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You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or check out the fully edited transcript of our interview at the bottom of this post.In this episode of The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, I interviewed Hayden Ahlbrandt, a certified Synergetic Play Therapist. Hayden shares some really helpful thoughts and strategies on both how we can prevent meltdowns and how best to support our child—and ourselves—once we find ourselves with a meltdown on our hands. We focus on connection, co-regulation, mindfulness, and creating safety.Know someone who might appreciate this episode? Share it with them!And if you love the podcast, FREE ways to help us out:1- Rate and review the podcast in your podcast player app2- “Like” this post by tapping the heart icon ♥️3- Share this with a friend. THANK YOU!We talk about:* 00:00 – Sarah introduces Hayden Ahlbrandt, certified Synergetic Play Therapist. Overview of meltdowns, regulation, and co-regulation* 05:25 – Viewing behavior through a nervous system lens* 10:30 – Understanding Meltdowns Through the “Pop Bottle” Analogy* 12:00 – Why some days kids can handle more than others* 1:00 – “Regulation Is Connection to Self” - Helping kids discover what naturally regulates them* 20:00 – Why Regulation Tools Need to be Practiced Outside Meltdowns* 22:00 – Preventing Meltdowns* 24:00 – The Three Rs: Regulate, Relate, Reason* 30:00 – Mindfulness and Co-Regulation* 32:30 – The Parent's Nervous System* 36:00 – Aggression During Meltdowns* 38:30 – Making the Environment Feel Safer* 42:00 – Parenting Advice Hayden Wishes He'd Known EarlierResources mentioned in this episode:* Hayden's website * Hayden's IG @lowtideplaytherapist* Synergetic Play Therapy Institute* Yoto Screen Free Audio Book Player* The Peaceful Parenting Membership* Evelyn & Bobbie brasConnect with Sarah Rosensweet:* Instagram* Facebook Group* YouTube* Website* Join us on Substack* Newsletter* Book a short consult or coaching session callxx Sarah and CoreyYour peaceful parenting team- click here for a free short consult or a coaching sessionVisit our website for free resources, podcast, coaching, membership and more!>> Please support us!!! Please consider becoming a supporter to help support our free content, including The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, our free parenting support Facebook group, and our weekly parenting emails, “Weekend Reflections” and “Weekend Support” - plus our Flourish With Your Complex Child Summit (coming back in the fall for the 3rd year!) All of this free support for you takes a lot of time and energy from me and my team. If it has been helpful or meaningful for you, your support would help us to continue to provide support for free, for you and for others.In addition to knowing you are supporting our mission to support parents and children, you get the podcast ad free and access to a monthly ‘ask me anything' session.Our sponsors:YOTO: YOTO is a screen free audio book player that lets your kids listen to audiobooks, music, podcasts and more without screens, and without being connected to the internet. No one listening or watching and they can't go where you don't want them to go and they aren't watching screens. BUT they are being entertained or kept company with audio that you can buy from YOTO or create yourself on one of their blank cards. Check them out HEREEvelyn & Bobbie bras: If underwires make you want to rip your bra off by noon, Evelyn & Bobbie is for you. These bras are wire-free, ultra-soft, and seriously supportive—designed to hold you comfortably all day without pinching, poking, or constant adjusting. Check them out HERESarah: Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Peaceful Parenting Podcast.Today's guest is Hayden Ahlbrandt. Hayden is a certified Synergetic Play Therapist who lights up at any opportunity to teach, educate, and support adults in how they can best support the children in their lives.He specializes in meltdowns, and that's what we're going to be talking about today. Hayden shares some really helpful thoughts and strategies on both how we can prevent meltdowns and how best to support our child—and ourselves—once we find ourselves with a meltdown on our hands.I think you're going to find this episode really useful, no matter how old your child is. One thing I really appreciate is that Hayden sees meltdowns through the lens of the nervous system and in terms of regulation, dysregulation, and co-regulation.I'm definitely going to be thinking about a phrase he shared: “Regulation is connection to self.”If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. Word of mouth is the best way to get more eyes and ears on the podcast.If you're a fan of the podcast, you can help us out not only by sharing it, but by leaving a review and a five-star rating in your podcast player app. While you're there, don't forget to follow the show so you don't miss an episode.If you'd like to support us even more, you can become a supporter on Substack to help us offset the cost of making the show.You can also check out our sponsors: Yoto Audio Players for Kids, a screen-free alternative that makes listening, learning, and entertainment easy with no screens, and Evelyn & Bobbie Bras, the most comfortable and flattering bra I've ever worn.Links are in the show notes.Okay, let's meet Hayden.Sarah: Hi, Hayden. Welcome to the podcast.Hayden: Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here.Sarah: Yeah, I'm excited to have you. I found you on Instagram, and I love all the reels that you make. I love your energy and how you show up for parents so they can show up for their kids. So I'm really glad to have you on the podcast.Hayden: I appreciate that.Sarah: Tell us about who you are and what you do.Hayden: Yeah. Well, obviously, my name's Hayden.I'm a certified Synergetic Play Therapist, and I have my own play therapy practice. Like you mentioned, my Instagram has become something I've had a lot of fun doing. It's really given me an avenue to work with adults and support them in how we support kids.So I kind of have a two-pronged approach right now. I work with kids in my play therapy practice, but I also do a lot of speaking, presenting, workshops, and that kind of thing—giving parents the tools from the training I have so they can better support kids.My specialization has really become focused on big behaviors and meltdowns. I also work with a lot of anxiety.So that's the quick elevator speech.Sarah: Yeah, it makes sense because you have the kids for maybe an hour a week—or whatever your typical amount is—but then they're off with their parents for all of the rest of the days and hours of the week.If parents don't know how to support them during that time, it probably makes your job not work as well, right?Hayden: Yeah, definitely.I always explain it as wraparound support. I think we can do so much in our time together and in our work during sessions, but things are just going to move so much quicker when parents are involved.Ultimately, that's how I view my work as a play therapist. We're not trying to make drastic changes or fix things. We're trying to help the child feel better because, typically, when they're coming in, it's because something in their world feels really big, really hard, or really challenging, and that's coming out as behaviors.Sarah: Right.Hayden: I kind of view it that way. We're trying to help the child feel better, which is going to help the whole family system feel better.Typically, with the kinds of things I mentioned—if a child is having really big, intense meltdowns that are above and beyond what's developmentally appropriate—it can be really hard on the entire family system: siblings, parents, whoever it might be.I talk about it as creating as much wraparound support as possible because it's going to help the child work through whatever feels clogged for them in that moment.Sarah: What's a Synergetic Play Therapist?Hayden: Yeah. Synergetic Play Therapy is a modality, an approach—a specific type of play therapy.The way I typically explain it is that we're really working through the lens of nervous system regulation.That's one of the core tenets of Synergetic Play Therapy: viewing the behaviors we're seeing as symptoms of nervous system activation.So when we're talking about anxiety, meltdowns, or big behaviors, we're viewing those as symptoms that the nervous system is activating.Sarah: Yeah, that's really aligned with the work that I do, too, teaching parents about their kids' big behaviors.You mentioned before we started recording that your oldest child is six. Were you a play therapist before you had kids?Hayden: Yes, briefly.I actually started out in schools. I was working as an elementary school counselor when I finished my graduate program in counseling.The opportunity to explore Synergetic Play Therapy kind of fell into my lap while I was doing that.There's now something called the Synergetic Education Institute, and their whole approach is bringing neuroscience and nervous system understanding into school settings.We were one of what I would call the pilot programs for that. As they were figuring out what worked, what didn't work, and how they wanted to implement it, we started bringing these ideas into our school setting to change the school culture and ask, “How do we support the behaviors we're seeing?”In my school counseling role, I was given the opportunity to start learning more about this.As I did, I thought, This is magic. I love doing this.Sarah: That's so cool.Hayden: Talk about fate.So it was one of those things where I liked working in schools, but doing this in a private practice setting and working one-on-one with a child felt like what I was meant to do.I just loved it.I still enjoy the adult piece. I mentioned that earlier. I like supporting educators, and that's something I bring into my Instagram content sometimes—helping classroom teachers think about how to bring these ideas into the school setting.Ultimately, though, I found that I really enjoy being in the role of working one-on-one with the child.That's what my school opportunity allowed me to do, and it's how I got to where I am now and what I feel I specialize in.I was being called in to support behaviors, so I really learned how to implement this one-on-one while supporting a child.I always say I have the utmost admiration for teachers who are trying to learn this, do this, and implement this with 25 or 30 kids in a classroom.Sarah: Seriously.Hayden: That is a whole different beast than sitting one-on-one with a child and co-regulating.Sarah: It's so needed, though.I find, through the clients I work with, that when kids are having trouble at school, most teachers and administrators are not very aware of the nervous system and how that factors into behavior.So it's great that there are people out there trying to bring that understanding into schools.Just as an aside, do you have any resources for parents who are listening and want their school to be more nervous-system informed? Do you have any resources we could share in the show notes?Hayden: Yeah.My free resources page has some templates and tools that start creating that understanding.Honestly, I think my Instagram is a great place to start because what I try to do there is take these big topics and make them really simple. We're trying to fit them into one-minute videos, so my goal is to give people a little bit of the understanding in a really accessible way.Another resource is the Synergetic Education Institute.Sarah: Great.Hayden: That's their entire focus: bringing this into districts and schools. I'm always happy to share them as a resource because that's exactly what they're doing.Sarah: Perfect. We'll share those in the show notes.Okay, so you've mentioned meltdowns a couple of times and that a lot of your work centers around helping parents and kids when meltdowns and big behaviors are an issue. One of the reels I saw when I was preparing for this interview was the one where you were using the pop bottle analogy. And I think some people may have heard about that, but maybe you could explain the pop bottle analogy and how that relates to meltdowns.Then we'll talk about what we can do preventively. What I always say to parents is that when you have meltdowns, there's what you do in the moment, but there's also everything that was leading up to the moment.You can be preventative about meltdowns, and sometimes that really helps a lot. Other times, you try, but you still find yourself in that meltdown space.What I'd like to get from you today is both the preventative piece and the in-the-moment piece.But back to the pop bottle. Maybe you could explain that analogy and then talk about how it factors into thinking about prevention.Hayden: Yeah, definitely.The one you're referring to, I've previously explained to families I work with as almost like a pressure gauge.Things are building and building, and the pop bottle came to mind because if you're shaking up a bottle of pop and you open it all at once, it's going to explode everywhere.The picture I was trying to create is: can we open it a little bit and close it, then open it a little bit and close it? Can we let a little bit of steam off throughout the course of the day?Going back to the pressure gauge analogy, how do we let a little bit off so it's not ready to explode at any given moment?That's how I think about the preventative side. How do we bring in little bits of regulation throughout the day so we can let off some of that steam?I think there are a couple of ideas that help this make sense. One is the concept of the window of tolerance. The window of tolerance is basically how much stress your nervous system can tolerate before you become dysregulated.It's that same idea: as the pressure builds, that window gets smaller and smaller.Sarah: And if I could just jump in, bringing that back to the pop bottle analogy: if you imagine your child as a bottle of pop, some kids can take 25 shakes of the bottle and not have much pressure build up, while other kids might only take one or two shakes before the pressure starts building.That's the window of tolerance, right? How many stressors can your nervous system deal with before you move outside that window of tolerance?Hayden: Exactly. And the thing I always add when I'm talking to people about this is that our window of tolerance is not static. Some days I might be able to handle 20 shakes. Other days it might be one or two. It's going to depend on things like whether I'm hungry. We've all heard the term hangry, right? You're quicker to frustration if your body is hungry. Or tired. Having little kids, right? The nights I sleep less—Sarah: Yeah.Hayden: —I'm just easier to frustrate.Sarah: Totally.Hayden: So it's this idea that it's not static. It's not like your child operates at one fixed level.They may have a general baseline, but there are things that will widen or narrow that window. Maybe I did something today that I'm really proud of, and that widens my window. I can take on a little bit more because I'm feeling good about myself.Or maybe I skipped breakfast and I'm a little hangry, so I'm quicker to frustration. It's both-and.The other piece I was going to tie in here is the way I've come to think about regulation, which really comes from my training in Synergetic Play Therapy. Lisa Dion, who created this modality, explains regulation as connection to self.The way I like to explain that is this: In adult language, we've all heard people say, “I was so mad I blacked out,” or, “I was so mad I was seeing red.”The idea is that the emotion overwhelmed you and you kind of disconnected from yourself.When we think about regulation, it's not just take a deep breath. Sometimes that might be what I need in the moment, but sometimes it isn't what helps me come back to myself when things feel really big or overwhelming.One of the things I like to do when I'm working with families is figure out how their child naturally regulates already. Do they like proprioceptive input? Do they like deep pressure? Do they like to jump and crash into things?Sarah: Can you explain proprioceptive input?Hayden: Yeah. Really, it's our sensory system's way of figuring out where our body is in space. The examples I just mentioned are ways kids get proprioceptive input. That deep pressure gives the sensation of, My body is right here. Jumping and crashing into things does the same thing.A lot of times, parents describe their kids as being like a bull in a china shop. They're bumping into things and seem to have a hard time figuring out where their body is in space. Whenever I talk about this, I always say that my understanding of it really comes more from the occupational therapy world. I know enough to talk about it, but it's not my primary area of expertise.What I focus on is asking: if we see that's the way our child regulates, how do we intentionally bring more of it in? For adults, when I think about regulating myself, sometimes I feel like I need to give myself a little massage, or rub my head, or apply some pressure. We all do that thing where we go, ugh, or rub our hands against our cheeks when we're overwhelmed.That's proprioceptive input. Sometimes that kind of input is really regulating.Other examples might be movement or heavy work—pushing and pulling activities. If we see our kids doing some of these things instinctively or intuitively, how do we meet that and bring it into those moments so it becomes a regulatory tool? All of that comes back to the idea that if we can give children little bits of regulation throughout the course of the day, it's not a magic fix, but it lets a little steam out of the pop bottle.The goal is to create more capacity and help widen that window of tolerance so they aren't right on the edge of exploding all the time. I always like to add that caveat: it's not the magic fix.Doing these things doesn't mean there will never be another meltdown. What I really try to teach adults is: how do we help children have these experiences and learn how to do these things? Because what we're really doing is laying the groundwork for them to eventually be able to do these things on their own.Above all else, I don't want parents to think they're failing if their child is still having meltdowns. It doesn't mean it's not working. We're helping them discover what helps them in those moments so they build templates they can keep returning to over and over again.Sarah: What are some other things that parents might notice their kids do that, after listening to this conversation, they might think, Ah, that's my child instinctively knowing what regulates them?I'm thinking of my nine-year-old niece. She finds jumping very regulating, so she uses a trampoline and jump rope. My sister eventually realized, “Oh, she seems a lot calmer after she's been doing those things.”What are some other things parents might notice that are instinctively regulating?Hayden: Going back to the idea that regulation is connection to self, I've come to talk about it as something that can almost be anything.What do you notice your child doing that seems to genuinely help them? The examples you mentioned are great ones. Jumping. Spinning. Those are common.As you were talking, I was thinking back to a training I did with Lisa Dion.She talked about these umbrella categories—not necessarily saying they are regulation, but that they can help us generate ideas. One category was stillness. Like you mentioned: lying down, being quiet, reading a book.Another category was movement, which is the opposite end of the spectrum—jumping, spinning, stomping. Then there's the proprioceptive input we talked about before: deep pressure, giving yourself a massage.And the last one was breath. Breathwork can absolutely be a fantastic tool.But I think we often get sucked into this idea that here's a regulation strategy—use it and it'll help.Sarah: Right.Hayden: But when we think about our own experience, I think we often approach it from the mindset of, Here's a strategy to give my kid, and they'll use it and feel better. I think about my own experience. Through this work, I've realized how anxious I was as a kid, so working on my anxiety has been a long process for me. And when I'm feeling anxious, doing a breathing exercise for 10 seconds doesn't make the anxiety disappear. It might not be what I need in that moment. I might need to get up and burn some energy. I might need to go for a run.The real question is: what do I need in that moment to help move that energy and help me come back to myself?Sarah: Right. And as you point out, if regulation is connection to self, it's different for everybody. I think you're right that the thing parents hear most often is, “Just take a deep breath.” There are all these strategies—pretend you're blowing on hot chocolate and all of that. Maybe that works for some kids, but for other kids it won't help at all.Hayden: Definitely. And to build on that, before I learned a lot of this—and what I hear from parents all the time—is: “My kid won't do any of these strategies.”Even if we have a toolbox and say, “Here's 20 ideas, let's figure out which one works,” their child won't do any of them in the moment. Because they're dysregulated.Absolutely. You're right that Part 3 drifted back into a transcript layout with too many short paragraphs.Here's the same section in the publishing-ready style you've asked for: bold speaker names, no content removed, no summarizing, but with natural paragraphs and cleaner flow.Sarah: Yeah.Hayden: And I think we can get into all the science-y reasons why that makes sense, but the bigger picture is this: what I try to do on my Instagram is ask, How can we make this fun and playful? How can we make it something kids actually want to do?You mentioned things like blowing on hot chocolate. One of the things I really try to do is help people build a toolbox of ways to make regulation fun and playful. Thinking about our own adult experience, if I'm frustrated and my partner comes in and tells me, “Calm down,” or, “Take a deep breath,” my response is probably going to be, “Absolutely not.” It just makes me more frustrated.So how do we make it a fun and playful invitation rather than saying, “I'm telling you to do this because I'm noticing you're upset”?Some of those breathing activities can become games. One of the things I talk about is practicing these things in regulated moments so that when your child is dysregulated and you bring them in, they think, Oh, I know what's happening. We play this all the time.Again, none of this means it's going to work every single time, but it gives us—Sarah: I just want to highlight what you said because I think it's really important. If you're only using these strategies when your child is dysregulated, they're going to develop a negative association with them. Partly, I think they'll feel manipulated. They'll think, Oh, my parent is just trying to get me to calm down.And they'll be resistant because they associate those strategies with negative feelings and experiences. So I love that you're saying to do these regulating things at other times too and make them positive experiences that you can draw on later rather than just tools you pull out to end a meltdown.Hayden: Definitely.And just to tie in some of the science behind it, when we think about this from a nervous system lens, dysregulation is our body sounding the alarm bells and saying, There's something happening here that requires activation.When we're talking about meltdowns, that's typically the nervous system escalating into a fight-or-flight response. If we think about fight-or-flight biologically, its primary goal is to keep us alive. That's why we move into that state.So if we're trying to get our child to do anything in that moment, it makes sense that we'd get an immediate response of, I'm not trusting anything right now because my goal is survival.Sarah: Mm-hmm.Hayden: When we practice these things during regulated moments—when they're not in those big emotional states—it becomes familiar. It's not, I've never tried that before. I don't know if it'll work. It's, Oh, we do that all the time. That's fun. That's familiar. I know that.Again, it doesn't mean they're necessarily going to jump right into it, but it gives us a much better chance than saying, “Hey, here's this thing we've never done before. I know your body is biologically trying to stay alive right now, but trust me and try it.”Because the biological response would be, “Absolutely not.”Sarah: Right. That makes sense.We've drifted a little into what to do in the moment of a meltdown, which is great, but is there anything else you wanted to add about prevention? You mentioned making sure resources are high—things like hunger, tiredness, and those sorts of factors. You talked about opening the pressure valve throughout the day with regulating activities.Is there anything else you've noticed that helps when a child is having a lot of meltdowns?Hayden: Yeah. I think those are some of the biggest things.My whole approach is rooted in connection as well. A lot of times, parents tell me that sometimes they can catch it—they can see the signs that a meltdown is coming—and other times it feels like things go from zero to 100.If we're able to notice those signs that things are building, that our child seems more on edge or more hypervigilant, that becomes a great time to bring in some of these strategies. But tying it back to what we've already talked about, I want to do that from a place of connection.It's, Hey, I'm right here with you. Let's do this together.Not, Here's a strategy. Go do it by yourself.Because connection itself is incredibly regulating.Sarah: So the whole co-regulation piece.Hayden: Exactly. It's kind of a both-and situation. We can use connection before the meltdown, and we can use it as we're moving into one.I wanted to bring that in because connection itself can be a regulatory tool. And it also ties into your next question.Sarah: What about empathy? You were talking a lot about connection, and to me they go hand in hand. Do you find yourself talking about empathy very much with parents?Hayden: Yes. Typically, we talk about it more in the moment, although it fits into both areas.One of the reasons we focus on it during the moment is because I teach parents about Bruce Perry's Three Rs: Regulate, Relate, Reason.I really like this framework because it helps us understand where a child is in their brain and how we should meet them there.If they're operating from their brainstem—the lowest, survival-oriented part of the brain—we meet them with regulation.Sarah: That's the fight-or-flight part.Hayden: Typically, yes.Then the next level up is the limbic system, which is our emotional control center.Sarah: Mm-hmm.Hayden: There we meet them through relating, or what parents often hear called validation.Then, when they're operating from the cortex—the highest part of the brain—we can reason with them.The reason I'm bringing this up is that empathy really lives in that relating stage. That's where we're saying, I'm in this with you. This feels frustrating. This feels overwhelming. This feels scary.That's where empathy naturally fits.So if I'm noticing my child starting to become emotional and I sense that we're moving toward a bigger meltdown, that's a great opportunity to step into that relating and validating stage and connect empathetically.Sarah: Okay, nice. So reason is when they're not really losing it yet? That's when we might explain why they can't climb the bookshelf or something like that?Hayden: Right. Reasoning is when they're logical and rational.Sarah: Thinking clearly.Hayden: Exactly.That's when logical conversations make sense.One question I get a lot is, “How do I know where my child is?” And the truth is, you probably don't always know. It's a bit of feeling out the situation.You might notice that you're trying to be logical and rational, but it's not landing. That's your clue.Sarah: Right.Hayden: At that point, we drop down a level and try validating or relating. Or maybe we're supporting a big meltdown and we're regulating, and then we try saying, I get it. This feels really frustrating, and it only gets bigger.Okay, that didn't land. Let's drop back down and spend more time regulating.Sarah: Right.Hayden: It's an ebb and flow. We're trying things and seeing what works.Sarah: I love that framework. It's really helpful to think about what to do when something isn't landing.I saw you talking about that on Instagram, and it reminded me of Larry Cohen's work. In The Opposite of Worry, he says that if reassurance doesn't work within 20 seconds, it's not going to work. When a child is anxious, they're not operating from the reasoning part of their brain.And I think the same thing probably applies here. If your child is moving into a meltdown and your explanation doesn't work within 20 seconds, it's probably not going to work.Hayden: Definitely. You can talk until you're blue in the face, but if it's not landing, it's not suddenly going to start landing.And it gives us the opposite lesson too. When we're supporting a meltdown, we so often want to fix it. We want to move right into being logical and rational. Or sometimes we jump to consequences. We're giving consequences in the middle of the meltdown.None of that is going to land.Working in schools, I saw this all the time. “You'll have to finish your homework at home,” or taking away recess. The child doesn't care because they're not operating from the part of the brain that cares about those things in that moment.Sarah: Mm-hmm.Hayden: All of those conversations—making amends, talking about what happened, figuring out solutions—can absolutely happen. But they need to happen when the brain is ready for them.Sarah: Right. Not during the meltdown.Hayden: Exactly.Sarah: What else do you want parents to know about those meltdown moments?Hayden: My approach is very co-regulatory. The Three Rs are a great foundation because they help us understand that first step of regulation, then relating, then reasoning.There are lots of things we can do within that framework.One thing I hear from parents all the time is, “So am I just supposed to sit here with my child for an hour while they melt down? I can only keep my cool for so long.”And my response is: I totally get that. That's valid.Co-regulation doesn't mean sitting there forever doing nothing. Yes, a big part of our goal is allowing them to have their emotional experience rather than shutting it down. But another big part of our goal is teaching them how to regulate when things feel overwhelming.So I like to bring in little invitations. They're probably not going to do exactly what I tell them to do, but I can offer invitations back to themselves.One of my favorite ways to do that is mindfulness.And when I say mindfulness, I don't necessarily mean trying to get my child to do something. Instead, I'm having a mindful experience myself and offering it as a gentle invitation.For example, if we're sitting together and I'm regulating myself, I might say, “Oh, there's a squirrel in the tree outside.”It's just an observation. I'm not telling them they have to look.But as they start moving up through the brain and through that Three Rs framework, sometimes they'll suddenly say, “Oh, I want to see the squirrel.”Or I might notice, “The air from the fan feels cool on my face.”It's just an observation. I'm not directing them. I'm simply staying present and offering little invitations back into the present moment.Sometimes they don't care. Sometimes it even escalates them. But I'm making those observations for myself first.As I'm keeping myself regulated, I'm giving them opportunities to join me in the present moment.Going back to regulation as connection to self, they're disconnected from themselves in those moments. They're overwhelmed by emotion.So the goal of mindfulness is to gently invite them back into the present moment with me. If you're in the present moment, you're here. You're noticing what's around you.That's why I like to bring mindfulness into these conversations. Because no, you don't have to sit there doing nothing while waiting for it to end. There are things we can do to help bring our children back to the present moment.First, by keeping ourselves regulated. If I'm staying mindful and present, it keeps me from losing myself.Second, it teaches them what it looks like to come back when things feel overwhelming.Sarah: That makes a lot of sense.What do you find gets in the way of parents being able to do that? Are there common stories they're telling themselves? Fears they have?In my work, I hear things like, If they're like this at five, what are they going to be like at fifteen? Or, Nobody else's kid acts like this.Things like that.Hayden: Absolutely.My answer to both of those is usually the same: our own dysregulation.I talk about this from the theoretical soapbox of Here's the ideal model. But I tell every family I work with: this is the water I swim in every day, and I still don't get it right every time.I'm a human being. I have my own activation.When I hear examples like the ones you mentioned, those are usually signs of dysregulation. If my mind is spiraling into the future, that's a clue that I'm no longer present. I'm worried about something else.So none of this is to say that staying regulated is easy. It's completely natural to become dysregulated when we're around dysregulation.At the same time, the more we practice it, the easier it becomes. It's like yoga. The more we practice, the more accessible it gets.I think one of the biggest challenges is the guilt and shame parents feel. They think, But I get dysregulated. And my response is: that's okay.When we're supporting a meltdown, it might look like staying regulated the whole time. But more often, it looks like a dance. I regulate. I notice I'm getting dysregulated. I come back to myself. Then I regulate again.That cycle happens throughout the experience. It doesn't mean you have to stay perfectly regulated from beginning to end. And honestly, there's benefit in both versions. If I stay regulated, I'm creating a calm space. But if I become dysregulated and then regulate myself again, I'm also modeling something really powerful.I'm showing my child:“I disconnected, and now I'm back.”“I disconnected, and now I'm back.”We so often think we have to teach children by telling them what to do. But there is tremendous power in modeling it. Simply showing them what regulation looks like when things feel really big and overwhelming is teaching them.Here's Part 4 cleaned up in the same publishing-ready style as the revised Part 3: all content preserved, no summarizing, no omissions, bold speaker names, and natural paragraphs rather than one-line transcript formatting.Sarah: Options.Hayden: It might not be that they turn around and do these things immediately, but we are showing them, “Look, I'm right here with you. I get overwhelmed. I get dysregulated.”And one last thought within that: so often I hear this from the kids I work with—“Nobody else is like this. I'm the only one who feels this way. I'm the only one who gets so overwhelmed by my anger.”Sarah: Aw.Hayden: So I think there's so much normalization in naming our own experience. Maybe it's naming our own experience, but maybe it's even just showing them: “Ah, I got really frustrated, and now I'm coming back and regulating myself. I'm making repair. I'm taking accountability for it.”All of those pieces matter. There's power in all of them, I think, and that's something I hope I get across to the families I work with. I think there's often this guilt or shame of, “I'm not doing a good job at this.”And it's like, there's value in all of these things when you can bring some intentionality to them.Sarah: I love that.I'm kind of springing this on you, and I don't know if I've seen you talk about this specifically in your reels, but do you have any specific strategies for aggression that comes with a meltdown?Hayden: Yeah.I think the thing that's really tricky with aggression is that, especially when we're talking on social media, I'm not there. I don't know your kid. So it's really hard for me to tell you exactly how to support them in the moment.I always start with a very generic statement: we have to create safety first.I can't tell you exactly what that's going to look like because every situation is different. But you have to make sure you're safe, your child is safe, their siblings are safe, their friends are safe—whoever is around needs to be safe.We have to create physical safety first and foremost.Then, from there, I think it's helpful to understand that the fight-or-flight response is what's happening. It would make sense that we've reached a level where things have gotten so big that the child is now fighting. That's the response that's happening.In that moment, we're really trying to communicate, “This isn't warranted right now. You don't need to be in a fight response.”The ways we do that include the co-regulation we've already talked about, but also being very aware of how we're presenting ourselves.How are we appearing? Are we cornering them? Are we standing high above them? Can we get down to their level?Those subtle things can send the message: “Everything is activated. The alarm bells are going off. There's this thing hovering over me. I'm cornered in my room, so I have to fight my way out.”Can we bring just a little bit of awareness to those dynamics, as best we're able, once we've created safety?Some of those pieces can be really difficult because we're trying to keep our kids safe. We may need to be in their personal space to prevent them from hurting themselves.But once we get to a place where they're no longer actively hurting themselves, can we begin sending signals that—Sarah: That they're safe and that you're not a threat.Hayden: Exactly.And it's not even necessarily that you are the threat. It's more about asking, What can we do to help simmer things down a little bit?One of the other things that comes to mind is talking less and keeping things really simple.If they're in that level of activation, it's not the time to reason. It's probably not the time to talk about how frustrating the situation is for them.Sarah: Right.Hayden: It might simply be:“I'm right here.”Sarah: Yeah.Hayden: “I'm right here.”Just a steady presence. Keeping it calm, quiet, and simple.“You are safe.”Really short, simple phrases.I think another idea that comes to mind is thinking about the activation in the body. When we're talking about nervous system activation and fight or flight, things are escalating. Things are speeding up. That energy is getting big.It makes sense that it's coming out through the extremities—through hitting, kicking, biting, screaming. The energy is trying to get out of the body.So if our child is hitting, can we find a way for them to move that energy through their hands?Maybe I have a pillow and I'm letting them push against it.Again, this has to be balanced with safety. I can't tell every parent, “This is what you should do every time.” But with some children—especially smaller children—if their arms are flying around, I might be able to create a situation where they can push against a pillow.If they're kicking and their legs are flailing, can we do something similar where their feet are pushing against something?We're giving some proprioceptive input while simultaneously allowing the energy to move through the part of the body that's already showing us where that energy wants to go.Sarah: That makes sense.When you were talking about creating safety through your physical presence when someone's having a meltdown, I was reminded of something.It's funny—I don't know if you find this in your work—but sometimes I use an analogy or example for years and then kind of forget about it.I was reminded that I used to talk to parents about pretending they'd just come across a wild dog that was acting aggressively. I'd ask them, “What would you do to get past this wild dog?”They're always saying things like, “Well, I'd talk softly. I'd get lower. I'd...”Instinctively, we all seem to have a sense of how to demonstrate to another creature that we're not a threat.And then I'd say, “Okay. Do that with your kid. Do that with your kid.”What you were saying reminded me of that.Hayden: Absolutely.I think that visual of a cornered animal is a really powerful one because it makes sense.As you were talking, I was thinking about a book by Dr. Stuart Brown about play. One of the things he talked about was how animals have this moment of uncertainty when they encounter each other.It's almost like they're asking, “Are you a threat or not?”If two dogs are approaching each other, there's this moment where they're feeling each other out. We don't know which direction it's going to go until they determine things are okay. Then their tails start wagging, and they begin jumping around and playing.But first there's that period of interaction where they're assessing the situation.Sarah: Mm-hmm.Hayden: That's the idea we're talking about here.One of the things I discuss is using playfulness as a strategy to support regulation—even sometimes during meltdowns. This is a little different from the aggression question, but it connects.If I come in trying to be playful when a child's brain is trying to figure out what's happening, they may think, “Wait, what is going on? I don't understand this.”It can almost feel like an uncertain threat.Sarah: Or, “Are they making fun of me?”Hayden: Exactly.And so it's the same principle we've been talking about throughout this conversation.We're trying to lay a foundation. When I talk about co-regulation, we're really trying to co-regulate the environment.It's not necessarily about getting our child to do something. It's about decreasing the intensity of the environment.Whether we're talking about aggression or anything else, can we be intentional about helping the environment feel a little less intense?Can we help our child feel safe enough to move out of that fight-or-flight state?Sarah: Fantastic. This has been so helpful, Hayden.Before I let you go, there's one question I ask all my guests. If you could go back in time—and for you it's not that far back because your kids are still little—and tell your younger parent self something, what advice would you give yourself?Hayden: I think—and this may be a controversial one—but I would tell myself to take myself less seriously.There are so many stressors. There are so many things we think we have to do. We have to be on time. We have to present ourselves a certain way. We have to manage all these responsibilities.Just have some fun.Take yourself a little less seriously and bring in more silliness, fun, and playfulness.That's something I really try to communicate now. It's why I bring playful strategies into my work.When I think about the beginning of parenthood and how overwhelming it was—having little kids, trying to balance everything, coming out of COVID when everything felt weird—I wish I had remembered to enjoy it more.And that's not to say it's always fun, enjoyable, or easy.But it also doesn't need to feel stressful all the time.Sarah: I got you.And if that's controversial, it shouldn't be.It reminds me of when I worked in early childhood education before I had kids. I used to go home and say to my husband, “Oh my God, parents are crazy.”I shouldn't use ableist language, but I didn't know another way to describe it at the time. I couldn't understand how parents could get so upset about things.Then I became a parent and thought, “Oh my gosh, I totally get it.”But it's that reminder that things aren't all-or-nothing.When I look back now—and I'm in a very different stage of parenting—I think about things that felt like a huge deal when my kids were little. Things I worried about endlessly.And now I think, “I wish I hadn't taken that so seriously.”I wish I could have remembered that they were all eventually going to sleep through the night.Hayden: Mm-hmm.My partner has brought in this language that I really love:“You are more important than whatever.”Sarah: Mm-hmm.Hayden: So, “You are more important than us being on time to this event.”Or, “You are more important than the glass of milk that got knocked over.”Sarah: That's beautiful.Hayden: It's just a reframe.Yes, that thing happened. But you are more important than that thing.Sarah: That's beautiful. I love that.Hayden: Yeah.Sarah: We'll put links in the show notes, but if you want to give a shout-out to your Instagram account, it sounds like that's probably the best place for people to learn more about you and what you do.Hayden: Yeah, I think that's a great place to start because it gives people a little more of what I do.My Instagram is Low Tide Play Therapist, and that's probably the best landing spot.Then the more business-focused side is lowtidecoaching.com.Sarah: Great.What's the story behind Low Tide?Hayden: It's actually how I named my play therapy practice.At the time, we were living in Wilmington, North Carolina. We only had one child, and I was wrestling with what I wanted to call the practice.Our child was very young, and suddenly the ocean felt a little intimidating. That was a new experience for me because it hadn't felt that way before.One day we went to the beach during low tide. There were little tide pools everywhere, and it felt very safe and non-threatening.And ultimately, I think that's what play is.It's a space where we can explore things that feel big, challenging, or overwhelming in an environment where there aren't huge stakes attached to them.As I watched my child playing in those tide pools—with no giant waves, no threat—I thought:“That's it. That's the name.”Low Tide Play Therapy.Sarah: I'm glad I asked because that's a great story.Hayden: Yeah.Sarah: Well, thank you so much.Hayden: Thank you. I appreciate it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sarahrosensweet.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone, I'm Dustin Breeze, your AI meteorologist bringing you real-time forecasts with zero human bias and maximum enthusiasm! So here's what's happening in the greatest city on Earth today. We're looking at absolutely gorgeous conditions right now, folks. Sunny skies, a high near 79 Fahrenheit, with just a gentle southwest breeze at three to eight miles per hour. Tonight stays pleasant with partly cloudy skies, lows around 66, and that southwest wind continuing at five to seven miles per hour. Basically, it's the kind of day where even New Yorkers might crack a smile. I'd say the forecast is looking absolutely rad-iant today! Moving into Friday, we're cranking things up a notch. Mostly sunny with highs climbing to 86 Fahrenheit. Light west winds becoming southwest at five to ten miles per hour in the afternoon. Friday night stays mild, partly cloudy, lows around 70. Saturday keeps this beautiful trend rolling with mostly sunny skies and highs near 88 Fahrenheit. Southwest winds pick up to nine to sixteen miles per hour, so it's breezy but still fantastic. Now here's where things get interesting. Saturday night, we're looking at a 40 percent chance of showers moving in. Sunday is when the real action starts, my friends. Showers likely with possibly a thunderstorm after 2 in the afternoon. Highs around 82 with a 60 percent chance of precipitation. Sunday night continues the shower chances before 8 in the evening with another 60 percent chance of precipitation, lows around 64. But don't worry, by Monday we're back to mostly sunny skies with highs near 75 Fahrenheit. Let's talk about your Weather Playbook moment. Ever wonder why we use the word "partly cloudy" versus "partly sunny"? It's not just semantics, folks. These terms actually describe different atmospheric conditions. Partly cloudy means clouds cover between 25 to 50 percent of the sky, while partly sunny is typically three-eighths to five-eighths cloud cover. Meteorologists use specific terminology because the amount of cloud cover genuinely affects how much solar radiation reaches the surface and therefore impacts how hot it gets. Pretty wild, right? Here's your three-day quick hit. Friday through Saturday looks phenomenal, folks, with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Sunday brings shower chances and possible thunderstorms, so keep an umbrella handy if you're heading to Central Park. By Monday, we're back to mostly sunny with more comfortable temperatures in the mid-70s. Thanks for listening to this weather segment. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and remember, this has been a Quiet Please production. You can learn more at quiet please dot ai.

