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Tiff and Kristy take a look at patient privacy and the regulatory compliance associated with that privacy, including HIPAA and OSHA. They touch on their own experiences with compliance, how to better educate your practice, what not to do, and more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript:  The Dental A Team (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. We are so excited to be here with you today. I have Kristy on crew with me. We have a slew of podcasts we're recording and just some really, really exciting information. We're gonna make it as exciting as we can, at least, that we wanna get out to you. We are more than halfway through the year, which is pretty massive. And so we're gonna be talking about...   a ton about how to end the year, things and pieces to look forward to, things you should be doing now to wrap up for the end of the year, and realistically things to look forward to for the upcoming year, which at this point of recording is 2026. So no matter what year you're listening to us, a lot of this should still be incredibly valuable. Kristy, I am so excited you're here with me today. Thank you so much for clearing your schedule, being here.   being open to this and just always coming with some really invaluable information for our listeners. How are you today, Kristy?   DAT Kristy (01:00) It's a good summer day and a good day to be with you as well. So happy to do it.   The Dental A Team (01:04) Thank you,   thank you. And for those of you who may not know, Kristy, Kristy lived in Arizona a long time ago. she originally, like her formative years were here, but then she left Arizona for quite a little while and she's recently relocated back to the desert. And she decided to come right at the beginning of summer, which I used to tell people like,   don't move here in the summer, like come in different months. But then I started realizing, I'm like, well, if you move here in the summer, you get the worst of the worst. And then the rest of the year is like icing on top of the cake. So Kristy, I actually think you did it in the right direction. And I keep telling you, I think you brought some awesome weather with you this year because we have not broken record heat this year for like the first time ever.   Honestly, we keep breaking records every year and I'm like, these are records we don't need to break. And this year, I think the record has been that it's been so nice. Like it truly, truly has been really light summer. So Kristy, thanks for bringing your weather with you and giving us a little reprieve here in Arizona. So I told you we're going to make these as fun as we possibly can. You guys, we always aim for that fun is actually one of our core values. So it's something we work really, really hard for.   I say that today because I really wanted to talk to you guys about some regulatory compliances, which just even in those words sounds like womp womp, right? Like we're just, how do you make that exciting? Well, with the Dental A Team, Dental A Team can make anything exciting. We can have fun with whatever we want in everything. We truly believe that if we're not having fun, why are we even doing it? So it doesn't mean that things aren't hard, things aren't difficult, that you won't have to push through hard things. It just means that there should be fun on the other side.   and it shouldn't be, you know, tears of pain the whole way through. So here we are, regulatory compliance. You guys know that this is actually really important in the dental industry. You guys have all heard of OSHA. So we'll dive into a little bit on the OSHA, but you guys have also heard of HIPAA. And I have to say, and Kristy, you can tell me what your thoughts are as well, I have to say that when I was in practice, like physically working in an office, we never talked about HIPAA.   We talked about OSHA constantly, like OSHA is going to come in and you've got to have everything six inches from the ceiling and off these certain walls. And you've got to have so many fire extinguishers and the fire escape plans and like all of these, you know, barriers and masks and gloves and don't wear gloves outside the door. All of these pieces for OSHA safety compliance, but   I never heard about HIPAA. I knew as a front office team member that patients had to sign the HIPAA forms and that they had to update them every so often, but I didn't actually know what it was. And when patients would ask me like, oh, what am I signing? I'm like, ah, it just says we're not going to give away your information. Right. And I'm like, I don't know if that's what it says or not, but like, that's what I heard someone say. And so I'm just repeating it. Right. So Kristy, I don't know if you had a different experience in office, but I really truly felt like until   I had to train people on it until I had to be like, no, you have to do HIPAA in the office. And until as a company, we had to start taking our own HIPAA courses every year. I had no idea exactly what it meant for a dental office. And Kristy, you may have had a different experience, but tell me what was your experience when it came to HIPAA in your dental practices that you've worked in?   DAT Kristy (04:36) Yeah, my experience   was actually you made me laugh. It was very similar to yours. I think it was what around 2013 that those forms came out and it was pretty funny because when it first started even patients were funny about it. Like I remember this big long form and you'd hand it to patients and say the same thing. ⁓ it just means we're not going to sell your information or give it to anybody and patients would start reading it and they're crossing things out. And then I'm asking my doctor like how   The Dental A Team (04:50) Yeah.   Yeah.   DAT Kristy (05:06) can they just rewrite it?" And he's like, it doesn't matter. It is what it is. It's just a form. And yeah, so really I started the same place you did. And then later years, ⁓ we ended up doing more formal training on HIPAA. But yeah, started in the same place.   The Dental A Team (05:23) Yeah, I remember   those sheets. They were like longer than it was. It was like a car contract.   where was like you had to fold it a certain way, like they were longer than the rest of the sheets and my patients did the same thing. They're like, well, I don't really agree with this. Like, and they just cross it off and then initial it. And I'm like, all right, like whatever, I just need to scan it into your document center. Like that's all I've got here, right? And if it's like in the paper folder, I had to like fold it so that it would fit. yeah, it was around 2013 and it was like so odd. And then every year they had updates to it. And I was like, I don't know what any of this means, except I did know at the bottom.   them it said, if we were to release your information, who would you want it released to? So my point of that is it's   2025 right now, I don't know what year you're gonna listen to this. 2013 we started this and it took many years for any of us to really learn and understand what it meant, let alone our patience even know and understand what it means. But it is incredibly invaluable and I'm not here to teach you HIPAA by all means, that is never my gig ⁓ or OSHA, but I do know that there are plenty of courses and even just like online forums or...   whatever that will go through it. There are two sides to it and they're incredibly important, especially for business owners. So doctors and owners out there, my doctor too, I was like, what is this? Just like Kristy, what you said, can they do this? He's like, I don't know. Just like, it's just a new form that they told us we need to do. So just do it. And I'm like, okay. He had no idea what it meant either. He just knew it was really important. So.   Doctors go get versed in it. We actually have to take a compliance course every year. All of us do for HIPAA compliance on the medical side, but then also on the business side. And that comes down, it boils down to really privacy, right? And what that looks like. And it actually will take you through what it looks like as far as electronic privacy, verbal privacy, ⁓ patient charts, like how long do you have to keep things? Where should they be kept? Like certain   certain things that honestly and truly your front office is looking up all the time. I don't know how many times I asked like wait a second how long do we have to keep these x-rays for? Wait how long do we have to keep these boxes of files for? Like we're going digital which crazily enough there's still plenty plenty of practices out there that are not digital. ⁓   I know some near and to my heart that are not digital. So like, I remember, but it's just these, these file boxes that you get from Staples and you put them together and we're putting the files in there and we're marking the year that we put them in there so that we could wait the right amount of time. But still in the back of my head, I'm like, is this even right? Like, am I waiting enough time? We would put the date that we boxed it and then the date that it could be destroyed, like, you know, destroy date.   But still I was like...   ⁓ this is still kind of scary. Like, am I doing this right? So my suggestion is to always make sure that you take those courses and that you're well versed in it, especially as a business owner. And I'm saying this after you're three of having to take the HIPAA course online for business compliance for our company, because it's really hard, you guys. I'm not gonna lie. When I go through it, it's like, Karen, I have this game that we play on who's going to get the better score. And to truth be told, like, it's like a barely   passing score and we're like how did how am I still not getting this we read through the stuff we tell we watch the videos and we get to the end and we're like what the heck I still didn't understand it so go take those courses it's just online it's super easy I'm sure we can throw you over a link if you want it so HIPAA I actually wanted to spend some time instilling in you the importance because I think the only thing we hear in dentistry is OSHA and we know so much of the OSHA stuff   But with that said, you also need to focus in on the OSHA. And Kristy, I don't know if you guys had this one too. I had that big red OSHA book that always went in the same spot up above the dental assistance computer so that we always knew where it was. We had the OSHA one, we had the MSDS sheets, and it was like, you did not mess with these books. They were always updated, the, you know, needle stick protocol. But still, you'd go in there and you're like somebody, somebody stuck themselves and you're just like,   frazzle and you're like I don't know what to do even though we've got this OSHA book that tells us what to do it was still a lot so Kristy how did how did you guys do HIPAA and OSHA within your practices like how did you make sure that we you guys had everything that you needed and then how do you train offices to do that now?   DAT Kristy (10:06) Yeah, that's   It's a good thing that you're touching on it because it's one of those things that I think even offices tend to not do because it's so complex. I will say ⁓ we just made it part of our yearly routine. And this is perfect timing because we're coming to the end of the year. And as we're future planning for next year, even setting our goals for the practice and all of that, looking at the calendar and making sure those days are marked out, just like you would your CPI.   The Dental A Team (10:14) Yeah.   DAT Kristy (10:37) are, you know, make sure your OSHA is booked every year in your ⁓ HIPAA training because they are serious, right? And they're one of those things, especially like OSHA, it could shut you down if you weren't compliant. So it is very necessary, but I would say do it as part of your yearly planning and just make sure it's booked on your schedule every year.   The Dental A Team (11:02) I totally agree with you. And I think one piece with that is to make sure you guys understand it too. I know that for us, in my practice, we always stressed about the OSHA because we were like, if they ever come in. And that's like one space of it, right? For sure, you want to be compliant. You want to have the right spaces. If they were to come in, you want to have everything you were supposed to have for sure. But on the flip side of that, like the reason that they do that isn't because they want to come in and like give you a bad grade or get you   in trouble, right? They do it because they actually want you utilizing the information. They want you knowing it and they want it to be helpful in keeping your business safe. And so   not only making sure that you're compliant for the passing grade, but that you're compliant in the fact that you understand it and you're able to use it because it really is truly beneficial for your practice. And there are actually some really valuable pieces in there, just like CPR. Like we have to take CPR to be compliant, but the day that you have to use it is the day you're like, thank God that they made me do that. Right. Like, gosh, this could have been really bad. Right. The day that my son   bless his freaking four-year-old heart at the time, decided to put gummy worms in his frozen yogurt and they turn into rocks and he's choking on it in the middle of the frozen yogurt store and I, thank God, knew what to do to...   pull it out of his mouth and make sure he doesn't have to resuscitate him, all of these pieces, right? We undervalue things because we think we have to do it because someone's telling us to. And if we don't, we're gonna get a bad grade or we're gonna get a slap on the wrist or whatever. Yes and. Like, Kristy, I love when you say yes and. This is a yes and situation. Yes, get the good letter grade, don't get a slap on the wrist, don't get a fine and.   save lives with this information too. HIPAA, you're not going to save a life, but guess what? It's better to be super safe because, I mean, honestly, cybersecurity is wild. And I have had many practices while consulting that have been hacked. And I don't know if you all remember a couple of years ago now, was it last year maybe? Yeah, all of the insurances got hacked and we were without insurance payments for three or four months. We couldn't even submit claims. Like it was wild.   these things do happen and if you're not HIPAA compliant, if you don't know what it means, things aren't stored correctly, you just you have a lot of patients that could be in a lot of trouble. So not only are you going to get in trouble from a business standpoint with you know the regulatory compliance people,   but you're putting your patient's information and your own information at risk. You've got payroll documents on there. You've got your team's information on there. There's a lot of very sensitive information that's stored on there. So OSHA is incredibly valuable. Know it, train on it. I know we used to do quarterly training for OSHA. We'd add it into our monthly team meeting. We'd do a two hour monthly team meeting and at least 30 minutes of that once a quarter would be OSHA training. And so it would be training on a   certain subject from the OSHA book. They literally give it all to you ⁓ and then what I would do now is actually add in some of that HIPAA training with it like quarterly, monthly, however you guys want to do it and yearly, especially making sure that we're all reviewing it, that we're all up to date, that we all understand it and we understand any changes because they change them at the drop of a dime and Kristy, I don't know if you've ever received a letter from OSHA saying, hey, these are the updates but I have not.   I've never seen anything that was just like, guess what? We've updated and changed. So you guys have to go out and look for that information on your own.   Kristy, how did you handle, I know in my practice we had two people. We had one that was responsible for OSHA and then one that was responsible for HIPAA, which at that point, you know, just made sure that we did the sheets. Now we know there's much more involved to it, but how did you handle that in your practice as far as someone like the accountability piece to it? And I never wanted the accountability myself, my doctor.   He's a very busy man. Personally, professionally very busy. I ran his schedule ragged. He was constantly on the move. There's no way on this earth.   that he was ever going to be able to hold anything accountable, especially Osher or HIPAA. So I never made him the owner of that. And then as the office manager, I tried to stay out of that lane as well because I didn't want it to get mixed up in other pieces. But Kristy, how did you handle it in your practice and how do you see practices now handling that kind of responsibility and accountability piece?   DAT Kristy (15:46) Yeah. ⁓   Honestly going back to what you said, it's it's having a champion, right? It doesn't mean that they're the only one responsible but somebody that is the point person that ⁓ Is checking on those things and reporting back? You know how it kind of makes me think of when you go into a restroom at a chain store one of those and they have those Checklists about they check the bathroom at a certain time using something like that to know   The Dental A Team (16:15) Yeah.   DAT Kristy (16:18) ⁓ Because even your fire drills guys we're supposed to have fire drills and make sure team right on Boarding did we teach them where the I wash station is did we show them our? Meetup area if something happens, so It's important and like I said have that point person that can report back   The Dental A Team (16:22) Yeah.   DAT Kristy (16:38) Potentially in one of your team meetings just check on it. Just make sure it's like we do our checklist and chart audits ⁓ I was gonna circle back to you too because I won't name names But we all heard of the corporate entity that also got hacked, right? It's maybe been a couple years now, but you know Think of that they they're a big nationwide chain lots of money, right? And so even if they it happened to them like us as little   The Dental A Team (16:40) Yeah.   Yeah.   DAT Kristy (17:08) guys that don't have that kind of money to spend, we have to be very diligent. I would also do like chart audit type thing. Maybe not necessarily chart, but listen, listen to your admin people. Are they breaching HIPAA in conversations? You know, are they checking IDs? Are we even getting photo IDs from patients?   The Dental A Team (17:18) Yeah.   No, most places   are not getting photo IDs.   DAT Kristy (17:34) Yeah.   And a lot of people, you know, they look, well, we want to know who's coming in. So we want to get your photo. No, don't share your secrets. But on the same token, like it is part of compliance. And if, if you guys have ever heard of red flag rule, if you're accepting insurance, you have a due diligence to make sure that that person is who they say they are. And I have experienced where somebody came in portraying they're somebody else. So ⁓ they're little things, but they can be.   big things and just like that corporate entity it was flashed all over the news and so it's also about saving our reputation those things are hard to come back from.   The Dental A Team (18:16) I totally agree. That's a really great point. And I don't think I know many practices, maybe a handful, that really truly understand the value of the ID portion of it. And I do hear that too, like, we want to know who's coming in. Yeah, but your ID is not going to... A lot of practices will use it for both, and I think that's great. But my picture on my ID, you're never going to know that it's me, right? But at least you took it. It's got my information. It's got my statistics, my demographics that match up   within my insurance card because that does happen constantly.   constantly patients or practices are reporting that they've had patients that come in with the insurance, but it's not actually the person who's on the insurance card. happens a lot. And as you're taking payments as well, like, you know, I'm, I'm surprised we don't get asked more often for our credit cards, but when, or for our ID with our credit cards, but when I do, I'm always like thrown off. But then at the same time, I'm like, actually, thank you for caring enough about my safety, right? My electronic safety that someone's not using my credit card. Who's not actually them. Cause that has happened.   I have had those charges pop up that my credit card is like someone's at Circle K trying to use $5 and they're just like testing it, right? So I do appreciate that and I value it and I think our patients would too. But it is a piece of the record keeping that you're supposed to have if you are going to accept insurance from those patients. So it is a massive piece. that was a great, great point, Kristy. Biggest takeaway today, you guys, two biggest takeaways. Go figure out what HIPAA is if you don't know what it is, medical and   and business like standing business HIPAA, go figure both of those things out. Make sure that you're OSHA compliant, that you've got your book, you've got your sheets, you've got everything that you're supposed to have and that you're training on both of those because those make them compliant as well. And then make sure you've got point people to ensure that these trainings are happening to ensure that we're up to date with everything we're supposed to have. So super easy, you guys, you just you got to dig in and do the work. And I challenge you guys to go take that HIPAA test. It's hard.   Even after taking the course that leads up to it, it is not easy. and I both have struggled with that sucker. So I challenge you to go take that ding test and tell me you know anything about HIPAA. HIPAA? OSHA? K?   Just be compliant, you guys, and figure out an easy way. Like Kristy said, schedule it every year. Schedule it out. You've got your Ops manual update, so do your Ops manual update, your OSHA update, your HIPAA updates, and then make sure that you've got a point person probably for each of those, and they should be three separate people in my opinion if you've got the capacity within your staffing to do it. Kristy, thank you so much for your nuggets and for letting me probe questions over to you about your past as well. You have always, always amazing points.   So thank you for being here with us. Is there anything else you can think of that I missed in that wrap up that they should be doing?   DAT Kristy (21:09) No, I think you hit it all. The only thing we didn't touch on was make sure you're doing PCI compliance because you mentioned credit cards and taking them. There's still a ton of practices that I go in and they're writing down cards. Guys, get rehearsed. You could be putting yourself into ⁓ some situations by doing that. So that would be the only other one that I would add in the mix.   The Dental A Team (21:15) there.   That's a that's actually a really good point. And I've had a couple of practices text me some office managers and be like, what does this mean this PCI like people don't know what that means. And they don't know what that is. So make sure your office managers do know what that is. It goes right along with HIPAA. And those two go hand in hand. So just make sure, again, that you're not running the team that's like, I don't know, we're just supposed to sign this that they actually know what they're for. Because with a reason behind it, things get done. So that was massive, Kristy, thank you for remembering the PCI compliance. Alright, guys, go do   the things they're not really that hard except for that HIPAA test and I do challenge you to go take it because I just want to hear from you on how fun it was. But go do the things if you ever need anything you guys know where to find us Hello@TheDentalATeam.com we are here to help you I know that we do the HIPAA test every year you guys know especially if you're my clients I don't actually know   the link for that, we can get it for you. So Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. We can send you the information for the company that we utilize within our team and our company. Just let us know. And as always, drop a five star review. We'd love to hear what you thought about this. And if you have any regulatory information or things that you'd like to share, put it in that review because people really do read through those and they'll catch it as well. Thanks so much, guys. We'll catch you next time.  

