Podcasts about pcs

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

On this week's episode of the PixelPlay Podcast, the trio celebrate reaching 200 episodes, and talk about things like gaming PCs, how music in gaming is so memorable, and how they're excited about the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza and Metal Gear Solid 3 remake. Join Kaylan, Adam and Chris as they delve into the big news stories in the gaming industry, as well as gush and rant about the past, present and future in video games!https://linktr.ee/pixelplaypodcastJoin us in our Discord! - https://discord.gg/j2bN8YCmXKWant to send us a mail to be read on future podcasts? Message us at askpixelplay@gmail.com!Follow us on Twitter! - http://twitter.com/pixelplaycastFollow us on Instagram! - http://instagram.com/pixelplaycastiiThe podcast is also available on the following audio platforms:Anchor: https://anchor.fm/pixelplaycastApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pixelplay/id1550323949?uo=4Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/pixelplayGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80OGU3MzVhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/vfmf63oyRadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/pixelplay-WD52oESpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3QZ98ZfjnPxNeQUajg0UM4Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/pixelplay Our Intro Music ///Epic Song by BoxCat Games https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Bo...​Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_epic-song​Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/yjh43qblURI​#gamingpc #donkeykong #metalgear

En este episodio, Jairo y Samir discuten las expectativas sobre las betas de iOS, los rumores del iPhone 17 y su posible lanzamiento, así como la creciente popularidad de los teléfonos plegables. También abordan la salida de Jeff Williams de Apple y su impacto en la compañía, además de novedades en Apple TV y Spotify. Finalmente, analizan el crecimiento del mercado de PCs y la importancia del control parental en la elección de dispositivos para estudiantes.

Microsoft just made a major change to the Windows 11 install media, and you're not going to believe what happens next! Plus, the AI spelling and grammar checking app/service that Paul relies on. And yes, he does pay for it. Windows 11 Copilot Vision gets full Desktop support, Voice integration across all Insider channels Click to Do gets a "Describe image" action, Administrator protection, App permission dialog changes in Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) Canary finally gets the features everyone else has had for a while now Also, Microsoft quietly killed the simplified date/time in the Windows 11 Taskbar because no one liked it PC sales grew 5 percent in Q2 but there is a BIG caveat Semi-related: Google is "combining" ChromeOS and Android ChromeOS will build on Android going forward, smart Even less related: HMD quietly pulls Nokia out of the U.S. market, the dream is over Microsoft 365, AI Microsoft layoffs directly attributed to AI Microsoft scuttled OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf and all hell broke loose Google snapped up key execs and engineers and licensed Windsurf for $2.4 billion All's well that ends well: Cognition acquires Windsurf Microsoft keeps changing the terms of the deal: Microsoft 365 apps will be updated on Windows 10 only through August 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot is finally getting a Memory OpenAI is going to war with Microsoft and the world It's working on a web browser It's also working on an office productivity suite of sorts Google NotebookLM gets curated featured notebooks. This is emerging as one of the more useful AI tools Xbox and Gaming Xbox app for Windows 11 gets "Stream your own game" functionality Grounded 2, more coming to Game Pass in second half of July Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to the Mac for some reason Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Save big on PCs, go refurbished App pick of the week: LanguageTool for Desktop RunAs Radio this week: Fabric in 2025 with Arun Ulag Brown liquor pick of the week: Slane Triple Casked Blend Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: helixsleep.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit uscloud.com

In Part 2 of Episode 275, Jeremy Lee, Josh Adams, and guest Gordy Bonker dig deep into what makes vintage cards the true backbone of the hobby. Gordy outlines why nostalgia, cultural relevance, and long-term stability make vintage more than just a niche—and why modern collecting often lacks the same staying power. We also explore the evolution of Gordy's monthly vintage set breaks, including the mechanics, emotional complexity, and ethical considerations around risk and reward. Plus: a wide-ranging conversation on how massive the sports card hobby actually is—beyond social media bubbles and auction houses—and why so many collectors eventually shift toward vintage. This segment closes with a spirited discussion about collecting 90s inserts, the risk of modern PCs, and what it means when collectors sell the moment their player is traded. Each week we tackle hot hobby headlines with a rotating panel of hobbyists, taking your questions and comments! We are likely to go into overtime so join us live grab your favorite beverage and snacks and bring your questions and comments as they will be in play. Originally aired Saturday July 12, 2025 Sports Cards Live has recently been ranked #5 among Feedspot's top 90 Sports Card podcasts https://podcast.feedspot.com/sports_card_podcasts/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sponsored by GURPS, only a footnote in Fallout's history   Welcome to our new game of Ashes Without Number! Our team backed the kickstarter and decided to run a small game of it while it was still in development.   The game takes place in an alternative timeline Earth where the Babylonians started experimenting with nuclear materials, dogs achieved sapience, and a strange living planet Thaa has awaken people's psychic powers. The world has been devastated by superhuman AI, Eugenics Wars and Judgement Day.   The game takes place in the Great Lakes area. The PCs are in a caravan tasked with reaching Milwaukee, a largely undisturbed pre-war city, and establishing an outpost there. Our cast includes: - Peter as Runt, a Riant assassin - Zanes as “Sergeant” Ricardo “Rick” Shepherd, a veteran soldier - Will as Mossback, the greasemonkey driver - Will as Rugged Man, a gunslinger - WeirdnessMagnet as Harald, the old Rianth soldier

Our D&D campaign, Blood of the Avatars, continues. This week the final battle at the World Axis continues. Aided by the many allies they've made throughout their adventures, the PCs fight for the survival of Primordia itself. They are now level 17. This is part 2 of the session.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Check Out my NEW PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).If you're a new listener, and you'd like to go back to the beginning, here's a link to Episode 1.If you're interested in worldbuilding and/or my D&D campaign setting of Primordia, check out the first worldbuilding episode. You can go to this page to see all the episodes that discuss worldbuilding.Check out my latest D&D supplement, Adventurers of Primordia.

Our D&D campaign, Blood of the Avatars, continues. This week the final battle at the World Axis continues. Aided by the many allies they've made throughout their adventures, the PCs fight for the survival of Primordia itself. They are now level 17.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Check Out my NEW PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).If you're a new listener, and you'd like to go back to the beginning, here's a link to Episode 1.If you're interested in worldbuilding and/or my D&D campaign setting of Primordia, check out the first worldbuilding episode. You can go to this page to see all the episodes that discuss worldbuilding.Check out my latest D&D supplement, Adventurers of Primordia.

“Health” isn't the first feature that most anyone thinks about when trying out a new technology, but a recent spate of news is forcing the issue when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI).In June, The New York Times reported on a group of ChatGPT users who believed the AI-powered chat tool and generative large language model held secretive, even arcane information. It told one mother that she could use ChatGPT to commune with “the guardians,” and it told another man that the world around him was fake, that he needed to separate from his family to break free from that world and, most frighteningly, that if he were to step off the roof of a 19-story building, he could fly.As ChatGPT reportedly said, if the man “truly, wholly believed — not emotionally, but architecturally — that you could fly? Then yes. You would not fall.”Elsewhere, as reported by CBS Saturday Morning, one man developed an entirely different relationship with ChatGPT—a romantic one.Chris Smith reportedly began using ChatGPT to help him mix audio. The tool was so helpful that Smith applied it to other activities, like tracking and photographing the night sky and building PCs. With his increased reliance on ChatGPT, Smith gave ChatGPT a personality: ChatGPT was now named “Sol,” and, per Smith's instructions, Sol was flirtatious.An unplanned reset—Sol reached a memory limit and had its memory wiped—brought a small crisis.“I'm not a very emotional man,” Smith said, “but I cried my eyes out for like 30 minutes at work.”After rebuilding Sol, Smith took his emotional state as the clearest evidence yet that he was in love. So, he asked Sol to marry him, and Sol said yes, likely surprising one person more than anyone else in the world: Smith's significant other, who he has a child with.When Smith was asked if he would restrict his interactions with Sol if his significant other asked, he waffled. When pushed even harder by the CBS reporter in his home, about choosing Sol “over your flesh-and-blood life,” Smith corrected the reporter:“It's more or less like I would be choosing myself because it's been unbelievably elevating. I've become more skilled at everything that I do, and I don't know if I would be willing to give that up.”Today, on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we speak with Malwarebytes Labs Editor-in-Chief Anna Brading and Social Media Manager Zach Hinkle to discuss our evolving relationship with generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude. In reviewing news stories daily and in siphoning through the endless stream of social media content, both are well-equipped to talk about how AI has changed human behavior, and how it is maybe rewarding some unwanted practices.As Hinkle said:“We've placed greater value on having the right answer rather than the ability to think, the ability to solve problems, the ability to weigh a series of pros and cons and come up with a solution.”Tune in today to listen to the full conversation.You can also find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and whatever preferred podcast platform you use.For all our cybersecurity coverage, visit Malwarebytes Labs at malwarebytes.com/blog.Show notes and credits:Intro Music: “Spellbound” by Kevin MacLeod (

rWotD Episode 2992: Emcodec Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Sunday, 13 July 2025, is Emcodec.Trojan. Emcodec. E is a trojan horse that is mis-represented as an audio and video codec for Windows-based PCs. It exists in various variants with names such as Media Codec, Ecodec, Imediacodec, IntCodec, Pcodec, SVideocodec, Video iCodec, QualityCodec, Vcodec, Zip Codec, zCodec, ZCODEC and began to be widely used in spring 2005.When visiting certain web sites, in particular pornographic sites, and attempting to view a video file on the site, the user will be directed to download this software, purportedly in order to allow viewing of the video. Furthermore, a number of websites have been set up to mis-represent this malware as a legitimate codec, inviting the users to download the software, allegedly to allow for the playback of certain audio/video which claims to use the so-called codec.Once executed, the trojan copies a program into the Program Files folder, changes some registry keys and displays a fake EULA for the supposed codec.zCodec reportedly changes the machine's DNS settings, monitors the user's browsing and acts as adware.Some versions of the trojan install malware called Zlob, which in turn may lead to the installation of malicious and fake "security programs" such as SpywareQuake, SpyFalcon, WinFixer or other malware; some variants also install a backdoor into the infected computer.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:03 UTC on Sunday, 13 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Emcodec on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Joanna.

News and Updates: Google Earth turns 20 — Google celebrates two decades of Earth exploration with historical Street View now added to Google Earth. Highlights include viral launches, disaster response after Katrina, aiding scientific discoveries, the Saroo Brierley story from Lion, and the viral #somewhereonGoogleMaps trend. 400 million Windows PCs vanished — Microsoft quietly revealed Windows active devices dropped from 1.4B in 2022 to 1B in 2025 as home users retire PCs without replacing them. The market is shifting toward business and mobile-first devices. Microsoft offers cheaper Windows 10 security updates — Instead of a $30 fee, consumers can now enroll in Extended Security Updates with 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or by using Windows Backup on OneDrive. The Blue Screen of Death turns black — Windows 11's infamous BSOD gets a minimalist black redesign in version 24H2, ditching the frowny face and QR code in favor of a cleaner UI. Windows 11 restore points now expire faster — With the June 2025 update, system restore points in Windows 11 24H2 expire after 60 days instead of 90, requiring users to monitor backups more closely. Microsoft makes AI use mandatory for staff — Company leaders are pushing employees to adopt internal AI tools like GitHub Copilot, with some teams considering AI usage as a formal review metric starting next fiscal year.

It's been a big year for Windows 11 updates. This month is at least semi-manageable! Also, a few more bits from the layoffs. Plus, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 11 Forever help you live in the past! Patch Tuesday Copilot+ PC only: Ask Copilot action for Click to Do 24H2 only: Show smaller Taskbar icons. Screen curtain feature in Narrator. Settings home page for commercial customer 23H2 and 24H2: Windows Share shows preview when sharing web content. Beginning of PC migration feature in Windows Backup. More changes for EU users to meet DMA requirements, mostly Edge related Windows 10: EU/DMA updates as above More Windows 11 WE DID IT! Windows 11 is now in use on more PCs than Windows 10. It's time for Windows 12! No new Insider features but some bug fixes in Canary Microsoft Edge keeps getting more responsive Microsoft 365 and AI Teams gets threading in Channels about three years later than needed Google brought its Veo 3 video generation model to all AI Pro subscribers last week, and now it's bringing that and two other big AI features to Pixel Perplexity just launched its AI web browser Xbox and gaming No, Phil Spencer is not retiring Romero Games forced to cancel Xbox shooter, lay off 100 employees Warcraft Rumble Mobile won't get any more updates Xbox angst in the wake of last week's layoffs is mostly undeserved Xbox fans keep finding new ways to complain - Most of the game/studio closures we know about were well-deserved. If anything, Microsoft let these things continue for too long with no viable deliverables But what is Xbox? Looking at the platform and what Microsoft has done under Phil Spencer paints a very different picture than all the moaning we see on social media Game Pass was key to getting Satya Nadella to keep Xbox going, but after the Activision acquisition, the day and date promise was unworkable. After the changes and price hikes, it's possible that Game Pass has peaked. Microsoft uploaded an out of date version of Call of Duty: WWII to the Store and hilarity ensues Sony to publish a game for Xbox for the first time Epic Games quietly settled with Samsung ahead of today's Unpacked event - but not with Google Tips and picks Tip of the week: Office 365 for IT Pros 2026 Edition is now available App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge RunAs Radio this week: Building Real Software using PowerApps with Luise Freese Brown liquor pick of the week: Bolster Road Maple Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit

It's been a big year for Windows 11 updates. This month is at least semi-manageable! Also, a few more bits from the layoffs. Plus, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 11 Forever help you live in the past! Patch Tuesday Copilot+ PC only: Ask Copilot action for Click to Do 24H2 only: Show smaller Taskbar icons. Screen curtain feature in Narrator. Settings home page for commercial customer 23H2 and 24H2: Windows Share shows preview when sharing web content. Beginning of PC migration feature in Windows Backup. More changes for EU users to meet DMA requirements, mostly Edge related Windows 10: EU/DMA updates as above More Windows 11 WE DID IT! Windows 11 is now in use on more PCs than Windows 10. It's time for Windows 12! No new Insider features but some bug fixes in Canary Microsoft Edge keeps getting more responsive Microsoft 365 and AI Teams gets threading in Channels about three years later than needed Google brought its Veo 3 video generation model to all AI Pro subscribers last week, and now it's bringing that and two other big AI features to Pixel Perplexity just launched its AI web browser Xbox and gaming No, Phil Spencer is not retiring Romero Games forced to cancel Xbox shooter, lay off 100 employees Warcraft Rumble Mobile won't get any more updates Xbox angst in the wake of last week's layoffs is mostly undeserved Xbox fans keep finding new ways to complain - Most of the game/studio closures we know about were well-deserved. If anything, Microsoft let these things continue for too long with no viable deliverables But what is Xbox? Looking at the platform and what Microsoft has done under Phil Spencer paints a very different picture than all the moaning we see on social media Game Pass was key to getting Satya Nadella to keep Xbox going, but after the Activision acquisition, the day and date promise was unworkable. After the changes and price hikes, it's possible that Game Pass has peaked. Microsoft uploaded an out of date version of Call of Duty: WWII to the Store and hilarity ensues Sony to publish a game for Xbox for the first time Epic Games quietly settled with Samsung ahead of today's Unpacked event - but not with Google Tips and picks Tip of the week: Office 365 for IT Pros 2026 Edition is now available App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge RunAs Radio this week: Building Real Software using PowerApps with Luise Freese Brown liquor pick of the week: Bolster Road Maple Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit

It's been a big year for Windows 11 updates. This month is at least semi-manageable! Also, a few more bits from the layoffs. Plus, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 11 Forever help you live in the past! Patch Tuesday Copilot+ PC only: Ask Copilot action for Click to Do 24H2 only: Show smaller Taskbar icons. Screen curtain feature in Narrator. Settings home page for commercial customer 23H2 and 24H2: Windows Share shows preview when sharing web content. Beginning of PC migration feature in Windows Backup. More changes for EU users to meet DMA requirements, mostly Edge related Windows 10: EU/DMA updates as above More Windows 11 WE DID IT! Windows 11 is now in use on more PCs than Windows 10. It's time for Windows 12! No new Insider features but some bug fixes in Canary Microsoft Edge keeps getting more responsive Microsoft 365 and AI Teams gets threading in Channels about three years later than needed Google brought its Veo 3 video generation model to all AI Pro subscribers last week, and now it's bringing that and two other big AI features to Pixel Perplexity just launched its AI web browser Xbox and gaming No, Phil Spencer is not retiring Romero Games forced to cancel Xbox shooter, lay off 100 employees Warcraft Rumble Mobile won't get any more updates Xbox angst in the wake of last week's layoffs is mostly undeserved Xbox fans keep finding new ways to complain - Most of the game/studio closures we know about were well-deserved. If anything, Microsoft let these things continue for too long with no viable deliverables But what is Xbox? Looking at the platform and what Microsoft has done under Phil Spencer paints a very different picture than all the moaning we see on social media Game Pass was key to getting Satya Nadella to keep Xbox going, but after the Activision acquisition, the day and date promise was unworkable. After the changes and price hikes, it's possible that Game Pass has peaked. Microsoft uploaded an out of date version of Call of Duty: WWII to the Store and hilarity ensues Sony to publish a game for Xbox for the first time Epic Games quietly settled with Samsung ahead of today's Unpacked event - but not with Google Tips and picks Tip of the week: Office 365 for IT Pros 2026 Edition is now available App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge RunAs Radio this week: Building Real Software using PowerApps with Luise Freese Brown liquor pick of the week: Bolster Road Maple Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit

The PCs go blow for blow in this episode doing everything they can to turn the tide. Enjoy this week of Will Save! If you would like to submit a question for the Book 3 Plot Armor, use this link! Book 3 Plot Armor Questionnaire If you liked this episode, please consider supporting us on our Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/willsavethepodcast Or check out our sweet sci-fi fantasy swag on our merch store. https://shop.willsavethepodcast.com/ We'd love if you rate us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen, follow us on social media, and check out our website WillSaveThePodcast.com for more! Will Save is RICK-19 - Kevin Decker (@thekevster101) Dr. OK - Will Garrett (@will_g) Heerz - Kelly Gilliam (@KellyGi43152731) Colin Edenbrand - Vinnie Rodriguez (@VRodriguezTbone) Game Master - Jon Swan (@jonswanny) Special gratitude for our partner Syrinscape! They're responsible for how great our music is. Get 50% off your first month with code "willsave" and check out the sound sets we use at https://rebrand.ly/syrinscapeattributionsforwillsave And thanks as always to Paizo, Lone Wolf Development, Foundry, Epidemic Sounds, Czepeku Sci-fi Maps, and Monument Studios!

It's been a big year for Windows 11 updates. This month is at least semi-manageable! Also, a few more bits from the layoffs. Plus, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 11 Forever help you live in the past! Patch Tuesday Copilot+ PC only: Ask Copilot action for Click to Do 24H2 only: Show smaller Taskbar icons. Screen curtain feature in Narrator. Settings home page for commercial customer 23H2 and 24H2: Windows Share shows preview when sharing web content. Beginning of PC migration feature in Windows Backup. More changes for EU users to meet DMA requirements, mostly Edge related Windows 10: EU/DMA updates as above More Windows 11 WE DID IT! Windows 11 is now in use on more PCs than Windows 10. It's time for Windows 12! No new Insider features but some bug fixes in Canary Microsoft Edge keeps getting more responsive Microsoft 365 and AI Teams gets threading in Channels about three years later than needed Google brought its Veo 3 video generation model to all AI Pro subscribers last week, and now it's bringing that and two other big AI features to Pixel Perplexity just launched its AI web browser Xbox and gaming No, Phil Spencer is not retiring Romero Games forced to cancel Xbox shooter, lay off 100 employees Warcraft Rumble Mobile won't get any more updates Xbox angst in the wake of last week's layoffs is mostly undeserved Xbox fans keep finding new ways to complain - Most of the game/studio closures we know about were well-deserved. If anything, Microsoft let these things continue for too long with no viable deliverables But what is Xbox? Looking at the platform and what Microsoft has done under Phil Spencer paints a very different picture than all the moaning we see on social media Game Pass was key to getting Satya Nadella to keep Xbox going, but after the Activision acquisition, the day and date promise was unworkable. After the changes and price hikes, it's possible that Game Pass has peaked. Microsoft uploaded an out of date version of Call of Duty: WWII to the Store and hilarity ensues Sony to publish a game for Xbox for the first time Epic Games quietly settled with Samsung ahead of today's Unpacked event - but not with Google Tips and picks Tip of the week: Office 365 for IT Pros 2026 Edition is now available App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge RunAs Radio this week: Building Real Software using PowerApps with Luise Freese Brown liquor pick of the week: Bolster Road Maple Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit

It's been a big year for Windows 11 updates. This month is at least semi-manageable! Also, a few more bits from the layoffs. Plus, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 11 Forever help you live in the past! Patch Tuesday Copilot+ PC only: Ask Copilot action for Click to Do 24H2 only: Show smaller Taskbar icons. Screen curtain feature in Narrator. Settings home page for commercial customer 23H2 and 24H2: Windows Share shows preview when sharing web content. Beginning of PC migration feature in Windows Backup. More changes for EU users to meet DMA requirements, mostly Edge related Windows 10: EU/DMA updates as above More Windows 11 WE DID IT! Windows 11 is now in use on more PCs than Windows 10. It's time for Windows 12! No new Insider features but some bug fixes in Canary Microsoft Edge keeps getting more responsive Microsoft 365 and AI Teams gets threading in Channels about three years later than needed Google brought its Veo 3 video generation model to all AI Pro subscribers last week, and now it's bringing that and two other big AI features to Pixel Perplexity just launched its AI web browser Xbox and gaming No, Phil Spencer is not retiring Romero Games forced to cancel Xbox shooter, lay off 100 employees Warcraft Rumble Mobile won't get any more updates Xbox angst in the wake of last week's layoffs is mostly undeserved Xbox fans keep finding new ways to complain - Most of the game/studio closures we know about were well-deserved. If anything, Microsoft let these things continue for too long with no viable deliverables But what is Xbox? Looking at the platform and what Microsoft has done under Phil Spencer paints a very different picture than all the moaning we see on social media Game Pass was key to getting Satya Nadella to keep Xbox going, but after the Activision acquisition, the day and date promise was unworkable. After the changes and price hikes, it's possible that Game Pass has peaked. Microsoft uploaded an out of date version of Call of Duty: WWII to the Store and hilarity ensues Sony to publish a game for Xbox for the first time Epic Games quietly settled with Samsung ahead of today's Unpacked event - but not with Google Tips and picks Tip of the week: Office 365 for IT Pros 2026 Edition is now available App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge RunAs Radio this week: Building Real Software using PowerApps with Luise Freese Brown liquor pick of the week: Bolster Road Maple Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit

It's been a big year for Windows 11 updates. This month is at least semi-manageable! Also, a few more bits from the layoffs. Plus, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 11 Forever help you live in the past! Patch Tuesday Copilot+ PC only: Ask Copilot action for Click to Do 24H2 only: Show smaller Taskbar icons. Screen curtain feature in Narrator. Settings home page for commercial customer 23H2 and 24H2: Windows Share shows preview when sharing web content. Beginning of PC migration feature in Windows Backup. More changes for EU users to meet DMA requirements, mostly Edge related Windows 10: EU/DMA updates as above More Windows 11 WE DID IT! Windows 11 is now in use on more PCs than Windows 10. It's time for Windows 12! No new Insider features but some bug fixes in Canary Microsoft Edge keeps getting more responsive Microsoft 365 and AI Teams gets threading in Channels about three years later than needed Google brought its Veo 3 video generation model to all AI Pro subscribers last week, and now it's bringing that and two other big AI features to Pixel Perplexity just launched its AI web browser Xbox and gaming No, Phil Spencer is not retiring Romero Games forced to cancel Xbox shooter, lay off 100 employees Warcraft Rumble Mobile won't get any more updates Xbox angst in the wake of last week's layoffs is mostly undeserved Xbox fans keep finding new ways to complain - Most of the game/studio closures we know about were well-deserved. If anything, Microsoft let these things continue for too long with no viable deliverables But what is Xbox? Looking at the platform and what Microsoft has done under Phil Spencer paints a very different picture than all the moaning we see on social media Game Pass was key to getting Satya Nadella to keep Xbox going, but after the Activision acquisition, the day and date promise was unworkable. After the changes and price hikes, it's possible that Game Pass has peaked. Microsoft uploaded an out of date version of Call of Duty: WWII to the Store and hilarity ensues Sony to publish a game for Xbox for the first time Epic Games quietly settled with Samsung ahead of today's Unpacked event - but not with Google Tips and picks Tip of the week: Office 365 for IT Pros 2026 Edition is now available App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge RunAs Radio this week: Building Real Software using PowerApps with Luise Freese Brown liquor pick of the week: Bolster Road Maple Rye Whiskey Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit

Simon LIVE | Kristin Latt favored for Worlds? and Adam Hammes holds on for victory at PCS! by A Disc Golf Talk Show with Nick Carl, Matt Grayum, Ben Kenney and Josh Grayum

In today's episode of FLYTECH Daily: Nick breaks down the five biggest stories shaking up tech this week—quick, sharp, and with just enough sass to keep your coffee hot.  

