activity because sleep is part of how the body responds to the strain we create. During deep sleep: Tissue repair is supported. Growth hormone release increases. Immune function is supported. Energy is restored. The body adapts to physical strain. REM Sleep: Integration REM stands for rapid eye movement sleep and is known as the “mentally restorative” stage of sleep. This is where most dreams occur, and short-term memories are converted into long-term memories. During REM, the brain is highly active while most voluntary muscles remain temporarily inhibited. I'll never forget the part of our interview with Dr. Jaland Balal[ii], when he explained that this feature is what keeps us safe from moving around too much while we are sleeping, keeping our sleeping partners safe. REM has been associated with: Emotional processing Memory integration Aspects of learning Cognitive flexibility Creative associations Connecting new information with previous experiences Memory is supported across several sleep stages—not by REM alone. REM helps the brain process, connect and integrate. REM periods also tend to become longer as the night progresses. That means shortening the end of the sleep window may disproportionately reduce the opportunity for the longer, more REM-rich cycles that occur toward morning. Deep sleep helps restore the body. REM helps integrate the brain. We need both. That second sentence is personally meaningful because I have logged my dreams for years. A dream is not a diagnosis or a literal solution, and dreams can occur outside REM. But a dream log gives me a qualitative record of recurring emotions, images, relationships, problems and emerging ideas that my mind may still be processing. Since I enjoy learning, interviewing, writing, teaching and connecting ideas across neuroscience and social-emotional learning, REM matters for more than dream recall (which by itself is fascinating and something we will look deeper at in Phase 5 with Integration and Meaning). Lesson 2: My Data Revealed a Duration Gap When I looked at my WHOOP trends, the total restorative-sleep number was only the beginning.   Metric My average   Six-month restorative sleep 2 hr 43 min   Lifetime REM 1 hr 37 min   Last 90 days REM 1 hr 18 min   Last 30 days REM 1 hr 20 min   Recent REM percentage About 20% When I looked at six months of WHOOP data, my average restorative sleep was: 2 hours and 43 minutes per night. That number gave me the total time spent in deep sleep and REM—but it did not tell me how those two stages were distributed. When I separated them, another story emerged. My lifetime REM average was approximately: 1 hour and 37 minutes per night. But over my more recent periods, that changed: Last 90 days: approximately 1 hour and 18 minutes Last 30 days: approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes Recent REM percentage: approximately 20% of my total sleep Twenty percent is within a commonly reported adult range. But compared with my own lifetime average, my recent REM duration was approximately 17–19 minutes lower per night. That distinction matters. My REM percentage may appear healthy while my total REM duration is still lower than my personal historical average. So my real question became: Not “Is my REM normal?” but “What conditions help my brain produce more of its own normal REM?” This is the value of tracking. THE DATA LESSON: A population range provides context. Your baseline provides the story. Your trend gives you a question to test.           Lesson 3: The 4:00 AM Tradeoff I love hiking early. It gives me cardiovascular conditioning, time outside, morning light, mental clarity and consistency. In Arizona, it also helps me finish before extreme heat heats around 8am. But if I go to bed at 8:30 PM and wake at 4:00 AM, I create a maximum sleep opportunity of seven and a half hours. That is time in bed—not necessarily time asleep. It does not include the time required to fall asleep or periods of wakefulness during the night. If I remain in bed until 6:00 AM, I create two additional hours of sleep opportunity. Those two hours would not equal two hours of REM. They would contain a mixture of sleep stages and perhaps brief wakefulness. But because REM episodes generally lengthen later in the night, the added opportunity may protect some of the more REM-rich portion of sleep. If you want to understand sleep cycles, I highly recommend taking Dr. Mathew Walker's Masterclass[iii] The Science of Better Sleep. What the Early 4am Wake Gives Me Early movement and consistency Cardiovascular conditioning Time outdoors and morning light The mental and emotional benefits of hiking What Might it Cost Me Up to two hours of total sleep opportunity (lost) Part of one or more later sleep cycles (lost) Greater opportunity for REM and dream recall (important to me) Time for memory and emotional processing across sleep (important to me) The accurate interpretation is not that I lose two hours of REM. It is that I may give up two hours of sleep opportunity containing some of the night's more REM-rich cycles. That led to my central realization: healthy behaviors (like my early wake to hike) can compete when their timing is not coordinated. MY AHA MOMENT: Am I creating better sleep through movement—or repeatedly borrowing from the final part of sleep to make that movement happen? My wearable cannot prove that early wake times caused the change. Consumer wearables estimate sleep stages; they do not measure them with clinical polysomnography. But the pattern gives me a reasonable hypothesis to test. That is what self-tracking should do: not make us anxious about a number, but help us ask a better question. A Real-Time Clue: What 21 More Minutes Revealed While preparing this episode, my data gave me a real-time example of the tradeoff. On Thursday, August 27, I woke at 4:21 AM instead of 4:00 AM. That night I recorded three hours and two minutes of restorative sleep—the highest total of the week. It included one hour and seven minutes of deep sleep and one hour and 55 minutes of REM. That REM duration was approximately 35 minutes above my recent 30-day average. My graph in the show notes showed a substantial REM period close to the end of the sleep window. Twenty-one additional minutes cannot explain a 35-minute difference, and one night cannot establish cause. Sleep varies from night to night. But the observation supports the hypothesis that a 4:00 AM alarm may sometimes interrupt a REM period already underway. I also remembered my dream and added it to my dream log. That gave me another kind of data: not just how long I slept, but what my mind may have been processing, integrating or connecting. One night is a clue—not proof. Watch the trend. The lesson is not that 4:21 AM is a magical wake time. The lesson is that the final portion of sleep may be more valuable than its length makes it appear. A small extension may sometimes allow the brain to finish a cycle that an earlier alarm (or your natural body's alarm) would interrupt. Lesson 4: Build a Rhythm, Not a Perfect Day The remedy I've concluded is not to stop hiking, (I would be miserable) and it is not to maximize sleep or exercise in isolation (I wouldn't feel productive sleeping in longer). The solution is to create a weekly rhythm in which movement provides the stimulus and sleep protects the opportunity for adaptation. For me, that rhythm can include two kinds of days: 1. Early-Hike Days (twice a week) When a 4:00 AM wake time is necessary, (and possible). I can treat bedtime as part of the training plan. If family responsibilities the night before make a very early bedtime unrealistic, I can recognize that constraint and adapt. But it is important that I get to bed by 8:30pm if I want to wake up 4am.   2. Sleep-Protected Mornings On selected non-hiking days, I can remain asleep until approximately 5:00 or 6:00 AM and move later.  These mornings create more opportunity for later sleep cycles and give me a comparison condition for my experiment. What happens if I stay in bed longer? The goal is not a perfect day. The goal is a sustainable week. The Movement Loop is not: Move → Move More → Keep Pushing. It is: Movement → Recovery → Adaptation → Performance → Greater Capacity. For you, the listener, are you giving yourself enough time to recover? To Adapt? To Increase Performance? That leads to greater capacity? Or, did you notice, like me, that there was a trade off with your schedule? Tips to Implement: Run Your Own Restorative-Sleep Experiment You do not need my wake time, my REM number or a WHOOP device to learn from your own pattern. Use this five-step experiment for two to four weeks. Establish your baseline. Record your usual bedtime, wake time, estimated sleep duration, morning energy and—if available—deep and REM sleep for at least seven nights. The Whoop device rewards users who go to bed, and wake at the same time, calling it sleep consistency. Choose one change. Add 20–60 minutes of sleep opportunity on selected mornings, or move bedtime earlier before early-training days. Avoid changing every variable at once. Stanford Professor, Dr. Andrew Huberman[iv] suggests that if you can find a way to add heat to your sleeping environment in the final 2 hours of your sleep, it can increase your REM sleep. Sleeping just 21 more minutes for me made a notable difference. Protect movement differently. On sleep-protected mornings, move later, shorten the session or choose a lower-intensity option instead of skipping movement entirely. This was the game changer for me.  I opted for a walk on sleep protected days. Track a small set of outcomes. Use total sleep, restorative sleep or dream recall if available, morning clarity, afternoon energy and exercise quality. Optional wearable metrics include recovery, HRV and resting heart rate. This is where you have to notice what you see from this ONE change. It might be obvious like mine—I noticed that extra time led to a dream that I could recall. Review the pattern—not the best night. Compare at least one or two weeks of early mornings with sleep-protected mornings. Look for a repeatable combination that supports both recovery and movement. The patterns will reveal whether the ONE thing you changed made a difference for you. If you do use a wearable, remember that sleep stages are estimates. Use the device to compare patterns under similar conditions, not to diagnose a sleep disorder or chase a perfect stage score. KEY QUESTION: Can I preserve the benefits of movement without repeatedly borrowing the time my brain and body need for recovery? A Bigger Experiment Is Still Underway I have also removed one significant sleep disruptor and am tracking what happens to my REM, sleep stress, HRV, resting heart rate and recovery. I do not want to draw conclusions too early. I want enough data to distinguish a temporary response from a genuine physiological shift, so I will return to that experiment in a future episode. For now, the question is narrower: how can I protect restorative sleep while continuing to live an active life? Review  To review and conclude this week's BONUS EP 4, let's bring the four lessons—and the data—together. Lesson 1: Restorative Sleep Contains Two Stories Restorative sleep combines two important stages: Deep sleep and REM sleep. Deep sleep supports physical restoration and adaptation. REM supports emotional processing, memory integration, cognitive flexibility and creative association. We need both. Every morning, I look at my restorative-sleep total and hope it is closer to three hours than two. But this episode taught me not to stop at that combined number. The total gives me the overview. Deep sleep and REM tell me how that restoration was distributed. And REM is personally meaningful to me for another reason: I have recorded my dreams for years. Dream recall does not provide a literal interpretation of everything happening in my life. But it gives me a qualitative record of the emotions, experiences, problems and ideas my mind may still be processing. So Lesson 1 is: Restorative sleep is not one number. It contains the story of how the body restores—and how the brain integrates. Lesson 2: My Data Revealed a Duration Gap Over the past six months, my average restorative sleep has been two hours and 43 minutes. My recent REM has represented approximately 20% of my total sleep—a percentage that may appear reasonable. But when I looked at duration rather than percentage, I discovered that my recent REM was approximately 17–19 minutes below my lifetime average. REM percentage and REM duration answer different questions. Percentage tells me how my sleep was distributed. Duration tells me how much actual time my brain spent in that stage. That distinction matters because someone can have a reasonable REM percentage but still receive less total REM when the overall sleep window is shortened. So Lesson 2 is: A percentage can look healthy while duration still reveals a gap. This is why personal baselines are so valuable. Our trends help us identify the question we need to investigate. Lesson 3: The 4:00 AM Wake Time Creates a Tradeoff My data led me to examine my 4:00 AM wake time. Waking at 4:00 does not mean I am losing two hours of REM. It means I may be giving up two hours of total sleep opportunity—time that could contain approximately one to one-and-a-half later, more REM-rich sleep cycles. Then, while I was preparing this episode, I received an early clue. When I slept just 21 minutes longer—waking at 4:21 instead of 4:00—my restorative sleep reached three hours and two minutes. That included one hour and seven minutes of deep sleep and one hour and 55 minutes of REM—approximately 35 minutes more REM than my recent 30-day average. I also remembered my dream and added it to my dream log. Twenty-one additional minutes cannot explain the entire 35-minute difference, and one night does not prove causation. But the graph showed a substantial REM period close to the end of my sleep window. That gave me a clue worth investigating: My 4:00 AM wake time may sometimes interrupt a REM period that is already underway. So Lesson 3 is: The final portion of sleep may be more valuable than its length makes it appear. This does not mean that 4:21 is a magical wake time. It means that a small extension may sometimes allow the brain to finish a cycle that an earlier wake time would interrupt. Dr. Huberman, and Dr. Holmes offered tips to stay in bed longer, to capture REM rich sleep time. Lesson 4: Build a Rhythm, Not a Perfect Day My early-morning hikes provide cardiovascular conditioning, time outside, morning light, mental clarity and emotional regulation. They support my health. They also make me happy. The remedy is not to stop exercising and become miserable. The remedy is to protect sleep as well as I realistically can and arrange movement around a more complete sleep window. That might mean saving selected mornings for longer sleep. It might mean moving later on non-hiking days. It might mean moving bedtime earlier when possible. And it might mean shortening a workout when sleep has been limited. The goal is not to maximize sleep or exercise in isolation. It is to create a sustainable weekly rhythm in which both can happen. So Lesson 4 is: The best routine is not the one that produces a perfect number. It is the one that allows the whole system to work. Now let me ask you: Do you know how much restorative sleep you receive? Do you look beyond the total and examine both deep sleep and REM? Are you tracking percentages—or actual duration? Does your schedule give you enough sleep opportunity? And could one healthy behavior in your life be unintentionally competing with another? My restorative-sleep average gave me the overview. My REM duration revealed the tension. My 4:00 AM wake time created the hypothesis. My additional 21 minutes gave me an early clue. My next step is to test a better rhythm. That is what measurement is supposed to do. Not judge us. Not pressure us to produce a perfect number. Guide us toward a better decision. I hope this deeper look at restorative sleep encourages you to identify one small experiment of your own—not to chase a perfect number, but to discover the rhythm that helps you learn, adapt and perform at your best.   We'll see you next time as we return to Dr. John Medina's work—not to repeat what we have already learned about attention, but to answer the next question in the Movement Loop: once movement activates the brain, how does attention determine what becomes learning? From there, we'll revisit Jason Wittrock's work through a new lens: how metabolic health, nutrition and energy availability help the brain and body sustain movement, recovery and performance. Resources and Episode Pathway 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. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/movement-isnt-enough-how-recovery-drives-real-adaptation   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. Selected Sleep References “What Is Restorative Sleep?” https://www.whoop.com/us/en/thelocker/what-is-restorative-sleep/ Patel AK, Reddy V, Shumway KR, Araujo JF. “Physiology, Sleep Stages.” StatPearls/NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/ Goldstein AN, Walker MP. “The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Function.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4286245/ Paller KA, Creery JD, Schechtman E. “Memory and Sleep: How Sleep Cognition Can Change the Waking Mind for the Better.” Annual Review of Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7983127/   REFERENCES:   [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 141 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-neurogenesis-what-hurts-or-helps-your-brain-cells/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 384 Review of our Interview with Dr. Baland Jalal  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/hypnagogic-genius-capture-your-best-ideas-at-the-edge-of-sleep/   [iii] www.masterclass.com Mathew Walker The Science of a Better Sleep   [iv] https://www.instagram.com/p/DbO7dKLO-c8/?hl=en Dr. Andrew Huberman on ways to increase REM sleep.  