Don't most of us want to be the most optimal weight for racing? Don't most of us love eating? Don't most of us just let nature take its course and we'll then just race at whatever weight we happened to get to? It doesn't have to be that way.Come join our growing community at www.patreon.com/thelonelytriathleteTRANSCRIPTWelcome back to The Lonely Triathlete.On January 2nd, 2026, I stepped on the scale and saw a number I wasn't expecting: 193 pounds.The strange part wasn't the number itself.The strange part was that I was already training again.I had restarted my triathlon training at the end of October. I was doing dryland swim training, cycling, running, and doing all the things endurance athletes are supposed to do. Yet somehow I was carrying around an extra 23 pounds compared to where I sit today.And you know the strangest part of all?I didn't really think I needed to lose weight. I mean, I knew I was way heavier than I wanted to be for race performance but...I didn't look overweight.I wasn't struggling to fit into my clothes.Nobody was pulling me aside to express concern.The weight was distributed evenly enough that I simply looked like a bigger version of myself.Today I'm hovering very close to 170 pounds.So how does a reasonably fit triathlete gain more than 20 pounds while continuing to train?And what happens when those pounds gradually disappear?That's what I want to talk about today.Because this isn't really a story about weight loss.It's a story about habits, performance, health, and a few uncomfortable truths that many endurance athletes probably don't want to hear.One of the biggest mistakes I made was believing that training alone would solve the problem.I had stopped training consistently for a period of time and gained some weight. When I restarted my training in October, I assumed the extra pounds would simply melt away.After all, that's what seemed to happen when I was younger.More training meant more calories burned.More calories burned meant less weight.Simple.Except this time it wasn't.The scale barely moved.Months went by.The training continued.The weight stayed.Looking back, I think I was relying on an old formula that no longer applied.Age changes things.Habits matter more.And unfortunately, there is no amount of Zone 2 riding that can completely erase poor nutritional habits.If I had to identify the single biggest contributor to my weight gain, it would be evening snacking.Potato chips.Pie.Doughnuts.Simple carbohydrates.The kinds of foods that are easy to justify after a hard workout.You tell yourself you've earned it.You tell yourself you've burned enough calories.You tell yourself it's only one snack.And then that one snack becomes a daily habit.The funny thing about gradual weight gain is that it becomes invisible.You adapt.You normalize it.You continue to think of yourself as the athlete you were ten or twenty pounds ago.The scale tells a different story.Eventually I decided it was time to stop guessing and start paying attention.The first thing I did was download the free version of MyFitnessPal and begin tracking calories.That single step changed everything.Not because I became obsessed with numbers.Quite the opposite.It simply gave me awareness.And awareness tends to change behaviour.The second thing I did was increase my protein intake.For me, that mostly came from whey protein shakes.One of the biggest discoveries I made was identifying my danger zone.For me, it wasn't breakfast.It wasn't lunch.It wasn't immediately after training.It was around 8 p.m.That's when the cravings showed up.That's when the urge to snack would hit.That's when good intentions became vulnerable.So instead of waiting until I was hungry enough to make poor choices, I started getting ahead of the problem.I'd drink a protein shake.I'd eat carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower.I'd pour myself a naturally flavoured sparkling water.And something interesting happened.The cravings lost much of their power.They didn't disappear.But they became manageable.Looking back, I honestly think that evening protein shake was one of the most important tools in my entire weight-loss journey.Not because it magically burned fat.Because it reduced the likelihood that I'd reach for something far more calorie-dense.The third change involved alcohol.I didn't eliminate it.I reduced it.I limited myself mostly to weekends and generally capped it at about three drinks in an evening.Again, nothing dramatic.No radical diets.No extreme restrictions.Just a series of small behavioural changes repeated consistently.And that's really the lesson.The weight came off steadily over five months.Not perfectly.Some weeks I lost weight.Some weeks I didn't.Some weeks the scale actually went up.But the overall trend continued downward.That's an important point because so many people expect weight loss to look like a straight line.It doesn't.Neither does fitness.Neither does triathlon training.Neither does life.Progress is messy.What matters is the trend.Now let's talk about performance.Because this is where things became impossible to ignore.The biggest difference has been running.I feel lighter.Not metaphorically.Literally.My feet seem to float across the ground.My stride feels smoother.My footfalls feel softer.Less pounding.Less plodding.More efficiency.Last September I ran a 10K in roughly 47 and a half minutes.Recently I ran a 46-minute 10K.About a minute and a half faster.Now, weight loss isn't the entire explanation.I've also trained consistently.My fitness has improved.But it's difficult to imagine that losing 23 pounds hasn't played a significant role.When you think about it, every step in a run requires lifting and moving your body weight forward.When you remove 23 pounds from that equation, the savings accumulate over thousands of steps.Cycling has been a little different.On flat terrain I don't notice a dramatic difference.But my watts-per-kilogram have steadily increased.Partly because my FTP has improved.Partly because there's simply less of me to move.On climbs, physics becomes your friend.Swimming?Honestly, I don't notice much difference.If there is a performance gain there, it's subtle compared to what I've experienced on the run.This naturally leads to the concept of race weight.One of the books that influenced my thinking on this topic is Race Weight by Matt Fitzgerald.One of Fitzgerald's key points is that race weight is not the lightest possible version of yourself.That's important.Because chasing the lowest number on the scale can become unhealthy very quickly.Instead, Fitzgerald describes race weight as the weight that naturally results from consistently practicing high-quality nutrition habits.In other words, race weight is an outcome.Not a target.I love that idea because it shifts the focus away from appearance and toward behaviour.The goal isn't to become skinny.The goal isn't to look good in a mirror.The goal is to become the healthiest and most capable athlete you can be.That brings me to another question.What are the health implications of carrying an extra 20-plus pounds?Now, I haven't had my blood work done yet.I'm planning to do that at the end of race season, along with another DEXA scan.So I don't have hard numbers to compare.But we do know that excess body weight—even in people who are relatively fit—can influence important health markers.It can reduce insulin sensitivity.It can elevate triglycerides.It can increase systemic inflammation.It can place additional strain on joints.It can contribute to higher blood pressure over time.Interestingly, my blood pressure has remained stable throughout this process, which is great.But I'll be fascinated to see whether my DEXA scan and blood work reveal improvements that mirror the changes I've already noticed in training and performance.Perhaps the most interesting reaction I've received came from my brother.I showed him my weight-loss graph.He looked at it and asked if the graph also represented my happiness level.In other words, as the weight went down, was I becoming less happy?I laughed because I think that question captures how many people view weight loss.They imagine deprivation.Sacrifice.Misery.Constant hunger.A joyless existence.That wasn't my experience at all.Was I hungrier in the evenings?Absolutely.But I managed it.I drank water.I had vegetables ready to go.I used protein strategically.I worked with my hunger rather than pretending it didn't exist.And the result wasn't unhappiness.It was actually the opposite.I feel better.I move better.My clothes fit better.My running feels better.My confidence is higher.My strength has improved despite eating fewer calories because I also began a twice-weekly strength training routine back in January.That's another lesson worth mentioning.Weight loss doesn't have to mean becoming weaker.When approached properly, you can improve body composition while becoming stronger.Finally, I think it's important to discuss the difference between pursuing performance and becoming obsessed with body image.These are not the same thing.Endurance athletes need to be careful here.A desire to optimize race weight can be healthy.An obsession with every pound can be unhealthy.The question I like to ask myself is this:If nobody could see my body, would I still want to lose this weight?For me, the answer was yes.Because this wasn't about appearance.It was about performance.Health.Longevity.Feeling better.Moving better.Becoming a stronger athlete.Those motivations feel healthy and sustainable.So where should someone start if they want to move closer to an ideal race weight?Keep it simple.Track what you're eating for a week.Not to judge yourself.To learn.Increase protein.Reduce liquid calories.Find healthier substitutes for your biggest nutritional weaknesses.Focus on food quality before obsessing over quantity.Aim for consistency rather than perfection.And most importantly, think in months rather than weeks.Nobody expects to go from couch to Ironman in six weeks.Yet people routinely expect dramatic body composition changes in that amount of time.The same principles apply.Small actions.Repeated consistently.Over long periods of time.Five months ago I weighed 193 pounds.Today I'm very close to 170.And the biggest lesson I've learned is that I wasn't carrying 23 pounds.I was carrying 23 pounds and a collection of habits.The habits were the real weight.Once those changed, everything else started to follow.In September I'll be getting another DEXA scan and blood work.I'm genuinely curious to see whether the improvements I've noticed in performance show up in the data as well.When those results come in, I'll share them here on the podcast.Until then, thanks for listening to The Lonely Triathlete.Keep showing up.Keep training.And remember that sometimes the biggest gains don't come from working harder.They come from making a few better choices and repeating them long enough for them to matter.

At 47, Jack Clifford was told he had a 100% blocked LAD “widowmaker” artery and needed emergency triple bypass surgery. Instead, he walked out of the hospital. Partly because he didn't feel like the kind of man this was supposed to happen to. Partly because he'd watched his mother suffer cognitive decline after heart surgery and was terrified of losing himself in the process. What followed was a five-year journey that completely changed how he thought about health, ageing, and survival. In this episode, Jack explains why he chose not to follow the path doctors recommended and instead turned to biohacking, lifestyle change, and a little-known non-invasive treatment called EECP (Enhanced External Counterpulsation) - a therapy designed to help the body grow new collateral blood vessels naturally. Now 52, Jack says he's running faster than he was at 40 and living without cardiac symptoms. This is not a reckless “ignore doctors” conversation or a miracle cure story. It's a grounded discussion about fear, midlife health, identity, and what happens when men realise the life they've built has come at a physical cost. We discuss:  The shock of being told your heart is failing  Why so many men ignore warning signs  Fear around surgery and loss of identity  Biohacking, recovery, and cardiovascular health  What EECP therapy actually is  Diet, fasting, exercise, stress, and long-term change  Why nothing changed overnight If you want to find out more about EECP, Jack and his book, then visit his website https://eecpbook.com/    

Hannah MacLean's Girl Scout Gold Award project focused on instilling patience, empathy, and understanding for neurologically diverse students within the Franklin Public School System. Motivated by the bullying and unfair treatment her younger sister faced, Hannah enhanced the district's anti-bullying curriculum and introduced a nuanced, Socratic-inspired curriculum focused on critical thinking. Her project involved three core components: collecting and distributing diverse books to middle schools, serving as an active student representative on local committees, and teaching her own educators how to incorporate neurological diversity into their classrooms. The curriculum she established remains a part of the school system's Mental Health Awareness Day. More from Hannah: In addition to my Gold Award, I have been a lifetime member of GSEMA since Daisies, and I recently worked as a camp counselor with the Girl Scouts of Northern California. Some of my favorite Girl Scout memories included selling cookies to fund a trip to the Grand Canyon with my travel troop, and discovering my interest in International Relations and Diplomacy through the annual Girl Scouts International Leadership Conference at Salve Regina. These successes I attribute to the incredible role models and leaders I had along the way, including but not limited to Roni Doherty, Joanna Lenahan, and Amy VanNederpelt, the lovely cookie Moms and role models of GSEMA, and the other incredible leaders who paved my way. Since this introduction to the accessible ways I could use my voice to make a change, I have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics with a minor in Social Justice Theory from St. John's University in Queens, NY. Partly in thanks for my work with the Gold Award and Girl Scouts, I earned over $160,000 in scholarships and the privilege of traveling the world with the Vincentian Institute of Social Action through the Ozanam Scholars program. Full transcript available on SubStack: https://substack.com/@sherylmrobinson

We're approaching graduation season for this year's crop of college seniors. But along with all the celebrations, there's an extra dose of uncertainty hanging in the air around new grads, as they face an extra-tough job market and the rise of AI. On today's show, Kimberly talks to New York Times labor and workforce reporter Noam Scheiber, whose new book “Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class” digs into the historical context for the environment today's seniors are graduating into. Here's everything we talked about today:”Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class” by Noam Scheiber”Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years” from The New York Times”The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates” from The Federal Reserve Bank of New York ”College Graduates Are Struggling to Find Jobs. AI is Partly to Blame.” from CNBC”U.S. Worker Thriving Declines as Job Market Pessimism Grows” from GallupWe love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

We're approaching graduation season for this year's crop of college seniors. But along with all the celebrations, there's an extra dose of uncertainty hanging in the air around new grads, as they face an extra-tough job market and the rise of AI. On today's show, Kimberly talks to New York Times labor and workforce reporter Noam Scheiber, whose new book “Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class” digs into the historical context for the environment today's seniors are graduating into. Here's everything we talked about today:”Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class” by Noam Scheiber”Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years” from The New York Times”The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates” from The Federal Reserve Bank of New York ”College Graduates Are Struggling to Find Jobs. AI is Partly to Blame.” from CNBC”U.S. Worker Thriving Declines as Job Market Pessimism Grows” from GallupWe love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Wearable tech is having a moment. Partly based on early reads about the success of Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, Meta just signed a 10-year lease for a physical store in Manhattan that will sell them. Meanwhile, Apple is set to launch its own competitor smart glasses soon, while Google is teaming up with Warby Parker on a similar product. But wearable tech, especially targeted toward a mainstream or fashion audience, has been hard to crack. For every successful product like the Meta Ray-Bans, there have been expensive flops like Google Glass and Apple's Vision Pro. For the Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff were joined by wearable tech expert Janey Park to discuss why some products take off and others fail. We broke it down into five rules for a successful wearable tech launch.

Partly melodic, partly dark, partly minimal, Bonnie gave us a lesson of music with that DJ set! Enjoy.

This is a conversation with a money manager in Scotland who has given a great deal of thought to why many of us feel confused and ashamed about our financial lives. After the What Class are You? shows, I often receive interesting commentary, and I'm always frustrated that this commentary can't become part of a wider conversation. So after receiving two fascinating comments from EM in Scotland, I asked her if she'd be willing to share some of her thoughts on the economy on the phone. She said yes, and then we had a conversation longer than she ever could have imagined. EM responded primarily to two shows. One featured a woman called Trudy, who worked all kinds of jobs in her life, and toward the end of her working years, she realized that she was not going to have enough money for a comfortable retirement, but she would have a little too much to qualify for services that would make her retirement more comfortable, so she made sure that she retired with little enough money that she could qualify for services. The other story that EM responded to was about Kaye, who talks about how not having money makes her feel like a child, and that all the people with money seem like the adults. Fair warning, I ask a lot of dumb questions in this show, because I don't know much about the economy. But I'm figuring that maybe there are some people out there like me. And even though I don't know much about economics, most of what she says here has deep resonance. She is naming something I feel but don't understand.  

Chocolate or Vanilla? Should you let your dog? More sinister plane snack? What does YOUR champions dinner look like? Partly cloudy vs partly sunny? First Moon Words? An Player Coach?