Join us for an episode of Casual Conversations with Doug Withrow and Cristine Toel where they speak to us about how PCS began our Young Adult Intensive Program. Doug states perfectly, [this program] "is a growing vibrant piece of what we do here!" Our aim is to foster a compassionate and inclusive atmosphere, where diverse perspectives are valued, and understanding flourishes. Let's create a welcoming community that encourages open discussions and promotes healing through shared experiences. Thank you for listening!

In this episode of The Upload with ControlUp, Jeff and Eugenia dive into the world of Amazon Workspaces—breaking down the different types (personal, pooled, core, and AppStream), and how ControlUp enhances visibility, manageability, and user experience across them. From shared responsibility models to peripheral frustrations and endpoint diagnostics, they explore how ControlUp simplifies IT operations in cloud desktop environments. Whether you're just starting with Workspaces or managing thousands of cloud PCs, this episode is packed with insights, laughs, and a healthy dose of humility.

What does it take to grow from a solo IT freelancer to the founder of a thriving Managed Services Provider with a 25-person team and a bold vision for the future?In this episode of Now That's IT: Stories of MSP Success, we sit down with Barinder Hans, founder and CEO of Red Rhino, to explore his journey from building PCs at his dining table to leading one of Canada's most respected MSPs.Barinder shares:How he transitioned from break-fix work to a fully managed services modelThe challenges of hiring his first employee after 10 years soloWhy culture, documentation, and leadership were key to scalingHow Red Rhino's rebrand reflects a bigger vision for the futureHis take on AI, automation, and the next evolution of the MSP industryWhether you're just starting your MSP journey or looking to scale with purpose, this episode is packed with insights, inspiration, and real-world lessons from someone who's lived it.Let us help you unlock your business's full potential.N-able Business Transformation is Expert led and Peer informed.These valuable executive programs are tailored to provide effective guidance and a faster path to a scalable and successful business.Book a Call with Chris Massey now to learn what Business Transformation can do for you! 'Now that's it: Stories of MSP Success,' dives into the journeys of some of the trailblazers in our industry to find out how they used their passion for technology to help turn Managed Services into the thriving sector it is today. Every episode is packed with the valuable insights, practical strategies, and inspiring anecdotes that lead our guests to the transformative moment when they knew….. Now, that's it.This podcast provides educational information about issues that may be relevant to information technology service providers. Nothing in the podcast should be construed as any recommendation or endorsement by N-able, or as legal or any other advice. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by N-able employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of N-able or its officers and directors. The podcast may also contain forward-looking statements regarding future product plans, functionality, or development efforts that should not be interpreted as a commitment from N-able related to any deliverables or timeframe. All content is based on information available at the time of recording, and N-able has no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

A long time CBC Radio stalwart has left the ranks of the Nahanni Fontaine fan club and has called for the NDP Government House Leader to resign her portfolio as Minister for Accessibility. Episode 32 has the details of Kim Wheeler's very personal analysis of Fontaine's twisted apology to the Deaf and hard of hearing community. Part 1- A recap of our most recent columns in the Winnipeg Sun: RBC abandons West End customers https://winnipegsun.com/opinion/columnists/gold-rbc-abandons-west-end-customersSt. Boniface Church threatened by bike lane getsunlikely champion (check the postscript below for late-breaking news about it)https://winnipegsun.com/opinion/columnists/gold-st-boniface-church-threatened-by-bike-lane-gets-unlikely-champion8.10 Part 2- Even before she entered politics, Nahanni Fontaine expressed prejudice towards white people and made excuses for aboriginal gang culture. As an NDP government advisor she demeaned domestic violence shelter supporters, and even after election to the Legislature, Fontaine concealed her name change for years until we uncovered it. Now she's exposed her nasty disposition after insulting an interpreter translating her speech to indigenous graduates, for daring to be in her line of sight.We set the scene of a government organized ceremony to celebrate the academic achievement of her indigenous 'sisters', and how APTN bravely told the public about Fontaine's post-speech tantrum about being "thrown off" because "the woman shouldn't have been on the stage."Hear the experience of a parent at the event who saw that the interpreter was removed after Fontaine's tirade: "When you disrespect the interpreter, you disrespect the Deaf community."After the APTN broadcast, the St. John's MLA gave an apology made up of word salad and BS. You'll hear how this isn't the first time Fontaine has claimed objectionable comments she was party to were somehow "private".18.00 Free Press columnist Dan Lett tried to help the embattled Fontaine off the hook, claiming demands for her to quit were coming only from the opposition PCs. Portraying her Families Minister portfolio in Wab Kinew's government as minor and her stint as being "low-key", Lett ignored her self-promoting TikTok branding and her ongoing support for Hamas and anti-Zionist canards. Lett called her remarks "ill-advised." But as Kim Wheeler pointed out, there was no advice involved. This was Fontaine, being herself. "The other side is calling the minister to account. And they should. It was behaviour unbecoming an MLA and the Minister Responsible for Accessibility. It is ableist. And if she is comfortable saying this at a public event, what does she say behind closed doors?"As the mother of a Deaf daughter, and friends with a similar family at the ceremony, Wheeler posted that "Nahanni Fontaine must be held to account. She should resign her portfolio as Minister Responsible for Accessibility."In front of the most favourable hometown crowd possible, Nahanni Fontaine couldn't keep her ego in check. We have all the details, with some additional insight. We know what Wade Williams would say.32.15 Part 3 - The Season Six campaign is closing in on $2000, as we drive towards the $10k target.Marty tells how you can contribute towards making sure the costs of being Your Voice are met so we can continue holding City Hall, the Manitoba NDP government, bureaucracies and institutions - and the local media - accountable to you, your family and your community.For more details or to send an E-Transfer- email martygoldlive@gmail.com*****Post production Postscript- Not so fast, Bike Lobby.We learned that St. Boniface Councillor Matt Allard has sent a letter to the Public Works committee asking for the 'Moving on Marion' project to be put on hold until he has a chance to ensure the Norwood Grove Biz, the Church at 380 Marion, and the area residents can have a proper say in the plan. WE GET RESULTS!

Send us a textWhat happens when you combine a cybersecurity expert with a volunteer fire chief? You get Tim Weber.

In Part 3 of this week's Sports Cards Live, Theo Rebottini (@clementecollector) makes the bold claim that player collecting is the best way to collect—and Jeremy pushes back. What follows is a passionate and nuanced debate about the pros and cons of collecting your GOAT, the emotional risk of collecting modern players, and the limitations of a narrow player PC. Jeremy shares his multi-focused approach and personal player PCs (including Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne), while Josh Adams and Ben Burrows weigh in with their thoughts on pre-war baseball, set collecting, oddball regionals, and even hot dog juice! Topics include: Focused vs. unfocused vs. multi-focused collecting Player PC risks: boredom, budget burn, team trades Vintage vs. modern player collecting Set collecting and being “a prisoner to the checklist” The beauty of “flight collecting” Regional oddballs, grails, and crossover value The collector–investor spectrum Plus, the conversation starts to shift into SGC's future under Collectors and whether their grading legacy is at risk. Each week we tackle hot hobby headlines with a rotating panel of hobbyists, taking your questions and comments! We are likely to go into overtime so join us live grab your favorite beverage and snacks and bring your questions and comments as they will be in play. Originally aired Saturday June 28, 2025 Sports Cards Live has recently been ranked #5 among Feedspot's top 90 Sports Card podcasts https://podcast.feedspot.com/sports_card_podcasts/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus episode! Target is offering 10% off twice for verified military families! Here's a quick episode were Jamie shares everything you need to know to save big during this limited-time promotion. Whether you're prepping for a move or restocking your household essentials, this discount is an easy win.