Dr. Karen Litzy sits down with Jennifer Burnham Grubbs, founder of Ionava, to unpack why traditional health insurance often penalizes healthy people instead of rewarding them. Jennifer draws on 21 years in the insurance industry to explain what she saw, why she built a new financial category, and how Ionava is designed to reward health-conscious behavior with greater flexibility and less friction. We discuss why healthy people often get poor value from insurance, how Ionava differs from HSAs, FSAs, and health sharing ministries, and how its wallet-based model is meant to make health financial preparedness more practical.   Key topics   Jennifer explains why she built Ionava after two decades as an insurance broker and consultant, including seeing denied coverage, surprise billing, and confusing utilization patterns firsthand. The episode explores the idea that healthy people often subsidize the system without getting a meaningful return, even when they follow preventive care recommendations. Karen and Jennifer compare traditional insurance with a "good driver discount" model, highlighting how insurance rarely rewards healthier behavior. Jennifer explains why Ionava is not health insurance or an HSA, but a new financial category built around health, financial preparedness, and wellness spending. The conversation covers how Ionava's wallet works, including how users can spend on qualifying health and wellness expenses, from gym memberships to supplements and cosmetic wellness categories. Jennifer contrasts Ionava with HSAs and FSAs, emphasizing that Ionava is funded through the subscription and is designed to roll over rather than expire. They also discuss health sharing ministries and why Ionava was built to be secular and broadly accessible rather than tied to religious attestation. Jennifer explains the health score quiz, how it helps price vaults, and why Ionava currently starts with the healthiest applicants to maintain actuarial discipline. The episode dives into pre-existing conditions, how current health status affects eligibility, and why some people may be asked to wait as the pool expands. Karen and Jennifer unpack how Ionava avoids the network and contracted-rate limitations that shape traditional insurance, including why cash-based purchasing offers more flexibility across states and even internationally.   Timestamps   00:00 - Why healthy people feel punished by the insurance system 01:13 - Jennifer's 21 years inside insurance and what she saw 02:40 - Denials, surprise bills, and the pain points that shaped Ionava 03:30 - Why there is no "good driver discount" for health 05:01 - Why most people never get their money's worth from insurance 06:18 - Preventive care that still triggers hidden costs 07:16 - The problem with opaque medical pricing 08:38 - Why innovation often falls outside traditional coverage 09:27 - Why Jennifer first tried to fix insurance from the inside 11:43 - The limits of claims help and out-of-network gaps 13:42 - Why the private sector had to build a new answer 14:15 - What "health financial preparedness" means 15:39 - Health as physical, mental, and financial readiness 16:41 - Why people still buy insurance even when they hate it 17:12 - Ionava as an alternative or layered financial strategy 18:28 - How Ionava differs from HSAs 20:20 - Why Ionava is more like a funded debit wallet 21:46 - What counts as a qualified spend 22:10 - Why FSAs can feel like a use-it-or-lose-it trap 23:34 - Why Ionava rolls over and rewards healthy behavior 24:17 - How Ionava differs from health sharing ministries 26:36 - Why the health score exists 27:34 - How vault pricing works and why rates are locked for life 29:01 - Optional biometrics and earning more on your wallet balance 30:29 - How Ionava thinks about pre-existing conditions 31:57 - Why some applicants may be asked to come back later 33:11 - Beauty, fitness, and wellness spending inside the wallet 34:37 - The support system for new users 36:15 - Why Ionava is different from reimbursement-based models 37:37 - How insurance networks and contracted rates really work 41:04 - Why Ionava uses cash pricing worldwide 42:39 - Jennifer's weekly wellness spend: supplements 43:18 - The biggest myth healthy people believe about insurance 43:47 - Why she wants HSAs to fund Ionava vaults 44:18 - Books that shaped her thinking: The Go Giver and Give and Take 46:10 - Gardening, herbs, and staying grounded while building a company 47:18 - Where to learn more about Ionava and reserve a vault   More About Jennifer:   Jennifer (Azar) Burnham-Grubbs, is the Founder and CEO of Quantum Insurance Services and the Founder of ionava. She's spent 21 years inside the insurance industry as a fiduciary broker, managing over $100 million in insurance products for clients ranging from professional athletes and C-suite executives to everyday families. She's also the co-founder of Womxn of Wealth, a nonprofit dedicated to building women's financial acumen. After more than two decades inside the system, she launched ionava — a new financial category built for the healthy consumers the insurance system overcharges and underserves. She's a Princeton grad, based in Los Angeles   Resources from this Episode: Ionava Website Jennifer on LinkedIn The Go Giver (book)   Jane Sponsorship Information: Book a one-on-one demo here Front Desk @ Jane Mention the code LITZY1MO for a free month   Follow Dr. Karen Litzy on Social Media: Karen's Twitter Karen's Instagram Karen's LinkedIn   Subscribe to Healthy, Wealthy & Smart: YouTube Website Apple Podcast Spotify Stitcher iHeart Radio

The Monday Pod is back to break down a chaotic 3-2 derby loss to Chelsea under the Cottage lights. We look at the positives going forward including a majestic performance from Josh King and a debut goal from Gonzalo García alongside those defensive frailties.It was an emotional roller coaster of an opening night, but one thing is clear: there isn't going to be a dull moment following Fulham this season... If you enjoy Fulhamish, please consider subscribing to our Substack. You'll be ensuring that we are able to keep making podcasts, videos and written articles. Plus you'll get advert free videos, exclusive articles and access to our exclusive Telegram channel: https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/subscribe Guests: George Cooper Drew Heatley Adam Farquharson Piers Cottee-Jones Producer: Elizabeth Barnard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone worries. Bills. Family. Health. Work. The future. Anxiety is a normal part of being human—but when does ordinary worry become something more? Something that needs professional intervention? More specifically, when does “everyday anxiety” become Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)? In this episode, host Gabe Howard sits down with ADAA member expert Ben Eckstein, LCSW, therapist, anxiety specialist, and author of “Worrying Is Optional,” to explain how clinicians distinguish everyday stress from a diagnosable anxiety disorder. You'll learn why worrying isn't the same as problem-solving, why avoiding anxiety often makes it worse, and how evidence-based treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy help people reclaim their lives.  Listeners Will Learn The physical symptoms that commonly accompany chronic anxiety Why avoidance can make anxiety stronger over time The role of medications like SSRIs and benzodiazepines in treating anxiety disorders Why worry can feel productive — even though it hardly ever is Whether you've been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, wonder if your anxiety has crossed the line from normal to clinical, or want to better understand someone you care about, this conversation offers practical insights, expert guidance, and hope. We would like to thank Otsuka for providing educational support for this episode. Our guest, Ben Eckstein, LCSW, is the owner and director of Bull City Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  He's a therapist specializing in the treatment of OCD, Anxiety, and OC-Related Disorders. In addition to his clinical work, Ben is a trainer, speaker, and author of the book, “Worrying is Optional.”  Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.

