Podcasts about Port authority

Send us a textOn this week's episode of The Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit down with Colin Lucas — the voice behind “Dollar Wine” and a pioneer in soca and band culture. From the foundation of Sound Revolution to his corporate leadership roles at the Port Authority, TTPost, and NCC, Colin reflects on a life that moved between big stages and boardrooms.He shares the true origin story behind “Dollar Wine,” the groundbreaking journey of Sound Revolution, and how hits like “Stay,” “Shake It,” and “Football Dance” came to life. We talk about live music vs. backing tracks, the storytelling missing from today's soca, and the challenges of being “the executive” in a world that didn't know where to place him.This one is a tribute to legacy, sound, and purpose — and it just might change how you hear soca forever.Click the link in my bio for the full episode#coriesheppardpodcast

Today's guest is Peter Moskos, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He spent two years as a police officer in Baltimore. I asked him to come on and talk about his new book, Back from the Brink, Inside the NYPD and New York City's Extraordinary 1990s Crime Drop. It's one of my favorite books I've read this year (and it was one of my three book recommendations on Ezra Klein's show last week).Peter spoke with hundreds of police officers and NYC officials to understand and describe exactly how the city's leaders in the early 1990s managed to drive down crime so successfully.We discussed:* How bad did things get in the 1970s?* Why did processing an arrest take so long?* What did Bill Bratton and other key leaders do differently?* How did police get rid of the squeegee men?I've included my reading list at the bottom of this piece. Thanks to Harry Fletcher-Wood for his judicious transcript edits.Subscribe for one new interview a week.Peter, how would you describe yourself?I would say I'm a criminologist: my background is sociology, but I am not in the sociology department. I'm not so big on theory, and sociology has a lot of theory. I was a grad student at Harvard in sociology and worked as a police officer [in Baltimore] and that became my dissertation and first book, Cop in the Hood. I've somewhat banked my career on those 20 months in the police department.Not a lot of sociologists spend a couple of years working a police beat.It's generally frowned upon, both for methodological reasons and issues of bias. But there is also an ideological opposition in a lot of academia to policing. It's seen as going to the dark side and something to be condemned, not understood.Sociologists said crime can't go down unless we fix society first. It's caused by poverty, racism, unemployment, and social and economic factors — they're called the root causes. But they don't seem to have a great impact on crime, as important as they are. When I'm in grad school, murders dropped 30-40% in New York City. At the same time, Mayor Giuliani is slashing social spending, and poverty is increasing. The whole academic field is just wrong. I thought it an interesting field to get into.We're going to talk about your new book, which is called Back from the Brink, Inside the NYPD and New York City's Extraordinary 1990s Crime Drop. I had a blast reading it. Tell me about the process of writing it.A lot of this is oral history, basically. But supposedly people don't like buying books that are called oral histories. It is told entirely from the perspective of police officers who were on the job at the time. I would not pretend I talked to everyone, because there were 30,000+ cops around, but I spoke to many cops and to all the major players involved in the 1990s crime drop in New York City.I was born in the ‘90s, and I had no idea about a crazy statistic you cite: 25% of the entire national crime decline was attributable to New York City's crime decline.In one year, yeah. One of the things people say to diminish the role of policing is that the crime drop happened everywhere — and it did end up happening almost everywhere. But I think that is partly because what happened in New York City was a lot of hard work, but it wasn't that complicated. It was very easy to propagate, and people came to New York to find out what was going on. You could see results, literally in a matter of months.It happened first in New York City. Really, it happened first in the subways and that's interesting, because if crime goes down in the subways [which, at the time, fell under the separate New York City Transit Police] and not in the rest of the city, you say, “What is going on in the subways that is unique?” It was the exact same strategies and leadership that later transformed the NYPD [New York Police Department].Set the scene: What was the state of crime and disorder in New York in the ‘70s and into the ‘80s?Long story short, it was bad. Crime in New York was a big problem from the late ‘60s up to the mid ‘90s, and the ‘70s is when the people who became the leaders started their careers. So these were defining moments. The city was almost bankrupt in 1975 and laid off 5,000 cops; 3,000 for a long period of time. That was arguably the nadir. It scarred the police department and the city.Eventually, the city got its finances in order and came to the realization that “we've got a big crime problem too.” That crime problem really came to a head with crack cocaine. Robberies peaked in New York City in 1980. There were above 100,000 robberies in 1981, and those are just reported robberies. A lot of people get robbed and just say, “It's not worth it to report,” or, “I'm going to work,” or, “Cops aren't going to do anything.” The number of robberies and car thefts was amazingly high. The trauma, the impact on the city and on urban space, and people's perception of fear, all comes from that. If you're afraid of crime, it's high up on the hierarchy of needs.To some extent, those lessons have been lost or forgotten. Last year there were 16,600 [robberies], which is a huge increase from a few years ago, but we're still talking an 85% reduction compared to the worst years. It supposedly wasn't possible. What I wanted to get into in Back from the Brink was the actual mechanisms of the crime drop. I did about fifty formal interviews and hundreds of informal interviews building the story. By and large, people were telling the same story.In 1975, the city almost goes bankrupt. It's cutting costs everywhere, and it lays off more than 5,000 cops, about 20% of the force, in one day. There's not a new police academy class until 1979, four years later. Talk to me about where the NYPD was at that time.They were retrenched, and the cops were demoralized because “This is how the city treats us?” The actual process of laying off the cops itself was just brutal: they went to work, and were told once they got to work that they were no longer cops. “Give me your badge, give me your gun."The city also was dealing with crime, disorder, and racial unrest. The police department was worried about corruption, which was a legacy of the Knapp Commission [which investigated NYPD corruption] and [Frank] Serpico [a whistleblowing officer]. It's an old police adage, that if you don't work, you can't get in trouble. That became very much the standard way of doing things. Keep your head low, stay out of trouble, and you'll collect your paycheck and go home.You talk about the blackout in 1977, when much of the city lost power and you have widespread looting and arson. 13,000 off-duty cops get called in during the emergency, and only about 5,000 show up, which is a remarkable sign of the state of morale.The person in my book who's talking about that is Louis Anemone. He showed up because his neighbor and friend and partner was there, and he's got to help him. It was very much an in-the-foxholes experience. I contrast that with the more recent blackout, in which the city went and had a big block party instead. That is reflective of the change that happened in the city.In the mid-80s you get the crack cocaine epidemic. Talk to me about how police respond.From a political perspective, that era coincided with David Dinkins as [New York City's first black] mayor. He was universally disliked, to put it mildly, by white and black police officers alike. He was seen as hands off. He was elected in part to improve racial relations in New York City, to mitigate racial strife, but in Crown Heights and Washington Heights, there were riots, and racial relations got worse. He failed at the level he was supposed to be good at. Crime and quality of life were the major issues in that election.Dinkins's approach to the violence is centered around what they called “community policing.” Will you describe how Dinkins and political leaders in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s thought about policing?This is under Ben Ward, the [NYPD] Commissioner at the time. The mayor appoints the police commissioner — and the buck does stop with the mayor — but the mayor is not actively involved in day-to-day operations. That part does go down to the police department.Community policing was seen as an attempt to improve relations between the police and the community. The real goal was to lessen racial strife and unrest between black (and to a lesser extent Hispanic) communities and the NYPD. Going back to the ‘60s, New York had been rocked by continued unrest in neighborhoods like Central Harlem, East New York, and Bushwick. Community policing was seen as saying that police are partly to blame, and we want to improve relations. Some of it was an attempt to get the community more involved in crime fighting.It's tough. It involves a certain rosy view of the community, but that part of the community isn't causing the problems. It avoids the fact there are people who are actively criming and are willing to hurt people who get in their way. Community policing doesn't really address the active criminal element, that is a small part of any community, including high-crime communities.Arrests increased drastically during this era, more than in the ‘90s with broken windows policing. If the idea is to have fewer arrests, it didn't happen in the ‘80s. Some good came out of it, because it did encourage cops to be a bit more active and cops are incentivized by overtime. Arrests were so incredibly time-consuming, which kind of defeated the purpose of community policing. If you made an arrest in that era, there was a good chance you might spend literally 24 hours processing the arrest.Will you describe what goes into that 24 hours?From my experience policing in Baltimore, I knew arrests were time-consuming and paperwork redundant, but I could process a simple arrest in an hour or two. Even a complicated one that involved juveniles and guns and drugs, we're talking six to eight hours.In the ‘80s, Bob Davin, [in the] Transit Police, would say they'd make an arrest, process at the local precinct, search him in front of a desk officer, print him, and then they would have to get a radio car off patrol to drive you down to central booking at 100 Centre Street [New York City Criminal Court]. Then they would fingerprint him. They didn't have the live scan fingerprints machine, it was all ink. It had to be faxed up to Albany and the FBI to see if it hit on any warrant federally and for positive identification of the person. Sometimes it took 12 hours to have the prints come back and the perp would be remanded until that time. Then you'd have to wait for the prosecutor to get their act together and to review all the paperwork. You couldn't consider bail unless the prints came back either positive or negative and then you would have that initial arraignment and the cop could then go home. There are a lot of moving parts, and they moved at a glacial pace.The system often doesn't work 24/7. A lot of this has changed, but some of it was having to wait until 9 am for people to show up to go to work, because it's not a single system. The courts, the jails, and policing all march to their own drummer, and that created a level of inefficiency.So much of the nitty-gritty of what cops actually do is boring, behind-the-scenes stuff: How do we speed up the paperwork? Can we group prisoners together? Can we do some of this at the police station instead of taking it downtown? Is all of this necessary? Can we cooperate with the various prosecutors? There are five different prosecutors in New York City, one for each borough.There's not a great incentive to streamline this. Cops enjoyed the overtime. That's one of the reasons they would make arrests. So during this time, if a cop makes an arrest for drug dealing, that cop is gone and no cop was there to replace him. If it's a minor arrest, there's a good chance in the long run charges will be dropped anyway. And you're taking cops off the street. In that sense, it's lose-lose. But, you have to think, “What's the alternative?”Bob Davin is a fascinating guy. There's a famous picture from 1981 by Martha Cooper of two cops on a subway train. It's graffitied up and they're in their leather jackets and look like cops from the ‘70s. Martha Cooper graciously gave me permission to use the picture, but she said, "You have to indemnify me because I don't have a release form. I don't know who the cops are." I said, "Martha, I do know who the cop is, because he's in my book and he loves the picture.” Bob Davin is the cop on the right.Davin says that things started to get more efficient. They had hub sites in the late ‘80s or ‘90s, so precincts in the north of Manhattan could bring their prisoners there, and you wouldn't have to take a car out of service to go back to Central Booking and deal with traffic. They started collecting prisoners and bringing them en masse on a small school bus, and that would cut into overtime. Then moving to electronic scan fingerprints drastically saves time waiting for those to come back.These improvements were made, but some of them involve collective bargaining with unions, to limit overtime and arrests that are made for the pure purpose of overtime. You want cops making arrests for the right reason and not simply to make money. But boy, there was a lot of money made in arrests.In 1991, you have the infamous Crown Heights riot in Brooklyn. Racial tensions kick off. It's a nightmare for the mayor, there's this sense that he has lost control. The following year, you have this infamous police protest at City Hall where it becomes clear the relationship between the cops and the mayor has totally evaporated. How does all that play into the mayoral race between Dinkins and Giuliani?It was unintentional, but a lot of the blame for Crown Heights falls on the police department. The part of the story that is better known is that there was a procession for a Hasidic rabbi that was led by a police car. He would go to his wife's grave, and he got a little three-car motorcade. At some point, the police look at this and go "Why are we doing this? We're going to change it." The man who made the deal said ‘I"m retiring in a couple weeks, can we just leave it till then? Because I gave him my word." They're like, "Alright, whatever."This motor car procession is then involved in a car crash, and a young child named Gavin Cato is killed, and another girl is severely injured. The volunteer, Jewish-run ambulance shows up and decides they don't have the equipment: they call for a professional city ambulance. Once that ambulance is on the way, they take the mildly-injured Jewish people to the hospital. The rumor starts that the Jewish ambulance abandoned the black children to die.This isn't the first incident. There's long been strife over property and who the landlord is. But this was the spark that set off riots. A young Jewish man was randomly attacked on the street and was killed.As an aside, he also shouldn't have died, but at the hospital they missed internal bleeding.Meanwhile, the police department has no real leadership at the time. One chief is going to retire, another is on vacation, a third doesn't know what he's doing, and basically everyone is afraid to do anything. So police do nothing. They pull back, and you have three days of very anti-Semitic riots. Crowds chanting "Kill the Jews" and marching on the Lubavitch Hasidic Headquarters. Al Sharpton shows up. The riots are blamed on Dinkins, which is partly fair, but a lot of that's on the NYPD. Finally, the mayor and the police commissioner go to see what's going on and they get attacked. It's the only time in New York City history that there's ever been an emergency call from the police commissioner's car. People are throwing rocks at it.It took three days to realise this, but that's when they say “We have to do something here,” and they gather a group of officers who later become many of Bratton's main chiefs at the time [Bill Bratton was Commissioner of the NYPD from 1994-1996, under Giuliani]: Mike Julian, Louis Anemone, Ray Kelly, and [John] Timoney. They end the unrest in a day. They allow people to march, they get the police department to set rules. It still goes on for a bit, but no one gets hurt after that, and that's it.It was a huge, national story at the time, but a lot of the details were not covered. Reporters were taken from their car and beaten and stripped. The significance was downplayed at the time, especially by the New York Times, I would say.That's followed by the Washington Heights riots, which is a different story. A drug dealer was shot and killed by cops. There were rumors, which were proven to be false, that he was executed and unarmed. Then there were three days of rioting there. It wasn't quite as severe, but 53 cops were hurt, 120 stores were set on fire, and Mayor Dinkins paid for the victim's family to go to the Dominican Republic for the funeral. The police perspective again was, “You're picking the wrong side here.”Then there's the so-called Police Riot at City Hall. Nominally, it was about the CCRB, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and setting up an accountability mechanism to control cops. But really it was just an anti-Dinkins protest. It was drunken and unruly. The cops stormed the steps of City Hall. I have the account of one of the cops who was on the top of those steps looking at this mob of cops storming to him, and he's getting worried he's going to be killed in a crush. There were racist chants from off-duty cops in the crowd. It did not reflect well on police officers. But it showed this hatred of David Dinkins, who was seen as siding with criminals and being anti-police. The irony is that Dinkins is the one who ends up hiring all the cops that Giuliani gets credit for.In the “Safe Streets, Safe City” program?Yes. That was because a white tourist, Brian Watkins, was killed in a subway station protecting his parents who were getting robbed. That led to the famous headline [in the New York Post] of “Dave, do something! Crime-ravaged city cries out for help.” He, with City Council President Peter Vallone, Sr., drafted and pushed through this massive hiring of police officers, “Safe Streets, Safe City.”The hiring wasn't fast-tracked. It might be because Dinkins's people didn't really want more cops. But it was a Dinkins push that got a massive hiring of cops. When the first huge class of police officers graduated, Bill Bratton was there and not David Dinkins.Some interviewees in your book talk about how there's physically not enough room in the police academies at this time, so they have to run classes 24/7. You cycle cohorts in and out of the same classroom, because there are too many new cops for the facilities.You have thousands of cops going through it at once. Everyone describes it as quite a chaotic scene. But it would have been hard to do what the NYPD did without those cops. Ray Kelly, who was police commissioner under Dinkins at the end [from 1992 to 1994] before he became police commissioner for 12 years under Bloomberg [from 2002 to 2013] probably could have done something with those cops too, but he never had the chance, because the mayoral leadership at the time was much more limiting in what they wanted cops to do.Crime starts declining slowly in the first few years of the ‘90s under Dinkins, and then in ‘93 Giuliani wins a squeaker of a mayoral election against Dinkins.One of the major issues was the then-notorious “squeegee men” of New York City. These were guys who would go to cars stopped at bridges and tunnel entrances and would rub a squeegee over the windshield asking for money. It was unpleasant, intimidating, and unwanted, and it was seen as one of those things that were just inevitable. Like graffiti on the subway in the ‘80s. Nothing we can do about it because these poor people don't have jobs or housing or whatever.The irony is that Bratton and Giuliani were happy to take credit for that, and it was an issue in the mayoral campaign, but it was solved under David Dinkins and Ray Kelly and Mike Julian with the help of George Kelling [who, with James Wilson, came up with broken windows theory]. But they never got credit for it. One wonders if, had they done that just a few months earlier, it would have shifted the entire campaign and we'd have a different course of history in New York City.It's a great example of a couple of things that several people in your book talk about. One is that disorder is often caused by a very small set of individuals. There's only like 70 squeegee men, yet everybody sees them, because they're posted up at the main tunnel and bridge entrances to Manhattan. And getting them off the streets solves the problem entirely.Another emphasis in the book is how perceptions of crime are central. You quote Jack Maple, the father of Compstat, as saying, “A murder on the subway counts as a multiple murder up on the street, because everybody feels like that's their subway.” The particular locations of crimes really affect public perception.Absolutely. Perception is reality for a lot of these things, because most people aren't victimized by crime. But when people perceive that no one is in control they feel less safe. It's not that this perception is false, it just might not be directly related to an actual criminal act.The other thing I try to show is that it's not just saying, “We've got to get rid of squeegee men. How do you do it?” They had tried before, but this is why you need smart cops and good leadership, because it's a problem-solving technique, and the way to get rid of graffiti is different to the way you get rid of squeegee men.This book is in opposition to those who just say, “We can't police our way out of this problem.” No, we can. We can't police our way out of every problem. But if you define the problem as, we don't want people at intersections with squeegees, of course we can police our way out of the problem, using legal constitutional tools. You need the political will. And then the hard work starts, because you have to figure out how to actually do it.Will you describe how they tackle the squeegee men problem?Mike Julian was behind it. They hired George Kelling, who's known for broken windows. They said, “These people are here to make money. So to just go there and make a few arrests isn't going to solve the problem.” First of all, he had to figure out what legal authority [to use], and he used Traffic Reg 44 [which prohibits pedestrians from soliciting vehicle occupants]. He talked to Norm Siegel of the NYCLU [New York Civil Liberties Union] about this, who did not want this crackdown to happen. But Norman said, “Okay, this is the law, I can't fight that one. You're doing it legally. It's all in the books.” And So that took away that opposition.But the relentless part of it is key. First they filmed people. Then, when it came to enforcement, they warned people. Then they cited people, and anybody that was left they arrested. They did not have to arrest many people, because the key is they did this every four hours. It was that that changed behavior, because even a simple arrest isn't going to necessarily deter someone if it's a productive way to make money. But being out there every four hours for a couple of weeks or months was enough to get people to do something else. What that something else is, we still don't know, but we solved the squeegee problem.So in 93, Giuliani is elected by something like 50,000 votes overall. Just as an aside, in Prince of the City, Fred Siegel describes something I had no idea about. There's a Puerto Rican Democratic Councilman who flips and supports Giuliani. Mayor Eric Adams, who at the time was the head of a nonprofit for black men in law enforcement, calls him a race traitor for doing that and for being married to a white woman. There was a remarkable level of racial vitriol in that race that I totally missed.10 years ago when I started this, I asked if I could interview then-Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams, and he said yes, and the interview kept getting rescheduled, and I said, “Eh, I don't need him.” It's a regret of mine. I should have pursued that, but coulda, woulda, shoulda.Giuliani is elected, and he campaigns very explicitly on a reducing crime and disorder platform. And he hires Bill Bratton. Tell me about Bratton coming on board as NYPD commissioner.Bratton grew up in Boston, was a police officer there, became head of the New York City Transit Police when that was a separate police department. Right before he becomes NYPD Commissioner, he's back in Boston, as the Chief of Police there, and there is a movement among certain people to get Bratton the NYC job. They succeed in that, and Bratton is a very confident man. He very much took a broken windows approach and said, “We are going to focus on crime.” He has a right-hand man by the name of Jack Maple who he knows from the Transit Police. Maple is just a lieutenant in transit, and Bratton makes him the de facto number two man in the police department.Jack Maple passed away in 2001 and I didn't know what I was going to do, because it's hard to interview a man who's no longer alive. Chris Mitchell co-wrote Jack Maple's autobiography called Crime Fighter and he graciously gave me all the micro-cassettes of the original interviews he conducted with Maple around 1998. Everyone has a Jack Maple story. He's probably the most important character in Back from the Brink.Jack Maple comes in, no one really knows who he is, no one respects him because he was just a lieutenant in Transit. He goes around and asks a basic question — this is 1994 — he says, “How many people were shot in New York City in 1993?” And nobody knows. That is the state of crime-fighting in New York City before this era. There might have been 7,000 people shot in New York City in 1990 and we just don't know, even to this day.One citation from your book: in 1993, an average of 16 people were shot every day. Which is just remarkable.And remember, shootings have been declining for two or three years before that! But nobody knew, because they weren't keeping track of shootings, because it's not one of the FBI Uniform Crime Report [which tracks crime data nationally] index crimes. But wouldn't you be curious? It took Jack Maple to be curious, so he made people count, and it was findable, but you had to go through every aggravated assault and see if a gun was involved. You had to go through every murder from the previous year and see if it was a shooting. He did this. So we only have shooting data in New York City going back to 1993. It's just a simple process of caring.The super-short version of Back from the Brink is it was a change in mission statement: “We're going to care about crime.” Because they hadn't before. They cared about corruption, racial unrest, brutality, and scandal. They cared about the clearance rate for robbery a bit. You were supposed to make three arrests for every ten robberies. It didn't matter so much that you were stopping a pattern or arresting the right person, as long as you had three arrests for every ten reported crimes, that was fine.This is a story about people who cared. They're from this city — Bratton wasn't, but most of the rest are. They understood the trauma of violence and the fact that people with families were afraid to go outside, and nobody in the power structure seemed to care. So they made the NYPD care about this. Suddenly, the mid-level police executives, the precinct commanders, had to care. and the meetings weren't about keeping overtime down, instead they were about ”What are you doing to stop this shooting?”Tell listeners a little bit more about Jack Maple, because he's a remarkable character, and folks may not know what a kook he was.I think he was a little less kooky than he liked to present. His public persona was wearing a snazzy cat and spats and dressing like a fictional cartoon detective from his own mind, but he's a working-class guy from Queens who becomes a transit cop.When Bratton takes over, he writes a letter up the chain of command saying this is what we should do. Bratton read it and said, “This guy is smart.” Listening to 80 hours of Jack Maple, everyone correctly says he was a smart guy, but he had a very working-class demeanor and took to the elite lifestyle. He loved hanging out and getting fancy drinks at the Plaza Hotel. He was the idea man of the NYPD. Everyone has a Jack Maple imitation. “You're talking to the Jackster,” he'd say. He had smart people working under him who were supportive of this. But it was very much trying to figure out as they went along, because the city doesn't stop nor does it sleep.He was a bulls***er, but he's the one who came up with the basic outline of the strategy of crime reduction in New York City. He famously wrote it on a napkin at Elaine's, and it said, “First, we need to gather accurate and timely intelligence.” And that was, in essence, CompStat. “Then, we need to deploy our cops to where they need to be.” That was a big thing. He found out that cops weren't working: specialized units weren't working weekends and nights when the actual crime was happening. They had their excuses, but basically they wanted a cushy schedule. He changed that. Then, of course, you have to figure out what you're doing, what the effective tactics are. Then, constant follow up and assessment.You can't give up. You can't say “Problem solved.” A lot of people say it wasn't so much if your plan didn't work, you just needed a Plan B. It was the idea that throwing your hands in the air and saying, “What are you going to do?” that became notoriously unacceptable under Chief Anemone's stern demeanor at CompStat. These were not pleasant meetings. Those are the meetings that both propagated policies that work and held officers accountable. There was some humiliation going on, so CompStat was feared.Lots of folks hear CompStat and think about better tracking of crime locations and incidents. But as you flesh out, the meat on the bones of CompStat was this relentless follow-up. You'd have these weekly meetings early in the morning with all the precinct heads. There were relentless asks from the bosses, “What's going on in your district or in your precinct? Can you explain why this is happening? What are you doing to get these numbers down?” And follow-ups the following week or month. It was constant.CompStat is often thought of as high-tech computer stuff. It wasn't. There was nothing that couldn't have been done with old overhead projectors. It's just that no one had done it before. Billy Gorta says it's a glorified accountability system at a time when nobody knew anything about computers. Everyone now has access to crime maps on a computer. It was about actually gathering accurate, timely data.Bratton was very concerned that these numbers had to be right. It was getting everyone in the same room and saying, “This is what our focus is going to be now.” And getting people to care about crime victims, especially when those crime victims might be unsympathetic because of their demeanor, criminal activity, or a long arrest record. “We're going to care about every shooting, we're going to care about every murder.”Part of it was cracking down on illegal guns. There were hundreds of tactics. The federal prosecutors also played a key role. It was getting this cooperation. Once it started working and Giuliani made it a major part of claiming success as mayor, suddenly everyone wanted to be part of this, and you had other city agencies trying to figure it out. So it was a very positive feedback loop, once it was seen as a success.When Bratton came on the job, he said, “I'm going to bring down crime 15%.” No police commissioner had ever said that before. In the history of policing before 1994, no police commissioner ever promised a double-digit reduction in crime or even talked about it. People said “That's crazy.” It was done, and then year after year. That's the type of confidence that they had. They were surprised it worked as well as it did, but they all had the sense that there's a new captain on this ship, and we're trying new things. It was an age of ideas and experiment.And it was a very short time.That's the other thing that surprised me. Giuliani fired Bratton in the middle of ‘96.It's remarkable. Bratton comes in ‘94, and August 1994 is where you see crime drop off a cliff. You have this massive beginning of the reduction that continues.That inflection point is important for historical knowledge. I don't address alternatives that other people have proposed [to explain the fall in crime] — For example, the reduction in lead [in gasoline, paint, and water pipes] or legalized abortion with Roe v. Wade [proposed by Stephen Dubner].Reasonable people can differ. Back from the Brink focuses on the police part of the equation. Today, almost nobody, except for a few academics, says that police had nothing to do with the crime drop. That August inflection is key, because there is nothing in a lagged time analysis going back 20 years that is going to say that is the magic month where things happened. Yet if you look at what happened in CompStat, that's the month they started getting individual officer data, and noticing that most cops made zero arrests, and said, “Let's get them in the game as well.” And that seemed to be the key; that's when crime fell off the table. The meetings started in April, I believe, but August is really when the massive crime drop began.To your point about the confidence that crime could be driven down double digits year over year, there's a great quote you have from Jack Maple, where he says to a fellow cop, “This is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. As long as we have absolute control, we can absolutely drive this number into the floor.”One detail I enjoyed was that Jack Maple, when he was a transit cop, would camp out under a big refrigerator box with little holes cut out for eyes and sit on the subway platform waiting for crooks.For people who are interested in Jack Maple, it is worth reading his autobiography, Crime Fighter. Mike Daly wrote New York's Finest, which uses the same tapes that I had access to, and he is much more focused on that. He's actually the godfather of Jack Maple's son, who is currently a New York City police officer. But Maple and co were confident, and it turned out they were right.As well as having changes in tactics and approach and accountability across the NYPD, you also have a series of specific location cleanups. You have a specific initiative focused on the Port Authority, which is a cesspool at the time, an initiative in Times Square, the Bryant Park cleanup, and then Giuliani also focuses on organized crime on the Fulton Fish Market, and this open-air market in Harlem.I was struck that there was both this general accountability push in the NYPD through CompStat, and a relentless focus on cleaning up individual places that were hubs of disorder.I'm not certain the crime drop would have happened without reclamation of public spaces and business improvement districts. Bryant Park's a fascinating story because Dan Biederman, who heads the Corporation, said, “People just thought it was like a lost cause, this park can't be saved. The city is in a spiral of decline.” He uses Jane Jacobs' “eyes on the street” theory and then George Kelling and James Q. Wilson's broken windows theory. The park has money — not city money, but from local property owners — and it reopens in 1991 to great acclaim and is still a fabulous place to be. It showed for the first time that public space was worth saving and could be saved. New York City at the time needed that lesson. It's interesting that today, Bryant Park has no permanent police presence and less crime. Back in the ‘80s, Bryant Park had an active police presence and a lot more crime.The first class I ever taught when I started at John Jay College in 2004, I was talking about broken windows. A student in the class named Jeff Marshall, who is in my book, told me about Operation Alternatives at the Port Authority. He had been a Port Authority police officer at the time, and I had not heard of this. People are just unaware of this part of history. It very much has lessons for today, because in policing often there's nothing new under the sun. It's just repackaged, dusted off, and done again. The issue was, how do we make the Port Authority safe for passengers? How do we both help and get rid of people living in the bus terminal? It's a semi-public space, so it makes it difficult. There was a social services element about it, that was Operational Alternatives. A lot of people took advantage of that and got help. But the flip side was, you don't have to take services, but you can't stay here.I interviewed the manager of the bus terminal. He was so proud of what he did. He's a bureaucrat, a high-ranking one, but a port authority manager. He came from the George Washington Bridge, which he loved. And he wonders, what the hell am I going to do with this bus terminal? But the Port Authority cared, because they're a huge organization and that's the only thing with their name on it — They also control JFK Airport and bridges and tunnels and all the airports, but people call the bus terminal Port Authority.They gave him almost unlimited money and power and said, “Fix it please, do what you've got to do,” and he did. It was environmental design, giving police overtime so they'd be part of this, a big part of it was having a social service element so it wasn't just kicking people out with nowhere to go.Some of it was also setting up rules. This also helped Bratton in the subway, because this happened at the same time. The court ruled that you can enforce certain rules in the semi-public spaces. It was not clear until this moment whether it was constitutional or not. To be specific, you have a constitutional right to beg on the street, but you do not have a constitutional right to beg on the subway. That came down to a court decision. Had that not happened, I don't know if in the long run the crime drop would have happened.That court decision comes down to the specific point that it's not a free-speech right on the subway to panhandle, because people can't leave, because you've got them trapped in that space.You can't cross the street to get away from it. But it also recognized that it wasn't pure begging, that there was a gray area between aggressive begging and extortion and robbery.You note that in the early 1990s, one-third of subway commuters said they consciously avoided certain stations because of safety, and two thirds felt coerced to give money by aggressive panhandling.The folks in your book talk a lot about the 80/20 rule applying all over the place. That something like 20% of the people you catch are committing 80% of the crimes.There's a similar dynamic that you talk about on the subways, both in the book and in your commentary over the past couple years about disorder in New York. You say approximately 2,000 people with serious mental illness are at risk for street homelessness, and these people cycle through the cities, streets, subways, jails, and hospitals.What lessons from the ‘90s can be applied today for both helping those people and stopping them being a threat to others?Before the ‘80s and Reagan budget cuts there had been a psychiatric system that could help people. That largely got defunded. [Deinstitutionalization began in New York State earlier, in the 1960s.] We did not solve the problem of mental health or homelessness in the ‘90s, but we solved the problem of behavior. George Kelling [of broken windows theory] emphasized this repeatedly, and people would ignore it. We are not criminalizing homelessness or poverty. We're focusing on behavior that we are trying to change. People who willfully ignore that distinction almost assume that poor people are naturally disorderly or criminal, or that all homeless people are twitching and threatening other people. Even people with mental illness can behave in a public space.Times have changed a bit. I think there are different drugs now that make things arguably a bit worse. I am not a mental health expert, but we do need more involuntary commitment, not just for our sake, but for theirs, people who need help. I pass people daily, often the same person, basically decomposing on a subway stop in the cold. They are offered help by social services, and they say no. They should not be allowed to make that choice because they're literally dying on the street in front of us. Basic humanity demands that we be a little more aggressive in forcing people who are not making rational decisions, because now you have to be an imminent threat to yourself or others. That standard does need to change. But there also need to be mental health beds available for people in this condition.I don't know what the solution is to homelessness or mental health. But I do know the solution to public disorder on the subway and that's, regardless of your mental state or housing status, enforcing legal, constitutional rules, policing behavior. It does not involve locking everybody up. It involves drawing the line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. It's amazing how much people will comply with those rules.That presents the idea that someone's in charge, it's not a free-for-all. You get that virtuous loop, which New York had achieved in 2014–2016, when crime was at an all-time low in the city. Then the politicians decided public order wasn't worth preserving anymore. These are political choices.I had a similar version of this conversation with a friend who was shocked that there were zero murders on the subway in 2017 and that that number was stable: you had one or two a year for several years in the mid-2010s.It was five or fewer a year from 1997 to 2019, and often one or two. Then you have zero in 2017. There were [ten in 2022]. It coincides perfectly with an order from [Mayor] de Blasio's office and the homeless czar [Director of Homeless Services Steven] Banks [which] told police to stop enforcing subway rules against loitering. The subways became — once again — a de facto homeless shelter. Getting rule-violating homeless people out of the subway in the late ‘80s was such a difficult and major accomplishment at the time, and to be fair it's not as bad as it was.The alternative was that homeless outreach was supposed to offer people services. When they decline, which 95% of people do, you're to leave them be. I would argue again, I don't think that's a more humane stance to take. But it's not just about them, it's about subway riders.There's one story that I think was relevant for you to tell. You were attacked this fall on a subway platform by a guy threatening to kill you. It turns out he's had a number of run-ins with the criminal justice system. Can you tell us where that guy is now?I believe he's in prison now. The only reason I know who it is is because I said, one day I'm going to see his picture in the New York Post because he's going to hurt somebody. Am I 100 percent certain it's Michael Blount who attacked me? No, but I'm willing to call him out by name because I believe it is. He was out of prison for raping a child, and he slashed his ex-girlfriend and pushed her on the subway tracks. And then was on the lam for a while. I look at him and the shape of his face, his height, age, build, complexion, and I go, that's got to be him.I wasn't hurt, but he gave me a sucker punch trying to knock me out and then chased me a bit threatening to kill me, and I believe he wanted to. It's the only time I ever was confronted by a person who I really believe wanted to kill me, and this includes policing in the Eastern District in Baltimore. It was an attempted misdemeanor assault in the long run. But I knew it wasn't about me. It was him. I assume he's going to stay in prison longer for what he did to his ex-girlfriend. But I never thought it would happen to me. I was lucky the punch didn't connect.Peter Moskos's new book is Back from the Brink, Inside the NYPD and New York City's Extraordinary 1990s Crime Drop.My reading listEssays:Johnny Hirschauer's reporting, including “A Failed 'Solution' to 'America's Mental Health Crisis',“ “Return to the Roots,” and “The Last Institutions.” “Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety,” by George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson. ​“It's Time to Talk About America's Disorder Problem,” Charles Lehman.Books:Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America, Jill Leovy.​Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life, Fred Siegel.​ Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore's Eastern District, Peter Moskos.​Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic, Sam Quinones.​Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

In this episode of SPACES, we dive into the intersection of construction, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology with Dorian A. Bailey, Director of Alliances and Customer Success at Locus Technologies. With a rich background in environmental science and sustainable construction, Dorian brings over 30 years of experience in managing environmental impacts in the construction sector. From her work with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to her current role, Dorian has been a leader in shaping software solutions that help companies track and reduce their environmental footprint. In this conversation, we explore how Locus Technologies is helping clients navigate complex regulations, integrate sustainability from design to construction, and leverage data to meet ambitious environmental goals. Whether you're in the construction industry or just curious about the future of sustainable building practices, this episode offers valuable insights into the role of technology in mitigating construction's environmental impact.As mentioned in the episode:Locus TechnologiesSPACES "Going Green" Limited SeriesIf you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website Spaces Podcast // Gābl Media All rights reserved Mentioned in this episode:Design Vault

 Listen to the Show Right Click to Save GuestsMary Moody Northen Theatre Walden (Remix)Color Arc Productions Wanna Play? What We Talked About  Buena Vista Social Club Operation Mincemeat Othello Mousetrap Kenedy Center B'way shows Beaches Life of Pi to stream Jenna Bainbridge – Wicked Theatre at Port Authority  Thank you to Dean Johanesen, lead singer of "The Human Condition" who gave us permission to use "Step Right Up" as our theme song, so please visit their website.. they're good! (that's an order)

Making a return for his third appearance on StoryBeat is the great jazz and world flutist, Michael Mason.  Michael's been a professional musician and composer for forty years, while simultaneously working in the fire service of the Downers Grove, Illinois Fire Department, recently retiring at the rank of Lieutenant. Michael is one of the first responders from the Chicago area who flew to New York City just days after the destruction of the World Trade Center. He helped the New York City Fire Department and Port Authority for many weeks. In 2024, Michael released his latest album called “Luminosity,” which follows up 2023's, “Impermanence,” “Transcendence” in 2022, and “Human Revolution” in 2021. All are original jazz and world music compositions which received approval for voting from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for Grammy Award consideration.Michael's musical influences come from James Newton, Ian Anderson, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Sun Ra, Yusef Lateef, and James Galway.I've listened multiple times to each of his excellent records and can tell you Michael's impressive work will instantly soothe your soul with warm, beautiful melodies, gorgeous arrangements, and Michael's brilliance on the flute.  I highly recommend you check out his wonderful recordings and music.Michael's currently in the studio mixing 8 new songs for release in 2025 on the AVG Records label, so be sure to look out for that.Michael's been gracious enough to lend us his radiant composition, Moments from Luminosity. Please be sure to stick around at the end of the show to give it a listen. 