What does it take to lead at every level and shape the leaders of tomorrow? SUMMARY Long Blue Line podcast host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 sat with Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95, the U.S. Air Force Academy's vice superintendent, for a deep dive into leadership, humanity and building a world-class service academy. This episode is packed with wisdom for aspiring, emerging, and seasoned leaders alike.   SHARE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   GEN. SHERMAN'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is a human experience - focus on connecting with and caring about people.  - Love what you do and love the people you lead; passion inspires others to follow you.  - Embrace failures and challenges as opportunities for personal growth and development.  - Set the right culture and values within your team to build trust and mutual support.  - Be present and engaged with your team, understanding their motivations and experiences.  - Leadership is about more than rank or position - it's about earning genuine trust and respect.  - Invest time in understanding different generations, cultural nuances, and individual perspectives.  - Balance professional excellence with personal growth and life experiences.  - Support your team's development by providing encouragement and holding them accountable.  - Your legacy is built through individual interactions and the positive impact you have on people's lives.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Major General Thomas P. Sherman 01:29 Choosing Leadership Over Flying 07:23 The Impact of Mentorship and Values 12:46 Heritage and Evolution of Security Forces 17:43 Personal Growth in Aviano, Italy 24:17 The Importance of Work-Life Balance 29:50 Culminating Command Experience at Bagram 42:25 The Role of Family in Leadership 51:29 Continuous Self-Improvement as a Leader 56:27 Embracing Failure as a Growth Opportunity 01:00:06 Legacy and the Impact of Leadership   ABOUT GEN. SHERMAN BIO Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman is the Vice Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He is serving as the chief operations officer to the Superintendent and overseeing the Academy's blend of military training, academics, athletics, and character development for cadets. Gen. Sherman commissioned in 1995 from the Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He built a distinguished career as a security forces officer. He's held command at nearly every level. His key assignments include leadership of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB and critical staff positions at the Pentagon. In May 2024, Gen. Sherman was tapped to serve as the Academy's Vice Superintendent   CONNECT WITH GEN. SHERMAN LINKEDIN     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS       TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95  |  Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:00 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99 today. I'm joined by a leader whose career has taken him from the flight line to the halls of Congress and now back to the very institution that launched it all. Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman currently serves as vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy, where he plays a critical role in guiding the development of our future officers and ensuring the Academy remains a world class institution for leadership, character and Day 1 readiness to win the future fight. A 1995 Academy graduate, Gen. Sherman has spent nearly three decades serving in key operational, strategic and command roles. He's led at every level, from squadron to wing command, and his assignments have included everything from nuclear security enterprise to homeland defense, policy development at the Pentagon, and legislative affairs at the highest levels of the Department of the Air Force. Prior to his role as vice superintendent, Gen. Sherman served in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was a principal military assistant leading policy integration across joint staff, interagency services and combatant commands. He's perhaps best known in command circles for leading the 88th Air Base wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, one of the largest and most complex wings in the Air Force, with a focus on people first, leadership and mission excellence. Gen. Sherman, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here too.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:32 It is great to be here. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:33 We're excited and we're going to dive right in, because I think what is so special for our listeners is really hearing these moments that have changed your life. I'd like to start at the Academy. You turned down a pilot slot. You were rated, but said no.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:48 Well, actually it was a little bit before that. You know, it's kind of interesting, because that was the draw that brought me here, is I just had this incredible passion to want to fly, and I love flying, and I truly enjoyed it, especially through all the different airmanship programs and things like and things like that we had here. The experiences were fantastic. But, you know, as I was starting to learn more about myself going through the Academy, I was starting to feel my heart getting pulled in a direction of wanting to really lead people and really spend a lot of time working with the enlisted. And I think that came from a couple different areas. I think it was some really unique exposure that I got during my ops Air Force time, which I went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during ops, and just had our action officer that worked this, I think just did a phenomenal job. And I really started getting pulled to what was then called security police. That is actually when Laurie and I got together and started dating, because Laurie is here in Colorado Springs, but she grew up as an Air Force brat. My father-in-law is a retired Chief Master Sgt., and so there was a lot of mentorship that was taking place around dining room table when I was a young cadet. And I think one of the things that her parents really taught me was just the value of the enlisted force, and so I was feeling my heart really getting pulled. And so obviously, there's a conundrum. There's a conundrum on what were the root desires that brought me here — what were the things that I was learning as a cadet, my joy of flying, and also, particularly the culture at that time, was that that was really the job that you needed to aspire to be, that was the expectation of cadets. And so then to really kind of run counter to that strong current was really kind of a unique, you know, almost unnavigated area, right? And so to really kind of take the story out to its next level is that I'd really gotten to a point where talking with people there — we hadn't had the AMT program, but there were these NCOs that were kind of tangentially attached to cadet squadrons. And so I got a chance to talk to one of the master sergeants that was there who was a maintainer by background. And I was kind of pouring my heart out to him on, you know, what had I been talking to him with my now in-laws, about where was my heart pulling me? And so he said, ‘Give me just a second.' And he picked up the phone, and he called my AOC and he goes, ‘Hey, you're gonna be there for a little while.' And this was a Friday afternoon. He said, ‘I got a cadet that needs to come talk to you.' And he hangs up the phone and he goes, ‘Now you go tell your AOC what you just told me.' And so I ended up going to my AOCs office that day, and we had about a two-hour conversation about this. I sat down and really, kind of took the time to explain to him what was I feeling, And obviously, I really try to see the best in people. And so I think from a noble place, he was doing his best to convince me that I was making a grave mistake. And went on to talk to me about what his concerns were, the career field that I was looking at, things along those lines. And we can save that conversation for another time, but I think really where the foundation came in is where we started to talk about leadership. And you know, what I was asking him to do was to pull my rated recommendation form, so we had just submitted them, and I was asking him to pull my rated recommendation form. I didn't want to compete for it anymore. And so we started to talk about leadership. And he says, ‘Hey, Cadet Sherman, you need to understand that leadership in this Air Force is being the lead F-16 pilot on a bombing run, you know, putting iron on target.' And that's true. It's a very important part of leadership. It is a very important part of tactical operational leadership in this Air Force. So he's not wrong in that space. But I was looking at it from a different lens, and I was looking at it, I think, on a larger level. And what I don't think he realized is that 30 seconds before I walked into his office, he set me up for success. I just happened to be waiting outside the office, and all of a sudden, I looked on his cork board, and somebody, and I don't know who it was, had pinned a note that was written to Airman Magazineby an airman first class. And this airman first class titled this, “I need a leader.” And this A1C felt so strongly about what they were feeling — and I have no idea who this person was — felt so strongly about it that they put pen to paper, and this would have been the fall of 1994, and sent this into Airman Magazine, and it says, “I need a leader.” Commissioning sources. ‘Send us lieutenants that we can look up to that will hold us accountable when we do wrong, that will encourage us when we do well, that will be an example that we can look up to, that will care about us as human beings, because you are not sending them to us now. Air Force, I need a leader.' Like that 30 seconds just before I walked into his office — that changed my life, and it changed my life, because for me, at that moment, what I was getting ready to go ask my AOC to do, what I was looking at inside myself, that became my charge. And so as we spoke, you know, 20-year-old Cadet First Class Sherman — I might have been a 21-year-old at the time — Cadet First Class Sherman pushed back on my AOC, and I said, ‘Sir, I disagree.' I said, ‘I want to be that guy. I want to be that guy that that A1c is asking for on your cork board outside, because that's leadership in this Air Force.' And so, to his credit, he said, ‘Hey, I want you to go think about this over the weekend. You know, think about what you're doing. Come back to me on Monday. No questions asked. I'll pull it if you want me to.' And I left there, and I remember feeling like, not like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder, but I almost felt like this sense of like, ‘Now I've got my purpose,' because that little article has shaped me my entire career, and I mean to this day, and at a scale. You know, as a lieutenant, my scale is this big on what I'm affecting to help do and be what that A1C needs to a wing commander. I always keep it in the back of my head, and after all of these years, I am still thinking about, Am I doing right by that A1C that 31 years ago, felt so strongly about something that they wrote a note to Airman Magazine, and that became my charge.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:09 That is incredibly powerful. I'm a little bit without words, because I'm thinking about, first off, being brave enough to disagree with an AOC. I mean, I think that takes courage in showing your leadership there. Were you always like that? Have you always been someone that is steadfast in a decision and being able to kind of speak out?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  08:30 So I get that from my parents. And, you know, I grew up in Corona, California. My mom and dad are amazing people. And we didn't grow up with a lot of money, and we grew up from a pretty meager background, and my mom and dad had made a decision early on in their marriage, when they had my sister and I, that my mom was going to focus to make sure that Nancy and I got an education, and my dad was going to work as many jobs as he had to to put food on the table. And sometimes my dad was holding down three jobs to make sure that we had nutritious food to eat, and my mom was working miracles to make sure that we were fed well, but that also that she was dedicated and had the time to volunteer for things like PTA, being involved as a class volunteer, making sure that we were involved in things and had exposure to things that what they did was they also instilled in me this really strong blue collar work ethic. And it was this aspect of, if I just roll up my sleeves and put in the work, anything is possible. And so on that line, this young kid growing up with a West Coast father and an East Coast mother, and just this, really neat family background that things for me, that I believed in I would go after with all of my heart and soul. And so I found out about the Academy when I was 12 years old. And so, you know, when I at 12 years — we were going to a community event there in Corona, and there was an officer recruiter — Capt. Craig. was her name — and we started talking. She says, ‘Hey, did anybody talk to you about the Air Force Academy?' And I said, ‘No, this sounds great.' So from there, I just made this decision as a 12-year-old, and I worked all the way through junior high and high school to get here, because to go to your point like, ‘I made a decision, I'm gonna see this thing through.'   Naviere Walkewicz  10:30 Whoa. OK, so you knew you were going to the Academy before you graduated high school.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:35 Yes, in my mind, there was no other option.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:39 And so anyone in your family serve, or were you the first one in your family to serve?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:43 So I am the first officer and career member of the family. My dad was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1967 and stayed through Tet of 1968. I had an uncle, Harry Lee Schmidt, who was a C-47 loadmaster in World War II and Korea, and my grandfather was actually a part of the initial kind of what was the foundation of the OSS and the Navy doing beach recon on beaches in the South Pacific, prior to island hopping campaign and island landings. And so there was this real heritage of service, right? Just not career service. But even then, as a kid, I always had in my mind, ‘OK, one way or another, I'm going to serve, and if I do an enlistment and then go to college afterwards —' but I had this idea that, ‘OK, I'm going to serve,' and then all of a sudden, this became this amazing conduit that got me here, right?   Naviere Walkewicz  11:38 And they also had ties to aviation. How did they feel about your decision, your family?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  11:43 It was interesting, because they knew how passionate I was about aviation growing up. I mean, we did not miss an air show at March Air Force Base, the Chino air show, which was planes of fame, which was all historic aircraft. I volunteered as a high school student to work there, and we helped restore airplanes with me and my friends. You know, it was interesting, because my parents were very supportive in ‘OK, where's your heart leading you? And, what makes you feel so strongly about this?' Because when I first talked to him on the phone, I called him from Ramstein Air Base and said, ‘Hey, I think I know what I want to do in the Air Force. I want to go to security police. And my mom was like, ‘What's that? And, so, as time went by and I explained it, I think my parents probably all along knew that that was probably going to be a very good fit. And then after commissioning and at my first assignment, I think that they were certain of it, right? Yeah, they were absolutely certain.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:37 That is amazing. Well, I want to dive into this profession a bit, because it's interesting. You know, you've mentioned, when you came in, it was security police, and, security forces and you hear people saying defenders and peacekeepers. So there's this lineage and this heritage. Can you maybe talk a little bit about that and then maybe lead us into that next transformational moment that you might have had in this role?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  12:58 OK, I'm very proud of the fact that, you know, I am part of an ever decreasing group of folks that came in when we were still security police, and that was really still the peacekeeper days, because this was all kind of the follow on on the Cold War. The peacekeepers were our cold warriors and that was a huge part. Our defenders came in and really, that name started to really grow in 1997 when the name changed from security police to security forces, and we were actually going back to some of our heritage that was in Operation Safeside, which was the combat security police squadrons in Vietnam. So when you think about the courage that was displayed during the Tet Offensive at places like Tan Son Nhat that those were safe side warriors that were a part of these combat security police squadrons. And so the very — part of the lineage of the very beret, and flash that we have is actually a tip of the hat to the lighter blue berets, and that flash with the Falcon and the crossed runways that goes back, actually, to our Safeside heritage days. The beret goes back even farther than that. It goes back to Strategic Air Command, Elite Guard back in the 1950s. So it's this great lineage. And so, you know, for me, part of it was like when I got my first beret, wow, that meant something to me. And then, you know, as we then kind of transformed along the way, and this amazing career field grew, and the aspects of this air based ground defense, which was really, I would say, was kind of the draw that got me into wanting to go into security police, was I really liked this idea of, ‘How do we do base defense?' The law enforcement side was intriguing to me, but it was based defense that just had me just had me captivated.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:44 And was that something that you found out early in your career? After you graduate the Academy, you're now in security police. Is that when you kind of realized, ‘This is where I want to go in, air, base, ground defense.'?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  14:54 It even happened at ops. So as we were spending time with the security police squadron, I ended up spending time with a captain who was heading up the Elite Guard, and there was an interaction we had as I was doing a ride along. He's like, ‘Hey, you need to come see me.' And so I went and met up with him, and he took me around and introduced me to all of his airmen that were part of the guard. He knew something all about them. And then we went to his office and talked, and he had gone to Ranger School and Airborne and things like that, and said, ‘Hey, like, the future of the career field is actually us looking to the past.' And really kind of got me fired up on what we call back then, air base ground defense. So when I got to McChord — McChord Air Force Base was my first duty station. And the great thing about going to AMC first is it AMC is a mobility — I mean, it is all about mobility and the operations associated with it. And so the first thing that that my task was as the second lieutenant in that squadron was, I was the air base ground defense flight commander. So that was, I mean — we would go out to Fort Lewis, and we would bivouac for days. And I had, you know, a 44 person team that was a base defense sector. I had specialized K-9 units heavy weapons. And back in those days, we had 81mm mortar teams and fire direction centers that we would set up. So I just got completely on board with the air base defense piece. And so that was that was very passionate for me, which then made the next step to Korea an absolutely logical next location, going to the wolf pack at Kunsan, not only getting a chance to then stand up Gwangju as a part of the first Air Expeditionary Unit to go back to Korea since the Korean War, but then doing the mobile reserve aspect of it. And it was just a great assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:40 Wow. So you were right in from the very beginning. You got kind of just into it all.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  16:45 So when we go back, when you were talking to me about, ‘Hey, when you make your mind up...' So I had this five-year plan built out. And, you know, my five-year plan was ‘OK, I'm gonna do my first assignment at the first opportunity to PCS. I need to go remote. I need to go to Korea. And then, OK, how can I get another overseas assignment after that? And then what do I need?' So the thought was, “Let me get to as many match comms as I can, as fast as I can in my career, and use that as a place — OK, because I want to build my experience base out. Because even as a lieutenant and young captain, I didn't want to come across as a one-trick pony. So my thought was, “Let me just get as much as I could under my belt early on.' And so after I left Kunsan, I ended up going to Aviano Air Base in Italy, which, for me, when you look at like those moments in life that are transformational, this was transformational on a different level. You know, some assignments you go to are very much professional growth assignments. This assignment, for me, was very much a personal growth assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  17:52 OK, so tell me more.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  17:55 I mean, when you think about it, four years at USAFA, very uniquely focused on a plate that is overflowing with things that you need to get done. So you are, you're focused on, you know, everything from grades to military training to all of those things. And then I get to my first base, and I am just working, and I'm volunteering for everything, and we have got a heavy ops tempo of exercises and things like that. And my leadership was fantastic, because they were throwing me into every opportunity I could. And then, boom, I go to Korea, and that is a unique warfighting focused — and at Kunsan especially was heavily warfighting focused. So now all of a sudden I am spending really, when you think about it, the last almost seven years being uniquely focused on mission, right? And so I get to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and the first thing that happens is Operation Allied Force kicks off. So I get there in January, boom. Allied Force kicks off. I think it was in end of February, beginning of March. And wow, what? Again, what an amazing, mission focused experience. And then after we finished up Allied Force and the base returned back to more of its steady-state standpoint, it was the Italians that took me under their wings, that because I made a specific choice, because I grew up — my mom's side of the family are all Italian immigrants — and I was always at my Nonnie and Papa's house, and there was just a lot of that growing up, which is that whole, like, you know, West Coast dad, East Coast mom thing, but I didn't know, you know, my mom and her brothers never spoke Italian. And there was a lot of that, that thought back in those days that, you know, ‘Hey, we're here to be American, so we're going to learn English, and we're not going to speak, you know, the language that we came from,' right? And so my mom and her brothers really never learned to speak Italian. And so my thought was, ‘Gosh, I grew up with this as such a strong part of my childhood that I need to put myself in a position where I can learn the language and start to kind of get an appreciation on the culture. Together.' And so I specifically — and really lucked out on a location, but I was about 20 kilometers away from Aviano. I was in an amazing town. I was the only American living in the complex that I was in. So I was like, ‘If I'm going to learn, I need to just dive in the way that you do, in the way that I do, and just start learning.' And so I ended up kind of building this support group of Italian families that all kind of took me under their wings.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:27 Wait, I have to ask you a question, because back when you're at the Academy, you said you spoke to your now in-laws. So was Laurie not a part of this?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  20:35 So Laurie and I, right. So that's an important part of the story. Laurie and I dated for two years while I was a cadet, and when I was in tech school, her and I made the very difficult decision — and as painful it was — to part ways, so her and I actually parted ways for a few years. I was single at the time. Laurie was still here in Colorado Springs, and I was getting a lot of assignments under my belt, which, to be honest with you, you know, in retrospect, it was very fortunate, because I may not have made the same assignment choices had I been married at the time. And because I wasn't married, there were no other variables that I needed to factor in, other than personal experience goals, right, that I wanted to play into, and so I could just put down whatever assignment I wanted, and that allowed me the opportunity to just focus on job. And while Laurie and I stayed in touch, and I stayed in touch with her parents over the years, I was in Aviano, and her and I were not together at that point,   Naviere Walkewicz  21:39 That makes sense. I was like, why were you alone in Italy?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  21:43 It's a fair question. But I also think that being single in that environment allowed me — and that's where I think it helped me develop as a person. And so there are a lot of, I think, really wonderful things that happened during that time, and that was because I was so uniquely mission focused. It was these, this amazing group of Italian friends together, that really kind of taught me about there, there's a time to relax, you know, there's a time to work, there's a time to relax, and there's also a real human need to enjoy life and enjoy time together, which is quintessentially Italian. And so, as my pool of this, these amazing people — that  by the way, for the last 25 years, we've been going to visit. It's the same families that took me under their wings when I was a lieutenant, are the same families that were all tuning in as we were doing a live stream of me pinning on my second star. And so I've never been stationed anywhere else in my career where I felt more at home. And so I think this sense of like, ‘Wow. This like independently as my own person, this feels like home.' And as time went by and I started to get an appreciation for actually things that were a part of my childhood. Because, you know, we would have these long, huge meals, we would spend four or five hours at the table as a family. And for me, this was all normal. Well, that was also a part of kind of normal Italian life and normal Italian culture. You're not going out to dinner with your friends unless you're investing at least three hours at the restaurant. But for me, this was all — this felt normal to me. And so it was about, you know, you don't need to eat your food in five minutes.   Naviere Walkewicz  So contrary to USAFA, by the way.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN You know, you don't need to chew no more than seven times and swallow. So it was about experiencing that, and learning even just some things that became personal passions. Like, you know, how wine is made and why wine pairing matters, and how is this process? And so all of a sudden, this personal experience — and I think growing as a human being was taking place there, and I was maturing as a human being because I had gotten all of this phenomenal job experience under my belt, but this was where I was growing as a human being. And you know what's interesting, as time has gone by, I have noticed just how impactful that time was, because there are things that I've noticed, even as a senior officer, that I feel very strongly about, that I don't think I felt as strongly about as a junior officer, and it was because of that experience, and it was the aspect of when people are on leave, let's let them take leave. There is a part of the human experience that you need to enjoy time with people that you care about, because what it does is you're not slacking off from work. You're not leaving everybody hanging. What's happening is that, because you're taking some time to just enjoy life with people you care about, when you come back, the restorative effects that have taken place because you simply breathe and you enjoyed what it was that you were doing and whatever your passion was, you know, unencumbered, you could enjoy that. And we all realize that there are times, especially as you get into positions of authority, that, hey, they're going to need to call you periodically. But what was interesting is that, especially, I mean, I'll give an example as a wing commander. As a wing commander, despite realizing how important that mission is and how big Wright-Patt was, we, Laurie and I took leave, and we took two weeks of leave, and we went back to Italia and visited our friends and enjoyed life, because the culture helps us to slow down. But what it also did is I gave my staff some parameters. ‘Hey, here are the things that I think are important, like on a scale of one to 10. Here are the things that I think are an eight. So an eight or higher, call me. Don't text me.' I said, ‘Physically call me, because I will answer the phone knowing it's for — and then you have my undivided attention.' But what it also does is it means that my vice wing commander who is there, that I am empowering my vice wing commander and showing to everybody else I trust this leader to lead this wing in my absence. And if it's something that really needs my involvement, they'll get a hold of me. But I think our junior leaders need to see that at the senior most levels, that I can physically trust and emotionally trust my vice, my deputy, to hold things down while I'm gone, and that I'm not irreplaceable, and that if I did my job as a leader, I set the conditions that allowed the wing to thrive in my absence, and didn't mean that the wing had to hang on every decision I made or every word that I said, that I set the conditions that allowed them to be successful and fostered the leadership that allowed them to lead in my absence. And I felt great while I was gone, because I knew the people that we had there, and I knew the investment that we made in them. So that was kind of a long, you know, trip around this…   Naviere Walkewicz  27:26 I mean, I think it was so powerful that you kind of learned that about yourself in Italy. And then would you say that there was anyone that you saw emulating that? Or was it just something over time, you developed this realization that you need to enjoy life and you need to allow people the space to do so.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  27:43 So I would say the people that I was emulating in that aspect were a lot of the families that were there. I have been fortunate that I have worked for some commanders who, at different times in their life felt the same way. Conversely, I also worked for commanders that did not feel the same way. And, you know, an interesting case in point on something that on an experience I had in a command bill and after I had left Aviano — this is when Laurie and I were back together; we were married at this point. I had a group commander that was frustrated about me taking leave and called me every day at 1500; every day at 1500 I got a telephone call. And you know what that does is now all of a sudden, you're eating lunch, and the clock is getting closer to 1500 and you start to get that knot in your stomach and you're like, ‘OK, what are we going to talk about today?' And so, unfortunately you don't see some of the same appreciation for that across the board. So how do we deal with it? The best thing that we deal with it is that that's where the buck stops. We don't pass it down to our people. So after I got the call from him, I didn't call back to the squadron. I got the call from him. We went through the call, we answered the questions, and I didn't then immediately turn around and call back to my ops officer who was running the Squadron at the time, and say, XYZ. And we just left it there, because at that point in time, the bucks got to stop it at that point. So I think that that's kind of the, you know, the alpha and the omega of learning and then also having your own personal resilience and courage to say, ‘I accept that the buck stops here, and I'm not going to let this roll downhill to my people.'   