Podcasts about Personally

This is the second GeriPal podcast we've recorded live using this format, see this link to our prior podcast at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) meeting in Philadelphia.  Also look for our upcoming podcast recorded live from the São Paulo Geriatrics & Gerontology Congress, click here to register. Today we join you from beautiful Banff, Alberta, Canada at the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) annual Kathleen Foley retreat.  This meeting was bittersweet.  I've been fortunate to attend every meeting in one capacity or another since 2006.  The NPCRC made an enormous impact  on the growth and capacity for palliative care research nationally.  Personally, NPCRC funding was essential support as I was a new faculty member and had not yet secured longer term career development funding. More than anything, though, I will miss the NPCRC community.  I treasure those meals, hikes, sing-alongs with others dedicated to improving care of people with serious illness through research. On today's podcast, we invited Dio Kavalieratos, Prasanna Ananth, and Alexi Wright to join us to talk about three articles that spoke to them.  For each I leave you with a teaser of a hard question that was raised that we couldn't really answer. Prasanna chose an article by Abby Rosenberg about being fired in palliative care. We talked about why palliative care clinicians get fired, with Prasanna, a pediatric oncologist, raising the issue that it's more problematic when you're the oncologist providing primary palliative care and you get fired than if the consultant specialty palliative care provider is fired. Dio chose an article about the economic benefits of palliative care internationally, a call to action.  We talked about the needs of palliative care internationally, and Alexi raised the question: should the highest standard of palliative care (e.g. in the US) apply to palliative care in every country, a la the Partners in Health model pioneered by the late Paul Farmer? Or should we “settle” for access to affordable opioids? Alexi chose an article about cancer care in prison. Alexi used it as a springboard to talk about other populations at compounded risk for poorer care in the current political environment. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did, dear listeners.  We're always trying to improve, and welcome your suggestions for how to improve upon this new “live” format.  So far we've heard we need to be better at summarizing the articles for the audience/listeners, and finding ways to involve our live audience to a greater extent than the occasional question. Please let us know if you have other suggestions! Final note - check out the wonderful video NPCRC created about their impact on the field of palliative care (Eric and I were filmed recording GeriPal). -Alex Smith   This episode of the GeriPal Podcast is sponsored by UCSF's Division of Palliative Medicine, an amazing group doing world class palliative care.  They are looking for physician faculty to join them in the inpatient and outpatient setting.  To learn more about job opportunities, please click here: https://aprecruit.ucsf.edu/apply/JPF05811

In this episode of Personally Speaking, Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. She's known to millions as simply ”Sister Jean”, the Loyola College matriarch and college basketball icon who celebrated her 103rd birthday this past August. Sister Jean's new  memoir is titled, “Wake Up With Purpose!: What I Learned in my First Hundred Years”. She speaks with us about her life, her faith, and how finding one's purpose can lead to a life of joy and fulfillment at any age.Support the show

Our guest today, Simon Blair, is an ultra-endurance athlete and entrepreneur; who is also the founder of the successful London-based property company SHB He is a husband, and father of three. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, Simon has turned his diagnosis into a source of strength, using ultra-endurance sport as a tool for personal growth and mental maintenance.  Today we discuss the intersection of ADHD, mental health, and extreme sports. Simon shares his journey from being diagnosed with ADHD later in life to using ultra-endurance sports as a tool for personal growth, brain management and mental clarity. The conversation delves into the challenges and triumphs of living with ADHD, the importance of diagnosis, and how Simon's documentary, "Beyond Limits," explores these themes. We're talking resilience, neurodiversity, and the power of pushing beyond perceived limits- enjoy! 01:27 - Introducing and welcome Simon Blair!! 01:55 - ADHD and Ultra-Endurance Sports Dive into his inspiring journey and documentary 'Beyond Limits.' Watch now on Amazon Prime! #ADHD #Endurance #Inspiration 02:43 - Personally speaking.. 05:50 - When were you diagnosed? 06:00 -  Influences of ADHD on daily life 09:08 - Finding balance through exercise, aka self-medication 11:51 - Connections between nature and mental health 14:51 - Documentary/learned insights and personal growth 17:41 - The many roles of neurodiversity in society 20:44 - What's next for you Simon? 22:20 - How can we find you? Website: https://shbre.co.uk/about Socials: @ LinkedIN: linkedin.com/in/simon-blair-a4000510 Thank you for being here- give us a shout anytime! https://linktr.ee/petershankman Email: peter@shankman.com Podcast: Faster Than Normal Do you know anyone who is doing wonderful things with #ADHD or their neurodivergent brain? We would love to have them on to learn how they are using their #neurodiversity to their advantage. Shoot me an email and we will get them booked! My link tree is here if you're looking for something specific. https://linktr.ee/petershankman

The MMQB's Albert Breer joins Afternoon Drive on The Fan. He talks about Mike Tomlin's comments about the Browns trading Joe Flacco to the Bengals, if there's a market for Shedeur Sanders, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski's job security, and more.

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Kelenda Annette Baird. Title: Miss Corporate America Roles: Chief Revenue Officer of Reed’s Hideaway & Founder of Limitless Location: Based in Chelan, WA; works in Monticello, MS

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Kelenda Annette Baird. Title: Miss Corporate America Roles: Chief Revenue Officer of Reed’s Hideaway & Founder of Limitless Location: Based in Chelan, WA; works in Monticello, MS

This week Jackie and MJ are joined by LPN's own TAYporter, Holden McNeely, who despite the sheen of sweat across their head, remain wrapped in their Taylor Swift Fartigan, as he gives his thoughts on "The Life of a Showgirl" and he's ready to throwdown! Then it's on to "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS" and Bad Bunny killin' on SNL in a very emotional way, after that Holden slithers off wrapped in his sweat soaked fartigan so MJ and Jackie can get on to HILARIA gettin' booted from DWTS, and Andy Richters gettin' showered in backhanded compliments, plus even more on this week's Second Helpings! Want even more Page 7? Support us on Patreon! Patreon.com/Page7Podcast  Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Page 7 ad-free.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Prayer for Not Taking Things Personally Anymore for her Daily Spiritual Espresso published on October 9, 2025 which you can access here: https://powerofloveministry.net/your-triggers-are-loves-wake-up-call/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Personally Speaking Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined again by Reverend Russell Levenson. Reverend Levenson has been an ordained Episcopal priest for over thirty years. He officiated and preached at the state funeral for President George H.W. Bush and he also officiated and preached at the funeral for First Lady Barbara Bush. His latest book is titled, “Witness to Belief: Conversations on Faith and Meaning” which includes interviews with twelve renowned people of various Christian faiths including, Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Ambassador Nikki Haley, actor Denzel Washington and Dr. Jane Goodall.Support the show

Stephanie welcomes Lynn Rosenberg, an American Bible teacher and non-profit founder living in Jerusalem. Lynn is also married to Joel Rosenberg, a NYT bestselling author who's been featured on Gospel Spice before. Lynn tells us what it's like to live in Jerusalem today – and what it's been like since October 7, 2023. Lynn's story is a testament to faith enduring through turbulence, the importance of spiritual and practical community, and the power of everyday obedience. Her journey challenges us to find courage, unity, and hope in Christ, to love sacrificially, and to embrace the unique callings God has set before us—whatever our context may be. Lynn Rosenberg's journey begins with her upbringing in New Jersey in a church-going but not deeply faith-rooted family. Her personal faith ignited at Syracuse University, where she met both her husband, Joel, and Christ. From early on, Lynn and Joel felt called to cross-cultural missions, particularly with a heart for Israel, inspired by Joel's Jewish background and Lynn's close friendships with Jewish neighbors. After years of preparation and service in Washington, D.C., they moved to Israel 11 years ago with their four sons. They became Israeli citizens, and transitioned to life in Israel to fulfill their call to ministry. The Israeli culture, while appearing Western, is deeply Middle Eastern, characterized by tribal mentalities, bureaucracy, and a need to assert oneself daily. Navigating systems, integrating children into small believing communities, and language barriers all proved significant challenges. Church community, both Israeli and international, became a lifeline for practical and spiritual support, nurturing friendships and communal prayer. Lynn recounts the days surrounding October 7, 2023—a day that marked unprecedented violence and upheaval in Israel. Despite a sense of increasing peace before the attack, the reality of war shattered normalcy. With sirens wailing, families hunkered down in bomb shelters, and friends on the frontlines. The Joshua Fund, the nonprofit organization Lynn and Joel founded, rapidly mobilized, prioritizing humanitarian aid particularly for vulnerable populations near the Gaza border. Believers displayed extraordinary courage, continuing to deliver aid even under rocket fire, standing as beacons of light in darkness. A central focus of the Joshua Fund is supporting both Israel and her neighbors—including Arab Israelis and Palestinians. By investing in local churches, training, and humanitarian aid, they work to build unity and break down suspicion. The war has intensified collaboration among denominations, bringing unprecedented unity, generosity, and boldness among believers. Despite barriers, including limited access to Christians in Gaza, the Joshua Fund continues to support those in need, relying on partnerships and prayer. Personally, Lynn highlights the importance of seeking God's will daily and recognizing that each day holds prepared “good works” for us to walk in. She encourages abiding in prayer and Scripture, trusting God's sovereignty amidst uncertainty, and fostering radical hospitality and simple, loving neighborliness. For the next generation, she underscores the vital need for biblical wisdom and discernment, especially in an era of increasing complexity and deception. Simplifying faith to loving God and loving one's neighbor becomes both a countercultural and effective response. MORE ABOUT THE JOSHUA FUND https://joshuafund.com/ In this famous passage from the book of Genesis, the Lord promised to bless those who bless the children of Abraham and curse those who curse them. In Matthew 19:19, Jesus instructed His followers to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In Matthew 5:44, Jesus told His disciples to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus exhorted His followers to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, care for strangers, clothe the naked, care for those who are sick, and visit those in prison. Seeking to obey these biblical commands, the Rosenbergs established a non-profit educational and charitable organization that works closely with Jewish and Christian allies in Israel and the Middle East, as well as Christian allies around the world. As an educational organization, The Joshua Fund has sought to engage Christians globally about God's love and plan for Israel and her neighbors. The Joshua Fund has also worked in the Palestinian Territories, as well as in Israel's neighboring countries. DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries. In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God. In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus. PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family. PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with! PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog (*ListenNotes ranking, 2023) Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