Listen to the Show Right Click to Save Guests14/48 2025Broadway in Austin HamiltonWhat We Talked About  Buena Vista Social Club Operation Mincemeat Othello Mousetrap Kenedy Center B'way shows Beaches Life of Pi to stream Jenna Bainbridge – Wicked Theatre at Port Authority  Thank you to Dean Johanesen, lead singer of "The Human Condition" who gave us permission to use "Step Right Up" as our theme song, so please visit their website.. they're good! (that's an order)

2025 7th Annual Capital Link Singapore Maritime Forum | Sailing into the Future: AI & Digitalization at Sea The Forum sought to underscore Singapore's pivotal role as a gateway to Asia and a key player in the global shipping markets. It explored key developments and emerging trends in energy, commodities, and various shipping sectors, alongside insights into the global financial and capital markets. The agenda also addressed critical topics such as global trade, regulatory advancements in shipping, digitalization, technological innovation, and energy transition. Moderator: Mr. Pino Spadafora, Marine Market Development, Vice President – RINA Panelists: • Mr. Ashish Malik, Managing Director – Anglo Ardmore Ship Management Ltd. • Mr. Lucius Bunk, Managing Partner – Auerbach Schifffahrt GmbH & Co. KG • Mr. Gabriele Dado, Director of Revenue – DeepSea Technologies • Mr. Yi Han Ng, Director, Innovation, Technology & Talent Development – Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) • Mr. Kris Vedat, Chief Technology Officer – SmartSea The Forum was held in partnership with ABS, and in cooperation with Columbia Shipmanagement and Singhai Marine Services, and in conjunction with the 2025 Singapore Maritime Week. Tuesday, March 25, 2025 The Westin Singapore More Info: https://shorturl.at/mQL0L #ShippingIndustry #MarineIndustry #ShippingLeadership #MaritimeExperts #Forums #Capitallink #SMW2025

2025 7th Annual Capital Link Singapore Maritime Forum | Sailing into the Future: AI & Digitalization at Sea The Forum sought to underscore Singapore's pivotal role as a gateway to Asia and a key player in the global shipping markets. It explored key developments and emerging trends in energy, commodities, and various shipping sectors, alongside insights into the global financial and capital markets. The agenda also addressed critical topics such as global trade, regulatory advancements in shipping, digitalization, technological innovation, and energy transition. Moderator: Mr. Pino Spadafora, Marine Market Development, Vice President – RINA Panelists: • Mr. Ashish Malik, Managing Director – Anglo Ardmore Ship Management Ltd. • Mr. Lucius Bunk, Managing Partner – Auerbach Schifffahrt GmbH & Co. KG • Mr. Gabriele Dado, Director of Revenue – DeepSea Technologies • Mr. Yi Han Ng, Director, Innovation, Technology & Talent Development – Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) • Mr. Kris Vedat, Chief Technology Officer – SmartSea The Forum was held in partnership with ABS, and in cooperation with Columbia Shipmanagement and Singhai Marine Services, and in conjunction with the 2025 Singapore Maritime Week. Tuesday, March 25, 2025 The Westin Singapore More Info: https://shorturl.at/mQL0L #ShippingIndustry #MarineIndustry #ShippingLeadership #MaritimeExperts #Forums #Capitallink #SMW2025

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Most people would say that Rhonda Farrah has had a difficult and, at times, scary life. As you will hear, Rhonda had a pretty conservative upbringing. She will tell us that she was in fact surrounded by love from her family and even her extended family of aunts and uncles and grandparents who all lived under the same roof. Rhonda was the oldest of her siblings and many looked to her for strength and knowledge.   Rhonda went to college first majoring in Horticulture, but switched to Psychology. As she says, she likes to help things grow and while she loves gardening, she preferred to help people grow and development.   Rhonda, as part of her so-called difficult life spent six years in prison and while there discovered that she had a lump on her breast. She didn't address the lump until she was released from prison. She used a combination of Western and Eastern medicine to complete eliminate the tumor without surgery. Also, fairly soon after leaving prison the sentence and charges she faced were completely expunged. While many told her she should litigate she disagreed and turned to forgiveness instead.   Today Rhonda coaches and teaches women to grow and learn to look within themselves to better understand how to grow and move forward. Rhonda calls herself a lifestyle empowerment alchemist. As she explains, an alchemist changes materials. She helps women to change by learning to look within for answers. As she says, if we look for answers, the best place to find them is within ourselves.   Rhonda offers many wonderful and relevant pieces of knowledge we all can learn to use. I think you will enjoy her story, her progress and her inspirational and unstoppable attitude very much.       About the Guest:   Rhonda M. Farrah, MA, DRWA, a LIFEstyle Empowerment Alchemist, Coach and prominent figure in personal development, has dedicated her years of insights as a psychotherapist to be a guiding light for women facing unique challenges, helping them embark on a transformative journey of Selfdiscovery and Empowerment.   In a world where external issues often command our attention, Rhonda Farrah stands out as a catalyst for inner growth with her mantra, “Fix Your Reflection First.” A beacon of hope for women who find themselves trapped in the throes of personal turmoil, be it in relationships, careers, or daily life.   Through her extensive career and profound dedication, Rhonda Farrah has spearheaded the Fix Your Reflection First method of realizing that both the joys and the setbacks in your life can serve you IF you can look past your immediate emotional response and use your Self-awareness to grow instead of pushing yourself down. Farrah's holistic approach centers on Self-reflection and the restoration of Self-love as the cornerstone of personal growth and Change.   As a seasoned author, Empowerment Alchemist coach, speaker, entrepreneur, spiritual teacher, and educator, Rhonda has cultivated an extensive toolkit designed to assist individuals in addressing the challenges that hold them back and embracing the joys that propel them forward. Working with clients and companies from International Centers For Spiritual Living to the US Open Wellness Team, Rhonda's teachings emphasize harnessing Self-awareness and leveraging life's setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles.   Rhonda's mission is to Empower women to prioritize their Self-love and Self-awareness, nurturing a profound alignment that positively influences every facet of their lives. Her work fosters a renewed sense of confidence and a hunger for personal growth, igniting a powerful journey of Self-discovery. Having written several e-books, Rhonda has participated as a Contributing Author to America's Heroes, Leaders, Legends, The Power Of The Human Spirit, and America's Leading Ladies Who Positively Impact Our World, featuring Oprah Winfrey and Melinda Gates.   Ways to connect with Rhonda:   Website: https://helpmerhondanow.com Email: rhonda@helpmerhondanow.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-m-farrah-ma-drwa-81097b14 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhonda.farrah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpmerhondanow_   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hello and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I am your host, Mike Hingson, our guest today is Rhonda. And Rhonda pronounce your last name Farrah, which is what I thought. But I always like to make sure I get it right. Well, Rhonda Farrah is our guest, and as you will learn from her, Rhonda is a lifestyle empowerment Alchemist, and I'm intrigued to learn more about that and all sorts of other things. She especially helps women and helps ground them, I think, to summarize a lot of what she does, and we're going to talk about that. I know she talks and and in her bio, I read a lot about encouraging people to really think and center themselves. And that's something that we talk a lot about on various episodes of this podcast, and it's something that I talk about in the new book that is published in August of 2024 called Live like a guide dog, where I talk about and encourage people to be much more self analytical and look at themselves and take the time to do it, because it will create a lot less fear in their lives if they discover that they don't need to be afraid of so many things, but that's not something we're going to worry about as much today, unless Rhonda wants to talk about it, but we'll get there anyway. Rhonda, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here.   Rhonda Farrah ** 02:50 Thank you so much, Michael, thank you for inviting me to be your guest. I love the name of your podcast, unstoppable mindset, because that's, after all, where everything begins, it   Michael Hingson ** 03:02 does. Well, why don't you start, since we talk about starting at the beginning by telling us a little bit kind of about the early Rhonda growing up and all   Rhonda Farrah ** 03:10 that stuff. Okay, yes, the early Rhonda growing up. Early Rhonda. I am originally from the East Coast. I grew up in Connecticut in a largely traditional household and family. I had a stay at home mom. I had dad who preferred mom stay at home. And I am the oldest of three brothers and one sister, and during that period of time, largely through grade three. You want to talk about my early days through grade three, I lived in an extended family, and many people know what that is. It was my parents, myself, my siblings, grandparents, at least one set at a time, aunts, uncle, one, uncle and great aunts, and it was a all under one roof, so there was a lot of love and there was a lot of discipline all at the same time. And it was a household primarily women, and my sense of nurturing and nurturing nurturance began very early with that feminine influence there. It's not that men don't nurture but I had an entourage of all that feminine presence around me, and also being the oldest of my siblings, I took on that while everyone's looking to you, Rhonda, that you're the role model so early on growing up, it was, I would have to say, We were a very conservative family, and I had conservative influences around me, and it actually paved the way for me wanting to. Not only to be in service of to others, but to go ahead and do my studies in psychology, counseling and educational psychology, and to help others be their highest and their best self. And that, that unstoppable mind, as you put it, is when we go within and we understand, how are we attending to the agenda of our soul that going within? So that's that's a brief that's a capitalized version of how I grew up. I like to play girls CYO softball. I was raised Catholic, Roman Catholic, later on, rebaptized a Christian. I honor all paths to God. I consider myself spiritual. I've always been spiritual, whether I realized it or not, and that, you know, that helps with that going within once, one says, Once I said, Yeah, I want to, I want to experience what is going within little Rhonda. And as I grew into an adult, and I got better at it, let's, let's put it that way, I got better at going within.   Michael Hingson ** 06:16 Well, yeah, and I think that's, that's important, and I think that that development of the brain is something that more people ought to do and and don't do nearly as much as as they should live like a guide dog. Is all about learning to control fear, because when I was in the World Trade Center and we had the emergency that we did on September 11, although I had plenty of fear, fear did not overwhelm or, as I put it, blind me. I used it as a powerful tool to help me focus. And the reason all that happened as I really figured out many, many years later and then started to write about it in the era of the pandemic was that I developed a mindset. I knew what to do because I researched what to do. It wasn't a matter of reading signs. Oh, I can read these signs that'll tell me what to do. That works until it doesn't, and it's not nearly the same as knowledge. And so I learned what to do. I talked to the Port Authority, police, the fire department, emergency preparedness people, and learned everything that I could about what was, what was occurring, or what what could occur in an emergency, and what to do in an emergency. And did it enough that it became a mindset for me, so that when it actually happened, although we never thought that it would, when it did, I was able to function because I had conducted a lot of self analysis and thought about, what do I do in this kind of situation? Realized I know what to do. Yeah, it's always possible the building could have just come down around us, and then where would we be? Well, we wouldn't be here talking about it, probably anyway, but knowing what to do was the issue, and we we, selectively or collectively as a society, tend not to do that. We think we can just read signs or Well, if it happens, it happens. But we don't think about that. But we think about so many other things. My gosh, what? What if one politician gets elected? What if another politician gets elected? What if any number of things happen? What if I go to the store and I get robbed and all sorts of things that we don't have any real control over, and we create so much fear because we don't just focus on the things that we can control and leave the rest alone. And I think that that is probably something that leans right into a lot of the things that you talk about,   Rhonda Farrah ** 08:53 yes, and that's you make an excellent point, because there's a point where we need to depend on what's going on within us. We can't depend on the government. We can't depend on the economy. We can't depend on the health care system, the pharmaceutical system. We need to listen to our intuitive self, to our authentic self from within and sure, I've been scared, sure, but with with stuff that happened within my all my own life. However, I wasn't paralyzed by fear. I didn't react. I responded, and that's really important for people to consider. We have so many questions, and especially now in these times, we're in chaotic we're in uncertain times. We're in a mess, basically, but the mess is here for us to learn, to grow and to move forward with that power from within, as I call it, our authentic power from. Then, and we, we all have, it's the power to thrive and not merely survive.   Michael Hingson ** 10:06 Yeah, and we all have the power to work together and to create harmony, if we would, but do it right   Rhonda Farrah ** 10:15 if we choose to. Yeah, it is a choice.   Michael Hingson ** 10:18 But make no mistake, it is a choice, and we can do it if we if we wanted to, and it would be so much more amazing how well people would get along on how much more we would accomplish if we did that.   Rhonda Farrah ** 10:32 That's absolutely correct. Michael, we are oftentimes we get caught up in what is different within us. You know, what are our differences? How about, let's talk about, how are we so similar, right? And that's where the strength comes in. That's where the power of numbers come in with that strength, with that power.   Michael Hingson ** 10:56 Agreed. So you grew up? Did you go to college?   Rhonda Farrah ** 11:01 I did. I attended the University of Connecticut under graduate school. And ironically, I didn't start out in psychology. I started out in horticulture, and was two years it's an agricultural college, actually the University of Connecticut. It was at that time. Now it's in the top 25 in the United States. And I enjoyed school. I enjoyed college immensely, and I always I switched to psychology. And let me tell you why. When I was a kid, I used to watch this show. It was The Bob Newhart Show, and he was a psychologist in this particular part in   Michael Hingson ** 11:52 that show, right?   Rhonda Farrah ** 11:54 And and for you know, unfortunately, several days ago, he made his transition. But when I heard that, I said, wow, look at how long ago. I mean, I admired him. I admired what he did. And I said, No, that's that's what I want to do. So I started out in horticulture, growing, okay, so I just switched to help people grow within themselves, and I am an avid gardener, by the way, and I like all those things with respect to preparing the soil, with respect to pruning, with respect to weeding so that you can grow healthy plants. And I'm a big advocate in growing where we are planted. We always have something to learn, if it regardless of situation, circumstance or happenstance. There's always something to learn wherever we're being planted or plant. There are no accidents, in my opinion, no coincidence, no happenstance. And we call everything forward into our lives to do just that, to grow when we are we are planted to experience joy, to experience sorrow,   Michael Hingson ** 13:05 and a lot of times when we experience sorrow, if we would really stop and think about it, we might find it's not as bad as we think too, right? But that happens, and that's again, it's a growth era and a growth thing to deal with. Yes,   Rhonda Farrah ** 13:20 yeah, absolutely. And you know that paved the way in psychology for me to become what I call a lifestyle, empowerment Alchemist, a coach, author and a speaker and alchemy, believe me, I am no left brain person. I alchemy is the precursor to chemistry. I never took chemistry. I opted for, I think it was environmental science. I was safe when there was a science requirement. I was good with that. But alchemy is indeed the precursor to chemistry, and it's the transmutation of one substance into another. So I learned by my own situations and circumstances. I have plenty of credentials, but my biggest credentials are that I came out on the good side, I'll say, On the positive side, on the Empowered side of some not so good situations and circumstances in my life. So that's why I refer to myself as an alchemist, and I am dedicated to awakening those who choose to be awakened, to opening their hearts, their minds, and most especially, their spirit within them, so that they can live their best life ever.   Michael Hingson ** 14:36 So in in your case, you you you do change things, what? What were some of the the maybe negative things that you had to work through that caused you to decide that you were truly an empowerment Alchemist, a lifestyle empowerment Alchemist, nothing   Rhonda Farrah ** 14:53 is negative unless, unless you think,   Michael Hingson ** 14:57 what challenges? Yes, the challenge. Challenges,   Rhonda Farrah ** 15:00 the struggles, the the adversity. Okay, six years in a woman's federal prison camp, breast cancer, several divorces, financial ruin was thrown in there, and it was like, wow, this is the not so good stuff that's happening, and it took me a while to understand. I called all this forward. I called all this forward for all the reasons why, whether it was poor choices, especially in the case of prison camp, called it forward to learn lessons and to to actually be in a major time out, because it began there that I began to realize my biggest struggle and challenge was I didn't know myself. I'd lost my sense of self. It I was in there somewhere, but I had lost my sense of self, and I needed to be literally extricated, separated from all that was familiar to me, so I could do something about that.   Michael Hingson ** 16:08 Yeah, how long ago was that that you were in the prison camp? No,   Rhonda Farrah ** 16:12 would have been. Actually, I was there when 911 hit. Okay, oh yeah, it's been a while, and I began that prison term of being of service to others, as well as myself, service set loosely in 20 in 2002 1000 in 2000 in 2000 and when 911 hit, I wasn't in a place where it was, you know, bars and razor wire or any of that. But when 911 hit, most I know my family and other people that I knew were saying she's probably in the safest place she can be. Yeah. And I said, Wow, this is actually happening. And I remember that happening. I remember I was actually part of a work cadre. I was teaching wellness classes as well to my fellow inmates, 300 women, and that came a little later, but it was part of a work cadre that went to the Presidio five days a week, five of us, five women, and we did Gardening. We did organization within, let's say, the warden's house that was up there on the Presidio. So I was part of the those that were trusted enough to be out five days a week. I mean, we had to go back, but so I experienced a lot. That was a gift and that was a blessing, and that is what got me through that instance. Just as other instances, I found the gift, I found the blessing in particularly like where I was at all times. But I did find gifts and blessings. I'm an avid runner. I had a track to run on. I a strength trainer. I had what was called a weight pile up there with antiquated equipment and everything else. But yet it was, it was mine. It was available to me. And so the gifts and the blessings come in in sometimes unlikely places, if you are open and receptive to them. And it wasn't about until a year after being incarcerated that I stopped banging the phone against the wall saying, Get me out of here. I had an aha moment. It was that period where I surrendered that I really began to peel away the onion skin that was keeping my sense of self, my true sense of self, self with a capital S at bay.   Michael Hingson ** 19:13 So you, as you said, started peeling back the onion and went on clearly, what was a journey of self discovery, and you began to realize, and I put it in quotes, I made these choices, and I'm the one that can fix it in the long run, in   Rhonda Farrah ** 19:39 the long run, right? But in the short run, I was learning more about myself than I ever imagined. Yeah, because I was separated from all those things that were my comfort zone, I was definitely out of my comfort zone, which is where our life really begins. When you're out of your comfort zone.   Michael Hingson ** 20:02 Yeah, and in so many ways and and, of course, that's the whole point that we get so comfortable on our comfort zone that we never really do look beyond it. And that's a problem, because life is all about so many things that we choose not to explore that would be so beneficial if we did? Yes,   Rhonda Farrah ** 20:26 absolutely, and I was pivoted right back into being of service to others.   Michael Hingson ** 20:35 Okay, by   Rhonda Farrah ** 20:36 teaching wellness classes and by you know there was a camaraderie. It was like women would say, Well, what about what should I do in this situation? What I said, I think you should take this time, because you have this time, literally time to explore from within, you can a lot of women that want to lose weight, they want to have better body image and otherwise. And those wellness classes were not just physical wellness classes I was teaching. It was emotional well, because that's how you get to the physical if you're working from the inside out, going within, then you're gonna have better results well being, rather than Ill being. And I would often say, you know, well, they would say, Well, when I get home, I'll get on a program and   Michael Hingson ** 21:36 lose weight, and yeah, when I,   Rhonda Farrah ** 21:39 when I said, Well, let me tell you what, when you go home, you're going to have to pay your rent, take care of your kids, have a job, and do everything else that you do in the real world without being institutionalized. So I said, there is a gift for being here. It's sad a lot of the times, because we all missed our families, but there is a gift and a blessing if we choose to know that so many women took me up on that some did not, and that's was their right. It's not my right, nor obligation, to want for someone what they do not want for themselves, not at all.   Michael Hingson ** 22:25 We are our own best teachers, and no one else can can do that for us,   Rhonda Farrah ** 22:30 right? That's exactly right, Michael, and it's it was an interesting time in my life. I actually so I was in my very early 40s, and I just turned 66 last last month, and I I never imagined that my midlife crisis, that was act one of my midlife crisis to be incarcerated to be and actually incarcerated to be liberated. I had more freedom getting to know myself and my true sense of self than I ever had at that point again, it wasn't all roses, it was pain, sorrow, emotional, largely, but I went through it. I felt, you've heard the the phrase, um, feel the fear, feel the pain, and do it anyway. Yeah, because it's subside. It's actually empowering to know that we have that power to feel pain, to feel sorrow, yet it will move us forward, or propel us forward. So   Michael Hingson ** 23:49 was that time in prison for you? Kind of the the end of Act One, and then the transition to act two.   Speaker 1 ** 23:57 Well, that was act one of my midlife crisis. Oh, you're master of your midlife crisis. That's my midlife crisis.   Rhonda Farrah ** 24:03 That that was that. But it was so surreal to me. I've never had a parking ticket or speeding violation, and it was like, What is this? So? Hard lessons, hard lessons when you do not trust your intuition. When you make poor choices, when you try to please people, just remember you, you will not come out on the best side of things, but you must go where you need to go to learn what you need to learn. Yeah, kind of like a college. It's an extra. Was an extra grad school,   Michael Hingson ** 24:45 well, and you said something very interesting, because, in reality, if you trust your intuition and you really work and develop that it will help you avoid things that otherwise you might not be able to avoid. But we. Don't tend to do that. And my favorite example of that is the game Trivial Pursuit. How often do you play that game and someone asked the question, and you think, I know the answer, and then you go, No, that can't be the right answer. And it turns out it was the right answer, and you should have answered with it. But, you know, it happens so often in so many ways, with so many things, yes.   Rhonda Farrah ** 25:19 So I mean, I took the best of a not so good situation and it was all right. It served me. It served me to empower me so that I could have that like in my that was a notch in my belt, to let people understand, that I could understand what they're going through because I was there.   Michael Hingson ** 25:47 So what happened when that time was over?   Rhonda Farrah ** 25:51 So I was teaching wellness classes there, and I was supposed to be released in April of 2005 and it got delayed until, I believe it was July of that year. And for 11 months I knew I had a lump on my breast, and I did nothing about it, but go within, meditation, prayer. I was not going to subject myself to the Bureau of Prisons, medical, and I took a risk, sure, but I went within and the intuition said, Okay, you're going to be all right. I call it my godling self, not my mere, earthling self. I didn't run around in this chaotic, chaotic tone and in every area of my life and say, Oh, my God, I got I got to do something about this. And no, I knew, but I knew what I had to do. I had to go within and reinforce that my authentic power would help me get through this? So that act two of midlife crisis is now entering in and I came home. I was living on the Monterey Peninsula, and we had to go to a halfway house for a month or so when they understood I had a lump on my breast, because I told them they couldn't wait to get rid of me from the halfway house. So I went home and I went to my gynecologist. He ordered a biopsy immediately, and in none other than breast cancer awareness month, October, I was diagnosed with nearly stage three breast cancer. And I'm a believer that what happens to us really happens for us. And that's that period incarceration strengthened me to get through this. And I was scared, but I was not in fear mode. I was not immobilized. And of course, biopsy comes back, and everyone's saying, what happened? What was it? And I, my response has always been, well, it's not the best news, but it's not the worst news, right either. And from that point, I met with my friends, would say, we're going to get you another breast. And I go, No, I don't want another breast. I like this one, and I have a nice little war scar right here, and I'm good. I'm good with that. No one has ever complained. So I'm good with all of it, because I'm good with it myself. And I got this feeling that had the best breast dye they called him in the United States, Dr Jeffrey Hyde, and he I was scared because I told my god, I heard about chemotherapy, surgery, radiation. And he said something to me that surprised me from within the Rhonda inside. He said, this can be chemically treated. And I said, What? And I was happy that it could be chemically treated. Okay, so I mean that meant chemotherapy. I was happy, but I was like, How could this be? I'm an athlete. I take care of myself. I don't have any negative vices or anything. And now this is happening and the incidents, so here I am the nurturer. Okay? I nourish others now. I help them be their highest and best self by taking the. The adversity as well as the joys, and making it work for them, if they choose that finding the gift of the blessing. So here I am the nurturer now realizing that incidence of breast cancer in women is due to the fact that women do not nourish or nurture themselves. They're good with everyone else. Okay, they're good, but nourishing others. I wasn't nourishing myself. Couple that with and that had started well before prison. I was a people pleaser. I was a doormat at times, and I just went about my life. And that was that, until I got a major time out in prison camp, and then I got hit with the breast cancer thing, and I decided, well, oh, there's my aha breath. That's my god breath. I decided, well, I'm gonna, I'm going to do this with Eastern medicine. I began the practice of medical Qigong, and I put off going to chemotherapy, and my daughter looked at me as if I was nuts, and she says, I don't know when we're going to get a break. And I go, it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be great. Don't worry, I'm not going to die, because who will be here to run your life? Tell you to brush your teeth and all of that in between. And I mean, I was interjecting some of you into a very serious thing, and that day, I made a promise to myself and to my daughter, I am not only going to live, I'm going to dance at your wedding, and I'm going to see my grandchildren and all that happened. There you go. That happened. I've been cancer free for about 17 or 18 years now, but my point of telling you that is that the medical Qigong professional heat said, go back and get to your oncologist and get an ultrasound, because Western medicine has the best diagnostic tools. I went back to her, my daughter was with me, and she said to me, I don't know what you're doing, but you're shrinking your tumor. And I felt good about that. And then my daughter's head spun around on her neck, and she looked at the oncologist as well as me, and said, Are you buying this shit like that? And I knew then that was another fear of mine. There were enter that fear of surgery, chemotherapy and all of that in between. I knew then, no, you got to go through you go, you'll use Western and Eastern medicine. And I never looked back. I had chemo. They cleaned up the margins a little bit on one of my breasts, and I had 40 blasts of radiation. So I got over that fear. I mean, that's, I'm not a doctor person. I don't I don't like to go to doctors, so I needed to call that forward so that I could understand that I had that power from within me to face even that fear. But once again, I was pivoted right back into being of service to others and doing support groups with women with breast cancer. Cancer.   Michael Hingson ** 33:44 So when did you become cancer free?   Rhonda Farrah ** 33:49 It was the end of March, 2006 Okay, and so what claimed cancer free? What?   Michael Hingson ** 33:56 What did you do? How did Eastern medicine help with that. What? What was involved with the Eastern medicine aspect of it?   Rhonda Farrah ** 34:03 Well, even though I started the chemotherapy, I had very few side effects from chemotherapy, because I continued with the medical dig on. I continued with acupuncture and prayer chanting, so I had side effects. I'm a runner. I was, I wasn't running as quickly, but I was, I was moving along with my dog four days, sometimes five out of the week, and I went. I was very diligent on Thursdays at 11 o'clock. That was my chemotherapy. So I come I combined them, but I was glad I combined them, and I was glad I faced that fear of, Oh, my goodness,   Rhonda Farrah ** 34:52 I need to do this stuff that I don't like to do. Do. So I could have become a victim and said, Oh, poor me,   Rhonda Farrah ** 35:04 we would probably not be having this conversation right now, because it's a little over 35% of women with breast cancer. Yeah, never   Michael Hingson ** 35:12 fake it. Well, yeah, go ahead.   Rhonda Farrah ** 35:15 I didn't choose that. I chose. I chose my own healing once again, and whether I knew it or not, by helping others heal emotionally, most especially, I was healing, and I was becoming more empowered. And I just took this next scary piece of life, adventure of midlife crisis, and I made it work for me, rather than anything less.   Michael Hingson ** 35:46 But that's really the whole point of stepping back and doing introspection in your own life and thinking about it and listening to what you have to tell yourself, because that's where the real solutions come from in most anything that we do, if we but listen. And you know, we don't tend to listen to that inner voice nearly as much as we can or should, and we lead ourselves astray.   Rhonda Farrah ** 36:21 I so agree with that. Michael, you know, we, we have so many questions within understand that the answers are within us. Yeah, that's it, and it is an inside job to live the powered life, to live the life that you want to live. Perhaps the life that you dream about, it comes from here, that comes from the heart, space, the heart, the emotions. And I believe there's only two emotions, fear and love, right? Whatever emotion you're in creates your thoughts, and your thoughts create your external world,   Michael Hingson ** 36:59 and you have some control over how all that really shakes out in the end, we all   Rhonda Farrah ** 37:05 do. We're all our own Guru. That's it. If we only knew that we we all have a godly self, not merely an earthling self.   Michael Hingson ** 37:17 Well, I think, in reality, they're they're one in the same in various ways, but I hear what you're saying   Rhonda Farrah ** 37:23 the and whether you call it, I happen to call it God, because my upbringing it universe, source, spirit, the divine.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 Well, God's a very powerful word. I have no problem using that. Yeah,   Rhonda Farrah ** 37:35 black people are afraid of the God word. I like the God word. Yeah, definitely. Every time, there it is again, the AHA breath, that's my god breath. It's a confirming breath. So we just confirmed that it's great to say the God word, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:51 it has nothing to do with any specific religion.   Rhonda Farrah ** 37:54 No, it does not.   Michael Hingson ** 37:58 So what happened after Act Two in your midlife crisis, world,   Rhonda Farrah ** 38:10 I was asked in an interview, and I'll get to act three. Adventure number three, I was once asked in an interview, what was the worst date you've been on? So I was videoed, and the long and short of it was, I said, Oh, I thinking about it. I don't date and meet somebody. We get to know one another. They asked me to marry them, and the rest is history. Enter two divorces. You know, pretty close together, five, six years apart, very short lived divorces. And I'll tell you what prison prepared me for, breast cancer, and prison and breast cancer together prepared me for a lot of people don't think prison or breast cancer would be worse than divorce. It wasn't the divorce, it was the betrayal. It was the trusting of someone and then, like being sideswiped, that was it. Sideswiped and lots of tears. I always say, wherever I was, tears and laughter are signs of growth. If one is not laughing or crying weeping, then you're not growing. And growth is essential if you're going to be your highest, best self, if you're going to be an empowered, your empowered self. So the first one was ugly, the second one was ugly, and but I, I, I know I have a formula for living in empower. Life, and boy, did I use it my formula, because, after all, I am an alchemist, is gratitude plus forgiveness equals living the life that you want to live. So I was, first of all, I was grateful for meeting these people, because they taught me again about myself. I was settling, no disrespect to whomever I was married to, but I was settling because, well, I don't want to be alone, and maybe no one will also come and blah, blah, blah. I mean, I went through these gyrations. I'm no stranger to feeling that way, and I'm very vulnerable. I think you know that by now, and I'm good, you can hold me up to the light, and I'm transparent because I'm okay, whereas I wasn't to begin with, and that's about two years ago. My brand changed to fix your reflection first and live your best life ever, because that's why we're not living our best life ever. It's not that everything must go right for us, it's that we can find the gift and the blessing when nothing is going right. My whole life fell apart only so it all together in better ways. So I went from that people pleaser door map to under to thanking those who I was pleasing and had used me as a doormat. Thank you. I got it now. Okay, I got it so when I look in the mirror now, I see the love of my life. Because unless we are able to understand who we are and our magnificence, we will attract much less. Again, no disrespect to any situation, circumstance or event, to any person that I have been with so and the other thing is, if you treat yourself like the love of your life,   42:11 you will attract the love of your life,   Rhonda Farrah ** 42:14 not only in a romantic situation, in every freaking area of your life, you will attract the best of the best,   Michael Hingson ** 42:24 and I gather you've done that.   Rhonda Farrah ** 42:26 Oh, I'm open to love, but I'm not, I'm not with any I'm single and but I'm not, like, not in any dating sites or anything like that, right? I'm I'm working with myself,   Michael Hingson ** 42:40 yeah, well, that's what I'm getting at and yeah, that's   Rhonda Farrah ** 42:44 who I'm with. I'm with myself. Because wherever we go, we take ourselves with us, and   Michael Hingson ** 42:48 somebody might come along at some point that you develop a relationship with, but you're going to look at it differently now than you have in the past. Absolutely, absolutely, which is so cool.   Rhonda Farrah ** 43:06 It's what needs to happen. If it happened to me, then I have the right to say, well, it could happen to you too,   Michael Hingson ** 43:15 and it's not an ego issue. To say you're the love of your life. That's That's not it at all, and and it's important, I think, that people understand that it is that you're you're happy with yourself, you respect yourself. Now, my life was different than yours. My wife and I got married in 1982 and she passed two years ago, almost two years ago. So we were married 40 years and lots of wonderful memories, and I don't know what will happen in the future, although I'm not looking for any anything like the romantic kind of thing to happen, although some people told me I'm crazy and I should, but my response is, you know, Karen is monitoring from somewhere, and if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it. So I got to be a good kid. That's   Rhonda Farrah ** 44:05 it. And it works. And it works because it works for you, and this works differently for everyone, exactly, right. It works differently for everyone, but, and I have to say, and sometimes an audience will go up one side of me and down the other when I say, you know, selfishness is the most selfless thing we can do, right? I think, especially as a woman.   Michael Hingson ** 44:33 Well, yeah, I would say everyone, but I hear what you're saying, but I hear what you're saying. Well, so what do you do today, what, what is your, your your job, or whatever, or what do you what do you do with your life today?   Rhonda Farrah ** 44:49 With my life today, I I have dual duties after divorces. I was heading back to Connecticut. I. All my family's in Connecticut, two grandchildren. And not that I don't love the rest of my family, but, you know, grandkids, yeah, okay, I could do this, and ages 10 and eight, and a friend of mine, that's why I'm in Colorado Springs. Asked me to I've known her for 12 years. I know her through someone else that no longer speaks to me, okay, but that's that's how it happens. That's how people come together to learn lessons and otherwise. And she said to me, I need you to make a pit stop. Here I go, Oh, I kind of knew what was going on. Her mother in law has dementia, and she's totally ambulatory, and she's we high functioning. But as I'm in there somewhere, wherever I was, she's in there somewhere. So I came, I met the woman, and my friend said, Can you give us a year? A year? You want me stay here for a year, grow where you're planted? This is my point of telling you this, and this is why I do what I do. I have another growing where I'm planted. So she said, Can you give us a year? I said, What? It'll be three years, the beginning of October. I'm feeling that this woman and I will make our exit together, because I'm feeling I'm supposed to be here on one direction or dimension. Now I I still do plenty of interviews. I have my own radio television show on transformation network, which I'm inviting you to be on, and you'll hear from me on that. Let me know. Oh, yeah, and I'm catering to several clients. You know, everything is zoom these days, which fine. That's fine with me. So that's what I do. I'm in the process of, right? I've written three ebooks, a contributing author to three books, and I'm writing a book from PTA to prison, my journey in transformation. Now that was just a part of it, but that was the beginning, right? My journey and transformation. We're never too old for transformation. No, I would often joke and say, you know, Moses, he was transformed. He didn't didn't think he could do anything major. That was his mistake. And he did the greatest thing in his late 70s, yeah, the greatest thing for him. And the interesting part is I do mirror work is nothing new. And I go to the mirror every morning and at night sometimes as well, and lots of things developed after I changed my brand to fix your reflection first and live your best life ever. I went, I call it. I came out of the closet with prison and other personal aspects of my life. It's the best thing I ever did, be vulnerable in front of audiences and show them that I'm not immune to anything either. Just because I live and breathe this, which I do and I like it, I'm not stuff still happens to me, happens for me that not so good stuff, but so what I'm doing now is I'm continuing to transmute myself so that I can be A better service to others. That's literally what I'm doing.   Michael Hingson ** 49:05 One of the things that I love to say, and it fits right in with what you're discussing, is when I have the honor of doing these podcast episodes, if I'm not learning as much as, or more than anyone listening or whoever to the podcast that I'm not doing my job. And I think that that's an absolute part of it. We we all need to learn and transform. And I look for the opportunities that come along where people may say something like you've said a number of things that make perfect sense. I'm not sure I've heard today too many brand new things, but the reality is, there aren't that many. There really aren't new things in the world. It's just that either we haven't heard them yet, but they're still there, or we. We've forgotten them, and we need to remember them, or we have heard them, and we do remember them, and it reinforces it. But the fact is, there really isn't anything new in the world. We just have to sometimes rediscover it for ourselves. Exactly   Rhonda Farrah ** 50:14 it's it's the amount of reading I did in prison camp, and if I make notes on the in the sidelines of the pages, and then I go back and I read the same passages and books and everything else, and I'd read what I've written, and I'd say that was a learning experience. And my measure look how far I've come. That that's when self help wasn't called self help. Yeah, now we have self help, you know, yeah, Bob bought the programs and everything, and then never opened them, because, again, it's an inside job. And I believe that with all my heart,   Michael Hingson ** 51:02 right? Yeah, and I think there's, there's merit to that. So you have clients in various places nowadays, yes,   Rhonda Farrah ** 51:12 Canada, Australia. I'm actually the final touches on a group coaching program. It is coaching program for women. I'll take 15 women for 12 weeks, 12 weeks, and if they choose to continue with another 12 weeks, at the end of 412 weeks, we've done a year, yeah, together, and we've accomplished what we want to accomplish, but in bite sized pieces, right? We're building on the first 12 weeks, so I'm very excited about that. And my clientele is, I say 45 and over, but like 5850 and over, because we all having those little crises for our benefit. What?   Michael Hingson ** 51:57 What made you decide, though, to work with people who are essentially 50 and older, as opposed to younger people, because   Rhonda Farrah ** 52:04 I kept getting older. You know, I kept getting older, and my experience has happened to me, and I call it the mid life, and there are so many people going through, maybe not exactly the same thing, but in some cases, yes, the same things. They're going through them, and I, I want to be the light at the end of whatever tunnel they are journeying through, and let them know this is not a train coming at you. Your light is exactly that. It's your light. It's your guidance to move forward, and nothing less.   Michael Hingson ** 52:49 Now you you teach women, and that's fair, but if I were to carry it forward, what about men? Not that you that you're doing that, but don't men also really deal with the same issues they do,   Rhonda Farrah ** 53:03 but they deal with them in different ways, and in many cases, men have it over women because of the way they're dealing with them. Society has ingrained in men. They're the strong, they're the powerful, they're the empowered. Of course, you look at the state of affairs in this world today and you find that, well, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 53:26 and that's, of course, that's the problem is that it's great to be the powerful and the empowered and so on. But if you will, you let it go to your head, and you're not listening anymore,   Rhonda Farrah ** 53:37 right? The what I believe is that that's That's exactly true. If you're not listening to your intuitive self from within, if you're not, you're doing a number on yourself with that whole mindset thing. Yeah, think you can, you're right. If you think you can't, you're right as well. You're right as well. So the I have just had more women approach I've had more women approach me. There's a the they kind of assimilate with me and who I am, you know, I'm Mom, I'm the grandmother, and I'm the sister, you know, the oldest, and I'm in this thing, this gig, called counseling. Now, when I was a psychotherapist, my I turned to right around in 2005 couple things happened. I was released from prison. By the way, my sentence was expunged shortly after that.   Michael Hingson ** 54:46 Oh,   Rhonda Farrah ** 54:48 and so, and many people will also say, Aren't you mad? Aren't you angry? I go for what? For   Michael Hingson ** 54:54 what? Yeah, what good is that gonna do? I forgave   Rhonda Farrah ** 54:58 everybody. And. I came that's was part of my program for being my best self ever.   Michael Hingson ** 55:04 What were you accused of doing? If I might ask the   Rhonda Farrah ** 55:07 money. Money, crime, non violent. Non violent. No drugs, yeah. Money, crime, okay, got it. I mean, I was no milking and all of that. But the interesting part about that is, I served my sentence in prison camp. It used to be a men's prison camp, and Milken was there, and that's where he contracted cancer, and he won his release in $5 million and built the Cancer Center in Los Angeles. So you see, and that's, you know, everyone had me convinced, well, you should sue the government. I go, No, I don't think so. It's like, I need to move on. You know, it's like I'm moving on, and I'm taking the best pieces of that part of my life and this part of my life and these parts of my life, we teach that they can do the same.   Michael Hingson ** 56:04 When I was in my mid 20s, something happened. I became blind because I was born two months premature and given a pure oxygen environment, and that caused the retinas not to develop properly, something known at the time as retro enteral fibroplasia. And if we really want to learn to spell it, go buy my book thunder dog. Um, now it's called retinopathy or prematurity, and you can learn that in Thunder dog too. But anyway, um, I think it was in the mid 20s somewhere I read an article about someone who was born around the same time that I was and blind for the same reason, and they sued their medical people, and just, had just won a major lawsuit and got money and all that. And I was talking to my father about it, and I said, What do you think about that? And he he said, probably something that you can really imagine, he said, and what good would suing really do at the time? They probably had just the information that they had, and medical science had started to hear that retro enter fibroplasia was a condition, but medical science hadn't really accepted it yet. But my father said, Sue isn't going to solve anything. And he was absolutely right. And I thought the same thing. And to this day, I think that's true. I think there are times when there is such a thing as doing litigation for some purpose, but, you know, don't do it for the wrong reason, and don't go off and try to mess up somebody else's life, because I'm sure that those same ophthalmologists and so on in the 70s and 80s would never take the same approach that they did when I was born, or if they had to, because it really meant the life of the child, the parents would get an appropriate warning saying this could happen, which is what does happen. But also, it's been proven that it doesn't take a pure oxygen environment, 24 hours a day, every day to keep a child alive, and even just a few minutes a day will prevent the whole issue of becoming blind. So there are a lot of aspects of it.   Rhonda Farrah ** 58:34 There sure are.   Michael Hingson ** 58:36 But you know, we all are. We're in this same world, and we do need to, you know, to move forward. So what do you think that people can learn from you? We've talked for almost an hour. Summarize some of that, if you would.   Rhonda Farrah ** 58:52 I think people can learn from me that, you know, we're all whole, perfect and complete, even in our imperfections, all of us and I am more like others, and others are more like me than we all realize, because we all have that wholeness, that perfection within each within us, and they can learn to get out of their comfort zone a little before they're taken out of their comfort zone, to live an empowered life, to live maybe a little bit of the life that they've been Thinking about, perhaps dreaming about, they can learn that you know, even with everything that happened to me, I mean, I am so blessed. It could have been a lot worse in every situation that we have just talked about again in the last hour. But there was something within me, and it's within everyone. We are not alone. Alone, no one is alone. To take the best to count the gifts and the blessings, to use that formula gratitude plus forgiveness, not a popular topic, forgiveness will empower us if we go within and say, Yeah, that's the that I think that's the biggest thing, and that they're to get passionate about something, whether whether it's garden or whether it's changing lives, helping people fix their reflection first and live their best life ever. That's what they can learn from me. Find something to be passionate about,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:50 yeah, the operative part about that is fix your reflection first, do something that you're passionate about. I would add to that, that doing something for negative reasons is only going to hurt you. It's not going to hurt anyone else exactly that's   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:01:06 taking the poison and expecting the other person to die. Yeah, it's not happening.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:12 It doesn't happen. Well, if you were to Well, go ahead.   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:01:17 No, that's ask me. I want you to ask me another question. Do   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:23 you have a particular one you want me to ask you? No, oh, just checking. Just checking. If you were to to summarize all of this and leave people with one thought that they should take away and remember what? What do you want them to learn from this. I know we've talked about it a lot, and I kind of suspect I know the answer. But if you were to summarize it very briefly, what would you what would you say very   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:01:49 briefly? I would say, once again, you're not alone if you are struggling with a challenge, with something that not so good stuff in your life, reach out, whether you reach out to me, whether you reach out to someone else, reach out and go within. If you don't know who to reach out, to go within and listen and listen, and you'll know who to reach out to. And I have to say that wherever we go, and I alluded to this during the interview, during our conversation, wherever we go, we take ourselves. So those of us who are trying to avoid in life, wherever you go to avoid, whatever it is you're trying to avoid, you're the common denominator. You have still taken yourself there   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:41 and avoiding doesn't help. Facing is a different story than avoiding. Facing   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:02:46 Yes and it's okay. We all have feelings, feels. You want to feel sad, you want to feel angry, feel whatever the hell you want to feel okay. Because if you keep shoving those feelings down, eventually they will erupt at the most inopportune time. And quite frankly, and quite bluntly, I liken it to a toilet overflowing when you have a house full of guests, not a good thing. And finally, I'm inviting our audience to treat life as if it were ice cream and enjoy it before it melts.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:28 I believe life is an adventure. We should all partake of it and not hide. We may not and shouldn't all do it exactly the same way. Everyone is has got their own way of doing it, but enjoy it, as you said, especially before it melts. Well, Rhonda, if people want to reach out to you, and I hope people will. And you know, you may get some, some guys who who email you, but how do people get hold of you?   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:03:58 I would welcome any questions. I love to hear what is on the heart and minds of others, and you can get a hold of me. At, Rhonda. R H, O, N, D, A at, help me, Rhonda now.com, Rhonda. At help me. Rhonda now.com,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:18 and as I said earlier, we know what musical groups you grew up with.   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:04:24 Yes, we do.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:27 But Rhonda at help me. Rhonda now.com and I hope people will reach out and seek the wisdom that you are providing and the knowledge that you have to offer, what a wonderful treasure trove of information and knowledge you are and you have, and I hope people will take advantage of that. Thank you. Thank you. Michael, well, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching. Us today. We really value it. I would really like to hear from you. I want to hear what your thoughts are about today. Please email me, whoever you are, wherever you are. You can reach me at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I b, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, o, n.com/podcast, wherever you're listening, I hope you liked today and that you will rate us and give us a five star review. We value your reviews and your ratings. So very much. Really hope that you will provide us with a five star rating. We love it, but we really, most of all, value your thoughts and anything that you have to say about what you heard today, and I know Rhonda will appreciate that as well. So email Rhonda at helpmeda now.com and communicate with her as well. If you know of any guests Rhonda you as well who might be wonderful people that we ought to have on unstoppable mindset. Would love to hear from you. We're always looking for guests. I found Rhonda through a person who reached out to me and said, I know this great person who ought to be on the podcast. And he was right. So definitely, if you know of anyone, please let us know, but give us rankings, five star ratings, and communicate with us, because that's the only way we get a feel of what you like and what you're interested in and and what you're thinking. So please tell us. And with that, Rhonda, I want to thank you one more time for being here, and we appreciate all your time, and hopefully we'll do it again in the near future, and I'm certainly glad to come on the program that you were talking about earlier.   Rhonda Farrah ** 1:06:49 Yes, yes, thank you, Michael, it's been my pleasure to be here.   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:58 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.