In this episode, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford explains how connection helps us heal what we can't heal alone, from the power of sharing our stories to the support we find in friendships, groups, and community. She discusses how healing allows painful experiences to become part of our story without becoming our entire story, why shame begins to loosen when we realize we aren't alone, and how relationships can help us see ourselves more clearly. Dr. Joy also explores self-silencing, navigating conflict, finding meaningful friendships as adults, and why discomfort can sometimes be a sign that we're growing in the right direction. Feeling overwhelmed in your life?Check out ⁠⁠Overwhelm is Optional ⁠⁠— a 4-week email course that helps you feel calmer and more grounded without needing to do less. In under 10 minutes a day, you'll learn simple mindset shifts (called “Still Points”) you can use right inside the life you already have. ⁠⁠Sign up here for only $29!⁠ Key Takeaways: How culturally responsive therapy recognizes the different experiences people bring to mental health and healing Why finding the right therapist is about connection as much as credentials How to balance self-improvement with accepting yourself as you are Why sharing our stories can loosen shame and help painful experiences become part of our story rather than the whole story The unique healing power of groups, friendship, and realizing we aren't alone in what we're experiencing How to build new friendships as an adult by noticing people already in the “background” of your life Why self-silencing our needs can undermine our relationships and how small changes can help us speak up How navigating conflict can deepen intimacy rather than signal the end of a relationship Why discomfort doesn't necessarily mean you're moving in the wrong direction Practical ways to work with everyday anxiety, including asking “and what next?” For full show notes, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, check out these other episodes: Exploring the Healing Potential of Spirituality with Abraham Verghese Racialized Trauma with Resmaa Menakem This episode is sponsored by: ⁠Monarch⁠: Take control of your finances with Monarch, the all-in-one personal finance app that helps you budget, track spending, monitor investments, and work toward your financial goals. Get 50% off your first year of Monarch Core, go to https://www.monarch.com/ and enter Promo Code: FEED ⁠Talkiatry⁠⁠⁠⁠ connects you with licensed psychiatrists for personalized, evidence-based mental health care, all online and covered by most major insurance plans. To get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkiatry.com/FEED.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Quince:⁠⁠ Refresh your wardrobe with Quince by going to ⁠⁠Quince.com/feed⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. ⁠⁠Pebl⁠⁠⁠ – an AI-powered platform that helps companies hire and manage global teams in 185+ countries. Get a free estimate at ⁠⁠⁠hipebl.ai⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Download MP3 | Watch Video Episode Full Timestamps: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQR5efq2cZlUXp_CdVCRWMpL-Ij4YVf3XXzPREaCYFMnaMJKgC_DKCiiR28dd0HpLZlE4-JlOHYXhYM/pub Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@CastleSuperBeastArchive The Downside of Getting a Times Square Ad Evercold Ones Off To a Rollicking Good Start Caveman Talk: Tokon EA: Death by a Thousand Iron Maidens Pokemon Company Toilet Cam: Even Their Crimes Are Out of Date NEW CASTLE SUPER BEAST "LEGACY" SHIRT & DESKMAT AVAILABLE NOW: https://www.orchideight.com/collections/castle-super-beast - NEW CASTLE SUPER BEAST "LEGACY" SHIRT & DESKMAT AVAILABLE NOW: https://www.orchideight.com/collections/castle-super-beast Go to http://buyraycon.com/superbeastOPEN to get 20% off the Essential Open Earbuds! - Our listeners can buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at http://warbyparker.com/CASTLE — and using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #ad Docket: According to Bloomberg's reporter, Jason Schreier, EA told debt investors that it will cut $700 million in annual costs including $170 million in "organizational efficiencies," which means there will be "mass layoffs" across several EA's studios. EA has been sold to an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia's sovereign Public Investment Fund. Last year, we spoke with analysts to understand how the debt-financed buyout could impact the U.S. publisher. The Pokemon Company is facing a class-action lawsuit after a former executive was arrested for secretly filming people inside company bathrooms. 89 videos were allegedly filmed in office toilets Delighted to learn that Cammy's SF6 stage has her fighting outside a gay bar, Royal Vauxhall Tavern  Sega vs Capcom fan game demo is out! D.Mon | New Hero Gameplay Trailer | Overwatch D.mon side-by-side comparison between concept art and hero trailer. Nintendo doesn't seem set to do away with physical video game sales any time soon as the company says that a healthy 38.5% of its sales are physical editions. Video Game Accounts Can Be Inherited, Chinese Court Rules. A Beijing court has ruled in favor of a mother seeking to inherit her late son's 87 online gaming accounts, selecting the dispute as an example case to provide judges with legal direction on similar future proceedings involving digital assets. GACKT POSTED A REEL WEARING GENESIS'S OUTFIT WITH REDEMPTION PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND. HE'S COMING BACKT  

In this episode of Unashamed Unafraid, Chris, Sam, Mason, and Austin discuss why building a real male brotherhood is essential—not optional—for recovering from sexual addiction. They explore the common hurdles men face in seeking support, such as fatherlessness, isolation, and the tendency to minimize their struggles rather than open up. The hosts emphasize that true brotherhood requires both deep vulnerability during moments of temptation and lighthearted fun to build genuine connection. Ultimately, they encourage listeners to stop isolating, step out in courage, and clearly communicate what they need from supportive peers to achieve lasting healing.Make a donation and become an Outsider!Follow us on social media! Instagram, Facebook & TikTokSubscribe to our YouTubeCheck out our recommended resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH!  For more inspiration, read our blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Send us an email! contact@unashamedunafraid.comTimestamps:0:43 – Welcome to Unashamed, Unafraid & Four Brothers in the House2:18 – "Brotherhood is Not Optional" & Trying to Recover Alone4:05 – Mason & Sam's Story: Realizing Dudes Don't Talk About Porn Addiction6:27 – Why Men Avoid Brotherhood: Fatherlessness & Unhealthy Patterns8:52 – The Wild Hearts Group & The Power of "Will You Pray For Me?"11:41 – Reaching Out Before a Relapse vs. Calling After the Fact14:08 – The Young Single Adult Trap: Isolation & Minimizing the Problem16:34 – Attending a Group vs. Actually Being Known19:12 – What Blocks Men From Making the Call During Temptation?21:55 – Balancing Dynamic Brotherhood: Serious Healing + Stupid Jokes24:23 – Teaching Other Dudes What You Need (Listening vs. Fixing)27:14 – Reaching Out & Community Meetup Announcements

Avoiding office politics doesn't keep you out of politics. It simply gives an advantage to people who understand how the game is played. This 97% Effective Essentials episode offers three practical ways to engage with organizational politics without feeling manipulative or fake.Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.comSHOW NOTES:The key to unlocking career success: reframing how you see and approach office politicsWhy are office politics unavoidable – and so important to navigate?A CEO's insight: Tough lessons learned from ignoring office politics early in one's careerOffice politics defined: “the mechanism by which conflicts get resolved”Reframe #1: “See office politics as an engineering problem”How to build abitrary social norms into your operating modelReframe #2: “Think like a game developer”What do you need to engage someone on your critical path?Managing office politics got this VP promoted, but more importantly it enabled his more important goal: elevate and better help his team flourishReframe #3: Change the wordingThe two-column exercise that will make you playful, curious – and see office politics in a more positive light BIO AND LINKS:Michael Wenderoth is an Executive Coach that helps executives re-examine their assumptions about power, politics, and authenticity to get promoted, become more effective at work, and break glass ceilings holding them back. Having served 20 years in senior roles with companies across the globe, and then 7 years as a professional coach, he has helped accelerated the careers of clients from diverse industries, backgrounds, and levels of seniority, helping them get ahead – without having to sell their souls in the process. Michael is the award-winning author of Get Promoted, host of the 97% Effective career acceleration podcast, and a frequent speaker and media contributor on career advancement, leadership and navigating power and politics. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Stanford Business School Executive Education and IE Business School, where he collaborates with renowned professors, coaches, executives and experts. Michael holds an MBA from Stanford and trained as an executive coach at Columbia University (3CP).Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.comMichael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelchangwenderoth/97% Effective, now on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/bdz53mc5Camiel Gielkens, CEO of Relevance, on 97% Effective: “How Power Amplifies Your Impact” https://tinyurl.com/27wfjs7zResearch study: “How important are political skills for career success? A systematic review and meta-analysis” https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2021.1949626Raquel Gonzalez-Dalmau, Executive Educator and Coach, on 97% Effective: “Office Politics as an Engineering Problem” https://tinyurl.com/nhcyjzm9Keshav Pitani, VP of Light & Wonder, on 97% Effective: Overcoming Your Aversion to Office Politics” https://tinyurl.com/3mjxvbwsReframe #3: Exercise available on Michael's website https://changwenderoth.com/audiobook-resources/Michael's Book, Get Promoted: https://changwenderoth.com/#tve-jump-180481ecea3Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Cassandra Vieten explores the science of using imagination to change how you think and feel. She explains that imagination isn't something reserved for creativity or daydreaming; we're using it constantly to anticipate the future, interpret the present, and tell stories about the past. Cassandra shares how becoming more conscious of these patterns can help us recognize when our imagination is working against us, shift the stories that keep us stuck, and use this powerful capacity to approach challenges with greater flexibility, possibility, and hope. Her new book is Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Feel, and Live with the Science of Imagination Feeling overwhelmed in your life?Check out ⁠⁠Overwhelm is Optional ⁠⁠— a 4-week email course that helps you feel calmer and more grounded without needing to do less. In under 10 minutes a day, you'll learn simple mindset shifts (called “Still Points”) you can use right inside the life you already have. ⁠⁠Sign up here for only $29!⁠ Key Takeaways: Why we use imagination far more often than we realize How imagination shapes our thoughts, emotions, and behavior The difference between adaptive and maladaptive imagination How catastrophizing uses imagination against us Why imagining how you want to show up can be more useful than imagining perfect outcomes How your unique “imagination style” influences the way you think Why screens may be weakening our capacity to imagine How mental rehearsal can help us prepare for difficult situations Using your future self to clarify your values and priorities Why we can't always think our way into lasting change How imagination can help regulate the nervous system Why generating hope is a skill we can practice For full show notes, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Cassandra Vieten, check out these other episodes: What's Next? Our Future Stories with David Christian The 12 Levers That Actually Help You Change Your Life | Spencer Greenberg How to Craft a Meaningful Life with Emily Esfahani Smith This episode is sponsored by: Monarch: Take control of your finances with Monarch, the all-in-one personal finance app that helps you budget, track spending, monitor investments, and work toward your financial goals. Get 50% off your first year of Monarch Core, go to https://www.monarch.com/ and enter Promo Code: FEED Talkiatry⁠⁠⁠ connects you with licensed psychiatrists for personalized, evidence-based mental health care, all online and covered by most major insurance plans. To get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutes, visit ⁠⁠⁠Talkiatry.com/FEED.⁠⁠⁠ Quince:⁠ Refresh your wardrobe with Quince by going to ⁠Quince.com/feed⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. ⁠Pebl⁠⁠ – an AI-powered platform that helps companies hire and manage global teams in 185+ countries. Get a free estimate at ⁠⁠hipebl.ai⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you been waiting to get baptized? Maybe you're wondering if you're ready, what it means, or whether you even need to do it. In this week's 10-minute Equipping episode, Jim Ramos looks at what the Bible actually teaches about baptism, why it matters, and why you may be overthinking something God has already made clear. If you've trusted Jesus, maybe it's time to stop debating it and take the step. Want to protect your marriage? Get our free ebook: 7 Guardrails to Protect Your Marriage Before It's Too Late. https://meninthearena.org/pages/7-marriage-guardrails  Has Men in the Arena helped you make a change in your life, small or large? We want to hear your impact story! https://meninthearena.org/pages/hero-stories  You can start a ministry to father the fatherless in your church! Learn how with our sponsor, Kids Outdoor Zone at https://kidsoutdoorzone.com/arena.  