BOSSes, Anne Ganguzza is joined by her superpower co-host, Lau Lapides, to discuss a critical issue in the voiceover industry: brand alignment and navigating controversy. Sparked by the American Eagle/Sydney Sweeney campaign, the hosts explore how a voice actor's ethics and personal brand are intrinsically linked to the clients they represent. They emphasize that in the age of social media, protecting your digital reputation is non-negotiable for long-term career success. 00:00 - Anne (Host) Hey bosses, Anne Ganguzza, you know your journey in voiceover is not just about landing gigs. It's about growing both personally and professionally. At Anne Ganguzza Voice Productions, I focus on coaching and demo production that nurtures your voice and your confidence. Let's grow together. Visit anneganguzza.com to find out more.  00:25 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) It's time to take your business to the next level, the boss level. These are the premier business owner strategies and successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like a boss a VO boss. Now let's welcome your host, Ganguzza.  00:47 - Anne (Host) Hey everyone, Welcome to the VO Boss podcast and the Boss Superpower Series. I'm your host, Anne Ganguzza, along with my awesome superpower co-host Lollapetas.  00:56 - Lau (Guest) Hello, Annie, it's so good to be back. I love being in this Zoom room with you. Or it's not Zoom, but it's Riverside, but I love being in this space room with you. Or it's not Zoom, but it's Riverside, but I love being in this space with you, I know I look forward to it.  01:10 - Anne (Host) We get to see each other and it's been so long it's fabulous when we get back together because we have so much to catch up on. I know, I know oh my gosh.  01:19 - Lau (Guest) By the way, I love your outfit today. You look great.  01:23 - Anne (Host) Why thank you my, my jean shirt or my denim shirt? No, what's really cool about this is this is kind of well, I should say it's it's. It's deceiving, maybe because it looks like it's denim but it's actually like French Terry, and so it's super, super comfortable. But you know, speaking of jeans, I was going to say what color are your jeans.  01:50 Well, you know, I have good jeans and advertising campaigns for our businesses. I mean gosh, it's all over the news. I mean the American Eagle campaign with Sydney Sweeney. I mean, you know, she's got good jeans, and so it's a really interesting debate. I think it's something that we could absolutely relate to our own voiceover businesses in terms of associating with now, first of all, like associating with a brand that may or may not be controversial or may or may not be on the side of you know where your feelings align. I think that would be a really, really interesting topic.  02:30 - Lau (Guest) Lau I love that topic because we hear that word floating in the industry now for quite a while branding. Branding is connected to marketing, is connected to selling right and how you represent yourself and who you're connected to. That helps you represent yourself as well. And making some of those concerted decisions on who you want to be attached to and connected to, that really help you design your ethos of your business.  02:58 - Anne (Host) Well, they can help you. They can help you be successful in the industry, or maybe not. They can help you be controversial in the industry, or maybe not. They can help you be controversial in the industry. It's such an interesting. Now you know one thing about that campaign for me, when I first saw it, I didn't think anything of it, because I am a woman of a certain age and I remember the Jean campaign with Brooke Shields and Calvin Klein, and I just remember it, with Brooke Shields and Calvin Klein, and I just remember it, you know. And so, as a girl in, I think it was in elementary or high school. I can't remember when that came out, but it was the 80s, right? All I know is that I wanted a pair of Calvin Klein jeans because I wanted to look like Brooke Shields. Now today, didn't we all did not we Right?  03:41 No, I thought nothing of it, right, I thought nothing really horrible of it. But then it did become controversial because obviously she was, you know, she was young when she did that ad and it was a little bit sexually, you know, promiscuous, some people would say. And so, you know, today that type of advertising wouldn't fly and I think people are comparing Sydney Sweeney with that, because of she's got good genes, you've got an attractive female and a pair of jeans, and you know, of course, american Eagle says you know, it was always all about the genes, it's not always not about the, not about the misconception that jeans J-E-A-N-S is similar to G-E-N-E-S, so there's a lot to unpack there.  04:25 I don't know how did you react to it when it first came out? What were your thoughts?  04:29 - Lau (Guest) Well, you know what's so funny about the Brooke Shields thing that you bring up? That's the first thing I thought of is that everyone who's outraged about it is not old enough to remember the Brooke Shields and that's what they were really copying. I think that was a copycat from 45 years ago Going back to the old let's sell.  04:45 Yeah, but if you remember, annie, it was there was another controversy hooked on to Brooke Shields at that time, based on that commercial, because that was right around the time that she had shot Blue Lagoon, blue Lagoon, yeah, and she was only like 11, 11 or 12.  05:05 - Anne (Host) I think it was 13.  05:05 - Lau (Guest) Well, by that time she was about 13. But she was still very young and the mother was managing her and so there was a huge blowup and controversy about this young girl doing these so-called sexually explicit commercials about my sexuality and my body, about my sexuality and my body. And I remember thinking, and when I saw it again I thought wow, how did she get those jeans on without showing us anything, right in front of us, Like I was amazed and, as a young girl, I yeah, it was a Cirque du Soleil act.  05:35 It was amazing. Yeah, you know, as a young girl, media is so influential right.  05:41 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) So, influential.  05:41 - Anne (Host) The thing is that, as voice actors, we really have a part in playing into the media, right, because our voices are representing brands, and for me at the time, I didn't consider anything wrong with it. All I know is that I wanted to look like Brooke Shields in those jeans and therefore I wanted the jeans. And I'll tell you what it was an expressly popular campaign that made Calvin Klein a ton of money, a ton of money.  06:09 - Lau (Guest) But if you look at it now as an adult and you listen from a voiceover perspective, her voice was very, very young very kidlike and very straightforward. She was trying to be, if anything, a little bit smart or intellectual versus overly sexy and centralized, but yet the perception, the visual right Was that was that.  06:34 - Anne (Host) That's exactly it. So there's a lot of, there's a lot of things there, and if you were the voice of a campaign that was controversial, right would. If it was something you believed in or didn't believe in, is that something that, as a voice actor, would you accept? And I think, or an actor, I mean any kind of role right? Do you accept those roles if they align with your belief system or your morals or your ethics or whatever that is, and how can it propel your business forward or not?  07:07 I mean, there's just so much that we have choices in, and as well as influence in, as voice actors, and we think sometimes we're hiding behind this microphone, but no, we're still a very intricate part of a media campaign. And so, really, as a voice actor, how do you decide? Really, is you know, oh, this could really propel my campaign if I decide that I want to align with this brand and be the voice of it, or sometimes it's not even about being the voice of it. It's maybe working with that brand in any capacity. You know, how is that going to affect your business? Because people have opinions, people always have opinions, and gosh aren't they all over the place.  07:56 - Lau (Guest) Now that social media is prevalent, they're the Wild West we like to call it right, Annie, it's the Wild West.  07:59 And I would say in my mind it's likened to all the people, not just women but men too. In my mind it's likened to all the people, not just women but men too, but certainly all the women, who have said for many years you know, I am interested in doing romance novels, exotica work, triple X, adult swim as a voiceover talent, but I'm concerned about how my business is going to be viewed. I'm going to use an AKA, an alter ego, another name, another business name, and so I think that voiceover talent have been making these decisions for a very, very long time. Even though we don't have the visuals for the voiceover talent, we may have the visual for the work and so for the work itself may give visuals and vocals that are not aligned with the talent's vision of their business, and sometimes you don't even know.  08:49 - Anne (Host) Sometimes you don't even know, right. I mean you can tell a lot by the context of the script sometimes, but sometimes you can. You don't know where that's going to end up. And again, now that makes me think of, like, you know deep fakes and AI and you don't know where your voice is going to be used. But if you are, you know, an active participant and you are aware, I think really the best thing you can do if these things are concerning to you, right, the more you know, the more you're educated, the better off you're going to be, because you can make those decisions to determine if you want to be aligned.  09:24 I mean there have been careers ruined by, you know, wrong brand alignment, and gosh knows with today's you know political climate. I mean it comes down to and you know what, laura, it comes down to if you think about it. We're in a business. We need to make money, right, and guess what? So are companies that are advertising, right. They're in the business to make money and so a lot of times our decisions are based on money. Yeah.  09:52 - Lau (Guest) Wake up, smell the coffee right, and it's like who is to judge what one person or one brand identity or one company should or shouldn't be doing. It's really in the eyes and ears of the audience. It's really the perception. So, as many people really disagree, fervently disagree and are angered and outraged by that particular American Eagle campaign, you have a mass swath of people who are buying everything.  10:24 - Anne (Host) That gene that she is, they can't keep. I'm just saying or buying everything that gene, that gene that they can't keep it on the proverbial shelf Exactly.  10:29 Right, Exactly so yeah, and it's interesting because I read a couple of. I read a couple of articles about it and they, of course, american Eagle says it's all about the genes. It's always been about the genes and in reality it kind of is like a return back to marketing. You know, marketing for the last few years has been very concerned with, of course, the shift, notice how the shift in cultural trends, right to making sure inclusivity, diversity, you know, every body type is shown and everybody is represented, which I thought was great. I mean I love that. But apparently, like, if you're in the business, I mean, did it sell? I thought it did.  11:09 Personally, I aligned with it better and I bought, I consumed, just like I did before. However, there is a a huge, there's a huge another aspect to this to unpack, about influencers, right, I mean, in reality, I mean she's a famous actress, right, and so just like Brooke Shields. So if she's going to wear these jeans and feel good in them and look good in them, then that's going to really entice other people to buy and you know, or not, right? And If they, I mean how many times? Lau and I I have very strong ideas about like companies and what they do with their money. So like if they're known to, you know, I don't know, do bad things. I will not support of things that companies do behind the scenes and therefore, when I do find out, I then have a choice, to make a decision whether I want to consume that, you know, buy that or not. And I think that, again, as a consumer and as a voice actor, the more educated we can be, the better decisions we can make to determine if we want to align with that.  12:21 - Lau (Guest) I would totally agree and I would say the irony to me about talking about influencers online is why are they called influencers? Yeah, yeah, they're called influences because they have powerful influence over mass swaths of people who want to look like them, sound like them, live like them, whatever. Of people who want to look like them, sound like them, live like them, whatever. So if we were to make a value judgment, we would have to make it evenly across the board between network television and social media and voiceover and radio and TV, that that is just a no-go, which, of course, no one's going to do. We're not going to do that because you know it's a free country and people are going to run their businesses how they run their businesses girls on Instagram to get that facelift or to get those eyebrows or to get those lash extensions, to feel good about who they are.  13:27 - Anne (Host) Well, oh no, okay, you bring up a really important point here, right To feel good about who you are. So what I do because you know I do a little bit of fashion influencing- I know you are an influencer, actually.  13:39 - Lau (Guest) My well, oh my goodness, put your influencer hat on.  13:42 - Anne (Host) So my influencer hat is and I've been, I've been multiple sizes, I've been big and I've been small, right, I mean, I don't know, I've never considered myself small, but that's a whole nother podcast. So, depending on the size right, I followed different influencers. I found and for the most part, if you think about it, when I was a little bit bigger, I had an influencer who I loved her because she was bigger and she was confident and she was beautiful. And I said, gosh, if I could just be confident. And you know, and as a matter of fact, people in my life I've known, I'm like gosh, she's bigger and she's confident. I wish I could be confident like that. I could be confident like that. And then when I, when I started to lose weight, then I it's funny because I switched, following the one influencer who her body type was a little bit bigger, to an influence it was a little bit more my, my body type size, or maybe even smaller, because it was then helpful, it was motivating for me, or inspiring to me.  14:36 And so, in reality and in every instance, right, the influencer made me feel better about myself. Right, I was either motivated or inspired. To well, people are going to say it might be healthy if you say, oh, I want to look like them. But in reality, when it came to my weight, my body size, it was more about becoming healthy. I needed to become healthy, right. And yeah, the clothes were pretty. I didn't have that option with these clothes at this particular size. So, yeah, there was something inspirational and motivational. And then there was the girl who I still follow. She's a bigger girl who is just beautiful at whatever size she's at, and it's really the message that she's saying. That's really the most important thing.  15:17 - Lau (Guest) But I have a question about that, annie, and I know we're getting a little farther away from the voiceover aspect, but from a performance and business aspect, voiceovers need to be thinking about all of this and how you represent your brand and how you think about what you do. Well, absolutely, my question is you have a lot of these people, including, like Lizzo, for instance she was the first one that came to my mind, yeah who made it very public that they lost a ton of weight and that they are very happy they did that and very happy that they're healthier and very happy at whatever they're at.  15:51 - Anne (Host) Yeah.  15:52 - Lau (Guest) So it makes you question well, wait a second, is this for branding sake, to have those brands out there because they know, like a big part of the population is, say, has a certain look or a certain size or a certain sound? Well, yeah, the biggest demographic, the biggest demographic, right? Yeah, versus the reality of the person actually feeling good in their life, I'm going to argue that they're performers and they're performing and that many of them don't feel good about some of the choices they've made in their life and therefore they go and change it. Or their company representatives say you need to change this brand because it is not resonating with the majority of our audiences and we will never know.  16:38 Never know how much influence comes from which direction. We will really not know, that right.  16:44 - Anne (Host) Absolutely. I mean and again this is I mean for bosses out there if you think we're going off topic, in reality we're not, because we're not talking about marketing and advertising, which directly affects us. I mean, that's where we I mean our voices are representing brands that have fluctuations in the way that they advertise and in the way that they market their products, and it's important for us to understand where it's headed, where the trends are and really what is it that matters. And then, what is it that matters to you as an actor, being a part of that campaign, resonating with a brand that may or may not be controversial? Right, Brands change.  17:26 - Lau (Guest) This is where you have to forgive yourself they shift and change trends over time, because that's the natural state of being a human being, is that you age, you change, trends change whatever. Another one that comes to my mind one of my favorite original rappers and then became actress was Queen Latifah. Yeah, yeah. Who I loved for so many reasons. Yeah she's awesome Right.  17:50 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Rubenesque woman beautiful woman.  17:52 - Lau (Guest) Well, she went on a whole campaign I can't remember what it was, whether it was Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem or whatever it was, but she became the brand ambassador of them to lose weight and she had trouble doing it and she never reached the target weight. When she didn't, they dropped her. Yeah, yeah, okay. So my point is was that her and it made you feel like, it made me feel like you know, when you use Tide or use a laundry detergent and then, all of a sudden, you've been using it and it's been good for years, and then it's like no, all new developed. You think, what have I been using that whole time? It wasn't really good. That's how it made me feel.  18:31 - Anne (Host) Well influencing you know and marketing advertising, influencing in their way influencing right as opposed to, and I think that's why influencers became really popular, because it was real people, it wasn't companies. Well, it was the illusion of real people, right?  18:47 Well, they are real people Right right, oh look, I'm not being paid for this but a lot of times, influencers, they get a little bit of a cut. I mean I, you know, hey, I got a little bit of a cut. I'm encouraged to, you know, try this top or this, you know, this pants set or whatever, and then talk about it so that I can get a little bit of a break or a deal. But I creatively love to curate outfits and, to be quite honest, the amount of time I spend at this point because I don't do it full time the amount of time that I spend, you know, putting together videos and stuff, it takes a lot of time. That's my, that's like a, that's a day of my weekend in reality, and I don't make I don't make half as much money as I do when I'm doing voiceover. So for me that's just like a passion project.  19:31 But what is it that voice actors you know need to do? I mean, I think that you either don't realize that you are an intrinsic part of a brand that could or could not be, you know, I mean, you probably know if they're controversial. It's the same thing with political voiceover, Right, we talked about this like not so long ago. What's you know? Are you on a particular side of the fence? Are you? Is your voice, your voice being speaking things that align with your, what you believe in and your morals and your ethics? Or are you just voicing things to make money, because it happens to be something that pays the bills?  20:09 - Lau (Guest) Right and really paying attention to what your audience is identifying your value as. Like I can come in and say, well, I'm going to provide this, I'm going to do this, but I may not have the calling for that. I have to pay attention. Where is the calling of the audience?  20:27 And then go to the. If I want to go to the full extent of that brand, give them awareness of what it is, awareness of my, you know, professionalism, my ethos in it. Whatever that is, it's not always what I'm starting out to be is what it's going to be. I see that all the time like a mismatch of brand knowledge. Someone would say, well, I do this all the time, I play this all the time and I say, right, but what are you being hired for? What you're being hired for might be very different than what you do in your side life.  21:01 - Anne (Host) And if you think about it, like if you align yourself with a style of voiceover that is, you know, has a message, right, that may or it on levels with brands that I've been associated with, where, if you're not careful and you know I mean with the VO Boss podcast, right, if you're not careful people will associate you with those brands as well, and you know that can be detrimental to your career, to your livelihood, and that is something it's sometimes. It's not an easy decision. It's not an easy decision to make. It's not an easy decision.  21:42 - Lau (Guest) It's not an easy decision to make. It's not an easy decision. You have to realize you're performing a part. So whenever you are in that what I call the awareness zone that's like the industry awareness of who you are Like I feel like I play two parts. One is the real person in the larger world, who may or may not know me, and then the person, the mama, who knows me, who people know me in the larger world, who may or may not know me, and then the person, the mama, who knows me, who people know me in the industry. And when I play that role, I know I'm always to some degree on, you're always on and having that awareness that there is a performance value to what you do. How?  22:15 - Anne (Host) interesting because your brand, since I've known you, has evolved into Mama Lau, which you know what I mean. Because I want to say it's because I started calling you Mama Lau, because that's what I called my mother, and then it turned into Mama Lau, but now as Mama Lau, known as Mama Lau in the industry. Right, you now need to be considerate of. Okay, what does this brand speak about me? And if you were to do something, that would not be Mama Lau.  22:42 - Lau (Guest) Right, so I'm not going to go to Vegas and become a stripper anytime soon. Are you going to?  22:47 - Anne (Host) be an erotic. I mean, would you be an erotica audiobook narrator? I mean, well, maybe not under Mama Lau but, here, you are here you are with. Unless you're going to be a character voice, right, here you are, I know your voice. And unless you're going to be a character voice and I don't recognize that voice, right, our voices are recognizable.  23:07 I mean, some of us have immediately, like I know, this person's voice from you know long you know, far, far away, I can tell that voice and I have that with some of my students that have distinctly unique voices, right, I'm thinking they probably can't go into you know erotica character work if they don't want to know other people to know about it. Yes, you know, if you want other people to know about it, that's fine. But for you, under that brand, you have to. There's a responsibility to that brand, right?  23:34 - Lau (Guest) Yes, there is.  23:34 - Anne (Host) In what you do. It reminds me of. It reminds me of oh my gosh, who was it? Who was it? He was a comedian. He was fired in 2011 due to offensive tweets he made about the Japan earthquake and the tsunami. And it is, oh my gosh, gilbert Gottfried. There you go.  23:50 - Lau (Guest) Oh wow, how could we not?  23:52 - Anne (Host) remember that, yes. I know right Gilbert Gottfried.  23:55 - Lau (Guest) I didn't know that.  23:56 - Anne (Host) Yeah, oh yeah, and it was. It was. That was, I think, when it first, at least when I was in the industry, when it first became evident that social media and what you do outside of your job in voice acting, will have a direct effect, if it's offensive enough, right On your job. And you know, nowadays people have to be careful on social media what they're posting. And because companies can now go check out your social media, because companies can now go check out your social media, and so for you as a voice actor, again, it has to come to mind that if you are known, or if you are known in social media, now your actions, if people were to look you up on social media and find that you're associated with a brand or find that you are, you've done something that I don't know is not something that aligns with their ethics right, it can affect your business.  24:52 - Lau (Guest) So in a way, annie, it's kind of like we're blurring the lines of our real reality of living a life as a person, with our business and our performance career, that there is kind of that expectation that you sort of represent it all of your life, all of your life, and you're not going to go through anything. That's antithetical to that image that is being put out there, which I mean. For me it's easy because I'm kind of like, I'm a mama type anyway, but for the average person I think that would be hard, that would be a challenge.  25:27 Mama Lau as mama Lau would not go to a Coldplay concert and get yourself caught on the probably not. I'd be the person standing outside with food, waving my hand, going what did you do in there? What did you do?  25:37 - Anne (Host) And we should bring that up, because yet there's another like CEO of you know, of a company, and then the director of HR, the director of the people I forget what they call it now. I'm like director of HR, no people, ceo of people. Forgive me for not knowing what her title was. She was HR, wasn't she?  25:55 - Lau (Guest) The head of HR. Yes, Like top HR, you know? Executive.  26:00 - Anne (Host) I think PMO is a people. I forget what it is, but anyways, see it, you know. So, really, if you think about it, what did that do those actions do to the brand? Right To the brand. Yes, they say all all, what is it? All publicity is good publicity, but do you think that this was good publicity for the company?  26:24 - Lau (Guest) No, no, I don't either. I don't think there was any redeeming value to that and that felt to me it could have been happenstance, but it felt like a setup. It felt like someone tipped someone off to put them on the jumbotron.  26:37 - Anne (Host) Oh interesting, I didn't think that it didn't just feel random.  26:40 - Lau (Guest) There was like, like, how many people were there?  26:44 - Anne (Host) 50,000? I don't know. I think I, I didn't think it, I don't think they were set up, I mean, unless you have somebody in the company that's like. Well, I mean, first of all you have to, you have to know the person that's, you know, focusing on the Jumbotron and say, oh my God, wouldn't it be funny if you know I hate that guy or whatever? But think about it?  27:01 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) I don't know.  27:02 - Anne (Host) Your actions in life right can be directly affected these days because of social media, because of the now back in the day when I had to walk to school 10 miles up a hill in the snow. When there wasn't social media, it was a little easier to get away with, I would say, indiscretions like that.  27:24 - Lau (Guest) But now, maybe even now with being a voiceover talent. You've got that anonymity to some degree.  27:31 - Anne (Host) But not as much anymore. I'm saying not as much anymore, remember, because voice actors, we're all about social media, aren't we? Because, guess what we need to get work and what are we doing? We're trying to showcase're all about social media, aren't we? Because guess what we need to get work and what are we doing? We're trying to showcase our brand on social media, and when you do that, you really have to be prepared for repercussions. If you are going to voice a campaign, associate yourself with a brand that may be controversial, and you know something that is a concern for your business. That may not have been so much of a concern maybe 20, 30 years ago.  28:06 - Lau (Guest) It's true, because I think with probably the third generation now, or what would we say, maybe the second generation now, millennials and Gen Zers, who are digital natives, growing, up online on social media like their life online on social media like they didn't see the commercial.  28:23 Their life- is on social media. So their lines are very blurred, like I would say, arguably our generation x not as blurred like I know. When I was younger I used to think, oh, the Brady kids are really like that. Now I realize they're separate people, right, they're separate people than what they did in the sitcom. But nowadays it's like oh, everyone thinks that anything you do online is you, is really you, and so it puts a lot of pressure on those people to say okay, am I in alignment with the kind of brand that I want to have out there or not?  29:02 And a lot of people will say well, you know what do they say? All good, all press, bad press, negative press is still good, press, it's still good. I don't know about that. I don't know about that. I don't think that's true. Yeah, I don't think that's true.  29:15 - Anne (Host) I mean in a way. I mean in a way who said?  29:19 - Lau (Guest) that. Beyonce, who said that Someone big said that I don't even remember, but in a way, american Eagle is benefiting from the controversy.  29:27 - Anne (Host) However, there's really good arguments on either side of it. Again, they're promoting to a crowd you know who are their best sellers. Do you know what I mean? Because, as I and you also talked about in the beginning, we have a certain familiarness with advertising from 30 years ago, right 40 years ago, and so for us, maybe that ad was like oh okay, I didn't think anything of it, but then all of a sudden, because of the younger generation, right, who are like hey, what is this? Or you know, or why, especially with political things going on, what do you mean? Genes like G-E-N-E-S Is that? Then it became a political thing. So I think that we have to be really, really careful, as voice actors on social media, to make sure that we're aware, be aware, educate yourself and be aware of what your voice, what your presence, what your social presence means to your business.  30:33 - Lau (Guest) And I also would add on to that, annie, that we just had a discussion because my group was in New York showcasing of actors and I was really tough, talk about mama, tough. I was really tough and saying listen, I'm just going to tell you this right now If you don't go into your social media right now, before you audition for those agents, those casting directors, those producers, and clean it up and scrub your stuff, scrub it.  30:57 Get reputation defenders. Do whatever you need to do to scrub it. Keep your ideas and ideals separate, because you don't want to alienate people and their whole audience before you even meet them and audition for them, do you? I mean, do you to be a really good note to leave on Digital Digital?  31:25 - Anne (Host) We are digital. We are digital.  31:27 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Your footprint's there.  31:28 - Anne (Host) Digital is traceable, just saying Digital is traceable, you are. Have you ever tried to? And again, we've never really covered this in depth, but if you think about it, if you ever tried to make a comment and then delete it and then it didn't really delete or did, how many people took a screenshot of that? Yeah, you know, before you deleted it.  31:48 So again, things are digital and things, and because we've gotten again on your phone, on your computer, just assume that people are tracing and I know, yes, you can get it's not right and I get that, but just assume and just you know, honestly, just be aware, be aware and protect your business, protect your voice, protect your business and protect your bossness. Guys, be a bossness.  32:16 - Lau (Guest) And I'll leave on this note in saying yes, and I'll piggyback by saying, even just for who you are as a person, be happy and content with the brand you're creating. Because, you're going to have to live with that for a long time. As long as you have your business, you'll have to live with it.  32:34 - Anne (Host) I have people.  32:35 - Lau (Guest) Annie when I go to a conference or something screaming across the room hey mama, how are you? If I didn't like that, I didn't want that, I'd have to change it. I'd have to really change it and make a concerted effort to do that so be happy with what you're selecting and what you're choosing and what your audience is giving to you and, if not, strategize elsewhere, redirect it.  32:59 - Anne (Host) Good stuff, good stuff, amazing Bosses. We would love to hear your thoughts honestly. So you know, write us at theboss, annaviobosscom. We'd love to hear from you right in our community Facebook page. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this. So, Lau, it's been amazing, amazing, as always. Big shout out to our sponsor, ipdtl. You too can connect and network like bosses. Find out more at IPDTLcom. Bosses have an amazing week and we'll see you next week.  33:30 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Bye, see you next time. Join us next week for another edition of VO Boss with your host, anne Ganguzza, and take your business to the next level. Sign up for our mailing list at vobosscom and receive exclusive content industry revolutionizing tips and strategies and new ways to rock your business like a boss. Redistribution with permission. Coast to coast connectivity via IPDTL.     

Okay so like I'm not the only one mad about those kobolds, right? Like I feel like that was just unfair. Personally. Where did these three come from, anyway? I mean I guess the mine. But still. Bastion wasn't even there for those quests! Why was he punished?? Max Hedman, can you make it make sense to me?Sound effects courtesy of Zapsplat.