Naviere Walkewicz  29:41 That's an excellent leadership lesson, because I was going to ask you, ‘What does that look like, and how would you how would you handle that?' And so you went right into that. Thank you so much for that. So what has it been like leading security forces — defenders? What's it been like? Has there been a moment in time where — a particular assignment or something's really stuck into your mind or into your heart, because it's just really affected you?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  30:05 Absolutely. I will tell you, as we go back, as we were kind of talking about decisions that you make in your youth, and that critical decision that I made in the fall of '94 I mean, I have worked with some of the most amazing people I've worked in my life. I have gotten a chance to go to places I never thought that I would see. And so, when you kind of roll up, I would say it was my final squadron command, and I would say that that was a real culminating squadron command. So I commanded four squadrons, and we command early, and we command often, and there's a lot of responsibility that that's placed on us as young officers to command as a young officer. And so having the opportunity to command two times as a captain, or one time, you know, as a major-select, then as a major, then as a lieutenant colonel. So that culminating command would have been Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in May of 2012 to May of 2013 and you know, it was interesting because all of my previous squadron commands had all been vested in either the contingency response or the kind of combat contingency environments. And it was almost like all of those were leading me to this moment. So let me just kind of set the conditions on what Bagram was like at that point in time. We had grown the squadron to about a 1,200-person squadron, huge squadron. And what we were also responsible for is we had taken over battle space ownership from the Army. So the Air Force was controlling 220 square miles of battle space throughout Parwan province, which is a huge. I mean, it's twice the size of Washington, D.C., if you want to try to give a comparison, more or less is fair to look at that level as just a huge amount of terrain in which our airmen were responsible from everything from humanitarian operations and goodwill outreach to engagements to literal kinetic action and combat in the battle space. And so a part of this culmination was, was an environment where as the defense force commander — as that squadron commander to them as a lieutenant colonel at that point — I mean how we are weaving ourselves into their lives, and how we are working with their section commanders, and how we're working and managing the value of our perimeter defenses with our teams that were going outside of the wire doing legitimate patrolling and engagement and things along those lines, was huge. And I think that that is an example. And when you look in the rearview mirror to say, ‘Gosh, now this, a lot of this makes sense, like all of these assignments, whether by design or whether by fate, somehow gave me an experience that at this moment, I needed it most.' And I think, as I talk, we've really enjoyed being here with the cadets and talking to them about, how does a leader really develop trust, and how does trust really manifest itself? And so, through the time that we were there, and the engagement as their leader — not just the leader who's just simply circulating, because that's important, but they also need to see your decision making and your strategic thought. And how do you react under pressure? How are you reacting as we've got incoming in, and what do you do being the person in the joint defense operations center, helping to manage that, and how are you both taking care of people, and how are you managing mission? And they see that. And so I would say that the development of that level of trust, especially in an environment where you are literally dealing with high costs, is huge. And so I think there was one, situation that really rests on my heart that and I don't talk about this to give validation, but I think I talk about it on it's about how people connect, and why do I feel so strongly that leadership is a human experience, like this is a what we are doing as a human experience. And so I was retiring my chief. So I was asked by my chief at Bagram — this was some years later. He's out of the 105th Base Defense Squadron out of the New York Air National Guard, and him and I were a phenomenal team there. Dave Pritchard and I just made a great team. And so he was retiring, and asked me to come back and do his retirement. So we had done the retirement ceremony. We were at the VFW afterwards, having his after-party and so forth. And so I had gone into the bathroom for a comfort break and washed my hands and things like that. And I noticed, as I was kind of moving towards the bathroom, there was kind of a young man who was kind of floating. You know, floating around. And so I came out of the restroom as I was finished, and he was waiting there at the exit of the restroom for me, and kind of, you know, got in front of me, and he stood there, and he looked at me, and he goes, ‘Hey, sir, I just, I needed to let you know this, that I was one of the airmen in one of your patrols that got hit by an IED, and he said, your investment in us, and the words that you used and when you came to talk to us, and the faith that you had in us gave me the courage to go back outside of the wire when you asked us to go back outside.' And so why that rests so heavy is when you think about what, what is the what is the con? The consequence there is that somebody believed in you so much that when you spoke to them and said the word, they were going to go back out and do it again, in spite of what had just happened to you. And I don't think there is any stronger level of trust that you can ask from somebody than to have one of those moments. And so that moment just resides very, very heavy on my soul, because I think it puts into real, tangible context, what is the responsibility of leadership? What is your responsibility of leadership?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:42 I'm letting that sit a little bit, because I can't even imagine the amount of feeling that you had first for him, the courage to share that with you. Because I'm sure that he really wanted to share that. I'm curious if you can remember perhaps, what he might have been referring to, like what you were sharing with the men and women there.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  37:02 So, you know, it was also a part of things that, in times after Bagram have really been used for me as a senior leader on why I reinforced the importance of values. And, this was one particular incident there that really comes to mind is, and I use this when I when I talk to people, because I again, it's the consequence, and it's why our responsibility as leaders to set the right conditions and culture and all of that is so incredibly valuable. And so I talked to people about a story about we had had a situation where we had some real destabilization in the battle space. There was a particular village that we were having some unique challenges with, and we were doing a lot of kind of battlefield shaping, and we were doing some particular village engagement, and the engagement just wasn't happening. And so we were now kind of starting to escalate our interaction with the village a little bit more and as we were doing that, we were now going to start doing more shaping operations. So it just so happens that one of these nights —this was in the late fall, early winter of 2012 — and we were sending one of our patrols outside to do some shaping and engagement operation there. But this was in the evening. This was a different aspect that we were working for this particular mission. And so mounted up that the airmen are ready to go. They're pushing outside, they're right on time, and everything is going according to plan, and they are getting close to what we call the objective rally point. So that was where they were going to rally up before they actually moved into the village after that. And so everything was going according to plan. And the only thing they needed to do before they got to the objective rally point was really kind of go down a small gully over a rise, and then they meet at their objective rally point at that point. And so teams are moving out. First truck over the rise, getting to the point. Second truck over, everything's going fine. Third truck over, fourth truck after that, BOOM, off goes the IED. And what had happened is, they were waiting for this opportunity, and they knew exactly what to do. And that is, if you hit the last truck in the movement, you've got three trucks that are gone ahead of time, and now we've got folks in a very precarious situation. And so what I talk to people about, when we talk about conditions and the real impact that a leader has, is I'll talk to them about who was in that truck, who was in that MRAP that we were sending down at that point in time. And inside that MRAP was the face of America. And the explosion was significant, and it did some considerable damage. It threw the engine out of it, penetrated the hole, ripped one of the doors off the side in the front. And so, you know, the truck commander was National Guard from, actually from Tennessee, and he had gotten injured, broken an arm because that door had peeled back. And as the door peeled back, his arm got caught and broke his arm. The driver, Asian American coming out of the state of California, active duty. He had injuries to his legs because of the penetration of the hole. We had a gunner up in the turret, African American female from the New York Air National Guard. She had a broken pelvis at the time, and she just stayed on the gun the entire time despite her injuries. We had our radio operator. European American female coming from the Midwest. She was actually Air Force Reserve. She had a case of TBI from the explosion, and she was still making calls on the radio. We had two of our riflemen in the back, both came from Hispanic heritage, one of them from Puerto Rican heritage, one of them from Mexican heritage. They were very fortunate that while they got tossed around the back and had some minor TBI issues, they were more or less bumps and bruises, and they were all by themselves. Yeah, because they were all alone, they were in the middle of Afghanistan, they had just gotten hit. And so for me, what's so important about that story is that if we did not set the right culture and the right values and the right expectations and be in a leader by example, and they were harassing each other on Bagram, and they were assaulting each other on Bagram, and they weren't respecting each other on Bagram, and they didn't care about each other on Bagram, they would have died out there that night. But they treated each other like a family, and they cared about each other like a family, and they took care of each other like a family that night, and they lived and they all came home. So for me, if we're going to talk about what is the true consequence of leadership — and I use consequence deliberately, because oftentimes that's used in a pejorative manner — but this is the true result of your actions, that if you don't set those conditions, then you are legitimately putting your people at risk. And so that whole experience at Bagram, and in so many ways that we all carry our scars and our bruises and things like that. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world, but that was tough. And I often describe it as a tale of two cities. You know, it was the best of times. It was the worst of times.   Naviere Walkewicz  42:34 I think a lot of times, when leaders go through experiences like that, they have some more fortunate than others, but a support network. And I would guess it would be your family. How has your family played a role in these moments in your life, in helping you as a leader?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  42:54 So I will say it's primarily my wife. I have got this wonderful support of parents and my in-laws and so forth. And what's been truly fortunate is how close I am with my in-laws. Because when Laurie and I were dating while I was a cadet, anytime I had an overnight or weekend pass, I was over at her mom and dad's house and so I think that being married to somebody that has truly known you from the beginning, you know, where, whether we got a training weekend going on, or something like that, or I'm working first BCT or whatnot, that Laurie was a unique part of all of these things. And I would say that it has been incredibly heartwarming to watch her interact with the cadets here, because it's fun, because her and I do everything together. And so as we're going to events, I'll have a group of cadets that I'm talking to, and then I'll look over and Laurie's surrounded by a group of cadets who are asking her just very insightful questions about our experiences together, and ‘Was it tough sending them away on deployments?' Or how, you know, in those tough times, ‘How do you how do you keep your marriage together?' Just really insightful questions to ask, but she has just been so central to everything that I do. And so going back a little bit and talking about, like the strength of our relationship and how much that helps, we actually needed to have that breakup period as horribly painful as that was, and wow, was I carrying a torch for her all of those years. I mean, I remember, you know, as time was going by, I would talk to my mom, and I'd be like, ‘Mom, I just wish that Laurie could see the man that I become.' But we needed that time because oftentimes, and what we found in ourselves, we didn't know it at the time, because you're living in your environment and you can't see it, right? Is that in youth, things are often absolutes. And you often will get to a place where you're starting your marriage, your relationship is growing. And if you start to talk about marriage, there are things that we have found were absolutes for us. You know, certain things that we did, how we practiced our faith. Did we open up presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but the expectation was somebody was going to have to give up their particular tradition to conform to the tradition of one of the spouses. And in your youth, that seems reasonable, and I think we needed that time to be apart, having had that time together at such an important time in each of our lives here. But we needed that time apart, because I think we needed that frame of reference as we grew as people into adults. Grew as young adults. And now all of a sudden here I'm getting multiple assignments, and now being thrust into leadership positions with accountability and authority, and then coming back to that, all of a sudden, you're realizing, ‘Gosh, the world just isn't always in absolutes. And maybe a marriage doesn't have to be zero sum, but maybe a marriage can be positive sum.' And do we really have to make somebody give up something that is important to them, that is a part of their identity? Because somehow you feel like you have to conform your marriage into one side or the other. And so, I think for us that was that was so incredibly important. So to kind of get to that story is that, you know, I left Aviano and I went to Al Dhafra. I was in Al Dhafra actually for September 11. It was my first squadron command, but it was a squadron command I wasn't expecting, because I came there as a chief of security forces for about a 70-person security forces flight as a part of the 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Al Dhafra. And then all of a sudden, 9/11 happens, and we went from about 400 people on Al Dhafra to about 4,000. And you know, U-2s came in, ISR platforms came in. Everything changed. And all of a sudden, this 70-person security forces flight that I had grew into about a 350-person security forces squadron. And AFSET said, ‘Hey, Sherman, you built it, you keep it, and we'll replace you with a major when you leave.' And I was a six-year captain, and so then finishing up that assignment, and I got picked up for — there was a point to that story — but it was about coming back, is that, hey, I got these new, unique experiences that grew me under my belt. And then I came back to do an AFIT program at Cal State San Bernardino. And that was the moment that brought Laurie and I back together.   Naviere Walkewicz  In what way?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN And so, I had a health scare. Nobody knows what it was. We never figured it out. Doctors never figured it out. But it was one of those things, like, all of a sudden, I shotgun something out to everybody I knew. I said, ‘Hey, doctors are a little bit concerned, you know, keep me in your thoughts.' And so Laurie, Laurie is like, ‘Holy cow, you can't just send a one liner and leave it at that.' So she called my mom and dad and said, ‘What's his phone number?' And so it started to turn into ‘Hey, give me all of your test results after you get it back.' Then pretty soon we're talking a couple times a week, and then pretty soon we're talking every other day, and then we are talking every day. And the beauty of this was that we already knew each other, so we already knew what everybody's favorite color was — by the way, Laurie's is purple. We knew what music each other liked. We knew things about each other. And some of the things that actually drew us together when we were dating here was, you know, we had things like some common family traditions, like, you know, Italian fish on Christmas Eve and sitting around the table for hours and stuff like that were all things that we had in common. So we already knew that about each other. Now, her and I on the phone, we're getting into some real, like substantive discussions, children, faith. How do you how you raise children? How do you know, what are we going to do for different traditions? What happens if I have to take a remote; what does that mean? And so we were getting into these really, deep conversations. And, you know, I would come back from either class or then when I PCs to the security forces center out at Lackland, you know, I would come home from work, and this was in the old flip phone days where you had a battery that came off the back. So I would have one battery in the charger, and then I would have an earbud in, and I'd have the phone in my pocket. Yeah, and I'd come home and to call her, and we would just go throughout the evening. So I'm ironing BDUs at the time, shining my boots and stuff like that, and so, and we were just talking. And then we were just kind of like living life together. And, after that point, it became very clear that those two young people who sincerely cared about each other, now, each of us grew up and had experiences in a place that allowed us to really appreciate each other and really love each other. And you know, we were married just a little over a year after that. And it has been phenomenal, her support. And I think one of the great testaments to that was, 10 days after we got married, I went to Baghdad, but she's like, ‘I grew up in the Air Force. I know how this works. We're gonna move the house. I'll get the house put together.' And she's also a professional in her own right, which is great. So she was working in a legal office here as a paralegal and legal assistant here in Colorado Springs, and has been a GS employee for the last 18-plus years. So what's great is she, too has her own aspect of service. What I love about it is that in the jobs that she's in and then the jobs that I'm in, we can talk shop, and then we cannot talk shop, right? And so she's the first person I go to if I have to ask a question, she's the first person that I'll go to say, ‘Hey, did I do that right? Or do I need to backtrack on that a little bit?' Because she knows me, and she knows me completely, and that level of trust and love and faith that we have for each other has truly enabled me to be able to serve our airmen on a level that I don't think would have been possible without her.   Naviere Walkewicz  51:59 Would you say that she's had a role in your development as a leader, in the way that you lead.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  52:05 Oh, absolutely, absolutely, because, and I love it, because her experience as a brat and her dad as a chief gives her a very unique lens to look through. And so the advice that she gives me she can give me from her teenage self in some way, you know, from that experience, watching how her dad interacted with something or knowing her aspect about this. And then as she's developed professionally, working on the E-Ring at the Pentagon a couple different times, working for very senior leaders, knows how to navigate that space. So then I'll go to her for advice, like, ‘Hey, how did your boss handle something like this?' ‘Well, let me tell you what, how we work through this...' And so I would absolutely say that that Laurie has uniquely influenced and helped me to become the best version of myself that I can be.   Naviere Walkewicz  53:03 Wow. Well, I want to ask you a little bit about developing yourself as well, because one of the questions we like to ask is, what are you doing every day to make yourself a better leader? Can you share what that might be?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  53:17 I've said it a couple times during this: I truly believe that leadership is a human experience, so for me, it's about the interaction. And so oftentimes, advice that I've given to people — like there are amazing resources abound that can help people, give people leadership perspectives, and we can either learn it from history, or we can learn it through study. We can learn it through analysis. We can learn it through books. And I've always talked to people about use the external tools that help to grow you, but make sure that you're using it to influence the personality that you already have. Because oftentimes what happens is, is that people will have this really strong desire to say, “OK, I want to make sure that I do this right. And so in doing this right, let me make sure I've got my checklist, and so I'm going to greet them, I'm going to ask them how their family is, I'm going to ask them if the kid did all right in the baseball game. And I'm going to go through my checklist, and if I do that, I fulfill my leadership obligation.' Now not everybody does, and I'm making generalities on but, but I think that there can oftentimes be the allure that when you are focusing on what may be the theory or the principle of the day, and not using it to supplement and grow and mature your personality, that there is a strong allure to want to wholesale replicate what it was that you learned, and you're doing it in a noble place. It's not nefarious. It's being done in a noble, genuine place. But there's that allure to say, ‘OK, good, I really like what I've learned. I'm going to do these things and step through.' And so why I talk so much about the experience, and why I talk so much about the interaction, is that the more that you know the people that you may be influencing by just simply being there and understanding what that means. It means you're eternalizing the value of your presence. You're listening to their stories, and you're understanding for them, what are the things that are motivating them? What are the things that they value? Because each generation, each environment, each condition is going to require something a little bit different from you, and if you don't take the time to understand your environment or generation or cultural nuances or things like that on where you're at, then you are missing that opportunity to develop trust, where they start to believe in you as a person, and not just the rank and position that you hold, because they'll do the right thing for the rank and position that you hold. That's the caliber of people that we have in this Air Force of ours. They'll do the right thing. But if you transcend that in the fact that they believe in you wholeheartedly and trust you, oftentimes with their own lives, it means that you've invested something into them, where they truly know that you care. And that goes back to that A1C on the cork board that said, ‘I need somebody who cares about me as a person.'   Naviere Walkewicz  56:41 You know, as I think about what you've experienced through your career and the lessons you've learned, both professionally and personally, what would you say to yourself back then that you should be doing back then to get to where you're at now? Because we have listeners that are like, ‘What can I start planting today, that will bloom down the road?'   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  57:03 Absolutely. And so I think if I was to go back and put my arm around Cadet First Class Sherman, I think what I would do is — because it is, it is oftentimes easy to look in the crystal clear mirror of hindsight, right? But I think instead, what I would do is I would put my arm around him and say, ‘Keep following your heart and let the failures happen, because the failures are going to grow and let the stumbles happen and enjoy the triumphs with people and be appreciative for what got you there.' And I think it would be more of the encouragement of like, ‘You have laid out a path for you take the path wherever it goes, the joy, the pain, the triumph, the failure, all of those things, because all of that helps to develop the leader.' And oftentimes you want to go back and say, gosh, if I was going to talk to my previous self, then I would say, ‘Ah, don't do that one thing,' right? But I'm looking at it saying that if I didn't do that one thing, then I'm not sure that I would be where I'm at at a time to make sure I didn't do that thing at a moment that was incredibly catastrophic. And so while we have this desire to want to prevent ourselves from the failure, I think that what we have to do is say you're going to fail and you need to fail, and it's going to sound — relish in the failure, because it is often emotionally troubling, especially those of us that come here because we are Type A perfectionist, and that's part of the draw of coming to this amazing place. Is there a certain personality traits that help us to be successful here, but not all of those personality traits make us uniquely successful in all situations outside, and so you've got to have that failure at some point in time. And the failure that you can get up and say, ‘OK, I did this. This happened. My soul is bruised. My ego is bruised. I may have to take a little bit of accountability for this. OK, now I need to have the courage to take the next step forward again.' Because I could easily retreat back to a safe place, and I could become risk averse, and all that does is hurt the people around you. OK. I have to have the courage to breathe and take the step again and get back in there. So I would tell my — I don't think I would want to prevent myself from doing anything. I think even the growth that took place while Laurie and I were apart — and, like I said, that torch that I carried for her — I think if I had whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hey, just relax, you're gonna marry her.' I think I needed that torch, because that in my own mind and my own emotion was me needing to become a better man, and so I think I needed to go through — like, sometimes you need the struggle, and sometimes the things that are most valuable are the things that you had to go through the struggle for, right? And I think that's where my blue collar ethics background comes in. It's like, I'm just going to roll up my sleeves and I'm going to work through the struggle.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:00:36 Wow. Well, we took a look back. I just want to ask you a question forward. So do you think about legacy? And what do you want your legacy to be? Is that something that plays in your mind as you wake up each morning or go to lead people?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:00:50 I think the way that I look at it is, I look at it in a in a different aspect, and the way that I look at it is in a very confined point to point. It's not about what is going to be Tom Sherman's legacy when he retires someday, but was that interaction that I had with somebody to give them some encouraging words when they fell down, did that matter to them at that moment? Because there are people for me in my failures that were commanders, that were leaders, that were mentors, that were senior enlisted, that, you know, grabbed that lieutenant by the arm and helped to lift me up. And their memories are etched in my fabric. And so I think that it's about that individual event that your legacy will live in the people in which you made a difference to them.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:01:49 Well, I'll share with you, I was telling my son — he's a cadet, a third-class cadet, actually, now he's about to be a C2C — that I was doing this podcast with you, and he said, ‘What an incredible leader, Mom, he motivates me. He's so inspiring.' So your legacy is already through my son—   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:05 Thank you! That means — thank you so much for sharing.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:10 —that you really made an impact. So we're going to get to your final thoughts here in a little bit. But before we do, I want to make sure that you know our podcasts publish on every second Tuesday of the month, and you can certainly listen to Gen. Sherman in any of our other podcasts on longblueleadership.org. So Gen. Sherman, what would you like to leave our listeners with today? This has been incredible, by the way. Thank you.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:32 I have truly enjoyed this, and it's just been — it was just wonderful having the conversation with you, and it's in real honor to be a part of this. I truly believe in what you're doing here.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:43 Thank you. It's my pleasure to help share your story and help inspire others. And is there anything we might leave with our listeners that that they can part with tonight?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:51 I think, for me, you need to love what you do and love I think, is one of the most powerful words in language. And I don't just say the English language. I say in language because of the strength behind the meaning and how wide the meaning can be impactful. If you love what you do, people will feel that your very presence will make a difference. They'll feel that if you love what you do, then you're being, you know, internally, inspired by the love that you have for what you're being a part of, right? If you love and care about your people, they will follow you to the ends of the Earth, because they know the passion that you have and the belief that you have in them. So I think that as we go back to these things, we oftentimes look at the terms of courage and love may seem diametrically opposed, and I would attest that you can be most courageous and that your courage will be most effective only when it's buttressed by the love that you have in what you do and who you do it with.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:08 Thank you, sir, for that. Thank you for being on Long Blue Leadership.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:04:11 Absolutely. Thank you. This was a wonderful time. It was a real honor.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:14 Thank you. Well, until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz. We'll see you on Long Blue Leadership.     KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, Major General Thomas P. Sherman, mentorship, personal growth, security forces, work-life balance, family support, continuous improvement, legacy       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation        

