Podcasts about Orange County Fair

I have had the honor and pleasure to have on the Unstoppable Mindset podcast many healers, thought leaders and practical intelligent people who have generously given their time and insights to all of you and me during this podcast. This episode, our guest Kay Hutchinson adds a great deal to the knowledge base we all have gained from our other guests. Kay's childhood was interesting in that she is half Japanese and half African American. This race mixture provided Kay with many life challenges. However, her parents taught her much about life and understanding so she was able to work through the many times where people treated her in less than an equal manner. Also, Kay being the child of a military father had the opportunity to live in both the United States and Japan. She gained from this experience a great deal of knowledge and experience about life that she willingly shares with us.   After college Kay went into teaching. Just wait until you hear what class she first had to teach, but she persevered. Through all her life she has felt she could assist people in healing others as you will hear. After teaching for a few years, she decided to make energy healing a full-time profession.   Along the way she fell in love and married. Unfortunately, as she will tell us, she discovered that her husband exhibited extreme narcissistic behaviors which eventually lead to a divorce. I leave it to Kay to tell the story.   Kay offers some pretty great insights and lessons we all can use to center ourselves. I very much hope you like what she has to say.       About the Guest:   Imagine the exhaustion, anxiety and utter soul depletion that results when you are in a narcissistic relationship.  Then, imagine being told that you have to go through years of counseling and perhaps even take anti-depressants to begin reclaiming your identity, health, emotional and financial stability, and restore your ability to experience God' joyousness. That's the journey that Kay Hutchinson was on in 2019 when she divorced a narcissist who dragged her through a nearly year-long court battle that almost destroyed her 15-year energy medicine practice where she specialized in helping empathic women make their sensitivities their super powers and left her with relentless shingles outbreaks and collapsed immunity. Through the journey of rebuilding her health and life, she discovered  the one thing that no one was talking about in terms of the recovery from narcissistic abuse…that narcissists damage the five energy tanks that rule our physical, emotional, financial and soul health. Yet no one was showing women how to repair themselves energetically.  But,  without repairing those tanks, women suffer for years with anxiety, depression, exhaustion and a multitude of debilitating physical health challenges. So, Kay created the first medical qi gong recovery program for narcissistic abuse survivors that use 5 minute energy resets to help women effortlessly re-ignite their body, mind and soul potential. For example, Kay's client Donna, whose health was devastated by the stress of a narcissistic marriage, was able to use the resets to reverse stage 5 kidney damage in only 90 days, preventing Donna from going on dialysis and empowering her to reclaim her life. With newfound health, Donna was able to rebuild her realty business and remarry. Her pastor husband and her are now building a successful ministry helping others. Kay is here today to share more inspirational stories like this and delve into the topic of energy vampirism –how we lose energy to toxic people and more importantly—what we can to stop the drain and become unstoppable in reclaiming our body, mind and soul potential when our energy has been decimated by a narcissist.  Ways to connect Kay:   Get Your Mojo Back Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-your-mojo-back-quick-resets-to-help-empathic-women/id1699115489 Website: https://www.aikihealing.com/ Free Healing Session: https://www.aikihealing.com/free-healing-for-narcissistic-abuse-priority-list Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aikihealingresets/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AikiHealingResets/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aikihealing   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And as I've explained, the reason we word it that way is that diversity typically doesn't tend to involve disabilities, so inclusion comes first, because we don't allow people to be inclusive unless they're going to make sure that they include disabilities in the conversation, but mostly on the on the unstoppable mindset podcast, we don't deal as much with inclusion or diversity. We get to deal with the unexpected, which is anything that doesn't have to do directly with inclusion or diversity. And so today, in talking to Kay Hutchinson, we have a situation where we are going to talk about unexpected kinds of things, and that's what we're really all about. So Kay Hutchinson is our guest today. She has quite a story about, well, I'm not going to tell you all about it, other than just to say it's going to involve narcissism and it's going to involve a whole bunch of things. Kay is a podcaster. She's a coach, and she does a number of things that I think are really well worth talking about. So without further ado, Kay, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kay Hutchinson ** 02:40 Oh, Michael, every cell in my body is happy to be here today. I'm so thrilled. Oh,   Michael Hingson ** 02:47 good. I just want to make sure all the cells are communicating with you, and they're all saying good things they   Kay Hutchinson ** 02:52 are. Oh, good, absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 02:56 Sell by cell. Let's, let's do a roll call and see how long that takes. But there we go. Well, I'm really glad that you are here. I'd like to start by kind of learning about the early K, growing up and all that sort of stuff. It's always fun to start that way, sort of like Lewis Carroll, you know, you start at the beginning. But anyway, tell us about the early k, if you would.   Kay Hutchinson ** 03:19 Oh my gosh, I'd love to and Michael, what's exciting to me about that, you know, with your show really focusing on diversity, when I look back to my childhood and I think about the various experiences that I had growing up as a biracial child in the 1960s I am half Japanese and half African American, against the backdrop of Malcolm X and at the time Martin Luther King, and all of this different flow of change was happening as I came into the world, and I was born on the island of Honolulu, Hawaii, feeling very much connected to the vibrancy of that space and those islands and that war of the power of the volcanoes, and I found myself just this really hyper sensitive young child where the world came in at me through all of my five senses, to the point where often I was very overwhelmed, but I was really blessed to have parents that understood this child's going to have a lot coming at her in the world, being what the world is at the time, and coming from different two different cultures that I was really well nourished and really was taught by parents who had embraced meditation and mindfulness as a way of really helping me calm my nervous system when I was little. So I really had this beautiful childhood of being able to bounce between different cultures, the US culture, and also living in Asia, but also coming face to face with things like racism face. Things like messages on a very large societal level that I did not belong anywhere, that I didn't fit, and so often I felt that the world outside of the safe space of my immediate family was a world that was very much overwhelming, and felt as if it was not for me, that it was not very nourishing. So very early on, I had to learn how to kind of begin regulating and begin navigating a world that wasn't necessarily set up for someone like myself. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 05:35 yeah, it's it's interesting when you and you certainly have an interesting combination of parents, half African American and half Japanese, definitely, two different cultures in a lot of ways, but at the same time, they both recognize the whole concept of mindfulness. They recognize the value of meditation and finding a calming center, I gather is what you're saying.   Kay Hutchinson ** 06:00 Absolutely, my father was one of the soldiers that right after he came into the service in the 1950s that got assigned to Japan and was in one of the first all African American military police units. It had never existed before. And so through his journey there, he actually ended up studying a lot of different forms of martial arts, as well as some of the healing arts like acupressure. So a lot of times people say, Okay, you practice Chinese energy medicine. Oh, that must have come from your mother's side of the heritage. But actually, the first exposure to healing and energy came from my dad, because he taught us martial arts, and he taught us actually some of the flows of energy on how to heal the body, because it's that idea that if you spar with a person, you're responsible for having to heal them if you injure them through the sparring. So that was like my first exposure to really learning the system of energy medicine. And then on my mom's side, it's interesting, she grew up with parents that were Buddhist and Taoist in their philosophy as well. So but at a very young age, in her late teens and early 20s, she was very curious about Christianity, and began attending churches that were of a Christian nature, and that's how she ended up meeting my father. And so this beautiful path of spirituality, learning about energy and understanding how to navigate through a world that wasn't necessarily built for me, was really at core of how we moved as a family, and I think that really formed the basis for developing a certain type of sensitivity to the nuances of differences and making those differences into superpowers. And that's really at the heart of what I do, not only as a healer, but and in my early career as a special education teacher, that really was one of the things that allowed me to recognize the value and power of children and help them to optimize their growth and   Michael Hingson ** 08:11 development. So where did you grow up? Where did you live? So   Kay Hutchinson ** 08:15 I lived in both countries. My father was Army, so we would spend some time in the US, primarily Texas, but we also lived part time in California, and then we would bounce back over, over the pond to Okinawa, Japan. So I had a lot of fond memories of both countries growing up.   Michael Hingson ** 08:33 That's, that's pretty cool. And it's, you know, I find that people who come on this podcast, who have had the joy of having the ability to live or having lived in different kinds of environments, do bring some very interesting perspectives on, on each of those countries and just on, on life in general. And they tend to, I think, have a overall better perspective on what life is all about, because they've seen more of it. And if they take the time to really think about life and all the things that they've seen, they come to value all of that a lot more   Kay Hutchinson ** 09:18 Absolutely it is that process of being able to really delve deep into the subtle uniqueness of life through different lenses. And when you travel, and when you get that opportunity to experience cultures directly, and you also have, you know, a heritage that's very rich on an ethnic level, you know, it really does allow the brain to see the world through many different facets. And I think that that really is what's needed in a world where, when we look at what's happening globally, there's rapid, rapid change. So those of us who have that experience of being able to bounce through all of these different experiences and take multiple facets. Because we end up being able to digest and are able to move through those experiences without becoming so overwhelmed, as so many people are experiencing today, with all of the quantum leap changes that are happening, changes happening so rapidly in our world.   Michael Hingson ** 10:16 Oh, we are, and we're we're exhibiting, of course, in this country, with a new president or a new old President, we're seeing a lot of changes, and I think history is going to, at some point, decide whether those changes or the things that that he's bringing about are good or not. And I think it's you can take a lot of different viewpoints on it. Oh, it's bad because he's doing this and he's doing that, and it's good because he's doing this and he's doing that, but I think ultimately, we're going to see, and I'm I think he's made some choices that are interesting, and we and we'll see how it all goes. But I wish that he had had more of a worldview. I think that's the one thing that I see, that he has not had as much of a true worldview as would probably be valuable,   Kay Hutchinson ** 11:11 absolutely, and that's, excuse me, that's really a concern in leadership, right? And how do we support when someone hasn't had that vastness, right? It then comes to us to really bring to the table the perspectives that hopefully will trickle over into influencing and supporting energetically. And here's that thing, because sometimes we can think, Oh, well, you know, the President's way up here, and what can I as an ordinary person, do to help bring more balance to that leadership. Well, I truly believe that energetically, we're all connected, so that when each of us is embracing this more multifaceted perspective, and we're not just embracing it in our brains, but actually living that, integrating that into how we move. We create a energy that ripples out, that absolutely touches every other person on the planet. And why would it not also touch, you know, people in positions of political leadership. So I believe that when we band together in that way, we do create change.   Michael Hingson ** 12:15 Well, I think we all are connected, and I think that is something that most people haven't recognized, and the more they don't and the more they decide they're an entity in of themselves, and there isn't that kind of interconnectionalism, the more it's going to hurt them more than anything else. But hopefully, over time, people will realize that we are all interrelated. Gandhi once said that interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man, I guess, and woman, we should say. But, you know, he was, he was quoting back in the day, much as much the ideal of man as a self sufficiency. And I think that interdependence is all around us, and interdependence is something that we truly do need to recognize. And embrace, because no one really is an island into themselves,   Kay Hutchinson ** 13:08 and that's true, and this is where the challenge is. When we begin to start looking at energy, vampirism and narcissism, we're dealing with individuals who do not have that capacity to really embrace the fact that they are energetically and importantly connected to other people. They're disconnected from that. So how they're moving through life becomes very centered, focused on only their perspectives and their experiences. And that's where it can be really dangerous, because when we're in the midst of people that are moving like that, we may not realize that we're actually losing energy to them. And so it's really important to take a look more than ever, who is in your world? Are you surrounded by people that have an understanding of the value of connecting in with one another and truly having a fair exchange of energy. Or are you amid people that may be pulling energy from you in a one sided way because they have wounds that are preventing them from really being full in their own perspectives and in their own energy fields.   Michael Hingson ** 14:24 Well, and when you mentioned people who don't have the capacity, I wonder if it's true that they don't have the capacity, or they've chosen to reject it.   Kay Hutchinson ** 14:35 Well, I think that's the difference, right there. Michael, when they've chosen to reject it. That's not pathological in terms of the clinical definition of narcissism, that could apply to anyone that has simply made that choice. But part of the clinical definition of narcissism is it is a person who doesn't have the choice they're not capable because of early trauma in their life. During the period of time when they were attaching and beginning energetically to form bonds with other people, as well as psychologically and cognitively, disruption happened or is no longer a choice for them. They're no longer able to say, I want to be connected or not connected. There is a disruption on a trauma level that prevents them from being connected.   Michael Hingson ** 15:21 Is there a cure for that? Though, can people reverse that process?   Kay Hutchinson ** 15:26 So as far as I know, in Searching the Literature and working with colleagues, and I also have background in psychotherapy too, there is not, quote, unquote, a cure for that, but the damage is fairly deep. It's a matter of helping those individuals to manage the facets of their narcissism to minimize the damage. But are they ever disconnected from the intimacy that we have energetically with other human beings that tends to still be pervasive, even with long term therapy, psychotherapy, yeah, well,   Michael Hingson ** 16:03 you, I know, and we'll get to it. Have had some direct exposure and involvement with narcissism, but let's go back a little bit talking about you. Where did you go to college? I assume you did go to college.   Kay Hutchinson ** 16:17 Yeah, absolutely. I went to the University of Texas, at Austin, okay. And then later, for graduate school, I went to the California Institute of integral studies for counseling, psychotherapy, but also longevity Institute for all the energy medicine training. And I loved, I loved that they were the only program at the time in energy medicine, medical Qigong. They had a relationship with the head of the school. Was the head of Stanford's Integrative Medicine Department, and they were doing lots of things with looking at how energy healing impacts cancer and also how it affects the role of fertility. There was a famous Stanford IVF program, and what they were looking at was the idea that when women partook of Qigong and mindfulness techniques, they were able to successfully get pregnant at a higher level than if they did not. So it was a school that really embraced not only the science of energy, but also the spirituality of it as well. How do we develop and grow as beings that are souls in the world   Michael Hingson ** 17:27 and dealing with the practical application of it? Absolutely,   Kay Hutchinson ** 17:30 absolutely. So I often say that it was the place where shamanism met hardcore science and together, and that's kind of a little bit of what people experience, Michael, when they work with me, because I'm one of the few holistic practitioners that says, come in the door and bring me your actual medical data. I want to see the scans. I want to see your blood work data before we ever do an herbal formula, before I ever prescribe a set of medical Qigong resets. I really kind of want to see what we're looking at and what's happening with you on a quantifiable level, so that we can measure changes as we go along and process a few Sure   Michael Hingson ** 18:08 well. So you mentioned earlier Special Education song. What did you do after college?   Kay Hutchinson ** 18:14 So, in college, you know, I was studying cognitive science as well as special education. I was fascinated by how people learn, and so my career began as a special education teacher. The first assignment I had, though as a teacher, was teaching third grade math because I began working for a district mid season, and they didn't have a lot of different openings, and they said, well, Kay, we would love to have you in the school, but the special ed position will not be available till later. Would you come aboard teaching math? Now, little did anyone know, Michael, that I was actually math phobic. I was that kid that when I had to take math and calculus and things in college, had my head in my lap. Oh, I can't do this. This is just not my thing. And so to be asked to teach third grade, it was horrifying to me on one level, but then I said, you know, everything happens for a reason to start my teaching career, and the thing that I'm most fearful of could be a really good learning opportunity for me. What   Michael Hingson ** 19:14 did you learn from that? Oh my gosh, I learned that   Kay Hutchinson ** 19:17 the most important thing is creativity, because I had to say, okay, where, where am I starting? These kids were behind. They were third graders. They were behind in learning multiplication. And so I said, You know what? There's a method to teach multiplication with cubes and blocks and manipulatives that actually leads them to being able to do algebra. So I'm going to be creative and use these different tools to not only teach basic multiplication, but my goal for them is, when they leave me, they will have the basis for being able to do simple algebra problems in third grade. And the fact, Michael, that these kids, when we talk about diversity, inclusion, we. In a community where they were drive by shootings were in a community where other teachers did not believe that just because these children were children of color, that they did not have the same abilities and capabilities and potential to be able to go on to school at Harvard or Yale. It made me even more determined to say, I'm going to teach them a really higher level skill that everybody else will say is beyond their developmental level to prove that these children are just as capable as anybody else. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 20:31 and, and the reality is, they are. They have the capability, and it is something that just has to be encouraged. I know that when I was doing my student teaching. I was getting a master's degree in physics, so I did a little bit with math now and then, needless to say, and I was in the class one day, I was teaching eighth graders. I'm sorry, I was actually teaching high school freshman, but there was an eighth grader in the class, and he asked a question. It wasn't, I don't even remember what the question was, but it wasn't a hard question. But for some reason, I blanked out and didn't know what the answer was. But what I said to him was, I don't know the answer. I should, but I don't. I'm going to look it up and I'll come back tomorrow and tell you what the answer is. Is that okay? And he said, Yeah. When the class was over, my master teacher, who was the football coach, also came up, and he said, that was the most wonderful thing you could do. He said, kids will always know it if you're blowing smoke, if you're honest with them, and if you tell them the truth, you're going to gain a lot more respect. He said, That was the best thing that you could have possibly done with Marty's question. Well, the next day, I came back in with the answer. I went and looked it up, and it was as easy as it should have been, and I should have known. But I came in and I and when the class was all seated, I said, All right, Marty, I got the answer, and he said, so do i Mr. Hinkson? I said, well, then come up here and write it on the board. One of the things that I did not being a good writer, being blind. I just have never learned to have that great of handwriting. I would always have a student write on the board. And everyone competed for that job every day. So that day Marty got to do the job, Kenny came up and described it and said the answer. And I said, that's the same answer I got. And does everybody understand it? But it was so great to be able to interact with him. And it all started with being honest. And I think that's one of the best life lessons I ever learned, not only from being a student teacher, but just in general, that people know it when you're not being dishonest, they can sense it, whether they can articulate it, whether they know it consciously, they'll at least know it subconsciously. If you're not being honest and direct with them, and so it's important if you're going to truly earn trust, to have an honest relationship and and as I, as I put it, don't blow smoke at people.   Kay Hutchinson ** 23:12 That's so true. I mean authenticity as an energy is so very transformative, you know. And I love your story, Michael, because it reminds me too. When I was teaching, you know, I too, was honest with my kids. I just said, you guys feel scared of these problems that we have on our page. Your teacher was scared this morning and had her head in her lap crying like, how am I going to teach this to you? All you know, when they when we can be human with each other. When we are able to really just say what is real and in our hearts, it completely transforms the journey, because suddenly we recognize that we're all in the same space, and then we can lock arms to really move through it together. But if the energy is not even, there's not a fairness there, and part of the fairness is transparency, then it creates a completely different flow. It isn't necessarily transformative, and it can create obstacles and blocks versus being that wonderful thing where your student got to bloom, you got to bloom, and I'm sure the entire class benefited from the authenticity of both of you bouncing off of each other saying, this is the problem that I found, and this is Mike says, here's how I solved it. And together, you guys were able to really get that information across, I'm sure, in a way, that got everybody inspired to think about, how can they come about solving the problems too   Michael Hingson ** 24:35 well, something like 15 years later, we were at the Orange County Fair in July, and this guy with a deep voice comes up to me and he says, Hey, Mr. Hinkson, do you know recognize my voice? Well, there was no way. He says, I'm Marty, the guy from your algebra class 15 years later. And you know it was, it was really cool, yeah, and it was, it was so. To have that opportunity to, you know, to talk with him again. And, you know, we both, of course, had that, that same memory. But it's, it is so true in general, that honesty and connectionalism are so important, it's all about building trust. In my new book, live like a guide dog. We talk a lot about trust as one of the things that you can use to help learn to control fear, and specifically I talk about in the book lessons I've learned from all of my dogs, my guide dogs, and so on. And one of the lessons that we talk about is that dogs may very well, love unconditionally, but they don't trust unconditionally, and you do still have to earn their trust. They may love you, but they won't necessarily trust you until they get to know you. And so with every guide dog, I have to start all over and develop a new relationship and learn their quirks. But the reality is they're learning mind quirks as well, and what we do is we figure out how to interact and work together, and when we are both open to trust, and that's the other part of it, I have to be as much open to trust as the dog, because the way a previous guide dog worked and the things that a previous guide dog did don't necessarily apply with a new dog, and so it's important to really be open to developing that trusting relationship, but it takes a while to develop, but when the relationship develops, it is second to none, and and I wish it were more true with people, but we're always worried about so many things, and we think about what's this person's hidden agenda? We tend not to be open to trust. And the reality is, we can be just as much open to trust as we ever would need to be. That doesn't mean that we're always going to trust, because the other person has to earn our trust too, but we can be open to it absolutely.   Kay Hutchinson ** 27:01 And you know, animals are such an amazing teacher to that process of developing trust. I love what you said that they love unconditionally, but that not necessarily trust unconditionally. To me that is such balance, because I often notice in my work, there's a tendency, especially with empathic women, to over trust, to trust too soon, to not require that others earn that trust. And so I think it's really an important piece to find that balance in being able and being open to trust, but not rushing the process to the point where we lose our boundaries in that and when you interact with animals, you really learn how to do that. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 27:47 why do you think so many women are too eager to trust and do trust too quickly?   Kay Hutchinson ** 27:55 I think in the population of women that I work with in my groups, that they refer to themselves often as women empaths or empathic women. I think some of that can come from the over care taking syndrome that some of them may be exhibiting as a way of working through old wounds, that idea that it's my job to kind of just be this wide open radar and take care of others and be open, and they don't understand that it is absolutely part of self care to regulate that openness, to have a filter and to be able to give that piece of time to really see who people are, because narcissists oftentimes are wearing a facade. May not necessarily see who they are in the early stages of an engagement. So by being open, but still having boundaries, which kind of when your boundaries are respected over time, I think that's where trust really blooms. And by taking that time, then we are able to really make sure that we're in relationship with people where there is a fair exchange of trust, because that's part of the fair energy exchange, as I often say, is trust has to go both ways, and in a narcissistic relationship, it's usually just one way. It's the person you know who's non narcissistic, trusting fully and the narcissist withholding trust. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 29:17 and you think that men are much more not open to the whole concept of trust, than than women? Not   Kay Hutchinson ** 29:29 at all. I think men are beautiful in their heart spaces, just as open too. So I see men in paths exactly in that same space as well, men that are natural givers who want to connect. They can often also get in that space of trusting too soon. So when my practicing encompassed working with both men and women, that would be something that I would often kind of give guidance to in the dating process of Give it time. And allow somebody to earn that beautiful jewel of trust that is your heart, and allow yourself to also be discovered by the other person as someone who's trustworthy. Give it the space, because I've had beautiful men that were clients that absolutely got their hearts trampled, and also got their energy siphoned by energy vampires, just because they jumped in, just so wholeheartedly, so soon, so having that balance being aware of the pacing of a relationship, and then again, going back to animals, because that was part of the thing that I did. Michael straight out of energy school, I worked with animals first and human second. And I think that dance that we do with animals is really can be a framework or a model for how to move with humans too, because animals don't rush it. You know, they're going to take their time and trusting you. They're going to check you out and notice what your Kirks are and notice how you respond to them. It's not something to give right away. And so when you do earn the trust of an animal, whether it's a cat or dog or in my case, I also worked with wild animals, it is really such a treasure, and it's cherished when it happens.   Michael Hingson ** 31:15 Yeah, but then even wild animals are open to trust there. There are a lot of other things that you have to work through, but still, the the the opportunity to develop a trusting relationship is certainly there. Now I think that cats are more cautious than dogs about a lot of things, but they're but they're open to trust. I know that that stitch my cat does trust me, but she is much more cautious and tends to react to noises and other things a lot more than Alamo the guide dog does. So they're there. There are issues, but there's a lot of love there, and there is a lot of trust, and that is as it should be. But again, I've had to earn that trust, which is the real important part about it. Yeah, that's definitely   Kay Hutchinson ** 32:07 and, you know, you speak about, like, the differences of dogs and cats too. There's a difference in the neurological sensitivity, of course, with dogs too, it depends on the breed. You know, like, for example, chihuahuas can be very neurologically sensitive, so they react to many things, versus, say, like Labradors or other larger breeds of dogs, shepherds and so forth, they tend to have a more steady neurological response to the world. So they make wonderful emotional support and other helper roles in our lives. But cats, they tend to, across the board, be pretty high strung neurologically, which means that's why they would be a little bit more skittish about why   Michael Hingson ** 32:47 they're cats. Yeah, absolutely, it works. Well, how long? How long did you teach?   Kay Hutchinson ** 32:55 Well, I taught in public school. I think it was three years. I'm still a teacher. I never I just left the forum from a public school into I became a writer for textbook publishers. So I created Teacher Guides. There was a lot of teaching in that. And then I also ran the only medical Qigong professional certification certification program that is a one on one apprenticeship program, and I ran that program up until the pandemic, from 2008 or nine until the pandemic, before I slowly shifted into just this really super niche of working with women on the journey of recovering from narcissistic abuse, and really putting my full energy into that, I still get calls for people who want to certify with me, and so I'm I'm still thinking about reopening the school, but it's been such a pleasure going down this road and journey of developing virtual journeys for women online and watching them bloom and seeing the transformation. So I always say that I'm ever the teacher. I never really left the profession. Everything that I do involves education and really helping people to optimize the way they learn as souls and as whole beings in the world   Michael Hingson ** 34:17 well, and I think in reality, and I wish more people understood it. But I think we're all teachers, and I know one of the things that I learned when I first was put in a position where I had to start selling professionally, I took a Dale Carnegie sales course, and one of the things that they talked about in that course was sales people. The best sales people are counselors, they guide, they teach, because you'll get a better understanding of your prospects and your customers, but that's what you really should be doing. And again, there's a whole level of honesty that goes with that. But the reality is, I think that all of us teach. I know a lot of. Blind People say I don't I'm blind. I am the way I am. I don't want to be a teacher. I don't want to have to educate people. Well, the reality is, we all do that in one way or another. We're all teaching someone, or bunches of someone's from time to time. And the reality is, teaching is so fun,   Kay Hutchinson ** 35:21 it is, and I love that you said that, because we're always teaching people how to engage ourselves just on that level alone, or engage with ourselves. Yes, absolutely. And when we know that and we bring joyousness to the process, right, it can be so transformative, because when we're enjoying that process, we're going to go into those uncomfortable areas, right that may be challenging or difficult, and often engaging with other people, you come up with new facets and perspectives that you otherwise would not have. So I, I love, I love the dance of learning and also in sharing too.   Michael Hingson ** 36:06 My wife was a teacher for 10 years, and always loved it when she she did do special ed and so on. She was in a wheelchair her whole life, so she was sort of bent that way, but she loved teaching third grade. She thought that third grade was the best, because when you start to get older than that, kids get more set in their ways, and when they're younger than that, they're they're just not there. Yet. She loved third grade, so I'm glad you started with third grade math.   Kay Hutchinson ** 36:35 Third grade was really sweet. I went from there to early childhood so, and then later I was tutoring at the university level, I had an opportunity to work as a tutor to actually doctoral foreign students who needed help with writing skills and things like that. So I really have enjoyed that full spectrum, just as I enjoy working with clients that come from vast differences in their backgrounds, and taking the journey into to learning more about holistic ways and moving so a lot of fun. Oh,   Michael Hingson ** 37:09 it is, you know, and I think life in general is a lot of fun if we would just approach things the right way and not let everything upset us, we we have a much better life in our own world,   Kay Hutchinson ** 37:21 definitely, absolutely. Well, you,   Michael Hingson ** 37:25 you've talked a lot about this whole idea of narcissism and so on, and I know you've had involvement in your life with that. You want to talk about some of that and tell us how you really got into really doing a lot with it, and what motivates you and so on. Or how much of that do you want to talk about? Oh,   Kay Hutchinson ** 37:42 definitely. Well, you know, I would have to go all the way back to, you know, experiences with racism that I experienced as a narcissism. I'm not saying that every person who has racist thoughts or beliefs or or patterns are narcissists, but many narcissists are racist, and so I think the early exposure to what I would call someone that is an energy vampire bent on manipulating or creating a flow that isn't a fair exchange of energy happened to me at a very young age. So I gained a lot of insight into how do you move through that? So it made sense that when I was beginning my career as an energy healer, as a practitioner, and I started noticing the different physical and emotional issues people would come in the door with, they'd come in with, say, like autoimmune issues, thyroid issues, cancer and different things like that. But when we began to really look at the root of all of those conditions, we began to realize that there was a pattern of having been in some sort of prolonged engagement with another person, where there was not a fair energy exchange. And that's when I began to realize, oh, all of my clients have had experiences with narcissism and of having had their energy siphoned in a way that was not beneficial for the entire body, mind and soul, and so in creating these resets for clients for nearly, I think it was about 15 years I was into that career. I never realized, because I'd never encountered it directly in a personal relationship. What it was like to be in a relationship with a covert narcissist, and I fell in love with a person who was very, very clever as far as really hiding those aspects of his personality. And I've come to understand that the reason that I walked that journey was so that I could have first hand lived experience. I knew what overt narcissism was about, but I had never really experienced the covert variety that hidden, that more subtle type. And by being in this marriage and relationship with a person that was exactly that, it gave me a lot of insight. To the subtle ways that we lose energy to people, and what the impact is on that physical level. For me, it left my immunity completely tanked, and I was having reoccurring shingles all over my face. I was having high anxiety, which was not a part of my emotional walk. Previously, I was also very fatigued. I had resolved many years prior to that severe fibromyalgia, and suddenly that came out of remission, and I was in constant pain every day. So you know, in seeing how dramatically my own health changed, it also changed the way that I was showing up on a business level, how available I was on an energy level, to really serve clients. And it also showed up in terms of my spiritual path, where I slowly began to get disconnected from source and not rely on that as my critical way of moving through life, where previously I have so it was a just a journey of really, truly recognizing what it feels like across every level imaginable to get decimated by the person that You love because they are wounded and are narcissistic.   Michael Hingson ** 41:22 What finally happened that made you realize what was occurring and caused you to decide to deal with the whole issue.   Kay Hutchinson ** 41:31 Well, you know, it wasn't just one thing Michael, because if he was a subtle narcissist, my understandings of what was happening came about gradually. But the thing that really stood out in my mind, that made me say, You know what, I absolutely need to get out of this relationship was when I went to caretake an aunt that had stage five stomach cancer, and I had previously was in the role of caretaking his mom, when she had metastatic blood level cancer. It was a form of leukemia, and also his aunt, who had a form of bone cancer. So when his family members were ill, I was there. I dropped everything, not only just as a healer, but as a family member, as someone who loved these Dear ladies, was by their sides and really helped them to transition. But when it came time for me to be at the side of my relative, my husband was completely lacking in empathy, and I'd spend the entire day with her, just helping her to quell nausea, get more comfortable, feel more peaceful. I completely had not eaten the whole day because my whole attention was on her and also on my father. Her brother, wanted to make sure that my dad was okay in being with her, because he was also approaching soon the final days of his life. He had a lot of weakness going on and things. And I returned home, and I was just exhausted, and I said, Honey, let's go out for dinner, and let's go out and do something kind of fun, because that's what I am, and I give a lot on that heavy level, I like to shift over to something light. And I was met with, I don't want to go anywhere. Why do you always want to go out to dinner, and he just started kind of yelling at me, and I realized, oh, wow, just even on a pure nourishment level, I need food because I haven't eaten all day. This is somehow becoming a challenge. And I ended up going out to dinner by myself at a time when I was really super vulnerable about ready to lose my last living aunt in the States, and thinking, what am I doing in a relationship where merely asking to be fed, not even emotionally, is a challenge? And I said, Ah, he can't even literally feed me. And I knew there was no fixing that. Even though we had gone through counseling, it's like, no, no, this is just not going to continue. I have to leave, right? So that was a critical moment in my life of just and that's what I would say to everybody in the audience. Ask yourself, are you being felt fed well? Are you being well nourished by the person that you're in that relationship with? Because narcissists are not capable of nourishing   Michael Hingson ** 44:29 you. Yeah. So what happened? I mean, you made you, you realize what was occurring. What did you do? So   Kay Hutchinson ** 44:35 at that point, we had been in counseling, so I got on the phone with our counselor, and I said, I really need your safe space the next time we come in, because I need to have a conversation about divorcing, and I really need to make sure that I'm moving through this safely and with the proper support around me. And that's really, really important, because if your audience. Are in relationships with narcissists who have never been abusive, they need to understand that there's a high likelihood of them becoming physically abusive when they decide to leave. Mm, hmm. And so it's really important to make sure that that conversation is happening in a safe space and that there's enough support around to keep violence from escalating, even if you've never seen that person in that more physically abusive space, it needs to be considered.   Michael Hingson ** 45:33 So you, you talk to your counselor about that, and then you, you, I assume, had a session where you, you, you dealt with some of those issues, absolutely,   Kay Hutchinson ** 45:44 with the safety of of the counselor there, we were able to map out a strategy. But Silly me, Michael, I thought, well, you know, we have an agreement that we need to go our separate ways. We're two adults. We can do this peacefully. It's not complicated. We lived in the state of Texas. It's not hard to do. And so we said we'll just go to a mediator, and everything will be fine. They'll do up the paperwork, legally, we'll sign we'll go our different ways. Wish each other well, take what we each learn from this and move on with our lives. So it seemed a simple thing, but at the very last moment when we were scheduled to see the mediator, mediator attorney gets a call from a lawyer that I didn't know he even had saying, oh my, my client can't come into this mediation without me being present, because he's represented. And it was a bulldog attorney that was known for just rolling over the other person. And I went, ah, and so I got dragged to nearly a year and a half legal battle that really didn't need to be there, but I was very blessed in connecting with an attorney who specialized in helping people divorce from narcissist, and she was able to say to me, Kay, I know you have important healing to do for yourself, but also for the clients that you serve, let me take this over and you go, do you, and I'll just ting you whenever you need to sign something. And she just completely took it over for me so that I could move on with my life and decide, you know, what did I want to create in the new phase of my life? But not everybody has that ability to kind of really lock arms with attorneys that are highly skilled in dealing with narcissists, because the narcissist will weaponize the legal system if they're allowed to do that, and it can drive up costs. It can be exhausting on many different levels. So it's really important, if you can't afford to have an attorney that has that experience, there are many blogs and many places where you can connect to get that support, even if you're working with an attorney who is less experienced, right? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 47:55 but eventually you you were able to to deal with it, and I'm sure that it was incredibly traumatic. How long ago did all this occur?   Kay Hutchinson ** 48:06 Oh, this was occurring. 2018 2019 Okay,   Michael Hingson ** 48:10 so it's not been all that been six years. Yeah, six years,   Kay Hutchinson ** 48:15 absolutely. And you know, I often say that when you're going through an experience, after having been around someone that second guessed your reality, that we will tend to second guess our own reality too. And so one of the things I think that really helped me on a mindset level, was continuing to ask myself, well, what do I really feel? What do I really think? Exactly   Michael Hingson ** 48:40 right, exactly right. Yeah,   Kay Hutchinson ** 48:43 and reconnecting with that because I had been separated or disconnected from things that were really vital and important to me, because he had said that they were not important, or perhaps I was overreacting or being too sensitive that I began to discount those things within myself. So it's really this journey of really allowing myself to truly come back into valuing all of the things that were really important to me   Michael Hingson ** 49:10 to you. Yes, what you know narcissism is an interesting subject. What is maybe one thing that so not Well, let me go back. Narcissism certainly deals a lot with emotional issues, and there can be physical issues and so on. But what's maybe the one thing that you've seen in your work that most people wouldn't associate with a narcissistic person or narcissistic behavior,   Kay Hutchinson ** 49:41 I think the one thing that people don't really put enough of a spotlight on is that they are energy vampires. They create an energetic disruption across the five areas of ourselves that are absolutely critical for our physical health. For. For our emotional stability and our soul growth. So we're talking body, mind and soul disruption. You know, often times the talk is on the psychological or the emotional disruptions, or if there's a physical abuse component, it might be on that level. But it's really very rare that we are really associating that idea of energy, vampirism, of energy, of being a predator on an energetic level, with narcissists and so that is really core. Because until we start to heal the energetic damage that has occurred, we end up staying in a state of struggling for years with emotions that may be all over the place. I see felt it in myself. I see it in my clients, anxiety, depression, that feeling of being on an emotion, emotional roller coaster, and then all of the physical health issues that go along with it, whether someone experienced physical abuse or not, and then that soul disconnect. You know, energetically, we have to have, I often say, Energy Tanks. We need to have all five of our energy tanks full in order to have a relationship with source that is evolving that allows us to transform and elevate ourselves on that spiritual level. And so if we're damaged across our five Energy Tanks, we will find it difficult to really connect in with the power that is higher than ourselves. Tell me a little more   Michael Hingson ** 51:27 about this concept of the five Energy Tanks, if you would. Absolutely   Kay Hutchinson ** 51:31 that's my own wording, but really it's the language of Chinese energy medicine that's over 2000 years old, built on the idea of the five elements, whether you're an acupuncturist, an acupressurist, whether you are a martial artist, everything flows along the five elements, in terms of Chinese energy, medicine and the five elements are a system that helps to explain the relationship between our emotions, the different states of our emotions, our physical selves, and the way that we grow in souls. So I often say, you know that there's five tanks. John Gray made that comparison back I think it was in the 80s when he wrote about the different tanks that people need to have filled in their lives, like relationship tanks and the self care tank and all of these different things. It's kind of similar to that idea, but each one of these areas has a very critical role in our development. So like, say, the water element, this is essence, and then DNA level. So often times when we've been in traumatic situations, we may start to see some DNA level disruptions, and often that will appear as cellular abnormalities. Cancer would be a very good example of that, that when we're under immense stress, on a trauma level, the water element, which rules our DNA, on an element level becomes disrupted. So I see that a lot in my practice, where women have metastatic breast cancer and other forms of cancer as a result of the long term chronic stress of being in a narcissistic relationship, or their nervous systems, like my nervous system was completely damaged and I was hyper vigilant all the time. Had insomnia, had difficulty processing information. My natural dyslexia and learning disabilities that I came into the world with became exacerbated when I was in that narcissistic relationship. That's the wood energy tank that rules our nervous systems. So there's a take for each aspect of ourselves that gets impacted by the experience of being in a relationship where the energy exchange is not mutual and fair.   Michael Hingson ** 53:50 When you're talking about this whole concept of energy vampires and and the whole issue of having to face or deal with a narcissist. One of the things that seems to me happens is that your ability to have creative thinking and to be creative in your thinking goes down, and the result is that you, you you're again, you're you're sucked into something that you really shouldn't be sucked into, but you've lost some of the clearer thinking that you would normally have. How do you deal with that, and how do you get that back absolutely   Kay Hutchinson ** 54:34 but when we start to look again at the elements and how that shows up for creativity, our metal element has to do with our ability to feel safe and shielded. We can't be creative and stretch into areas that are unknown if we're not feeling safe. So beginning to do resets, where we begin to visualize the shielding around ourselves being restored, can be very helpful to begin to settle that. Sense of, oh, I'm not safe. And so there's specific breath work and energy resets that we do to really help to get that foundation of safety before we even begin to restore other aspects that affect creativity. The next thing that we have to do, Michael is really, once we're feeling safe, we need to be able to center ourselves, because if our thoughts are scattered all over the place, our energy is all over the place, it's hard to get centered, to bring the focus that is also a part of being creative. So the earth element is what allows us to begin to ground and calm ourselves, begin to focus and collect all of these different thoughts that we may be having and feeling so that we can harness them in a creative way to go forward. Similarly, we have to calm our nervous system so that our brains are able to create the rhythms on a brain wave frequency level that is conducive to creativity again, if our brain waves, if we were to look at an EEG right before hitting a moment of creativity, there might be a lot of bouncing activity going on, and it's only when that activity begins to settle and calm that we then are able to implement and bring forth something that is creative. So being able to regulate that becomes very important, as well as getting into the space of reconnecting with a fire element, which is joy. Because I often say creativity is just the expression of joy, right when we are in that joyous state, it's amazing how many different ways our brains can move to come up with something that is unusual, innovative out of the box. And so the restoration of the fire element, take passion, joy, all of that feeds in to the creative cycle. And then last on that water element, that essence level, right? Creativity comes from a deep well that we have as humans. When we're able to tap into that, we not only tap into a level of creativity that is not only unique to us as individuals, but we tap into the collective of the human creativity and consciousness, and so that allows us to ignite what we're doing in many creative ways. And this is why, as women heal these areas. Michael, they go out and do incredible things. They're able to go out and start new businesses. They start new careers at the age of 50 in their passion areas that they never thought that they would have done. They're able to take trips and go and pursue things that once they were fearful of, but now they are excited to open up themselves, up to trying new things in new ways. And so, you know, the restoration of creativity is very much a part of core of recovering from narcissistic abuse, because that's the one area that most people don't think about too going back to your earlier question, that truly gets impacted when we go through a narcissistic relationship, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 58:13 well, you have obviously been through a whole lot. What allowed you, or how were you able to keep I guess, what we would call an unstoppable mindset, through all of the things that that you went through, what, what drove you, if you will, to be able to succeed. I   Kay Hutchinson ** 58:33 think it's exactly what we've been talking about, having the practices that allowed me to refuel those five takes allow the highest level of energy to kind of flow through my brain, to keep that mindset in that positive area, to keep me motivated and passionate when you're working energetically, to restore yourself the mind comes along. It's not the thing you know. A lot of people say, Well, you got to change your mindset first, and I believe there's value in that. But guess what? When you change your energy first, there is no possibility of the mind flowing into negative spaces to hold you back, because your energy is creating this vibration that then fuels the thoughts that keeps you moving, and that's really the life that I've led. And when I find in moments that I may be falling into a place that is challenged on that mental thought level, I do my energetic practices, and boom, immediately, there's a shift from either a sad state to a state of feeling resilient, from a fearful state to being brave and courageous, to say, Hey, I just jump into this deep end of the pool because that's what I'm afraid of, and that's what I need to do, and trusting going back to trust that there's going to be tremendous growth and benefit. So. The more it's not that hard,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:01 no. But the other part of it is, the more of that that you do, the more you do the introspection, the more you analyze yourself, you think about what we're talking about here, the more that you actually go through the process, in a sense, the more you do, the easier it becomes, or the more efficient you are at doing it. And the result of that is that you become better at it, and so you're able to gain that control. It's it. The whole issue of resilience is is something to practice, but, but it is something that you have to work at I made a video recently where I talked about emergency preparedness, and I said most all of us don't prepare for emergencies, because what we don't do is we don't prepare our minds. Oh, we can create a plan so that there's a fire, we can grab a go bag or whatever. But how do we really prepare our minds? And that is something that we need to do a lot more of than we do today.   Kay Hutchinson ** 1:01:03 Absolutely. And the idea, Michael, that it doesn't take like long stretches of meditation, people have that myth in their minds to prepare yourself and be mindful when there are circumstances unfolding that maybe crisis by taking bite sized moments, I teach five minute resets to reset the brain and reset the mind, and you do enough of those over time, then when crisis hits, you have a whole well of cultivation to draw from and that that really ends up carrying you through whatever that crisis is. And I love that it's not enough just to prepare our minds cognitively for things, we must prepare ourselves from that deeper space energetically, so that when we're in the middle of things, we're not pulled so far off of our center that we forget that beautiful plan that we made,   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:57 right, exactly right. And the reality is, it all does work together. Well, what's the one thing? Maybe that would surprise people if they knew it about you? Oh, gosh, how's that for a good question.   Kay Hutchinson ** 1:02:14 I think the one thing that that most people don't realize about me is that I am a martial artist, because most people think of me as just that healer that brings that comfort in and that level of soothing that I'm known for, and most people don't realize that there's a really strong warrior inside of K and I think we need to be able to embrace the warrior within ourselves and marry that to our peaceful, meditative selves. That the joining of both of them, I think, is really what makes me one of the strongest beings on this planet,   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:55 and that is as good as it gets. So have you written any books? So   Kay Hutchinson ** 1:03:02 my book, the five elements healing, a practical guide for reclaiming your essential power, is currently being reworked. So you will not find it on Amazon at this time, but watch for it in a few months, because we're completely redoing that. And then also, I've contributed to redesign your nine to five advice and strategies from 50 of the world's most ambitious business owners and entrepreneurs. It was compiled by Bridget McGowan, and that one you can find on Amazon, and I was so blessed to create the chapter on how to create a soul based business, one that really allows you to develop what Michael and I are talking about, the unstoppable mindset as a critical way of moving through what you put out into the world. As a business owner,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:51 well, I definitely want to hear about the new book when it nor the reworked book when it comes out. So you have to let us know. Oh, absolutely. How do people reach out and get in touch with you, if they'd like to to learn from you, use your services and so on. How does that work?   Kay Hutchinson ** 1:04:07 Absolutely on your show notes, people can get in touch with me through the website that's listed in the link, and they can find out about the latest healing journeys, which I'm so excited Michael, because we have a live, free healing session coming up on February the ninth, at noon, Central Standard Time. I do these regularly to allow people that opportunity to begin to experience healing, the five Energy Tanks that narcissist destroying through a soothing distance healing to see if they are ready to take other journeys with me. So that's probably the best way, is to visit the website. And I know it's right here   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:48 on your show. It is in the notes, but go ahead and say the website, if you would absolutely   Kay Hutchinson ** 1:04:52 and the website is a, I K I healing.com Easy to remember, A, I K I healing.com   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:00 Um,