In this powerful episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I sit down with Raheem Lindsey, a man whose life journey defies the odds. Born three months premature and raised in a challenging environment shaped by his mother's drug addiction, foster care, abuse, and incarceration, Raheem shares how faith and purpose led him to become a minister and founder of Relentless Living Online Ministries.   Raheem walks us through the transformative power of self-reflection, accountability, and a deep commitment to servant leadership. He introduces his "Relentless Living Pyramid"—Consumer, Service, Leadership—as a model for turning personal pain into purpose. His message: don't chase money, chase purpose, because purpose leaves a legacy.   Michael and Raheem explore how faith becomes the anchor in moments of doubt and how seeing past our circumstances can help us step into leadership. Today, Raheem is transitioning from construction to full-time ministry and speaking, using his story to inspire others to lead with empathy and serve where they've been broken and healed.   Listeners are encouraged to connect with Raheem at raheemlindsey81@gmail.com or via his Relentless Living YouTube channel.   Tune in for an unforgettable conversation that proves anyone—no matter their start—can lead an unstoppable life of service and significance.     About the Guest:   Hello, I'm RaHeem Lindsey, which means "merciful one" or "one who establishes a deep connection." I'm 43 years old, born on August 12th. I'm a father of three, husband, entrepreneur, and servant of God. My purpose is to please God and serve His people. I believe life is not about personal gain, but about serving and impacting others. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I strive to make a positive difference in the world. Growing up, I faced significant challenges. My father was murdered when I was 15, and I overcame foster care after experiencing abuse at a young age. Despite these difficulties, I'm grateful for my journey and the lessons I've learned. I come from a humble background, raised by a single mother in government housing. However, I've learned to see these experiences as opportunities for growth and blessing. My story is one of resilience and determination. As an empath, servant, student, and leader, my goal is to impact the world in the name of Christ Jesus. I'm driven to serve others and make a positive difference. I love and bless everyone, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my story.   Ways to connect with RaHeem:   https://youtube.com/@rltalkrelentlesslivingglob7210?si=0Km3z7m7Ie_e2Ul4 https://open.spotify.com/show/5Mr5x2456rf31d7R36bfmv?si=ZUCs8yBaSJG664vFeuHoCQ https://www.instagram.com/relen_tlessliving?igsh=aW53b3RhcXc1ZWFv&utm_source=qr     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:17 Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. And today, by my standards, we have a guest who really is unstoppable. You know, one of the things that I hear regularly from people who talk to me about my own experiences of being in the World Trade Center is it's amazing what you went through and how you survived, and you're resilient and all that. I don't think tend to think a whole lot about that. I understand what people are saying, but our guest today, RaHeem Lindsay, I think, has a much more resilient and unstoppable story than I do. A lot of people might disagree, but that's okay. We're both we're both unstoppable, and I think most people are more unstoppable than they think they are. It's just that we tend to underrate ourselves. But we're going to hear a great story today, and I know Raheem has got a lot to tell us. So Rahim, let's start by welcoming you to unstoppable mindset.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 02:18 Thank you, Michael, such a pleasure and an honor to be a guest on your podcast. It's really an honor. I couldn't believe that you actually have reached out to me when you did. I was like, Really, I'm just very flattered, because just to have to have accomplished the feats that you have, and yourself you're you're a definition of relentless living, which is the name of my online ministry, relentless living, refusing to take no for an answer. You know, seeing life's obstacles as opportunities, things of that nature, right? That that resilience, that that that grit, that fortitude, that we all have, but we have to be willing to embrace in order to go forward in life,   Michael Hingson ** 03:01 right? I agree. Well, tell me, what? What does Raheem   RaHeem Lindsey ** 03:05 mean? It means merciful.   Michael Hingson ** 03:09 There you go. Yes, sir, you're, you're committed, right from the name,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 03:14 yes, absolutely yes. And it's funny that you asked that, Michael, because in totality, so Raheem, Lamar Lindsay, so in totality, it means Merciful One, one who establishes a deep connection, which very well fits me, defines me to a T cool   Michael Hingson ** 03:31 well, and I'm really looking forward to hearing a lot more about that. Why don't we start by you telling us a little bit about kind of the early Raheem, growing up and and I know that that's an integral part of your story, is you get a little bit older, if you will. But tell us about you growing up and all that.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 03:49 Okay, so Raheem growing up, I like to tell individuals, friends, etc, that I am, I'm I'm well, I'm well, diverse when it comes to my my growing up as a young man into adulthood, I have a mixed upbringing. I was raised with my mother, right? And then I was actually, let's start here. I was born in Houston, Texas. I left there as an infant, okay, and as a infant, I was hospitalized because I was born premature at six months years old. I mean, at six months old, rather, what did you weigh? I weighed, oh, my goodness. Oh, I was about six, so I six pounds or so. Was that   Michael Hingson ** 04:41 I was born premature about two months, and I weighed two pounds, 13 ounces, so I was a little   RaHeem Lindsey ** 04:47 Okay, and it might be less than that, actually, just to be honest with you, Michael, it's been quite some time I would have to ask my mother   Michael Hingson ** 04:54 you don't remember, huh?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 04:57 But, but long story short. Up, though, and that's really amazing that we have, that that's another connection that we have, as well as being, you know, individuals that are resilient, that are relentless, right? And so I was hospitalized in the incubator for the first, I believe, what two months of my life, I had to be fed through an IV in my head, actually. So it was, it was very, was a very tough   Michael Hingson ** 05:24 time for you. Were one of those people who lost eyesight because you were in an incubator.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 05:30 Oh, my goodness. So yours is. Your journey has been from birth, right? Okay, wow, wow. Come on. Wow.   Michael Hingson ** 05:41 You know, the the issue is that medical science, when I was born, wasn't ready to believe although some doctors were starting to recognize it and say it, but most doctors were not ready to admit that even too much oxygen could be a bad thing. And the result was that the retina didn't develop properly. But that didn't happen for everyone, but they also eventually did figure it out. And so a lot of times, children aren't necessarily given an absolute pure oxygen environment nowadays for 24 hours a day, just depends on what they weigh and what's needed, and it can still be that a person could lose eyesight if they're in an incubator with a pure oxygen environment. But medical science understands it a lot more now. So it doesn't happen like it did back in the 1950s where we actually because of the number of premature births, lower the age, the average age of blind people from 67 to 65 years just because of premature birth.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 06:43 Interesting. Okay, wow.   Michael Hingson ** 06:47 So anyway, you were so you were put in an incubator   RaHeem Lindsey ** 06:50 for a while. Yes, no, I was put in incubator for a while. And so I went through that opportunity of resilience. It started at a young age for us both, right? I don't want to say an issue. I don't like to really use that word. I say opportunities for growth and development, right? Because while we might have had an area of concern, let's say that it, it enabled us in other ways, right? It made us more resilient, more more built for the race, right to go forth in the future, right? So that's awesome. So in the incubator, and then raised with my mother, of course, up until the age of seven. Right now, here's my life begins to take a another dramatic turn. My mother, at the time, was battling a crack addiction. God bless her heart, okay, and but much respect to her. I never lost not one ounce of respect for her, because she always remained a mother to me, even over even, you know, facing those odds, right, facing the the adversity of that she still remained a mother, and I appreciate that. And so with my mother, while being a Christian woman, a woman of faith, as I am, a Christian man myself, she was still, she was a believer, but also still in the world, not fully transitioned, as most of us have. We all go through that time in our lives where we're still, you know, trying to make that full transition. And matter of fact, honestly, we will always be in the event, in the race of transition throughout our entire lives, because we'll never have it fully correct, or know everything for that matter, right? So anyhow, my mother, she was following a crack addiction at the moment, and so I had a family member that ended up calling Child Protective Services on my mother, an older cousin, so I ended up going into the foster care system. I was in the foster care system for a round just under a year, I'd say, seven to eight months during this time while in the foster care system, I was beaten and molested, all while staying right next door to a cousin. But at the time, I'm only seven, going into eight years old, right? So for me, as much as I wanted to reach out and I wanted to make this known, I felt, I felt conflicted once again, I'm still an adolescent, right? I'm still a child,   Michael Hingson ** 09:49 yeah, so you don't have the tools yet to really deal with that.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 09:54 Absolutely, yes, exactly, not having the tools yet necessary to deal with that. Certain. Stance. So I was very reclusive, and I never mentioned it to anyone. So about let me see seven, eight months was my stay there, my aunt Andrea, my great aunt, ended up getting custody of me, which is my mother's aunt, my great aunt, etc, end up getting custody of me. Now, once again, mentioning my mother was always in a very deep rooted transition, both battling addiction and just her personal life itself, and also being a woman of faith. So my mother, my upbringing with her was not as structured as, say, it should have been, but I grew up, my mother cared and she was very hands on, but yet and still, she was a single parent, and so I somebody grew up in in the streets a bit, if you will, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 11:06 your father wasn't around at all. No,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 11:08 my father was not around at all. Okay. And funny story mentioning the father, he was in my life up until about four years old, and then my mother and him had separated, and they were, you know, in other relationships, whatever have you. And I went to visit him. One day, my mother took me to visit him, and he asked me, Hey, who's your dad? Now, me not having a normal, typical, constant relationship of seeing him on a regular basis. I say my mother, I mean my wife. I mean, I'm sorry, my mother's boyfriend at the time and so kind of all hell broke loose with that. He wanted nothing else to do with me. Keep in mind, I'm only four at the time, right? So from that point, yes, so from that point forward, he was out of my life. Okay? So now we fast forward back again to getting in custody with my aunt. My aunt has gained custody of me after getting out of the foster home. So with my aunt, my aunt Andrea, my great aunt, with her, the home is very structured. It's just me and her, her only child, which is my older cousin, Todd. He's in the Air Force, whatever have you. He's in his mid 20s at the time. Okay, okay, and so it's just me and my aunt Andre so with her very structured. Sunday church, Sunday evening church, Wednesday, youth night church, if church was open, we were attending. And it wasn't enough to just attend. We had to be operating. We had to be serving in some capacity. So I was involved in, you know, the youth crowd, any and everything that had to do where we could serve in the church we were doing it. And so that helps create kind of a illustration, if you will, a visual of who Rahim is. I am, both one who is street smart, also one of I love to seek Intel. I love to read. I am a avid reader, so forth and so on. That was very much encouraged within the household with my aunt, so she very much stressed those areas. I was made to memorize Scripture and so forth in her household, things of that nature. Got involved in activities outside of school, baseball, things of that nature. So that helps bring you to who I am today, as of relentless living. To kind of give you a a quick synopsis, if you will, because I know we know we like to talk about some other topics and so forth, but that gives you a bit of my background and who I am. So I tell people I'm very textured, for that matter.   Michael Hingson ** 14:07 So what, what did you do, school wise? Then, once you were growing up,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 14:14 school wise. So I, you know, went through, you know, the elementary and so forth, as everyone else does. I ended up dropping out my 11th no my senior year, I dropped out. Reason being, I was working, obtained a full time job, and I was kind of in that time as most of us are exploring the world, getting to know myself as a young man and a young adult, if you will. So there's the girl aspect, right? Then there's, you know, hey, rahims, now I have a job, so I'm bringing in my own finances. So I. Have responsibility of self, and also being back in the presence of my mother, because my mother gained custody of me again after about three to four years with my aunt. So she battled, she overcame her crack addiction and also regained custody of me. So kudos to her. So being back in the presence of my mother, she always instilled responsibility upon me. She's very big on that, so I'll be responsible for, say, a particular bill. Maybe it was the electricity bill. Obviously, not as high as they are now, right? The economy's changed. Their face changed. So not as much, right? Now we're talking, you know, hundreds of dollars, you know, when then it was like, you know, hey, maybe you know, 150 you know, for light bill. No big deal. So, and those things just helped me to learn about responsibility at a early age as a young man, setting me up also for future success, I will say, so school, so I dropped out. Like I said, 12th grade year I was I got in a little bit of trouble. I always had a great head on my shoulder. Always had great values and morale. But as we all know, bad nature or Bad company corrupts good nature, Bad company corrupts good nature. And so it is not enough to simply do well on your own. It was never meant for us to do anything simply on our own, because you can't be great alone. It takes a team. It takes a strategic alliance of a group of individuals. It may be somewhat semi minute. It could be Lacher, depending upon the need and the desire and the the vision itself. But you cannot be great yourself. It takes a team. And so I tended to I would do well for such a period of time, I was always very much into church, but then there's that street side of Raheem, and I have some street friends, so therefore I would find myself regressing, or rather, let's say, digressing, from the progress that I've made because of my choice of friends. Now, not all of them were in the streets, per se. Others were doing well and focused on the future and doing an accomplishing great things on the positive note. But there's that conflict, right? I've got this internal conflict because my homeboys, you know, and so forth from my mother's end of, you know, the spectrum, you know, we're in the streets, we're products of the environment, right? And it's very easy to become a product of your environment, and then also to get to a point where you sever some of those relationships, not because that's so you're too good, because you've outgrown such a thing, and you've been outside of the environment. So if you see better, logically and hopefully, we will then do better. So it was conflicted, so I I got in a bit of trouble, you know, throughout my childhood and and young adulthood, from, I say, at the time of 14 to, oh goodness, mid 20s, maybe about 2627 I would, you know, I do well, and then I would have a issue, you know, with the law. You know, I was, there was times when I was younger, I know, broken into homes, things of that nature, and it would be quite, I wouldn't even say, like, quite unexpected to those who knew me and had relationships with me, because I was, I was a great person. I really was, you know, good morale, good values, things of that nature, but when I got around the wrong company, then there we have it. Now, Rahim is no longer who I know to be, but I'm who I was, or the tainted version of Raheem, and not the more fulfilled, better version of Raheem, for lack of better terms. So I went through, you know, in and out the system for a while. You know, I've been in on the in the county jails. I've did a year in the penitentiary at one point in time. But I saw this to say, for anyone that has battled such things, no matter what it is, Do not despise it, because, because, because of those situations, it has helped make me who I am today. So I'm able to help other individuals who have battled or in the same storms as I face and I stand today before you as a victor, victorious over those. Circumstances, adverse situations and so forth and so what nearly killed me is situations for yourself. Michael, what nearly you know killed you things that you thought were nearly impossible to get out of, challenges that we face, so much adversity, that caused so much pain, that caused us to have to be resilient because we had no other choice. Right, right? What nearly killed us. Now we can reach back and bring life unto others, because we were able to overcome it, but I have to go here because me, being a man of faith, I will say, not by our power nor our strength, but by God's Spirit. Thus saith the Lord, because of that, because ourselves, we're not capable of such things on our own. We're just not it would be insane to think that we could do the things that we have accomplished, and furthermore that we will accomplish going forward without a divine entity, without divine help, because some things are simply limited to the the carnal existence of   Michael Hingson ** 21:05 being, did you ever, did you ever finish high school?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 21:09 I Okay. So, great question. Michael, so when I was in the penitentiary for a year, I actually ended up getting my GED. So I was, I came up. I had the mindset like, you know, what, if I want to be here, I'm going to, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to use the system against itself. So, okay, I'm going to be here. You will pay for my education. I'm going to better myself while I'm here. I'm not going to, you know, be depressed and be in this, this slump of a mind state and existence of being No, I want to better myself and come out with a vengeance to succeed and be a better version of Rahim. Rahim, 2.0   Michael Hingson ** 21:48 Did you? Did you ever go into college after you got out of the penitentiary and all that?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 21:53 Absolutely, yes, I did. I did not finish, not because I could not, not because I didn't have the intellect, just simply I didn't have the motivation to stay in tune with it, because and now seeing Hindsight is 2020, it wasn't my purpose. Wasn't connected to my purpose, added value to who I am. It helped me to find my purpose, but it wasn't my purpose. So I ended up going to college for Business Administration for a little under a year, Phoenix University, online, okay? And then another time I went for personal training. I've always been a fitness head, so forth and so on. So I love you know, to have, you know, a good overall health, along with, you know, a good mindset, so forth, mind, body, spirit, right,   Michael Hingson ** 22:47 right. So what did you do then, from a job or profession standpoint, to support yourself?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 22:57 Okay? So throughout those times, a lot of times, I delved in sales. I'm very much a people person, so being a store manager at one point in time of GNC, okay, telemarketing, oh, my God, an array of things usually having to do with retail. Because, like I said, once again, I'm very much a people person. I'm an introvert, but I'm a, I mean, I'm an extrovert, but I'm an introvert. When it comes to my issues, I don't share a lot of my issues with   Michael Hingson ** 23:31 individuals. That's fine. Okay, so you did, you did a lot of sales, and yes, and I think that's a very honorable profession, having been in sales for many years in my life as well. Okay, what did sales teach you? What did what did you? How did it help you grow as an individual?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 23:54 Sales taught me how to be a great consumer. Because in order to be a great salesman, you need to consume the needs of others. What's why, who, when, where. I love that I will, I will say in part, I learned from GNC, because when you're trying to sell, I don't sell. I like to build relationships and a rapport. So henceforth, once again, the who, what, who, what, why, when, where. Why are you doing these things? What are you doing this for? When do you plan on achieving the goal that you want? Etc, etc. So being a great consumer helps you to be a great salesman, because then you make it personal when you ask these questions.   Michael Hingson ** 24:48 Well, yeah. And you also learn how to be a good communicator if you're doing a decent job,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 24:55 yes, as well, absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 25:00 I unexpectedly ended up going into sales, but I've learned those same basic tenants and those same basic things. And the reality is, you learn to be a good communicator, and you also learn that ultimately, good sales people really don't sell anything. First of all, the customers really got to want to buy it. And the good sales people guide customers to find what it is they really need. And I know I've had situations where my product wouldn't do what the customer wanted, and the last thing I would want to do would be to and I probably could have done it, convince them to buy my product anyway, even though it might not do everything, because I knew that come back to bite me.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 25:46 Yes, absolutely. Michael, I so concur. Um, touching on that real quick. So exactly the same thing with me, right? I would never sell a individual on something just because it was the item of the week, so to speak, right? We would have conference calls, and so we have, you know, one item, maybe two items, for the week that were the main point of sale, make sure that we're pushing this item to each and every customer, while I would offer that I was more in tune and cared about what they needed and what they wanted. So those questions we spoke about briefly here just a moment ago. And so by doing that, as you said, you develop a rapport and trust. They trust you now because they know that you're just you're just not going to give them any product, sell them any product just for the sake of the monetary gain, but we want you to get what you truly need. We want to make sure that your needs are met, and so they'll come back. And that's how you establish, you know, long term Jeopardy and long term relationships with customers, and then customers become friends clients, and there you have it, and that's how you know, you establish it and build from there. Absolutely what you said.   Michael Hingson ** 27:09 Did you ever have situations where your boss is wanting you to sell a product and you knew that it wasn't going to be what a particular customer wanted? Did you ever have some discussions or conversations with your bosses about that kind of thing.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 27:24 Did I ever have a conversation with them about that indirect, indirectly, that usually it went over well, once again, it's not about what you say, but it's how you say it, right? Michael, so I would say, what ifs what if I have a customer that is not in need of this particular product, but I mentioned it to them, so I'm still doing my job, right? I'm still doing as directed by the superiors. So I'm asking, What do you think about this product? Now, here's the funny thing, though, when we're dealing with, you know, GNC, right? So it's vitamins. There's a lot of things that compliment the other so sometimes, while not really pushing that specifically, I would say, hey, based upon your needs. I recommend this, but just so happens only if it was applicable, this product here will enhance your will enhance the results that you're looking for. And so I would present that to my superiors, my manager, because I was a store manager myself at my own store. So I would present that to them, and they would say, okay, Raheem, Hey, as long as you're, you know, mentioning the product, and you are pushing the product, to some extent, that's fine, okay, so that ended up working out for me, right?   Michael Hingson ** 29:03 So how long did you sell for? GNC?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 29:06 Ah, GNC, I sold for a little over a year. I enjoyed that. That's one of my favorite jobs. One of my most favorite jobs that I've ever had was GNC, just being able to serve. Being able to serve Michael is my thing. I find myself when I'm not able to serve others, I'm not content, right? I'm not I don't feel miserable at times, because I really live to serve. I have the heart of a servant.   Michael Hingson ** 29:41 So what did you do after GNC?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 29:43 After GNC, let's see here, after GNC, I was in restaurant for a minute. Worked at Five Guys Burgers as a store manager there. Also I'm an entrepreneur. I started. In a fried ice cream business? Yes, absolutely. So fried ice cream the first of its kind, right? Ever put into pints and gallons? Okay, so I started that myself back in 2017 the funny way that that even came about was I had lost my job building house trusts. Okay, so I've also done construction, which I'm in now. Currently, I do construction. I do concrete right now, but in this season of time, at the age that I am, I'll be 44 in August, everything is about purpose. Everything is about purpose. And I feel the Lord definitely pulling me more into that direction and being more in tune with that. So henceforth, opportunities like this to be on this podcast, this is in alignment with purpose. But anyhow, so 2017 I started the ice cream. I fried ice cream led me into being into retail for myself. I was in the mall twice. I had a few partnerships with a few local restaurants and so forth and so on. I was supposed to be on food, carnival foods, but I ended up missing that. I had a Oh my God, has some meaning of some sort. I end up missing that. So I fried ice cream was actually supposed to be on Carnival foods on Food Network. So we make quite a bit of feats and accomplishments with that. So there's that. And then I've also, like I said, the construction, telemarketing, my gosh, what else have I done? Probably more sales. And like I said, most recent, I'm in concrete construction. I've been doing that over the last three years, and so that kind of brings you to current but I'm kind of growing quite weary of it, just because I know that I have a story, I have a message. There's some things that God has put on my heart to teach as a minister, as a servant, as an evangelist, so many things that that that wrap up and make up Raheem, I don't put one title on myself, because the Lord has allowed Me and enabled me to be many things due to what I've endured throughout my life, has given me that, you know, variation of existence.   Michael Hingson ** 32:31 So, so tell me more about what you're looking at in terms of being an evangelist and so on, what you're what you're moving toward, and what you think you're   RaHeem Lindsey ** 32:40 going to do. So Well, I'll say, you know, right now, over the last, oh, my god, probably see three, three going, Whoa. No, four years. Let's say four years. Online ministry has been my go to my YouTube channel. Very much, relentless living online ministries where, you know, I do reels, so forth and so on. Really wanting to, I want to do much more than just give a word, but in today's society, you kind of draw them in more with the short term, you know, short term memory is very, very dominant anymore. We're not as much as consumers as we once were. And I think that's just due to the the way of, you know, the AIS and technology and so forth. It's made mankind a bit lazy if you let, if you let. Now, it's also very innovative and creative. And it challenges us to go further in our you know, our mindset, our cerebral capacity and so forth. So it can make you lazy if you allow it. By the same time, it can challenge you and allow you to express yourself in new ways and insight and creativity if you let it, such as myself, yourself, others, etc. So, but just you know, teaching others how to understand the word more, also giving, showing truth and Revelation through the word that applies to your everyday life, that will inspire, that will encourage and edify you, and then also helping you to be able to build business from it, which I've done and and and coaching and things of that nature. It's such a variation of it, but all stemming from what I shared earlier, which is, well, I didn't completely share, but I like to call it my relentless living pyramid. And the base of it is being a consumer. The middle of it servant in the peak is leadership, being a leader, but the most important is being a great consumer, because in order to be a great leader, he was first be a great consumer. Take in the needs, evaluate the. Needs of others. Do an assessment, if you will, right. And then, based upon that, we can better serve who are. Demographic is our tribe is right. And then, as we prove ourselves, we develop a rapport, friendships, so forth and so on. And now there's trust, and when there's trust, people allow you to lead them. And then, in order to remain a great leader, I like to call a servant leader, because the greatest leaders are servant leaders, because a great leader has to be a servant to remain a leader. And so you repeat that process in order to remain relevant, whether it's in marriage, business school, you name it, the relentless living pyramid applies for every facet of life. So in that space alone allows me I see myself speaking engagements, coaching, leadership, development. There's so much that comes from that space and that pyramid, because it applies to everything. And I've been through a lot, if I haven't been through it myself. Personally, I know someone close to me who has so that's the great thing about acknowledging and knowing from what you've come from and not despising it, but instead seeing that as a vehicle of momentum, as long as you have changed and learn from your mistakes, right to become better, that is actually added value, because now you can teach others where you did not fail at because you got through it. So remember that God brings you to it. To bring you through it, the storm that you face today is not to kill you. It's not to stop you, but it's meant to propel you. Because you are eagles. We are eagles. Eagles fly a fly with the storm. They fly towards the storm and use the momentum of the storm to carry them into the next destiny, step, destination for us, purpose. So do not see the storm as a opposition. See it as a opportunity for growth, development, pruning so   Michael Hingson ** 37:26 you you emphasize faith a lot. Yes, tell me. Tell me more about faith and what how you define it. And another question I would ask is, what role do you believe that faith plays in discovering your purpose? Okay? A lot of questions   RaHeem Lindsey ** 37:44 there. Okay, okay, okay, yes, absolutely, okay. I'll start the last one because that because I remember that one best. So okay, what role does faith play in finding purpose? Correct? Michael, yeah, okay, so I'll start with this. I guess maybe I could call it my mantra for relentless living ministries. And this will sum it up. And then I will go into more in depth, live in pursuit of your God given purpose, and then you will find life and life more abundantly. But how do you find your purpose? Okay, so how do you find your purpose? I want to start here. I believe you for myself speaking, I believe you have to incorporate God, because how can you find purpose if you do not include the One who created you with a purpose for himself, I believe is the purpose. So now further going, going even more in depth, finding purpose, going through the obstacles, going through the storms. So me going through being in the system as a adult, a young adult, me going through being in the foster care system as a child. Me going through being beaten and molested. Me going through being the black sheep of the family. Me going through at times, being deserted, okay, sometimes not being liked, not because of who I am, but because of who I am, because of a light that is in me, because of my faith, because of my belief, right? So being facing the facing the trials and the tribulations. Each and everything that you face and that you overcome helps establish you into walking into your divine purpose. I believe that your divine purpose is based upon everything that you have overcome, because most of us, and matter of fact, I can almost guarantee all of us in some way, shape or form, what we have gone through has helped shape our future. It's inevitable what we go through helps to shape our future. That's why decisions are so important. The decisions that we make today will affect our tomorrow. So everything that I've gone through in my past has. Purposed me to be able to help those that are in the same situation that I face, to help them overcome. Like I said, What nearly killed us will nearly kill the individuals that will be watching this podcast that they've endured, the trials, the hardship carrying their own cross, if you will. But yet they survive. Yet they're victorious. It's a reason why you're victorious. So you have to become what you were meant to say. So to speak for those that are you know men and women of faith, everybody knows Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Okay, I'll just go. I'm just going to go here. Scripture says, He who was, I'm sorry, He who knew no sin became sin. You have to become what you want to overcome. You have to go through what you are meant to overcome. Because if you don't endure it, you can't overcome it. There is no testimony without the test going here, being chosen, right? And being chosen, I believe, is part of purpose, because you're chosen for a something we're chosen for a someone you know in marriage, right? There's a someone we're chosen for that we choose, they choose us. So everyone wants to be chosen. Everyone wants to be the one, until they find out how much it cost, because to be chosen, it will cost you something, and it will cost you everything. To be chosen, it's cost you a lot, Michael, to be the man who you are today. It didn't just drop off the sky to you. Wasn't just fed to you. You had to endure some things, some hardships, some struggles, but you turned them into opportunities. Nonetheless. This is why you stand here today as the strong man that you are, because you never gave up. You remained relentless in the face of adversity.   Michael Hingson ** 42:04 So how do people learn to recognize that, and learn to recognize whether they're making the right choices?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 42:12 Okay, great question. So how do people learn to recognize that? I think the recognition is easy when we take ourselves out of the equation, and we look at it from a broader scope. And stop looking at why me, like in the, in the in the in the victim perspective, and think, Why me so the why me. The second why me is, why am I enduring this? There has to be a reason for this. Now, some things are self inflicted, and some things happen. Life happens. But even within that, there's always a lesson to be learned. Always lesson to be learned if we want to evolve now the lessons there, whether we like it or not, but we have to choose to want to see it, or we can be naive and we can neglect the fact that this has happened, and we can play the victim in every world and every role. Or we can choose to see that, hey, I'm victorious. I did overcome this, whether it's self inflicted or just life happened. But the easy way to know about these things are, I think every experience will increase the knowledge of the knowing.   Michael Hingson ** 43:33 But what I'm getting at, I think, is that in reality, until you are willing to stop and analyze and look at what you're doing, look at what's happened, look at why it's happened, and listen to your inner voice, if you will. Yes, that guides you until you're willing to do all of that, it's really very difficult to find out what your purpose ought to be or how you should proceed, and that's the thing that most people don't do, is take the time to be self analytical.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 44:10 Come on, absolutely. Michael, I agree 100% Absolutely. We don't take the time to be self analytical, and that it takes, it takes courage to do that, because sometimes we don't want to look at the reflection that's in the mirror. We brother, you know, cast the, you know, the judgment or the the you know, it's someone else's fault, play someone else at fault, the situation's fault. Oh, you know, I'm always, you know, the innocent one, but yet, at most times, if we're really honest with ourselves, we are our own worst enemy, and it's very unfortunate, and so that's why it's very necessary to confront ourselves on a daily basis and hold ourselves accountable. It so that we can have positive growth and development, because where there's accountability, there's also confrontation, whether it's with yourself or can be with others. Now, confrontation is good. There's good confrontation and bad confrontation, but ultimately, confrontation is good, because confrontation there has to be something confronted, and so something is a dress, then we cannot, we can't cover we can't we can't address it unless it's been spoken of, unless it's been, you know, brung up, right? We have to address it. So with that comes, you know, the accountability, and so accountability requires being uncomfortable   Michael Hingson ** 45:52 Well, or it requires that you recognize that there are lessons to be learned Absolutely, and you go out and recognize that you're going to be your best teacher and that you need to learn them. How do people overcome self doubt when they're when they're going through life and so on? How do you how do you get beyond all the self doubt? I think we've talked about it some, but, you know, I'm curious to see if you want to add   RaHeem Lindsey ** 46:17 to that absolutely, I'd love to Michael, so overcoming self doubt at some point in time in life, and there's been a few times, for every single individual, you have overcame something that you thought was nearly impossible, because if you, if you didn't, each and every one of us wouldn't be where we are today. Now. We could all be, obviously, maybe doing a bit better, but could always be a lot worse. So we discover so I lost print thought, repeat that one more time. I'm so sorry, Michael.   Michael Hingson ** 46:55 I was just asking how people deal with and how do you overcome self doubt to be able to advance and move forward.   RaHeem Lindsey ** 47:01 Okay, so overcome this self doubt. Remember that you know what. I have to go. I have to go here. I have to go here. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world? This is how I help myself, and I hope that it helps all of us. It will help all of us say that once more, Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world? Okay? So you get some people, may, you know, it might be the inner voice for me, it's God, Jesus, you know, he's the wrong. Same thing, okay, same thing, right? What does the inner voice say about you? What does God say about you? You are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. See the this thing here, the flesh, the carnality, will always feed you the lies, because you'll always see just what is in front of you. But the inner voice is what gives you vision, right? So when you have vision, when you're looking outside the physical parameter of things, you see the greater, okay? And you want to see yourself by the inside voice. The inside voice says that you're perfectly, wonderfully made the image of God through Christ, Jesus. You can do all things. You are great. You are amazing. You are wonderful. These things, you are the you are the victor, no longer the victim. Okay, you are the head, not the tail. These are the things, the positive things that are truth, that are said about you, said about me, each and every one of us. So when we learn to see beyond the present circumstance and remember this, it's not always what it looks like, especially when it comes to yourself. Anything that is that is opposite of the positive things that have been spoken of you, that you know about yourself, even is a lie of the enemy. So you have to be willing to know the truth, willing to walk by faith and not by sight. I will add this in, for faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So you may have been the drug addict, you may have been the the alcoholic, but I see you as the doctor, as the lawyer, as the nurse, as the store manager, so forth and so on. We have to feed ourselves with the positivity, but the knowing who you are, for me comes from the word. It's times I struggle with myself. I'm like, I don't think I'm the greatest person in the world, but then I have to go back and I reflect. I go back to the world. What does God say about rain? What does God say about you? That's the truth, not the lies that the world may spill upon you and try to demonize your name and slander your reputation, assassinate your character, not those things. Things that might have happened, but you are not that. So seeing the greater in you for me and that will share with anyone that I have the opportunity to encounter you, got to go back to what the inner says about you, the inner self, because the inner you is great, despite what you may go through on the exterior and what is inside will soon come outside. It will reflect   Michael Hingson ** 50:29 you mentioned earlier, the whole concept of being a servant leader. What is a servant leader?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 50:34 A servant leader? A servant leader is one who, obviously, they I see them as being an empath of some extent. I think a great leader has to be empathetic. Because I believe you have to be empathetic in order to want to solve one's needs, to care about their needs. Now it's one thing just to be in business, and this is what separates a servant leader from a leader. A leader may be great and sells the sofa and so on right, and they're leading. But do they care? Are they gathering the Intel of the consumers because of a want and a desire to change lives and to help others. So you have to be a great servant in order to be that great leader. And when you're a great servant leader, you serve based upon the needs of others, and that brings life into you. By giving life unto others by fulfilling their needs. You find your need being met, and you develop that trust and that relationship, and then you leave. But you lead, not only to have that title, forget the title. It's not about the title, but you're led because you're called to lead, because the people trust you and you have been enabled to and you have the insight to based upon being a great consumer, and you want to serve others, you have to be a servant. So consumer servant leadership, once again, the pyramid kind of sums that up and gives you, you know, a synopsis of that. How you know being a great servant leader. They have to be all those things, consumer, servant leader, servant leader, and then repeat, in order to remain relevant, it can never be about you. To be a great leader, it can never be about you. It has to be about the people whom you're serving. Because the moment it becomes about you, it becomes singular. And if you're only there to help self, guess what? At some point in time, you may run out of needs, but when you're serving the capacity of many, there is always a need to be met, and not only that, you're operating in purpose. So I like to share with people this, this, this, this train of thought, if you will. Everyone's always, you know, concerned about financials, right? Money, right? Not me, it's purpose. Because if you chase purpose, the money will follow chase your purpose. Because here's the thing, as scripture says, I'll go here once again, money answereth all things, not something people may say initially and whatnot, oh my god, money, money, money, right for those that are, you know, you know, into the word things like that, right, as myself, sometimes we get it misconstrued and say, Well, money is evil. No, it's not. It depends on whose hands it's in. The word says the love of money is the root of all evil. The love when you love the money over the inner voice over God so forth, then it's the root of all evil, because people will do anything for money. But when you're operating on purpose, you're on divine assignment, it's bigger than you, and so money answers all things, right? But what happens when it's singular? It's just you. There's only so many needs one person can have, so there's no longer a call for the money to answer. And this is kind of a illustration, a parable, if you will. You know, you pick up the phone, it's because someone called Money answers all things. So there has to be a call in order for the money to answer, being a need the call a need for money to answer. But what happens when all your needs are answered as a one individual? It's done, but when you're operating out of purpose, your purpose outlives you. Purpose creates legacy, and purpose helps fulfill others other than yourself, so you're constantly on assignment, so therefore you always stay in motion.   Michael Hingson ** 54:48 So how do you balance personal ambition and serving others?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 54:54 Personal ambition and serving others? Wonderful question. Michael, personal ambition. And serving others, because it's it's why, it's why I'm here. It's my assignment, Michael, it's my purpose in life. As I mentioned earlier, I literally I feel terrible when I'm not able to help others. I'd much rather give than receive any day, because I've been through so much, and I know what it's like to need and others have the wrong perspective of you and not want to help you based upon what somebody else has said. And it's the wrong narrative, it's the wrong story, it's a lie. And then some things may be a bit true. There's some things that, oh, well, yeah, that that is true, but I'm not that. I'm not the individual anymore. That was, that was a mistake that I made, but it does not define me. I know it's like to be misunderstood. I know what it's like to be in need. That's why it's so good that I have went through and endured everything that I have in my life because it's made me appreciative of help when it comes, and it's given me such a capacity with the void that has been left in me because of what I have endured to want to help others, that that's that's my purpose. It may it makes when I, when I, when I have a chance to speak unto other people. I speak life unto them. If I have the opportunity to help somebody financially, it's, it's my pleasure, it's, it's a duty, because I know it's my assignment. Based upon everything that Rahim has went through. I went through and experienced homelessness. I've, I've had a mother that was addicted to hardcore drugs. I've been in the system, both incarceration and as a child, you know, being in the foster care and so forth. I've endured all these things. So it's given me a heart for people that are in the same situations. So it's not too many people you know that themselves or don't know somebody directly close to them, that hasn't been incarcerated, that hasn't been a victim of something in the system as a child, that hasn't had a close loved one, that's battled an addiction, if not yourself, that hasn't went through homelessness, that hasn't been, you know, rejected by the family, you know, a black sheep or whatever have you, that you know all those things and some so I remember what it's like, and some of those things I still endure. And I'm like, all I want to do is to help and to love and to serve. If I do nothing else in life, I'm good with that. I'm fine with that, because I know that's my purpose. Well, oh, go ahead, yes and yeah, go ahead and so just just just knowing that. Like I said, You know what you go through life, ladies and gentlemen, what you go through in life, pay close attention. Hindsight is 2020. That is a part of your purpose, what you overcame. I promise you a lot of people, how do I find purpose? How do I find purpose? It's not as hard as we make it, and I can probably deny and I share this with so many people, and they you're absolutely right, and if it doesn't lead directly, if it doesn't define purpose for you, it helps lead you to your purpose. So don't despise anything that you grow through. But yet, please, learn from it. Learn from it and gain insight.   Michael Hingson ** 58:38 How do you think one can cultivate a let me, yeah, how do you think that one can cultivate a servant leadership mindset in their lives?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 58:52 By I would say by first, you can't it can't be about self. You can't be about self. Now we'll say this, okay, and it's not contradictory, if you, if you take it in the right state of mind, okay, and get what I'm saying, what I'm not saying, you have to be able to help yourself before you can help someone else, because you cannot pour from an empty cup. But knowing that what's in the cup is for you, in the overflow of whatever it may be, your anointing, your finances, your time, your energy, your space, the overflow, once your needs are met, it's for others. So there's a time to think about self initially, because you have to work and develop yourself, you have to fill yourself so that you have something to give. But then once those need once the need is met. So I guess next would be, when is the need met? Well, let's put it in this kind of illustration. Let's say you've got rent, right? Right? It's going to this something everybody can relate to. You got rent, or you got your mortgage. The mortgage is paid, right? The the electrics paid, but you got an exceedingly, you know, amount of of financials left after that. Now you have to be wise. Always exercise wisdom, right? But after that, okay, well, I'm good. My needs met. You know, I've got clothes on my back. You know, there's gas in the car, etc, etc, whatever. Now it is not good for you to hold because God gives seed to the giver. I mean seed to the sower. You see, if you hold what you have in your hand, once again, dealing with singular possessiveness, right? It stays there. It goes no farther than where you set your feet. But the moment you open up your hand, what do you have in your hand? What do you have in your hand? And you spread it and you then it multiplies, right? It multiplies. So it cannot be just about you. We have to get out of the the self mindset? But know that, yes, you have to be able to help yourself before you can help others. Once again, you can't pour from empty cup. But after that, remove self from it and realize that everything that you've gotten, everything that you have obtained, is by the grace of God, that's simply what you've done. Because some things, I'm quite sure, if you look back, how in the world did I do that? And someone helped you, like I said, we cannot be great by ourselves. So it takes a community. It takes individuals. It takes a unit in unity, right? So how to go about that? We move self out the equation and think, How can I serve in a capacity where I have been afflicted in my life, where I overcame, because if you're a decent human being, by my beliefs, you will have a void in your heart, a concern in your heart, and you're drawn towards individuals who are going through what you went through, because you remember what it was like. I wish I had someone who would have understood. I wish I had someone that have spoken a kind word to me, said, I love you when I needed it most, instead of turn their back on me, instead of opposed me, I wish someone would have lended a hand when I was short on the rent, short on the electricity bill, and yes, I was doing everything that I could. So Wow. To reflect back on those things, should give you a heart of gratitude, because obviously you were able, you were able to overcome it by some way. Someone gave you a hand. Somebody, everybody's had somebody help them. And so you may have more rejections than the help. And so the thing   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:00 yes please. And so the thing to do is to pay it forward. Pay it   RaHeem Lindsey ** 1:03:04 forward, simply put, Michael, yes, I'm sorry. I'm long winded at times.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:10 Well, I hear you and I understand and I appreciate all the things that you've said. If people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?   RaHeem Lindsey ** 1:03:18 You can reach out to me there's I'll start with email. That's Raheem Lindsey, 80 one@gmail.com   1:03:29 spell that for me, if you would. That's K, A,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 1:03:33 H, E, E, M, as in man Lindsey, L I, N, D, S, e, y, 80 one@gmail.com Raheem Lindsey, 80 one@gmail.com Okay, and then, and you can reach out to me for you know, whatever speak, counsel, leadership, whatever it may be. Then also, I have my YouTube channel, relentless living online ministries. It is exactly that relentless living International Ministries on YouTube, you'll see this gorgeous face here.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:13 Okay, so the name of the channel, again, is relentless living. Relentless living, yes,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 1:04:19 okay, yep. Relentless living ministries on YouTube. And so, yeah, I have those two things there. And, you know, if need further, then, you know, I'm always free, you know, to, you know, give out my contact, you know, which is more than more than more than welcome to utilize. I have no problem with that as well.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:40 Well, I want to thank you for being here and giving people a lot of insight. I hope people will take it to heart. I've always been a great fan of the whole concept of servant leadership. I think it's extremely important. And I think any good leader is or should be, a servant leader. Otherwise you're. Are missing a lot of the dimensions of what leadership is all about. So I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank everyone who was listening today for being here. Love to hear from you. Love your thoughts. Please email me at Michael H i@accessibe.com accessibe is spelled A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, E, so it's Michael M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, i@accessibe.com, and wherever you're listening, please give us a five star review for the podcast episode. We love it, we appreciate it, and we really do value all that you have to say to us and about us. If you know anyone who ought to be a guest on the podcast, and Rahim as well. For you, if you know anyone else who ought to be a guest, we'd love to hear from you, or please give us an introduction to anyone who you think ought to be a guest. We're always looking for people, because I think everyone has a story to tell. And the reality is, as Rahim is so greatly demonstrated today, we can deal with whatever circumstances come along, but it's our choice to make, to deal with things, and we can choose to do it or not that is up to us. Absolutely. We can listen to God or not, that is up to us. So thank you again, everyone for being here. And Rahim, I want to thank you once more for being here. This has been wonderful,   RaHeem Lindsey ** 1:06:21 absolute pleasure. Michael, I just, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, once again, complete honor. I've enjoyed just your your your intellect, your wisdom and the Great, the great questions that you've asked may for, I think, a great podcast session as many others before me as I've had the privilege of watching, so I just I thank you. God. Bless you, and continue doing what you're doing, being an inspiration, a great servant leader and just innovation to many an inspiration and motivation.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:07:00 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