Here I am between James Brooks the Long Island artist who in 1940-42 painted a huge mural titled, “Flight” affixed on Belgian Linen on the upper walls of The Marine Air Terminal (MAT) at LaGuardia Airport and Laurance Rockefeller who put up the money to save the mural after he learned it was painted out of sight (read on) in 1952.Once upon a time I was hell bent for leather working with my air cargo publication Air Cargo News in 1979 to save The Marine Air Terminal (MAT) at LGA, home base in New York City to Fixed Base Operator (FBO) Butler Aviation, today's Signature Aviation.The manager of Butler was Vince Costanza and I, as a struggling publisher, was in a kind of kinship with him to save the place by restoring the WPA Mural painted by James Brooks in 1942.Mural was painted over in 1952 by some McCarthy era lunatics from The Port Authority who thought artist Brooks was a communist.But I found the artist and told him if he gave me photographs of the panels of his 237 feet circular X 12 feet high mural titled “Flight,” I would build a floor display in the lobby outside the door of the Butler Aviation FBO, where during the late 1970s at MAT, all the New York City high rollers had a private airplanes at LGA Well Vince and the Airport Manager Tim Peirce (dear hearts) gave consent and support so I built the display.I needed sponsors and always could lean on Vince who would grin and say something like:“Yeah, I can help, we are pumping Kero like crazy.”Last I heard, Vince was selling Bibles in Massachusetts.Of course, the Port Authority here has never spoken to me again!But at the mural restoration/celebration sit down dinner, I arranged in 1980 for all the art colony big wigs to be there, including William Lieberman, Director of Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art and many others.At that party Laurance Rockefeller walked over and said to me very quietly:“I'd like to stand next to you . . . I know what you did here.“I saw your display one day when I was travelling with my friend Dewitt Wallace,” (founder of Reader's Digest).Of course, before I could say something stupid like ‘knock yourself out,' he said, “call me Laurance.”He then continued, “When my brother Nelson was Governor of New York State, he hired Jim to paint a mural for Empire State Plaza.“We checked him thoroughly.“He was no Communist!”Shortly after the party, I received a hand signed picture from “Call me Laurance” with himself taking tea with me at the party.Good to have low friends in high places!

In this podcast episode ... Their State Pier project has kept this quasi-public agency in the spotlight for the last few years. We talk with the Connecticut Port Authority's new Executive Director about how he intends to turn the agency around and focus on its wider mission. Plus we take a look at other stories from around the region.

2:45:24 – Frank in New Jersey, plus the Other Side. Topics include: Business monkey bottle, Generation X, snow, early bus, hotel demolition, CRTs, cat wheel training, condo association, Trout Fishing in America, vegan scrambled eggs, comic shop, Comfort Cuckoo CD Collection, Star Magic, Cingular Wireless, Dungeon Crawler Carl, AI, subtle graffiti, new arcade in Port Authority, […]

2:45:24 – Frank in New Jersey, plus the Other Side. Topics include: Business monkey bottle, Generation X, snow, early bus, hotel demolition, CRTs, cat wheel training, condo association, Trout Fishing in America, vegan scrambled eggs, comic shop, Comfort Cuckoo CD Collection, Star Magic, Cingular Wireless, Dungeon Crawler Carl, AI, subtle graffiti, new arcade in Port Authority, […]

Today – we’ll discuss the growing wildfire risk in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. And later – we're diving into some big news from Link Transit and the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority.Support the show: https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the news, a man is set to stand trial for burglary and other dishonesty related offenses in the summary courts. PAC hears from the Port Authority on recent Christmas parties and the DOE gets a denial to use Coat of Arms.

WELCOME! To our Fifth season! We couldn't be here with out our supporters and listeners as we grow the podcast this year significantly! On our official season premier, we have Bill Keegan-whose life is indelibly marked by 9/11, as he is currently battling stage four cancer while continuing to further his nonprofit's critical mission to provide hope for individuals, families, and communities around the world.   Fueled by his experiences as one of just five decision makers at the World Trade Center site, Bill Keegan founded HEART 9/11 to build resiliency and provide hope for individuals, families and communities affected by natural and man-made disasters in the U.S. and beyond. In addition to providing disaster relief for nearly 20 years, after noticing the effects of stress on himself and other first responders, Bill created HEART 9/11's SMART Program in collaboration with research scientists, doctors, and emergency responders to help manage job-related stress. Additionally, Bill oversees HEART 9/11's Responder 2 Responder Assistance program, in which the organization's volunteers retrofit homes to increase accessibility for emergency responders injured in the line of duty. #Trend with Us!  

Stay tuned to this show as Lauren Beagen is back to give us updates on the maritime sector, particularly on the recent labor negotiations at U.S. ports, technology advancements, and shipping contract disputes! Lauren highlights the potential for new technologies to enhance job creation at ports while navigating the generational divide in workforce flexibility and technological adoption and the tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX)!   About Lauren Beagen Lauren Beagen is an accomplished maritime attorney, renowned for her expertise in oceanborne commerce, maritime law, and federal regulatory matters. As the Principal and Founder of Squall Strategies, LLC, she specializes in Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) compliance and global ocean shipping issues; she also serves as the CEO of The Maritime ProfessorTM, an e-learning and employee training company. Beagen's deep understanding of the FMC stems from her role as an Attorney-Advisor (International Affairs) in the Office of the General Counsel, where she advised on international bilateral and multilateral maritime negotiations and chaired the FMC's Maritime Environmental Committee Speaker Series. Beagen also gained practical experience in her role as Maritime Project Manager at the Port of Boston, worked under contract through the U.S. Department of State on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project, and interned at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany. Ms. Beagen's continued passion for the maritime industry is seen through her many board and leadership positions including Starboard Subcommittee Co-Chair of the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC), Vice-Chair of the American Association of Port Authority's (AAPA) Legal Committee, and Co-President of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) – New England Chapter. A native Michigander, Ms. Beagen currently resides on the South Coast of Massachusetts splitting time between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is a graduate of Hope College with a double- major in International Political Science and International Studies. She received her law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law and simultaneously completed a Master of Marine Affairs joint degree from the University of Rhode Island. An avid sailor and fisherman, she holds a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential (50 GRT) for Great Lakes and Inland Waters and is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Michigan, and the District of Columbia.   Connect with Lauren Website: https://www.squallstrategies.com/ / https://the-maritime-professor.teachable.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenbeagen/  

In this episode of Noob School, we sit down with David Peeples, a seasoned entrepreneur who has spent over two decades building a successful business in the airport security and access control industry. David shares his journey from the early days of his career, where he honed his skills and learned the importance of customer relationships, to founding his own company and growing it into a leader in the field. David takes us through some of the key milestones in his career, including landing major clients like the Pentagon and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which includes JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and Stewart Airports. He discusses the challenges of competing against much larger players in the industry and the strategies that helped him win these high-profile contracts. Throughout the conversation, David emphasizes the importance of building a strong company culture and reputation, which he believes are the foundation for long-term success. He also shares the lessons he's learned about sales, leadership, and the importance of adaptability in a rapidly changing business landscape. As the conversation shifts toward the future, David talks about the evolving sales models, from perpetual licenses to the potential shift toward SaaS, and the impact of tools like AI on communication and business practices. He also reflects on the value of mentorship and how having the right team and partners can make all the difference in achieving your goals. David's story is one of perseverance, strategic thinking, and learning from every experience. Whether you're a young salesperson or an entrepreneur looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with valuable insights and advice that can help you navigate your own career path. Get your sales in rhythm with The Sterling Method: https://SterlingSales.co I'm going to be sharing my secrets on all my social channels, but if you want them all at your fingertips, start with my book, Sales for Noobs: https://amzn.to/3tiaxsL Subscribe to our newsletter today: https://bit.ly/3Ned5kL #SalesTraining #B2BSales #SalesExcellence #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #SalesLeadership #SalesSuccess #SalesCoaching #SalesSkills #SalesInnovation #SalesTips #SalesPerformance #SalesTransformation #SalesTeamDevelopment #SalesMotivation #SalesEnablement #SalesGoals #SalesExpertise #SalesInsights #SalesTrends

The Port Authority is raising tolls on its bridges and tunnels Sunday, increasing costs for most drivers crossing between New Jersey and New York by 68 cents. It's the same day the MTA's congestion pricing begins, charging drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Meanwhile, MTA leaders are urging state lawmakers to reconsider their Christmas Eve veto of the transit agency's next construction plan. Plus, as New Year's Eve approaches, Jeffery Garcia, executive director of the Office of Nightlife, shares insights on the city's nightlife and tips for staying safe during celebrations. Finally, a new bill in the City Council could expand short-term rentals in the five boroughs by allowing owners of one- and two-family homes to list units for tourists and temporary tenants, as long as they are present during stays. WNYC's David Brand reports.

Intercity bus/ highway ambience—A Christmas Eve decades ago, I found myself braving the Port Authority in Midtown, waiting for a Greyhound to Albany. While loading, I walked fast enough to stay ahead of the folks who might be at the overbooked point. Just that Thanksgiving, I had been dawdling at the end of the line and wound up with a "Sorry, pal. It looks like you're waiting for the next bus."  That Greyhound Christmas Eve ride was years before cell phones had texting, apps, or anything resembling fun programmed into them. If you wanted to catch up on gossip or news, you had to hit the magazine stand before climbing aboard. If you were broke you were left with no shield against another passenger trying to strike up a conversation. And I was broke, so I didn't want to be near the front of the bus, where the assertive clamored for seats near the driver. Assertive people like to talk. They want to tell you about famous nephews or how they know some obscure ass state representatives and… I don't care, man. I want to be in the back where no one wants to be. No one is happy because you're closer to the toilet than the driver. At best, it smells like urinal cake. No one wants to open their mouths so much when it smells like urinal cake. Back of the bus was also ideal because I had jammed a 40 ounce down my pants. I wasn't sure if someone would check my carry-on for alcohol, so I just shoved my Steel Reserve down my oversized Wu-Wear jeans.  The guy beside me laughed while I pulled it out, and I cycled through some nervous ticks. Would he snitch? Did I open myself up to obligatory gabbing?   He raised his hand, reached into his pocket, pulled out a nip of Jack Daniels, and raised it in the air… "Cheers."  Episode image from Pixabay

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: President Biden commutes the death sentence of 37 of the 40 inmates on federal death row; New Jersey American Water releases new details about the leak that is causing an odor and foul taste in drinking water; The Port Authority expects about 14 million people to use its roads and airports this holiday week; Social Justice writer Taylor Jung discusses the possibility of private prison expansion in New Jersey as the Trump administration prepares for mass deportations; Volunteers in Camden hand out 29,000 pounds of food to families in need.

My guest, Bob Spearing, MUFON's Director of International Investigations, offers explanations for the mysterious drones seen in NJ, PA, in Europe and elsewhere. Are the drones a part of a psyop program, or do we need to worry about a foreign adversary? According to Bob, the drones problem is not a new one. We also discuss hypotheses for UFOs/UAP that are alleged to be not of this Earth. Bob brings years of experience and insight to a topic that is rich in history, and never more relevant than today.Bob Spearing graduated from Fordham University in 1981 with a B.A. in Communications with Journalism, Advertising, Public Opinion, Propaganda, and Film Production as major concentrations. Bob retired from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in 2019 after 34 years of service. His many duties included being an FRA licensed Rail Traffic Controller and Locomotive Engineer. Bob Spearing joined The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) in 2014 as a Field Investigator and is currently Director of International Investigations. Bob has appeared in several episodes of the 2019 Travel Channel television series “UFOs: The Lost Evidence” as a photo analyst. In a February 2023 Ancient Aliens episode on the History Channel in February he appeared as a MUFON field investigator. Bob had 3 UFO sightings himself and it was enough to capture his interest and research the phenomenon.He will be in a 2024 Netflix Documentary called The UFO Game and is filming a segment for Ron James' movie sequel An Accidental Truth NEXT. Bob was MUFON's Field Investigator of the Year in 2018 and Volunteer of The Year in 2023.He has had numerous articles published in various UFO related magazines around the world like Outer Limits Magazine, Shadows of Your Mind Magazine, UFOTruth Magazine and the MUFON Journal.He also writes articles for the MUFON Newsletter and their website MUFON.COM and speaks at various UFO conventions around North America specifically on Patterns in UFO Reports. Bob lives in eastern Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains with his wife and twin boys.Please help the channel grow. ☕️ SUBSCRIBE, like, comment, and click the YouTube Notification Bell so you don't miss a show. Thank you! https://www.youtube.com/mysticloungeHALF LIGHT documentary: https://tubitv.com/movies/678744/half-light

The New York Police Department told CNN moments ago that the suspect in the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has likely left New York City. They cited video of the suspected shooter entering a Port Authority bus terminal and not leaving the terminal.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CNN is learning more details about the alleged gunman's movements prior to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Police believe the gunman arrived in New York City on November 24th, 10 days before the shooting, a law enforcement official told CNN. He arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan and then went to a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Earlier Thursday, the NYPD released new images of an unmasked “person of interest wanted for questioning” over the killing. Our law enforcement experts including CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and former FBI Special Agent Bryanna Fox break down the latest developments in the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: Major progress for fire crews battling the Jennings Creek wildfire as officials report it is now 90% contained on the New Jersey side; Dockworkers reportedly walk away from the bargaining table, setting up a potential longshoremen's strike in January; PATH fares and Port Authority tolls could increase by 25 cents if a new budget proposal is approved; Congressman Josh Gottheimer launches his campaign to run for governor of NJ; Ross Baker, distinguished professor emeritus of political science at Rutgers University, joins Briana Vannozzi to discuss the confirmation process for President-elect Trump's picks for his administration; Health care providers say requests for birth control and the abortion pill mifepristone have skyrocketed since last week's election; The Assembly holds a joint committee hearing to dig into challenges within the child care industry.