Host Bill Falconer is joined by Bill DePriest and Mike Bohn to discuss the upcoming Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show in Costa Mesa, CA. Taking place March 6-9, 2025, at the Orange County Fair & Event Center, this massive event spans eight buildings and features over 600 exhibitors, including top tackle brands, custom bait makers, boat manufacturers, and more.Beyond the general sportfishing focus, the show also boasts a strong rod-building presence, with major names like Fuji, Batson, and Foundation Outdoor Group attending. The event features rod-building seminars, live demonstrations, and a rod-building contest supporting Warriors on the Water. Attendees can meet top custom rod builders like Jim Trelikes, Doc Ski, and Bill Havens, explore the latest components, and even enter giveaways for world-class rods.With incredible food vendors, live music, and a family-friendly atmosphere, the show offers something for everyone. Tickets are $20 and available at the door or online at sportfishingfestival.com. Active-duty military and children under 12 attend for free. Don't miss this premier West Coast fishing event!

When you read about our guest this time, Lisa Kohn, the first thing you read is “The best seats Lisa ever had at Madison Square Garden were at her mother's wedding, and the best cocaine she ever had was from her father's friend, the judge.” Lisa's mother's wedding was a group affair with 4,000 marriages taking place. It wasn't nearly as romantic as one might think as you will discover. You will also get to read about her childhood drug use caused by her father in The Village in New York City. More important, you get to travel with me on Lisa's journey as she eventually overcomes these and other challenges.   Lisa did get to attend college and obtain a degree in Psychology and later an MBA in business.   Lisa's journey has been a hard and long one, but you will see just how unstoppable Lisa became and is today. She started her leadership consulting and life coaching business, Chatworth Consulting Group, in 1995. The business has thrived and grown.   Lisa shares with us her thoughts on life and how easy it can be for all of us to fall into traps that can take our lives in what she would call bad directions and down not good rabbit holes. This episode contains a lot of relevant content we all can use. I hope you enjoy it and, of course, feel free to reach out to Lisa.       About the Guest:   Lisa Kohn is a transformational keynote speaker, leadership consultant, executive coach, and award-winning author of The Power of Thoughtful Leadership and to the moon and back: a childhood under the influence, a memoir that chronicles her childhood growing up in the Unification Church (the Moonies) with her mom and a life of “sex, drugs, and squalor” in New York City's East Village with her dad.   Lisa's unique background has given her a perspective on life, people, and leadership, as well as an expansive array of tools, mind-shifts, and best practices she's found and created, that help her clients find their own paths to powerful, authentic, Thoughtful leadership. With over 25 years of experience supporting senior leaders in areas such as leadership, managing change, interpersonal and team dynamics, strategy, well-being, and life-fulfillment, Lisa partners with her clients as they not only uncover core issues to implement real changes in themselves and their organizations, but also successfully address their own inner challenges and effectively connect with others to ensure the changes stick.   Lisa has been described as “leading with love,” and she's honored to teach C-suite leaders of not-for-profits and Fortune 50 organizations about the compelling impact of self-compassion, self-love, fun, delight, and Thoughtful Leadership – being more present, intentional, and authentic. She works with organizations across a broad range of industries, in companies such as New York City Department of Education, GroupM/WPP, Verizon, World Wrestling Entertainment, American Civil Liberties Union, and Comcast. Lisa brings insight to clients that transforms the way organizations develop and manage their people and the way leaders lead their people and live their lives.   Lisa earned her BA in psychology from Cornell University and her MBA from Columbia University's Executive Program. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and New York University's Stern School of Business and has been featured in publications addressing topics on leadership, communication, effective teaming, authenticity, selfcare, and, of course, healing from trauma. She has been awarded the designation of Professional Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation. Lisa is an Accredited Facilitator for Everything DiSC®, The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™, The Leadership Circle™, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®.   Lisa lives in Pennsylvania but will always tell you that she is “from New York.” Ways to connect with Lisa:   Instagram and X @lisakohnwrites LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakohnccg/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lisakohnwrites My websites are www.lisakohnwrites.com and www.chatsworthconsulting.com       About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi, once again, you are listening to another episode of unstoppable mindset, and today, we get to speak with Lisa Kohn, who is the founder of the Chatsworth Consulting Group. She leads with love. Many people say she deals with nonprofits, C suite, people and others, and dealing with business coaching, life coaching, and I'm not going to tell you anymore, because she's going to spend the next hour telling us all about it. So Lisa, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We are really glad you're here.   Lisa Kohn ** 01:55 I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you for having me, Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 01:58 now I do have to tell everyone. I'm going to tell on you that we were talking before we started this. Lisa's had to postpone a couple times because she had a concussion, which in in a way, relates to skiing. And having never skied myself, I love to spread the rumor that the trees are out to get us all the time. So one of these days I'll probably ski but but in the meanwhile, my brother in law is as a great skier, and was a certified mountain ski guide for years, and I always tell him that the trees are out to get us, and he can not convince me otherwise, no matter what he says. And he says, No, it's really you the skier. And I said, That's what you say. So you know, that's my conspiracy theory of the day,   Lisa Kohn ** 02:37 but I will tend to believe it, because not this concussion, but the last concussion I did, ski into a tree, and I don't know how. I really don't know how. So I am convinced maybe to come out to get me. That makes sense. See,   Michael Hingson ** 02:51 there you go. I rest my case. Everyone. You're welcome to let us know what you think, but it is fun to tease about it. My brother in law used to take tours to France, and was, as I said, a certified mountain ski guide, and has done it for years in the winter in Ketchum, Idaho, where he lives, it is all about skiing first foremost and always, and everything else comes second. So that's fine. Well, Lisa, why don't we start by you telling us a little about the early Lisa, I love to start that way. Learn a little bit about you growing up and all that stuff and going to college or whatever you did and anything like that that you want to tell   Lisa Kohn ** 03:31 us. Well, I will do that. It's it's not the simplest story. So I'll give you the overview and the highlights, and then we can move on or go deeper, or whatever works for you. So I love lines, right? I have a line that describes my childhood. I say the best seats I ever had at Madison Square Garden were at my mother's wedding because my mom got married in 1982 with 4074 other people in a mass wedding. I was raised Unification Church, the Moonies. I was raised in a cult. So that's that's my life with my mom. And on the other hand, the best cocaine I ever had was for my father's friend, the judge. Because my dad, I lived with my dad and my dad. Life with my dad was, as I like to say, sex, drugs and squalor in New York City's East Village in the 1970s so I am, I am like this true child of the 60s and 70s, because both my parents were involved in the, you know, the hippie culture and then the cult culture of that era. So very short. You know, very long story, very short. After that synopsis, my parents got married way too young. Had my brother had me split up. We lived with my mom for a number of years, and when I was in third grade, we were about to we lived on the East Coast. Of America. We lived in Jersey, and we were about to move drive across country to California to move on to a commune. And my grandmother, my mom's mom, got sick with cancer, and so instead we moved, instead of cross country, moved across state and moved in with my grandparents and lived there. My grandmother died. My mom stayed with we stayed with my grandfather. My mom was taking care of the house and of him. And in 1974 my mom went to hear, actually, the person she with whom she said, hitchhik, cross country with every year, called her and said, You have to go hear Reverend Moon speak. And my mom went to hear Reverend Moon speak and came back a changed person, just enthralled with what she'd heard. And not much happened. And then a couple months later, members of the Unification Church convinced my mom to go up for a weekend workshop, and my mom went away for the weekend and came back and went back up for a week and came back and went back up and basically spent the summer being indoctrinated into the unification Church's ideology. And then, you know, somewhere that summer, my mom took us, my brother, I have an older brother, took my brother, and I have with her, and we the estates called barrytown, New York. We pull up to this estate. This this huge building. It used to be a Christian brother school, and we go down into the gymnasium, and all the women, the sisters, are sitting on the floor on the right side of the room, and all the brothers, the men, are sitting on the floor on the left side of the room. And with moments Moon Reverend Sam young moon walks in and begins speaking with his interpreter, and that was it. I had a Messiah, and we were Moonies, and again, synopsized down. Within about six months, my mom sat my brother and I down and said, kids, I really feel called to be more involved. What should I do? And we said, you should leave. And so she left, and we were with my grandfather, and I was in sixth grade and running the household. And then my grandfather, due to a variety of different things, was put in the hospital on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and we got shuffled around for a little while. And finally, my father came to get us, and we moved in with him in New York City, disease village, the life of sex, drugs and scholar, and live this dual life of like living the outside world with Satan and believing in a Messiah and a puritanical cult. And that continued for a number of years, until I can go into the details at some point. But through this whole soap opera experience, I started to eventually question. And we were literally taught if that, if we ever questioned, it was Satan inside of us, but I fully questioned and pulled away, and over the space of many years, kind of left it all behind. And yeah, went to college. I was, you know, I started questioning in my last year of high school, and then I went up to college. I was at Cornell University, and, you know, it's surrounded with gorges, and nearly jumped off the bridge into the gorge as I kind of self destructed having when I left the church. And, you know, went on to get worse and worse and worse in kind of my own psyche, until I really crashed and burned, and someone pointed me in the direction of getting help in the mid to late 80s, and it's been a journey ever since. So there, that's the that's the 10 minute version of, you know, what's in my memoir?   Michael Hingson ** 08:14 What a story. What's your memoir called   Lisa Kohn ** 08:18 to the moon and back the influence, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 08:21 yeah. So what about your brother?   Lisa Kohn ** 08:22 My brother? My brother, uh, he so I, my brother likes to say, I never actually left, I just slowly drifted away. And that was, you know, from like 1980 through 1985 my brother, who's a year and a half older than me, a year ahead of me, in school, he, when he was in college, he was in a place that was truly surrounded with with there were Moonies there who knew him. So he could not leave. But as soon as he got out of college, he went to Drew University. He literally sat my mom down and said, That's it. I'm out. So he he announced being out. I still haven't told anyone I'm out. And he is, you know. So he's also happy and thriving. And he lives in New York City, you know, very eager to get out of the city. I got out of the city years ago. Yeah. So we're still, well, there's a lot Go ahead. Go ahead. No, go ahead. No. He's the only person who experienced the weird dichotomy going back and forth between these two crazy worlds that I did. So, yeah, we're very close.   Michael Hingson ** 09:18 There's, there's a lot to be said for the city, and there's a lot that the city can contribute. But on the other hand, there are so many other parts of the country. I met a woman when my wife and I moved back to New Jersey, I stayed at an apartment for a while in Linden. I'm sorry, no, where was it? Not Lyndon, well, anyway, it was north of Springfield in New Jersey, and this woman, well, we met her because we were staying at a Holiday Inn in Springfield at the time, and she was one of the people who worked there. And she also. Then came to help me in just making sure my apartment was good and clean until Karen moved back and we had our house, and one of the things that we learned from her was that her whole life, she lived in the Springfield area and had never been to New York City, less than 40 miles away.   Lisa Kohn ** 10:20 Yeah, people   Michael Hingson ** 10:21 are afraid of it. Yeah, there's elizabeth new jersey, where I lived until Karen came back, and then we we had started and built a house in Westfield. But I'm always amazed, and I know of people who live in the city who have never been out.   10:35 That is true as well. Yes, and there's   Michael Hingson ** 10:38 so much more to the world, and I just love the fact that I've had the opportunity as a speaker to travel all over this country and enjoy going and meeting new people and seeing new places and seeing so many different aspects of our whole US culture. It's great,   Lisa Kohn ** 10:55 absolutely true. There's so much to be said for a lot of different places and and I will always be a New Yorker at heart.   Michael Hingson ** 11:01 Well, there you go. There you go. And there's nothing wrong with being a New Yorker at heart. No, I was born in Chicago, but I grew up being a Californian and and I am, and I'm a Dodger fan, but you know, there you go. Of course, there are those who say that the Dodgers, one day will move back to New York,   Lisa Kohn ** 11:19 back to Brooklyn. We'll   Michael Hingson ** 11:20 see what happens. Yeah, hasn't happened yet. So what did you major in college?   Lisa Kohn ** 11:26 I was a psychology major.   Michael Hingson ** 11:27 Ah, okay, so now, where do you live?   Lisa Kohn ** 11:31 I live in Wayne, Pennsylvania, outside of,   Michael Hingson ** 11:34 okay, I know where that is. So that's, that's pretty cool. So you, you certainly had a life that has had a lot of experiences. And I would think that you probably would agree that, yes, there were a lot of things that weren't necessarily great, but they taught you a lot, and it certainly helps you to be able to step back and think about all that and put it in perspective   Lisa Kohn ** 12:01 that is true, you know, I am. It's not quite the point you're making. But alongside that, similar to that, you know, when, again, when the memoir came out, people started reaching out to me. And some, you know, late teenager, young adult, I don't really remember, the age, Stranger reached out to me and was kind of giving me the lowdown of a situation, which was, you know, hard, lot of trauma, a lot of lot of tough stuff. And I said, What I often say is, like, I wouldn't wish difficulties and struggles or trauma on anyone, sure, but I do know that when you get through, you know, if you can get through, when you can get through, you have an appreciation of life that people who haven't experienced hardship don't really have so, like, I can look outside, I mean, I love the little gold finches. I can look outside and see a little yellow bird, or actually have about 40 in the house at this point, because people keep sending them to me, right? And I am just filled with joy because I've learned, like, I know how, how low can go. And so even just just okay is really great at times. So so it's a similar thing to what you said, right? You have a perspective. You have a you have, you know, coping mechanisms, some that are wonderful and some that are you really could let go of and be done with. But yeah, I do. I feel like I have more of an appreciation for life and joy and love than some people have who haven't had to go through things.   Michael Hingson ** 13:25 I spoke to a life coach on the podcast a couple of days ago, actually. And one of the things that she said, and it's really kind of what you're saying, is that the fact is, she's much better at what she does because she has had a number of life experiences and things happen in her life, and if she hadn't done some of the things that she did and experienced some of the things that she experienced, she would never have been able to be nearly as effective as she is,   Lisa Kohn ** 14:02 yeah, you know, before my memoir was published in 2018 I generally never brought up my background in my work, because it, once you say cult, it literally, it sucks the energy out of the room like nothing else matters when you say I was raised in A cult and but once it came out, and if you Google me, you know, before I walk in a room, if you look me up, you know my story, because I'm very public with it at this point, I now get to use it in all of my work, and I get to use what I've experienced, and the multitude of tools and practices and mindsets and positive psychology and neuroplasticity and mindfulness and all of the things I have learned over the years to be okay and to thrive. I get to use it in in like in the most corporate work I do, I'm still bringing up, you know, teaching people. To take care of themselves and love themselves and love themselves first. Most, you know, always, like, is tattooed on my arm, like, really, to change their perspective of themselves, to start and off in the world. So yeah, if I, if I hadn't gone through what I gone through, I wouldn't be who I am, and I wouldn't get to share some of the things I get to share. So yeah, that's and that's why I do it. If sharing my story helps other people, then it's all worthwhile. And yeah, that's why I do it.   Michael Hingson ** 15:26 And I I hear that very well. And going back to what we were discussing the other day, Mary Beth and I, she starts her story by saying she took her first drink at the age of 11, and she decided that she liked the taste of alcohol and was an alcohol for alcoholic, or was a drunk for many years. And actually she's near 50, and she only quit four and a half years ago, she became, she became a life coach six years ago, although she was always interested in helping people, but she began to make that her business, and did so six years ago, and she is very clear that having adopted that philosophy and process and undertaking that career, even though it was much later in life, the bottom line is that it did lead to her finally recognizing that she shouldn't drink, and that's not a good thing, and she has not had a drink in four and a half years. Good for her. That's so it is all about what you experience and what you choose to do with it. So I hear you, you know, I   Lisa Kohn ** 16:33 hear her. Yeah, last so this is 2024, so two years ago, what you experienced, I was diagnosed by cancer, and you never think you're going to be one of the people who have cancer, until they say cancer to you, and you're thinking, aren't you talking to the person behind me? And I heard, you know, when I was going through the process and going through chemo, which I do not recommend to anyone, unless you absolutely have to do it, I heard a saying from a dialectical behavioral therapy, therapist who did pass from cancer, but the saying was, I will take more from cancer than cancer takes for me. And that, that that just carried me through, right? And I you can look at that with everything, like all the all the different things we experience, I will. I remember when I was first diagnosed, a practitioner said to me, why do you think you got sick? As in, like, what hadn't I healed that caused the cancer? And I, I stopped going to that practitioner, and I very clearly, I've looked at this and I thought, it's never going to help me to think, what did I do wrong, that I had cancer, that I got cancer, I got sick, but it will help me to say I did get sick. And what do I want to learn from that, and how do I want to change and shift and grow from that? So exactly right,   Michael Hingson ** 17:45 yeah, and like I always say to people, I'm my own best teacher. I've dropped saying I'm my own worst critic, because such a negative thing, and you don't necessarily have something to criticize, but I'm my own best teacher. I can look at anything I do and go, can I improve on it? How can I improve on it? And adopting the mindset that takes that approach really makes us stronger?   Lisa Kohn ** 18:11 Yes, it's called a growth mindset, right? And when we have a growth mindset, when we know that we can grow, when we know that we can learn, when we and yeah, when we stop being so hard on ourselves, like so many of us are,   Michael Hingson ** 18:23 yeah, and we learned that, and that's unfortunate that that's what we're taught, and it's so hard to break that cycle, but if you can, you're all the better for it,   Lisa Kohn ** 18:33 absolutely and to, you know, I'm, I mean, I teach this stuff. I've been teaching this stuff for a long time. I've been using it for decades, and just today, I was watching my mind go down a rabbit hole of some negative thinking and thinking and thinking that wasn't going to help me and also. And I pause. I'm like, I was driving. I'm like, I put my hand on my leg. I'm like, Lisa, you're right here. You're right now. You're in the car. Look the sky. Pay attention to the road. You don't have to think that right now. You can just be in this present moment and feel better and poof, like magic, the crazy thinking stops, and you're like, Oh yeah, it's actually okay. I don't have to worry about that right now. But, um, yeah, our brains, our brains, we have that, like we have a negativity bias. Our brains are trained, have evolved to, like, look for danger. Focus on danger. Really think about the bad. Play it over and over. See it bigger than it is. Never look at the good. We're as Rick Hansen likes to say, Velcro for the bad and Teflon for the good. But we have a choice to shift that. So I feel like I'm preaching. Sorry, but I get excited about   Michael Hingson ** 19:34 it is it is perfectly okay to preach, and it is all about choice, as I tell people all the time, we had no control over the World Trade Center happening. No one's ever convinced me that we could have really foreseen it and not have it happen. But what we all, each and every person in the world, has a choice about, is how we deal with what happened at the World Trade Center, absolutely and how. We move forward or choose not to. And I've seen all sides of that. I've seen people who talk about the conspiracy of the World Trade Center. It really didn't happen. The government did it in so many different things. And I met one guy who had been a firefighter, and he decided to change careers and become a police officer because he wanted to go kill terrorists who were trying to deal with our country would not be the reason I would choose to go to often be a police officer. He did it because his brother was killed in the World Trade Center. But still, there were so many more positive reasons to do it, but that was his goal at the time, and I don't know, having never seen him since, whether that has changed, but it is still just always a matter of we can choose, and do have the right to choose. God gives us that right. That's why we have free will to choose how we want to deal with things or not.   Lisa Kohn ** 20:55 It is what it is, and what will I do with it, and how will I be with it? And yeah, yeah, and I can accept it, and then what do I want to do about it? Yeah? Yeah. All true. All true.   Michael Hingson ** 21:06 So what did you do after college? So you got a degree in psychology, so I got a degree in psychology, started to psychoanalyze gold finches, but, okay,   Lisa Kohn ** 21:15 you started to psycholize goldfinches. I just love my gold finches. Yeah, it's funny because when I when I was when I was writing the book, and there was a in my town, there's a author who lives here, kind of took me under her wing, and at one point she turned to me, she said, Do you realize, like, everything you experienced as a child and then you majored in psychology, and like, yeah, never dawned on me that I needed to cycle analyze myself, but I did. I got out of Cornell, and on the personal side. I very soon got engaged to someone who my dad, at that point, owned a restaurant, a French restaurant, and I got engaged as someone who worked for him and drank with him, and drank a heck of a lot, and was very not nice when he drank. And you know someone your cousin lovingly pointed me in the direction of the direction of the 12 step programs and to Alan on the 12 step program. For those of us with our arms, class Brown, the alcoholic and I crawled into my first meeting practically on my hands and knees, thinking like, tell me if he's an alcoholic, there's no way I would ever be with an alcoholic. I'm too smart for that, only to realize that there were tons of reasons why I would be and so that's that started my healing growth trajectory and journey. And on the professional side, I did a six month stint in direct mail, back when there was direct mail, a direct mail company, and then a six month stint in address, you know, do in advertising, the advertising agency, and then after that, got a job doing entertainment advertising for a small division of gray advertising, which I dearly, dearly loved. It was fun, it was exciting, it was a lot of good things, but I ended up getting I was running the Good Morning America account, and I ended up there wasn't enough work to fill me, but my boss wouldn't take me off the account because the client adored me, so they didn't want to move me. So I got really, really bored, and I decided to go to business school. And I somehow convinced my boss to convince his boss, the head of the whole agency, to send me to Columbia's Executive MBA Program, which you had to be sponsored by your A by your company, and they had to pay for part of it. And that just wasn't, didn't happen in the advertising world. I remember one of my professors once said, You're they eat, they're young in your industry, don't they like you. Just you did not, and they did not invest in you, but they did. They invested in me, and I went, I got my MBA in Columbia's Executive MBA Program, and there, found the disciplines where I now work in leadership and organizational behavior and organizational development, and began to have confidence in my own voice, business wise, and what I knew, and this is maybe why they don't invest you. I got out of the program, and within not too many months, quit, and I went to work, actually, for a large not for profit fundraising organization, which, you know, because I was like, I'm good, I'm smart, I'm going to go do good for the world. And I ended up in a job where, once again, I just it didn't engage me enough. And I literally had a boss who liked to fight with me, because he thought I was good at fighting, and I was just really not happy. And so then in 1995 I, you know, talked to a couple of so long ago, in 1995 I was talking to a couple of my professors saying, you know, I want to do leadership, and can I be a consultant? And they said, Yeah, go ahead, you can do it. And gave me a few gigs to start. And I, I was three months pregnant with my first child, and I hung out a shingle with Chatsworth Consulting Group and started doing leadership, not actually knowing what that was, and do it, a lot of training and different, different jobs. So I actually, I was, like, hugely pregnant, and I was, I almost. Took a job teaching computer skills for American Express at a very low rate, because I was just I was like, I say, I'm a consultant, but I'm not actually doing anything. And I luckily didn't take that job, that gig. And soon thereafter, I started getting different projects from former professors, and I've been doing and growing the business ever since, and of the 1998 I think I was in front of a client doing, you know, teaching leadership skills or doing some sort of program, and the head of the head of the agency, came over to me and said, I want to be you. Do you coach? And I said, Yeah, I coach. And I went and got coach. I got certified as a coach in the late 90s, before anyone was coaching. And yeah, I've been doing it ever since. And I say, you know, when I am not working, I never want to work, and when I am working, I never want to stop. So I'm that was actually true. That's true since I got sick. So I'm either certifiable or I figured something out. I happen to love what I do. I happen to get to make a difference in people's lives. And yeah, that's, that's my those are my stories   Michael Hingson ** 26:02 where the name Chatsworth consulting came from. Yeah, so   Lisa Kohn ** 26:06 when I founded the company, that is a good question. The funny thing is, when I founded the company, every good name I thought of was already taken, which is actually good, because the what I do and how I do it has so evolved over the years, over the decades, but I lived on Chatsworth Avenue. That's where I lived at the time. And what makes it extra special is, at that point, my you know, someone I met, I literally met my business partner on our first day going to Columbia's executive program. We met on the subway because I introduced myself to her, and she lived in the same building as I did on Chatsworth Avenue. She wasn't my partner at the time, and then number of years later, she said, Can I join you? And so she joined me in 2002 but so now it has even more meaning, because we were both Chatsworth, but it just it was the street on which I lived, because I couldn't come up with any other names, and I didn't want to say Lisa Conan associates. So that's it.   Michael Hingson ** 26:55 Hey, man, that works.   