Today I want to talk about why we shouldn't take things personally.  We are so quick to start a fight with friends, families, and even strangers.  I used to take things so personally, and ever since I have stopped life has been so much better!  So please, join me! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chris Frantz is the Co-founder and CEO of Loops, the email platform for software companies.We get into why sending emails is still a big problem, his hilariously simple framework for building products, getting in to YC with a last minute application, and why they skipped raising a Series A.We also talk through Chris decade of working in marketing, like when to lean into PLG vs Sales vs hype led growth, early stunts they did to get their first users, why they do no marketing now, and why Loops' customer support team is all engineers.Thanks to Ramp for supporting this episode. It's the corporate card and expense management platform used by over 40,000 companies, like Shopify, CBRE and Stripe. Time is money. Save both with Ramp. Get $250 for signing-up here: https://ramp.com/ThePeelTry Hanover Park - the modern, AI-native fund admin https://www.hanoverpark.com/TurnerTimestamps:(4:37) Email for software companies(8:28) Why email is a big deal(14:05) The future of email(17:00) Product vs Sales vs Hype led growth(24:33) Coming up with the idea for Loops(29:36) Building one of the first GPT wrappers in 2020(34:34) Lessons selling his first company(37:13) Doing their YC app in 10 minutes(40:53) Avoiding VC's who add value(46:58) Skipping a Series A(51:37) Building in stealth for 18 months(53:21) Marketing stunts to get the first waitlist sign-ups(58:44) Four step cadence of building Loops(1:01:58) Personally onboarding every new customer(1:04:03) Balancing 996 with family(1:11:11) Cleaning wasp nests with a shop vacReferencedLoops: https://loops.soCareers at Loops: https://loops.so/careersCuriosity: https://curiositystream.comSnazzy AI / Unbounce: https://unbounce.com/product/smart-copyAtlas customer support: https://atlas.soFollow ChrisTwitter: https://x.com/frantzfriesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctfrantzFollow TurnerTwitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovakLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovakSubscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week: https://www.thespl.it/

In this episode of Personally Speaking Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined again by television journalist and best-selling author Bill O'Reilly. Bill's latest book with author Josh Hammer is called, “Confronting Evil: Assessing the Worst of the Worst” which shows the concept of evil is universal, ancient, and ever present in today's world. “Confronting Evil” explains the endless struggle between good and evil and how it is a daily temptation, and choice, each of us is confronted with every day.Support the show

Bulwark Capital  https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comHear directly from Zach Abraham as he shares insights in this FREE “Back To Basics” Webinar, THIS THURSDAY at 3:30 Pacific.  Register now at Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeThere is a problem with Democrat women in leadership. They're gross. So what do we do with this information?
Episode Links:Hillary Clinton continues to demonize white Christian men.KAMALA: “We have to remember nobody gives us our light. It's ours … Don't let them extinguish our light.”Emma Watson finally breaks her silence and shares her truth about the rift with JK Rowling. Spoiler alert- You may need some vinaigrette to consume this.Emma Watson is struggling with her cognitive dissonance. She knows JK Rowling is speaking the truth but wants to cling onto the lies of trans ideology regardless.If only there was someone who could have warned Emma Watson that nothing short of total & absolute surrendering to trans ideology is enough for them.NEW: Serena Williams speaks out against a cotton decoration at a New York City hotel, says it doesn't make her "feel great." -- "Personally, for me, it doesn't feel great," she said on IGThis woman is baffled because she found out a person she works with is conservativeWhat Does God's Word Say?Acts 16:16-20 Paul and Silas in Prison16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