Keri Eichberger shares a vulnerable reflection on enduring seasons of deep emotional and physical discomfort. From her father’s sudden brain hemorrhage to chronic scoliosis pain and financial strain, she wrestled with losing every worldly comfort—only to discover that the true source of peace and strength is found in God alone. Based on 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, this episode invites listeners to rethink where they turn when life unravels. ✨ Highlights: Real-life encouragement on trusting God in suffering Why worldly comfort fades but God’s comfort is eternal A reminder that God meets us in our pain, not just to rescue us, but to refine us A powerful call to seek comfort in God Himself—not just relief

When Ian Coss decided to get married, every living member of his family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced: parents, grandparents, and all his aunts and uncles on both sides — some of them twice. Today, he has questions: What is the value of a lifetime commitment? Are we doomed to recycle the patterns of behavior we get from our ancestors? Are we all just better off alone? Forever is a Long Time is a five-episode series from CBC's Personally that weaves reflection and original music through Ian's conversations with his wife and divorced family members — a look at love with people who have made mistakes.Get lost in someone else's life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human. More episodes of Personally can be found here: https://link.mgln.ai/fialt-wdtw Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Utah State head basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun

In this episode of The Conscious Couples Podcast, Emilia and Alan share a story that shines light on how hidden insecurities can turn love into misunderstanding. They gently unpack the weight of personalization when we take things too personally and how it quietly shapes the way we connect. With warmth and wisdom, they offer three simple tools to shift from tension to tenderness. Whether you're caught in your storm or reaching for your partner's hand, this episode is a soft place to land and a path back to clarity, compassion, and connection.Show notes:(1:51) When personal choices trigger conflict(4:51) Insecurity at the root of reactivity(7:02) What personalization really means(9:25) Listen to Jason's and Lisa's testimonial on Alan and Emilia's Relationship Coaching.(11:11) The “me loop” that distorts reality(16:04) Curiosity: the antidote to taking it personally(18:03) Three tools to break the pattern(19:48) Outro

DON'T TAKE DATING PERSONALLY + SHE WON'T SET THE DATE? WALK AWAY...Also, you can get a free 7-day dating course at DocLove.com/Course and free dating videos at DocLove.com/YouTube

I am on a personal journey toward self-love and authenticity. There are both challenges and rewards for choosing to love oneself. Personally, I can recall many of my attempts to fit in and discover who I truly am, from childhood through adulthood, and it is through kindness, simplicity, and embracing my true self that I've learned to laugh at my imperfections and celebrate my uniqueness. The message is clear: the path to self-love is ongoing, filled with self-discovery, and ultimately, deeply rewarding.Now That You Ask is a podcast that looks at topics that range from death to desire, and from wondrous to downright whacky. Join host, Akasha Halsey as she takes listeners on a journey through her writing and experience with life's most persistent questions.Thank you for listening!Listen to more episodes like this and subscribe to updates at https://nowthatyouaskpodcast.com

  I know, I've been a dog on a bone with this. Some might say, "You're beating a dead horse!" Maybe. And maybe that's the method to my madness in the past few episodes. Do you know about the dead horse theory? It's had a long-standing place in management lore. It goes like this, according to the Internet. The “Dead Horse Theory” is a satirical metaphor that illustrates how some individuals, institutions, or nations handle obvious, unsolvable problems. Instead of accepting reality, they cling to justifying their actions. The core idea is simple: if you realize you're riding a dead horse, the most sensible thing to do is dismount and move on. However, in practice, the opposite often happens. Instead of abandoning the dead horse, people take actions such as: • Buying a new saddle for the horse. • Improving the horse's diet, despite it being dead. • Changing the rider instead of addressing the real problem. • Firing the horse caretaker and hiring someone new, hoping for a different outcome. • Holding meetings to discuss ways to increase the dead horse's speed. • Creating committees or task forces to analyze the dead horse problem from every angle. These groups work for months, compile reports, and ultimately conclude the obvious: the horse is dead. • Justifying efforts by comparing the horse to other similarly dead horses, concluding that the issue was a lack of training. • Proposing training programs for the horse, which means increasing the budget. • Redefining the concept of “dead” to convince themselves the horse still has potential. The Lesson: This theory highlights how many people and organizations prefer to deny reality, wasting time, resources, and effort on ineffective solutions instead of acknowledging the problem from the start and making smarter, more effective decisions. Today, let's aim it at ourselves. Personally. Professionally. I encourage you to take it personally. Make it personal. Apply it. Learn from it. And lean toward wisdom. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me

In this episode of Personally Speaking, Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by Dr. Bill Baker. Bill is the President Emeritus of WNET-Thirteen, New York's public television station where he served a 21 year tenure. As a commercial broadcaster, Bill helped start many cable networks, helped launch Oprah Winfrey as a talk show host, and was involved in the early stages of launching both the Discovery Channel and the Disney Channel. He is the executive producer of a new PBS series called “Wisdom Keepers”, which explores the relationship between faith and the world we live in. He talks about his new series, and the Catholic faith and values that mean so much to him.Support the show

Have you ever seen people camping out in tents before the big grand opening of a store? Well, they do say, “the early bird gets the worm.” Personally, I don't have the patience to spend all night waiting out on the sidewalk like that. But I guess it's worth it to some folks. Pastor Richard shares with you in his message today that it's always worth it to wait on God. God will always come through on His promises when you wait for Him.

Want to sell your wholesale deals faster and make more on every assignment? In this episode, Brent Daniels reveals the exact dispo system his team uses to move deals quickly and lock in the highest fees. From building the right buyer list to creating urgency and knowing which days to avoid, Brent walks you through a step-by-step strategy that works in any market.Make sure to check out TTP Training Program  for more deal finding magic.---------Show notes:(0:46) Beginning of today's episode(1:06) Best way to dispo your deals(1:49) Create healthy tension with your cash buyer(3:13) Do not dispo on Friday, Saturday and Sunday(4:27) Contact your A-List buyers first (9:08) Go to all the real estate investing groups(10:44) Personally contact your B and C list(14:17) Look for all the flips----------Resources:ZillowRedfinInvestor BaseInvestor LiftMailChimpGmailTo speak with Brent or one of our other expert coaches call (281) 835-4201 or schedule your free discovery call here to learn about our mentorship programs and become part of the TribeGo to Wholesalingincgroup.com to become part of one of the fastest growing Facebook communities in the Wholesaling space. Get all of your burning Wholesaling questions answered, gain access to JV partnerships, and connect with other "success minded" Rhinos in the community.It's 100% free to join. The opportunities in this community are endless, what are you waiting for?

Join Dr. John Schinnerer in this episode of The Evolved Caveman as he delves into the art of not taking other people's moods personally and helping others to do the same. Discover the 'depersonalization game,' learn the difference between emotions and moods, and master the 'crank call' to communicate your bad moods effectively (i.e., the best gift you can give your loved ones!). Get ready to level up your emotional IQ, build stronger relationships, and avoid unnecessary drama. Don't forget to like, rate, review, and share to spread the wisdom and help make the world a better place!00:39 Understanding Personalization of Emotions02:25 The Depersonalization Game04:07 Helping Others with Your Mood04:38 Distinguishing Emotions from Moods07:34 Mastering the Crank Call08:44 Benefits of the Crank Call10:21 How to Deliver and Follow Up on a Crank Call12:52 Handling Missed Crank Calls14:30 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsWanna Climb Higher Up The Happiness Hill ? Here's Where To Begin Your Ascent:

Send us a textIn this episode of the Awaken Your Ego Podcast, we sit down with fitness expert and CSUS Weight Lifting Coach Matt Fraze to explore what it means to build real strength—physically, mentally, and emotionally—as you age. Matt shares wisdom on lifting with longevity in mind, how to train smart (not just hard), and why sustainable fitness is about building habits, not hype.But this conversation goes far beyond the gym. We dive into the evolving dynamics of marriage and parenting as you grow older, and how staying strong also means facing your shadows, staying accountable, and doing the inner work. Because the journey of self-development doesn't stop—it just deepens.Whether you're just starting your fitness journey or redefining what strength looks like in this season of life, this episode is an honest and empowering reminder that growth—inside and out—is always possible.Tune in to be inspired to lift more than just weights.Matthew Fraze is a Full-time Lecturer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Coachand an Olympic Weightlifting Coach working with students preparing for fieldsrelated to Exercise Science and Physical Education. He teaches classes in Strength & Conditioning, Physical Fitness and Outdoor Education for the Department ofKinesiology at California State University, Stanislaus. In addition to teaching at CSU Stanislaus, Coach Fraze is the Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Women'sSoccer Team at San Joaquin Delta Junior College. Previously, Coach Fraze becamethe first Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for CSU Stanislaus (and the second Head Coach in California at the DII Level). Coach Fraze and trained the teams for the CSU Athletic Department from 2005 to 2016.Coach Fraze earned his B.A. degree in Physical Education from CSU Stanislaus and a M.S. degree in Strength and Conditioning from CSU Sacramento, where he served as Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Hornets Athletics Department. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.Coach Fraze is married to Cindy Fraze a manages and runs her own real estatebusiness. They have three beautiful daughters together. On his own time Coach Fraze coaches weightlifting, where he's helped students compete at national levels. Additionally, he is an avid outdoorsman. Has worked with different young men's and women's groups teaching and leading outdoor adventures. He has planned and organized youth base camps in the mountains of California. Personally, he spends his summers and parts of the winter hiking in the Sierra's.To watch this episode visit us on Youtube: https://youtu.be/-31bIu6wvuoTo learn more about our podcast visit us on TikTok @awakenyourego or on Instagram @awakenyour ego, @_egowellness @_egobeauty Visit our website www.egodefined.comYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9Ha4hv2mkM0dEtiN32cDQVisit us on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/egobeautymodestoand https://www.facebook.com/egowellnessmodesto

Montoyis & Reese cover recent activities, news, a break, and a "f*ckery/listener feedback" section. Personally, there have been birthday celebrations and debates about The Clipse album, while a son prepares for football season.   In the news, a North Carolina landscaper threw a party at a mansion, a 9-year-old tragically died after being left in a hot car, and Central Texas experienced a deadly flood.   A brief "break" mentions that "the price of P just went up." The "f*ckery/listener feedback" section highlights several dramatic events: Puffy beating serious charges, a feud between Nicki Minaj and Roc Nation, Remy Ma's son being charged with murder, Tyler Perry facing sexual harassment accusations, a "sneaky link" caught on a Kiss Cam at a Coldplay concert, RG3 criticizing Angel Reese, the split of Yo Gotti and Angela Simmons, and an Outlaw's member dying by suicide.

Kristen is the author of Happy Clouds Coloring Book and Happy Clouds, which teaches children 12 affirmations like “I am loved,” using bright imagery and a heart symbol. She also wrote Happy Words: 72 Words for Kids to Read, designed to help beginning readers recognize objects in a cheerful way.Along with her books, Kristen designs patent-pending plushies, custom pencils and pens, and has released two children's music albums. Her YouTube channel, Happy Happy Everything, shares fun and educational music and videos for children.We discussed her childhood dream of becoming a Disney animator, her passion for Disney, and how she created a vision board to guide her path toward building products that inspire happiness in children. Kristen shared how she launched Happy Happy Everything, Inc. with the desire to bring joy and inspiration not just to kids, but also to adults who may have lost their sense of creativity.Betsy and Kristen talked about how children are naturally creative, but often face discouragement in structured settings like school. Kristen emphasized how important it is for children to feel loved and supported—because when kids feel good about themselves, they're more likely to want to learn.Kristen also spoke openly about the fear many people have around chasing their dreams. She believes that not trying at all is the real failure, and that making mistakes is simply part of the learning process.Kristen shared her recent experience doing her first book signing, meet-and-greet, and reading at a local Barnes & Noble—something that brought her work to life in her own community.Kristen has a deep commitment to giving back and has partnered with several nonprofit organizations to donate her books and materials, including:Books for Collier Kids, which purchased books for every Pre-K and Kindergarten student in her countyRoom to Read, who partnered with Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi in Pakistan to distribute her materialsSalty Life Foundation, which sent her books to an orphanage in KenyaWomen's Shelter in Naples, FloridaMake-A-Wish Southwest FloridaGolisano Children's HospitalBetsy also shared how much she enjoyed the music from her YouTube channel. Personally, she would have loved to use it in the preschool where she once worked as a Teacher's Aide—it's that uplifting and fun.If you're looking to inspire the children in your life, Betsy highly recommends exploring the Happy Happy Everything books and resources Kristen offers. Kristen's passion is contagious, and her work is truly making a differenceBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/chatting-with-betsy--4211847/support.

rwh19july -  Ep.373 – Run With Horses Podcast –  Are we winning? Podcast: rwh.podbean.com Website: www.runwithhorses.net Youtube:  https://youtube.com/@rwhpodcast Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RWHpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwh_podcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RWH_podcast Author pages with links to all books on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCSDDVLB – James Norman Smith https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BMGW51FW – Susan Jane Smith **(24:00)**  Are we winning? As a church? Personally? How are we doing and how do we know how we're doing?  If we chase the wrong goal and reach it, what have we accomplished? This is the topic of today's show! Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is simple in many ways, but potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to grow, to live intentionally and to join in His mission. It's very cool that we can do that together! Thank you for joining me today! “If you're new here, you can check out past episodes at runwithhorses.net. As always, I appreciate your feedback, questions, and reviews!” **(23:00 – 0:00)* *  PART 1 Josh Jones - Bridgewater Church. GARBC Conference 2025 Paul gave up his rights, privileges and preferences for the sake of the gospel. He had a clear goal and he sacrificed to reach it. 1 Cor. 9:19 - For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. V. 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Jesus alone has the right to define the win in the Christian life and for His church. The point is to do church well. We have created so many ministries that are just for us, within the church. It is movement without impact for the kingdom. We pay close attention to things that are not mission critical, and sometimes miss the mission altogether. How clear are we about our goal as individuals and as a local church? Does it seem like we often just do church and hope people come? How do we think about activity verses effectiveness? Do we consider effectiveness when planning what and how the church operates? Our goal is not to gather a crowd but to grow the kingdom. How does that affect our decisions and activity as a church family? Equipping people for ministry outside the church walls. Encouraging them to engage in their relational networks. In the NT church happened as a result of consistent engagement with communities resulting in the gospel being proclaimed and people trusting in Jesus. These people gathered to learn more about their Savior and His mission, to fellowship, to live life in a community with Jesus at the center and to pray with and for each other as they cared for each others needs. This special relationship kept them motivated and encouraged to reach out to others who didn't yet know Jesus. How is our church life today different? Should it be? I believe we have a clear goal, given to us by Jesus. To be like HIm, following HIm as His disciples, and to intentionally engage in His mission of disciple making as we take the message of reconciliation out into every community so that every person will have repeated opportunities to respond to Jesus.  The result is new church families engaged in their relational networks, making disciples.  We will fail trying, we cannot fail due to inactivity. The mission is too important to do nothing. Don't just run drills. Get in the game. The Great Commission defines the win. Be faithful to do your part knowing that God is doing His part. How do you embrace the mission personally? Are you seeking to be equipped? Gospel. 1-1 disciple making - everyone can do it. Small group disciple making - most people can do it. Shepherd. Large group disciple making - a few can do it. Pastor, etc. What is your next step? **(1:00)**  Are you in the game? Don't be afraid to fail, Jesus is building His church and he uses us to do it. Being faithfully engaged and on the mission keeps you available for Him to use as He builds His church and expands His kingdom.  – “Thank you for listening today!  -If you enjoyed the show you can listen to all the past shows wherever you listen to podcasts. A good place to start is at runwithhorses.net. You can also write me at norman@runwithhorses.net or leave a comment on the Run With Horses Podcast facebook page. Let the people around you know that you see them this week. Make an effort to intentionally communicate the hope that you have, and Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus and never stop running." **(00:00)**

A Friend of Medjugorje uncovers something that happened on the world stage that most did not even notice - how Our Lady changed history. 