Lisa Kohn ** 26:56 Hey, what else   Michael Hingson ** 26:57 you said? You said you're the guy you were engaged to, drink. Is he still your, your your husband? No,   Lisa Kohn ** 27:03 I managed. Wondered about that. Yeah, no. You know, I was a I can tell you I was sitting in an Al Anon meeting. You know, I postponed the wedding, but I was still sticking it out. And I was sobbing my way through some lunchtime meeting in St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. And someone came over to me at the end of the meeting, and he said, you know, there are no victims, there are only volunteers. And I was like, Oh, I don't actually have to do this. And so, you know, when you're raised like I was, if I start talking about religious trauma and extremist thinking I was raised, I literally we were raised to live for the sake of others, to sacrifice everything for God and our True Parents, Reverend and Mrs. Moon, and saving the world. And that if we didn't, if we didn't, you know, live to the expectations we were supposed to, we would break God's heart. So I was raised to be a heavenly soldier. You know, when again, my mom left, and, you know, I couldn't cry, I couldn't miss her, couldn't be sad, couldn't be mad. It was all for God. So I just learned that I would do no matter what. And I till this day, I say, if you put something in front of me, I will do it. I will do it extremely well, even if it takes me down in the process, which isn't as true, because I've learned a lot since I got sick. But that used to be me, and so I was engaged to this man, and it was miserable, but I was gonna like, I have Al Anon. I can marry him. I can do it. And when this person came up to me and said, there are no victims, only volunteers, it's kind of was like crack that said you can do it. I just said this to a client the other day, you can do it, but just because you can do it, it doesn't mean you have to do it, or you should do it, and at luckily, at 24 I was able to say, I deserve a life that's easier and has more happiness than choosing to be with someone who was he was just really, he was really mean when he drank. So, so no, I didn't marry him. I didn't marry him. Think, you know I, you know people look at my life and it's like I, I've skirted disaster. I am, I am lucky. I have a steel rod for a spine. I don't know. I, you know, got out of the church. I almost jumped off a bridge, but I didn't I, you know, I became anorexic. And I can tell you, I am not heavy now, and I was almost 30 pounds less, you know, I was 82 pounds. I'm not tall, but I was really quits growing at 82 pounds. But then I started eating again. When I started doing cocaine with my dad, I did a heck of a lot of cocaine, and all of a sudden, every day, I was doing it. And then I just stopped doing that. And then I got into really more and more destructive and mildly or abusive relationships, and I stopped doing that. So I've, I've, I've managed to, like, avoid disaster numerous times. I'm incredibly lucky. So, yeah, well,   Michael Hingson ** 29:47 and your mind has, uh, has helped you progress from all this. So did you, did you ever find someone and get married, or have a husband, or any of that kind of stuff   Lisa Kohn ** 29:56 I did. I found someone, I my one of my best friends from high. School, set me up with one of his best friends from college as a joke, and we've been married 30 years. Where are you kids? Oh, yeah, we have two kids. So yeah, that's cool. Yeah, yeah. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 30:12 congratulations. Well, thank   Lisa Kohn ** 30:13 you very much.   Michael Hingson ** 30:14 I met my wife a friend introduced us, and he was actually my friend was dating this person, sort of even though he was married, and she said, you said you were gonna leave her, and he didn't, but he was, he was the kind of guy that always had a girl in every port. Well anyway, he introduced her, this, this lady to me. And 11 months or 10 months later, we were married, and it took for 40 years until she passed away in November of 2022 and yeah, as I tell people, she's monitoring me somewhere, I am absolutely certain, and if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it, so I have to continue to be a good kid.   Lisa Kohn ** 30:55 There you go. Well, I   Michael Hingson ** 30:56 gotta do Yeah, you know, but I've got 40 years of memories, and can't beat that, yeah, yeah,   Lisa Kohn ** 31:02 that's good. I'm glad you did. Yeah. So   Michael Hingson ** 31:05 you you formed Chatsworth, which is really pretty cool. I'm curious, though. So you didn't really have when you were growing up, at least early on, as much say about it, why do people join cults? Yes,   Lisa Kohn ** 31:20 yes. Why do people join cults? They're in the wrong place at the wrong time. So I used to say everyone is susceptible to extremist thinking. I was not everybody believes that, but I do believe it to be true. I was once corrected and someone said, unless you're a a sociopath, a psychopath, or already in a cult, you're susceptible. Or as there's two cult anti cult activists who were in Nixie and the sex cult a couple years ago, and what they say is, if you think you're not susceptible, you're even more susceptible. Why? Why? Because, as human beings, we crave purpose, certainty and community and having a messiah, believing anything that extremely is absolute certainty, it is, let me tell you, it is the most powerful drug to know that you have the truth, like the Absolute Truth, you have purpose. You know why you're here. You know what you need to do. There's not Sunday, Sunday night, Monday morning, blues, because you have a purpose for your life, and as long as you don't leave or disobey, you have absolute community. So it's you know. As humans, we want to know. We want to understand, right? We make up theories and reasons in our brains, even people who say they don't, they do right? Our brains crave it. And so as you know, I heard someone say a long time ago, I repeat, all it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time, being the wrong person and being in the wrong state of mind, where you're just going to be a little bit open to something, and you're susceptible. And so the ones that are really successful, they know how to work with the brain to keep you in so again, as I said, we were literally taught that if you ever question anything, it's Satan. So as soon as you start to think for yourself, you you know, you do a 21 minute prayer, you fast for three days, you take a cold shower, you're being invaded by Satan, so you're afraid to think. And when you know when they're when they were first bringing people in to my cult, right? They would, one of the things they did so you would go to, they would get you away to, you know, a workshop. They would keep you not give you enough to eat, not give you enough sleep, keep you surrounded by people so you don't have time to think. And they would give you all the teachings. And then at night, they would say, just write one thing you agree with. Write it down in this journal, just one thing. And so you just want them to shut up. So you write one thing. And then you look back three days later, and your brain goes, Oh, I wrote that down. I must have believed it. So you like your brain. They work with the ways your brain wants to believe something, to get you to believe something. And as well, I don't know if you want me to curse, so I won't curse, but I'm going to quote mark Vicente on the vow, which is also about the the next scene cult. He says, No one joins a cult. They really they join a really good idea, and then they realize they were messed with because they join one human kind, under God, they join, you know, self exactly, actualization. They join some positive idea, and only exactly what they think is positive, or what's sold as a positive idea. And by the time you look back your brain, your brain wants to you. We want to think that we know what we're doing. So our brain starts to convince ourselves that we knew what we were doing, like it's just our brains crave, and you work with it, you can, you can get people to believe anything. You can get people to believe anything. It's the   Michael Hingson ** 34:58 same. I hear you. It's just. Same thing as just there's so many conspiracy theorists today, yes, and it's the same exact sort of thing. They get you to believe it. They make it sound plausible. There's a woman who is a physicist who has written a book about why the World Trade Center wasn't something that was caused by terrorists or anything like that. It was really the US government, because the the amount of of ground shaking when the buildings collapsed wasn't appropriate, and all sorts of things she brings into it. And she she says it in a very convincing way, unless you look deeper, unless you know what to look for, and but, but she talks about it, and the bottom line is that it wasn't a conspiracy. And my immediate response whenever anyone says that it is and talks about what she talks about, is, I just say the difference is, I was there. I know, yeah, yeah. And you can say what you like, but I know, yeah, and, and I think that it's, it's the usual thing some people say, you know, figures can lie, and liars can figure, and it's very unfortunate that that some people just have to fulfill their lives by by doing some of these things, rather than using that knowledge and using their skills in a much more positive way. So yeah, cults, conspiracies, it's all sort of the same thing, isn't   Lisa Kohn ** 36:26 it? It's all extremist belief is extremist belief is extremist belief. And once you believe, once you believe this person's conspiracy theory, then it you can believe the next things they say, like you, you, you keep going like Moon would preach things and do the opposite, and then say was providential, that God told me how to do the opposite, and then you believe. Because, again, we want to believe what we already believe. I was just ot occupational therapy for my concussion this morning, and I was just saying to the occupational therapists, right? We have a we have so many biases in our brain. I love the brain, and we have a bias that tells us we're not biased. So I have a bias that says I'm not biased. I know how objective I am. I'm careful and I'm reflective, but the rest of you are biased, but I'm not biased. So one of our biases is that we're not biased, right? And so once you believe it's you know, people saying, How could people do X, Y and Z, and how can they believe that? And I'm like, once you've chosen to believe, or you've been forced to believe, or you've been tricked to believe, you keep believing, and to break that belief is dangerous. I mean, it's just hard to leave extreme believing is extremely hard. It really is, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:37 it's dangerous because somebody told you it wasn't you believe it,   Lisa Kohn ** 37:40 yes, exactly, exactly yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 37:44 which is so unfortunate, but just so unfortunate, yeah, but it is, it is what we face. It's   Lisa Kohn ** 37:50 human nature. So how do we what do we do about it? Yeah, exactly, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 37:53 which is always that Yes. So with your life and all that is has happened, What messages do you want to share with people? What do you want people ultimately to know and to take away from today?   Lisa Kohn ** 38:07 Well, I will always start with extremist. Situations exist, and we're all susceptible. They're there. They're intoxicating. They're, you know, a slippery slope. And so beware. And there's places to learn. And if you are, I always say, if you are in what you think might be a cult of any sort, there is help. When I left, I never knew there was help. I never knew there was a community. There is a community. There are a lot of online places and therapists to go to. So   Michael Hingson ** 38:32 that's grown a lot over the years, hasn't it? Oh, it's   Lisa Kohn ** 38:35 grown so much. I did not know. Yeah, I did not know was there at all. When I left, I left cold turkey, when my book came out in 2018 I found the cult survivor community, and my mind blew open. It's, it's definitely grown. Awareness of it, concept of religious trauma, has grown, like a lot. It's, there's, there's so much more awareness of it now in so many places to get help. The other thing I would say, I always say, if you think you're damaged or there's no hope, you are not damaged, and there is hope. There is always hope. I, you know, when I in my memoir, my my older child read my memoir, and she got to the part where I wrote about meeting their father, and it said something like, I shared my stories and my demons, and I was afraid he would not, you know, he would be able to stay because of how damaged I was, and my kids said, Wait, what's this? And I just look at I think, well, that's, I literally believe that for a very long time, but there was something wrong with me, and there is hope, and you are not damaged. There are, I call them the lies in my head. There are lies. There are lies that were put in my head intentionally to control me, and there are ways many of us have been taught, like you said, to think poorly of ourselves. So there's hope, and there's a way out of that. And I truly believe that, you know, we all need a lot more self love and self care. I do have tattooed on my arm first most, always to remind myself to love myself first most and always, um. Them, because I just think as a, you know, they do call me I lead with love. They call me love embodied when I took my positive psychology course. But really, we, all, many of us, need a huge dose of self compassion, self love, self care, kindness and gentleness, first to ourselves and then to the rest of the world. So those are, those are probably the you know, and whether it's in like, individually, or in an organization or in an offer, profit, like all of that, it is true, we're human, and we make mistakes, but there's an opportunity to really connect on a deeper, truer level, and there's an opportunity to to, it's called Post Traumatic Growth, right to heal from the trauma and heal from the things that have happened to us. And I know there are people with a lot harder stories than mine, and they're people who have gone through things like I have, and there's always, there's always a way to get help and reach out. So yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 40:53 tell me about, if you would, your journey in Chatsworth consulting. You teach leadership, you teach people to lead, and you you go to leaders and or they come to you. And how do you how do you help them? Tell us a little bit more about all of that, if you would.   Lisa Kohn ** 41:09 So we do a couple of different things. We do executive coaching, one on one coaching, you know, again, one client came up to me and said, do you coach? And I said, Yeah. And I got trained to be a coach back in the late 90s. I was in Al Anon at the time, and I realized it's kind of like being a sponsor only professionally. So it's our coaching is really it's based on a lot of self awareness, self knowledge. We do a incredible there's an incredible online 360 we use with people called the leadership circle profile, which helps us not only look at what like what I'm doing that's working and not but a lot of my thought patterns and beliefs and where they come from. So they call them, you know, they call them the Protect, control and wow, comply behaviors. That's the concussion kicking in. And I call them fight, fight and freeze. But like looking at the ways I coped in the world that get in my way. So we work with leaders, one on one. I'm trying to help them see what they're doing that's effective, what they're thinking that's effective, how they're connecting with other people. That's effective, and what's not we do. We work with a lot of in tech teams, leadership teams, executive teams, helping them have the hard conversations, the strategic conversations, the emotional conversations. You know, we are all human, and we all have triggers, and we all get upset, and we all have agendas, and we all have so much that gets in the way of actually just connecting, one on one with each other. So I get to sit with a group of people and help them find ways to connect more effectively and to more really, more vulnerably, more authentically, you know. And I also, I teach all the general management and leadership skills, you know, connecting with others and giving feedback and authentic leadership and all of that stuff. But truly, what ignites me in the work we do now is really kind of the feel. It's kind of like systems thinking, right? What are the systems within our organization that are operating? Then, how do you look at it, and how do you shift them to be more positive? And what are the systems that's that are operating within me, the belief systems, the you know, the ways I was trained to act, whom to act, and how do I keep the good and shift the ones that are getting in my way. So I am very lucky to do the work I do. I feel very lucky to do it   Michael Hingson ** 43:25 and that, you know, that's great, and it's great to have that kind of attitude and to bring that kind of philosophy to it. What are some of the patterns that you see that a lot of leaders and so on bring to you and want fixed, or that you discover that they need to deal with. I mean, they're, they're probably a few at least, that you see a lot.   Lisa Kohn ** 43:48 So yeah, I would say, well, one thing that I see so often, right, human nature? So you do a 360 or you gather feedback for someone, and all they focuses on is the constructive feedback. All they focus on is what's wrong, looking for the problem. Again, that's the negativity bias in our head, and a lot of other things. But one thing that comes off so clear is, in general, almost all the time, right people, if they're good at something, that thing that they star a star at, that thing that is like second nature to them, the thing that people so admire about them, they think it's not a big deal anybody could do that, and the thing that they are that isn't their greatest skill, that's the thing they think that's important. And it's it just, I see it over Yeah? People, my clients, be like, Well, yeah, anybody can do that? I'm like, no, nobody does that. Like you do that. Like you do that, you do that in a different way. So it's, you know, I just see that over and over and over. I see so many people like and you talk about leadership, right? So we, we so often in the business world, we promote people for being really good at what they do. And being good at what you do as an individual contributor is very. Very different than actually being able to manage other people or lead other people. And so to a lot of leaders just have a hard time getting out of the details, getting out of the weeds, actually delegating, actually letting go. We we coach our leaders to be dispensable. Our clients not said that to one client. She said, indispensable. And I said, No, dispensable. And she she literally started to cry. She said, Lisa, I spent my whole career trying to be incredibly indispensable. And she was a senior, senior leader at a major Fortune 50 company. She was powerful, she was amazing, but it gets in your way, right? We coach our clients to you know you have to be so dispensable that the people who work with you can do your job so you can go do the bigger, better stuff, more like the next stuff you need to do. Yeah, so it's, it's really, and then, you know, so many of us, right, have, unfortunately, so many people have some sort of trauma in their background. And even people who don't have major trauma in their background have had hardships or whatever, and so it's really people get so caught in their own thinking that they can't even realize that it's their own thinking in their way. So I, you know, I learned to say for my own learning and growth, right? When my brain does its wonky, silly things, it says, I've learned to say, that's the cult talking like, that's the cult. That's the cult. That's what I was trained to believe. That's not true. That's the cult. And I heard a class I'm like, take the word out cult and put in alcoholic father, you know, narcissistic first boss, you know, you know, I had a client who no harm, no blame to her parents. She had immigrant parents. They both ran, they both worked three jobs in order to support the family. And so she was taking care of her siblings when she was six. Six, she was caring for other kids, right? So she was able to say, that's that's that. And my brain, like the helping people being able to see, you know, we're so close to our brains that we don't see the kind of loopy things that we do and why we do it, but helping clients see those loopy things, right? And two, again, honestly, I spent a lot of time with seniors, senior executives, talking about self care, self compassion, being kinder to yourself, that kind of stuff.   Michael Hingson ** 47:15 So that woman, who was six taking care of siblings, did she ever get to the point where she could say things like, I really learned a lot, or I value that experience because it helped me in this way or that way,   Lisa Kohn ** 47:32 absolutely, absolutely. And she but, and she also got to the point where she can say, I don't have to keep doing that. I don't have to keep sacrificing myself for everybody else, right? I can, you know, I can self selfishly in quotes, in air quotes, right? I can selfishly go home earlier, at the end of the day, and actually take care of my body, because I'm about to have a baby, you know, yeah, it was so so yes and right? It's not about Yeah, it is yes. And not about like, this is awful and it's all bad. It's it is what it is. It made me who I am, and how do I want to choose to be to go forward with it?   Michael Hingson ** 48:07 I was very fortunate when I started in sales. I took a Dale Carnegie sales course. The company I was working for sent me to it, because either I went from the job I was doing for them into sales, or I had to leave the company, and I, at the time, didn't want to go look for another job, especially as a blind person, with an unemployment rate among employable blind people in the 70% range, that's a real challenge. So I went into sales and took this course. And I don't even know where it came from or when I first started doing it, but one of the things that I learned as I became a manager and started hiring people and working with people, was to say, you have skills. I have skills, and my job is not to boss you around. If I'm hiring you, I'm hiring you because you convinced me that you can do the job that I'm hiring you to do, but at the same time, what I need to do is to work with you to figure out how I can enhance what you do, because my job as your boss is to enhance what you do and to make you success, or help make you more successful. But we have to do that together now, the people who really got that were successful and, and we found that there are a lot of ways that we could blend our skills together. The people who didn't get it and didn't want to do it ended up not working for the company very long. Yeah, but it was because they weren't successful, they weren't able to sell and, and I know that I have some skills that a lot of other people don't have, but it's my life upbringing, and it's my environment that taught me those things. So that's fine. It isn't to say that other people couldn't get them, and a few people would ask me from time to time, how do you do that? And we talk. It, and they got better at it too, which is fine,   Lisa Kohn ** 50:02 yeah, yeah. I mean, that is, that's brilliant, right? But not every manager, not every leader gets that or knows that. So that's your role, is to enhance them, and your role is also to kind of block and tackle, right? What's getting in their way that you can what are the obstacles you can remove, what are the bridges you can build for them to go forward? But yeah, so often again, we get promoted. We get promoted for doing something well, and then we think everybody should do it our way. And it's a huge learning to realize you can do it your way, and as long as it's successful, that's great, as opposed to trying to force other people to do it my way. But I quote, I love tower Brock. Tower Brock's a mindfulness a teacher, and the quote I saw recently was, the world is divided between people who think they're right. Exactly yeah, right. We are going around thinking we're pretty right and what we're doing and yeah. So yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 50:56 The other part about that, and the approach that I took, was that I was always so amazed, impressed and pleased when I was able to work with people who, as I said, Got it how much I learned, and I learned some of their skills, which helped me do my job even better, and We had a lot of fun doing it. I   Lisa Kohn ** 51:23 my clients, yeah, my clients as I hope they think they learn from me, yeah, and have a lot of fun doing it exactly. People together can be it's just a generative, beautiful process when you let it be absolutely   Michael Hingson ** 51:37 Well, I think that it's, it's important to do that. And as I tell people, if I'm not learning at least as much on this podcast and all the things that I get to do and interacting with people, if I'm not learning at least as much as other people, then I'm not doing my job very well. It's fun to learn, and it's fun to be open to exploring new ideas. And I sit back at the end of the day and think about them, think about what I like and don't like, but I base that on everything that I've heard, not only from a particular guest on a particular day, but everyone. So it's it's such a fun learning experience, I can't complain a bit.   Lisa Kohn ** 52:18 Yeah, that's good. Yeah, life. Life can be, life can be truly joyful when you are open to learning and seeing new things. Absolutely true.   Michael Hingson ** 52:25 So what do you love most about being a leadership consultant and an executive coach, you clearly sound like you're having fun.   Lisa Kohn ** 52:32 I definitely have fun, and fun is hugely important. Um, you know When? When? When you see a difference in your clients, when they get something that they needed to get, or they understand, or they move ahead in a way that they hadn't, or when they're, you know, finally standing up for themselves, or finally taking time for themselves, or finally, you know, working better with it, like when they're finally doing those things they set out to do, it is it? Is it is such a gift, right? It is such a gift. And similarly, you know, when you when we're working within tech teams, and you see them connect in ways they haven't connected, or move organization forward, or the team forward, or we were just working with a we're working with one client where there's a department in this organization, and the three areas in the that department are kind of at war with each other. And when you can get them in a room where they can actually start, you know, hearing each other and listening to each other and finding ways to move together forward, it's an organization that does a heck of a lot of good in the world, so they're going to be more effective on what they're doing, even more good is going to be done in the world. So it's, it's very ratifying to be able to be someone who can, I'm told, I inspire people, but I support people. But it's, it's very it's such a gift to be able to give people something that helps them feel better and therefore live and lead better. So   Michael Hingson ** 54:02 yeah, and what? And when you see the results of that, when you actually see them putting into practice the kinds of things that you talk about, and maybe they take it in a different direction than you originally thought. But of course, seeds get planted, where they get planted, and so it's the ultimate results that really count. But by the same token, when you start to see that happening, that has to be a wonderful feeling to experience,   Lisa Kohn ** 54:30 hugely gratifying. And it's the concussion brain kicking in, because I know there's an example just recently where a client told me of a conversation they had or something that happened. And we have a we have a whole conversation about how you realized six months ago, when I first met you, you never would have done it in that way. You never would have shown up in the way. But I can't remember what it was, but it did happen recently, but it's my short term memory that's the most messed up right now, but we'll get there.   Michael Hingson ** 54:55 Well, yeah, as I said, You just never know about seeds. And I've I've told. The story a couple times on the podcast, when I was doing student teaching in at University High School in Irvine, and I was in the teaching program, teacher credentialing program at UC Irvine, I taught high school freshman algebra is one of the two courses I taught. And there was a young man in this course. His name was Marty. He was from the eighth grade, but was very bright, and so he was accelerated for this class and a couple of things to go to a high school algebra class. And we were in class one day, and he asked a question, and it was a very easy question, and I didn't know the answer. Now, mind you, I didn't have a concussed brain. I just didn't know the answer. And immediately I thought, don't try to blow smoke with this kid. Tell him you don't know. So I said, Marty, I gotta tell you I should know the answer. I don't, but I'm gonna go find out, and I will tell you tomorrow. Okay? And he said, Yeah. So the next day, I came into class, and one of the things I love to do as a student, teacher, well as a teacher in general, if we back in those days, we use chalkboards, since I don't write, well, I would always have one of the students come up and be the official writer for the day. Everyone wanted to be the teacher's writer on the board on any given day. Well, I I came in, and I decided, because he hadn't done it for a while, that I'd have Marty come up and write when we started class. And I said, Marty, I got the answer. And he said, I do too. I said, Great, you're the Blackboard writer of the day. Come up and show us. Well, he had it right, and I had it right. So that was a good thing. But 10 years later, Oh, well. So the next thing that happened is, right after class, my master teacher, Jerry Redman, came up, and he said, you know, you absolutely did it the right way. Don't ever try to blow smoke with these kids. They'll see through it every time. Well, 10 years later, we were my wife and I at the Orange County Fair, and this guy comes up, and in this deep voice, he goes, Mr. Hingson, do you remember me? Well, if you didn't sound at all like Marty, and I said, well, not sure. Who are you? Said, I'm Marty. I was in your class 10 years ago, and I remember the algebra thing, you know, you never know where seeds are going to be planted. But that stuck with him all these years. And I didn't, I didn't think about it other than I was glad that Jerry Redman told me I did it the right way, but it was so wonderful to hear that he remembered it. So if I had any effect on him, so much the better.   Lisa Kohn ** 57:32 Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 57:35 So what did you learn from cancer? What did I learn from other than, chemo is a pain. Chemo   Lisa Kohn ** 57:41 is not fun. I learned. I learned to slow down even more, like that, that again, the the amount My brother used to call me the little engine that will, no matter what you know, and I've learned to, and maybe this does, doesn't sound positive to people, but to go slower, to be gentler, to do less, to lower, you know, the push that was still in me. I mean, push is good, but too much pushes, too much of anything, is not good. I learned to appreciate life even more, nothing like a cancer diagnosis to kind of make you do that li