Functional movement disorders are a common clinical concern for neurologists. The principle of “rule-in” diagnosis, which involves demonstrating the difference between voluntary and automatic movement, can be carried through to explanation, triage, and evidence-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation therapy. In this episode, Gordon Smith, MD, FAAN speaks Jon Stone, PhD, MB, ChB, FRCP, an author of the article “Multidisciplinary Treatment for Functional Movement Disorder” in the Continuum® August 2025 Movement Disorders issue. Dr. Smith is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and a professor and chair of neurology at Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chair in Clinical and Translational Research at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Stone is a consultant neurologist and honorary professor of neurology at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Additional Resources Read the article: Multidisciplinary Treatment for Functional Movement Disorder Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @gordonsmithMD Guest: @jonstoneneuro Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. This exclusive Continuum Audio interview is available only to you, our subscribers. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you for listening. Dr Smith: Hello, this is Dr Gordon Smith. Today I've got the great pleasure of interviewing Dr Johnstone about his article on the multidisciplinary treatment for functional neurologic disorder, which he wrote with Dr Alan Carson. This article will appear in the August 2025 Continuum issue on movement disorders. I will say, Jon, that as a Continuum Audio interviewer, I usually take the interviews that come my way, and I'm happy about it. I learn something every time. They're all a lot of fun. But there have been two instances where I go out and actively seek to interview someone, and you are one of them. So, I'm super excited that they allowed me to talk with you today. For those of our listeners who understand or are familiar with FND, Dr Stone is a true luminary and a leader in this, both in clinical care and research. He's also a true humanist. And I have a bit of a bias here, but he was the first awardee of the Ted Burns Humanism in Neurology award, which is a real honor and reflective of your great work. So welcome to the podcast, Jon. Maybe you can introduce yourself to our audience. Dr Stone: Well, thank you so much, Gordon. It was such a pleasure to get that award, the Ted Burns Award, because Ted was such a great character. I think the spirit of his podcasts is seen in the spirit of these podcasts as well. So, I'm a neurologist in Edinburgh in Scotland. I'm from England originally. I'm very much a general neurologist still. I still work full-time. I do general neurology, acute neurology, and I do two FND clinics a week. I have a research group with Alan Carson, who you mentioned; a very clinical research group, and we've been doing that for about 25 years. Dr Smith: I really want to hear more about your clinical approach and how you run the clinic, but I wonder if it would be helpful for you to maybe provide a definition. What's the definition of a functional movement disorder? I mean, I think all of us see these patients, but it's actually nice to have a definition. Dr Stone: You know, that's one of the hardest things to do in any paper on FND. And I'm involved with the FND society, and we're trying to get together a definition. It's very hard to get an overarching definition. But from a movement disorder point of view, I think you're looking at a disorder where there is an impairment of voluntary movement, where you can demonstrate that there is an automatic movement, which is normal in the same movement. I mean, that's a very clumsy way of saying it. Ultimately, it's a disorder that's defined by the clinical features it has; a bit like saying, what is migraine? You know? Or, what is MS? You know, it's very hard to actually say that in a sentence. I think these are disorders of brain function at a very broad level, and particularly with FND disorders, of a sort of higher control of voluntary movement, I would say. Dr Smith: There's so many pearls in this article and others that you've written. One that I really like is that this isn't a diagnosis of exclusion, that this is an affirmative diagnosis that have clear diagnostic signs. And I wonder if you can talk a little bit about the diagnostic process, arriving at an FND diagnosis for a patient. Dr Stone: I think this is probably the most important sort of “switch-around” in the last fifteen, twenty years since I've been involved. It's not new information. You know, all of these diagnostic signs were well known in the 19th century; and in fact, many of them were described then as well. But they were kind of lost knowledge, so that by the time we got to the late nineties, this area---which was called conversion disorder then---it was written down. This is a diagnosis of exclusion that you make when you've ruled everything out. But in fact, we have lots of rule in signs, which I hope most listeners are familiar with. So, if you've got someone with a functional tremor, you would do a tremor entrainment test where you do rhythmic movements of your thumb and forefinger, ask the patient to copy them. It's very important that they copy you rather than make their own movements. And see if their tremor stops briefly, or perhaps entrains to the same rhythm that you're making, or perhaps they just can't make the movement. That might be one example. There's many examples for limb weakness and dystonia. There's a whole lot of stuff to learn there, basically, clinical skills. Dr Smith: You make a really interesting point early on in your article about the importance of the neurological assessment as part of the treatment of the patient. I wonder if you could talk to our listeners about that. Dr Stone: So, I think, you know, there's a perception that- certainly, there was a perception that that the neurologist is there to make a diagnosis. When I was training, the neurologist was there to tell the patient that they didn't have the kind of neurological problem and to go somewhere else. But in fact, that treatment process, when it goes well, I think begins from the moment you greet the patient in the waiting room, shake their hand, look at them. Things like asking the patient about all their symptoms, being the first doctor who's ever been interested in their, you know, horrendous exhaustion or their dizziness. You know, questions that many patients are aware that doctors often aren't very interested in. These are therapeutic opportunities, you know, as well as just taking the history that enable the patient to feel relaxed. They start thinking, oh, this person's actually interested in me. They're more likely to listen to what you've got to say if they get that feeling off you. So, I'd spend a lot of time going through physical symptoms. I go through time asking the patient what they do, and the patients will often tell you what they don't do. They say, I used to do this, I used to go running. Okay, you need to know that, but what do they actually do? Because that's such valuable information for their treatment plan. You know, they list a whole lot of TV shows that they really enjoy, they're probably not depressed. So that's kind of useful information. I also spend a lot of time talking to them about what they think is wrong. Be careful, that they can annoy patients, you know. Well, I've come to you because you're going to tell me what's wrong. But what sort of ideas had you had about what was wrong? I need to know so that I can deal with those ideas that you've had. Is there a particular reason that you're in my clinic today? Were you sent here? Was it your idea? Are there particular treatments that you think would really help you? These all set the scene for what's going to come later in terms of your explanation. And, more importantly, your triaging of the patient. Is this somebody where it's the right time to be embarking on treatment, which is a question we don't always ask yourself, I think. Dr Smith: That's a really great point and kind of segues to my next question, which is- you talked a little bit about this, right? Generally speaking, we have come up with this is a likely diagnosis earlier, midway through the encounter. And you talked a little bit about how to frame the encounter, knowing what's coming up. And then what's coming up is sharing with the patient our opinion. In your article, you point out this should be no different than telling someone they have Parkinson's disease, for instance. What pearls do you have and what pitfalls do you have in how to give the diagnosis? And, you know, a lot of us really weren't trained to do this. What's the right way, and what are the most common land mines that folks step on when they're trying to share this information with patients? Dr Stone: I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've come to the conclusion that all we need to do with this disorder is stop being weird. What goes wrong? The main pitfall is that people think, oh God, this is FND, this is something a bit weird. It's in a different box to all of the other things and I have to do something weird. And people end up blurting out things like, well, your scan was normal or, you haven't got epilepsy or, you haven't got Parkinson's disease. That's not what you normally do. It's weird. What you normally do is you take a deep breath and you say, I'm sorry to tell you've got Parkinson's disease or, you have this type of dystonia. That's what you normally say. If you follow the normal- what goes wrong is that people don't follow the normal rules. The patient picks up on this. What's going on here? This doctor's telling me what I don't have and then they're starting to talk about some reason why I've got this, like stress, even though I don't- haven't been told what it is yet. You do the normal rules, give it a name, a name that you're comfortable with, preferably as specific as possible: functional tremor, functional dystonia. And then do what you normally do, which is explain to the patient why you think it's this. So, if someone's got Parkinson's, you say, I think you've got Parkinson's because I noticed that you're walking very slowly and you've got a tremor. And these are typical features of Parkinson. And so, you're talking about the features. This is where I think it's the most useful thing that you can do. And the thing that I do when it goes really well and it's gone badly somewhere else, the thing I probably do best, what was most useful, is showing the patient their signs. I don't know if you do that, Gordon, but it's maybe not something that we're used to doing. Dr Smith: Wait, maybe you can talk more about that, and maybe, perhaps, give an example? Talk about how that impacts treatment. I was really impressed about the approach to physical therapy, and treatment of patients really leverages the physical examination findings that we're all well-trained to look for. So maybe explore that a little bit. Dr Stone: Yeah, I think absolutely it does. And I think we've been evolving these thoughts over the last ten or fifteen years. But I started, you know, maybe about twenty years ago, started to show people their tremor entrainment tests. Or their Hoover sign, for example; if you don't know Hoover sign, weakness of hip extension, that comes back to normal when the person's flexing their normal leg, their normal hip. These are sort of diagnostic tricks that we had. Ahen I started writing articles about FND, various senior neurologists said to me, are you sure you should write this stuff down? Patients will find out. I wrote an article with Marc Edwards called “Trick or Treat in Neurology” about fifteen years ago to say that actually, although they're they might seem like tricks, there really are treats for patients because you're bringing the diagnosis into the clinic room. It's not about the normal scan. You can have FND and MS. It's not about the normal scan. It's about what you're seeing in front of you. If you show that patient, yes, you can't move your leg. The more you try, the worse it gets. I can see that. But look, lift up your other leg. Let me show you. Can you see now how strong your leg is? It's such a powerful way of communicating to the patient what's wrong with them diagnostically, giving them that confidence. What it's also doing is showing them the potential for improvement. It's giving them some hope, which they badly need. And, as we'll perhaps talk about, the physio treatment uses that as well because we have to use a different kind of physio for many forms of functional movement disorder, which relies on just glimpsing these little moments of normal function and promoting them, promoting the automatic movement, squashing down that abnormal pattern of voluntary movement that people have got with FND. Dr Smith: So, maybe we can talk about that now. You know, I've got a bunch of other questions to ask you about mechanism and stuff, but let's talk about the approach to physical therapy because it's such a good lead-in and I always worry that our physical therapists aren't knowledgeable about this. So, maybe some examples, you have some really great ones in the article. And then words of wisdom for us as we're engaging physical therapists who may not be familiar with FND, how to kind of build that competency and relationship with the therapist with whom you work. Dr Stone: Some of the stuff is the same. Some of the rehabilitation ideas are similar, thinking about boom and bust activity, which is very common in these patients, or grading activity. That's similar, but some of them are really different. So, if you have a patient with a stroke, the physiotherapist might be very used to getting that person to think and look at their leg to try and help them move, which is part of their rehabilitation. In FND, that makes things worse. That's what's happening in Hoover sign and tremor entrainment sign. Attention towards the limb is making it worse. But if the patient's on board with the diagnosis and understands it, they'll also see what you need to do, then, in the physio is actively use distraction in a very transparent way and say to the patient, look, I think if I get you to do that movement, and I'll film you, I think your movement's going to look better. Wouldn't that be great if we could demonstrate that? And the patient says, yeah, that would be great. We're kind of actively using distraction. We're doing things that would seem a bit strange for someone with other forms of movement disorder. So, the patients, for example, with functional gait disorders who you discover can jog quite well on a treadmill. In fact, that's another diagnostic test. Or they can walk backwards, or they can dance or pretend that they're ice skating, and they have much more fluid movements because their ice skating program in their brain is not corrupted, but their normal walking program is. So, can you then turn ice skating or jogging into normal walking? It's not that complicated, I think. The basic ideas are pretty simple, but it does require some creativity from whoever's doing the therapy because you have to use what the patient's into. So, if the patient used to be a dancer- we had a patient who was a, she was really into ballet dancing. Her ballet was great, but her walking was terrible. So, they used ballet to help her walk again. And that's incredibly satisfying for the therapist as well. So, if you have a therapist who's not sure, there are consensus recommendations. There are videos. One really good success often makes a therapist want to do that again and think, oh, that's interesting. I really helped that patient get better. Dr Smith: For a long time, this has been framed as a mental health issue, conversion disorder, and maybe we can talk a little bit about early life of trauma as a risk factor. But, you know, listening to you talk, it sounds like a brain network problem. Even the word “functional”, to me, it seems a little judgmental. I don't know if this is the best term, but is this really a network problem? Dr Stone: The word “functional”, for most neurologists, sounds judgmental because of what you associate it with. If you think about what the word actually is, it's- it does what it says on the tin. There's a disordered brain function. I mean, it's not a great word. It's the least worst term, in my view. And yes, of course it's a brain network problem, because what other organ is it going to be? You know, that's gone wrong? When software brains go wrong, they go wrong in networks. But I think we have to be careful not to swing that pendulum too far to the other side because the problem here, when we say asking the question, is this a mental health problem or a neurological one, we're just asking the wrong question. We're asking a question that makes no sense. However you try and answer that, you're going to get a stupid answer because the question doesn't make sense. We shouldn't have those categories. It's one organ. And what's so fascinating about FND---and I hope what can incite your sort of curiosity about it---is this disorder which defies this categorization. You see some patients with it, they say, oh, they've got a brain network disorder. Then you meet another patient who was sexually abused for five years by their uncle when they were nine, between nine and fourteen; they developed an incredibly strong dissociative threat response into that experience. They have crippling anxiety, PTSD, interpersonal problems, and their FND is sort of somehow a part of that; part of that experience that they've had. So, to ignore that or to deny or dismiss psychological, psychiatric aspects, is just as bad and just as much a mistake as to dismiss the kind of neurological aspects as well. Dr Smith: I wonder if this would be a good time to go back and talk a little bit about a concept that I found really interesting, and that is FND as a prodromal syndrome before a different neurological problem. So, for instance, FND prodromal to Parkinson's disease. Can you talk to us a little bit about that? I mean, obviously I was familiar with the fact that patients who have nonepileptic seizurelike events often have epileptic seizures, but the idea of FND ahead of Parkinson's was new to me. Dr Stone: So, this is definitely a thing that happens. It's interesting because previously, perhaps, if you saw someone who was referred with a functional tremor---this has happened to me and my colleagues. They send me some with a functional tremor. By the time I see them, it's obvious they've got Parkinson's because it's been a little gap. But it turns out that the diagnosis of functional tremor was wrong. It was just that they've developed that in the prodrome of Parkinson's disease. And if you think about it, it's what you'd expect, really, especially with Parkinson's disease. We know people develop anxiety in the prodrome of Parkinson's for ten, fifteen years before it's part of the prodrome. Anxiety is a very strong risk factor for FND, and they're already developing abnormalities in their brain predisposing them to tremor. So, you put those two things together, why wouldn't people get FND? It is interesting to think about how that's the opposite of seizures, because most people with comorbidity of functional seizures and epilepsy, 99% of the time the epilepsy came first. They had the experience of an epileptic seizure, which is frightening, which evokes strong threat response and has somehow then led to a recapitulation of that experience in a functional seizure. So yeah, it's really interesting how these disorders overlap. We're seeing something similar in early MS where, I think, there's a slight excess of functional symptoms; but as the disease progresses, they often become less, actually. Dr Smith: What is the prognosis with the types of physical therapy? And we haven't really talked about psychological therapy, but what's the success rate? And then what's the relapse rate or risk? Dr Stone: Well, it does depend who they're seeing, because I think---as you said---you're finding difficult to get people in your institution who you feel are comfortable with this. Well, that's a real problem. You know, you want your therapists to know about this condition, so that matters. But I think with a team with a multidisciplinary approach, which might include psychological therapy, physio, OT, I think the message is you can get really good outcomes. You don't want to oversell this to patients, because these treatments are not that good yet. You can get spectacular outcomes. And of course, people always show the videos of those. But in published studies, what you're seeing is that most studies of- case series of rehabilitation, people generally improve. And I think it's reasonable to say to a patient, that we have these treatments, there's a good chance it's going to help you. I can't guarantee it's going to help you. It's going to take a lot of work and this is something we have to do together. So, this is not something you're going to do to the patient, they're going to do it with you. Which is why it's so important to find out, hey, do they agree with you with the diagnosis? And check they do. And is it the right time? It's like when someone needs to lose weight or change any sort of behavior that they've just become ingrained. It's not easy to do. So, I don't know if that helps answer the question. Dr Smith: No, that's great. And you actually got right where I was wanting to go next, which is the idea of timing and acceptance. You brought this up earlier on, right? So, sometimes patients are excited and accepting of having an affirmative diagnosis, but sometimes there's some resistance. How do you manage the situation where you're making this diagnosis, but a patient's resistant to it? Maybe they're fixating on a different disease they think they have, or for whatever reason. How do you handle that in terms of initiating therapy of the overall diagnostic process? Dr Stone: We should, you know, respect people's rights to have whatever views they want about what's wrong with them. And I don't see my job as- I'm not there to change everyone's mind, but I think my job is to present the information to them in a kind of neutral way and say, look, here it is. This is what I think. My experience is, if you do that, most people are willing to listen. There are a few who are not, but most people are. And most of the time when it goes wrong, I have to say it's us and not the patients. But I think you do need to find out if they can have some hope. You can't do rehabilitation without hope, really. That's what you're looking for. I sometimes say to patients, where are you at with this? You know, I know this is a really hard thing to get your head around, you've never heard of it before. It's your own brain going wrong. I know that's weird. How much do you agree with it on a scale of naught to ten? Are you ten like completely agreeing, zero definitely don't? I might say, are you about a three? You know, just to make it easy for them to say, no, I really don't agree with you. Patients are often reluctant to tell you exactly what they're thinking. So, make it easy for them to disagree and then see where they're at. If they're about seven, say, that's good. But you know, it'd be great if you were nine or ten because this is going to be hard. It's painful and difficult, and you need to know that you're not damaging your body. Those sort of conversations are helpful. And even more importantly, is it the right time? Because again, if you explore that with people, if a single mother with four kids and, you know, huge debts and- you know, it's going to be very difficult for them to engage with rehab. So, you have to be realistic about whether it's the right time, too; but keep that hope going regardless. Dr Smith: So, Jon, there's so many things I want to talk to you about, but maybe rather than let me drive it, let me ask you, what's the most important thing that our listeners need to know that I haven't asked you about? Dr Stone: Oh God. I think when people come and visit me, they sometimes, let's go and see this guy who does a lot of FND, and surely, it'll be so easy for him, you know? And I think some of the feedback I've had from visitors is, it's been helpful to watch, to see that it's difficult for me too. You know, this is quite hard work. Patients have lots of things to talk about. Often you don't have enough time to do it in. It's a complicated scenario that you're unravelling. So, it's okay if you find it difficult work. Personally, I think it's very rewarding work, and it's worth doing. It's worth spending the time. I think you only need to have a few patients where they've improved. And sometimes that encounter with the neurologist made a huge difference. Think about whether that is worth it. You know, if you do that with five patients and one or two of them have that amazing, really good response, well, that's probably worth it. It's worth getting out of bed in the morning. I think reflecting on, is this something you want to do and put time and effort into, is worthwhile because I recognize it is challenging at times, and that's okay. Dr Smith: That's a great number needed to treat, five or six. Dr Stone: Exactly. I think it's probably less than that, but… Dr Smith: You're being conservative. Dr Stone: I think deliberately pessimistic; but I think it's more like two or three, yeah. Dr Smith: Let me ask one other question. There's so much more for our listeners in the article. This should be required reading, in my opinion. I think that of most Continuum, but this, I really truly mean it. But I think you've probably inspired a lot of listeners, right? What's the next step? We have a general or comprehensive neurologist working in a community practice who's inspired and wants to engage in the proactive care of the FND patients they see. What's the next step or advice you have for them as they embark on this? It strikes me, like- and I think you said this in the article, it's hard work and it's hard to do by yourself. So, what's the advice for someone to kind of get started? Dr Stone: Yeah, find some friends pretty quick. Though, yeah, your own enthusiasm can take you a long way, you know, especially with we've got much better resources than we have. But it can only take you so far. It's really particularly important, I think, to find somebody, a psychiatrist or psychologist, you can share patients with and have help with. In Edinburgh, that's been very important. I've done all this work with the neuropsychiatrist, Alan Carson. It might be difficult to do that, but just find someone, send them an easy patient, talk to them, teach them some of this stuff about how to manage FND. It turns out it's not that different to what they're already doing. You know, the management of functional seizures, for example, is- or episodic functional movement disorders is very close to managing panic disorder in terms of the principles. If you know a bit about that, you can encourage people around you. And then therapists just love seeing these patients. So, yeah, you can build up slowly, but don't- try not to do it all on your own, I would say. There's a risk of burnout there. Dr Smith: Well, Dr Stone, thank you. You don't disappoint. This has really been a fantastic conversation. I really very much appreciate it. Dr Stone: That's great, Gordon. Thanks so much for your time, yeah. Dr Smith: Well, listeners, again, today I've had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr Jon Stone about his article on the multidisciplinary treatment for functional neurologic disorder, which he wrote with Dr Alan Carson. This article appears in the August 2025 Continuum issue on movement disorders. Please be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. And listeners, thank you once again for joining us today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. We hope you've enjoyed this subscriber-exclusive interview. Thank you for listening.

In this 1772nd episode of Toronto Mike'd, and 46th episode of Toast, Mike is joined by Rob Preuss, Bob Willette as they kick out personally profound jams. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, Blue Sky Agency and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at mike@torontomike.com.

Personally, my favorite DJ's are the ones that have a dedication to the craft. I'm pretty sure this weeks guest would be making mixtapes anyway. Even if nobody knew who she was. Her influence on American Bass Music culture can not be overstated. Her labels, Play Me and Play Me Too are known for a steady stream of dance floor bangers and have been for years. From Omen to LMNOP to Dialective, She has her finger on the pulse of our culture.  She's a premium selector and a fucking wicked DJ. Please welcome Reid Speed. Links and tracklist below.  Please enjoy❤️ back next week -Thomas https://linktr.ee/playmerecords?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=6cadd31e-db19-4c05-9ac4-e1f0790fd702           Tracklist:                  Logan Alm, The Sauce - We Run Things    Kasra - Electronics    Joy Mobility - Rude Boy           Dutta - Respect    Des McMahon - Under The El    Dr. Apollo - Astrodose    T95, Branzh - Stand & Deliver (feat. Sweetie Irie)    Break - Short Stuff    87.5 - Theory Priority    Objectiv, Visionobi - Bish Bosh    Unglued x Molecular - Summin Like Dis    Daymu - Dream    Blooom - Sweet Dreams    Urbandawn - Come Together VIP (feat. Tyson Kelly)    Enta - Off Balance    LMNOP - Frog Town    Anaïs - Origina    Kasra & Enei - Sonic Energy           Gino - Wormbait    Hexa - Signal Processing    Dr. Apollo - Shutdown    Scorpion & Sceptre - Blinded    Trail - Tenebris    Bungle - Aline