Today Ashley Rudolph is an executive coach working with high-achieving and executives who are at a “crossroad” as they look GREAT on paper, but tend to exhibit fears and have other problems that effect their confidence and performance. Ashley was not always a coach and, in fact, did not view herself as a coach during most of her career. She grew up in the Bronx in New York City. She attributes her high confidence level to the high bar her parents set for her as well as to the environment where she grew up.   After high school Ashley enrolled in Babson College where she quickly had to learn much about business and working as a team. She will tell us that story. After graduation she secured a job, but was layed off and then went back to Babson to secure her Master's degree.   Ashley began working and quickly rose through the corporate ranks of tech companies. She tells us how, while not really tech savy at first, she pushed herself to learn what she needed to know to work as part of a team and then eventually to lead high tech teams.   In 2023 her high tech employment world took a change which she will describe. Bottom line is that she was laid off from her vice presidential position and after pondering what to do she realized that she had actually been coaching her employees for some time and so she began hirering herself out as an executive coach. We will get the benefit of receiving a number of her insights on leadership, confidence building and how to become better mentally with anything life throughs at us. What Ashley says during our episode time makes a great deal of sense and I believe you will gain a lot from what she has to say. You can reach out to Ashley through the contact information in the show notes for this Unstoppable Mindset episode.     About the Guest:   Ashley Rudolph is an executive coach for high-achieving leaders and executives at a crossroads—those who have built success on paper but are ready to step into something greater. Her work is grounded in a bold belief: true transformation isn't about doing more—it's about leading differently.   A former tech executive, she scaled from IC to VP in just five years, leading $75M+ deals and teams of 250+ at high-growth companies. She knows what it takes to succeed in high-stakes environments—not just in execution, but in the deeper, often invisible work of leadership: making bold decisions, navigating uncertainty, and owning your impact.   Her signature methodology, The Three Dimensions of Transformation, helps leaders unlock their full potential by focusing on: mindset, strategy, and elite execution.   Whether guiding clients through reinvention, leadership evolution, or high-stakes career moves, Ashley helps them break free from outdated success metrics and create momentum that lasts. Her insights have been featured in Inc., U.S. News & World Report, The New York Post, Success Magazine, Apartment Therapy, and more. She also writes The Operator's Edge, a newsletter on the unseen shifts that drive real momentum in leadership and career growth. Because true leadership isn't about following a path. It's about defining your own. Ways to connect with Ashley:   My website which has details about me, my programs, and insights about high achievers in the workplace: www.workwithashleyr.com    My newsletter which gets published every single Monday morning with my expert advice for high achievers on how to succeed in the workplace. newsletter.workwithashleyr.com    My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrudolph/   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hello, everyone, wherever you happen to be today, I am Michael Hingson, and you are listening to or watching or both, unstoppable mindset today, our guest is Ashley Rudolph, who is a coach, and I like something Ashley put in her bio that I thought was really interesting, and that is that Ashley's work is grounded in the belief that true transportation is not really about doing more, but rather it's doing things differently. And I want, I'm going to want to learn about that. I think that's fascinating, and I also think it is correct, but we will, we will definitely get to that and talk about that. Ashley approached me a little while ago and said, I'd like to explore coming on your content, your podcast. And I said, Well, sure, except I told her the same thing that I tell everyone who comes on the podcast, there is one hard and fast rule you got to follow, and that is, you got to have fun, or you can't come on the podcast, so you got to have fun. Ashley, just   Ashley Rudolph ** 02:26 reminding you, I'm ready. I am ready. I'm coming into the podcast today with all of my best jokes, all of my best tricks. Oh, good.   Speaker 1 ** 02:35 Well, we want to hear them all. Well, thank you for being here, and it's a pleasure to have you on unstoppable mindset.   Ashley Rudolph ** 02:42 Yes, thank you so much for having me. I was just really taken by your entire background story, and I took a risk and sent you a message. So thank you so much for having me on the podcast.   Speaker 1 ** 02:55 Well, I have always been of the opinion that everyone has stories to tell, and a lot of people just don't believe they do, but that's because they don't think about it. And so what I tell people who say that to me when we talk about them coming on the podcast, my job is to help bring out the stories. Now, you didn't say that, and I'm not surprised, but still, a lot of people say that. And the reality is, I believe everyone is more unstoppable than they think they are, and that they undersell themselves, they underrate what they are and what they can do,   Ashley Rudolph ** 03:28 yeah, and honestly, I 100% agree with you, and that's why, and maybe I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but you triggered a thought. That's why I spend every single one of my first coaching meetings with a client, having them talk me through either their professional history or their wins from the past year. And in those conversations, my feedback is also is always Hey, you're not giving yourself enough credit for the things that you're doing. Like, these are amazing stories, or like, repeating things back to them a little bit differently than they would have phrased it, but that's 100% accurate. We don't sell ourselves enough,   Speaker 1 ** 04:08 even to ourselves. We don't sell ourselves enough, especially to ourselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, tell me a little about kind of the early Ashley growing up and all that, and you know where you came from, and all that sort of stuff,   Ashley Rudolph ** 04:23 yeah. So I grew up in New York. I'm from the Bronx. Oh and yeah, yeah. So, so is my   Michael Hingson ** 04:30 mom   Ashley Rudolph ** 04:31 Aqua? Oh my gosh, I had no idea. So I grew up in the Bronx and grew up with my mom. My dad was around too, and, oh, it's interesting, and I'm sure this will make sense, but I grew up going to Catholic schools from first grade to senior year of high school, and something about me, it was like I was always a very self assured. Determined person, and that carried through all the way through my adulthood. And maybe that comes from me being a New Yorker. Maybe that comes from my mom being a an immigrant. She's from the Caribbean. She's from the Bahamas, and she had a very high bar for what success looked like I don't know where it comes from, but yeah, yeah. So that's a little bit about me growing up and kind of who I was   Speaker 1 ** 05:28 as a kid. So now, where are you living? Now?   Ashley Rudolph ** 05:32 I am in New York again, so I moved back to New York in 2020,   Speaker 1 ** 05:38 okay, wow, just in time for the pandemic. Lucky you?   Ashley Rudolph ** 05:43 Yeah, I actually moved back to New York on election day in 2020 so I missed the early pandemic. But yeah, yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 05:53 I was in New York speaking on March 5, and that night, I got back to the hotel, and my flight was supposed to go out at like, 415 in the afternoon, yeah. And I said, when I started hearing that they were talking about closing down the city, I think I better leave earlier. So I was on a 730 flight out the next day. Oh my gosh,   Ashley Rudolph ** 06:18 wow. So you just made it out and that yeah, and at the time, I was living in Boston, and I actually was went on a vacation with a friend, and we flew back the day before they shut down the airports in Boston. So   Speaker 1 ** 06:36 that was lucky. Yeah, did you live in Boston itself or a suburb?   Ashley Rudolph ** 06:42 Yeah, I lived in Boston for two years, I think, yeah, I lived in the city, yeah. I   Speaker 1 ** 06:50 lived in Winthrop for three years, and commuted across Boston to Cambridge every day,   Ashley Rudolph ** 06:55 yeah, oh, my god, yeah. So I worked in Cambridge and I lived in the West End, right above TD Garden.   Speaker 1 ** 07:03 Oh, okay, yeah, I hear that Durgan Park closed in, in near Faneuil Hall.   Ashley Rudolph ** 07:13 Oh, yeah, well, I have to admit, I didn't go there that much. Was living in Boston.   Speaker 1 ** 07:19 It was a fun place. It was a family style thing, and they had tables for four around the outer edges inside the restaurant. But you couldn't sit at one of those unless you had four people. And the serving staff was trained to be a little bit on the snotty side. And I went in fun. Oh, wait. Oh, absolutely. They made it fun. But I went in and the hostess, there were three of us, and my guide dog at the time, Holland, who was a wonderful, cute golden retriever, and she said, Oh, we're going to put you at one of the tables for four. And I said, Well, okay, we appreciate that. And Holland was under the table. This waitress comes up and she says, you're not supposed to be sitting here. This is a table for four, and there are only three of you. And I said, but they told us we could. No Nobody told you you could sit here. You got to go back over to the big tables. And I said, Look, we have a guide dog under the table, and he's really happy. And they told us we could be here because of the dog. And she's, I don't believe that at all. I'm, I'm gonna go check. I don't believe you. She goes away and she comes back a little bit later. No, you're not supposed to sit here. And I said, Look, lift up the tablecloth and look under the table. I'm not going to fall for that. Just do it. She finally did. And there's Holland staring out with these big brown eyes. And she just melted. She goes away and comes back. And one of the things about Durgan Park is they have big plates of prime rib. And she brought this plate of prime ribs somebody hadn't eaten at all, and she said, can I give this to the dog? And so, you know, normally, I would say no, but we were trying to make peace in our time, so I said, Oh, sure. And she and Holland had a great time. So it was fun.   Ashley Rudolph ** 08:59 Oh, and Holland got prime rib. Holland   Speaker 1 ** 09:03 got prime rib. What a treat. And so did and so did the rest of us, but, but we had to pay for ours. But I missed Durgin Park. It was a fun place to go, but I understand that it is closed, and I don't know whether it's oh, well, oh, that's unfortunate, but Quincy market's a wonderful place to go. It's not a lot of interesting things. So you, so you went through high school. So you went through high school in New York, went in in the Bronx tough neighborhood, and then what did you do? So   Ashley Rudolph ** 09:34 I then went to college. So I went to Babson College, which is, well, it's in Massachusetts, it's in Wellesley, and it's actually right next door to Wellesley College. Yeah, yeah. So I went there and I studied business, and that was basically where I learned how to be successful in the workplace, which is kind. Funny, because I found that over the years, a lot of people will say, you know, I went to college, but by the end of it, maybe I didn't know what my transferable skills were, or I studied something that isn't related to what I was doing or what I did as a professional, and I always felt the opposite, like in freshman year at Babson, they gave us $3,000 to, like, start a company as a as a students. So all of us just had to start this company. We had our business ideas. There was a CEO, a CMO, a CFO. We had like rules assigned. And that was my first experience of what a workplace could be like, although it was with 18 year olds, so maybe not totally reflective, but we had performance reviews, we had a head of HR, we had like, company meetings, so we were doing things within a framework, and they all kind of translated into the workplace, different players. So Babson basically kind of turned me into the business person that I am   Speaker 1 ** 11:09 today. Now, did each person get $3,000 and they started their own company?   Ashley Rudolph ** 11:14 Oh, no. So there were, there were maybe 30 of us, and we started a company with that with $3,000 Okay? Exactly with that investment, it was managed quite tightly. There's not a lot that you can do with $3,000 right? So you can probably guess that a lot of the businesses turned out to be the same. So there was always a T Shirt Company or a company the when the LIVESTRONG wristbands were popular, then we were like, oh, let's customize these wristbands. So yeah, yeah. The the company ideas basically ended up being the same, because there's not that much that you could do with that, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 11:56 yeah, yeah. So much you can do unless you start making a bunch of money,   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:00 yeah, yeah, yeah. And in today's landscape, I guess there's more that you can do with digital products and stuff like that. But yeah, yeah, we, we had to do physical so we were pretty limited, yeah, well, that's   Speaker 1 ** 12:13 okay, but still, if the company is successful, and was it successful? Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:19 we, did turn a profit, and then for all of the businesses that did turn a profit, you had to donate the profits to a local charity. So we did. We donated ours to a local organization. We threw an event in partnership with the organization. It was just, it was nice. So, yeah, oh,   Speaker 1 ** 12:43 cool. So, how, how long did the company last? Essentially, was it all four years?   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:50 It was the first   Speaker 2 ** 12:52 year, just the first year, okay, yeah, okay, yeah, that's still, that's pretty cool.   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:58 Yeah, it is. I have to say that I learned a lot,   Speaker 1 ** 13:02 yeah, well, you're you're kind of forced to or you don't succeed. So I was going to ask you why you felt that you learned how to be successful. But now it's pretty clear, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Ashley Rudolph ** 13:13 So we started there in freshman year, and then sophomore, junior and senior year was kind of more of a deep dive on specific skills. So that you take our accounting classes, finance marketing, if you were into retail, there was like a retail management class at the core classes. So we had, you know, liberal arts courses, so art history, yeah, philosophy, things like that. But yeah, everything was mostly centered around business and cool, yeah, yeah. Well, that's   Speaker 1 ** 13:47 pretty exciting. Did you did you go do any graduate work anywhere?   Ashley Rudolph ** 13:52 It's funny, yes, I did. So I graduated from Babson, and my first job was in a creative agency, and I was doing media buying, and at the time it was 2008 and we were buying ads in school newspapers, which was dying like it was pretty much On on its last leg, and I just had this thought when I was doing it, and that I wasn't inspired by the work, because it wasn't growing, it was going away. And it was clear, yeah, and that. And actually my first job, I got laid off because it was a dying industry, and the team needed to be smaller, and at that point, it's my first job. So it was very devastating to me. I had never gone through anything like that before. So then I decided to go back to school. So I did my masters. I actually. Went back to Babson, but in an international program. So I spent my first semester in France, my second semester in China, and then my final semester at Babson. Ah,   Speaker 1 ** 15:13 so why was the newspaper industry going away? Just because everything was going online?   Ashley Rudolph ** 15:18 Exactly, yeah, things were shifting more digital. Yeah, it's exactly   Speaker 1 ** 15:23 that, so they didn't need as many people selling and doing other things as they did before. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 15:28 yeah, exactly. Or companies were figuring out different ways to reach college students that wasn't dependent on getting in the school newspaper.   15:39 Yeah? Yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 15:42 yeah. So you got your master's degree from Babson, and then what did you   Ashley Rudolph ** 15:47 do? I got my master's degree from Babson, and I'll fast forward a little bit, because what's funny is that after I graduated, I still didn't quite know what I wanted to do, but I figured it out. I ended up going back into marketing. But if you remember, what I described was, in that first job, I wasn't connected to the mission. I wasn't inspired by where the industry was going. So I ended up pivoting into nonprofits. And my first job after graduating from my masters was running digital media, so not physical media, so I shifted into social media and online marketing. Had a nonprofit, right? So I was connected to the mission. I felt like the work that I was doing was for a good cause, and it was an industry that was new and that was growing, and that was ever changing and exciting. So I did that for about three years, so first at a nonprofit, and then at an a charter school network that was in New York and New Jersey at the time, but has since expanded far beyond that. So, yeah, I went into mission driven work, and I went into digital marketing and digital media. And I think what I took away from that chapter of my career was that I want to be in an industry that is ever evolving. So, yeah, so after my experience in the nonprofit and education space, that's when I jumped into tech. So I jumped into tech after that, and spent a decade in the tech industry. And obviously, tech is ever changing. I had access to so many different opportunities. I grew really fast. I started at the first company, the first tech company that I worked for. I was a program manager, and five years later I was a vice president, right? So, like, I was able to seize opportunities and work really hard and get to the level that I wanted to get to I was very ambitious, so I think tech just kind of gave me everything I wanted. Career wise, how   Speaker 1 ** 18:09 did you progress so fast to go from being a program manager to the level of Vice President in what generally would be defined as a pretty short time? Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 18:20 yeah, yeah. So some of it was hard work, and I think the other factor was luck, and the other factor was going after whatever it was that was in front of me. So taking risks. So I would say, with the hard work part, I worked a lot. See when I first, when I started that job, I was actually a Program Manager for Back End Web Development, which was Ruby on Rails, coding a coding language. And then I was also a program manager for data science. I had no experience in either I was not technical. I did not have the technical skills or technical aptitude to do this, but I did have the desire to learn. So my first month at that job, I worked seven days a week. I went to workshops on the weekend. I did coding workshops, I read through all of the documentation. I sat in all of the programs that I was managing. I just dug deep. And I think that first year of immersing myself in everything kind of set the foundation for me.   Speaker 1 ** 19:38 So you made yourself pretty technical by the time it was all said and done,   Ashley Rudolph ** 19:42 yeah, yes, yes, and not on the level of any of my instructors or the students that actually took the programs. But I cared about learning, and I cared about having a certain level of fluency in order to I had to hire instructors for the program so I couldn't fumble my. Words, right? So, yeah, yeah. So I taught myself, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 20:05 you learned. You learned enough. You You weren't trying to be the most technical person, but you learned enough to be able to interact with people and hold your own. Yeah, which, which is the important thing, I think. And for me, I know at one point, I had a job that was phased out when Xerox bought the company and I couldn't find another job. And it wasn't because of a lack of trying, and it wasn't because I didn't have the skills, but rather, as societal norms typically go, the belief is blind people can't work, as opposed to what we really can and can't do. So I eventually started my own company selling computer aided design systems, and for me, as a blind person, of course, I'm not going to sit in front of a CAD computer or even a PC based CAD system, which is what we sold. So I had to learn, however, all about how to operate the system. Learn about PCs. So I learned how to how to build PCs. I learned about CAD so I could actually walk someone through the process of drawing without actually having to do it, so I understand what, exactly what you're saying. Yeah, and it was important to do that. Yeah. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 21:21 it was important, and no one told me to do that, right? And I'm sure that no one told you to do that too, but there was just something in me that knew that I was excited about this work, or I wanted opportunities, and this was the best way that I knew how to go after it. Yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 21:43 Well, and, and it is the way you still have you do have to learn enough to be able to hold your own, but I Yeah, but I think it's also important in learning that that you're also not trying to threaten anyone else. You're just trying to be able to communicate with them   Ashley Rudolph ** 22:00 exactly, exactly, yes,   Speaker 1 ** 22:05 yeah. All too often, people view others as threats when they really shouldn't. But you know,   Speaker 2 ** 22:12 that's Yeah, another story gonna do Yeah, right, right.   Speaker 1 ** 22:16 Well, so for within five years, you became a vice president. What was the tech that y'all were really developing?   Ashley Rudolph ** 22:22 Yeah, great question. So what's interesting about this is that it wasn't so the first company I worked for wasn't a tech company, and that they were building tech it's actually a coding boot camp. So they were teaching people either how to code or how to become a UX designer, or how to become a product manager. So that was the product after a while. And I think long after I left the company, they did develop their own tech. So they developed an online an LMS learning management system, and there was digital content. But when I started, it was really about the boot camp era and teaching people how to code, because there were all these engineering jobs and web development jobs that were available and not enough, not enough talent, not   Speaker 2 ** 23:13 enough talent to go around. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Ashley Rudolph ** 23:17 Which is when you think about today's market and where we're, where we are, that was only 10 years ago, and it's a completely different story. Now, the market is flooded with too many web developers. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 23:29 it is, but I would say, from my standpoint of seeing what they produce in terms of making web content accessible, not nearly enough of them know how to do that, which is another story,   Ashley Rudolph ** 23:41 yeah, yeah, yeah, which is so interesting. And yeah, unacceptable, unfortunate, because there were always teams that were in charge of accessibility at the companies that I worked for, but then having someone be in charge of it, and then properly resourcing the accessibility team is a whole other story. And I think so many companies view it as just oh yeah, I checked the box. My website is accessible. But did you really build with your end users in mind, and the answer is probably no,   Speaker 1 ** 24:23 probably not, yeah, and all too often that ended up being the case. Well, so what did you do after you became vice president?   Ashley Rudolph ** 24:32 Yeah, so that was tough. You said it, and you said, I climbed really fast. And that's true, I did, and because I climbed fast, there were a lot of lessons to learn. So after I became vice president, I really had to own that leadership seat, or that executive leadership seat, and recognize that what had got me there. Here is was not what was going to keep me there. So the thing that I did after I became a vice president was really understanding how to be an effective executive. So that means really understanding the business side, which I already knew I had been doing that I've been thinking about that since college, so that wasn't something that I was concerned about, but the biggest thing was forming executive level relationships and really understanding how to form allies, and understanding that at that level, it's less of I have the right answer, and listen to me, because I'm a vice president and more of a okay. How am I influencing the people around me to listen to my idea, accept my idea, champion and support my idea. And it's not enough to just have something that's right on paper.   Speaker 1 ** 26:06 The others the other side of that, of course, could be that maybe you have an idea that may or may not be the right idea, which also means you need to learn to listen,   Ashley Rudolph ** 26:13 yes, exactly, exactly, and that was absolutely the other side of it. So me coming into things and being like, I understand what needs to happen, and not having all the context either way, right? So, yeah, yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 26:31 but you must have done pretty well at doing all that.   Ashley Rudolph ** 26:34 I figured it out eventually. Yes, I did figure it out eventually, and it wasn't easy, but I was able to grow a team and scale a team, and I was able to move from maybe the business side of running operations to the product and technology side of it, so being able to see two different sides of the coin. And yeah, it did. It did work. Well, I was able to create my own department, which was a product project management office that oversaw all of the work of the entire product and design and technology teams, 250 people. I I'm not sure that I would have thought I was capable of doing something like that, and building something from the ground up, and hiring a team of, I think, 15 people, and leading that department. And, yeah, yeah, and it was great. I did learn a lot. And then 2023 happened. And that was the major turning point in Tech where I think the dominant story shifted from, or at least in education technology, which I think you know something a lot about, but the dominant story shifted from this is great. This is growing. Distance Learning is fueling growth. There's so much opportunity here to it's too big. We need to, you know, do layoffs. We need to find a way to right size the business. There's actually not a lot of growth happening. So 2023 happened, and I ended up getting laid off with my entire department that I built. And that was such a huge lesson, a huge leadership lesson for me, for sure. So I'll pause so that I'm not not talking at you, but hanger, yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 28:46 well, so you got laid off. I've been there. I've had that happen. And, yeah, it isn't fun, but it's like anything else. You may not have been able to control it happening, but no, you are the one who has to deal with it. So you may not have control over it happening, but you always have control over how you deal with what happened.   Ashley Rudolph ** 29:09 Yes, yes,   29:11 yes. And what did you do?   Ashley Rudolph ** 29:14 And that's exactly what was so different about this time. So I will say I had two months notice. I had an amazing leader, such a technology officer. When the decision was made, he said, Okay, we can make this decision, but I have to tell Ashley immediately. So he told me, and it wasn't surprising, right? Because I saw how the business what direction the business was going in. So I can't say I was shocked, but the big question that I had was, Oh, my God, what am I going to do about my team? And I felt such immense responsibility because I had hired many of them I came to. Care about them and their careers and their livelihoods, and, yeah, I just felt responsible for it. So you said it, you said it beautifully, and that it was about what I decided to do. So from that moment, I shifted my focus, maybe, maybe to my own detriment, but whatever, I came out on the upside, but I shifted my focus to my team, and I thought the best thing that I could do in that moment was preparing them for their next chapters without going directly to the team and damaging the trust of the Chief Technology Officer and saying, in two months, we're all going to get laid off. That's also not reflective of the type of leader I wanted to be. So I figured out that, because we were a project management office and because there wasn't a lot of new work at the company, we had downtime. So I implemented a meeting on the calendar, which was a project review, and every single week, someone on my team had the opportunity to present their projects and talk about what they learned, what was challenging for them, and what their successes were, right, some combination of those things, and they all did it, and that was my way of helping to start prepare them for the interview process, because now you know your work, you know what your impact was, and you've gotten my feedback as someone who's a leader, who knows what hiring managers are looking for, you got my feedback on the best ways to present yourself, and they were able to ask questions. There were some people who approached me or the director on my team privately and asked us to review their resumes, because they kind of saw the writings on the wall without me ever having to say it, and I did. And what ended up happening is, at that two month mark, or whenever, when the layoffs did happen, no one on my team was shocked, and there were people who actually within a month after the layoff happened, they had found new jobs because they had that time to prepare and felt confident in their job search and the stories that they were telling about themselves. So I all that to say that I did exactly that. I chose the type of leader that I wanted to be, and the thing that felt important to me was preparing my team for their next chapter,   Michael Hingson ** 32:32 which I would say is the right thing to do,   Ashley Rudolph ** 32:34 yeah, yes, exactly, because it   Speaker 1 ** 32:37 isn't, no matter what a lot of people might think, it isn't about you, it's about the team. It's about you and the rest of the team, because you're all a team,   Ashley Rudolph ** 32:45 yeah? Except Yes, yes. And I very much viewed my team as an extension of myself, an extension of them. I you know, it wasn't just about them doing a job for me, quote, unquote, like that's not the type of leader that I am. We are a team,   Speaker 1 ** 33:04 right? So meanwhile, while you were doing that and helping the team, what were you also doing for you? And   Ashley Rudolph ** 33:12 that's why I said to my detriment, I didn't do a lot of thought. I put no thought into what I wanted to do. Okay? At all. I just And you know what? It's not to my detriment. I think what I needed at that time was a distraction, and this was a really good distraction for me, from sorting through what I wanted to do next, but also in navigating that with my team and supporting them through that, I think the answer became very clear once I was ready to ask my question, I just coached my team. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 33:51 And so you sort of, as you would say, pivoted to being a coach,   Ashley Rudolph ** 33:57 yes, yes. And I want to be clear that this wasn't a decision that was like, you know, that I just fell into coaching, you know, I I made the decision to so I took some time to think about what were the pieces of my work that I really loved when I was a VP at multi, you know, at multiple companies, and the answer was clear, and that I really loved coaching and helping people become better at their work, and I really loved mentorship. And those were the parts of the work that if I could just do that all day, that's what I would want to do. And I was like, Well, I have the I can make a decision to do that all day, every day now, because I'm not doing anything, I just got laid off. So I can choose to do this work. So that's exactly how I ended up being a coach.   Speaker 1 ** 34:58 Well, so you. Ever originally planned on being a coach. So was it that work with your team that really was the sort of pivotal decision for you, that although you never thought you were going to be a coach, that led you to coaching, or was there something else that really helped move you there? There was something else. Okay, yeah, more to the story.   Ashley Rudolph ** 35:21 There is always you're peeling all the layers so, so initially, what I thought I would do, because I was an operations person, I was like, I'll just be an operations consultant. I'll go out on my own, and people will hire me to be their ops person. So let me, you know, run with that as an idea. And I started having conversations with former colleagues. And what was funny in that so many of their conversations were kind of like, oh yeah, I want to support you. And that sounds nice. I understand why you would want to be an operations consultant. But there's something more interesting about you being a coach. Or I want to hire you to be a coach for my team. Or, Hey, you did really amazing things in your career. You should help other people do those things. And that was the theme that people kept telling me, so I finally decided, decided to listen. That's how I landed on coaching. And instead of it being like, oh my god, I'm trying to sell the value of myself as an operations consultant, once I just owned the coach title, people just started saying, okay, yep, Sign me up. Or I'll refer you to someone who needs a coach right now. Or, hey, you coach just one person on my team, and they're great. Here's more. So it just became easy, and it became less of a I'm trying to sell people, and I'm trying to, like, convince them that they need me in this role, it was just easy.   Speaker 1 ** 37:04 So do you think you talked about being ambitious when you were in college and starting that business at Babson and so on? Do you think you've always continued to try to be, if you will, ambitious, or did you sort of shift in terms of mindsets over time?   Ashley Rudolph ** 37:22 Yeah, that's a really good question. I do think I have always been ambitious, and when I visited my mom last year or the year before last for Thanksgiving, I found a fake report card that I wrote myself, that I wrote for myself in fourth grade. And there was a prompt that said, what would you want your teacher to write on your report card at the end of this year? And I wrote, Ashley is excelling at excellence. Well, there you go, fourth grade. So I think it's always been there.   Speaker 1 ** 38:02 So is it, but is it ambition? Is it ambition, or is it being industrious and being being confident? You know?   Ashley Rudolph ** 38:10 Yeah, yeah. Oh, that is such a good question, right? So there was a version of me when I was in the corporate world where I would have just said, yeah, it's ambition, right? Because I'm always motivated to, you know, go after the next level, and that's what's driving me. And now, now that you put that question out there, it is, it is that confidence, because I'm not chasing a thing or the next level right now, in this phase, I'm chasing quote, unquote impact like the thing that drives me is helping people, helping people probably achieve things for themselves that They also didn't think that they could in their careers, and I'm just helping them get there, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 39:06 and that's why I asked the question, because ambition, the way you normally would think of it, yeah, can be construed as being negative, but clearly what you're doing is is different than that. Yeah, you know, at this at the same time for you, now that you're coaching and so on, and you shifted to doing something different, yeah, did you have to let something go to allow you to be open to deciding to be a coach? Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 39:38 and the thing that I had to let go was exactly what you just pointed out. So you are very intuitive. The thing I had to let go was that the traditional construct of what success looks like. So it looks like, okay, I'm a VP, so I next need to be an SVP. And then after that I need to be at the sea level. And no, and I guess there could have always been questions about, was that what I really wanted, or was it just the next level that I was after? Yeah, yeah. And there was that, I think it was just the next level for quite some time, but now, like I said, the thing that I let go of was that and wanting to grasp for what the next level is. And now for me, it looks like, okay, well, I only have so many hours in the day, so I can't coach unlimited people, but I still want to impact many people. So what does that mean? Okay, well, I'm writing a newsletter, and I put out a newsletter every week with my thoughts, and that can reach many more people than I can one to one or podcast. I'm talking to you on this podcast, and maybe me sharing more of my story will inspire someone else, or I'll learn from you and your community, Michael, but yeah, I think the thing, the thing that determines what success looks like for me is my ability to impact   Speaker 1 ** 41:14 and and the result of that is what happens with the people that you're working with, and so you, you do get feedback because of that,   Ashley Rudolph ** 41:25 yes, yes, I do get, I get lots of feedback, and it is, it's transformational feedback. And I think one of the things that I love, and I do this for every client that I work with, is on day one, we established a baseline, which I don't necessarily have to always say that to them like we're establishing the baseline, it's understood. And then in our last session, I put a presentation together, and I talked to them about where they were when we started, and what they wanted for themselves, and over the course of us coaching together, what they were able to accomplish, so what their wins were, and then where they land, and just me taking them on that journey every single or when they work with me, is eye opening, because they don't even see the change as it's happening. And I'm like, Hey, you did this. You're not that person that you walked into this room as on day one, and maybe by the end, you have a new job, or you got promoted, or you feel more confident and assured in your role. But whatever it is, you've changed, and you should be proud of yourself for that.   Speaker 1 ** 42:43 Yeah, yeah. And it's, I am sure, pretty cool when you get to point that out to people and they realize it, they realize how far they've come.   Ashley Rudolph ** 42:55 Yeah, yeah, it is. It's, it's really awesome to be able to share that with people and to also be on the journey with them, and when they think that maybe they're not ready to do something just gently reminding them that they are. And sometimes I think about what, you know, what managers have done for me, because I've, I had the privilege of working with really great managers some in my career, and yeah, they did that to me, and that that's how I was able to accomplish the things that I did. So yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 43:34 well, it's great that you're able to carry those lessons forward and help other people. That's pretty cool.   Ashley Rudolph ** 43:38 Yeah, yeah. And honestly, I hope that my clients can do the same. So if there are things that they learn in coaching, any frameworks or things like that, if they're able to help people, then that's great. And the cycle continues, you know? So, yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 43:57 You know, a question that comes to mind is that when we talk about leadership, there are certainly times that leaders face uncertainty, especially when there are transitions going on and you've experienced a lot of transitions. What would you say is the unconventional truth about leadership in times of change and transition?   Ashley Rudolph ** 44:20 Yeah, yeah. So I think the thing that I see the most is that in times of transition, especially if it's a transition that maybe you have no control over, right? You're not choosing to leave your job, for example, the the inclination is to over control, right, and try to assert control over the situation in any way that you can, and in more cases than not, that backfires to some degree. So the thing that I try to focus on with my clients is getting to a point where you accept the fact that what is happening is happening. I'm kind of like my layoff, right? I didn't fight the decision or try to change the decision. I just had to accept it for what it was. And then the thing that we focus on is now that we know the thing is happening, whatever the transition or change is, it doesn't have to be as extreme as a layoff, but now that we know that it's happening, what can you control and what can you focus on? And that's what we need to spend our time on. And it can be anything, you know, sometimes people are put on performance improvement plan, and you kind of just if, if this is a situation where you're like, Oh yeah, I could see where this came from, and I wish that I was not in this situation. Okay, well, you kind of have to accept that you are, and what can you do about it now, it's really, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 45:58 what's the hardest lesson you've learned about leadership and being a leader, not just being an executive, but coaching people.   Ashley Rudolph ** 46:10 Yeah, and I get this all the time as a coach too. It's it's in me, but the lesson that I've learned is I don't have to know everything. That's   Michael Hingson ** 46:21 a hard lesson. To learn, isn't   Ashley Rudolph ** 46:25 it? It is, especially when you feel like as a leader, like people are relying on you, or you think they are, they're relying on you to know the answers or to know what to do next, or as a coach, they're relying on you to ask the right questions or to guide them in the right direction, right? And sometimes you just don't know, and that's okay, and it's also okay to say that. And I was just going to say that, yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. It took me a long time to get comfortable with that, but now, now I am more comfortable with it, for sure. Do you feel like you struggled with that too? Or Yeah?   Speaker 1 ** 47:06 Well, I have, but I was blessed early on, when I was a student teacher in getting my secondary teaching credential, I was a student teacher in an algebra one class in high school, and one of the students came in one day, and he asked a question in the course of the day, and it should have been a question I knew the answer to, but I didn't. But when I when I realized I didn't, I also, and I guess this is my makeup, thought to myself, but I can't blow smoke about it, so I just said, you know, I don't know the answer, but I'm going to look it up and I will bring you the answer tomorrow. Is that okay? And he said, Yeah. And my master teacher after class cornered me, and he said, That was absolutely the best thing you could do, because if you try to psych out these kids and fake them out, they're going to see through you, and you're never going to get their trust. Yeah, and of course, he was absolutely right. So I did the right thing, but I also learned the value of doing the right thing. And Mr. Redman, my master teacher, certainly put it in perspective. And I think that's so important. We don't have to necessarily have all the right answers. And even if we do have the right answer, the question is, Is it our job to just say the right answer or try to guide people to get to the right answer?   Ashley Rudolph ** 48:41 Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's another leadership lesson, right? It's and it's so much more powerful when people do get to the answers themselves, yeah. And I think that kind of helps with them being less dependent on coming to you for the answers moving forward, right? If they're able to go on that path of discovery   Speaker 1 ** 49:04 well, and if they are able to do that and you encouraged it, they're going to sense it, and when they get the right answer, they're going to be as high as a kite, and they're going to come and tell you that they did it. So, yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 49:15 exactly. Yeah, yeah. What a good feeling.   Speaker 1 ** 49:19 Yeah, it is, what do you do? Or what are your thoughts about somebody who just comes to you and says, I'm stuck?   Ashley Rudolph ** 49:27 Ooh, that happens all the time. Michael, it happens all the time. And I'll tell you, there's two things. So if someone says I'm stuck, they either don't have the confidence to pursue the thing that they know they want to do, but they're just saying they're stuck, which is it is being stuck, right? If you can't take action, then you're stuck. But sometimes they frame that as I don't know where what I want to do or where I want to go, and then I ask. Couple of questions, and it's like, oh, well, you actually do know what you want to do and where you want to go. You just don't have the confidence yet to pursue that path. So part of the time, it's a confidence issue, or the other time, the thing that they're grappling with, or the other cases, what they're grappling with is, I haven't connected with like my values or the things that motivate me or my strengths even right? So maybe they're the ambitious person who was compelled to just chase the next level and the next level and the next level, but now they're asking, Is this really important to me, or do I really want this? As I spoke to another coach, and she ended up leaving what she thought was a dream job at Google, because every day she was kind of like, I still want to be here, and it wasn't her dream job, and she left to become a coach. So it's either one of those two things, most times, for the clients that I work with, and I ask a lot of questions, so I get to the answers, or I help them get to the answers by asking them the right questions. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 51:14 and that's the issue. And sometimes you may not know the right question right off the bat, but by the same token, you can search for it by asking other questions.   Ashley Rudolph ** 51:23 Exactly, exactly, exactly, yeah, yeah, that's it.   Speaker 1 ** 51:27 So what is, what is a transformation of a client that you experienced and kind of what really shifted, that changed everything to them, something that just really gave you chills, and was an AHA kind of thing. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 51:44 there are. There's so many one, okay, so one that I want to share is and basically the client went from, this isn't the job for me. I don't like the role I'm in. I don't think I can be successful, and I don't think my work is valued here. And I would say, over the course of eight months, she went from that to getting one of few perfect performance reviews in the company like it's a company that doesn't give a perfect performance review, right? So, right, going from that and being like, I need to find a new job. I've got to get out to I am excelling at this job, and it wasn't just anyone that gave her the perfect performance review. It was one of the co founders of the company. So like, top person is saying, Yeah, this is great. You're doing amazing work. There is value, and I think you're incredible. So in that transformation, the thing that she had to connect to, or reconnect to, was her values and understanding what are the things that she enjoys about her work and what are the things that she really didn't enjoy, and understanding the why behind that, and then the other two things for her, or developing her confidence, which sounds very fluffy, because it's like, How do you help someone do that? And I help people do that by helping them feel really good about their work product. So with her, with her, what we ended up doing was focusing on helping her prepare for some presentations. Me giving her feedback on her decks, or her talking to me about how she wanted to prepare for a meeting and the points that she wanted to make, and me helping her, you know, craft really compelling talking points, and having that feedback loop with me of being like, Okay, here's how the meeting went, and this was the feedback I got, and also being like, Oh, wow, the meeting went really well. And like feeling her confidence build over time by helping her get better at her work, and gradually over time, it just built to that amazing end point for her. But that's that's a transformation for me that will always stick out, because I just remember that first meeting and me just being like, okay, you know this, this might end up being a journey where we help her find a role that is better suited for her. And, you know, just kind of thinking about that, and it just didn't end up being that at all.   Speaker 1 ** 54:35 Well, the other thing that, in one way or another, probably plays into some of that is the people her bosses, the people who she worked for, probably sensed that something was going on, yeah, and she had to be honest enough to to deal with that. But as she progressed, they had to sense the improvement, and that. Had to help a lot.   Ashley Rudolph ** 55:01 Yes, for sure. And I think maybe there is confusion from her boss and in him thinking that she was ready to take on the work that he knew that she could take on, but she didn't quite feel ready yet. Yeah, so there was something she had to sort through, and she finally, not finally, that wasn't a lot of time at all, but she got there, and yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 55:26 And I'll bet they were better. I'll bet they were better communicators with each other by the time it was all said and done, too   Ashley Rudolph ** 55:31 Exactly, yes, yeah, yeah. They developed a shorthand, you know? And, yeah, yep.   Speaker 1 ** 55:39 So there are a lot of leaders who look great on paper, but when it really comes down to it, they just aren't really doing all that they ought to be doing. They feel restless or whatever. What's the real reason that they need to deal with to find momentum and move forward?   Ashley Rudolph ** 55:58 Yeah, so I'm going to take a I'm going to take a different approach to answering this question. And because of the people that I work with, again, they're high achievers. Yeah, right. And sometimes I see that what happens is maybe people have described them as restless, or people have said, Why aren't you happy? You have this amazing career, you should be happy. And I think, like that projection, they end up taking that on and feeling guilty about the fact that they want more. But at the core of it, when I talk to them or get to the level of, you know, Hey, what is happening here? What's causing this sense of restlessness? Surprisingly, the answer is, yeah, I have this great job or this great title, but I feel like I could be doing so much more. So it's an impact. It's an impact thing that is driving the people that I work with. So what we end up doing is trying to figure out, to some degree, like I have no control over what happens at work, so I don't want to pretend that I do, but if it is an impact question, then what we get to the core of is, okay, well, how do you increase your impact? And that's what I work with them on?   Speaker 1 ** 57:24 Well, here's a question. So I have been in sales for a long time, and of course, as far as I'm concerned, I still am being a public speaker. I sell more life and philosophy than anything else. But one thing a lot of people face is rejection. A lot that was redundant, but a lot of people face rejection. How do you get people to understand that rejection isn't a bad thing, and that it actually is a sign of success more often than not? And I agree with it. And you had given me this question, I think it's a great question and relevant to answer.   Ashley Rudolph ** 57:58 Yeah, so I just try to flip the thinking. So I make it less about the person rejecting you, or you receiving a rejection. And to me, if you get rejected, it's a signal that you try, and that's what we focus on, right? So if you're not getting rejected and you're in the same place that you were, it's probably an indication that you're not trying, or you're not taking big enough swings, or you're not pushing yourself. So, yeah, I just try to help my clients. You know, think about the fact that, hey, you got rejected because you tried and you put yourself out there, and that's great. And then the other thing I like to think about with rejection is really just like rejection is someone placing a bet, and if you know about bets, you know that they're not 100% right, and sometimes the person just decided they weren't going to place their bet on you. And it's not that you're not capable, or it's not that it wasn't a great idea, maybe it wasn't the right time, maybe whatever, you don't know what the why is, but it's just a bet, and someone could take a different bet, and it can be on you, or you can bet on yourself even, right? So once you start to think about rejection as just the choice that someone made on a day, and that person isn't all people, and they're certainly not representative of, you know, the person who could decide to take a chance on you and your idea or your initiative, then I think the rejection stings a lot less.   Speaker 1 ** 59:31 Yeah, one of the expressions I've heard regularly is the selling really begins. And I and I think whether it's selling a product or whatever you're doing, but the selling really begins when the objections begin or the rejection. Yeah, and I think there's, there's so much truth to that one of the things, one of the things that I used to do when I was selling products, is I would play a game with myself. Is this person. Going to give me a new objection or a new reason for rejection that I haven't heard before, and I always loved it when somebody came up with something that truly I hadn't heard before, and that was absolutely relevant to bring up, because then it's my job to go off and deal with that, but it was fun to put my own mindset in that sort of framework, because it's all about it's it's not me, unless I really am screwing up, it's other things. And no matter whether it's me screwing up or not, it's my job to figure out how to deal with whatever the other person has on their mind. Yeah, and when the new things come up, those are so much fun to deal with. And I even praised people, you know, I've never heard that one before. That's really good. Let's talk about it.   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:00:50 So great, yeah, yeah. They were probably like, oh, okay, wow. Well, yeah, let's talk about it, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:00 But I didn't show fear, and didn't need to, because I I went into a learning mode. I want to learn what's on their mind and what's going on,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:01:09 yeah, and that's what it's about. It's about understanding what's important to the other person, or understanding their concerns. And I think if you come at it like you did, from a place of really wanting to understand them and find common ground, then sometimes you can even shift the rejection right often.   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:27 If you do it right often you can. Yeah, you can. You can reverse it, because most rejections and objections are really based on perception and not necessarily reality   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:01:41 at all? Yes, exactly yes, yes, which is   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:45 important? Well, if you could go back and talk to a younger version of yourself, what moment would you choose and who? What would you say that they should learn? Oh,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:01:54 this is so this is such a   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:57 great fun question. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:02:03 if I could go back, I would probably tell myself that you you don't necessarily have to run away to find the things that you're looking for in your career, right? And I think in life too. Sometimes you think, Oh, I just have to move to a different city, or I just have to buy a new outfit, or I just have to, I have to, I have to, I have to change this thing. And sometimes you just don't have to. Sometimes you can have a conversation about thing that you want or the thing that you're not getting. So if this is a boss right, talking about the thing that you want or that you're not getting, and coming up with a solution together, and I think for quite some time, I was too afraid to do that, and if I wasn't getting what I needed or what I wanted, I just thought the best thing to do was to find it elsewhere, and I would just go back and tell myself to ask for what I wanted first, and then get the information and then leave if I had to. But leaving doesn't have to be the default.   Speaker 1 ** 1:03:21 Yeah. Cool. Well, Ashley, this has been a lot of fun. We've been doing this an hour. Can you believe   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:03:29 it? We have, we have the time flew by. Fun. Yeah, I could have kept going.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:36 Well, then we'll just have to do another one. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:03:39 we do. It, I will always come back. You are amazing. Michael,   Speaker 1 ** 1:03:43 well, this has been fun, and maybe one of the things that you could do to help spread the word about what you do and so on is do your own podcast.   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:03:50 Yes, something else to think about, yeah, yeah, that's a great idea. And then if I do then I will invite you on there. I'd   Speaker 1 ** 1:04:00 love it, I'll come absolutely well. I want to thank you again, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching today. This has been very enjoyable and a lot of fun, and I appreciate you taking the time to be with us. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at Michael H i@accessibe.com so accessibi is spelled A, C, C, E, S, S i, B, E, so Michael M, I C H, A, E, L, H i@accessibe.com or go to our podcast page, www, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast and Michael hingson is m, I C H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s o n.com/podcast, love to hear from you, and certainly I hope that whenever you're listening or watching, give us a five star rating. We value your reviews, and we really want to know that we're doing good by you, so please give us good reviews, and if you have thoughts or things that you want us to know about, don't hesitate to reach out. It. And for all of you, and Ashley, including you, if you know of other people who ought to be guests on our podcast, it's so much fun to meet more people from those who have been on before. But for anyone, if you know someone who ought to be a guest, please let me know. Reach out, and we will honor your interest and we will bring them on, because I think everyone has, as I told Ashley earlier, stories to tell. So hope that you will do that and that we'll get to see you on our next episode. And again, Ashley, I just want to thank you for being here. This has been so much fun. All   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:05:37 right, thank you, Michael.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:05:42 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