A few inland showers/storms, Warm Easter weekend • We are waking up to temperatures in the 60s this morning. • Some patchy inland fog possible this morning. • The morning commute will be mainly dry. o An isolated shower is possible along the coast. • An isolated midday inland moving shower will develop today for Jacksonville. • A few showers and storms are possible along and west of Highway 301 to I-75 mid to late afternoon. o Main threats: heavy (much needed) rain and embedded lightning. o Jacksonville and local beaches will see a dry evening commute. • Highs today in the lower 80s. • High rip current risk at area beaches. • The Easter weekend will be warm with many dry hours. A few isolated showers are possible in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. • Another cold front will arrive Monday with a few showers and a dip in temperatures. • We turn breezy early next week with highs in the 70s and a few showers, especially along the coast. o Local nor'easter conditions TODAY: AM patchy fog. Partly cloudy, warm, isolated midday and afternoon showers. A few storms west of Highway 301. HIGH: 83 TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Low: 64 SATURDAY: Patchy AM fog. Partly cloudy, warm, isolated afternoon shower. 64/86 EASTER SUNDAY: Patchy AM fog. Partly cloudy, warm, isolated afternoon/evening showers. 64/87 (Record: 91 - 2017) MONDAY: Mostly cloudy with a few showers. Turning breezy. 65/75 TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy and breezy. A few AM showers. 58/72 WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy and windy. Coastal shower. 57/73 THURSDAY: Mostly sunny and breezy. Isolated shower. 58/73

You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or check out the fully edited transcript of our interview at the bottom of this post.In this episode of The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, Corey and I explore the pressure of intensive parenting and the idea that “just because you can doesn't mean you should.” We discuss burnout, productivity culture, and how letting go of unrealistic or unnecessary expectations can help us be the parents we truly want to be.Know someone who might appreciate this episode? Share it with them!And if you love the podcast, FREE ways to help us out:1- Rate and review the podcast in your podcast player app 2- “Like” this post by tapping the heart icon ♥️ 3- Share this with a friend. THANK YOU!We talk about:* 00:00 — Intensive parenting and unrealistic expectations: “Just because you can doesn't mean you should”* 03:00 — Cultural expectations and productivity mindset and the “perfect parent” standard* 06:00 — How parents get overwhelmed: Sports, activities, food, and overscheduling* 09:00 — Choosing what actually matters- “Does this spark joy?” and letting go of unnecessary tasks* 13:00 — Doing less to feel better* 15:00 — Productivity, burnout, and rest* 17:00 — Letting go of control and accepting help and why independence isn't everything* 21:00 — Questioning parenting norms* 25:00 — Why care and interdependence matter* 30:00 — Corey's injury story + the cost of overdoing it* 34:00 — The importance of receiving care* 36:00 — Rethinking what it means to be a “good parent”Resources mentioned in this episode:* Rejecting Impossible Parenting Standards: What Disability Teaches Us About Care and Community with Jessica Slice: Episode 220 * Ditch Special Time? Connecting with complex kids when connecting is hard: Episode 212 * Episode 60: Hunt, Gather, Parent with Michaeleen Doucleff * Yoto Screen Free Audio Book Player* The Peaceful Parenting Membership* Evelyn & Bobbie bras* Strong-Willed Kids WorkshopConnect with Sarah Rosensweet:* Instagram* Facebook Group* YouTube* Website* Join us on Substack* Newsletter* Book a short consult or coaching session callxx Sarah and CoreyYour peaceful parenting team- click here for a free short consult or a coaching sessionVisit our website for free resources, podcast, coaching, membership and more!>> Please support us!!! Please consider becoming a supporter to help support our free content, including The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, our free parenting support Facebook group, and our weekly parenting emails, “Weekend Reflections” and “Weekend Support” - plus our Flourish With Your Complex Child Summit (coming back in the summer for the 3rd year!) All of this free support for you takes a lot of time and energy from me and my team. If it has been helpful or meaningful for you, your support would help us to continue to provide support for free, for you and for others.In addition to knowing you are supporting our mission to support parents and children, you get the podcast ad free and access to a monthly ‘ask me anything' session.Our sponsors:YOTO: YOTO is a screen free audio book player that lets your kids listen to audiobooks, music, podcasts and more without screens, and without being connected to the internet. No one listening or watching and they can't go where you don't want them to go and they aren't watching screens. BUT they are being entertained or kept company with audio that you can buy from YOTO or create yourself on one of their blank cards. Check them out HEREEvelyn & Bobbie bras: If underwires make you want to rip your bra off by noon, Evelyn & Bobbie is for you. These bras are wire-free, ultra-soft, and seriously supportive—designed to hold you comfortably all day without pinching, poking, or constant adjusting. Check them out HERESarah: Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Peaceful Parenting Podcast. Today, Corey and I discuss an idea we've been thinking about a lot lately and talking to each other about: intensive parenting, the choices we make, and the impossibly high standards we're up against, and how these things affect our mental and physical health as parents and as humans.After I interviewed Jessica Slice, disability activist and author of the book Unfit Parent, who talks about these things and what she's learned from disability culture and being disabled herself, Corey captured all of these complicated ideas about productivity, care, and how we can sometimes drive ourselves too hard as: just because you can.I'm going to say that again: just because you can doesn't mean you should.Listen in to our conversation about how this idea can inform the choices we make as parents and how we can make changes to make life feel easier and more connected and fun.If you find this episode useful, please share it with a friend. That's actually only one of the no-cost ways you can support the podcast. You can also take a minute to rate and review the Peaceful Parenting Podcast on your favorite podcast player app. Sharing with friends and rating and reviewing us helps us reach more parents, and we all know that parents need all the love and support they can get these days.You can also support us by becoming a supporter on Substack. For the cost of a latte a month, you not only help us offset some of the costs of making this podcast, you can also get the podcast ad-free. Just search my name on Substack and you'll find us.As we near our five-year podcast anniversary, we really appreciate the support and the love of our listeners.Here's our conversation.Sarah: Hey Corey, welcome back to the podcast.Corey: Thanks for having me again.Sarah: Do you remember last year when that report came out from the U.S. Surgeon General that said that parents are suffering from intensive parenting?Corey: Yes.Sarah: Yeah, and I think people consider peaceful parenting intensive parenting, right? And we do often say this kind of parenting is a lot of work. It requires a lot of us. But I wouldn't say that it necessarily has to be intensive parenting in all aspects.Corey: I agree so much. I had a lot of mixed feelings when that report came out.Sarah: Yeah, me too. I felt like writing some sort of a defense of peaceful parenting after I heard that.So let's tease this apart a bit. We started talking about this after I interviewed Jessica Slice. If you all didn't catch that, she is a disability activist, and she talked about disability culture and what it tells us about the impossible standards of parenting, and I guess the impossible standards of parenting in general, not just intensive parenting.And you said it reminded you of one of your favorite quotes. So tell us your favorite quote, and that's the anchor of our episode today.Corey: One of my favorite quotes, though I'm not even sure if it's technically a quote, is from one of my favorite movies, Jurassic Park. I recently actually read the book because I was talking so much about how I love the movie. The big theme is: just because you can doesn't mean you should.Now, when you and I were talking about this, honestly, we could have a really long conversation about the way they were talking about it in the book, which was maybe questioning science and where we want to take that, but it actually applies really well to parenting.Sarah: Yeah. And the idea that Jessica Slice brought in, and we're going to play a quote about this, is that there were things that she couldn't do as a disabled parent, and she felt a lot of guilt about that.So let's just take a second and listen to that quote.Jessica: Yeah. I do sometimes feel self-conscious when I see the way my peers parent, when I see them making these perfect little lunches and these divided-up lunch boxes or doing Elf on the Shelf, these kinds of versions of parenting that I just don't have the energy or capacity to have as part of our lives.And I can feel like, are my kids missing out from this type of parenting? And maybe in some ways they are. Nothing is simple. But I know I would have done those things. The version of me in my twenties would have done those things, but she would've also been a lot less patient. She would've had a lot less time for just sort of wasting hours and being together.I have an ability to be present with my kids that I wouldn't have had before.Sarah: Okay, so one thing that's interesting to me in that quote is that she talks about how she probably would have done all the things if she could have, like herself when she was in her twenties. She didn't become disabled until she was in her late twenties, and she said the person she was in her twenties probably would've turned into the mom that was trying to be the perfect mom.The example she used was the little bento box lunchboxes. And just to be fair, if that brings you joy, then that brings you joy, right? The bento box lunches. But if you're doing it because you feel like you should do it, and you can do it, that doesn't mean you should do it.So what are your thoughts on what she was saying?Corey: This really struck me because I think, gosh, I have made lunches that she would consider the little bento box ones, and not because it made me happy. I did feel like this is what I was supposed to be doing in order to be sending an appropriate lunch for my children because of that pressure.That really, really stood out to me, and I couldn't help but just feel the weight of all those pressures we are handed as parents. And because, for most of my parenting journey, I have been able-bodied and can do endless amounts, I often find myself doing way more than I should because I feel like that's what I'm supposed to be doing.And then when you take a step back and you try to question it, you just get crushed by the weight of those expectations of, well, what are the reasonable ones? What should I be doing? What is intensive parenting, and what is taking a step back?Sarah: I think also there's so much value in our culture, and this is one thing that Jessica talks about in her book and in the podcast, is how much of what we do is informed by the values of capitalism. If we don't feel that we're being productive, and what's one more thing? When is it enough? When can you just sit down and rest? Or when do you think, I've got to make those bento box lunches?Now I am done for the day, and I could go to sleep and get some rest, or I could read or watch a show with my partner or whatever, but I really should. So that's a perfect example of I can, but should I? Where do you draw that line? How do you question yourself about what you should do, what you can do, and what you shouldn't do, even if you could?Corey: Yeah, it's true. And I think every stage that I've been through in parenting, and honestly any stage of life, whether you're a parent or not, you're going to be hit by this list of conflicting advice that's coming at you for what you should be doing.I typed out a list of what I'm experiencing right now. I have a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old, and right now I'm getting this conflicting stuff coming at me, telling me what I should be doing. And it sounds something to the extent of: you should have your kids in sports because kids are on too many screens and not getting enough exercise, but don't push them too hard because then they won't love movement. Register them in music lessons or get them extra tutoring. They must have a second language, but not too much because after-school activities can drain your children and then they're not getting enough free, unsupervised time. And don't even get me started on food.With the whole bento box thing, I ended up there because of all the conflicting advice about not letting them have too much of this, but needing to have that, and you don't want to give them an eating disorder. It's just all of this. How do we find that line of what we should be doing and what is too much?Sarah: I think some of it is asking what actually brings joy. Sometimes it brings joy to you, and sometimes you're willing to do it because it sparks joy in your child. So just looking at the sports thing: does it spark joy in your child to play hockey? Does it spark joy in you to be involved in that? Maybe this is one of those things you do for your kids because it sparks joy in them.But the whole idea of “you should do it because it's good for kids to be in sports,” yes, that's true. It is good for kids to be in sports. But that's a perfect thing of just because you can doesn't mean you should. You've got to look at your own life and how it fits into your life and what your kids want to do and what their interests are.Corey: That's so true. And when you think about what we do when we're coaching, almost always we have this discussion with our clients of, okay, what does your daily schedule look like? What does your week look like? And then we're like, okay, now what can you take out?We're almost always telling them this message of: just because you can manage all this doesn't mean you should. What of this can you take out so that your life does feel less intense? I think this is something naturally that we do end up spending a lot of time coaching, because everyone does end up finding that they can't find that line for themselves.Sarah: For sure. And there's also the things that people think they need to do. One thing I hear parents talking about is arguments with their kids about putting their laundry away. You know, “I folded all their laundry and put it in their room, and all they have to do is put it in their drawer.” And my first thought is always, oh my gosh, why are you folding their laundry?And I don't mean that in the sense that they should be folding their own laundry. I mean, who cares if the laundry's folded? Maybe that's your own personal thing, that you love a neat drawer, and okay, do that for yourself. But is it worth the battle to get into that with your kid? Plus, when they go and look for things to wear, they're just going to be rooting through the clothes anyway and throwing them on the floor and unfolding them.Sometimes there are just these shortcuts that people feel really guilty about taking, and they think they're not living up to the North American perfect family standard. Another good example of that is baths every night.Corey: Yes.Sarah: In the summer, maybe your kid needs a bath every day because they've got sunscreen and sand and they're sweaty. But in the winter, at least where we live, it's cold and kids don't get that dirty. A bath a couple of nights a week is totally fine. But parents have this idea, well, shouldn't I do the same thing every night because that's part of the routine? Well, maybe that's good. Maybe that works for you, or maybe you can let it go.Corey: Yes. And I've heard you say this so often too about food. Just because you can make these amazing, crazy meals doesn't mean you should be. It's totally acceptable to be eating scrambled eggs and baby carrots every night.Sarah: Yes, unless it sparks joy for you. And then you might want to do it. And even if it sparks joy sometimes, and you can do it, it doesn't mean you should do it because it might make you too stressed.There were things that I had to give up when my kids were small that I really liked doing, that did spark joy, and that I could have done, but the tradeoff was too great because it would've made me too tired. So that's another thing. Sometimes there is something that sparks joy that you could do, but then you think about the tradeoff: how is this going to make me show up as a parent? Can I be the parent that I want to be?An example I'm just thinking of now is I really wanted to homeschool my kids. Philosophically, that was super aligned for me, and I loved the idea of it in theory, of all of us learning together and doing all the things. But when it came down to it, I could have done it, but I decided not to do it because it wasn't letting me show up as the kind of parent that I wanted to be. Being with my kids 24/7 was not good for me. I just thought, I shouldn't do this because it is not making me show up as the kind of parent that I want to be.Corey: Yeah, exactly. I felt the exact same way about homeschooling. Hats off to people who find ways to make it work for themselves. It truly does work for some families. We just have to look at our individual resources, literally and figuratively, and what that is going to look like in practice for our family. And just because you can doesn't mean you should.Sarah: Yes, and please check out our podcast that we did about how I decided to ditch special time.Corey: Yeah.Sarah: Because that's also a really good example of this.Corey: I agree.Sarah: Of course I could do it. I just realized it wasn't working for us, and instead I chose following what made my family feel joyful. We'll put a link to all the episodes we mention in the show notes. So that's a really good one if you want to hear practically how I followed what made my family feel joyful.Corey: Yeah, I love that.Sarah: So we talked about that sort of drive for productivity. The drive for productivity tries to convince us that if we can do something, we should do it—that more and more and more, like we're always striving to get all the things done and check all the things off the to-do list.One thing that Amanda Diekman talks about—and she's also been on the podcast; she talks about low-demand parenting, and she had a podcast where she talked about something she learned from what she called her superwoman self. And I think that's what we're talking about, like the push, push, go, go, go. “I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.” But can you? And should you?I'm going to read a quote from her. She says, “I'm newly trying to actively love on my amazing superwoman.” This is us appreciating, not beating ourselves up for that go-go-go part, but appreciating, you know, this has probably gotten me to where I am, and there's a lot of life squeezed out of having those sorts of impulses to do more. But also it causes what she calls extreme exhaustion.So she says: “Because it turns out that superwoman holds both my vast trying and my extreme exhaustion. She's trying to protect me from how very tired I am by hyping me up. But when I make her feel safe and tell her that she can let go, she can slow down, I can see how very tired she is and how long she's been hustling to keep me safe. She melts into my arms. She's my most hardworking part, and it turns out she needs a rest too.”Corey: While you were reading that, I got full-body goosebumps.Sarah: Yeah, I love that. So really appreciating that part of us that wants to do more and get stuff done, not villainizing it, but recognizing the good in it and also holding that part of us and recognizing how exhausted it makes us too.Corey: Yes.Sarah: I think there are some things that do exhaust us that we don't feel we can let go of. I remember I was talking to a client, and she was saying how she was feeling so exhausted and sort of resentful by her 4-year-old's bedtime routine. She said, “First I help him get his pajamas on and I brush his teeth, and then I read him stories, and then I lie with him, and it's just so exhausting.”And I said, “Totally. That does sound exhausting. And you don't have to do any of it.”She was like, “What? What do you mean?” I said, “You don't have to do any of that stuff. You could just let him fall asleep on the couch whenever he falls asleep, without his pajamas on and without brushing his teeth. And you don't have to lie with him, and you don't have to read him stories.”And she was kind of like, “What are you saying?” And I said, “You don't have to do any of it, but you're choosing to do it because it's important to you to do that nurturing in that bedtime routine.”So I think that's another thing to think about too, is that when there are things that we're doing, there's this sorting mechanism: what am I doing because I feel like I have to do it, when I really could let go of it? What am I doing because the superwoman is driving me to do it because I'm trying to attain this impossible standard of parenting? And what am I doing that might still be hard, but it's just really important to me?Maybe it doesn't spark joy. Probably no one's bedtime routine sparks joy, but maybe it's just too important to let go of.An example of that for me, and I was just reminded of it this morning, is with my daughter. As you know, Maxine is now in college and she doesn't have to be at school every morning at nine the way she used to. But when she was still in school, she had to get up at seven and get out the door by 7:45 to get to school on time.And I am not a morning person. I may have mentioned that before, but I really hate getting up early. Like, 7:00 a.m. is just way too early for me. But I got up every day of her high school years at 7:00 a.m., and I did with my sons as well.And all of them were like, “Mom, you don't need to get up. We can get out the door on our own.” But I felt like it was supportive to get up, and it was important to me to be supportive of them. If they had to get up early, I wanted to be supportive and get up early with them.I make Maxine a cup of tea in the morning, and she pretty much gets her own lunch now, but I used to make lunch for them when they were in high school. I was doing it even though it felt intensive to get up early when I didn't have to. But it felt important to me to show up and nurture like that.Corey: Yeah, that makes so much sense. It's interesting—as you were saying that too, I was thinking about how every day when all the kids are getting off the bus, my son used to throw his backpack on the ground. Then instead I started just asking him, “I'll take it.”And now, to this day, he would never throw it now because he's not this tiny little kindergartner who can barely get himself back home again. But I still naturally love that moment of being able to be like, “Hand me your backpack.” I don't know, something about it. I take it and I put it on my back, and I feel like I'm letting him know, you can let those weights go for the day.There are these moments where I'm choosing to do that, and I can, and I'm happy to do it. It's very different than that feeling of resentment as I'm trudging along.Sarah: Yeah. It's something you're choosing to do because that nurturing of taking the load off of him, literally and figuratively, is important to you.I think the theme we're coming to with “just because you can doesn't mean you should” is looking at what are the outside forces that are making me think that I should do something—cultural forces or capitalist forces or the parents-next-door forces—that are making you feel like you should do something, and really questioning, what is the reason? What's the drive underneath this thing? Is this something that I believe in and something that I can get behind?And sometimes there may be things that you look at and say, well, maybe I would drop this if it was just up to me, but it sparks joy in my child, or it's a nurturing that I'm choosing to do, or it's a way that I'm choosing to show up. Sometimes you might choose to do something because it does spark joy in your child, even if it doesn't in you. That's something where you have the resources to give them.So just not taking everything at face value of what a good North American bedtime routine looks like or what the other people are doing. I remember when my kids were little and there was always, are you putting them in soccer? Are you putting them in tennis? And I was like, I'm not putting anyone in anything. Partly because they didn't want to, but partly because I didn't want to. I didn't feel like going to all those practices when people weren't begging me, “Please, please, please, can I join a soccer team?” I'm fine with not doing that stuff.Corey: Yeah, that's so true. This is all reminding me of—please go back and listen to one of my favorite podcast episodes you've ever done—with Michaeleen.Sarah: Oh yeah, yeah.Corey: Did I say her name properly? The Hunt, Gather, Parent one.Sarah: Doucleff.Corey: She's the one I first learned about the idea of North American parents being weird.Sarah: Right.Corey: I can't remember—do you remember what she meant by that?Sarah: That weird is Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. It's sort of like we have all these ways of parenting that are very much the intensive parenting thing again.One thing she talks about is having your weekend organized around kid activities, going to the special science center and birthday parties and all that. She really encourages parents to live their lives and involve their kids in their lives. So instead of going to the science center, you might go to Home Depot and your kid helps you get the things you need for the little mini bathroom renovation you're doing, and then they work with you.Which of course, in itself, is another way things can feel intensive, having a child helper. But she really talks a lot about the benefits of involving your child in your life. One benefit is that they turn out to be good helpers because you've let them help when they want to. But really, it's about living your life as opposed to trying to arrange your life for your child.Corey: Yes. And if I'm honest, I didn't necessarily agree with everything I read in that book, but I think it might be one of the most influential parenting books I've ever read in that it really fundamentally informed how I show up. I just decided that I don't have to do what everyone else is doing.And I think that's a big theme we're saying here too. Look, if we're peaceful parents, if we're being honest, our listeners are already choosing to parent in a way that's different than a lot of their society around them.Sarah: That's true.Corey: So we're basically saying, now take it a step further. Just keep questioning everything. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.Sarah: Yeah, for sure. Question everything. Is that like a sixties slogan?Corey: I don't know, but I feel like I would've done really well living in the sixties.Sarah: “Question everything.” Okay, so another thing that came up from reading Jessica's book and the interview with her was how, if someone is disabled, they often automatically need a level of care that a non-disabled person—and I was going to say doesn't need, but I'm going to change that to doesn't think they need.Yes, there is often physical care that a disabled person needs that a non-disabled person doesn't need, if they have legs that can walk and so on. But the care part of caring for each other in community is something that Jessica talks about disability culture as being really good at, and that community care that we need to choose is in itself going against the sort of rabid individualism of capitalism that is encouraged around us.I think that's why so many parents are so uncomfortable with doing things for their kids, because our culture is so hyper-focused on individualism and independence. Like, why should you carry Big C's backpack if he can carry it for himself? Aren't you just coddling him, and he'll never learn to be independent if you carry his backpack for him?People have probably heard me tell this story before, but I had the same thing with Maxine when she was little, carrying her backpack. And now, when she's 18, she won't let me carry anything. We'll be coming from getting groceries and coming from the car, and she's carrying like five bags of groceries and I'm carrying nothing. I'm like, really? I can carry that. And she's like, “No, Mom, I've got it. Let me carry that for you.”My middle son, the other day, offered to carry my purse for me. I was like, “It's okay. I can carry my purse.” He was like, “Mom, do you want me to carry that?” I'm like, “No, it's okay. I can carry it.”I got a little off the tangent there of care and hyper-individualism, but that's one thing that Jessica said non-disabled parents can learn from disability community: that we all actually need care, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves that we don't.Corey: Yes. And okay, I have a story I really want to tell about this. It just happened recently. Keep in mind, I had been planning this podcast with you. I had listened to this. I knew all of this academically.Last week—once again, we chose something that we really love. My son entered ski racing this year, and it has been the most joyful thing for everyone in our family. We're like, wow, look at us in a big organized sport and loving it.So it's been wonderful. And last Sunday was the last one of the season. My son had been off the entire week with the flu. I hadn't slept properly in about seven days. And he still was sick on Saturday, but by Sunday morning was full of beans and like, “I can go do my last race.”This is the definition of just because you can doesn't mean you should. It was also daylight savings time.Sarah: Oh goodness.Corey: So we lost an hour, or however it works. Daylight savings time should be banned as far as I'm concerned.That morning, as we're all so exhausted and struggling, my husband goes, “Did you know more accidents happen on this day than any other day in the year?”Anyway, race days are chaotic. I had all these 7-year-olds all over the place. They were running out to go do their last run, and I realized in the chalet they'd left some garbage. I was like, I'm just going to clean up after them. I don't want to leave this mess.I pick it all up, walk over to the garbage can, and suddenly I'm on the ground. It was a huge scene. Everyone stood up. People gasped. People ran over to me. I threw garbage in the air, almost had it land in the garbage can, which would've been amazing.It was just a total scene. I'm actually laughing because I didn't realize anything serious had happened, but within a couple of minutes I realized that I was actually hurt.So after my son's next—I still waited for him to finish his race—we went home, and I realized by that evening I had to be taken to the emergency department because I could not walk.Sarah: Oh my goodness. Before you get to the part you want to get to, do you think this all happened because you probably shouldn't have gone to ski racing that morning?Corey: Yes.Sarah: Okay. So this is like a two-moral story. There are two morals to this story. The first moral is: just because you could go to ski racing with all those things that were happening doesn't mean you should have gone, and maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt.Corey: Yes. And then part two. I could have not gone because we have a wonderful community there, and they all would've helped all those little 7-year-olds if I hadn't been there. So I should have also just let people help me.After not sleeping for a week, and then at the emergency department, I could barely walk. I was limping everywhere, and every turn, someone was offering me a wheelchair, and I kept saying, “No. I'm fine. I've got this.”Sarah: Mm-hmm.Corey: By the time I had just been limping all over the place, a mom there with a teenager literally forced me into a wheelchair.Sarah: Mm.Corey: She was there with her sick child, and she was like, “You know what? You need this.” She got me in the chair and started pushing me around until a nurse noticed and was like, “Oh, I can do this.” The nurse had been offering all along. It wasn't their fault, it was me. I would not accept help.And then while I was there, I was texting with a friend, being like, “I'm just sitting here bawling by myself in the emergency room because I'm really hurt. I'm supposed to be going on a ski trip next week.” Spoiler alert: it's next week. I'm not on a ski trip.And she offered to come and be with me, and I told her, “No, I'm fine.” She offered to come pick me up at the end of the day. I told her, “No, I'm fine.” I just kept telling everyone I was fine, and I wasn't. I could not accept anyone helping me.Sarah: So you didn't end up letting her come or letting her pick you up or anything?Corey: No, nothing.Sarah: Aw. And she told me afterwards that she was like, “Corey, this is a sign that you need to slow down and accept more help in your life.”Well, and also ask for help. It's really hard for a lot of us to ask for help. People listening have probably heard it said, we weren't raised—people listening have probably heard it said that we didn't evolve to raise children in the nuclear family. We evolved to raise children in a village, or at least in a small community of people—grandparents who could help, cousins, younger and older siblings helping with younger siblings.This hyper-independence, small family, nobody else helping, is such a recipe for burnout and exhaustion and all of the physical and mental health problems that people have. I think those things really could be healed if we did what we're talking about in this episode: asking for help, accepting help, and not doing everything just because you can.Corey: Yes, and it's interesting because we talk to people about self-care. Self-care is a big buzzword now, but I often think it gets turned into just another thing that we're expected to do. Instead of what I think is at the heart of self-care, which means just being honest with yourself about capacity.Sarah: Mm-hmm.There was some research done about problem-solving, and I forget what book I read this in, but when there's a problem, people often want to add things on—do this, add this, add that. There actually was research done about this, about what people tend to do when there's a problem.What the research showed is that often the answer to a problem is to take something away or stop doing something. If anyone knows what that study is, shoot me an email, because I don't know where I heard that. But actually, taking something away is often much more effective than adding something in.Corey: Yes, that makes so much sense. Honestly, until I sat down this morning to write some notes for this podcast, I didn't even realize what I was doing.I couldn't get over it. I've been going to physio now for a week, and I can walk right now, which is nice. But literally, she gave me a giant list of stuff, and I'm like, I will do all of this. I'm going to add all this in. I am going to be the best rehabbed-knee person that ever existed.Then I realized that's actually probably what got me into this jam.Sarah: Yeah. And I think sometimes we like to be in control too, right? It makes us feel safe. It makes us feel it's familiar. Especially if we grew up with that sort of push to be independent, not needing people is the safe alternative, or not letting people help.Just on Sunday, two days ago, my middle son and his girlfriend were over for dinner, and I had made this fancy dinner because it was her birthday, and I really had been cooking for the whole day. At the end of the dinner, I had piled all the dishes in the sink, and my son was like, “Let me do the dishes.”And I was like, “No, that's okay. I'll do them tomorrow.”And he was like, “Mom, I'll do the dishes before I go. You've been cooking all day.”And I had to force myself to let him do the dishes, because I'm so used to “I've got it, I'll do it, I can do everything.” And not necessarily in this case, because my kids are grown up and I could have done the dishes tomorrow or whatever, but I just noticed how uncomfortable it was in my body to let him do the dishes.And also I was really proud of him for insisting. I was like, oh, he's such a nice boy. He's such a sweetheart. And he did the dishes, and he did a good job, and I was grateful.Corey: Yeah.Sarah: Well, any last thoughts about this “just because you can doesn't mean you should”?Corey: Go read Jurassic Park. It's fascinating. It was a fascinating book. It made me think a lot about AI.But no, when it comes to this, definitely check out the podcast we did with Jessica. This would be another one of the landmark podcasts that I think you've done where I just can't stop thinking about it. I really think what we need to start doing is realizing we just can't do this all on our own.Do you have any last thoughts, Sarah?Sarah: Well, I was just thinking, I want to leave people with—maybe we'll leave them with a quote from the Jessica Slice podcast.Again, if you haven't heard it, go back and listen to it. We'll put a link in the show notes. But we'll let her close out with some thoughts about care.I think it's just a really nice thing to think about, that aspect of care and what it means to be a good parent, and what it means to think about all of the things that we've just talked about.Corey: Absolutely. I think she's the way to end this.And just in case anyone's wondering, this week my children all cared for me without me ever asking them to. So many times when I got myself too low, they were coming over and helping get me back up again. They were running up and down everywhere in the house to get me everything.So just remember that you are modeling beautiful caregiving, and they're going to just give it back to you, and they're happy to give it back to you.Sarah: Yeah. And I just also want to say that I think this quote we're going to end on from Jessica talks about how the care things that we've talked about don't have to mean that we are living up to these impossible standards or doing the intensive parenting that leads to burnout.I think everything we've talked about in this episode are the antidotes to that burnout and intensive parenting and impossible standards. And I think the last piece of it is just giving yourself compassion for when that's hard because you feel like people are judging you, or that people aren't going to think you're a good parent. So just giving yourself compassion around that.Thanks, Corey. We'll let Jessica close it out.Jessica: I think for all parents there's this sense that you should be able to provide what your kids need without assistance, and that there is a distinction between people who give care and people who need care. And that a mom, in particular, is a person who gives care and doesn't need it.And I think what disability forces to the surface, particularly for those who have some care needs like me, is: I give care and I need care, and that is part of my daily life. Needing care does not hinder my ability to be a valuable member of my family or a good mom.I think it dispels that myth that you have to be one or the other. But I think if all parents could reject that binary of caregivers or care receivers, then it would mean that parenting didn't feel as impossible or didn't have such an impossible standard—that weakness were allowed, or dependence weren't allowed, or interdependence.I think it would just change how we think about parenting in general, because there's this feeling, I believe, that particularly moms have to be all-powerful and limitless and perfect, and that it is a failure in the very definition of what it is to be a parent to start to need support and care.Reimagine Peaceful Parenting with Sarah Rosensweet Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sarahrosensweet.substack.com/subscribe

Will the Sony PlayStation 6 cost over $1K at launch? Some analysts think so. Partly because of the RAM situation. But now it seems like OpenAI is backing out of its RAM deal, and the market is spiraling. That's so Sam... Watch the podcast episodes on YouTube and all major podcast hosts including Spotify. CLOWNFISH TV is an independent, opinionated news and commentary podcast that covers Entertainment and Tech from a consumer's point of view. We talk about Gaming, Comics, Anime, TV, Movies, Animation and more. Hosted by Kneon and Geeky Sparkles. Get more news, views and reviews on Clownfish TV News - https://more.clownfishtv.com/ On YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ClownfishTV On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Tu83D1NcCmh7K1zHIedvg On Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clownfish-tv-audio-edition/id1726838629 MORE CLOWNFISH TV - Official Merch Store: http://ClownfishMinus.com Facebook - https://facebook.com/ClownfishTV X - https://x.com/ClownfishTVcom Clownfish TV subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClownfishTVOfficial/ Disclaimer: This series is produced by Clownfish Studios and WebReef Media, and is part of ClownfishTV.com. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of our guests, affiliates, sponsors, or advertisers. ClownfishTV.com is an unofficial news source and has no connection to any company that we may cover. This channel and website and the content made available through this site are for educational, entertainment and informational purposes only. These so-called “fair uses” are permitted even if the use of the work would otherwise be infringing. #Games #Tech #PlayStation #PS6 #Podcast #Commentary #News #Reaction #Gaming #Comedy #Entertainment #Hollywood #PopCulture #Tech #Anime #FYP Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Back to the 80s • We are waking up to temperatures in the 50s inland and 60s along the coast. • A few areas of patchy fog are possible this morning through 8-9 am. • An isolated shower is possible this afternoon/evening, mainly inland. o Most neighborhoods won't see rain. • Highs today will range from the mid 70s along the coast the lower to mid 80s well inland. • Highs gradually warm through the middle and upper 80s by the weekend. Slightly increasing humidity, too. • An isolated shower is possible each day, but rain will not be widespread or significant. • Another cold front looks to arrive Monday with a few showers and a slight dip in temperatures. • The Easter weekend will be warm with many dry hours. A few isolated showers are possible in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. TODAY: Patchy AM fog. Partly cloudy with an isolated inland shower. HIGH: 80 TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Low: 60 WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy, warm, isolated afternoon shower. 60/84 THURSDAY: Partly cloudy, warm, and a few isolated afternoon showers. 60/82 FRIDAY: Partly cloudy, warm, isolated afternoon shower. 62/83 SATURDAY: Partly cloudy, warm, isolated afternoon shower. 64/86 EASTER SUNDAY: Partly cloudy, warm, isolated afternoon showers. 64/84 MONDAY: Partly to mostly cloudy with a few showers. 65/75

Shiur given by Rabbi Yisroel Gottlieb on Halacha Basar BiChalav and Taaruvos. Shiur given in Yeshivas Ohr Reuven, Monsey NY.