Luke's HAARP Time Warp: Part 5 Marion returns with vengeance. Based on a post by somethin fishy, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. They waited until the troops had pasted them before attacking. Pollyanna and Stella started shooting when they were about twenty meters behind the last of the soldiers. They were able to shoot two volleys before the soldiers even knew that they were under attack. As the soldiers were stopping to turn around Pollyanna and Stella dropped their third pair of targets. Now the odds were seven to one. Before the soldiers could charge the odds had become to six to one. As the soldiers started their charge toward the two women, they ran off the road and continued to shoot from the forest. Being in the forest allowed them to hide and shoot and the trees slowed the soldiers down. The odds were down to five to one by the time the soldiers had made it to the pair but now they were close enough to use their swords. Stella was the first to catch a blow when one of the soldiers struck her bow and cut it in half, but before he could strike again, Pollyanna shot him and Stella was able to draw her sword and cut down another passing rider. Now it was four to one but the problem for the women now was that the remaining eight were some of the best and most loyal men that Cecilia had. Stella had barely seen him but was able to yell out: “Polly Behind You!” As Pollyanna turned, one of the men drove his horse right over her and knocked her out. Normally, something like that would have killed Pollyanna but her armor saved her and now Stella was by herself. She continued the hack and slash at anyone who came close while working herself over to where she could protect Pollyanna. Stella hoped that Pollyanna was only knocked out and not dead, but had no time to check. Finally surrounded, the troop leader demanded Stella's honorable surrender. At first, she refused, but when she took in the full situation, she could see really didn't have a choice. She was outnumbered eight to one and Pollyanna was out cold. Hopefully by giving her honorable surrender, Stella could buy herself and Pollyanna some time for Marion to bail them out. Thankfully Marion knew where the two of them had been patrolling and Stella knew that Marion would be looking for them within only an hour or so. They had left a note, written in the group's code at the site where they had rescued the women explaining where they were headed. So, Stella surrendered. Stella and Pollyanna were both searched while most of the men searched the surrounding forest where they managed to round up all five of the other women. Stella knew better then to fight at the moment but the other women were fighting viciously. This was deeply amusing for the soldiers. The commander wanted to just kill the five women and take the two captured back to York. His men had other ideas; they were not about to waste five good pussies before they could play some. “Fine, you idiot's have an hour and then we kill them.” The commander stated. His authority over these men was still a bit shaky for he was a very recent transfer from Richard's former main estate plus an extra hour wouldn't matter and maybe he could get some information out of his captives; so, while his men started to rape the women, he sat with Stella and Pollyanna to have a talk with Stella. By this time, Stella had checked on Pollyanna and could see that she was only knocked out and should be coming to before long. The commander had watched this and was impressed. Stella went through checking Pollyanna in such a way that suggested that she not only knew what she was doing but had nerves of steel as well. “So, lass what be your name?” Stella just looked at him but didn't answer. The commander had expected as much for this clearly was not a weak woman. “Well, my name is Captain Hall, but you can call me Matt.” “Why are you letting your men rape those poor women? Don't you think that they're been through enough already?” Stella asked with enough venom to kill all the men. “Well, there are seven of them and only one of me, plus those men are mercenaries while I am not. Also, what kind of word is don't?” ‘Shit, didn't think that though' thought Stella. “Where I come from that is called a contraction. It is a combination of the words do not and by using contractions it makes speaking more efficient.” “Where are you from then? I have traveled widely in my many years and I have never heard speech like that.” “Well, I am from a far-off land known as America.” Stella knew that she couldn't tell the truth here so she made up a cover story using parts of Luke's story as her own. “America? I have never heard of such a land.” “It is far away after all. It lays far to the West, across the sea.” “Then how did you end up here then?” “Like you, I have traveled widely and I have been travelling almost constantly for many years. I have probably been to more places than you have ever heard of.” By this time Pollyanna was starting to come around so Stella went to her side to help. Matt quietly watched as Stella helped Pollyanna sit up and then do something with Pollyanna's eyes. Stella then checked Pollyanna's pulse and then checked her for broken bones. Eventually Stella decided that Pollyanna probably only sustained a mild concussion and she would be fine. While she was checking her Stella quietly told Pollyanna what was going on including the story that she was telling the commander. The other men were making enough noise to cover up their own conversation. Matt then started trying to get some information out of Pollyanna but all that she would say was that she was an engineer. Matt had heard of engineers, he had served with many large armies in his past, but he had never heard of a female engineer before. He guessed that it was possible after all one of his sisters had been very bright before disease had killed her and truth be told; it was his memory of her that had caused him to be so kind to these two women. After an hour the men's time was up. “Hey idiots, when you finish up with your current woman, kill her. We need to get going.” Neither Stella or Pollyanna said a thing for they both knew that if these women were kept alive then their secret would be revealed and they would most likely be killed. Within ten minutes, all five women lay dead and the men had themselves dressed and ready to go. The men then started showing interest in Stella and Pollyanna but the captain claimed them for himself. These two amazed him and he wasn't about to let them be used by some lowlife soldiers. When one of the men tried to grab Stella, she grabbed his wrist, flipped him over her body and stomped on his throat at the same time he was landing on the ground. Stella's aim was true and she crushed the jugular, leading to the quick death of the arrogant soldier. The other men, including Matt, took a step back at seeing this. Obviously, these were not women that you would want to piss off, and now with both of them awake and alert the odds were now three and a half to one and none of them were confident that they could win even with the odds in their favor. Matt quickly ordered that the women's hands be bound and to the women: “If you fight us anymore, I will have you ran through. Is that clear?” Both women nodded. “Good because the last thing I want to do is have you two killed.” Once the women were bound, the group continued on their way. Matt had the women put on horses and had one of his men keep hold of the reins to keep the women from doing anything stupid. Another one of his men rode next to each woman with their sword out and ready to use at a moment's notice. Matt wasn't going to take any more chances that these women try to escape. For hours, the group rode in mostly silence. There was some occasional talk between the men and Matt. Once in a while Matt would ask one of the women a question. Sometimes they answered, sometimes they didn't. The answers that they did give were always very short. It almost seemed that the women were waiting for something or someone. Matt had quickly caught on to this and had sent two of his men ahead to keep an eye out. Finally, the woods thinned out and they could see the city of York in the distance and Matt was relieved for these two women had been making all of his men and himself, for that matter, nervous as hell. Matt almost couldn't wait to get the women back into his small house that he rented in town. Through Matt's cloud of thoughts, a sound broke through, the sound of men being killed quickly. Matt snapped out of his thoughts and looked around. All the men with him were still alive, but it was obvious that they had heard the noise to for they all had their swords drawn and were looking into the woods. They had also sped up their mounts for right now all they wanted to do was to get back to the safety of town. Coming around the last corner, the group stopped in their tracks. There laying on the ground were their two advance guards and standing over them was a giant. The giant had a green overcoat on and the hood had been pulled over its face. Matt actually wondered if this thing might actually be capable of picking him and his horse up and slamming them both into the ground. Then the giant spoke: “Those two women belong to me and I would appreciate their return.” The voice was very calm and under these circumstances very unnerving. “They are mine now” growled Matt. Then speaking to his men: “Kill that bastard” “I believe the gentleman asked for his women back and it will be in your best interest to return them” came a female voice. All the men including Matt stopped and looked. Stepping out from behind the giant was another person that wore the same long green overcoat. Now that Matt was thinking clearly, this was the same type of overcoat that is captives were wearing. Again, the female voice spoke: “This is your last warning; release them and I might let you live. If you refuse to release them, then I guarantee that you will be dead within a minute.” “Who the fuck are you?!?!” spat Matt. He was getting pissed and he wasn't about to release the woman that had killed over half of his men. Ahead of him the two looked at each other and them back to Matt. At the same time, they swept off their hoods and Matt found himself looking at a fairly handsome man and a woman that could only be described as an angel or the goddess of beauty. Behind him, he heard a gasp. “What?” he asked the man who had gasped. “We should do what they say sir for that is Marion of York and therefore I bet the giant is the man named Luke. I am telling you now sir that we stand no chance against them.” Now Matt knew who they were for he had heard the tales and seeing these two in the flesh didn't doubt that the tales were true. Now knowing the two in front of him, he could guess at who his captives were. He also knew that if Cecilia heard that he released two members of Marion's group that he would die a very slow and painful death. As he was deciding what to do, Marion spoke “If you don't release my people by the time, I count to five, then I will have you killed where you stand. Of course, if you try charging then you will only die faster. My best archer is hidden in the woods and she never misses” This decided things for Matt and he told the men to put away their swords and untie the women. “But Milord, if Cecilia hears of this then we will all be dead anyway. I know not about you, but I would much rather die at Marion's hands then Cecilia's. For you know that Cecilia will torture us and kill our families where if Marion kills us then it will be at least fast and our families will hopefully still have a chance.” “You men know that you have a third option” said Stella. She urged her horse forward until she was in front of all the men and then she turned to face them. “You men can join us and serve Marion in her bid to oust the tyrannical Cecilia and bring peace and prosperity back to northern England.” All the men were staring at her like she was a ghost or had turned into a monster and their faces turned white as sheets. The seconds ticked by, the men under Matt's command were paralyzed for they had never expected this. From what everything that was said about Marion, they had expected to be killed very slowly. Eventually Marion stepped forward and came to stand next to Stella. “Choose now!” Marion snapped. This seemed to snap the men out of their paralysis. “The men who are willing to follow me need to get off their horses now. The rest of you will have ten seconds to get the hell out of here before I have you killed.” Matt was the first one to dismount. Something in Marion gave him hope and it was like she was an angel, with a halo surrounding her, that screamed “Follow me”. About half of his men followed suit while the rest decided to run. They had family that still lived in York and without them there to protect them, they would be dead within a month. Marion true to her word let the men go, but before they rode off, she stopped them. Handing them each a small pouch; she told them “Here, take this and make sure that your families get it before you meet with my sister. Make sure that when you report what happened that you do not mention it for, she will surely steal it from you. Now good luck and ride safe.” Marion stepped out of the way and let the men ride on. She then turned to check out her four new recruits. Chapter 21. The mood in Cecilia's castle was bleak to say the least. It had been going downhill ever since the raid that had killed Richard had happened. If there was any rumor that Marion had been sighted, Cecilia sent off a group of her men to investigate but that was all they ever were was rumors. In the meantime, Cecilia's grasp on reality started to slip. She was ever more fearful of the people turning against her. This fear lead her to institute loyalty oaths for all her men. She had also demanded that they all move their families into York. She made it clear that if any of them tried anything that went against her, that their families would be killed by either torture or being burned at the stake. She would use fear to keep everyone in line. At the same time, she raised taxes even further. Any household that couldn't pay were either forced to provide free labor for Cecilia's estates, or had to provide a young man for her army, or had to provide a young woman to help entertain the soldiers. If the household couldn't or wouldn't meet these conditions then the household would be destroyed. The men would be worked to death on her estates, usually in the mines, while the women would be forced into sexual servitude. They would be sent to one of Cecilia's brothels where their life span would be measured in months. For these women would be the ones to serve the customers that had social diseases or who had very kinky taste like murder or cannibalism fetishes. As long as they paid for the goods, Cecilia didn't care what happened to the girls. On this day, Cecilia was waiting on a gold shipment. It was money that she had made by selling the extra food that she had brought in with her taxes. The food was needed but she needed hard money even more. The shipment was under a strong guard and was led by one of her most trusted men; Captain Matthew Hall. He was extremely capable and extremely loyal. The only thing that bothered Cecilia about using him was that he had no family for her to have leverage over him. The captain was due back soon for he had sent a messenger ahead to tell Cecilia that he had the shipment under guard and was leaving London. He had even given her an approximate date that he thought that he would be back by. She got a message that said that some of the Captain's men had returned but not the Captain. Cecilia went to meet with them and there was only three that had returned out of twenty that had left. Furthermore, none of the money had made it back and this outraged Cecilia. She managed to just barely hold her temper in check while the men gave their reports. It seemed that Marion was back and her entire group that had escaped, had survived. She had ambushed the convey and had killed most of the guards. The only way they had survived was that they had played dead while Marion and her followers had looted the money, the arms, and armor from the dead. Cecilia exploded. Her damn sister was back and now had a lot of money. Cecilia had been expecting almost five thousand pounds from the sale of her extra food and other goods. The surviving men made their retreat while Cecilia was busy ranting and raving. “Was that a good idea lying to her like that” one of them asked. “You want to go back and tell her the truth? Plus, we did not exactly lie, we just left some things out of our report.” was the response “Besides with the money that Marion gave us, we can afford to buy food for our families for the next month.” This settled it for the three of them, after all Cecilia didn't need to be bothered by the embarrassing details of how they had been ambushed by only two women and half of the survivors had joined Marion. After Cecilia had worn herself out, with her tantrum, she called all her commanders together. The survivors had given her the approximate position of Marion's ambush and Cecilia was eager to get revenge and to get her gold back. It would take a couple of days to get the men ready to go. Cecilia gave her men just one day to get ready. She had almost three thousand men at her command and one hundred elite knights. She was going to send almost everyone out with the exception of about one hundred men that she used to keep order in town and guard the castle. Everything in town was thrown into chaos. Soldiers were busy gathering food and fodder for the expedition. They had to get all the horses and mules ready as well. Weapons had to be sharpened and uniforms had to be repaired. Some of the horses needed new shoes and a few saddles had to be replaced. Every civilian in town was put to work in helping get the soldiers ready to go. Cecilia had also ordered the gates of the town to be sealed. No one was allowed in or out without her direct orders and there were no exceptions. The preparations went on through the night, no one in town got any sleep and that included Cecilia for she was going over her commander's plans, gathering any and all intel on the forest in which it was said that Marion and her crew were hiding. She also talked to the armorers which she had tasked in recreating Tom's gear; to see if they might be able to add anything new to what Cecilia knew about Marion's likely hiding area. Problem here was that even after a month, her armorers were no closer to recreating the armor. Apparently, some mysterious process had been used to create it, and sorcery was suggested as the only way it could have been possibly done. After all, Cecilia had hired the most experienced armor makers around to make armor like Tom's and none of them could even come close. By dawn the next morning, everything had been done and Cecilia's army marched out of town. Their orders were simple. Comb every inch of the countryside until they found and eliminated the threat that Marion posed. They were ordered that under no circumstances were they to return until Marion's whole crew had been killed. Cecilia wanted Marion's head returned to her on a pike. She no longer cared about taking her or Luke alive. Within a day, the army had reached the final ambush site and they found plenty of evidence to show that Marion had been there. First there were plenty of tracks on the road that appeared to be from the right time. One of the men found a scrape of green fabric that appeared to be the same that Marion's crew was said to wear as overcoats. They also found the dead guards scattered around the site. Some of them still had the arrows imbedded in them. The three that had escaped were really amazed for they had been actually ambushed several hours up the road. After all the only ones killed here were the advanced guard and yet the bodies of all their companions were here. It didn't take them long to figure out that it was Marion actually cared about them, not Cecilia. After all Marion had risked detection to place the other dead men around so that they wouldn't look guilty. All three decided separately that as soon as they could, they would take their families out of York and join with Marion. That is if this wild goose chase actually ever ended and if they weren't killed by it. They privately acknowledged to each other that their chances of actually catching Marion ranked far below a snowball's chances in the depths of hell. The scouts had found five different trails leading away from the area and some of the tracks were from heavily loaded horses. That would be the pack animals. There had been fifteen of them in the convoy and none of them were found with the guard's corpses. In fact, no dead horses were found. The commanders sent groups of their scouts to follow every track. They were to follow them for the rest of the day and return tomorrow, unless they actually found Marion; then they were to report back while leaving some of the men to shadow her while the army got into position. The first scout was screaming within five minutes of leaving the main army. It was close enough that the commanders went to investigate for themselves. When they got there, they found that parties leader hanging by his feet from a tree and impaled on a bed of wooden spikes. A new leader was appointed for that group and they were strongly advised to stay off the trail and to keep alert. When the commanders returned to the army, they got word that one of the other parties had also walked into a trap. Only there, half the scouts had been killed for they had been bunched up and had walked over a camouflaged pit that contained a large number of sharp wooden stakes. Another group had lost two members to arrow fire. The arrows had come out of nowhere and no shooters could be found. This was going to be a very long and costly expedition, but they had their orders. They were not to stop hunting Marion until she was found and killed or Cecilia herself recalled the army. This is how the next week went. Some groups of scouts would see nothing and other groups would be ambushed and annulated. For the night guards it was far worse, for in the morning half of them would be dead; their throats slit and their armor and weapons stripped. The mood in the camp was getting worse and worse. It didn't take the soldiers long to learn that being assigned to night sentry duty was a death sentence. The disciple of the army started to break down despite most of the men having families back in York and being well supplied with food and drink. It got to the point where there would be groups of five or six men assigned to every sentry post. Finally, they got a solid lead. One of the patrols had sighted a large camp near a stream. In the camp they saw a very beautiful female bathing. They also saw bits of armor laying around and a couple of men moving around. The patrol reported back as ordered and the commanders got the army underway within an hour, and they also sent a report back to Cecilia detailing what was going on. To move through the forest at speed, they had to leave almost all of their gear behind. The men were spread out through the forest so that they could move easier. Deeper and deeper into the forest the army went. Occasionally a man would scream and then there would be silence once again. The booby traps that Marion's crew had set up were extremely ingenuous and very well hide; and they were taking a heavy toll on the men. After almost three hours, they reached the camp. There they found two men still in camp and they were quickly captured. These were two of the men who had deserted from the money guard detail. They had been sick so they hadn't been out on patrol with the rest of Marion's group. It didn't take them long to start talking. In fact, Marion had told them not to bother keeping secrets if captured. If there was something that she didn't want them to know, she simply wouldn't tell them. The army set about looting the camp as the two men were tortured. Everything from thin knives stuffed under fingernails to their balls being crushed didn't tell the commanders anymore then they had been told when the men were first captured. The torture went on for hours and still nothing could be learned so the two were tied to a stake and burned alive. The men that had been looting the camp didn't have any better luck. All they found were a couple of coins, some pots and pans, and an old horse. The commanders kept the army there until the corpses were completely burnt. The reason for this was to remind the men what would happen to them if they betrayed Cecilia and to send a message to any others that were thinking of deserting that if caught, they would receive the equal treatment. Late in the afternoon, the army started on its way back to their original camp. This time they moved much faster for they had no reason to keep quiet. When they got back to their campsite, they realized that they had fucked up big time. Spread around were the bodies of the one hundred men that had been left to guard the camp. All the horses and mules were gone. Along with all the extra weapons, food, medicine, and drink. Anything that couldn't be taken had been piled up and burnt. They did manage to find one of the men still alive and able to tell what happened. Chapter 22. The attack started just after an hour after the main army left. It was as swift as it was brutal. The attack started with arrows coming in from every side. Every time one of the men had thought that he had found a good hiding place, he would catch an arrow in the back. Not very many arrows missed their marks either. Within fifteen minutes half of the men were dead or injured. The rest had found some shelter by drawing some of the wagons around them. If any of them even tried to raise his head to look out, he caught an arrow to the face for his efforts. Eventually I saw a couple of people step out of the forest dressed in green. They approached the wagons and lit something, they held in their hands, on fire. They then tossed those objects onto the wagons where the fires rapidly spread through all the wagons. The men caught inside found that they had been caught in a death trap. Some of the managed to get out but they were cut down by arrow fire or by the two that had started the wagons on fire with swords. After the attack was finished, more people came out of the forest, also wearing green. They went through the remaining wagons looking for loot or survivors. After they swept the camp, they loading everything they could carry onto the pack animals and piled everything else up in the middle of the camp and lit it on fire. They then melted back into the forest.” “How many of those bastards did you see, laddie?” “I saw at least six and five of them were defiantly women. I also saw the giant that we keep getting reports of, and there might have been another man or two around but I could not tell. I was too busy trying to pretend to be dead.” At this the man started crying for he had just admitted that he had been a coward and fully expected to be executed for being one. Instead, the leading commander patted him on the shoulder, told him to get some rest, and that he had done a good job. “Why were you so lenient on that man sir? He obviously was a coward so why are you not ordering him to be killed?” Asked the second in command. He was a nobleman through and through and as such didn't hold any of the lower classes in high esteem. “Because you ignorant jackass; that man had watched as a group of one hundred men had been overwhelmed by a group that was less than a tenth their own strength. Plus, he has given us some really good and usable intel on Marion. Now a question for you: If you were her, where would you go after getting ahold of that much loot?” The second in command thought for a moment, “Not back to my main camp. Hauling that much loot will leave an obvious trail and the last thing that I would want to do was to led the army which I had just humiliated back to my main camp.” “My thoughts exactly. Now let's go see if any of the men know these woods.” After taking most of the evening to question the men, the commanders had a good idea of where to start looking in the morning. They made sure that the men had settled down the best that was possible and then they started writing the report to be sent back in the morning. That night, none of the sentries were killed; indeed, it seemed like the enemy had disappeared, but then again, why stick around when they had already gotten most of the valuable stuff. The army set off first thing in the morning. This time they left nothing behind but some smoldering camp fires. They started moving toward an area that was known to have a number of caves in it. As they moved, they came across signs that they were on the right track. They kept finding bits of armor and clothing that had been looted from their camp. As they kept moving, they eventually came across a bridge. It was built out of timber and was much heavier built then something that one would normally find in such a remote area. Going across it they could see fresh wagon tracks, probably no more than a couple of hours old; for it was now about midday. The army formed up to cross the bridge, for the small river that it crossed was moving too swiftly and had too high of banks to be forded. About half of the army had made it across when the bridge disappeared in a burst of light, sound, and smoke. The air then hung thick with the stink of sulfur, and the men that had been near the bridge were screaming in pain. Many of them had received nasty wounds from the wood that flew from the bridge during the explosion. Still more were now in the river and were starting to drown. The army then had to stop to not only rebuild the bridge but to tend to the wounded. This was going to prove extra difficult because the army's surgeon had been on the bridge when it went up. The commanders quickly began to organize the men. Some of them would tend to the wounded while others would start to use whatever tools they had to cut down new trees to rebuild the bridge good enough so the men on the far bank could retreat and link back up with the rest of the army. The army was working as fast as they could when men on the far side began to drop like flies for, they were being picked off by arrows. Every time they would rush to try and catch the shooter, more of them would die and they still couldn't find the shooter. Time and again this happened. After almost an hour, a bridge of sorts was in place and the men started rushing back across. By the time the last of them had gotten across, almost two hundred lay dead on the other side. The men now had had enough and demanded that they be allowed to go back to town where they wouldn't have to worry about being ambushed every time one of them would leave the camp. As the army started to retreat, they heard a trumpet sound from across the river and a woman dressed in green stepped out of the forest and into full view. She spoke to the army through something that magnified her voice many times over. “We thank you kindly for all the gear. I am truly sorry for all the men that we killed defending ourselves and I truly wish that we would not have had to kill any of you. To the commanders; be advised that if we capture any of you, we will execute you in the same manner that you executed my two men that you captured. Now in the interest of avoiding any more deaths, we have left for you a marked path back to York. There will be a red ribbon tried to trees about one hundred paces apart. As long as you stick to the path no further harm will come to you. If you leave the path for any reason you will be killed. I have left enough tents in a clearing next to a stream for your wounded to spend the night in. The army will camp at that spot and then you will continue on your way as soon as the sun is up and your campfires have been extinguished tomorrow morning. If you leave the fires burning you will be killed. As long as you do what you are told, then you will be back at the walls of York be late tomorrow afternoon. When you get back, tell Cecilia that Marion of York sends her regards and thank her for the gear. Now good day gentlemen.” With that the woman melted back into the trees. The men found the ribbons quickly enough and started following the path, just like the woman had said. When they got to the clearing, that she had talked about, they found tents, food, medicine, drink, and enough firewood for the night. The commanders didn't even have control over the men at this point as the only thoughts of the men was to get back to York without pissing Marion off any further. When the commanders ordered foraging parties out, the men flatly refused, telling the commanders that if they wanted to forage then they should go out themselves. The next morning the men put the fires out as instructed and continued on their way. Occasionally they saw one of the green ghosts watching them from the trees but it was never more than a glimpse before they were gone. By late afternoon they had made their way back to York, just like Marion had said. By the time they had got back they had been able to count their losses. Out of one hundred knights that started out, only thirty survived and none of them still had their horses. Out of almost three thousand soldiers, only eight hundred returned and almost all of them were terrified of the forest. The army had lost almost all of their gear including their pack animals. This was going to cost Cecilia a very pretty penny for many of those animals had been loaned to her and now she would have to pay for them. To make the matters even worse, the army's payroll had been taken when they lost their gear. Cecilia was beyond furious. Her army had failed spectacularly and large amounts of gear had fallen into Marion's hands. Furthermore, all of the men that had come back spoke admiringly of Marion. She could have killed them all but had given them a way out and had even given them food, drink, and a place to sleep for a night. As long as they did what she had said then they wouldn't be harmed and they weren't. Cecilia had the top commanders executed by impaling them. Some of the men that had spoken especially well of Marion were burned at the stake. The people in York then started to get rebellious and Cecilia had to crack down extra hard to keep order. She had only one option left to her and she took it. She called in her assassins. So far, she had avoided using them because they were expensive and their expense came directly out of her pocket. Furthermore, she had been trying to keep her reputation among the people of the upper classes intact. When her army was so soundly defeated; her reputation was shattered with the army. All told she had thirty assassins that she kept on retainer and she called all of them up. Their mission was simple, kill Marion and anyone that got in their way. The one who brought back Marion's head would get a five thousand pound bonus. Chapter 23. Marion's team was relaxing after a hard week. They had beaten back her sister's army, but had lost two of their own in the process. It wouldn't have been so bad if the men had been killed in combat but they had been murdered after they had been captured. This had taught Marion that no quarter would be given and none would be expected in this fight. Luke was massaging her feet for she was starting to feel the weight gain from her pregnancy. She loved when he did this and she could feel the tension leaving her body. Matt and Pollyanna were sitting by a fire talking quietly. They had proven to be a very good team and got along well together. In fact, Marion had started teasing her about them getting a room. This was always good for a round of laughs, including from Pollyanna even though she always turned red when Marion did this. Gabriel was in the process of making more arrows. She had shot through almost all that she had made. In fact, her shoulder was sore from all of the shooting that she had done. Alice was reading more on Luke's computer. She had gotten to where she could navigate through it without Luke's help and she was taking full advantage of it. Stella and Robin were on guard duty. Even though they had just defeated most of Cecilia's army didn't mean that they could let down their guard and in fact Luke and Marion figured that Cecilia's next move would be the try and hire assassins to sneak in and kill Marion. This left the last member of the group and his name was Bard. He had been one of those who surrendered to Marion when she had captured the money convoy. He didn't much like the idea of serving a female leader, but Marion was many times better than her sister. Marion was calm, approachable, outgoing, and listened to everyone in the group and their resent triumph had been the result of that. After all it had been Pollyanna's idea to blow up the bridge using some kind of devil powder. Luke had provided her with the means to blow up the bridge from a safe distance and do it at command. Alice was the one who came up with the idea to kill only half of the night sentries. She had almost been captured with the two men. She had been there that morning to take care of them. She had even washed up in the stream after she had tended to their medical needs. She had left to rejoin Marion only fifteen minutes before the army struck. She had watched as the men were tortured and eventually killed. Gabriel had been responsible for killing most of the scouting parties and had been instrumental in building the booby traps as Luke called them. Matt had provided them with insight into the army's commanders frame of mind and had allowed Marion to stay at least five steps ahead almost the entire time. Meanwhile Stella and Robin had kept the army under observation the entire time and provided Marion with hourly updates. Marion had the biggest role of all. She had held everyone together after her men had been murdered and it had been her idea to provide the army with a safe way out when they had gotten close to where the loot had been stored. They had moved it the night before. Bard was moved from his reminiscing by the sounds of horses entering the camp. Stella had come in and had a young man with her. He was also riding a horse but was blindfolded. “We caught him riding through the forest alone” explained Stella to Marion “he says that he has important news for you.” Marion nodded and the man's blindfold was removed. The man struggled for a minute with the light before he started. “Marion of York I presume” he continued once Marion had nodded. “I have come to tell you that Cecilia has hired thirty assassins to kill you.” Bard was stunned, but Marion didn't look surprised at all. “How do you come of this information young man?” “My sister is Cecilia's scribe so I know most everything that Cecilia does. Although I should mention that for some matters Cecilia uses a special scribe who is almost never seen in the castle and when he is seen; he is surrounded by a large group of very tough looking men. “When did her order go out?” “The day after her army returned.” “So yesterday” Marion stated. The man nodded “Is there anything else I should know? How it the town doing?” “The people are getting rebellious. Cecilia has almost reached their breaking point and with the defeat of her army, I doubt that it will take much more before the people openly rebel against her.” “Well thank you young man. Here is some money for your trouble of coming out here.” “No money is necessary milady. We all want that witch gone.” “Stella, Pollyanna, Matt” Marion said “See that this young man is safely escorted out of the forest.” Stella retied the man's blindfold and then lead his horse out of camp. After they had left, Marion returned to Luke and asked: “Well honey what do you think?” “I think that we need to get going and observe our young visitor from a distance. Something doesn't seem right. For starters, how many women do you know that can write outside of your group? Yes, he told us everything that we expected to hear but that's what bothers me.” Marion had a confused look on her face “The fact that he told us everything that we were expecting makes me suspicious” Luke stated. Marion thought for a second, “Bard” she continued when he looked at her “go with Luke to keep an eye on our young visitor from a distance. I don't want him knowing that there's extra eyes on him” Luke and Bard quickly gathered their gear and took off. They had to hurry to catch up with the others. On the way Bard and Luke talked a bit because Bard was confused, after all Luke and Marion had apparently expected this to happen. Luke explained that yes while the man had told them everything that they had expected to hear some things were bothering him. How did this man get out of York? The last they had heard the town was still on lockdown. Why did he have such a nice horse? Most of the horses that they had captured from the army were nowhere near this nice. How did his sister become Cecilia's scribe? Almost no woman knew how to write their name, never mind take dictation from someone. Granted all the women that had gathered around Marion could read, but that was because Luke had taught them and constantly encouraged them. Something here smelled rotten and Luke was going to get to the bottom of it. As they traveled, they would occasionally catch glimpses of the group ahead of them and this was close enough for Luke. As they were approaching the edge of the woods, they heard yelling and as they came around the last corner they could see why. Chapter 24. Marion continues growing but must suffer a loss. As Luke and Bard came around the last corner, they could see Stella was already down. They didn't know if she had been just dismounted or was hurt. Matt's horse had been shot out from under him and he was trapped under it. The young man that had come to the camp was in the process of wrestling Pollyanna's reins away from her and several men were coming out of the woods with bows drawn. Luke and Bard quickly dismounted. Bard wanted to ride straight to their rescue but Luke was worried about secondary traps. “Bard, think of it as fishing. You use some bait to catch some small fish. You then take the biggest of those small fish to catch much bigger fish. That is what Pollyanna and Matt are at this moment. They are the small fish that on their own would be a meal, but I think they're fishing for a banquet and they're planning on or are already using Pollyanna and Matt as bait. So, we are going to sneak up either side of the road while staying in the forest and looking out for more men hiding. If we don't find any, then we'll free Pollyanna and Matt.” Bard wasn't really convinced, but did as Luke planned. One of the things that Bard had learned was that to not trust Luke's instincts was beyond foolish. Within only minutes, Luke was proven correct. Both him and Bard had found other men in the woods. Fortunately, they all had their attention on the road, where Matt had been pulled from under his horse and Pollyanna had been brought under control. Luke and Bard worked the way up the road, silently eliminating men as they went. Finally, they got to where they could rescue their people. Together Luke and Bard had killed ten men and they hadn't even got the men holding Pollyanna and Matt who were by this time tied up. All this time Stella hadn't moved and Bard could see why; she had got an arrow through her throat. Bard was getting ready to start shooting these bastards with his bow when Luke stepped out of the forest with his handgun at the ready. This was the first time that Bard had ever seen it in action; he had heard the tales but thought that they were just that, tales. Now he was convinced. Within seconds, Luke had taken out all ten of the men on the road except one; he only wounded the man that had first came to their camp. Before Luke went to untie Pollyanna and Matt, he went to check on Stella. Before he even checked her pulse, he could see that she was dead. The color was gone out of her face and Luke could see the pool of blood under Stella and the fact that she was no longer bleeding was proof enough that she was dead. Luke knew that later he would be crying his eyes out, but right now he had more important things to do. Bard was untying Matt and Pollyanna so Luke took the job of interrogating the prisoner. Luke had only wounded him on purpose, he wanted the man to talk. “Okay this is how things are going to be; you are going to die, but how you die is up to you. If you tell me everything that I want to know then you will be killed quickly, but if you don't tell everything or you lie to me, then your death will be beyond painful and will last for days. Also, if your answers satisfy me then I will make sure that you get a church burial, but if you don't then your body will be cut up and fed to the hogs. You have until I get back to decide.” Luke went over to check on Pollyanna and Matt. While Pollyanna was just shaken up; Matt was in bad shape. When he got trapped under his horse, it had broken his leg bad enough that his leg wasn't anywhere near straight. “Luke what about Stella, you have to help her!” screamed Pollyanna. Luke just gave her a sad look. “No, no, it can't be! She can't be dead; damn it! Tell me that she will be fine!” “Pollyanna, I'm sorry but there's nothing that can be done for her. She was dead almost as soon as that arrow hit her in the throat for it looks like it also took out her spinal column as well. Even in my time that would be a fatal injury.” As Luke spoke these words, he shed a single tear. He wiped his face and turned back to his captive who was trying to get away. Luke would have been impressed if he hadn't been so angry. Angry at himself for not seeing the ambush sooner, angry at Stella for dying, and angry at the fuckhead who had led her into the ambush in the first place. At least Luke could get some revenge on this fucker anyway. “Well, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?” asked Luke as he kicked the man's leg out from under him and then stepped on the man's shot out knee as he landed. “Fuck off!” the man yelled from the ground while trying to fight his way through the pain. “Figured as much” Then Luke put much more pressure on the man's shattered knee. After a couple of minutes, the man still was being stubborn so Luke moved his foot up and stepped on the man's balls. The way in which Luke had stepped on them had pinned them against the man's body, so that they had nowhere to go. He gradually stepped up the pressure until tears came to the man's eyes. “Well, you ready to talk now?” “Yes, please just stop stepping on my boys, please.” “How did you find us?” “I just dressed up in poor person clothes and rode through the forest until someone from your group found me.” “How much is Cecilia paying you?” “Three hundred up front and five thousand when we completed the job.” “We?” “Aye, there were thirty of us. Cecilia keeps us on retainer for people that crossed her.” “Were all these men in your group or are they just hired thugs?” “They were all in the group.” “How many other assassins does Cecilia keep on retainer?” “How would I know?” Luke moved his foot back to the man's balls. “Honestly, I have no idea. I do know that she has a large network that has a presence all over England.” “What all is she involved in?” now Luke was getting increasingly curious. “Assassins for hire, prostitution, sex slaves, counterfeiting, espionage, and anything else that she can make money using other people's suffering.” “Well, I think that I am about out of questions; Matt, Pollyanna, do have anything you want to ask?” “Why did you have to kill Stella?” snapped Pollyanna. “We had to let you know that we are serious; plus, she was just a woman so nothing much was lost.” At this Pollyanna lost it and, drawing her sword, beheaded the captive. She was still breathing like a bull when Luke came up and put his hand on her shoulder, a move which almost earned him a swipe with Pollyanna's sword. Seeing Luke, Pollyanna broke down and started crying as she wrapped her arms around Luke's neck and buried her face in his chest. Her and Stella had been very close and Stella's death was hitting Pollyanna particularly hard. As she cried, Luke gently moved her toward Matt who was still in need of help. Eventually Pollyanna had cried herself out and was able to help Matt. Together Luke and Pollyanna got Matt's leg set and splinted. They then helped Matt get sat comfortably against a tree while Luke and Pollyanna looted the dead. As usual they found plenty of arms, money, and other useful items. The biggest haul though was a piece of paper. On it, it detailed the assignments of the entire group of assassins, not just the group that Luke killed. Bard had been looting the dead that Luke and he had killed while coming up the road after he had retrieved their horses. The trip back was very slow due not only to Matt's injury, but Luke wanted to make extra sure that they were not being followed. Eventually they made it back to camp and managed to get Matt into the bunker that they used as a sleeping quarters/hospital. There, his care was handed off the Alice. Meanwhile, Marion was busy debriefing Pollyanna and Bard. Debriefing Pollyanna was especially hard because she really didn't want to relive that experience but Marion needed to know what had happened so that they could prevent it happening in the future. Then, it was Matt's turn. His take on the events of the day weren't as good because he was suffering from extreme pain in his leg. Luke had managed to make primitive aspirin from willow bark and this helped take the edge off of Matt's pain. Finally, Marion had a go at Luke but here it was more of Luke comforting Marion, while he told her everything his captive had told him. He also showed her the paper that Pollyanna had found on one of the dead men. They still had to be on the lookout for ten more assassins. Once everything was finally done, Marion finally broke down and allowed herself to weep for her friend. After all, this was someone how she had known before her father was murdered. All through this Luke stayed quiet right next to her and gently rubbed her back. The woman that he loved more than anything else even more than life itself and the mother of his child was having the worst day of her life to date. Worse yet was that Marion was also now responsible for the lives of eight other people if you counted her unborn child. This was something that she had never been prepared for growing up. Personally, Luke thought that she was handling things quite well, all things considered. As the sun set on the day, Marion made her rounds around camp. She checked on their horses, the booby-traps, the armory, and finally her men and women. This was the hardest. The mood across the group was almost uniform, absolute depression. They would need time to heal, but Marion was determined to bring everyone out of their funk. This had also helped make her own mind up; she would go back to the sleeping pad that she shared with Luke and fuck him senseless. While it was true that they made love almost every night, it had been a while since they had a good animalistic fucking and this was what Marion was in the mood for. Getting back to their sleeping area, Luke wasn't there. At first Marion wondered if Luke had assigned himself to night watch again, for he had a habit of taking an extra night watch if he was worried about being surprised. He usually did this when the conditions were ideal for someone to sneak up on the camp, like on damp nights. Tonight though, he just had to take a piss and he came back soon after Marion had gotten there. As soon as she saw Luke, she launched herself into him and started almost ripping his clothes off and she was trying to shove her tongue down Luke's throat. Luke had been taken by surprise at first but he caught up fast. Before long he was working at Marion's clothing. At least he didn't have to fight with bras anymore. With his large fingers, they had always presented a bit of a problem in the past, even as nimble as his fingers were. All he had to do was to unbutton her pants and push them down her shapely hips and then pull her shirt up and over her head. This was the hardest thing because she wasn't in any hurry to take her mouth away from his. Eventually, Luke managed to get her shirt off and they were now both naked. Luke started kissing his way down her long neck and this sent chills all through Marion's body as it always did. She was moaning before Luke even made it to her nipples which were more sensitive than they had been because of the baby. As soon as Luke started kissing them, Marion had her first explosive orgasm of the evening. The only reason that she managed to keep standing was that Luke was holding her up. As Marion recovered, she shoved Luke over so that he landed on his ass. She was on him like a cat and had pushed him onto his back. There she straddled him, her pussy leaking all over Luke's stomach as she kissed her way down his chest. She just loved to run her hands through the hair on Luke's chest. Luke then saw another reason for tonight to be more special than most for the Northern Lights had decided to make an appearance and were putting on a spectacular display. He didn't have long to look at then though for Marion was beginning to impale herself. “Ah; fuck me hard Luke! Fuck My Brains Out!” Marion yelled as she slid down his shaft of steel. Tonight, was one of those times that no matter what she did, she just couldn't get Luke's cock deep enough to satisfy her cravings. “Luke fold me up please, god damn fold me up and fuck the shit out of me” begged Marion. Luke was amazed that his sweet, wonderful woman was talking so dirty, but her wasn't about to complain about it because he was more turned on now than had had ever been. It felt like his cock was about to rip open from all the blood being forced into it. Luke then did what Marion had been begging him to do. He rolled over without taking his cock out of Marion. Once on top, he put her ankles up on his shoulders. In this position, Luke could pound Marion until she fainted. Not only did he dive deep enough to ram into her cervix with almost every thrust, but he also rubbed against her G-spot with every movement. Within seconds, Marion was yelling at the top of her lungs, in fact Luke had never heard her yell this loud before and she was usually quite a vocal love-maker. Marion could feel Luke's heartbeat through the veins on his cock and this sent her to new heights for this was something new to her. Usually, she could feel his veins rise up on his cock but she had never felt his heart beat. Then it happened, Marion had herself the orgasm of the millennium. She actually felt like her pussy was going to cause her to fly like some of the rockets pictured on Luke's computer. In fact, if it hadn't been for her pussy muscles clamping down and Luke holding on to her, she might have flown. As she was reaching her climax, she set Luke off as well. Luke thrust up into her so hard that he actually bruised her a bit, not that she cared. When he exploded in her, he shot nine white-hot shots of sticky cum into her; it was a new record for them. He put so much into her that when he pulled out, it looked like a white-water river flowing out of her cunt. Although, at first Marion had wanted to be fucked longer than this, she and Luke were at their limits and they barely got onto their sleeping pad before passing out for the night. To be continued in part 6, Based on a post by somethin fishy, for Sex Stories.