In this episode, we share the delightful experiences from our recent family trip to the Orange County Fair. From the moment we arrived, the vibrant atmosphere was contagious, filled with the sounds of laughter, music, and the enticing aroma of fair food. We also dive into the crucial topic of maintaining a positive mindset in a world often filled with negativity. We discuss the impact of negative thoughts and external influences on our well-being and explore practical strategies to keep those detrimental vibes at bay. Thank you for your support ✌

Southern California deals with the fallout from a global computer outage. We check in on how 988 national mental health crisis lifeline is helping thousands. OC Fair welcomes hungry visitors, things to do this weekend. Plus, more. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com.  Support the show: https://laist.com

Amy King hosts your Wednesday Wake Up Call. ABC News correspondent Jim Ryan starts the show talking about GOP delegates want Biden to stay in the race. ABC News journalist Jordana Miller reports live from Jerusalem talking about Netanyahu rejecting calls for inquiry into security failures before October 7 Hamas attacks. Amy takes us ‘Out and About' to the Orange County Fair and catches up with the infamous Chicken Charlie. The show wraps with ABC News national correspondent Steven Portnoy speaking on JD Vance.   

Amy takes us ‘Out and About' to the Orange County Fair and catches up with the infamous Chicken Charlie.

Black Rock Candy is a rock band from Southern California that boast an eclectic sound of rock, classic rock, blues, alternative and pop with their original music. Picture Halestorm meets Pat Benetar.Lead singer, Taylor Heart, will captivate you with her incredible vocal abilities, mirrored by Izzy's colorful guitar riffs and solos. Aaron will have you on your feet with his high- energy drum ensembles. Jordi's feel-good vibes and hypnotic upbeat bass sounds transcends her love for music. Their blend of rock is a throwback to the sounds of the 60s and 70s with a true flare of the 80s rock sound bringing it forward to the current era.The band punched into the rock scene with their 2021 album release of which the songs “Crucified” and “The Flame” were featured on 95.5 KLOS Heidi and Frank Show during the popular “Stay or Go” segment.Their musical talent has afforded them the opportunity to perform at legendary venues, wineries, clubs, breweries, charity events and festivals throughout California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee, including, the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA, and Houston, TX, Chain Reaction in Anaheim, The Mint in Los Angeles, Riverside Festival of Lights, Orange County Fair, Lake Havasu WinterFest, Colorado River Run, Kimbro's and Fox & Locke in Franklin, TN, The AMP Room and Fitzgerald's in San Antonio, TX, and the Viper Room and Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA.