Are you a senior corporate leader or high-performing director relying on your company's learning and development budget to dictate your personal growth and future security?   In this empowering solo episode, host Billy Keels reacts to a powerful life lesson from fellow podcaster Chris Williamson: no one is coming to save you. Billy pulls back the curtain on why market-leading multinationals constantly put their money where their mouth is—investing massive financial resources into technical skills, soft skills, and elite methodologies like MEDDIC or Challenger Sales to fuel their corporate organism. Discover why you must break the habit of putting yourself last, treat your personal transition as your own business line item, and aggressively invest your own time, effort, and capital into guided frameworks that unlock a predictable pathway to optionality while you continue to excel at your 9-to-5.  

A customer noticed prices change on their Shake Shack order after they declined to tip - is this legal?

Are you a mom who has put her own health on the back burner because someone else needs you more? Or maybe you're caring for a child with autism or an aging parent and have no idea where to even begin when it comes to your own wellbeing?  We cover: What 21 years of caring for a child with autism actually taught one mom about the human body Why caregivers are silently aging faster and what to do about it before it's too late The biological layers underneath an autism diagnosis that most doctors never address The specific blood labs that need to be optimized that could be the first domino for both you and your child What really happens when you stop sacrificing your health and start treating yourself like a patient too   Nadia Elkhatib hosts Biohacking Autism, a weekly podcast bringing biohacking, peptides, and functional medicine to autism families. Nadia spent years working in Silicon Valley tech before her son Jimmy's autism diagnosis pulled her into a different kind of research entirely. For 19 years she has worked on the integrative side of autism: biomedical protocols and most recently hormone and thyroid optimization. After her own labs surfaced significant metabolic and hormonal dysfunction, she expanded her work into caregiver longevity, the recognition that her own healthspan is her son's safety net. Real solutions for people with autism and the ones who love them. Contact Nadia Elkhatib: Website: https://biohackautism.com  Podcast: Biohacking Autism - https://biohackautism.captivate.fm/listen  Email: nadia@biohackautism.com   Give thanks to our sponsors: Try Vitali skincare. 20% off with code ZORA here - https://vitaliskincare.com Get Primeadine spermidine by Oxford Healthspan. 15% discount with code ZORA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.oxfordhealthspan.com/ZORA Get Mitopure Urolithin A by Timeline. 20% discount with code ZORA at https://timeline.com/zora Try MitoQ for optimal mitochondrial health. Code ZORA for 20% off https://mitoq.com/zora   Join the Hack My Age community on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HackMyAgeClips YouTube: https://youtube.com/@hackmyage Facebook Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Hack My Age⁠     Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠   Biohacking Menopause Private Women's Only Support Group: https://hackmyage.com/biohacking-menopause-membership/ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠HackMyAge⁠    Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HackMyAge.com⁠    For partnership inquiries: https://www.category3.ca/  Some episodes of Hack My Age are supported by partners whose products or services may be discussed during the show. The host may receive compensation or earn a minor commission if you purchase through affiliate links at no extra cost to you. All opinions shared are those of the host and guests, based on personal experience and research, and do not necessarily represent the views of any sponsor. Sponsorships do not imply medical endorsement or approval by any healthcare provider featured on this podcast.

Founders spend years looking for the broken process, the wrong tool, or the missing hire, because any of those would be easier than the truth. In this episode, Sheena takes apart the comfortable lie that once the system is fixed the work will flow, and explains why a better tool simply gives the bottleneck better plumbing. She offers a concrete one-week diagnostic — count every time something waits on you, and fix nothing — and pairs it with the vacation test that reveals where your business has load-bearing walls made out of you. Then she goes underneath the mechanics to the three payoffs that keep the bottleneck in place: being needed, being the smartest person in the room, and being irreplaceable. The episode closes on the distinction that changes the whole project, which is the difference between being absent and being unnecessary, and why becoming unnecessary is the only route to actually leading.Key Topics CoveredWhy fixing the system does not fix the bottleneckThe one-week "waiting on you" audit, and why you must not fix anything while countingThe vacation test: what actually stopped moving while you were goneThe three payoffs of being the bottleneck — being needed, being the smartest, being irreplaceableThe difference between being absent and being unnecessarySorting the wait list into context gaps, permission gaps, and the work that genuinely requires youKey TakeawaysA tool routes work to wherever decisions get made, so a better tool moves work to you faster.The number is the conversation — count the waits before you argue about whether you are the constraint.Being needed has been indistinguishable from being valuable since the beginning, and the reward system never updated.You do not stop being the leader when you stop being the mechanism; being unnecessary is what makes leading possible.Resources MentionedThe Strategic Discovery Audit — the diagnostic gateway to working with The DeVain CollectiveThe CEO Self-AssessmentBeyond Founder-Led newsletterConnect with The DeVain Collective:LinkedInInstagramWebsite: thedevaincollective.comConnect with Sheena:LinkedInInstagramAbout Beyond Founder-LedBeyond Founder-Led is the podcast for mission-driven founders — primarily women scaling service-based businesses from $500K to $5M — who are ready to move beyond being the bottleneck in every decision. Hosted by Sheena Hunt, founder of The DeVain Collective, each episode delivers frameworks, honest reflection, and practical tools for building a business that grows without sacrificing the founder or the mission.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beautifullycomplicated-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trail Waffles: How I Found Myself Again[↓ Jump to Recipe ↓](you can click that if you want, I won't be offended, though I will say a small prayer for you to Glizabert, Goddess of Travel, Privilege and Whatever-the-Opposite-of-White-Guilt-is)I wasn't always a person who made waffles on a donkey.I know. I know. You came here for a recipe, and instead you are getting Filmeena's Feelings, and I promise we will get there, we will get to the part with the flour and the fire, but first you have to understand about my grandmother's grandmother, a woman I never met, who according to family legend once fought off a bugbear using nothing but a cast-iron pan and sheer force of personality, and I think about her every single morning as I stand over my own cast-iron pan wondering if today is the day the bugbear comes back seeking revenge.It was autumn - or whatever passes for autumn in a world where the seasons are decided by which god is currently "on one" - and I had just left my third adventuring party in as many months, not because I don't love a good dungeon (I do, dungeons are fine, dungeons are a journey), but because I had realised, somewhere around goblin encounter number forty-one, that nobody in my party had eaten a warm breakfast in six weeks and everyone was, frankly, being insufferable about it. You cannot reason with a paladin who has not had breakfast. I have tried. It ends in a lecture about "Nome guilt" and "we must confess about the sin of taste". All this from a man who, and I cannot stress this enough, eats hardtack dry.So I quit the party. I kept the donkey. The donkey's name is Big Clop and he has never once complained about waffles, which already makes him a better travel companion than most of the two-legged adventurers I've adventured with.I want to be honest with you: I did not invent trail waffles in a moment of culinary genius. I invented them at 5 AM in the freezing rain, sobbing slightly, holding two pans, having what I can only describe as a Breakfast Emergency. But that's the thing about the road, isn't it? It strips everything back to the essentials. Who are you, really, when you're cold, and hungry, and someone in your party (still not naming names, Flibbert) keeps asking "are we there yet?" like we are not all equally lost, annoyed and extremely overwhelmed. Are you the kind of person who gives up? Or are you the kind of person who straps two iron pans to a mule and refuses, on principle, to eat another cold biscuit stew flavoured with sock?I chose waffles. I choose waffles every morning, honestly, it's less a decision at this point and more a compulsion, but we don't have to unpack that today.I made these for a hag once. Not "for" in the sense of "willingly." She'd threatened to turn my party into assorted woodland creatures unless someone impressed her by sundown, and everyone looked at me, and I don't know what that says about my reputation, or the uselessness of my former party, but I made her trail waffles with a little wild honey on top and she let me go AND gave me a discount on a curse removal later that year, so. Draw your own conclusions about the transformative power of a good breakfast. I certainly have.Trail Waffles {#recipe}(serves 4 adventurers, or 1 adventurer and their emotional support donkey)You will need:1 cup of oat flour1/2 cup of regular flour1 egg2 tbsp dried milk-curd (fresh if you can get it)1 cup of water (thin ale will work in a pinch)Pinch of salt1 tbsp fat or oil, plus extra for the pans2 flat iron pans of roughly the same sizeA fire that has calmed down and stopped being dramatic about it (coals, not flame)Optional, but I heavily suggest these are not Optional1/2 cup of nuts 1 tablespoon dried fruit or preserves 1 tablespoon of wild honey or syrupPinch of travelling spicesA fire that has calmed down and stopped being dramatic about it (coals, not flame)- Scrawled on the wall on the privy of The Wandering Spoon, signed Filmeena Oatbarrow, lvl 10 Cook/Bard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shownotes  How deep intimacy can be the antidote to widespread low-grade depression What Kim put in her online dating profile to magnetize her King How to take the first step toward learning to listen to your body What it took for Kim to go from numb and disconnected to a Tantric wedding at 50 The exact practices that can help you go from body hatred to body love What an extraordinary sexual experience actually feels like Bio Kimberly Phoenix-Coffin is a trauma-informed intimacy, relationship, and Tantra teacher, speaker, co-author, and coach, co-founder of Phoenix Rising Retreats, and host of the Reignite: Love, Sex & Truth for Conscious Couples podcast. After decades of disconnection shaped by trauma, self-doubt, and survival-based relating, Kim devoted the last decade to deep healing. embodiment, and the reclamation of her body, truth, and life through extensive work with Layla Martin, Mama Gena, Ma Ananda Sarita, and other world-renowned teachers. Her work blends Tantra, nervous system awareness, and somatic, embodiment-based practices, rooted in lived, personal experience. Her story is a journey from numbness to pleasure, from self-doubt to sovereignty, and from disconnection and survival-based relating into a deeply connected, consciously chosen partnership rooted in truth, communication, and erotic aliveness. She brings this work not as theory, but as something she lives daily… in her body, her relationship, her choices, and her leadership. Now, at 50 years old, she lives and teaches what she embodies… guiding individuals and couples into deeper intimacy, honest communication, and full-spectrum aliveness. Together with her partner Roberto, she leads immersive Tantra couples retreats in North Kawartha, Ontario, Canada, designed to reignite the flame that date nights can't… where connection, safety, and erotic aliveness meet. Their work supports couples in rebuilding trust, deepening connection, and awakening erotic intimacy that is both grounded and expansive. Follow Kim on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠TikTok⁠, and learn more about her work on her ⁠website⁠. If learning about Tantra, embodiment, and conscious partnership lights you up… VITA™ Coaching is your next step ✨   Doors open August 20th, ⁠join the waitlist⁠ to get early access to join and the maximum number of bonuses!Follow Layla!