My Dearest TFD Baddies,One thing I've learned in my life is that someone is always trying to sell you something. Personally, I'm always making disclaimers and letting you know when I'm sharing an affiliate link, but not everyone does. So how to recognise these instances and know WHEN to spend your money, and when to say “no thank you” and move on? Let's dive in.Yours in financial empowerment alwayssssss,Stephanie xoxoxoxox This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefinancediaries.substack.com

Hear a live conversation with my client, who I ended up finding 16 scholarships worth potentially $18,000 for college! Ever wanna work with me, too? Imagine walking away with $10,000 worth of scholarship opportunities that are PERSONALLY chosen for you! HEAD TO… calendly.com/moneyandmentalpeace and plan a time for us to talk scholarships! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!   Related Episodes:   172 - 3 Ways to Search and Find the Scholarships Specific To You 173 - She Paid Off $20,000 in Student Loans in a Few Months, Before Ever Paying Any Interest! Learn How You Can Too (: 158 - How to Graduate College with $10,000 to SPARE! Learn About FREE COLLEGE Here...    Facebook --＞ Christian College Girl Community - Scholarships & Graduate Debt-Free | Facebook  Instagram --＞ @moneyandmentalpeace) Email --＞ info@moneyandmentalpeace.com   ---------- Get scholarships and pay for college without student loans!   Are you worried about how to pay for college? Stressed because it's so expensive? Are you having trouble finding scholarships, or all you find don't apply to you? Overwhelmed with all things school and money?   Welcome fam! This podcast will help you find and get scholarships, avoid student loans and maybe even graduate college debt-free!   Hey! I'm Kara, a Christian entrepreneur, amateur snowboarder, and scholarship BEAST! I figured out how to not only finish college debt-free, but I even had $10k left over in the bank after graduation. (& btw, my parents weren't able to help me financially either!)   During school, I was worried about paying for next semester. I couldn't find scholarships that worked specifically for me, and didn't know how to get started while juggling homework and keeping up with ALL.THE.THINGS.   But dude, I learned there was a better way! With God's direction, I tested out of classes, and found the perfect scholarships, grants, internships, and weird budget hacks that helped me go from overwhelmed to debt-free with $10k in the bank–all with God on my side.   ... and I'm here to walk you through this, too.   If you are ready to find scholarships specific to you, learn to manage your money well, and have enough money to kill it at college, this pod is for you!   So grab your cold brew and TI-89, and listen in on the most stress-free and debt-free class you've ever attended: this is Money and Mental Peace.

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

S4 Ep#26Want to be a guest on the podcast? Send Andrew a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/anonymousandrewpodcastPlease buy me a cup of coffee!Proud Member of the Podmatch Network!SummaryAttachment theory is a hot topic. But there's not much info about how to heal these issues -- everyone fixates on diagnosis (anxious/avoidant). Conventional psychotherapy has ways of work with attachment (IPF, EFT, etc.). There are other modalities and things you can do on your own. Personally, My guest Jack Bohannan lost a 20-year relationship to insecure attachment… even though his partner was a capable psychotherapist. Eventually, he healed his avoidance by sitting in men's circles and learning an experiential coaching method called Somatica®. Now, he helps female clients — many of whom are therapists — heal their attachment issues through “real” relationship role play using the Somatica Method. He has traveled extensively, interviewing people about the topics of gender and relationships across cultures. Jack hosts the podcast titled Polarity Unscripted.Jacks Websitepolarityunscripted.com/healPodcast Polarity Unscripted A Production of the Anonymous Andrew Podcast Studioshttps://www.anonymousandrewpodcaststudios.comDigital Dating Podcast w/Anonymous AndrewCultimatum Podcast-The Culture of CultsThe Weekend Rant with Anonymous AndrewDiscord Chat Invite Link: https://discord.gg/mS7RAe4gGDInstagramTiktokYouTubeFacebookLinkedinXGraphics design & promotions: Melody PostMusic by: freebeats.io

In this episode of Personally Speaking, Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined joined by Fox News Channel host and NY Times best-selling author Trey Gowdy. Trey served as United States Congressman from South Carolina. He draws heavily from his two decades as a prosecutor in his new thrilling fiction book, “The Color of Death” and talks about the faith and values that matter most to him.Support the show

One of the most destructive things we do is ignore the signs.    The signs about the times.     Accepting reality that things are going to change.    It's no surprise.    The pendulum of life swings back and forth, but for some reason, we get caught in continuing to believe the lies.    The best thing you can do is to be wlling to surrender to the inevitable......   Change will always be a part of life.    Personally and professionally, you will continue to be called to pivot.    Make changes.    Sacrifices.     Sit with failures and gather the courage to come up with a plan.    But here's the secret......   Everything you're trying to figure out has already been figured out......   That's if you trust in the plan God has created for you.    All you have to do is be willing to pivot when the time comes.    About the ReWire Podcast The ReWire Podcast with Ryan Stewman – Dive into powerful insights as Ryan Stewman, the HardCore Closer, breaks down mental barriers and shares actionable steps to rewire your thoughts. Each episode is a fast-paced journey designed to reshape your mindset, align your actions, and guide you toward becoming the best version of yourself. Join in for a daily dose of real talk that empowers you to embrace change and unlock your full potential.    Learn how you can become a member of a powerful community consistently rewiring itself for success at https://www.jointheapex.com/   Rise Above

The show OPEN... siblings... Mike Gundy... and the weather!

Our Guest Is Lindsay Brennan.She Joins Us From Montreal…Where She's The Founder Of Vin I Vida…A Wine Agency Specializing In Small-Production Catalan And Spanish Wines….She's Also Sommelier And Co-Owner Of Alma…A Restaurant Highlighting Modern Mexican Cuisine With A Focus On Heirloom Corn, Local Ingredients And Catalan Wine …She Also Owns Terraza Luz…..A Seasonal Back-Alley Taqueria…And Has Two New Projects ... One Is Called Bar Luz, A Slightly More Casual Mexican Restaurant ....The Other Is Molino Luz...Which Is A Company Focused On The Production And Distribution Of Heirloom Corn Masa And Tortillas...This Creates A Trifecta Of The Luz Brand....Together With Alma Creating A Mecca For Heirloom Corn....All In The Same 2 Buildings...We Talk About:✅ Hybrid Grapes & How They're Emerging As A Conversation As Winemakers Around The World Face The Challenges Of Climate Change…✅ Plus, The Guiding Light That Connects Her Both Professionally & Personally…✅ And, Her Insights From An Incredible Trip to Tibet….https://www.instagram.com/haveyoueatenyetpodcast/?hl=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@haveyoueatenyetpodcasthttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg

Welcoming one of our personal favourite's from the big apple! A positive conductor of all things deep and dreamy, NYC's @yibingg is a longtime resident on The Lot Radio with an impeccable ear for contemplative sonics, ever thoughtfully sliced and diced with a big signature smile :) Time to hit recline and let Yibing tranquilify your mind. Q. What sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed in? A. I've always been drawn to uplifting sounds, but I also love deep, percussive music and melancholic minor key melodies, which I think there's a lot of in this mix. Hopefully a nice journey to drift into and daydream with :) I really wanted this mix to be a sort of homage to the sound of MDC and the AU music community (as I hear it), which I connect with deeply. I find it so playful, psychedelic and beautiful. It definitely took me a while to untangle this, especially knowing it was for one of the most goated series out there… One that's inspired me time and time again. Personally, my favorite place to test mixes is on my bike. Maybe not the safest spot to zone out, but it's become part of my post recording ritual. Q. Are there any songs in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these tracks that resonate with you so much? A. Atone's "Lost & Found"! I became obsessed with Tonal Ocean's Atone Special after it aired on NTS last year. Atone is, of course, an Australian project from the mind of Andrew Fitzgerald. I've listened to that mix countless times. "Atonement" is really just such a perfect record to me. I played "Lost & Found" last year at a festival that Doc Tom and CZ Wang curated called In The Open. It's still one of my favorite sets I've ever played and a memory I will cherish forever... I felt people really locking in during it and I was surrounded by some of my closest friends too… Music & friendship - truly nothing better than it. Q. Tell us about the evolution of Tranquilamente Radio on The Lot Radio, you play such a wide variety of beautiful music on the show, do you approach each show with a theme of sorts or just let things flow naturally? A. It's wild to think that I've been involved with radio in one shape or another for over a decade at this point... Through so many changes, radio in its different iterations has remained the only constant. When I started the show on The Lot Radio almost five years ago, it was deep during the pandemic and I wanted to foster a space for more laidback, at-home listening music. The inspiration for the title of the show was the Pacific Ocean - thinking about oceans as connectors of all these beautiful ~music waves~ around the world. I have done some themed shows over the years - I do an indie rock special every year, as a nod to my roots and to what I was playing back at KCSB, a college radio station in California where everything started. I also did a Canto-pop special a while back with some music I grew up listening to. More recently, I did a Music From Memory special that I really enjoyed, using the opportunity to really dive deep into everything that's come out from that label. I definitely want to keep doing more of that. I find it exciting that even though the show is pretty eclectic, it's developed a sound of its own. I definitely have a predilection for weirdo, left-field music and I love that the show can be a platform where me and my guests are encouraged to explore different sounds beyond the club. I think doing the show has also taught me and motivated me over the years to bring that sound into my sets too.