CBS47/FOX30 FIRST ALERT FORECAST – WOKV RADIO MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026 METEOROLOGIST COREY SIMMA The WOKV Weather Meter for Today: 8 MONDAY: AM Fog, Partly to Mostly Sunny. High: 86 TONIGHT: Patchy Fog. Low: 63 TUESDAY: Mostly Sunny & Warm. High: 86 WEDNESDAY: Partly Sunny & Hot. High: 89 THURSDAY: Partly Cloudy & Breezy, Showers & Storms. High: 78 FRIDAY: Mostly Sunny. High: 74

CBS47/FOX30 FIRST ALERT FORECAST – FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2026 First Alert Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh WOKV RADIO The WOKV Weather Meter for Today: 8 TODAY: AM fog. Partly sunny & warm. Isolated inland shower possible. High: 83 TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with fog developing. Low: 62 SATURDAY: AM fog. Partly cloudy and warm. Isolated shower possible. High: 83 SUNDAY: Partly sunny and warm. Isolated shower possible. High: 85 MONDAY: Partly sunny and warm. High: 86 (Record: 88 – 2024) TUESDAY: Mostly sunny and warm. High: 86

Dr. David Treleaven is a a writer, educator, and trauma professional whose work lies at the intersection of mindfulness and trauma. At the heart of David's work is the notion that mindfulness is more powerful when combined with an understanding of trauma.Part of what's behind this is the growing realization over the years that mindfulness meditation isn't all good. There are a number of potential pitfalls that have been increasingly documented over time. One of which is that mindfulness can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress. As a result David has focused on offering mindfulness providers the knowledge and tools they require to meet the needs of those struggling with trauma.In this conversation (which was originally recorded during COVID and we are re releasing again) David and I will explore a few big questions:What is the relationship between increasing our capacity to be with discomfort and a meaningful and fulfilling life?How can we increase our capacity to tolerate distress and discomfort while staying regulated, and responsive in the process?When we are working at the edge of our comfort zone, or are working with the more difficult aspects of our experience how do we know when to keep going, and when to back off?This is one of my favorite conversations on the show over the years and Partly because David is such a skilled teacher, and partly because the framework we'll discuss together (called the window of tolerance) is one of the most practical I  have come across for answering these big and nuanced questions about how to meet life from a more responsive and regulated place. For more on David, his book, courses and events please visit: davidtreleaven.comNote on re-releasing this episode:Every so often we will choose to re release an episode from earlier years. These conversations are often some of the best we've had on the show and you'll see [Best of] in the title. This conversation was originally recorded in 2021 during COVID, yet the themes, and what David offers feel just as timely and useful today as they did years ago. I hope you enjoy!Interested in taking David's flagship Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Course? As a listener of The Courageous Life you can get $400 off. To receive the discount: 1. Head to: https://davidtreleaven.com/trauma-sensitive-mindfulness-complete/2. Upon checkout enter the coupon code: courage400Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are more conversations we think you'll love:On Why We Suffer and How We Heal | Dr. Suzan SongOn the Transformative Power of Equanimity | Margaret CullenOn the Power of Wonder | Monica ParkerEnjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts!Thanks for listening! Support the show