In this episode of Personally Speaking Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by Fox News Channel's Dana Perino. Dana currently co-anchors “America's Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino” and she serves as co-host of “The Five”, one of the most popular shows on cable television. Prior to joining Fox News Channel, Dana served as the White House press secretary for President George W. Bush. Dana is a New York Times bestselling author and her latest book is titled, “I Wish Someone Had Told Me…” She talks about her life, her career, her marriage and the faith and values that matter to her most.Support the show

Tiff and Dana perform a practice autopsy of sorts — one of Dana's star students, and what's been put in place to help them thrive. The two discuss key systems, metrics, leadership, and how to stay committed to all of it. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01) Hello Dental A Team listeners. We are back live today it feels like you know it's so weird Dana to still be like on video it still weirds me out but whatever we don't do as many as Miss Cara Dutt does. So we are here today to chat with you guys we are so excited I've got Dana here and I have just like   shocked her with reality today that I actually I want to hear about one of her incredible offices that she's been working with. And before we dive in, I want you guys to just know that we love what we do. We love helping you guys. We love consulting. We love helping you guys when you're not actually clients yet. And we want you to know that we're always here for you guys. Reach out.   Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. always here. Our social medias. Dana, she does this incredible video, live video. I think it's live. I don't even know anymore. On Mondays, it used to be Fridays, it used to be Donuts with Dana. Now it's Motivational Monday or something to that effect. you guys, legitimately Dana is there, just like ready to answer questions. She takes ideas. So if there's things you guys are working on or...   things you guys are trying to work through, send them in to us. Dana's always looking for more ideas on hot topics. We take them from things that we're talking to practices about and then what we're implementing so that you guys always have the best, most useful information, but we love suggestions. Same as topics for these suckers. We're always looking for suggestions for these and if you're not a part of our newsletter crew yet, you better go subscribe because we've got a ton of newsletters that come out as well. all the ways that you guys can reach out to us. If you're clients, guys, gosh, I don't, Dana, I don't even.   I don't even get suggestions from my clients on things they want to hear from us. And my clients, and I know yours do too, they listen to all of these suckers. So all of my clients out there, all Dana's clients out there, thank you for listening. But hey guys, we're here for the suggestions. We're just always thinking of everything. Dana, do you ever get suggestions?   Dana (01:54) No, no, ⁓ no, I get asked about what we're going to talk about today   The Dental A Team (01:58) Yeah, I was   like, as I'm sitting here like asking a whole slew of people for suggestions, I'm like, hey, I've got a handful of people out there that aren't even suggesting. So I need to be, I need to be more open about that. But today, I'm really excited to hear about this. Dana has been working her tail off with all of her practices. She works really, really hard. Dana, you are the grit to the fullest in so many ways and solution oriented.   For those of you who don't know, those are two of our seven core values. And honestly, you embody all of them. But today is really about grit, solution-oriented, passion for excellence, and results-focused. These are some of the key pieces of what I think you did really, really well, with these results that this client has exceeded. And I'm just excited to hear about them. I threw Dana for a loop today, reminding her that today is her   practice I wanted to hear about and that I'm gonna let her kind of take the floor for for a lot of today I have a lot of questions to ask and and kind of chime in but Dina I really just am so excited to hear about them, but Really, how are you doing? And how are how are your clients doing overall? Like how are you doing in the world of consulting? We're about halfway through the year now, which is well a little over I guess which is wild to me   It's crazy that 2025 is almost gone, but how are you doing over there and how are your clients doing?   Dana (03:24) I'm doing pretty good. Thanks for asking. feel like 2025 has been like a wild year, a little bit different for some practices, but I feel like they're all digging in. Everybody is willing to like do the things, work really hard, talk to their team, build in leadership. I'm super proud of my clients and their perseverance throughout this year and their ability to just kind of like pivot and push where is needed.   And I think a lot of that is getting clients to look a little bit more at their numbers, to look a little bit more at what they tell them. I think it's really made a huge difference for a lot of practices this year. And so I'm just, yeah, always super proud of my clients. They're just really blessed to be able to be a part of their lives, a part of their practice and their journeys.   The Dental A Team (04:06) Yeah, I agree. think coming off of December of 2024 was a wild ride for a lot of practices, November and December rolling into January. And I feel like it's just been this kind of like ebbs and flows, ups and downs, the whole, you know, almost seven months now for a lot of practices. But I know on our, on our doctor only mastermind for our clients, our internal, you know, clients are non-shared when   Last night, there were just so many questions around that as well. And I remember somebody asked like, it normal to have had bad months? And is everybody experiencing last month, bad months or last couple? And I remember a couple of the consultants were like, well, actually, like, haven't really seen that the last couple of months. But when I sat back and I thought about it, I'm like, it has ebbed and flow, you know, flowed quite a bit for practices in general. But I think what we're starting to see is that I'll use the word again, the grit.   that a lot of our clients really persevered through January through March. They started reaping those benefits April to current. And so when the question was asked, was a newer client of ours who had asked like, this, are you guys seeing this across the country? really, most of us consultants were like, no, actually not really. We're seeing some of the highest months we've ever seen in our clients. But I think that had something to do with it was really that they had the accountability.   of their systems and of their numbers. Like you said, we really dug in deep and forced our clients to really truly learn their numbers better than we ever have this year. And really always looking back at them and always applying the information to the next steps. And I think it made a massive difference within our client base because I think overall we've seen a massive increase from end of year last year to mid year so far this year.   Dana (05:56) Yeah, yeah, I agree. And I feel like even clients who maybe they escaped the like November, December, January, then they had like the February, March, right. And but I do feel like April, it's like everybody kind of really dug in and kind of climbed out of that little bit of that.   The Dental A Team (06:05) Totally.   Dana (06:14) dip that we had there for the beginning of the year or the end of last year. And so yeah, I am just really, it was interesting to hear on the doctor mastermind and just that like clients really did dig in and they've had so much grit because there was a little bit of a rocky end of start of 2024, 25.   The Dental A Team (06:30) Yeah,   yeah, I totally agree. I totally agree. ⁓ I love it. And I have so much fun on those meetings and hearing all the doctors and I think we had Moola on recently and we get to have, you know, just so many really cool things for them. So it was just awesome. That was something though that kind of reminded me of what you're going to talk about today with your client. And I wanted you guys to...   not just here, like we're not just here to brag, like, of course, I want to brag on our clients and how great they're doing and what they're able to accomplish with the tools that they're given, but also to talk about the tools that they're given. So Dana, like really take us through, I want to hear how this practice is doing. What are their accomplishments? What are their, you know, increases in revenue and everything? then on the flip side of that, really, what did they dig in and implement really well this year that has gotten   gotten them there these these changes and actually might not even be just this year like you've been working with this specific client for a little bit now so let me all the things I want to hear about it I'm excited   Dana (07:30) Yeah.   Yeah, this plan   is really near and dear to my heart because they were one of my very first solo clients. And so it's just been fun over the years to really see them dig in grit like no other. I know on their end, it hasn't always been easy. We've had to some tough conversations. We've had to look at some tough numbers. We've had to set some really tight budgets that maybe they didn't love, but they did it and have just been massively successful ⁓ because of it.   ⁓ And so I am just really, really proud of them. They've brought in a ton of leadership, a lot of team accountability. so, you know, starting out as just kind of a baby practice really with not a ton of systems. ⁓ So first year we spent heavy, heavy building systems, really getting them to talk as a team, to work as a team, to be accountable to each other. You know, so things like morning huddles and actually setting goals that they actually talked about and starting to look at numbers. And I remember   know that first conversation of like, I can't really talk about numbers, right? That's just profit. They look at that as like take home and like, now to the point of where like, not necessarily obsess over numbers, but a little bit right there, the tracking tons of things and even department metrics and the team is really involved in setting goals and setting quarterly focuses and she's, you know, brought in an office manager and just grown even the leadership in the practice we're talking about here soon.   ⁓ building more of a leadership team. And so it's just really, really cool to see someone come in and evolve from systems to just like massive growth ⁓ and a lot of change. And so, yeah, we focus on systems very heavily. Then we started to focus on leadership. Then we started to focus on growth. So we've got, you know, went from a part-time associate to now a full-time associate to now like ⁓ a buying of a space.   The Dental A Team (09:13) Yeah.   Dana (09:31) And   a build out. it's just been really, really fun to see that when we focus in on the things that are really important, that like the push and the magic that happens from it. ⁓ And so this has just been a practice. It's just been so fun to be a part of. ⁓ And we've had to do a lot of, because of the amount of growth that they came in wanting, right? We always talk about vision with clients and like, do you want to be three years and where do you want to be five years from   The Dental A Team (09:33) Mm-hmm.   Dana (10:01) now so like hearing that hey I want to be an owner of a building and I want to pretty much double the size of my practice in that time frame and and I also want to do a little bit less dentistry that takes a lot of   intentional movement, a lot of projections, a lot of even, you know, I know we've even talked about where you want to go knowing when you have to hire people and when you have to bring people on and when is the right time to add an associate. And then on the flip side of that, like, how do we keep expenses in line so that we can make this dream happen? How do we keep expenses so that we've got the profit to be able to expand and to be able to purchase a property? And sometimes those conversations are uncomfortable, right? Because like we   want all the this is this is a doctor who really appreciates team whose love language a little bit is like giving and showing appreciation and you know having to like home that in and be like hey I want you to celebrate your team when they go above and beyond and they crush these milestones we can't do that just for doing jobs though because again remember this vision right we want this we want this building we want this expanded team we want to be able to like be a part of more people's lives in the community so it's just been so fun   but I will say the biggest thing that like having to push on my end especially is just the intentionality that like the things that we put into place are to truly get them to where they ultimately want to be and and I feel like sometimes that's why we're brought in is because like they know what the vision is they know where they want to be but like they have no idea the path   The Dental A Team (11:25) Yeah.   Dana (11:43) to get them there. And so this has just been like a uniquely fun ⁓ client to be a part of.   The Dental A Team (11:50) That's awesome. So it's been about, I want to say like two years, little two years ish, or is it three now? my gosh, I'm a year behind you guys, it's fine. Time evades me, so three years. So when this specific client came on, I'm just gonna summarize a little bit. So it sounds like this client came on and they had one and a half doctors including themselves. They probably had what, three hygiene?   Dana (11:57) It's three going on four.   At the time it was just her, single doctor. Just her, single doctor, two hygiene, you know, two assistants, one front office. Yeah.   The Dental A Team (12:17) Trust her. Single doctor.   Perfect.   So we have a very small team ⁓ from the outside looking in and a vision of owning their own building, ⁓ like literally the building. And what would you say their yearly production collections was? Probably right under a million.   Dana (12:39) At the time around,   I'd say between $7,5800.   The Dental A Team (12:43) Yeah, 7, 5800.   So you guys, you can imagine owning a building on that, right, that's a stretch that's going to take a little bit of time. then fast forward, you know, now three years going on board, we've got a full-time associate in place. And how many hygienists? Four hygienists. Two dentists would mean at least probably four assistants, if not five.   Dana (13:00) There's four.   The Dental A Team (13:08) Four assistants, so three, four front office, probably including an office manager. So we've more than doubled, right? Or right at doubled our entire team, which means also, right? That we've doubled cost. So I think, Dana, what you did really, really well is that you were able to take from the beginning this client's initial goals. She said, this is my dream. And you said,   How are we gonna get there? So what you've been able to do with her is really take the financial aspect of this client and say, okay, this is where we're at, but this is what we need. And so everyone listening, something that I really want you to understand is that when you have a goal in mind, right, I talk about vision boards a lot and I talk about vision boards because I think that they're really cool. If you don't know what a vision board is, dang it, you're too young, go Google it, it's fine.   If you're a millennial, you know what a vision board is, go get your magazines. But I always say like, we do these vision boards and we're like, you know, we're gonna put an airplane on there and a picture of Mickey Mouse and I'm gonna take my kid to Disneyland. And we just put it on there and we put it on the wall and eventually we forget about it and we stop doing it and we get to the end of the year and we're like, shoot, I never got to Disneyland, right? But what we could do is say, I'm gonna go to Disneyland.   And then we say, okay, well, what is it going to entail to get to Disneyland? Right? I live in Arizona. We're both in Arizona here. I can drive to Disneyland for sure. Right. So what's the gas going to be? ⁓ it's about seven hours for me. It's probably far more for Dana. So we're probably going to fly. I'm not, I'm not trying to make that drive, right? I can, but I'd rather fly. So what are the flights going to cost for how many people? What's a car when I get there? What's a hotel going to cost?   What does Disney access cost? Because that's a feat in itself, right? And then how are we going to eat, right? We got souvenirs. We've got food in Disney. We've got dinners, okay? So with that, can price it all out. And it's so much easier, I think, for us to visualize doing this in our personal lives, because it's like, well, why would you ever say, like, we're going to Disneyland on July 17, but you have no idea how much it's going to cost. Believe me, I've done it before.   You'll make it if you have credit card, Dana can talk to you about how to get out of credit card debt. ⁓ But you can do it, but it would be crazy, right? It's dumb. So you're going to project and you're going to say, this is how much money I need to have in my travel fund in order to get my family to Disneyland. These are the dates I need to have it by because I can't buy tickets the day before, right? Flights. You can't buy Disney tickets the day before anymore because you got to block the date out.   So you've got to have all of this projected with a buy-win date. So if you're trying to get to Disneyland, you're going to price point it all out, and then you're going to work backwards. You're going to say, when do I have to have all of these things done? By what date do I have to have how much money? Then you're going to set those mile markers. So with clients, this is the same thing that we do with your goals, and it's the same thing Dana did for this specific practice. This practice owner said, I want to own   the building, I want to have this size of a practice. want to, I know I've had multiple clients say, I want to make this much money. I know I had a client who was in similar size situation when they first started and the biggest goal was to make a million dollars. I said, great, well we're at 550 now, let's see. He's like, my five year goal is to make a million dollars. Well guess what, we did it in three. Because we.   we projected it. And so what you've been able to do with this client is really project out. think the most fun piece, and I've done this with clients too, so I know, tell me if you think there's more fun. I always felt like the most fun part of it was being able to see what, if we got to this level of financial growth. So if we got to this level of production and collections and this close to ⁓ practice ownership, like building ownership,   This is how many people you're gonna need to support that dollar amount. So when you look at production, you say, okay, well, how much can one doctor support in production? How many team members does it take to support that doctor, to support the production, and then ramp it from there? So then it doesn't become such a pie in the sky dream of a number, it becomes a reality. And then you can say, okay, well, just like I said, Disneyland, it's a buy win date.   Right? So by this date, we need to have an associate hired because we need at least 90 days onboarding with an associate before they're really going to be producing anything, really. So if we need that associate to stay on track, we need that associate producing $90,000 by December. We've got to have someone in place by June at the latest. Right? So we've got to start looking for an associate.   probably February to give ourselves a really good lead time. And Dana, I think that's something that you've done really well for all of your clients, but for specifically this one we're talking about today, I think you did really well at projecting out the team member aspect of it too, and the hiring process so that that doctor could be prepared for the size that they were gonna have, and then applying that there to the financials. So you broke down for them great.   This is what the team cost will likely look like. This is your BAM, your bare ACE minimum is how we like to say it. And this is what has to happen in order for all of this to work. And then Dana, you said they had grit, they did it. And now one of the things that I picked out from your statement that I think everyone should walk away with is that you said you guys together, number one together, you got them looking at their numbers. That is the first step. Personally,   Professionally, the first step in making anything work when it comes to finances is actually looking at them. So congratulations and kudos on that. Second thing that I picked up was that together you guys created budgets and they stuck to them. They actually did them. And it doesn't mean they had to eat top ramen or get off brand flowable. It was like, these are your budgets and we're going to stick into it. And the best part about a budget, Dana, in my opinion for dental practices is like,   No, you don't have to buy the cheap flowable. But if your production and collections aren't supporting what you're buying, that's the issue. So most of the time, your supply should reflect, right? Your order should reflect the supply need. Yeah. So tell me quickly just a little bit about that. Was there a spot where you were like, no, you gotta buy the ramen?   Dana (19:55) The kind of dentistry   The Dental A Team (20:08) No, you got to get back on budget. You've got to stick to this. How did you hold them accountable?   Dana (20:13) God.   They did really well I think of I will say you know they have a fantastic office manager who was on board and wanting to know more about that side and wanting to know more about the budgeting side and the expense side so I will say they did really great at setting their budgets every month looking at it and sticking to it I think the piece that maybe we struggled with a little bit that eventually they saw like wow it's super important to do that is to just look at the expenses month over month   ⁓ I think they were great about setting the budgets great about sticking to them It just took a little bit more time and know we've got to pull those P &Ls we've got to pull those expense reports every single month and we really have to look at it and Getting them really to narrow down I think the the key or like the green light that went on was getting them to come up with this is truly our fixed costs for every single month and so when it got to the point where When you look at it and it's outside of that we've got to dig in and we've got to figure out what's   happening or where money is going because it's outside of what the norm is. so digging in and getting that piece in place, I think really comfortable about talking about practice numbers. The other side of it was a little bit more uncomfortable. And that's okay. You know, but I think they saw the importance of also connecting those dots and being able to share with the office manager and share with the team some of that because that was a little bit more uncomfortable. And so just super proud that they were able to step outside.   of that comfort level because so much of the time doctors want to hold those numbers close to their vests and it's okay to hold part of those numbers close to you where the pieces that you really don't or are super uncomfortable sharing. Again, if we want team buy-in, if we want our office manager to be able to help with these things and to really stick to budgets, they've got to understand those numbers too.   The Dental A Team (22:03) Yeah, yeah, that was beautiful. I would say for any doctors who are out there listening today, whether this exact story replicates what your goal is, or if you are able to see semblances of it in your own story, like take some of that away. And if you've got a goal, I don't care what it is, we apply the same standards to every goal. personal and professional, like apply the same standards, make sure it's a smart goal. And   Project it out. So I always look and Dana, I think we all did. It's like we look at the end goal and then we literally just work backwards. So find your goal. If you're not comfortable with numbers, get comfortable with numbers. It's worth it. It's so worth it. If you need help getting comfortable with numbers, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. We are here for you. It's something we're working really hard with a lot of our teams on and I promise you, teams, even though they're not saying it, they're not like, hey, tell me our goals, they do better.   They want to know the goals. They need to know the goals. They need to know what they're working towards and for more than just an emotional space. The emotional space of we're here for patient care, fantastic. But how do I know black and white measurements that I have accomplished that? That is a very different feeling than just emotionally satisfying myself every day because that usually is going to go the negative. You're going to find everything wrong you've done. So soapbox.   So go learn your numbers you guys if you haven't I want you to listen to this again Listen to everything Dana is saying Dana. You did awesome this this practice you guys Numbers wise Dana just to give them an idea. We said that they were you know 750 or so when they started They have doubled in size including their doctor. Where are they projecting this year?   Dana (23:54) they should hit 2.4 this year.   The Dental A Team (23:56) 2.4 you guys that's massive 2.4 so within the last three years Dana has worked with this client and they have gone from just under a million to 2.4 by doubling in size so yes their employee costs went up yes there's a there's a cost for the owner doctor to have an associate so there is there is a period of time where you will make less and you will be pouring into your team build   but on the other side of it, has more than doubled ⁓ or this client has more than doubled and not only size but in income as well. So kudos Dana, kudos to your client, kudos to all of Dana's clients and our clients and I know you guys all work really, really hard. So go look at your numbers and if you take nothing away from today, please take away from Dana the idea of really getting comfortable at least talking to your office manager about this if you don't have an office manager.   Maybe it's your spouse, maybe it's your consultant, someone that you can really truly get honest with about it. So Dana, congratulations. Thank you so much for taking today on and telling me about your client. You're an amazing consultant and we're so happy to continue having you here with Dental A Team.   Dana (25:11) Thanks, Tiff. Thanks for having me.   The Dental A Team (25:13) Of course. All right, everybody. ⁓ Go listen again. Dana, you did incredible. Go take all her tidbits. Drop us a five star review. You'll be letting Dana know that she did awesome. But also, I would love to hear what you guys took away from today as well. So drop us a five star review. We're excited to hear from you. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com as always, and go catch Dana on Instagram on Mondays. And we'll catch you next time.