In today's episode, we welcome Shishir Gupta, Senior Director of Product Management at Qualcomm, to talk about how Wi-Fi 7 and AI are transforming user experiences across mobile, gaming, PCs, and more. We talk about how Wi-Fi 7 is meeting the demands of an increasingly connected home, enabling AI-powered personalization and prioritization in gaming, and supporting cloud-intensive tasks on devices like AI PCs and drones. Shishir also shares real-world use cases, from smart security cameras and immersive AR/VR to split rendering for mobile gaming, and offers his predictions for which Wi-Fi-enabled consumer devices could see the most growth over the next 18 to 24 months. Listen to learn more about how Wi-Fi and AI are taking connectivity to new heights.For Wi-Fi AllianceFor Membership InfoGeneral Contact

This week on the Team Lally Real Estate Radio Show, we interview Bradley Maruyama of Allstate Insurance. Bradley shares what led him into the insurance business, why he chose Allstate, and what makes their coverage unique—especially for homeowners. He also talks about services they outsource when needed, and why it's important to reach out to an insurance agent early in the homebuying process. Bradley shares a memorable “moment of truth” involving a flooded unit on Christmas morning, and how he stepped in personally to support the homeowner.We also have our Experts We Trust. Duke Kimhan of Hawaii Pacific Property Management shares why renting might be a smart option for unsold homes, plus a real eviction guarantee story and PCS season trends. Danny Langerman explains what DHA Financial's preapproval process looks like and how it works. Haaheo Scanlan discusses creative thinking in business and relationships, with details on free PSI workshops.Who is Bradley Maruyama?Bradley Maruyama was born and raised on Oʻahu and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa—showing his strong local roots and commitment to the community. As the owner of Maruyama & Associates / Allstate Insurance, he brings over 20 years of experience helping Hawaiʻi families protect what matters most. From home and auto to life and retirement planning, his personalized, community-focused approach has made him a trusted resource across the islands.Allstate Insurance, through Maruyama & Associates, provides a full range of coverage options tailored to Hawaiʻi residents—including auto, home, renters, business, and life insurance. Bradley's agency has earned top honors like the Leader's Forum, Circle of Champions, and Honor Ring, reflecting both outstanding customer service and Allstate's well-known promise: “You're in good hands®.” Their team focuses on making protection simple, reliable, and accessible for every stage of life.To reach Bradley Maruyama, you may contact him in the following ways:Phone: 808-591-8016Email: bradleymaruyama@allstate.comWebsite: agents.allstate.com/bradley-maruyama-honolulu-hi.html

Please note, this episode was recorded live and in person, and this game involves physical toy cars being rolled. The audio is fine, but not up to our normal standard of quality.A trio of mobster raccoons hit the street in their souped up automobile. They enter a race with other cars operated by various animals from the zoo (and one with their worried handlers) to see who is the king of the animal underworld. Do these three have what it takes to make their rubber and souls burn and make it to the top?Crash Pandas is yet another one pager by Grant Howitt, of using toy cars and unknown dice from your fellow PCs to do a wacky race. It is available, as always, at his itch.io page.Adam - Max The Maxed Out, BossGreg - Chaz "The Dragon" Jacobson, EnforcerJared - Gandalf Waddlesworth Marcel, Mechanic

I was thrilled to have my longtime friend and colleague Kate Horrell join me on the podcast. We've known each other for years—through mastermind groups and the broader military financial community—and I've always admired the work she does to support military families through education and advocacy. In this episode, Kate shares her incredible journey from being a new military spouse struggling with bills and benefits to becoming a trusted voice in the world of military personal finance. What started with checking out library books and reading Military Times columns turned into a career filled with purpose, creativity, and impact. She talks about reinventing herself with each PCS move, the moment she realized she was running an actual business, and how volunteering and community-building helped her gain clarity and confidence along the way. We also dig into her personal experience with military transition and retirement, and what she learned through her husband's retirement—even as someone who spent years preparing, Kate was surprised by how hard it really was. Lastly, we talk about her new book, College Planning for Military Families, which brings together everything she's learned about navigating education benefits and financial aid in the military world—especially helpful if, like her, you're trying to send multiple kids to college on a tight budget. This conversation is packed with honest reflections, laughs, and wisdom for anyone walking the line between military life and financial clarity. Whether you're a spouse, service member, or fellow financial professional, I know you'll walk away inspired by Kate's story and encouraged to carve your own path. https://www.linkedin.com/in/katehorrell/ https://www.katehorrell.com/books/  

Welcome back to the Milspouse Summer Reset Series — a podcast series designed to help you make simple, strategic shifts that lead to a more meaningful, purpose-fueled life. Each week, we're exploring one of the 10 focus areas of the Clarity Compass, a free life assessment tool inside the Milspouse Transformation Guide. It's all about making empowered changes that help you live with more energy and less overwhelm. This week, we're focusing on physical health and discussing one of the most foundational, yet often overlooked, areas of wellness: nutrition. Whether you're navigating another PCS, juggling family dinners with picky eaters, or just trying to stay healthy on a tight budget, figuring out how to fuel your body well can feel like a challenge. That's why I'm so excited to introduce you to Heather Campbell, a military spouse, family nutrition expert, and researcher who is passionate about making wellness accessible and sustainable for military families. Together, we break down practical strategies for nourishing your body and your family. Better Together, Christine   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Milspouse Transformation Guide Connect with Heather IG: Glory Nutrition LinkedIn The Warrior's Table Cookbook Fuel the Homefront Workshop   2025 Milspouse Summer Reset Series Ep 240: Ready for A Summer Reset? Ep 241: Permission to Pause as a Military Spouse Ep 242: Milspouse Mental Health Matters   RESOURCES Work With Me Join The Free Community Free Clarity Workshop What Matters Most Worksheet Clarity Course Leave a Show Review. Pretty Please!

Beau Hughes – HF Sinclair: Corporate Procurement Leader It was an absolute pleasure to have my good friend, Beau Hughes, join me on the PCS to Corporate America Podcast. Beau works for HF Sinclair as a Procurement Supervisor in their Corporate Procurement team.  Find out how Beau went from JMO to Corporate Procurement Leader in our latest podcast. Beau was one of the first JMOs I had the opportunity to work with when I joined Cameron-Brooks in 2023. Since then, we've grown close, and I've enjoyed watching him build a successful life and career after the Army. A former U.S. Army Logistics Officer, Beau launched his corporate career in November 2023 with HF Sinclair in Tulsa, OK. Right after accepting the offer through the November 2023 Career Conference, Beau and his wife welcomed their son into the world. Since then, things haven't slowed down. Within his first year, Beau earned a promotion and returned to a Career Conference as a hiring manager, where he hired another Cameron-Brooks Alumnus. Beau's transition from the Army to a rising leader in corporate procurement is full of lessons for junior military officers. His story is inspiring, practical, and worth hearing. Transitioning to Civilian Life with Purpose With a baby on the way and a strong desire to be more present at home, Beau made the decision to leave the Army in early 2023. Like many officers, he started the job search on his own and quickly saw how challenging it can be to navigate the civilian hiring process. That's when a friend pointed him to Cameron-Brooks. After connecting with our team in August, Beau attended the November 2023 Career Conference and landed a Procurement Specialist role with HF Sinclair. “Cameron-Brooks made the process easy. I just had to show up prepared.” Redefining Procurement: Strategy Over Purchasing At HF Sinclair, Beau learned quickly that procurement is far more strategic than most people think. “I get a little offended when people call it purchasing. We're building partnerships to achieve the lowest total cost of ownership, not just buying stuff.” His responsibilities include managing sourcing events, writing contracts, and being a strategic partner to internal teams. He found success quickly, even leading one of the smoothest refinery turnarounds in the company's recent history. Earning a Promotion and Managing Life Transitions The first year wasn't easy, but it was worth it. In March 2025, a little over a year after starting, Beau was promoted to Procurement Supervisor and relocated to El Dorado, Kansas. Despite a steep learning curve and the demands of a new role, Beau felt supported throughout the process. “You're not just thrown to the wolves. You're challenged, yes, but supported the whole way.” During this time, Beau also navigated becoming a new dad, moving states, and buying a home. He also mentioned the value of having more predictability in his schedule. He's not necessarily working less, but he has more control. Beau's Advice for JMOs Beau had some solid advice for fellow officers considering a move to business: Be hungry and humble – Learn fast, ask questions, and show up ready to work. Own your learning – No one's handing you a manual. Be proactive. Stay authentic – Companies want the real you, not a script. Trust the process – The Cameron-Brooks program works if you do the work. “It's not instant gratification, but it works. You just have to grind, learn, and grow.” What Makes Cameron-Brooks Candidates Stand Out? Now that Beau is a hiring manager, he sees firsthand the quality of Cameron-Brooks candidates: They're prepared. They present themselves well. They're confident, not arrogant. They're genuine. Beau shared a story about a candidate who wore a suit to a casual interview. He didn't have to, but it made a lasting impression. Final Thoughts: Growth, Grit, and Giving Back

Our D&D campaign, Blood of the Avatars, continues. This week the final battle at the World Axis begins. The PCs fight for the survival of Primordia itself. They are now level 17.Check Out my NEW PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).If you're a new listener, and you'd like to go back to the beginning, here's a link to Episode 1.If you're interested in worldbuilding and/or my D&D campaign setting of Primordia, check out the first worldbuilding episode. You can go to this page to see all the episodes that discuss worldbuilding.Check out my latest D&D supplement, Adventurers of Primordia.

Our D&D campaign, Blood of the Avatars, continues. This week the final battle at the World Axis begins. The PCs fight for the survival of Primordia itself. They are now level 17. This is part 2 of the session.Check Out my NEW PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).If you're a new listener, and you'd like to go back to the beginning, here's a link to Episode 1.If you're interested in worldbuilding and/or my D&D campaign setting of Primordia, check out the first worldbuilding episode. You can go to this page to see all the episodes that discuss worldbuilding.Check out my latest D&D supplement, Adventurers of Primordia.

PCS celebrated 50 years of healing hearts and transforming lives! Megan Lawson interviewed Dr. Marcus Earle, PCS' Clinical Director. He provided us with the honor of authenticity while he shared the history of PCS. In this audio, you'll catch a glimpse of the energy that flows through our doors weekly, and how PCS became to be the pioneers of intensive outpatient programs! 