This weekend's 1 in 36 guests are Dr. Barbara Tischler Hastie, Renee Falanga-Brenner, and Jaime Churchill. Barbara is the Coordinator of School Development with Ulster BOCES. Renee is a Special Education Advocate with Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL), and Jaime is the Special Education Coordinator for Rondout Valley School District, and is also a board member for the Ulster County Agricultural Society (the group that runs the Ulster County Fair). They have collaborated to provide a sensory safe space at the Ulster County Fair this year. The designated room will offer families an opportunity to enjoy a sensory-friendly environment. The room will provide respite from bright lights, crowds, and the summer heat and will feature bubble tubes, mats, seating, touch and feel books about animals, a host of noise canceling headphones, and a charging station for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Tune in to learn more...and don't miss the fair - August 1st - August 6th in New Paltz, NY. https://ulstercountyfair.com/ 

Derek talks about Jamie Foxx returning to the public-eye, the death of Tony Bennett, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Foxx attacked at the Orange County Fair, Kevin Costner divorce gets even messier, Meghan and Harry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek talks about Jamie Foxx returning to the public-eye, the death of Tony Bennett, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Foxx attacked at the Orange County Fair, Kevin Costner divorce gets even messier, Meghan and Harry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Machine Gun Kelly was first to come out swinging after seemingly being heckled by two guys at the Orange County Fair, new video footage revealed.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

- "Of All 34 Cities in Orange County, Why Does Costa Mesa Rank LAST in FINANCIAL FITNESS?" - KEN HARRISON: Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) presents Promise Keepers Chairman Ken Harrison with the 2023 CLA Book of the Year Award - "Will the New Program to Extract Lithium for Batteries in the Coachella Valley Actually Lead to MORE EARTHQUAKES and Greater Environmental Damage?" - "More than 1000 NEW JOBS are Coming to Costa Mesa - Just in Time for the Orange County Fair!" - "Texas Girl BORN IN A PRISON is Now ON HER WAY TO HARVARD. And ONE KEY COMPONENT in Her Life Helped Her Get There!"

Our guest on this episode of Unstoppable Mindset is Sentari Minor. Mr. Minor, a Phoenix native grew up learning to be a storyteller and writer. As he explains, today he uses his ability to write to communicate and help CEOs to learn more about philanthropy, policy, and driving social impact in their spheres of influence.   Two years ago Mr. Minor joined EvolvedMD as its head of strategy. EvolvedMD works at the forefront of the healthcare industry, among other things, combining the work of practicing physicians and therapists to better help patients especially, where both a physical issue and a possible mental or emotional crisis may be contributing to the same illness. He will tell us some stories about his current work. Even in the time of Covid, his company's cadre of workers has grown from 10 to several hundred. Sentari's work recently earned him a place on Phoenix Business Journal's prestigious “40 Under 40” list for 2022.   As usual, our guest inspires both through his stories and his work. I trust that you will find Mr. Minor's time with us beneficial and informative. Most of all, I believe you will find his work shows that he legitimately is unstoppable and a good example for all of us.     About the Guest: Sentari Minor is most passionate about bringing the best out of individuals and entities. His love languages are strategy, storytelling, and social impact. As Head of Strategy for evolvedMD, Mr. Minor is at the forefront of healthcare innovation with a scope of work that includes strategy, growth, branding, culture, and coaching. His deft touch recently earned him a place on Phoenix Business Journal's prestigious “40 Under 40” list for 2022.   Prior to evolvedMD, he advised prominent and curious CEOs and entrepreneurs regarding philanthropy, policy, and driving social impact as the Regional Director of Alder (Phoenix, Dallas, San Francisco), and strengthened social enterprises as a director at venture philanthropy firm, Social Venture Partners. When he's not busy making change, Mr. Minor enjoys health and fitness, engaging issues on social media, exploratory writing, and spending time with the people who make him smile.   Ways to connect with Sentari:   Website – About Sentari Minor Medium – Sentari Minor on Medium LinkedIn – Sentari Minor on LinkedIn         About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.     Michael Hingson  01:20 Well, hi there, wherever you happen to be today. And I am Mike Hingson, host of unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're with us. And we have a guest today Sentari Minor, who will tell you that his passion is trying to be bring the best out of individuals and entities. And I'm gonna be very interested to hear about that and all the other things that that you have to talk about. So welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Sentari Minor  01:47 I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me.   Michael Hingson  01:50 Well, what's our pleasure? Tell us a little bit about you kind of go back to the beginning. And you know, what your roots are and how you got a little bit of where you are today in schooling and anything else like that that you want to throw in,   Sentari Minor  02:02 man. So just back to the beginning. That takes the first hour, right? I'm trying to that is a that's a lot, but I'll try to I'll try to condense it into something that's five minutes or less. So I guess super excited to be here. So I am a Phoenix native. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, which has grown so much essence when I was a little kid out. So I grew up here in Arizona, and was always a very, very interesting kid. I did a I did a a storytelling session. There's this group called the whole story that got together kind of six to eight Black Storytellers and just had them come on stage and like talk about something. And what I talked about was being like the first Black Nerd, as I put it before, it was cool. And so I was always just like a very interesting kid that loves school loved reading was pretty introverted, even though I'm naturally an extroverted person. And so I was kind of like an always an oddball, but in like, in a way that I loved and it was very embraced. So grew up in Phoenix, went to an International Baccalaureate High School, so a very kind of competitive High School. And there, I really got the bug for academics, and was really successful in that in that realm. And for those who are listening, you'll know that Arizona, great state, great state universities, but very, very big universities. And so I knew for me that for me that to thrive, I needed to find a smaller school, so I looked elsewhere. So I went to I went to college in Indiana, so I went to Phoenix, Arizona, one of the largest cities in the country to Greencastle, Indiana, a small rural town of about 10,000, to a university that was smaller than my High School at DePaul University where I studied English with an emphasis in creative writing. So I thought I wanted to be a writer, a journalist. And turns out I do a lot of writing in my current career. So that background served me well. But after college, I've always worked a lot in the social impact nonprofit space is done everything from program management, to program development to a lot of marketing, communications, and fundraising. Actually, I think where I hit my stride was working for a firm called Social Venture Partners, where I worked with nonprofits, social impact organizations, and also donors to really build capacity in organization. So folks that are really passionate about their mission, but just need a little help on how to support that mission from an infrastructure standpoint. So I got to be the director of that firm, and we had a lot of wonderful people and help a lot of really impactful organizations. Following that, I joined a group called Gen X, which has now been rebranded to older and that the mission of that organization was to really take purposeful leaders so owners, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and provide them the education and kind of the space to work really figured out how they wanted to leverage their networks and their kind of expertise and influence to make a better world for the next generation. And so that looked like curating content on education, economic opportunity, national security, facilitating these really, really intense dinners on how Jeffersonian dinners on just topics of the day, doing a lot on policy during London philanthropies. So I had a cohort, a cadre of about 30, CEOs in each of the markets that I ran, which was Phoenix, Dallas and San Francisco and got to just see a lot of really impactful and powerful people that play. And I learned a lot from them on a lot of things. But out of that one of the CEOs that was part of that group is the CEO I work for now. And the company that I'm with as head of strategy at evolved and D, and we integrate behavioral health into primary care. So we put a therapist where you would, where you get your primary care. So where your doctor OBGYN, we embedded therapist right next to them, so they can work on your pair together to some great clinical outcomes. So I've been with this company for two years, and it's been amazing learning a lot about the healthcare world, learning a lot about building a strategy for a company that when I started was about 10 employees will be at 100 by the end of the year. So really privileged and honored to be part of an executive team that's growing very quickly, and part of a solution to a growing problem. And that's me. So that's from when I was a kid out to today.   Michael Hingson  06:33 How many years is that?   Sentari Minor  06:35 That is 30, I'll be 37 in less than a month, October?   Michael Hingson  06:41 Well, you, you summarized a lot in a fairly short amount of time. That's pretty cool. What made you decide to go to a small school as opposed to one of the bigger schools like Arizona, Arizona state and so on,   Sentari Minor  06:54 you know, I just liked I just knew that I wanted a little bit more kind of direct education or rather direct instruction. So you're there. You have a there's an estate great again, great schools, but a lecture hall with 400 kids was just never going to be my thing, right? I, I went to a kind of a school within a school. So we had a cohort of same kids from freshman through senior year of high school. And I wanted that kind of that kind of vibe. And I also knew that I wanted to just really have some time to understand what I really wanted to do. I went in to college as like an econ. Econ major, and then quickly pivoted that to English. And I don't know if I would have done that at a larger school, but I love the small. The small school, but my senior year of college, I had a history class with four students, which is great, right? Like you have deep, deep conversations about a lot of things. And so I enjoyed the smaller schools. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  07:55 Well, I know that I read a book. Well, you may have read it, you've may have heard about an David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, you're not. And he talks about fitting into different places. And he talked about the very subject of a lot of people want to go to these big colleges like Harvard and so on, when really their disposition and maybe their talents would be better. By going to a smaller school, he put it in terms of being a fish, big fish in a small pond, rather than being a smaller fish in a huge pond, where you don't get the same level of what you need. And I know for me, personally, I very much enjoyed going to a smaller school, at least at the time, UC Irvine back in late 1960s, early 1970s. We had I think, 2700 students the year that I enrolled, that was the fourth year of the school, and it was so much better having a small amount of people.   Sentari Minor  08:52 Right now you see your friends a huge squat. Well, in my mind a huge school.   Michael Hingson  08:56 Yeah, well, now, I don't know, I think the population is about 28,000. So it has grown a little bit. Yes, quite a bit. But you, you've you've evolved into this, this person that loves to, as you said, bring the best out of people. What, what drove you to do that, as opposed to sticking with English and just writing or telling stories? Well, yeah, let me let's start with that. Yeah, that's   Sentari Minor  09:20 a good question. I think, um, I think for some reason, I think it's probably mostly around like, I the thing that bugs me the most is inequality and injustice. And so I've always been drawn to the social impact sector. So doing good has always been like a through line in my life. And so, for me, doing good looks like helping and I think most of my career, you'll see has been helping leaders. So people of influence, kind of figure out how they can help others and so I've been really good at the coaching the advising that being a thought leader in spaces and rooms where folks are looking to me to kind of guide them on what that looks like. And it's been really I think it's been so rewarding to see you know, a see Have a company or someone that helps a brand learn from me and say like, this is the strategy we're going to use, either in our corporation or in our person in my personal life to, to launch this, this platform of kind of just social good. And I just love, I love that. And I think I had a really good time, I think I've been successful and building a brand around me kind of thinking, I think people come to me to want to figure out how to better themselves from like, a social impact standpoint. And it's been really, it's been really, really wonderful to kind of create, create that ecosystem around me.   Michael Hingson  10:36 Well, have you? Have you been able to use your your English in your writing as you go? Because obviously, you're not writing books and writing stories all the time and doing that? Or are you   Sentari Minor  10:47 know, so that's really, I think, one? I think it goes back to your question that you just asked, I think a liberal arts education actually helps you become just a much more rounded, well rounded person. So I think for me, I was able to come out of my years at at DePaul just learning how to think and like how to think critically and understand like problems and and synthesize them. So whether it was English or econ, I think I would have had that kind of same mindset or me, I think, also, what is what is becoming? Well, there's a lot of research around it, what is becoming more abundantly clear is that the the ability to write, to communicate, to really have a compelling arguments, which comes from having a background in English, or journalism is so invaluable. So for me, English, has helped me become a phenomenal writer, right. And then in my day job, I oversee a team that does our comms and content, and showing constantly the power of storytelling, and how that can compel someone to do something that is socially good. So I don't write stories or novels. But I do write all the time and then do coaching with my team on how do you take, take some words into a compelling piece of copy that drives someone to do to make a decision that can ultimately do good. So I use English every day. And I'm very thankful for that, that kind of the instruction and background that I have in it, because I think it's served me quite well.   Michael Hingson  12:15 And I think that's the real key. My background is in physics. And although I don't do physics, and I haven't really spent time doing physics. At the same time, the skills that I learned and the attitudes and the philosophy, I think make such a huge difference. In the way I approach thing, one of the one of the things I learned in physics is you always pay attention to the details. And it isn't always the way the numbers work out. But if the units don't work out with the numbers, there's something wrong. So if you want to compute acceleration, if you don't get meters per second squared in your units, or, or feet per second squared, then you've got a problem. And it's always a matter of paying attention to the details as much as anything else.   Sentari Minor  13:00 Love that sector. I've just wrote that down into the details. I love that.   Michael Hingson  13:03 So one of the things that I learned a lot was paying attention to details. And recognizing that there are a lot of ways to expand. I also agree that telling stories is extremely important. I've been in sales most of my life. And one of the things that I learned early on. And I don't remember whether it was just something that I figured out, or someone said to me was that good salespeople can tell stories that relate and I think I didn't hear that from someone. But I am a firm believer in it that the best salespeople are the people who can really advise, can tell stories, and relate. It isn't just pushing your product, especially if your product might not be the best product for an individual. And so that gets to another story. Yep. I agree about that. So it's it's telling stories is a lot of fun. And I always enjoy hearing good well told stories or reading, well written story. So it works out well. So you are obviously trying to bring the best out of in people and all that. And in my experience, usually something happens to people that kind of shaped their their life plans or whatever, did you have an experience? Or Did something happened to you really that led you to just choose the career path that you have?   Sentari Minor  14:23 No, I wouldn't say it links you the career path that I have. Because I think my career path has kind of been by happenstance, like I'm just really opportunistic. So what I would I would have set out to be at 22 was not what I am now and I don't think I think it's I think that's how people are most successful and how it works out that way. But I do think I can point to I've been reflecting on this experience where that might have shaped my values. And that would be so I so I came out when I was 13 which is really which is really a you know, beautiful experience. I luckily had a very supportive family. And a great support system. So my coming out story is not like a lot of coming out stories which are unfortunately, riddled with sadness, and just a lot of terrible things that come out of that. But I was always embraced for my sexuality, and that was something that I know a lot of 13 year olds don't get. But it also instilled just a competence in me from a very young age that I think happened, and helped a lot of the way that I've looked at the world, which is like to be unabashedly authentic. And I believe that one of my, I believe, admirable traits is just how authentic I am and how I show up for for people for the brands that I represent for the things that I do. And it was because I was so supported at that young age. And it taught me that like, the world is gonna view you in a certain way, no matter what, but it's how you how you overcome that, and how you manage and shape yourself around that, that is truly important. Because of that, I think I am able to go into spaces, go into companies go into these conversations with folks at a high level and really show up as myself and someone that is obviously very much passionate, very much caring, and just wants to do good. And I have to do the good because I know there are people like me that don't have the same that didn't have the same reaction to something that should be so beautiful, that I did. And I just want to make sure that all those folks as well as folks who have experienced any other kind of hardship are well taken care of too, and, and get to have that platform, because of what I do.   Michael Hingson  16:27 That's cool. And being authentic. Being authentic is as important as it gets, no matter what you do. And it's all too often that we see in the world, people who just feel they can't be authentic, or they don't want to be authentic, or they want to hide and it's great when you get to understand that that's an important thing. And bring that forward in your life. Because anyone you deal with is going to certainly recognize that it was when you're authentic, people know it and people know when you're blowing smoke.   Sentari Minor  16:59 It was so true. Yeah. And it just being authentic leads so much credibility to things. And also I think being authentic also means not being perfect. And I think people really resonate with folks that say like, this isn't going well, or I failed at this or you know, I don't have the answer. And I think I've always showed up to spaces and say like, I'm the first one to say like, I have no idea. But we can work on it together. And that's a piece of puffins being authentic, that is so, so, so important.   Michael Hingson  17:27 Yeah, it's really important to be able to do that I when I was a student teacher, I had a math class that I was teaching. And one of the students asked a question, and I should have known the answer. But for whatever reason I didn't. But what I said to him into the class was, you know, I don't know, I probably shouldn't know it. It's not that magical. This is freshman algebra. And I'm getting a master's degree in physics, but I don't I wouldn't know this. But I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to have the answer by tomorrow. And after class, my master teacher who was the football coach, so a real tough guy comes up to me. And he said, You don't know how much you scored in the way of points and how much adoration admiration you got from those kids, because you were honest. And you know, that's always been the way I am. By the way, the next day, I did have the answer. But the the young man who asked the question also came in him before I got to say anything, he said, I figured it out. And so I said, Alright, Marty, come up and write your answer on the board. Because being blind, I'm not a great Blackboard writer. And so I always chose a different student every day to write on the board. When we needed to do Blackboard writing. I had him come up and I said write it on the board. And it was great. And I know that I had an impact on him. Because 10 years later, I was at a faire in Orange County, California, the Orange County Fair. And this guy with his very deep voice comes up to me and he says, Hey, Mr. hingson? Do you remember me? And no, who are you? Because as Marty was his very high pitched young voice anyway, he said, I'm Marty, I met you and I was in your class 10 years ago. I remember who he was. That's so cool. Which was really cool. Well, you know, the very fact that you had a good support system and so on, was really cool. And you didn't probably go through a lot of the traumas that, that people did. But, you know, if I were to ask this out of curiosity, what would you like to have known at 10? That you didn't know, at 10 years old?   Sentari Minor  19:29 Oh, about that, huh? When I was 10, I think that the God I probably I would say this now, but that there's just so much of the world ahead of you and that like the gravity and weight of the quote unquote problems just aren't there. And people tell you that like your whole world, you have your whole world and so much life ahead of you and your gender, like whatever. But I wish I could go back and like the lessons like you don't have to have it all figured out. Um, all this stuff that in flux is going to change. You know, pain, it's only temporary, like, I think that'd be heavy for a 10 year old to understand. But I think hearing that as a 10 year old, like, if I could see me talking to my 10 year old self, that would be what it is like, there's just so much more that's going to happen than what's happening right now.   Michael Hingson  20:19 How about when you're older? When you're 21? What do you wish that you had known that that you didn't learn till later,   Sentari Minor  20:25 kind of what we talked about before that, like what you, your journey is going to be very different than what you think it is. So don't be caught up on like, what's your job and be don't be caught up on who you're dating or who your friends are, who your friends are like, Your journey is going to change so much. And you're going to be introduced to so many people that are going to push you and pull you in different directions that there's no possible way that the track you have all mapped out because everyone does it through on the track, you have all map that is ever going to kind of come to fruition and be okay with that. Like, it's actually great that it's not going to I wish I knew that then because I wouldn't have put so much pressure on myself to do quote unquote, the right things, I would have just let it be, which would have been super helpful.   Michael Hingson  21:07 The other side of that is that even if your path and your track go exactly as you thought they would, if you're open to to change, and you're open to listening to people, then it's only going to enhance whatever you do anyway,   Sentari Minor  21:21 I think that's probably an even better way of putting it like just be open to feedback and be open to really coaching and guidance. And now in my life, I have an executive coach. So therapists like these things would have been much more probably impactful at 21 than now because it's like, I would have I wish I would have had someone to tell me to like listen to other people more. I think that's actually a great point. Just listen to other people more.   Michael Hingson  21:45 Of course, the other side of it is of course a 10 You You knew everything there was to know. And then by the time you were 21 or 25, you're surprised at how much your parents learned, right? That's so funny. Oh, yes, it always happens. But it is. Life is such an adventure. And I've always viewed it as an adventure and really love that. It's an adventure. And I think that whatever we do, it's important that we think about it that way. Because having an adventure for life, even if it's what other people would call just sort of humdrum. And it's not very exciting. But if you can see the excitement and bring out the adventure in life, that just makes you a better person, it seems to me   Sentari Minor  22:33 Yes, I completely agree. That's Yes, that's a beautiful way of putting it.   Michael Hingson  22:37 Well, even with that. So do you have any kinds of things in life that you wish hadn't happened? Maybe that you regret? Does anything impact you with with that sort of thing?   Sentari Minor  22:47 Oh, there too. I think the big? Oh, that's a good question. I wish I would have spent more time with my dad, he, he passed when I was a junior junior in college. And we were just kidding, my mom's split when I was younger. And so we just never, like, we just were never very close. And I wish that I would have spent more time getting close because it was also it was kind of a matter of like, not even inconvenience. It was more so apathy. Like he was around, he lived in the same city, but like we never really got together. And I wish that there was more time that I got to spend with him because I think there would be so much more about myself that I learned about me. And so like when you do a lot of therapy you have you talked about your family of origin, right, like your parents and what you why you show up, the way that you do is always because of like how you're raised and your parents, it's up. And I wish I had like that data points from my dad to understand. So I regret not knowing him more.   Michael Hingson  23:45 Yeah, my dad and I had a close relationship. But even so, I wish we had more time to spend talking with each other.   Sentari Minor  23:55 Yeah. And then going back to, you know, when you're 10 that I think the what I wish I knew there is that also, while there's so much life ahead of you. Life is finite, like there's a will, there will be things that do end, and I wish I because when you're 10 you're like well, I'll get to it later or like I'll spend time later, and it just never came. And so that would also been helpful like that. And I think that as I reflect on that, like that's a regret of mine that obviously I can't really do anything about now, but if I were to go back   Michael Hingson  24:26 other than passing that knowledge on some way to others and who are growing up and helping them maybe not make that same mistake.   Sentari Minor  24:36 Yeah, I think I think it's good to have that but I feel like so many people have that knowledge already like everyone's like you never know when your parents are gonna pass or like you always you never know what anyone that you love is going to kind of be out of your life and yet still, that doesn't. I don't think that advice like empowers people enough. Yeah, make the phone call and so maybe it's just repetition like keep saying it or like I went through it. You should know this like Go call your parents because you just never know.   Michael Hingson  25:01 Or go well, yeah, you, you can approach it from a sense fear like that of you never know when they're gonna pass. Or you can say, you know, they've had a lot more experienced than you and this is your time to take advantage of that.   Sentari Minor  25:14 I love the way you put that because it goes to what you just asked about the being 21. It's like you can learn from these people around you that you have great access to so do it.   Michael Hingson  25:22 Yeah, we we just don't always take advantage of a lot of things that we can we we all think we know too much. And as a as a person who happens to be blind. Of course, I hear it all the time about what I can't do, because I can't see. And I've learned along the way, that one of the ways to maybe make people think about that is well, how do you know, have we ever tried being blind? You know, the fact is that the concern the concepts and the attitudes and misconceptions that people have are what what drives us and what make us what we are. But by the same token, if we're not open to exploring new things, and recognizing this is the time to learn. Whenever it is, we don't we don't grow.   Sentari Minor  26:07 Yeah. And you know, wonder I love your take on it. Like, do you feel like most people have a growth mindset or like a cure? Maybe not even a growth mindset, but like a curious mindset, one of the values that I have, for me and then disappear. I surround myself as being like, intellectually curious, but I don't know if most people are so I don't know, like, if what we were talking about resonates with a lot of people, but I would hope it does. Yeah, I   Michael Hingson  26:30 agree with you. And I don't think that people always have as much of a curious mindset as we should. One of my favorite books is a book entitled, surely you're joking, Mr. Mr. Fineman adventures of a curious fellow and it's the autobiography of Richard Fineman, the physicist and he talks even in the first chapter about the fact that his father pushed him to be curious about everything. They were, I think, because I recall, him telling the story in a park one day, and his father said, why is that bird flying? How can that bird fly? You know, and he, he really encouraged Fineman to be a curious individual. And I wish more people would do that. Rather than making assumptions no matter how much they see, no matter how much they have experienced. That goes one way, it doesn't mean that it always will. Yeah. Yeah. And so there's, there's a lot to be said for being curious. And no, I really wish more people were more curious. And we generally tend to be I agree with that, and ask questions, whether it's about disabilities, whether it's about sexuality, or race or anything else. It I think is so important that we learn to be more curious than we are   Sentari Minor  27:50 curious. And the nice thing also on the other side of that on the third person that's being questioned, having some mercy and some grace for the for the question. So if someone's being vulnerable, vulnerable enough to be curious, with you and about you, you also have to be vulnerable enough to understand that, like, part of this conversation and curiosity, there might be some missteps, but they're coming from, from a place of genuine curiosity, and in that curiosity, kind of love for lack of a better term of you. And I think that's something that we've been missing a lot as a as a society. But I, this is a this inspired me to kind of say that too.   