Jesus Followers Can Personally Talk to God, the Universe's Creator, About Issues Like His Will for You; but Do You? MESSAGE SUMMARY: As a Jesus Follower, you have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe; and you can talk to God like you talk to your father. Remember God loves you. Imagine climbing up into His lap and imagine Him wrapping His arms around you – He is God your loving father. As God tells you in 2 Samuel 7:14-15: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.". You need to start talking to Him as the best dad there could ever be. Talk to God, regularly, about your life; your concerns; and your needs. You need to ask Him for His counsel, and you need to ask Him questions regarding His will for your life.     TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, may the pains I experience in life kill the things that need to die in me — arrogance, pride, and indifference to others. Help me, daily, to see my frailty and how dependent I am on you, the Master of the Universe. In Jesus' name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 72). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will proclaim Him. (Philippians 1:15f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 1:7; Matthew 6:7-15; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Psalms 12:1-8. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Prayer for America”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.Psalm 92,“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.5 How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!6 The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this:7 that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish,they are doomed to destruction forever;8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,15 to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Father, I want to thank you again for this moment, and for your Word. We ask that you would show us the glory of Jesus in the Scriptures, and that you would help us to live in light of his realness. Do that, we ask, in Jesus's name, amen.“If I had only known then what I know now!” — that's a statement you've probably heard before (maybe it's one you've said yourself) — it's what we could call the clarity of hindsight.Standing where we are in the present and looking back, we see more from here than we saw then, and it's a kind of wishful thought-experiment to imagine ourselves then knowing what we know now:Think about Middle School (I've been reading a book about how weird Middle School is for kids — it's tough) — just imagine, parents, if you could go back to Middle School with the wisdom and chill you have now.Or here's one: what kind of stock would you have bought in 1997 when a company called Amazon went public at $18 a share?This is the clarity of hindsight — and if we could've had the clarity back then we have now, we would've done some things differently.And this way of thinking helps us make sense of Psalm 92. Now let me explain why. This is gonna take a minute, but bear with me …The Heavenly PerspectiveNotice in the superscript — those little words above verse 1 — Psalm 92 is called,“A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.” Now this is a little funny, right, because isn't this true of every psalm? Every psalm is a psalm, and all of them were used for worship on the Sabbath, so how is Psalm 92 special? What is this superscript saying? Well, what's unique about Psalm 92 is that the Sabbath referred to here is not talking about the weekly Sabbath, but this is about the final Sabbath that's realized in the end-time new-creation. I think Sabbath here is referring to heaven.Think back a couple years ago to the Book of Hebrews — remember that the writer of Hebrews (commenting on Psalm 95, just a few psalms over), he says “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” He says there's another Sabbath day yet to come, a final Sabbath — and that's what's in view here in Psalm 92.Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath of our future, heavenly rest! Which means this — if you use your imagination — Psalm 92 is a song that we're gonna sing in heaven looking back on our lives in this world.Psalm 92 is us saying in heaven one day “If I had only known then what I know now!” — except that it's given to us now! We get to read this today! We have a true heavenly perspective right in front of us, and it shows us at least two big things we need to know.So for the sermon this morning, I wanna tell you two big truths that we'll know with certainty in heaven, but that Psalm 92 is letting us in on today. The first is this:1. We sing with our Savior. Now I already told you that we're gonna sing this song, but now I want to be extra clear that we're gonna sing this song not with Jesus over here on the side somewhere, but we can only sing this song in union with him.And to make that case, first I want you to know that this psalm is about him. Mainly About JesusSomething that you've heard us say over and over again about the Psalms is that the Book of Psalms is mainly about the Messiah. The individual psalms were composed at different times (almost half of them by David), but the Book of Psalms as a whole was compiled for the people of God in exile. And it's that final form book we have. So we shouldn't isolate the individual psalms and focus only on the historical context of their composition, but instead we read the psalms as a single book that has been compiled and arranged in a particular way. And the driving concern of this book as a whole is that God has a future for the house of David! The house of David is the hope of God's people because it's through David's lineage that the Messiah would come. So the Psalms really are pointing to him. They're pointing to Jesus. That's why the Psalms are the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament — and this is the book that Jesus himself most quoted!Which is an amazing thought … we know for a fact that Jesus read the Book of Psalms. The same book that we're reading here, Psalm 92 we're looking at this morning — Jesus read it and prayed it and sang it, and he knew it was about him. Last week, we saw in Psalm 91 that Jesus knew all of the promises of Psalm 91 were to him as God's anointed one, and the same is true of Psalm 92. Psalm 92 is the celebration of the victory he experienced in Psalm 91 — which means we don't read this psalm and draw a straight line from these words to us, but instead we read Psalm 92 and first imagine Jesus reading it. In the Voice of JesusI want us to try this. Try to hear the praise and celebration of Psalm 92 in the voice of Jesus …He starts in verse 1 by saying it's good to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing his praises, to declare his steadfast love and faithfulness all day long. It's good to do that! Why? Why is it good to praise God?It's because, verse 4:“For you, O Yahweh, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”This is straightforward: It's good to praise God because we're glad in his work — what he's done! Jesus says, verse 5,“How great are your works, O Yahweh!”But what works is he talking about? God does a lot of works — there's creation and providence and salvation (and a trillion details) — what works does he have in mind here?Well verses 10–11 tell us. Psalm 92, verse 10:“But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.”This is describing triumph — victory. And that's the work of God he's talking about in verses 4–5. And notice: this is God's work specified in the experience of a single person. This is first-person singular — it's “my horn,” “me,” “my enemies.” Check out that phrase to “exalt the horn” — and the idea of a “horn” is power — so to exalt the horn is to establish this power as supreme … which happens through victory. He's saying, I'm the top dog! I'm the Alpha-ox! Because all of my rivals have been subdued!This singer in Psalm 92 is saying this about himself … the singer is Jesus. And of course Jesus would say this about himself because it's true. And this metaphor of an exalted horn is used for the Messiah in other places in the Old Testament. Take 1 Samuel Chapter 2. Like Hannah Says1 Samuel 2 is Hannah's prayer. She's rejoicing in God and what he's gonna do for his people, she ends the prayer with this, 1 Samuel 2:10, “The adversaries of Yahweh shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”You hear that? Victory over adversaries and exalted horn. It's the same thing we see in Psalm 92, verse 10 — but in 1 Samuel 2 it's clear that it's about the Messiah. Hannah says this is for “God's anointed.”Now do we see anything about being anointed in Psalm 92? Yeah, look at the very next line in verse 10! Verse 10 again:“You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox [and look at this! —] you have poured over me fresh oil.”That is anointing!So you have here: (1) Exalted horn; (2) victory over enemies; (3) anointed one.Psalm 92 is about Jesus. Jesus is the one saying this. He's singing this song in the victory that God has given him.Can We Sing It, Too?And now we're reading it and we want to sing it too! We wanna sing this song, but it's not about us. How does this work? How can we sing this song about Jesus and claim it for ourselves?Here's how: It's because all the blessings of Jesus are shared with those who belong to Jesus. And this is something that you might know, or maybe you've heard it before, but honestly, if we could really grasp this, it'd change everything for us. Seriously. I mean it. Personally, I wanna get this more. That in union with Jesus, we get Jesus and all his benefits. This was one of the great recoveries of the Protestant Reformation, that by our faith in Jesus all that belongs to Jesus get applied to us: His righteousness becomes our record. His Sonship becomes our status. His peace becomes our anchor. His Spirit becomes our strength. His resurrection becomes our new life. His intercession becomes our confidence. His inheritance becomes our future.All that is his becomes ours. Every possible good thing from God in our lives comes through Jesus. We exist now only in him. So we're actually seated with him in heavenly places! We're hidden in him. Our eternal destiny is as secure as his throne. That's all true, right now …And this is glorious — it means that your worst days, your most painful moments, will not endure. They will not last. Now they might be part of your story, but they are never ‘your story' — and the only way they could be would be if Jesus ceases to be who he is. See, our hope is as alive and indestructible as Jesus is himself. Jesus shares his Psalm 92-triumph with us! His victory is our victory! So we don't sing this song apart from him, but we sing it with him, through him, united to him.By our union with him, because Jesus is blessed, we are blessed. That's what it means to be a Christian!And I just want to pause here for a minute and say: I cannot imagine a more compelling reason to be a Christian than this.If you're here and you don't believe — if you've never put your faith in Jesus — this is why you should: You get Jesus and all his benefits. He will share with you everything that is his. What will it cost you? It'll cost you your whole life, in one sense — it will cost you your life as you know it. You have to turn away from your sin. But this song becomes your song! You receive the victory of God. And one day, when we look back here, we'll know: Psalm 92 is about Jesus, and we get to sing it with our Savior!Second truth here. One day we'll know for sure …2. We age with glory.This is verse 12.In verse 12, Jesus, the singer, goes from thinking about his own experience of salvation to thinking about the reality of the righteous. The “they” in verses 13–14 is plural. Now I'm gonna read the last part again, but before I do I want to remind you of Psalm 1. There's an allusion here and I want us to catch it. Remember the very first psalm opens with a vision of the blessed man — Psalm 1, verse 3:“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”And we, as the readers of the Psalms — as those who have faith — we're often called “the righteous” in the Psalms and we're supposed to be like this blessed man. He's the paragon of faithfulness.Now listen to Psalm 92, starting in verse 12:“The righteous flourish like the palm treeand grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 They are planted in the house of Yahweh;they flourish in the courts of our God.14 They still bear fruit in old age;they are ever full of sap and green,15 to declare that Yahweh is upright;he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”Now here Jesus is taking about us. We have become like that blessed man — and Jesus is singing about it.And that's not a strange idea, that Jesus would sing about us, because in Zephaniah 3:17, we read that God rejoices over us with gladness and exults over us with loud singing. And so if we ever needed an idea of what that singing might be, here's one. Imagine this: Jesus is singing about you, and do you want to know what he's saying?The Older, the BetterHe's saying that you're like a tree. We're trees! We are flourishing palm trees, rooted and nourished by the presence of God. And here's what that means: the older, the better. The older, the better — now that takes a different perspective, doesn't it? That takes a heavenly perspective.Because nothing around us in this world is saying that. So many in our society despise aging and they do all they can to stop it (or to at least disguise it!) I read last week that in America, we spend around $30 billion every year on anti-aging products and services. We pretty much do everything you can imagine when it comes to aging, except honor it!But Psalm 92 says something radical: aging when you're a Christian is not decline, but flourishing. The older we get in Jesus, the more fruitful we become. Not less valuable — but more. Not less alive — but more alive because “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:17)Do you see? Aging is a glory for those united to Jesus. The song of Psalm 92 is sung loudest by those who've walked with God the longest. And we're gonna know that with certainty one day, but wouldn't it be amazing if we really knew that now?!The stupid man cannot know this! The fool cannot understand this! Because they're fixated on the ephemeral. They only see the here and now. Our perspective, though, is different! And that's the point. The clarity of hindsight is a gift Psalm 92 gives us today.“If I only knew then what I know now” — we don't have to wait to know. What if we lived today in light of heaven? What if we built our lives in this world as if we're looking back on our lives from heaven?That's the invitation this morning. That's what we get to do! And one thing that means, for sure, is that we're gonna praise God. We can't praise him enough! Our whole lives are just Praise! Praise! Praise!“It is good to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night!”And that's what we do now as we come to this Table. The TableWe come to this table to remember the death of Jesus for us, and to rejoice with him in his victory. The one who sings Psalm 92 is the one who triumphed at the cross and empty tomb, and he invites us to share in that triumph.