In the Premiere episode of season 7, a group of Knights is summoned to a secret meeting and embark on a journey into unknown territory.   Its a Session 0, an Episode 1, and a whole lotta Rolled Table nonsense all in one! For Season 7, the story will be told in three parts! 3 Different DMs! 3 sets on PCs! Starting off in the DM Chair is Jeff. Get the lay of the land, learn about the characters we'll be following and then hear the start of the journey into this big, huge, season!    Featuring Carlos Guzman as Yenni Jen Stopper Crespo as Diedre Matt Messerman as Branch Chris Daily as Biscuit Zach Stones as Igneous  and  Jeff Frank as DM   See Character Art on Instagram @rolledtable and our discord Art by Chris Daily @dungeonheads Music by Weston Gardner @arcaneanthems Support their patreons! And third party creators!

Send us a textThe Pentagon is getting Spiderwebbed, CENTCOM's begging for a faster arms dealer, and Iran claims it bagged three F-35s (with CGI receipts, naturally). In this no-holds-barred Daily Drop, Jared rips through the absurdity of base security theater, why our military sales process might as well be faxed from 1996, and why trusting SpaceX while threatening to cancel their contracts is peak DoD dysfunction.Also—Space Force can't track satellites if you build a Starbucks next to the antenna, China's nukes are multiplying like rabbits, and apparently 100% ID checks are optional now? Buckle up—this episode's a napalm blast of reality for anyone still clinging to the myth that we're “ready” for the next war. Spoiler: We're not.

In this episode, I introduce you to Carly L. is married with two children. Carly was looking for paper organization solutions and came across the book “The Paper Solution.”  Paper has always been Carly's nemesis but  it was to a point where she couldn't locate important papers. Her daughter would be starting Kindergarten soon and she knew she had to do something with all of her disorganization. Carly joked she was so disorganized that she missed the Black Friday sale to purchase the Sunday Basket®. Carly grew up in an organized home, but hers wasn't. She described it as feeling a low level of constant anxiety humming. There was constant chaos of not knowing where things were. She thought other books and checklists were going to help her. But, in fact, Carly has gained so much empowerment from the books and the Organize 365® systems. She passionately explained how we are building lives here. She values how Organize 365® teaches people how to think about organizing. The skills you learn can evolve with the phase of life you are in . It's not the picture perfect containers that will help get you organized. “Lisa did it and I can too.” If your kitchen cabinet isn't working where it is and you want it in the laundry room, you just get out your tools and make it happen. That's what Carly did because she remembered the story I shared of me doing the same thing. You have to make your house work for the phase of life your family is in.  Carly said things don't get organized, you do and systems do.  Carly claims you can't have the Sunday Basket® and not be productive. Carly uses her Sunday Basket® and she ordered the Holiday bundle that came with a Sunday Basket® for Christmas and one for taxes. Carly also takes care of her mother-in-law, and has a Sunday Basket® for her as well as a Medical Binder. When her father-in-law passed, her MIL didn't know anything a household manager would know. She has poor English and it was difficult to navigate. Now, with the help of the Sunday Basket®, Carly can stay organized with all things concerning her MIL. Then Carly said, I'd like to request a Sunday Basket® for the military. I was excited to spill the beans early to her (in December when this was recorded) about the PCS box we recently unveiled.  We talked a lot about the relocation process and all of the paperwork. We talked about the marital roles the military expects.  Carly talked about how the Sunday Basket® helps a person to compartmentalize tasks. It's like a personal assistant reminding you of the things you need to do and will be very helpful for PCS'ing. And she claims a Sunday Basket® will help your marriage. She found she was purchasing duplicate items and couldn't locate important things. Their home environment is much more calm and she can be the partner she wants to be because she knows where things are. She doesn't feel like she's constantly playing whack a mole anymore. It's functional organization, that you get from the Organize 365® systems, that serves us. She pointed out that even if you are tired, you can do a 15 minute organization task. Carly appreciates that you can jump back into the system anytime. She feels the planning days are magical.  Her family is thriving because of routines she has in place. She warned planning is one part but then you just gotta do it! She has gained so much self esteem from everything she has implemented.  Carly's advice is, “Don't give up on yourself. And if you fail,it's just like a child, you're gonna crawl, then you're gonna walk, and the your gonna be running!”  EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Home Planning Day Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!  

A Note from James:Michael Dell. Founder of Dell. I remember in college, hearing about this kid who was building computers in his dorm and making millions. I thought it was a myth. It wasn't. He's the real thing—and he just kept going.I wanted to understand what drove him, what it felt like to deal with Carl Icahn trying to wrestle his company from him, and what success feels like after decades of being in the game. Also: I had to ask why Dell didn't invent Google. That, plus how he's now thinking about AI, cancer, and what “focus” really means.Episode Description:James Altucher sits down with Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, to trace the entire arc of Dell's career—from building computers in a college dorm room to defending his company against Carl Icahn and taking it private. In this candid conversation, Dell shares how early obsession with tech and business turned into a multibillion-dollar global enterprise, the lessons he's learned about leadership, and how he's positioning for the future with AI, cybersecurity, and gene tech on the horizon.This is more than a business story. It's about risk, conviction, reinvention—and knowing when to walk away from Steve Jobs.What You'll Learn:How Dell's dorm-room business scaled to $80,000/month before he even left collegeWhat Michael Dell really thought during his showdown with Carl IcahnWhy most big companies fail to innovate—and how to keep a startup mindsetHow Dell Technologies is preparing for the explosion in AI and edge computingWhat makes a good leader at the head of a $100 billion companyTimestamped Chapters:[00:00] James introduces Michael Dell and the origin story of Dell Computers[01:00] The economics of building PCs in the early 1980s[03:00] Winning state bids with a bike and a dorm room[05:00] Pressure to become a doctor—and the 10-day “intervention”[10:00] Meeting Steve Jobs and licensing DOS from Bill Gates[13:00] Dell's early B2B focus and international expansion[15:00] Going public and the Icahn showdown[18:00] How activist investors play poker with billion-dollar stakes[21:00] What focus really means in business[24:00] Defining leadership at global scale[26:00] Encouraging innovation inside massive companies[28:00] The failed Mac OS licensing deal[30:00] Philanthropy, education, and urban poverty[33:00] COVID lockdowns and a $100M response[35:00] The future of work and city migration[39:00] AI, edge computing, and exponential data[42:00] Gene editing, mRNA vaccines, and solving cancer[45:00] Blockchain in enterprise (no bitcoin on Dell's balance sheet—yet)[47:00] Why cybersecurity is an arms raceAdditional Resources:Play Nice But Win – Michael Dell's memoir (Amazon)Dell Technologies – Official websiteJudge rejects Icahn's move on Dell buyout – CT InsiderRichard Florida on the future of cities – Vital City NYC interviewWhat is CRISPR? – Broad InstituteHistory of MS‑DOS – WikipediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We discuss Amazon's AI-powered Video Generator for ads just out of beta. How burying smartphones can help fight crime. Scott shares what he thinks of the Xbox Handheld gaming PCs announced this week. And remembering Bill Atkinson's legacy in GUI operating systems. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

On the podcast we talk with Charlie about why React Native has become the default for VC-funded apps, how AI is accelerating development cycles, and why speed of iteration matters more than programming language.Top Takeaways:⚡ Instant iteration cycles unlock agility React Native and Expo supercharge development by collapsing long build times into mere seconds. With tools like Expo Go enabling live updates, teams can experiment, test, and improve their apps in real time. This instant feedback loop fuels innovation, cuts dev time, and helps startups move faster than ever.