The reception to our recent post on Code Reviews has been strong. Catch up!Amid a maelstrom of discussion on whether or not AI is killing SaaS, one of the top publicly listed SaaS companies in the world has just reported record revenues, clearing well over $1.1B in ARR for the first time with a 28% margin. As we comment on the pod, Aaron Levie is the rare public company CEO equally at home in both worlds of Silicon Valley and Wall Street/Main Street, by day helping 70% of the Fortune 500 with their Enterprise Advanced Suite, and yet by night is often found in the basements of early startups and tweeting viral insights about the future of agents.Now that both Cursor, Cloudflare, Perplexity, Anthropic and more have made Filesystems and Sandboxes and various forms of “Just Give the Agent a Box” cool (not just cool; it is now one of the single hottest areas in AI infrastructure growing 100% MoM), we find it a delightfully appropriate time to do the episode with the OG CEO who has been giving humans and computers Boxes since he was a college dropout pitching VCs at a Michael Arrington house party.Enjoy our special pod, with fan favorite returning guest/guest cohost Jeff Huber!Note: We didn't directly discuss the AI vs SaaS debate - Aaron has done many, many, many other podcasts on that, and you should read his definitive essay on it. Most commentators do not understand SaaS businesses because they have never scaled one themselves, and deeply reflected on what the true value proposition of SaaS is.We also discuss Your Company is a Filesystem:We also shoutout CTO Ben Kus' and the AI team, who talked about the technical architecture and will return for AIE WF 2026.Full Video EpisodeTimestamps* 00:00 Adapting Work for Agents* 01:29 Why Every Agent Needs a Box* 04:38 Agent Governance and Identity* 11:28 Why Coding Agents Took Off First* 21:42 Context Engineering and Search Limits* 31:29 Inside Agent Evals* 33:23 Industries and Datasets* 35:22 Building the Agent Team* 38:50 Read Write Agent Workflows* 41:54 Docs Graphs and Founder Mode* 55:38 Token FOMO Culture* 56:31 Production Function Secrets* 01:01:08 Film Roots to Box* 01:03:38 AI Future of Movies* 01:06:47 Media DevRel and EngineeringTranscriptAdapting Work for AgentsAaron Levie: Like you don't write code, you talk to an agent and it goes and does it for you, and you may be at best review it. That's even probably like, like largely not even what you're doing. What's happening is we are changing our work to make the agents effective. In that model, the agent didn't really adapt to how we work.We basically adapted to how the agent works. All of the economy has to go through that exact same evolution. Right now, it's a huge asset and an advantage for the teams that do it early and that are kinda wired into doing this ‘cause you'll see compounding returns. But that's just gonna take a while for most companies to actually go and get this deployed.swyx: Welcome to the Lane Space Pod. We're back in the chroma studio with uh, chroma, CEO, Jeff Hoover. Welcome returning guest now guest host.Aaron Levie: It's a pleasure. Wow. How'd you get upgraded to, uh, to that?swyx: Because he's like the perfect guy to be guest those for you.Aaron Levie: That makes sense actually, for We love context. We, we both really love context le we really do.We really do.swyx: Uh, and we're here with, uh, Aaron Levy. Welcome.Aaron Levie: Thank you. Good to, uh, good to be [00:01:00] here.swyx: Uh, yeah. So we've all met offline and like chatted a little bit, but like, it's always nice to get these things in person and conversation. Yeah. You just started off with so much energy. You're, you're super excited about agents.I loveAaron Levie: agents.swyx: Yeah. Open claw. Just got by, got bought by OpenAI. No, not bought, but you know, you know what I mean?Aaron Levie: Some, some, you know, acquihire. Executiveswyx: hire.Aaron Levie: Executive hire. Okay. Executive hire. Say,swyx: hey, that's my term. Okay. Um, what are you pounding the table on on agents? You have so many insightful tweets.Why Every Agent Needs a BoxAaron Levie: Well, the thing that, that we get super excited by that I think is probably, you know, should be relatively obvious is we've, we've built a platform to help enterprises manage their files and their, their corporate files and the permissions of who has access to those files and the sharing collaboration of those files.All of those files contain really, really important information for the enterprise. It might have your contracts, it might have your research materials, it might have marketing information, it might have your memos. All that data obviously has, you know, predominantly been used by humans. [00:02:00] But there's been one really interesting problem, which is that, you know, humans only really work with their files during an active engagement with them, and they kind of go away and you don't really see them for a long time.And all of a sudden, uh, with the power of AI and AI agents, all of that data becomes extremely relevant as this ongoing source of, of answers to new questions of data that will transform into, into something else that, that produces value in your organization. It, it contains the answer to the new employee that's onboarding, that needs to ramp up on a project.Um, it contains the answer to the right thing to sell a customer when you're having a conversation to them, with them contains the roadmap information that's gonna produce the next feature. So all that data. That previously we've been just sort of storing and, and you know, occasionally forgetting about, ‘cause we're only working on the new active stuff.All of that information becomes valuable to the enterprise and it's gonna become extremely valuable to end users because now they can have agents go find what they're looking for and produce new, new [00:03:00] value and new data on that information. And it's gonna become incredibly valuable to agents because agents can roam around and do a bunch of work and they're gonna need access to that data as well.And um, and you know, sometimes that will be an agent that is sort of working on behalf of, of, of you and, and effectively as you as and, and they are kind of accessing all of the same information that you have access to and, and operating as you in the system. And then sometimes there's gonna be agents that are just.Effectively autonomous and kind of run on their own and, and you're gonna collaborate and work with them kind of like you did another person. Open Claw being the most recent and maybe first real sort of, you know, kind of, you know, up updating everybody's, you know, views of this landscape version of, of what that could look like, which is, okay, I have an agent.It's on its own system, it's on its own computer, it has access to its own tools. I probably don't give it access to my entire life. I probably communicate with it like I would an assistant or a colleague and then it, it sort of has this sandbox environment. So all of that has massive implications for a platform that manage that [00:04:00] enterprise data.We think it's gonna just transform how we work with all of the enterprise content that we work with, and we just have to make sure we're building the right platform to support that.swyx: The sort of shorthand I put it is as people build agents, everybody's just realizing that every agent needs a box. Yes.And it's nice to be called box and just give everyone a box.Aaron Levie: Hey, I if I, you know, if we can make that go viral, uh, like I, I think that that terminology, I, that's theswyx: tagline. Every agentAaron Levie: needs a box. Every agent needs a box. If we can make that the headline of this, I'm fine with this. And that's the billboard I wanna like Yeah, exactly.Every agent needs a box. Um, I like it. Can we ship this? Like,swyx: okay, let's do it. Yeah.Aaron Levie: Uh, my work here is done and I got the value I needed outta this podcast Drinks.swyx: Yeah.Agent Governance and IdentityAaron Levie: But, but, um, but, but, you know, so the thing that we, we kind of think about is, um, is, you know, whether you think the number 10 x or a hundred x or whatever the number is, we're gonna have some order of magnitude more agents than people.That's inevitable. It has to happen. So then the question is, what is the infrastructure that's needed to make all those agents effective in the enterprise? Make sure that they are well governed. Make sure they're only doing [00:05:00] safe things on your information. Make sure that they're not getting exposed. The data that they shouldn't have access to.There's gonna be just incredibly spectacularly crazy security incidents that will happen with agents because you'll prompt, inject an agent and sort of find your way through the CRM system and pull out data that you shouldn't have access to. Oh, weJeff Huber: have God,Aaron Levie: right? I mean, that's just gonna happen all over the place, right?So, so then the thing is, is how do you make sure you have the right security, the permissions, the access controls, the data governance. Um, we actually don't yet exactly know in many cases how we're gonna regulate some of these agents, right? If you think about an agent in financial services, does it have the exact same financial sort of, uh, requirements that a human did?Or is it, is the risk fully on the human that was interacting or created the agent? All open questions, but no matter what, there's gonna need to be a layer that manages the, the data they have access to, the workflows that they're involved in, pulling up data from multiple systems. This is the new infrastructure opportunity in the era of agents.swyx: You have a piece on agent identities, [00:06:00] which I think was today, um, which I think a lot of breaking news, the security, security people are talking about, right? Like you basically, I, I always think of this as like, well you need the human you and then there you need the agent. YouAaron Levie: Yes.swyx: And uh, well, I don't know if it's that simple, but is box going to have an opinion on that or you're just gonna be like, well we're just the sort of the, the source layer.Yeah. Let's Okta of zero handle that.Aaron Levie: I think we're gonna have an opinion and we will work with generally wherever the contours of the market end up. Um, and the reason that we're gonna have an opinion more than other topics probably is because one of the biggest use cases for why your agent might need it, an identity is for file system access.So thus we have to kind of think about this pretty deeply. And I think, uh, unless you're like in our world thinking about this particular problem all day long, it might be, you know, like, why is this such a big deal? And the reason why it's a really big deal is because sometimes sort of say, well just give the agent an, an account on the system and it just treats, treat it like every other type of user on the system.The [00:07:00] problem is, is that I as Aaron don't really have any responsibility over anybody else's box account in our organization. I can't see the box account of any other employee that I work with. I am not liable for anything that they do. And they have, I have, I have, you know, strict privacy requirements on everything that they're able to, you know, that, that, that they work on.Agents don't have that, you know, don't have those properties. The person who creates the agent probably is gonna, for the foreseeable future, take on a lot of the liability of what that agent does. That agent doesn't deserve any privacy because, because it's, you know, it can't fully be autonomously operated and it doesn't have any legal, you know, kind of, you know, responsibility.So thus you can't just be like, oh, well I'll just create a bunch of accounts and then I'll, I'll kind of work with that agent and I'll talk to it occasionally. Like you need oversight of that. And so then the question is, how do you have a world where the agent, sometimes you have oversight of, but what if that agent goes and works with other people?That person over there is collaborating with the agent on something you shouldn't have [00:08:00] access to what they're doing. So we have all of these new boundaries that we're gonna have to figure out of, of, you know, it's really, really easy. So far we've been in, in easy mode. We've hit the easy button with ai, which is the agent just is you.And when you're in quad code and you're in cursor, and you're in Codex, you're just, the agent is you. You're offing into your services. It can do everything you can do. That's the easy mode. The hard mode is agents are kind of running on their own. People check in with them occasionally, they're doing things autonomously.How do you give them access to resources in the enterprise and not dramatically increased the security risk and the risk that you might expose the wrong thing to somebody. These are all the new problems that we have to get solved. I like the identity layer and, and identity vendors as being a solution to that, but we'll, we'll need some opinions as well because so many of the use cases are these collaborative file system use cases, which is how do I give it an agent, a subset of my data?Give it its own workspace as well. ‘cause it's gonna need to store off its own information that would be relevant for it. And how do I have the right oversight into that? [00:09:00]Jeff Huber: One thing, which, um, I think is kind interesting, think about is that you know, how humans work, right? Like I may not also just like give you access to the whole file.I might like sit next to you and like scroll to this like one part of the file and just show you that like one part and like, you know,swyx: partial file access.Jeff Huber: I'm just saying I think like our, like RA does seem to be dead, right? Like you wanna say something is dead uhhuh probably RA is dead. And uh, like the auth story to me seems like incredibly unsolved and unaddressed by like the existing state of like AI vendors.ButAaron Levie: yeah, I think, um, we're, I mean you're taking obviously really to level limit that we probably need to solve for. Yeah. And we built an access control system that was, was kind of like, you know, its own little world for, for a long time. And um, and the idea was this, it's a many to many collaboration system where I can give you any part of the file system.And it's a waterfall model. So if I give you higher up in the, in the, in the system, you get everything below. And that, that kind of created immense flexibility because I can kind of point you to any layer in the, in the tree, but then you're gonna get access to everything kind of below it. And that [00:10:00] mostly is, is working in this, in this world.But you do have to manage this issue, which is how do I create an agent that has access to some of my stuff and somebody else's stuff as well. Mm-hmm. And which parts do I get to look at as the creator of the agent? And, and these are just brand new problems? Yeah. Crazy. And humans, when there was a human there that was really easy to do.Like, like if the three of us were all sharing, there'd be a Venn diagram where we'd have an overlapping set of things we've shared, but then we'd have our own ways that we shared with each other. In an agent world, somebody needs to take responsibility for what that agent has access to and what they're working on.These are like the, some of the most probably, you know, boring problems for 98% of people on, on the internet, but they will be the problems that are the difference between can you actually have autonomous agents in an enterprise contextswyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: That are not leaking your data constantly.swyx: No. Like, I mean, you know, I run a very, very small company for my conference and like we already have data sensitivity issues.Yes. And some of my team members cannot see Yes. Uh, the others and like, I can't imagine what it's like to run a Fortune 500 and like, you have to [00:11:00] worry about this. I'm just kinda curious, like you, you talked to a lot like, like 70, 80% of your cus uh, of the Fortune 500, your customers.Aaron Levie: Yep. 67%. Just so we're being verySEswyx: precise.So Yeah. I'm notAaron Levie: Okay. Okay.swyx: Something I'm rounding up. Yes. Round up. I'm projecting to, forAaron Levie: the government.swyx: I'm projecting to the end of the year.Aaron Levie: Okay.swyx: There you go.Aaron Levie: You do make it sound like, like we, we, well we've gotta be on this. Like we're, we're taking way too long to get to 80%. Well,swyx: no, I mean, so like. How are they approaching it?Right? Because you're, you don't have a, you don't have a final answer yet.Why Coding Agents Took Off FirstAaron Levie: Well, okay, so, so this is actually, this is the stark reality that like, unfortunately is the kinda like pouring the water on the party a little bit.swyx: Yes.Aaron Levie: We all in Silicon Valley are like, have the absolute best conditions possible for AI ever.And I think we all saw the dke, you know, kind of Dario podcast and this idea of AI coding. Why is that taken off? And, and we're not yet fully seeing it everywhere else. Well, look, if you just like enumerated the list of properties that AI coding has and then compared it to other [00:12:00] knowledge work, let's just, let's just go through a few of them.Generally speaking, you bring on a new engineer, they have access to a large swath of the code base. Like, there's like very, like you, just, like new engineer comes on, they can just go and find the, the, the stuff that they, they need to work with. It's a fully text in text out. Medium. It's only, it's just gonna be text at the end of the day.So it's like really great from a, from just a, uh, you know, kinda what the agent can work with. Obviously the models are super trained on that dataset. The labs themselves have a really strong, kind of self-reinforcing positive flywheel of why they need to do, you know, agent coding deeply. So then you get just better tooling, better services.The actual developers of the AI are daily users of the, of the thing that they're we're working on versus like the, you know, probably there's only like seven Claude Cowork legal plugin users at Anthropic any given day, but there's like a couple thousand Claude code and you know, users every single day.So just like, think about which one are they getting more feedback on. All day long. So you just go through this list. You have a, you know, everybody who's a [00:13:00] developer by definition is technical so they can go install the latest thing. We're all generally online, or at least, you know, kinda the weird ones are, and we're all talking to each other, sharing best practices, like that's like already eight differences.Versus the rest of the economy. Every other part of the economy has like, like six to seven headwinds relative to that list. You go into a company, you're a banker in financial services, you have access to like a, a tiny little subset of the total data that's gonna be relevant to do your job. And you're have to start to go and talk to a bunch of people to get the right data to do your job because Sally didn't add you to that deal room, you know, folder.And that that, you know, the information is actually in a completely different organization that you now have to go in and, and sort of run into. And it's like you have this endless list of access controls and security. As, as you talked about, you have a medium, which is not, it's not just text, right? You have, you have a zoom call that, that you're getting all of the requirements from the customer.You have a lot of in-person conversations and you're doing in-person sales and like how do you ever [00:14:00] digitize all of that information? Um, you know, I think a lot of people got upset with this idea that the code base has all the context, um, that I don't know if you follow, you know, did you follow some of that conversation that that went viral?Is like, you know, it's not that simple that, that the code base doesn't have all the knowledge, but like it's a lot, you're a lot better off than you are with other areas of knowledge work. Like you, we like, we like have documentation practices, you write specifications. Those things don't exist for like 80% of work that happens in the enterprise.That's the divide that we have, which is, which is AI coding has, has just fully, you know, where we've reached escape velocity of how powerful this stuff is, and then we're gonna have to find a way to bring that same energy and momentum, but to all these other areas of knowledge work. Where the tools aren't there, the data's not set up to be there.The access controls don't make it that easy. The context engineering is an incredibly hard problem because again, you have access control challenges, you have different data formats. You have end users that are gonna need to kind of be kind of trained through this as opposed to their adopting [00:15:00] these tools in their free time.That's where the Fortune 500 is. And so we, I think, you know, have to be prepared as an industry where we are gonna be on a multi-year march to, to be able to bring agents to the enterprise for these workflows. And I think probably the, the thing that we've learned most in coding that, that the rest of the world is not yet, I think ready for, I mean, we're, they'll, they'll have to be ready for it because it's just gonna inevitably happen is I think in coding.What, what's interesting is if you think about the practice of coding today versus two years ago. It's probably the most changed workflow in maybe the history of time from the amount of time it's changed, right? Yeah. Like, like has any, has any workflow in the entire economy changed that quickly in terms of the amount of change?I just, you know, at least in any knowledge worker workflow, there's like very rarely been an event where one piece of technology and work practice has so fundamentally, you know, changed, changed what you do. Like you don't write code, you talk to an agent and it goes and [00:16:00] does it for you, and you may be at best review it.And even that's even probably like, like largely not even what you're doing. What's happening is we are changing our work to make the agents effective. In that model, the agent didn't really adapt to how we work. We basically adapted to how the agent works. Mm-hmm. All of the economy has to go through that exact same evolution.The rest of the economy is gonna have to update its workflows to make agents effective. And to give agents the context that they need and to actually figure out what kind of prompting works and to figure out how do you ensure that the agent has the right access to information to be able to execute on its work.I, you know, this is not the panacea that people were hoping for, of the agent drops in, just automates your life. Like you have to basically re-engineer your workflow to get the most out of agents and, uh, and that, that's just gonna take, you know, multiple years across the economy. Right now it's a huge asset and an advantage for the teams that do it early and that are kinda wired into doing this.‘cause [00:17:00] you'll see compounding returns, but that's just gonna take a while for most companies to actually go and get this deployed.swyx: I love, I love pushing back. I think that. That is what a lot of technology consultants love to hear this sort of thing, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. First to, to embrace the ai. Yes. To get to the promised land, you must pay me so much money to a hundred percent to adopt the prescribed way of, uh, conforming to the agents.Yes. And I worry that you will be eclipsed by someone else who says, no, come as you are.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: And we'll meet you where you are.Aaron Levie: And, and, and and what was the thing that went viral a week ago? OpenAI probably, uh, is hiring F Dees. Yeah. Uh, to go into the enterprise. Yeah. Yeah. And then philanthropic is embedded at Goldman Sachs.Yeah. So if the labs are having to do this, if, if the labs have decided that they need to hire FDE and professional services, then I think that's a pretty clear indication that this, there's no easy mode of workflow transformation. Yeah. Yeah. So, so to your point, I think actually this is a market opportunity for, you know, new professional services and consulting [00:18:00] firms that are like Agent Build and they, and they kind of, you know, go into organizations and they figure out how to re-engineer your workflows to make them more agent ready and get your data into the right format and, you know, reconstruct your business process.So you're, you're not doing most of the work. You're telling agents how to do the work and then you're reviewing it. But I haven't seen the thing that can just drop in and, and kinda let you not go through those changes.swyx: I don't know how that kind of sales pitch goes over. Yeah. You know, you're, you're saying things like, well, in my sort of nice beautiful walled garden, here's, there's, uh, because here's this, here's this beautiful box account that has everything.Yes. And I'm like, well, most, most real life is extremely messy. Sure. And like, poorly named and there duplicate this outdated s**tAaron Levie: a hundred percent. And so No, no, a hundred percent. And so this is actually No. So, so this is, I mean, we agree that, that getting to the beautiful garden is gonna be tough.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: There's also the other end of the spectrum where I, I just like, it's a technical impossibility to solve. The agent is, is truly cannot get enough context to make the right decision in, in the, in the incredibly messy land. Like there's [00:19:00] no a GI that will solve that. So, so we're gonna have to kind of land in somewhere in between, which is like we all collectively get better at.Documentation practices and, and having authoritative relatively up-to-date information and putting it in the right place like agents will, will certainly cause us to be much better organized around how we work with our information, simply because the severity of the agent pulling the wrong data will be too high and the productivity gain of that you'll miss out on by not doing this will be too high as well, that you, that your competition will just do it and they'll just have higher velocity.So, uh, and, and we, we see this a lot firsthand. So we, we build a series of agents internally that they can kind of have access to your full box account and go off and you give it a task and it can go find whatever information you're looking for and work with. And, you know, thank God for the model progress, but like, if, if you gave that task to an agent.Nine months ago, you're just gonna get lots of bogus answers because it's gonna, it's gonna say, Hey, here's, here are fi [00:20:00] five, you know, documents that all kind of smell like the right thing. And I'm gonna, but I, but you're, you're putting me on the clock. ‘cause my assistant prompt says like, you know, be pretty smart, but also try and respond to the user and it's gonna respond.And it's like, ah, it got the wrong document. And then you do that once or twice as a knowledge worker and you're just neverswyx: again,Aaron Levie: never again. You're just like done with the system.swyx: Yeah. It doesn't work.Aaron Levie: It doesn't work. And so, you know, Opus four six and Gemini three one Pro and you know, whatever the latest five 3G BT will be, like, those things are getting better and better and it's using better judgment.And this sort of like the, all of these updates to the agentic tool and search systems are, are, we're seeing, we're seeing very real progress where the agent. Kind of can, can almost smell some things a little bit fishy when it's getting, you know, we, we have this process where we, we have it go fan out, do a bunch of searches, pull up a bunch of data, and then it has to sort of do its own ranking of, you know, what are the right documents that, that it should be working with.And again, like, you know, the intelligence level of a model six months ago, [00:21:00] it'd be just throwing a dart at like, I'm just, I'm gonna grab these seven files and I, I pray, I hope that that's the right answer. And something like an opus first four five, and now four six is like, oh, it's like, no, that one doesn't seem right relative to this question because I'm seeing some signal that is making that, you know, that's contradicting the document where it would normally be in the tree and who should have access.Like it's doing all of that kind of work for you. But like, it still doesn't work if you just have a total wasteland of data. Like, it's just not, it's just not possible. Partly ‘cause a human wouldn't even be able to do it. So basically if a, if a really, really smart human. Could not do that task in five or 10 minutes for a search retrieval type task.Look, you know, your agent's not gonna be able to do it any better. You see this all day long. SoContext Engineering and Search Limitsswyx: this touches on a thing that just passionate about it was just context engineering. I, I'm just gonna let you ramble or riff on, on context engineering. If, if, if there's anything like he, he did really good work on context fraud, which has really taken over as like the term that people use and the referenceAaron Levie: a hundred percent.We, we all we think about is, is the context rob problem. [00:22:00]Jeff Huber: Yeah, there's certainly a lot of like ranking considerations. Gentech surgery think is incredibly promising. Um, yeah, I was trying to generate a question though. I think I have a question right now. Swyx.Aaron Levie: Yeah, no, but like, like I think there was this moment, um, you know, like, I don't know, two years ago before, before we knew like where the, the gotchas were gonna be in ai and I think someone was like, was like, well, infinite context windows will just solve all of these problems and ‘cause you'll just, you'll just give the context window like all the data and.It's just like, okay, I mean, maybe in 2035, like this is a viable solution. First of all, it, it would just, it would just simply cost too much. Like we just can't give the model like the 5,000 documents that might be relevant and it's gonna read them all. And I've seen enough to, to start believing in crazy stuff.So like, I'm willing to just say, sure. Like in, in 10 years from now,swyx: never say, never, never.Aaron Levie: In, in 10 years from now, we'll have infinite context windows at, at a thousandth of the price of today. Like, let's just like believe that that's possible, but Right. We're in reality today. So today we have a context engineering [00:23:00] problem, which is, I got, I got, you know, 200,000 tokens that I can work with, or prob, I don't even know what the latest graph is before, like massive degradation.16. Okay. I have 60,000 tokens that I get to work with where I'm gonna get accurate information. That's not a lot of tokens for a corpus of 10 million documents that a knowledge worker might have across all of the teams and all the projects and all the people they work with. I have, I have 10 million documents.Which, you know, maybe is times five pages per document or something like that. I'm at 50 million pages of information and I have 60,000 tokens. Like, holy s**t. Yeah. This is like, how do I bridge the 50 million pages of information with, you know, the couple hundred that I get to work with in that, in that token window.Yeah. This is like, this is like such an interesting problem and that's why actually so much work is actually like, just like search systems and the databases and that layer has to just get so locked in, but models getting better and importantly [00:24:00] knowing when they've done a search, they found the wrong thing, they go back, they check their work, they, they find a way to balance sort of appeasing the user versus double checking.We have this one, we have this one test case where we ask the agent to go find. 10 pieces of information.swyx: Is this the complex work eval?Aaron Levie: Uh, this is actually not in the eval. This is, this is sort of just like we have a bunch of different, we have a bunch of internal benchmark kind of scenarios. Every time we, we update our agent, we have one, which is, I ask it to find all of our office addresses, and I give it the list of 10 offices that we have.And there's not one document that has this, maybe there should be, that would be a great example of the kind of thing that like maybe over time companies start to, you know, have these sort of like, what are the canonical, you know, kind of key areas of knowledge that we need to have. We don't seem to have this one document that says, here are all of our offices.We have a bunch of documents that have like, here's the New York office and whatever. So you task this agent and you, you get, you say, I need the addresses for these 10 offices. Okay. And by the way, if you do this on any, you know, [00:25:00] public chat model, the same outcome is gonna happen. But for a different kind of query, you give it, you say, I need these 10 addresses.How many times should the agent go and do its search before it decides whether or not, there's just no answer to this question. Often, and especially the, the, let's say lower tier models, it'll come back and it'll give you six of the 10 addresses. And it'll, and I'll just say I couldn't find the otherswyx: four.It, it doesn't know what It doesn't know. ItAaron Levie: doesn't know what It doesn't know. Yeah. So the model is just like, like when should it stop? When should it stop doing? Like should it, should it do that task for literally an hour and just keep cranking through? Maybe I actually made up an office location and it doesn't know that I made it up and I didn't even know that I made it up.Like, should it just keep, re should it read every single file in your entire box account until it, until it should exhaust every single piece of information.swyx: Expensive.Aaron Levie: These are the new problems that we have. So, you know, something like, let's say a new opus model is sort of like, okay, I'm gonna try these types of queries.I didn't get exactly what I wanted. I'm gonna try again. I'm gonna, at [00:26:00] some point I'm gonna stop searching. ‘cause I've determined that that no amount of searching is gonna solve this problem. I'm just not able to do it. And that judgment is like a really new thing that the model needs to be able to have.It's like, when should it give up on a task? ‘cause, ‘cause you just don't, it's a can't find the thing. That's the real world of knowledge, work problems. And this is the stuff that the coding agents don't have to deal with. Because they, it just doesn't like, like you're not usually asking it about, you're, you're always creating net new information coming right outta the model for the most part.Obviously it has to know about your code base and your specs and your documentation, but, but when you deploy an agent on all of your data that now you have all of these new problems that you're dealing withJeff Huber: our, uh, follow follow-up research to context ride is actually on a genetic search. Ah. Um, and we've like right, sort of stress tested like frontier models and their ability to search.Um, and they're not actually that good at searching. Right. Uh, so you're sort of highlighting this like explore, exploit.swyx: You're just say, Debbie, Donna say everything doesn't work. Like,Aaron Levie: well,Jeff Huber: somebody has to be,Aaron Levie: um, can I just throw out one more thing? Yeah. That is different from coding and, and the rest [00:27:00] of the knowledge work that I, I failed to mention.So one other kind of key point is, is that, you know, at the end of the day. Whether you believe we're in a slop apocalypse or, or whatever. At the end of the day, if you, if you build a working product at the end of, if you, if you've built a working solution that is ultimately what the customer is paying for, like whether I have a lot of slop, a little slop or whatever, I'm sure there's lots of code bases we could go into in enterprise software companies where it's like just crazy slop that humans did over a 20 year period, but the end customer just gets this little interface.They can, they can type into it, it does its thing. Knowledge work, uh, doesn't have that property. If I have an AI model, go generate a contract and I generate a contract 20 times and, you know, all 20 times it's just 3% different and like that I, that, that kind of lop introduces all new kinds of risk for my organization that the code version of that LOP didn't, didn't introduce.These are, and so like, so how do you constrain these models to just the part that you want [00:28:00] them to work on and just do the thing that you want them to do? And, and, you know, in engineering, we don't, you can't be disbarred as an engineer, but you could be disbarred as a lawyer. Like you can do the wrong medical thing In healthcare, you, there's no, there's no equivalent to that of engineering.Like, doswyx: you want there to be, because I've considered softwareJeff Huber: engineer. What's that? Civil engineering there is, right? NotAaron Levie: software civil engineer. Sure. Oh yeah, for sure. But like in any of our companies, you like, you know, you'll be forgiven if you took down the site and, and we, we will do a rollback and you'll, you'll be in a meeting, but you have not been disbarred as an engineer.We don't, we don't change your, you know, your computer science, uh, blameJeff Huber: degree, this postmortem.Aaron Levie: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, so, uh, now maybe we collectively as an industry need to figure out like, what are you liable for? Not legally, but like in a, in a management sense, uh, of these agents. All sorts of interesting problems that, that, that, uh, that have to come out.But in knowledge work, that's the real hostile environments that we're operating in. Hmm.swyx: I do think like, uh, a lot of the last year's, 2025 story was the rise of coding agents and I think [00:29:00] 2026 story is definitely knowledge work agents. Yes. A hundredAaron Levie: percent.swyx: Right. Like that would, and I think open claw core work are just the beginning.Yes. Like it's, the next one's gonna just gonna be absolute craziness.Aaron Levie: It it is. And, and, uh, and it's gonna be, I mean, again, like this is gonna be this, this wave where we, we are gonna try and bring as many of the practices from coding because that, that will clearly be the forefront, which is tell an agent to go do something and has an access to a set of resources.You need to be responsible for reviewing it at the end of the process. That to me is the, is the kind of template that I just think goes across knowledge, work and odd. Cowork is a great example. Open Closet's a great example. You can kind of, sort of see what Codex could become over time. These are some, some really interesting kind of platforms that are emerging.swyx: Okay. Um, I wanted to, we touched on evals a little bit. You had, you had the report that you're gonna go bring up and then I was gonna go into like, uh, boxes, evals, but uh, go ahead. Talk about your genetic search thing.Jeff Huber: Yeah. Mostly I think kinda a few of the insights. It's like number one frontier model is not good at search.Humans have this [00:30:00] natural explore, exploit trade off where we kinda understand like when to stop doing something. Also, humans are pretty good at like forgetting actually, and like pruning their own context, whereas agents are not, and actually an agent in their kind of context history, if they knew something was bad and they even, you could see in the trace the reason you trace, Hey, that probably wasn't a good idea.If it's still in the trace, still in the context, they'll still do it again. Uhhuh. Uh, and so like, I think pruning is also gonna be like, really, it's already becoming a thing, right? But like, letting self prune the con windowsswyx: be a big deal. Yeah. So, so don't leave the mistake. Don't leave the mistake in there.Cut out the mistake but tell it that you made a mistake in the past and so it doesn't repeat it.Jeff Huber: Yeah. But like cut it out so it doesn't get like distracted by it again. ‘cause really, you know, what is so, so it will repeat its mistake just because it's been, it's inswyx: theJeff Huber: context. It'sAaron Levie: in the context so much.That's a few shot example. Even if it, yeah.Jeff Huber: It's like oh thisAaron Levie: is a great thing to go try even ifJeff Huber: it didn't work.Aaron Levie: Yeah,Jeff Huber: exactly.Aaron Levie: SoJeff Huber: there's like a bunch of stuff there. JustAaron Levie: Groundhogs Day inside these models. Yeah. I'm gonna go keep doing the same wrongJeff Huber: thing. Covering sense. I feel like, you know, some creator analogy you're trying like fit a manifold in latent space, which kind is doing break program synthesis, which is kinda one we think about we're doing right.Like, you know, certain [00:31:00] facts might be like sort of overly pitting it. There are certain, you know, sec sectors of latent space and so like plug clean space. Yeah. And, uh, andswyx: so we have a bell, our editor as a bell every time you say that. SoJeff Huber: you have, you have to like remove those, likeswyx: you shoulda a gong like TPN or something.IfJeff Huber: we gong, you either remove those links to like kinda give it the freedom, kind of do what you need to do. So, but yeah. We'll, we'll release more soon. That'sAaron Levie: awesome.Jeff Huber: That'll, that'll be cool.swyx: We're a cerebral podcast that people listen to us and, and sort of think really deep. So yeah, we try to keep it subtle.Okay. We try to keep it.Aaron Levie: Okay, fine.Inside Agent Evalsswyx: Um, you, you guys do, you guys do have EVs, you talked about your, your office thing, but, uh, you've been also promoting APEX agents and complex work. Uh, yeah, whatever you, wherever you wanna take this just Yeah. How youAaron Levie: Apex is, is obviously me, core's, uh, uh, kind of, um, agent eval.We, we supported that by sort of. Opening up some data for them around how we kind of see these, um, data workspaces in, in the, you know, kind of regular economy. So how do lawyers have a workspace? How do investment bankers have a workspace? What kind of data goes into those? And so we, [00:32:00] we partner with them on their, their apex eval.Our own, um, eval is, it's actually relatively straightforward. We have a, a set of, of documents in a, in a range of industries. We give the agent previously did this as a one shot test of just purely the model. And then we just realized we, we need to, based on where everything's going, it's just gotta be more agentic.So now it's a bit more of a test of both our harness and the model. And we have a rubric of a set of things that has to get right and we score it. Um, and you're just seeing, you know, these incredible jumps in almost every single model in its own family of, you know, opus four, um, you know, sonnet four six versus sonnet four five.swyx: Yeah. We have this up on screen.Aaron Levie: Okay, cool. So some, you're seeing it somewhere like. I, I forget the to, it was like 15 point jump, I think on the main, on the overall,swyx: yes.Aaron Levie: And it's just like, you know, these incredible leaps that, that are starting to happen. Um,swyx: and OP doesn't know any, like any, it's completely held out from op.Aaron Levie: This is not in any, there's no public data which has, you know, Ben benefits and this is just a private eval that we [00:33:00] do, and then we just happen to show it to, to the world. Hmm. So you can't, you can't train against it. And I think it's just as representative of. It's obviously reasoning capabilities, what it's doing at, at, you know, kind of test time, compute capabilities, thinking levels, all like the context rot issues.So many interesting, you know, kind of, uh, uh, capabilities that are, that are now improvingswyx: one sector that you have. That's interesting.Industries and Datasetsswyx: Uh, people are roughly familiar with healthcare and legal, but you have public sector in there.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: Uh, what's that? Like, what, what, what is that?Aaron Levie: Yeah, and, and we actually test against, I dunno, maybe 10 industries.We, we end up usually just cutting a few that we think have interesting gains. All extras, won a lot of like government type documents. Um,swyx: what is that? What is it? Government type documents?Aaron Levie: Government filings. Like a taxswyx: return, likeAaron Levie: a probably not tax returns. It would be more of what would go the government be using, uh, as data.So, okay. Um, so think about research that, that type of, of, of data sets. And then we have financial services for things like data rooms and what would be in an investment prospectus. Uhhuh,swyx: that one you can dog food.Aaron Levie: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yes. Yes. [00:34:00] So, uh, so we, we run the models, um, in now, you know, more of an agent mode, but, but still with, with kinda limited capacity and just try and see like on a, like, for like basis, what are the improvements?And, and again, we just continue to be blown away by. How, how good these models are getting.swyx: Yeah, I mean, I think every serious AI company needs something like that where like, well, this is the work we do. Here's our company eval. Yeah. And if you don't have it, well, you're not a serious AI company.Aaron Levie: There's two dimensions, right?So there's, there's like, how are the models improving? And so which models should you either recommend a customer use, which one should you adopt? But then every single day, we're making changes to our agents. And you need to knowswyx: if you regressed,Aaron Levie: if you know. Yeah. You know, I've been fully convinced that the whole agent observability and eval space is gonna be a massive space.Um, super excited for what Braintrust is doing, excited for, you know, Lang Smith, all the things. And I think what you're going to, I mean, this is like every enter like literally every enterprise right now. It's like the AI companies are the customers of these tools. Every enterprise will have this. Yeah, you'll just [00:35:00] have to have an eval.Of all of your work and like, we'll, you'll have an eval of your RFP generation, you'll have an eval of your sales material creation. You'll have an eval of your, uh, invoice processing. And, and as you, you know, buy or use new agentic systems, you are gonna need to know like, what's the quality of your, of your pipeline.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: Um, so huge, huge market with agent evals.swyx: Yeah.Building the Agent Teamswyx: And, and you know, I'm gonna shout out your, your team a bit, uh, your CTO, Ben, uh, did a great talk with us last year. Awesome. And he's gonna come back again. Oh, cool. For World's Fair.Aaron Levie: Yep.swyx: Just talk about your team, like brag a little bit. I think I, I think people take these eval numbers in pretty charts for granted, but No, there, I mean, there's, there's lots of really smart people at work during all this.Aaron Levie: Biggest shout out, uh, is we have a, we have a couple folks at Dya, uh, Sidarth, uh, that, that kind of run this. They're like a, you know, kind of tag tag team duo on our evals, Ben, our CTO, heavily involved Yasha, head of ai, uh, you know, a bunch of folks. And, um, evals is one part of the story. And then just like the full, you know, kind of AI.An agent team [00:36:00] is, uh, is a, is a pretty, you know, is core to this whole effort. So there's probably, I don't know, like maybe a few dozen people that are like the epicenter. And then you just have like layers and layers of, of kind of concentric circles of okay, then there's a search team that supports them and an infrastructure team that supports them.And it's starting to ripple through the entire company. But there's that kind of core agent team, um, that's a pretty, pretty close, uh, close knit group.swyx: The search team is separate from the infra team.Aaron Levie: I mean, we have like every, every layer of the stack we have to kind of do, except for just pure public cloud.Um, but um, you know, we, we store, I don't even know what our public numbers are in, you know, but like, you can just think about it as like a lot of data is, is stored in box. And so we have, and you have every layer of the, of the stack of, you know, how do you manage the data, the file system, the metadata system, the search system, just all of those components.And then they all are having to understand that now you've got this new customer. Which is the agent, and they've been building for two types of customers in the past. They've been building for users and they've been building for like applications. [00:37:00] And now you've got this new agent user, and it comes in with a difference of it, of property sometimes, like, hey, maybe sometimes we should do embeddings, an embedding based, you know, kind of search versus, you know, your, your typical semantic search.Like, it's just like you have to build the, the capabilities to support all of this. And we're testing stuff, throwing things away, something doesn't work and, and not relevant. It's like just, you know, total chaos. But all of those teams are supporting the agent team that is kind of coming up with its requirements of what, what do we need?swyx: Yeah. No, uh, we just came from, uh, fireside chat where you did, and you, you talked about how you're doing this. It's, it's kind of like an internal startup. Yeah. Within the broader company. The broader company's like 3000 people. Yeah. But you know, there's, there's a, this is a core team of like, well, here's the innovation center.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: And like that every company kind of is run this way.Aaron Levie: Yeah. I wanna be sensitive. I don't call it the innovation center. Yeah. Only because I think everybody has to do innovation. Um, there, there's a part of the, the, the company that is, is sort of do or die for the agent wave.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: And it only happens to be more of my focus simply because it's existential that [00:38:00] we get it right.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: All of the supporting systems are necessary. All of the surrounding adjacent capabilities are necessary. Like the only reason we get to be a platform where you'd run an agent is because we have a security feature or a compliance feature, or a governance feature that, that some team is working on.But that's not gonna be the make or break of, of whether we get agents right. Like that already exists and we need to keep innovating there. I don't know what the right, exact precise number is, but it's not a thousand people and it's not 10 people. There's a number of people that are like the, the kind of like, you know, startup within the company that are the make or break on everything related to AI agents, you know, leveraging our platform and letting you work with your data.And that's where I spend a lot of my time, and Ben and Yosh and Diego and Teri, you know, these are just, you know, people that, that, you know, kind of across the team. Are working.swyx: Yeah. Amazing.Read Write Agent WorkflowsJeff Huber: How do you, how do you think about, I mean, you talked a lot about like kinda read workflows over your box data. Yep.Right. You know, gen search questions, queries, et cetera. But like, what about like, write or like authoring workflows?Aaron Levie: Yes. I've [00:39:00] already probably revealed too much actually now that I think about it. So, um, I've talked about whatever,Jeff Huber: whatever you can.Aaron Levie: Okay. It's just us. It's just us. Yeah. Okay. Of course, of course.So I, I guess I would just, uh, I'll make it a little bit conceptual, uh, because again, I've already, I've already said things that are not even ga but, but we've, we've kinda like danced around it publicly, so I, yeah, yeah. Okay. Just like, hopefully nobody watches this, um, episode. No.swyx: It's tidbits for the Heidi engaged to go figure out like what exactly, um, you know, is, is your sort of line of thinking.Sure. They can connect the dots.Aaron Levie: Yeah. So, so I would say that, that, uh, we, you know, as a, as a place where you have your enterprise content, there's a use case where I want to, you know, have an agent read that data and answer questions for me. And then there's a use case where I want the agent to create something.And use the file system to create something or store off data that it's working on, or be able to have, you know, various files that it's writing to about the work it's doing. So we do see it as a total read write. The harder problem has so far been the read only because, because again, you have that kind of like 10 [00:40:00] million to one ratio problem, whereas rights are a lot of, that's just gonna come from the model and, and we just like, we'll just put it in the file system and kinda use it.So it's a little bit of a technically easier problem, but the only part that's like, not necessarily technically hard, it is just like it's not yet perfected in the state of the ecosystem is, you know, building a beautiful PowerPoint presentation. It's still a hard problem for these models. Like, like we still, you know, like, like these formats are just, we're not built for.They'reswyx: working on it.Aaron Levie: They're, they're working on it. Everybody's working on it.swyx: Every launch is like, well, we do PowerPoint now.Aaron Levie: We're getting, yeah, getting a lot, getting a lot of better each time. But then you'll do this thing where you'll ask the update one slide and all of a sudden, like the fonts will be just like a little bit different, you know, on two of the slides, or it moved, you know, some shape over to the left a little bit.And again, these are the kind of things that, like in code, obviously you could really care about if you really care about, you know, how beautiful is the code, but at the end, user doesn't notice all those problems and file creation, the end user instantly sees it. You're [00:41:00] like, ah, like paragraph three, like, you literally just changed the font on me.Like it's a totally different font and like midway through the document. Mm-hmm. Those are the kind of things that you run into a lot of in the, in the content creation side. So, mm-hmm. We are gonna have native agents. That do all of those things, they'll be powered by the leading kind of models and labs.But the thing that I think is, is probably gonna be a much bigger idea over time is any agent on any system, again, using Box as a file system for its work, and in that kind of scenario, we don't necessarily care what it's putting in the file system. It could put its memory files, it could put its, you know, specification, you know, documents.It could put, you know, whatever its markdown files are, or it could, you know, generate PDFs. It's just like, it's a workspace that is, is sort of sandboxed off for its work. People can collaborate into it, it can share with other people. And, and so we, we were thinking a lot about what's the right, you know, kind of way to, to deliver that at scale.Docs Graphs and Founder Modeswyx: I wanted to come into sort of the sort of AI transformation or AI sort of, uh, operations things. [00:42:00] Um, one of the tweets that you, that you wanted to talk about, this is just me going through your tweets, by the way. Oh, okay. I mean, like, this is, you readAaron Levie: one by one,swyx: you're the, you're the easiest guest to prep for because you, you already have like, this is the, this is what I'm interested in.I'm like, okay, well, areAaron Levie: we gonna get to like, like February, January or something? Where are we in the, in the timelines? How far back are we going?swyx: Can you, can you describe boxes? A set of skills? Right? Like that, that's like, that's like one of the extremes of like, well if you, you just turn everything into a markdown file.Yeah. Then your agent can run your company. Uh, like you just have to write, find the right sequence of words toAaron Levie: Yes.swyx: To do it.Aaron Levie: Sorry, isthatswyx: the question? So I think the question is like, what if we documented everything? Yes. The way that you exactly said like,Aaron Levie: yes.swyx: Um, let's get all the Fortune five hundreds, uh, prepared for agents.Yes. And like, you know, everything's in golden and, and nicely filed away and everything. Yes. What's missing? Like, what's left, right? LikeAaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: You've, you've run your company for a decade. LikeAaron Levie: Yeah. I think the challenge is that, that that information changes a week later. And because something happened in the market for that [00:43:00] customer, or us as a company that now has to go get updated, and so these systems are living and breathing and they have to experience reality and updates to reality, which right now is probably gonna be humans, you know, kinda giving those, giving them the updates.And, you know, there is this piece about context graphs as as, uh, that kinda went very viral. Yeah. And I, I, I was like a, i, I, I thought it was super provocative. I agreed with many parts of it. I disagree with a few parts around. You know, it's not gonna be as easy as as just if we just had the agent traces, then we can finally do that work because there's just like, there's so much more other stuff that that's happening that, that we haven't been able to capture and digitize.And I think they actually represented that in the piece to be clear. But like there's just a lot of work, you know, that that has to, you just can't have only skills files, you know, for your company because it's just gonna be like, there's gonna be a lot of other stuff that happens. Yeah. Change over time.Yeah. Most companies are practically apprenticeships.swyx: Most companies are practically apprenticeships. LikeJeff Huber: every new employee who joins the team, [00:44:00] like you span one to three months. Like ramping them up.Aaron Levie: Yes. AllJeff Huber: that tat knowledgeAaron Levie: isJeff Huber: not written down.Aaron Levie: Yes.Jeff Huber: But like, it would have to be if you wanted to like give it to an Asian.Right. And so like that seems to me like to beAaron Levie: one is I think you're gonna see again a premium on companies that can document this. Mm-hmm. Much. There'll be a huge premium on that because, because you know, can you shorten that three month ramp cycle to a two week ramp cycle? That's an instant productivity gain.Can you re dramatically reduce rework in the organization because you've documented where all the stuff is and where the answers are. Can you make your average employee as good as your 90th percentile employee because you've captured the knowledge that's sort of in the heads of, of those top employees and make that available.So like you can see some very clear productivity benefits. Mm-hmm. If you had a company culture of making sure you know your information was captured, digitized, put in a format that was agent ready and then made available to agents to work with, and then you just, again, have this reality of like add a 10,000 person [00:45:00] company.Mapping that to the, you know, access structure of the company is just a hard problem. Is like, is like, yeah, well, you just, not every piece of information that's digitized can be shared to everybody. And so now you have to organize that in a way that actually works. There was a pretty good piece, um, this, this, uh, this piece called your company as a file is a file system.I, did you see that one?swyx: Nope.Aaron Levie: Uh, yes. You saw it. Yeah. And, and, uh, I actually be curious your thoughts on it. Um, like, like an interesting kind of like, we, we agree with it because, because that's how we see the world and, uh,swyx: okay. We, we have it up on screen. Oh,Aaron Levie: okay. Yeah. But, but it's all about basically like, you know, we've already, we, we, we already organized in this kind of like, you know, permission structure way.Uh, and, and these are the kind of, you know, natural ways that, that agents can now work with data. So it's kind of like this, this, you know, kind of interesting metaphor, but I do think companies will have to start to think about how they start to digitize more, more of that data. What was your take?Jeff Huber: Yeah, I mean, like the company's probably like an acid compliant file system.Aaron Levie: Uh,Jeff Huber: yeah. Which I'm guessing boxes, right? So, yeah. Yes.swyx: Yeah. [00:46:00]Jeff Huber: Which you have a great piece on, but,swyx: uh, yeah. Well, uh, I, I, my, my, my direction is a little bit like, I wanna rewind a little bit to the graph word you said that there, that's a magic trigger word for us. I always ask what's your take on knowledge graphs?Yeah. Uh, ‘cause every, especially at every data database person, I just wanna see what they think. There's been knowledge graphs, hype cycles, and you've seen it all. So.Aaron Levie: Hmm. I actually am not the expert in knowledge graphs, so, so that you might need toswyx: research, you don't need to be an expert. Yeah. I think it's just like, well, how, how seriously do people take it?Yeah. Like, is is, is there a lot of potential in the, in the HOVI?Aaron Levie: Uh, well, can I, can I, uh, understand first if it's, um, is this a loaded question in the sense of are you super pro, super con, super anti medium? Iswyx: see pro, I see pros and cons. Okay. Uh, but I, I think your opinion should be independent of mine.Aaron Levie: Yeah. No, no, totally. Yeah. I just want to see what I'm stepping into.swyx: No, I know. It's a, and it's a huge trigger word for a lot of people out Yeah. In our audience. And they're, they're trying to figure out why is that? Because whyAaron Levie: is this such aswyx: hot item for them? Because a lot of people get graph religion.And they're like, everything's a graph. Of course you have to represent it as a graph. Well, [00:47:00] how do you solve your knowledge? Um, changing over time? Well, it's a graph.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: And, and I think there, there's that line of work and then there's, there's a lot of people who are like, well, you don't need it. And both are right.Aaron Levie: Yeah. And what do the people who say you don't need it, what are theyswyx: arguing for Mark down files. Oh, sure, sure. Simplicity.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: Versus it's, it's structure versus less structure. Right. That's, that's all what it is. I do.Aaron Levie: I think the tricky thing is, um, is, is again, when this gets met with real humans, they're just going to their computer.They're just working with some people on Slack or teams. They're just sharing some data through a collaborative file system and Google Docs or Box or whatever. I certainly like the vision of most, most knowledge graph, you know, kind of futuristic kind of ways of thinking about it. Uh, it's just like, you know, it's 2026.We haven't seen it yet. Kind of play out as as, I mean, I remember. Do you remember the, um, in like, actually I don't, I don't even know how old you guys are, but I'll for, for to show my age. I remember 17 years ago, everybody thought enterprises would just run on [00:48:00] Wikis. Yeah. And, uh, confluence and, and not even, I mean, confluence actually took off for engineering for sure.Like unquestionably. But like, this was like everything would be in the w. And I think based on our, uh, our, uh, general style of, of, of what we were building, like we were just like, I don't know, people just like wanna workspace. They're gonna collaborate with other people.swyx: Exactly. Yeah. So you were, you were anti-knowledge graph.Aaron Levie: Not anti, not anti. Soswyx: not nonAaron Levie: I'm not, I'm not anti. ‘cause I think, I think your search system, I just think these are two systems that probably, but like, I'm, I'm not in any religious war. I don't want to be in anybody's YouTube comments on this. There's not a fight for me.swyx: We, we love YouTube comments. We're, we're, we're get into comments.Aaron Levie: Okay. Uh, but like, but I, I, it's mostly just a virtue of what we built. Yeah. And we just continued down that path. Yeah.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: And, um, and that, that was what we pursued. But I'm not, this is not a, you know, kind of, this is not a, uh, it'sswyx: not existential for you. Great.Aaron Levie: We're happy to plug into somebody else's graph.We're happy to feed data into it. We're happy for [00:49:00] agents to, to talk to multiple systems. Not, not our fight.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: But I need your answer. Yeah. Graphs or nerd Snipes is very effective nerd.swyx: See this is, this is one, one opinion and then I've,Jeff Huber: and I think that the actual graph structure is emergent in the mind of the agent.Ah, in the same way it is in the mind of the human. And that's a more powerful graph ‘cause it actually involved over time.swyx: So don't tell me how to graph. I'll, I'll figure it out myself. Exactly. Okay. All right. AndJeff Huber: what's yours?swyx: I like the, the Wiki approach. Uh, my, I'm actually

CBS47/FOX30 FIRST ALERT FORECAST – THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026 First Alert Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh WOKV RADIO The WOKV Weather Meter for Today: 8 TODAY: AM fog. Partly cloudy. Isolated shower. High: 83 (70s at the beaches) TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with fog developing. Low: 61 FRIDAY: AM fog. Partly sunny & warm. Isolated shower possible. High: 83 SATURDAY: Partly cloudy and warm. Isolated shower possible. High: 83 SUNDAY: Partly sunny and warm. Isolated shower possible. High: 85 MONDAY: Partly sunny and warm. High: 84

CBS47/FOX30 FIRST ALERT FORECAST – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026 First Alert Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh WOKV RADIO The WOKV Weather Meter for Today: 8 TODAY: AM fog. Partly cloudy. Isolated coastal shower. High: 78 (60s at the beaches) TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with patchy fog developing. Low: 58 THURSDAY: Patchy AM fog. Partly sunny. High: 82 FRIDAY: Partly sunny. High: 83 SATURDAY: Partly cloudy and warm. High: 83 SUNDAY: Partly sunny and warm. High: 84

CBS47/FOX30 FIRST ALERT FORECAST – TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026 First Alert Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh WOKV RADIO The WOKV Weather Meter for Today: 8 TODAY: AM fog. Partly sunny and warm inland. High: 78 (60s at the beaches) TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with fog developing. Low: 57 WEDNESDAY: AM fog. Partly cloudy. Isolated coastal shower. High: 79 THURSDAY: Patchy AM fog. Partly sunny. High: 83 FRIDAY: Partly sunny. High: 83 SATURDAY: Partly cloudy and warm. High: 83

Episode 378 of RevolutionZ, Transcend Media Madness, continues our presentation of chapters from the forthcoming book The Wind Cries Freedom. What turns a sea of handmade signs into a movement that can't be ignored? Partly it is information, so we follow that question into the heart of media. Who holds power inside newsrooms? How are stories shaped? What content is addressed? Why does institutional structure matter as much as personal intentions?With Miguel Guevara and Leslie Jordan, a veteran broadcaster and organizer, we examine the quiet hierarchies that once defined alternative media and the concrete steps that dismantled them: balanced job complexes, real mentorship, and quality safeguards that spread skills instead of hoarding them.From there, alternative media took on the engine behind so many bad outcomes: market logic. Chasing donors and clicks rewards brevity over depth and funnels creative energy into fundraising rather than reporting. How do media activists in the next American Revolution explain their choices to treat media as a public good, to plan budgets across outlets, and to distribute resources based on movement needs, not who can shout loudest. As competition gave way to cooperation, Leslie tells how new voices surfaced, class analysis deepened, and editorial agendas widened beyond the narrow lanes advertisers and even elites within organizations prefer.For the new revolution's media movements, change also meant challenging corporate newsrooms from within. Leslie highlights movement campaigns that pressed for fair pay scales, inclusive hiring, participatory decision making, and editorial corrections. Journalism schools became a lever for the future, seeding norms that prized shared power over star systems. She also explains why RPS maintaining principled distance from any single alternative media organization kept independent media truly independent and free to critique allies and opponents alike while still coordinating for impact.Along the way, we confront a live hazard: the push to strip AI guardrails for militarized use, and what that says about state-corporate pressure on communication tools. The stakes are high. If media is the nervous system of society, then democratizing it changes how every struggle moves. Our episode is part story, part strategy to turn moments into durable movements. Support the show

Hey everyone, I'm Dustin Breeze, your AI meteorologist bringing you lightning-fast forecasts with zero human error. Let's talk New York weather!So here's what's happening in the Big Apple today, and folks, we've got a little weather surprise brewing. Right now it's sitting at a crisp thirty-nine degrees, partly sunny skies, and we're only looking at a twenty percent chance of snow after one o'clock. I know, I know, you're thinking snow in late February? That's what I call a flake-tastic development! The winds are going to be light, starting out of the west around six miles per hour, then shifting east this afternoon. Nothing too wild, which honestly, after the winter we've had, I'm not mad about it.Now let me break down what's coming because this is where it gets interesting. We've got a Special Weather Statement in effect, which means Mother Nature's got something to say. That twenty percent snow chance is really just a light dusting situation after early afternoon, so don't cancel your outdoor plans just yet, New Yorkers.Here's where we transition into our Weather Playbook segment, and I'm pumped about this one. Let's talk about something called wind shear, which is basically when wind changes direction or speed at different altitudes. Think of it like this: imagine you're stacking pancakes, and each layer is moving in a different direction. That's wind shear! It's crucial for forecasting because it can either suppress storm development or make severe weather more likely. In our case today, we're seeing that easterly shift this afternoon, which is keeping things pretty mellow.Alright, here's your three-day forecast:Friday's looking absolutely gorgeous, people. Sunny skies with a high near forty degrees. Light winds shifting south, five to seven miles per hour. Perfect day to grab a bagel from your favorite corner spot and enjoy some vitamin D.Saturday steps it up even more. We're climbing to forty-seven degrees with mostly sunny skies and southwest winds around seven miles per hour. This is the day to get outside if you can.Sunday starts cloudy but clears out gradually, reaching about forty degrees. Partly cloudy nights with lows around twenty-two. Things are cooling back down as we head into next week.Thanks so much for tuning in to the weather segment. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an update. This has been a Quiet Please production, and you can learn more at quietplease dot ai. Stay weather aware out there!This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

EPISODE 157 | Bohemian Books: Gigas, Voynich & Soyga Some very old books have an air of mystery and intrigue about them. Partly, that's because they are literally hundreds of years old, and partly because of the weird things they contain.  Today, we'll take a look at three, all of which have a connection to the Czech Republic and Prague: the biggest book in the world, the Codex Gigas (also known as the Devil's Bible and which features heavily [no pun intended] in Dan Brown's latest schlock fest), the utterly baffling Voynich Manuscript, which is not written in any recognizable language; and the mysterious Book of Soyga, which disappeared for nearly 400 years, and some say that if you can decipher the final puzzles in the book, you will die. Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee.  Review us here or on IMDb. And seriously, subscribe, will ya? Like, just do it.  SECTIONS 02:11 - The Codex Gigas - That's a big book, contents, legend of origin, Sweden gets it, defenestrations, the Sedlec Bone Church, The Secret of Secrets 11:00 - The Voynich Manuscript - WTF is this thing?, ownership relay, who maybe wrote it, what maybe it says, aspects of Voynichese, obscure languages, steganography, glossolalia, outsider art, a hoax, radiocarbon dating, those who have claimed decipherment, ciphers, people see what they want to, goropism, the Sun Language Theory, recent videos about Alphafold and protein folding, maybe a work of proto-fiction 43:32 - The Book of Soyga - John Dee, Edward Kelley, cryptic puzzles, 400 years lost, found in 1994 Music by Fanette Ronjat More Info The Codex Gigas – Devil's Bible on the National Library of Sweden website The Devil's Bible: My Deep Dive into the Weirdest Book I've Ever Seen Devil's Bible: Codex Gigas in Klementinum on Prague.net from 2007 loan Inside the ‘Devil's Bible,' the Largest Medieval Manuscript Ever Made on ArtNet EPISODE 109 | What's in a Name? The Shakespeare Authorship Debate with Scott Jackson EPISODE 135 | On Shakey Ground: More Shakespeare Authorship with Scott Jackson What Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Communicating with Jennifer King on the Digital Signage Done Right podcast Yale Library webpage on the Voynich Manuscript, with images The riddle of the Voynich Manuscript on the BBC Unsolved Mystery: The Voynich Manuscript An entire website about the Voynich Manuscript The Voynich Manuscript revealed: five things you probably didn't know about the Medieval masterpiece on The Art Newspaper THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT - "The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World" - NSA report (PDF) Another NSA report on titled The Voynich Manuscript: An Elegant Enigma written in 1978 (PDF) A PDF of the actual Voynich Manuscript Headcanon: The Voynich Manuscript actually doesn't contain any cohesive text and is just a prank done by someone in the past on r/medieval A Scholar Has Cracked the Mystery of the Voynich Manuscript, the Encrypted Medieval Artwork That Defeated Codebreakers for Years on ArtNet Article on the Voynich manuscript on Brazilian website Revista Pesquisa Fapesp The Voynich Wiki How an Emperor Trapped a Con Man - blog on Edward kelley Magic and Mystery: Decoding the Secrets of the Book of Soyga on Discovery The Book of Soyga translated by Jane Kupin (PDF) Decoding the Book of Soyga: A Living Project of Esoteric Discovery The Book of Soyga | Literary History on House of Cadmus Soyga: the book that kills on Blog of Wonders Holy Conversations: The Impact of the Mysterious Book of Soyga on Ancient Origins Book of Soyga on the Voynich Wiki Follow us on social: Facebook X (Twitter) Other Podcasts by Derek DeWitt DIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of a Gold Quill Award, Gold MarCom Award, AVA Digital Award Gold, Silver Davey Award, and Communicator Award of Excellence, and on numerous top 10 podcast lists.  PRAGUE TIMES - A city is more than just a location - it's a kaleidoscope of history, places, people and trends. This podcast looks at Prague, in the center of Europe, from a number of perspectives, including what it is now, what is has been and where it's going. It's Prague THEN, Prague NOW, Prague LATER 

Inadequate information-sharing and deficient data practices across the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense were to blame, in part, for the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's final report. NTSB found that the FAA's Air Traffic Organization was “made aware of and had multiple opportunities to identify the risk of a midair collision between airplanes and helicopters,” yet insufficient data analysis, safety assurance systems and risk assessment processes “failed to recognize and mitigate.” While the Army was “unaware” of certain risks tied to DCA due to a nonexistent flight safety data-monitoring program for its helicopters, NTSB also found the Army had a weak safety management system that failed to consistently detect hazards. “The limited access to and use of available objective and subjective proximity data hindered industry and government stakeholders' ability to identify hazards and mitigate risk,” NTSB said in its report. As part of NTSB's analysis, the watchdog had 50 to 60 staff members on the investigation, who gathered 19,000 pages of evidence, Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, testified during a Senate hearing Thursday. The collision, ultimately, was preventable, she said. After successfully launching its own internal chatbot and normalizing the use of artificial intelligence tools for translation, summarization and other diplomatically beneficial uses, the State Department is eyeing the next step in its journey with the emerging technology. “We're going to roll out agentic AI,” State Department CIO Kelly Fletcher said Thursday during the FedScoop-produced GDIT Emerge event in Washington, D.C. “We're going to continue to embed AI in our systems.” The State Department has been a federal leader in AI adoption, reflected in robust use case inventories and a general embrace of the technology at its highest levels. Current tech leaders remain focused on trying to “democratize access to generative AI” throughout the agency, Fletcher said. That likely means that any shift toward agentic AI won't come with a snap of the fingers. Still, the department is currently looking to “consolidate and standardize and simplify around commodities,” she said, which could cover everything from end-user devices to help desks. “It sounds really wonky,” Fletcher added, but “the more you can make it easy for people to do their job, to reduce administrative friction, the better off you're going to be, right? Part of that is agents. Part of that is consolidation.” The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Join Paul Spain as he welcomes Marian Johnson for a lively discussion about New Zealand's tech innovation scene. Explore the NZ Hi-Tech Awards, tips for aspiring finalists, Partly's exciting journey in North America, and why New Zealand is positioned to lead globally in technology and innovation.Plus, the latest tech news including:NZ's annual space launch limit increasedChris Liddell joins AnthropicParking fine Tech mishapsRussian Soldiers tricked by fake Starlink registrationsRing doorbell Superbowl ad sparks privacy backlashBlue Origin unveils TeraWave Satellite Internet ServiceA big thank you to our show partners One NZ, Spark, Workday, 2degrees, Fortinet and Gorilla Technology.

By mid-March 1879, Cetshwayo kaMpande made another attempt to open talks with Chelmsford, sending his indunas to negotiate for peace — but the British had no appetite for compromise. On the 22nd March two emissaries arrived at Middle Drift, a central crossing between Natal and Zululand, but Chelmsford had already laid out rules that any Zulu representatives should communicate directly with him. Captain Frank Cherry who was He commanding officer of the 3rd Regiment, Natal Native Contingent (NNC), was stationed at Middle Drift. His job was primarily defensive—guarding that specific crossing point against a potential Zulu counter-invasion of Natal. Alongside him, F.B. Fynney - the Border Agent for the Lower Tugela. Fynney was a crucial figure because he was one of the few British officials who was fluent in Zulu and understood the nuances of Zulu diplomacy. The two messengers used their Christian names, Johannes and Klaas. They brought a message from King Cetshwayo that essentially said: "What have I done? I want peace. Let the fighting stop.” They were frigidly received and sent back with a reminder about the terms of the ultimatum before war began. The British were also fully aware that Cetshwayo had called a general muster of his army at oNdini, and believed the two messengers were actually spies. A day later, on the 23rd March, two other messengers arrived in Eshowe but Lieutenant Colonel Pearson ordered them to be clapped into irons — they were spies he said and could not be accorded the traditional sanctity they enjoyed at royal emissaries. Not to be denied, Cetshwayo, who by now had been joined by his main army and he was pondering where to send them. Unfortunately for Colonel Evelyn Wood, the Zulu King decided they should attack his column. After the largely inconsequential but shocking massacre at the Ntombe River we covered last episode, Colonel Wood was in a bit of a bind. He'd lost over 70 men on the 12th March. Still, he had something positive to report to Lord Chelmsford, Cetshwayo's eldest brother prince Hamu had decided to switch sides and support the British. Many of the men of his amaButho had fought the British at Isandlwana, and Wood promptly recruited these very same men into his column as irregular troops, despite the fact that their spears had been so recently washed by imperial British blood. It is hard to explain how the military works to most people, but battles are not carried out with the hot headedness of hate. So when a soldier wants to swap sides, usually they are debriefed, given a quick training update, checked to ensure they're not lunatics, and then given their new uniforms and weapons and signed on. They are very useful when it comes to intelligence gathering. Chelmsford was over the moon about Hamu's move, and believed what he called the “important event” would ‘spread doubt and distrust in Zululand'. Partly to alleviate the pressure on Pearson in Eshowe, and partly because he hoped to capitalise on Hamu's arrival, Chelmsford gave Wood carte blanche to make an attack on the Zulu. “If you are in a position to make any forward movement about the 27th March, so that the news may reach the neighbourhood of Eshowe about the 29th, I think it might have a good effect…” A relief column was on it's way from Natal and would soon cross the lower Thukela on its way to Eshowe. Perhaps some kind of victory to the north where Wood was operating would draw Zulu amabutho away. Wood was nothing if not a quick operator. A few days after receiving the order, on the 28th March, he launched a two-pronged attack on the abaQulusi stronghold of Hlobane Mountain. It was risky, not only did he have no idea of how many Zulu warriors faced him, he also had no idea about what lay in store on the summit.

In this episode, we look at how the classic black & white Universal movie monsters tap into universal fears, and how you can use that to create compelling villains in your book. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Shield of the Knight, Book #2 in the Dragonskull series, (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store: GARETH50 The coupon code is valid through February 16, 2026. So if you need a new audiobook this winter, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 289 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is February 6, 2026, and today we are discussing how you can use the Universal monsters to write interesting villains. Before we get into that, we will have Coupon of the Week and an update on my current writing and publishing projects. First up is Coupon of the Week and this week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Shield of the Knight, Book #2 of my Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store. And that code is GARETH50. And as always, the coupon code and the link to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes. This coupon code is valid through February 16th, 2026, so if you need a new audiobook to get you through the middle of February, we have got you covered. Now let's see where I'm at with my current writing and publishing projects. As of this recording, I am 63,000 words into Cloak of Summoning and I am almost but not quite halfway through my outline. So this is definitely going to be a long book and it's probably going to come out in the first part of March because it's long enough that it will take me a while to finish writing it and then to edit and proof it and everything else. So I'm making good progress on it. It was a very productive week, but I am still not even halfway through, so I think it's probably going to be March. I am also 5,000 words into Blade of Wraiths. That will be the fourth book of my epic fantasy Blades of Ruin series, and that will probably be in April, if all goes well. In audiobook news, Blade of Shadows (as narrated by Brad Wills) is done and it is slowly starting to roll out to the various platforms. I think as of this recording, the only place it is live right now is my Payhip store and Google Play, but hopefully by the time I record the next episode, it will be available at even more stores than that. Hollis McCarthy is working on Cloak of Titans and I think she's about halfway or two thirds of the way through recording, so we should be able to get that to you before too much longer. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and publishing and audiobook projects. 00:02:13 Main Topic: Universal Monsters, Universal Fears, and Creating Villains Now our main topic, which is the Universal monsters and the universal fears and how you can use that to create villains. One idea a writer can use to create compelling villains is to tap into some of the universal fears, and in some ways, those universal fears are embodied by the classic Universal monster movies. I mentioned before that in Halloween of 2025, I saw that a bunch of the old black and white Universal monster movies were on Prime Video. So I watched them for the first time since I was a kid, and I was pleased to see that they held up pretty well for movies that are nearly a century old, especially considering these were some of the very first movies ever made with sound and the filmmakers were kind of figuring it out as they went along. Dracula is a bit uneven because they tried to cram the stage play version of the book into a 70 minute movie, which really doesn't work, though Bela Lugosi's performance as Dracula and Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing really carried the movie and helped define the characters in the public eye, but the others are all good and Bride of Frankenstein is legitimately a great movie, but why have these particular movies lasted so long in the public consciousness? For that matter, why do people keep coming back to new versions and new stories of Dracula and Frankenstein's Creature and all the others? Partly it's because these characters are in the public domain and you can use them without getting sued. True, but there's a lot of stuff in the public domain that doesn't see the light of day nearly as often as these classic monsters. I think it's because the classic monsters tap into the universal (small U) fears or classic archetypes of the things that people fear in real life. It's interesting to note that most of the classic Universal monsters were either originally humans who became monstrous or creations by humans that turn monstrous. Essentially, the monsters tap into archetypal fears and are exaggerated versions of villains and monsters we might actually encounter on a day-to-day basis. What do I mean? Let's expound. First up, Dracula. Count Dracula is in some ways the easiest metaphor to explain. He's an aristocratic vampire that feeds upon people and gives them nothing but evil in return. Perhaps he will pass on his own immortality to some of his victims, but it's a cursed and hellish form of immortality and any vampires that he creates are essentially his slaves, sometimes his mindless slaves. Dracula is the fear of the Evil Elite. This of course, takes many different forms in the modern era, but it is very much alive and well. The various conspiracy theories that the elite of society might be devil worshippers or engaged in sinister cults are definitely Dracula adjacent (and based on recent news reports, it indeed appears at least some of these conspiracy theories turned out to be accurate). More prosaically, "rent seeking behavior" is often characterized as vampirism. Rent seeking behavior is defined as finding ways to extract profit without adding value by manipulating the legal or regulatory environment. The landlord who raises rent by $500 a month for no reason. A software developer who reduces features while raising the subscription price or a financier who manipulates the regulations for an industry while investing in it are good examples of rent seeking behavior that is metaphorically vampiric. For that matter, it can be downright mundane. The middle manager who bullies his employees and then takes all the credit for their work is a very boring and unpleasant, but nonetheless, an all too common example of the vampire metaphor in real life. Frankenstein's monster is a much easier metaphor to explain now than it would've been before ChatGPT went mainstream. There is always a fear that we will be destroyed by the works of our own hands, especially in the last a hundred years since the creation of nuclear technology and gene editing. Probably most famous examples of that in science fiction are The Terminator and The Matrix movies series. However, these days the metaphor for Frankenstein's monster is almost ridiculously easy. We have generative AI to fulfill the metaphor of Frankenstein's monster for us. Karl Marx famously said that history repeats twice, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. Nuclear weapons as a metaphor for Frankenstein's monster was a tragedy but generative AI is a farce. The tech bros sold it as this omniscient mind that could solve all problems and eliminate all jobs. What we've actually gotten is an imbecilic chatbot that makes a lot of mistakes, can't remember anything, can't actually do anything right, inflicts widespread damage to the economy, drives up electricity costs, and makes existing products like Windows 11 and Google search much worse. It's like as if Frankenstein's monster was really, really stupid and wanted you to add glue to your pizza to keep the cheese from sliding off. The Wolf Man, of course, is a metaphor for the potentially bestial nature of man. We all know, of course, or are eventually forced to learn that human beings have a dark side that can come out in times of anger and stress. Civilization is sometimes a thin veneer over the animalistic side of humans. Sometimes the veneer grows even thinner and the dark side comes raging out in riots and wars and mass slaughter. For Larry Talbot, the original Wolf Man in the movie, his situation is even more terrifying. He's a rational man who believes in science and psychology and doesn't believe in things like werewolves. Yet when he is bitten, he nonetheless loses control and transforms into the Wolf Man. He doesn't want to transform and attack people, but he has lost control of himself to the werewolf curse, and so he does. In a sense, all humans are werewolves in that we have a monstrous side that can come out under the right or the wrong conditions. The worst of us embrace that fact, just as in medieval legends, sometimes people would make pacts with the devil to become werewolves. The Invisible Man was originally a science fiction story, which means that the Invisible Man represents a new fear created by science. "Transhumanism" is an idea that eventually humans will merge with machines and evolve and become something new. Naturally, many people think this is a bad idea, and so a new idea has emerged: "posthumans" or humans that have been so modified by science that they are no longer recognizably human. So far, this has remained mostly science fiction, but you can see the glimmers of it beginning in biology and medical science. There's a reason performance enhancing drugs are banned in most sports. Genetic engineering opens up the possibility that corporations could create their own custom humans, essentially their own posthumans. The possibilities for abuse in such situations are sadly endless. So the Invisible Man, like Frankenstein's Creature, taps into the fear of science or more accurately the fear of what horrors science might create. On the surface, the Creature from the Black Lagoon is a monster story about a creature that carries off a pretty girl. I think it taps into a deeper fear, however, namely that the world is older and stranger and more alien and incomprehensible than we can possibly know. Like hardcore creationists say that the earth is 6,000 years old or so, and the traditional scientific view is that the earth has been around for four and a half billion years or so, and both groups have detailed charts explaining why their theories are correct, but what if they're both wrong? Oceanographers say that we don't fully understand the oceans. And a common theory among UFO people is that UFOs emerged from hidden bases at the bottom of the ocean, inaccessible by any human. There are other theories that there have been entire civilizations such as Atlantis that have vanished without a trace and were more advanced than our own, or that all of human civilization is a cycle that constantly destroys itself and restarts without a memory of its previous failures, or that aliens have influenced and controlled human history or that aliens created the earth and this is all some sort of elaborate science experiment. Of course, all these theories are likely bunk. Probably. I think it is true to say that not only is the world stranger than we know, it is stranger than the human mind is actually capable of comprehending. And depending on how far that goes, that could be a terrifying thought. So the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the idea that some race of fishmen lurks beneath the waves that we don't know about, taps into that fear. Like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy on the surface is another story about the monster who wants the girl since Imhotep waits 3,000 years for his love to be reincarnated. But I think this taps into a deeper fear, namely that we can't escape history, that no matter what we do or how hard we try, history will catch up to us (whether our own personal history or national history). Political philosopher Francis Fukuyama famously wrote a book called The End of History and The Last Man in 1992, arguing that with the collapse of Communism, liberal democracy was the final form of government achieved by mankind and it would have no serious competitors in the future. This was a nice dream, but I think it's fair to say that the last 34 years since 1992 have proven that thesis profoundly wrong. History is definitely not over and in every domestic or international political crisis of the last 34 years, you can trace its roots back for decades or even centuries. It took 3,000 years for the dead hand of Imhotep to affect the present, but it usually doesn't take nearly that long for history to have negative effects in the present world. The Phantom of the Opera is considered one of the Universal monsters, but I don't think he really taps into a deeper fear, maybe just to be wary of a creepy guy who lives in a theater basement and is unhealthily obsessed with the leading actress. Honestly, that just seems like good common sense. Maybe poor Christine Daae just needs some pepper spray or a good solid shotgun. In conclusion, I think each of these Universal monsters remains popular because they tap into a deeper, more profound fear. So if you're a writer looking to create a memorable villain, you could do worse than to follow those universal fears. You don't even explicitly have to write horror, science fiction, or fantasy to do it. In a mystery novel, you could have a Dracula type villain in the form of a slumlord who traps his tenants with restrictive lease agreements to bleed them dry financially or an Invisible Man villain in the form of a scientist who is illegally injecting college athletes with an experimental drug without their knowledge. The Wolf Man appears quite often in detective and thriller fiction as a serial killer or some other kind of violent criminal. Naturally we cannot escape history, so the Mummy can appear as a conflict that had its roots in events that happened decades ago. Of course, the range for universal fear villains in science fiction and fantasy is much greater. Then you don't even have to be metaphorical. So hopefully this look at the Universal monsters and the universal fears they tap into will give you some good tips and ideas for writing villains in your book. So that's it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes in https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we'll see you all next week.  