Michael Hingson  28:24 And it goes both ways. If somebody is curious and asking me questions, I feel I should answer, but I also want to understand more, more of why they're asking the   Sentari Minor  28:35 question, they're asking the question, yes, for sure. Absolutely. Yes.   Michael Hingson  28:38 Because that teaches me something. Right. And I think that that is just as important as being able to teach something to somebody else. I want to learn as well. I've always said on this podcast that if I'm not learning at least as much as everyone else who listens to it, then I'm not doing my job. When I go deliver a speech if I don't get to learn a lot from all the speakers around me or just being around the people who are attending the event, then I'm not doing my job well because I should learn from that as well. Love that. Love that. So it is it is kind of important to be able to do that. So I'm curious Alder, how did that name come about?   Sentari Minor  29:22 No, they actually it's interesting. They rebranded after me. So when I left the company, they rebranded to Alder Alder, which I think was like the burgeoning of a seed. So I don't know that the reason behind the the tweet because that happened, right, right after I left the company.   Michael Hingson  29:38 Hmm. Has it been successful for them? Do you think or,   Sentari Minor  29:42 you know, talking to my colleagues, it seems like it I haven't really done a deep dive into it. But I think from what I can understand from the conversations I've had with both members, staff, you know, my peers there and then just from general viewing on social media, it seems like it's a it's been a great rebrand and we roll out of I'm repositioning of the work. Okay.   Michael Hingson  30:04 Well, as long as it as long as it makes sense, and people can relate to it, of course, branding is all about trying to get people to relate to you or doing something that will help people remember you. So, absolutely. So what is the evolved MD? That's an interesting name.   Sentari Minor  30:22 Yeah, so it's exactly what it says sounds like, really, our tagline is like, we want to reimagine behavioral health. And so watching medicine evolve. We, again, we're our approach to mental health. It's not, it's not new, but it is novel. So what we do is actually a model called collaborative care that came out of the University of Washington, 18 center, but we was kind of the kind of at the forefront of really figuring out how to commercialize it, and then enhance it in a way that is both better for or better for both patients, the providers and all the other stakeholders. And so I think when I think of evolved, it's like, how do we kind of evolve this model, how we evolve medicine, and especially how we evolve behavior and   Michael Hingson  31:06 mental health. Right? So tell me a little more if you could about this whole concept of having a doctor and a therapist together?   Sentari Minor  31:14 Yes, won't do. So. collaborative care really is and it makes so much sense. And I was I was actually on a podcast yesterday with a one of the dogs that we work with in Utah, and he came from the military. And he said, he was very good about saying, you know, the military has always done this, the military has been integrated. So your physical and mental health are, are kind of done in this under the same roof. And so it's that model of you, Michael would go into your primary care physician, they would screen you for anxiety, depression, any other negative mental health symptoms and say, Hey, there's seems like there's some things that are a cause for concern, we have a therapist in the next room, I will do the warm handoff, introduce you, and then that therapist would go about your care. And then the cool part of the model is that that therapist then circles back with your doc and say, This is what I've learned from there. And then we're going to collaborate and it's been a collaborative care, we're going to collaborate on your care, and pull it any other resource that we need, so that Michael is healthy physically. So he's healthy mentally. And it comes to great clinical outcomes. And so the cool thing about the model was that we've learned that people really, really trust their primary care physician, so you can trust your doctor a lot. If your doctor says, Hey, I think you should see someone and I trust that person. And by the way, they're just in the office next door, you're definitely going to, you're definitely going to do that. And it's just such a beautiful model to see how it's reduced stigma, because you don't have to go to a special place or special clinic to go see mental health, it's just right where you see your doctor. It normalizes care. And so it's all in that same kind of care continuum that you you're already in by being in your PCP, and just increases access, it's really, it makes it easier for folks. It makes it financially viable. And so we're really excited about the work that we do, I'm really honored and proud of how we've grown the company. And just the two years I've been here, and then now you're seeing a lot of literature around behavioral health integration. In fact, the Biden administration just put out something in the last couple of months that saying like, this is the way of the future, and we're going to put money and incentivize and, and really implore a lot of people to integrate care, and we get to be at the forefront of that. So it's been, it's been a wonderful journey so far.   Michael Hingson  33:31 So what exactly does evolved do in the process evolved?   Sentari Minor  33:35 So what we do is, we are think of us, if you're a primary care group, we were kind of your, your, your partner, your white label, partner in behavioral health. So we recruit, hire, train, and embed the therapist. So all the therapy parts are our folks. And so they are our employees, they do look and feel like the wherever you see your position, which is really cool. So it's essentially a white level label approach. And we also provide a lot of we do the clinical supervision, the training, and then we get to be the thought partner in mental health. And so when I came on to the your question about English, when I came on, I said, we have to start telling the story not only about integrated health, but how do we normalize care. And that's and reduce stigma. And that's sharing stories, all of the executive team sharing their personal stories with mental health and making that very public conversations like this. And there's really this pushing out the forefront of like, this is this is normal, like these conversations should be normal. And by the way, we have an option where you get to go have this conversation with your doctor, they can also tie it to your physical health. And it's been it's been wonderful. It's been great.   Michael Hingson  34:42 Well, since you're a good storyteller, can you actually tell us a story about maybe a success where, and give us an example of how this has all worked and came brought about a successful conclusion. Obviously, not mentioning names or anything but yeah, stories are always great.   Sentari Minor  34:59 I think I can give you two and both, unfortunately around suicidal ideation. So our model has seen, I'm trying to kind of make us this as generic as possible. So one of our primary care physicians, when they first started the program, I had a patient artists panel that he's seen for a while. So just a regular gentleman that's been coming to the same doctor for years. Very successful man, very baffling part of town of affluent part of Phoenix. So we started seeing this person and then our, our therapist, started getting embedded in the, in the clinic, and started seeing this person to and came in by the work of having both of those two people, therapists and the physician in the same place, they were able to uncover that this man, this very ostensibly successful man had been sleeping with a gun under his pillow, and had been contemplating suicide for quite some time. The doc had no idea. Obviously, this man presents very well, I he's, he's healthy, presumably happy. But just having the therapist there to ask the right questions. And also, here's the other part, not only ask the right questions, but then be there as a resource complex, save that man's life. And I think the big thing to take away from that is that people who are having suicidal ideation and suicidal thoughts don't appear, how you might think they were, they could be the ones that are smiling, the ones that are happy that whatever super successful, but it takes someone to ask the right questions to make sure that they're okay before something happens. And that's one that I think is really, really, really powerful. And then one that happened. Recently, also around a suicide was having a patient in crisis in clinic. So if you're a physician, unfortunately, right now, if you're a physician, without our services, you're just not equipped to deal with a patient in crisis, someone's going through something in your finger, in your exam room, where you happen to be there on a day where there was a patient in crisis, and it was very clear that this person was going to hurt the heart of themselves. And very soon, so are our therapists. And this is why we love our model so much, our therapist that's on site that was right there was able to deescalate the situation, get them immediately into the care that they needed. And obviously, again, seems like they're so I think those are the stories that are kind of the big stories. But there's also come some small wins, where we've had patients say, like, You've helped me with my anxiety, and now I can actually, like leave my home. Or I realized that these are some things that I've been really scared of, and I haven't been able to articulate it. But just having these sessions with you has really helped me thrive and prosper. It's just like, we have countless mission moments, every week, where we have stories of just successes within the clinics that are super exciting and hearing how are our services are not only like transformational, but sometimes life saving, it's very rewarding to be part of you   Michael Hingson  37:58 telling the second story about the patient in crisis just reminds me of something that all of us hear about every day. And that is all the things that go on with police and encountering patients with some sort of mental health crisis. And they don't have the training to deal with that. To a large degree, and that creates problems. And oftentimes, a gun goes off, which isn't going to help. But we we do hear occasionally. And I've seen I think on 60 minutes and a few other places where there have been some police departments that are shifting some of what they do, recognizing what the real issues are over to more mental health professionals who are able to go in and deescalate and bring about a much more positive solution.   Sentari Minor  38:42 Yep. You know, I think there's a fine line, I have folks that are in law for law enforcement. And then obviously friends who do this work in social work. So I think there's there has to be the right balance and mix. But I do think there's an appropriate response from an on call response from a social worker, but also realizing that there's a realities of the world where a police officer just has to be there. So hopefully those two working collaboratively, we'll find some better solutions in the coming years around. How do we get ahead of that?   Michael Hingson  39:09 Yeah. And it's, and it's important to be able to do it. How about the docks, when you go when you go in and start to work in places? are the primary care physicians generally open? Or do you oftentimes, at least at first see a lot of resistance to changing the way in a sense they operate? Oh,   Sentari Minor  39:31 that's a great question. I think it really just depends on kind of the culture of the community and the and the practice already. Right. So there are some folks and some groups that we work with that are just naturally collaborative. So we go in and they're like, Oh, we understand. We understand. We're excited for you to be here. Some take a little bit of finessing and work but I say kudos to our team for on the front end having those conversations before our even before our therapists even start day one of like, these are the expectations this is why we're doing it and getting the buy in from the physicians on the front end, but at the end The day, it just takes a little bit of it just takes what hear one story about like the ones that I just told you. Yeah, all it's seeing it in action. We're like, whoa, and we hear from customers all the time. Like, we have no idea what we did before you were here. And so I think any resistance is assuaged once they actually see the programming, and motion. But I just doing this work for the last few years and hearing more about kind of the instruction curriculum and kind of the programs that MDS or do is go through, there's not a lot around integrated health, and so are integrated care. So sometimes people are just the concept of it doesn't make sense to them. So we get to be on the front end of the education. And then of course, you get the buy in once you have the patient stories and get to see the impact firsthand.   Michael Hingson  40:50 Because you've often the just something in Phoenix or is it nationwide? Or how large of an area do you care, we're   Sentari Minor  40:55 in Phoenix metro area, and then other parts of Arizona and then a big a big piece in Salt Lake and then our sales team is rapidly trying to figure out where we're going next. So I bet if you if we did this again in a year that that those two cities would be expanded quite a bit,   Michael Hingson  41:12 well, then we should plan on doing this in a year or two. Important? Well, so it's exciting that you've gone, as you said, in two years from 10 people to over 100. Early in the time,   Sentari Minor  41:27 we'll get 100. But God will be at 100 by the end of the year. Yeah. So we're   Michael Hingson  41:30 in a time of COVID, you're expanding? Yes.   Sentari Minor  41:34 You know, fortunately, unfortunately, COVID really exacerbated the need for mental health services. And so I think it actually, it actually kind of rocket ship and launched a lot of our sales funnel, because so many primary care groups, and large healthcare systems were like, Oh, my God, we we see in our clinics every day, the need for some behavioral health component. And so we were able to kind of go in and be the savior of the solution for a lot of folks. So we've grown exponentially during that time, because, as I said, at the beginning of this, the problem is just so harrowing.   Michael Hingson  42:05 Why do you think that the Biden administration in the government is now taking such an interest in collaborative care? And I guess the other part of that is, if the administration changes, will that go away? Or is it something that will stick? Oh, those are big. I know, I have not given a lot of thought. It's a really scary one to   Sentari Minor  42:28 see the first question, I think, integrated and collaborative care. Again, it's been something that's it's not new, but it's been novel. And I think they're now starting to really understand the commercial viability, and then the clinical efficacy, the AMA, American Medical Association, and then a number of other physician based groups came out and said, like, from the physician, the MD, the physical health side, we need this. And this has got to happen. And I think the administration also understands that it's probably the best way when there's this idea of like value based care where we're a essentially, healthcare entities will be paid based on the outcomes of patients. And understanding that integration is actually a cost savings mechanism, if I can work with you and your primary care office to have a conversation around suicidal ideation, or what you might need rather than you showing up in an ER, that saves the country's money. And so they're understanding like, from a holistic point of view, this is probably the best thing that we can do overall, for people's care. I don't know, I think with any piece of legislation or any, not even just legislation, because it hasn't been legislated yet, but any type of like a referendum or initiative that starts in an administration, there's always the, the, there's always the possibility that it could go away. But I think I'm confident that this, people will understand how impactful this is. And it will be kind of an evergreen thing. It's just like, I envision a world where people were like, This is just how care is done. Like this is just the standard in the United States. So regardless, if it's, if it's Biden, whoever, if it's a Republican, Democrat, doesn't matter. This is just how we do care. And I think we can kind of prove out that model, or at least I hope so.   Michael Hingson  44:08 Well, they're very fact that the AMA is a part of it, and is endorsing the concept has to help a lot.   Sentari Minor  44:14 Yes, yes, yes, yes.   Michael Hingson  44:15 I would think that, like with most professions, and so on a lot of doctors or the profession, generally tends to be pretty conservative. Although when you get down to the specifics of Physical Medicine, and so on, they're always looking for the next good thing. But this is a little bit of a departure from that. So if they're taking an interest in, in supporting it, that's got to help   Sentari Minor  44:39 you and I think it's mostly because they're seeing patients and they're, they're seeing patients in your clinic that you are not either equipped to handle or that you just don't have time to and I think that's the other big piece is even a physician physician wants to do the right thing and help that patient. They just don't have enough time to do it. Whereas we were there to help and work on I'm alongside them to say, hey, we're gonna take this review. This is stuff that we know how to do, by the way you get to go do the great things that you know how to do with physical care.   Michael Hingson  45:07 Yeah. And are able to move forward? Is collaborative care a concept that is being embraced outside the US as well?   Sentari Minor  45:19 That I do not know. That's a good question. I, um, we focus mostly around the United States. But I don't know. Be interesting to see, that is a good guy.   Michael Hingson  45:29 And again, it does have to start somewhere. And if it starts here, and expands, then so much the better. I love that. Yep. But you, you have a lot of tough challenges to, to deal with and helping to introduce these concepts and moving people forward, which is great. How do you how do you build and keep a sense of resiliency in your life and what you do? Oh,   Sentari Minor  45:53 that's a great question. I think building resiliency is, it's like, it's a mindset and framework of how do you position things and that happened to us? So for me, I think of everything. And I was doing my second podcast today, by the way. The first one, I was talking more   Michael Hingson  46:08 about resilience.   Sentari Minor  46:12 How do I approach failure, which is something that you learn from and so every time that there's a challenge or setback, I think about it from a gift of it occurs, but it's a gift of I get to learn from this. And so I think that builds resiliency, I think having a great community around me, I have a great group of friends, coworkers, loved ones, a great partner, a great therapist, a great coach. And so all of those things together helped me everyday build up a little something. And then also, just honestly, not taking life too seriously. I think. Yeah, it's, you know, at the end of the day, like, I lose my job, I get all these things can happen. But I know that like, I'll figure it out. And I think that's actually been one of the things that really saved me and my mental health, like, and anything I approach or anything I do, it's like, I'll figure it out. I will be okay. Like it, it may suck, it may be hard, but I'll get through it. And that's, that's, I approach everything like that. And each each day of my life that way. And so once you have that mindset, you're like, Yeah, I'll get through it. If not, I'll make it work. And so that's been a that's been very, very helpful in doing this work.   Michael Hingson  47:20 Cool. Well, at the same time, have you had major times where you've had adversity that really made life tough for you that helped them as a result, build resiliency Do you think   Sentari Minor  47:35 I wouldn't say like a specific example. But I do think that I've been reflecting on this a lot more, there was something that someone who's read Instagram, which I thought was like, so spot on, which was a black man talking about, you know, you can be very successful in corporate America and I have been, but unless you're a person of color, or someone from minoritized community, you don't understand the extra kind of work and baggage that goes into, I'm typically the only in every room, right, so there's just an extra piece of man, I walk into this room with an automatic like Target on my hand, not because of anyone's like not because anyone's doing anything pernicious or adversarial. It's more for that, like, I just physically show up different than everyone else, which means that I now have to make sure that I am doing all the right things. Keeping there's just like an extra piece of an extra piece of like, mental bandwidth that has to happen for me, that doesn't have to happen for my white male candidate counterparts. Right. And so I don't think it's really an adversity, it's more so like, it's just a little harder. And I think for me, that's also shaped and how I approach things, because I think of even think of like, how we do things in the company where, you know, a white CEO, how they approach problems, like, oh, that seems like a, like, that's an interesting mindset. I don't have that luxury, right? Like, I could never walk into a room and say that or think that because I am a black man, it just never happened for me. And so like, we just I just have a different mindset, not good or bad, right? It's just different. And I think the adversity is just, there's an extra step and an extra layer constantly. And I that's what that's probably what I would name there.   Michael Hingson  49:20 But you can embrace that and endorse it, recognize it and use it as an advantage. Or you can consider that a drawback. And those are two very different views. And clearly you take the former not the latter.   Sentari Minor  49:37 Yep, yep. Yeah. I think it's, it also is like it is what it is like, I can't I can't change my race. And so I kind of how do you build strategies and resilience, ease around it and also leverages as a good talking point, I think it's one of the things that I loved about the work that we do it evolved in D and kind of building our executive team because I was the first I was the first non clinical employee. It's like the conversations we have about like, race and how we show up. And it's like, Hey, I can't just, you know, I could never do that, or show up to something that way we say that to a person without me being like, oh, shoot, and you can have those conversations. And I think that's, that's the beautiful thing about something like that, that can be seen as adversity. But really, it can be leveraged as a great and beautiful like talking point and discussion that can that can help everyone.   Michael Hingson  50:23 Yeah. And it's all in the mindset, isn't it? All in the mindset, it's really important to, to, again, look at it from a positive, adventurous standpoint, I face the same thing. Of course, every single day, I look at least as different as you look different. And more important, have to physically do things in a much significantly more different way, then oftentimes you do, right. And you either can accept that. Think that's a very positive thing or not.   Sentari Minor  50:58 Right? Yeah. Yeah. Again, mindset goes back to mindset.   Michael Hingson  51:02 It all goes back to mindset. And the reality is that for me as a person who happens to be blind, and I will, and I like phrasing it that way, as as many others are learning to do, because blindness is a characteristic, it's not what really defines me. And your race. And or sexual orientation shouldn't be what defines you. It's what you do with it. Absolutely. Absolutely. And that makes for a more exciting life anyway.   Sentari Minor  51:30 Yeah, I agree. I agree.   Michael Hingson  51:32 So what do you so what do you do when you're not working?   Sentari Minor  51:36 What do I do when I'm not working? i   Michael Hingson  51:37 There must be some time when you're not working. Okay, that is working. Working at your day job.   Sentari Minor  51:42 I, let's see, I like to I like to fitness is a big part of my life. So I like to be at the gym, I like to read I go to I try to be in a movie theater at least once a week. Like just spending time with, like, friends, family, loved ones just like to hang out. Yeah, I do like to take long drives. But yeah, there's like a, I'd say if you're catching me on any given weekend, and I am probably reading a book or by the pool, or I am watching the movie. Good for   Michael Hingson  52:17 you. My wife and I have both embraced reading audiobooks. I've taught her how to listen to books, as opposed to just reading them. So we do a whole lot more sharing, because we now read books together. And it's a lot more fun than what's mostly on TV. So we we do that, and spend a lot of time doing it. And oftentimes, when she's doing what she does, she's a quilter. And so she's doing a lot of quilt projects, and so on and I'm doing the things I am will just pipe a book through the house. So we both have it to listen to and we keep up with it. And then we talk about it when we get back together for dinner or whenever we're done doing what we're doing. I like that idea. I like them a lot. Yeah, so we just have it all over the house, as opposed to carrying something and works out pretty well. That's great. And watching movies are always fun. We we do some of it. But we've been so much involved in reading lately that we just enjoy it a great deal.   Sentari Minor  53:20 I like that idea of like using reading as something that you can do together. That's that's, that's great.   Michael Hingson  53:24 Yeah, it's pretty cool. And, and have a lot of fun doing it. And as, as you said, and being fit. I don't go to the gym, and I don't walk around and get as much exercise as I should. But I have a guide dog and he keeps me pretty honest. And we we work together and wrestle and play. So that works out. Great. Yeah. So so he helps the process a lot too, which is which is pretty good. That's good. But you know, it's, it's all part of life and even working with a dog. I love telling people that I have learned more about trust and teamwork from working with now eight guide dogs over my life than I've ever learned from all the experts, the managers, the ken Blanchard's and so on of the world because it's fascinating learning how to interact with someone who doesn't think at all like you do. Who doesn't speak the same language, and whose overall behavior and loan and life experiences are totally different than what humans experience.   Sentari Minor  54:30 Yes. Wow. Yeah. I never thought about that. Yeah. I bet you'd have   Michael Hingson  54:36 well, and and, you know, we we have a lot of a lot of fun and I've I've enjoyed working with a number of Guide Dogs. I don't know how much you've investigated me, but you may know that we were in the World Trade Center on September 11 With my fifth guide, dog Roselle. And that really validated all of the whole concept of how we can communicate and work together no matter who we are. It's all about building trust, and establishing a relationship. And that's why I really enjoy hearing about the things that you do, especially when you're talking about the docks, and the therapists and so on all learning to work together, because they develop this trust. And this understanding that you just can't be   Sentari Minor  55:21 good. Thanks for those were actually some great questions about the model and how it works. So I appreciate those those questions.   Michael Hingson  55:28 Yeah, and thank you and I, I enjoy learning about it. It's fascinating. I, my wife, and I go to Kaiser. And we so we use a lot of services at Kaiser and I haven't seen the collaborative care model there. I don't know whether it's there or not. Or maybe we just haven't needed to use it.   Sentari Minor  55:47 Yeah, checking to see if they are doing anything integrated. But yeah, that would be like a perfect system. For us.   Michael Hingson  55:56 It would be a really a perfect system. There. There are challenges in Kaiser's communications in terms of dealing with one area from another like my my wife's physical medicine doctor, she's been in a chair her whole life wheelchair. He is in Corona, which is part of the Riverside district of Kaiser. But our primary care physician is up here in Victorville where we live, and as part of the Fontana area. And there just seems to be this incredible barrier that the two districts don't communicate at all, which is crazy for a large organization. Hard. That's fair. Yeah. And they've converted everything to being electronic. But when we moved, for example, from Northern to Southern California, the Southern California people couldn't see our Northern California records for years. That's crazy. Today, so I don't know what the logic and the thought processes of that but you know, over time, hopefully things will will communicate more, or for people? Well, you know, in talking about all this, what what are some other things that you'd like people to know about you or, or the model or the kinds of things that you're doing that they can look out for that might help them?   Sentari Minor  57:09 You know, um, nothing at the top of them? I think we've covered a lot of ground. And I again, thank you for the very thoughtful, very thoughtful questions, I think, for any of the listeners. And we'll probably put this in the show notes. But, you know, follow us on LinkedIn, I've often do on LinkedIn, because we put out a lot of really good content around mental health and normalizing and then, if you ever want to learn more about the work that we do about the.com, or the work that I'm doing just Suntory minor.com. But I think we talk a lot about I love the conversation around adversity and having a different mindset and then the intellectual curiosity piece. So I'm just excited to share this podcast with the world and I'm excited that you that you brought me on.   Michael Hingson  57:49 Well, we will do it spell Sentari Minor for me and everyone. Okay, so   Sentari Minor  57:53 it's S as in Sam, E N T A R I  Minor M I N O R. So Sentari Minor.com, check out my website. We're actually in the process of updating it right now. But yeah, I'm just excited to hear from folks. And if you have any questions, I'm always open for a conversation.   Michael Hingson  58:12 Well, of course, I can't resist asking what you're doing to make sure that it's inclusive and accessible for blind people and other persons with disabilities.   Sentari Minor  58:19 I will I'm working with our website developer, right. Like, he was really texting me before this. So that would be something I texted him back and say, make sure that this happens. So thank you, thank you, good on you for that.   Michael Hingson  58:29 And we can help with that. AccessiBe is a company that makes products that help make