Our guest this time, Danielle Marshall, is an executive coach especially in the nonprofit sector. As she tells us she also works with small businesses to help them build a stronger foundation for working within their organizations as well as with customers and elsewhere. Danielle grew up in Queens and describes her childhood as living in an apartment building among many and diverse cultures. This experience helps her even today to understand and embrace the differences between all of us.   Danielle attended Howard University where she received her Bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology. However, she never got a job in that field. She went on in her studies and received a Master's degree in industrial organizational psychology.   After working in Americorp and other nonprofit agencies for many years, the pandemic forced her to open her own full-time coaching business in March of 2020. She still coaches nonprofit leaders as well as others to help them better understand and actively support people no matter their cultural and other differences.   I get to have a GREAT discussion with Danielle about how all of us, no matter our differences are all part of the same environment. While Danielle mainly concentrates on racial differences she clearly recognizes and understands that race is not the only issue she must address. She is quick to point out, for example, that persons with disabilities are just as part of the racial makeup of society as race itself. As she says, while she is not an expert on disabilities, when she encounters in her work someone with a disability she seeks out a partner more knowledgeable on disabilities to help her.   I found Danielle to be very open minded, curious and very willing to help create a more inclusive world for all. I think you will be inspired by her and hopefully some of you will reach out to her.       About the Guest:   A dedicated advocate for equity and inclusion, Danielle is the founder of Culture Principles and a Certified Diversity Professional. Her career is focused on guiding organizations to integrate Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion into their operational frameworks. With an insightful understanding of industry trends and a commitment to collaborative growth, Danielle develops tailored strategies that enhance team dynamics and problem-solving skills. Her influential work includes a partnership with the Conscious Collaboratory, where she co-created the program Reimagining Racial Equity, aimed at helping business leaders incorporate racial equity into their organizations.   Danielle also excels in coaching senior leaders to develop their cultural competencies, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to lead inclusively in diverse environments. Her approach involves personalized coaching sessions and workshops that focus on understanding and appreciating cultural differences, fostering empathy, and enhancing communication skills within multicultural contexts. As a compelling speaker and ICF-certified Executive Coach, Danielle's engaging presence inspires audiences globally. Holding a Master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, her deep commitment to equity and inclusion has established her as a respected thought leader and agent for meaningful change.   Ways to connect with Danielle:   Website: https://www.culture-principles.com/  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danimarshall/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultureprinciples/       About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi and welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset. We are really, I think, blessed today, I have a person who is our guest. Her name is Danielle Marshall, and Danielle has a background in industrial organization psychology, not sure about the organization. You're going to have to help with that, but that's okay. She's been involved with dealing with nonprofits and concerning children for 20 years, and she saw a disconnect between narratives about children and her actual on the ground experiences, and I'm really fascinated to learn about that she does a lot in the world of diversity, equity and inclusion, dealing with race and so on. So we'll have to see how much she does with disabilities. Just to pick on her a little bit, that'll be fun. But we don't really like to pick on people too much unless they're politicians, and then the rule is you got to pick on everybody. You can't just pick on a few. So we don't deal with politicians because it's just way too much fun to pick on politicians anyway. Well, Danielle, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Michael,   Danielle Marshall ** 02:35 thank you. I'm not sure I've ever had an introduction quite like that.   Michael Hingson ** 02:40 Don't you think it's true, though, that we ought to just pick on all politicians,   Danielle Marshall ** 02:43 sure what they pick on themselves.   Michael Hingson ** 02:46 They do a good job, and then they leave all these openings for the rest of us. Right? Absolutely, and it's true of all of them. So as I tell people, I'm an equal opportunity abuser, so it's really better to just stay away from it. We have too much fun doing other kinds of things anyway, which is exactly what unstoppable mindset is all about. But I'm really glad that you're here. Then seriously, it'll be fun to hear some of the stories and to hear about the things that you have done and why you do what you do, and the observations that you've made. I think it's really pretty fascinating. But why don't we start, if we can, and if you will, why don't you tell us kind of about the early Danielle growing up, and some of that stuff always good to start that process.   Danielle Marshall ** 03:33 Sure. Well, I grew up as a 70s child in New York City, so that was my, sort of, my origin story. And I think it lends itself, quite frankly, to where I've ended up today. New York is one of the most diverse cities in the US, and definitely was true when I was growing up, also large, you know, large metropolitan area. And so where in New York I grew up in Queens, predominantly in Queens city. And, you know, when I think about the exposure I had to things as as a child, it really is telling that I would end up doing this work. You know, I grew up in an apartment building, and literally, everyone lived in the apartment building with us. You know, we had people from different racial groups and ethnic ethnicities, and there was Spanish music playing and Indian food cooking. And so, you know, my childhood really was a a broad opportunity to just dive in and talk to people and learn about their cultures and just really get familiar. And so I think it was interesting for me, because I don't feel like I ever grew up tolerating people. It was just we accepted each other, we lived amongst each other,   Michael Hingson ** 04:44 yeah. And was kind of an environment where, well, a very heterogeneous environment by any standard. And you, you learned up front, I would presume, pretty much how to get along,   Danielle Marshall ** 04:55 yeah, for the most part, yeah. I mean, no different, though, and I will put this caveat out. Out there that as kids, you know, we, no matter if it is a heterogeneous group or homogeneous, we're still going to have conflict, right? That's people. That's human nature. And the difference, though, and I'm really excited that I had this opportunity at such an early age, is that we learn to navigate the conflict within those groups early on. So, you know, it was never isolated to we only deal with our own community literally. And I know this is not true for everyone that grew up in New York, but it was definitely my experience. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 05:28 your community was everyone, everyone and all sorts of different kinds of people, which was so cool and something that it'd be nice to see a whole lot more of, and people really learn to understand the whole lot more of all sorts of different kinds of   05:43 people, for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 05:45 So when you were in New York, did you ever eat at Peter Lucas?   Danielle Marshall ** 05:50 I actually did not have a memory of it, perhaps, but I don't remember that.   Michael Hingson ** 05:57 I always liked Ruth's Chris steakhouse better than Peter Lucas, but I've been to Peter Lucas on a couple of sales presentations, so I've eaten there twice. And I don't know was it's, I wonder if it's still there, just with everything that happened during the pandemic. You know, who knows? I know. Tavern on the green after September 11 closed for a while, and then it finally reopened. But it's just really too bad, and Hurley's saloon had to relocate because their lease went way up. Hurley's was one of those restaurants that started well, when it started, the Hurley brothers leased the space, and then the Rockefellers wanted to put up NBC and Rockefeller Center, and they put it up, but they wanted to buy out Hurley's, and Hurley said, No, we're going to keep it. And they had a 99 year lease. But unfortunately, when the 99 year lease was over, the rent quadrupled, and they ended up relocating over to a place on what was it? It was on 48th between I think it was Broadway and eighth, or eighth and ninth, right in that area, but I was always liked Hurley's, that was a fun place. So many stories because NBC, when they did build the facility in Rockefeller Center, some of the reporters ran a phone line from some of the places in NBC to Hurley. So they hung out in Hurley's and stayed at the bar, and then if something came in, their phone rang under the bar, and they grabbed the phone and went off and did what they did. Sure, sure, lovely history, only in New York.   Danielle Marshall ** 07:36 Many things happen in New York and nowhere else.   Michael Hingson ** 07:39 Well, so what got you? So you went to college, and where did you do that?   Danielle Marshall ** 07:45 Where I went to Howard University. So I came down to Washington, DC, okay? And while I was there, I ended up serving as a AmeriCorps member for two years with a program called jump start for young children. And it was, I think, really the beginning, if you will, of this journey as I understand it today, at least, it started to come to the forefront for me. Because what happened while I was in service is we were working in a number of Head Start schools around the District of Columbia, and I was serving primarily black and brown children in in the schools. And it was the first time I had really heard this narrative that would then follow me, regardless of where I live throughout the country. And the narrative was very much centered on who the children and families were that we serve. So, you know, there were often stories about the outcomes that they would achieve in life, what what levels of success they would be able to to get to who their families were, etc. But what I distinctly remember is that many of those narratives that I was hearing were not coming from people that were representative of that community. They didn't live there. They didn't represent the cultural groups we were serving, so they sort of had an outside perspective about who these community members were. And what was really disheartening for me at the time is that the narratives were very negative and, you know, and again, they didn't serve this community, but also misguided in the sense that they came from outsiders. And so I remember, even at that time, wanting to spend more of my efforts around narrative shifting, which is a big feature in the work that I do right now, because it began to dawn on me, though I yet, I yet to have, like the words at that moment, that it was never about the the children or the families. It was it was really about the systems. It was something broader that was leading to the outcomes that these kids were experiencing, not any default or deficit within them.   Michael Hingson ** 09:49 You know, it's interesting, because I can equate that to disabilities and specifically blindness, the same sort of thing, the narrative all the time is what blind people can. And can't do. Mostly can't, and it comes from people who are not blind, who have never tried being blind, and unfortunately, all too often, the so called professionals in the industry who have no real clue nor expectations about what people who happen to be blind can and cannot do. And the reality is, mostly we can do anything that we choose to, if given the opportunity. And so we end up finding the same narrative. I remember one person telling me about a story where they were at a meeting. He happened to be blind and was the CEO of a blindness organization, and somehow they got on to a discussion of the names of the organizations and that they really needed to somehow figure out how to get blind out of the names of their organizations. And this guy said, Wait a minute, what are you talking about? Your blindness organizations? You know, let's let's see. How many of you would really like to take the word blind out of your organization names. And there were, I think, 25 people in the room, and 24 out of 25 raised their hands. And of course, most all of them were not blind, but they wanted to take blind out of their organization name, just because of the view that they had. And as this person pointed out, you are serving and dealing with blind people. How could you ever consider taking blind out of the name of your organization? Blind isn't the problem. It's your attitudes and your perceptions. Yeah, so it seems exact same sort of thing? Yeah,   Danielle Marshall ** 11:34 absolutely. It's funny that even as you say that I'm having a I had a little bit of a reaction, because I hear that so much when people say, Well, why do you have to talk about race, or why did you have to say that this was a black person or a white person or an Asian person? Well, that's because that's who they are, right there. It doesn't change because you are uncomfortable having that conversation. It's still representative of that individual.   Michael Hingson ** 11:59 And it also doesn't mean that any of them are less capable than anyone else. Well, 100%   Danielle Marshall ** 12:04 like that. That goes without saying for me, but I think I am appreciating your point right now, because it needs discussion, because some people still believe that an association with a particular group, whether it be cultural ability level, etc, means that that narrative that exists in their mind that's negative is true, and   Michael Hingson ** 12:23 unfortunately, when we talk a lot about diversity and inclusion, especially the whole area of diversity, diversity usually centers around race, gender, sexual orientation and so on, and it Never centers or really brings in disabilities, even though we as a minority are much larger than all of the other minority groups that you can talk about. And yet we don't see disabilities being brought in. And it reminds me of a story. There's a book called all on fire by Henry Mayer. Have you ever read it?   Danielle Marshall ** 12:56 I haven't read that one.   Michael Hingson ** 12:58 So it's about William Lloyd Garrison, the abolitionist in the 1840s and he was looking for people to really join the movement and help in the abolition movement. And there were some two sisters, the grim K sisters, who were very much involved in women's suffrage. And he told his people, we really need to get them to come and be involved in what we're doing. And they said, Well, why would we do that? They're not interested in this. They're all interested in women's efforts and so on. Why would they even be interested in in in what we're doing? It would just kind of really divide off, and it would completely separate from what what we're about. And and Garrison said, you really don't get it. It's all the same thing. And it's unfortunate that we don't see that. So even the people who are involved in diversity, all too often decide they're going to specialize in one thing, but in reality, it's all the same thing.   Danielle Marshall ** 13:58 Yeah, I, you know, I I think that there are certain people who have niched down so like, my focus is racial equity, but I will tell you this, I don't miss disability or ability levels in my conversation, either, because what I'm more focused on is I pick a central part to start, which, for me, happens to be race, right? But what I would say to anyone who brings into the conversation, well, we have to talk about, we have to talk about gender, and we have to talk about, you know, I, you know, I'm a gay person, or I am in a wheelchair, all of these things start to come in for people in the conversation. And what I would say is that if I were to center on race, and even more specifically, let's say I picked a particular racial group that I'm centering on. If I centered the conversation on blackness, please understand and this is really, I think, important for listeners, viewers, today, for every racial group or any cultural group that you deal with the intersections that are out. For them cross every other identity. So if I chose a black person or a blackness as a racial group, there are going to be people who are, you know, they have different sexualities, they have different ability levels, they have different religions. And so, you know, as I'm thinking, different genders, you name it, different social, economic status. So no group is a monolith on its own. So if you are doing this work with intentionality, you are bringing in the other identities. And I understand it's not everyone out there that's doing it, but to me, there is very much a there's a place in this conversation for all of us, because I have chosen to center on one thing, and for me, I center on race first, because it's one of the conversations we have a very difficult time having in this country. Yeah, but we do build that muscle, but it is not to the exclusion of every identity other than a racial identity, because we all exist within, you know, a particular race.   Michael Hingson ** 15:55 And, you know, I've had a number of people come on the podcast who talk about diversity and so on. And very, very seldom do people say exactly what you just said, which makes perfect sense. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the fact that you focus mainly on race and particularly niches, but you would not do it to the exclusion of other things, and that's the important part. I've had some people who came on and they, and I've asked them to define diversity, and they say, oh, it's all about sexual orientation, race and gender and so on. And I said, What about disabilities? Oh, that's, that's social justice. No, it's not. It's not social justice. It's a completely different sort of thing. And that's, that's what's so unfortunate that we really don't understand that there's so many aspects of it. I mean, from that standpoint, in parts of the world, you could say the same thing about Caucasian people who happen to be a minority, and probably in other areas, are just as misunderstood in some ways.   Danielle Marshall ** 17:00 Sure, sure, you know, I would add something I think that's valuable, you know, if we're to think about expanding this conversation. So I don't think it's enough to simply say, I'm going to include information about, you know, disability and in this, in this discussion. But what I would say, as someone who focuses on racial equity, my expertise in disability isn't as strong. Sure, that's not my area. However, if done well, I can bring in a partner who does focus on that exactly. So now we have a stronger opportunity to really dig in and to do the work I have an opportunity right now that I'm working on where there's another gentleman in as part of the group who has a visual impairment, and he was teaching me a little bit about the technology. So if we're using zoom, what he has access to, what he doesn't have access to, access to. And so that's been really important to me, because these are things that I could very easily overlook. I tried to stay up to up to date on making sure that all the technology I personally use is accessible. But because technology changes so quickly, and this is not my area of specialties, literally, I need someone else who focuses on this to be like, Hey, have you heard this new update? Are you aware this thing is happening? Here's a new technology you can build into your own practice.   Michael Hingson ** 18:19 Sure, and that is exactly the way it ought to be. And, oh, by the way, just, just to point out, visual impairment is is a horrible term. It's like deaf people being called hearing impaired. You know, they they would execute you on the spot if they could, if you said hearing impaired. And the reason that visual impairment is bad, and it was created by the experts, the so called experts. First of all, visually, we're not different. You don't look different simply because you're blind. But the big issue is impaired, because immediately you're equating a person who doesn't see or doesn't see as well. You're equating their level of eyesight to people who have perfect eyesight. So the better term is blind and low vision, as opposed to visually impaired, for the obvious grammatical and logical reasons. But again, you wouldn't know that unless somebody talked to you about it, and other people wouldn't. But we really need to grow and recognize that all too often, words matter in so many ways, which is why we don't say Indians anymore. We say Native Americans or something like that. And, you know, in so many different ways, but, but the reality is, of course, you wouldn't know all about zoom you wouldn't know about screen readers and those, those kinds of technologies. And I'll tell you right now, if I can never help, all you have to do is yell.   Danielle Marshall ** 19:43 I will most certainly reach out. So Michael, you know what you did is you just offered me a gift in this moment. So I appreciate the feedback and the reframing of the language, because I think that is what this work is about. I am not bothered that you have just corrected me in this moment. I'm welcoming, welcoming in this session. An opportunity to learn.   Michael Hingson ** 20:00 It's not so much a correction, isn't Yeah, I'm sorry, go ahead, but to me, it   Danielle Marshall ** 20:04 is a correction, and that's okay, right? Like we have to get comfortable with the fact that sometimes, even as a professional in this space, I am going to mistake misspeak at times, and that is okay because I can own it and then really incorporate that into my work. And so the reason I am even focusing on this right now is one. I am offering this back as gratitude to you. But the second is, for all of us out there that are afraid to lean into this work, one of the reasons people tend to be so afraid and shy away from it is that there, there's a fear of getting it wrong. All too Go ahead, please.   Michael Hingson ** 20:39 All too often today, there's still lots of blind folks who say, I'm visually impaired, and no, you're not, because we haven't, as as a group, really totally learned and understand it. Some people because they had eyesight and they lost it, and they regard themselves as being impaired, but they're not, and then the fact that they think they're impaired is the problem. But even totally blind people from birth sometimes think, well, I'm visually impaired, because they've learned that it's all about how much eyesight you have or don't have. So let's, let's do this a different way. Do you have a disability?   Danielle Marshall ** 21:18 I do? I have a hidden disability, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 21:20 which is,   Danielle Marshall ** 21:22 I am a diabetic. Okay,   Michael Hingson ** 21:25 now let's talk about your non hidden disability. And this is my belief, and I talk about it fairly often on the podcast when I get the chance preaching again, in 1878 Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. Why he invented the electric light bulb so light dependent people would have a way to be able to function in the dark. It doesn't mean that you don't still have the disability that we have spent so much time making light on demand, available so frequently and so ubiquitously, if you will. I'm not sure that's a good word, but the reality is, one of your disabilities is your light dependents. If the lights go out and you can't grab a flashlight or a smartphone right away, you're in a world of hurt. It doesn't cover it doesn't change your disability. It covers it up, but it's still there. And now getting people to understand and accept that is is a lot harder. But the whole point of it is, we all have challenges. And the reality is disability is not a lack of ability. And I've had some diversity. People say to me, well, but this starts out disability, so of course, it means a lack of ability. Yeah. Well, what do you do with the word disciple, then, or discern or discrete? Let's you know, the reality is, dis has nothing to do with it. It's what we decided is, and we've been so good, especially in the last 30 years, about changing language, it's time to really reframe it. But disability is a characteristic in one way or another that we all have. It just manifests itself differently, and getting people to to recognize that is a different story, but it is still what we really need to do so that people understand we all have challenges, and our challenges may very well be different than most every other person. Then that's okay, but we need to accept people and understand that usually they can help us just as much as we can help them.   Danielle Marshall ** 23:26 Of course, I absolutely agree with that.   Michael Hingson ** 23:30 Well, so you went off to Howard, and what did you What degree did you get at Howard?   Danielle Marshall ** 23:36 I am a speech pathologist. By my degree at Howard, I never actually used the degree. It was not something that I was I was interested in pursuing beyond the the undergraduate level, but I did minor in psychology, and so I went on to get a degree in industrial organizational psychology.   Michael Hingson ** 23:53 Now tell me about this organizational part. I told you I'd have to ask that. It's a great term. It's like an oxymoron, you know, Army intelligence. But tell me about industrial organization psychology.   Danielle Marshall ** 24:03 I think you can just look at it as you know it is, the psychology of organizations like I joke with people often that I think about the world, and in many ways as a case study. And so there are a variety of things that people that are in i o psychology do? They may be, you know, working on hiring and retention. They may be working on culture surveys, how we streamline our workforce, like there's a number of things that they do. What I have done, though, is pull on this thread of culture Well, being in organizations and really thinking about equity. For in particular, bipoc leaders, staff members, etc.   Michael Hingson ** 24:46 So how have your experiences made you kind of uniquely able to deal with what you do? Because clearly our experiences will usually lead us to do what we do. And so in your case, how. Did experience really make that happen?   Danielle Marshall ** 25:03 Yeah, I mean, that's a big question. I feel like everything that I have done over the course of my life sort of led me to this place, but I did not know that this was the destination. And to be fair, this may not be the final destination, right? There's still time, hopefully, that I have to arrive at said destination. But I had a flashback the other day because I was actually reading a book where someone had talked about being an anthropologist, and I remembered, and I hadn't thought about this in years, when I was in high school, and maybe this is Junior year or senior year, I went to my guidance counselor, and I told her, you know, we were we were talking about what we wanted to major in and what we want it to be when we grew up. And I said to the individual, I want to be an anthropologist. And she looked at me and she kind of scoffed, and she's like, No one's going to want to talk about culture and histories like that. That's past it. You'll never get paid for it. And that's crazy. Yeah, yeah. It knocked the wind out of me in that moment, because I'm like, I'm here in the capacity of, like, sharing my dreams, my aspirations with you. You're my guidance counselor. You're supposed to be guiding me. But in that moment, I felt really shut down. And so as a result of that, I made a change when it came to to going to college, right? I changed what I was thinking about. I was looking at this person as you know, someone literally because you're the guidance counselor, you have more wisdom than I do in this area, and so I let that affect how I move forward at the undergraduate level, only to find myself somewhat years later, like I may not be a anthropologist, but I certainly am someone who loves to study culture. I love to understand how people think, why they move, the way they do, what their values and their norms are. And so as I think about that, like they're all of these little touch points along my journey that I would say have brought me to this place, working, you know, in DC, in AmeriCorps program, and hearing the narrative shifts, and again, people talking about the cultural norms and values and getting it wrong about those communities. And so my my goal was like, how do we set the record right? How do we empower people to to not only survive, but to to thrive? And I was like, we have to address the systems. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 27:21 I've always been a believer in that all the experiences that we have help build and help us wherever we go. So how does speech pathology help you? Well,   Danielle Marshall ** 27:36 it has certainly taught me to slow down. You know, one of the things in speech pathology that we did a lot of was repetitive because the people that are coming into the program either they are working on developing speech like if it was a young child, or maybe it's someone who has had an accident or a stroke, and they're they're learning to speak again. There was so much around the repetitive nature of it. There was so much around slowing down, being patient, meeting the client, where they were, that I feel like in a strange way, I suppose. And I had never really thought about that like it does lend itself to where I find myself today. Because when I think about the work that I'm doing, if I'm teaching racial equity principles, if I'm helping groups to understand how to apply an equity lens in their thinking. A lot of this is repetition, making sure that you fundamentally understand the concepts that we've repeated it, that you can see how it might apply in different contexts. The slowing down meeting people at their level, you can't just jump into the conversation and assume people are starting from the same knowledge base that you are. Right? So how do I level set in the moment for that client.   Michael Hingson ** 28:42 There you go. You know, my master's degree is in physics. I never thought that I would be a full time public speaker and doing a podcast and so on. But I also from physics went my first job was doing something not directly related to physics, but it was involving high tech. And the reason physics helped me there is that it really taught me all the values of technology and to be curious about technology. And then, after starting that job, three years later, I ended up going into sales. And one of the things that physics really taught me was, professors always said, you really have to pay attention to all details. Don't make assumptions. That helped me a great deal in sales and then with sales and doing sales for 22 years, until September 11, and I still sale sell, but now it's not technology sales, but still, it was all about being curious, all about paying attention to the details and learning to communicate with people and hello that led to public speaking. So I really do believe that all the things that we do help us build toward whatever it is that we do now and whatever is. Next, whatever that is,   Danielle Marshall ** 30:03 certainly, and it   Michael Hingson ** 30:04 makes perfect sense that I'm, you know, so that's why I was really curious about speech pathology. And I had never thought about the fact that, yes, that you have to really slow down, and that's a very important thing in all the things that you're doing today, because it also helps you be a better listener   Danielle Marshall ** 30:22 that is critical to the work that I do. And you know, Michael, I'm also an executive coach, and so listening feels like it falls into the very essence of my work. I am there to ask people questions and obviously listen to their responses, or maybe not so obviously, but that is what I am I'm doing is I'm listening to hear maybe the things that go unsaid as well. What am I noticing in the conversation that might be helpful for the client to ultimately get to this place of greater understanding by just listening back to their own words   Michael Hingson ** 30:56 and maybe echoing them back and making them listen to them?   Danielle Marshall ** 30:59 Yes, so sometimes I have to stop and just say, I want to, I want to offer a noticing with your permission, right? And I'd like to repeat back to you something that you said, like, how does that land on you? So when we're having those conversations, you know, we we talk so much as people that we don't often listen to ourselves as we're saying that, you know. And I kind of joke with people in that game show that was around years ago. And people would say, like, Is that your final answer? Yeah, because I want you to really make sure that you've had time to think about what you've said. And yeah, and make modifications if you need to.   Michael Hingson ** 31:34 The more it seems to me that you think about what you say, then the better you are at saying what you really want to say more quickly because you've really thought about it. And you, you develop that mind muscle, which is so important,   Danielle Marshall ** 31:49 yeah, I hadn't thought about it that way, but it does lead to a different level of efficiency, for sure, yeah, for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 31:55 But still, even even so, sometimes you say things and you, you didn't think them through, and it's a mind muscle that a lot of times we don't really develop very well, or not nearly as well as we could, but it makes a lot of sense to do it. Yeah,   Danielle Marshall ** 32:12 I think it speaks to our ability to really dive into introspection, right? And to self reflect as a normal practice in our world. Very few people that I talk to spend much time on it, like they will do some self reflection, but it's not a normal practice for them. And the thing is, when I consider, for instance, for me, it's writing, when I need to get clear on something I write, and the Writing helps me. It helps for my my business, because I'm able to publish lots of articles and blogs so forth. But the reason that they're coming out at the speed that they are is because I'll be gnawing on a question, right? Or I'll have had a conversation as as I'm digesting that I'm like, I just need to get it on paper so I can get out of my head and then look back at the notes that I've taken and say, does this actually jive with how you feel in this moment? Is there something that you might adjust to your way of thinking? And so regardless of whether you're doing the thinking in your head or on paper or, you know, out loud in conversation, there needs to be an opportunity to really sort of digest what your experiences are, to process them, because to the point that you made like you can call on the words a lot faster, because you're clear on your position, right? I know what my position is. I don't actually have to sit back and say, Hmm, I wonder about that, because I've thought about it already. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 33:32 I am a firm believer in introspection. I'm writing, well, I've written, and later in August of this year, my new book, live like a guide dog. True Stories from a blind man and his dogs about being brave, overcoming adversity and walking in faith, will be published. And one of the things that I talk about a lot is the whole concept of introspection, because I believe, and I've learned not to say I'm my own worst critic anymore, because I think that's so negative, but rather, I'm my own best teacher, and I only can teach myself when I really sit down and think about it. I've never been a great journalist, but typically I can do it by thinking about it, and then eventually, when I write something down, I'm writing it down because I'm creating an article or preparing for a podcast or whatever, and I'll look at it, and I might tweak it even then, but I do like to spend a lot of time thinking and looking at what I do and thinking about what I do, because I think it's so important, and I wish more of us would do more of that.   Danielle Marshall ** 34:38 Yeah, absolutely. I think there's just so much potential for growth. You know, when we're spending that time reflecting, how did I show up in the moment? You know, am I walking in alignment with my own values right now? Is there something I want to learn? There's just so many spaces that we could enter in when we quiet our minds long enough to just be present with what feels real for us   Michael Hingson ** 34:59 and. Is always time to do that. So many people I've heard say, but I don't really have time. Of course, you do. It's a matter of priority. Yeah,   Danielle Marshall ** 35:08 I'm laughing because I just talked about this earlier. I am in my world when people say they don't have time, it is often related to whether it is dei or leaning into cultural competencies and learning more about different cultures. And I would say to them, like, Hey, you develop these goals. Tell me a little bit about where you are. And oh, well, you know, I got busy, and so it didn't happen. But as a coach, my job is to probe a little bit deeper. And so as I'm listening to them say I got busy, I'm like, Well, what does that mean? And the reality is, we start to uncover some other things, and they're like, Well, you know, I have to have this really difficult conversation with someone at work, and that makes me uncomfortable. You know what? I'm too busy to handle this, right? Or they, they may default to something else where they're like, hey, you know, to learn more about cultural awareness, I actually have to examine my own culture and some of the elements that I may not like as much about my own cultural group. I don't want to do that. I'm really just too busy to dedicate the time, and so at the end of the day, it's kind of amusing, because I'm like, busyness is the default statement, but it is often the excuse, not the actuality of what's happening. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 36:16 that makes sense, and I buy that 100% makes perfect sense. How does cultural competency play into all that you do in terms of developing teams and working with organizations and so on?   Danielle Marshall ** 36:31 Yeah, cultural competency is is really core to the work at the end of the day. Because when we talk about this, and just for a pretty simple definition, for people who have not heard this before, is when we're talking about cultural competency. It's our ability to communicate, to interact, to work across cultural difference, you know? So if we're talking about culture again, it could be everything from disability. I will start with that now. Thank you, Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 36:55 you know, no pressure. You don't have to. That's okay. No, no   Danielle Marshall ** 36:59 pressure at all. But I, the thing is, I want people to see themselves in this, right? So any group, cultural group, where there are shared norms, patterns, values, right? How do you work across difference when you you're not a member of that group? How do you interact with people effectively? How do you communicate with them? And so cultural competence, competency is the ability to do just that. So when, when I think about the work that we're doing, that's really important, because people often will come in to the work and they believe that there is a particular right way to do things, and the fastest way to sort of negate that is, I'm like, I want you to actually think about your own culture. What's your background, what are the beliefs, the patterns, the norms that you grew up with, and also to be able to hear from other people, what are the you know, the norms, the values, the patterns that they grew up with? It's not that one is right or wrong, it's just the one that's familiar to you, thus is often your preference. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 37:55 yeah. And, and the the reality is that you're not the only game in town,   Danielle Marshall ** 38:01 exactly, and we are to work across difference. To be able to collaborate together, I must be able to recognize in you, okay, maybe we do move differently through the world, and even though it is a different choice than I personally might make based on my cultural background, it isn't right or wrong, it's simply different, different   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 I've thought a lot about disabilities, and one of the things that I felt was a challenge for people with disabilities, and you just made me think differently about it, is that the problem with with disabilities is that, in reality, the needs and most all of the issues regarding, let's say people who are blind are different from people who are in a wheelchair or different from people who are deaf or who may be on the who may be autistic or whatever. But the reality is, what I really just figured out, and should have figured out a long time ago, I have to hit myself upside the head later, is it's just as true for race, for for black or for Asian or whatever, it's the same thing. So it really isn't any more of a weakness for disabilities, other than maybe in some senses, physically, there are a lot more things that appear different, but the but the fact of the matter is, we all have differences in what we do, and that's the cultural differences,   Danielle Marshall ** 39:20 absolutely, and it's important, I think, for people to understand that no group of people is a monolith. Yeah, there are always going to be differences within us, you know. And I often for people that really can't see their way out of that, I will ask them to consider for a second, you know, if I said to you, Michael, are all blind, and I'm going to be very specific men the same, your answer would be, what? No, absolutely not, right? And yet we Yeah, make an assumption about other groups, like, well, you know, that's just how they are. And I'm like, Who's Who's they?   Michael Hingson ** 39:57 Who's they? Yeah, and. The reality is, a lot of people would say, well, all blind men are the same, and they're not,   Danielle Marshall ** 40:03 but, and that's exactly the problem. If we would not say within our own cultural group that everyone is exactly the same, we're familiar with it, right? We know we are not the same. I am not the same as every other black woman. You are not the same as every other white man. Like there are differences about us, and yet we are so quick to ascribe similarity to people that are different from us. I   Michael Hingson ** 40:26 know I'm a real oddity in things, but having never seen colors, personally, intellectually, I've never understood why people have a problem with race based on color. And I mean, I can really say that about myself, having never seen it and having not grown up. It's a really, I know, a strange feeling, but I know for me, it is strange to to see so many people looking down on people of a different color. I mean, I understand color. I understand the concept of it. Hey, I can talk about it in terms of wavelengths and Angstroms and all that all day long, but it's never been something that I really understand. Why do we even pay attention to it?   Danielle Marshall ** 41:11 Yeah, this is about dominance. I mean that. Yeah, that's true. Simple of it, yeah, when you think about race, race is a social construct, there is nothing that divides us. We may physically look different, but genetically, people are people. We are all the same in that way. But when we talk about the social construct of race, a person created this. People created this construct of race to establish dominance of certain groups over others. But here's the thing. So, you know, people will say really quickly to me, if it's socially constructed, why does it matter? And I'm like, it is a social construct that has real world implications, yes. And that is why we must continue to have this conversation about race in this country. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 42:01 And the operative part of that is have the discussion. There are those who don't want to have any discussion. They want to just ignore it, because they think they're the only ones who are right.   Danielle Marshall ** 42:14 That is, unfortunately, an ongoing challenge. And I wouldn't even say that just about race. I think there are some think they're right period. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 42:22 I mean, look at, look at different religious organizations. Um, so I'm glad I'm not God, because I'm, I'm with Mark Twain. I wonder if God had been in man because he was disappointed in the monkeys. But I, you know, I It's, it's, it's a challenge, because religiously, so many different religions say, Well, I'm the only one that's really right, yeah. But you know, if you say you believe in God and all that, why do you think that God thinks you're the only one that's right? Show us the proof.   Danielle Marshall ** 42:54 Yeah, it's complicated and but it's another example of why people haven't wanted to lean into these discussions for so long, it was not considered polite conversation to talk about politics, religion, money, those types of things, and yet, I would say the lack of having those conversations have led us to some severe consequences today. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 43:13 and part of it is that we've also forgotten how to really have a good conversation. It doesn't mean that we should take it personally. It doesn't mean that one side is right and the other side is wrong, and that shouldn't be about proving one side right the other side wrong. Should be about understanding. Yeah,   Danielle Marshall ** 43:30 you know, I think it's an opportunity to examine one's motives in the moment. Right listeners, I think it is. But for us to individually do it. What am I hoping to get out of this conversation? You know, for some people, they might want to prove a point. For others, they're going to enter the space, you know, desiring to learn. Others are just, you know, they're they're just filling time. Like, what is your motivation in this? And for me, you know, and I've told many people this at this point, especially doing the work that I do in dei they're like, Oh, don't you get tired of having to convince people about, you know, the different merits of diversity, equity and inclusion. And I'm like, Well, I understood a long time ago that diverse, excuse me, that convincing people is not my ministry. Yeah, I am here to walk alongside of people who want to be on this journey, who want to learn, who want to have curiosity towards the world, towards other groups, to self exploration. And so I think just knowing sort of what the purpose is in the conversation, even if I walk into something like my goal is always to just to learn, to listen, to learn something, even if I have something that I have something that I want to contribute and I have a very strong perspective on it, I still would like to understand what the other person's bringing to the table. And   Michael Hingson ** 44:47 you might change your perspective when you sit down and dwell on what was discussed   Danielle Marshall ** 44:51 absolutely and that that happens every day. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 44:55 I mentioned I have a master's degree in physics. I also, at the same time, got a secondary. Teaching Credential, and I used, and still use that knowledge of being a teacher every day. I use it in sales, because I learned through lessons, I was able to take in learning to be a good salesperson through the Dale Carnegie sales course that the best salespeople aren't really trying to convince you, oh, that may be their motivation. But what they're really trying to do is to teach you and guide you, and at the same time, deciding, is my product the best product for you or not? And the really good salespeople, if their product isn't the one that's going to work for you, will be honest enough to tell you that? Yeah,   Danielle Marshall ** 45:41 absolutely. And as we see with salespeople, there are many different approaches people take. And so, you know, you're if it's not my particular way, there's someone else out there that may offer a different perspective, a different philosophy on these things, and I think that's okay, that we have multiple sort of entry points into this work. I   Michael Hingson ** 46:01 love watching other sales people in action. I've learned every time I do. And as you said, it's all about learning. It's my motivation as well. I love being on these podcasts because, as I've told many people, if I'm not learning at least as much as everyone else, I'm not doing my job very well. And it's so fun to be able to have meaningful discussions and learn so much from so many people who come from different perspectives and have their own knowledge bases which are different than mine, and I get to at least be allowed to share in that with them, which is so cool,   46:38 absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 46:41 So one of the things that and I mentioned, live like a guide dog, and live like a guide dog really is motivated as a book to teach people that they can control fear and that that fear doesn't need to blind you, as I put it, or paralyze you or overwhelm you. You know, September 11 happened, and I wasn't afraid. And I wasn't afraid because of the fact that I learned in advance how to deal with emergencies at the World Trade Center, because I moved into the to the complex, and we opened our office in August of 2000 but even before then, while we were setting it up, I knew that there had been a bombing in 1993 and I decided early on, you know, if there's a gonna be another attack on the World Trade Center, I better know all I can about this year place. And so I learned where everything was, but I also spent a lot of time talking to the emergency preparedness people, the fire people, the Port Authority, police and so on, and I learned what to do. And it wasn't until much later that I realized that all that knowledge helped me develop a mindset that said you know what to do in the case of an emergency. So I really advocate very strongly when I get a chance to talk about being safe and emergency preparedness, don't rely on signs. Learn the information so that you really know what to do, which most people you know, don't they, they figure, I'm just going to be able to see the sign, and that works until you can't because you're in a smoke filled room, but, but fear is, is all around us, and we don't really learn to control it. And I think society, all too often, really, in a lot of ways, encourages us to be afraid, way too much. But fear is is something that people just hate to talk about, like in professional growth and so on. How do you deal with that?   Danielle Marshall ** 48:30 I definitely appreciate that. You know when I when I think about fear? For me, it can be either a catalyst or an inhibitor, sort of a choose your own adventure concept, because you get to decide how you're going to approach it. But you know, when I think about fear, and I'm going to, you know, back this up to the work that I do around Dei, around cultural, culture in general, I think fear has the potential to raise our self awareness. If I walk into something and I'm I'm fearful, all of a sudden, there's someone who's different from me, right? They're a different religion, they speak a different language, they look different. Why am I experiencing that fear in that moment? Right? So I'm raising my self awareness by being able, again, to introspect on this, to really dig a little bit deeper. So that's that's one piece of it, like it points to the things that can help us then to grow we're the places that we need to focus on, you know? And I'll use just an example again, like a common fear is public speaking. And so is that something that you should really be fearful of, or is it simply a acknowledgement that, hey, I could work on my public speaking skills, right? I could practice in the mirror as a starting point. I could talk to a group of friends, you know, and just have a presentation in my living room. It is pointing us to skills we're not necessarily saying you have to get on a stage and deliver a TED talk as an. Example, right? Like, what are the small steps one can take to start to be able to build up those competencies more and so, like, when I think about fear, I think there's, it's, it's an opportunity to grow.   Michael Hingson ** 50:12 I believe that's absolutely correct. Fear is a is a very powerful tool that we can use in so many things that we do in our lives, and that it doesn't need to be the thing that overwhelms us and prevents us from making intelligent decisions. It's a it's a great motivator, it's a great tool, and it's a wonderful gift that if we would embrace it and use it properly, would help us a great deal in all that we do. Yeah, and unfortunately, again, I see in our world, with all the political things going on and so on, so many people are just fomenting and promoting fear. And too many people are buying into it rather than being able to step back from it, because we just haven't ever learned to do that. Yeah, there's   Danielle Marshall ** 51:00 a fear economy. There are people who legitimately profit from fear tactics. So whether that be in our politics, whether it be how we're looking at different medicines that, you know, just remember, yes, exactly, we're still there, you know, by now, because it's the last one, you're not going to put that fear in you, or you're not going to be able to make it through life if you don't own one of these things. And so I don't know there's so many things that come to mind as I make that statement, but I   Michael Hingson ** 51:31 was watching, I watched some old TV in the morning, and I love to watch the commercials, because at least half of them, they say you got to buy this now, because due to supply chain shortage, this is maybe the last time that you can get it, and the commercial has been going on for a year. So, you know, yeah, exactly. It's interesting.   Danielle Marshall ** 51:50 There's one of my favorite department stores that's been having a one day sale every day for as long as I can remember. Yeah, I just kind of think that is ironic. If I should ever come back again into this world, maybe I'm coming back as an advertising psychologist, because I find it quite fascinating. Um, but yeah, fear. Fear, to me, is one of those things that I think that if we are willing to embrace it, if we are willing to be able to think a little bit about what is driving our fear, there's so much potential there, because even in my coaching work, what I see with clients really quickly is like, if you can name the fear, right, give it a name, say exactly what it is, you can start to develop techniques to mitigate that fear, if you will. It goes unnamed. It's really hard to address, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 52:40 because then you're, you don't know what it is you're really dealing with, but if you can think about it, then you can go back and oh, okay, now let's figure out how we deal with that,   Danielle Marshall ** 52:49 yeah, or how I get support in dealing with it. Not everything is going to be within our wheelhouse, yeah? And I was,   Michael Hingson ** 52:55 I was including it all of one lump sing, one lump sum thing. But you're right. There's nothing wrong. And too many people are afraid of this. There's nothing wrong with looking for support, eliciting support from other people. And all too often, we think that, Oh, I got to do this on my own. I wouldn't be as big a person, especially a macho man, if I have to go off and ask for support, that's funk. Yeah, I love teamwork. I have written all of my books in a teaming relationship, and other people have been involved, and I love that. It's so much fun to do, because I learn other perspectives along the way, and I think it makes for better books.   Danielle Marshall ** 53:40 Yeah, I can definitely appreciate that. I mean, so much of my work is centered around including multiple voices and perspectives on things. We cannot be effective in this work if we center it only on a singular voice or a singular group. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 53:55 you've said that pre one precursor to building confidence is being courageous. Where have you had an example of really being courageous or dealing with fear love? A story. Stories are always fun,   Danielle Marshall ** 54:08 you know? I There's so many things that come to mind, like when I, when I hear that question, because it is, you know, and actually, I'm going to go back to high school again. I'll give you, I'll give you two stories here, when I was in high school, I also had that fear of public speaking, right? It terrified me to think that I'd have to get on a, you know, in front of an audience, of whether that would be in front of a classroom or on a stage, etc. And I remember, and this is so interesting, because it's telling of like how I've sort of arrived again to where I am today, but I have this memory of just saying to myself one time, their student government was going to be opening up some positions for the senior class in the upcoming year, and I said, I want to run for my high school treasurer. In order to run for a treasurer, I had to get on a stage. Age, I had to give a speech, I had to talk to the entire student body of our senior class. And I was like, This is the worst idea ever, right? Like, I'm having that moment. I was like, Why did you think this was okay? And I said, you know, I don't know what's going to happen in this moment, but I certainly know this is the one thing I do know about fear. If you do not address it, it is not going anywhere. And so for me, the strategy, even from my high school days, was to lean into things. The issue wasn't that I wasn't able to speak to people, right? I was fine in smaller groups, but it was terrifying to think about getting on a stage and taking, like, a public position on a particular thing. But over the years, I just did a little bit more and a little bit more, you know. So when I started my first job in the in the nonprofit sector, you know, I was a program coordinator, and so I had to train a small team of volunteers on something. And so now I'm taking material that I didn't even create at the time, and I'm making sure I understand them so that I can train these people. And then I went on to, you know, start doing more training at a much larger scale, where I'm I'm traveling around the country, and then it is all of a sudden, oh, I'm standing on stages, and there are 500 people. There are 1000 people in the audience. I'm doing podcasts, and lo and behold, the very thing that I was most fearful of when I was in high school is the thing I've become. I am now a public speaker.   Michael Hingson ** 56:29 Yeah, I remember speaking in small groups or selling. You never know where you're going to be selling on any given day, whether it's to a board of a financial organization or to IT people or whatever, and that taught me to be comfortable in groups. But the first time I was asked to speak about September 11 was when I was called by Minister two weeks afterwards. So it was like on Monday the Well, probably the 23rd or maybe it was even a couple of days before then. And he said, we're holding a service for all the people who we lost in New Jersey, and we'd like you to come. And I said, Okay, well, where? And he said, it's going to be an outdoor service. And I said, Great. And then I I asked the question, how many people are going to be there? Probably about 6000 and you know what didn't bother me, of it, I said, Great. So that was my first speech to 6000 people. And you know, it was fun for a lot of reasons. It was, was very enjoyable. You know, I shouldn't say enjoyable, because it was a sense of sad occasion, but I was able to do it, and hopefully inspired some people, and and my wife and I went down and I did it, and it worked out really well, but 6000 people wasn't bad. It's a good start.   Danielle Marshall ** 57:58 That is a fantastic start. Welcome.   Michael Hingson ** 58:02 So can you tell us a story where you really saw in an organization or some people, just a real transformation, and the success of what you teach about dei and the principles and so on?   Danielle Marshall ** 58:18 Sure, you know, I was, I was thinking a little bit about dei and specifically coaching leaders. I I think what is really important when I think about some of the clients that I've served, is is this idea that talk about fear again, right? What stops them from moving forward, in a lot of cases, has been the fear of the unknown, right? These big issues feeling like they have to fix the world. And so where I've seen success with with certain clients in particular, is that they've been able to figure out how the application of Dei, how the application of cultural competencies, can be contextualized for their organization, their mission, the thing that they are most focused on. And so in in that, whether you are an arts based organization or you are, you know, teaching children how to read, how do the principles of racial equity, of cultural norms and values, how do they apply to the realm of work that you're doin

There has been so much speculation about the videos and images of instances where a Jellyfish UFO / UAP has been caught on camera. From secret military drone tech, to extraterrestrial craft, to an alien organic lifeform, to interdimensional entities, and even Djinn demons. In this episode of Shifting the Paradigm, MUFON Director of International Investigations, Bob Spearing delivers a shocking and insightful presentation regarding this unusual phenomenon.Bob Spearing graduated from Fordham University in 1981 with a B.A. in Communications with Journalism, Advertising, Public Opinion, Propaganda, and Film Production as major concentrations. Bob retired from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in 2019 after 34 years of service. His many duties included being an FRA licensed Rail Traffic Controller and Locomotive Engineer. While in management, he was a Safety Investigator, Contract Administrator, prepared multi-million-dollar budgets, wrote contracts, produced training videos, managed public relations, logistics for concerts and cultural festivals, and curated historical railroad exhibitions at a major regional transportation hub. He had 3 UFO sightings himself and it was enough to capture his interest and research the phenomenon.Bob joined The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) in 2014 as a Field Investigator and is currently Director of International Investigations. Bob has appeared in several episodes of the 2019 Travel Channel television series “UFOs: The Lost Evidence” as a photo analyst. In a February 2023 Ancient Aliens episode on the History Channel in February he appeared as a MUFON field investigator.He will be in a 2024 Netflix Documentary called The UFO Game and is filming a segment for Ron James' movie sequel An Accidental Truth NEXT. Bob was MUFON's Field Investigator of the Year in 2018 and Volunteer of The Year in 2023. Bob has long been involved with MUFON's various special projects including the Project Aquarius Digital Library historical reports archiving project, the Pine Bush, N.Y. UFO Museum, and the MUFON Members Social Network. He has had numerous articles published in various UFO related magazines around the world like Outer Limits Magazine, Shadows of Your Mind Magazine, UFOTruth Magazine and the MUFON Journal. He also writes articles for the MUFON Newsletter and their website MUFON.COM and speaks at various UFO conventions around North America specifically on Patterns in UFO Reports. If you enjoy the show, please leave a 5 star review..!!To see the VIDEO of this episode, click or copy link - http://youtu.be/enevQ1mM5SY❤️ EXCLUSIVE FREE MERCH INCLUDED & BEHIND-THE-SCENES ONLY FOR MY SUPPORTERS ON PATREON ➔ https://www.patreon.com/paradigm_shifts/membershipVisit my website with Articles, Videos, and Podcast direct links - https://strangeparadigms.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/strange-and-unexplained--5235662/support.