2 Corinthians 12:1-13 Christ's Power Made Perfect in Weakness Please turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. That is on page 1152 of your pew Bibles. We are on the home stretch in our 2 Corinthians study. We'll be wrapping up our series over the next 4 weeks. This morning, we'll cover chapter 12 verses 1-13. It has one of the most well-known verses in the book. And it's a great one. The Lord said to Paul “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” What a tremendous promise. As I read, listen for the context of that promise. Also listen for the unique experiences and gifts given to the apostles. Reading of 2 Corinthians 12:1-13. Prayer “To live is to suffer.” That well-known quote has been attributed to a couple of people in history. Again, “To live is to suffer.” Whoever said it has captured one of the common experiences of all mankind. To be sure, it doesn't capture all the things we share, but it does capture the fact that we live in a fallen world. And part of that fallenness, which we all experience, is suffering. We each endure pain and suffering. Some to a greater extent and others to a lesser one. Some of our suffering is physical, other suffering is emotional. Some of it has been inflicted upon us by others. Some of our suffering is due to the imperfections of our minds and bodies. To use the words of Romans 8, the whole creation has been groaning… and we groan inwardly. You may struggle with chronic illness or live with the results of an accident. Or endure the effects of a disease that you had, or perhaps you were born with a condition of some kind that affects you every day. Maybe you have or have had cancer, or endure debilitating headaches, or struggle with vertigo, or seizures or mental illness. Or maybe the burden you carry is the suffering that a loved one is enduring. All of it is hard. All of it weighs on us. We lose sleep. We shed tears of heartache. Like Paul, we plead for the Lord to relieve our pain and suffering. We cry out for help. We long to be comforted and we long to be whole. Out of all the verses in the entire Bible, I think 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 brings the greatest comfort and hope to our souls. It directs us to the source of our comfort and it reveals from where we can draw strength in weakness. And that is, in Christ. I hope and pray that you will leave here today with a renewed strength in God as you endure suffering and sickness. But before we get to those precious verses, verses 7-10, let's first figure out what this third heaven is and who experienced it, and then ponder Paul's thorn in the flesh. I think understanding those things will in fact increase your comfort from this Word. By the way, I did get an outline in the bulletin this week. It's there on page 4. We're first going to look at Paul's calling as an Apostle (you know, capital A, Apostle), including the things unique to his role, as well as the things we share with him. And then second, we'll apply God's grace in Christ in our own weaknesses. 1. Paul's unique calling and our shared struggle So, #1, Paul's unique calling and our shared struggle. Remember, the whole reason that Paul has entered into the foolishness of boasting is because of the so-called super-apostles. They're mentioned here, again. They had elevated themselves. They taught a false Gospel. And they undermined Paul and his teaching. All of it threatened the stability and future of the church in Corinth. Therefore, Paul needed to demonstrate his trustworthiness and the truth of the Gospel he proclaimed. So, Paul had to boast, but it pained him. It pained him because he knew that any and all of the ministry that has happened through him was not because of himself. No, it was all attributable to God. Paul had a special calling as an Apostle, but he knew he was unworthy of that role, yet God had called him to it. So, he's been boasting over these last 2 chapters only to counter the super apostles. And now, in chapter 12 verse 1, he continues to boast and says, “I will go on to visions and revelations.” And then look at verse 2. He begins, “I know a man” and then describes the revelations that this guy experienced. Who is that guy? Well, it's Paul himself. He basically says so in verse 7. “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations [you know, the thing he just described], a thorn was given me in the flesh” This is like saying today, “Asking for a friend.” Like “is it ok to wear the same pair of socks two days in a row? asking for a friend.” You say “asking for a friend” because you really don't want to admit you are the one asking. But everyone knows, it's really you. Paul referred to himself in the third person because he just can't bring himself to boast about the amazing revelations he's seen. This man, AKA, Paul, has been caught up into “third heaven.” What in the world is the third heaven?  Well, at that time, there was a well-known way to describe the different levels of the heavens. The first heaven was the realm of the clouds and the blue sky; if you will, our atmosphere. The second heaven was the realm of the sun, moon, and stars, what we call outer space. And the third heaven was the spiritual realm, what we just call heaven – in the presence of the Lord. Paul describes it in verse 3 as “paradise.” So, Paul, as an apostle had been given a revelation of heaven. It was so real to him, he didn't even know if he was in the body or out of the body. Had God physically taken him to heaven to see its wonders, or had God only brought his spirit to see and hear? Paul didn't know. But he did know… it was unspeakably amazing. Now, in the book of Revelation, we are given a glimpse into this kind of revelation. The apostle John was taken up into heaven and Jesus revealed to him many things. John was told to write down what he saw and heard. Paul, on the other hand was told not to. In some way, it was to assure him of the truth and of God's promises. I mean, think of all the suffering that Paul had to endure as an apostle. Think of all those things that we considered in chapter 11. The beatings, the shipwrecks, the dangers. Would not the visions revealed to Paul give him confidence in God. Would they not inspire and motivate him to persevere as an Apostle despite the suffering that he would endure? Of course they would. They would do all those things. But he couldn't boast about the revelations as himself. He could only boast about them in his God ordained role as a true apostle. Now, jump down to verse 12. It's very similar in this regard. He writes, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.” Same thing. In verse 12 Paul can't even name himself as the one who performed the signs. So, he uses a passive voice. But the Corinthians were there. They knew full well that it was Paul that performed the signs and wonders… which, by the way, were likely healings and miracles. Besides Paul, other apostles performed them. We have record of several in the book of Acts. Consider this. Out of all the arguments about Paul's true apostleship, these are the strongest - visions and revelations and signs and wonders. Yet in all of it, Paul minimized himself and exalted God. Now, we don't share in those special things. We're not apostles…  Those things were given to the apostles. But there is something we do share with them. We share in their weaknesses. All throughout 2 Corinthians, we've studied the emphasis on suffering. To be sure, Paul has demonstrated his unique roll as a suffering servant for Christ. But he's also expanded God's teaching to includes all believers. Chapter 1: remember, we share in the suffering of Christ and in his comfort. Chapter 4: we have the unbreakable treasure of the Gospel in our breakable jars of clay bodies. Chapter 5: we groan in the tent that is our earthly body, and we long to put on our heavenly body. And now in chapter 12. Christ's power is made perfect in weakness. And furthermore, just like Paul, we each have thorns in our flesh. We share those things. OK, you are probably wondering: what was Paul's thorn? As you can imagine, there have been dozens of proposals through the centuries. Some have suggested Paul's thorn was a physical ailment such as migraines, or a speech impediment, or an eye condition, or some kind of disfigurement. That's possible. Others have suggested it was more opposition to his work. That view sees the messenger of Satan as an individual or group opposed to Paul. They were  “thorns in his flesh” so to speak. That's also possible. Personally, I think it was more likely a physical condition given that he calls it a thorn in his “flesh.” But in the end, it doesn't matter. The Holy Spirit saw fit in his wisdom to not identify the thorn. We don't need to know. And in many ways, it is helpful for us not to know. In fact, look at verse 10. Notice that the types of suffering listed are broad.  “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.” Those are basically all the kinds of suffering that we experience. All of it is a result of living in a fallen world. Our thorns in the flesh could be many things. Let me share one of my “thorns in the flesh.” 18 years ago, I was teaching a class. It was an intensive 5-day class in my field of work at the time. In the middle of the class on I think the second or third day, I lost my ability to say certain words. I would be in the middle of a sentence, and I couldn't say the next word. I had never experienced that before. It was a kind of stuttering. There were certain consonants that just wouldn't come out. I would get locked up. I had a hard time speaking. It was overwhelming. I was afraid and I didn't know what to do at first. At the time, I was only maybe 10 seminary classes away from finishing my degree. A career change was on my mind in the future. And I thought, if I can't talk clearly, I can't teach the Bible or preach. I prayed for healing and for the Lord to give me strength. Amy, of course, was a big encouragement. I was able to get some help. There are ceratin strategies to navigate those moments. It's mostly gone, but occasionally it comes back. Even today, I have to pause or take a breath before I can say certain words. And you probably don't notice it. Honestly, I don't remember if 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 came to mind in those difficult days. But certainly, its truths have become real to me. It was humbling, like Paul experienced with his thorn in the flesh. And it's been a constant reminder to rely on the Lord and his strength and his grace in my weakness. I know many of you have a different thorn, but we share the same strength and grace. Strength in Christ and grace in him. 2. God's grace in Christ and his power in our weakness Which brings us to main point number 2. God's grace in Christ and his power in our weakness. We'll spend the rest of our time applying these truths to our suffering and weakness. The first thing to note is that there are two causes here. Besides the thorn being in God's sovereign plan, Satan was also present to tempt Paul. Maybe the apostle Paul has Job in mind. We read from Job chapter 2 earlier. God allowed Satan to afflict Job. Satan thought that Job would curse God, but Job stood firm through that temptation. So did the apostle. I think every single one of us understands the temptation of weakness. God, where are you? Why have you not brought healing or restoration? Have you forgotten me? Have I done something to deserve this? Those are the questions we struggles through. And let me say, if there's nothing else you remember from 2 Corinthians, remember that God ministers to us in our suffering. He understands our suffering, he is with us in it, and he uses it for his purposes. One big thing that 2 Corinthians has taught us is to reorient our theology of suffering. We've learned that God uses suffering in our life for his purposes. And, throughout the book, we've been given hope and strength to endure. But what are those purposes? Well, to name a few… In chapter 1, we learned that affliction helps us to rely on God more. That's certainly true. Suffering should drive us to Christ. God also uses our affliction so that we can minister to others who similarly suffer. Remember, we are able to comfort others with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God. In Chapter 4, God directed our attention in suffering to the eternal weight of glory. Our suffering points us to heaven and the amazing glory that we will experience. And here in chapter 12, God used Paul's thorn in two ways. (1) to keep him from being conceited -to humble him. Suffering certainly does that. And (2), to remind Paul of God's grace as he endured his suffering. Suffering helps us to lay hold of God's grace. That really encapsulates the first subpoint in point #2 - Knowing God's purposes in our weakness (12:7-8) God is at work in your suffering. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God is conforming you more and more to the image of his Son. It's true. Through suffering, God may be releasing your reliance on the world or the world's things. That's possible. He may be getting hold of your attention. Or maybe it's all of those things or something all together different. Whatever it is, know this: God is at work accomplishing his purposes in your suffering. Number 2, the second subpoint. If you are a believer in Christ, you have God's grace. You have God's undeserved mercy in Christ. And that grace, as verse 9 reminds us, IS sufficient for you in your weakness. It is sufficient because the power of Christ has come through weakness. Jesus suffered in this life. He endured the trials and pain and torture unto death. It was through those things, through that affliction and weakness, that God has brought salvation to the world. Isn't it amazing to consider how the weakness and suffering of our savior ultimately demonstrated his power? That is the power that verse 9 is talking about. In the cross of Christ is the power to save, and the power to sanctify, and the power to overcome sin and Satan. It is that power, the power of Christ which rests upon us, as verse 9 puts it. So, beloved in Christ, in your weaknesses and trials and suffering, remind yourself of that grace which he gives. It is eternally sufficient to sustain you. That brings us to the third sub-point listed there. Contentment. Paul says in verse 10, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.” None of us, by nature, are content with any of those things. We could go through that list and talk about how in each of those things we can become resentful. For example, take that last one – calamities. This last week has been so very hard with the flooding in Texas. Our hearts ache for the families who have lost loved ones, especially those little girls. Yes, we should be crying out to God, but our hearts should at the same time not become resentful. We can grieve and ask God why, but we can do that with a humble contentment in God's promises and what he is doing through that disaster. By the way, that word contentment, in the Greek, means to take pleasure in the implications of something. We can be content because we know that God's purposes are being fulfilled in those things. As Romans 8:28 says, we know that all things work together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes. It doesn't say all things are good. It says, all things work together for the good of those who love him. The difficult providence of suffering is not what we would choose for ourselves or others, but God uses it. He uses it to accomplish his purposes as he has in Paul. The question is whether we will allow our suffering to drive us away from Christ and cause us to become resentful or whether we will allow our suffering to drive us to Christ and be content in him through it. The last subpoint, #4. Embracing his strength in our weakness. Really the second half of verse 10 summarizes it all. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This is totally contrary to our sensibilities. Strength, according to the world, is being firm and leading with confidence. It's being self-reliant and influencing others through our position. Strength in the world is about achievements and successes. In other words, it's all the things that the super-apostles were about. But none of those things will help you in the trials and tribulations of life. Rather, strength comes through weakness. That's the paradox of the Gospel. We are strong through weakness when we humble ourselves and rely on Christ alone by faith. We are strong when we submit to him no matter the suffering we face. It doesn't mean we can't lament. Many of the Psalms are Psalms of lament. We are strong when we allow God to mold and shape us in our suffering. All that strength in weakness comes through Jesus Christ. Though he possessed the full glory of God as God, yet he set aside that glory and became weak. He took on the weakness of human flesh. He endured the sufferings and afflictions of this life. He bore our sin on the cross. But he was raised in power and exalted on high. You see, his grace IS sufficient because his power IS made perfect in weakness. And because he shares in our weakness, we share in his strength. That strength will sustain you through all the suffering in this life. The devil may tempt you. Your fear and pain may at times may be overwhelming, but in those moments, renew your faith in Christ. Look to him knowing that his purposes are being fulfilled in you, and know that nothing will separate you from him. Back to Romans 8 one more time. “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” May we grasp on to that great truth through whatever weakness and suffering we endure. Amen.

In this episode I am taking us on a journey to seek truth amidst a sea of fake news with a person who has published a book on the topic. Hopefully we can get a lifeline to find out how to separate the wheat from the crap. Infodemiologist, Dr. Pauline W. Hoffmann is an associate professor in the Jandoli School of Communication and a New York State senior public health fellow with the Cattaraugus County Health Department working on strategic and communication planning and implementation. She has a BSc in Biology and an MA and PhD in communication. She is an entrepreneur with two LLCs to her name – Wild Mountain Organics and Data Doyenne. She has a LinkedIn newsletter titled WTF? (What the Facts?) which delves into all things infodemic. She most recently published her first book - Fake News, Witch Hunts & Conspiracy Theories: An Infodemiologist's Guide to the Truth. Her research and teaching focus on infodemics, conflict management, conflict resolution, and corporate and health communication and strategy. Prior to going into academia, Dr. Hoffmann worked in creative services for Catholic Health. She also served as the deans of the Jandoli School of Communication and graduate studies. She was a Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellow having written a policy blog on disinformation related to lead poisoning as it impacts public health. Personally, Dr. Hoffmann lives on a farm in the Southern Tier of New York with two dogs, six chickens, a duck and one hive of bees. She is a master scuba diver and regularly dives with sharks. Find me on Youtube and Instagram!

The Constitution Study with Host Paul Engel – The only thing more heartbreaking than the news coming out of the Texas flood is the disgusting politicians dancing on the devastated lives of the survivors for their own political gain. Personally, I think I'd rather have a tick than associate with such twisted and disgusting examples of the worst of humanity. We often make fun of...

The Constitution Study with Host Paul Engel – The only thing more heartbreaking than the news coming out of the Texas flood is the disgusting politicians dancing on the devastated lives of the survivors for their own political gain. Personally, I think I'd rather have a tick than associate with such twisted and disgusting examples of the worst of humanity. We often make fun of...