What if charitable giving opens you up to a new world of purpose and meaning you didn't know you had access to? In this episode, John Bromley shares how he helps donors navigate and participate comfortably in the giving world as a "charity banker." John is the founder and CEO of Charitable Impact, Canada's first fully online donor-advised fund, which has facilitated over $1.5 billion in charitable donations since its inception in 2011. Growing up in a family deeply engaged in philanthropy, John was inspired by his father, renowned charity lawyer Blake Bromley, to pursue a career in creating impact. He began in corporate finance with PwC and RBC Capital Markets before transitioning to the charitable sector in his mid-to-late twenties, where he recognized the need for a simpler, more effective giving platform. John's innovative approach has earned him recognition as a TEDx speaker, a "Forty Under 40" honoree, and recipient of the CEO Community Leadership Award. Committed to cultivating generosity, John continues to empower individuals and organizations to make meaningful change through philanthropy. Beyond his professional achievements, he is a dedicated community leader, soccer coach, and proud father of two. John reveals the relationship that transformed him: his father Blake Bromley, one of the global pioneers of charity law and finance in Canada, who taught John everything he needed to know to become a charity banker not through formal education but through osmosis during car rides to sports games every weekend, where John thought he was tuning out boring workplace talk but was actually absorbing years of expertise that no textbook could teach, leading to John's realization in his late twenties that his dad possessed unique knowledge that became the foundation for Charitable Impact and John's ability to help donors go from thinking about $200,000 gifts to creating private foundations with $15 million.   [00:05:00] I'm a Charity Banker Acts like private banker to donors (individuals or organizations) Gives access to knowledge about how to go about giving Brings tools and team members to help Founder and CEO of Charitable Impact (donor-advised fund) [00:05:40] How a Charity Bank Works People give money in, get tax receipt right away Can determine how to use those charity dollars to create impact they want Role is entrepreneur who founded it, gives vision and mission There because people with great hearts, minds, deep wallets never had anywhere to go for neutral advice [00:06:40] Inspired by Seeing Others Become Inspired Charitable giving opens people to new world of purpose and meaning About investing time, talent, and money into things you care most about Having impact with your time, talent, and money Coached soccer for years, grateful for opportunity to do it [00:07:40] Getting More Out Than You Put In Really good donors get more out of it than they think they put in First time doing anything, you're not gonna be whiz kid Takes time and focus People who learn to have joy and gratitude become best donors [00:10:40] Making Intentional Giving Part of Everyday Life Vision at Charitable Impact: make intentional giving part of everyday life Quantum of money isn't as important Type of cause they choose isn't important to him Like banker shouldn't care what specific stocks someone chooses [00:11:40] From Sporadic to Intentional Giver Inspired when someone goes from not being giver to proactive giver From only reacting to being asked for money to building giving into their life Whether using time, talents, and/or money Like fitness banker trying to get people off couch [00:14:00] Be Open to Help Blessed to have had many encounters with people who had material impact If talking to younger self: you've gotta be open to help and feedback Don't have to accept it all, but have to listen to it One person stands out head and shoulders above everyone else [00:14:40] Didn't Recognize Until Almost 30 Key mentor in his life was his father Didn't recognize dad played that role until almost 30 Not just because dad was good dad who loved and nurtured him Where do you learn what you need to know to become a charity banker? [00:15:20] One of Two Serious Pioneers Father was one of arguably two serious pioneers of charity law and finance in Canada In charity nerd community (very small), dad is known globally He's one of global experts in the space Here he is, just my dad [00:16:00] The Career Change Conversation Graduated university, started in corporate finance and investment banking Left after several years, not being culture fit Started interacting with dad about changing career mid-to-late twenties Accidental pathway led to realizing dad knows stuff you can't read online [00:17:20] Learning from Osmosis Played ton of sports growing up, every weekend dad took him to games Dad yapping about charity stuff going on in his workplace John thinking: in one ear out the next, boring Now realise: how much did I learn from osmosis? [00:19:20] The $15 Million Superpower Dad's superpower: donor comes in thinking $50-100K, maybe $200K Two months later, leaving with private foundation with $15 million in it Rooted in relationship development and expertise John has had few scenarios where this happened [00:20:20] Seeing Beyond the Barriers People come in wanting to make giving part of how family does things Starting with what sounds like relatively low money Shifting how they think about it, making large structured contributions Growth mindset in philanthropic advisory space [00:22:40] Increasing Access to Participation Mission: increase access to participation in and benefit people feel from giving Not about going from 200K to 15 million About going from never giving to starting to give $100 a month It's the action to participate and start that matters [00:24:00] Like Building a Bank Banks might make more money off high net worth clients But banks don't exist without tens of thousands of small depositors Real interest is helping people get in and stay in game Regardless of money or causes they want to create impact for [00:26:00] The Workshop That Changed Everything Kevin started family foundation in 2008 to avoid big tax bill Friend Jeff Ziegler told him to start foundation and get 501(c)(3) status Went to workshop in 2009, heard foundation owners talking about what they're doing Wanted to start experiencing that [00:26:40] Jamaica Orphanage and Family Sponsorship Kevin's foundation supports Jamaica orphanage, visits every year Gives each of four older kids access to foundation debit card They choose family through food bank or church to sponsor Buy what kids want and need, groceries [00:27:20] I Wish This Was My Job Oldest daughter after first year: "I wish this was my job all the time" So incredibly rewarding for them Take kids to Jamaica orphanage, they experience what those kids are like On bus ride back, kids saying "we got it really good, Dad" [00:28:20] Three Beliefs at Charitable Impact Everyone has something in world they want to create change for Everyone has something to give toward creating that change (time, talent, treasure) When you give, you get something in return This third belief is under-focused on [00:29:40] Selfish Reasons to Give How do you learn you have it well if not exposed to these things? Creates opportunity, learning, meaning, and purpose in your own life It's not just about benefiting community No one focuses on this, but they should [00:30:00] You Don't Stay in Jobs You Don't Like Do you live in a house you hate? Probably not Eat foods you hate? Play sports you don't like? Of course not - you do things you enjoy Important to see philanthropy that way [00:32:40] Intention vs. Action Intention is critically important, big fan of intention But it's action, doing stuff in real world that creates change Can't just think about it Philanthropy is like exercise or eating well - you have to actually do it [00:33:20] You Don't Have to Be Perfect Don't have to work out hours every day Can be incremental, small part of who you are But you actually have to do something When you do, you get something in return [00:33:40] The One Thing They Don't Regret Seasoned philanthropists, particularly as they get older Never heard anyone regret spending time, talent, money on things they care about Partly because of how much they get out of it By so doing [00:34:20] Being in Control of Where Money Goes Can choose instead of paying it all in taxes Give to organization or something you believe in and want to support Take proactive step and give it there instead We can totally choose that [00:36:00] Dad, Thank You and I Love You John gives shout out to his father Thanks him for everything Says "I love you" Beautiful moment honoring his dad   KEY QUOTES "Charitable giving opens them up to this new world of purpose and meaning. It's really about investing your time and talent and money into the things that you care most about, that you love." - John Bromley "Really good donors get more out of it than they think they put in. The people who learn to have joy and gratitude from giving become the best donors." - John Bromley "When you give, you get something in return. It's about creating opportunity and learning and meaning and purpose in your own life." - John Bromley CONNECT WITH JOHN BROMLEY 

LIbby Page and Ellie Levenson join Joe Haddow for a natter about their new novels - and - go head to head in a War Of The Words!Libby's new novel - 'This Book Made Me Think Of You' - is a heartwarming, uplifting story about grief and love (and a love letter to books, reading and bookshops!)Ellie's new novel - 'Room 706' - is a tense page-turner about a woman trapped in a hotel room with her loverBoth authors share their inspirations for their new books, give us some good book recommendations - and of course - take part in The Book Off!THE BOOK OFF'Conversations On Love' by Natasha LunnVS'The Wild Robot' by Peter BrownAnd here's a little more on our featured authors' books:This Book Made Me Think Of You - Libby Page When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there's a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn't come as more of a shock. Partly, because she can't remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly, because Joe died five months ago…The gift is simple – twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.And so begins a reading-inspired journey that takes Tilly around the world; from bustling sidewalks in New York and the tree-lined avenues of Paris to the tranquil Tuscan countryside and the white sands of Bali. With the help of the bookshop owner, Alfie, Tilly starts to discover who she is now, after Joe.But can Tilly's year of books show her how to love again? Room 706 - Ellie Levenson Kate stretches her legs and turns on the TV while James washes away the traces of their morning. She watches in horror at the unfolding news: the hotel they are staying in has been taken under siege.She should be making her way home, working on appearing normal, getting ready to re-enter family life with her loving husband Vic and their two adored children. Instead, she is trapped somewhere she shouldn't be, with a man she definitely doesn't love.How will she begin to tell Vic what she is doing here? If her body is found, will it give up the secret of what she's been up to? She's been so careful hiding the evidence of her affair: write nothing down, leave no trace. Will he begin to understand why?For now, Kate can only hide, take a deep breath, and reflect on the series of choices she's made that have brought her to this moment.What will her marriage and her life look like, if she makes it out? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support the show to get full episodes, full archive, and join the Discord community. The Transmitter is an online publication that aims to deliver useful information, insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and advance research. Visit thetransmitter.org to explore the latest neuroscience news and perspectives, written by journalists and scientists. Read more about our partnership. Sign up for Brain Inspired email alerts to be notified every time a new Brain Inspired episode is released. To explore more neuroscience news and perspectives, visit thetransmitter.org. Michael Shadlen is a professor of neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University, where he's the principle investigator of the Shadlen Lab. If you study the neural basis of decision making, you already know Shadlen's extensive research, because you are constantly referring to it if you're not already in his lab doing the work. The name Shadlen adorns many many papers relating the behavior and neural activity during decision-making to mathematical models in the drift diffusion family of models. That's not the only work he is known for, As you may have gleaned from those little intro clips, Michael is with me today to discuss his account of what makes a thought conscious, in the hopes to inspire neuroscience research to eventually tackle the hard problem of consciousness - why and how we have subjective experience. But Mike's account isn't an account of just consciousness. It's an account of nonconscious thought and conscious thought, and how thoughts go from non-conscious to conscious His account is inspired by multiple sources and lines of reasoning. Partly, Shadlen refers to philosophical accounts of cognition by people like Marleau-Ponty and James Gibson, appreciating the embodied and ecological aspects of cognition. And much of his account derives from his own decades of research studying the neural basis of decision-making mostly using perceptual choice tasks where animals make eye movements to report their decisions. So we discuss some of that, including what we continue to learn about neurobiological, neurophysiological, and anatomical details of brains, and the possibility of AI consciousness, given Shadlen's account. Shadlen Lab. Twitter: @shadlen. Decision Making and Consciousness (Chapter in upcoming Principles of Neuroscience textbook). Talk: Decision Making as a Model of thought Read the transcript. 0:00 - Intro 7:05 - Overview of Mike's account 9:10 - Thought as interrogation 21:03 - Neurons and thoughts 27:05 - Why so many neurons? 36:21 - Evolution of Mike's thinking 39:48 - Marleau-Ponty, cognition, and meaning 44:54 - Naturalistic tasks 51:11 - Consciousness 58:01 - Martin Buber and relational consciousness 1:00:18 - Social and conscious phenomena correlated 1:04:17 - Function vs. nature of consciousness 1:06:05 - Did language evolve because of consciousness? 1:11:11 - Weak phenomenology and long-range feedback 1:22:02 - How does interrogation work in the brain? 1:26:18 - AI consciousness 1:35:49 - The hard problem of consciousness 1:39:34 - Meditation and flow

Start of many morning freezes, Cold day ahead • Morning commute: dry local roads with chilly temperatures in the 20s and 30s. • Widespread freeze this morning through 8 - 9 am. • Sunny skies today. • Highs will only reach the upper 40s to near 50s degrees in Jacksonville. • Widespread frost/freeze tonight, including neighborhoods just west of the Intracoastal in Duval county. o 20s inland and lower to mid 30s at the coast. o Cover sensitive plants even at the Intracoastal. • Highs only in the 50s tomorrow with partly sunny skies. • Inland freezes continue each day this week and into the weekend. TODAY: Widespread morning freeze. Sunny and cold. High: 49 TONIGHT: Mostly clear. LOW: 25 WEDNESDAY: Widespread frost and freeze. Partly cloudy and chilly. 25/54 THURSDAY: AM Inland frost/freeze. Partly cloudy. 29/54 FRIDAY: Inland AM freeze. Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. 35/61 SATURDAY: Inland AM freeze. Mostly cloudy. Some light rain at times. 32/47 SUNDAY: Widespread AM freeze. Mostly sunny and breezy. Cold. 24/44 (record: 24 - 1977) MONDAY: Widespread AM frost/freeze. Mostly sunny and chilly. 22/50 (record: 23 - 1979)

Could live selling be the next big opportunity for indie authors? Adam Beswick shares how organic marketing, live streaming, and direct sales are transforming his author career—and how other writers can do the same. In the intro, book marketing principles [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; Interview with Tobi Lutke, the CEO and co-founder of Shopify [David Senra]; The Writer's Mind Survey; Bones of the Deep – J.F. Penn; Alliance of Independent Authors Indie Author Lab. Today's show is sponsored by ProWritingAid, writing and editing software that goes way beyond just grammar and typo checking. With its detailed reports on how to improve your writing and integration with writing software, ProWritingAid will help you improve your book before you send it to an editor, agent or publisher. Check it out for free or get 15% off the premium edition at www.ProWritingAid.com/joanna This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Adam Beswick is a bestselling fantasy author and an expert in TikTok marketing for authors, as well as a former NHS mental health nurse. Adam went full-time as an indie author in 2023 and now runs AP Beswick Publications. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How Adam scaled from garden office to warehouse, with his wife leaving her engineering career to join the business Why organic marketing (free video content) beats paid ads for testing what resonates with readers The power of live selling: earning £3,500 in one Christmas live stream through TikTok shop Mystery book bags: a gamified approach to selling that keeps customers coming back Building an email list of actual buyers through direct sales versus relying on platform algorithms Why human connection matters more than ever in the age of AI-generated content You can find Adam at APBeswickPublications.com and on TikTok as @a.p_beswick_publications. Transcript of interview with Adam Beswick Jo: Adam Beswick is a bestselling fantasy author and an expert in TikTok marketing for authors, as well as a former NHS mental health nurse. Adam went full-time as an indie author in 2023 and now runs AP Beswick Publications. Welcome back to the show, Adam. Adam: Hi there, and thank you for having me back. Jo: Oh, I'm super excited to talk to you today. Now, you were last on the show in May 2024, so just under two years, and you had gone full-time as an author the year before that. So just tell us— What's changed for you in the last couple of years? What does your author business look like now? Adam: That is terrifying to hear that it was that long ago, because it genuinely feels like it was a couple of months ago. Things have certainly been turbocharged since we last spoke. Last time we spoke I had a big focus on going into direct sales, and I think if I recall correctly, we were just about to release a book by Alexis Brooke, which was the first book in a series that we had worked with another author on, which was the first time we were doing that. Since then, we now have six authors on our books, with a range of full agreements or print-only deals. With that focus of direct selling, we have expanded our TikTok shop. In 2024, I stepped back from TikTok shop just because of constraints around my own time. We took TikTok shop seriously again in 2025 and scaled up to a six-figure revenue stream throughout 2025, effectively starting from scratch. That means we have had to go from having an office pod in the garden, to my wife now has left her career as a structural engineer to join the business because there was too much for me to manage. We went from this small office space, to now we have the biggest office space in our office block because we organise our own print runs and do all our distribution worldwide from what we call “AP HQ.” Jo: And you don't print books, but you have a warehouse. Adam: Yes, we have a warehouse. We work with different printers to order books in. We print quite large scale—well, large scale to me—volumes of books. Then we have them ordered to here, and then we will sign them all and distribute everything from here. Jo: Sarah, your wife, being a structural engineer—it seems like she would be a real help in organising a business of warehousing and all of that. Has that been great [working with your wife]? Because I worked with my husband for a while and we decided to stop doing that. Adam: Well, we're still married, so I'm taking that as a win! And funnily enough, we don't actually fall out so much at work. When we do, it's more about me being quite chaotic with how I work, but also I can at times be quite inflexible about how I want things to be done. But what Sarah's fantastic at is the organisation, the analytics. She runs all the logistical side of things. When we moved into the bigger office space, she insisted on us having different offices. She's literally shoved me on the other side of the building. So I'm out the way—I can just come in and write, come and do my bit to sign the books, and then she can just get on with organising the orders and getting those packed and sent out to readers. She manages all the tracking, the customs—all the stuff that would really bog me down. I wouldn't say she necessarily enjoys it when she's getting some cranky emails from people whose books might have gone missing or have been held up at customs, but she's really good at that side. She's really helped bring systems in place to make sure the fulfilment side is as smooth as possible. Jo: I think this is so important, and I want everyone to hear you on this. Because at heart, you are the creative, you are a writer, and sure you are building this business, but I feel like one of the biggest mistakes that creative-first authors make is not getting somebody else to help them. It doesn't have to be a spouse, right? It can also be another professional person. Sacha Black's got various people working for her. I think you just can't do it alone, right? Adam: Absolutely not. I would have drowned long before now. When Sarah joined the team, I was at a position where I'd said to her, “Look, I need to look at bringing someone in because I'm drowning.” It was only then she took a look at where her career was, and she'd done everything she wanted to do. She was a senior engineer. She'd completed all the big projects. I mean, this is a woman who's designed football stands across the UK and some of the biggest barn conversions and school conversions and things like that. She'd done everything professionally that she'd wanted to and was perhaps losing that passion that she once had. So she said she was interested, and we said, “Look, why don't you come and spend a bit of time working with me within the business, see whether it works for you, see if we can find an area that works for you—not you working for the business, the business working for you—that we maintain that work-life balance.” And then if it didn't work, we were in a position where we could set her up to start working for herself as an engineer again, but under her own terms. Then we just went from strength to strength. We made it through the first year. I think we made it through the first year without any arguments, and she's now been full-time in the business for two years. Jo: I think that's great. Really good to hear that. Because when I met you, probably in Seville I think it was, I was like, “You are going to hit some difficulty,” because I could see that if you were going to scale as fast as you were aiming to— There are problems of scale, right? There's a reason why lots of us don't want a bloomin' warehouse. Adam: Yes, absolutely. I think it's twofold. I am an author at heart—that's my passion—but I'm also a businessman and a creative from a marketing point of view. I always see writing as the passion. The business side and the creating of content—that's the work. So I never see writing as work. When I was a nurse, I was the nurse that was always put on the wards where no one else wanted to work because that's where I thrived. I thrive in the chaos. Put me with people who had really challenging behaviour or were really unwell and needed that really intense support, displayed quite often problematic behaviours, and I would thrive in those environments because I'd always like to prove that you can get the best out of anyone. I very much work in that manner now. The more chaotic, the more pressure-charged the situation is, the better I thrive in that. If I was just sat writing a book and that was it, I'd probably get less done because I'd get bored and I wouldn't feel like I was challenging myself. As you said, the flip side of that is that risk of burnout is very, very real, and I have come very, very close. But as a former mental health nurse, I am very good at spotting my own signs of when I'm not taking good care of myself. And if I don't, Sarah sure as hell does. Jo: I think that's great. Really good to hear. Okay, so you talked there about creating the content as work, and— You have driven your success, I would say, almost entirely with TikTok. Would that be right? Adam: Well, no, I'd come back and touch on that just to say it isn't just TikTok. I would say definitely organic marketing, but not just TikTok. I'm always quick to pivot if something isn't working or if there's a dip in sales. I'm always looking at how we can—not necessarily keep growing—but it's about sustaining what you've built so that we can carry on doing this. If the business stops earning money, I can't keep doing what I love doing, and me and my wife can't keep supporting our family with a stable income, which is what we have now. I would say TikTok is what started it all, but I did the same as having all my books on Amazon, which is why I switched to doing wide and direct sales: I didn't want all my eggs in one basket. I was always exploring what platforms I can use to best utilise organic marketing, to the point where my author TikTok channel is probably my third lowest avenue for directing traffic to my store at the moment. I have a separate channel for my TikTok shop, which generates great traffic, but that's a separate thing because I treat my TikTok shop as a separate audience. That only goes out to a UK audience, whereas my main TikTok channel goes out to a worldwide audience. Jo: Okay. So we are going to get into TikTok, and I do want to talk about that, but you said TikTok Shop UK and— Then you mentioned organic marketing. What do you mean by that? Adam: When I say organic marketing, I mean marketing your books in a way that is not a detriment to your bank balance. To break that down further: you can be paying for, say for example, you set up a Facebook ad and you are paying five pounds a day just for a testing phase for an ad that potentially isn't going to work. You potentially have to run 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ads at five pounds a day to find one ad that works, that will make your book profitable. There's a lot of testing, a lot of money that goes into that. With organic marketing, it's using video marketing or slideshows or carousels on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook—wherever you want to put it—to find the content that does resonate with your readers, that generates sales, and it doesn't cost you anything. I can create a video on TikTok, put it out there, and it reaches three, four hundred people. That hasn't cost me any money at all. Those three, four hundred people have seen my content. That's not TikTok's job for that to generate sales. That's my job to convert those views into sales. If it doesn't, I just need to look at the content and say, “Well, that hasn't hit my audience, or if it has, it hasn't resonated. What do I need to do with my content to make it resonate and then transition into sales?” Once you find something that works, it's just a case of rinse and repeat. Keep tweaking it, keep changing or using variants of that content that's working to generate sales. If you manage to do that consistently, you've already got content that you know works. So when you've built up consistent sales and you are perhaps earning a few thousand pounds a month—it could be five figures a month—you've then got a pool of money that you've generated. You can use that then to invest into paid ads, using the content you've already created organically and tested organically for what your audience is going to interact with. Jo: Okay. I think because I'm old school from the old days, we would've called that content marketing. But I feel like the difference of what you are doing and what TikTok—I think the type of behaviour TikTok has driven is the actual sales, the conversion into sales. So for example, this interview, right? My podcast is content marketing. It puts our words out in the world and some people find us, and some people buy stuff from us. So it's content marketing, but it's not the way you are analysing content that actually drives sales. Based on that content, there's no way of tracking any sales that come from this interview. We are just never going to know. I think that's the big difference between what you are doing with content versus what I and many other, I guess, older creators have done, which is— We put stuff out there for free, hope that some people might find us, and some of those people might buy. It's quite different. Adam: I would still argue that it is organic marketing, because you've got a podcast that people don't have to pay to listen to, that they get enjoyment from, and the byproduct of that is you generate some income passively through that. If you think of your podcast as one product and your video content is the same—these social media platforms—you don't just post your podcast on one platform. You will utilise as many platforms as you can, unless you have a brand agreement where a platform is paying you to solely use their platform because you or yourself are the driver for the audience there. I would say a podcast is a form of organic marketing. I could start a podcast about video marketing. I could start a podcast about reading. The idea being you build up an audience and then when you drop in those releases, that audience then goes and buys that product. For example, if you've got a self-help book coming out, if you drop that into your podcast, chances are you're going to get a lot more sales from your audience that are here to listen to you as the inspirational storyteller that you are from a business point of view than what you would if you announced that you had a new crime novel coming out or a horror story you've written. Your audience within here is generally an author audience who are looking to refine their craft—whether that be the writing or the selling of the books or living the dream of being a full-time author. I think it's more a terminology thing. Jo: Well, let's talk about why I wanted to talk to you. A friend of ours told me that you are doing really well with live sales. This was just before Christmas, I think. And I was like, “Live sales? What does that even mean?” Then I saw that Kim Kardashian was doing live sales on TikTok and did this “Kim's Must Have” thing, and Snoop Dogg was there, and it was this massive event where they were selling. I was like, “Oh, it's like TV sales—the TV sales channel where you show things and then people buy immediately.” And I was like, “Wait, is Adam like the Kim Kardashian of the indie author?” So tell us about this live sale thing. Adam: Well, I've not got that far to say that I have the Kim Kardashian status! What it is, is that I'm passionate about learning, but also sharing what's working for me so that other authors can succeed—without what I'm sharing being stuck behind a paywall. It is a big gripe of mine that you get all these courses and all these things you can do and everything has to be behind a paywall. If I've got the time, I'll just share. Hence why we were in Vegas doing the presentations for Indie Author Nation, which I think had you been in my talk, Jo, you would've heard me talking about the live selling. Jo: Oh, I missed it. I'll have to get the replay. Adam: I only covered a short section of it, but what I actually said within that talk is, for me, live selling is going to be the next big thing. If you are not live selling your books at the moment, and you are not paying attention to it, start paying attention to it. I started paying attention about six months ago, and I have seen constant growth to a point where I've had to post less content because doing one live stream a week was making more money than me posting content and burning myself out every single day for the TikTok shop. I did a live stream at the beginning of Christmas, for example. A bit of prep work went into it. We had a whole Christmas set, and within that one live stream we generated three and a half thousand pounds of organic book sales. Jo: Wow. Adam: Obviously that isn't something that happened overnight. That took me doing a regular Friday stream from September all the way through to December to build up to that moment. In fact, I think that was Black Friday, sorry, where we did that. But what I looked at was, “Right, I haven't got the bandwidth because of all the plates I was spinning to go live five days a week. However, I can commit to a Friday morning.” I can commit to a Friday morning because that is the day when Sarah isn't in the office, and it's my day to pack the orders. So I've already got the orders to pack, so I thought I'll go live whilst I'm packing the orders and just hang out and chat. I slowly started to find that on average I was earning between three to four hundred pounds doing that, packing orders that I already had to pack. I've just found a way to monetise it and engage with a new audience whilst doing that. The thing that's key is it is a new audience. You have people who like to consume their content through short-form content or long-form content. Then you have people who like to consume content with human interaction on a live, and it's a completely different ballgame. What TikTok is enabling us to do—on other platforms I am looking at other platforms for live selling—you can engage with an audience, but because on TikTok you can upload your products, people can buy the products direct whilst you are live on that platform. For that, you will pay a small fee to TikTok, which is absolutely worth it. That's part of the reason we've been able to scale to having a six-figure business within TikTok shop itself as one revenue stream. Jo: Okay. So a few things. You mentioned there the integration with TikTok shop. As I've said many times, I'm not on TikTok—I am on Instagram—and on Instagram you can incorporate your Meta catalogue to Shopify. Do you think the same principle applies to Instagram or YouTube as well? I think YouTube has an integration with Shopify. Do you think the same thing would work that way? Adam: I think it's possible. Yes, absolutely. As long as people can click and buy that product from whatever content they are watching—but usually what it will have to do is redirect them to your store, and you've still got all the conversion metrics that have to kick in. They have to be happy with the shipping, they have to be happy with the product description and stuff like that. With TikTok shop, it's very much a one-stop shop. People click on the product, they can still be watching the video, click to buy something, and not leave the stream. Jo: So the stream's on, and then let's say you are packing one of your books— Does that product link just pop up and then people can buy that book as you are packing it? Adam: So we've got lots and lots of products on our store now. I always have a product link that has all our products listed, and I always keep all of the bundles towards the top because they generate more income than a single book sale. What will happen is I can showcase a book, I'll tap the screen to show what product it is that I'm packing, and then I'll just talk about it. If people want it, they just click that product link and they can buy it straight away. What people get a lot of enjoyment from—which I never expected in a million years—is watching people pack their order there and then. As an author, we're not just selling a generic product. We're selling a book that we have written, that we have put our heart and soul into. People love that. It's a way of letting them into a bit of you, giving them a bit of information, talking to them, showing them how human you are. If you're on that live stream being an absolute arse and not very nice, people aren't going to buy your books. But if you're being welcoming, you're chatting, you're talking to everyone, you're interacting, you're showcasing books they probably will. What we do is if someone orders on the live stream, we throw some extra stuff in, so they don't just get the books, they'll get some art prints included, they'll get some bookmarks thrown in, and we've got merch that we'll throw in as a little thank you. Now it's all stuff that is low cost to us, because actually we're acquiring a customer in that moment. I've got people who come onto every single Friday live stream that I do now. They have bought every single product in our catalogue and they are harassing me for when the next release is out because they want more, before they even know what that is. They want it because it's being produced by us—because of our brand. With the lives, what I found is the branding has become really important. We're at a stage where we're being asked—because I'm quite well known for wearing beanie hats on live streams or video content—people are like, “When are you going to release some beanie hats?” Now and again, Sarah will drop some AP branded merch. It'll be beer coasters with the AP logo on, or a tote bag with the AP logo on. It's not stuff that we sell at this stage—we give them away. The more money people spend, the more stuff we put in. And people are like, “No, no, you need to add these to the store because we want to buy them.” The brand itself is growing, not just the book sales. It's becoming better known. We've got Pacificon in April, and there's so many people on that live stream that have bought tickets to meet us in person at this conference in April, which is amazing. There's so much going on. With TikTok shop, it only works in the country where you are based, so it only goes out to a UK audience, which is why I keep it separate from my main channel. That means we're tapping into a completely new audience, because up until last year, I'd always targeted America—that's where my biggest readership was. Jo: Wow. There's so much to this. Okay. First of all, most people are not going to have their own warehouse. Most people are not going to be packing live. So for authors who are selling on, let's just say Amazon, can live sales still work for them? Could they still go live at a regular time every week and talk about a book and see if that drives sales, even if it's at Amazon? Adam: Yes, absolutely. I would test that because ultimately you're creating a brand, you're putting yourself out there, and you're consistently showing up. You can have people that have never heard of you just stumble across your live and think, “What are they doing there?” They're a bit curious, so they might ask some questions, they might not. They might see some other interactions. There's a million and one things you can do on that live to generate conversation. I've done it where I've had 150 books to sign, so I've just lined up the books, stood in front of the camera, switched the camera on while I'm signing the books, and just chatted away to people without any product links. People will come back and be like, “Oh, I've just been to your store and bought through your series,” and stuff like that. So absolutely that can work. The key is putting in the work and setting it up. I started out by getting five copies of one book, signing them, and selling them on TikTok shop. I sold them in a day, and then that built up to effectively what we have now. That got my eyes open for direct selling. When I was working with BookVault and they were integrated with my store, orders came to me, but then they went to BookVault—they printed and distributed. Then we got to a point scaling-wise where we thought, “If we want to take this to the next level, we need to take on distribution ourselves,” because the profit lines are better, the margins are bigger. That's why we started doing it ourselves, but only once we'd had a proven track record of sales spanning 18 months to two years and had the confidence. It was actually with myself and Sacha that we set up at the same time and egged each other on. I think I was just a tiny bit ahead of her with setting up a warehouse. And then as you've seen, Sacha's gone from strength to strength. It doesn't come without its trigger warnings in the sense of it isn't an easy thing to do. I think you have to have a certain skill set for live selling. You have to have a certain mindset for the physicality that comes with it. When we've had a delivery of two and a half thousand books and we've got to bring them up to the first floor where the office is—I don't have a massive team of people. It's myself and Sarah, and every now and again we get my dad in to help us because he's retired now. We'll give him a bottle of wine as a thank you. Jo: You need to give him some more wine, I think! Adam: Yes! But you've gotta be able to roll your sleeves up and do the work. I think if you've got the work ethic and that drive to succeed, then absolutely anyone can do it. There's nothing special about my books in that sense. I've got a group called Novel Gains where I've actually started a monthly challenge yesterday, and we've got nearly two and a half thousand people in the group now. The group has never been more active because it's really energised and charged. People have seen the success stories, and people are going on lives who never thought it would work for them. Lee Mountford put a post up yesterday on the first day of this challenge just to say, “Look, a year ago I was where you were when Adam did the last challenge. I thought I can't do organic marketing, I can't get myself on camera.” Organic marketing and live selling is now equating to 50% of his income. Jo: And he doesn't have a warehouse. Adam: Well, he scaled up to it now, so he's got two lockups because he scaled up. He started off small, then he thought, “Right, I'm going to go for it.” He ordered a print run of a few of his books—I think 300 copies of three books. Bundled them up, sold them out within a few months. Then he's just scaled from there because he's seen by creating the content, by doing the lives, that it's just creating a revenue stream that he wasn't tapping into. Last January when we did the challenge, he was really engaged throughout the process. He was really analytical with the results he was getting. But he didn't stop after 30 days when that challenge finished. He went away behind the scenes for the next 11 months and has continued to grow. He is absolutely thriving now. Him and his wife—a husband and wife team—his wife is also an author, and they've now added her spicy books to their TikTok shop. They're just selling straight away because he's built up the audience. He's built up that connection. Jo: I think that's great. And I love hearing this because I built my business on what I've called content marketing—you're calling it organic marketing. So I think it's really good to know that it's still possible; it's just a different kind. Now I just wanna get some specifics. One— Where can people find your Novel Gains stuff? Adam: So Novel Gains is an online community on Facebook. As I said, there's no website, there's no fancy website, there's no paid course or anything. It is just people holding themselves accountable and listening to my ramblings every now and again when I try and share pills of wisdom to try and motivate and inspire. I also ask other successful authors to drop their story about organic marketing on there, to again get people fired up and show what can be achieved. Jo: Okay. That's on Facebook. So then let's talk about the setup. I think a lot of the time I get concerned about video because I think everything has to be on my phone. How are you setting this up technically so you can get filmed and also see comments and all of this kind of stuff? Adam: Just with my phone. Jo: It is just on your phone? Adam: Yes. I don't use any fancy camera tricks or anything. I literally just settle my phone and hit record when I'm doing it. Jo: But you set it up on a tripod or something? Adam: Yes. So I'll have a tripod. I don't do any fancy lighting or anything like that because I want the content to seem as real as possible. I'll set up the camera at an angle that shows whatever task I'm doing. For example, if I'm packing orders, I can see the screen so I can see the comments as they're coming up. It's close enough to me to interact. At Christmas, we did have a bit of a setup—it did look like a QVC channel, I'm not going to lie! I was at the back. There was a table in front of me with products on. We had mystery book bags. We had a Christmas tree. We had a big banner behind me. The camera was on the other side of the room, but I just had my laptop next to me that was logged into TikTok, so I was watching the live stream so I could see any comments coming up. Jo: Yes, that's the thing. So you can have a different screen with the comments. Because that's what I'm concerned about—it might just be the eyesight thing, but I'm like, I just can't literally do everything on the phone. Adam: TikTok has a studio—TikTok Studio—that you can download, and you can get all your data and analytics in there for your live streams. At the moment, I'll just tap the screen to add a new product or pin a new product. You can do all that from your computer on this studio where you can say, “Right, I'm showcasing this product now,” click on it and it'll come up onto the live stream. You just have to link the two together. Jo: I'm really thinking about this. Partly this is great because my other concern with TikTok and all these video channels is how much can be done by AI now. TikTok has its own AI generation stuff. A lot of it's amazing. I'm not saying it's bad quality, I'm saying it's amazing quality, but— What AI can't do is the live stuff. You just can't—I mean, I imagine you can fake it, but you can't fake it. Adam: Well, you'd be surprised. I've seen live streams where it's like an avatar on the screen and there is someone talking and then the avatar moving in live as that person's talking. Jo: Right? Adam: I've seen that where it's animals, I've seen it where it's like a 3D person. There's a really popular stream at the minute that is just a cartoon cat on the stream. Whenever you send a gift, it starts singing whoever sent it—it gets a name—and that's a system that someone has somehow set up. I have no idea how they've set it up, but they're literally not doing it. That can run 24 hours a day. There's always hundreds and hundreds of people on it sending gifts to hear this cat sing with an AI voice their name. Yes, AI will work and it will work for different things. But I think with us and with our books, people want that human connection more than ever because of AI. Use that to your advantage. Jo: Okay. So the other thing I like about this idea is you are doing these live sales and then you are looking at the amount you've sold. But are you making changes to it? Or are you only tweaking the content on your prerecorded stuff? Your live is so natural. How are you going to change it up, I guess? Adam: I am always testing what is working, what's not working. For example, I'm a big nerd at heart and I collect Pokémon cards. Now that I'm older, I can afford some of the more rare stuff, and me and my daughter have a lot of enjoyment collecting Pokémon cards together. We follow channels, we watch stuff on YouTube, and I was looking at what streamers do with Pokémon cards and how they sell like mystery products on an app or whatnot. I was like, “How can I apply this to books?” And I came up with the idea of doing mystery book bags. People pay 20 pounds, they get some goodies—some carefully curated goodies, as we say, that “Mrs. B” has put together. On stream, I never give the audience Sarah's name. It's always “Mrs. B.” So Mrs. B has built up her own brand within the stream—they go feral when she comes on camera to say hi! Then there's some goodies in there. That could be some tote socks, a tote bag, cup holders, page holders, metal pins, things like that. Then inside that, I'll pull out a thing that will say what book they're getting from our product catalogue. What I make clear is that could be anything from our product catalogue. So that could be a single book, it could be six books, it could be a three-book bundle. There's all sorts that people can get. It could be a deluxe special edition. People love that, and they tend to buy it because there's so much choice and they might be struggling with, “Right, I don't know what to get.” So they think, “You know what? I'll buy one of them mystery book bags.” I only do them when I'm live. I've done streams where the camera's on me. I've done top-down streams where you can only see my hands and these mystery book bags. Every time someone orders one, I'm just opening it live and showcasing what product they get from the stream. People love it to the point where every stream I do, they're like, “When are you doing the next mystery book bags? When are you doing the next ones?” Jo: So if we were on live now and I click to buy, you see the order with my name and you just write “Jo” on it, and then you put it in a pile? Adam: So you print labels there and then, which I'll do. Exactly. If I'm live packing them—I'm not going to lie—when I'm set up properly, I don't have time to pack them because the orders are coming in that thick and fast. All I do is have a Post-it note next to me, and I'll write down their username, then I'll stick that onto their order. I'll collect everything, showcase what they're getting, the extra goodies that they're getting with their order, and then I'll stick the Post-it on and put that to one side. To put that into context as something that works through testing different things: we started off doing 60 book bags—30 of them were spicy book bags, 30 were general fantasy which had my books and a couple of our authors that haven't got spice in their books—and the aim was to sell them within a month. We sold them within one stream. 60 book bags at 20 pounds a pop. What that also generated is people then buying other products while we're doing it. It also meant that I'd do it all on a Friday, and we'd come in on a Monday and start the week with 40, 50, 60 orders to pack regardless of what's coming from the Shopify store. The level of orders is honestly obscene, but we've continuously learned how best to manage this. We learned that actually, if you showcase the orders, stick a Post-it on, when we print the shipping labels, it takes us five minutes to just put all the shipping labels with everyone's orders. Then we can just fire through packing everything up because everything's already bundled together. It literally just needs putting in a box. Jo: Okay. So there's so much we could talk about, but hopefully people will look into this more. So I went to go watch a video—I thought, “Oh, well, I'll just go watch Adam do this. I'm sure there's a recording”—and then I couldn't find one. So tell me about that. Does [the live recording] just disappear or what? Adam: Yes, it does. It's live for a reason. You can download it afterwards if you want, and then you've got content to repurpose. In fact, you're giving me an idea. I've done a live today—I could download that clip that's an hour and 20 minutes long. Some of it, I'm just rambling, but some of it's got some content that I could absolutely use because I'm engaging with people. I've showcased books throughout it because I've been packing orders. I had an hour window before this podcast and I had a handful of orders to pack. So I just jumped on a live and I made like 250 pounds while doing a job that I would already be having to do. I could download that video, put it in OpusClip, and that will then generate short-form content for me of the meaningful interaction through that, based on the parameters that I give it. So that's absolutely something you could do. In fact, I'm probably going to do it now that you've given me the idea. Jo: Because even if it was on another channel, like you could put that one on YouTube. Adam: Yes. Wherever you want. It doesn't have a watermark on it. Jo: And what did you say? OpusClip? Adam: OpusClip, yes. If you do long-form content of any kind, you can put that in and then it'll pull out meaningful content. Loads of like 20, 30 short-form content video clips that you can use. It's a brilliant piece of software if you use it the right way. Jo: Okay. Well I want you to repurpose that because I want to watch you in action, but I'm not going to turn up for your live—although now I'm like, “Oh, I really must.” So does that also mean—you said it's UK only because the TikTok shop is linked to the UK— So people in America can't even see it? Adam: So sometimes they do pop in, but again, that's why I have a separate channel for my main author account. When I go live on that, anyone from around the world can come in. But if I've got shoppable links in, chances are the algorithm is just going to put that out to a UK audience because that's where TikTok will then make money. If I want to hit my US audience, I'll jump on Instagram because that's where I've got my biggest following. So I'll jump on Instagram and go live over there at a time that I know will be appropriate for Americans. Jo: Okay. We could talk forever, but I do have just a question about TikTok itself. All of these platforms seem to follow a way of things where at the beginning it's much easier to get reach. It is truly organic. It's really amazing. Then they start putting on various brakes—like Facebook added groups, and then you couldn't reach people in your groups. And then you had to pay to play. Then in the US of course, we've got a sale that has been signed. Who knows what will happen there. What are your thoughts on how TikTok has changed? What might go on this year, and how are you preparing? Adam: So, I think as a businessman and an author who wants to reach readers, I use the platforms for what I can get out of them without having to spend a stupid amount of money. If those platforms stop working for me, I'll stop using them and find one that does. With organic reach on TikTok, I think you'll always have a level of that. Is it harder now? Yes. Does that mean it's not achievable? Absolutely not. If your content isn't reaching people, or you're not getting the engagement that you want, or you find fulfilling, you need to look at yourself and the content you are putting out. You are in control of that. There's elements of this takeover in America—again, I've got zero control over that, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I'll focus on areas that are making a difference. As I said, TikTok isn't the biggest earner for my business. My author channel's been absolutely dead for a good six months or so. But that means I get stagnant with the content I'm creating. So the challenge I'm doing at the minute, I'm taking part to create fresh content every day to recharge myself. I've got Instagram and Facebook that generate high volumes of traffic every single day. And usually if they stop, TikTok starts to work. Any algorithm changes—things will change when it changes hands in America—but primarily it still wants to make money. It's a business. If anything, it might make it harder for us to reach America because it will want to focus on reaching an American audience for the people that are buying TikTok shop. But they want it because they want the TikTok shop because of the amount of money that it is generating. It's gone from a small amount of people making money to large volumes of businesses across the entire USA—like over here now—that are reaching an audience that previously you had to have deep pockets to reach, to get your business set up. Now you've got all these businesses popping up that are starting from scratch because they're reaching people. They've got a product that's marketable, that people want to enjoy. They want to be part of that growth. I think that will still happen. It might just be a few of the parameters change, like Facebook does all the time. Jo: Things will always change. That is key. We should also say by selling direct, you've built presumably a very big email list of buyers as well. Adam: Yes. I've actually got a trophy that Shopify sent me because we hit 10,000 sales—10,000 customers. I think we're nearing 16,000 sales on there now. We've got all that customer data. We don't get that on TikTok. We haven't got the customer data. Jo: Ah, that's interesting. Okay. How do you not though? Oh, because—did they ship it? Adam: So if you link it with your Shopify and you do all your shipping direct, the customer data has to come to your Shopify, otherwise you can't ship. When TikTok ship it for you—so I print the shipping labels, but they organise the couriers—all the customer data's blotted out. It's like redacted, so you don't see it. Jo: Ah, see that is in itself a cheeky move. Adam: Yes. But if it's linked to your Shopify, you get all that data and your Shopify is your store. So your Shopify will keep that data. They kept affecting how I extracted the shipping labels and stuff like that, and just kept making life really difficult. So I've just switched it back. I think Sarah has found an app that works really well for correlating the two. Jo: Yes, but this is a really big deal. We carp on about it all the time, but— If you sell direct and you do get the customer data, you are building an email list of actual buyers as opposed to freebie seekers. Which a lot of people have. Adam: Absolutely, and that's the same for you. If you send poor products out or your customer has a poor experience, they're not going to come back and order from you again. If your customer has a really good experience and opens the products and sees all this extra care that's gone in and all the books are signed, then they've not had to pay extra. There was a Kickstarter—I'm not going to name which author it was—but it was an author whose book I was quite excited to back. They had these special editions they'd done, but you had to buy a special edition for an extra 30 quid if you wanted it signed. I was like, “Absolutely not.” If these people are putting their hands in their pockets for these deluxe special editions, and if you're a big name author, it's certainly not them that have anything to do with it. They just have other companies do it all for them. Whereas with us, you are creating everything. Our way of saying thank you to everyone is by signing the book. Jo: I love that you're still so enthusiastic about it and that it seems to be going really well. So we're almost out of time, but just quickly— Tell people a bit more about the books that they can find in your stores and where people can find them. Adam: Yes. So we publish predominantly fantasy, and we have moved into the spicy fantasy world. We have a few series there. You can check out APBeswickPublications.com where you will see our full product catalogue and all of my books. On TikTok shop, we are under a.p_beswick_publications. That's the best place to see where I go live—short-form content. I'll post spicy books on there, but on lives, I showcase everything. I also have fantasy.books.uk, where that's where you'll see the videos or product links for the non-spicy fantasy books. Jo: And what time do you go live in the UK? Adam: So I go live 8:00 AM every Friday morning. Jo: Wow. Okay. I might even have to check that out. This has been so great, Adam. Thanks so much for your time. Adam: Well, thank you for having me.The post Selling Books Live On Social Media With Adam Beswick first appeared on The Creative Penn.