Tapping? EFT? What are they? In our episode this time Brad Yates will tell us all about these incredible tools and how they can benefit each of us. Brad grew up thinking he wanted to be an actor. He attended the University of California at Irvine, my alma mater. He majored in Drama.   After college he began working to create and grow an acting career. Along the way he met a woman and married her. As he worked at becoming an actor he began to feel that perhaps acting was not going to be what he should do full time.   He finally decided that helping people was his real life's calling. He took a course in hypnotherapy. He became a hypnotherapist and along the way learned about this tool called “tapping”. I get to participate in a tapping demo as you will see. Briefly, tapping utilizes many of the same techniques and areas of acupuncture, but instead of needles you use your finger tips to address certain locations on your body. Tapping is becoming more accepted as Brad proved by working with the Sacramento Drug Court for three years where he helped addicts coming out of jail to overcome life and physical challenges.   This episode is fascinating and invaluable on many levels. I hope you enjoy it and will visit Brad's website, www.tapwithbrad.com. Brad is truly unstoppable.       About the Guest:   Brad Yates has had the privilege and pleasure of working with a diverse group of clients, from CEOs to professional and NCAA athletes, from chiropractors and psychiatrists to corporate and federal attorneys, from award-winning actors to residents at a program for homeless men and women in Santa Monica. For several years he taught a weekly class using EFT and guided imagery at Sacramento Drug Court.   Brad has also been a presenter at a number of events, including several International Energy Psychology Conferences and Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success event. He's done teleseminars with “The Secret” stars Bob Doyle and Dr. Joe Vitale and have been a featured expert in every Tapping World Summit.   He is the author of the best-selling children's book “The Wizard's Wish”, the co-author of the best-seller “Freedom at Your Fingertips,” a featured expert in the film “The Tapping Solution” (along with Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor, Dr. Norman Shealy and Dr. Bruce Lipton), and has been heard internationally on a number of internet radio talk shows.   Brad also has over 1000 videos on YouTube, that have been viewed over 47 million times. More info is available at www.tapwithbrad.com   Ways to connect with Brad:   Website: https://www.tapwithbrad.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tapwithbrad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TapWithBrad Instagram: http://instagram.com/tapwithbrad TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tapwithbrad Twitter: http://twitter.com/tapwithbrad LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapwithbrad/       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 ** 00:16 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.   Brad Yates ** 02:04 Oh, thank you so much. Michael, I'm honored to be here. And, yeah, I think it's up to 47 million now.   Michael Hingson ** 02:10 47 I was afraid that I got that wrong. Yeah,   Brad Yates ** 02:12 that's all right.   Michael Hingson ** 02:14 It's okay. It's   Brad Yates ** 02:15 a lot of time. I'm honored that that so many people have found it helpful and and then it continues to grow at   Michael Hingson ** 02:24 1000 videos. That's 47,000 views per video, so that's not too bad. Yeah,   02:30 yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 02:31 take the average. Well, I really appreciate you being here. And one other thing that Brad and I just discovered about each other is we are both graduates of UC Irvine, so we're both anteaters, and as we always say, there you go. Well, why don't we start tell us a little bit about the early Brad growing up and stuff. Yeah, why not?   Brad Yates ** 02:56 Well, so I, I went to Irvine as a drama major, because it had a really great drama department. So coming out of high school, I was an actor. What I intended to do, and got my degree in drama. It as I was just telling you, it took some a little bit of time off during college to go study acting in London. And then out of college, got a job with a traveling children's theater, traveled the world, performed in all kinds of exotic locations, like Italy, Australia, Fiji, Waukegan, Illinois, you know, hit all the big places and and then after a little bit of that, I decided it's time to go to Hollywood to go my movie star. And then while I was there, I I met a woman, fell in love and got married, and when our first child was on the way, I thought, you know, I might need a backup career. So I saw an ad for a hypnotherapy school, and I thought, wow, I've always been fascinated by the power of the mind. I'll I'll check that out, and did that, started building a small hypnotherapy practice while still pursuing my acting career. And then after a couple of years, when our second child was on the way, I realized that as much as I loved acting, doing personal development work was really my calling, that's really what I was meant to do. It just just so satisfying. So we left Los Angeles, moved up to northern California to be closer to our families, and had the kids close to their grandparents. And through some other hypnotherapists, I heard about this, this tapping thing, this energy psychology conference going on in Las Vegas. And I thought, Wow, that sounds interesting. And when we did this technique where we were just tapping using acupuncture points and tapping on our face to down regulate stress, it was just really amazing, especially when one of the examples you used was. Was he gave everybody pieces of chocolate, and we tapped on chocolate cravings. And after a couple of minutes, I could not eat the chocolate, and I didn't eat chocolate for two years after that, I eventually recovered. I got better, but so that I just thought, wow, this is an amazing technique. And I started introducing into my hypnotherapy sessions, and little they became tapping sessions and put it on YouTube, and here we are.   Michael Hingson ** 05:25 Wow. So you you use a lot of interesting techniques. Tell me about guided imagery. What is that?   Brad Yates ** 05:36 That's the the name that I give to hypnosis is still a type of hypnosis, just allowing people to go into that, that different state of mind and create images that are designed to enhance one's well being, enhance their success mindset, even enhance their unstoppable mindset, and allowing them to to find those ways of accessing more powerful and more empowering parts of themselves. So while my original sessions used to be all hypnotherapy, now I usually end a session with just what I call a guided imagery, just taking people through to use it to very nurturing process for mind and body. So   Michael Hingson ** 06:23 what is it that you do? Are they actually under hypnosis during guided imagery, or are you helping people to really learn to imagine and and use their minds to to explore images and explore whatever it is that that you're talking about without actually going through the whole hypnotic process.   Brad Yates ** 06:43 Well, I do. I start with a progressive relaxation, which is the hypnotic induction that a lot of people use. It's not the the induction. I as a hypnotherapist, I used a number of different inductions with with this, because I'm often working with large audiences, I do just a progressive relaxation, but it does take many folks into a very deep, hypnotic trance, and some others, not so much, but, but to a very relaxed place where they're more open to suggestion. And then I'll do it. It'll be a guided meditation of looking at what do they want to create, and how do they access that? And it, it's always it's always intuitive. For me, I very rarely know what I'm going to do until I start talking to them and taking them down. And then, generally, because I've done it at the end of a tapping session, and I know what the person is working on and what their challenges are, I'll generally come up with some sort of imagery that is related to what we've been working on, just sort of seal in the work that we've done with the tapping   Michael Hingson ** 07:56 well. And as long as we're doing that, then tell me about tapping. What, what that is logical. Logical thing. Since you brought it up, guided imagery.   Brad Yates ** 08:07 Mainly what I do my website is tap with Brad. So it's all about the the tapping. It based on acupuncture. So for 1000s of years in Chinese medicine, they have said there's a flow of energy through the body along these pathways that are called meridians. And when this energy is flowing naturally, we experience our natural state of health and well being, physically and emotionally. And when this energy gets stuck or disrupted, we don't feel so good, and that keeps us from thinking clearly. We don't make the best decisions, and that has all kinds of unfortunate consequences. So in traditional Chinese medicine, the doctor would stick needles in these key points along around the face and torso and the body to stimulate that healthy flow of energy. And we're just tapping with our fingertips to stimulate those same points. It's kind of a type of acupressure to get that flow of energy going. We have a growing body of scientific research validating it as a very profound tool for down regulating stress. And when you realize that stress either causes or worsens most, if not all, of the issues that trouble us, both physically and emotionally, then having a very simple tool for down regulating stress and balancing the nervous system is can be a profound benefit in in life in general, for our health and well being, but also pretty much any area of our lives.   Michael Hingson ** 09:36 So you talk about Emotional Freedom Techniques is, is essentially guided imagery, and tapping part of what that means. Well, the   Brad Yates ** 09:45 the Emotional Freedom Techniques is the is one version of the tapping modality. It was developed out of a another tapping modality called fought field therapy. The psychologist named Dr Roger Callahan and. Who had been working with this woman with a lifelong water phobia, and after working with him for a year and a half, and she was about 40, had been in therapy all of her life. After a year and a half with him, she could be outdoors near swimming pool and not have be too disturbed, but she had to be looking away from the water. But she was, you know, very, very bothered by bodies of water and any water. So he had been expanding his horizons, learning different things. Was taking a course in acupressure. And one day, he said, Well, what's the physical sensation when you have this water fear? And she said, Well, I get a knot in my stomach. And he said, Okay, well, this this key point for the stomach meridians right here under the eye. Let's see what happens if we tap there. And after just a few moments of tapping, she said, it's gone. And he said, Well, what's gone? She said, the fear. And she runs out of the house towards the swimming pool. And he's running after saying, Wait, stop. She goes, Stop, just It's okay. I know I don't know how to swim, but she got down by the pool and started splashing water in her face. And she said, this doesn't bother me at all. And naturally thought, well, this is very interesting. So he started experimenting with different patients, and found that with different emotional issues, he it was beneficial to use different points in different sequences. And within a year, he put himself out of business because all of his patients who had been coming to him on a weekly basis were now, hey, I'm fine, see ya. So he started teaching this process called that. He called thought field therapy, and one of his first students was a gentleman named Gary Craig, and you'll appreciate this. Gary got his degree in engineering. He he had his degree from from Stanford, and was very interested in personal development, and was taking this learning this process. And he said, Well, it's it. This is very complicated, coming up with these different algorithms of which points to tap in which sequences, and there's eight points that we're using. So what if we just tap these eight points top to bottom in one sequence and simplify it? You know, as an engineer trying to simplify what's there? Yeah, and found that he was getting the same great results. So he called this version of tapping Emotional Freedom Techniques. And a lot of us, the the tapping that many of us do is based on EFT there. There are sometimes some differences, because each person does it a little bit differently. So the general term over that all is, is tapping coming from my background as Hypnotherapist. I then just add on guided imagery as as part of the work that I do   Michael Hingson ** 12:43 still extremely interesting and clearly beneficial. What about how it's accepted in Western culture, Western medicine and so on? Just like acupuncture, it seems to me, there's usually a lot of resistance to some of this stuff in the in the Western world, yet it clearly works. Yeah,   Brad Yates ** 13:06 yeah. There is, there is still some resistance. There's a growing number of people who are introducing it. There are MDS and PhDs who use it. I it. One of the most flattering things for me is when I hear from a licensed therapist saying, Oh yeah, I send people to watch your videos as homework in between our sessions. So there is that, as I said, there's a growing body of scientific evidence showing it the APA, the Association of psychology, the American Psychology Association has not fully accepted, at this point as an evidence based process, a dear friend of mine in Australia, Dr Peter Stapleton, who is a clinical psychologist. She's a psychology professor at Bond University, and when she was first introduced to this, she thought, I'm a scientist. This is ridiculous. And then she experimented with and found that it was very beneficial. And she's led a lot of the research, doing research such as with cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone, where we see the dramatic reduction in cortisol after tapping. She's done fMRI studies, where you can see the brain activity and how, after the tapping, the parts of the brain that are lighting up are no longer they're now normalized. So she has, she has been working with the AP sheet. She followed all of their guidelines to to meet the criteria for evidence based practice. And they said, Well, we're changing our guidelines. She'll love it, and she's done studies with up against cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is the gold standard of therapy, and in the studies that they did, the. EFT group got the results quicker, and the results lasted longer than CBT, but the people running that involved in CBT said, Well, when you publish the findings, you can only say that EFT was non inferior to CBT,   Michael Hingson ** 15:19 and she'll love it.   Brad Yates ** 15:21 Yeah. So little by little, little by little, we're making headway.   Michael Hingson ** 15:25 Well, so how does tapping really affect people's ability to make choices and and improve or or achieve better results in their worlds?   Brad Yates ** 15:36 Yeah? Well, when we look at it, most of the choices that we make are made on an emotional level. Well, most of the choices we make are we do unconsciously. 80 to 90% of the choices are we're doing the same choices make having the same thoughts as yesterday. And we so often make choices and we don't even realize that we're doing it. So we say we want to get healthy, but then we find ourselves halfway through a box of cookies going, ooh, how did that happen? And and it's we want to be compassionate with ourselves. So so often we beat ourselves up for these choices, but we're just trying to take care of ourselves. There's a part of us that says I'm uncomfortable. Cookies tend to make me feel better. I'm just trying to take care of myself. So we're trying to soothe an emotional discomfort, and that's what tapping does. Tapping soothes that emotional discomfort. So rather than eating doing stress eating, we can do the tapping to calm ourselves down. And then what happens when we go into stress? We go into some level of fight or flight, where the sympathetic nervous system kicks in and we're cortisol is pumping we're trying to prepare ourselves to fight or freeze. And the prefrontal cortex, our rational mind, where we make all of our best choices goes Bye, bye. Yeah. So when we're in that stress point, we're not making those good choices. But with the tapping we calm that down, we engage the parasympathetic nervous system, get our get the blood flowing back into the prefrontal cortex, and we make much better choices. So we're able to look at what do I really want in terms of my health, in terms of my well being, in terms of my finances, in terms of my career, all of that stuff, we're now able to make much better choices, and we get better results. I was talking to someone about tapping for money. I have a number of videos on money, and someone said, Now, how can tapping on your face make a difference in your financial life? I said, Well, would you agree that your behavior has something to do with your financial situation? And she's like, Well, yeah. And I said, would you agree that stress has something to do with your behavior? Yeah, okay, so therefore, ergo something that can down regulate stress can benefit how you the behavior that you have which can benefit your finances.   Michael Hingson ** 18:04 So what did she say to that? She was   Brad Yates ** 18:07 like, Well, okay, you got me. And in terms of, you know, I love the title of your show about being unstoppable, it's, it's, I did a program for a group called the unstoppable foundation that builds schools in Africa. Cynthia Kersey and I actually have a just a video that I made years ago called being unstoppable, because it's looking at what stops us. What are those things when, when we look at what we want to create and what, what's the kind of life that we want to have? And we might have some ideas, and then we say, No, I couldn't do that because of this, because of that. And and that's just we have old programming that has an emotional charge on it that creates this stress. It's like put an electric fence around us, and it stops, and we say, Oh, I can't go past this point. This is out of my comfort zone. It doesn't feel safe. And so by clearing out that stress, we expand that comfort zone, and we become more unstoppable.   Michael Hingson ** 19:16 One of the things that I have been working on is starting to help people understand that when a major crisis occurs in our life, like for me, when I was in the World Trade Center and it was attacked on September 11, so I wasn't afraid. I'm not going to say, well, I shouldn't say I wasn't afraid, but I was not and did not allow fear to overwhelm me, or, as I put it, blind me to being able to act. And the reality is that fear is something that we can control, and if we if we work at it, we can teach people that, in fact, you can use fear. Is a very powerful tool to guide you. It keeps you it can keep you more alert. It can keep you more focused, and that you don't have to be blinded or overwhelmed just because you're in the middle of a building and something happened now one, one of the things for me is that I and all the people who I was with and who were around me as we were going down the stairs. Had no idea what happened. We did figure out an airplane must have hit the building because we were smelling the fumes from burning jet fuel, but we had no idea what really happened, other than an airplane hit the building. And as I love to tell people you know, who always say to me, Well, you couldn't possibly have known because you couldn't see it. My immediate response was, you don't know what kind of imagination I have. I've been watching too much science fiction for years. You have no clue. But the reality is, of course, eyesight had nothing to do with it. The plane hit 1840 on the other side of the building, so no one knew. No one saw that. Yeah, Superman and X ray vision just aren't there, you know? But I had learned what to do. I had spent a lot of time studying, talking to the emergency preparedness people, the Port Authority, police and so on, so I knew what to do in an emergency. And the mindset kicked in, and I realized that for 22 years after that, I've not really talked to people about how they can learn to control fear, but rather I've just talked about the fact that I chose not to really be afraid. So it's it's interesting listening to you, because clearly talking about things like Emotional Freedom Techniques and especially tapping, might be a more direct way to help people really get to the point of understanding that we can control fear and it doesn't need to overwhelm us. Yeah,   Brad Yates ** 21:56 absolutely, absolutely in the moment. You know, people talk about, oh, the negative emotions like fear and anger. And I say, no, there are no negative emotions. There are uncomfortable emotions, and we don't want to stay stuck in them, but they all serve a purpose, and the so called negative emotions are our warning signals. They're there to tell us, hey, here's something you need to pay attention to, right? Just as you said. So you use fear to go, Okay, I want to pay attention. But so for me, it's like having a smoke detector in your house, and when there's it gets triggered, the alarm goes off, but the alarm is just there to tell you, hey, you need to pay attention to something. Go check if there's a fire someplace, yeah, and, and then you can put it out. But with so many of us with these emotions, especially anger, but, but in many ways, fear, with the trigger goes off and the smoke alarms going off, and we just run around going, Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness, there's an alarm going off. It's like, okay, that doesn't help. You're supposed to actually take action, so you use that as a signal to check, and you go into the kitchen go, oh, there is no fire. It's just a misunderstanding. Or, you know, it often happens when we're cooking, and the fire alarm goes off because it detects the smoke, even though there's no actual fire. So it could be just a mistake and but we are. We sometimes get so triggered that we that we go into this panic mode, and the prefrontal cortex shuts down, as I was saying earlier, and we don't think clearly, so we don't make great choices, so we the the tapping allows us to hear the alarm and calm down that panic and go, Okay, let me. Let me figure this out. And what you were saying about how you were so prepared, I think it's something they talk about in navy seals, is you don't, you don't rise to your potential. You fall to your training and and that habit, and I had, I when we when we first spoke a couple weeks ago, and I had said something about, in some ways, your lack of sight as a superpower, because you have spent, rather than being stopped you. I mean, you truly are a hero of being unstoppable in terms of, you know, what you've achieved, and the things when you talked about riding a bike, I'm like, wow, so, but because of that situation, you don't take as much for granted as as some other people. And so you had done the your your due diligence in learning the safety things and talking to Port Authority that a lot of people take for granted. And so in that moment, as you said, you, you had that training. You, you built that in. It wasn't I have to now figure out, Oh, my goodness, there's emergency let me now go look at the emergency manual that I have taken for granted. Just assume I'll be able to look at that when the time comes. You know, it's like, yeah, I. Know what to do with this, and, you know, benefited all the people that were there in your office. So, but it's, it's a great tool for, it's great tool for clearing stress that has been held in our body. You know, Dr Bessel van der Kolk the one of the premier experts in trauma. His book is called The Body Keeps the Score, so we have this stored trauma in our body, and with the tapping, we can release that. But it's also great for in the moment, having that, I have reached out and talked to some first responders about being able to having this be a tool in their tool kit, so that when they're dealing with someone who is in this elevated state of fight or flight, to be able to use this to quickly calm down the nervous system, so that they can be more present, more more able to do what they need to do and or tell what they Need to tell.   Michael Hingson ** 26:01 I like your an example or analogy of using it in comparing it to a fire alarm, because the the reality is, the fire alarm goes off and you and if you are able to not just run around, but go investigate and you discover that there is a serious fire in the kitchen or in the garage. The point is, though, that again, you can panic, or you can have spent time training and thinking about such things, and so you know what you can do and what your options are. And the reality is, that's what it's really about. You know, there was no way to control the airplanes hitting the buildings, and that happened. And of course, the buildings could have collapsed, and there we all were, and we would have been smushed, but that but until that happened, the bottom line is, that's not what was going on. And so we had the option to then choose which is the operative part of it, what to do. And for me, I made a choice because I had learned what to do. And I think that's that's the issue. And sighted people could do that as well. But as you point out, they realized so much on just Oh, I could go look at the manual. Well, that doesn't work when you have the emergency. You're already in the middle of it. Did you really prepare? And that's what people need to do a lot more of, is taking the time to really prepare. And that's why I've just written a book. It'll be published later this year, called Live like a guide dog, and it talks about controlling fear. And the reason that we titled it that was that in reality, I've used lessons I've learned from observing eight guide dogs on my wife's service dog and things that they showed at challenging times that did teach me a lot more about learning to and helping Control fear or being afraid and being able to use that fear in a in a positive and constructive way to be able to survive and move on. Yeah,   Brad Yates ** 28:09 yeah. So listening to the hearing the fire alarm and going, Oh, this is, this is telling me to go do something just like in the in the fire station, if there's a fire an alarm goes off. And because of their training, they go, Oh, time to suit up and sit up and go, yeah, not, not. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness, there's alarm going off, yeah, which is what so many of us do, because we take things for granted and and then it triggers that, that fight or flight, and we have a lot of programming about, well, if I'm not afraid, then I'm not taking it seriously. And and I'll say to folks, well, if you're crossing the street, you know, you look both ways right to make sure that it's safe to cross the street, or you wait for the walk signal. You don't, but you don't stand there and go, Okay, there's a little green man on the walk signal. I can hear the signal chirping, saying it's safe to walk. I can look both ways and see there's no traffic, but first I better get myself worked up into a panic, because otherwise I'm not really going to pay attention. Yeah, no, we just calmly walk across so we can use common sense and recognize all right. I can pay attention to what's going on and not have those elevated levels of cortisol going on, and I don't need to have my prefrontal cortex shut down. I can actually allow myself to think more clearly. So I sometimes say that Emotional Freedom is the freedom to make better choices well, and   Michael Hingson ** 29:39 I know for me, so let's use your example with the traffic light and or when there isn't an audible traffic signal, and there doesn't need to be an audible traffic signal everywhere, like if you're at a straight crossing where you've got two streets that intersect, it's not like it's necessarily magical, but what I always do is listen. To see what the traffic's doing, right? And when I hear that the traffic is going the way I want to go, then I will start across. But even then, I listen again to make sure I'm not hearing a car that seems to be coming up fairly fast from behind me, that might suddenly turn in front of me, but I'll make a decision. And they do that sometimes. Oh,   Brad Yates ** 30:21 every morning, on my morning walk, Michael, I walk five miles every day. And, you know, every couple of weeks there's someone who is in a hurry, and they come whipping around, making a right hand turn without looking Yeah. So, yeah, you never know. So   Michael Hingson ** 30:38 I listen, and when I make the determination that I have enough time or or space to start across, I will and even then, if a car comes up faster than I expected, I I keep myself poised and ready to okay, if that car is coming, is it better to leap back to where I came from, or shoot the rest of the way across the street. And you have to have that awareness, because drivers are crazy. The other part about it is working with a guide dog. So I start, I tell the dog to go forward across the street, and the dog won't go. That tells me there's something else going on, like a hybrid vehicle turning that I don't happen to hear and I will follow the dog, because the dog's job is really to make sure that we stay safe. The dog doesn't know where I want to go, and I don't want the dog to know that, but the dog does have the option to prevent me from going if it thinks there's a problem. So it's a team effort, and that's fine, but the bottom line is that I've learned those skills. And you know, like in the World Trade Center, talking about the fire alarm went off. If I really wish that when we met firefighters coming up the stairs, they had told me what was going on. Because I know me, I love information, and it would have made some differences in some of the decisions that we made later, which, for example, put us like 100 yards from tower two when it collapsed because we didn't know what was going on. Oh, geez, you know. And if I had known that, we would have probably gone a different way. On the other hand, we were there and we ran and all that was fine, but still, I like information, but I know me, and I also know why they didn't say anything to anyone, because we asked, because they were afraid that it could cause a panic, and I'm sure with a lot of people, it would have so I understand that, but I would have liked to have known but they don't know me. They didn't know me. So, you know, we go on Right, right.   Brad Yates ** 32:43 Yeah, they can't take everything and go. Everybody else would panic. This guy looks like he's got a good head on your shoulders. He could probably handle the information and not and and if they had to appeal and panicked, you know, fewer people might have gotten out because of, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 32:58 yeah. Well, we worked really hard to keep people focused going down the stairs, and you know that so they they didn't panic, which was important. Well, so what are the areas for tapping that that work with Emotional Freedom Techniques with EFT? Because I'm sure there are a lot of things you can a lot of places to tap for one thing or another. But what do you mainly work on with EFT and tapping?   Brad Yates ** 33:20 I actually work with folks on all kinds of different things. I, you know, a lot of times it's, it's career success, people trying to up level their career and finding themselves stopping because, you know, fear, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of being seen. There's a lot of people, it's the idea of having more people find out about them, meaning more people that can be critical of them and judgmental of them. It feels very threatening. And so we work on that. I work with folks on self esteem issues, which is underneath a lot of the blocks in terms of relationships, in terms of so many areas of life, this pervasive feeling of not being good enough, of not being worthy, is out there, and it's a misunderstanding. So I I'll help people shift their mindset around that the problems we we we get very stuck on what we believe and how we do things, and when we try to make changes, part of our mind says that's threatening. What is familiar is safe. What is unfamiliar is dangerous, even if I'm looking and going, okay, but my life is not so great, and I can look over at this other possibility and say that would be much better. The part of the brain says, No, it's different. That's dangerous. And so we have a stress response that stops us from taking certain actions and and we become very stoppable. So So, and also, ultimately, in many ways, helping people become unstoppable is, uh. Is what it's all about in all kinds of different areas.   Michael Hingson ** 35:03 Can we teach our brain to think that difference isn't necessarily bad, and get out of that reaction? Because that's something that, of course, we hear all the time. People always talk about how change is all around us, but people hate change. Yes. Can we teach people that that's not necessarily the case?   Brad Yates ** 35:26 Yeah, that's and that's the the that's what, where the tapping really comes in, because it down regulates that, that stress that occurs. Yeah, we want, as a friend of mine says, everybody wants things to be different. They just don't want to change, you know, and, and because when we come up against some kind of change, we we have that, that stress response, like touching the electric fence and says, go back to where you were. And the tapping calms that down. So it's like cutting the wires to the electric fence, and we can see, oh, that's a misunderstanding, that thing that I was afraid of isn't really a threat to me. You know, obviously there are things that are real threats. In 911 there was a real threat, but most of the things that are stopping people on a day to day basis are absolutely imaginary and not, not an actual threat to our well being. It might be, it might bruise our ego, if it goes a certain way, but our ego can handle that. And so as we use this tool to create a feeling of safety, so as I look at, you know, if I, if I have, for instance, with money, people have a lot of old program about, you know, money is the root of all evil. So if I have, I may consciously say, of course, I want to make a lot more money, but if, unconsciously, I have this belief that money is the root of all evil, I don't want to be evil, so I'm going to block the amount of money I have. So if I have a get an interview for a job that's going to pay me a lot better, I might blow the interview. I might not even show up. I might totally forget to show up unconsciously. And I, you know, afterwards thinking, oh my goodness, I totally spaced that. Because I like to say that self sabotage is simply misguided. Self love. We're trying to protect ourselves. So these self sabotaging behaviors are an attempt to protect ourselves based on some old misunderstanding. So as we calm down that that the fear that causes us to to stop ourselves, and we look at and say, oh, you know what? I could handle having more money and in that job, I could be of a lot more service to more people, it would be so rewarding personally as well, and that that just creates that, that great opening for for amazing things to happen. Of   Michael Hingson ** 37:51 course, Steve Jones and Joe Vitale have been trying to teach that for a number of years. And I know you've done I've worked with both of them. You've worked with both of them before. Yes,   Brad Yates ** 37:59 I have a program with with Joe Vitale, a program called money beyond belief. And with Steve, we did a program called Confidence beyond belief. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 38:08 and, you know, the issue is that that we can, we can learn to deal with change, and it makes us a lot more powerful if, if we do that, and we do it consciously and do it the right way. Can anyone learn tapping and how to deal with Emotional Freedom Techniques? Yeah,   Brad Yates ** 38:27 pretty much it's it's a very simple technique of tapping with our fingertips on our face and torso. There are different places you can tap and and you can even gently hold or rub the points. For some folks who may not be physically capable of tapping all of the points, and a lot of people find it very beneficial just to imagine the tapping, they can also get a lot of benefits from that in because, you know, we send we send thought signals. We send electrical biochemical impulses to these different nerves and different muscles. So we're able to do it that way as well.   Michael Hingson ** 39:08 So how can people learn how to tap?   Brad Yates ** 39:12 Well, the easiest way is, from my perspective, is go on YouTube, because there's, there's this guy who's got over 1000 videos. I heard, again, all kinds of different subjects. But that's sort of the the easiest way is to is to be guided in that way. And there's a number of colleagues of mine who also have videos and different resources online to, you know, one of the very simple thing is we just, you know, learning the these different these eight points. And I'll you know, just for the sake of demonstration, if someone takes their index and middle finger, all right, I've done that. Yeah, take the take the the fingertips and gently tap on the opposite the side of your opposite hand. So we gently tap the the opposite hand to begin with, where we. This setup on the hand itself. Yeah, right on the on the edge between your wrist and pinky. Okay, yeah, so, yeah, gently tapping there. And that's where we say, even though I have this stress or even though I'm feeling this fear, or even though I'm angry at Bob, whatever it is that's bothering us, we gently tap there and say, even though I feel this, I choose to love and accept myself. And it's just creating a level of acceptance, because so often we try to run from and say, Oh, I don't feel that. And then what we resist persists, yeah? So we just say, I accept that. Then we gently tap the eyebrow point, so right at the beginning of your eyebrow, right near the center of your face. Yeah. We'll just gently tap there five to 10 times and we say, whatever the issue is, this stress, this anger at Bob. And then we then we follow the eyebrow out to the side of the eye, right the corner of the eye socket, and gently tap in there and say, all this stress. We follow the edge of the eye socket around to right under the middle of your eye, just above your cheek, all this stress, then right under your nose, just above your upper lip, gently tap in there, all this stress, then right below your lower lip, just above your chin, all this stress. The next point is right your where your collarbones just about come together. There's a little bit of a U shape at the base of your throat, and you can gently tap there, and you can actually even make a fist and tap where the collarbones meet all this stress. The next point is four inches below the armpit, so it's right about bra strap level. And even us guys can figure out where that one is all this stress. And then the last point we tap is right at the top of the head. So if you use all of your fingertips and tap around the crown of your head, all this stress when you take a deep breath, and actually be when we first do it, we would rate the stress on a scale of zero to 10. So it's like, okay, the stress that I'm feeling, or the anger at Bob that I'm feeling, is maybe an eight out of 10. And I'll and I'll try to figure out what the physical responses too. So it may be a tension in my shoulders that way we can see what we're working at, because then we can, after doing the tapping, we check again. And sometimes it'll go from an eight down to a zero like that. Sometimes it may just go from a seven, from an eight to a 7.75 but even that is some relief, and it's often like peeling the layers of the onion so that we might recognize as we're tapping like I might be tapping on all this anger at Bob, all this anger at Bob. Wait a minute, it's not even Bob, it's Cindy in the third grade. She did this thing, and I've been mad at her ever since. I never forgave her, and now I'm able to clear up some stress that I've been holding in my body for decades. So it's, that's, that's the very simple way of using it. And then, you know, and so in the very basic version of of EFT like that, we just repeat the whatever it is that's bothering us on each point. The way I do it in my videos is, I It's a more intuitive process, and I like to explore different ideas. And when I when I do that with folks, it they may say, Well, that's how do you come up with those words? It's like, don't worry about that. That's why I made the videos on YouTube, so you don't have to worry about the words. As you get more comfortable with the process, you'll start thinking of what you want to say while you're tapping. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 43:38 Now people have used acupuncture to relieve pain and things like that. Does tapping do the same thing, or is it somewhat different?   Brad Yates ** 43:46 It can I have helped a number of people with physical discomfort. I was working with a guy once, who I was at a health fair, and a guy came up to my booth and was asking what I was doing, and I and he was saying he had a his back was really bother him. I said, scale is zero to 10. He said, Oh, it's an eight. Um, it's like, really difficult to walk. And we did some tapping, and he said, Yeah, I think I feel a little bit better. And he and his girlfriend walked away, and later they came back over and said, So, at another part of this fair, there's a dance floor, and we've been over there dancing for a while, and what the heck did you do to me? And he said, my back isn't bothering me at all. And I'm not a doctor. I'm not going to make any medical claims, but there are plenty of doctors will say that, you know, up to 75% and sometimes more, of the physical pain we experience is is created by the stress that we're feeling. So when we can down regulate that stress, it can relieve a lot of the physical discomfort we have, and it also gives us more room for healing, because our body has remarkable healing capabilities, and as we clear out, as we allow ourselves. To process the emotions that might be involved, then we have more energy to put towards our physical healing   Michael Hingson ** 45:08 well. And we, we all too often, don't accept that the body is really as good as it can be to heal itself and so on. And yes, of course, the point you're making is that the body really is that good, and we need to grow and learn that, that it can do that, and that we need to allow that to happen. And so often we just don't. Yeah, no matter what Cindy did, no matter what Cindy did to us in the third grade,   Brad Yates ** 45:36 exactly a darn Cindy telling you,   Michael Hingson ** 45:41 but we, we just don't, we don't accept that. And we've, we've talked ourselves way too much into some things that aren't necessarily So absolutely,   Brad Yates ** 45:53 absolutely, and we're we have so many misunderstandings about things, so many arguments that we have with people in our heads about something that wasn't that didn't happen the way that we thought it did. Yeah, and, you know, we may finally get up the nerve to talk to the person go, you know, I'm just so mad about this thing you said, and they're like, I didn't say that or, well, I certainly didn't mean that. You know, certainly in this day and age of texting, where there's where you can't even hear the tone of voice, where we misread things   Michael Hingson ** 46:27 way too much, yeah,   Brad Yates ** 46:30 so so we're able to clear up those misunderstandings about ourselves, about other people, about different situations, and then that just creates a whole lot more peace. Tell me   Michael Hingson ** 46:40 if you would a little bit about your time at the Sacramento drug court. That seems like it would be fascinating to dealing with all of that and dealing with addiction and so on.   Brad Yates ** 46:48 Yeah, that was a very interesting time I had been I had presented a workshop at the energy psychology conference where I'd first learned tap, and I'd gone back as a presenter. I had been learning about 12 step programs. I had gone to some debtors anonymous programs. I was not handling my finances well at a time, and I had gone to debtors anonymous and been introduced to the 12 steps. And so I thought, wow, EFT would be a great tool with that. And there was a woman running a drug court program here in Sacramento, which is a mandated recovery program for people coming out of jail for drug offenses. And she said, Would you be willing to be one of our staff teachers, teaching EFT as a recovery tool? And so I did that for three years, and it was very interesting, because a lot of the people that I was working with there was, they were not my normal clientele, I bet. And you know, these people who had had really tough lives, people had really tough lives, and I come along and I say, so you're just coming out of jail, tap on your face. And not everyone was was totally open to but when they were, you know, people say, Oh, my God, this, this really works, and being able to first down regulate the the trigger and emotions that they had, and it then created greater freedom to to do what they needed to do To recover from addiction, because so much of addiction is trying to tranquilize stress and trauma. It's like I'm just, I'm just trying to find a way to feel better because I can't tolerate the discomfort that I have, and tapping provides a healthier alternative, such that we then have that again, the freedom to make better choices.   Michael Hingson ** 48:43 Tell me about your book, The Wizards wish children's book, I guess,   48:47 yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 48:48 I sounds like a great title.   Brad Yates ** 48:50 Thank you. I I had done there. There's a documentary about tapping called The Tapping Solution, and when I was interviewed for this film, we talked a lot about children and how so many of the issues that stop us as as adults, our thing are based on events that happen in childhood. And I'm saying, Wow, if you know, if we taught children how to tap such that, you know, in the third grade, when Cindy did that really mean thing to us, rather than carrying that for years, and all of the ways that it limits our ability to thrive, if we could have, you know, tapped, even though Cindy did this thing and felt free that day, what what is possible for us. What kind of things could we achieve? And after that, I thought, yeah, I would love to find a great way to teach tapping to kids. And I had young children, and story time was always a big part of our lives. So I thought, do it as a children's story. And I'm a Harry Potter fan. I love. Wizards. I have a I have a plaque with all of my replica wands from the Harry Potter movies on my wall here. And I thought, wow, what if we used the wizard and and using the fingertips as a magic wand for tapping these magic points on the body. And so that's where the the inspiration came and, and I'd been a cartoonist and illustrated the book, and had a lot of I had some resistance to that. It was like, Oh, I gotta have a hard time drawing all these pictures. And I didn't realize where I was stopping myself. And I talked to a friend of mine, and she did some tapping with me and rattled off all the drawings within a week. So it's like, oh, there's a this is a good experiment for me in terms of using the tapping where I where I'm not seeing, where I'm stopping myself.   Michael Hingson ** 50:47 So you tap yourself, yeah, perfect.   Brad Yates ** 50:51 Every day. It's because you can. It's not always about clearing stress and fear. It can also be used for just allowing yourself to feel more peace, feel more joy, be more open to what's possible. And most of us are carrying ambient levels of stress that we're not even aware of, especially with most of us are walking around with a cell phone that's constantly saying, Hey, how you doing? Here's something to be upset about. And we're getting stressed out about things that aren't even directly related to our lives, yeah, and that stress has a harmful effect on us. So I like to start my day just trying to be as clear as possible. Well, we live in good things.   Michael Hingson ** 51:30 We live in a world today looking at our elections and everything else, where people are just encouraging us to be fearful and yes and so angry about so many things. And you know, I, I've seen it happen to me, and I always have to say, wait a minute, stop that. Yep, but, but the thing is that we just don't get enough opportunities, or we don't take enough opportunities to back up on and back off on that and say, Wait a minute. We got to really look at this in a sensible way. Because no matter what these people are saying, what's real?   Brad Yates ** 52:09 Yeah, they don't want us to look at a sensible way. No, that is because if they can make us afraid, then that puts us into fight or flight, and our prefrontal cortex goes away and we're not thinking clearly, and then we're more easily manipulated. Well, I have to, oh, go ahead. So that's the thing. Is they want us to be afraid. It's like, don't even think clearly. No, we're going to tell you what, what's going on and what you should be afraid of, and how we're going to help you. So if we have a way of dealing with that stress and that fear, which most people don't have a healthy weight, I always recommend to folks to tap on a daily basis, because it's energy hygiene. We have physical hygiene, like brushing our teeth. We, most of us, do it a couple times a day, at least, whether we think we need it or not. We don't usually wait until someone until we see green stuff growing between our teeth, or until someone's holding their nose around us and say, Oh, that's right, I haven't brushed my teeth in a week. Well, we   Michael Hingson ** 53:05 could do that to Cindy, though it's okay, yeah, yeah, poor Cindy. Well, I noticed that you graduated from Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus clown college. So what's it like being a clown?   Brad Yates ** 53:20 That was, yeah, and it's so funny. I just actually had coffee with the director of clown college just a few days ago. I hadn't seen him in a number of years, and it's actually and I told him, it's 30 years since we met when I went to clown college, that was during my acting days. I saw an ad for clown college, I thought that would be some really interesting training as an actor and when. And it was a two month program, an intensive program of doing character development and makeup and throwing pies and all kinds of things. And I didn't do a lot of clowning after that, I'd had a few a few things I didn't go on the road with the circus. I have a friend, a few friends, who did that, but, but a lot of that experience still informs my work, and I still very proudly have my my diploma, my Bachelor of fun arts, up on my wall of my office. I think   Michael Hingson ** 54:21 it's interesting that you learned how to throw pies, though. Yes, I need to learn more about that, I guess. Except, pies cost a lot of money, so now, well,   Brad Yates ** 54:32 we in the circus. You use, use soap foam. Oh, I understand. So it's, it's good clean fun, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 54:41 well, absolutely   Brad Yates ** 54:43 rubber pie, rubber pie pans and crusts and and soap foam. Pass soupy   Michael Hingson ** 54:50 sales, exactly. Well, this has been fun. I know you have to go, but I really have enjoyed this, and I need to go spend some time. Any more about tapping, and I don't know whether the videos are descriptive enough, or I'll have to bug you some more, but this is fun, and I hope people will take to heart what you've had to talk about if they want to reach out to you and learn more about it and maybe and see how you can help them. How do we do that? How do they do   Brad Yates ** 55:15 that? Yeah, thanks, Michael. Easiest way is go to my website, tap with brad.com and you can get I have a couple of free five day programs there. One is called tap into your best self, and the other is called success beyond belief, which sounds like a lot of success, but it's also literally the success that's beyond your current beliefs about what you can have. So I encourage folks to to check those out, and there's links to my YouTube channel, and I've just, I've just described to you those tapping points, so you can go on to the video and and listen along. And while on the videos, I don't describe which points I'm saying, you can just move along. And you can even just tap one point, even if you're just tapping one point and repeating back the phrases that could that can be beneficial, so that you don't have to worry about, Are you tapping the same point that I'm tapping right now? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 56:07 as long as you're tapping the points, yep. Well, this has been absolutely great. I really appreciate you taking the time to be here and discuss all of this. Maybe we'll have to do some more of it, if you want in the future, I   Brad Yates ** 56:22 would enjoy that. It's been a great pleasure meeting you and speaking with you, Michael, I you're awesome and and as as we had agreed, I've had a lot of fun doing Oh, good talking with   Michael Hingson ** 56:35 that's that is important as we know well. I want to thank you, and I want to thank you all for listening. Appreciate you being here. Love to hear your comments about this and all that Brad had to say. Please reach out to Brad, but I'd love to hear from you. Please email me at Michael h i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S o, n.com/podcast, wherever you're listening, please give us a five star rating. We really value your ratings, and we love it when you are able to take the time to do that and review the podcast. But I again, would love to hear from you directly with any thoughts that you have, and Brad for you and anyone listening, if you know of anyone else who we ought to have on as a guest. Love to get Joe Vitale or Steve Jones on, Brad, I'll leave that to you. But if you know of anyone, we are always looking for more guests, so please feel free to provide introductions. So once again, thanks very much for being here, Brad, and thank you all for listening. And Brad, this has absolutely been great.   57:48 Thank you, Michael.   Michael Hingson ** 57:55 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.