Welcome or welcome back to Authentically ADHD, the podcast where we embrace the chaos and magic of the ADHD brain. Im carmen and today we're diving into a topic that's as complex as my filing system (which is to say, very): ADHD and its common co-occurring mood and learning disorders. Fasten your seatbelts (and if you're like me, try not to get distracted by the shiny window view) – we're talking anxiety, depression, OCD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and bipolar disorder, all hanging out with ADHD.Why cover this? Because ADHD rarely rides solo. In fact, research compiled by Dr. Russell Barkley finds that over 80% of children and adults with ADHD have at least one other psychiatric disorder, and more than half have two or more coexisting conditions. Two-thirds of folks with ADHD have at least one coexisting condition, and often the classic ADHD symptoms (you know, fidgeting, daydreaming, “Did I leave the stove on?” moments) can overshadow those other disorders. It's like ADHD is the friend who talks so loud at the party that you don't notice the quieter buddies (like anxiety or dyslexia) tagging along in the background.But we're going to notice them today. With a blend of humor, sass, and solid neuroscience (yes, we can be funny and scientific – ask me how I know!), we'll explore how each of these conditions shows up alongside ADHD. We'll talk about how they can be misdiagnosed or missed entirely, and—most importantly—we'll dish out strategies to tell them apart and tackle both. Knowledge is power and self-awareness is the key, especially when it comes to untangling ADHD's web of quirks and comrades in chaos. So, let's get into it!ADHD and Anxiety: Double Trouble in OverdriveLet's start with anxiety, ADHD's frequent (and frantic) companion. Ever had your brain ping-pong between “I can't focus on this work” and “I'm so worried I'll mess it up”? That's ADHD and anxiety playing tango in your head. It's a double whammy: ADHD makes it hard to concentrate, and anxiety cranks up the worry about consequences. As one study notes, about 2 in 5 children with ADHD have significant problems with anxiety, and over half of adults with ADHD do as well. In other words, if you have ADHD and feel like a nervous wreck half the time, you're not alone – you're in very good (and jittery) company.ADHD and anxiety can look a lot alike on the surface. Both can make you restless, unfocused, and irritable. I mean, is it ADHD distractibility or am I just too busy worrying about everything to pay attention? (Hint: it can be both.) Especially for women, ADHD is often overlooked and mislabeled as anxiety. Picture a girl who can't concentrate in class: if she's constantly daydreaming and fidgety, one teacher calls it ADHD. Another sees a quiet, overwhelmed student and calls it anxiety. Same behavior, different labels. Women in particular have had their ADHD misdiagnosed as anxiety or mood issues for years, partly because anxious females tend to internalize symptoms (less hyperactive, more “worrier”), and that masks the ADHD beneath.So how do we tell ADHD and anxiety apart? One clue is where the distraction comes from. ADHD is like having 100 TV channels in your brain and someone else is holding the remote – your attention just flips on its own. Anxiety, on the other hand, is like one channel stuck on a horror movie; you can't focus on other things because a worry (or ten) is running on repeat. An adult with ADHD might forget a work deadline because, well, ADHD. An adult with anxiety might miss the deadline because they were paralyzed worrying about being perfect. Both end up missing the deadline (relatable – ask me how I know), but for different reasons.Neuroscience is starting to unravel this knot. There's evidence of a genetic link between ADHD and anxiety – the two often run in the family together. In brain studies, both conditions involve irregularities in the prefrontal cortex (the brain's command center for focus and planning) and the limbic system (emotion center). Essentially, if your brain were a car, ADHD means the brakes (inhibition) are a bit loose, and anxiety means the alarm system is hyper-sensitive. Combine loose brakes with a blaring alarm and you get… well, us. Fun times, right?Here's an interesting tidbit: Females with ADHD are more likely to report anxiety than males. Some experts think this is partly due to underdiagnosed ADHD – many girls grew up being told they were just “worrywarts” when in fact ADHD was lurking underneath, making everyday life more overwhelming and thus feeding anxiety. As Dr. Thomas Brown (a top ADHD expert) points out, emotional regulation difficulties (like chronic stress or worry) are characteristic of ADHD, even though they're not in the official DSM checklist. Our ADHD brains can amplify emotions – so a normal worry for someone else becomes a five-alarm fire for us.Now, action time: How do we manage this dynamic duo? The first step is getting the right diagnosis. A clinician should untangle whether symptoms like trouble concentrating are from anxiety, ADHD, or both. They might ask: Have you always had concentration issues (pointing to ADHD), or did they start when your anxiety kicked into high gear? Also, consider context – ADHD symptoms occur in most settings (school, work, home), while pure anxiety might spike in specific situations (say, social anxiety in crowds, or panic attacks only under stress).Treatment has to tackle both. Therapy – especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – is a rockstar here. CBT can teach you skills to manage worry (hello, deep breathing and logical rebuttals to “what if” thoughts) and also help with ADHD organization hacks (like breaking tasks down, creating routines). Many find that medication is needed for one or both conditions. Stimulant meds (like methylphenidate or amphetamines) treat ADHD, but in someone with severe anxiety, a stimulant alone can sometimes ramp up the jitters. In fact, children (and adults) with ADHD + anxiety often don't respond as well to ADHD meds unless the anxiety is also addressed. Doctors might add an SSRI or other anti-anxiety medication to the mix, or choose a non-stimulant ADHD med if stimulants prove too anxiety-provoking.Let me share a quick personal strategy (with a dash of humor): I have ADHD and anxiety, so my brain is basically an internet browser with 50 tabs open – and 10 of them are frozen on a spinning “wheel of doom” (those are the anxieties). One practical tip that helps me distinguish the two is to write down my racing thoughts. If I see worries like “I'll probably get fired for sending that email typo” dominating the page, I know anxiety is flaring. If the page is blank because I got distracted after one sentence... well, hello ADHD! This silly little exercise helps me decide: do I need to do some calming techniques, or do I need to buckle down and use an ADHD strategy like the Pomodoro method? Try it out: Knowledge is power, and self-awareness is the key.Quick Tips – ADHD vs Anxiety: When in doubt, ask what's driving the chaos.* Content of Thoughts: Racing mind full of specific worries (anxiety) vs. racing mind full of everything except what you want to focus on (ADHD).* Physical Symptoms: Anxiety often brings friends like sweaty palms, racing heart, and tummy trouble. ADHD's restlessness isn't usually accompanied by fear, just boredom or impulsivity.* Treatment Approaches: For co-occurring cases, consider therapy and possibly a combo of medications. Experts often treat the most impairing symptom first – if panic attacks keep you homebound, address that alongside ADHD. Conversely, untreated ADHD can actually fuel anxiety (ever notice how missing deadlines and forgetfulness make you more anxious? Ask me how I know!). A balanced plan might be, say, stimulant medication + talk therapy for anxiety, or an SSRI combined with ADHD coaching. Work closely with a professional to fine-tune this.Alright, take a breath (seriously, if you've been holding it – breathing is good!). We've tackled anxiety; now let's talk about the dark cloud that can sometimes follow ADHD: depression.ADHD and Depression: When the Chaos Brings a CloudADHD is often associated with being energetic, spontaneous, even optimistic (“Sure, I can start a new project at 2 AM!”). So why do so many of us also struggle with depression? The reality is, living with unmanaged ADHD can be tough. Imagine years of what Dr. Russell Barkley calls “developmental delay” in executive function – always feeling one step behind in managing life, despite trying so hard. It's no surprise that about 1 in 5 kids with ADHD also has a diagnosable depression, and studies show anywhere from 8% to 55% of adults with ADHD have experienced a depressive disorder in their lifetime. (Yes, that range is huge – it depends how you define “depression” – but even on the low end it's a lot.) Dr. Barkley himself notes that roughly 25% of people with ADHD will develop significant depression by adulthood. In short, ADHD can come with a case of the blues (not the fun rhythm-and-blues kind, unfortunately).So what does ADHD + depression look like? Picture this: You've got a pile of unfinished projects, bills, laundry – the ADHD “trail of crumbs.” Initially, you shrug it off or maybe crack a joke (“organizational skills, who's she?”). But over time, the failures and frustrations can chip away at your self-esteem. You start feeling helpless or hopeless: “Why bother trying if I'm just going to screw it up or forget again?” That right there is the voice of depression sneaking in. ADHD's impulsivity might also lead to regrettable decisions or conflicts that you later brood over, another pathway to depressed mood.In fact, the Attention Deficit Disorder Association points out that ADHD's impact on our lives – trouble with self-esteem, work or school difficulties, and strained relationships – can contribute to depression. It's like a one-two punch: ADHD creates problems; those problems make you sad or defeated, which then makes it even harder to deal with ADHD. Fun cycle, huh?Now, depression itself can mask as ADHD in some cases, especially in adults. Poor concentration, low motivation, fatigue, social withdrawal – these can appear in major depression and look a lot like ADHD symptoms. If an adult walks into a doctor's office saying “I can't focus and I'm procrastinating a ton,” a cursory eval might yield an ADHD diagnosis. But if that focus problem started only after they, say, lost a loved one or fell into a deep funk, and they also feel worthless or have big sleep/appetite changes, depression may be the primary culprit. On the flip side, a person with lifelong ADHD might be misdiagnosed as just depressed, because they seem down or overwhelmed. As always, timeline is key: ADHD usually starts early (childhood), whereas depression often has a more defined onset. Also, ask: Is the inability to focus present even when life's going okay? If yes, ADHD is likely in the mix. If the focus issues wax and wane with mood, depression might be the driver.There's also a nuance: ADHD mood issues vs. clinical depression. People with ADHD can have intense emotions and feel demoralized after a bad day, but often these feelings can lift if something positive happens (say, an exciting new interest appears – suddenly we have energy!). Clinical depression is more persistent – even good news might not cheer you up much. As Dr. Thomas Brown emphasizes, ADHD includes difficulty regulating emotion; an ADHD-er might feel sudden anger or sadness that's intense but then dissipates . By contrast, depression is a consistent low mood or loss of pleasure in things over weeks or months. Knowing this difference can be huge in sorting out what's going on.Now, how do we deal with this combo? The good news: many treatments for depression also help ADHD and vice versa. Therapy is a prime example. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and related approaches can address negative thought patterns (“I'm just a failure”) and also help with practical skills for ADHD (like scheduling, or as I call it, tricking my brain into doing stuff on time). There are even specialized therapies for adults with ADHD that blend mood and attention strategies. On the medication front, sometimes a single med can pull double duty. One interesting option is bupropion (Wellbutrin) – an antidepressant that affects dopamine and norepinephrine, which can improve both depression and ADHD symptoms in some people. There's also evidence that stimulant medications plus an antidepressant can be a powerful combo: stimulants to improve concentration and energy, antidepressant to lift mood. Psychiatrists will tailor this to the individual – for instance, if someone is severely depressed (can't get out of bed), treating depression first may be priority. If the depression seems secondary to ADHD struggles, improving the ADHD could automatically boost mood. Often, it's a balancing act of treating both concurrently – maybe starting an antidepressant and an ADHD med around the same time, or ensuring therapy covers both bases.Let's not forget lifestyle: exercise, sleep, nutrition – these affect both ADHD and mood. Regular exercise, for example, can increase BDNF (a brain growth factor) and neurotransmitters that help both attention and mood. Personally, I found that when I (finally) started a simple exercise routine, my mood swings evened out a bit and my brain felt a tad less foggy. (Of course, starting that routine required overcoming my ADHD inertia – ask me how I know that took a few tries... or twenty.)Quick Tips – ADHD vs Depression:* Check Your Joy Meter: With ADHD alone, you can still feel happy/excited when something engaging happens (ADHD folks light up for interesting tasks!). With depression, even things you normally love barely register. If your favorite hobbies no longer spark any joy, that's a red flag for depression.* All in Your Head? ADHD negative thoughts sound like “Ugh, I forgot again, I need a better system.” Depression thoughts sound like “I forgot again because I'm useless and nothing will ever change.” Listen to that self-talk; depression is a sneaky bully.* Professional Help: A thorough evaluation can include psychological tests or questionnaires to measure attention and mood separately. For treatment, consider a combined approach: therapy (like CBT or coaching) plus meds as needed. According to research, a mix of stimulant medication and therapy (especially CBT) can help treat both conditions. And remember, addressing one can often relieve the other: improve your ADHD coping skills, and you might start seeing hope instead of disappointment (boosting mood); treat your depression, and suddenly you have the energy to tackle that ADHD to-do list.Before we move on, one more important note: if you ever have thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please reach out to a professional immediately. Depression is serious, and when compounded with ADHD impulsivity, it can be dangerous. There is help, and you're not alone – so many of us have been in that dark place, and it can get better with the right support. Knowledge is power and self-awareness is the key, yes, but sometimes you also need a good therapist, maybe a support group, and possibly medication to truly turn things around. There's no shame in that game.Alright, deep breath. It's getting a bit heavy in here, so let's pivot to something different: a condition that seems like the opposite of ADHD in some ways, yet can co-occur – OCD. And don't worry, we'll crank the sass back up a notch.ADHD and OCD: The Odd Couple of AttentionWhen you think of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), you might picture someone extremely organized, checking the stove 10 times, everything neat and controlled. When you think ADHD… well, “organized” isn't the first word that comes to mind, right?

A version of this essay was published by first post on Jul 14 at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/shadow-warrior-whats-driving-trumps-u-turns-13906527.htmlThere were two good reasons to support Donald Trump for President of the US: one, that he did not go to war in his first term, and two, that he was the very antithesis of the Deep State-controlled former President Biden.Alas, just less than six months into his re-incarnation as the 47th President, there is reason to wonder if the first claim is no longer accurate: the Ukraine war is dragging on, and so is the Gaza war; Trump's role in the India-Pak skirmish was murky; and he got the US into the Iran-Israel war as a belligerent; so it's hard to portray him as anti-war any more.On the other hand, almost all the initiatives Trump came up with (although in characteristic bull-in-the-china-shop fashion) that could have potentially damaged the Deep State are now being rolled back. It appears the Deep State is back in charge. Consider the much-ballyhooed trade war with China. Personally, I thought the goal of bringing manufacturing back to the US was laudable, although difficult. We saw a whole lot of saber-rattling. But after all the smoke settled, it appears that China, the purported target of the tariff wars, is now sitting pretty with a trade deal that sets 55% tariffs (including a universal 10%, 20% because of fentanyl, and 25% left over from Trump's first term, according to grok).In other words, Trump folded because the Chinese were holding his feet to the fire over rare-earths etc, where they have a quasi-monopoly. The rude meme TACO (I will not spell it out here, but you can look it up) was current for a while.There has been a series of little things that together show that Trump, despite all the bluster, is not that much in control. It is likely that the Deep State has co-opted him, on what grounds we will have to wait and see. The Deep State is nothing if not resourceful. It may be blackmailing him, or it may be dangling crypto profits, or a Nobel Peace Prize in front of Trump. Who knows what other carrots and sticks it wields.The abrupt departure of Elon Musk, and the equally abrupt demise of DOGE was a clue that something was going on. What started with a lot of public support has been quietly trashed. It is obvious to anyone that the Deep State has entrenched itself through sweetheart deals and indirection (eg. USAID as a mechanism for distributing goodies to pals) to the extent that official US foreign policy is merely an inconvenience for the Deep State's actual policies.So now the Deep State is rampaging again, and it has defeated Musk. We saw disturbing signs over the last few weeks, pretty much ever since Musk was defenestrated. There was the tilt towards Pakistan during the 4-day skirmish, followed by the embrace of Field Marshall Munir. Yes, it is true that this can be explained away with the idea that American nuclear material is being held by US troops on Pakistani soil.Those who are worried about India's long-term interests were naturally shocked by this volte-face, but it just goes to show that everybody pursues their national interest, friendships be damned. India is beginning to learn that truism, and not getting involved in everybody's problems, as it were clutching its pearls, clucking and lecturing as in the old Nehruvian days. This is definite progress. India no longer looks like a laughing stock (despite the “pajeet” “smelly” type propaganda unleashed against it, presumably by the CCP and Deep State.)Then came the humiliation of Tulsi Gabbard, the handpicked Director of National Intelligence, whom Trump contradicted directly in regards to intelligence about the Iranian nukes. After that, there was the Iran-Israel 12-day war; India consoled itself that the Trump embrace of Munir was because the US needed to have Pakistan available for US sorties into Iran.After the Iran Israel war, there has been the curious spectacle of the Epstein Files that disappeared. Attorney General Pam Bondi who had earlier said she had the files on her desk is now forced to eat her words. FBI Director Kash Patel is made to look silly. Exactly why would that be? There are dark rumors about who's on the Epstein list, but, ok, they're just rumors.This reminds me of the incredible circus over Hunter Biden's laptop. Everybody knew it was highly compromised, but the FBI stonewalled all investigations. Instead, it peddled the prurient fiction of the Steele dossier. Diversionary tactics, I suppose.And oh, by the way, how come the FBI has not breathed a word about Thomas Matthew Crooks who shot Trump on the campaign trail exactly a year ago on July 13th, and whose assassin bullet missed Trump's cranium by millimeters? It's hard to believe that he was an innocent lone wolf. Who was funding him? I contend it was the Deep State. John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby all come to mind. So do Robert Kennedy and Sirhan Sirhan. The sad fact of the matter is that, despite a promising start, Trump now appears to be bogged down in distractions like the Nobel Peace Prize (dear Norwegians, just give it to him and let's just move on. After all, you gave it to warmongers Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, Theodore Roosevelt, Barack Obama. Trump is almost in the same illustrious club.)The U-turns on tariffs and trade show that Trump is beginning to see the reality that he cannot wish away de-industrialization, as King Canute memorably learned when he ordered the waves to cease and desist. His goal of bringing back manufacturing to the US is laudable, but it is not clear if that will happen in more than a token manner. The reality of being held hostage by China's supply chain is also dawning on him. 30 years of fecklessness in allowing China to run riot are now coming home to roost.Dedollarization is happening as well. While I don't believe certain doomsday scenarios about precipitate American decline, recession and collapse, it is possible the US will become less of a solitary colossus throwing its weight around. It is this prospect of multi polarity, and the determined pursuit of national interests that India should focus on. The Deep State is inscrutable, and it apparently now has Donald Trump in thrall to itself.1050 words, 8 Jul 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

Growing up in Jamaica, our guest today was well acquainted with the elite global status of his homeland in track sports. Personally, though, Leopold Ruddock was far from elite. He remembers coming in last in most events through his first couple of years in high school. But, everything changed when Leopold began to train. In his last two years, Leo's  unusual training regimen combined with his competitive fire to leave his classmates in the dust! Amazingly, he has records that stand to this day!For the past 30 years, Leopold has employed his hard work and competitive fire in the world of driveaway trucking. And, although he is a nice guy, he never finishes last! From Jamaica to Georgia, from the track to the open roads, one thing remains the same: Leopold Ruddock is elite. We're so pleased to have him as our guest for these next two episodes of the #SixFigureTruckerShow Notes: John teases an upcoming release for Six Figure Trucker! (0:27)John's chance encounter with Leo (3:56)Leopold's background growing up in Jamaica (8:24)A record-holding track star! (10:51)From Jamaica to Georgia (15:13) The Six-Figure Trucker is a weekly podcast about driveaway trucking brought to you by Norton Transport. For more information or to subscribe, please visit Six-FigureTrucker.com.