ABC:LHS #089-6 OPTIONAL COUNTERFACTUAL... ...history of the United States when I asked CoPilot to create a country that abolished slavery at its beginning and then limited immigration. It gave me a startling picture of an unrecognizable country.    This section is almost exclusively generated by CoPilot.

A big red button sits next to your bed. Press it and you get 24 hours with no Torah, no mitzvot, no kosher, no Shabbat restrictions, and no accountability afterward. The question sounds playful, but it turns brutally honest fast: do we experience Judaism as a burden we'd love to escape, or as a life we'd never trade away?We open Parshat Re'eh and focus on the Torah's surprising word choice: “See, I place before you today blessing and curse.” Why “see”? Drawing on a Slabodka yesod, we explore how spiritual growth depends on vision, not just information. When Torah stays abstract, the “other path” looks exciting. When Torah becomes real in the mind's eye, you can actually see where each road leads.Then we flip the usual framing of reward and punishment. The verses describe the blessing as listening itself and the curse as not listening itself, meaning the Torah life in this world is the bracha. We talk about Jewish pleasure, prayer as mindfulness, suffering with context, and a classic midrash about two paths that start opposite and end opposite. If you've ever felt the tug of the “day off” fantasy, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with your answer: would you press the button?Support the showJoin The Motivation Congregation WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content!------------------Check out our other Torah Podcasts and content!SUBSCRIBE to The Motivation Congregation Podcast for daily motivational Mussar!Listen on Spotify or 24six!Find all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our website, themotivationcongregation.orgQuestions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com

Special Episode: My World-Famous Minimal Packing List   Dr. Travelbest Adventures Minimal packing list for a 90-day trip around the world. Note: laundry every 7 days, with a goal of smart layers and tiny toiletries. The core •   *Carry-on backpack (35–50L) + packable daypack/tote Packing cubes, nylon (4, one for toiletries) •   Money belt or two if you can for different currencies. •   Small lock + ten zip pouches clear, for meds, tech, misc. toiletries Clothing Tops •   3–4 tops (mix of short + long sleeve; quick-dry) •   1 nicer top (dinner/church/ photo ops) •   Scot-T vest with 10 pockets (extra-sized so that you can overlay) 5 Steps to Solo Travel  |  Part C Bottoms •          1 pair of travel pants •          1 pair of shorts and 1 skirt Layers •          1 light warm layer •          1 packable rain jacket (hooded) •          1 thin "modesty" layer: light scarf or overshirt (also sun/AC/ temple coverage) Dress option •          1 packable permanent press nylon dress Underwear •          7-10 underwear •          2 bras (or 1 bra + 1 bralette/sports bra) •          5-7 pairs of socks (include 2 warmer and no-show socks) Swim •          1 swimsuit, cap, goggles + quick-dry shorts Shoes (keep it to 2) •          1 primary walking shoe (supportive sneakers) •          1 lighter flats second shoe (sandals/flip-flops for showers/ beach) Toiletries (tiny + refillable) •          Toothbrush, small toothpaste, floss •          Deodorant stick •          Travel-size shampoo/soap OR solid bar •          Minimal skincare + sunscreen (you'll restock locally) •          Razor •          Tweezer •          Small brush/comb + hair ties/clips •          Mini first aid: a few bandages, blister care, tiny antiseptic wipes •          Sanitary female items and toilet paper as needed.   Health + meds (don't guess here) •          Prescriptions in original bottles + photo of prescriptions •          Pain/fever meds, antihistamine, anti-diarrheal, motion sickness (as needed) •          A few electrolyte packets •          Masks (a couple) + hand sanitizer   Tech (only what you'll actually use) •          Phone + charging cable with wall connection •          Universal adapter (a second one for South Africa travel) •          Power bank •          Earbuds/headphones (noise-canceling if you have them) •   Optional: lightweight laptop/tablet, only if it's essential for your work. Consider NOT bringing it for weight and security reasons. I did not. •   A few items saved: passport scan, insurance, itinerary, key addresses, and photos of loved ones. •   E- eSIM code: MARY2856 with Airalo if you don't have an eSim yet on your phone for data) You.will receive a discount, and I will receive a smaller fee.   Travel documents + money •   Passport + 1 backup ID, Global Entry Card •   2 credit/debit cards (stored separately), other IDs for discounts like Triple A (AAA), •   Some cash in USD + local starter cash when possible •   Travel and health insurance info and cards •   Pen (immigration forms and misc.)   Safety + comfort (high value, low space) •   Sleep kit: earplugs (mentioned above) and ask •   Reusable water bottle •   Small microfiber towel   A few "don't regret it" items •   Compression socks (long flights) •   Light tote bag for groceries/laundry •   Small "confidence items" (lip color, earrings, or a scarf)— makes outfits feel new on day 47 •   Washer sheets for laundry 118 Appendices •   Fanny pack or crossbody bag with adjustable strap and many zipper pockets   Minimal "rules" that keep you light •   No duplicates or "just in case" items (buy locally if needed). •   Wear the bulkiest: main shoes + jacket on travel days. •   Choose a color palette so everything matches. (ex. Navy blue, black, brown)   https://www.amazon.com/s?k=5+steps+to+solo+travel+dr+travelbest&crid=1ZVA4W0JU46M8&     Connect with Dr. Travelbest 5 Steps to Solo Travel website Dr. Mary Travelbest X Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest on YouTube In the news  

Send us Fan MailHere's an episode from the past that still rings true today for creating ANY change that lasts. It's what we do CONSISTENTLY over time that creates the results you see today. So what you do today creates the results you see years from now. What are you creating? What needs to change?  Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

It's been a while since the Nestene Consciousness himself, Al Dewar, joined us on the Power of 3. So, to make up for lost time, Al discusses the releases of Tegan, the Dark Water Cybermen, plus the Fifteenth Doctor, Dugga Doo and Mr Ring-A-Ding. Don't make me laugh!

Most chronic diseases don't begin in the emergency room—they begin years earlier with subtle warning signs that are often ignored. After 35 years as an emergency room physician, Dr. Kenneth Ro recognized a pattern: high-performing professionals, executives, and athletes often wait until a health crisis forces them to pay attention. Today, his mission is helping people reclaim their health before dysfunction becomes disease. In this episode, Dr. Ro shares his personal health journey after experiencing burnout, hormonal decline, and oxidative stress despite exercising regularly and believing he was doing everything "right." Together, we explore why recovery—not just resilience—is the missing ingredient for longevity, why the nervous system is foundational to metabolism and performance, and how functional testing can uncover hidden dysfunction years before disease develops. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why aging is inevitable—but decline is optional • The hidden cost of chronic stress and under-recovery • Why oxidative stress quietly accelerates aging • How the nervous system influences metabolism, hormones, and resilience • Why testing—not guessing—creates personalized health strategies • Practical habits to build healthspan, energy, and long-term performance If you're committed to thriving in midlife and beyond, this conversation will help you rethink what healthy aging really means—and how to invest in your future before symptoms become disease. Connect with Dr. Kenneth Ro Website: https://www.kennethromd.com Back in the Game Men™: https://www.backinthegamemen.com Book a Clarity Call: https://www.backinthegamemen.com/clarity LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkenro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkennethro Watch the full video interview on The Coach Debbie Potts Show YouTube channel, and subscribe for more conversations on metabolism, functional medicine, nutrition, healthy aging, and longevity.

Send us Fan MailHave we become so familiar with the Gospel that we've stopped marveling at it? In this episode, Chelsey shares a moment from church that sparked a deeper question: Why are we often quicker to celebrate human achievement than the miracle of salvation? Together, we'll explore what Scripture reveals about encountering the holiness of God and why true worship isn't about personality or preference- it's about a heart that is still moved by His presence. If you've ever felt like your faith has become routine, this episode is an invitation to recover the wonder of the Gospel. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

Letha Sandison, CEO + Founder, Four Moons Spa   A lifelong creative and service-driven visionary, her work has always centered around creating spaces that help people feel more seen, supported, and inspired. Before founding Four Moons, Letha lived in Uganda, where she ran an NGO supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families—an experience that deeply shaped her understanding of healing, human connection, and the power of community care. Upon returning home, she envisioned a new kind of wellness space: one where beauty, healing, artistry, and meaningful connection could coexist under one roof. Under her leadership, Four Moons has evolved into more than a spa. It is a wellness playground and community gathering place designed to help people slow down, reconnect to themselves, and experience wellness as a way of life. Through thoughtful details, transformative experiences, and a deeply human approach to hospitality, Letha continues to shape Four Moons as a space where ritual becomes a return to self. Outside of Four Moons, she finds inspiration in travel with family and loved ones, painting, and all things art and design. For her, self-care looks like daily morning and evening rituals that support a conscious and mindful life. She feels most lit up when creating art, connecting with interesting people, and exploring the world with family and friends.   Connect with Letha: Instagram socials: @fourmoonsspa and @lethasandison LinkedIn: @lethasandison   Episode Summary:   Lyndsay Dowd sits down with Letha Sandison, founder of Four Moons, a wellness "playground" in Encinitas, California, built for slowing down and reconnecting. Letha shares how nearly a decade running an NGO in Uganda — creating a fashion line that funded chemotherapy for pediatric cancer patients — shaped her belief that self-care isn't a once-a-year luxury but a daily necessity. She and Lindsay dig into why wellness has become a critical leadership tool, what sets Four Moons apart from a traditional spa (community programming, "healers and mystics," makers markets, women's tables), and why prescriptive wellness advice ("meditate for 30 minutes or you're failing") often backfires. Letha closes with a look at Four Moons' upcoming at-home ritual product line and her hope that listeners give themselves permission to be honest about what they actually need.   Key Takeaways:   - Self-care isn't a treat for your birthday — it's daily fuel that shows up in how you lead and show up for others. - Working harder doesn't make you better. It just burns you out faster. - Wellness works best when it's a two-way street: healers with formal training paired with more intuitive, esoteric support. - Rigid wellness rules ("you must meditate 30 minutes a day") can make people feel like failures. Start small and build the muscle instead.   Episode Chapters:   00:00 Cold Open: Why Self-Care Isn't Optional 00:48 Welcome & Guest Introduction 01:53 Letha's Path: Art School to Nonprofit Work 03:08 Founding a Fashion Line to Fund Pediatric Cancer Care in Uganda 06:13 Coming Home and Reimagining Wellness 07:37 Why Wellness Is a Leadership Imperative 10:23 Inside Four Moons: A Wellness Playground, Not a Spa 13:00 Community as Medicine (and Coming Home to Social Media) 14:55 What Leaders Experience and Take Away 16:04 Ditching One-Size-Fits-All Wellness 19:01 Sponsor Break: Cozy Earth 19:59 What's Next: Bringing Spa Rituals Home 22:26 Where to Find Letha and Four Moons 22:43 Inspiration, Legacy, and Final Advice