On the ballot for Lucas County residents is an $8 per year, for every $100,000 of home value, port authority levy. So what's behind the ask? Thomas Winston, president and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, joins me on this week's Community Focus with an answer.

Donald Trump is set to hold a rally in New York City this Sunday in a final push before the US presidential election. The economy and immigration are the two biggest issues on voters' minds. New York City has seen thousands of migrants arrive over the past few years – in part due to southern states bussing them up to the Big Apple via the Port Authority bus terminal – in a tit-for-tat between Republicans and Democrats. Trump has vowed to carry out the biggest mass deportation in American history if he returns to power, something which appears to resonate with much of his base. Yet the Democrats have focused on more positive messaging about immigration: emphasising border solutions, policy and helping immigrants adjust to life in the US. Our correspondent Jessica Le Masurier reports.

The longtime head of New Hampshire's Port Authority, Geno Marconi, has been indicted for alleged witness tampering, retaliation and other charges. His wife, Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi was also indicted this week for allegedly trying to intervene in that investigation. She is a New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice. And former state Sen. Andy Sanborn was also indicted this week for allegedly stealing pandemic relief funding. We talk about these stories and more with New Hampshire Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt and Boston Globe's Amanda Gokee.

Episode 47 Fireside Chat With Bill Baroni and Jesse Eisinger Recorded at our 2024 White-Collar Symposium held in Philadelphia last month, this special episode dives into the landscape of white-collar criminal prosecution from the perspectives of Bill Baroni and Jesse Eisinger. Both former podcast guests, Bill and Jesse provide Matt Adams with insight into their personal experiences with the presumption of innocence. They also share their views on how politics does — and does not — influence cases pursued by the Department of Justice. Bill is the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who was indicted and served prison time in connection with the infamous Bridgegate scandal before his conviction was unanimously overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Jesse, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is the author of The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives, which explores the DOJ's prosecutorial approach from the early 2000s Enron era into the Great Recession and the collapse of the financial markets.

All Local Morning for 10/14/24

Welcome to another week of informative discussion and today, we've got Lauren Beagen returning to the show to give us an update about the rapid resolution of the recent port strike! Lauren emphasizes the critical role of port workers and shifting public opinion due to economic factors, the implications of automations in port operations, the importance of diligent record-keeping during disruptions, and the necessity of sound guidance in maritime law and operations!   About Lauren Beagen Lauren Beagen is an accomplished maritime attorney, renowned for her expertise in oceanborne commerce, maritime law, and federal regulatory matters. As the Principal and Founder of Squall Strategies, LLC, she specializes in Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) compliance and global ocean shipping issues; she also serves as the CEO of The Maritime ProfessorTM, an e-learning and employee training company. Beagen's deep understanding of the FMC stems from her role as an Attorney-Advisor (International Affairs) in the Office of the General Counsel, where she advised on international bilateral and multilateral maritime negotiations and chaired the FMC's Maritime Environmental Committee Speaker Series. Beagen also gained practical experience in her role as Maritime Project Manager at the Port of Boston, worked under contract through the U.S. Department of State on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project, and interned at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany. Ms. Beagen's continued passion for the maritime industry is seen through her many board and leadership positions including Starboard Subcommittee Co-Chair of the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC), Vice-Chair of the American Association of Port Authority's (AAPA) Legal Committee, and Co-President of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) – New England Chapter. A native Michigander, Ms. Beagen currently resides on the South Coast of Massachusetts splitting time between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is a graduate of Hope College with a double- major in International Political Science and International Studies. She received her law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law and simultaneously completed a Master of Marine Affairs joint degree from the University of Rhode Island. An avid sailor and fisherman, she holds a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential (50 GRT) for Great Lakes and Inland Waters and is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Michigan, and the District of Columbia.   Connect with Lauren Website: https://www.squallstrategies.com/ / https://the-maritime-professor.teachable.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenbeagen/  

On this episode of “Lessons in Leadership” Steve Adubato and Mary Gamba are joined by Ivy Charmatz, Senior VP, Mercury Public Affairs to talk about leadership and the media, her passion for storytelling and the connection between giving back and leadership. Then, Steve and Mary talk with Seth Wainer, Program Director Innovation, Port Authority of … Continue reading Lessons in Leadership: Ivy Charmatz and Seth Wainer

In 2014 Elizabeth Kipp started her own business to help people recover from stress and its associated pain, addiction and chronic pain. Elizabeth tells us at the outset how she became a victim of Chronic pain and suffered with it for forty years. Did you know that %25 of Americans experience Chronic pain.   On our episode you will learn about chronic pain, physical pain and the differences between the two. As Elizabeth will describe most Western medicine-oriented doctors know little about chronic pain and simply prescribe drugs for it and tell patients that they need to learn to live with it. Elizabeth finally discovered a doctor who not only grew up in the West and studied Western medicine, but he also studied Eastern medicine and learned about the spiritual connections that could help eliminate what we call Chronic pain. Elizabeth is among the %94 of persons seen by this doctor who recovered from this issue.   As I said earlier, Elizabeth now operates her own coaching business and helps many people deal with chronic pain, a lack of stress management and learning how to recover from addictions. Elizabeth gives many practical thoughts we all can use to better our lives. I leave it to her to take you on the journey this episode represents.   About the Guest:   Elizabeth Kipp is a Stress Management Specialist and Historical Trauma Specialist who uses Trauma-Trained and Yoga-Informed Addiction Recovery Coaching, Ancestral Clearing®, Compassionate Inquiry, and yoga to help people with their healing. Elizabeth healed from over 40 years of chronic pain, including anxiety, panic attacks, and addiction to prescribed opiate and benzodiazepine medication. She now works to help others achieve the same healing for themselves that she experienced directly from the work she teaches. She is the author of “The Way Through Chronic Pain: Tools to Reclaim Your Healing Power.”   Elizabeth offers one-on-one and group sessions in stress and chronic pain management and addiction recovery, Ancestral Clearing® and Compassionate Inquiry, and trauma-informed yoga. You can find out more about Elizabeth at https://Elizabeth-Kipp.com   Ways to connect with Elizabeth:   Website https://Elizabeth-Kipp.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethKippStressManagement/  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lizi.kipp/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethkipp/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethkipp9855/videos Amazon Author Page http://bit.ly/EKBooks Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lizilynx/ Threads https://threads.net/@lizi.kipp Linktree: https://linktr.ee/elizabethkipp     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hello again. I am your host, Michael Hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset. And today we get to chat with Elizabeth Kipp. Elizabeth is a stress management specialist and historical management specialist, stress management specialist or trauma manager, I can't say it today, historical trauma management specialist. If I could talk, I'd be in good shape, everyone. But I want to thank you all for being here. And Elizabeth, I'd like to thank you for being here and putting up with me. We actually spent a little bit of time before we started the recording, talking about our old favorite movies like Blazing Saddles and Star Wars and Young Frankenstein, but we won't go there for this podcast, because we have probably more up to date and relevant things to do, don't we? Elizabeth, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 02:15 Thank you so much, Michael. It's my pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me as a guest. Well, you're   Michael Hingson ** 02:20 welcome. Why don't we start, if you would by you telling us a little bit kind of about the early Elizabeth growing up and those kinds of things. It's always kind of fun to learn about the early years as it were.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 02:33 Well, I actually don't remember that much about my childhood that was all that happy. I actually don't have happy memories. Really, my child other than I, I was, I liked animals and I spent I loved being with the horses and the ponies, right? So I that was fun, and I kind of like school, but my home life was challenging. My mother was a bipolar and an alcoholic and a ranger, so she I lived. I pretty much walked on eggshells, and their child abuse was not a thing back then. Was like, all that stuff was a secret. So I lived. I really grew up was a chronic pain suffer from the from the start?   Michael Hingson ** 03:25 Well, tell me so. Did you go to college at some point?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 03:28 Oh, yeah, yeah. I have a degree in plant science, yep. And I went, and I went to graduate school and studied environmental, environmental studies and and ecology and systematics, and I did a remote sensing as a plant person, yep.   Michael Hingson ** 03:46 Oh, you're making this very difficult. Elizabeth, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna ask, did you ever see the Little Shop of Horrors?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 03:54 No, I never actually saw that. You know about it, though? Oh, yeah, I know.   Michael Hingson ** 03:58 I just never saw it. Feed me. Seymour, another man eating plant. Okay, enough. Well, so, so tell me a little bit about this whole we're so helpful. Tell me a little bit about this whole idea of chronic pain. What is chronic pain? Oh, yes,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 04:15 chronic pain is any pain that's felt 15 days out of 30 for three months or more, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. The the body really can't tell the difference. The brain can't tell the difference between one kind of pain and another. It all sends the same signal to the brain. It hurts. So a a grief experience is, is, is, is just as powerful as a you know, a broken maybe a broken bone that that takes more than three months to heal, which usually doesn't, but an injury can sometimes conduct injury. There are injuries that take more than three months to heal, so the brain can't tell the difference between a broken bone and a broken heart.   Michael Hingson ** 05:01 And they both manifest themselves in some way as what you view as true physical pain. Um,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 05:09 well, the way to really distinguish,   Michael Hingson ** 05:14 well, to first of all, for the person who doesn't really know the difference, is what I was thinking of.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 05:18 I understand. It's, it's not that simple. I mean, you know, our emotions have, if we look at the at the mind, body, spirit system is an integrated system which, okay, purposes of this conversation, let's do that. Okay? Do the reductionist model that the Western medicine does the emotions actually have a physical sensation, right? And when I think about grief like, I'm, I'm just this week, we're we're remembering the 10 year anniversary of my niece's suicide, for instance. And I remember Monday, when that, when that anniversary came around the weight, I felt the physical weight of that and the heaviness of the as a sensation in the body. And it was, and it's not like I carried that for as a chronic pain thing, but it was, it was with me for a few hours for sure that day. So so that that emotional charge that I had expressed itself as as a physical that manifested physically as this weight, tension and tightness in my body   06:41 got it   Elizabeth Kipp ** 06:44 so, so pain, chronic pain, can manifest as physical, emotional, emotional pain can journal over into physical. It's difficult to tell them the difference. You know, spiritual pain could be something like a grief experience, which also has its its corresponding body expression.   Michael Hingson ** 07:06 Do most people feel chronic pain, or are they such that mostly they can learn to deal with and overcome? If that makes sense, I'm   Elizabeth Kipp ** 07:17 going to back up. I hear what you're saying, and I'm going to back up for a minute and get Okay, zero in on what chronic pain is. So how chronic pain compared to acute pain? So we have a stress response in the body, and it's in the off position until we perceive a threat, and perceive a threat, or are threatened, and and then that stress response goes into the on position, in in in acute pain, the stress response goes in the off position, comes back, goes into the on position, comes back, into the off position, and it's back. It's in back and balance in chronic pain, the stress response goes under the on position. It gets stuck. Got it. So what does that mean? That means that we're the the that the nervous system is in this activated, hence, vigilant, hyper vigilant. Hyper vigilant state. And this is, this is very stressful for the body. It creates all kinds of, like a whole biochemical soup that the body has to handle. And it creates a lot of it can create a lot of disease. So it's, it's not, I'm not sure. It doesn't really answer your question, but it brings a little bit of light to what chronic pain is. Sure there are like the before covid, the National Institutes of Health estimated 25% of North America suffer from chronic pain across all socioeconomic measures, including children, and the World Health Organization estimated a fifth of the world. So it's this, and with that definition that I used, that's not a lot of people just think it's physical. It's not. It's this bigger thing, and I appreciate that. Yeah, it's the it's the mind, body, spirit system in this activated, chronically stressed state.   Michael Hingson ** 09:27 And so let's, let's use the WHO definition, 25% or 20% is still a large number of people, and that's, and I understand that. But then, while it's chronic, typically, do people just consistently, continuously suffer from chronic pain, or does something happen such that. People are able to overcome it in at some point, or what   Elizabeth Kipp ** 10:04 that depends on, that depends on their circumstances. For me, I suffered with chronic pain for 40 years before I found a doctor that actually understood what it was, and I all the doctors until the last one that I met, who were all Western doctors, as was the last one, but he was just differently trained. They all said you're gonna have to learn to live with it. And they gave me drugs to, like, numb it, but that which didn't really numb it, but that was so they, most of the doctors that I went to for all those years told me just deliberate, that they didn't know what to do about it. And I met 1000s and 1000s of other patients during that journey who were just living with chronic pain, the best by their wits.   Michael Hingson ** 10:54 So using the United States definition of 25% most of them, if they went to a doctor regarding it, even though it was chronic pain and they weren't and it wasn't properly diagnosed, they were given drugs or other things like that. And so it was an ongoing constant thing for them. It didn't last for just some shorter period of time, like a few months, and then they figured out how to overcome it, but traditionally, it sounds like more people than not continuously live with it because they don't know how to deal with it. That's right, okay, all right. And that was what I was really trying to get to before I had understood what you were saying. But I appreciate the situation. Now, you said the last doctor, though that you dealt with was differently trained, and I would suspect that if I asked you which I will he had some Eastern medicine training.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 11:55 He did and he was also a neurophysiologist, so he understood the changes in the brain that occur because of chronic pain and and so he had some special training that that like a family doctor or orthopedic doctor, or maybe even a neurologist, if he's not a neurophysiologist and kind of what the specialty is, they may not catch that. They might not have that training. This is an issue that we have with the western model.   Michael Hingson ** 12:29 Well, the western model tends to not take into account the spiritual aspect of things as we know.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 12:37 Oh, it's very reductionist, right? So I'll give you an example of how that works, just for the audience. You probably know this, but if you So, I had the one of the questions is like, Why did I have chronic pain? I didn't. It wasn't just emotional. I had a physical issue. I had a I broke my fifth lumbar and and a front to back, and it slipped forward into my pelvis, and I had a lot of surgery to try and and stabilize that and but my back never I just was I had this horribly sore back. Now what's interesting is, first of all, the doctors assumed I wouldn't heal that. That was their assumption. So I, you know, I felt like their assumption was wrong, but that's the model they were using. Me, such a thing was wrong. But here's the thing about reductionist that the reductionist view, if you saw, if you picked, if you found three patients that had X rays just like mine, you'd find patients that had three different symptoms, one that had pain all the time, one that had pain only when they were stressed, and one that didn't have any pain at all. How do you explain that? By just looking at the X ray, you can, you can, yeah, that's the issue. So doctors see my X ray, and they go, here are your opiates. But I don't have any pain. And I've been each one of those patients, by the way, different times in my life I've been each one of those, right? So there's something else going on there besides trouble in the spine. And so instead of assuming that I wasn't going to heal, which was an error in their in their model, they never asked the question, why isn't Elizabeth healing? Because their model precluded that. I That that was even possible. Just assume there wasn't the healing wasn't going to happen. Yeah, so that's a, that's a, just a challenging assumption to sit with when you're looking at Western doctors to try and give you an answer. Well, they can't actually accept. Dr Peter prescop, he gave me an answer and there, there are more integrated doctors now. Well so that there are some integrated pain management programs available to people. They're just kind of spread pretty thin.   Michael Hingson ** 15:08 Yeah, I don't have an exact similar kind of situation, but my fifth guide dog, who was with me in the World Trade Center, Rozelle, had some back problems, and as she grow older, had some other issues. Our veterinarian, where we lived in Northern California, not only had Western training, but a lot of Eastern medicine training, and in fact, several times while he was our veterinarian, which was over a number of years, he traveled to learn more Eastern medicine, training like not directly related to you, necessarily, but acupuncture and other sorts of things. But he, but he greatly understood the Eastern philosophy and what it brought that traditional medicine in the West didn't, which was all just throw drugs at it, even that, and he would, he would prescribe some medications, but he also had a lot of other things that that he did that the average veterinarian would not do.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 16:16 Yeah, I hear you.   Michael Hingson ** 16:19 So what did Dr Prescott say to you that gave you a real clue that he's different? A   Elizabeth Kipp ** 16:28 couple of things he he told me when my first conversation with him over the phone, he said to me, I can help you reset your stress response, and I never told him. All I told him was that I had been on opiates and benzodiazepines for 31 years, and, and I was and, and, and I was still hurting. I never told him I was having panic attacks. He knew, and my prescribing doctor didn't have any comment about any of that. So I knew right away when he said, I was like, I don't know who you are or where you've been all my life, but I'm coming to your program. Like, it's like, boom, if I could get away from these panic attacks, I'm your girl. It's like, and he never promised me that my pain would go away. He never promised that. He promised me that he could get off the he could hit me off the medication, and he promised me that he could reset my stress response and on his own. So   Michael Hingson ** 17:30 he promised that he would try, which is really, you know, whether he said that directly or not tacitly, it was implied that at least he's going to try to do what he can, and he's got some thoughts.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 17:44 Well, he had already taken 1000s of people through medical detox, and he had a 94% success rate in his pain management program. So what's like? He had proven a proven method,   Michael Hingson ** 17:59 right? So what was it like going well, growing up, going through college and so on, and then getting out into the workforce. What was it like having chronic pain all that time?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 18:14 Well, I got I was, I actually learned from the age of 14. I well prior to that, before my accident where I hurt my back, I was used to living with chronic pain from irritable bowel syndrome. I was used to that, so when I actually had the accident and broke that vertebrae and got up and walked away from the accident. I didn't have any idea that I'd hurt my I knew I'd I knew I had I bumped myself, and I knew it hurt, but it I didn't. It didn't occur to me that it was at that level because I could get up and walk away like I was able to walk. So I just hurt for a few weeks, and a lot. I hurt a lot for a couple of weeks, and then it kind of calmed down. So I was already my nervous system was already used to a very high level of pain, and for me, still in my nervous system, it gives you an idea of how the nervous system can can develop at a young age, under certain to react in certain ways. Because I had such a difficult childhood from zero to seven that when I got to be 14, I didn't even realize how badly I'd hurt myself. And even today, as a, you know, an older adult, I have a yoga practice. And I don't I my journey, my challenge is to, is to where's the line between, you know? Not enough is atrophy, and too much is injury. I don't know where the line is into injury. I'll go right over it and and then I realize I'm there. And I didn't even know there was a line like I it's very difficult for me to discern that. So my nervous system kind of got trained to ignore, uh, pain signals, right? And and my journey really has been to try and try and reset that so it's it took me more than my stress response is definitely back to balance that's a little different than the nervous system being, having, having a certain habit, when you get to this level of pain, ignore it, because you got to keep going. That habit was, that's a very different habit, and that's a behavioral that was how I survived in the world, pushed through. And that, that's, that's, that's a, that's a toxic way to live. Yeah, right. So, so that was, that was something I lived with. And then when I, when I got six credits short of finishing my Masters, I started the surgery on my back, and I never got back to finishing my master's looks like I was so close. I had my thesis done, and I just needed those six credits, couple of courses to take, boom, and I would have been done. And that that surgery just just took me down. So the universe kind of redirected my redirected me completely into a new field. So now I work in stress management instead of an environmental science management and environmental management, that was kind of what I was doing. I was doing environmental assessment, you know, as a plant specialist. So tell me   Michael Hingson ** 21:56 a little bit about that. What that means and what you did,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 21:59 if you would. Oh, yeah. So, so I was living, I'm in Kansas, still here in Lawrence, Kansas. And I was a, I was a, like a plant scientist, but I was also an environmental studies but from the plant end of it, and as a graduate student, I worked for the Kansas applied remote sensing program, which had a mandate from the Carter Administration at the time to take NASA's Landsat technology from the federal level down into local and state and local government level. So my job was to help implement that as a graduate student. And an example, give an example of what we did. There's a an eight there's an aquifer that that this spreads out in eight states. It's called the Ogallala Aquifer, right here in the Midwest, and it's used, it's a non renewable resource, and it's used by farmers to irrigate their crops, and because it's essentially, essentially a non renewable resource, NASA's NASA was into one of their arms within NASA wanted to know, when is the aquifer going to run out well? Somebody wanted to know that. And NASA came to us and said, can you develop a methodology so that we can actually answer that question? So I So, as the plant person, I had to my job was to contact all the county agents there's like, I don't know, 270 some county agents in that eight state area, and find out how many acres of every crop that's grown by all the farmers in that county. And then I took all those crops, and figured out when they're when they get irrigated, how much water that takes, all that kind of stuff. And we came up, ultimately, we we came up with an estimate that the aquifer would be tapped. We came up with the methodology for them to come to answer that question, yeah, so that was, that's an example of,   Michael Hingson ** 24:24 did you get an answer, or did,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 24:26 yeah, we did get an answer. We did not. We got an answer. And that was in 1980 the answer was 2040, the year 20. And   Michael Hingson ** 24:34 why is it that it can't be renewed, or the moisture can't go down and replace what's used well, because   Elizabeth Kipp ** 24:40 it's deep water, it's not, it's not us, it's not surface one. It's like a river. It's deep it's water that's been, that's accumulated over millions of years, yeah, not, it's not, it can't be replenished, really, with with annual rainfall. It doesn't work like that, right? It's a Geo, it's a   Michael Hingson ** 24:59 geological. Yeah, no, I understand. So what will happen in 2040 has anybody, obviously, with NASA being concerned about that? And they come up with any other thoughts   Elizabeth Kipp ** 25:09 that was then NASA's in that business anymore, but Well,   Michael Hingson ** 25:15 somebody else,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 25:16 the US Geological Survey, right, is interested in that the Water Resources department within the US Geological Survey is interested in that question. And I was just reading, I don't know I read a I read, or I keep my eye on that, on that information from time to time. And I think I just read, in the last probably six months, you have a kind of an interview about the farmers, and because there's, there was a, kind of a drought last year, so there was pressure on the aquifer. And anyway, I don't, you know, there's, we're going to run out of water. It's going to change. It's going to change this part of the world and the rest of the world that this part of the world feeds. It's just going to, you know, it's going to change things.   Michael Hingson ** 26:02 And the problem is that if we don't figure out alternatives, that's going to be a crisis. I mean, there, there are probably those who say, well, Nikola Tesla said that we ought to be able to move rain clouds and redirect them and get more moisture and be more volitional about it, but nobody seems to want to take that seriously, assuming that Tesla was right.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 26:27 Oh, I can't speak to that. I know. I mean, the USDA had been cloud seeding for years, but I can't really that's not my area. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 26:37 it's, it's more than that. It's also having the clouds in the right place and the it's one of the things that that, apparently, Tesla was very concerned about and interested in. So I don't know where all of that has really gone, either, but I but I do know there are a lot of creative people out there, if given the opportunity to really address issues. But that's, of course, the real question, isn't it, how much are people allowed to or how much will people take things seriously? I'm sure there are people who are out there who would say that your your stuff is, is all bunk, and we're never going to run out of water, because it's been there for millions of years. But people, have interesting ways of viewing things, don't they? Oh, they do, yeah, it's like chronic pain. But, you know, and it's, it's one of those things that we, we do have to deal with, and we'll see what happens over time. I guess that's all we can really say. So why? So you said that the statistics generally are that about 25% of all people in the United States have chronic pain, so that's a quarter of the population. Any reason why, if we believe the numbers, and maybe there's no real good way to discuss this. But he said the World Health Organization said, basically 20% why the 5% difference? Oh, I   Elizabeth Kipp ** 28:08 don't have no idea. Yeah, that's I mean,   Michael Hingson ** 28:10 I could come up with all sorts of excuses, you and   Elizabeth Kipp ** 28:13 I could, could theorize about that, but yeah, we could,   Michael Hingson ** 28:16 and we would be just as right as anybody else. So it's okay.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 28:22 I mean, I had my, I have my, my views on that, but I they're not really based in science. No,   Michael Hingson ** 28:27 no. And I didn't know whether anybody had really studied it. And I just thought it was worth I didn't really   Elizabeth Kipp ** 28:33 looked at that question. So maybe somebody has, and I just don't know about it.   Michael Hingson ** 28:37 It'd be an interesting thing to see. I mean, clearly, there's a lot of stress right now in this country, and And there shall be for a while, and I think one and there are a lot of fears in this country. I'm getting ready to have my third book published, which is entitled to like a guide dog, true stories from a blind man and his dogs about being brave, overcoming adversity and walking in faith. And the idea behind it is that we can learn to control fear. I'm not going to ever say we'll just be able to not be afraid of anything, and I wouldn't want to, because I think that fear is a very powerful tool, but you can learn to control it and not let it overwhelm you. And that's that's the issue, and that's what live like a guide dog is all about. But too many people don't learn how to accomplish that skill, which is a challenge, of course.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 29:34 Oh, that would be, I love that you said that. That seems to be a theme of my life these days, with my, you know, in my own practice, and in my and with my clients, because that fear is, you know, that's the part of us is trying to keep us safe and survive in the world. And it's a very healthy response, and we need it to stay safe. And, sure. And it can play havoc with us that you're talking about the mind. You're talking about finding a way to meet your resistance to when fear comes up for you. And I literally do that every morning I in my yoga practice, I put myself in a in a posture, or a, you know, a certain kind of meditation, or a practice of some kind that where my own ego comes in and, you know, presents itself and says you're not going to get past this because I'm doing this, like, Yeah, I'm going to stay here and just keep breathing, right? And so it's, it's, and the thing is, is that if you can face your fear and keep stay on target, and keep facing that resistance that you feel you get through on the other side, and you've got, you know, you've got kind of a new place there. So you, you've you've increased your courage, you've hardened your resistance, resilience in the world. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 31:18 what you learn is that fear is a very helpful thing, and I would be absolutely presumptuous and never say you shouldn't be afraid. I know that there are some people in this world whose nerve endings are such that they don't feel pain at all, and as a result, they don't have the option to deal with all the signals that pain, in some way, can bring and fear is the same sort of thing. I think that it would be ridiculous to say, Don't be afraid, but I do believe that you can control fear and that you can use it to help direct you, but you have to take the initiative to establish a mindset to do that, and that's what most of us don't do. We don't prepare. We don't learn how to prepare for different situations. And I talk a lot about being in the World Trade Center, of course, on September 11, and learned long before that day what to do in an emergency, and I spent a lot of time talking to people, talking to the fire department, talking to the Port Authority, police and others, and learning what to do in case of an emergency. And I also did it mainly because, well, it was survival. I wasn't going to rely on somebody reading signs to me because I'm not going to read signs, right? I'm not going to rely on somebody reading signs to me for a couple of reasons. One, there might not be anybody around, because a lot of times I'm in the office alone, and no one else is there, and and two, they might not be able to read the signs, because we might be in an environment where there's smoke or power failure and there's no light, so they couldn't read the signs anyway. And I was the leader of an office, so I had to take the responsibility of learning all I could about the complex and what to do in an emergency, and did that, and that established a mindset, as I realized much later, that said, if something happens, you know what to do. It was all about the preparation that made that possible. And I think that in dealing with learning to control fear, it's learning to prepare, it's learning to really talk to and with your mind and learning how to use that tool in a productive way. And that's something that most people don't do. They don't exercise their mind to learn to communicate with it and talk with it and learn like, How'd today go? Why was I afraid of this? What should I have done differently and develop the mind into the muscle that really has the strength that you should want it to have? Well, 10   Elizabeth Kipp ** 34:08 forward to that, I hear you loud and clear. I would refine your comment slightly. I have a slightly different perspective. It's not like that. I'm controlling fear. I'm controlling my reaction to it   Michael Hingson ** 34:24 well, but yeah, and I appreciate that. But what that does is it puts you in control of the fear, and it helps you learn to use it as a very powerful tool on your side, rather than it blinding or paralyzing or overwhelming you and just taking control so you can't do anything.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 34:50 Yes, and there are, when I teach Trauma Recovery, i. We look at the nervous system and how it's reacting, and so if I'm in a fight, flight or shut down mode, the nervous system reacting to some trigger in the environment, right there are tools I can bring to bear that can help me move out of that fight, flight or freeze or regulate it   Michael Hingson ** 35:27 right now, that's really the issue. Right to regulate it or never let you really go into it, because you accept that you can deal with situations if you spend the time preparing and learning how to do it?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 35:44 Yeah, I'm not going to say I, let me put it this way, I have a hair trigger starter response. There was a if there was a boom outside or a gunshot or something that went off outside my window, I jump. Yeah, that's a response, right? That's an activated that's the nervous system activated, right, right? However, I'm down from that in probably five seconds, okay? And that's the point. I know how to breathe, and that's because I've   Michael Hingson ** 36:13 done the training. This is that's the point, exactly, right?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 36:18 Taking me an hour or half a day in the past. Now it's five seconds   Michael Hingson ** 36:24 well, and and the reality is, I think there are very few people among us who wouldn't jump if they heard that gunshot right outside their window, exactly. And so that's okay.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 36:39 Our machineries operate, but it   Michael Hingson ** 36:44 is then how we deal with it and how we have trained our minds to allow us to go. Wait a minute, what just happened? Oh, okay, that was a gunshot. I'm going to duck down here so somebody doesn't shoot at me, but I'm going to peek out the window see if I can see what's going on or whatever. I mean, you know, in my case, peeking out the window isn't going to do any good. Call 911, well, or I'd open the window and go stop the noise. I wouldn't do that, yes, but so I know   Elizabeth Kipp ** 37:13 better, am I? We actually and live in a neighborhood where from time to time we hear gunshots, and last summer, there was, there were some gunshots in the neighborhood, and a policeman stopped by and knocked on my door and asked me if I'd heard gunshots. And I said, Yes. And I said, I don't like to bother you guys. He said, bother us. We want to hear we want you to call us when you hear that. So I learned, I got told   Michael Hingson ** 37:39 we have been I live in an area where we have had gunshots. I haven't really heard them. My house is a as a new house, and so with the installation everything, it had to be a pretty close gunshot. But we had kids of a couple of months ago that just came at like, 10 o'clock at night, and they just pounded on my garage door, and then I didn't hear anything after that, and I listened, but I didn't hear anything. And it was the next day that I learned that they had done that to other people, and they were trying to break into garages. And what stopped them actually, I don't think it was my garage door. I think it was my front door, but I was not in the living room at the time. But what happened was having video cameras around the place. One of the kids saw that the doorbell camera was taking pictures of them, and it was kind of too late to avoid it, so they took off. Okay, there you go. And I have no problem with having those cameras around and but again, it's preparation. And mentally, I think all the time about what happens when somebody comes to my door and knocks on my door at 10 o'clock at night. I think about that sometimes, and very likely, if it's a knock, it could be a police officer. But how am I going to know that? So I've learned how to use my system so that I can talk to my doorbell camera and system to say who's there, or I can call the police and say someone's knocking on my door and claiming they're the police. Are they? Oh, good. But I've but I've thought about that, and I think about that because that's part of preparation, yeah, and that's okay and, and I think the closest we ever came to something in the middle of the night was we, my wife and I, this was, like three years ago. We heard a noise outside of our house, and it sounded like something hit something, and it was, it was a car. That was a woman driving a car, and she looked down at a cup of coffee just in time to hit a trailer, and it knocked the trailer up into our yard. And a couple minutes later, well, so we immediately called the police that something had happened, and I got dressed. It was 530 Darn I didn't get my full sleep. But then somebody came and knocked at the door, and they said it was Highway Patrol and and I verified it, and, you know, we went on. But it's, I think, with all of that, it's preparation, and it isn't so much well, what if this happens, or what if that happens? It's what do I do to prepare for different situations that might occur? So maybe it is a what if, but preparation is the important thing, and preparation can really help you learn to regulate how you deal with fear Exactly.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 40:34 That's why I do my practice every day. Yeah. So,   Michael Hingson ** 40:38 so when did you switch from plant science and environmental science and studies to stress management and and trauma and addiction recovery and so on? As   Elizabeth Kipp ** 40:51 soon as I started the surgery, I started learning about stress management. But when was that? Oh, well, that would have been in, oh god. What was that? 1982   Michael Hingson ** 41:00 Oh my gosh. So you've been doing this a while. Well, I've   Elizabeth Kipp ** 41:03 been that was, that was the school of hard knocks that I did, that I learned that the hard way. Well, yeah, and then 10 years ago, I actually went into business doing it. I mean, I felt like I had enough, I had enough kind of street cred and experience and wisdom to actually be able to bring the teaching to the world. So, so what is your company? Called Elizabeth KIPP, stress management limited.   Michael Hingson ** 41:27 That works,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 41:30 says it all.   Michael Hingson ** 41:32 And Kip is k, i, p, p, correct, yeah. Stress Management limited, yep. Okay, there you go, folks. So, so tell me what you do and and how you operate, if you would.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 41:45 Oh, I, I help people build resilience, kind of like we're talking about also, I help people calm their nervous systems down, which is this regulation you and I are talking about. I work with people that have this chronic pain distress response that's off out of balance. I help them bring it back to balance. And that includes, I include addiction recovery in that, because every addict I know chronic pain patient, first, I include trauma, trauma training in that as well, because every chronic pain patient I knew had unresolved trauma in their system. So I went to learn how to be trauma informed. So I include, I'm not a therapist, but I'm a great coach in that space. So I teach trauma informed yoga, and I teach the methods that you need to use to get the nervous system back into balance and train the mind into healthy habits so that, just like you and I are talking about, so that when the stresses come into our lives, we stay centered. Now we might be, we might be activated briefly, but we we, we come. We come back into regulation quickly. And those are the things I teach how to do that, because I had to learn how to do that myself. So it's like, you know, I got this. I can help people with this. Yeah, the other thing I do is, I help. I am an ancestor clearing teacher, ancestral clearing practitioner as well, which is a practice that helps us clear the effects of unresolved intergenerational trauma. It's like a slightly different the historical trauma specialty that I do is like, I work with collective trauma and historical trauma as well. Okay,   Michael Hingson ** 43:55 so two questions. The first one is, you said you're a coach, not a therapist. What's the difference?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 44:00 Well, therapist has a licensing by the state that they live in, and I don't have those things   Michael Hingson ** 44:09 but, but there are a lot of coaches who are certified in one way or another. So,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 44:12 oh well, yeah, yeah, I'm a certified yoga teacher. I'm I'm a recovery coach as well. So I went through training for that. And I've, I've had trauma training. I just and trauma informed yoga training, I just haven't and I've had lots of ancestor clearing, practitioner training. Those are things that that they don't have letters after your name. What   Michael Hingson ** 44:38 I was told was that the basic difference is that a coach provides guidance and asks questions and really works to guide you to find the solution so they don't have the answers and they're not supposed to, whereas a therapist is a person. Because of the way they're trained, they do have more of an ability to be able to provide answers, so it isn't just asking questions. They may be also able to more directly suggest answers, because they're not really acting as just a guide or a counselor. They're supposed to provide more substantive information as well.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 45:20 Okay, that's interesting.   Michael Hingson ** 45:24 In a coaching course,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 45:26 I say as a coach, I'm I support, like I'm very supportive of anyone who's also got a therapist. I do the day, kind of therapist they might see once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month. I'm there for the day to day. This is how you deal with life in between. This is like, that's what I do. So supportive of all other professionals in that space, which people need, practical What do I do now? Kind of stuff? Yeah, therapist and now, what do I do? I won't see her till next month.   Michael Hingson ** 46:02 So that's where you come in, because you can say, well, let's talk about that. Tell me what, what you're thinking what, what is it you want to do? And and again, it's all about guidance and counseling more than anything else.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 46:15 And I really prefer the Socratic method, where the where the client comes up with the own, their own, with their with their with they come up with the answer because then now they're looking now they're empowered. They're not looking to me for the answer. They're coming up with on their own. And so now they're walking away from an appointment with me or session with me feeling empowered, which is where I want them to be, which   Michael Hingson ** 46:42 is where they should be, and that way they're they're more apt to buy into it.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 46:48 Yeah, they need, they need to be able to step into the to the power that lives within them.   Michael Hingson ** 46:55 You guide them to find but they're the ones that have to find and adopt. Well, I open the door they have to walk through, right, exactly. Well, tell me about ancestral clearing. I have not really heard of that much, so I'd love to know more about that, how it works and so on.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 47:12 Well, it's actually a spiritual practice, and it's based on the understanding that we come into this life with, from a sciency point of view, I'll say information in the system. And the system is where you're a programmer. So you'll understand this. The system is has got noise in it. So some of all the information is there to be used. Some of it's useful, and some of it's not so useful. And some of that is, what I mean, is noise in the system. And so some of the unuseful stuff is like, we come in with behaviors from our ancestors around worry, you know, which is we that can people drive people neurotic? Yeah, worry energy. Or maybe they've got a lot of grief energy. Maybe they're, you know, they have a tendency towards grief   Michael Hingson ** 48:11 or addiction, talking about, like alcohol and things like that. Yeah,   Elizabeth Kipp ** 48:15 absolutely. But that's not, um, that's more epigenetic, rather than genetic. They haven't found an actual gene that of addiction. It's an epigenetic,   Michael Hingson ** 48:27 yeah, well, well, but it's also is to my father did that, my grandfather did that, and my my my mother did that. So obviously I should do that too   Elizabeth Kipp ** 48:39 well. It's kind of like the disposition is there. It's up to us to choose whether we want to and it's kind of up to the environment, how we're reacting to the environment, right? If my parents are are reaching for a drink to help them deal with the stresses of the day. Because we have these mimic we have these mirror neurons in we mimic other people. We mimic what they do. That's what we do, right? So we're going to, we're going to pick that stuff up, but we know at some point we have to wake up and be conscious like,   Michael Hingson ** 49:17 well, we should anyway, but yeah, hopefully, yeah. But anyway, continue with ancestral clearing.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 49:23 Yeah. So, so ancestral clearing helps us release the effects of intergenerational that negative effects of intergenerational trauma, I put it that way, any kind of unhealthy charge from the past, which is why it works so well with my stress management work, where we're we're carrying a an unhealthy charge in the nervous system around or maybe a belief system that's that's got us that we're reactive to. Now the spiritual aspect is where. We're we're actually asking creator, God, energy, source, whatever you want to call that energy that created everything. We're asking it to come and come in on our behalf and help, help, help the client, release the the whatever they're carrying that's no longer needed, no longer serving them. So that's the spiritual aspect of it. Very interesting and powerful process. Very interesting. So I was very impressed with it when I first experienced it, not knowing what I was walking into at the time. And I, I noticed my own pain levels dropped significantly, and so did everybody else's in the room. And I was like, What is this modality? What is this what just happened here? I know, I know something happened. Can you measure it? Is can he repeat it? And does he teach it? And answer to all that was, well, they haven't been able to that many scientific studies done on it, but there's a lot of anecdotal stuff that tells us that that it's, it's very powerful. So I wouldn't, I wouldn't be bringing it. I wouldn't be taking, taking up my time and or anybody else's doing a process. I've been doing this for 10 years, doing a process that didn't work.   Michael Hingson ** 51:22 Can you give me an example of of something that ancestral clearing can do something about, and then how you go about addressing the issue?   Elizabeth Kipp ** 51:34 Well, I'll tell you what. I'll share with you a quick example. That the whole, that the whole everybody can can relate to, okay, one who's listening can just listen to this and see, see what their experience is, where everybody who's listening put your attention on your body. Notice what sensations you're feeling. You know, for instance, in sample, I can feel my back on the chair and my feet on the floor and and I've got a little bit of, I've got a little bit of tension in my for the front of my forehead, just a little bit, um, I probably give it a zero, a number from zero to 10 and intensity, and give it about a three, maybe. So I everybody, just notice whatever that is for you, and I want you to breathe normally as I and and as I say, as I, as I say this prayer, and we use the word forgive, meaning we're offering up that which no Lord serves us. We're asking creator to help us release that which no longer serves us. That's how we're using that word forgive. So I'm just going to go through this. I'm going to we're going to use the word Infinite Creator for the whatever all of this that we're in Infinite Creator, all that you are. Would you please help everyone listening to this and all of their relationships and all their ancestors and all of their relationships throughout all space, time, dimension, realms, lives, lifetimes and incarnations for all the hurts and wrongs ever done to them in thought, word or action, any hurts and wrongs they did to others, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and any hurts and wrongs they did to themselves, please help them all forgive and release each other. Help you all forgive yourselves, please and thank you. Okay, time, anytime anyone was abandoned, not supported, nourished and cherished the way they needed. Times they weren't able to love, support and cherish others the way they needed. Anytime they were out of integrity with one another or another out of integrity with you, please help you all. Forgive and release one another. Forgive and release yourselves. Find peace with one another and find peace with yourselves, please and thank you. I want you to do one more for all, war, Battle, Holocaust, genocide, persecution, Slavery and Justice of any kind, misuse of power, position, authority, politically, spiritually, medically or any other way. Please. Help all of you forgive each other. Help you all forgive yourselves for all that happened and all you made it mean anyone involved, directly or indirectly, please. And thank you, please. Thank you, please. And thank you. And just take a nice big breath in, let it out and notice how that feels, big or small.   Michael Hingson ** 54:35 And I can tell that it helps. It's just different. It's pretty powerful. It is, it is and and, you know, again, it comes back down to taking the time to do something, to redirect what we address, or what we what we don't address, and redirect some of the stress and some of the. The things that we may or may not know that are bothering us, but it is all about taking some steps to start to deal with that.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 55:08 That's right, that's right. That's so important because it's a this is why I deal with historical trauma and collective trauma, because it's in the field we're feeling it anyway. Why not? We're experiencing the energies of it. Why not, you know? Why not name it and deal with it? Because it's going to help us again, build resilience.   Michael Hingson ** 55:34 What are some shifts in you've had in your your mind, and specifically in your mindset that made your feelings unstoppable going forward. Well, that's   Elizabeth Kipp ** 55:49 a great question. Um, I actually, I have to say that the thing that has been a pattern over my life for me that switches me from the I can't do this to Hell, yeah, I could do this. Is my connection to oneness, because it's in my sense of separation, my ego, sense of separation, that I'm not a part of where the fear thrives, but when I remember that I'm connected into all the all it is, and I'm just the creators moving through me, just like it's moving through everything that Is that that just amplifies everything and creates a power that that I couldn't even, I can't even fathom the power there, so I don't do it alone. That's the difference, if that makes sense, it does.   Michael Hingson ** 56:54 What does an unstoppable mindset mean to you in regards to stress management? As   Elizabeth Kipp ** 56:58 I said, what it means is, whatever the resistance is that's in front of me, I have the capacity to face it now. I may be activated like a stress. I might have that, that star response for a moment, but that, that that ability to face my own resistance, my which is the fear, my ability to face that, and my willingness to face it, and my practice of facing it, that's that's the thing that gives me the leverage and the momentum to the staying power. We call that staying power in the yoga that's called staying power right there. That's what gives it to me.   Michael Hingson ** 57:50 Got it? Well, tell me what are some kind of last thoughts that you might have for anyone listening to this, who may be feeling some of the issues that we've talked about or who may be looking for solutions. What kind of advice might you have for people   Elizabeth Kipp ** 58:06 ask for help. You don't have to do this alone. Really important. You you even talked about it in terms of your your your preparation. How many different people did you go to for guidance, right? We can't do this thing alone, and we're not alone where we don't want to buy into the illusion that we are. So asking for help is, is, is important, and the other thing is, which is kind of the opposites. And we're looking outward for help, right? But we're also respected. Understand that the the greatest healer in your life, lives within you. So you want to, you want to recognize that doctors can set a bonus stitch up a wound, but they can't tell the body how to heal. Only the body knows how to do that. So get that straight in your mind, or where the where the healing power truly is. Yeah, those are the two things that I that I that I always like to end my my presentations with you.   Michael Hingson ** 59:03 The reality is, we are the best things for ourselves, if we really take the time to look and listen. As I tell people, and I used to always say I was my own worst critic when I would listen to speeches of that I had recorded and so on. And over the last year, I've learned bad thing to say, the more appropriate thing to say is, I'm my own best teacher, because really only I can teach me, and only I can teach me if I'm open and willing to learn. And that involves asking for help, that involves interacting with other people, but I have to take the steps to make it happen   Elizabeth Kipp ** 59:40 exactly, so they can open the door, but we have to walk through. We   Michael Hingson ** 59:44 have to walk through. That's exactly right. Well, I want to thank you, Elizabeth again, for being here and again, tell people how they can reach out to you.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 59:54 Oh, great. Thank you so much, Michael, you can reach me at my website, which is Elizabeth with. Dash, and then Kip, k, i, p, p, like Peter pan.com you can put the dash in between my first and last name, Elizabeth dash, kip.com all my social media, lots of free resources, and you can book a session. All that stuff is available right up on the website. You can book a free introductory, 15 minute call with me, just to kind of see if we're a good fit. And thank you very much.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:26 Well, cool. Well, and I want to thank you all for listening. I hope that you found this informative and helpful. We all face stress, and there's nothing wrong with asking people for guidance and dealing with stress. It is important to do that, and Elizabeth might very well be a person who could help so I hope that you'll reach out to her. I'd love to hear from you. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today, what you think of this podcast and your your opinions. You're welcome to email me. Michael, H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, so it's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S o, n.com/podcast, wherever you're listening, please give us a five star rating. I would really value it. I know we all appreciate it. It's what helps keep us going. So I'm asking for your help to give us a five star rating. And if you know anyone else who ought to be a guest and Elizabeth you as well, please don't hesitate to introduce and we will definitely talk with anyone. I believe everyone has stories to tell and we want to hear them, so please always feel free to introduce us, all of you out there listening, if you need a speaker to come and talk about motivation and inspirational kinds of things, or any of the things that we've discussed today, please feel free to reach out to me. You can do that with the email address I gave you or emailing me at speaker at Michael hingson com. Love to hear from you, and always look forward to finding opportunities to speak and motivate and inspire. I've been doing that ever since September 11, 2001 and as I love to tell people, selling life and philosophy is a whole lot more fun than selling computer hardware. So thanks very much. And Elizabeth, one last time, I want to thank you for being here again today.   Elizabeth Kipp ** 1:02:27 Thank you so much, Michael.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:02:34 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.