Hammer, Troy and Adam talk about the Orange County Fair including all of the greasy food and the rides that make them sick. It is loads of fun, what things do you enjoy?

EPISODE 30 - EXTERNAL Version for Non-Spotify Listeners High energy Rock and Roll, best when played at full volume. Moxy and The Influence are four young Southern California rockers who bring it with power and drive to every performance. Their original all-female sound is a modern mix of all that was great in the 80's hard rock scene, and all that continues to move audiences today. Bursting onto the So, this young band surprised audiences with hit-worthy original rock songs combined with a high-energy stage performance, complete with headbanging and crowd interaction. Catchy lyrics infused with a message of individualism spanned generations and touch minds and hearts, inspiring listeners to think on greater things. The band of teenagers, fueled by nothing more than their love for music and their desire to exercise their passion for art, has soared to unprecedented heights in progress and musicianship. Their face-melting performances have been witnessed at such iconic venues as The Whisky A Go-Go, The House of Blues Anaheim, The Orange County Fair, The Coach House, M15, Silverlake Lounge, The Yost Theater, and Chain Reaction. They are Moxy and The Influence. They will influence you. They will rock you. They will quicken your pulse and awaken your soul. They might just melt your face, but it will be a great and glorious death. AWARDS & ACCOLADES (for a complete list of awards, visit the "press/news" tab) Moxy and The Influence received an early industry nod before their first gig with an HMMA (Hollywood Music in Media Award) nomination in 2013 and an OC Music Awards nomination in early 2014. On December 31, 2013, the band was notified that they had won a $100,000 fully-produced music video from BigAndFamous.com. That video (ME4ME) was released in summer 2014. Their next music video for the hit single, ALIVE, was directed by C.G. Ryche and released in early 2015. Moxy and The Influence received the HMMA award for the 2014 Rock Song of the Year for their song Vampire Valentine, won an Indie Battle Of The Bands competition shortly after their 1-year anniversary, and was named on the Music Connection Magazine's annual Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists list. Their song, Alive, was nominated for another HMMA award in 2015. They have been played on dozens of online and FM radio broadcasts all over the world and are swiftly gaining momentum in the local and national music scene. In June of 2015 they headlined the nine-state BREATHE SCREAM SURVIVE Tour on the West Coast/Midwest of the US. Looking forward to 2016, expect to see a new EP and music video, two performances at Rocklahoma, an appearance on 95.5 KLOS (Los Angeles), and several summer mini-tours on the West Coast. http://www.moxyandtheinfluence.com/ @addtomyplaylistpodcast on all social platforms https://truemediasolutions.ca/add-to-my-playlist podcast presented by True Media Solutions

Mike Black is back from San Diego Comic Con and I am back from the Orange County Fair! We talk shoes, crowds, bathrooms, shaking hands, Monster trucks, exhibit halls, Michael Richards, The Tonight show, best gigs, light bulb jokes, and much much more!This was a fun episode and I know you'll enjoy it. Thanks for your continued support!JULY 28 Goofy's New Braunfels, TexasJULY 29-30 Upstage Lounge San Antonio, TexasAUGUST 17-18 Off The Hook Naples, FLKeep moving forward and do something positive for yourself everyday.Thanks for watching my comedy clips, Pocket Party Podcast and Vlogs. Have a great day! Every time you tell someone about me, share a video, or click the "Like" button It helps.So THANK YOU!Have a great day and keep shining!

- "The Orange County Fair is HIRING!" - "Chick-Fil-A has Partnered with a Food Waste Company to Convert Used Cooking Oil into Fuel" - "Louisiana Waitress Asks God for Help to Cover Church Repairs - and Then She Receives a Tip in THE EXACT AMOUNT NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THEM!" - JT JESTER: "How to Find Joy in ANY Circumstance!" - KASIM HAFEEZ: "The New Documentary 'Never Again?' Chronicles the Story of a Young Muslim who was Brought Up to Be Anti-Semitic Until an Encounter with God Changed His Heart and Mind"

- "Police Identify Elderly Couple Who Died in a Murder/Suicide in Point Loma" - Stefanie Cover of Cover Law. - "A Board Member for the Orange County Fair who is Also a Leader in the Local Democratic Party LIED About Having a Criminal Record BEFORE Becoming a Prominent Party Leader in the County" - MARK GREGSTON: Where's Stitch?: When You've Lost Your Best Furry Friend - WALK THE TALK: "Dr John Cheng's Heroic Example of Faith in Action Reminds Us that Our Walk of Faith Must Reflect How We Talk About Living it Out"

Old friend and all around good guy Dave Lutes joins us for another walk down memory lane to discuss Liverpool's second sons Echo & the Bunnymen and their classic fourth LP.  The journey takes us from music class at Loara High school to the Orange County Fair with plenty of reminiscing pit stops in between.    Recommended Listening: Electrafixion - Zephyr  https://open.spotify.com/track/7hHysh2f5iFiSzhI6GSoEb?si=a5bc931dffd34546    Shine So Hard - Echo & the Bunnymen doc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8q14frWQ-U   huntsmanhill.com #huntsmanhill Spotify Playlist:  https://open.spotify.com/user/1298220429/playlist/4gy1wWwypkoFS2lUztvZ44?si=waSq07DBQlq3x9G1_nK0pg

Angler Chronicles Radio Show (http://www.anglerchronicles.com/) Recorded: 02-12-22   Guests & Topics: PCS show Bill Depriest  Orange County Fair Grounds Fresh water report    Join Sergio & the Crew: Ron Hobbs (AC Fishing Schools Instructor), Capt. Larry Moore and Tony Williams (Bite-On Fishing) every Saturday morning on Angler Chronicles from 5:00-7:00 AM PST on AM 830 KLAA. "LIVE" from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA ... Tune in or you can also join us “LIVE” on the web at: www.am830.net Angler Chronicles is the highest rated show in its time slot and one of the highest rated outdoor shows in the nation. Each week, the crew has a variety of guests who discuss topics ranging from bass and trout to all types of saltwater fishing. The crew, consisting of host Sergio Fainsztein, Ron Hobbs (Co-Director AC Fishing Schools), and Tony Williams (Bite-On Fish Attractants) are ready to offer their advice and expertise as well as to answer specific questions from the listeners. Expect to hear regular updates from sportfishing captains including Capt. Rick Scott (Ocean Odyssey), Capt. Chris Pica (Dana Wharf Sportfishing), Capt. Damon Davis (Davey's Locker Sportfishing), and Capt. Rick Oefinger (Marina Del Rey Sportfishing). You can also expect weekly reports on all local fresh and saltwater destinations.  

Jennifer Jones Lee hosts Michelle Richards, CEO of the Orange County Fair. There's an upcoming Veterans' Day Event and she and Jen also talk about the Heroes Hall Santa Ana Army Air Base Exhibit.

Kate discusses SET on Discovery Plus and Paris in Love on Peacock. SET follows the contestants vying for the “Best of Show” ribbon at the Orange County Fair table setting competition. Paris in Love follows Paris Hilton in the run up to her wedding. Kate discusses the Jen Shah arrest episode on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with Kevin the driver, Sam the receptionist at Beauty Lab & laser, and Emily D. Baker providing legal insight. Reality Life with Kate CaseyPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/katecaseyCameo: https://cameo.com/katecaseyTwitter: https://twitter.com/katecaseyInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/katecaseycaTik Tok: http://www.tiktok.com/itskatecaseyClubhouse: @katecasey Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113157919338245Amazon.com: www.amazon.com/shop/katecaseySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joe and Don (@darthdono74) went to the Orange County fair to see The Aquabats! and they tell us some super cool stories! Hear all about Joe becoming best friends with Ben the Brain, a drunk cowboy, and cinnamon rolls! The video of the show will be on the Hey Homies! YouTube channel soon! Watch our videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFvrlvy-1dKWM3Nk6PbbiMw Follow Joe @joeluna33. Thank you to our friend Tori for the amazing season 2 art! Follow Tori @groovy_nacho. Check out Los Ocupados (@los_ocupados). And while you're following all of these other pages, give us a follow too @hey_homies_pod. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/heyhomiespod. Feel free to email us at heyhomiespod@gmail.com. If you're interested in joining the Aquabats Discord, it can be found at https://discord.gg/c5BA5HD. All of the rare treats, demos, and cool videos we discuss are on there! Thanks for listening to the #1 Aquabats podcast in the universe!

Covid 19 and the Orange County Fair

Both Briony and Allen are quick to boast that without having a local fair as an introduction to rabbits, neither of them would be here today.  The same is true for many others.  In this episode, Dr. Kim Miller and Nik Kieler, from the Orange County Fair, describe their role as livestock supervisors in one of the fastest urban-growing environments in the United States.  They share the challenges and solutions they have developed to encourage exhibitors each year at the OC Fair, while being located in a demographic that is made up of anything but the like-minded farmer.  

Hal is joined by Jillian Romero Chaves, the president of the Ontario Auto Center, to talk about the skyrocketing price of vehicles. Also on the show this week is journalist Miguel Sancho to talk about his personal experience with Umbilical Cord Blood and Orange County Fair CEO Michele Richards.  

The guys chat about bribes, the Orange County Fair, and Chris's trip to Raleigh. Join the Watercooler Patreon - Patreon.com/watercooler Woof Woof! Host: Chris Laxamana ChrisLaxamana.com And if you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review with nothing but barks. Chris Laxamana: http://twitter.com/chrislaxamana Matt Fondiler: http://twitter.com/mattfondiler Gary Smith: http://twitter.com/gpatricksmith Mike Dawson: http://twitter.com/dawsangeles Caelan Biehn: http://twitter.com/caelanbiehn

With the drought worsening, might California want to toughen water restrictions? Wine aged in the ocean off of Santa Barbara? The Coastal Commission has concerns. Neil Saavedra joins Wayne for this week's Foodie Friday, highlighting what's to come at the Orange County Fair!

LA County reinstates its mask mandate as COVID cases surge again.Jim Ryan joins Jen to talk about COVID's impact on the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.The Orange County Fair returns! Fair Director of Communications Terry Moore comes on the show to talk about what's new and what's returning this year.

Wayne Resnick fills in for Bill Handel for this week's segment of Foodie Friday, joined by The Fork Reporter himself, Neil Saavedra. The two talk about what's to come at this year's Orange County Fair.

With the drought worsening, might California want to toughen water restrictions? Wine aged in the ocean off the coast of Santa Barbara? The Coastal Commission has concerns. Neil Saavedra joins Wayne for this week's Foodie Friday, highlighting what's to come at the Orange County Fair!

Conway talks to college friend and CEO of Orange County Fair and Events center, Michelle Richards. The Orange County Fair is opening from July 16 to Aug 15 with limited attendance and fewer rides, concessions, and vendors, plus COVID safety protocols. All tickets will be sold in advance with sales beginning May 1 at O.C Fairs website. Listen to these friends talk all about it.

It's obviously been a wild year for motorsports, and few places have been as affected as the northeast. With race cancellations, postponements, and just general uncertainty, the racing community there has had to be very flexible. One of the drivers who's made the most of a bad situation is Mat Williamson. Mat was the 2019 Super DIRTcar Series champion and is one of the names you have to contend with on a nightly basis when running northeast modifieds. This season, amongst several other wins, Mat won $53,000 with the Short Track Super Series at Port Royal, then went a week later to Orange County Fair and took down another $20,000 at the Eastern States 100. He joins me to talk about getting back and forth across the border during the pandemic, what pushed him over the edge for a championship last year, and much more.

It's obviously been a wild year for motorsports, and few places have been as affected as the northeast. With race cancellations, postponements, and just general uncertainty, the racing community there has had to be very flexible. One of the drivers who's made the most of a bad situation is Mat Williamson. Mat was the 2019 Super DIRTcar Series champion and is one of the names you have to contend with on a nightly basis when running northeast modifieds. This season, amongst several other wins, Mat won $53,000 with the Short Track Super Series at Port Royal, then went a week later to Orange County Fair and took down another $20,000 at the Eastern States 100. He joins me to talk about getting back and forth across the border during the pandemic, what pushed him over the edge for a championship last year, and much more.

I would venture to accuse today’s artist of being both artsy fartsy AND nerdy wordy. Because Kali Parsons has been on my list of artists to feature here since day one of brainstorming Art Ink, well before even a second of audio was recorded. She was one of the few artists I followed who always wrote a tiny story to share along with her fun and whimsical art, and so if you’re an artist who wants to see great examples of how a splash of story can be used to compliment your art…     [If your podcast app isn’t showing the featured art for this episode above visit https://rebekahnemethy.com/artink17 to check it out.   Castbox and Podcast Addict are both apps I recommend that do show episode specific art.]     Links from the Show at a Glance:   Artist: Kali Parsons Title of Art: Hope Artist’s Website: kaliparsons.com Instagram: @kaliparsonsart   If you connected with this story in any way Michael & Susan would love to hear from you. They can be reached via e-mail at michaeldbreazeale@gmail.com   Art Ink Submission Guidelines: rebekahnemethy.com/artinksubs     Art Ink Podcast Transcript:   [Intro:]   Hey there my artsy fartsy, nerdy wordy friends. Sorrynotsorry, you know if you’re here you’re at least half of that description, if not the whole shebang! Own it already.   I would venture to accuse today’s artist of being both artsy fartsy AND nerdy wordy. Because Kali Parsons has been on my list of artists to feature here since day one of brainstorming Art Ink, well before even a second of audio was recorded. She was one of the few artists I followed who always wrote a tiny story to share along with her fun and whimsical art, and so if you’re an artist who wants to see great examples of how a splash of story can be used to compliment your art, I insist you check out her work at kaliparsons.com.   If you’re new to Art Ink, you should know that it’s Kali’s painting that’s gracing the cover of this episode. And it’s that very painting that inspired the beautiful story you’re about to hear. This is usually the part where I describe the featured artwork for listeners who are unable to look at their devices for whatever reason, but today we’re going to be doing things a bit differently. As Kali wrote to me, “Sometimes the art takes off and creates a story all on its own.” And this painting, named “Hope,” isn’t just the spark that instigated this episode, she’s also a character in the following true story.     I present to you The Synchronicity of Hope.     [Story:]   “Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.” -GK Chesterton   Most 18-year-old kids get a tattoo to rebel against their parents, but not Sean. No, Sean’s 1st tattoo was an orange and purple, single-word prayer that his mom would survive what life had dealt her, and his dad not only went with him, but got his own, matching ink, the very same day.   “Hope,” the tattoos said. And that’s what Sean and his father, Michael, did. They hoped that Susan could beat the cancer she’d just been diagnosed with. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was the 2nd critical diagnosis Susan had taken since becoming a wife and a mother, after a 17-year struggle with primary progressive MS, which is a type of MS that doesn’t remit or relapse. It came on fast and it’s progressively gotten worse over the years. Sean had only been a few months old when that news had come; he doesn’t remember the version of his mother who wasn’t reliant on a wheelchair.   Hope had already been a familiar mantra for their family for several years, had become one after they’d attended their first MS Awareness walk together. Susan’s first neurologist was convinced a cure for MS would be developed in our lifetimes, and that was the hope that she had clung to all those years… so you can imagine the devastation when yet another layer of health challenges began to manifest.   This new diagnosis was the catalyst for Sean and Michael to literally inject a healthy dose of hope into their skin. They chose orange ink to stand for MS Awareness; and the purple ink represented Hodgkin’s.   Shortly afterwards, their mantra started to expand into a wall in their home that was dedicated to hope-filled art and design.   Meanwhile… Michael’s childhood friend, Kali, had been following his updates on Facebook. They hadn’t been in touch through more than social media since their 7th grade band broke up, yet Kali was continuously moved by the strength she witnessed in Michael and Susan’s marriage. When the post that detailed this latest blow to their family’s struggle went live, Kali had just finished a painting that would be a perfect fit for them, and it just so happened to be called “Hope.” It was of a serene looking girl outlined in black with her eyes closed, and the word “hope” in one, thin, black line of script hovered above her head, the only pop of color on the black and white canvas was a blue heart that filled the girl’s entire chest.   So Kali had a print made and sent it to Michael. Soon afterwards, much too soon afterwards Kali recalled, she’d gotten a notification that the original painting had sold on her website, and it was Michael who had bought it! There was no way the print had had enough time to make it through the mail, but Kali couldn’t be sure until she asked him.   “Hey, my friend.” Kali sent to Michael via Facebook. “I just have to ask. Received a surprise package I sent you? Just curious if we have some synchronicity going. xo”   “No. When did you send it? Was it USPS? If you sent me a print of “Hope” that would be some kind of next level awesomeness going on. Did you?”   “That’s exactly what it was! I didn’t think it could’ve gotten to you yet. I love you and me!”   “Hang on a moment. I gotta bring Susan up to speed on this…. We are both a little teary-eyed right now. I saw that a few other people had shown interest and then I got pretty busy with work. But just like you, she’s been in my mind all this time. When I saw her again this morning, I didn’t think twice about placing the order. Susan said to tell you ‘thank you.’ So much love for you and so inspired by your beautiful soul.”   So I have to ask you, dear listeners… do you think it might be possible for art to be aware. That just maybe Kali’s painting had it’s own mission to fulfill… that’s it’s possible for “things” to have souls? That they have a kind of consciousness that sends subtle energies into the Universe? Am I losing you with my weirdoism? Well… then let’s get back to the story shall we?   Because “Hope,” the painting, made her way into Michael’s home, but though she served as a constant source of inspiration for him and his family, she was more therapy than cure.   The challenges are real and seemingly never ending, and though Michael knows his marriage is stronger than it’s ever been, he still misses the good old days, before MS, before cancer. When I asked him in an email what their biggest struggle was he replied openly and vulnerably:   “Our biggest struggle. Wow.” He wrote. “Strap in because this is a deep sharing. Physical love & intimacy. Susan was 26 when she was diagnosed and I was 29. Married for three years, new beautiful baby son, young & in love and totally hot for each other. Within two years, spasticity had completely changed her body geometry and bladder incontinence had forced us to get a urostomy.   Chemotherapies we tried to slow down the MS had led to early menopause and muscle contractures & spasticity has caused her arms to cross and they are now locked to her chest. None of this is very sexy or romantic. It’s been over a decade that Susan hasn’t been able to hug me or hold me.   I tell people that love is like a wheel with many spokes. Physical, sex, intimacy, companionship, friendship, community, happiness, joy, spirituality, mental, dialog, honesty, trust, confidence and action; to name a few. True love can handle the removal of several of these spokes and the wheel will continue to roll and do its job. It’s false love that falls apart when you remove just one or a few. But, it’s been difficult to not have the physical aspect of our love and it’s a deep source of depression for me.”   But, alongside Michael and Susan’s greatest struggle, lies some of their most precious memories. The two that they shared with me in that same email, interestingly enough, also came about on the other side of cancer.   “We had limited options in treating her cancer.” Michael explained. “No radiation therapy and only two of the four drugs on the second choice for chemotherapies. Susan did initially respond well to the chemo, but then it stalled. We switched to immunotherapy which actually put her into remission. But, the lymph nodes became active again within six months. This was grim. We had the conversation about how long we might be able to keep the cancer from ending her life and “salvage” therapies. They really need to come up with a better term than that.   A few months later we were at the opening night of the Orange County Fair. It’s a tradition for us to go to the opening night and to share a funnel cake just before we leave. We were sharing our desert and Susan asked me what I thought about renewing our vows on our anniversary. I pondered this for a moment and asked her, “Did you just propose to me over funnel cake at a county fair?” Which I joked was the most white trash thing I could think of. Then of course tearfully, I said yes. That part is my fondest memory of our love story. Susan’s is the actual vow renewal…”   [Vow Renewal Ceremony]   “Dearest family and friends, we are here today to celebrate the story of two hearts named Michael and Susan. Let me tell you how the story goes.   Once upon a time, a dedicated young Marine walked into a hotel lobby where a spirited young lady worked behind the counter. Through the trickery of his cohorts, the young Marine soon found himself riding beside the young lady in a snazzy white convertible. The young Marine did not realize he was about to be taken on the ride of a lifetime! Neither realized they had just met their soulmate.   As these two beautiful hearts became entwined, a promise to love and cherish forever was the natural next step. They were married September 25th 1993. Twenty-two years ago yesterday. That year, a gallon of gas cost $1.11 and a movie ticket was $4.14. It was the year Beanie Babies were introduced. And let’s not forget Milli Vanilli returned their Grammy. Girl, you know it’s true!   Soon after and with plenty of K-I-S-S-I-N-G, the two hearts became further and inextricably entwined. Much like two trees planted next to each other decades ago.   Rings are often exchanged at weddings as a symbol of eternal love. Love is the state in which your partner’s happiness comes above all else. The circle of the ring represents wholeness and perfection, with no beginning and no end. It wraps the finger of the loved one with the constant reminder of love, devotion, and respect. So today, I wrap these two hearts in the circle of this sash which represents their joint, steadfast recommitment to the ties which bind them together.   Michael and Susan, today, with the love and support of your friends and family, you honor each other as beloveds and partners in marriage.   Michael, would you please share your thoughts and promises with Susan?   [Michael’s Vows]   ‘My dearest Susan, as we are here together today, I think back to all the wonderful memories we have shared. There really is no greater feeling than to have your best friend by your side every day. Twenty-two years ago, I promised to love you, no matter what else happened. And though we have had our struggles, that love has been strong enough to persevere through them all.   You have been confident, caring, nurturing, optimistic and supportive; even when the bounds of sickness and health have been tested to their limits. You are my best friend and lover, my partner, my shoulder to cry on and the arms that I cannot imagine being without. I have always loved you. I still love you. I love you as much now as I did twenty-two years ago. And I know that at some time in the future, when we meet again, on beach in the warm sun, destined to be together, that I will love you then.   Today I pledge to be by your side, to be your strength when you are weak, to never leave you, to be understanding and to be the husband you deserve. I love you.’   Susan, would you please share your thoughts and promises with Michael?   [Susan’s Vows]   ‘Michael,   I’ve had a difficult time trying to find the perfect words to tell you just how much you mean to me and how much love I have for you. None the less I’m going to try…   The night we met, I asked who wanted to ride with me and your hand went up and you said I will. I had no idea that we would still be on that ride 23 years later and that hand would hold mine as we made our way through all that life had in store for us.   For better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer. We have been tested by all the original vows we made. Together we have, not only survived, but triumphed.   Michael, you are my strength. Not only physically but more importantly, emotionally. You make me laugh. You drive me crazy. You frustrate me. You make me proud. And you make me love you more every day.   Today, I am reaffirming my commitment to you and our life together. I promise to be your friend and confidante, your sounding board, and your safe place. I will continue to look towards our future with optimism and excitement.   I love you, Michael.’     As you continue on your journey together, I encourage you to remember that as tides ebb and flow, so too do the fortunes of life. Footprints in the sand are washed away. Driftwood moves on its endless quest for a peaceful harbor. Only a deep and abiding love can withstand the tides of change in two lives.   May you continue to be sensitive to each other’s needs. Be open and understanding with each other. Share your thoughts and feelings out loud in the safe harbor of your relationship. Continue to bring out the best in other.   By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you Spaghetti and Meatballs! Michael, you may kiss your bride.   Friends, family, I now present to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Breazeale version 2.0!”   And yes, in case you’re wondering, their officiant was ordained by the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and she did that specifically for this occasion. It made sense considering the Breazeale’s aren’t unified in their religious beliefs.   “Our family is kind of like a joke.” Michael wrote in another email. “You know, “an Agnostic, a Buddhist and a Christian walk into a bar.” He was writing to answer my final question to him about what Hope means to them. And, just like a prayer, the definition of Hope is shaped by its beholder.    “I like what Desmond Tutu has to say about Hope. ‘I’m not an optimist because that in a sense is something that depends on feeling. More than the actual reality. We feel optimistic, or we feel pessimistic. Now hope is different, in that it is based not on the ephemarality of feelings. But on the firm ground of conviction. I believe with a steadfast faith that there can never be a situation that is utterly, totally hopeless. Hope is deeper and very close to unshakeable. It’s in the pit of your tummy.’    We both agree that Hope is a dynamic feeling and that it changes over time.    For Susan, initially that Hope was mostly defined around her MS. Her first neurologist told her that within his career “...there would be a cure for MS.” Three neurologists later there still isn’t a cure. But in the words of Archbishop Tutu she believes with a steadfast faith that her situation is not totally hopeless. When she was diagnosed with lymphoma, that Hope changed to something maybe a little more desperate. The Hope that the cancer could be cured and not end her life. The Hope that Sean and I would be able to cope with losing her, if that were to happen. The last 1.5 years have been a test for me. Anxiety and depression led me down a path of alcohol addiction. I’m in recovery and we are strong. But, some of those Hopes are now about being successful in recovery and continuing to experience joy in our lives.   My Hopes mirror my Buddhist philosophy. I constantly meditate about being able to choose the right paths, to help reduce her suffering to as little as possible. To choose the paths that will give her love and joy. I’m definitely a believer in reincarnation. I know with that same steadfast Hope that in the future, Susan and I will meet again. Somewhere on a beach, in the warm sun and we will know that we will have both found something special. That Hope and her Love gives me strength to continue living our love story.”     [Conclusion:]   When Kali wrote to me about the synchronicity she’d experienced with “Hope” she concluded her email with some credits, “I thank my art, I thank our open spirits, I thank [Michael’s] beautiful wife [Susan], and I must thank Facebook ... through these four a space was created in the Universe for our friendship to bloom and magic to happen.”   And we also would like to thank Michael and Susan for being so open to sharing their personal journey with us today. Your story has both humbled and inspired us. Last but not least, we thank Kali, for sharing her beautiful work with us here and, of course, for connecting all the dots that led to this show.   Be sure to visit Kali at kaliparsons.com and @kaliparsonsart on Instagram. Links to those places can be found in the show notes, along with a photo of the painting that inspired today’s episode. Sadly, not all podcast apps show the featured artwork the same way, but there’s always a link to where you can see the art included in those show notes.   You’ll also be able to find additional photos Michael sent me in the show notes, including the ‘Hope’ wall, so be sure to dig into that too, when you’re able.   If you connected with this story in any way Michael & Susan would love to hear from you. They can be reached via e-mail at michaeldbreazeale@gmail.com   That’s all we have for you today, thank you all so much for listening. Check back in couple of weeks and you’ll be able to hear me later. TTFN my friends.