In IT services M&A, owner dependency is one of the biggest hidden discounts on your company's value. This episode shows how to build an owner optional firm that buyers pay a premium for without pretending leadership does not matter. Revenue Rocket kicks off a new Shoot the Moon masterclass on reducing founder dependency before a sale or recapitalization. We break down why buyers price owner dependency as concentration risk, what an owner-optional firm actually looks like, and the leadership layer, sales transfer, and key-employee retention strategies that protect your multiple. If you are thinking about an exit, this is the IT services M&A preparation that pays off long before you go to market. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction: The owner-optional firm3:44 What owner dependency costs you at exit5:26 Replaceable, not optional10:06 The one-percenter salesperson problem13:40 The minimum leadership layer buyers expect18:29 Keeping your key people through a sale21:11 One move to make this quarter25:30 What is next in this masterclass series IN THIS EPISODE • Buyers price owner dependency as concentration risk, much like they treat a client representing 50% to 70% of revenue. • Owner-optional does not mean owner absent. No CEO is optional; the goal is to make critical roles replaceable. • The founder's sales role is usually the highest-value dependency to transfer first. • Buyers expect a real leadership layer, including finance, delivery, and technical depth beyond the founder. • Plan key-employee retention before the deal not during it. RESOURCES AND LINKS • Read more from Revenue Rocket: https://www.revenuerocket.com/blog/ • What is your firm worth? https://www.revenuerocket.com/valuation-calculator/ • Schedule a confidential conversation: https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ • Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoot-the-moon-with-revenue-rocket/id1478519505 • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6y7u9KuOjaplhScHtINGZU • Explore more Shoot the Moon episodes: https://www.revenuerocket.com/series/shoot-the-moon/ • Learn more about Revenue Rocket: https://www.revenuerocket.com/ ABOUT REVENUE ROCKET Revenue Rocket is a sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on IT services companies, including MSPs, cybersecurity firms, cloud service providers, custom application development companies, and VARs. For more than 25 years, Revenue Rocket has helped founders grow, position, buy, and sell tech-enabled services firms. Thinking about your own exit? Schedule a confidential conversation with our team:https://www.revenuerocket.com/contact-us/ #MergersAndAcquisitions #ITServices #MSP #ShootTheMoon #RevenueRocket #ExitStrategy #OwnerOptional #FounderDependency Listen to Shoot the Moon on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Buy, sell, or grow your tech-enabled services firm with Revenue Rocket.

Send us Fan MailGod gave you emotions, but He never intended them to lead your life. Learn how to acknowledge your feelings without allowing them to determine your direction. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

In this episode, Richard is joined again by Dr Fiona Jane Meechin to tackle a topic that underpins everything else in workplace wellbeing: sleep. They make the case that sleep isn't just one wellbeing habit among many. Rather, it's the foundation that determines whether everything else we do for our health and performance actually pays off. The conversation covers why consistently short sleep is linked to serious physical and mental health risks (including a measurable rise in early mortality), and why sleep has something of an "image problem" — its benefits are invisible, unlike a healthy lunch or a gym session, which makes it easy to deprioritise. Richard and Fiona also explore the connection between self-compassion and rest, discussing how a reluctance to rest often reflects a belief that rest has to be earned rather than treated as a basic requirement. They close with a practical, low-effort toolkit for better sleep - covering daylight exposure, caffeine and alcohol timing, evening wind-down routines, bedroom environment, and the case for treating naps and rest as a strategic tool rather than a guilty indulgence. Please get in touch with your questions about sleep, wellbeing and performance. Email via 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' or join the conversation over on WorkLifeSpark, our personal development community.  Thanks for listening - and thanks to Fiona for her expertise.  Resources for this episode Ep 218: Self-compassion with Dr. Fiona Jane Meechan: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/218  Get in touch with Fiona on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionajanemeechan/ Find out about our approach to wellbeing: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wellbeing  Check out Matt Walker's book 'Why we sleep': https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/295665/why-we-sleep-by-walker-matthew/9780141983769  Sign up to WorkLifeSpark for free today: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up 

Send us Fan MailMany marriage struggles aren't really marriage problems- they're worship problems. Discover why putting Christ first changes everything else. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

In this episode of Young Adults Today, Josiah and Micah sit down with Pastor Chris Hilken—young adult pastor, widowed single dad of five, and lead pastor at College Avenue Baptist in San Diego. Chris unpacks: Why young adults are the seeds of revival, historically and right now How a declining, aging church next to a universitybecame a movement of 1,200–1,300 young adults on Sunday nights His personal journey from pastor's kid, to youth pastor, to teaching pastor, to single dad after losing his wife to suicide Why senior pastors must prioritize young adultswithout sacrificing their family, health, or boundaries The growing trend of young adults (especially young men) moving from secularism past Protestantism toward orthodoxy, and how churches can respond This conversation is raw, practical, and deeply hopeful for anyone leading or dreaming about young adult ministry. More about us: www.youngadults.today Resources & Action Steps: Sign up for the West Coast Leader Gathering August 12-13th, 2026 in Irvine, CA: https://www.youngadults.today/west-coast-conference Give to the mission of youngadultstoday: https://tithe.ly/give?c=5350133 Resources: Free eBook "10 Steps to Starting a Successful Young Adult Ministry: https://www.youngadults.today/book/starting-a-successful-young-adult-ministry Join our FaceBook Group Community with 2500+ leaders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/796270437396021 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngadults.today/ 

Send us Fan MailHealing begins with honesty. In this Espresso Shot, learn why bringing hidden wounds into the light is the first step toward the transformation God desires. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

Send us Fan MailDo you know the difference between the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of shame? Discover how conviction leads to freedom while condemnation keeps you stuck. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

Send us Fan MailWhat if your frustration is actually revealing something deeper? In this episode, we'll uncover how unmet expectations often point to areas where God is inviting us to surrender. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

In this episode of The Hollow Bunny Leadership Podcast, former police chiefs Sylvia Moir and Kristen Ziman explore personal transformation and leadership after stepping away from executive roles, drawing on concepts from Jim Collins, David Brooks, and Colin Powell. They break down a four-part framework for navigating life's major transitions: confronting the Cliff (defining, trajectory-altering life events), navigating the Fog (the uncertain period after a crisis that demands disciplined patience rather than hasty action), tending the Fire (the enduring internal purpose that outlasts any job title), and cultivating Self-Knowledge (continually re-evaluating one's identity across different seasons of life). Ultimately, the hosts highlight that true fulfillment comes from separating your personal worth from your position, using resilience and inner purpose to guide your next chapter.

Send us Fan MailMost conflict doesn't begin with facts- it begins with assumptions. Learn how choosing curiosity over conclusions can transform your marriage and strengthen your relationships. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

Send us Fan MailAre you trying to fix behaviors while missing the heart? In this quick Espresso Shot (5 min or less!), discover why lasting transformation starts at the root, not the fruit, and how God changes us from the inside out. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

Kilian Korth joined the show to have a discussion around ultrarunning's growing professionalization without sophisticated regulated drug testing, the limits and trade-offs of WADA/USADA-style regimes, and why "doping" as a blanket term obscures intent and severity. We unpack gray areas such as THC thresholds, TUE complexity for common medications, transparency vs backlash, influencer incentives, and the future pressure regenerative medicine and technology (e.g., super shoes) may place on sport rules. Kilian: IG: @runtoughmindset | Substack: https://substack.com/@runtoughmindset Sponsors: LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/HPO (free sample pack with purchase) deltaG: https://deltagketones.com Code: BITTER20 (20% Off) True Nutrition: https://truenutrition.com/hpo Code: HPO (20% Off) Episode Summary & Notes: Zach Bitter & Kilian Korth on PEDs, incentives, and doping in ultrarunning Context & framing Conversation is the third appearance by Kilian on Zach's podcast; shifts from traditional training/racing episodes toward current events in running. Sparked by recent doping-related controversies (Cam Hanes / Sage Canaday online conflict, Mike McKnight's discussion of BPC-157 use on Hanes' podcast). Both emphasize moving beyond narrow focus on specific peptides/cases to broader structural issues. Activism, incentives & tribalism Skepticism of modern activism: good causes often get distorted by perverse incentives (attention, platform growth, organizational self-preservation/mission creep). Online environments (especially short-form social media) reward polarization over curiosity or truth-seeking. Parallel drawn to low-carb diet advocacy: movement shifted from exploration of pros/cons toward dietary supremacy and identity attachment. Both hosts value changing one's mind with new evidence and prefer evolving conversations over tribal "debates" aimed at winning. Core problem in ultrarunning Rapid professionalization and financial incentives exist, but sophisticated testing (especially out-of-competition) is essentially absent. Honor-code system + high rewards creates conditions in which some athletes near the top are likely to use PEDs. Contrast with Olympic sports (e.g., swimming) where positives occur even with lower financial stakes. "Doping" is an unhelpful blanket term that equates intentional, high-impact cheating (e.g., EPO) with gray-area or accidental cases. BPC-157 and gray areas BPC-157 is an experimental peptide with very limited human data (one small study of 12 people among 36 total studies reviewed). Anecdotally has been used for tendon/muscle healing; on the WADA banned list at all times (no TUE pathway currently). Gray areas exist in WADA criteria themselves (performance enhancement potential, health risk, "spirit of the sport"). THC example: banned in-competition with a relatively high threshold; removed alcohol from the list is an example of changes over time. Distinction between letter of the rules vs. moral/cosmic fairness; between intentional advantage-seeking and medical/recovery use. Testing realities & practical challenges Full USADA/WADA-style regimes require whereabouts reporting, out-of-competition testing, and significant lifestyle constraints (conflicts with the free-spirited, remote nature of trail/ultrarunning). Even gold-standard systems have loopholes (missed whereabouts, remote camps, short-acting substances timed around sleep windows). Half-measures are expensive, burdensome, and unlikely to deter determined cheaters. Middle-of-pack and age-group athletes face different calculus; many use legitimate medications (inhalers, etc.) that may or may not require TUEs depending on type and dose/threshold. Possible paths forward discussed Transparency and honesty should be encouraged rather than punished (both hosts respect that Hanes and McKnight disclosed BPC-157 use). Practical ideas: Optional "non-competitive / open" checkbox so athletes using regulated substances can still participate without affecting results/records. Tested vs. non-tested divisions (bodybuilding-style model). More education needed around legitimate medical use (TUEs, Global DRO checks). Focus should prioritize the small professional/elite tier where financial and competitive incentives are highest over age-group minutiae. Future regenerative medicine and longevity interventions will force further adaptation; sport has already accepted large performance gains from technology (super shoes) more readily than internal/medical ones. Influencers & broader culture Influencer economy adds complexity: financial incentives to promote products or share experimental practices; difference between sharing personal experience vs. recommending use. Transparency with clear caveats is preferred; pure anecdote-driven advice remains problematic. Societal issues (tribalism, algorithmic incentives, low scientific literacy) make clean solutions difficult inside a small niche like ultrarunning. Closing notes Both stress nuance over black-and-white absolutism Conversation aims to push the sport toward honest discussion of incentive structures rather than endless case-by-case outrage. Kilian's Substack article ("The Run Tough Mindset") and upcoming documentary Forged in Failure are referenced as related material.  