Today, Maritime Attorney Lauren Beagen is back on the show to discuss the upcoming potential strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA)! This significant conversation with Lauren centers on the urgency of documenting all actions and communications related to freight, checking the terms with carriers and terminals, and the possibility of incurring surcharges or diversion fees!    About Lauren Beagen Lauren Beagen is an accomplished maritime attorney, renowned for her expertise in oceanborne commerce, maritime law, and federal regulatory matters. As the Principal and Founder of Squall Strategies, LLC, she specializes in Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) compliance and global ocean shipping issues; she also serves as the CEO of The Maritime ProfessorTM, an e-learning and employee training company. Beagen's deep understanding of the FMC stems from her role as an Attorney-Advisor (International Affairs) in the Office of the General Counsel, where she advised on international bilateral and multilateral maritime negotiations and chaired the FMC's Maritime Environmental Committee Speaker Series. Beagen also gained practical experience in her role as Maritime Project Manager at the Port of Boston, worked under contract through the U.S. Department of State on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project, and interned at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany. Ms. Beagen's continued passion for the maritime industry is seen through her many board and leadership positions including Starboard Subcommittee Co-Chair of the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC), Vice-Chair of the American Association of Port Authority's (AAPA) Legal Committee, and Co-President of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) – New England Chapter. A native Michigander, Ms. Beagen currently resides on the South Coast of Massachusetts splitting time between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is a graduate of Hope College with a double- major in International Political Science and International Studies. She received her law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law and simultaneously completed a Master of Marine Affairs joint degree from the University of Rhode Island. An avid sailor and fisherman, she holds a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential (50 GRT) for Great Lakes and Inland Waters and is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Michigan, and the District of Columbia.   Connect with Lauren Website: https://www.squallstrategies.com/ / https://the-maritime-professor.teachable.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenbeagen/  

Hey “yinz,” this is a really good podcast but unless you understand Pittsburgh slang you might not understand it all. Fortunately while our next guest is a lifelong resident of the area where three rivers converge to create the once hallowed ground known as “Three Rivers Stadium,” home to the “Immaculate Reception.” Ron Bohin is an avid O-Scale three rail modeler who graduated from school qualified to be aircraft mechanic, which of course explains how he ended up working for U.S. Steel and eventually became a locomotive engineer. Then after that successful career, it was time to move on to the Port Authority of Allegheny County, now known as Pittsburgh Regional Transit. They needed signal maintainers and when Ron submitted his resume it seemed as though, no one else  could be better qualified. If you're as confused as we are, it's time to fire up the Motorola and give a listen to this podcast, it's actually pretty good!!

[SEGMENT 2-1] Examining debate lies 1 Every aspect of that debate is being examined. And the media is trying to run cover for Harris. I saw a news story were they claim that Haitians are not eating geese and cats.    [SEGMENT 2-2] Examining debate lies 2 The fallout from the debate shocked the heck out of the Left. What appeared to be a win for them backfired. People saw more of the dirty underbelly, and they don't like it.   ECONOMYKamala Claim: “I am the only person on this stage who has a plan on lifting up the middle class and working people of America. His plan is to…provide a tax cut for billionaires and big corporations.”Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump has pledged to implement “large tax cuts for workers and NO TAX ON TIPS” to bolster the economy by putting more money in the pockets of “average Americans.”UnemploymentKamala Claim: “Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.”Fact Check: FalseAt the time of President Trump's departure from office in January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.4% and trending downward due to the recovery of jobs lost during COVID. Since the Great Depression, many months have seen unemployment greater than 6.4%, including every single month from October 2008 through March 2014.Attack on DemocracyKamala Claim: “Donald Trump left us the worst attack (January 6th) on our democracy since the Civil War.”Fact Check: FalseSince the Civil War, the United States has suffered multiple attacks resulting in far more deaths than the events of January 6th. Notable examples include the attack on Pearl Harbor, which claimed 2,403 lives on December 7th, 1941, and the Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people on April 19th, 1995. However, none were more devastating than the attacks on September 11th, 2001, which claimed nearly 3,000 American lives that day, including 343 members of the FDNY, 37 members of the NYPD, and 23 Port Authority police officers. Ironically, Kamala's erroneous claim came on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th attacks.Project 2025Kamala Claim: “What you're going to hear tonight is a detailed, and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former President plans on implementing if he were elected again.”Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump has repeatedly stated that he has no involvement with the conservative think tank known as Project 2025.CHINAKamala Claim: “He sold American chips to China to help them improve and modernize their military.”Fact Check: FalseThe Trump administration placed restrictions on selling semiconductor chips to China in May 2019, specifically targeting Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications company.ABORTIONKamala Claim: “Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term suffering from a miscarriage being denied care in an emergency room because health care providers are afraid they might go to jail.”Fact Check: FalseNo U.S. state has laws that would deny lifesaving treatment to women suffering from a miscarriage.Kamala Claim: “If Donald Trump were elected, he would sign a national abortion ban.”President Trump has repeatedly stated that he would not sign a federal abortion ban, as the issue has been returned to the states following the overturn of Roe v. Wade.Moderator Linsey Davis Claim: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it is born.”Fact Check: FalseIn 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that legalized abortions up to birth. The bill also removed section 4164 of New York's public health law, which had mandated medical care for any baby born alive during an abortion. Under these new provisions, babies can legally be left to die, or in other words, killed. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, now Kamala Harris's VP choice, implemented the same provision in the North Star State. In other states, such as Virginia, former Governor Ralph Northam stated that infants who survive an abortion “would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired.”False Trump QuotesKamala Claim: “He has openly said he would terminate the Constitution of the United States.”Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump has not stated that he would terminate the U.S. Constitution if reelected.Kamala Claim: “He would weaponize his Department of Justice against his political enemies.”Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump has never indicated that he intends to weaponize his DOJ against political enemies. However, it is worth noting the numerous ties between the Biden-Harris administration and those prosecuting President Trump.Kamala Claim: “He has expressed disdain for members of our military.”Fact Check: FalseThe “suckers and losers” hoax was debunked long ago, even by Trump foe, John Bolton.Kamala Claim: “Let's remember Charlottesville, where the President at the time said there were fine people on both sides (regarding White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis).”Fact Check: FalseEven the left-wing fact checking website snopes has debunked the “Very fine people” hoax.Kamala Claim: “Donald Trump the candidate has said in this election there will be a bloodbath if the outcome of this election is not in his liking.”Fact Check: FalseTrump's words regarding a “bloodbath” were taken out of context. He was metaphorically referring to the economic state of the United States if Kamala wins, not a literal bloodbath among the people, as Kamala portrays. Once again, Snopes clarified this.Kamala Claim: “He wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself.”Fact Check: FalseThe “dictator on day one” comment refers to a sarcastic remark made by President Trump during a town hall, where he was emphasizing how unwavering and adamant he is about closing the southern border and increasing domestic oil production.ENERGYKamala Claim: “I made it very clear back in 2020, I will not ban fracking.”Fact Check: FalseDuring a 2019 town hall with CNN, Kamala Harris stated, “There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking.”Kamala Claim: “We (the Biden Administration) have had the largest increase in domestic oil production in history.Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump's administration inherited 8.9 million barrels of oil produced per day and increased it to a high of 13 million barrels per day. The Biden-Harris administration took office with 11 million barrels being produced per day and has only increased the amount to 12 million barrels.January 6thKamala Claim: “Trump incited a violent mob to attack our nation's capitol.”Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump told his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically make their voices heard” in regard to their protest of the 2020 election.2020 ELECTIONModerator David Muir Claim: “60 cases in front of many judges, many of them republican said there was no widespread fraud.”Fact Check: FalseNone of Trump's election disputes were ever allowed to be fully presented in court. Instead, as President Trump mentioned during the debate, most were dismissed on the grounds of standing, meaning his claims of election fraud were never litigated, let alone disproven.Kamala Claim: “He attempts to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election.”Fact Check: FalsePresident Trump did not attempt to upend the will of the voters. Instead, he voiced the concerns shared by millions of Americans about the integrity of the election and pursued all legal and constitutional avenues to dispute the questionable results.FOREIGN POLICYKamala Claim: “Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy.”Fact Check: FalseDuring his first term in office, President Trump brokered numerous peace deals, most notably the historic Abraham Accords, and successfully pushed other NATO countries to start paying their fair share in defense spending.Kamala Claim: “Dictators and autocrats are rooting for Trump to be president again.”Fact Check: FalseLast week, Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Kamala Harris for president.[SEGMENT 2-3] Learning more about the candidates 1 Perhaps because of what I do for a living, I'm extra critical of Donald Trump's performance. I've been pointing out for days now what Trump needed to do in the debate, and seeing him miss opportunity after opportunity was beyond frustrating. But according to a report from Reuters, undecided voters largely shifted to him after the debate.  "Kamala Harris was widely seen as dominating Tuesday's presidential debate against Republican former president Donald Trump, but a group of undecided voters remained unconvinced that the Democratic vice president was the better candidate," the outlet reported. Reuters interviewed ten undecided voters before and after a debate. Six of them shifted toward supporting Trump, three leaned toward Harris, and one remained uncertain. That's a rather solid outcome for Trump. "Although the sample size was small, the responses suggested Harris might need to provide more detailed policy proposals to win over voters who have yet to make up their minds," wrote Reuters. It gets worse for Kamala. Five said they found Harris vague during the more than 90-minute debate on how she would improve the U.S. economy and deal with the high cost of living, a top concern for voters. The encounter was particularly important for Harris, with a weekend New York Times/Siena College opinion poll showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not know enBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kevin-jackson-show--2896352/support.

Jon Bernthal speaks with Will Jimeno, a former Port Authority police officer who survived being trapped for 13 hours under the World Trade Center rubble on September 11, 2001. Jimeno shares his extraordinary story of survival, his challenging journey of physical and emotional recovery, and how he found purpose in the aftermath of tragedy. Key topics include: Will's experience as a rookie cop on 9/11 The collapse of the towers and 13 hours trapped underground The rescue operation and Will's last radio call Battling PTSD and the long road to recovery Finding meaning and helping others after trauma Lessons on resilience, hope, and the human spirit This episode contains discussions of traumatic events which some listeners may find distressing. Support Real Ones and join the community on Patreon-- https://www.patreon.com/realones

(From 2011) Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the last survivor pulled from the rubble at Ground Zero, talks about her memoir "Angel in the Rubble." She was working for the Port Authority in the Twin Towers on 9-11. She was caught in the collapse as she and coworkers were attempting to leave the building. She was buried alive for 23 hours.

A Port Authority employee narrowly escapes from the 68th floor after a plane hits the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, but the most devastating impact comes from the psychological wounds that haunt her life for decades after. Today's episode featured Kayla Bergeron. In addition to serving as chief of public and government affairs for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Kayla has also served in senior roles for the New York State Housing Finance Agency and South Florida Water Management District, the lead agency restoring America's Everglades. Kayla currently resides in Suwanne, Georgia and serves as Program Director, and as a Certified Peer Support Specialist -Addictive Disease (C.P.S.- A.D.), for The Connection Forsyth, a 501c3 non profit recovery community organization, based in Cumming, Georgia. Kayla works as a social media consultant for Special Equestrians of Georgia, in Milton, Georgia, also a 501c3 non profit, where she participates in equine-assisted therapy.Kayla recently started a gofundme for Special Equestrians of Georgia, where she receives equine-assisted therapy for PTSD. Last year, Special Equestrians of Georgia (SEG), based in Milton, GA, had to close down its hippotherapy program due to COVID-19 and safety concerns. As a result, many of the horses had to be rehomed. Currently, SEG provides equine-assisted therapy for teens and adults with mental health challenges, including depression, PTSD, anxiety and trauma. With COVID-19 Delta variant hovering, Special Equestrians of Georgia may be forced to shut down its doors -- for good. It costs approximately $3,000 to fund the program, which includes feeding and special dietary needs, farrier, veterinarian, medicine and facility maintenance. Please help by donating to Special Equestrians of Georgia.This episode is part of a special, four-part series called The Long Shadow. Twenty Years after the attacks of September 11th changed the world as we knew it, this month the This Is Actually Happening podcast dives deep into the stories of four survivors whose jobs brought them face to face with the unthinkable. For those called to manage an impossible tragedy up close, the events of September 11th represented a uniquely horrifying challenge. Among the harrowing details of that day, we explore the long shadows of trauma and resilience that continue to inform the looming uncertainties that remain with us today.Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew WaitsSocial Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcast Content/Trigger Warnings: violence, sexual assault, injury, terrorism, mention of suicide, alcoholism, addiction, mental illness explicit languageWebsite: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: www.andrdewwaits.comWondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plusSupport the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happeningShop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: https://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop. Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com Intro Music: "Illabye" – TipperMusic and Sound Design by: Marcelino Villalpando ServicesIf you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)Crisis Text Line: Within the US, text HOME to 741741See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive, discusses the Mask Transparency Act, the nation's first mask ban, which makes it illegal for people to wear masks in public with the intent to conceal their identity. The act was a response to the protests, riots, and violence seen across the country. Blakeman shares his experience as the commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey during 9/11 and emphasizes the importance of not forgetting the lessons learned from that tragedy. He also discusses the need for strong leadership and decisive action in addressing public safety issues.