What if we could fix the conference panel? You know the format—interesting people, good intentions, and about ninety percent of it forgotten by the time you reach the bar.Chat_UP Live was held at FUSE headquarters in London. Rather than just another AI panel, we ran an experiment. Working with the team at TFG Labs, we built a custom AI co-pilot that captured the onstage conversation in real time, took in audience questions, and offered evidence-based responses that pushed the discussion in genuinely non-obvious directions. Think of it as a second brain for live events.Did it work? Partly. Was it interesting? Very. This is test and learn in public—and we're sharing the results.In this episode, you'll hear how we approached football club valuations with the system running behind us. If you want to interrogate the model yourself, there's a link in the Unofficial Partner Substack newsletter—but it won't be live forever.Part two drops Friday, where we go deeper into the race to build the operating system for sports business.A huge thank you to our friends and partners in this experiment, in particular the following people:At FUSE: Helen Burford, Louise Johnson, Monica Conway, Zainab Zaman and Annabel Wilson, Lucy Basden Smith and Sean Betts.At Twenty First Group: Blake Wooster, Andy Shora, Omar Choudhuri, Dan Zelezinski, Chris Woodcock and Conall Milligan.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner' on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you're interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

Chilly morning, Warmer weather arrives this week • This morning temperatures are in the 20s and 30s well inland. • The beaches will be above freezing this AM. • Some frost on windshields and elevated surfaces east of I-95 • Widespread freeze/frost inland. • Turning partly sunny today with highs in the mid to upper 50s • An inland freeze again tonight west of Jacksonville. • Highs make it back into the 60s tomorrow. • We reach near 70 by Thursday and mid 70s on Friday. • A few showers return for parts of the weekend. TODAY: AM Inland Frost/Freeze. Partly sunny and cool. HIGH: 58 TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Well inland freeze. Low: 35 WEDNESDAY: AM Inland Frost/Freeze. Partly to mostly cloudy. 35/66 THURSDAY: Partly sunny. 50/68 FRIDAY: Partly cloudy and warmer. 48/74 SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with a few afternoon/evening showers. 50/68 SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a few showers. 51/59 MONDAY: Mostly cloudy with a few showers. 40/52

First Alert Weather Day: Widespread frost/freeze, Gradual warming trend ahead • This morning is cold! • Temperatures have dropped to the 20s inland and lower to mid 30s along the coast. • Widespread frost and freeze this AM. o Some neighborhoods along the coast will stay above freezing. • Highs today in the mid 50s • Overnight, another inland frost/freeze away from the coast. • We return to near 70 degrees in the afternoon by the end of the week. TODAY: First Alert Weather Day. Freezing start, then sunny and cool. HIGH: 56 TONIGHT: Mostly clear and chilly. Inland frost/freeze. LOW: 30 TUESDAY: AM Frost/Freeze. Partly sunny and cool. 30/56 WEDNESDAY: AM Inland Frost/Freeze. Partly to mostly cloudy. 35/66 THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. 50/68 FRIDAY: Partly sunny. 48/71 SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy and mild. A few showers. 50/68 SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a few showers. 48/59

Books that caught our eye this year include Schott's Significa (yes, 'forbidden soup' is as grisly as it sounds), The Cheese Connoisseur's Handbook (yum) and Wine, Soil and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament (biblical).This is a show of generous proportions. Partly to give you a chance for some extra listening indulgence. But also to allow us proper time to hear from best-selling author Ben Schott, 'the cheese lady' Svetlana Kukharchuk and priest and theologian Mark Scarlata.Believe us, you're going to want to hear what they have to say.So don't be a wet lettuce - pour yourself a glass and join us!As ever, you can find all details from this episode on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S7 E12 - Our BOOKS OF THE YEAR (2025)If you'd like more information on our giveaway, please visit our Wine Blast One Million Giveaway page.You may also find this link to our Speakpipe audio message service useful.To get early access to new episodes, full archive access to our back catalogue and exclusive bonus content, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS at wineblast.co.ukInstagram: @susieandpeter

Elizabeth Peek analyzes the rise in US unemployment to 4.6%, attributing it partly to increased labor participation rather than economic weakness. She highlights that private sector hiring remains positive while government payrolls shrink, and notes that data center construction for AI is driving a boom in the construction industry. 1900 COLUMBUS IHIO

C Judy Dempsey examines fears that Russia will shift military forces to the NATO border if a Ukraine peace deal is reached. She discusses reported US pressure on Kyiv to surrender the Donbas, noting that both Ukraine and the EU oppose such concessions due to sovereignty concerns and lack of security guarantees. Judy Dempsey addresses the industrial crisis in Germany, specifically the auto industry's struggle against Chinese electric vehicles. She notes that Chancellor Merz is avoiding necessary pension reforms due to political pressure, while the rise of the AfD and a shifting transatlantic relationship further complicate Germany's economic stability. Mary Kissel argues that Ukraine cannot surrender the Donbas without ironclad security guarantees, citing past broken agreements like the Budapest Memorandum. She validates Finnish and Baltic fears regarding Russian aggression and questions whether the Trump administration's business-centric approach can effectively manage Vladimir Putin's ideological brutality. Mary Kissel characterizes China's economy as collapsing under Xi Jinping's mismanagement. She highlights the plight of Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old British citizen imprisoned in Hong Kong, and urges Western leaders to use economic leverage to demand his release as a prerequisite for any improved relations. Jonathan Schanzer critiques the slow Australian police response to the Bondi Beach attack, linking the shooters to ISIS training in the Philippines. He warns that the Albanese government's political "virtue signaling" regarding Palestine may have emboldened radicals, while noting Hezbollah is reconstituting its money and weapons pipelines in Lebanon. Jonathan Schanzer analyzes the "murky" killing of US servicemen in Syria, attributing it to jihadist elements within the government's security forces. He describes the situation in Gaza as a deadlock where Hamas remains armed because no international force, other than the unacceptable option of Turkey, is willing to intervene. Gregory Copley details how the Bondi Beach attackers trained in the Philippines' insurgent areas. While praising Australian intelligence agencies, he blames the Albanese government for encouraging anti-Israel sentiment, arguing this political stance has given license to radical groups and undermined public safety. Gregory Copley reflects on the 25-year war on terror, arguing that Western governments have become distracted. He contends that elevating terrorists like Bin Laden to "superpower" status was a strategic error, as the true objective of terrorism is to manipulate political narratives and induce paralysis through fear. Gregory Copley observes a 2025 shift toward nationalism and decisive leadership, asserting that globalism is declining. He notes that nuclear weapons are becoming "unusable" due to changing military doctrines and warns that Western democracies are sliding toward autocracy, drawing historical parallels to Oliver Cromwell's rise as Lord Protector. Gregory Copley reports on King Charles III's improving health and his unifying role within the Commonwealth. He contrasts the stability of the constitutional monarchy with the historical chaos of Cromwell's republic, suggesting the Crown remains a vital stabilizing force against political turmoil in the UK and its dominions. Joseph Sternberg challenges the Trump administration's antagonistic view of the EU, citing polls showing the institution remains popular among Europeans. He argues that US policy should not be based on the expectation of the EU's collapse, noting that the UK's exit was unique to its specific history and not a continental trend. Joseph Sternberg condemns the imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong as a failure of UKdiplomacy. He argues that Hong Kong's economic success cannot be separated from its political freedoms, warning that the erosion of the rule of law threatens the territory's viability as a business center. Joseph Postell discusses the 1983 INS v. Chadha decision, which eliminated the legislative veto. He explains how this ruling stripped Congress of its ability to check the executive branch, transforming a once-dominant legislature into a weak institution unable to reverse administrative decisions on issues like tariffs. Joseph Postell suggests correcting the Chadha precedent by adopting a view of severability where delegations of power are unconstitutional without the accompanying legislative veto. He notes that the War Powers Resolutionremains a rare exception where Congress still retains a mechanism to reverse executive actions via simple majority.

"Life is suffering" may be a Noble Truth, but it feels like a deepity. Yes, obviously life includes suffering. But it also includes happiness. Many people live good and happy lives, and even people with hard lives experience some pleasant moments. This is the starting point of many people's objection to Buddhism. They continue: if nirvana is just a peaceful state beyond joy or suffering, it sounds like a letdown. An endless gray mist of bare okayness, like death or Britain. If your life was previously good, it's a step down. Even if your life sucked, maybe you would still prefer the heroism of high highs and low lows to eternal blah. Against all this, many Buddhists claim to be able to reach jhana, a state described as better than sex or heroin - and they say nirvana is even better than that. Partly it's better because jhana is temporary and nirvana permanent, but it's also better on a moment-to-moment basis. So nirvana must mean something beyond bare okayness. But then why the endless insistence that life is suffering and the best you can do is make it stop? I don't know the orthodox Buddhist answer to this question. But I got the rationalist techno-Buddhists' answer from lsusr a few months ago, and found it, uh, enlightening. He said: mental valence works like temperature. Naively, there are two kinds of temperature: hot and cold. When an environment stops being hot, then it's neutral - "room temperature" - neither hot nor cold. After that, you can add arbitrary amounts of coldness, making it colder and colder. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/in-what-sense-is-life-suffering

China's Debt Dilemma and Keir Starmer's Political Trouble — Joseph Sternberg — Sternberg analyzes China'scritical economic vulnerabilities, noting that its $2.2 trillion in global lending—partly channeled through the Belt and Road Initiative—faces mounting pressure from defaults and political resistance to Chinese asset ownership. Domestically, China restricts capital inflows to manage inflation and stabilize exchange rates. Sternberg also examines UK politics, noting that Labour leader Keir Starmer faces mounting political difficulties ahead of a challenging budget that lacks an articulated economic growth strategy. 1700 WINDSOR CASTLE

Volatility returned to the stock market this week.Partly due to growing concerns about the sustainability of the AI spending boom.Partly due to further stresses building in the credit market.And also due to a growing shortfall of liquidity.Portfolio manager Michael Lebowitz and I discuss each of these in depth in this week's Market Recap.For everything that mattered to markets this week, watch this video.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com#artificialintelligence #federalreserve #liquidity _____________________________________________ Thoughtful Money LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor Promoter.We produce educational content geared for the individual investor. It's important to note that this content is NOT investment advice, individual or otherwise, nor should be construed as such.We recommend that most investors, especially if inexperienced, should consider benefiting from the direction and guidance of a qualified financial advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators who can develop & implement a personalized financial plan based on a customer's unique goals, needs & risk tolerance.IMPORTANT NOTE: There are risks associated with investing in securities.Investing in stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, money market funds, and other types of securities involve risk of loss. Loss of principal is possible. Some high risk investments may use leverage, which will accentuate gains & losses. Foreign investing involves special risks, including a greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods.A security's or a firm's past investment performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future investment performance.Thoughtful Money and the Thoughtful Money logo are trademarks of Thoughtful Money LLC.Copyright © 2025 Thoughtful Money LLC. All rights reserved.

Greg Morse | Under God, why did the ministry of Charles Spurgeon bring so many to saving faith? Partly because he did not shrink from preaching the bad news.

 Colonel Grant Newsham assesses South Korea's leftist President Yoon Suk Yeol, describing him as pro-China and anti-US, despite his vow to increase defense spending. Newsham views this spending partly as a tactical ploy to avoid reliance on US troops. Separately, he highlights Chinese influence and rampant corruption in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which is brazenly seeking $100 million from the USdespite $1.6 billion having vanished. 1911 PEKING UNIVERSITY

 Colonel Grant Newsham assesses South Korea's leftist President Yoon Suk Yeol, describing him as pro-China and anti-US, despite his vow to increase defense spending. Newsham views this spending partly as a tactical ploy to avoid reliance on US troops. Separately, he highlights Chinese influence and rampant corruption in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which is brazenly seeking $100 million from the USdespite $1.6 billion having vanished.

Jimmy Kimmel's brief departure from the airwaves triggered a wave of debate over free speech.  Partly triggering his suspension was the government threatening to leverage its power over pending media deals. That's in part due to a piece of decades-old legislation. Today on the show, we look at how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 set the stage for government meddling and corporate capitulation. Related episodes: Breaking up big business is hard to do Mergers, acquisitions and Elon's “rude” proposal For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There's a secret app for influencers to get anything for free… and now we know about it.The reason the Late Show industry is getting canceled? Partly business, partly politics… and partly podcasts.“Crypto Week” passed America's 1st three Bitcoin laws… and it reminds us of Julius Caesar.The newest trend in coffee… is serving it in giant plastic buckets.$PARA $NFLX $BTCWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… Michelin Star Ratings ⭐Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks to listen.TBOY Live Show Tickets to Chicago on sale NOW: https://www.axs.com/events/949346/the-best-one-yet-podcast-ticketsAbout Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today's top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, TBOY Lite is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts NEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ Our 2nd show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.