Send us Fan MailWhat does it really mean to be a tender wife?Our culture often equates tenderness with weakness, passivity, or being easily hurt. But the Bible paints a completely different picture. A tender heart is one that remains soft before God, compassionate toward others, and responsive to the Holy Spirit—even in a hard world.In this episode, we'll explore the biblical meaning of tenderness through Scripture, from King Josiah's tender heart to God's tender mercies and the tender branch that signals new life. You'll discover why tenderness isn't the absence of strength but strength fully surrendered to Christ, and how a soft heart becomes one of the enemy's greatest defeats.Because a High Level Wife isn't weak.She is tender before God, tenacious against the enemy, and committed to taking back the territory he stole. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I lead Christian wives  to become TENDER, TENACIOUS & TAKING BACK TERRITORY the enemy has stolen. To live by God's design in marriage through right order, repentance & radical obedience.First step? Grab the 30 Day Guide: War Room RESET: daily action to regulate, realign, and reconnect. 

What makes dogs so extraordinary?Today I'm not reviewing a documentary—I'm talking about how it made me appreciate the incredible abilities of dogs, from search and rescue to detection work, service animals, and their astonishing sense of smell.This episode isn't just about dogs—it's about the unique partnership between humans and canines, the jobs they perform, and why they've earned the title of "man's best friend."Along the way, I share my own thoughts, observations, and the questions it made me ask.Welcome to Reality is Optional with Kris Rubio.Where movies, documentaries, history, science, and everyday life become conversations, comedy, and curiosity.Laughing Through Life... Because Reality is Optional.#RealityIsOptional #KrisRubio #Dogs #WorkingDogs #ServiceDogs #SearchAndRescue #DogLovers #Science #Documentary #Podcast #Livestream #Animals #DogTraining #Canine #Storytelling

Text your thoughts and questions!Do you ever tell yourself you'll rest after you finish everything on your to-do list—only to discover the list never actually ends? Or find yourself feeling guilty the moment you slow down, convinced you haven't earned a break yet?Many of us understand that rest is important, but knowing we need it and actually making space for it are two very different things. Productivity culture has taught us to see rest as a reward instead of a requirement, leaving us exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why we're still running on empty.In this episode, Lisa explores the biggest barriers that keep us from getting the rest we truly need and shares practical strategies for making rest part of everyday life. Building on last week's conversation with Gary Ware, she explains why rest isn't something you have to earn, how to identify the types of rest that genuinely restore you, and simple ways to weave meaningful breaks into even the busiest schedule. You'll discover that sustainable productivity begins with rest—not after it.This week, episode 324 of the Positively Living® Podcast explores how to find time to rest and shares practical strategies for making restorative rest a realistic part of your daily life.Key Takeaways:Understand why rest is a necessity—not a reward you have to earn.Recognize the mindset shifts that make prioritizing rest feel so difficult.Learn why productivity actually depends on consistent, restorative rest.Discover why rest looks different for everyone and how to identify what truly restores you.Explore how your Joy List can help you reconnect with activities that energize you.Learn to notice which activities leave you feeling refreshed versus more depleted.Understand Gary Ware's Macro, Micro, and Mezzo Rest framework and how to apply it.Discover simple ways to improve the quality of your sleep through better sleep hygiene.Learn how a consistent wind-down routine prepares your nervous system for deeper rest.Explore practical five-minute micro breaks that actually help you recharge.Understand why scrolling or checking email doesn't count as true rest.Learn how transition rituals between tasks reduce stress and improve focus.Discover how "When-Then" habit triggers make restorative breaks easier to maintain.Learn why scheduling larger blocks of restorative time requires intentional planning.Recognize how starting with one small, consistent change creates lasting habits around rest.Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don't forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/Stop trying to fit into someone else's productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkitCONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY:FacebookInstagramResourcesWork with Lisa! LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Episode 297: The Joy List: Your Key to Self-CareEpisode 323: Why Rest Isn't Optional with Gary WareFree Joy List WorkbookFree 2-Minute Transition MeditationBook a Clarity CallAsync Coaching(Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.)Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3Music by Ian and Jeff ZawrotnyStart your own podcast with Buzzsprout!Request this Toolkit and other free resources at the Resources Page.

Did Ancient Rome really party like this?Today I'm not reviewing a documentary—I'm talking about the incredible stories that made me think differently about Ancient Rome, luxury, human nature, and what life might have been like inside one of Pompeii's most extravagant palaces.From wild banquets to unbelievable lifestyles, this episode is about the thoughts, jokes, and personal observations that history inspired.What would I do if I lived there?Welcome to Reality is Optional with Kris Rubio—where documentaries, movies, history, and everyday life become conversations, comedy, and curiosity.Laughing Through Life... Because Reality is Optional.

July 26th  | Dream Disciple  |  Acts 2:42-47 and Ephesians 2:19-22 What does it really mean to be "plugged in" as a follower of Jesus? In this fourth message of the Dream Disciple Series, Pastor Kevin Connor explores Acts 2:42-47 and Ephesians 2:19-22 to show that discipleship was never meant to be lived in isolation. While devotion to God's Word and prayer are essential, they are designed to be practiced within the life of a local church.Discover how God created the Church to be more than just a gathering—it is a new community, a loving family, and the living temple where His Spirit dwells. Pastor Kevin unpacks why biblical discipleship requires meaningful connection with other believers and how God's presence transforms us as we worship, pray, and grow together.Whether you've been faithfully connected to a church or have found yourself drifting away, this message is a powerful reminder that following Jesus means belonging to His people. Learn why being "plugged in" isn't an optional step in the Christian life—it's part of God's design for every disciple.Do you know JESUS? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbgilmer.org/do-you-know-jesus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need PRAYER? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbgilmer.org/pray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support through GIVING: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbbctx.org/giving⁠ 

Can you love Jesus but reject the local church? In this episode of the Redeeming Truth Podcast, our pastors from Redeemer Bible Church explore why the local church is essential to God's design for every believer. They discuss consumer Christianity, church hurt, church membership, and Jesus' promise to build His church, offering biblical encouragement for anyone struggling to stay connected. Discover why the church matters, how to respond to disappointment biblically, and why loving Christ means loving His bride. Click here to Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCenfIkvDIJa4Qb4WgsH8hkw?sub_confirmation=1 REDEEMING TRUTH MEDIA: http://redeemingtruthmedia.org/ Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/redeemerbibleaz/ For more information about Redeemer Bible Church in Gilbert, Arizona, or to help support this ministry, please visit us at https://www.redeemeraz.org Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/redeemeraz Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/redeemeraz Never miss a sermon, find our Redeeming Truth Podcast in your favorite player, and subscribe!    

Alf Dobbert-Baums: The Team That Decided Sprint Goals Were Optional Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "Everything was a golden route. It was kind of like a little feature factory." - Alf Dobbert-Baums   Alf coached three teams. None of them cared about THE sprint goal. Most sprints had five or six "goals" — which is to say, none. The Product Owner was a proxy PO, no authority to say no, so anything that landed in the inbox got pulled into the sprint. The team had several applications to support on top of feature work. Missing a sprint goal had no consequences, so the question stopped being asked. When Alf pushed for a single, focused goal — concrete or abstract, didn't matter — the team would shrug and add three more stories to the cluster. Asked which item mattered most, they answered: "all of them." Alf names the dynamic precisely: short-term personal urgency replaced the team goal, and "all of them" became the death of focus. The cost wasn't just the missed goals — it was the missed collaboration. With a sprint goal, the team works together on one thing. Without one, they cooperate on parallel tracks and call it a sprint. There's a difference. Sprint goals create focus, predictability, and the rare feeling of finishing something together.   In this segment, we talk about the difference between cooperation and collaboration and why sprint goals are the lever that turns one into the other.   Self-reflection Question: If you asked your team this sprint "what's the most important thing we'll finish?" — and they answered "all of them" — what would you do next? Featured Book of the Week: Humble Consulting by Edgar Schein and Don't Just Do Something, Stand There by Marvin R. Weisbord Alf gives two recommendations. The first is Humble Consulting by Edgar Schein — "It teaches you that you don't know anything, and even if you ask, you still will not fully understand what the other person is in… But the good thing is that when you ask questions, it might help the other person to get on a different track." The second is Don't Just Do Something, Stand There by Marvin R. Weisbord. Alf tells a story to explain why it matters: he prepared a polished 90-minute workshop. Within 5 minutes of starting, the team's real topic surfaced — and it had nothing to do with his agenda. His head screamed "no, my workshop!" but the book gave him permission to ditch the plan, name what he was seeing, and let the team choose. They chose the new topic. He moderated. It became one of the most important sessions he ever ran. The lesson: don't just do something — stand there, and let what's really happening become visible.   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Are you an overachieving corporate director, VP, or senior AE who is completely exhausted from burning the candle at both ends trying to launch a side business?   In this empowering solo episode, host Billy Keels speaks directly to high-performing multinational professionals who feel stuck and overwhelmed by the sheer friction of balancing key performance indicators (KPIs) with their entrepreneurial dreams. Billy unpacks the common trap of building a side venture on a shaky, "sandy foundation" and introduces the exact three-step optionality equation required to transition from corporate dependence to true path control. Learn how to gain quantifiable clarity over your goals, integrate your career to deliver high-quality outcomes in fewer hours, and safely scale independent, predictable streams of income so you can walk into the office entirely by choice, not out of necessity.  