In the concluding episode of the mini-series on the most Googled questions about God, we delve into the intriguing inquiry: Can we know God personally? Join me as I navigate the complexities of faith, personal experiences, and the diverse ways in which we perceive and connect with God. This episode challenges the typical narratives and emphasizes the importance of scripture, while encouraging listeners to seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with the divine.

In this episode of Personally Speaking Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada. Cardinal Ouellet was Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops. His latest book is titled, “Word, Sacrament, Charism” in which he elevates the often overlooked charismatic dimension of the Church, the Holy Spirit and the gifts He imparts.Support the show

Here's a question: what do you want the future to look like? Personally, I'm hoping for instant teleportation, hoverboards, and free chocolate for all by 2050! Sounds like a bit of a stretch, I know, but it's nothing compared to what people over 100 years ago thought life would be like today! From robotic helpers and super schools, to flying fireman, some of the predictions are hilarious, but others are surprisingly accurate! Well, it's time to separate the science facts from the science fiction, as we explore what people in the past thought we'd be doing today!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.Today's Co-Hosts: Ben Criddle (@criddlebenjamin)Subscribe to the Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle podcast:Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cougar-sports-with-ben-criddle/id99676

Send us a textGet your Cosmic Tower at:   https://thewellnessenterprise.com/product/cosmic-tower/?twe=AquarianWaveUse code COSMIC10 at checkout for 10% off your own Cosmic Tower.What if the harmful EMFs saturating our environment could be transformed into healing energy instead? Nico Martins, former high-achieving corporate leader and Cosmic Tower spokesperson, reveals how this revolutionary technology is restoring balance to our lives and our planet.After his mother's passing triggered an unexpected spiritual awakening, Nico discovered that conventional science acknowledges only about 2% of our reality. The remaining 98% exists beyond the speed of light in the subtle realms where everything connects through resonance. This understanding became the foundation for his work with the Cosmic Tower – a device that mimics nature's sacred power spots by creating a toroidal energy field using special rainbow water and crystals.Unlike conventional EMF protection that attempts to block harmful frequencies, the Cosmic Tower works through harmonization, changing the quality of energy fields to benefit living organisms. Users report profound improvements in sleep, mental clarity, and overall wellbeing. The technology creates what Nico calls "a personal sacred power spot" in your home, similar to the energetic qualities found at ancient temple sites built on the Earth's natural power centers.The most remarkable aspect is the tower's range of influence. While personal-sized models harmonize approximately 300 feet around your home, the larger 7-8 foot towers can positively affect areas with a radius of 250-310 miles. With over 800 large towers throughout Europe and a growing network in the United States, this technology is building what many call a "grid of light" to support humanity's evolution during these transformative times.As Nico explains, "Don't worry so much about the future. We have the solutions to every problem we have." The Cosmic Tower represents one such solution – a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern challenges that reminds us of our inherent connection to nature and our ability to create harmony in a chaotic world.Ready to experience this remarkable technology for yourself? Visit  https://thewellnessenterprise.com/nico/ and join the growing community of over 25,000 Cosmic Tower owners worldwide who are choosing to transform their environments and themselves. Use code COSMIC10 at checkout for 10% off your own Cosmic Tower.Support the show

Man, some people don't understand the price to pay for success when it doesn't come authentically. Personally, I'm not willing to pay that price. Welcome to episode 137 of the Arts Block Podcast, where today we're going to talk about purity in art. This episode is for the real artists, the ones who create from a place of love and truth. All you other guys... good luck. Links:https://www.instagram.com/ericcurryiii/https://www.instagram.com/artsblockpodcast/https://linktr.ee/ArtsBlock?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadCkROFpMA5v2hggnk1KR8ulMyFaZk5WveTPJvR9vPoVAyZW9fNPirWhPk2ww_aem_g3R5XkL4nlBSI5oTaZaEgw

Dr. Shockley Pure Home Essentials: https://corehealthadvantage.com/awk  ———— TriTails BEEF: Ribeye Special: http://trybeef.com/andweknow ——— Protect your investments with And We Know http://andweknow.com/gold Or call 720-605-3900, Tell them “LT” sent you. ————————————————————— *Our AWK Website: https://www.andweknow.com/ *Our 24/7 NEWS SITE: https://thepatriotlight.com/ ————————— This is misinformation for [them]. https://x.com/RealAF_Patriot/status/1942284923278381240 LA Mayor Karen Bass is PERSONALLY on scene attempting to OBSTRUCT immigration enforcement in the city https://x.com/andweknow/status/1942297939252023732 Large-scale joint federal immigration operation underway in Los Angeles. https://x.com/andweknow/status/1942296654872469671 The Trump administration is making over 75,000 HONDURAN and NICARAGUAN migrants deportable by REVOKING temporary protected status. https://x.com/andweknow/status/1942282502103548349 Karoline Leavitt on 12 letters being sent out to countries on tariffs. https://x.com/andweknow/status/1942282300261122399 JUST IN:   United States imposes 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea.  https://x.com/BRICSinfo/status/1942259417891602928 ————————— *DONATIONS SITE: https://bit.ly/2Lgdrh5 *Mail your gift to: And We Know 30650 Rancho California Rd STE D406-123 (or D406-126) Temecula, CA 92591 ➜ AWK Shirts and gifts: https://shop.andweknow.com/ ➜ Audio Bible https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/1John.3.16 Connect with us in the following ways:

Riding Shotgun With Charlie #233 Phil Journey NRA BOD Member   I had a chance to catch up with Phil Journey at the NRA Annual Meetings back in April. He's quite an interesting man with some long roots in the Second Amendment and with the NRA. He was on the list of four reform candidates last year in 2024. This year, of course, there were 28 reformers that people were supporting, many who did get onto the Board of Directors of the NRA. He spends times telling us about his collection of firearms, how he got into politics and ran for office, and some of the inside dirt on what was going on with NRA leadership.   Phil is from Kansas and grew up with a couple of uncles, one was a gunsmith and the other was an inventor. His father used to hunt and got him into shooting. In law school, he got into competitive shooting and made it to second place in IPSC in Oklahoma. At one point, he spent more time making sure everyone else had the rights to keep shooting and owning firearms.    While in law school he had three semesters on Constitutional law, one semester was only on the First Amendment, but nothing on the Second Amendment. Working on his dissertation, he pointed out that at that time, much of the thought was that it was a collectivist theory right and the courts reflected that. But he realized it was an individual right. That's when he decided this was going to be his cross to bear.    Getting out of law school, he started working on some campaigns for the US Senate. He learned a lot in those days, thinking candidates would read some of the pro-gun literature he would give candidates. Back then he started his ties with the NRA as an election volunteer coordinator, He got 5,000 people to come to a city council meeting. This was how he got involved in political action committees.   Phil's career was as a practicing attorney. He was appointed to the Kansas Senate in 2003. After a handful of years in the state Senate, he was elected to the Judicial District Court. Having these positions did interfere with his business. He also got into other businesses like storage rentals. At one point, he sold several firearms to fund one of his campaigns so he didn't have to ask for money. Phil is also into collecting cars as well as guns. We learn about the extensive collection, how he acquired some of the guns and cars.    Back in 1995, Neal Knox helped get him elected to the NRA Board of Directors. Even back then there were issues with Wayne LaPierre. One is that if there was a contract that was more than $100,000, it had to be in writing and passed by two of the three executive officers. LaPierre would make them oral contracts and not run them by the executives. Journey and Knox did get pushed off the board, but only Phil was able to get back on it.    During the years when he wasn't on the board, he still kept an eye on the goings on, including what Leticia James was up to in New York. With some help, he was able to get back onto the board in 2020. He noticed that the board meetings were much shorter than they used to be and he realized that wasn't quite right. There was a lot of ‘go along to get along' happening with the BOD. Reading the petition from James, he saw that the things that were wrong in the 1990's were four times worse.   Phil gets into several things that were going on with the NRA and how it needed to be changed. In 2024, he got together with Rocky Marshall, Dennis Fusaro, and Jeff Knox and started a small reform team. They all got elected onto the board to start making changes. This year, there were many more reformers on the ballot, and many were elected. However, he does get into how it was a mess and how much of a mess it was.    Personally, I did vote for the 28 reformers. I have had the new EVP, Doug Hamlin, on the show (episode 213). I do believe we need to keep the NRA and make the changes necessary to maintain our Second Amendment rights. The NRA has been around for over 150 years and want to see it for another 150 years. WIth Phil and the new reformers, I think we're in good hands and onto a better and stronger NRA.  Favorite quotes: “What have they not taught me about? And it was the Second Amendment.” “The whole legislative process is to keep things from becoming law.” “It's easier to kill legislation than it is to get it passed.” “It was a cultural problem inside the organization.” National Rifle Association https://home.nra.org/   NRA ILA https://www.nraila.org/   YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/NRAVideos   X https://x.com/NRA   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/NRA/   NRA Publications YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NRApubs Second Amendment Foundation https://secure.anedot.com/saf/donate?sc=RidingShotgun    Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms https://www.ccrkba.org/ Please support the Riding Shotgun With Charlie sponsors and supporters.    Self Defense Radio Network http://sdrn.us/   Buy a Powertac Flashlight, use RSWC as the discount code and save 15% www.powertac.com/RSWC   SABRE Red Pepper Spray  https://lddy.no/1iq1n  

Do you remember what YOU did last summer? Personally, I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but some grudges run reeeeeeal deep.Join us this week as we talk about our favorite fishy slasher from the Summer of '97 - I Know What You Did Last Summer (what a mouthful, right?), just in time to recap before the legacy sequel to the first two films comes out July 18th!We'll do our best to answer the questions we know are burning inside you, such as: Who is behind this madness, and who was really on the road that night? What's Why is Johnny Galecki trying to match Ryan Philippe's alpha? What's Barry's fuckin' problem? Did anyone ACTUALLY cut Helen's hair? Why does the new movie have an identical title to the original?Let's see if we can get to all this and more in our full length episode on this hot, hot Kevin Williamson mess! Press play and we promise you'll be hooked!Send us a textSupport the showPodcast art by Jayson Cessna: https://jaysoncessna.crevado.comMusic by Dusty Lane, created in LMMS.Movie clips provided by https://movie-sounds.org/horror-movie-samples/Audio Engineer: Michael Jones: https://www.facebook.com/bikerackrecords

Emmalee and Jen are taking the week off from a new episode to practice what they preach and allow themselves a break to recharge. In this rewind episode, they teach us how to stop taking sh*t so personally. They discuss where taking things personally may stem from, times when we are more prone to taking things personally, and sensitivity to rejection. Then, Em and Jen answer your questions about constructive criticism, feeling like other people's moods are your fault, getting out of the habit of mind-reading, and so much more! Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS: Fast forward to around 4:15 to skip the intro and get straight to today's content. ⁠⁠Rejection TED Talk⁠⁠ mentioned in the episode ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Matched With One of Our Therapists⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at The Therapy Group! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ShrinkChicks on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Know Yourself Grow Yourself Journal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!! Check out ShrinkChicks on YouTube by subscribing here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/channel/UCrxuhDqoL4ML3UE8b2J2BBg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ A special thank you to this week's sponsors for supporting ShrinkChicks! We have these exclusive offers for our listeners: Leesa: Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leesa.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 25% off a mattress, PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code shrinkchicks, exclusive for our listeners Headspace: For a limited time, get Headspace FREE for 60 days. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Headspace.com/SHRINKCHICKS60⁠⁠⁠⁠ to unlock all of Headspace FREE for 60 days Green Chef: Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Greenchef.com/50SHRINKCHICKS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code 50SHRINKCHICKS to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping Wildgrain: Get $30 off your first box - PLUS free croissants in every box - when you go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wildgrain.com/SHRINKCHICKS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to start your subscription or use code SHRINKCHICKS at checkout Pretty Litter: Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠prettylitter.com/SHRINKCHICKS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to save 20% on your first order and get a free cat toy Quince: Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠quince.com/shrinkchicks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns on your next order Spot & Tango: Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠spotandtango.com/shrinkchicks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code SHRINKCHICKS to get 50% off your first order Greenlight: Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at ⁠⁠greenlight.com/shrinkchicks

To learn more about our heart to steward the presence of God and all other things Vision Church, join us on a Sunday Morning or visit our website www.visionnwa.com

We hope you enjoy this Father's Day edition as I interviewed 5 amazing dads. It's not easy being a dad but it's the most important job I've ever had.Personally, I decided to give up working in person so I could be here for my daughter for the last 13 years as she continues her journey into adulthood. Every dad and every kid takes a different journey to find themselves.And here are a few of their stories. This is dedicated to all the amazing dads out there.