This episode of Unstoppable Mindset is for me a special one. It has been three years in the making. It is a celebration by any standard. At the beginning of the pandemic, I began realizing that while I had talked for years about escaping from the World Trade Center I had not begun teaching people to control fear: something I did successfully on September 11. So, I began working toward writing a book about the subject. I approached my co-author of Thunder Dog, Susy Flory, but she was quite busy studying in a PHD program, her own writing and running a writers conference. Susy introduced me to Keri Wyatt Kent. A friendship and team bond were formed. Today, August 20, 2024 the fruits of Keri's and my labors are released in a new book entitled “Live Like A Guide Dog: true stories of a blind man and his dogs about being brave, overcoming adversity and walking in faith”. The book is our effort to help people realize that they can learn to control fear rather than being “blinded by it”. On this episode, Keri, Susy Flory and I discuss the book. Lots of stories as well as a discussion of what went on behind the scenes. I hope you like the episode and, if you haven't done so already, please order a copy of the book. About the Guest: Keri Wyatt Kent is the author or co-author of more than two dozen books. (see her website portfolio at www.keriwyattkent.com) She has been published in Christianity Today magazine, Today's Christian Woman magazine, Outreach magazine and many other publications. She is the founder and principal of A Powerful Story, an editing and publishing company. She publishes two newsletters on Substack: Welcoming and Wandering, which explores hospitality and travel (at https://welcomingandwandering.substack.com/ ); and A Powerful Story newsletter, which offers writing and publishing advice (see https://keriwyattkent.substack.com/. Susy Flory is a #1 New York Times best-selling author or co-author of fourteen books, including The Sky Below, a new memoir with Hall of Fame Astronaut/Explorer Scott Parazynski, and Desired by God with Van Moody. Susy grew up on the back of a quarter horse in Northern California and took degrees from UCLA in English and psychology. She has a background in journalism, education, and communications and directs a San Francisco Bay Area writers conference. She first started writing at the Newhall Signal with the legendary Scotty Newhall, an ex-editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and a one-legged cigar-smoking curmudgeon who ruled the newsroom from behind a dented metal desk where he pounded out stories on an Underwood Typewriter. She taught high school English and journalism, then quit in 2004 to write full time for publications such as Focus on the Family, Guideposts Books, In Touch, Praise & Coffee, Today's Christian, and Today's Christian Woman. Susy's books include So Long Status Quo: What I Learned From the Women Who Changed the World, as well as the much-anticipated 2011 memoir she co-wrote with blind 9-11 survivor Michael Hingson, called Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero. Thunder Dog was a runaway bestseller and spent over a dozen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Ways to connect with Kerri & Susy: www.facebook.com/keriwyattkent www.instagram.com/keriwyattkent https://www.linkedin.com/in/keri-wyatt-kent-328b2810/ http://www.susyflory.com/ https://www.facebook.com/everythingmemoir About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. .   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, Hi again, everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today is a special one. I think it's special anyway, and I think our guests will agree today you're listening to this. It's It's August 20, 2024, and it's special because for the past almost three years, I and Kari Wyatt Kent, who you'll meet in a moment, have been working on a book. It's my next book, and the we had various titles, but we ended up deciding with the publisher, Tyndale house, to call it live like a guide dog, true stories from a blind man and his dogs about being brave, overcoming adversity and walking in faith. All three of those are relevant, and we can talk about those. And along the way, we've also had a lot of help from Susy Flory, who worked with me when we did thunderdog, and we wrote thunderdog, which was a number one New York Times bestseller and was published in August of 2011 I don't know what it is about August, but, oh, that's okay, but I think there's relevance to it being August this time anyway. Susie Flory was on Episode 10 of unstoppable mindset, way back in December, December 1, specifically, of 2021, and 12 days later on the 13th of December, Keri Wyatt Kent was on episode 12 of unstoppable mindset. So if you guys want to hear those two episodes, you can go back and find episodes 10 and 12 and hear our individual conversations with Susie and Carrie. But now I'd like to introduce you to both of them and all three of us, I think, we'll tell you a little bit about ourselves, and then we'll get into other things that are related to what we want to talk about, unstoppable mindset. But the big thing is, today is the day we're celebrating that live like a guide dog is released. It was released today. It's out there. If you haven't ordered it, we hope you will from wherever you want to order books, and if you have pre ordered it, you'll be getting your copy pretty soon. So anyway, welcome Susy and Kari. I'm glad you're here. We really appreciate your time, Susy. Why don't you tell us a little bit about you? I   Susy Flory ** 03:33 certainly will. But first I want to say congratulations to the both of you. I'm so excited about this book. Can't wait for it to get out there and for people to enjoy it. Mike, I was thinking I did a little quick math, and you and I have known each other for 15 years now we have we How many marriages don't even last 15 years? Right? Really,   Michael Hingson ** 03:58 well, we we met because you called one day and were writing a book called Dog tales, and you wanted to include Rozelle story, and you asked me to tell what happened on September 11. And so I bit I did, and I took maybe, I think, close to 45 minutes, and then afterward, there was this pause, and all of a sudden, Susie said you ought to write your own book, and I want to help you write it. And I sort of was a little bit reluctant, because I'd been working on it for a long time and had some ideas and advice from people, but it just wasn't going anywhere. But it did with Susie and her agent became my agent. He got a contract with Thomas Nelson publishing, and the rest, as they say, is sort of history, yeah. And I   Susy Flory ** 04:43 have always loved animal stories. My first few books, I didn't get to do anything like that, but as soon as I could, I started writing animal stories. Dogtails was the first one, and then working with you on thunderdog was the second one. Yeah. And that's kind of been a theme of my life. My dad was a Texas cowboy, and I grew up on horses. He was kind of a horse whisperer. My daughter works in wildlife rescue, and she's a squirrel whisperer. And I just love the way that animals sort of make their way into your heart, and there's a healing and bonding process that happens that so gentle most of the time you don't even realize it's happening until you need them. And that really, has truly been my experience. So Mike, that's really a part of your story that captured my heart, along with a lot of other elements of the story, I've been writing now for about 20 years, writing and publishing, I direct a writer's conference, and Carrie's actually part of that. And we try to help writers become the best that they can be. And then in the last few years, I've been in seminary, furthering my education. Right now I'm in a doctoral program and working on my dissertation, so my hair is becoming more and more gray in that process. Well,   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 06:17 and I met Susy probably at least 15 years ago, maybe more, I'm not sure when it was, but we were both writers. We worked with the same agent at the time, and then I pretty soon got involved with the West Coast Christian writers the conference that Susie was leading, and we just clicked. We We are both animal lovers. I think that's part of it. I love dogs. I also grew up riding horses, as she did and and we both had horses later in life at at the same time. And I agree there's that there's just something that animals kind of intuitively know and connect with you on this emotional level. And, you know, the the dogs that that I met through helping Mike right live like a guide dog, when we initially started it, we were going to do, we were going to include some other dogs, you know, service dogs and other people's dogs. And so I just, I got to meet some really cool dogs during this whole research project. And so I think that people who you know, if the idea of this book is about overcoming fear and managing our fear figuring out how to live courageously. And I think even if you don't have a guide dog or a service dog, animals can help you do that. They force you to be in the moment, which is one of the one of the ways we that we can deal with fear and anxiety, is to be in the moment. And animals sort of force us to do that   Michael Hingson ** 08:02 if we pay attention to them. I think you're absolutely right. And one of the lessons that we talk about in the book is the whole issue of living in the moment, not doing so much, what if? Because, if we What if everything to death, we create a lot of fear in our own lives. And one of the the basic mantras I have lived by, especially since September 11, although even before, but mostly after September 11, is don't worry about what you can't control. Focus on what you can, and the rest will take care of itself. And the lesson really comes from dogs, because after September 11, I contacted the veterinarian department of Guide Dogs for the Blind, and also talked to Roselle trainer and so on and and said, How do you think that this whole event would affect Roselle? And one of the things that they asked me was, was Roselle threatened along the way? And I said, No. And they said, well, was she hit with anything? Or did anything endanger her? And I said, No, not that she would notice at all. And they said, Well, there you are. Dogs. Don't do what if and when it was over. And we got home on the night of September 11, I took Roselle harness off, and I figured I was going to take her out. She would have none of it. She ran off, went to her toy box, grabbed her favorite tug boda bone, and started playing tug of war with my retired guy, dog, Lenny, and that was it. The two of them just played. Eventually, she did have to go out, but by the same token, they played. It was over. Roselle was glad to be home, and we moved on from there, and I think it's an important lesson. When the pandemic began, I realized that although I've been talking for at that time, 19 years about surviving the World Trade Center terrorist attacks and so on, and being able to go down the state. And not exhibiting fear and not exhibiting panic. I learned to do that and created a mindset in my head, because I spent a lot of time prior to September 11, learning about all of the issues in the World Trade Center. Where do you go if there's an emergency? What are the rules? Because for me, of course, I'm not going to read signs, but also, I was the leader of an office, and I was responsible for the people in that office, or whoever might be in the office at the time. So it was really important for me to know that. And so as a result, I learned what I could I learned how to travel around the world trade center, learned where things were and all of that, although it wasn't until much later that I realized it. All of that created a mindset in me, you know, what to do if there's an emergency and when it actually happened, although certainly we didn't expect it, the mindset kicked in and when the fan, when the pandemic began, I realized we really needed to start to talk about teaching people how to deal with fear, and as I would put it, teach people that they don't need to be blinded by fear or overwhelmed by fear, that fear is an important tool, no matter what you might think about. Oh, well, if it happens, it's a natural reaction. You have control over what you do and how you feel when something horrific or something unusual happens, then fear can be a powerful tool that you can use to benefit you, rather than letting it overwhelm you and cause you not to be able to make decisions. And you know, today in our in our world, politicians and others are doing nothing but promulgating fear in so many different ways. And we don't learn enough about stepping back and really analyzing what they say, whoever they are, and going back and saying, wait a minute. Is this real? Do I need to be afraid of this? Or is there anything that I can do about it? And that gets back to the don't worry about what you can't control. Most of it we don't have direct control over, except, I would say, at the ballot box on november 5. But by the same token, there's so much that we take personally that we shouldn't because we're not going to have any effect on it. And so what we need to do, and what live like a guide dog allows us to do is to learn how to control fear. We talk about being introspective. We talk about taking time at the end of every day to look at what happened. Why did it work? What didn't work? I don't like the concept of failure. I think that failure is only a lesson that we can use to move forward and that it doesn't need to be bad if we don't allow it to be bad, but if we use it as a tool. So that's what live like a guide dog really is about, and it is one of the, I think, the books that can truly help so many people recognize that they have a lot more control over the specific things in their lives than they think they do. Or, as we say here on the podcast, they can be more unstoppable than they think they are.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 13:12 Mike, I think that's so good. And you know, some of the things that we have in the book, as you recall, um, are strategies like we can't worry about what we can't control. But for example, you mentioned, like learning your way around the world trade center. That was a step of preparation that enabled you to then in the moment when things were you know, where there's chaos. You had been. You had prepared yourself, and all of us can prepare ourselves, you know, for understanding the world around us, for gaining information that will help us in a long when, if, when, and if something happens, to deal with it in a in a brave way and not let fear get the upper Hand. Yeah, still feel afraid, but if we're prepared, we go, okay, I know we're I know what to do next. I know what you know. I know where the exit door is, whatever it was that you know, you were able to know your way around the world trade center that helped you as you were, you know, evacuating from a tower that was on fire, you know? Yeah, so it preparation was a great tool, and it's one of the strategies that we talk about in the book that can help us to not let our fear make us panic. So,   Michael Hingson ** 14:37 you know, one of the things that we do a lot in the book, at various places, is tell stories. And I, as a person who's been involved in sales most of my life, believe that the best salespeople are people who can tell stories that relate to whatever their customers are interested in, and so on. So one of the things that comes to mind is a story that took place a few years after September 11. I was in Oregon in. Working for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and I had to go up to Gresham, Oregon, where the, well, our boring Oregon, actually, I love that name, where the second campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind is located. And I got there and put stuff away, and decided I was going to go out to dinner. And I had learned where a restaurant was and how to get there. And I got there, that was no problem. But coming back for some reason, and I don't remember what specifically happened, but for some reason, I couldn't get back to the apartment where I was staying, and I felt real concern when I when I first couldn't make it work, I retraced my steps, got back to the restaurant, and then tried it again, and still we didn't get to the right place. But what I also realized is you've got to deal with this, because it's not rozelle's job to know when Roselle was the guide dog at the time. Guide Dogs don't lead. They guide. Their job is to make sure that we walk safely. I have to give and had to give Roselle direction, and that is the case with anyone who uses a guide dog. People always want to say, well, of course, the dog just leads you around. No, that's just not true. Anyway, as I after the second time of not making it work right, I suddenly realized, wait a minute, I have in my pocket, and it was fairly new, so we didn't think of using it as much at the time, but I had a talking GPS system. I turned it on, I put in the address of where I wanted to go, and within five minutes, I was at the apartment where, where we were staying. But the issue is, I had to step back and recognize, don't be afraid. There are ways to make this work, and what you need to do is to use your skills to resolve the problem and solve the problem. And so many people won't do that. They they just get afraid. Blind people oftentimes do it. Sighted people do it in so many ways. But the fact is that it's it's a very powerful tool to use something that we call in the rehabilitation world with blind people today, and I think others, but the National Federation of the Blind calls structured discovery. You get lost, you start to go back and analyze where you were supposed to go and how you were supposed to get there, and maybe where you actually went wrong. And structured discovery is a very powerful thing. I also think that using technologies like GPS have, especially now, become a lot more dominant, and that's fine, because it's the technology's job to give me the information that allows me to decide what I want to do. But you know the bottom line is that the fear went away as soon as I recognized, oh, I know how to do this, and I'll just use the talking GPS system, and it should be able to give me what I want to know. And it did,   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 18:07 yeah, I love that story. And I think one of the things I learned as as your co author, you know, it's your story, and I was, you know, helping, you know, you write it, but, but I learned so much about guide dogs. For instance, what you mentioned when you were telling that story, that the guide dog doesn't lead you, you don't say, go back to the apartment you've been to once, Roselle, she's, you know, it's not like Lassie, you know, movies,   Michael Hingson ** 18:35 and that's all right. And no matter what they say, Timmy never did fall down the well, but that's never fell down   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 18:39 the well, ever is that was just, anyway, the idea of, and I've, you know, when I was I got a copy of the book recently, and, you know, had a publication. And the I was explaining to my husband, well, the guide dog doesn't lead and he goes, Well, how does he know where he's going? I said, Well, the same way you do but, but it's, it's that the guide dog guides, but the the handler has to give direction to the dog. Because I think it would be more scary if, if the dog had the magical ability to just take you where you want to go. I feel like it would be scarier because that's literally you have no control or no awareness of what's going on, whereas the way guide dogs actually work, you're a team, and you're doing it together, so you both have agency and control over various aspects of your journey together, and I think that makes it less scary. So   Michael Hingson ** 19:41 it is a team effort, and, and you're absolutely right, and that the reality is that it's a team effort where we both learn to trust each other. And, yeah, I think that families who have dogs really need to learn more about their their dogs. Um. Or and other animals too, but we're going to talk about dogs today. The the fact of the matter is that, in reality, dogs love to be around people, and they actually want us and hope that we will set the rules so that they know what they're supposed to do. They love rules, and that doesn't mean in a negative sort of way. But you know, if you just let your dog run around the house, tear up the furniture and all that, and you don't do anything about it, the dog's going to do that until you say, wait a minute, this isn't what you're supposed to do, and you don't need to deal with that in a negative way. There are so many ways to train a dog properly with positive rewards and so on, food rewards and clickers and other things like that, to to really set the rules. But when the dog knows what the rules are, and you continuously say, Good dog, when they do the right thing, they love that, and they will be a much more value added member of the family. As I tell people, dogs do I think love unconditionally, but they don't trust unconditionally. And you have to develop that trusting relationship with your dog, whoever you are. It isn't just service dogs, but with service dogs especially, it is a true, absolute team effort that we need to deal with and that we need to form. I need to know that Rozelle is going to do or now Alamo, current black lab guide dog, is going to do his job and convey to him I trust you. And likewise, he wants to know that I trust him. It. It really does go both ways. And when you develop that trusting relationship, it's second to none. Just like any other kind of teaming relationship,   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 21:52 I think you hit on something important, Mike, is that your dog wants the structure of of rules and knowing your expectations and wants to meet them, and you'll enjoy your dog more. And your dog will enjoy being a part of what he's considers the pack you know, of your family. Everybody will enjoy it more and feel safer and less fearful if they their structure. You know, I think sometimes dogs are when they're they act out it. They're kind of like kids who act out they are because they're afraid, and they don't know where, where the boundaries are, and   Michael Hingson ** 22:30 they don't know what you expect of them. And if you don't convey that, and again, it's a positive thing, you don't go up and beat a dog because it doesn't do what you want. That's not the way to handle it. And there are humane societies, humane associations, and so many organizations around the country that can help you appropriately train your dog. And you should, you should do that. You should really learn what training is all about. But if you do that, you're also training yourself, by the way, we used to live up in Novato, California, which was right by the marine Humane Society. And one of the things that we had discussions with people at the society about, many times, was, in reality, they do more training of people than they do of dogs, because it's really teaching the person how to address and deal with the dog much more than it even is just teaching the dog what the rules are. Right. Now, I don't know about squirrels, Susie, but you know,   Susy Flory ** 23:34 they're in a whole other category. They're   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 23:37 a whole other category, although I think your daughter, who is very good with all animals. I I remember seeing her with her dog when I visited, and she had an amazing bond with them, with with, you know, and, and that was really cool to watch. There was just this mutual respect between the two of them.   Susy Flory ** 23:59 Now, our career actually came as a result of my dog. I have a little Terrier named sprinkles, a Silky Terrier who's 14 now, and when she was really young, I had taken her out in the backyard. Teddy was, I think, 16 at the time, and sprinkles started pointing. And I didn't know these little terriers did that, but she just looked like one of those English hunting dogs. And she had her paw up, her tail out, she was pointing at something. And so I went over to look. She wouldn't come inside. There was a nest of baby birds that had the nest had been destroyed, and the birds were on the ground, these little, tiny babies, and I just left them. That's how heartless I was. I just thought, you know, they're not going to survive. They looked like they were dead. I just left them and picked up sprinkles, took her in, and Teddy came home from school. About a half hour later, I was telling her, you never guessed what sprinkles did today. Well, she didn't care what sprinkles did, but as soon as she heard the word baby birds. She ran out and back. She picked them up, she nursed them back to hell. She stayed up all night feeding them, and the next morning, she said, This is what I want to do for my life. And there's just sometimes an intuition that dogs have, you know, sprinkles found these baby birds, and that connection I will never forget, you know, that bond between her and the dog and the birds and many other animals afterwards. So there's sometimes a mysterious way of working in our lives that dogs can have.   Michael Hingson ** 25:36 Well, talking about bonding in mysterious ways brings up the memory of a story of how you two bonded. Does anybody want to tell that story? You told it to me. So now you're stuck.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 25:49 Susy, this is your favorite story so and I've been talking so go ahead.   Michael Hingson ** 25:55 Susie,   Susy Flory ** 25:56 yeah, you know how sometimes in a friendship, when you go through something hard that I know you and Rozelle went through, and you know many of the other stories you tell them in the new book, it brings you closer together. And Carrie and I had a moment. We were already friends, but we decided to go snow skiing one day, and we both were not like champion skiers. It was just for fun, and we were all dressed in our gear and headed up the hill, and a woman came running from the side of the road up at the top of the mountain and was yelling at us that there was a man in the ditch, and we didn't know what was going on. We stopped. We went over and looked, and there was a man unconscious in a ditch with this motorcycle on top of them. And so it turned out that he had passed away. But, you know, there was a good couple of hours of, you know, summoning the fire department. We had no cell service, giving statements to the authorities, you know, taking this woman back to a restaurant nearby for soup, and really just kind of going through this awful experience together. I mean, it's very traumatic, you know, to see someone who's just passed away from an accident. And, yeah, I think sometimes those things bond us and give us that, that relationship of trust and of teamwork that goes very deep. And Mike, I'm remembering how thunderdog had the working title of trust and teamwork, and I learned so much from you about that concept and kind of how that works. And it's not easy to have a relationship like that. Sometimes the hard things are what, you know, kind of forges that bond. Well, you know,   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 27:45 Susie, as you were saying that, I thought, You know what? That's when I knew Susy was someone I could turn to in a crisis, and she would keep a cool head and know what to do, because you just went, Okay, this lady's crazy. You know, having this woman was, like, panicking. She was, she was having a panic attack, you know, almost ran in front of our car and, and you said, alright, we don't have cell service. Carrie, you're going to stay here with this lady and I'm going to drive to where I can get get help. And you just, like, kind of had very decisive, clear, but very calm, very nurturing kind of way with this lady. And I was like, I don't know what to do, and you're like, Carrie, you're going to do this, and I'm going to do this. And I was like, I really like how decisive and yet compassionate you are, and I think that's part of what bond just not just finding a dead guy, which makes for a great story, and, like, a traumatic experience we shared, but I saw you your leadership in action, and I was like, this is a person I can trust. And so I think sometimes that's true with our animals as well, you know, like but when you go through a difficult situation, a fearful situation, if, if you are with someone who handles that well, you learn from them, and you also learn to trust them.   Michael Hingson ** 29:06 So, you know, we talk about telling stories and so on, and one of the stories that I told a little bit in thunderdog, but didn't really, at the time, internalized it like I should have, and I have since is regarding going down the stairs. We got to about the 50th floor going down, and I mentioned it in thunderdog, and we also talk about it in more detail and live like a guide dog. But suddenly my colleague David Frank, who was in the office with me that day, because we were going to be doing sales seminars. And David came from our corporate office in California, and David's job was to deal with pricing models and all that, and he was going to teach our resellers all about the pricing options and so on, while I was going to do all the major technical stuff, because I was going to be the regular contact for these people. Anyway, we were going down the stairs and we got to about the. 50th floor. And suddenly David said, Mike, we're going to die. We're not going to make it out of here. And immediately I went, I got to stop that. I can't let him do that. We've been trying to keep panic off of the stairs, and various people at various times, help with that. So I just said in the sharpest voice, I could stop it, David, if Rosella and I can go down these stairs so can you. And that was intentional. What David told me later was that that did bring him out of his funk, and what he decided to do, and asked me if it was okay, and I didn't really care, but yeah, it really was okay. He asked if it would be a problem if I if he just walked a floor below me on the stairs and shouted up to me everything that he saw. And I said, Sure, go ahead. So we start down the stairs. I get to the 49th floor, and all of a sudden I hear, Hey, Mike, I'm on the 48th floor. All clear here, going on down. And he told me that he wanted to do that because he needed to take his mind off of what was bothering him, which was, who knows what and what are we going to get out of here? So then I get to the 48th floor, and he's on the 47th and says, 47th floor. All good couple floors later, I'm on floor 45 and he goes, Hey, this is the 44th floor where I am now. This is where the Port Authority cafeteria is not stopping going on down the stairs, and he went all the rest of the way down the stairs shouting up what he saw. Did I need it? No, was it helpful? Sure. It was. Because we got to the 30th floor, and all of a sudden, David said, hey, the firefighters are coming up the stairs. Everybody moved to the side. Let them buy and we had some interactions with them. But the point of telling you the story is that I realized, actually only in the last few years how important and how absolutely useful and necessary what David did was all about that is to say he kept saying, I'm on whatever floor he was on and going on down the stairs, he became absolutely a focal point for anyone on the stairs who could hear him. So anyone within the sound of his voice knew that somewhere on the stairs there was someone who was doing okay, or at least who sounded okay, and that had to keep so many people from panicking going down the stairs. 19th floor. All good here, and I think that's so wonderful that he did that. And he was doing it, I think, and he said to keep his own fears in check, but he was helping so many people go down the stairs and that that kind of thing isn't really talked about so nearly enough, but it helped him deal with his own fear, and it helped so many people as we went down the stairs. It   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 32:53 was just very reassuring, not only, you know, to every like you said to everybody who could hear him, and you know, sometimes we just need to know it's going to be okay. There's somebody you're not alone, you know, well,   Michael Hingson ** 33:04 and the re the reality is that he conveyed that message to so many people, probably 1000s of people, because, you know, we were all on these open stairwells, and so so many people above and below him could hear him. And I think that I love how important?   Susy Flory ** 33:22 Yeah, I love how he was keeping people in the moment. You know, everyone was focusing on the task at hand. And I think that helps keep fear at bay. It   Michael Hingson ** 33:33 does. And you know, the other part about that is we didn't know what was going on. We didn't know that it was a hijacked aircraft that crashed into the towers. We figured that an airplane hit the building because we were smelling burning jet fuel, but we didn't know what the details were. And so I'm sure minds were going in so many different directions as to what was going on. As I tell people, I love to read science fiction, so I was imagining all sorts of things. But I also knew that no matter what I was imagining, we got to deal with going down the stairs and focusing and all that which which we did. And I know people followed me because they kept hearing me telling Roselle What a good girl she was. Good dog. Keep going, what a good dog you are. And they, they, they told me later, look, if you could go down the stairs and just encourage Roselle and all that, we're going to follow you. Which is, which is what they did. And you know, the reality is that we can control fear. Fear doesn't need to overwhelm us. And again, as I've said, it's a it's a very powerful tool. And we talk about ways that you can learn to do that, ways that you can learn to calm and quell fears in your own lives, by introspection, by thinking about what goes on on any given day, and anybody who says that they don't have time at the end of the day or at the very beginning of the next day, but I think especially at the end of the day, to take a few moments. And go. How did it go today? What worked, what didn't? Why didn't? What didn't work? Why did that happen? What do I learn from that I'm a firm believer, not that I'm my own worst critic in everything that I do, although that's what I used to say, I've learned that I'm my own best teacher. Because ultimately, people can provide me with information, but I have to teach it to myself, and I have to take the time to allow myself to learn from what I'm thinking. And I believe that all of us are our own best teachers, and that we need to take into account what we feel and analyze it, and the more of that that we do, the more introspection, and the more self analysis that we do, the the stronger that mind muscle becomes, and the less we're afraid. And that's, of course, a lot about what live like a guide dog is really about.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 35:55 Mike, I'd love to share with your the listeners some of the strategies that, as we talked through, you know, your story, and the way that you have, you know, figured out how to, like you said, become more self aware, some of the strategies that are, you know, offered to people so that they can learn. In the book, we talk about awareness and we talk about preparation, which mentioned that before we talk about flexibility, we talk about perseverance, empathy, trust and teamwork, which, obviously that's a big one, right, even things like listening and rest, which seem more passive, actually help us to do like what you're talking about, live in the moment, right? And of course, Faith is an important part of of not being afraid, and we talk about that a lot, and just of listening to your instincts, listening to your own, you know, your own intuition. Um, so those are some of the like, the strategies in the book. And I think if people will, you know, read the book, they'll, they'll learn how to implement those strategies and teach themselves how to turn their Fear into Courage. And that's one of the reasons I'm excited about this book,   Michael Hingson ** 37:17 and the reason we call the book live like a guide dog is that it's all about all of these lessons that we're talking about are lessons that I learned from observing dogs over the years. I've said a number of times, no offense to them, but I've learned a whole lot more about trust in teamwork and dealing with life from working with now eight guide dogs and my wife's dog, Fantasia, who was Africa's mother, and Fantasia was a breeder for guide dogs also. But I learned so much more from those dogs than I ever learned from all the team experts like Tony Robbins and Ken Blanchard and all that, because it's no offense to them, they teach a lot of good things, but it's personal and internalized when you have to live it, and you live it working with dogs, when the team learns how to to work well together, and I think it's so important to do that. So there's no doubt that in so many ways, this is a book about dogs, but it's also a book about more than that people and the relationship between dogs and people, the human animal bond, and something we haven't talked a lot about, which we can talk about briefly here, is that this book, just like thunder dog, since I am a firm believer in teamwork, was a collaborative effort. Susie and I worked together on thunderdog. We both wrote, we we evaluated each other's writings, and we put together a book that was very successful. And Carrie and I have done the same thing with live like a guide dog. It is a collaborative effort, and I think that's so important, because I think that the whole idea of teamwork brings different perspectives and different ideas that all ended up going into the book, and I think will make it a very successful book.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 39:13 Yeah. Well, thanks, Mike. It's been a really a lot of fun to work on. And like I said, I learned a lot. You know, it's interesting. You talked about learning from the dogs. There were times where your dogs had to learn from you, not to be afraid. Like, I don't know if you want to tell the story, sure, Klondike, when you were training him.   Michael Hingson ** 39:32 Well, let me, let me first of all say, Well, I'll tell the story, and then I have a second Klondike story. So, and by the way, we talk about these in live like a guide dog, and some of it was referenced in thunderdog, but we get more relevant and detailed in live like a guide dog. But when I first met Klondike at Guide Dogs for the Blind, the class supervisor was Terry Barrett, who. Who I hadn't really gotten to know. But because of what happened, we became pretty close afterward. And what happened was when about the last week of the class, we started going into San Francisco to get good city work in and more populated areas and so on. And the first time we went in, everything was fine, but the second time we went in, when it was my turn to get off the bus, I stood up with Klondike, and as the closer I got to the front of the bus, the slower Klondike walked, and he started shaking and shivering and didn't even want to get off the bus. And so everybody else was off, and Terry came on and he said, what's going on? And I said, Well, I'm really concerned about this. And he said, Just be patient with him. Work it through. Dogs do develop beers from time to time, but they also are depending on us to show them the way to to to be calm. So we finally got Klondike off the bus, and as soon as we got off the bus, he began to work pretty well. The next day, the same thing happened, and again, Klondike was very fearful. By the third day, being patient with him and encouraging and supporting him, saw Klondike actually becoming less fearful, and we were able to work through that. You know, dogs do have fears. Roselle became afraid of thunder. And, in fact, the night before September 11, well the morning of September 11, at one or 12th midnight, or 112 30 in the morning, we had a thunderstorm, and Roselle was afraid of thunder. And I took Roselle downstairs, and she was shaking and shivering, but she was under my desk, and we got through it, and then we went upstairs, and we got some more sleep. And then, of course, we went into the World Trade Center, and people have said, well, she was afraid of thunder. Why wasn't she afraid when there was an explosion or whatever happened in the World Trade Center? The answer is, first of all, it wasn't that loud, but second of all, it wasn't thunder, they know. And so Roselle didn't have a problem with all the other stuff. Now, Klondike, let's just point out that Klondike is one of those religious dogs. One day we we were members of the San Marcos United Methodist Church, and the church had invited itinerant Minister Kimball Colburn to come and and do some some teaching. And that night, then the main night, he was there. He did an altar call, and Karen and I decided we'd go up. Karen was in her her wheelchair and and I said, you want to go up? And she said, yeah. So we, we were there. Klondike was there. And I told Klondike, just stay here. We'll be back. Just stay we get up to the front of the room. We're standing in line, and all of a sudden, right in front of us, comes Klondike and sits down. He wanted to be part of the altar call, and Kimball gave him the sacrament, you know, which? Which was great. But he was that kind of a very sensitive dog in so many ways, and so it's fun that he he did participate, and was such a wonderful companion for so many years.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 43:24 You know, Mike, I um, you said something about like when Klondike was afraid to get off the bus, and you didn't get mad at Klondike, you didn't shame him. You were just patient and reassuring and encouraging. And I think that you know whether you have a dog or not, when, when I feel afraid, one of the things I think that I live more like a guide dog now than I used to, is I try to be patient with myself and be okay. Kari, what's going on? Like, what's this fear? What? And instead of going, Oh, why are you so dumb, you should just be you should, you know, just tough it out and be brave and be strong. No, I'm patient with myself, I think, more than I used to be before I worked on this book. And I encourage myself. You can do this. You know, your feelings make sense. It's okay. Just stay in the moment. I kind of pep talk myself, but I'm very patient with myself, and I think that's a hard thing to do. We're all harder on ourselves than we are on other people. We say things to ourselves that we would never say to someone else, like, how many times you go I'm so that was so dumb. You know? You wouldn't say that to somebody else.   44:38 Some people do anyway,   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 44:41 and and we don't, because that's not helpful, right? So it's more helpful to be kind to yourself, and I think that's one of the things I learned from this that has helped me deal with when I feel anxious or afraid, to just be patient with myself.   Michael Hingson ** 44:56 Lashing Out is usually something that occurs because. Are afraid, and we've we've grown up learning those kinds of things rather than learning. Wait a minute, there are better ways and and unfortunately, as a society, we don't really teach people how to learn to deal with fear and to make it a positive attribute in our lives and help us stay more focused on whatever it is that we need to stay focused on, and that, in reality, the fear isn't the problem. It is how we deal with it. That's the problem, and we don't learn enough about how to step back and go, Wait a minute. We can do this differently. And the reality is, the more that we take the approach of Wait a minute and really analyze, the quicker the process becomes, yeah, the first or second or third time perhaps you do it, it's going to take you a while and you got to stop and analyze and so on. But that's why I say that the mind is a muscle, and you can develop that muscle and get yourself and your mind to the point where when something happens that's unexpected, you can have a mindset kick in that says, Wait a minute. Let's look at this, and very quickly, make the kind of determinations and decisions that you really want to make and that that other people learn to make, you know, I talk about steel Team Six and other kinds of military things, and all the things that that that they learn to do, and they do learn to do them, it's learned behavior. And the reality is that we all can do that we all can recognize that we can live in the moment, we can function in very productive ways, and that we don't need to allow fear to blind us or overwhelm us. I will not say, Don't be afraid, but you don't need to let it overwhelm you.   Susy Flory ** 46:59 Yeah, Mike, I have a question for you that I don't remember if I've ever asked you this before, but it seems perfect for this concept of live like a guide dog, and that is, I know you were really quite young when you had your first guide dog. They made an exception for you, and I'm wondering what was the very first lesson you learned as a teenager from your very first guide dog.   Michael Hingson ** 47:23 I think the very first thing that I learned, well there, there are a couple. The first thing that comes to mind is responsibility, because I was responsible for that dog, and at 14 years old, that's a pretty awesome kind of a task to be able to perform, and it isn't just feeding the dog, it's supporting the dog. And I had a month at Guide Dogs for the Blind where the trainers really talked a lot about that, and being the youngest kid there, it is something that I didn't necessarily learn instantly, but I did learn well over a few years. But the other thing that I did learn was a lot about trust. The the the trainers always said, Follow your dog. And I think some schools for a while were were very much in the mindset of your dog never makes mistakes, just follow your dog. Well, that doesn't work, and we all, I think, understood that, at least over time, but following your dog and learning to trust your dog and learning to establish that relationship with your dog was important. And what what happened was things like, I get to a street corner, and now, of course, it's even more relevant than it used to be. I get to a street corner, we stop. I'm listening to hear which way the traffic is going, and I will cross the street the way I want to go when I hear the traffic going parallel to where I want to travel, because if it's going across in front of me, it, you know, I have a master's degree in physics. I know about classical mechanics. Two pieces of matter can't occupy the same space at the same time. And classical mechanics, and I don't want the second piece of matter to be a big car that hits me, you know. So I need to make sure that the traffic is going the way I want to go before I cross, but I tell the dog forward, and the dog doesn't go. I have learned instantly, probably there's a reason. Now, it could be that the dog is distracted, although that's rare, because I've learned to trust my dogs. I mean, the dog could see a duck and wants to go visit, but typically, that isn't what happens, especially the more you get to know the dog and you realize there's a reason for the dog not moving. When we were running away from tower two, and we came to a place where there was an opening in the building next to us, and then we wanted. Get in and out of the dust cloud. I didn't know whether Roselle could hear me or see my hand signals, but I kept telling her right, right, right. And I heard an opening, and she obviously knew what I wanted. She turned right, she took one step, and she stopped. She would not move. And it took me a few seconds to realize, wait a minute, she stopped for a reason. It's what we call Intelligent Disobedience. That wasn't the term that we learned when I got squire my first dog. It was all about follow your dog, but Intelligent Disobedience is a very important part of working with a guide dog. The fact of the matter is that I need to trust the dog. When the dog stops and doesn't do what I expect, there's probably a reason. Well, Roselle stopped and wouldn't move. I investigated and discovered that we were at the top of a flight of stairs, and when I said forward, we went down the stairs, or likewise, getting back to the street corner. If I say forward and she doesn't go, or he doesn't go. There's probably a reason, and the reason, most likely today, is quiet cars or hybrid vehicles that are running in electric mode and I can't hear them, and there's one coming down the street and the dog doesn't want to get killed, much less get me killed, unless the dog doesn't like me very well. But I don't want that to be the case. So the fact of the matter is that we we develop that level of trust, and when the dog doesn't move, I'm going to stop and try to analyze and figure out what's going on, and then we go. But that trust was one of the most important things that I had to learn a lot about in ways that I had never learned before. You know, I've been blind my whole life. I trusted my parents and so on, and I I trusted my own skills. I walked to elementary school every day until we went to the fourth grade, and then I took bus to a different school, and I was able to learn to travel around the campus and all that, but still, creating a team was pretty new to me overall, when I got squire. And so learning that trust and learning that that's a very important thing, was something that that I had to do. And again, I think it's also important to recognize you don't trust blindly. And as I said before, dogs don't trust unconditionally. They're looking to develop trust, and dogs want to develop a trusting relationship with us, but it is something that that has to be done. So even today, if the dog stops and doesn't move, I'm not going to yell at the dog. I may be wondering, well, what's the issue here? But I will stop and recognize that most likely, there's a reason. And like I said, there's always that one possibility that it could be that they see a bird and they want to go visit the bird, but guide dogs generally are are chosen because they're not overly distracted. And I want to keep it that way, so it is all about trust. And that's that's something that we all need to learn. You know, I keep hearing people talk about in our political world, well, I trust this guy. He's talking to me. Sorry, that doesn't work. Trust has to be earned, and we have to each step back in whatever we're doing and look at what's going on around us, and when somebody says something to us, I'm generally going to take the time to analyze it and see if that's really true or not, and and the more that I find that I can relate to what someone says, the more I'm really apt to trust them. But I'm not going to trust them arbitrarily or, as I would say, blindly. You know what I'm saying. Yeah, that's great   Susy Flory ** 54:02 trust, but verify.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 54:04 Yeah, it's important Exactly, exactly.   Michael Hingson ** 54:08 But you know it's, it is? It is so wonderful when that kind of a relationship does occur, working with a guide dog, when the teaming relationship is there, working with people, when the teaming relationship is there, is so important and it's it's such an awesome experience to have.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 54:34 I think if you have trusting relationships, whether with an animal or another person, you will be generally less afraid because you feel a little safer in the world, not that you trust everyone, and not that you're never afraid, but if you have safe people or animals, or you know connections with others, that builds sort of a a. Reservoir within you of of goodwill that you are not afraid of everything you know. I think that's why you know people or animals who have been who have suffered abuse, are less are more fearful, right? They're less likely to trust because their trust has been betrayed in the past.   Michael Hingson ** 55:21 We had one of those in 2003 we indicated, when I was at guide dogs that we would care for geriatric dogs. And in 2003 I was called. I was in my office at guide dogs, and the veterinarian department called and said, we have a senior dog. She's 12, and we were wondering if you could take her. She's fearful, she's deaf, she's got arthritis. She's got a big lump on her back, which we think is an infected cyst that we can take care of. But she had never been a guide dog. She was career changed before becoming a guide dog, and they just said it was temperament. We figured it probably later we realized it was very strong willed. It wasn't a bad thing, and that today, or in 2003 they knew more about how to deal with that, and she would have made a great guide dog. But anyway, I called Karen and told her about this dog. And so we met Panama, who was a 12 year old golden retriever. She was very fearful. They thought she was deaf because they dropped a big, large Webster's Dictionary right by her in Panama. Didn't even respond. We took her home, and over a couple of months, we discovered that she wasn't really totally deaf. She was she was old and she was fearful. We think that the people who had her last had just locked her in a garage, and they maybe abused her, I don't know, but we just supported her. She was afraid to go on walks with Karen in the wheelchair, but eventually she decided that that was okay, and so Karen and she would walk. And you know, of course, all of us supported her. She was she had enough arthritis. She really couldn't play roughly with the other dogs, but she liked to be around them. One day, we were going up to Oregon for a guide dog event from where we were in Northern California, and I was putting luggage in our car, so I opened the door going from our house into the garage, and all of a sudden, like a shot, this dog ran past me out into the garage, and the van was open. She ran up into the van and went into the main part of the car, the vehicle. We knew when that happened, that Panama had gone somewhere, she had crossed a line and developed enough of a trust that she was willing to go out and get in the car and be more a part of the family. But she was very fearful, and there were still a lot of other issues with her, but the more we worked with her, the more she realized that she could trust us and we had her. For before that, she had been afraid of the car, she had been afraid of the car, she had been afraid of people were afraid. She was afraid of everything. She was afraid of everything. And it was pretty amazing when suddenly she took that leap, and it got better from then on, but she knew that we were with her and that we would support her.   58:35 Yeah, that's a great story.   Michael Hingson ** 58:36 Well, Susie, any any other thoughts or questions that you might have you you've been quiet lately.   Susy Flory ** 58:45 What is your newest lesson? I that makes me curious too, because you've had Guide Dogs for a while now. You had a number of them. Each one's different. Each relationship is different. So with LMO, what might be your latest lesson that you're learning? Because we're all lifelong learners, right?   Michael Hingson ** 59:05 I have been really impressed with some of the new training techniques that I've seen at Guide Dogs for the Blind. I mentioned clickers, which is sort of like a, you know, those metal crickets, you squeeze a minute ago, something like that. But the idea is that when I got Roselle, they had started really investigating new and better training techniques. And what I have found is that they actually have developed techniques using technologies and just different processes that they've been able to shorten the length of time it takes to learn to use, or it takes shorter times for the guide dog to learn to be a guide dog. When I went up to Oregon to get Panama. On excuse me to get Alamo, which was the first guide dog I've gotten in Oregon. So we went up in 2018 to get Alamo, and we graduated on my birthday, so he's a great birthday present. But anyway, when I was up there the first day we started walking, the trainer was right behind me, and I knew that she was carrying a clicker. We cross the street, and actually we got to the curb and and stopped, and she immediately clicked the clicker. What a clicker is is a device that's a demarcation. And when the dog does what you want, if you immediately click and then you follow it with food rewards, the click really tells the dog, good job. You don't use it in a negative way, and that's one of the positive ways to really work to develop good, strong relationships with dogs. Well, anyway, we crossed the street, and then we walked a little bit further, and suddenly we came to the opening to an alley, and the trainer said, Let's try and experiment, because Klondike or rose Alamo was going to just go across the alley, she said, the trainer did stop and back up. And when you get to the end of the alley, stop and tell the dog halt. I did. The trainer clicked. I gave Alamo a food reward. We went back a little bit and did that two or three times, and suddenly Alamo regularly would stop at the opening to that alley, which was a wise thing to do, because cars could come out. I don't know, but I bet today, six years later, if I were to go up to warring and we went down that same sidewalk and we got to that alley, Alamo would stop because the clicker reinforced the behavior in a very positive way, so much that he'll remember it. He's a very bright dog, and I'm absolutely confident that he would so some of the new training techniques and the brightness of the dogs to be able to take advantage of those things, I think, is so important. And I think one of the things that I found most intriguing going forward.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 1:02:06 I think you know that really points to positive reinforcement again. You know, with ourselves, with others. You know, if we're you know, you know, if we say we have a friend who is always fearful, and we if we just say, Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid, that doesn't really help, but if we notice them doing the right thing to point it out, I think that improves our relationship, and it can help that person overcome fear. Yeah, you know, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:32 And we've got to get away from so much negativity and really find more positive ways for us to reinforce ourselves and also to get that same behavior from other people. I think it is so important. Yeah, well, we've been doing this for a while. I guess I would ask if there are any kind of last thoughts that either of you have. We're, of course, excited that little like a guide dog came out today, and that hopefully everyone will now even be more intrigued and go buy it. We'd love it to be another best selling book. So we hope that you'll really join us in that journey. And so if anyone, if either of you have any other final comments or whatever, let's go ahead and do them. Just   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 1:03:20 you know what? I hope that people will get this book and tell others about it, you know, write a review, tell a friend. You know. I'm sure we all have people in our life who love dogs and people who wrestle with fear, and either those type people would love to get a copy of this book. I   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:41 think between those two classes of people that takes in everyone and I'm, I'm everyone   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 1:03:46 in the world, everyone they either love dogs or they're afraid,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:51 or both, or both, and dogs can help teach us so many things.   Susy Flory ** 1:03:57 Dogs are bridge builders. You know, everyone, almost everyone, can look at a dog and, you know, kind of feel that connection to the dog. Dogs feel the connection to people. And dogs don't care what political party we are or what we think about the news or which way the economy's going. I love how they live in the moment. They look for opportunities to connect, to play, to rest and just the rhythms of life of a dog. I think, you know, there's something that we can learn there about what's important and what is not as important. And the people in our lives and those we connect to are important. The labels, not so much.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 1:04:45 Yeah, love that. That's good word, Susy.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:48 And as long as at the beginning and end of the day we get fed, we're happy. That's what Alamo said. We   Susy Flory ** 1:04:55 get our treats, then we gotta get our toys. Yeah?   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:03 That is what matters. Well, I want to thank you both for being here and if, if either or both of you want to come on again. We we should do it, but I really want to thank you for taking the time to be here with us today. I would love to hear from all of you out there. Love to hear your thoughts about what you've heard today, what you learned. We would certainly appreciate it wherever you're listening or watching. If you'll give us a five star rating, we value those ratings very highly. If you'd like to reach out to me, it's easy. You can email me at Michael h i@accessibe.com that's M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S i b, E.com, or go to our podcast page, www, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S O N.com/podcast, and for you, Kari and Susy, both of you, how do people maybe reach out to you.   Keri Wyatt Kent ** 1:06:02 I have a website, Carrie Wyatt, kent.com it's K E R, I, W, Y, A, T, T, K E N T. I'm also easy to find just by Googling and on on social media. My My full name is my handle on everything. So I'd love to connect on Instagram or Facebook. Um, it's my where I'm mostly at, or LinkedIn. Um, so yeah,   Susy Flory ** 1:06:30 Susie, Yeah, same as Kari. You can find me kind of in those different places. And if you have a cute dog video or squirrel video, be sure and send it my way. And   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:40 so what's your website? And   Susy Flory ** 1:06:43 it's my name? Yeah, Susy flory.com my name is

Who Owns America ? (WHOA) is an ambitious effort by the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to uncover land ownership patterns with unprecedented accuracy, ease, and nuance. By equipping municipalities, states, and nonprofits with comprehensive, tailored analyses of ownership, WHOA helps purpose-driven organizations understand and respond to their challenges, including unprecedented investment by institutional investors in moderate income housing across America.rnrnFounded to help people and the planet keep up with the pace of change, the Lincoln Institute's CGS specializes in improving how data is accessed and applied across boundaries - within an organization, between partners, and across sectors or jurisdictions. Its WHOA analysis uniquely fuses parcel data with environmental and social information to unlock a holistic understanding of our systemic challenges. To date, the organization has helped reveal property ownership patterns in dozens of cities and states, including Cincinnati, helping local leaders to take action to drive more equitable outcomes.

ICYMI On Midday Mobile Sean Sullivan talked to Maggie Oliver from Alabama Port Authority about the Mobile Bay Dredging Project.   Maggie explains how they keep the bay healthy and what the process is.  How the project works and the legal processes they have completed.  They were surprised by the lawsuit from Mobile Baykeepers about moving mud.  The Port has asked Baykeepers for input from the group on the process.  At this time in the process, which began in 2019, would have to start over for the changes Baykeeper is looking for. Listen to their conversation here: 

Welcome to another episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life! In this enlightening episode, host Avik is joined by the remarkable Dr. Peter Killeen. Dr. Killeen's extensive background includes a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology, a Master's in Theological Studies, and a Master's in Counseling Psychology. His career began as a police officer with the Port Authority of NY & NJ Police Department, and he has dedicated his life to improving the mental and physical health of first responders and law enforcement professionals. Dr. Killeen is the co-author of six influential books tailored for law enforcement professionals, emphasizing the integration of mindfulness, resilience, and meditation into daily life. His latest series, "Operation Longevity," is a comprehensive program designed to promote sustainable health through a holistic approach. The series includes a textbook, a personal journal, personal stories and meditations, a 21-day challenge coin, and a guide to mindfulness and wellness for first responders. Throughout his career, Dr. Killeen has played a significant role in trauma counseling, especially after the 9/11 attacks, and has served in various wellness and mediation roles. In this episode, he shares his invaluable insights on managing stress, the importance of the mind-body connection, and the benefits of mindfulness and resilience.