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERETired of feeling like every decision in your firm has to run through you, and that “delegating tasks” never actually gets real weight off your plate? In this episode of Maximum Lawyer Live, Tyson Mutrux breaks down why your firm will stay fragile and founder‑dependent until you stop hoarding authority and start intentionally pushing it down through your team. Drawing on research from a 1974 Sioux City grocery store experiment and U.S. Army “mission command” doctrine in the 1970s, he shows that the most effective leaders are not the ones doing the most work, but the ones who decide who gets to decide, and who build systems that let others act decisively without waiting for permission.Tyson then introduces his “three bands” model for law firm owners, explaining how to design layers of protection around yourself so that front‑line team members own fully delegated decisions, mid‑level leaders handle issues with clear guardrails, and only truly strategic, irreversible calls ever make it to your desk. Using real examples from his own firm's negotiation process, he walks through what gets decided at the pod level, when issues escalate to attorneys, and the rare scenarios that reach him personally, while hammering home why you must get comfortable letting your people make small and medium mistakes if you want to scale, protect your time, and ultimately build a founder‑optional firm.What You'll LearnWhy research in grocery stores and the U.S. Army shows that pushing authority down beats “hero” leadershipThe key difference between delegating tasks and truly transferring decision‑making powerHow Tyson's “three bands” model creates layers of protection around the ownerWhat fully delegated decisions look like at the outer band, with zero escalationWhen and how issues should escalate to a mid‑band leader under clear guardrailsWhich rare, high‑stakes decisions should actually reach the law firm ownerHow Tyson's team handles settlement negotiations and bad‑faith issues without everything landing on his deskWhy allowing small and medium mistakes is essential to growth and owner freedomHighlights00:00 – Why every decision keeps landing on the owner01:40 – World Cup, leadership, and a new way to think about authority03:10 – Sioux City grocery store experiment and effective managers04:30 – U.S. Army “mission command” and distributed decision‑making06:00 – Waiting for permission vs. acting with intent07:30 – Rumsfeld's “snowflakes” and the limits of delegation09:00 – Handing marketing to “Tommy” and real authority10:30 – Tyson's three bands model for law firm decisions11:45 – Outer band: fully delegated, no escalation13:00 – Middle band: guardrails and clear escalation triggers14:15 – Inner band: rare, strategic owner‑level decisions15:30 – How negotiation authority and bad‑faith calls work in Tyson's firm17:10 – Letting your team make mistakes to gain owner freedom

In this special episode, we're sharing Eric's recent appearance on The Jordan Harbinger Show. Eric joins Jordan to explore the ideas behind his book, How a Little Becomes a Lot, including why lasting change rarely comes from one dramatic breakthrough, how all-or-nothing thinking keeps us stuck, and what it means to build a better life through small, repeatable choices. They also discuss Eric's journey through addiction and recovery, the hidden forces that derail our best intentions, and how reducing resistance can help us keep moving toward what matters—even when motivation disappears. Feeling overwhelmed in your life?Check out ⁠Overwhelm is Optional ⁠— a 4-week email course that helps you feel calmer and more grounded without needing to do less. In under 10 minutes a day, you'll learn simple mindset shifts (called “Still Points”) you can use right inside the life you already have. ⁠Sign up here for only $29!⁠ Key Takeaways: Eric shares his story of addiction and the small choices that led him to recovery. Why dramatic turning points matter less than the daily decisions that follow. The "little by little" approach to creating lasting behavioral change. How all-or-nothing thinking keeps us stuck—and what works instead. Why motivation is unreliable and consistency matters more. Making habits easier by reducing resistance and lowering the barrier to starting. Breaking big goals into small wins that build momentum. The six common ways we sabotage our own self-control. Why changing your actions can reshape your thoughts and emotions. How flexibility—not perfection—is the key to sustaining change over time. For full show notes, ⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠!⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation between Jordan Harbinger and Eric Zimmer, check out these other episodes: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Transformation in Your Life with Eric Zimmer How to Make Lasting Changes with John Norcross This episode is sponsored by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠David Protein⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ bars deliver up to 28g of protein for just 150 calories—without sacrificing taste! For a limited time, our listeners can receive this special deal: buy 4 cartons and get the 5th free when you go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.davidprotein.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkiatry⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ connects you with licensed psychiatrists for personalized, evidence-based mental health care, all online and covered by most major insurance plans. To get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkiatry.com/FEED.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pebl⁠⁠⁠ – an AI-powered platform that helps companies hire and manage global teams in 185+ countries. Get a free estimate at ⁠⁠⁠hipebl.ai⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has a directory of 20,000 therapists with different specialities, life experiences, and identities, and 99% of them take insurance. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠helloalma.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Refresh your wardrobe with Quince by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shopify⁠⁠⁠⁠ – The commerce platform that helps you build, grow, and manage your business all in one place. Start your $1/month trial at ⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/feed.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiny Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s at-home gut health test provides science-backed insights into your microbiome, along with personalized recommendations to help you improve your digestion, energy, and overall well-being. Get $50 off your first test kit at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ tinyhealth.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Bruce Feiler explores why rituals have been essential to human life for thousands of years—and why they're more important than ever in today's rapidly changing world. Drawing from his new book A Time to Gather, Bruce explains how meaningful rituals can help us navigate grief, celebrate milestones, strengthen relationships, and create a greater sense of connection during life's biggest transitions. Along the way, he and Eric share personal stories of loss, family, and the healing power of gathering with intention. Feeling overwhelmed in your life?Check out Overwhelm is Optional — a 4-week email course that helps you feel calmer and more grounded without needing to do less. In under 10 minutes a day, you'll learn simple mindset shifts (called “Still Points”) you can use right inside the life you already have. Sign up here for only $29! Key Takeaways: Why humans instinctively create rituals during times of change How personalized rituals are replacing traditional ceremonies Bruce's five essential life rituals for today's nonlinear lives How rituals help us process grief and strengthen relationships The surprising role of the "group keeper" as a peacemaker A simple framework for creating meaningful rituals of your own For full show notes, ⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠!⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Bruce Feiler, check out these other episodes: How to Harness the Power of Rituals with Michael Norton Science and the Sacred with Sasha Sagan This episode is sponsored by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠David Protein⁠⁠⁠⁠ bars deliver up to 28g of protein for just 150 calories—without sacrificing taste! For a limited time, our listeners can receive this special deal: buy 4 cartons and get the 5th free when you go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.davidprotein.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkiatry⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ connects you with licensed psychiatrists for personalized, evidence-based mental health care, all online and covered by most major insurance plans. To get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkiatry.com/FEED.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Pebl⁠⁠ – an AI-powered platform that helps companies hire and manage global teams in 185+ countries. Get a free estimate at ⁠⁠hipebl.ai⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has a directory of 20,000 therapists with different specialities, life experiences, and identities, and 99% of them take insurance. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠helloalma.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Refresh your wardrobe with Quince by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. ⁠⁠⁠Shopify⁠⁠⁠ – The commerce platform that helps you build, grow, and manage your business all in one place. Start your $1/month trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/feed.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiny Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s at-home gut health test provides science-backed insights into your microbiome, along with personalized recommendations to help you improve your digestion, energy, and overall well-being. Get $50 off your first test kit at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ tinyhealth.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a lot of talk recently about whether AI can be considered a person. But the more serious question might be whether people are becoming too much like AI—learning to live without real connection. To keep our distance. To avoid vulnerability. To convince ourselves that we don't need anyone. In this episode, Dr. Greg continues the series on avoidance by turning to schizoid personality: the pattern where the wish for connection hasn't just been buried by fear, but has gone quiet altogether. Drawing on the personalism of St. John Paul II, he shows why we stay made out of relationship, for relationship—even when the desire seems gone. Key Topics: Why "I don't need anyone" can be a wound dressed up as strength How the desire for connection can go so quiet it reads as no desire at all What that flood of relief when plans fall through is actually telling you How being neglected early teaches you to neglect yourself—and call it your personality Why "self-help" was never going to be enough, and real healing needs another person Why fearing closeness and feeling indifferent to it look identical from the outside but run on opposite engines  Learn More: Previous episode in this series on avoidance: Ep. #286: A Mental Tug of War: Inside the Avoidant Mind and the Burden of Being Known Previous episode on attachment theory: Ep. #63: Attachment Theory: What It Is, What It Isn't, and How It Affects Your Relationships Previous episodes on parts work (IFS): Ep. #34: A New Theory! w/ a Catholic Lens Ep. #35: Why Do I Feel Like I Have Conflicting Thoughts? w/ Dr. Peter Malinoski Start of the Being Human series on the Antisocial Defense Patterns: Ep. #281: Control or Be Controlled: The Devastating Wounds Behind Antisocial Behavioral Patterns Start of the Being Human series on the Histrionic Defense Patterns: Ep. #274: To Be Loved Is to Perform: Inside the Histrionic Compulsion for Attention and Validation Start of the Being Human series on the Borderline Defense Patterns: Ep. #269: BORDERLINE: The Push-Pull Between a Fear of Abandonment and Annihilation Start of the Being Human series on the Dependent Defense Patterns: Ep. #265: Jerry Maguire, Gollum, and the Fear of Not Existing Start of the Being Human series on the Narcissistic Defense Patterns: Ep. #261: Narcissism and the Terror of Being Ordinary Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment Follow Us on Socials: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter (X) | LinkedIn

Every summer, Jen heads off on her annual Me Camp, a month dedicated to stepping away from the noise to reconnect with herself. But this year, Me Camp isn't a tradition or a luxury. It's an act of survival.In the wake of major surgery, while carrying the weight of parenting adult children, navigating family crises, supporting loved ones through illness, and trying to hold together a life once built for two people, Jen found herself physically, emotionally, and mentally depleted. She almost didn't go.In this deeply personal solo episode, Jen shares what finally convinced her to leave anyway, why asking for help has become one of the hardest and holiest lessons of this season, and what she's learning about the difference between escaping your life and stepping away long enough to return to it whole.If you're the dependable one, the fixer, the person everyone calls in a crisis, this conversation is a gentle but urgent invitation. Loosen your grip. Let people show up for you. Remember that rest isn't a reward for finishing the work. Sometimes it's the very thing that makes it possible to keep going.In this episode, Jen explores:What happens when life outpaces your capacityWhy asking for help feels so uncomfortable, especially for capable peopleThe hidden cost of believing you're indispensableHow codependency can disguise itself as responsibilityWhy retreat can be an act of courage, not avoidanceThe simple invitation to "choose the lake chair anyway"Whether you're recovering from something visible or carrying burdens no one else can see, this episode offers permission to stop white-knuckling your way through life, receive the care that's available to you, and trust that stepping away can be the very thing that helps you step back in with renewed strength.Thought-Provoking Quotes:"I have managed and been the troubleshooter, the point person, the heavy lifter, the anchor, the decider of so much in the last few months by myself. And some of it is absolutely consequential. Huge, huge things. And all of it just outpaced me." – Jen Hatmaker"I think those of us who struggle to ask for help have some brutal combination of pride (the bad kind) and a false sense of self-sufficiency, and this is somehow wrapped up in how people think of us. Do they think of me as needy? Do they think of me as irresponsible?" – Jen Hatmaker"I'm gonna treat rest like it's sacred, as opposed to the go, go, go adventure energy I normally have." – Jen HatmakerResources Mentioned in This Episode:Sacred Yes: Reclaiming Joy in Midlife Starts Here - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-64/sacred-yes-reclaiming-joy-in-midlife-starts-here/Jen's first cookbook, Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew - https://amzn.to/3R1P0psJen's Substack - https://jenhatmaker.substack.com/The Awake Collective - https://jenhatmaker.substack.com/p/the-awake-collectiveConnect with Jen!Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ | Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker | Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ | Facebook -