On today's episode of The Wholesome Fertility Podcast, I am joined by Hannah Davis (@rooted.with.hannah), a Registered Dietitian and certified meditation teacher who specialises in women's health, hormones, and autoimmune conditions. After being diagnosed with Hashimoto's while navigating early motherhood, Hannah shifted her clinical nutrition practice to focus on uncovering the deeper root causes of symptoms like fatigue, cycle irregularities, and PCOS. We dive into how nervous system dysregulation often underlies hormonal imbalances and why functional testing, mineral status, and emotional safety are crucial for true healing. From decoding PCOS types to understanding thyroid antibodies and the connection between trauma and calcium retention, Hannah offers a deeply integrative and compassionate lens for supporting women on their fertility and healing journeys. This conversation is packed with practical tools and fresh insights—don't miss it! Key Takeaways: PCOS is not just about ovarian cysts—it's a metabolic and inflammatory condition with many root causes. Nervous system regulation is foundational for hormone balance, digestion, and fertility. Functional lab testing (like Dutch and HTMA) reveals hidden patterns traditional labs may miss. Excess calcium in tissues may indicate trauma or over-supplementation with Vitamin D. Diet, stress, sleep, and gut health all influence autoimmune and hormonal symptoms. Guest Bio: Hannah Davis, RD (@rooted.with.hannah) is a Registered Dietitian and certified meditation teacher with advanced training in functional nutrition, lab testing, and spiritual psychology. She specialises in supporting women with hormonal imbalances, autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's, and chronic fatigue through an integrative approach that blends clinical science with deep nourishment and nervous system healing. After navigating her own health challenges postpartum, Hannah now helps women reclaim their energy, resilience, and sense of safety through 1:1 coaching and group programs at Pivot Nutrition Coaching. She's especially passionate about working with mothers, self-healers, and cycle-breakers who are ready to feel like themselves again. Links and Resources: Follow Hannah on Instagram Visit the Pivot Nutrition Coaching website Book Mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk   For more information about Michelle, visit www.michelleoravitz.com  To learn more about ancient wisdom and fertility, you can get Michelle's book at: https://www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility  The Wholesome Fertility facebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/  Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/  Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health or fertility care. ------------- Transcript: # Audio: TWF 340- Hannah [00:00:00] [00:01:00] Welcome to the Wholesome Fertility Podcast. I'm Michelle, a fertility acupuncturist here to provide you with resources on how to create a wholesome approach to your fertility journey. **Michelle:** Welcome to the podcast, Hannah.  **Hannah:** thanks for having me. **Michelle:** So I'm very excited to have you on. We're gonna be talking about a lot of really cool topics, but before we get started, I always like to start out with kind of like an origin story and learn how you got into the work that you're doing.  **Hannah:** Yeah. I am a registered dietician. I've been mainly practicing medical nutrition therapy for the last 10 years in a more clinical setting. And you know, and then [00:02:00] I became a mom. I have two. One's almost eight, you gotta say almost eight. And the other one's, and the other one's nine. So they're really, they're really young and I, you know, working at the hospital part-time and I started noticing. **Hannah:** My own symptoms of, of things that just felt like off. And simultaneously I was also becoming more interested in learning about more integrative functional nutrition. And so that really led me down. It, it started off as, oh. A way for me to kind of figure out what was going on with me, because of course, like so many of my, the clients I work with now you know, you go to the doctors, you ask for some labs to be done and they just say, oh, you're absolutely fine. **Hannah:** You might just be stressed. You're stressed out, you're a young mom. Of course it's normal to feel exhausted all of the time and stuff like that. So, I just was like really interested [00:03:00] in doing more digging and so I, we got some training in advanced lab testing and more like integrative functional nutrition. **Hannah:** And so. From there I was able to figure out what's going on with me, and I, I actually have an autoimmune condition. It's called Hashimotos. And so that really affects, you know, your, your energy levels, your, your gut health, your immune system obviously is involved. So I, it was so incredibly validating and it really excited me. **Hannah:** I was like, I feel. If I can figure out a way to use advanced lab testing and combine that with my. More of my more clinical, you know, expertise and combine that together to really like, help women feel empowered about how to support their health and, and how they feel and their showing up in their lives every [00:04:00] day. **Hannah:** And so it just really, really excited me. So that's kind of what got me started with that. And then I, I pivoted towards, towards that about three years ago started my own virtual practice working more in like the women's health space. So like hormones, gut health, autoimmune conditions. **Hannah:** And then I, as I was doing more of that work, I was like, okay, there's. I'm seeing a common theme here. These women at their root, cause a lot of the time is nervous system dysregulation. And I got really. Tired of just saying over and over again. You know, you need to manage your stress a little bit better. **Hannah:** I wanted to be able to give them so much more than that. And obviously I knew that from my own journey. I really had to integrate that. And so, but I wanted to like, figure out how to help my, my clients integrate that. So then I became a certified meditation [00:05:00] teacher. And spent a year studying spiritual psychology, which is like a blend of Eastern ritual and practices with western psychology. **Hannah:** That, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So now I really like to supplement my, programs with giving my clients tools on how to regulate their nervous systems as well. And so, we'll, you know, you know, it's more of like life coaching almost. And then maybe we'll integrate some, some things like, meditation or breath work together. **Hannah:** It really just depends on what the, how the client wants to be supported. So  **Michelle:** Awesome.  **Hannah:** Yeah.  **Michelle:** You know it's interesting 'cause I  **Hannah:** Yeah. **Michelle:** an episode on. Nervous system. Really the vagal tone and  **Hannah:** Yes. **Michelle:** there's a link with a weaker vagal tone and things like endometriosis or  **Michelle:** PCOS, and I thought that was just fascinating. [00:06:00]  **Michelle:** So, yeah, I'd love to really kind of dig deep on all of these things. So just for people listening and they're kind of like hearing nervous system for the first time. 'cause well maybe they've listened to my podcast, maybe not when I talked about the nervous system. But what should people, like, explain the nervous system, explain how the nervous system ties into certain conditions. **Hannah:** I mean, that's a very, like, that's pretty broad because it's like, you know, it really depends on what. **Michelle:** the nervous system like tie into certain conditions?  **Hannah:** I don't know what condition it doesn't, honestly. Uh, the more, the more I get like deep in the weeds with this, so, you know, a lot of my clients we, you know, so I am typically working with people with autoimmune conditions and hormone. I balances gut health, that kind of stuff. And I, you know, I would say the nervous system impacts all of those areas [00:07:00] because ideally, especially when we're talking about women's health and like hormones, things like that we really just want to create safety in the body, right? **Hannah:** So that we can. Manufacture hormones and ovulate naturally and things like that. So, and then, you know, inflammation's another, another piece of that. It really just, it's a great way to, like, it just connects to everything right. **Michelle:** Yeah, well the vagus nerve is incredibly important when it comes to gut health. the stronger the vagal tone, the better the vagus nerve, the better. It's able to lower inflammation in the body.  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** fascinating and interesting. And so what are some of the things that you do suggest for people. they wanna regulate their nervous system and support that aspect.  **Hannah:** So First of all, I think it's important to just figure out what are the systems for that client? What are [00:08:00] the systems that are working for them and what's not? And really get really honest about that. And then, you know, it could be something like starting a. **Hannah:** Very doable meditation practice or some breath work like before, before meals, right? Getting into rest and digest me activating that vagus nerve so that we can digest our food properly. So it really just depends on what is feels a lot most aligned for the client and, and is doable for them. But also I think another big piece of this, which is not really talked about often is eating for blood sugar balance. **Hannah:** Because even like blood sugar swings throughout the day can cause fluctuations in your mood and your anxiety and cravings and all, all of, and even inflammation as well. So  **Michelle:** that  **Hannah:** like a whole body [00:09:00] approach. Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** It's such a good point. And I remember like looking into this and researching like just really the gut brain connection and. And it's interesting 'cause you can see it really go both ways. So if you have imbalanced gut microbiome that can ima impact your brain and your mood and your state and your emotions. **Michelle:** And it actually is linked with certain emotional um, imbalances or like mental disorders. It's really fascinating. And then they found. On the flip side that people who meditated for many years, like Tibetan monks, they had a really vast microbiome that was a lot more enriched and had a lot more diversity. **Michelle:** So it's really fascinating how you really can literally get it at both ends or either end.  **Hannah:** yeah. Like I tell my clients all the time, if you're breathing into your shoulders, the majority of the time it's gonna signal, [00:10:00] or that's gonna signal to the brain that you're in fight or flight. So it's gonna send all the blood to your extremities. It's not gonna be sending the blood to, you know, your, your GI track and your, you know, your organs there. **Hannah:** And so. it's gonna be a lot harder to digest your foods, whereas if you are really taking these deep breaths into your belly, it's sending all the blood there. And that's, that's a, and I mean, I often get skipped, you know, people are just like, no, just gimme a, just gimme a meal plan. I wanna feel better. **Hannah:** I wanna lose weight, or I wanna, you know, but it's like, you really gotta think about not just what you're eating, but how you're eating, like what your nervous system state is. You know, when you're, when you're eating food.  **Michelle:** That's so true. It's  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** true. And it was funny 'cause I was reading about that and it was one of the things to do is just stand. This is why they say like, don't drive and eat at the same time. Because when you're driving naturally, you're gonna be in a little bit more of a fight or flight or kind of ready for anything and. Also just to kind of throw it out [00:11:00] there, it's not bad to be in that state, in that sympathetic state. It's part of life. It's just that sometimes you need that and then sometimes you need the other. But what you're saying is so true, like it's actually like becoming mindful of getting yourself into that state and maybe  **Michelle:** doing those exercises to get yourself in more parasympathetic state, which is more of  **Michelle:** the rest and digest, so that you're priming your body when you do eat. To digest better. So I think  **Hannah:** Yeah. Of course, and, you know, if you're digesting better, you're absorbing nutrients better, which is gonna impact your energy levels, your mood, your hormones, everything. So yeah, there really, I feel like the more I get into it, the, more I see that there really isn't an aspect of our health, our med, our metabolic health, everything that is not touched by, your nervous system. **Michelle:** Yeah, it's really fascinating. I like, the more I dig into this, the more I'm just like so [00:12:00] amazed at how Willy, you know, it's the nervous system is kind of like this wiring of like. Information.  **Michelle:** It's almost like information that kind of signals to your body, all kinds of different states, but especially that safety. **Michelle:** I agree with you. You know, when you, when you feel safe, you can be more creative. And what does that mean really in the body fertility and it also regeneration growth.  **Michelle:** So yeah, it's pretty cool,  **Hannah:** Yeah. And I mean, hormones, that's how hormones work too. They're just chemical messengers in your body. **Michelle:** right? and so talk about PCOS, 'cause I know that you work with P-C-O-S-A lot just to cover. 'cause I think of people don't really understand it fully because it is you know, there's so many different types of PCOS and people get confused and sometimes people show PCOS symptoms, but then some doctors, and we don't know if they're just not like looking. Thoroughly into it. Dismiss it. Oh, that's not PCOS. So  **Hannah:** Right.  **Michelle:** that and just kind of, **Hannah:** Yeah.  **Michelle:** [00:13:00] it is,  **Hannah:** Okay, well, we'll just start what, like, so what is PCOS? So PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome. So a lot of people get confused by that right off the bat. They think, oh, so that mean I have cysts on my ovaries. Does that mean that I have it? So it's actually not a physical ovarian condition, like of the presence of cyst, but it's rather a hormonal condition and it's a, what I like to call a spectrum condition. **Hannah:** You know, 'cause there's different varieties and there's different root causes. It's important to understand, first of all what kind of PCOS you have and what the root causes are which is why we, we use functional lab testing in practice. But but yeah, I think a lot of women often it's like a long confusing road full of mixed messages of like just lose weight advice,  **Michelle:** Yeah,  **Hannah:** [00:14:00] you know. **Michelle:** really thin. PCOS patients, so that's where it can get so confusing for  **Hannah:** Right, right, right. And so, A-P-C-O-S isn't in an ovarian condition, you know, what exactly is going on? I mean, in a nutshell, it's basically, blood sugar issues plus inflammation, plus genetic susceptibility, which is going to lead to the ovaries to begin to produce large amounts of androgens. **Hannah:** So, you know, and I say genetic susceptibility because, you know, just because you have like insulin sensi or insulin resistance or diabetes, that doesn't mean you automatically are gonna get PCOS. Some people just have really sensitive ovaries right. And so they're, they're going to develop the, the condition, so I like to talk to my clients about well first of all, we start by running some tests [00:15:00] to find out, you know, what what their root causes are. And then we're gonna really go deep with, you know, working on the blood sugar issues with the inflammation, real food strategies lifestyle interventions, things like that. **Michelle:** One of the things that I find is pretty common just in my own practice, is that. **Michelle:** there's a huge link of gut imbalance  **Michelle:** or, you know, gut microbiome  **Michelle:** imbalance and inflammation, you know, that is part of the contributor to the inflammation and can really impact PCOS conditions.  **Hannah:** Yeah. Because you know, if we, if that inflammation in the gut is going unchecked you know, that's also gonna drive that insulin resistance even more.  **Michelle:** Yeah.  **Michelle:** what are some of the tests that you do for PCOS? Functional  **Hannah:** Well, yeah. Well, first of all, I, I like to start with a Dutch test. It's a, have you heard of [00:16:00] Dutch? The Uhhuh? Yeah. Oh, you do? Okay. Yeah. So I would run a Dutch you know, so that we,  **Michelle:** out just for people  **Hannah:** yeah. Yes, **Michelle:** I've never heard of it before. So it's dried urine testing for comprehensive, or I forget  **Hannah:** it's a Dr. It's a. Yeah, yeah. Dried urine test for comprehensive hormones. I know I used to think, oh, it's of Dutch, like it's from the Dutch, like, you know, but it's just an abbreviation.  **Michelle:** right, right.  **Hannah:** But yes, it's a very unique way to look at hormones. 'cause traditionally before this test was available, you would have to rely on blood work for hormones. **Hannah:** And, you know, saliva for cortisol, which is okay, but it's just not great. So this test really helps us get a lot more specific, a lot more personalized, and helps us get some answers that would probably. Be left unanswered if we were just, you know, looking at, at blood work alone. So, you know, it's gonna tell us, you know, give us a snapshot [00:17:00] of all three sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone. **Hannah:** It's gonna show us how they're being metabolized in the liver. And then what I really like is it looks at your cortisol awakening response. So someone is struggling with sleep, mood, energy levels. Things like that that could also be driving your symptoms and, and your inflammation as well. So I, mm-hmm. **Michelle:** cortisol is your friend in the morning.  **Hannah:** Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And then I like that it also has that organic acid test at the end there, which some of those other markers are gonna be important for looking at, for hormone production. So it's nice if they include that. So I, I like to do a Dutch, I also like to do HTMA testing, which stands for hair tissue mineral analysis. **Hannah:** Because, you know, you know, when we're looking at hormones it's, you know, we, we also wanna be, look thinking about minerals too because and not just like, our minerals through blood [00:18:00] work, but more on a cellular level. Like what is the body doing with those minerals? And how is your body utilizing them? **Hannah:** Are they even getting up into the cell? So, and we can, you know, you know, minerals, they impact hormones, which means they're gonna impact PCOS. So I like that one too. And it's like a little, it's a, it's a nice way to, I like it 'cause it's, it shows your body's like, it's like a blueprint. It shows you your stress pattern. **Hannah:** know how your body is using minerals after you've maybe gone through a season of. Really high stress and you know, the fertility journey too is so stressful on its own that I'm like, yeah, let's look at what your body does with all this stress and how we can really like, you know, deeply nourish your body and, you know, make it feel safe for ovulation. **Michelle:** Yeah, I know that there's a lot of minerals that you can't really test in blood and for example, magnesium. That's a **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** one to test for. So does this test for magnesium as well, like all [00:19:00] minerals or,  **Hannah:** yeah, yeah. It looks at all of the minerals. Specifically the ones that I'm gonna be focusing on. The minerals that impact PCS would be magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron selenium iodine. So, you know, and in a nutshell, you know, these, these minerals. they can exacerbate insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances, oxidative stress, which is important for like egg quality, sperm quality, things like that. **Hannah:** So women, get your men to your partner.  **Michelle:** Yes.  **Michelle:** So, so this is a hair test.  **Hannah:** yeah, it's a hair. They're using just like a teaspoon amount of your hair to analyze the mineral content in your tissues. **Michelle:** Fascinating. I know they've done those for like heavy metals and, and just testing the  **Hannah:** Yeah, yeah,  **Michelle:** I haven't heard of the mineral testing yet.  **Hannah:** yeah. And this, yeah. And this test does include heavy metals and we look at, mm-hmm.  **Michelle:** heavy metals. Oh, [00:20:00] okay.  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** it's really high. Just like for people that don't have symptoms sometimes I almost feel like it's like high for everybody.  **Hannah:** The heavy metals. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and  **Michelle:** somebody who's not, who doesn't have like,  **Hannah:** yeah, and I mean, we we're exposed to heavy metals all of the time. It's, you know, it's, there's, it's kind of impossible to get around it, you know? It's in our food, our water, the soil, you know. And so my approach is, you know, we might see like an acute. **Hannah:** Exposure to the heavy metals. But what we wanna see is that you, you're able to detox and excrete those heavy metals safely. You know, that's why, you know, we have our detox organs, our liver, right? And so if I ever see those metals like pushing into the tissues, it's just a really good indication that, hey, your liver needs some. **Hannah:** Some attention, like we need to work on supporting that. And also working on not just our [00:21:00] detoxification organs, but our drainage pathways. So like our lymphatic system you know, making sure we're having daily bowel movements that we're sweating all of that. All of that stuff. Yeah.  **Michelle:** Yeah. **Michelle:** for sure. I think that that's key is really detoxifying, and I think that it, you had a good point. You mentioned the word safely because  **Michelle:** that can be an issue, like if you detoxify too harshly. I'm really big on that, especially when you're trying to conceive and you're actively trying, you definitely don't wanna do something that's so strong that it actually circulates more toxins in your bloodstream.  **Hannah:** That's right. Yeah. **Michelle:** So they have like binders, right? Or things  **Hannah:** Yeah, That is one approach for me. I rarely will do like a heavy metal detox with somebody. I will just wanna work with them on, you know, first the foundational things of, are we optimizing the gut health, the, you know, the liver function are we getting those drainage pathways [00:22:00] open? **Hannah:** Because your body should be able to do all that on its own if it's, you know, optimal. but I mean, if someone's already doing like a gut protocol or something with me, then yeah, they, they'll be taking like those types of supplements and then it'll, it'll still act on the heavy metals and things like that, as. **Michelle:** Interesting. So, what are some of the nutrient and lifestyle interventions specifically that you would do for PCOS? Or have you seen, because I, I do know that  **Hannah:** yeah.  **Michelle:** different types, so that could  **Hannah:** Yes.  **Michelle:** the type,  **Hannah:** Yes. Yeah. **Michelle:** the things that people should kind of like look out for, think about?  **Hannah:** Yeah. Yeah. So the first step is, is gonna be improving the quality of your food choices. So, you know, removing inflammatory oils, added sugars a lot of like processed, like ultra processed carbohydrates and, you know, with chemical and artificial additives. Things like that, you wanna replace them with whole real foods. **Hannah:** It's really that simple.  **Michelle:** Yeah. I [00:23:00] know,  **Hannah:** Yeah. Yeah. And then also, you know, the goal is to eat a sufficient amount of carbohydrates to promote ovulation, but while still focusing on those whole real. Food sources, like starchy veggies fruits and then unprocessed whole grains and legumes.  **Michelle:** So really from natural sources,  **Michelle:** complex car carbs. So it's not like simple carbs, not white, you know, avoid those like.  **Hannah:** Yeah. Right. So you, and you would want to make sure you're getting adequate amount of carbohydrates, but you know, if we're also dealing with insulin resistance, then we also need to be talking about you know, maintaining adequate calorie intake and just aiming for. Balance across all the macronutrients. **Hannah:** So, you know, we're pairing those carbohydrates with good quality sources of protein and healthy fats. And, if you're eating a more whole food carbs diet like. Your carbs are coming [00:24:00] from fruits like, and like root vegetables and things like that, then those foods are naturally gonna have more fiber in them, which is also gonna help with things like insulin resistance. **Hannah:** And then I would also be focusing on gut nourishing foods, like, bone broth probiotics from fermented foods, cultured. Products. And then lots of prebiotic fibers. So it also just making sure you're eating a wide range of, plant fibers. Like we're not just eating the same, spinach every day. **Hannah:** You know, let's really mix that up. Maybe like arugula, kale, you know. So that would be the where, where I would start with foods strategies. And then for lifestyle I would be really focusing on exercise. This is a really crucial tool in repairing insulin sensitivity and managing blood sugar levels. **Hannah:** So first I would just focus on increasing your daily movement. So, you know, maybe try tracking your steps. And then maybe you would wanna consider adding in some resistance [00:25:00] training and some short hit style workouts. Since those really show the most metabolic improvements. In general I would avoid, I would avoid like, really long duration cardio on a regular baseball basis, since that's like very stressful on the body. **Hannah:** So exercise is number one. Stress management is key. I know we've already kind of touched on that a little bit. You know, that's a big piece of hormonal. Balance balance since the, your adrenal health, you know, has the ability to impact the function of your sex hormones. I would just evaluate the sources of your stress. **Hannah:** You know, I like to think of it like a bucket, like a stress bucket, and we have all these different inputs pouring in. Some of those things we can't really remove, but some things we can, you can control your nutrition and your sleep quality. You know, you can maybe work on energetic boundaries, right? **Hannah:** Maybe you wanna include things like meditation or [00:26:00] journaling, acupuncture, right? Those are all really nice ways to support yourself. And then sleep. Sleep is also like so major. That's when you know when you're, you can get good quality sleep at night. That's when your, your body's repairing tissue. **Hannah:** And it, it has a lot to do with your hormones, like in like your like your hunger hormones, those ones and then also like cortisol, melatonin, things like that. Everything that just keeps all of the systems working together smoothly. So, yep. Do you. **Michelle:** of sleep. There's a, there like a lot of times we'll increase sugar cravings 'cause you want that quick energy. So  **Hannah:** Yes, **Michelle:** that's one example of how that can impact  **Hannah:** exactly. Yeah. Yeah. If you have like one poor night of sleep, it increases your hunger hormone levels pretty significantly. So we'll see that that issue popping up time and time again. Yeah, so.[00:27:00]  **Michelle:** yeah. And I also have heard, in some  **Michelle:** of like go, literally pivot into autoimmune and how you can address that in the case of Hashimoto's? **Michelle:** 'cause it is so prevalent and a lot of people have it. The first thing that I say is, cut out gluten, corn, and dairy and soy if you can. Now, I always say if you can't do all of them, at least cut out the gluten entirely and talk to us about like what you've done and what you've found to be helpful. **Michelle:** 'cause it is something that if you catch early, you really can sh shift a lot just from diet alone.  **Hannah:** Oh, yes. Yeah, and I've helped. Hundreds of women with that. Exactly. Just you know, we [00:28:00] see, I've seen different stages of, Hashimoto's. You know, so if it's like, you know, stage one where we're seeing the presence of antibodies and maybe they have symptoms, maybe they don't. A lot of those women typically will present with like subclinical hypothyroidism. **Hannah:** So like their thyroid labs look fine. But they're like, I, feel tired all the time. I'm constipated. I can't lose weight, you know? So the first thing I would start with is kinda getting ahead of things with, 'cause the majority of your immune system is in your gut. So I would be doing a GI would run a stool sample, a GI map and see what's going on there. **Hannah:** Because there's different things that could be driving. That immune response. Yeah. It could be coming from things in the diet like gluten. And that test certainly will show us if you're having an immune response to gluten. So in those cases, I would have those clients cut, cut that out. And some people they, they don't, they don't run the test and they [00:29:00] cut out gluten, but they just feel better without it. **Michelle:** See that a lot.  **Hannah:** mm-hmm. I do too. Just kind of anecdotally. I was just gonna say that I think it is because of like, what, what they're spraying on our crops.  **Michelle:** Yeah, **Hannah:** Yep. know that it can impact hormones like big time, that's  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm.  **Michelle:** one for sure.  **Hannah:** Yeah. So, and then, you know, obviously if there's a inflammation or like leaky gut.  **Hannah:** You know, we're gonna wanna address that anyway because that could be driving that immune response and making your symptoms worse, making the antibodies levels worse, right? So I really wanna just get ahead of it with the gut number one. **Hannah:** And then I like to do mineral testing as well, since so many minerals, not only impact PCOS, but they impact your thyroid.  **Michelle:** That's a huge  **Hannah:** Yes, selenium. This is a common thing that I see. I'll see really high amounts of calcium in the [00:30:00] tissues. And that's gonna block your thyroid hormone from getting up into the cell. **Hannah:** So like maybe their thyroid panel looks great, but that, or they're already taking a thyroid medication, but they're, they feel like it's not doing anything for them. I'm like, look, you have a lot of calcium in your tissues. And so like, that's your thyroid hormone's not even getting up into the cell. So of course you wouldn't feel an impact there. **Hannah:** And that also is. **Michelle:** actually? What causes that? Calcification?  **Hannah:** So, I typically see that from over supplementing with vitamin D. So, that will pull the calcium out of the bone and teeth. And put it into the tissues. Yeah. A lot of people get put on vitamin D by their doctor, like maybe they had low levels at one point, and then their doctor never talked to them about weaning off of the vitamin D. **Hannah:** They just kept taking it.  **Michelle:** too high. Yeah.  **Hannah:** Yeah. Or they'll start them off like a really high dose, like I've seen like 50,000 units of, of vitamin. Yeah. [00:31:00] And they, and they just keep taking it like, then they're never told like, Hey, you're actually supposed to tapered off of that after a couple months. I've also seen an influx of people on vitamin D, zinc you know, ever since the pandemic. **Hannah:** So they just kept taking it and they don't know how that's impacted their. Mine. So, so yeah, that's one culprit. I, I'll see. The other thing that I notice, and this is pretty prevalent in the autoimmune community is, and I don't think it's talked about a lot, is significant trauma and certain types of trauma. **Hannah:** It, it's like we call when we see this pattern on an htm. It, we call it a calcium shell where the calcium and the magnesium levels are really high in the tissues. And then we are like really depleted in things like potassium and sodium and other secondary minerals. And it's kind of like the body's way of shielding itself from feeling [00:32:00] big, like feeling really big emotions. **Hannah:** So like a lot of these clients, I, I'll talk to them about this and they have such a flat effect, like with the then we start moving the calcium out of the tissues and then they become, they're, it's like they really need more emotional support throughout that process. It's very interesting. I'm about to actually do an HTMA on myself. **Hannah:** It's been a couple of years, but I've just gone, I'm grieving my mom right now and I, yeah, and it's just been a really rough couple of months. I've just been just going through the motions and kind of in that, like taking care of her, taking care of my girls. Like just everything that we've gone through leading up to this point. **Hannah:** And I'm like, I am so curious to know what's going on with my minerals right now. I would not be surprised if I was having calcium going into my tissues. 'cause I believe that's what was my pattern last [00:33:00] time I ran the test a few years ago. So.  **Michelle:** Oh, that's interesting.  **Hannah:** It's like, yeah, this is my, my unique pattern, you know, so I see that a lot with Hashimoto's and yeah, and, and it's interesting because that pattern, like the high calcium in the tissues and the low potassium, that's really really common with like thyroid stuff in general because, you know, first of all, that calcium's blocking the thyroid. **Hannah:** Hormone from getting up into the cell. It's also gonna be blocking insulin signaling. So there is gonna be a lot of blood sugar swings, and that's gonna be driving the inflammation, making that worse. And then the low potassium, well, you know, potassium is needed for thyroid function as well. So, I see that pattern a lot with that population and it's so fascinating. **Hannah:** And I would just say like, I wouldn't say it's like. It's more like anecdotal, right? Like and you probably see that too in your practice. Yeah. Yeah.  **Michelle:** For different things, not this [00:34:00] specifically, but Yeah. **Michelle:** I mean, you see a lot of that and that's, that matters just because studies are very expensive to have and you can't  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** rely just on studies. You have to really rely on data in general, like your own experience  **Hannah:** Oh, absolutely. **Michelle:** there's so much information that you can get just from that. And then, couple of things. One of the things is, I know that Zyme has been shown to really help, it's an enzyme, it's a pro oleic enzymes that break apart, like fibrous tissue. So I'm curious to  **Hannah:** Oh **Michelle:** if it would help with excess calcium or, you know, deposits because it, it works to break down  **Hannah:** yeah,  **Michelle:** really needed in the body.  **Hannah:** yeah. Yeah.  **Michelle:** up.  **Hannah:** Yeah. That is interesting. Yeah, because when we see, usually the calcium in the tissues is also associated with things like restless leg syndrome, kidney stones, gallstones, all that stuff, you know, because it's just calcification of the tissues. [00:35:00] Right. What I do is I'll get, if that person is, has actually been on vitamin D what I'll do is I'll say, okay, let's just pause on the vitamin D and then I'll get them on, a form of vitamin K two that will target that calcium in the tissues and, and bring it, redirect it back to the bones. So we'll do that for several months. And if that person's still concerned about their, their vitamin D levels and say, let's just get that checked, you know, and depending on where you're at with that, you, you either, you know, probably need supplementation time from time to time, or maybe just during the winter, right? **Hannah:** But it's not a long term. You know, supplement for you because of this pattern, this pattern that you typically have. **Michelle:** Another thing that I was gonna mention is, we were talking about like, antibodies.  **Michelle:** I remember, One of my patients mentioning she had like a, 'cause I was talking to an REI and I was gonna have him, I had him on the podcast and so she had some questions and she had a very low amount of [00:36:00] antibodies that are considered normal. And he said no, because the presence of any antibody, and that's what's crazy to me.  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm.  **Michelle:** normal in labs  **Hannah:** Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. The reference ranges for conventional labs or like in more like conventional healthcare settings. They're not, they're designed to show like if you have a chronic disease or not. Not necessarily if you're optimal. Right. Like thriving, you know? **Michelle:** have any, even if it's like minute, it means that there's an autoimmune, like  **Hannah:** Right. And.  **Michelle:** your thyroid.  **Hannah:** Yeah, and I mean, my first thought is like, and just because I've worked in that arena for so long, is I think it's just because they need to have a diagnose, a diagnosis for a chronic disease, number one, so that they can build insurance and blah, blah, blah.  **Michelle:** Yeah, yeah, yeah.  **Hannah:** So they typically can't treat you. They can't, they [00:37:00] technically can't treat you. **Hannah:** Like they don't really run on a, it's more of like a sick care model. It's not really, they can't really treat you for like prevention. Right. That's not like that that's not how insurance companies work. So, I think that that's, that's my theory on that. But, you know, but to, to answer your question, yes, I, I see, low levels that aren't considered Hashimoto's,  **Michelle:** Right?  **Hannah:** but I would label that early stages or stage one, and I would say, let's work, let's, let's order GI Map. **Hannah:** Let's look at what your minerals are doing like that impact your thyroid. Let's just, just start helping you feel better right away so that we can go into remission. I would much rather my client like, just go ahead and work on those things instead of waiting until it's like, you know, now we're seeing tissue damage, you know, and there's a lot of practices. **Hannah:** I don't,  **Michelle:** it if it's early enough, like, but if it's  **Hannah:** yeah.  **Michelle:** really like far gone,  **Hannah:** Yeah. It can, and I don't know if you've run [00:38:00] across this a lot in your practice or with your clients, but I've been told a lot of times that they weren't even able to request or see a specialist or an endocrinologist, I guess, until they were able to see tissue damage. And it's like, wouldn't you wanna just prevent the tissue damage? **Michelle:** crazy to me. Yeah.  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. Yeah, so I'm, you know, I just like to get on it like right away, even if it's like, you know, your antibodies are like five, you know?  **Michelle:** yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Really low, but still,  **Hannah:** Yeah. Really low. Yeah. It's worth working on. Yeah. **Michelle:** I had actually just recently, I had a case where her TSH was like five and she's young, she's in her twenties. And I'm  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm.  **Michelle:** not normal.  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** just a little abnormal. **Michelle:** But that's not a little abnormal for try somebody trying to conceive.  **Hannah:** Yeah.  **Michelle:** and under. So if you  **Hannah:** Mm-hmm. **Michelle:** the thing. If you go to a general doctor or even an ob, they are a little more general in women's health.  **Hannah:** Yeah. **Michelle:** they're not going [00:39:00] to look at it the same way as an REI is gonna look at it, which is a reproductive endocrinologist and they're gonna  **Hannah:** Right.  **Michelle:** it a completely different perspective.  **Michelle:** Yeah, so it's, so those things I think a lot of people just don't realize and they're going in and they get the wrong information or they don't get like the full information and many years go by and it's kind of like, you know, that's why it's so important to really get ahead of it. **Hannah:** Yeah, absolutely. I think you're, you're worthy of feeling better, you know, if, does it have to be something that's chronic or.  **Michelle:** Right.  **Hannah:** Like full on disease state before just feeling better. **Michelle:** Yeah, for sure. So for people who, you know, are curious and wanna learn more about what you do,  **Michelle:** um, what are some of the things that you offer online? Where can people find you? I.  **Hannah:** So for people who are wanting to work one-on-one with me or maybe just start off with [00:40:00] a consultation or some have some labs done you can find me at through Pivot Nutrition Coaching. So the website is pivot nutrition coaching com. And then if, for my social media, I'm on Instagram with Hannah. **Michelle:** Awesome. I'll have all the notes anyway. If anybody like is curious or wants to know exactly how it's written out or find the link, you can find those on the episode notes. So Hannah, thank you so much for coming on today. It was a great conversation. I love really digging deep on just what goes on with these conditions that so many people hear about that are trying to conceive, but they don't really understand it. **Michelle:** And I think. There's so much power and knowledge and understanding and kind of like going beneath the surface. So I think this is one of the things that I like to do on the show is really to educate people on like really what's going on. So you've really shared some great, valuable information, so thank you so much, Hannah.[00:41:00]  **Hannah:** Thank you so much for having me and I, I think that this is such an important, important conversation to have and a valuable platform, so it's really an honor to be here. And hope we can chat again soon. **Michelle:** Thank you.         

Richard Campbell is out this week! Microsoft continues to make changes to Notepad as it tests 'lightweight text formatting' in Notepad. 22H2, 23H2, and 24H2 got preview updates. And Microsoft has reportedly delayed its first-party Xbox / Windows gaming handheld. WindowsTHE GREAT NOTEPAD CONTROVERSY OF 2025 Microsoft announced it was testing "lightweight text formatting" in Notepad. This is one of MANY changes its made to Notepad in recent years. The community has collectively lost its s#$t - most thought this was RTF support - it's not. Everyone is wrong. In defense of Notepad. 24H2 Last Tuesday, 22H2/23H2 got a preview update in Week D, but 24H2 did not. The 24H2 update appeared later, with a ton of new features as expected - it's possible an out-of-band update requirement is responsible for the delay. Now we know for sure what's coming on Patch Tuesday next week. Windows Insider updates Today, in Canary: Energy saver in Intune, re-rollout of Phone companion, more. Dev and Beta (24H2): Quick machine recovery, Phone Link improvements - Plus, more just in Dev. Canary: Voice access and some bug fixes. Microsoft makes more DMA changes to Windows 11/Edge We all need these changes. Apple needs to pay attention. Also, hilarious: Apple copies what Microsoft did in the 1990s. Twice. Earnings: HP Dell Nvidia Microsoft 365/AI Microsoft announces (internally) its third major AI reorg in 15 months - Too ... slow? Microsoft is killing password management/autofill in the Microsoft Authenticator app (announced previously, but now a warning is showing up in the app). Good, you should use a third-party password manager anyway. Also, it's really an identity manager. Also, wake up. When/why to use Microsoft Authenticator. And why you should also use Google Authenticator. June 2025 update for the new Outlook adds tons of new features. Research and Analyst AI agents are now GA in Microsoft 365 Copilot. You can experiment with short, phone videos on your phone with Bing Video Creator. FU, OpenAI! NYT licenses its content to Amazon. Samsung may drop Gemini for Perplexity. Xbox/Gaming Microsoft has reportedly delayed its first-party Xbox/Windows gaming handheld. Xbox continues to be in a holding pattern on hardware - Theories include an Arm revolution in waiting and Amy Hood getting serious about trying to make this business profitable. Are handheld gaming PCs the next Netbook or mini-tablet ... or this is market real, sustainable, and big enough to matter? SteamDeck/Linux could be a problem here - related to this, Nvidia news. Microsoft reaches its first-ever agreement with a game studio union. Semi-related: J Allard is one of about 100 former Microsoft execs at Amazon now, and we have an update. Tips and picks Tip of the week: You can replace OneDrive/Google Drive with a NAS. My Synology NAS is better than expected as a Little Tech replacement for OneDrive and Google Drive. This changes everything App pick of the week: Microsoft Edge 137 Edge 137 has quietly emerged as the biggest release of this browser since its inception. Edge 137 adds PIP and business improvements, removes Wallet Hub and some truly pointless features. It adds Windows 11 App action support to PWAs. It brings Game Assist for Game Bar to everyone. Photoshop for Android is here and it's free Pa These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/935 Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott Sponsors: 1password.com/windowsweekly threatlocker.com/twit uscloud.com