#498 Independence Day and Pikes Peak   Welcome Welcome to Episode #498 of the 303 Endurance Podcast. We're your hosts Coaches Rich Soares and April Spilde. Thanks for joining us for another week of news, coaching tips and discussion.     Rich, my quads, hip flexors, and hammies are sore and guess who I have you to thank for that! That was one helluva ride up Pikes Peak today, and a lifetime climbing achievement for me! I remember vividly a couple of times thinking “this is freaking awesome,” and “damn, this is AWFUL!” Talk about an insane roller coaster of emotions. I ran the gamut. What I truly loved and appreciated about it is how patient you were and how you went at my pace. I would not have gotten as far as we did without you.     Show Sponsor: UCAN UCAN created LIVSTEADY as an alternative to sugar based nutrition products. LIVSTEADY was purposefully designed to work with your body, delivering long-lasting energy you can feel. Whether UCAN Energy Powders, Bars or Gels, LIVSTEADY's unique time-release profile allows your body to access energy consistently throughout the day, unlocking your natural ability to finish stronger and recover more quickly!   In Today's Show Announcements and News  Ask A Coach: How to train for Pikes Peak Get Gritty Tip: My 2025 Misogi! TriDot Workout of the Week: Stamina Ride Fun Segment: Pikes Peak – Fact or Fiction?   Announcements and News:   Our Announcements are supported by VESPA Power today. Endurance athletes—what if you could go farther, faster, and feel better doing it? With Vespa Power Endurance Nutrition, you can unlock your body's natural fat-burning potential and fuel performance without the sugar crash. Vespa helps you tap into steady, clean energy—so you stay strong, focused, and in the zone longer.  Vespa is not fuel, but a metabolic catalyst that shifts your body to use more fat and less glycogen as your fuel source.   Less sugar. Higher performance. Faster recovery.  Home of Vespa Power Products | Optimizing Your Fat Metabolism Use discount code - 303endurance20   Independence Day Pikes Peak Ride Jul 4, 2025 Join us for an invigorating bike ride from Santa's Workshop at 7700 feet to the top of Pikes Peak at 14,111. 6800 feet of climbing in 18 miles.  Garmin Course - https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/369763602 https://www.facebook.com/share/197vnpxkbc/   2025 - TBD 2024 -36.70 mi Distance, 4:02:57 Time, 9.1 mph Avg Speed, 6,978 ft Total Ascent, 173 W Avg Power  2023 -36.49 mi Distance, 4:12:52, Time 8.7 mph Avg Speed, 6,266 ft Total Ascent, 139 W Avg Power *2022 -27.44 mi Distance, 3:00:53, Time, 9.1 mph, Avg Speed, 4,783 ft, Total Ascent, 137 W Avg Power 2021 -36.73 mi Distance, 4:00:08 Time, 9.2 mph Avg Speed, 6,567 ft Total Ascent 2020 -36.69 mi Distance, 3:38:56 Time, 10.1 mph Avg Speed, 6,635 ft Total Ascent *2019 - No Ride 2018 - 36.91 mi Distance, 3:48:07 Time, 9.7 mph Avg Speed, 6,678 ft Total Ascent 2017 - 37.02 mi Distance, 3:40:54 Time, 10.1 mph Avg Speed, 7,744 ft   2025 Tour de France July 5th The 2025 Tour de France starts July 5 in Lille with comprehensive viewing options including NBC/Peacock in the US for all 21 stages (July 5th thru July 27th). I have picked my Fantasy Team  Tadej Pogacar (UAE)(GC) Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin)(Sprinter) Matt Jorgenson (Visma)(Climber) M. Soler (UAE)(Climber) Bart Lemmen (Visma)(Climber) D. Fan Baarle (Visma)(All Rounder) Jhonatan Manuel Narvaez (UAE)(All Rounder) Peleo Sanchez Mayo (Movistar)(All Rounder)   Here's mine! I'm going Top 3 ;)  GC (Yellow) - Jonas Vingegaard Best Climber (Polka Dot) - Tadej Pogacar Best Sprinter (Green)  - Jasper Philipsen   We want to wish everyone a “Happy Tour de France Month”! Ever since the time of Lance Armstrong, le Tour has been a summer favorite. Whenever I hear Phil Liggett and Bob Roll announcing, I get amped! I'm looking forward to an incredible three weeks of racing action and three weeks of watching TDF coverage during my morning workouts!    IRONMAN New World Championship Qualifying System TAMPA, Fla. (July 2, 2025) – IRONMAN, the global leader in triathlon, today announced a new performance-based age group qualification system for its IRONMAN World Championship® and IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship events, beginning with the 2026 qualifying cycle. Based on extensive research, testing, and feedback from athletes, the new qualifying system is designed to reward athletes based entirely on how competitive they are relative to their age group and gender.   At each qualifying event, athletes will be ranked based on their performance relative to a global age-group standard. The athletes who perform the best on race day compared to this age-group standard, irrespective of age or gender, will rank the highest and earn qualifying slots. Age Group Qualification System | IRONMAN   Coaches Earn USAT CEUs at TriDot Pool School! We are thrilled to share an exciting update: Beginning July 1, all USAT Certified Coaches who attend TriDot Pool School—either in the water as an athlete or on deck as an instructor—will be eligible to earn 4 Adjunct Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward their USAT recertification.   TriDot Pool School July 26-27. https://www.tridotpoolschool.com/component/eventbooking/pool-school/tridot-pool-school-20250726-844-986-401-167-857/94?Itemid=762   Ask A Coach Sponsor: G2G Endurance Your watch gives you data. But does your training plan know what to do with it? Ours does. Grit2Greatness Endurance Coaching has partnered with TriDot to deliver custom workouts powered by cutting-edge analytics. You bring the sweat, we'll bring the smarts. Start with a free 2-week trial, then keep building for only $14.99/month. We have our sign-up links waiting for you in the show notes—click one and let's geek out on your progress. Website - Grit2Greatness Endurance Coaching Facebook page @grit2greatnessendurance   Coach April Spilde April.spilde@tridot.com TriDot Signup - https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/aprilspilde RunDot Signup - https://app.rundot.com/onboard/sign-up/aprilspilde    Coach Rich Soares Rich.soares@tridot.com Rich Soares Coaching TriDot Signup - https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/richsoares RunDot Signup - https://app.rundot.com/onboard/sign-up/richsoares   Ask A Coach: How to train for Pikes Peak?  Coach, I want to train for Pikes Peak. About my goal. The Pikes Peaks ride is 36.70 miles up and down, 7000 feet of climbing starting from 7000 feet elevation in Manitou Springs Colorado. The total time to go up and down is 4 hours with an average speed of 9.1 mph. How should I prepare? Here's a high-level 12-week training plan tailored for a cyclist preparing to ride Pikes Peak via the Pikes Peak Highway, focusing on climbing strength, altitude adaptation, and endurance. The plan assumes a goal of completing the ride in 4 hours, with an average power of 173W and a total of 36.7 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing. Save the following for next week's Ask A Coach Ask A Coach: Should I run a full marathon in a buildup to full IRONMAN?  Coach, I'm getting ready for my full distance IRONMAN this Fall. What do you think about me doing a full marathon as a build up to the IRONMAN? That's awesome—you're gearing up for one of the most demanding endurance events out there! Preparing for a full-distance IRONMAN (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) requires a smart balance of volume, intensity, and recovery. Your question about whether a full marathon is necessary or ideal is a great one, and it really depends on your goals and current training status. Is a Full Marathon Necessary for IRONMAN Prep? While many athletes include a marathon in their build-up, it's not always the most effective or safest choice. Here's why:   Pros of Running a Marathon Before IRONMAN: - Mental confidence boost from completing the distance. - Opportunity to test nutrition, pacing, and gear. - Simulates the fatigue and mental grind of the IRONMAN run.   Cons: - High injury risk due to the pounding and recovery time required. - Doesn't replicate IRONMAN fatigue (you'll be running after 6–8 hours of swimming and biking). - Can disrupt your training cycle due to the taper and recovery needed.   Viable Alternatives to a Marathon Here are some smart substitutes that can build endurance and race readiness without the downsides of a standalone marathon: 1. **Century Ride (100-mile bike)** - **Pros**: Low-impact, builds aerobic base, simulates IRONMAN bike leg. - **Use it for**: Nutrition testing, pacing, and mental endurance. - **Pair it with**: A short brick run (e.g., 6–10 miles) to simulate race fatigue.   2. **Long Swim Events (e.g., 5K–10K open water)** - **Pros**: Builds swim confidence, improves pacing and sighting. - **Use it for**: Practicing open water skills and wetsuit comfort. - **Pair it with**: A bike ride or short run for a swim-bike brick.   3. **Race Simulation Bricks** - **Example**: 80-mile bike + 13-mile run. - **Pros**: Mimics IRONMAN fatigue better than a standalone marathon. - **Use it for**: Testing gear, nutrition, and pacing under fatigue.   4. **Back-to-Back Long Runs** - **Example**: 12 miles Saturday + 10 miles Sunday. - **Pros**: Builds run durability with less injury risk than a marathon. - **Use it for**: Building cumulative fatigue without a single long effort. Coach's Summary Recommendation Unless you're chasing a marathon PR or need the mental boost, **skip the standalone marathon**. Instead, focus on **race-specific brick workouts**, **long rides**, and **progressive long runs**. These will better prepare you for the unique demands of IRONMAN day. Get Gritty Tip: My 2025 Misogi! Going into today's Pikes Peak ride, I was very unsure of what to expect. I heard from Rich that this was an annual challenge he has done since 2017 and this was something he looked forward to every year. Personally, I had not yet been on the Pikes Peak Highway nor had I really ventured into learning about it, other than what Coach Rich shared with me in prep. Even with the lack of personal knowledge, I stared at that mountain for over a year and a half and knew full well that this was going to be an EPIC day. I also knew that this was to be my 2025 Misogi.  If you remember back to earlier in the year, we talked about the concept of a Misogi which I was first introduced to in Michael Easter's book, The Comfort Crisis. A Misogi is an ancient Japanese practice of purification and redefined by modern thinkers as a way to push boundaries, build resilience, and challenge what's possible. The rule? You must pick a challenge so big and audacious that there's at least a 50% chance you won't succeed. It should be something far outside your comfort zone, forcing you to confront your limits—and then go beyond them. For me, riding Pike's Peak Highway on a road bike climbing possibly to the 14,115 ft summit was it. I knew I had a 50% chance or less of completing it on the first try. Well, I definitely stretched my limits and went beyond them. There was one point where I was shaking and felt altitude sickness. Coach Rich gently checked in with me and we agreed to go section by section, at my pace. I'm sure I showed up on a few people's instagram reels as I was leaning over my bike trying to catch my breath and not hurl. I kept smiling, laughing, swapping war stories with Rich and got my crazy ass up to the brake check station.  Even though we didn't make it to the summit, I was so freaking proud of how deep I dug and how far I came to my “braking” point. It seemed fitting for us to call it there and start our descent. When we reached the bottom, Rich asked how I was feeling, and I told him that I was excited to try again next year and see how much further I could progress. He was relieved and saw instantly that even though I didn't reach the peak, a fire for growth was lit, and that my friends is the whole purpose of a Misogi! Because here's the truth: Misogis aren't about the summit. They're about discovering what's inside you when the odds are uncertain, the air is thin, and your legs are screaming. It's about who you become when you lean into the challenge rather than back away. I didn't conquer the mountain that day—but I did conquer the voice inside me that said I couldn't. And that's what lit the fire to try again. So now it's your turn. What mountain—literal or metaphorical—are you willing to stare down in 2025? Pick something bold. Make it matter. And don't do it alone. We'll be here cheering, supporting, and swapping war stories right alongside you. Get gritty. Go big. Grow. That's your Get Gritty Tip of the week!   TriDot Workout of the Week: Stamina Ride   Today's workout is all about endurance and power. You'll focus on maintaining your race position, building stamina at different intensities, and keeping a solid rhythm throughout each effort. This is a great session to build consistency and mental toughness, key ingredients for triathlon success.   Warmup 10 min @ Z2 with 3 x 30 sec (30 sec) Spinups and 3 x 1 min (1 min) @ Z4     Main Set 2 x 12 min (5 min) @ Z4 (10 min) 1 x 20 min @ Z3 Balance of time @ Z2 Session Note When performing longer stamina sessions, stay in race position as if racing. Sit up to stretch periodically if you tend to tighten up. Then get back into race position. Aim to make the last repeat of each effort level as solid as the first. Perform Z2 and Z3 efforts @ 90+ rpms. Perform Z4 efforts @ 80 rpms. Motivational Tip: Focus on consistency today. The goal is to make your last interval as strong as your first. Whether you're climbing the hills in a race or pushing through the final miles, staying steady and focused will make the difference. Your race position isn't just about form—it's about creating efficiency and strength, even when the legs feel tired. Stay in the zone, push through those stamina efforts, and keep your legs moving. You're building the strength and endurance needed to power through the toughest parts of your race.     Fun Segment: Pikes Peak: Fact or Fiction? Alright listeners, it's time to ascend into madness with a brand new segment we're calling Pikes Peak: Fact or Fiction? We're taking on one of Colorado's most iconic climbs—the infamous Pikes Peak Highway. Rich, your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to tell us which of these high-altitude statements are real… and which are just altitude-induced hallucinations. 1. “Race cars use jet engines for added thrust to ascend Pikes Peak.” Answer: Fiction Why: While competitors use high-output, turbocharged engines (like 875 hp Peugeot 208s) to counter altitude-induced power loss, nobody is bolting jet engines to their cars at PPIHC. 2. “Runners have passed out at the summit due to thin air and needed oxygen revival.” Answer: Fact Why: The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon finish at the summit (14,115 ft), where oxygen levels are roughly 60% of sea level . There are documented cases of athletes needing supplemental oxygen at the summit aid station after fainting or showing symptoms of altitude sickness. 3. “Pikes Peak birthed burro racing alongside donkeys up the mountain.” Answer: Fiction Why: Burro racing—known as “pack burro”—did originate in Colorado, but traces back to historic mining routes in Leadville and Fairplay, not Pikes Peak. The first official pack‑burro race began in 1949 along Mosquito Pass between Leadville and Fairplay. 4. “High-altitude summer temps can freeze fuel lines in race support vehicles.” Answer: Fiction Why: Although summit temperatures may dip near freezing—even snow in summer—modern fuel systems aren't vulnerable to frozen fuel lines in mild conditions. In truth, volume and moisture are the real culprits, and freezing requires much more frigid temperatures. 5. “There's a ‘Double' marathon—one run to the summit one day, and the full marathon back the next.” Answer: Fact Why: Known as the “Doubler,” this brutal challenge combines the Pikes Peak Ascent and the full Marathon on consecutive days—summit in one, summit and return the next. That's it for this round of Pikes Peak: Fact or Fiction?! Did you get them all right? Let us know how you scored—and if you've got altitude stories or mountain myths, we'd love to hear and share them!   Closing:   Thanks again for listening this week. Please be sure to follow us @303Triathlon and @grit2greatnessendurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We'd really appreciate it! Stay tuned, train informed and enjoy the endurance journey!  

It's fun sometimes to get out of my studio and actually go to the place of work of the people that I interview, and in this case, I was able to do that with Jack Becker who is the Executive Director and CEO of the Joslyn Museum in Omaha. He's been there since 2010 and he's a very interesting man.I love the fact that at every point really, he points out that it is an effort by not just himself. In fact, he emphasizes that the staff really makes things happen. I think that's always a sign of a great leader.Jack also has a very interesting background. He has an incredible resumé of working with so many incredible institutions but he also goes to Alaska and works in a fish processing facility for a year. I had a great time talking with Jack, but I also to had the opportunity to look around and see the collection of the Joslyn Art Museum. It's such a beautiful museum. They recently opened a  42,000 square foot expansion in 2024 and it has put this museum on top of many lists as one of the top museums in America. Personally? I couldn't agree more. You should go see this museum if you have a chance. It might seem like it's a little bit off the beaten path, but I fell in love with Omaha, and I fell in love with the Joslyn Art Museum, and I think you will too.

Rick Lawrence, author of "Editing Jesus," talks about the uneasiness we often experience as those who make reference to God's word in our civil religion, but not remembering that Scripture is ulitmately about Jesus, and reverse-engineer our understanding of it through Him. Do you feel your at rock bottom?  Is life worth living? Do you have any hope? Ray Orlund of Renewal Ministries talks around his new book "Good News at Rock Bottom: Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost."  Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here

In today's episode, I break down the emotional patterns that shape how we respond to fear, stress, and setbacks, often without realizing it. I explain why our feelings aren't always true, how to spot what they're really signaling, and how reframing those reactions helps create more clarity, peace, and direction. I share strategies for building emotional resilience in business and in life, starting with one simple shift: stop reacting and start responding with intention. Whether it's a delay, disappointment, or misstep, I show how to turn emotional interference into fuel for better decision-making, stronger relationships, and a more aligned, purpose-driven path forward.

I think you could probably go back and track the stages of grief, probably that is what I went through. But I think if you do it right, you end up at acceptance. And that's where I ended up. And that's not to say that I've fully accepted the idea that the golden toad is extinct. Personally, I do still hold out hope that it could still be out there in those forests." - Trevor Ritland    This conversation is with Trevor Ritland, who—along with his twin brother Kyle—authored The Golden Toad. The book chronicles their remarkable journey into Costa Rica's cloud forest, once home to hundreds of brilliant golden toads that would emerge for just a few weeks each year—until, one day, they vanished without a trace. What began as a search for a lost species soon became something much more profound: a confrontation with ecological grief, a meditation on hope, and a powerful call to protect the natural world while we still can.   Links: SpeciesUnite.com Kyle and Trevor: https://kyleandtrevor.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureterm/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222249677-the-golden-toad Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Toad-Ecological-Mystery-Species/dp/163576996