A special-edition Over Coffee® podcast! We admit it.  Like many other Southern Californians, we love the Orange County Fair.  And tomorrow, July 17th, is IT--Opening Day! This time, it's virtual.   Here's the link! Since 1890, the OC Fair's been a summertime celebration for Costa Mesa.  Normally, the festivities start just after the Fourth of July and continues into August.  Our favorite Fair memories include some amazing concerts at The Hangar, lots of Home Arts creativity, 4-H competitions, fireworks at night, pig races, acrobats, dancing to the music... And then, of course, there are those curly fries and hand-dipped ice cream bars.  Which we sample purely for research purposes, of course (not). While this year's pandemic has forced closure of the Orange County Fairgrounds, it hasn't dampened the spirit of the Fair. After the OC Fair and Event Center Board of Directors voted to cancel this year's onsite event, they came up with ways to bring Fair fans some "Slices of the Fair"--virtually. Accordingly, starting this Friday, July 17th, the Orange County Fair will host virtual events--24/7--on their website. Terry Moore is Director of Communications at the Orange County Fair and Event Center.  We talked about what "virtual Fairgoers" can expect, for summertime, 2020.

An Over Coffee® special-edition podcast! What if you were planning the Orange County Fair--and then a pandemic forced you to cancel it? For Terry Moore and the Fair's Board of Directors, the answer wound up being, "go virtual".  "We wanted to bring a little bit of joy during this pandemic," says Terry, who is Director of Communications at the Orange County Fair and Event Center. Accordingly, the OC Fair's staff has re-imagined the fair as a virtual event! And it's all happening with an "opening day" on July 17h, and running through August 16th. Costa Mesa's Orange County Fair started in 1890.  A summertime tradition, the Fair has been a part of great memories for generations.  Competitions, family activities, performances and a general sense of festivity are all elements to which Southern Californians look forward when summer arrives. For their 2020 virtual edition, the Fair will be offering online competitions, family activities, and performances.  There's also a "Virtual Fun Run", in which you can participate anytime during the Fair dates.  And "We Care Wednesday" is still giving back to the community--to benefit Goodwill. One difference, however, from the onsite Orange County Fair?  Events will be available online at the Fair's website, 24/7.   Here's their link for updates! Now, if you'd like to enter one or more of the Fair's competitions--you can!  There are no entrance fees due to the virtual nature of this year's Fair.  The deadline, though, is July 6th, for entry.  And online, you'll see some creative new categories, based on our current stay-at-home status.  You could win a prize for re-creating your favorite sport at home, for example.  Or for the personal protective equipment you've designed for our essential workers.  Here's the link to the contest rules and categories. Terry shared the story of the decision to create this year's Virtual Orange County Fair, offered a look at some of the new competition categories and previewed some of this year's virtual events.  

I’m sharing the top five reasons to love Costa Mesa.   I’m excited to share the five main reasons I love Costa Mesa, California, one of the many areas I service here in Orange County. It has much more than wonderful weather and the yearly Orange County Fair (though those are great too). 1. City of the Arts. Costa Mesa is known as the “City of the Arts.” The Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts not only includes a 3,000 person opera-style hall for Broadway musicals, but also a 2,000-person concert hall that brings shows and music to the city. It’s an excellent venue to enjoy the very best of Costa Mesa musical arts. 2. Conveniently located. The city has the 405 freeway, 55 freeway, and the 73 toll road. Unlike New York, San Francisco, and London, here, we need a car to get around. However, no matter where you’re trying to go, Costa Mesa has convenient roads to get you there. 3. Close to all the beaches. As a kid, the beach was too far away from where I lived, but in Costa Mesa, no matter where you are, you’re about five miles away from a beach. If you’re looking for sand and waves, they have beautiful Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.  4. The South Coast Plaza. This is the largest shopping mall on the West Coast. Originally, it began as a lima bean field. The first department stores were Robinsons-May and Bullock’s. Every year, 24 million people shop and dine in the plaza. It’s a fantastic place for retail therapy! 5. Amazing restaurants and bars. “Mesa” means “table” in Spanish. You could eat at a different restaurant every day of the year and still not have tried everything. There are also plenty of gyms and yoga studios to burn off the delicious calories.  I would love to hear the reasons you love Costa Mesa and what some of your favorite places are. Please comment below! If you’re considering moving to this exceptional city, call or email us; we love helping people find their place here. Also, contact us if you have any questions about real estate. We would be happy to help you.

TRAVEL ITCH RADIO returns to California on Thursday, April 16, when Jenny Wedge of Travel Costa Mesa comes to our microphone. Listen live at 8p EDT on iTunes or BlogTalkRadio.com as Dan Schlossberg and Kita Roberts discuss the resort town, a shopping mecca sandwiched between Los Angeles and San Diego. Home of South Coast Plaza, the Orange County Fair, and the Pacific Amphitheater, this versatile resort community is also home base for the Los Angeles Chargers training center, training camp, and corporate headquarters, as well as John Wayne Airport.

The Road to the Orange County Fair and UCW Defiance is upon us!

Pearse Redmond comes back as a guest to talk about Top Gun Maverick. Pearse, Uncle and Aaron all did a fine job making it to their microphones for this broadcast.  topics include: Top Gun, movie trailer, service men, Navy, recruitment film, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt, Kelly McGillis, Goose, drones, Orange County Fair, fair rides, alien ride, street team, street cream, Ochelli Radio Network, social media

In this episode of the Next 90, Nick shares that his kids brought two goldfish home after spending time at the Orange County Fair. Nick believes that neither of the fish will survive over night, which might cause pain to his children. After putting them in a small container, Nick notices that the fish look gloomy. However, he discovered that the fish became livelier after being moved to a larger space.

We open the show with County Fair by the Beach Boys in honor of broadcasting at the Orange County Fair.  First thing we do is play a great M&B Past Moment when Mark's wife Lynda accidentally sends an improper text to their son Matt!  We also send our condolences to Mark & Lynda on the passing of their dog Red. We then Catch Up with each other - Steve, Sean and Zach talk about attending DICK! The Musical, Paul tell us about ComiCon and Zach tells us about Jury Duty. We then meet New Listener Jane and discuss garlic with her.  Then our friend Paul Preston from The Movie Guys gives us his movie reviews.Then Sean & Steve give you Facts about New Jersey & Cowboys. Then they tell you what to look for when your Amish teen goes wild. LINKS: The Beach Boys    The Movie Guys    The OC Fair                      

We open the show with County Fair by the Beach Boys in honor of broadcasting at the Orange County Fair.  First thing we do is play a great M&B Past Moment when Mark's wife Lynda accidentally sends an improper text to their son Matt!  We also send our condolences to Mark & Lynda on the passing of their dog Red. We then Catch Up with each other - Steve, Sean and Zach talk about attending DICK! The Musical, Paul tell us about ComiCon and Zach tells us about Jury Duty. We then meet New Listener Jane and discuss garlic with her.  Then our friend Paul Preston from The Movie Guys gives us his movie reviews.Then Sean & Steve give you Facts about New Jersey & Cowboys. Then they tell you what to look for when your Amish teen goes wild. LINKS: The Beach Boys    The Movie Guys    The OC Fair                      

Hello everyone, I am Chris Lipper from On The Bus Events Podcast. In this episode, I had the opportunity to interview Sunshine and Zach from the JGB Band JGB is an American rock band led by Melvin Seals, who plays electric organ. Its mission is to continue the musical legacy of the Jerry Garcia Band, of which Seals was a longtime member. Sunshine Flower Garcia is an American singer who performed backing vocals for the band Furthur. Despite her maiden name, Garcia, she is not related to Jerry Garcia, an incorrect assumption made by some because of her involvement with Furthur, a post-Garcia incarnation of the Grateful Dead. Zach Nugent’s playing is soulful, rootsy and organic, the kind of sound that grows out of the music naturally and effortlessly. He gigs almost nightly, singing and improvising in different projects around town and around the country. A lifelong Grateful Dead fan, Zach has a musical resume with that one vital, matchless feature: As far back as he can remember, music has been an integral part of his life.

Orange County Fair, Costa Mesa, California ,- pre-fair interview with Terry Moore in Communications - about what is new and exciting about this years fair opening on July 12th. We talk about fair food and entertainment, and the three entrance gates for this fair.

We open the show with Raspberry Beret by Prince to honor Raspberry Bombe Day. We catch up with all of us and what we did after last weeks broadcast at the Orange County Fair. From the rides to seeing Void808 and The Fab Four plus what we ate and didn't eat.  We also talk about the code names that were given to presidents by the Secret Service. We then talk about what happened to our guest on Friday, which surprised all of us. But most importantly we talk  with the great legendary singer Trini Lopez. We discuss his 60 year career - the hardships, how he got signed , out what he's doing today and how he would like to be remembered.  CLICK ON PICS TO FOLLOW LINKS                                 Support the show by clicking on the banner & bookmarking - then shop !       </p>

We open the show with Raspberry Beret by Prince to honor Raspberry Bombe Day. We catch up with all of us and what we did after last weeks broadcast at the Orange County Fair. From the rides to seeing Void808 and The Fab Four plus what we ate and didn't eat.  We also talk about the code names that were given to presidents by the Secret Service. We then talk about what happened to our guest on Friday, which surprised all of us. But most importantly we talk  with the great legendary singer Trini Lopez. We discuss his 60 year career - the hardships, how he got signed , out what he's doing today and how he would like to be remembered.  CLICK ON PICS TO FOLLOW LINKS                                 Support the show by clicking on the banner & bookmarking - then shop !       </p>

We open the show with Something Like That by Tim McGraw since for this show we broadcasted Live from the Orange County Fair. We first catch up with Grace, our Gal About Town, then find out how the week went for Phoebe, Steve, Zach, Sean and Intern Skyelar. Next we jump right into our Horoscopes since the gang is all here. Then for National Cost Guard Day - we read some facts about the military branch. Next we interview Roxanne Hack who is part of the Communications Department and we talk about all the things going on at the Fair. Next our Grace our Gal About Town & Intern Skyelar show us what's going on with the animals at the Centennial Farm. Next we get a visit from friends Craig Barry & his wife Amy from The Craig Barry Experience Radio Show. Grace & Intern Skyelar come back with Fair Food and everyone tries a little bit of everything. We then play the game.                                   Support the show by clicking on the banner & bookmarking - then shop !       </p>

We open the show with Something Like That by Tim McGraw since for this show we broadcasted Live from the Orange County Fair. We first catch up with Grace, our Gal About Town, then find out how the week went for Phoebe, Steve, Zach, Sean and Intern Skyelar. Next we jump right into our Horoscopes since the gang is all here. Then for National Cost Guard Day - we read some facts about the military branch. Next we interview Roxanne Hack who is part of the Communications Department and we talk about all the things going on at the Fair. Next our Grace our Gal About Town & Intern Skyelar show us what's going on with the animals at the Centennial Farm. Next we get a visit from friends Craig Barry & his wife Amy from The Craig Barry Experience Radio Show. Grace & Intern Skyelar come back with Fair Food and everyone tries a little bit of everything. We then play the game.                                   Support the show by clicking on the banner & bookmarking - then shop !       </p>

This week Katie and Chelsea are joined by a special guest Matt to dicuss their favorite LGBTQIA+ media. They cover shows, books, couples, movies, and so much more! There is always more to discover, so if we missed some of your favorites, please let us know!Please rate, review, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you download your podcasts.Podcast Intro Music: Dog and Pony Show by Silent Partner - https://youtu.be/Dw20ZkMwI10Podcast Outro Music: Dog Park by Silent Partner - https://youtu.be/Zzm4A3xYUp8Intro & Outro Vocals Provided by Dave BethellTEA TIME SOCIAL MEDIA:Twitter: https://twitter.com/teatimewithkc (@teatimewithkc)Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teatimewithkc/ (@teatimewithkc)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teatimewithkc/Email: teawithkc@gmail.comWebsite: https://teatimewithkc.comGEEK TO GEEK PODCAST NETWORKWebsite: https://geektogeekcast.comBe sure to check out the latest episode of Geek To Geek Podcast, Geektitude, & The Comic Boxhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-to-geek-podcast/id1092737489https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geektitude/id1042398176?mt=2https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-comic-box/id1118686573?mt=2JOIN THE CONVERSATIONNetwork Slack Channel -> https://slack.geektogeekcast.comNetwork Discord Server - https://discord.gg/wGPdkkqTHINGS MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODEMatt:Weekly Geekery - Avatar: The Last AirbenderFavorite LGBT Media - Perks of Being A Wallflower, Pose on FX, Ru Paul's Drag RaceKatie:Weekly Geekery - Jesse McCartney Concert, Orange County Fair, Meteor Garden, Boys Over Flowers, GISHFavorite LGBT Media - Dawson's Creek ep 'True Love', Kurt and Blaine from Glee, FanfictionChelsea:Weekly Geekery - Crazy Rich Asians, The Good Wife, BTS - Love Yourself: Tear, ScrapbookingFavorite LGBT Media - The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth, Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, Ash Hardell on YoutubeWE ALL RECOMMEND QUEER EYE

Get ready for our super sized Season One Talkin’ Chopp finale!  Triple threat comedian, actor and Director Evan Kaufmann (Your Love Our Musical, Dude to Dad) joins us to discuss OCC’s Tool (a.k.a. Snap-On) Bike. We finally DWELVE into Jr’s facial hair, discuss Orange County Fair attire and find out why motorcycles keep Evan, his wife and newborn son up at night. Forget Cody’s 16th Birthday, it’s time to start Talkin’ Chopp! #wait4whitney   Subscribe now and follow us on Twitter @TalkinChopp

OC Fair and Event Center CEO Kathy Kramer joins Brian on the City Square to talk about the upcoming annual Orange County Fair, which runs from July 14 to August 13.  But did you know there are events at the Fairgrounds year-round?  Heroes Hall, Centennial Farm, the Pacific Ampitheatre and so much more.  And did you know the Fairgrounds used to be a military air base?  Tune in to this week's show to learn more about Farm Fresh Fun at their year's fair.

Season 1, Episode 11 - Newport Beach Brewing Company brewmaster, Derek Bougie, joins us for a mouthwatering pucker-fest, featuring two great brews from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, and three sour homebrews from Derek himself. This week on Four Brewers, our friend and special guest, Derek Bougie is bringing his beer geek “A” game as well as his unique style of ball-busting. We start off with two great beers from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, out of Dexter, Michigan. The first beer is a collaboration with Maui Brewing Company called “Sobrehumano Palena ‘ole” (which means “superhuman” and “without limits”), a wild ale made with cherries and liliko’i fruits. Jolly Pumpkin, Maui Brewing, and Anchorage Brewing Collaborations The second beer is another collaboration ale, but this time between Jolly Pumpkin andAnchorage Brewing Co. called “Calabaza Boreal“, a saison style ale made with grapefruit peel, grapefruit juice and peppercorns. It almost comes off sort of like an IPA with it’s grapefruit character, and is an interesting and overall excellent brew. Feature: Homebrew – Derek Bougie’s Sours. Derek was kind enough to share three sour homebrews which were aged in a six gallon, medium-toast American Oak barrel. The first brew, named “La Vahine“, was originally and ale that was somewhere in the realm of a brown ale and a dubbel. It clocks in around 7%, and is at this point, a little under four years old. Beer number two is an 8.75% golden sour ale, appropriately named “Golden Sour“, bottled in August of 2009. We don’t really dwell on this brew a lot, as the show kind of goes off the rails while we discuss rap-rock, conservatives, and the Detroit music scene. Yeah…we apologize in advance. Derek Bougie’s Homebrewed Sours The final beer from Mr. Bougie is a 8.75% sour ale, aged in the same barrel as the previous two brews. This brew, “Funky Nuts“, was bottled six years ago, and was “Best in Show” winner at the 2008 Orange County Fair. Big thanks go out to Derek for sharing his tasty homebrew with us. If you’re ever in the Newport Beach area, make a stop at Newport Beach Brewing Co., and give Derek a high-five. Buy some beer and food while you’re there, too—it’s a great spot! If you didn’t hear already, we’re officially on Stitcher. See you next week! Drink some beer! Subscribe to the show:RSSiTunes – While you’re there, give a review of the podcast!Stitcher Thumb us up on Facebook:facebook.com/fourbrewers Follow us on Twitter:twitter.com/fourbrewersshow Got a question? Feedback? Email us:feedback at fourbrewers dot com. Help support Four Brewers!Donate via PayPal

Today’s episode is sponsored by Knit Dizzney 2014, hosted by us, the KnottyGirls Knitcast and Dizzy Blonde Studios. Knit Dizzney is set for September 7, 2014 at the Disneyland Resort. Yarn is still available! (T shirts and bags are sold out)! Get all the details at the Dizzy Blonde Studios blog. Catching Up: (0:42) Laura went to a wedding anniversary and saw a bunch of kids playing Doctor Who, which was cute. She's been watching Game of Thrones and Doctor Who. She updated her stash in Ravelry (finally). She's been getting ready for the Southern California fiber festival season, so lots of dyeing (this also applies to the Knit Dizzney yarn). She's also been setting up the Knit Dizzney pre-orders. We talk about Lilo and Stitch. Jen went to Six Flags to ride the Colossus roller coaster one more time before it closes. She saw Chef, which she really enjoyed. She's back to doing a bit of running. She also baked some delicious cookies for a bake sale to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She's been spinning up and plying the Knitpicks Full Circle Roving in the Fawn Colorway.  Then she's going to start on some Knitpicks Wool of Andes in Sapphire Heather (a blue ) and Amethyst Heather (purple).  She entered some stuff in the Orange County Fair and was the division winner for Handknit Clothing with her Safe at Home Cardigan and for Knit and Crochet Accessories with her Cactus Flower shawl. She's super surprised and happy. And she was cast in a play at South Coast Repertory. It's bilingual and she's really excited. In the Knitting Bag: (14:14) Laura is working on a slipped stitch hat for her other brother, out of Knitpicks Brava in Celestial Blue and Camel Heather. This is her own design. Jen is working on the blanket part of the Heirloom Layette Set by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence out of Cascade Heritage in Snow. She's also working on Ginny’s Cardigan by Mari Chiba from Unofficial Harry Potter Knits out of Wollmeise Pure in Chim Chim Chimney for Camp Loopy Month 2. The knitting is done, she just needs to weave in ends, graft the underarms and block it. She is also working on the Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos for the new baby out of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport out of teals and pinks and greys. She'll probably put that in the PAL KAL hosted by ACTually KNITting Podcast. And she worked a bit on her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Finished Objects: (18:02) Laura finished her Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell. Except it needs blocking. Devil's Tower: (19:23) Laura plans to cull her Devil's Tower and get rid of projects that are no longer of interest to her. Frog Pond: (21:12) Laura frogged two projects in 30 minutes. She had trouble with her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. She frogged the whole thing because she accidentally started working back and forth for a bit and hence had a big hole. And she had to frog her Knitted Scale Mail Gloves because she failed to read the pattern. She started working them in the round, but they are supposed to be knit flat. She figured out how to knit the scales in the round, but were turning out too small. And she re-started them, knitting in stockinette instead of garter stitch. On Deck: (27:52) Laura will be making a second pair of the knitted scale mail gloves for her stepgranddaughter, with a rainbow pattern. She also wants to make a Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde yarn as a booth sample, Ink by Hanna Maciejewska out of Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock. And she wants to make an Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK.  And she wants to make the Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin for her husband out of some yarn she dyed to match his dog, Sabre. Jen wants to make the Dump Truck Cardigan from 60 Quick Baby Knits for her nephew out of Knitpicks Stroll Sport, another Playful Stripes Cardigan for the new baby of indeterminate gender out of Cascade 220 SW Sport, the Baby Yours Sweater and she'll use the motif to also make a blanket and hat so there will be full a layette out of Cascade 220 SW Sport in Aran (a cream). She's making the Porcupine Blanket from 60 Quick Baby Knits out of Cascade 220 Superwash. She wants to make some other sweaters to get rid of some worsted weight acrylic she has: the Lace Edged Cardigan and the Colorblock Cardigan. And she will make the Beulah Cardigan for Camp Loopy Month 3 out of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Dried Rose. And she will be making the Bobble Bearded Beanie by Topsy Turvy, but it's crochet, so she's worried. Knit Culture: (36:09) We check in on our stashdown goals. Laura has knit and crocheted 2500 meters of 91000 meters totally. She revises her goal from 25% (which would be 23000 meters) to 10% (9500 meters), which is more achievable. Jen has more yarn yardwise in stash, but she has a lot of laceweight, which gets her a lot more yardage per skein. She had a goal of 20000 yards, she is at about 7000 yards knit. She is not going to change her goal, because she believes its achievable. We want to hear how you're doing with your goals. Let us know in the Stashdown Thread. We remind you of July's theme of music. August's theme is Dog Days, so make stuff inspired by your pets or other animals, for your pet to wear, spin up your cat's hair--it's up to you. We mention the Cattbutt coaster. We review Knits that Breathe: 12 Breezy Projects To Keep You Cool by Julie Turjoman. It retails for $18.95 for digital copy and $24.95 for a paper copy. We both really like it--it's put together in a lovely manner and the patterns are classic and pretty and would be work-appropriate and also age appropriate for women who are not older than their 20s and early 30s. There are a variety of sweater shapes, so there are options for many body types and there are a lot of flattering shapes. Geek Culture: (59:29) We talk about the new Thor, who is woman! We approve. We also point out this very funny Texts from Superheroes on the subject. Events: (1:06:52) KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014.  We will have a meetup at the picnic spiral (which is outside the gate so you don't have to go into Disneyland/pay for a ticket) at 1pm. We will have some prizes. We will be at Yarnosphere on October 4th and 5th at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be there for fun. And Jen and Laura will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat on October 11 in the La Quinta Inn in Tehachapi. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending. WeFF will be November 2nd, 2014 in Torrance. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished July projects in the thread!  Keep stashing down!

07/11/13 - The team discusses this week’s Disneyland news, including a special honor for a former Mouseketeer, plus Orange County Fair 2013, Grad Nite 2014 and how to be beautifully Disney.

Eileen Carey, one of California Country's most popular singer-songwriters, recently released the first single off her 4th CD, Let It Go, produced by Travis Allen Childress and recorded at Nashville Tracks; a pop-crossover remake of The Pretender's “Don't Get Me Wrong” that is destined for radio stardom. In 2012 Eileen Carey, the two-time Los Angeles Music Awards (Americana Album of the Year 2009 & the 2010 Los Angeles Music Awards "Producer's Choice - Dance Single of The Year") winner and South Bay (L.A.) Music Awards recipient, was named an Artist Ambassador for international beauty salon chain Supercuts, resulting in a hugely successful summer season of engagements (Venice Summerfest for the Make A Wish Foundation, Orange County Fair, Sawdust Arts Festival, LA County Fair) with her band and music director/guitarist John McDuffie, whom she shares with the legendary Rita Coolidge. Carey, a veteran actress with roles in Hoffa, Basic Instinct and the original Batman movie, joined the original “Uh-Huh Girls” supporting Ray Charles in a national Pepsi advertising campaign with a Super Bowl airing as well. She stops by on Saturday, January 12, at 5pm EST to chat about her latest release and what's next. 

Orange County Fair & Event Center (Costa Mesa, California)

Tani Tinuviel, the resident KUCI Middle-earth elf, and Milo Loamsdown, her hobbit co-host, discuss ways to have fun in the summer, especially in Orange County California. They talk about the Sawdust Arts Festival, the Orange County Fair, and how to have adventures on buses.

The guys chat about bribes, the Orange County Fair, and Chris's trip to Raleigh. Join the Watercooler Patreon - Patreon.com/watercooler Woof Woof! Host: Chris Laxamana ChrisLaxamana.com And if you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review with nothing but barks. Chris Laxamana: http://twitter.com/chrislaxamana Matt Fondiler: http://twitter.com/mattfondiler Gary Smith: http://twitter.com/gpatricksmith Mike Dawson: http://twitter.com/dawsangeles Caelan Biehn: http://twitter.com/caelanbiehn