Let's get right to business, Listeners. Do this now!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Click https://www.omlrmovie.com/screenings and see when and where you can catch “Once More, Like Rain Man”! I first met Bella Zoe Martinez and Melissa Jean Martinez- Areffi at Film Invasion Los Angeles in 2022, when their short film “Glory & Injustice” was an Official Selection. Personally, I LOVED that wonderful short where a thirteen year old has to yell at her supervillain father to get his off his butt and go commit some crimes! Imagine my delight when this same team, and when I say “team” I should really say “family,” sent a new film three years later and it is an Oscar-quality short that is amazing in every dimension? No surprise that “Once More, Like Rain Man” came to the 2025 edition of Film Invasion Los Angeles and took home four awards! By the way, I referred to this team as a family and now I should clarify. Melissa and Bella are mother and daughter, and father Andy Areffi is equally involved in every film. Bella and Melissa came over to record the podcast, while Andy deserves this personal shout out for holding down the fort while the others came over to have fun.                                                                     Fingers crossed that someday we get Andy on the podcast! For the record, “Once More, Like Rain Man” won the Grand Jury Awards for Best Short Film, Comedy and Best Performance by a Cast, Short Film.                                                                                                    On top of that, it took home the Filmmakers Awards for Outstanding Direction, Comedy for director Sue Ann Pien as well as the Filmmakers Award for Outstanding Cast Performance, Comedy. This conversation was so much fun and we clearly could have talked all night! Enjoy! Websites! www.omlrmovie.com www.navautism.com Instagram/FB Handles! @omlrmovie @bellazoemartinez @bella_daze! @navautism Bella's songs on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XKVdsr14mppTFfASbMfOp?si=j-0w3-QIQs2KWhOGi0b7qA For trailers, interviews, etc. check out the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@OnceMoreLikeRainMan All trailers by Tal Anderson, who is not only a professional editor and successful actor, but was also our guest on episode 557 of this podcast! And, finally... a funny bonus shoutout. If you look at the pic of Melissa & Bella on the DIF website or social media, you might notice someone in the kitchen behind them.                                                             That would be our soon-to-be-college-student who, without my asking, baked cookies that evening. That's right.                                                                                                                                                          DIF Podcast guests sometimes get made-from-scratch-fresh- baked-chocolate-chip-cookies! If that became common knowledge... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Discover Indie Film Podcast Links DIF Podcast Website - DIF Instagram - DIF BlueSky Discover Indie Film Foundation (nonprofit for the arts) Links DIF Foundation - Sherman Oaks Film Festival - Film Invasion Los Angeles

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

We're continuing our sermon series “A Clean Slate” this Sunday! Last week, we celebrated God's amazing forgiveness of us through Jesus. This week, we're turning the spotlight inward with a powerful message: “Forgiving Ourselves.” So many of us believe God forgives us…but we still struggle to let go of guilt, shame, and regret. What would it look like to truly live free—to see ourselves the way God sees us?  Join us as we unpack how to accept God's grace personally, release the weight of the past, and step forward with joy. Watch this message on the Authentic Life Fellowship Facebook or YouTube channel. If you "like" our page, you will receive a notification when we go live each Sunday at 9 and 10 a.m. CDT.   Pastor Jimmy's teaching notes are available upon request. Please email him at authenticlifefellowship@gmail.com.

36. International Booker prize winners, author Banu Mushtaq & translator Deepa Bhashti talk to co-hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy on the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast at the 2025 Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library in London.We talk about Banu's short story collection Heart Lamp; whether foreign language words should be italicised - Deepa says no; why Heart Lamp stands out as the first notable translation from Kannada (the language of Karnataka in southern India) into English; and the dynamic between author & translator.We also hear from Lisa Honan of the East India Walking Tour & playwright Dr Anu Kumar, together creators of A London Lark Rising - a moving, walking, street theatre all about the East India Company which ruled large swathes of India from London. Is this tour better than reading The Anarchy by William Dalrymple or listening to the Empire Podcast hosted by William with Anita Anand? (Personally, I'd say it's complementary. You should read both Anita's & William's books.)By the way, Lisa Honan used to be the Governor of St Helena - yup, the island to which Napoleon was banished for the second and final time. She has some stories - including about plumed hats - yes or no, and why.And we hear from Sanjoy Roy, author and one the geniuses behind the international web of festivals known as the Jaipur Literature Festival on providing platforms for diverse conversations which are not publisher driven, focusing on the ideas behind the books, rather than the books themselves; and about it's getting more difficult these days to have free flowing varied conversations.Plus we touch on Singaporean author Ivy Ngeow, Indian-German artistic due Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser, Anil & Kiran Agarwal & their Riverside Studios arts space in London, Catalan literature, who makes the best tea, whether only British people queue, & should seagulls eat cigarette butts?WHO IS JONATHAN KENNEDY? Jonathan was Director of Arts in India for 5 years for the British Council. He's been everywhere in India and knows everyone there involved in culture. He was also for 12 years the Executive Director of Tara Arts, looking at the world through a South Asian lens. Jonathan is doing some India & South Asian episodes of We'd Like A Word with us every now & then. We'd Like A Word is a podcast & radio show from authors Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan. (And sometimes Jonathan Kennedy.) We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, & audiobook creators about books - fiction & non-fiction. We go out on various radio & podcast platforms. Our website is http://www.wedlikeaword.com for information on Paul, Steve & our guests. We're on Twitter @wedlikeaword & Facebook @wedlikeaword & our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com Yes, we're embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you - questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word to chat, review or read out passages from books.Paul is the author of a new Irish-Indian cosy crime series set in contemporary Delhi. The first in the series is Murder in Moonlit Square, which published by No Exit Press / Bedford Square Publishers & Penguin India in October 2025. Paul previously wrote the 1950s Irish border thriller Blackwatertown.We can also recommend Cockerings, the comic classic by Stevyn Colgan, and his hugely popular YouTube channel @Colganology

The shocking and tragic events of the week remind us that the enemy is attacking the Lord and our confidence and strength. This is designed to diminish God's Word, incite doubt in the Lord, defame HIs character and destroy HIs plans. Part of this strategy is to convince us that a person's values are fully negated by any failure. So the Lord reminds us of how He cared for His servant Moses, Personally burying him not to elevate Moses, but to show that God's Truth stands no matter what.  Video of this service is also available:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4z645nGKvw

Dr. Tanya Thomas and Dr. Aparna Jotwani join the podcast to discuss the new Oncology Nursing Society and American Society of Clinical Oncology evidence-based guideline on the management of antineoplastic extravasation. They discuss recommendations from the expert panel on: management of extravasation of vesicant or irritant with vesicant properties antineoplastic agents, management of extravasation of paclitaxel or docetaxel, use & duration of thermal compress, and escalation of care. They share the importance of this comprehensive interdisciplinary guideline, highlight the algorithm as a useful tool for clinicians, and outline the outstanding questions related to the management of extravasation. Read the full guideline, “ONS/ASCO Guideline on the Management of Antineoplastic Extravasation” at www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines TRANSCRIPT This guideline, clinical tools, and resources are available at www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines. Read the full text of the guideline and review authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest in the JCO Oncology Practice, https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/OP-25-00579  Brittany Harvey: Hello and welcome to the ASCO Guidelines podcast, one of ASCO's podcasts delivering timely information to keep you up to date on the latest changes, challenges, and advances in oncology. You can find all the shows, including this one, at asco.org/podcasts. My name is Brittany Harvey, and today I'm interviewing Dr. Tanya Thomas, clinical chair of the guideline and clinical nurse specialist from University of Virginia Health, and Dr. Aparna Jotwani, medical oncologist from Baylor College of Medicine, authors on "Management of Antineoplastic Extravasation: Oncology Nursing Society – American Society of Clinical Oncology Guideline." Thank you for being here today, Dr. Thomas and Dr. Jotwani. Dr. Aparna Jotwani: Thank you. Dr. Tanya Thomas: Thank you for having us. Brittany Harvey: And then before we discuss this guideline, I'd like to note that ASCO takes great care in the development of its guidelines and ensuring that the ASCO conflict of interest policy is followed for each guideline. The disclosures of potential conflicts of interest for the guideline panel, including Dr. Thomas and Dr. Jotwani, who have joined us here today, are available online with the publication of the guideline in JCO Oncology Practice, which is linked in the show notes. So then to dive into the content here, Dr. Thomas, could you start us off by providing an overview of both the scope and the objectives of this guideline? Dr. Tanya Thomas: Yes, so the objective of this guideline is to provide the evidence-based recommendations to help support our interdisciplinary teams, including the oncologist, the advanced practice providers, pharmacists, and nurses who are involved in the care and management of patients who are experiencing an extravasation of an antineoplastic agent. While rare, the antineoplastic and certain chemotherapy extravasations are oncologic emergencies. The recommendations are to minimize negative consequences and provide a standardized approach to the care when such an event occurs. Dr. Aparna Jotwani: I would add that our scope is limited to intravenous antineoplastic vesicants, irritants, and irritants with vesicant potential. The scope of the guideline applies to the care team for adult oncology patients receiving treatments through venous access. Outside the scope is management of extravasation during other routes of treatment administration, such as intraperitoneal, intravesical, and hepatic arterial infusion. Our recommendations regarding vascular access for therapy or interventions to prevent extravasations are also outside of the scope for this guideline. Brittany Harvey: Understood. I appreciate that background and understanding what's in scope and what's out of scope for this guideline. So then I'd like to pivot and talk about the key recommendations of this guideline across the clinical questions. So first, Dr. Jotwani, what does the panel recommend for patients with extravasation of vesicant or irritant with vesicant properties antineoplastic agents? Dr. Aparna Jotwani: The panel strongly recommends for all classes where an antidote exists to proceed with using the antidote. Recommendations for paclitaxel and docetaxel are specifically addressed in a recommendation. This is further detailed in Tables 1 and 4 within the guideline. Evidence on the use of antidotes for extravasation is limited to nonrandomized, uncontrolled, observational studies and case series. Placebo-controlled trials on this topic would be unethical. There is also a lack of comparative data for different antidote strategies. However, potential benefits of using the antidotes include tissue preservation and avoiding tissue necrosis. In developing the guidelines, we had an in-person roundtable discussion and weighed risks and benefits to ensure patient safety above all else. Brittany Harvey: I appreciate that description of the recommendation here. So then you just mentioned that there's a specific recommendation for paclitaxel and docetaxel. So what is recommended for those patients with extravasation of paclitaxel or docetaxel? Dr. Aparna Jotwani: So here, we conditionally recommended the specific use of hyaluronidase as the antidote. This was based on five studies that all used hyaluronidase as an antidote to lower the risk of tissue necrosis. In the studies included, with a subgroup of patients that experienced taxane-related extravasation, development of necrosis ranged from 0% to 0.83% among the patients who received an antidote. The potential harms associated with this were likely trivial. Brittany Harvey: Thank you for providing that recommendation as well. So then the next section of the guideline, Dr. Thomas, what does the expert panel recommend for use and duration of thermal compress? Dr. Tanya Thomas: So the expert panel actually recommends the use of thermal compresses, and the recommendations are based on the available literature for the various agents and the actual time frames most frequently used for the compress application. The utilization of a thermal compress is recommended for 15 to 20 minutes at a time for 3 to 4 times daily, at least for the first 48 to 72 hours after that extravasation occurs. The actual frequency and duration may vary based on the extent of the extravasation and the agent involved in that extravasation. The intent of the warm compress is to help disperse the agent and reduce the localized accumulation of the agent, whereas the cold compress, it actually helps prevent the dispersion or the spread of the agent while allowing the antidote to help neutralize that agent. Warm compresses are recommended for extravasations involving the vinca alkaloids, etoposide, oxaliplatin, and the taxanes - paclitaxel and docetaxel - only when coadministering the antidote hyaluronidase. The use of a cold compress is actually recommended for extravasations involving the anthracyclines, antimetabolites, alkylating agents, and taxanes when coadministration of the antidote hyaluronidase does not occur. Brittany Harvey: Understood. Those specific and actionable recommendations are really key for clinical practice. So then, following those recommendations, how does the guideline address escalation of care and surgical referral for patients with central line extravasation? Dr. Tanya Thomas: So this topic actually had a lot of discussion. And while there is not enough evidence to make strong recommendations, the expert panel recognized that surgical referrals should be considered in certain scenarios. Dr. Aparna Jotwani: We discussed that certain scenarios would include high-risk populations, such as patients that are receiving DNA-binding vesicants, those with high-volume estimated extravasation, and those with CTCAE grade 2, which would be erythema associated with symptoms such as edema, pain, induration, and phlebitis, or grade 3, which would be symptoms of ulceration or necrosis or concern for severe tissue damage, or grade 4, where you would have a life-threatening consequence extravasation, may have a greater likelihood of benefiting from surgical referral and/or escalation of care as deemed appropriate. Brittany Harvey: Great. And yes, it's really important to provide all of these recommendations that you've both just gone through, even when we're faced with very low evidence. So then, Dr. Thomas, in your view, what is the importance of this guideline, and how will it impact clinical practice? Dr. Tanya Thomas: So when extravasations occur in the clinical setting, members of the interdisciplinary team can be faced with barriers related to where to look for the information, how to find all the relevant information in one concise place, how to provide education to the patient about how to care for the site of extravasation in the home setting, and also when to escalate to specialized teams. This can actually cause some added stress and anxiety, and in certain circumstances, may lead to delays in efficient management. This guideline provides the resource clinicians have been looking for. It includes comprehensive recommendations for antineoplastic extravasations in one guideline while also providing a one-page algorithm with the key information regarding the management of the extravasations. This allows all levels of providers to have evidence-based recommendations regarding initial management of the extravasation, for instance, how to manage the infusion, key site assessment reminders, available antidotes, and the use of thermal compress; the required documentation, recommended follow-up scheduling, in addition to key aspects of the patient education. This type of guidance is not found in any other single document regarding antineoplastic extravasation. Having this document readily available at the point of care potentially can reduce time required for providers to search for management recommendations and also provide consistency in patient education and follow-up management scheduling. It reduces uncertainty within interdisciplinary teams and can help inform policy development for clinicians to approach extravasations with confidence. Brittany Harvey: Absolutely. I agree that this is an incredible resource for clinicians with the recommendations, the algorithm that you mentioned, and the supporting evidence that underpins these recommendations to really provide both efficient and effective care for patients. So beyond the impact for clinical practice, Dr. Jotwani, how will these guideline recommendations affect patients receiving antineoplastic treatment for cancer? Dr. Aparna Jotwani: Exactly. In addition to the clinical care team, we want to help and benefit our patients. So, oncology patients that experience extravasations are at risk for, aside of the side effects of tissue necrosis and infection, they also are at risk for delay of cancer treatment. In making these guidelines, we kept in mind the cost and the efforts for patients, additional visits that they could incur, additional time and supplies for care of the extravasation, as well as cost. Our guideline aims to provide an evidence-based approach to the care of oncology patients receiving antineoplastic intravenous therapy. While there are gaps in the data due to the nature of these events, based on careful literature review, these guidelines serve as a basis for quality, standardized oncology care during extravasation. Personally, I hope our graphics especially can be used across the systems to guide clinical care. Brittany Harvey: Definitely. We hope that these recommendations improve treatment and treatment outcomes for all patients receiving antineoplastic treatment for cancer. So then you've also just mentioned some gaps in the literature. So Dr. Thomas, I'd like to turn to you to wrap us up and ask, what are the outstanding questions for the management of antineoplastic extravasation? Dr. Tanya Thomas: Yes, that's a good question. Two of the main outstanding questions are related to the management of extravasations involving the novel agents and extravasations involving multi-agent regimens. The current literature regarding how to effectively manage the multi-agent regimens, for instance, there is no clear guidance for managing the extravasation for someone who is receiving a regimen that involves simultaneous administration of, let's say, a vinca alkaloid and an anthracycline. One of those agents requires a warm compress while the other requires a cold compress, and there are different antidotes for those two agents. Additionally, there has not been a lot of published information on the impact of extravasation of those novel agents like the antibody-drug conjugates. With the pace of the drug development, a subgroup of the guideline panelists actually are exploring case reports specific to novel agents to help inform some future work. Brittany Harvey: Yes, we'll look forward to learning more about how to address these ongoing issues and potentially impact guideline recommendations in the future as well. So I want to thank you both so much for your work to develop this incredibly important guideline, and thank you for your time today, Dr. Thomas and Dr. Jotwani. Dr. Aparna Jotwani: Thank you for the opportunity. Dr. Tanya Thomas: Yes, thank you. Brittany Harvey: And finally, thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in to the ASCO Guidelines podcast. To read the full guideline, go to www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines. I also encourage you to check out the companion episode on this guideline on the ONS podcast, available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Music. And finally, you can also find many of our guidelines and interactive resources in the free ASCO Guidelines app, which is available in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. If you've enjoyed what you've heard today, please rate and review the podcast and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.  

In this episode of Personally Speaking, Msgr. Jim Lisante is joined by Tony nominated actor Michael Hayden. Michael made his Broadway debut in the role of “Billy” in the 1994 Broadway revival of “Carousel”. He's currently starring in Irish Repertory Theatre's New York premiere of “The Honey Trap”. Michael talks about his life, his career, and the Catholic faith and values that matter most to him.Support the show

I have now lived through the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1968 Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Sr. I remember sitting down on the floor in our home as a 2nd grade little boy, watching President Kennedy's funeral on a black and white television. Additionally, I remember when the Vietnam War was finally over on April 30, 1975. Furthermore, I have lived through 9/11, which happened twenty-four years ago. I have also lived through a global pandemic. While I can say these were all significant events and even generational moments, what happened on the campus of Utah State University on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, is unprecedented, and its impact remains profound and seems endless.  Who would have ever thought that a 22-year-old man would take a rifle onto the roof of a nearby building and brutally assassinate a 31-year-old man named Charlie Kirk? Charlie was on that campus to do what he does all over America, leading a dialogue with university students with the sole desire to impact their lives to make America stronger and greater in the future. With respect for every person, he was always honest with others but valued them personally and treated them with grace. However, Charlie Kirk's unique approach was that he believed in the Bible, and his views came from a biblical worldview. The questions are many today. Did this horrendous event occur because of Political Violence? Or did it happen because of Charlie Kirk's unashamed and courageous commitment to Jesus Christ? Personally, I see that both are true. But I also see something more profound: spiritual warfare, which is undeniable. Evil is alive all over America and the world. This evil deception is everywhere, including the online world, where so many evil things are occurring that lead to destruction and even death. Wake up, everyone! Satan and his demonic forces are alive and causing chaos, destruction, division, and even death. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was a target, not only of an assassin's bullet, but also a target of this enemy called Satan.  

Personally, we avoid MCD (Major Character Death) like the plague, but to Tam and Tessa, it's a fun and fascinating plot device they often explore and enjoy.Please join Megs and her guests, Tam and Tessa, for this special trope episode!CW: Major Character Death, Canon-typical Death, Marauders EraCheck out all the works from Kill Your Darlings: A Harry Potter MCD Fest!Please enjoy this vault episode!

Charlie was energetic, hard-working, and thoughtful. "A natural born leader." Will Chamberlain was a frequent guest on his show, and it's still such a shock.

Ever wonder what you'll be like at 90? (Personally, I plan to be a cute grandma in a hip little outfit, still dancing at weddings and holding babies.) If you're here for a long, healthy, joyful life (not just a smaller body), this episode is for you.Today, I'm getting super real and opening up about my Grammy Z's passing, the life lessons she handed me, and how I want to live (and age gracefully!) with intention. We're skipping the step-by-step meal plans and routines. This one's a heart-to-heart: what actually matters when you zoom out and look at the big picture.You'll hear how she lived a full 90 years (hint: it wasn't from dieting), and how I'm rethinking everything from self-care to legacy. If you're taking care of aging parents, grieving a loved one, or just feeling like you've put yourself last for too long…this episode is your wake-up call.This isn't just about weight loss. It's about your life and how you want to live it, gracefully.xoxo,JackieMORE FROM JACKIE: >

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

Did Nintendo beat expectations? No. Well, according to Matt. While nothing was BAD in the direct, and plenty was GOOD: Nintendo didn't justify the new system or the cost increases (Tariffs not included). Personally, I was easier to please. Maybe because I know I am not going to buy a Switch 2 for at least a year. We gave the PS5 a year to try and justify itself, I think we need to be fair and give the Switch 2 the same amount of time. Positive side: at least Nintendo is supporting its platform. They have a slate of good games and a large one at that.

Launching is one of the best ways to start making money in your online business, but it can be exhausting. In order to give yourself and your launch the best chance at success, you'll need a comprehensive approach to launch prep and launch recovery. In this episode, you'll hear Jill's personal strategies for meticulous planning, time management, and energy level maintenance as she keeps aiming for a million-dollar launch.   Join the Profitable Online Coach! jillfitfree.com/poc-2025   Jill is a fitness professional and business coach who effectively made the transition from training clients in person and having no time to build anything else to training clients online and actually being more successful. Today, Jill helps other coaches to do the same.   Connect with me! Instagram: @jillfit | @fitbizu Facebook: @jillfit Website: jillfit.com               launch preparation, business strategy, productivity, self-care, professionalism, online coaching, marketing, stress management, biohacking, time management

Book Title: The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England, 1603-1689 Author: Jonathan HealeyHeadline: Charles I's Personal Rule and the Scottish Revolt After dismissing Parliament in 1629, Charles I ruled personally, relying on figures like Archbishop William Laud and the Earl of Strafford. Their controversial religious policies and "arbitrary" actions, such as the Ship Money tax, generated significant opposition. The King's attempt to impose a new prayer book on Scotland in 1637 led to a revolt, ultimately collapsing his rule in England and leading to Laud and Strafford's arrests. 1661 OLIVER CROMWELL

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3727: Benjamin P. Hardy explains how transformative growth doesn't come from incremental progress but from bold leaps that stretch your identity and actions far beyond your comfort zone. He shows how reframing your goals, embracing uncertainty, and acting decisively can unlock breakthroughs that radically change both your personal and professional trajectory. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://medium.com/the-mission/how-to-make-quantum-leaps-personally-and-professionally-cfcae58948c1 Quotes to ponder: "Quantum leaps can happen when you stop trying to incrementally improve, and instead change your approach entirely." "Your current circumstances don't determine where you can go, they merely determine where you start." "Massive change requires massive action, but it begins with shifting your identity to match the future you want." Episode references: The Magic of Thinking Big: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Thinking-Big-David-Schwartz/dp/0671646788 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3726: Benjamin P. Hardy explains how genuine progress in life rarely comes from small, incremental changes but from bold, intentional leaps that challenge comfort zones. By redefining identity, committing to bigger goals, and aligning daily actions with a compelling vision, he shows how anyone can accelerate growth and transformation. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://medium.com/the-mission/how-to-make-quantum-leaps-personally-and-professionally-cfcae58948c1 Quotes to ponder: "You make quantum leaps by taking bold moves, moves that are not incremental but transformational." "Your identity must be shaped by your future, not your past." "The moment you commit to something bigger than yourself, the resources and clarity you need will appear." Episode references: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/1982137274 Psycho-Cybernetics: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Cybernetics-Maxwell-Maltz/dp/0671700758 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices