Podcasts about Pun

What is a "Good Woman"? What is power? Olivie Blake takes on these questions and more in "Girl Dinner". It includes some hard to digest themes. Pun intended. Bon appétit. Video: https://youtu.be/QzWivjs4F0w

Pam Harris, Exploring the Power & Purpose of Number Strings ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 4 I've struggled when I have a new strategy I want my students to consider and despite my best efforts, it just doesn't surface organically. While I didn't want to just tell my students what to do, I wasn't sure how to move forward. Then I discovered number strings.  Today, we're talking with Pam Harris about the ways number strings enable teachers to introduce new strategies while maintaining opportunities for students to discover important relationships.  BIOGRAPHY Pam Harris, founder and CEO of Math is Figure-out-able™, is a mom, a former high school math teacher, a university lecturer, an author, and a mathematics teacher educator. Pam believes real math is thinking mathematically, not just mimicking what a teacher does. Pam helps leaders and teachers to make the shift that supports students to learn real math. RESOURCES Young Mathematicians at Work by Catherine Fosnot and Maarten Dolk  Procedural fluency in mathematics: Reasoning and decision-making, not rote application of procedures position by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Bridges number string example from Grade 5, Unit 3, Module 1, Session 1 (BES login required) Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms by Pamela Weber Harris and Cameron Harris Math is Figure-out-able!™ Problem Strings TRANSCRIPT Mike Wallus: Welcome to the podcast, Pam. I'm really excited to talk with you today. Pam Harris: Thanks, Mike. I'm super glad to be on. Thanks for having me. Mike: Absolutely.  So before we jump in, I want to offer a quick note to listeners. The routine we're going to talk about today goes by several different names in the field. Some folks, including Pam, refer to this routine as “problem strings,” and other folks, including some folks at The Math Learning Center, refer to them as “number strings.” For the sake of consistency, we'll use the term “strings” during our conversation today.  And Pam, with that said, I'm wondering if for listeners, without prior knowledge, could you briefly describe strings? How are they designed? How are they intended to work? Pam: Yeah, if I could tell you just a little of my history. When I was a secondary math teacher and I dove into research, I got really curious: How can we do the mental actions that I was seeing my son and other people use that weren't the remote memorizing and mimicking I'd gotten used to?  I ran into the work of Cathy Fosnot and Maarten Dolk, and [their book] Young Mathematicians at Work, and they had pulled from the Netherlands strings. They called them “strings.” And they were a series of problems that were in a certain order. The order mattered, the relationship between the problems mattered, and maybe the most important part that I saw was I saw students thinking about the problems and using what they learned and saw and heard from their classmates in one problem, starting to let that impact their work on the next problem. And then they would see that thinking made visible and the conversation between it and then it would impact how they thought about the next problem. And as I saw those students literally learn before my eyes, I was like, “This is unbelievable!” And honestly, at the very beginning, I didn't really even parse out what was different between maybe one of Fosnot's rich tasks versus her strings versus just a conversation with students. I was just so enthralled with the learning because what I was seeing were the kind of mental actions that I was intrigued with. I was seeing them not only happen live but grow live, develop, like they were getting stronger and more sophisticated because of the series of the order the problems were in, because of that sequence of problems. That was unbelievable. And I was so excited about that that I began to dive in and get more clear on: What is a string of problems?  The reason I call them “problem strings” is I'm K–12. So I will have data strings and geometry strings and—pick one—trig strings, like strings with functions in algebra. But for the purposes of this podcast, there's strings of problems with numbers in them. Mike: So I have a question, but I think I just want to make an observation first. The way you described that moment where students are taking advantage of the things that they made sense of in one problem and then the next part of the string offers them the opportunity to use that and to see a set of relationships. I vividly remember the first time I watched someone facilitate a string and feeling that same way, of this routine really offers kids an opportunity to take what they've made sense of and immediately apply it. And I think that is something that I cannot say about all the routines that I've seen, but it was really so clear. I just really resonate with that experience of, what will this do for children? Pam: Yeah, and if I can offer an additional word in there, it influences their work. We're taking the major relationships, the major mathematical strategies, and we're high-dosing kids with them. So we give them a problem, maybe a problem or two, that has a major relationship involved. And then, like you said, we give them the next one, and now they can notice the pattern, what they learned in the first one or the first couple, and they can let it influence. They have the opportunity for it to nudge them to go, “Hmm. Well, I saw what just happened there. I wonder if it could be useful here. I'm going to tinker with that. I'm going to play with that relationship a little bit.” And then we do it again. So in a way, we're taking the relationships that I think, for whatever reason, some of us can wander through life and we could run into the mathematical patterns that are all around us in the low dose that they are all around us, but many of us don't pick up on that low dose and connect them and make relationships and then let it influence when we do another problem.  We need a higher dose. I needed a higher dose of those major patterns. I think most kids do. Problem strings or number strings are so brilliant because of that sequence and the way that the problems are purposely one after the other. Give students the opportunity to, like you said, apply what they've been learning instantly [snaps]. And then not just then, but on the next problem and then sometimes in a particular structure we might then say, “Mm, based on what you've been seeing, what could you do on this last problem?” And we might make that last problem even a little bit further away from the pattern, a little bit more sophisticated, a little more difficult, a little less lockstep, a little bit more where they have to think outside the box but still could apply that important relationship. Mike: So I have two thoughts, Pam, as I listen to you talk.  One is that for both of us, there's a really clear payoff for children that we've seen in the way that strings are designed and the way that teachers can use them to influence students' thinking and also help kids build a recognition or high-dose a set of relationships that are really important.  The interesting thing is, I taught kindergarten through second grade for most of my teaching career, and you've run the gamut. You've done this in middle school and high school. So I think one of the things that might be helpful is to share a few examples of what a string could look like at a couple different grade levels. Are you OK to share a few? Pam: You bet. Can I tack on one quick thing before I do? Mike: Absolutely. Pam: You mentioned that the payoff is huge for children. I'm going to also suggest that one of the things that makes strings really unique and powerful in teaching is the payoff for adults. Because let's just be clear, most of us—now, not all, but most of us, I think—had a similar experience to me that we were in classrooms where the teacher said, “Do this thing.” That's the definition of math is for you to rote memorize these disconnected facts and mimic these procedures. And for whatever reason, many of us just believed that and we did it. Some people didn't. Some of us played with relationships and everything. Regardless, we all kind of had the same learning experience where we may have taken at different places, but we still saw the teacher say, “Do these things. Rote memorize. Mimic.”  And so as we now say to ourselves, “Whoa, I've just seen how cool this can be for students, and we want to affect our practice.” We want to take what we do, do something—we now believe this could be really helpful, like you said, for children, but doing that's not trivial. But strings make it easier. Strings are, I think, a fantastic differentiated kind of task for teachers because a teacher who's very new to thinking and using relationships and teaching math a different way than they were taught can dive in and do a problem string. Learn right along with your students. A veteran teacher, an expert teacher who's really working on their teacher moves and really owns the landscape of learning and all the things still uses problem strings because they're so powerful. Like, anybody across the gamut can use strings—I just said problem strings, sorry—number strengths—[laughs] strings, all of us no matter where we are in our teaching journey can get a lot out of strings. Mike: So with all that said, let's jump in. Let's talk about some examples across the elementary span. Pam: Nice. So I'm going to take a young learner, not our youngest, but a young learner. I might ask a question like, “What is 8 plus 10?” And then if they're super young learners, I expect some students might know that 10 plus a single digit is a teen, but I might expect many of the students to actually say “8, 9, 10, 11, 12,” or “10, 11,” and they might count by ones given—maybe from the larger, maybe from the whatever. But anyway, we're going to kind of do that. I'm going to get that answer from them. I'm going to write on the board, “8 plus 10 is 18,” and then I would have done some number line work before this, but then I'm going to represent on the board: 8 plus 10, jump of 10, that's 18. And then the next problem's going to be something like 8 plus 9. And I'm going to say, “Go ahead and solve it any way you want, but I wonder—maybe you could use the first problem, maybe not.” I'm just going to lightly suggest that you consider what's on the board. Let them do whatever they do. I'm going to expect some students to still be counting. Some students are going to be like, “Oh, well I can think about 9 plus 8 counting by ones.” I think by 8—”maybe I can think about 8 plus 8. Maybe I can think about 9 plus 9.” Some students are going to be using relationships, some are counting. Kids are over the map.  When I get an answer, they're all saying, like, 17. Then I'm going to say, “Did anybody use the first problem to help? You didn't have to, but did anybody?” Then I'm going to grab that kid. And if no one did, I'm going to say, “Could you?” and pause.  Now, if no one sparks at that moment, then I'm not going to make a big deal of it. I'll just go, “Hmm, OK, alright,” and I'll do the next problem. And the next problem might be something like, “What's 5 plus 10?” Again, same thing, we're going to get 15. I'm going to draw it on the board.  Oh, I should have mentioned: When we got to the 8 plus 9, right underneath that 8, jump, 10 land on 18, I'm going to draw an 8 jump 9, shorter jump. I'm going to have these lined up, land on the 17. Then I might just step back and go, “Hmm. Like 17, that's almost where the 18 was.” Now if kids have noticed, if somebody used that first problem, then I'm going to say, “Well, tell us about that.” “Well, miss, we added 10 and that was 18, but now we're adding 1 less, so it's got to be 1 less.” And we go, “Well, is 17 one less than 18? Huh, sure enough.” Then I give the next set of problems. That might be 5 plus 10 and then 5 plus 9, and then I might do 7 plus 10. Maybe I'll do 9 next. 9 plus 10 and then 9 plus 9. Then I might end that string. The next problem, the last problem might be, “What is 7 plus 9?” Now notice I didn't give the helper. So in this case I might go, “Hey, I've kind of gave you plus 10. A lot of you use that to do plus 9. I gave you plus 10. Some of you use that to do plus 9, I gave you plus 10. Some of you used that plus 9. For this one, I'm not giving you a helper. I wonder if you could come up with your own helper.”  Now brilliantly, what we've done is say to students, “You've been using what I have up here, or not, but could you actually think, ‘What is the pattern that's happening?' and create your own helper?” Now that's meta. Right? Now we're thinking about our thinking. I'm encouraging that pattern recognition in a different way. I'm asking kids, “What would you create?” We're going to share that helper. I'm not even having them solve the problem. They're just creating that helper and then we can move from there.  So that's an example of a young string that actually can grow up. So now I can be in a second grade class and I could ask a similar [question]: “Could you use something that's adding a bit too much to back up?” But I could do that with bigger numbers. So I could start with that 8 plus 10, 8 plus 9, but then the next pair might be 34 plus 10, 34 plus 9. But then the next pair might be 48 plus 20 and 48 plus 19. And the last problem of that string might be something like 26 plus 18. Mike: So in those cases, there's this mental scaffolding that you're creating. And I just want to mark this. I have a good friend who used to tell me that part of teaching mathematics is you can lead the horse to water, you can show them the water, they can look at it, but darn it, do not push their head in the water. And I think what he meant by that is “You can't force it,” right?  But you're not doing that with a string. You're creating a set of opportunities for kids to notice. You're doing all kinds of implicit things to make structure available for kids to attend to—and yet you're still allowing them the ability to use the strategies that they have. We might really want them to notice that, and that's beautiful about a string, but you're not forcing. And I think it's worth saying that because I could imagine that's a place where folks might have questions, like, “If the kids don't do the thing that I'm hoping that they would do, what should I do?” Pam: Yeah, that's a great question. Let me give you another example. And in that example I'll talk about that.  So especially as the kids get older, I'm going to use the same kind of relationship. It's maybe easier for people to hang on to if I stay with the same sort of relationship. So I might say, “Hey everybody. 7 times 8. That's a fact I'm noticing most of us just don't have [snaps] at our fingertips. Let's just work on that. What do you know?” I might get a couple of strategies for kids to think about 7 times 8. We all agree it's 56.  Then I might say, “What's 70 times 8?” And then let kids think about that. Now, this would be the first time I do that, but if we've dealt with scaling times 10 at all, if I have 10 times the number of whatever the things is, then often kids will say, “Well, I've got 10 times 7 is 70, so then 10 times 56 is 560.” And then the next problem might be, “I wonder if you could think about 69 times 8. If we've got 70 eights, can I use that to help me think about 69 eights?” And I'm saying that in a very specific way to help ping on prior knowledge. So then I might do something similar. Well, let's pick another often missed facts, I don't know, 6 times 9. And then we could share some strategies on how kids are thinking about that. We all agree it's 54. And then I might say, “Well, could you think about 6 times 90?” I'm going to talk about scaling up again. So that would be 540. Now I'm going really fast. But then I might say, “Could we use that to help us think about 6 times 89?” I don't know if you noticed, but I sort of swapped. I'm not thinking about 90 sixes to 89 sixes. Now I'm thinking about 6 nineties to help me think about 6 eighty-nines. So that's a little bit of a—we have to decide how we're going to deal with that. I'll kind of mess around with that. And then I might have what we call that clunker problem at the end. “Notice that I've had a helper: 7 times 8, 70 times 8. A lot of you use that to help you think about 69 times 8. Then I had a helper: 6 times 9, 6 times 90. A lot of you use that to help you think about 6 times 89. What if I don't give you those helpers? What if I had something like”—now I'm making this up off the cuff here, like—“9 times 69. 9 times 69. Could you use relationships we just did?”  Now notice, Mike, I might've had kids solving all those problems using an algorithm. They might've been punching their calculator, but now I'm asking the question, “Could you come up with these helper problems?” Notice how I'm now inviting you into a different space. It's not about getting an answer. I'm inviting you into, “What are the patterns that we've been establishing here?” And so what would be those two problems that would be like the patterns we've just been using? That's almost like saying when you're out in the world and you hit a problem, could you say to yourself, “Hmm, I don't know that one, but what do I know? What do I know that could help me get there?” And that's math-ing. Mike: So, you could have had a kid say, “Well, I'm not sure about how—I don't know the answer to that, but I could do 9 times 60, right?” Or “I could do 10 times”—I'm thinking—“10 times 69.” Correct? Pam: Yes, yes. In fact, when I gave that clunker problem, 9 times 69, I said to myself, “Oh, I shouldn't have said 9 because now you could go either direction.” You could either “over” either way. To find 9 I can do 10, or to find 69 I can do 70. And then I thought, “Ah, we'll go with it because you can go either way.” So I might want to focus it, but I might not. And this is a moment where a novice could just throw it out there and then almost be surprised. “Whoa, they could go either direction.” And an expert could plan, and be like, “Is this the moment where I want lots of different ways to go? Or do I want to focus, narrow it a little bit more, be a little bit more explicit?” It's not that I'm telling kids, but I'm having an explicit goal. So I'm maybe narrowing the field a little bit. And maybe the problem could have been 7 times 69, then I wouldn't have gotten that other “over,” not the 10 to get 9. Does that make sense? Mike: It absolutely does. What you really have me thinking about is NCTM's [National Council of Teachers of Mathematics'] definition of “fluency,” which is “accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility.” And the flexibility that I hear coming out of the kinds of things that kids might do with a string, it's exciting to imagine that that's one of the outcomes you could get from engaging with strings. Pam: Absolutely. Because if you're stuck teaching memorizing algorithms, there's no flexibility, like none, like zilch. But if you're doing strings like this, kids have a brilliant flexibility. And one of the conversations I'd want to have here, Mike, is if a kid came up with 10 times 69 to help with 9 times 69, and a different kid came up with 9 times 70 to help with 9 times 69, I would want to just have a brief conversation: “Which one of those do you like better, class, and why?” Not that one is better than the other, but just to have the comparison conversation. So the kids go, “Huh, I have access to both of those. Well, I wonder when I'm walking down the street, I have to answer that one: Which one do I want my brain to gravitate towards next time?” And that's mathematical behavior. That's mathematical disposition to do one of the strands of proficiency. We want that productive disposition where kids are thinking to themselves, “I own relationships. I just got to pick a good one here to—what's the best one I could find here?” And try that one, then try that one. “Ah, I'll go with this one today.” Mike: I love that.  As we were talking, I wanted to ask you about the design of the string, and you started to use some language like “helper problems” and “the clunker.” And I think that's really the nod to the kinds of features that you would want to design into a string. Could you talk about either a teacher who's designing their own string—what are some of the features?—or a teacher who's looking at a string that they might find in a book that you've written or that they might find in, say, the Bridges curriculum? What are some of the different problems along the way that really kind of inform the structure? Pam: So you might find it interesting that over time, we've identified that there's at least five major structures to strings, and the one that I just did with you is kind of the easiest one to facilitate. It's the easiest one to understand where it's going, and it's the helper-clunker structure. So the helper-clunker structure is all about, “I'm going to give you a helper problem that we expect all kids can kind of hang on.” They have some facility with, enough that everybody has access to. Then we give you a clunker that you could use that helper to inform how you could solve that clunker problem. In the first string I did with you, I did a helper, clunker, helper, clunker, helper, clunker, clunker. And the second one we did, I did helper, helper, clunker, helper, helper, clunker, clunker. So you can mix and match kind of helpers and clunkers in that, but there are other major structures of strings. If you're new to strings, I would dive in and do a lot of helper-clunker strings first. But I would also suggest—I didn't create my own strings for a long time. I did prewritten [ones by] Cathy Fosnot from the Netherlands, from the Freudenthal Institute. I was doing their strings to get a feel for the mathematical relationships for the structure of a string. I would watch videos of teachers doing it so I could get an idea of, “Oh, that move right there made all the difference. I see how you just invited kids in, not demand what they do.” The idea of when to have paper and pencil and when not, and just lots of different things can come up that if you're having to write the string as well, create the string, that could feel insurmountable.  So I would invite anybody out listening that's like, “Whoa, this seems kind of complicated,” feel free to facilitate someone else's prewritten strings. Now I like mine. I think mine are pretty good. I think Bridges has some pretty good ones. But I think you'd really gain a lot from facilitating prewritten strings.  Can I make one quick differentiation that I'm running into more and more? So I have had some sharp people say to me, “Hey, sometimes you have extra problems in your string. Why do you have extra problems in your string?” And I'll say—well, at first I said, “What do you mean?” Because I didn't know what they were talking about. Are you telling me my string's bad? Why are you dogging my string? But what they meant was, they thought a string was the process a kid—or the steps, the relationships a kid used to solve the last problem. Does that make sense? Mike: It does. Pam: And they were like, “You did a lot of work to just get that one answer down there.” And I'm like, “No, no, no, no, no, no. A problem string or a number string, a string is an instructional routine. It is a lesson structure. It's a way of teaching. It's not a record of the relationships a kid used to solve a problem.” In fact, a teacher just asked—we run a challenge three times a year. It's free. I get on and just teach. One of the questions that was asked was, “How do we help our kids write their own strings?” And I was like, “Oh, no, kids don't write strings. Kids solve problems using relationships.” And so I think what the teachers were saying was, “Oh, I could use that relationship to help me get this one. Oh, and then I can use that to solve the problem.” As if, then, the lesson's structure, the instructional routine of a string was then what we want kids to do is use what they know to logic their way through using mathematical relationships and connections to get answers and to solve problems. That record is not a string, that record is a record of their work. Does that make sense, how there's a little difference there? Mike: It totally does, but I think that's a good distinction. And frankly, that's a misunderstanding that I had when I first started working with strings as well. It took me a while to realize that the point of a string is to unveil a set of relationships and then allow kids to take them up and use them. And really it's about making these relationships or these problem solving strategies sticky, right? You want them to stick. We could go back to what you said. We're trying to high-dose a set of relationships that are going to help kids with strategies, not only in this particular string, but across the mathematical work they're doing in their school life. Pam: Yes, very well said. So for example, we did an addition “over” relationship in the addition string that I talked through, and then we did a multiplication “over” set of relationships and multiplication. We can do the same thing with subtraction. We could have a subtraction string where the helper problem is to subtract a bit too much. So something like 42 minus 20, and then the next problem could be 42 minus 19. And we're using that: I'm going to subtract a bit too much and then how do you adjust? And hoo, after you've been thinking about addition “over,” subtraction “over” is quite tricky. You're like, “Wait, why are we adding what we're subtracting?” And it's not about teaching kids a series of steps. It's really helping them reason. “Well, if I give you—if you owe me 19 bucks and I give you a $20 bill, what are we going to do?” “Oh, you've got to give me 1 back.” Now that's a little harder today because kids don't mess around with money. So we might have to do something that feels like they can—or help them feel money. That's my personal preference. Let's do it with money and help them feel money.  So one of the things I think is unique to my work is as I dove in and started facilitating other people's strings and really building my mathematical relationships and connections, I began to realize that many teachers I worked with, myself included, thought, “Whoa, there's just this uncountable, innumerable wide universe of all the relationships that are out there, and there's so many strategies, and anything goes, and they're all of equal value.” And I began to realize, “No, no, no, there's only a small set of major relationships that lead to a small set of major strategies.” And if we can get those down, kids can solve any problem that's reasonable to solve without a calculator, but in the process, building their brains to reason mathematically. And that's really our goal, is to build kids' brains to reason mathematically. And in the process we're getting answers. Answers aren't our goal. We'll get answers, sure. But our goal is to get them to build that small set of relationships because that small set of strategies now sets them free to logic their way through problems. And bam, we've got kids math-ing using the mental actions of math-ing. Mike: Absolutely. You made me think about the fact that there's a set of relationships that I can apply when I'm working with numbers Under 20. There's a set of relationships, that same set of relationships, I can apply and make use of when I'm working with multidigit numbers, when I'm working with decimals, when I'm working with fractions. It's really the relationships that we want to expose and then generalize and recognize this notion of going over or getting strategically to a friendly number and then going after that or getting to a friendly number and then going back from that. That's a really powerful strategy, regardless of whether you're talking about 8 and 3 or whether you're talking about adding unit fractions together. Strings allow us to help kids see how that idea translates across different types of numbers. Pam: And it's not trivial when you change a type of number or the number gets bigger. It's not trivial for kids to take this “over” strategy and to be thinking about something like 2,467 plus 1,995—and I know I just threw a bunch of numbers out, on purpose. It's not trivial for them to go, “What do I know about those numbers? Can I use some of these relationships I've been thinking about?” Well, 2,467, that's not really close to a friendly number. Well, 1,995 is. Bam. Let's just add 2,000. Oh, sweet. And then you just got to back up 5. It's not trivial for them to consider, “What do I know about these two numbers, and are they close to something that I could use?” That's the necessary work of building place value and magnitude and reasonableness. We've not known how to do that, so in some curriculum we create our whole extra unit that's all about place value reasonableness. Now we have kids that are learning to rote memorize, how to estimate by round. I mean there's all this crazy stuff that we add on when instead we could actually use strings to help kids build that stuff naturally kind of ingrained as we are learning something else.  Can I just say one other thing that we did in my new book? Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms. So I actually wrote it with my son, who is maybe the biggest impetus to me diving into the research and figuring out all of this math-ing and what it means. He said, as we were writing, he said, “I think we could make the point that algorithms don't help you learn a new algorithm.” If you learn the addition algorithm and you get good at it and you can do all the addition and columns and all the whatever, and then when you learn the subtraction algorithm, it's a whole new thing. All of a sudden it's a new world, and you're doing different—it looks the same at the beginning. You line those numbers still up and you're still working on that same first column, but boy, you're doing all sorts—now you're crossing stuff out. You're not just little ones, and what? Algorithms don't necessarily help you learn the next algorithm. It's a whole new experience. Strategies are synergistic. If you learn a strategy, that helps you learn the next set of relationships, which then refines to become a new strategy. I think that's really helpful to know, that we can—strategies build on each other. There's synergy involved. Algorithms, you got to learn a new one every time. Mike: And it turns out that memorizing the dictionary of mathematics is fairly challenging. Pam: Indeed [laughs], indeed. I tried hard to memorize that. Yeah. Mike: You said something to me when we were preparing for this podcast that I really have not been able to get out of my mind, and I'm going to try to approximate what you said. You said that during the string, as the teacher and the students are engaging with it, you want students' mental energy primarily to go into reasoning. And I wonder if you could just explicitly say, for you at least, what does that mean and what might that look like on a practical level? Pam: So I wonder if you're referring to when teachers will say, “Do we have students write? Do we not have them write?” And I will suggest: “It depends. It's not if they write; it's what they write that's important.”  What do I mean by that? What I mean is if we give kids paper and pencil, there is a chance that they're going to be like, “Oh, thou shalt get an answer. I'm going to write these down and mimic something that I learned last year.” And put their mental energy either into mimicking steps or writing stuff down. They might even try to copy what you've been representing strategies on the board. And their mental effort either goes into mimicking, or it might go into copying.  What I want to do is free students up [so] that their mental energy is, how are you reasoning? What relationships are you using? What's occurring to you? What's front and center and sort of occurring? Because we're high-dosing you with patterns, we're expecting those to start happening, and I'm going to be saying things, giving that helper problem. “Oh, that's occurring to you? It's almost like it's your idea—even though I just gave you the helper problem!” It's letting those ideas bubble up and percolate naturally and then we can use those to our advantage. So that's what I mean when [I say] I want mental energy into “Hmm, what do I know, and how can I use what I know to logic my way through this problem?” And that's math-ing. Those are the mental actions of mathematicians, and that's where I want kids' mental energy. Mike: So I want to pull this string a little bit further. Pun 100% intended there. Apologies to listeners.  What I find myself thinking about is there've got to be some do's and don'ts for how to facilitate a string that support the kind of reasoning and experience that you've been talking about. I wonder if you could talk about what you've learned about what you want to do as a facilitator when you're working with a string and maybe what you don't want to do. Pam: Yeah, absolutely. So a good thing to keep in mind is you want to keep a string snappy. You don't want a lot of dead space. You don't want to put—one of the things that we see novice, well, even sometimes not-novice, teachers do, that's not very helpful, is they will put the same weight on all the problems.  So I'll just use the example 8 plus 10, 8 plus 9, they'll—well, let me do a higher one. 7 times 8, 70 times 8. They'll say, “OK, you guys, 7 times 8. Let's really work on that. That's super hard.” And kids are like, “It's 56.” Maybe they have to do a little bit of reasoning to get it, because it is an often missed fact, but I don't want to land on it, especially—what was the one we did before? 34 plus 10. I don't want to be like, “OK, guys, phew.” If the last problem on my string is 26 plus 18, I don't want to spend a ton of time. “All right, everybody really put all your mental energy in 36 plus 10” or whatever I said. Or, let's do the 7 times 8 one again. So, “OK, everybody, 7 times 8, how are you guys thinking about that?” Often we're missing it. I might put some time into sharing some strategies that kids use to come up with 7 times 8 because we know it's often missed. But then when I do 70 times 8, if I'm doing this string, kids should have some facility with times 10. I'm not going to be like, “OK. Alright, you guys, let's see what your strategies are. Right? Everybody ready? You better write something down on your paper. Take your time, tell your neighbor how….” Like, it's times 10. So you don't want to put the same weight—as in emphasis and time, wait time—either one on the problems that are kind of the gimmes, we're pretty sure everybody's got this one. Let's move on and apply it now in the next one. So there's one thing. Keep it snappy. If no one has a sense of what the patterns are, it's probably not the right problem string. Just bail on it, bail on it. You're like, “Let me rethink that. Let me kind of see what's going on.” If, on the other hand, everybody's just like, “Well, duh, it's this” and “duh, it's that,” then it's also probably not the right string. You probably want to up the ante somehow.  So one of the things that we did in our problem string books is we would give you a lesson and give you what we call the main string, and we would write up that and some sample dialogs and what the board could look like when you're done and lots of help. But then we would give you two echo strings. Here are two strings that get at the same relationships with about the same kind of numbers, but they're different and it will give you two extra experiences to kind of hang there if you're like, “Mm, I think my kids need some more with exactly this.” But we also then gave you two next-step strings that sort of up the ante. These are just little steps that are just a little bit more to crunch on before you go to the next lesson that's a bit of a step up, that's now going to help everybody increase. Maybe the numbers got a little bit harder. Maybe we're shifting strategy. Maybe we're going to use a different model. I might do the first set of strings on an area model if I'm doing multiplication. I might do the next set of strings in a ratio table. And I want kids to get used to both of those.  When we switch up from the 8 string to the next string, kind of think about only switching one thing. Don't up the numbers, change the model, and change the strategy at the same time. Keep two of those constant. Stay with the same model, maybe up the numbers, stay with the same strategy. Maybe if you're going to change strategies, you might back up the numbers a little bit, stick with the model for a minute before you switch the model before you go up the numbers. So those are three things to consider. Kind of—only change up one of them at a time or kids are going to be like, “Wait, what?” Kids will get higher dosed with the pattern you want them to see better if you only switch one thing at a time. Mike: Part of what you had me thinking was it's helpful, whether you're constructing your own string or whether you're looking at a string that's in a textbook or a set of materials, it's still helpful to think about, “What are the variables at play here?” I really appreciated the notion that they're not all created equal. There are times where you want to pause and linger a little bit that you don't need to spend that exact same amount of time on every clunker and every helper. There's a critical problem that you really want to invest some time in at one point in the string. And I appreciated the way you described, you're playing with the size of the number or the complexity of the number, the shift in the model, and then being able to look at those kinds of things and say, “What all is changing?” Because like you said, we're trying to kind of walk this line of creating a space of discovery where we haven't suddenly turned the volume up to 11 and made it really go from like, “Oh, we discovered this thing, now we're at full complexity,” and yet we don't want to have it turned down to, “It's not even discovery because it's so obvious that I knew it immediately. There's not really anything even to talk about.” Pam: Nice. Yeah, and I would say we want to be right on the edge of kids' own proximal development, right on the edge. Right on the edge where they have to grapple with what's happening. And I love the word “grapple.” I've been in martial arts for quite a while, and grappling makes you stronger. I think sometimes people hear the word “struggle” and they're like, “Why would you ever want kids to struggle?” I don't know that I've met anybody that ever hears the word “grapple” as a negative thing. When you “grapple,” you get stronger. You learn. So I want kids right on that edge where they are grappling and succeeding. They're getting stronger. They're not just like, “Let me just have you guess what's in my head.” You're off in the field and, “Sure hope you figure out math, guys, today.” It's not that kind of discovery that people think it is. It really is: “Let me put you in a place where you can use what you know to notice maybe a new pattern and use it maybe in a new way. And poof! Now you own those relationships, and let's build on that.” And it continues to go from there.  When you just said—the equal weight thing, let me just, if I can—there's another, so I mentioned that there's at least five structures of problem strings. Let me just mention one other one that we like, to give you an example of how the weight could change in a string. So if I have an equivalent structure, an equivalent structure looks like: I give a problem, and an example of that might be 15 times 18. Now I'm not going to give a helper; I'm just going to give 15 times 18. If I'm going to do this string, we would have developed a few strategies before now. Kids would have some partial products going on. I would probably hope they would have an “over,” I would've done partial products over and probably, what I call “5 is half a 10.”  So for 15 times 18, they could use any one of those. They could break those up. They could think about twenty 15s to get rid of the extra two to have 18, 15. So in that case, I'm going to go find a partial product, an “over” and a “5 is half a 10,” and I'm going to model those. And I'm going to go, “Alright, everybody clear? Everybody clear on this answer?” Then the next problem I give—so notice that we just spent some time on that, unlike those helper clunker strings where the first problem was like a gimme, nobody needed to spend time on that. That was going to help us with the next one. In this case, this one's a bit of a clunker. We're starting with one that kids are having to dive in, chew on. Then I give the next problem: 30 times 9. So I had 15 times 18 now 30 times 9. Now kids get a chance to go, “Oh, that's not too bad. That's just 3 times 9 times 10. So that's 270. Wait, that was the answer to the first problem. That was probably just coincidence. Or was it?” And now especially if I have represented that 15 times 18, one of those strategies with an area model with an open array, now when I draw the 30 by 9, I will purposely say, “OK, we have the 15 by 18 up here. That's what that looked like. Mm, I'll just use that to kind of make sure the 30 by 9 looks like it should. How could I use the 15 by 18? Oh, I could double the 15? OK, well here's the 15. I'm going to double that. Alright, there's the 30. Well, how about the 9? Oh, I could half? You think I should half? OK. Well I guess half of 18. That's 9.”  So I've just helped them. I've brought out, because I'm inviting them to help me draw it on the board. They're thinking about, “Oh, I just half that side, double that side. Did we lose any area? Oh, maybe that's why the products are the same. The areas of those two rectangles are the same. Ha!” And then I give the next problem. Now I give another kind of clunker problem and then I give its equivalent. And again, we just sort of notice: “Did it happen again?” And then I might give another one and then I might end the string with something like 3.5 times—I'm thinking off the cuff here, 16. So 3.5 times 16. Kids might say, “Well, I could double 3.5 to get 7 and I could half the 16 to get 8, and now I'm landing on 7 times 8.” And that's another way to think about 3.5 times 16. Anyway, so, equivalent structure is also a brilliant structure that we use primarily when we're trying to teach kids what I call the most sophisticated of all of the strategies. So like in addition, give and take, I think, is the most sophisticated addition. In subtraction, constant difference. In multiplication, there's a few of them. There's doubling and having, I call it flexible factoring to develop those strategies. We often use the equivalent structure, like what's happening here? So there's just a little bit more about structure. Mike: There's a bit of a persona that I've noticed that you take on when you're facilitating a string. I'm wondering if you can talk about that or if you could maybe explain a little bit because I've heard it a couple different times, and it makes me want to lean in as a person who's listening to you. And I suspect that's part of its intent when it comes to facilitating a string. Can you talk about this? Pam: So I wonder if what you're referring to, sometimes people will say, “You're just pretending you don't know what we're talking about.” And I will say, “No, no, I'm actually intensely interested in what you're thinking. I know the answer, but I'm intensely interested in what you're thinking.” So I'm trying to say things like, “I wonder.” “I wonder if there's something up here you could use to help. I don't know. Maybe not. Mm. What kind of clunker could—or helper could you write for this clunker?”  So I don't know if that's what you're referring to, but I'm trying to exude curiosity and belief that what you are thinking about is worth hearing about. And I'm intensely interested in how you're thinking about the problem and there's something worth talking about here. Is that kind of what you're referring to? Mike: Absolutely.  OK. We're at the point in the podcast that always happens, which is: I would love to continue talking with you, and I suspect there are people who are listening who would love for us to keep talking. We're at the end of our time. What resources would you recommend people think about if they really want to take a deeper dive into understanding strings, how they're constructed, what it looks like to facilitate them. Perhaps they're a coach and they're thinking about, “How might I apply this set of ideas to educators who are working with kindergartners and first graders, and yet I also coach teachers who are working in middle school and high school.” What kind of resources or guidance would you offer to folks? Pam: So the easiest way to dive in immediately would be my brand-new book from Corwin. It's called Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms. There's a section in there all about strings. We also do a walk-through where you get to feel a problem string in a K–2 class and a 3–5 [class]. And well, what we really did was counting strategies, additive reasoning, multiplicative reasoning, proportional reasoning, and functional reasoning. So there's a chapter in there where you go through a functional reasoning problem string. So you get to feel: What is it like to have a string with real kids? What's on the board? What are kids saying? And then we link to videos of those. So from the book, you can go and see those, live, with real kids, expert teachers, like facilitating good strings. If anybody's middle school, middle school coaches: I've got building powerful numeracy and lessons and activities for building powerful numeracy. Half of the books are all problem strings, so lots of good resources.  If you'd like to see them live, you could go to mathisfigureoutable.com/ps, and we have videos there that you can watch of problem strings happening.  If I could mention just one more, when we did the K–12, Developing Mathematical Reasoning, Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms, that we will now have grade band companion books coming out in the fall of '25. The K–2 book will come out in the spring of '26. The [grades] 3–5 book will come out in the fall of '26. The 6–8 book will come out and then six months after that, the 9–12 companion book will come out. And those are what to do to build reasoning, lots of problem strings and other tasks, rich tasks and other instructional routines to really dive in and help your students reason like math-y people reason because we are all math-y people. Mike: I think that's a great place to stop. Pam, thank you so much for joining us. It's been a pleasure talking with you. Pam: Mike, it was a pleasure to be on. Thanks so much. Mike: This podcast is brought to you by The Math Learning Center and the Maier Math Foundation, dedicated to inspiring and enabling all individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability. © 2025 The Math Learning Center | www.mathlearningcenter.org

Adventures of Dirk: An Oceanside Bikers Gathering - Part 2 The House Mouse Shags Dirk. By Original Aramis. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Dirk travels to an MC biker party and scores well. His suspicions about how the evening was going to go were confirmed when Amy slid her hand down his stomach to his crotch, massaging the lump of his cock firmly and then gripping it in her hand. She squeezed gently, but firmly, and both of them, could feel Dirk's cock, began to respond. I can't wait to give you a blowjob, she said into his ear. You keep that up and I'm gonna have to pull over and fuck you right here, he shouted over his shoulder at her, and he heard her laugh. As much as I'd like that, I think we should wait until we get to my house. It's not much further now. she called out into his ear. She gave his hardening cock one final squeeze before removing her hand, hugging tight against his back again. Turn right at the next street, she said a few minutes later. Dirk saw the sign for Vincent Lane and slowed, then made the right turn onto the street before accelerating again. It was a nice neighborhood, and he was sure that the loud pipes on his bike were going to make everyone take notice. But he was used to that and didn't let it bother him. A moment later Amy tapped him on the shoulder and then pointed to a house on the right as she spoke. That's where the dominatrix lives, she said, and Dirk turned his head to look. The what? he said in surprise. The dominatrix, Amy replied. She's a tall, leggy blonde with huge tits, and guys pay her to have her tie them up and do things to them. The cops have been trying to bust her for years, but have never been able to prove anything, so now they pretty much just leave her alone. Dirk looked at the house as they rode past it. He didn't see anything special about the house at 94, Vincent Lane, although he wasn't sure what he was expecting to see. There was a car in the driveway, but other than that there was nothing, it was just another house in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. My house is the second on the right in the next block, Amy said, and a few moments later he was pulling up into her driveway. He stopped the bike and held it steady as Amy got off, then shut off the engine, put the kickstand down, and got off. Don't worry about your bike, Dirk, it'll be fine out here in the driveway, Amy said. This is a nice neighborhood, and besides, everyone knows I'm associated with the MC so they treat me pretty good. One of the benefits of being in an MC, Dirk said, following her up the sidewalk to her front door. She opened the door and stepped inside, with Dirk following. She closed the door behind him as he stepped into the living room, he noticed that the house was very well furnished, with the decor being obviously feminine. Very nice, he said, standing in the center of the room and looking around. Thank you, sir! Amy replied, smiling at him. Would you like a beer? she asked, and Dirk nodded as he replied. Do you have anything harder? he asked. Is bourbon okay? she replied. Absolutely, Dirk said. Bulight, Knob Creek, or Blantons, she said, naming three very popular and very expensive bourbons, the last of which could run anywhere from $250 to $750 per bottle, depending upon which style you bought. Blantons, please, straight up, he said. Coming right up! Have a seat on the couch while I get it for you, she said, motioning to the couch and then turning to walk out of the room towards what he suspected was the kitchen. She slipped the jeans jacket off and tossed it onto the back of one of the chairs as she went past, and Dirk saw that the shirt she was wearing beneath the jacket was sleeveless. He also didn't see any bra lines, so he was pretty sure she was braless as well. He turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down in the middle of it and relaxing until Amy came back. She returned a minute or so later, a shot glass in one hand and a whiskey glass in the other. Both had bourbon in them, but the whiskey glass also had ice in it. As she walked towards him, it was clearly evident that he was right about her not wearing a bra. Her breasts were full and firm, much bigger than average, and sat high on her chest, with very little sag. Her nipples were big and obviously hard, poking against the material of her shirt. Dirk was mesmerized at the way her breasts bounced as she crossed the room, she saw where his eyes were and grinned in response as she walked over to him and stopped next to his outstretched legs. I prefer my bourbon on the rocks, she said, holding out the shot glass to him. He took the glass from her, and as soon as he did she immediately threw one leg over him and sat down on his lap, facing him. She slid up onto his lap as far as she could go, her knees pressing into the back of the couch on either side of his him, her mouth resting firmly on his crotch. A toast, she said, holding the glass in front of her. To good friends, good whiskey, and good sex, she said, grinning at him. I'll drink to that. Dirk replied, clinking his glass to hers. They both took a sip of their drinks, with Amy never taking her eyes off of his as she did. This is going to be such fun, she said, her voice soft and sultry as she looked into his eyes. I'm going to make you cum, so hard. How many times can you cum in one night, Dirk? she asked, taking another sip from her drink. My personal best is three, he replied, taking another sip from his drink as well. But then again, we got a late start, so we were kinda pressed for time. Think you can beat that personal best tonight? Amy asked, smiling at him. She ground her pussy against his crotch slowly as she spoke, her smile turning up on one end in a devilish way. Depends on how motivated I am, he replied, returning her smile. Well, let's see what I can do to motivate you, shall we, she said, leaning over and putting her drink on the small table next to the couch, pushing her big breasts into his chest as she did so. She kept them there as she sat up, pausing nose to nose with Dirk for just a moment before taking his face in her hands and kissing him. Her lips were warm and soft, and the kiss quickly deepened into something hot and erotic when she slipped her live tongue into his mouth to find his. Dirk was a little surprised at how aggressive Amy was, but he was by no means disappointed. He liked aggressive women, and Amy was quickly showing him just how aggressive she was by grinding her mound heart against his hardening cock. Amy slid her arms around his neck and held him close, pushing her big, firm breasts against his chest as she ground her pussy against him, their tongues dancing and her breath coming quicker now. Dirk put his arms around her in response, pulling her closer to him. The kiss lasted for a good two minutes, and by the time it was over Dirk's cock was nearly completely hard. Amy looked at him and smiled, her arms still around his neck as she spoke. Sounds like you've got a pretty nice-sized cock down there waiting for me, Dirk? she said, teasing him. Why don't you see for yourself? he asked, returning her smile. That's not a bad idea. Amy replied. She took her arms from around his neck and slid back along the top of his thighs until she was almost sitting on his knees. She reached down and unfastened his jeans, he never wore a belt, pulling the zipper down and then opening the fly completely. She let out a yelp of surprise, looking up at him with a grin on her face at the discovery that he wasn't wearing underwear. You're going commando, she said, happily. Dirk smiled and nodded as he replied. I hardly ever wear underwear, but I made it a point not to wear them tonight because I had a feeling I was gonna get laid tonight, and they'd just be in the way, he replied, making Amy giggle. Your feeling was correct, because you most certainly are going to get laid tonight, she said, reaching down and wrapping her fingers around his shaft, pulling it free from the jeans. But before that, you're gonna get your dick sucked by one of the most talented cock suckers you've ever met, she said. That would be you, I assume? he replied, playing with her. Damned right it is, she said, playing right back at him. Now let's get these jeans out of the way so I can get down to business, shall we? she said, getting up from where she sat. She turned around facing away from him and grabbed one of his feet, lifting it up and then pulling his motorcycle boot off by the heel, tossing it aside. It was obvious that she'd done this before, and she had both of his boots off in seconds. Then she turned around and grabbed his jeans at his hips, looking up at him and giving him a big, devilish grin as she yanked them down over his hips, down his legs, and over his feet. This left him in just his socks, shirt and colors, his hard cock throbbing with excitement. Amy bent down and took his cock in her hand, squeezing it hard and pumping it a couple of times, looking up at him with that devilish grin again. You've got a great prick, Dirk, she said, I can't wait to get my lips wrapped around it. She bent down and kissed the tip of his cock, then put her lips on the very tip and sucked at it hard. This made Dirk jump, and Amy giggled at his response. Then she released his cock from her grasp and stood up, facing him. Let's even thing up a little, shall we? she said, pulling her shirt out of her jeans first and then pulling it up and over her head, tossing it aside to join Dirk's boots and jeans on the floor. She turned to face him, showing him the fullest, biggest, firmest, most spectacular pair of mouth-watering tits Dirk had ever seen. Holy shit! he said, his eyes fastened on her big tits. They were big and round, very firm with very little sag, capped with average-size areola in the center of which were two pert, erect nipples. If Dirk didn't know any better he would have sworn she'd had a boob job, but he didn't see any visible scars. It took High a minute to find his voice again, and all Amy did was stand there with her hands on her hips, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at her. I take it you like what you see? she said, her blue eyes sparkling. Oh, yeah, I do. Dirk replied, looking up at her and returning her smile. I've never seen a pair of tits like that in my entire life, he said, looking back down at her chest. And before you ask, yes, they're real, she said, grinning as she slid her hands up her body to cup the big mounds in her hands. So you've been asked that before, huh? Dirk said, grinning up at her. Only every time a guy sees my boobs for the first time, she said, squeezing her tits in her hands and tugging on the nipples. Now, are we gonna talk about my tits all night or are you gonna let me suck your cock and then fuck me? she asked, still squeezing her tits. We can talk later, Dirk said, spreading his knees apart so she could get between his legs. Without another word Amy dropped to her knees and scooted in between his outspread thighs, moving forward as far as she could go. She reached up and grabbed Dirk's cock, pointing it straight up and without hesitation dropped her mouth down and swallowed it up, clamping her lips around it and sucking nearly his entire length into her mouth and down her throat. Dirk moaned as she gripped and squeezed his balls in her hand as she ran her thick, wet tongue up and down the underside of his shaft. She began sliding her mouth up and down the length of his cock, massaging and squeezing his balls as she did. Every now and then she would slide her mouth up his shaft until just the head was in her mouth, then she would suck very hard like she was sucking on a soda straw, and Dirk watched in amazement as her cheeks hollowed in with the suction she was applying. He could feel the pre-cum being sucked out of him, and she moaned with delight as she tasted the salty fluid on her tongue. She looked up at him and smiled around the head of his cock in her mouth, her blue eyes sparkling. She released his cock from her mouth with a soft pop and then gripped it in her hand, pumping the glistening, slick shaft as she spoke. I told you I was good, she said, grinning up at him. Am I not the best cocksucker you've ever met or what? she asked, obviously very proud of herself and her oral skills. Dirk nodded as he replied. Yes, you most certainly are, he said, watching as she pumped his cock. But why are you talking instead of sucking? he asked, one side of his mouth turning up in a smile. Amy smiled back. Yes, sir, she said, then lowered her mouth down onto his cock again and resumed sucking him off. She was incredibly good, of that there was no doubt, and Dirk just sat back and relaxed, watching a true cock-sucking queen at work. Amy bobbed her head up and down on his shaft, turning her head from side to side every now and then to change the angle of her mouth on his cock, massaging his balls all the while. She was good, Very good, and Dirk knew it wouldn't be long before he was blowing his load down her throat if she kept this up. Then she surprised him by releasing his cock from her mouth and gripping it with her hand as she slid her tongue down his shaft to his balls. Dirk always shaped his cock and balls so she had a pair of clean, smooth balls to play with. She ran her big tongue over and around his balls, then opened her mouth wide and clamped her soft lips around them. Then, to Dirk's amazement, she effortlessly sucked both of them in her mouth, rolling them around and sucking on them just hard enough to arouse with causing pain, and making Dirk groan out loud in the process. After several very enjoyable moments of her sucking on his balls, she shifted her attention back to his cock for another few moments before slipping it from her mouth and looking up at him, her hand wrapped around the shaft and pumping it as she spoke. I want you to come in my mouth, because I really want to taste you, but I think I'll save that for later, she said, giving him an impish smile. Right now, I want to feel this big, hard cock inside my wet pussy, so I can ride you until you come inside me. Is that okay, Dirk? she asked, one side of her mouth turned up in a smile. Absolutely! Dirk replied, returning her grin. They both stood up then, with Amy slipping out of her boots and jeans and Dirk taking off his colors, draping them over the back of the couch, before pulling off his shirt. Leave your colors on, Dirk, she said as she tossed her jeans on the back of the chair that was next to the couch. Taking the shirt off is okay, but put your colors back on, please. I want you to fuck me while you're wearing them, okay? she asked. I can do that, Dirk said, picking the vest up from the back of the couch and putting it back on. Amy was now standing before him totally naked, and he was pleased to see that she was shaven as smooth. And was that a clitoral hood he saw peeking out from between her puffy outer lips? Amy grinned at him as she took him by the hand, turning to lead him across the room, to her bedroom. Now come with me, she said, tugging him along behind her. He let himself be led across the room and down the hall to her bedroom, watching the firm globes of her ass flexing as she walked. She led him into her bedroom, and Dirk wasn't at all surprised to see that it was done up entirely in pink-pink walls, pink curtains on the window, pink bedspread, and pink rug. She obviously loved pink, and that was okay with him. She led him over to the side of the bed, then turned him so his back was to the bed. Then, without warning, she put her hands on his chest and pushed hard, shoving him back onto the bed. Whoa! Dirk exclaimed as he fell back onto the bed, his hard cock slapping against his abdomen as he fell. Amy was on him in a flash, quickly climbing on top of him and getting into position above him, putting one hand on either side of his head for support. She smiled down at him as she pressed her mound against the hard tube of his cock, rubbing it up and down the length, and Dirk could feel her outer lips opening and his cock getting slippery with her juices. She was already very wet, and was very eager to get his cock inside her. This is gonna be so fucking good, she whispered, her voice low and husky as she slid her pussy up and down the underside of his shaft. Dirk reached up and grabbed her big breasts in his hands, squeezing them hard and pinching the nipples between his fingers. Amy jerked her hips in response, throwing her head back and closing her eyes as she hissed between clenched teeth as the sensations went ripping through her nipples and through the rest of her body. Oh my god, yes! she breathed, looking down at him. The lust was plain in her eyes, and she never took her eyes from Dirk's as she reached down and pointed his cock up at her pussy. Dirk felt the head slip into her opening and then she pushed down, sliding her pussy down onto his hard shaft. Ah, that feels so fucking good, she said, pushing down harder and taking his entire length inside her. Amy's pussy was hot, wet, and very tight, the tightest pussy Dirk had ever felt, and he loved the way it felt wrapped around his cock. It was like having a warm, wet velvet hand wrapped around his shaft, and he jumped when she clamped down hard on his cock with her inner muscles, gripping it even tighter. Amy giggled at his reaction to her squeezing his cock with her pussy. So you like that, huh, she said, grinding her hips down onto his cock while squeezing it with her muscles. I've had a woman do that to me before, but never that tight. That's amazing! Dirk replied, tugging on her nipples as he spoke. I practice my Kegel exercises for 30 minutes every night without fail, whether I have a real cock to practice on or not, she said, smiling down at him as she began to slide her pussy up and down on his cock. But it's always so much better with a real cock. Dirk didn't get a chance to say anything else as Amy planted her lips on his, pushing her tongue into his mouth to find his own as she began riding him, sliding her pussy up and down the length of his shaft, squeezing and gripping it with her strong inner muscles. She sucked his tongue into her mouth and sucked on it almost as hard as she had sucked on his cock earlier, and Dirk thought she was going to suck it right out of his mouth. She had him trapped at both ends, and there was nothing Dirk could do but hang on to her big tits as she rode him. Her movements increased in tempo and intensity, and soon she was riding his cock in long, hard, deep strokes. She finally released his tongue from her mouth and sat up straight, putting her hands on his stomach for support as she rocked her hips with his cock trapped deep inside her. Her eyes were hooded, the lust plain, her mouth hanging open as she gasped for breath. Her nipples were two hard pebbles in the center of her breasts that jiggled and bounced with her every move. Dirk reached up and grabbed them in his hands, and she slapped her hands onto the backs of his and squeezed, urging him to squeeze her big tits hard. He did, and she moaned loudly in response. Oh, my God, I'm gonna cum, she gasped, her hips moving faster than before. The bed was rocking with the intensity of her movements, her breath coming faster and faster, and it was only a few moments later that she came, and she came hard. Aw! Amy cried out loudly, throwing her head back with her eyes squeezed shut, her hands still gripping Dirk's hands on her breasts as her orgasm exploded inside her pussy and went crashing through her body like a tidal wave of erotic pleasure. She gritted her teeth and growled loudly, her eyes still squeezed shut, as she moved her hips faster than ever to ride out her orgasm as long as she could. Dirk had never seen a woman cum this hard before, and he watched in rapt attention as her orgasm raced through her. After nearly a full minute the motions of Amy's hips began to slow, and she lowered her head to look down at Dirk beneath her. She was covered with a fine layer of sweat, her breath coming in ragged gasps through her open mouth, but she still managed a ragged smile as she continued to ride Dirk's still hard cock, although not nearly as fast as she had before. Wow, she gasped, that was intense. You made me cum hard. You did it, not me, Dirk said, smiling back up at her with his hands still grasping her tits. All I did, was lie here, and let you ride my dick. And what a dick it is, too, she said, dropping her hands down to his stomach. She pushed her hips down onto his cock and held them there, squeezing him with her inner muscles and grinding her hips in small circles as she spoke again. Now why don't you lay me down, put my knees up around my ears and pound me into the mattress? she said, a wicked smile crossing her face. Yes, ma'am, Dirk said. He reached up and grabbed her by the upper arms and threw her down onto the bed on her back. Oh, she gasped in surprise, caught a little off guard at Dirk's strength and quickness. Before she knew it he was on top of her and in between her legs, guiding his rock hard cock into her pussy again. She gasped again as he pushed it inside her, his balls slapping against her ass. He grabbed her legs behind her knees and slid his hands around behind them, looping her legs over his arms and spreading them wide as he leaned forward and put his hands on the bed on either side of her head. This motion did indeed put her knees up around her ear, bending her in half at the waist and lifting her ass up off of the bed and improving the angle so Dirk could drive his cock into her. Her eyes flew open wide and her mouth fell open as she gasped, yet again, as Dirk did just that, driving the full length of his cock completely into her. He felt the head of his cock hit bottom inside her and his balls slap against her ass, and Amy cried out in both a little bit of pain and a lot of excitement. Oh shit. That's deep, she cried out, grimacing and smiling at the same time. She grabbed Dirk by the elbows as she lifted her hips up to meet him, her feet bouncing in the air on either side of her head. Don't stop, Dirk, don't stop, even if I beg you to, don't stop, she said before Dirk could say anything, clamping down on his cock with her inner muscles again. I'm not gonna stop until I come. Dirk said, looking down at her and smiling. Fuck me hard, Dirk, fuck me hard, she begged, please, Dirk, fuck me hard. And Dirk did just that. He began driving his cock in and out of Amy's tight pussy as hard as he could, fucking her in long, deep, steady strokes. He started out at a moderate pace, looking down at her and watching her face as he fucked her, she reached up and grabbed her own tits in her hands, squeezing them and tugging on the nipples as she looked back at him. Her feet bounced in the air on either side of her head as Dirk thrust in and out of her again and again, the tempo of his thrust slowly increasing. It wasn't long before he was fucking her hard and fast, his balls slapping against her ass with every thrust, breathing hard as he drove his length in and out of her over and over again, his vest hanging open around his upper body. Amy grabbed his upper arms as he fucked her, her mouth open as she gasped, for breath as well. She could feel herself getting close to coming again, and was struggling to wait until he was coming so she could come with him. Then Dirk drove his cock into her hard and deep, sitting up for just a moment as he slipped his arms from under her legs and grabbed her by the ankles, pushing them forward towards the mattress above Amy's head and spreading her legs wider. Oh my god, yes! Amy cried, her eyes flying open as Dirk bent her in half at the waist. Her toes were touching the mattress above her head as Dirk fucked her hard and fast, driving his cock as deeply into her as he could with every downward thrust. The sounds of hot sex filled the room and the air was heavy with Amy's musk as Dirk fucked her hard and fast, quickly driving both of them to the brink of orgasm. Oh. My. God. Oh. My. God! Amy gasped, in time with his thrusts, Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me. Come, with me, come, with me, she pleaded, knowing that she couldn't hold out much longer. That was all it took to trigger Dirk's orgasm. He had been holding out for the past few minutes, and now it was time for him to let it go. He thrust in and out of her a few more times and then groaned loudly, shoving his hips forward as his orgasm hit. He held his cock inside her without moving, having shoved it in as far as he could, and just held it there as it erupted inside her, pumping stream after stream of hot, thick cum deep inside her pussy. Amy could feel Dirk's cock pulsing and throbbing as it pumped his cum inside her pussy, and she cried out in ecstasy as her own orgasm hit. She squeezed her eyes closed and groaned through clenched teeth as she was assaulted by the sensations of her own orgasm crashing through her body in waves, while she felt Dirk's cock pumping away inside her, filling her up with his seed. He pulled about halfway out and then thrust forward again, his cock still pumping inside her. He groaned loudly, his own eyes squeezed shut as he wrote his orgasm out. Finally, almost thankfully, their orgasm began to fade, the waves of pleasure crashing through Amy's body fading away and the pumping of Dirk's cock slowing and then stopping completely. He held his place on top of her, hands still clamped around her ankles, pinning her feet to the bed, his cock buried balls deep inside her, the last of his cum seeping out of his cock and into her full pussy. He finally let go of her ankles and dropped to the mattress, following Amy's hips down as they fell. He collapsed on top of her, both of them gasping for breath, with Dirk propping himself up on his elbows lest he crush her beneath him. They stayed that way for several long moments until finally Dirk rolled off of her and lay on his back, his softening cock that was glistening with their combined juices lying against his thigh as he tried to catch his breath. Amy let her legs fall to the mattress and just lay there, arms and legs outstretched, with Dirk's cum slowly leaking out of her ravaged, slightly sore and completely full pussy. Holy shit! Amy gasped, looking up at the ceiling and smiling. She turned her head to look at Dirk just as he turned his head to look at her. Holy shit, she repeated, a big smile on her face. How long has it been since you got fucked, anyway? she asked. Dirk smiled as he answered. It's been a while, he said. About a month or so. Well, damn, if you're gonna fuck me like that all night long I may not live to make you cum three times, she said, giggling as she spoke and making Dirk chuckle in return. Yeah, but what a way to go, huh? he asked, and they both laughed. A few moments later Amy struggled to sit up, still weak from the pounding Dirk had just given her. Stay there, stud, she said, looking over at him as she slid from the bed. I'm gonna go get cleaned up a bit, then I'm gonna go get us both a beer. I know I could use one, so I'm sure you could use one as well. You got that right, he said, watching her walking gingerly towards the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later and walked over to him, handing him a warm, wet washcloth, before she turned and walked out of the room. She came back a few minutes later with a beer in each hand, handing one to Dirk who then sat up and moved so that he could sit back against the headboard of the bed. Amy moved with him, sitting next to him as they both took a pull from their beers. The beer was cold and good, and it felt really good going down to both of them. They sat silent for a few moments before Amy spoke up. You got an old lady, Dirk? she asked, looking over at him. No, he replied, taking another pull from his beer, before continuing. I don't even have a steady girlfriend back home, much less an old lady at the clubhouse. Why not? Amy asked. With your looks and your...talents, shall we say, the girl should be lining up to be your old lady. I move around too much, I guess, he said. I don't work, I inherited a shitload of money from my parents, so I don't have to, so I spend most of my time just riding around the country on my scoot. And that means I'm not home a lot, and to be honest I really don't want the commitment that comes with a girlfriend or an old lady, he said, meaning it. Getting too much strange pussy out on the road, huh? she said, grinning at him. He grinned back as he replied, nodding his head. Something like that, yeah, he said, chuckling. That, plus it wouldn't be fair to the girl for me to be gone all the time and expect either of us to be faithful, so that's just not a part of my life right now. Do you think it ever will be? she asked. Who the hell knows? Dirk said, shrugging his shoulders. Maybe, I dunno. All I know is I'm just taking life one day at a time and enjoying the ride while I can. Pun intended, right? she said, grinning at him. Right, he said, looking over at her and grinning back. Think we'll make three? she asked. Sure gonna be fun trying, he replied. Yes, it is, she said, putting her beer on the nightstand and then taking his from him, putting it next to hers. It most certainly is, she said, lowering her mouth down to a soft cock and sucking it into her mouth. Dirk put his head back and sighed, smiling as she began sucking him hard once more. When the sun came up the next morning, the count was at four, and by the time Dirk got on his bike to head home Monday morning, it stood at eight. True to her word, Amy had made sure Dirk experienced both what it felt like to have her lips wrapped around his cock and to have his hands gripping her ass, as the next time he fucked her, she had made sure to have him on top of her, his arms under her, and his hands gripping her ass as he fucked her. It had been a most pleasant, most enjoyable, and most cum-filled weekend for the both of them, and it left both of them exhausted but smiling. Amy from the doorway of her house, watched Dirk as he rode his bike away. He had gone back to the hotel on Sunday to check out and pick up his stuff. So he was headed for home when he left Amy's place. He left with a promise to return, and Amy was sure he would keep that promise. Dirk was going to make damned sure he did. By Original Aramis for Literotica.

Adventures of Dirk: An Oceanside Bikers Gathering - Part 2 The House Mouse Shags Dirk. By Original Aramis. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Dirk travels to an MC biker party and scores well. His suspicions about how the evening was going to go were confirmed when Amy slid her hand down his stomach to his crotch, massaging the lump of his cock firmly and then gripping it in her hand. She squeezed gently, but firmly, and both of them, could feel Dirk's cock, began to respond. I can't wait to give you a blowjob, she said into his ear. You keep that up and I'm gonna have to pull over and fuck you right here, he shouted over his shoulder at her, and he heard her laugh. As much as I'd like that, I think we should wait until we get to my house. It's not much further now. she called out into his ear. She gave his hardening cock one final squeeze before removing her hand, hugging tight against his back again. Turn right at the next street, she said a few minutes later. Dirk saw the sign for Vincent Lane and slowed, then made the right turn onto the street before accelerating again. It was a nice neighborhood, and he was sure that the loud pipes on his bike were going to make everyone take notice. But he was used to that and didn't let it bother him. A moment later Amy tapped him on the shoulder and then pointed to a house on the right as she spoke. That's where the dominatrix lives, she said, and Dirk turned his head to look. The what? he said in surprise. The dominatrix, Amy replied. She's a tall, leggy blonde with huge tits, and guys pay her to have her tie them up and do things to them. The cops have been trying to bust her for years, but have never been able to prove anything, so now they pretty much just leave her alone. Dirk looked at the house as they rode past it. He didn't see anything special about the house at 94, Vincent Lane, although he wasn't sure what he was expecting to see. There was a car in the driveway, but other than that there was nothing, it was just another house in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. My house is the second on the right in the next block, Amy said, and a few moments later he was pulling up into her driveway. He stopped the bike and held it steady as Amy got off, then shut off the engine, put the kickstand down, and got off. Don't worry about your bike, Dirk, it'll be fine out here in the driveway, Amy said. This is a nice neighborhood, and besides, everyone knows I'm associated with the MC so they treat me pretty good. One of the benefits of being in an MC, Dirk said, following her up the sidewalk to her front door. She opened the door and stepped inside, with Dirk following. She closed the door behind him as he stepped into the living room, he noticed that the house was very well furnished, with the decor being obviously feminine. Very nice, he said, standing in the center of the room and looking around. Thank you, sir! Amy replied, smiling at him. Would you like a beer? she asked, and Dirk nodded as he replied. Do you have anything harder? he asked. Is bourbon okay? she replied. Absolutely, Dirk said. Bulight, Knob Creek, or Blantons, she said, naming three very popular and very expensive bourbons, the last of which could run anywhere from $250 to $750 per bottle, depending upon which style you bought. Blantons, please, straight up, he said. Coming right up! Have a seat on the couch while I get it for you, she said, motioning to the couch and then turning to walk out of the room towards what he suspected was the kitchen. She slipped the jeans jacket off and tossed it onto the back of one of the chairs as she went past, and Dirk saw that the shirt she was wearing beneath the jacket was sleeveless. He also didn't see any bra lines, so he was pretty sure she was braless as well. He turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down in the middle of it and relaxing until Amy came back. She returned a minute or so later, a shot glass in one hand and a whiskey glass in the other. Both had bourbon in them, but the whiskey glass also had ice in it. As she walked towards him, it was clearly evident that he was right about her not wearing a bra. Her breasts were full and firm, much bigger than average, and sat high on her chest, with very little sag. Her nipples were big and obviously hard, poking against the material of her shirt. Dirk was mesmerized at the way her breasts bounced as she crossed the room, she saw where his eyes were and grinned in response as she walked over to him and stopped next to his outstretched legs. I prefer my bourbon on the rocks, she said, holding out the shot glass to him. He took the glass from her, and as soon as he did she immediately threw one leg over him and sat down on his lap, facing him. She slid up onto his lap as far as she could go, her knees pressing into the back of the couch on either side of his him, her mouth resting firmly on his crotch. A toast, she said, holding the glass in front of her. To good friends, good whiskey, and good sex, she said, grinning at him. I'll drink to that. Dirk replied, clinking his glass to hers. They both took a sip of their drinks, with Amy never taking her eyes off of his as she did. This is going to be such fun, she said, her voice soft and sultry as she looked into his eyes. I'm going to make you cum, so hard. How many times can you cum in one night, Dirk? she asked, taking another sip from her drink. My personal best is three, he replied, taking another sip from his drink as well. But then again, we got a late start, so we were kinda pressed for time. Think you can beat that personal best tonight? Amy asked, smiling at him. She ground her pussy against his crotch slowly as she spoke, her smile turning up on one end in a devilish way. Depends on how motivated I am, he replied, returning her smile. Well, let's see what I can do to motivate you, shall we, she said, leaning over and putting her drink on the small table next to the couch, pushing her big breasts into his chest as she did so. She kept them there as she sat up, pausing nose to nose with Dirk for just a moment before taking his face in her hands and kissing him. Her lips were warm and soft, and the kiss quickly deepened into something hot and erotic when she slipped her live tongue into his mouth to find his. Dirk was a little surprised at how aggressive Amy was, but he was by no means disappointed. He liked aggressive women, and Amy was quickly showing him just how aggressive she was by grinding her mound heart against his hardening cock. Amy slid her arms around his neck and held him close, pushing her big, firm breasts against his chest as she ground her pussy against him, their tongues dancing and her breath coming quicker now. Dirk put his arms around her in response, pulling her closer to him. The kiss lasted for a good two minutes, and by the time it was over Dirk's cock was nearly completely hard. Amy looked at him and smiled, her arms still around his neck as she spoke. Sounds like you've got a pretty nice-sized cock down there waiting for me, Dirk? she said, teasing him. Why don't you see for yourself? he asked, returning her smile. That's not a bad idea. Amy replied. She took her arms from around his neck and slid back along the top of his thighs until she was almost sitting on his knees. She reached down and unfastened his jeans, he never wore a belt, pulling the zipper down and then opening the fly completely. She let out a yelp of surprise, looking up at him with a grin on her face at the discovery that he wasn't wearing underwear. You're going commando, she said, happily. Dirk smiled and nodded as he replied. I hardly ever wear underwear, but I made it a point not to wear them tonight because I had a feeling I was gonna get laid tonight, and they'd just be in the way, he replied, making Amy giggle. Your feeling was correct, because you most certainly are going to get laid tonight, she said, reaching down and wrapping her fingers around his shaft, pulling it free from the jeans. But before that, you're gonna get your dick sucked by one of the most talented cock suckers you've ever met, she said. That would be you, I assume? he replied, playing with her. Damned right it is, she said, playing right back at him. Now let's get these jeans out of the way so I can get down to business, shall we? she said, getting up from where she sat. She turned around facing away from him and grabbed one of his feet, lifting it up and then pulling his motorcycle boot off by the heel, tossing it aside. It was obvious that she'd done this before, and she had both of his boots off in seconds. Then she turned around and grabbed his jeans at his hips, looking up at him and giving him a big, devilish grin as she yanked them down over his hips, down his legs, and over his feet. This left him in just his socks, shirt and colors, his hard cock throbbing with excitement. Amy bent down and took his cock in her hand, squeezing it hard and pumping it a couple of times, looking up at him with that devilish grin again. You've got a great prick, Dirk, she said, I can't wait to get my lips wrapped around it. She bent down and kissed the tip of his cock, then put her lips on the very tip and sucked at it hard. This made Dirk jump, and Amy giggled at his response. Then she released his cock from her grasp and stood up, facing him. Let's even thing up a little, shall we? she said, pulling her shirt out of her jeans first and then pulling it up and over her head, tossing it aside to join Dirk's boots and jeans on the floor. She turned to face him, showing him the fullest, biggest, firmest, most spectacular pair of mouth-watering tits Dirk had ever seen. Holy shit! he said, his eyes fastened on her big tits. They were big and round, very firm with very little sag, capped with average-size areola in the center of which were two pert, erect nipples. If Dirk didn't know any better he would have sworn she'd had a boob job, but he didn't see any visible scars. It took High a minute to find his voice again, and all Amy did was stand there with her hands on her hips, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at her. I take it you like what you see? she said, her blue eyes sparkling. Oh, yeah, I do. Dirk replied, looking up at her and returning her smile. I've never seen a pair of tits like that in my entire life, he said, looking back down at her chest. And before you ask, yes, they're real, she said, grinning as she slid her hands up her body to cup the big mounds in her hands. So you've been asked that before, huh? Dirk said, grinning up at her. Only every time a guy sees my boobs for the first time, she said, squeezing her tits in her hands and tugging on the nipples. Now, are we gonna talk about my tits all night or are you gonna let me suck your cock and then fuck me? she asked, still squeezing her tits. We can talk later, Dirk said, spreading his knees apart so she could get between his legs. Without another word Amy dropped to her knees and scooted in between his outspread thighs, moving forward as far as she could go. She reached up and grabbed Dirk's cock, pointing it straight up and without hesitation dropped her mouth down and swallowed it up, clamping her lips around it and sucking nearly his entire length into her mouth and down her throat. Dirk moaned as she gripped and squeezed his balls in her hand as she ran her thick, wet tongue up and down the underside of his shaft. She began sliding her mouth up and down the length of his cock, massaging and squeezing his balls as she did. Every now and then she would slide her mouth up his shaft until just the head was in her mouth, then she would suck very hard like she was sucking on a soda straw, and Dirk watched in amazement as her cheeks hollowed in with the suction she was applying. He could feel the pre-cum being sucked out of him, and she moaned with delight as she tasted the salty fluid on her tongue. She looked up at him and smiled around the head of his cock in her mouth, her blue eyes sparkling. She released his cock from her mouth with a soft pop and then gripped it in her hand, pumping the glistening, slick shaft as she spoke. I told you I was good, she said, grinning up at him. Am I not the best cocksucker you've ever met or what? she asked, obviously very proud of herself and her oral skills. Dirk nodded as he replied. Yes, you most certainly are, he said, watching as she pumped his cock. But why are you talking instead of sucking? he asked, one side of his mouth turning up in a smile. Amy smiled back. Yes, sir, she said, then lowered her mouth down onto his cock again and resumed sucking him off. She was incredibly good, of that there was no doubt, and Dirk just sat back and relaxed, watching a true cock-sucking queen at work. Amy bobbed her head up and down on his shaft, turning her head from side to side every now and then to change the angle of her mouth on his cock, massaging his balls all the while. She was good, Very good, and Dirk knew it wouldn't be long before he was blowing his load down her throat if she kept this up. Then she surprised him by releasing his cock from her mouth and gripping it with her hand as she slid her tongue down his shaft to his balls. Dirk always shaped his cock and balls so she had a pair of clean, smooth balls to play with. She ran her big tongue over and around his balls, then opened her mouth wide and clamped her soft lips around them. Then, to Dirk's amazement, she effortlessly sucked both of them in her mouth, rolling them around and sucking on them just hard enough to arouse with causing pain, and making Dirk groan out loud in the process. After several very enjoyable moments of her sucking on his balls, she shifted her attention back to his cock for another few moments before slipping it from her mouth and looking up at him, her hand wrapped around the shaft and pumping it as she spoke. I want you to come in my mouth, because I really want to taste you, but I think I'll save that for later, she said, giving him an impish smile. Right now, I want to feel this big, hard cock inside my wet pussy, so I can ride you until you come inside me. Is that okay, Dirk? she asked, one side of her mouth turned up in a smile. Absolutely! Dirk replied, returning her grin. They both stood up then, with Amy slipping out of her boots and jeans and Dirk taking off his colors, draping them over the back of the couch, before pulling off his shirt. Leave your colors on, Dirk, she said as she tossed her jeans on the back of the chair that was next to the couch. Taking the shirt off is okay, but put your colors back on, please. I want you to fuck me while you're wearing them, okay? she asked. I can do that, Dirk said, picking the vest up from the back of the couch and putting it back on. Amy was now standing before him totally naked, and he was pleased to see that she was shaven as smooth. And was that a clitoral hood he saw peeking out from between her puffy outer lips? Amy grinned at him as she took him by the hand, turning to lead him across the room, to her bedroom. Now come with me, she said, tugging him along behind her. He let himself be led across the room and down the hall to her bedroom, watching the firm globes of her ass flexing as she walked. She led him into her bedroom, and Dirk wasn't at all surprised to see that it was done up entirely in pink-pink walls, pink curtains on the window, pink bedspread, and pink rug. She obviously loved pink, and that was okay with him. She led him over to the side of the bed, then turned him so his back was to the bed. Then, without warning, she put her hands on his chest and pushed hard, shoving him back onto the bed. Whoa! Dirk exclaimed as he fell back onto the bed, his hard cock slapping against his abdomen as he fell. Amy was on him in a flash, quickly climbing on top of him and getting into position above him, putting one hand on either side of his head for support. She smiled down at him as she pressed her mound against the hard tube of his cock, rubbing it up and down the length, and Dirk could feel her outer lips opening and his cock getting slippery with her juices. She was already very wet, and was very eager to get his cock inside her. This is gonna be so fucking good, she whispered, her voice low and husky as she slid her pussy up and down the underside of his shaft. Dirk reached up and grabbed her big breasts in his hands, squeezing them hard and pinching the nipples between his fingers. Amy jerked her hips in response, throwing her head back and closing her eyes as she hissed between clenched teeth as the sensations went ripping through her nipples and through the rest of her body. Oh my god, yes! she breathed, looking down at him. The lust was plain in her eyes, and she never took her eyes from Dirk's as she reached down and pointed his cock up at her pussy. Dirk felt the head slip into her opening and then she pushed down, sliding her pussy down onto his hard shaft. Ah, that feels so fucking good, she said, pushing down harder and taking his entire length inside her. Amy's pussy was hot, wet, and very tight, the tightest pussy Dirk had ever felt, and he loved the way it felt wrapped around his cock. It was like having a warm, wet velvet hand wrapped around his shaft, and he jumped when she clamped down hard on his cock with her inner muscles, gripping it even tighter. Amy giggled at his reaction to her squeezing his cock with her pussy. So you like that, huh, she said, grinding her hips down onto his cock while squeezing it with her muscles. I've had a woman do that to me before, but never that tight. That's amazing! Dirk replied, tugging on her nipples as he spoke. I practice my Kegel exercises for 30 minutes every night without fail, whether I have a real cock to practice on or not, she said, smiling down at him as she began to slide her pussy up and down on his cock. But it's always so much better with a real cock. Dirk didn't get a chance to say anything else as Amy planted her lips on his, pushing her tongue into his mouth to find his own as she began riding him, sliding her pussy up and down the length of his shaft, squeezing and gripping it with her strong inner muscles. She sucked his tongue into her mouth and sucked on it almost as hard as she had sucked on his cock earlier, and Dirk thought she was going to suck it right out of his mouth. She had him trapped at both ends, and there was nothing Dirk could do but hang on to her big tits as she rode him. Her movements increased in tempo and intensity, and soon she was riding his cock in long, hard, deep strokes. She finally released his tongue from her mouth and sat up straight, putting her hands on his stomach for support as she rocked her hips with his cock trapped deep inside her. Her eyes were hooded, the lust plain, her mouth hanging open as she gasped for breath. Her nipples were two hard pebbles in the center of her breasts that jiggled and bounced with her every move. Dirk reached up and grabbed them in his hands, and she slapped her hands onto the backs of his and squeezed, urging him to squeeze her big tits hard. He did, and she moaned loudly in response. Oh, my God, I'm gonna cum, she gasped, her hips moving faster than before. The bed was rocking with the intensity of her movements, her breath coming faster and faster, and it was only a few moments later that she came, and she came hard. Aw! Amy cried out loudly, throwing her head back with her eyes squeezed shut, her hands still gripping Dirk's hands on her breasts as her orgasm exploded inside her pussy and went crashing through her body like a tidal wave of erotic pleasure. She gritted her teeth and growled loudly, her eyes still squeezed shut, as she moved her hips faster than ever to ride out her orgasm as long as she could. Dirk had never seen a woman cum this hard before, and he watched in rapt attention as her orgasm raced through her. After nearly a full minute the motions of Amy's hips began to slow, and she lowered her head to look down at Dirk beneath her. She was covered with a fine layer of sweat, her breath coming in ragged gasps through her open mouth, but she still managed a ragged smile as she continued to ride Dirk's still hard cock, although not nearly as fast as she had before. Wow, she gasped, that was intense. You made me cum hard. You did it, not me, Dirk said, smiling back up at her with his hands still grasping her tits. All I did, was lie here, and let you ride my dick. And what a dick it is, too, she said, dropping her hands down to his stomach. She pushed her hips down onto his cock and held them there, squeezing him with her inner muscles and grinding her hips in small circles as she spoke again. Now why don't you lay me down, put my knees up around my ears and pound me into the mattress? she said, a wicked smile crossing her face. Yes, ma'am, Dirk said. He reached up and grabbed her by the upper arms and threw her down onto the bed on her back. Oh, she gasped in surprise, caught a little off guard at Dirk's strength and quickness. Before she knew it he was on top of her and in between her legs, guiding his rock hard cock into her pussy again. She gasped again as he pushed it inside her, his balls slapping against her ass. He grabbed her legs behind her knees and slid his hands around behind them, looping her legs over his arms and spreading them wide as he leaned forward and put his hands on the bed on either side of her head. This motion did indeed put her knees up around her ear, bending her in half at the waist and lifting her ass up off of the bed and improving the angle so Dirk could drive his cock into her. Her eyes flew open wide and her mouth fell open as she gasped, yet again, as Dirk did just that, driving the full length of his cock completely into her. He felt the head of his cock hit bottom inside her and his balls slap against her ass, and Amy cried out in both a little bit of pain and a lot of excitement. Oh shit. That's deep, she cried out, grimacing and smiling at the same time. She grabbed Dirk by the elbows as she lifted her hips up to meet him, her feet bouncing in the air on either side of her head. Don't stop, Dirk, don't stop, even if I beg you to, don't stop, she said before Dirk could say anything, clamping down on his cock with her inner muscles again. I'm not gonna stop until I come. Dirk said, looking down at her and smiling. Fuck me hard, Dirk, fuck me hard, she begged, please, Dirk, fuck me hard. And Dirk did just that. He began driving his cock in and out of Amy's tight pussy as hard as he could, fucking her in long, deep, steady strokes. He started out at a moderate pace, looking down at her and watching her face as he fucked her, she reached up and grabbed her own tits in her hands, squeezing them and tugging on the nipples as she looked back at him. Her feet bounced in the air on either side of her head as Dirk thrust in and out of her again and again, the tempo of his thrust slowly increasing. It wasn't long before he was fucking her hard and fast, his balls slapping against her ass with every thrust, breathing hard as he drove his length in and out of her over and over again, his vest hanging open around his upper body. Amy grabbed his upper arms as he fucked her, her mouth open as she gasped, for breath as well. She could feel herself getting close to coming again, and was struggling to wait until he was coming so she could come with him. Then Dirk drove his cock into her hard and deep, sitting up for just a moment as he slipped his arms from under her legs and grabbed her by the ankles, pushing them forward towards the mattress above Amy's head and spreading her legs wider. Oh my god, yes! Amy cried, her eyes flying open as Dirk bent her in half at the waist. Her toes were touching the mattress above her head as Dirk fucked her hard and fast, driving his cock as deeply into her as he could with every downward thrust. The sounds of hot sex filled the room and the air was heavy with Amy's musk as Dirk fucked her hard and fast, quickly driving both of them to the brink of orgasm. Oh. My. God. Oh. My. God! Amy gasped, in time with his thrusts, Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me. Come, with me, come, with me, she pleaded, knowing that she couldn't hold out much longer. That was all it took to trigger Dirk's orgasm. He had been holding out for the past few minutes, and now it was time for him to let it go. He thrust in and out of her a few more times and then groaned loudly, shoving his hips forward as his orgasm hit. He held his cock inside her without moving, having shoved it in as far as he could, and just held it there as it erupted inside her, pumping stream after stream of hot, thick cum deep inside her pussy. Amy could feel Dirk's cock pulsing and throbbing as it pumped his cum inside her pussy, and she cried out in ecstasy as her own orgasm hit. She squeezed her eyes closed and groaned through clenched teeth as she was assaulted by the sensations of her own orgasm crashing through her body in waves, while she felt Dirk's cock pumping away inside her, filling her up with his seed. He pulled about halfway out and then thrust forward again, his cock still pumping inside her. He groaned loudly, his own eyes squeezed shut as he wrote his orgasm out. Finally, almost thankfully, their orgasm began to fade, the waves of pleasure crashing through Amy's body fading away and the pumping of Dirk's cock slowing and then stopping completely. He held his place on top of her, hands still clamped around her ankles, pinning her feet to the bed, his cock buried balls deep inside her, the last of his cum seeping out of his cock and into her full pussy. He finally let go of her ankles and dropped to the mattress, following Amy's hips down as they fell. He collapsed on top of her, both of them gasping for breath, with Dirk propping himself up on his elbows lest he crush her beneath him. They stayed that way for several long moments until finally Dirk rolled off of her and lay on his back, his softening cock that was glistening with their combined juices lying against his thigh as he tried to catch his breath. Amy let her legs fall to the mattress and just lay there, arms and legs outstretched, with Dirk's cum slowly leaking out of her ravaged, slightly sore and completely full pussy. Holy shit! Amy gasped, looking up at the ceiling and smiling. She turned her head to look at Dirk just as he turned his head to look at her. Holy shit, she repeated, a big smile on her face. How long has it been since you got fucked, anyway? she asked. Dirk smiled as he answered. It's been a while, he said. About a month or so. Well, damn, if you're gonna fuck me like that all night long I may not live to make you cum three times, she said, giggling as she spoke and making Dirk chuckle in return. Yeah, but what a way to go, huh? he asked, and they both laughed. A few moments later Amy struggled to sit up, still weak from the pounding Dirk had just given her. Stay there, stud, she said, looking over at him as she slid from the bed. I'm gonna go get cleaned up a bit, then I'm gonna go get us both a beer. I know I could use one, so I'm sure you could use one as well. You got that right, he said, watching her walking gingerly towards the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later and walked over to him, handing him a warm, wet washcloth, before she turned and walked out of the room. She came back a few minutes later with a beer in each hand, handing one to Dirk who then sat up and moved so that he could sit back against the headboard of the bed. Amy moved with him, sitting next to him as they both took a pull from their beers. The beer was cold and good, and it felt really good going down to both of them. They sat silent for a few moments before Amy spoke up. You got an old lady, Dirk? she asked, looking over at him. No, he replied, taking another pull from his beer, before continuing. I don't even have a steady girlfriend back home, much less an old lady at the clubhouse. Why not? Amy asked. With your looks and your...talents, shall we say, the girl should be lining up to be your old lady. I move around too much, I guess, he said. I don't work, I inherited a shitload of money from my parents, so I don't have to, so I spend most of my time just riding around the country on my scoot. And that means I'm not home a lot, and to be honest I really don't want the commitment that comes with a girlfriend or an old lady, he said, meaning it. Getting too much strange pussy out on the road, huh? she said, grinning at him. He grinned back as he replied, nodding his head. Something like that, yeah, he said, chuckling. That, plus it wouldn't be fair to the girl for me to be gone all the time and expect either of us to be faithful, so that's just not a part of my life right now. Do you think it ever will be? she asked. Who the hell knows? Dirk said, shrugging his shoulders. Maybe, I dunno. All I know is I'm just taking life one day at a time and enjoying the ride while I can. Pun intended, right? she said, grinning at him. Right, he said, looking over at her and grinning back. Think we'll make three? she asked. Sure gonna be fun trying, he replied. Yes, it is, she said, putting her beer on the nightstand and then taking his from him, putting it next to hers. It most certainly is, she said, lowering her mouth down to a soft cock and sucking it into her mouth. Dirk put his head back and sighed, smiling as she began sucking him hard once more. When the sun came up the next morning, the count was at four, and by the time Dirk got on his bike to head home Monday morning, it stood at eight. True to her word, Amy had made sure Dirk experienced both what it felt like to have her lips wrapped around his cock and to have his hands gripping her ass, as the next time he fucked her, she had made sure to have him on top of her, his arms under her, and his hands gripping her ass as he fucked her. It had been a most pleasant, most enjoyable, and most cum-filled weekend for the both of them, and it left both of them exhausted but smiling. Amy from the doorway of her house, watched Dirk as he rode his bike away. He had gone back to the hotel on Sunday to check out and pick up his stuff. So he was headed for home when he left Amy's place. He left with a promise to return, and Amy was sure he would keep that promise. Dirk was going to make damned sure he did. By Original Aramis for Literotica.

As you go about your life after having a surgical bariatric procedure, or while taking a GLP-1 for weight loss, you are going to encounter situations in which you are faced with stress… as in every day… you are dealing with stressful situations. You are going to be in situations requiring you to deal with conflict (do you know how to do so?). You'll find yourself needing to set boundaries with people (are you able to do this?). You'll find yourself reacting to triggers by engaging in unhealthy habit patterns that are well-enstablished in your brain. Have you been prepared as to how to handle these things without turning to food or another unhealthy coping mechanism? Are you equipped with the tools and skills to do so? Those are some of the things we talk about in today's episode. The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @ (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategies

Pedro Reyes studied architecture but considers himself a sculptor although his works integrate elements of theater, psychology, and activism. His practice takes a variety of forms, from participatory sculptures to puppet productions. In 2008, Reyes initiated the ongoing Palas por Pistolas project in which 1,527 guns were collected in Mexico through a voluntary donation campaign to produce the same number of shovels to plant 1,527 trees. This led to Disarm (2012), where 6,700 destroyed guns were transformed into a series of musical instruments. In 2011, Reyes started Sanatorium, a transient clinic offering brief unexpected treatments mixing art and psychology. Originally commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, New York City, Sanatorium has been in operation at Documenta 13, Kassel (2012), Whitechapel Gallery, London (2013), The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (2014), and OCA, São Paulo (2015), among 10 other venues. In 2013, he presented the first edition of pUN: The People's United Nations at the Queens Museum in New York. pUN is an experimental conference in which ordinary citizens act as delegates from each of the UN countries and try to apply techniques and resources from social psychology, theater, art, and conflict resolution to geopolitics. Recently, Pedro Reyes was commissioned by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists together with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), winners of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, to raise awareness of the growing risk of nuclear conflict, for which he developed Atomic Amnesia to be presented in Times Square, New York City, May 2022. For his work on disarmament, Reyes received the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2021. At the same time, he inaugurated his largest exhibition to date in Mexico, at the Museo MARCO in Monterrey. In 2022, Reyes had his first solo exhibition in Europe, at the Marta Herford Museum in Germany, where he presented a large body of his early work. Currently Reyes is participating in the first Macau Biennale in China, the International Art Biennial of Antioquia and Medellín in Colombia, and has a solo exhibition at Lisson Gallery in New York.In a far ranging and deeply meaningful conversation Reyes and Zuckerman discuss relationships, accountability in art, change, the studio as a school or a guild, vicarious joy, the writer's museum and the museum of life, hope, embracing the cringe, and understanding the world!

Inspection Fuel 2025 was FIRE! Pun intended. And we have SO much content to share with y'all starting with this episode! We kick off the show reflecting on some Fuel highlights during our time in New Orleans, including networking opportunities we had, engaging presentations we saw, and memorable moments. We also get into the evolution of the show, the concept behind 'The Ride Along,' and the importance of vendor insights in the inspection industry. In fact, the next couple of episodes highlight one of the key vendors at Fuel, ISN. As two inspectors who use ISN daily, we were stoked to hear about all the improvements made to the Report Writer, the app, and even some of the neat time-saving AI features they're launching. Be sure to comment about you favorite Inspection Fuel highlights!  The TLDR: - Networking is a key highlight of events.  - Mardi Gras World exceeded expectations.  - The live show format was a unique experience. - Audience participation added to the event's success. - The show's name change reflects its purpose. - Riding along with inspectors is a valuable learning experience. - Vendors play a crucial role in the industry. - Feedback from the audience helps shape the show. - The venue's layout fostered community interaction. - Future episodes will feature insights from various vendors. The links: Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://pages.theridealong.show/newsletter  And leave us a voicemail here: https://www.theridealong.show  Find out more about ISN at: https://www.inspectionsupport.com      

TE ESPERAMOS EN NUESTROS PRÓXIMOS EVENTOS ⁠⁠https://pinksecretonline.com/proximos-eventos/⁠ ¿Alguna vez te has sentido perdida intentando entender a los adolescentes de hoy?

Gongu Roach is a forensic publishing expert responsible with the representation of many hip-hop stars past and present when it comes to contract authentication and recovery of publishing revenue, he sits down with Gully Tv to discuss how he was able to uncover manipulation and wrongdoing by Fat Joe in relation to Big Pun's estate being shorted millions of dollars, representing "The Lox" during they're break up with Sean Diddy Combs & Bad Boy Records. He also speaks on how he was able to assist Max B's defense team in reducing Max's 75 year prison sentence

Siri, queue "Unfaithful" by Rihanna, since this episode was the opposite of faithful. Also, can we talk about the iconic crash out? Emily really drove the point home (literally). Pun after pun, and Fred Waterford is finally showing his true colors after trying to come across as the 'cool' Commander, but in reality he's just as bad as the rest of them.

Setiap orang punya trauma, kadang disetiap trauma itu, gabisa semuanya kita maaafin saat itu juga. Banyak di setiap trauma kita mempertanyakan, kita menganda-ngandai.Setiap orang punya luka, kadang di luka itu, kita juga nyimpen amarah, nyimpen dendam. Nyimpen penyesalan harus nya gak ketemu luka nya.Rasanya semakin tua, disamping banyaknya berkah, semakin banyak juga luka nya, banyak nangis, banyak sedih nya. Gak sedikit yang belum berhasil sembuh Pun berhasil smbuh, gak sedikit juga yang masih belajar buat sembuh sepenuhnya. Buat bisa kembali percaya, kembali mencintaj, kembali kuat.Gak sedikit yang berhasil ngelupain.Pun berhasil, gak sedikit juga yang sesekali masih nangis kalo nginget hal itu. Tapii…Setiap orang juga memafkanSetiap orang perlahan belajar untuk sembuhSetiap orang paham akhirnya bahwa - apa yang ditakdirkan untuk kita akan kembali pada kita- Mereka juga gak sempurna, banyak buat kesalahan, banyak buat luka dan trauma jugaHeres for you that are still learning to forgive

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 244.  Today's episode is at the direct request from a listener who emailed me because she is feeling, and I quote, “alone and depressed” following her 120-pound weight loss. She shared a lot of information that I KNOW many of you are also experiencing in your post weight-loss process. Get ready to connect with this listener! The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategies

In this episode of First Rounds On Me, we welcome back the incredible Erica Ettin—dating coach, founder of A Little Nudge, and the ultimate myth-buster of modern love. Known for her fearless takedowns of bad dating advice and no-nonsense approach to finding connection, Erica joins us to answer the internet's burning questions about dating apps, confidence, first impressions, and communication.From the biggest mistakes people make on dating apps, to the truth about “if he wanted to, he would,” to profile photo do's and don'ts, this episode is packed with insights, laughs, and game-changing advice.Whether you're single, dating, or just love hearing stories about modern romance, this is the dating advice you actually want to hear.

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 243.  Today's discussion with plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Kaufman isn't directly related to GLP-1 medications. Yet significant weight loss by any means sometimes leads to body reconstruction. To that end, this episode wraps up our series on GLP-1 agonists! Much to many a person's chagrin, when they lose a significant amount of weight in a short time, they are sometimes left with maybe a little bit – or maybe quite a bit of loose skin. Some people opt to have the skin removed surgically. That is the reason we are speaking today with Dr. Daniel Kaufman, board certified plastic surgeon who shares with us factual and fascinating medical information related to skin removal following weight loss. The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategiesDr. Daniel Kaufman As Ozempic, Wegovy, and other GLP-1 medications reshape the weight loss industry, many patients are now facing a new challenge: loose, excess skin that diet and exercise can't fix. Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Kaufman specializes in contouring solutions tailored specifically for patients who have experienced significant weight loss through medications like Ozempic. From arm lifts and tummy tucks to advanced skin tightening technologies, Dr. Kaufman offers insight into the physical and emotional journey patients undergo post-weight loss.Instagram: drkaufmanofficial

Today we are looking at the shoes of the Gospel of Peace that is part of the Amour of God. In modern sport, there are specific shoes for each sport. Shoes on a tennis court are different from shoes on a football pitch. Different surfaces require different shoes. When we go hillwalking, we wear proper shoes. The last thing you would want is improper shoes that may cause you to slip or fall. Flip-flops might not be the best choice for climbing Ben Nevis. I have an uncle who took me and my brothers to Sea World. It was an aquarium and amusement park combined. For whatever his reasons were that day, he wore cowboy boots. His feet were so sore that we had to leave early. Those weren't the best choice for walking miles and miles. Have you ever worn the wrong shoes or broken in a new pair and got the blisters that go with it? Soldiers know the importance of their feet and take precautions to keep them dry and safe. If an army can't move. They can be easily defeated. Pun intended!Preparation is a word meaning “a prepared foundation.” The gospel provides the footing for everything we do.

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 242.  For the past several weeks we've been talking about the use of GLP-1 agonists as a tool for weight loss. Today we hear from a woman who has had a series of health problems she believes are directly related to her use of a GLP-1 medication. She shares her story with us to let people know to seriously consider the possible negative outcomes that can be related to using this type of medication. The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategies

ชมวิดีโอ EP นี้ใน YouTube เพื่อประสบการณ์การรับชมที่ดีที่สุด https://youtu.be/QQ7-5pSxJDc . คุยอังกฤษกับ PUN ศิลปินไทยรุ่นใหม่ตัวท็อปวงการ T-POP กวาดวิวกว่า 100 ล้านวิวในวัย 22 .

ชมวิดีโอ EP นี้ใน YouTube เพื่อประสบการณ์การรับชมที่ดีที่สุด https://youtu.be/QQ7-5pSxJDc . คุยอังกฤษกับ PUN ศิลปินไทยรุ่นใหม่ตัวท็อปวงการ T-POP กวาดวิวกว่า 100 ล้านวิวในวัย 22 .

On February 7, 2000, Christopher Rios — the larger-than-life rapper better known as Big Pun — died at the age of 28 from heart failure in White Plains, New York. In a career that barely spanned half a decade, the Bronx-born rapper rewrote the rules for Latin artists in hip hop. With rhymes that were dense, intricate, and delivered with a ferocity that belied his massive physical presence, Pun became the first solo Latino rapper to go platinum, and his debut album Capital Punishment remains a watershed moment in East Coast rap history. Hosts: Jason Beckerman & Derek Kaufman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 240.  Our topic today is GLP-1's, Part 3. Today I'm talking with a woman who knows me better than almost anyone on the planet. Dr. Susie Matlock-Hetzel, a fellow psychologist whom I met when we went through our PhD program together more than few decades ago… Susie comes right out on this episode and announces she was morbidly obese. A surgical procedure was not an option for Susie. When she learned about the GLP-1 medications, she knew intuitively they were the “missing piece” for her. I think you'll really love this episode as she share a lot about what we have shared together during the past 30 years. The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategies

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 239.  Our topic today is GLP-1's, Part 3. Today I'm talking with Nurse Practitioner Michelle Ledford. Michelle has worked in the field of bariatric medicine for the past seven years and is certified in the treatment of obesity medicine. She works primarily with patients seeking medical management of the disease of obesity. Michelle shares her experience, knowledge and use of GLP-1 medications with patients she sees in real life every day. The information in this episode needs to be heard by anyone interested in GLP-1 medications so please… share this episode with the people in your life. The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategies

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 238.  Our topic today is GLP-1's, Part 2. In this episode I'm talking with Kellie Wilson, who is a favorite in the bariatric world. Kellie had bariatric surgery several years ago now and has used a GLP-1 at times. Kellie talks openly about a healthy use of GLP-1 medication and a time when she didn't use it in the most healthy way!  The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategiesKellie Wilson: Instagram @bari.brandedFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sleevedfromtheashes

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 237.  Our topic today is GLP-1's, Part 1 with Katie Chapmon, RD. This is the first of several episodes designed to educate you about the GLP-1 medications from the perspective of professionals as well as people who are taking the medications. Katie Chapmon, who has worked for many years in the weight loss arena, explains some basic information about GLP-1 medications and her experiences working with patients who have used, or who are currently, using the medication. The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?”Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategiesKatie Chapmon, MS, RD: katiechapmon.comPlease subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube

Oscar Wilde is credited with saying, “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence.” If true, then there were some smart people in the Bible! Today's episode continues our “Holy Humor” series and includes sarcasm, puns, and other humorous stories and statements from the mouths of Samson, Elijah, and more.

In this episode, there is a recording from the ShireFit Seminar Day from speaker and now ShireFit Nutrition Coach Will Dyson. Will's wealth of knowledge shines through as he cuts through all the nutritional nonsense in the fitness industry straight to the meat and bones of what we as CrossFitters need to know. Pun intended! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

- कप्तान छुट्टी पर और सेव द टाइगर - टाइम्स स्क्वायर पर तीन ताल - बिहार के कलाकार और राजनीति की कला- मोहन यादव के काफ़िले में पानी और पानीदार राजनीति- पेट्रोल इंजन में डीजल और काफिले का कर्बन फुटप्रिन्ट- रेखा गुप्ता का नया बवाल और पॉल्यूशन का नया आयडिया- परिवार का सदस्य गाड़ी और तैमूर लंग्स में रिपेयर कल्चर- ज़ोहरान ममदानी की शार्पनेस और ब्रेकिंग-ब्रेड- सस्ताPUN का एजेंडा और कस्टम सीज़ गुड्स वाले सामान - ताऊ का आईफोन बाईस और टेक्नोलॉजिया - नाई से इंटीमेट रिलेशनशिप और सांसों की माला - हरदिन मंगल बाज़ार और मंदा-हूईगा की दुनिया - सस्ती वायरलप्रियता और गहरे-गोह से दूरी- सस्ती शायरी और चार अपशब्द - बिजार में शौच-शगल -चिट्ठियांप्रड्यूसर : अतुल तिवारी साउंड मिक्स : रोहन/अमन

The Bible is many things, but it is also the source of hilarity. Stories, witty comments, irony, sarcasm and more fill the pages of God's Word, yet we often miss it. This episode is the first of a new series that takes a look at those humorous passages in the Bible and hopefully brings a little levity to your life. 

Today on another encore edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Dick Smothers Jr., son of, who else, comedian & musician Dick Smothers, one half of the comedy team, The Smothers Brothers. On this episode, we explore some pretty intense stuff as we get into what it was like growing up with a famous father and a famous uncle whose comedy was a touchstone for comedians of the 1960s. And while Dick Smother's was perhaps one of the best straight men in comedy, the story Dick Smothers Jr. tells us story is anything but rosey. We learn about the attention his dad craved and the strained relationship they have to this day. Moreover, we talk about heavy metal and Dick Jr's 80s band Kamikaze, his fascination with Alister Crowley as well as black magic and his one-time career choice to become an adult actor. Yes, this episode delves into another kind of celebrity, pornography. One we haven't spoken about this before or acter this episode first aired but we delve into it extensively here. We discuss why Dick Jr. chose to become a porn star, why Dick Jr. didn't change his name because…well….he already had the best name in blue movies and what it was like talking to the press knowing his famous name would draw attention. And therein lies the rub. Pun intended. This episode is a frank and serious discussion and we learn a lot about why Dick Jr. chose that career path, his relationship with his father, the challenges of being in ‘the industry' and much more. Puritans beware! So if black magic, pornography and heavy metal were on your Bingo card for this episode of the podcast, you are in luck! Because this is another episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast where everyone has a story. This one is likely one you have never heard before. Take a listen. Yo-Yo Man fans, hang onto your hats!

This week we explore the multifaceted world of AI, discussing its impact on daily life, the importance of effective prompting, and the various tools available for content creation. It's interesting, and it "prompted" someone to look into it. Pun very much intended.Takeaways • AI is already integrated into many aspects of our lives. • Effective prompting is crucial for getting the best results from AI. • AI tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly can enhance productivity. • Different writing styles can lead to misunderstandings in communication. • AI can significantly reduce the time needed for research and content creation. • Generational differences affect how people interact with technology. • AI is learning and evolving, making it more useful over time. • Personal anecdotes can illustrate the practical applications of AI. • The importance of structuring prompts to get desired outcomes from AI. • AI tools are becoming increasingly valuable in professional settings.Support the show ( https://www.patreon.com/user?u=15325671) or Buy Us A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PoddiMouths Visit https://www.poddimouths.com to listen to past episodes, shop the merch store, and so much more! Wanna start your own podcast? Get started with Riverside.fm by clicking https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=poddiChapters00:00 Introduction and Light Banter08:36 The Role of AI in Everyday Life19:17 Mastering AI Prompts for Better Results24:46 The Role of AI in Communication29:42 Writing Styles and AI Assistance34:40 Cultural Shifts in Dating and Technology

The final episode of June is awesome. Pun fully intended, as Lorenzo aka TeamAwesome418 rounds out this month and joins me while he was on vacation to record this episode! We're talking DC, Marvel, Cosplay, and more in this episode! We kick things off with the DC side of things. Lorenzo talks about how he got into DC through the animated shows and movies. We talked about his love of Superman, along with Batman, and Static Shock. We bounce around between the animated shows and movies, to some of the more recent movies and discuss the upcoming reboot of the DC Cinematic Universe. From there, we swing on over to Marvel. And if you got that swing reference, that's because we have a good conversation about Lorenzo's love of Spider-Man. Peter Parker (and Miles Morales too). Plus, we talk about the animated shows, the pre-MCU movies like Spider-Man and the X-Men franchise, and we don't forget about the MCU movies, and characters like Deadpool. Lorenzo also talks about how he first got into doing Cosplay and some of the characters he's represented, including Static Shock, Spider-Man, and Deadpool, to name a few. He talks about what he's working on for the future in the cosplay space. He also talks about how he's met a number of the actors from the Marvel MCU space, tells a few stories of some special meetings. Plus, we touch on books that Lorenzo has published, available on Amazon! You can find Lorenzo at: https://www.instagram.com/teamawesome418/ https://linktr.ee/TeamAwesome418 https://www.tiktok.com/@teamawesome418 https://www.youtube.com/@LorenzoDozier418 https://amzn.to/448zb48

durée : 00:59:04 - Cautionneries - Par La Caution. Embarquement immédiat pour un voyage musical avec Nikkfurie. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell reflect on the inspiring conversation with values-driven changemaker Kate Galli. From standing up for animals to staying grounded in joy, this episode explores what it takes to lead with purpose. Learn how Kate uses her voice, energy, and optimism to drive meaningful change—while still staying connected to community, compassion, and self-care.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Exercises for managing lower back pain in Pilates classes.Kate Galli's journey into plant-based living and how it deepened her purpose.How she transitioned from being an “angry vegan” to a compassionate advocate.The ABC Method's role in fostering mindset shifts and habit change.Why identifying core values is essential for aligning with your goals.Episode References/Links:Ask Iliza Anything Podcast - https://beitpod.com/askilizaeLevate Workout and Q&A - https://lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlistAgency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniOPC Summer Tour - https://opc.me/tourUK Mullet Tour - https://opc.me/ukCambodia October 2025 Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comTaylor Made at Pilates Anytime - https://www.pilatesanytime.com (use code: LLogan for a 30-day trial)Submit your questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsKate Galli's Website - strongbodygreenplanet.comHealthification Podcast - https://beitpod.com/healthificationEp. 528: Stephanie O'Dea - https://beitpod.com/stephanieodea If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/ Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Brad Crowell 0:00  I was thinking, passion doesn't necessarily equal anger, even though it's associated with high energy. And then you just said the word compassion, which is more in line with what we want. Compassion still includes the word passion.Lesley Logan 0:14  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:53  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the empathetic convo I had with Kate Galli in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now and go back and listen or listen to this and go listen to that. It's kind of fun how the episodes work like that. If you're in the OPC app, you can easily see them and pick and choose. If you're in an Apple app, it kind of serves you in whatever order you're at so there you go. But it's quite fun. We'll get into her thing. I actually, because of her, have been putting tofu in my breakfast. So, yeah. Brad Crowell 1:29  Oh, love that.Lesley Logan 1:30  This is a woman. This is the person who said. So today is June 26th 2025 and it's National Handshake Day. So finally, a day that's not a fucking nightmare. If you listened to last week, this should be more uplifting. National Handshake Day. This is they always start with the thing, and it drives me crazy. Brad Crowell 1:48  Every year on this day. Lesley Logan 1:49  On this day, it's just like, it's like chatting before it happened. National Handshake Day is celebrated on the last Thursday of June each year, falling on June 26th this year. And yep, yep, we covered that already, and we're glad that this common greeting is getting a place in the spotlight after all the year that it has been around. Not only is the handshake the most universally recognized form of greeting, but it also has come to mean different things in different cultures, which is why learning more about it will come in handy. Pun intended. Throughout history and across different cultural contexts, the handshake is in practice, an expression of peace or goodwill, and is almost like a common language that binds us together the world over. That's a way, that's a weird sentence. It's no wonder, then, that we want to make a big deal about this innocuous gesture. Sociologically, the handshake has come to be a symbol of things hidden below the surface, as you can tell a lot about the person the way they shake. Brad Crowell 2:45  By the handshake. Lesley Logan 2:46  Yes, perhaps for this reason, secret handshakes have also become popular, giving people a sense of belonging to a particular group. However you view the handshake, one has to admit that it deserves its own day. Brad Crowell 2:58  It sure does. Lesley Logan 2:59  Just owing the sheer frequency of its use in our daily lives.Brad Crowell 3:02  Yep, yep. Sans Covid, when no one did any handshakes ever it was the wave.Lesley Logan 3:07  Well, now, and now everyone does fist bumps or like people don't shake hands, like there's like the germaphobes will never shake hands. Brad Crowell 3:11  Yeah, never again. Lesley Logan 3:13  I will be honest. I almost rather go for a hug than a handshake, like, I just feel kind of weird about it, mostly with women, obviously. Second, I don't really. Brad Crowell 3:25  Hi, friend, handshake.Lesley Logan 3:26  Hi friend. Also, I gotta be honest, I fucking hate a dead fish handshake. And I also do not give me the bunny hand, like I'm gonna kiss it, you know, some, some girls, yeah, like they give you their hand. They give you their hand like this, and then you're supposed to like, like, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. I'm supposed to say, What am I supposed to do? Brad Crowell 3:32  She's supposed to take it underneath and kiss their hand.Lesley Logan 3:50  Yeah, but, but you're giving it to me. I'm not gonna kiss your hand. Brad Crowell 3:54  What? Why not?Lesley Logan 3:55  No, no, not even yours. So I get but I was listening to Iliza Shlesinger's podcast, and she was talking about how, like, hand, she obviously, because she's got kids, and so she's always sick. She's like, comedy shows. She's meeting people, and so, like, they have rules about no hugging, no handshakes. And she's like, we used to shake hands to make sure the other person doesn't have a gun in it. So like. Brad Crowell 4:14  We did? Lesley Logan 4:14  That's what she said and she's like, such a historian.Brad Crowell 4:17  Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Lesley Logan 4:17  You know. Brad Crowell 4:18  I know what she's talking about. Lesley Logan 4:19  Tell me. Brad Crowell 4:21  In the Wild West, it was like the under the table situation. And also you specifically used you shook with the right hand only because I think the left hand was used to wipe your ass.Lesley Logan 4:33  Right because it also assumed that most people are right-handed, and then you use right hand for your gun. Brad Crowell 4:37  Yeah, exactly. So I'm pretty sure there's some history, some historicity to that claim. Lesley Logan 4:44  Yeah, yeah. Brad Crowell 4:47  But anyway, luck us, definitely.Lesley Logan 4:49  Everyone's left hand was just covered in shit back then.Brad Crowell 4:50  I think that's not quite the same thing, but yeah.Lesley Logan 4:58  Oh my God, thank God we don't live back then, guys, it must have smelled like shit. Like, just whenever I think about whenever I, like, look at, like a castle situation, I'm like, this place reeked of shit. There's no way.Brad Crowell 5:11  Also probably like, ice, fricking cold. Lesley Logan 5:13  Oh, well, that and when we were at the one castle in Scotland, like everyone, including kids, was given like, liquor every day because it helped kill the germs that were like in the water and the food or something like that. So and most people were like, just not enough water for the peasants. They just drank anyway. Brad Crowell 5:27  The king had a shit hole in his throne. Lesley Logan 5:30  Yes, he did have a shit hole in his throne. That's why they call it a throne. And in front of people, they would just get up and pick up their skirt and sit down on the toilet and take a pee or take a poop or whatever. But, you know, anyways, and then, besides the gangrene that was going on. Back to this. Brad Crowell 5:43  Weird. Lesley Logan 5:45  I will just say I would love to shake your hand, but you got to shake it back. And also don't squee. The men who squeeze really hard to make sure they I know that they're strong. It's like, well, now you're, what I know you are as a dick. That's what I know. Like, there's, it's a, there's a there's a talent to the fucking handshake.Brad Crowell 6:01  There's a lot you can know. All right, let's move on. So upcoming event. Lesley Logan 6:05  We are doing a lot very, very soon. Brad Crowell 6:07  All right, stick with us here right now. It is June 26th so in just a few weeks, July 9th, we're gonna be hosting an eLevate workout, a Q&A workshop. So if you don't know what eLevate is, no biggie, that is Lesley's mentorship program for Pilates teachers. Okay? It's a 9-month program. It's an amazing way for you to get to the method more across all the different pieces of equipment, and it will 100% change your confidence. I mean, like night and day, dramatic difference, and it's perfect if you're a new teacher or you've been teaching for a really long time. This is a great program. We've been doing it for years, and it's probably our favorite program run. We're going to be doing just a Q&A and hang so a workout and you could ask questions. July 9th.Lesley Logan 6:49  Alumni will be there and they'll answer your questions, and they're great. They do have the kindest of hearts like, that's why they come.Brad Crowell 6:54  So come, go to lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlist elevate waitlist.Lesley Logan 6:59  And that's live online, and then also live online on July 17th is Agency mini Mini.  Brad Crowell 7:03  That's right. Lesley Logan 7:03  Agency Mini number 11. Brad Crowell 7:05  Profitable Pilates is back. Lesley Logan 7:08  And it's prfit.biz/mini and it is a three day business coaching workshop. There will be two events that have live times on them, but you can off, obviously, watch replays wherever you are. It's really, really great. Look, the summer is slow for most Pilates instructors, except for like, the family travels, but it's a perfect time to work on your business and get your questions answered so that the last half of the year can be what you want it to be to set you up for next year. So prfit.biz/mini to get on the waitlist, and that way you'll get the early bird pricing. And then in person, we're coming out.Brad Crowell 7:42  OPC Summer Tour kicks off July 25th in Phoenix. We're gonna do a massive rectangle. We're gonna do Phoenix to San Diego, all the way up the coast of Vancouver, that's right into Canada. Then we're gonna cut across through Calgary, and then back down to Vegas. From there, I don't know. I think it's like close to 5000 miles, I think.Lesley Logan 8:01  You are planning this Hon. I literally, I was, people are like, where is this at? I'm like, I don't even know. Brad Crowell 8:01  We have 19 stops. Lesley Logan 8:01  Oh, whoa, 19. Brad Crowell 8:01  Yeah. Lesley Logan 8:02  This is almost as big as winter tour. Brad Crowell 8:07  It's, it is almost as big as winter tour.Lesley Logan 8:14  But a little shorter, thank goodness, because I don't think I could do two full month long tours, but this is good.Brad Crowell 8:20  This was a little over three weeks. So. Lesley Logan 8:23  Yeah. Brad Crowell 8:23  It's gonna be amazing. Lesley Logan 8:23  And we're going to Canada. Brad Crowell 8:23  We're going into Canada. I'm excited first time for us to tour up into Canada.Lesley Logan 8:27  Get the dogs paperwork ready to go into Canada and get them back in the States.Brad Crowell 8:34  Yep, yep. And then in September, we're getting on a plane.Lesley Logan 8:38  Oh, did we tell them where to go? opc.me/tour Brad Crowell 8:40  Go to opc.me/tour opc.me/tourLesley Logan 8:45  And then in September, we're getting on a plane. We're going to the UK. We have two cities in the UK. It's our Mullet Tour. And mullet means business in the front, Pilates in the back. And so we'll have a business workshop each day, and then Pilates workshops each day. Don't worry, there's more Pilates workshops and business workshops, but U.K., we're trying. We got to help you out.Brad Crowell 9:04  2/3 Pilates 1/3 biz don't worry that'll work.Lesley Logan 9:08  And there's a workout so you can get a 2-day pass at Leeds. There's only three spots left at the time we're recording this. Don't know what that means when it drops in your ears. Brad Crowell 9:15  That's true. Lesley Logan 9:16  And then Essex also space super limited. But we did open up day passes so you can buy a Tuesday-only pass or Wednesday-only pass. Brad Crowell 9:22  Yeah, or you can get both. Lesley Logan 9:23  Or you can get both, you'll save if you buy both. So opc.me/ukBrad Crowell 9:28  opc.me/uk and then finally inLesley Logan 9:31  We're going to Cambodia in October.Brad Crowell 9:32  October we're heading back across the world, and we want you to come join us. It is obviously our favorite place to be. Lesley Logan 9:39  We're gonna go to Scotland, come home, go to Chicago, go to Cambodia. Brad Crowell 9:46  Oh, yeah, we're going to P.O.T in Chicago. Lesley Logan 9:46  Yeah, we are, we are. We'll tell them about that later. They haven't announced that yet, so until they announced that, we can't announce it. Cat's out the bag.Brad Crowell 9:53  Oops, anyway, yeah, come with us. Go to crowsnestretreats.com crowsnestretreats.com to come hang. I mean, I've already been on a bunch of conversations with people talking about it. I know people are worried about travel right now, international travel, especially with like, the perception of Americans around the world due to our government making stupid decisions. Lesley Logan 10:17  We actually have been treated very well. Most people are worried for us. So they're not, like, they're they're mostly worried, and also, like, we've already gone there and come back during this administration and have had not any problems, so we don't anticipate any problems. So we also did it during March of 2020, and were, the threat of getting in the country, so it was real, and we walked right in.Brad Crowell 10:38  Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, the conversations we've been having with people haven't been that. The conversations have been more about like, are, you know, is it going to be problems for Americans traveling? Honestly, I still think it just comes down to you being cool or being an asshole. If you're an asshole, you're gonna have problems. Lesley Logan 10:56  But also, if you're an asshole, you're not listening to this podcast. Brad Crowell 10:58  Yeah, that's probably true. Lesley Logan 10:59  Pretty true. Brad Crowell 11:00  Send this to an asshole. Send this episode.Lesley Logan 11:00  I don't, don't. I was actually even worried, personally, was worried about our Canada tour stops. I thought, will they sell? We have to spend so much money on lawyers to make sure we can do everything appropriately. AndBrad Crowell 11:07  We're almost already sold out in Vancouver.Lesley Logan 11:17  Vancouver is almost sold out. So like, I will say, I actually think most people understand that we, the majority of us, are not happy with how things are going, and we are not these people. So just, just know you'll be.Brad Crowell 11:32  Yeah, but it's also like the experiences that we've had, during tumultuous times, have not prohibited us from traveling, right? So, you know, we would encourage you to, you know, get on a call with me if you have any questions about it, worried about it, come join us. Cambodia is going to be epic trust me. Lesley Logan 11:53  Oh, yeah, it's so beautiful. And also, when we're there, because we've gone so many times during administrations like this. It is like the most you don't, you're so relaxed, you don't really even you don't the news can't even really get to you, because even if it does, you hear chickens, and then you hear the birds and the parrots, and you're sweating and the motos, and you're like, I'm so far from that, like that there's nothing I can do about that while I'm here. Brad Crowell 12:17  It's called a retreat for a reason. Lesley Logan 12:21  It's really helpful. It's really helpful for your heart. I mean, I always I'm so relaxed. Brad Crowell 12:28  I'm already getting warm fuzzy feeling. Lesley Logan 12:30  I know. So come, crownestretreats.com to snag your spot.Brad Crowell 12:34  All right. And we did have an audience question this week. Thank you for sending this in. We had, I don't know how to say this, um, ayeletregev6703 ayeletregev6703 on YouTube asks, hi, during a class. Lesley Logan 12:50  Hi.Brad Crowell 12:51  Hi, during a class, what kind of exercise would you offer to someone who can't do the teaser due to lower back issues? Well, great question. Thank you for asking. Lesley Logan 13:01  Yeah. So first of all, if, first of all, the way I teach Pilates is that every exercise is going to be accessible to people at some point when they're ready. So my teacher, Jay Grimes, always said, you want to bring people up to an exercise, don't bring exercise down to a body, right? So if someone has lower back issues and they can't do the teaser, I actually wouldn't modify the teaser necessarily for them. I would have them repeat an exercise that was safe for their back, that would build up their strength, their stamina and their connections. Brad Crowell 13:24  They should just quit. Lesley Logan 13:30  Shut up, and that way, first of all, they can keep moving. And then second, it would be figuring out, like, is this lower back issue permanent? Is this like a chronic issue? They're never it's never going to go away. Is it what it is? Brad Crowell 13:50  Surgery kind of thing. Lesley Logan 13:46  And so then it's like, should they, should they even be doing flexion at all? Should they, can they do teaser with their feet on the wall? Should they just always do something else, or is it just that they are not, they're of a tight back and just not ready for it, yet? Because then we can roll like a ball into teaser, roll like a ball in a teaser, right? And that's a great way of doing it. So what I think is really important is there isn't one way to answer this question, because I don't know who we're talking about.Brad Crowell 14:09  It's true. So that's a little tough, but I do think you know the whole idea, as a non-Pilates teacher here, the whole idea of Pilates is that it's a system, right? And what I know from sitting on the sidelines and watching the eLevators come through our house, literally, our house, and work things out, is that that if they're if they can't do teaser, because they're just not there yet, that's okay. It's totally okay. They don't need to do teaser, right? It's not like, you know, teaser, to me, is like handstand in yoga, you know, it's not necessarily like changing your world. It's part of a system. It's one of the poses that you yeah, sure you want to get to it eventually. But if you, you know, if you can't do teaser, it doesn't mean you can't do Pilates, right? So, you know, if you take that approach to it, you can, you as a teacher, can help them get to that pose over time, and you can help them get to that if that's their goal, that's fine, you know. But there might be other things that you want to take them to, first because of their lower back issues,Lesley Logan 15:18  Yeah. And I, first of all, well said, babe. So many people are like, Go, Brad, but, but I think, like, you know, here's the thing, clients come to a class and you specifically about a class. And so everyone thinks that, oh, everyone in the class is doing the exact same thing. Like I was talking to someone in eLevate, they're like, oh, but I need everyone to, like, do it at the same time, because it looks really good. And I was like, uhm.Brad Crowell 15:42  We could skip all that. Lesley Logan 15:43  We don't care what it looks like as a beauty, a form of beauty, I care, are they connected? Brad Crowell 15:48  Right. We're not synchronized swimming here. Lesley Logan 15:50  Yeah. And so if that's the way you're teaching your classes, some people will like that. But to be completely honest, a lot of people are not going to actually get the benefits of Pilates in that fashion, in that form. So it's really important. Brad Crowell 16:02  The 1980s are calling. They want their synchronized workouts back.Lesley Logan 16:05  Yeah, so what I, so I would, this is how I always started every class, not every exercise is going to be for you. So when in doubt, leave it out. It's actually brave and courageous to replace what you can't do yet with something that you can, something that you did that was challenging, right? And if you need specific assistance with an exercise, we can talk about it. We can give options at the end of class that you can use. And so with this person with lower back issues, maybe they need to take a private or stay after class one day to figure out what is their teaser. So maybe it is a modified teaser, but maybe it's actually double straight leg stretch, or maybe it's that they do swimming instead, right? What is it that they do? And then that way they are empowered to be autonomous and independent. And I promise you, it is going you will survive people doing different things at the same time, because they're gonna feel so good, and they're gonna come and go. That was the best class, and it's gonna make you love what you're doing, because now you're actually affecting real change in them, and not just like, well, let's just bend their knees and now they can do it, right? Like, that's, like, that's a Rachel Taylor Siegel, highly recommend everybody watches Taylor Made on Pilates Anytime you can use LLogan for a 30-day trial. It's in the Legacy Project. And what I learned from Rachel Taylor Siegel, she said, let's talk about modifications. She said modifications are like borrowing money from the bank. Some loans have higher interest rates than other loans, right? So if you get an SBA loan, you're looking at a couple percent, like real low, and so it's really easy to pay that loan off over time. In fact, that loan allows your business to grow, and so that kind of a loan is like going not just accelerate you, but just strengthen your business, gonna allow you to create a really good foundation, right? Versus a payday loan, those like 40% interest loans, or 30% interest loans, or the credit cards, the ones we get in the mail with our amazing credit score. It's like, why would I sign up for this 35% credit card? Are you crazy?Brad Crowell 18:09  Yeah, I did get one for for 29.99 Yeah, or 30. It was like, it was like shocking. Lesley Logan 18:19  That's it when I was in college and college when I had no credit. Brad Crowell 18:22  I never saw one that high ever. Lesley Logan 18:22  I guess that's true. I think it was like 18%. Brad Crowell 18:23  Yeah, they were like, 20% everyone's like, oh my God, they're stealing from you. Now they're, now they're like, 30 and it's normal. I'm like, holy cow, bananas. Lesley Logan 18:30  Yeah, you'll know, yes, so, but that, so just take that bananas and then think about that as a modification for an exercise. So now we're stealing from them. Now we're actually not providing them with the ability to ever not need that modification. In fact, they will have to keep just like those payday loans.Brad Crowell 18:45  Ever not, never, not. So they will always need the modification. Lesley Logan 18:45  Yeah, just like, well, if you let me finish my sentence, it was going to be just like when you do the payday loans once, what I've heard, what I've understood, is why they're so bad is that once you need them, you automatically need the next one and the next one, because now you're like, stuck, you're stuck and you're in debt. So my dear, thank you for this question. I hope it gave you something to think about. If you're an OPC member and you have a lower back issue, you can actually film yourself doing an exercise. You, actually, it could be any issue, but you can film yourself doing an exercise, and I can give you feedback on it. We don't answer client questions in OPC because it's all about you. So there's that. But if you guys have questions, go to beitpod.com/questions to send in your win or your questions, we'll answer them here, and we'll shout your wins out on Friday. beitpod.com/questions. Brad Crowell 19:30  Stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna dig into that convo with Kate Galli. Brad Crowell 19:38  Okay, let's talk about Kate Galli. Kate is a health coach, author and podcast host who's passionate, who is passionate about helping vegans and plant-based curious people live the with strength, confidence and joy. After years of working in both fitness and in the mindset space, Kate now helps others create meaningful lifestyle changes by aligning their health goals with their values. She's the creator of Strong Body, Green Planet, and host of the Healthification Podcast, where she shares strategies for powerful, compassionate living through her signature ABC method. Kate focuses on building habits that not only feel good, but also do good for the mind, for the body and for the planet.Lesley Logan 20:24  Okay, I thought she was so cool, because, first of all, a lot of what she is talking about with her journey of being a vegan, and then where she's at now is a lot of be it till you see it in like being vegan-curious or plant-based curious. I think a lot of us could lend ourselves to at least, if you're not going to go full vegan considering, like, what changes you can make for the planet. I think we all have to be considerate of that. You'll also be considerate of your body and what you're allergic to and all those things. So don't at me. I can't eat that because I got this allergy. I see you okay. In fact, Kate sees you because she's not an angry vegan anymore.Brad Crowell 20:59  Yeah, that's the thing that was like, I, actually, I'm not gonna lie, like I was listening to it. I was like, okay, you know, I'm in and then she shared her story, and I was like, wow, you know. And if you, if you, if you haven't gone back and listened to the episode, it is gut-wrenching and powerful. And she says it quickly, relatively quickly, but it's worth a listen. So go back and take a listen to Kate's story. Lesley Logan 21:25  I think the cadence of this episode coming out after Stephanie O'Dea's slow living episode is really important, because there's a couple things like, that, I'm like, I'm thinking about with Kate that kind of can go back to Stephanie. First of all, you cannot shame or judge yourself into a goal, right? And so and and, and. Brad Crowell 21:46  Nor can you shame others into a goal.Lesley Logan 21:49  Correct. And Kate said, we get this drive and this focus and this purpose, we just go and go and go. And she's like, it's effective until it isn't. And that's the same thing that, like Stephanie was saying, like, we we, like, want to go, like, so fast, but like, things will happen in time. And so she transformed in this, like, angry vegan. And then she became more compassionate, because she realized her approach was actually not effective in convincing anyone. In fact. Brad Crowell 22:13  Also, she was like, fried emotionally, like, so fried. She was like, I can't, I can't even be the angry, you know, like, person that I was anymore. I just can't do it.Lesley Logan 22:24  Yeah, I think, like, how many of us have been, like, so passionate about something that we get angry? I know I do. I know I do not talk politics with some of my family members because I get so angry that they cannot see the perspective that I see it from. I just can't I, like, literally, I'm just like, I'm losing, I'm missing out on that part of my life, because I need to figure this out for myself, because I cannot be compassionate in this moment. But you know what? I'm giving myself permission, that's okay. But I think it's like, she, she really, where she was able to change to is being a lot more compassionate, and then that allowed her to be more helpful in helping other people see ways that they can become vegan, or ways that they can make things a little bit more plant-based, or be or just change the way that they want to work out so that they're now it's almost like, it's like, you can't, you don't get, you can't get bunny like, bees about honey, like that kind of a thing? Brad Crowell 23:22  Yeah, you did mention that on the interview, and then you apologized for all the vegans out there who aren't necessarily in a honey. Lesley Logan 23:29  I know. Brad Crowell 23:30  I had a good laugh about that. Lesley Logan 23:32  Well, some are not okay with honey.Brad Crowell 23:35  Yes, no, it's you're, you're not wrong, but I just thought it was a really funny analogy in the moment. But you're right. You know, you get more bees with honey than you do, you know, without. So, you know, it's the kind of like the kill them with kindness, kind of a yeah approach. And I think.Lesley Logan 23:51  I really hated that growing up, my mom always, like, kill with kindness. And I'm like, that's not working.Brad Crowell 23:59  But, but, you know, she talked about the frustration with the relationship with her father, and how, like she was able to learn from her mom, you know, and how her mom's approach shifted her own approach, you know, out and about in the world.Lesley Logan 24:22  Yeah. And I also want to say, because she said, whatever we care about yelling at people about how wrong they are is never going to get them to want to join us. I just want you to know that, like I still believe you should protest, because it's not about convincing the person driving by. It's about convincing the politicians we're protesting again. So I just want to say protests matter, but. Brad Crowell 24:39  Yeah, they do. Lesley Logan 24:40  But if your neighbor isn't seeing how the way that they're voting or the way that they're eating or the way that they're you know, mowing their lawn in the middle of the night is affecting things that you care about. Yelling at them isn't going to get them to stop. You do have to figure out. You have to understand a little bit more about why they think the way they think, or why they do the way they do, so you can actually have a compassionate conversation that allows them to see how what you're trying to offer them is going to help the same goal that they have.Brad Crowell 25:08  That's actually really interesting. And I wonder about the etymology of these words here now, because I was thinking passion doesn't necessarily equal anger, even though it's associated with with high energy. And then you just said the word compassion, which is more in line with what we want. Compassion still includes the word passion. So, you know. Lesley Logan 25:29  Do you ever want to take, like, an etymology class? I want to take a handwriting class. They don't teach kids anymore, but I want to learn, and I want to take an etymology class.Brad Crowell 25:40  Well, so, but you know, like you can still be passionate without being angry. You can be compassionate and have passion, you know. So I think, you know, shifting her approach has sounds to me like a it's made her more effective, and it sounds like just a happier person.Lesley Logan 26:01  Yeah, she she is so lovely. Brad Crowell 26:04  So, good for her. Lesley Logan 26:04  And I will say, like, ever since I've talked with her, I've been really more thoughtful about, what are we eating? Do we need that? How? How do I get 150 grams of protein a day if I'm not having chicken? What does that look like? You know. Brad Crowell 26:18  I love that you were digging into how to get protein. You were talking about on the episode of like. Lesley Logan 26:24  Yeah, I asked her. I was like, I need. Brad Crowell 26:26  Like, what do I do? What's a side? What's a dessert? What's it? What? How do we do this? You know? And she, she did make the parallel between, you know, like, let's say there's like, a muscle dude at the gym, and if he decides to go plant-based, switching from like, steaks to, you know, she said he's got to be eating something comparable in, you know, that's going to fill him up, or he will just lose weight. You know, there's no question about that, but there are ways to do it, and that's what kind of, that's when the conversation really went down that rabit hole in a good way. Lesley Logan 26:26  Many, many bodybuilders who are plant-based like. Brad Crowell 26:26  I mean, Eddie. Our friend Eddie is like, six-three and was, like, a football player in the, you know, he's.Lesley Logan 26:37  Yeah, I think he's like a be it till you see it. You have to, like. Brad Crowell 27:09  In the military, guy's a beast. You know, he was a vegan for, I don't know, I think seven or eight years, like, solid. But he would eat like, half a freaking lasagna a night, you know,Lesley Logan 27:20  Right. Like, you have to get calories Well, and that's all kinds of calories, but I think it's just being intentional. And I think what I again, why I wanted to have her on, is it's a be it till you see it approach, like she has those baby steps, which allows you to, kind of, like, figure it out.Brad Crowell 27:35  Well, when she was talking about the ABC method, I thought it was pretty clever. She said, she, you know, when she was going through this personal transformation, she came up with this method that helped her prioritize her happiness and find a more effective way to pursue her purpose, more effective meaning people would listen. And she said, moving from angry, which was ineffective, to compassionate, which is effective. Her method is called the ABC method, and so A stands for awareness, B stands for brainstorm, and C stands for commitment. So she's, awareness, she's recognizing the negative trajectory of continuing down her current path. B, she's brainstorming, identifying ways to stop the habits that she used to do. And specifically she was talking about posting on Instagram, like posting angry stories, setting herself up to be attacked, even though she believes very strong, strongly in these things, you know. But and then she shifted, and she said, hmm, I wonder if, instead of sharing all the negative stories, I could share positive stories and see how that would have an impact. Right? So she began sharing happy stories and making vegan recipes, sharing vegan recipes that actually taste amazing to you know, like present an option that, instead of creating shame and like frustration, trying to guilt people into, you know, whatever, instead it's like, hey, did you know that it can actually be amazing? Did you know that it can taste awesome? You know? And so she started sharing recipes, and she said her third step is commitment, making a public commitment to the new approach, you know, drawing a line in the sand and saying, hey, I'm making this decision. So good for her. I love that ABC method. You know, I thought that was I thought it was clever. I thought it was a great way to, like, actually create a line in the sand of your life and be like, I've made this decision to change this thing. Lesley Logan 29:41  I think it can be used for so many things. Her ABC method, it's so you can just, it's just great. And it's also part of, like, how we learn, just, it's from the mindset training that I did it's very aligned with, like, how people's mindsets can be changed. Loved it. Loved it all.Brad Crowell 29:57  Awesome. Well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna dig into those Be It Action Items. Brad Crowell 30:03  Welcome back. We're gonna get into these Be It Action Items with Kate Galli. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Kate? She said, if you want to make it easy to incorporate plant-based proteins into your meals, she shares she's got a 5s strategy, okay? She describes it as a way of setting it into your meals. Here are the five S's, star, scatter over, stir through, side and source. What does this mean? Star means plant-based protein is the main component of the meal, meaning lentils in a curry, or marinated tofu. So you've got your star ingredient, effectively, that's what the star means. Scattering over by adding plant-based protein sources such as hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds over your regular meal. So once you've got your meal, you can put something on top of it, and that also adds more protein. You can stir it through mixing plant-based protein, plant-based protein powder, say that five times fast, into a meal or a drink. I mean, this is pretty straightforward. Think about like a smoothie in the morning or soup or cereal. Lesley Logan 31:13  I even, even I put protein in my coffee because I'm trying to get so much protein in, I put it in my coffee with my creatine and my fiber, guys, because, you know, like, that's just a hard thing to get to.Brad Crowell 31:26  And the collagen.Lesley Logan 31:27  Yeah, like, I put it all in there, and it's in this my tasty coffee. And it's actually gotten me to stop going out to get coffee, because they won't have what I need to put in it. And I got to put all this in it. So.Brad Crowell 31:33  That's true. You could also have it as a side, having a portion of a plant-based protein on your side, such as edamame or crispy chickpeas. And I know you're a huge fan of crispy chickpeas. We literally got some after this interview, ourselves. Lesley Logan 31:50  I'm obsessed with crispy chick. I wonder how we can make it ourselves. I'm sure we could just do an air fryer. It is, guys, 50 chickpeas is like 10 grams of protein or something like that. Maybe it's only six, but I think it's 10. At any rate, it's like, two handfuls and it you're fuller than if you had snacked on some chips, right? And I got.Brad Crowell 32:08  It's also not like, it's not bad for you, like, you know, deep fried chips or something. Lesley Logan 32:12  And it's good for the environment. I can't have potatoes, so I have been, I like, have been like, over here, what? I just want to snack on a little munchie, and I can have those. Brad Crowell 32:22  Crispy chickpeas, all right. And then source. Finally, the last S is source, using sauces made with protein-rich ingredients, which could include, like self silken tofu, or you could put edamame inside the guacamole. Lesley Logan 32:36  Yes, where is this town that we used to get that guacamole that had edamame? Brad Crowell 32:40  Oh, it was, it was they have one. Lesley Logan 32:43  Oh, True Food. Brad Crowell 32:44  True Food. Lesley Logan 32:44  True Food. Yeah, and then they mess with those chips. So annoying. But the edamame with the. with the guac with edamame is there, and it's great.Brad Crowell 32:54  Pretty tasty. I dig it. But yeah, what about you? Lesley Logan 32:56  Okay, she said, if you haven't, if you haven't figured out what your personal values are, you need to because you gotta elicit them. She said, your values are the emotional states you're naturally drawn to, like love, freedom, truth or integrity. And so when you are planning your day or making decisions like, your values are these filters for those things and you need to align them with your most important goal or vision, and so even more importantly, align them with your daily actions. We actually talk about values a lot in Agency. Talk about it a lot in our business, coaching retreats and things like that. And so I love this. In fact, I just led a values webinar for Agency members. It'll be in the curriculum so you can figure out what are your values? Because it's like, well, what are, what are, how do you choose them? Like, I have to, you know, have to have names for it. What is it? So you can, Agency members can check that out. But I love this Be It Action Item. Elicit your own personal values if you haven't yet. Kate Galli.Brad Crowell 33:49  You know, it's funny. I thought it was interesting to compare this to a business, right? We talk about this for business owners, you got to know your mission, vision, values. I never thought about it once about my personal values. Lesley Logan 34:04  What? Brad Crowell 34:05  Yeah. Lesley Logan 34:06  Brad? Really? Brad Crowell 34:08  Well, in the same way I've never been like, here are my five values that matter the most to Brad. You know, I always think about it through the lens of my company first. So I thought it was interesting. Lesley Logan 34:20  We gotta do that. You gotta, you gotta do the exercise.Brad Crowell 34:24  We gotta do the exercise, y'all, I gotta sprinkle in some values. I'm gonna, I'm sourcing them now, but I'm gonna sprinkle them in, scattering them over.Lesley Logan 34:31  It won't be that complicated, because, I mean, we have different values, but my values were how the business's values came about. They were like, they're not exactly the same, but it's like another word for it that would be more business-like than what my personal values are, but I think that you get to, you get to do the exercise. Keep us posted on your Be It Action Item, babe.Brad Crowell 34:54  Sounds like a plan. Lesley Logan 34:54  I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 34:54  And I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 34:54  Thank you so much for being here. How are you going to use these tips in your life? We want to know, we want to know what you what your takeaways are. We want you to send them in to the beitpod.com/questions, share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it. That's how this podcast continues to grow, so we can continue getting amazing guests. Brad Crowell 35:15  And if you haven't yet, leave us a five star review, please. Lesley Logan 35:16  Yes, that is like a gift. Brad Crowell 35:16  It's a huge gift.Lesley Logan 35:19  I know it's hard to do. I know it's hard to figure out where to do it, but if you could just do it, because here's the deal, we want to get some amazing guests, but we actually have to tell them where our podcast stands. Because people are busy, and they want to know if it's even worth their time. And so every download matters, but also.Brad Crowell 35:36  And every time you share the episodes, it matters every time, every time. We're so grateful. So thanks for doing all that. Lesley Logan 35:42  Yeah, all right, until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 35:44  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 35:46  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 36:28  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 36:33  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 36:38  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 36:45  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 36:48  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 234 and our topic today is Are you a people pleaser? If you are, or if you deal with a people pleaser in your life, you'll want to listen to this episode. People pleasing can absolutely interfere in your plans to follow through with a healthy lifestyle that leads to a healthy weight for YOUR body! The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?” Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategiesBreaking the Habit of People-PleasingImprove your self-confidence and life satisfaction.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sustainable-life-satisfaction/202308/breaking-the-habit-of-people-pleasingPeople-Pleasinghttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/people-pleasingAre You a People Pleaser?How the inability to say "no" can lead to health consequences.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shrink/201210/are-you-a-people-pleaserPlease subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube

“Welcome to Weight Loss Winformation -  I'm your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton. This is episode 233 and our topic today is Who cares what other people think? Are you kidding? We ALL do – at least to some extent. Where do you fall on that caring what others think continuum? Not much at all or Way TOO Much? Listen to this episode of Weight Loss Winformation and listen to the signs that suggest people are WAY too invested in what other people think about them. If you ARE one of those people who care too much, you can also learn in this episode ways to dial back on the caring meter. Listen in and find what fits for YOU! The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?” Resources:BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.comConnie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.comBariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercareBariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercareKevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/peopleInstagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.comDr. Susan Mitchell:https://www.facebook.com/DrSusanMitchellhttps://www.facebook.com/bariatricsurgerystrategiesExploring the social influence on the brain signatures of self-esteem.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-neuroscience-of-personal-growth/202412/self-esteem-is-based-on-what-others-think-about-you#:~:text=Brain%20Scans%20Reveal%20Interesting%20Insights,What%20Is%20Self%2DEsteem?Tips to Soothe Your Worries of What Others Think of Youhttps://psychcentral.com/blog/mental-shifts-to-stop-caring-what-people-think-of-you#:~:text=Fear%20of%20negative%20evaluation%20is,other%20people%20think%20of%20them.Why You Care What Others Think, and Why It's Not a Bad Thinghttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-change/202308/why-you-care-what-others-think-and-why-its-not-a-bad-thing How Not to Worry About What Others Think of Youhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sapient-nature/201603/how-not-worry

It's time for us to cover one of the most epic films of the 90's from Kayla's shelf. Did they go a little overboard with the foreshadowing? (Pun intended). What exactly was Rose's end game? Did Jack secretly have a lady back home? You know you had the 2-pack VHS set! Check out the episode now!

In this week's episode, Dennis Jernigan shares the story behind his song,  “I Wait Here” from the recording, Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1." That mp3 is available at https://www.dennisjernigan.com/store/product.php?c=24&p=2353 The lyrics can be found below. You can join Dennis and the people of All In All Church for live-stream worship on the first Wednesday evening of each month. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/therealdennisjernigan at 7 PM CST. Mark it in your calendar. Worship with All in All Church - First Wednesday of each month. Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Vol. 3 is available at https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Kingdom-Seekers-Vol-ebook/dp/B081K8TZLX Check out my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/DennisJernigan and read through the various tiers of support and discover the myriad of benefits you will receive based on the level of support you choose. If you're willing, go ahead and sign up! You will find the show notes and lyrics below: Welcome to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast, a journey towards healing, hope, intimacy, and refuge in the storms of life – basically, a guide to a deeper connection with Jesus. Through all my years, one thing stands true: God doesn't waste a thing. Not our sorrows, not our wounds, not even our failures. Hey there, I'm Dennis Jernigan, your host, and I'm excited to unveil the story behind my song, “I Wait Here” from the recording, Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1. In the year 2010,  I felt led to embark on something I had never experienced in my life…a forty day fast. Always marveling at those who had accomplished such a feat…marveling at, while at the same time,  considering those who had completed a forty-day fast somewhere between ‘hero' and ‘eccentric'…I woke one day feeling compelled to begin my own journey of a forty-day fast. Little did I know that God would speak to me in such profound ways and so radically re-order my life in the process. Having just gone through 3 years of grief and sorrow at the loss of relationship with several friends…reeling from the dramatic downturn of our economy…recognizing the lonely place I found myself due to the call to declare to the world my freedom from same sex attraction…major surgery…another daughter marrying and moving literally to the other side of the earth…coming to grips with how different and removed I was from the ‘normal/mainstream' Christian music scene…I woke that day knowing I needed a change…needed to reboot my system in every way – mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. From May 3 until June 11 I consumed only water and fruit and vegetable juice losing 40 pounds in the process. While the weight loss helped get my body back on track after the surgery, the re-focusing of my mind, emotions, and spirit on the things of the Lord began to get my entire being back on track. My good friend, Dean Briggs, sent me a new book he had just written as a guide through a forty-day fast called Consumed:40 Days of Fasting, Repentance & Rebirth. Written in the form of daily devotions, I began each day meditating on either Psalm 40 or Isaiah 40. With each day's meditation the Lord saw fit to give me a song…which I recorded immediately after receiving. The forty songs in these four volumes are the culmination of a 40-day journey of self-rediscovery. My vision for these collections is that you would use them as devotional meditations in your personal daily spiritual walk of intimacy with Christ. We have made the lyrics available to you on this web site along with the Scriptural reference on which I meditated. Use this as a guide to help you rediscover a deeper awareness of your identity in Christ or to uncover new hidden treasures concerning your relationship with the King. Should you decide to set out on your own fast, I strongly encourage you to get the book Consumed:40 Days of Fasting, Repentance & Rebirth by Dean Briggs. You will be greatly encouraged and strengthened in your soul as Dean leads you through a healthy, Christ-centered approach to a spiritual fast. Pun intended, I cannot wait for you to hear this song, I Wait Here, because it was the first song I received on the first day of my 40 Day Fast, but also that it encapsulates the importance of quieting and stilling one's soul before the Lord. Those 40 days proved to be very healing to my body and to my soul and I must add this: since I have been struggling with Parkinson's, the Lord has brought these songs back to my mind and I find myself, once again, having to still and quiet my own soul - especially since my body is in perpetual motion due to the tremors caused by this disease. It is as if I'm learning an even deeper stilling of my soul even as my body ails and refuses to cooperate. Just do what I do. Just take a few minutes. Get alone with the Lord if possible and make this your heart's cry for today: I waited patiently for the LORD… Psalm 40:1a NASB Let's just do that. Let's just sit here a while and patiently wait for the Lord. He is here whether you feel Him or not. He is just here. SONG Isaiah 40:31 says , “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Let's be as those who soar this week. Soar above our circumstances; Above our sorrows; above our fears; above the enemy and his lies. Let's just wait on the Lord. Let us learn the art of lingering with Him. It's time well spent. Thank you so much for joining me here on The Dennis Jernigan Podcast! For further insights into my journey, music, and more, visit dennisjernigan.com. Stay connected by following me on Facebook, Instagram, and find my music on most major streaming services. To help with the ongoing creation of this podcast, would you consider becoming a member of my team? If so, just go to www.patreon.com/dennisjernigan to find out more!  If you're wanting the mp3 version of the song “I Wait Here" from the studio album "Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1," simply head to the store at dennisjernigan.com or, again, on most major streaming services. If you get nothing else from today's podcast, get this: God loves you and He is patiently waiting to meet with you. Can you spare a little time today, tomorrow and the next to wait on him? I guarantee it will be worth the wait. Now go and be who your heavenly Father says you are. I Wait Here WORDS & MUSIC Dennis Jernigan May 3, 2010 Verse One 
I wait here in the quiet
 I wait here and I quiet my soul 
I wait here for You 
I wait here in the quiet
 I wait here for You Chorus
 So be still, my soul, for my God is here 
So be still, my soul, for my God is here In this quiet place I am free to hear 
Free to seek Your face
 Father, I am here

   Verse two 
I wait here in the silence 
I wait here and I silence my soul 
I wait here for You 
I wait here in the silence 
I wait here for You   Chorus
 So be still, my soul, for my God is here 
So be still, my soul, for my God is here In this quiet place I am free to hear 
Free to seek Your face
 Father, I am here

 
•©2010 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc./Dennis Jernigan
• 7804 W. Fern Mountain Rd. Muskogee, OK 74401
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Până în urmă cu câțiva ani(șori), când primeai o invitație să fii speaker sau trainer sau cum vrei să îi zici la un eveniment, ți se zicea, când era cazul, că nu sunt bani să te plătească pentru prestația de pe scenă. Dar era de la sine înțeles că toate celelalte cheltuieli – transport, cazare, masă – o să le susțină organizatorii. Era, dacă vrei, un fel de înțelegere tacită. O cutumă. Care a funcționat fără probleme ani de zile. În ultimul an, însă, am pățit de 3 ori să fiu invitat ca speaker în afara Bucureștiului. Și să mi se spună că nu au bani să mă plătească. Iar eu să le zic că e ok, nu am nevoie de bani, dă-le pace*. Și că, dacă prezența mea îi ajută pe cei care participă la eveniment, atunci vin. De fiecare dată în aceste trei cazuri înțelegerea aia tacită nu a mai funcționat. Și a trebuti să îmi plătesc eu deplasare, cazarea și masa. Ceea ce am făcut. Că, dacă am promis că mă duc, mă duc. Și nu despre bani, dă-i pace, e vorba aici, ci despre principiu (vezi mai jos). Și în niciun caz nu vreau să acuz pe cineva. Că nu-s genul. Eu prefer oricând și în orice instanță să merge pe sistemul ne dorim îndreptarea păcătosului, nu pedepsirea lui. De aia nu dau exemple concrete. Că nu de arătat cu degetul este ce îmi propun aici. Ci despre îndreptarea obiceiurilor strâmbate, după mintea mea, între timp. Ca să fie bine pentru toate părțile implicate. Când zic de obiceiurile strâmbate, ma refer la faptul că #pevremeamea când zicea cineva ”nu am bani să te plătesc ca să vii să vorbești la evenimentul meu”, se subînțelegea că nu sunt bani pentru urcatul tău pe scenă. Pentru fee-ul tău, cum ar veni. Adică doar despre asta nu erau bani. Așa se subînțelegea. Că speakerul nu o să fie plătit. Și că restul, alea logistice, sunt cheltuieli suportate de organizator. Și asta se subînțelegea la pachet, cum ar veni. Că speakerul nu o să plătească din banii lui toate alea (transport, cazare, masă, diverse). În aceste trei cazuri recente la care fac referire, a fost greșeala mea că nu am stabilit clar condițiile de participare. Că de aia și scriu aceste rânduri. Să pornească toată lumea de acum înainte, organizator și speaker, de la pasul ăsta: să lămurească din start totul, la virgulă. Fără presupuneri. Și fără pârdalnicul și incredibil de nocivul (pentru orice în viață, de altfel) ”io am crezut că…”. Eu am greșit, zic. În cele trei cazuri. Că nu am verificat. Doar că, vezi tu, după ce vreo 15 ani de zile am funcționat în parametrii ăia cu înțelegerea tacită, aia cu subînțelesul, mi-a fost greu să mă resetez. Și să verific astfel de detalii (care nu prea contează, în afara chestiunii principiale cruciale…). Că așa era lumea atunci. Așa funcționa. Dacă mă cunoști cât de cât, știi că aspectul financiar al chestiunii mă lasă mai rece decât îl lasă pe un pinguin un frigider gol deschis. Că nu de banii ăia pe care i-am plătit ca să ajung la evenimente vorbesc eu. Ci de principiu. Care principiu? Păi, ăsta: dacă tu îmi folosești imaginea ca să obții beneficii din evenimentul tău, cum ar fi să câștig și eu ceva? Sau, mă rog, măcar să nu pierd, știi cum zic. Adică eu îți aduc beneficii că particip la evenimentul tău (că doar de aia m-ai chemat, nu?) și tot io să plătesc faptul că îți aduc acele beneficii? Sau cum? Sigur, există oameni care își doresc expunerea la astfel de evenimente. Și n-au o problemă să plătească să ajungă acolo. Doar că nu din ei câștigă organizatorul evenimentului. Ia pune tu, dragă organizatorule, pe agendă doar oameni care plătesc să fie prezenți acolo. Și vezi câtă lume îți vine în public. Că de aia îți dorești branduri personale cât de cât cunoscute. Să vină lumea la evenimentul tău. Pentru ele. Și tu să obții beneficii din evenimentul tău. Doar că brandurile cunoscute nu mai au nevoie de expunere la evenimentul tău. Că le este plin podul de expunere (și de networking), stai relax. Deci faza cu ”o să afle lumea de tine la evenimentul meu” este de o plicticoșenie irefutabilă pentru ei. Astfel de branduri cunoscute acceptă să vină la evenimentul tău din trei motive: 1. Dacă îi plătești (sau le oferi alte beneficii, lista este lungă). 2. Dacă vor să te ajute (eu fac parte clar din această a doua categorie). 3. O combinație între cele două. Da, știu, înțeleg că vremurile sunt cum sunt. Și că organizatorii de evenimente au o mare presiune financiară pe ei. Că nu-i ieftin deloc să organizezi evenimente. Deloc. Doar că asta nu îi împiedică pe organizatori să fie foarte deschiși și transparenți cu invitații lor DE LA ÎNCEPUT. Și să nu discute aceste aspecte financiare abia DUPĂ ce i-au pus pe afiș. Ba chiar, de multe ori, invitatul să afle că are de plătit, să zicem cazarea, abia când face check outul la hotel (yeap, mi s-a întâmplat). Spune invitatului, dragă organizatorule, din start care sunt condițiile. Toate condițiile. Sincer. Fără jenă. Nu lăsa niciun pic de loc pentru invitatul său să presupună ceva. Să o bage pe aia cu ”dar eu am crezut că…”. Iar, dacă faci asta, mă aventurez și îți raportez că o să se întâmple două chestiuni mari și late: 1. O să menții o relație colegială, de amiciție sau uneori chiar de prietenie cu invitatul tău. Care, altfel, pus în postura de a afla târziu (prea târziu) despre costurile ascunse ale participării sale la evenimentul tău, o să se întristeze un pic. Și se strică relația. Uneori de tot. 2. Pun pariu pe o icră neagră mucegăită contra unei butelcuțe sparte de Mona că cel puțin 80% dintre invitații tăi o să accepte să vină în continuare la evenimentul tău. Tocmai pentru că le-ai zis din start care sunt condițiile. Și pentru cei mai mulți dintre ei nu bani sunt problema. Ci principiul, cum ziceam. Ocazie cu care se aplică ce am zis la punctul 1 de mai sus. Cei 20% care nu se bagă posibil să nu fie în targetul tău, ca să nu zic mai multe… Și, pe final, fac o precizare: o să mai ajung fără nicio problemă pe banii mei la evenimentele unde cred că pot ajuta (din diferite motive). Doar că aia o să fie decizia mea financiară, pe care vreau să o iau ÎNAINTE de eveniment, cât mai informat. Nu să fie decizia organizatorului, știi cum zic. Aia zic. *Dacă aș face o listă cu câte din evenimentele la care am fost speaker sau trainer (sute în ultimii ani) au fost de alea plătite, ar fi o listă atât de scurtă încât nu s-ar putea numi listă. Deci nu despre bani este vorba acilea. Sau, mă rog, nu despre banii mei, dacă înțelegi ce vreau să zic…

Episode 050 | Aamir Hussain, MD, MAPP is a board-certified dermatologist currently practicing in Northern Virginia. If you didn't catch him on episode 028 published on August 1st, 2024, check that out first to learn more of his story and then join us as we explore the intersection of cryptocurrency and the business of dermatology in light of his recent cover story in The Dermatologist. Dr. Hussain is an internationally-recognized speaker, writer and educator on health policy, medical education and interfaith dialogue. He speaks five languages and enjoys teaching and working with diverse patient populations. He'll also be welcoming his first child in less than month, so let's wish him and his family all the best as they begin that beautiful journey!Dr. Hussain has won multiple teaching awards from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, authored several book chapters and written for prestigious media outlets, such as The New York Times.He completed his medical degree and master's degree in public policy at the University of Chicago, and his dermatology residency at Georgetown University. And watch out -- he's known as the Pun-isher due to his penchant for bad puns!Connect with and learn from Dr. Hussain

Puns are about as good as comedy gets... right?  Sorry... 

We’re super excited to bring you this week’s episode with Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist, Simone Mangelsdorf-Collett (she/her). We chat with Simone about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) – or, as Simone puts it “the most common disorder you’ve never heard of”. Simone specialises in FND, neurodegenerative syndromes, and movement disorders, and practices out of Yarra City Psychology in Richmond, Melbourne. She is experienced in both ends of patient care, including assessment and diagnosis and rehabilitation and intervention. If you’ve been wondering about FND, this episode is for you! We cover: What is Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), and how does FND differ from other neurological disorders (like epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson’s etc.) What does the term ‘functional’ mean, in this context? The historical context of FND and how our understanding of this condition has evolved over time. Some of the currently known mechanisms behind FND, including predictive coding theory. Some common vulnerabilities and triggers for FND. The overlap between FND, neurodivergence, and gender. Simone takes us through treatment options for FND and who would be involved in the treatment team. How Simone came to specialise in FND and her work in FND advocacy and education. Things mentioned: FND Australia Support Functional Neurological Disorder in Australia Functional Neurological Disorder Society (FNDS), for professionals. Here are some studies on the link between FND and Autism – Tamilson et al., 2024, Gonzalez-Herrero et al., 2024, Pun et al., 2020, Link between gender and FND – McLoughlin et al., 2023. Got questions for us?? Come along to our LIVE Q&A event! Held online on 27th June (with replay available to all ticket holders). Grab a ticket here and submit your question! Enjoyed the episode and want to support us further? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes, basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, access to a monthly live zoom hang out, 50% off our episode articles, plus bonus monthly content (depending on subscription tier). Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod. Want polished copies of our episodes in beautiful and readable pdf article format? Grab them here. Contact us at ndwomanpod@gmail.com, or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's All Been Done Radio Hour #521  Privates #19 "Their Story II"     Jake is missing and presumed dead, at least by Judy, who ordered his execution. Can Frank discover what happened to his erstwhile friend and partner?     Visit our website http://iabdpresents.com Script books, clothing, and more at https://amzn.to/3km2TLm Please support us at http://patreon.com/IABD   Find more from It's All Been Done Radio Hour here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iabdpresents/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iabdpresents   A comedy radio show originally performed Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Boxland in Columbus, Ohio.     STARRING Keith Jackson as Detective Jake Cotton  Kristin Green as Dame Judy Bench  Shane Stefanchik as Frank Berry  Megan Overholt as Mary-Louise Gardner  With Chase McCants as Wayne Bench  GUEST STARRING  Sam Clements as Willie Rawls  Dan Condo as Harris    Narrated by Darren Esler  Foley Artist Megan Overholt  Podcast edited by Trulie Awesome Productions     It's All Been Done Radio Hour created and produced by Jerome Wetzel  Written by Jerome Wetzel  Directed by Nick Arganbright  Music Director Kristin Green  Theme Songs composed by Nathan Haley, with lyrics by Jerome Wetzel  Technical Director Shane Stefanchik   When you post about us, hashtag #IABD   #youtuberadioplays #bestyoutubepodcastchannels  

Schick and Nick discuss the latest from the Drop-Off Tournament.  Nick was in Los Angeles for WestWood One last weekend.  He had a "I cannot hear air" moment.  An angry Bahe pun.  Steve Sipple has the secret to picking the bracket correctly. Severe has a bracket of guests.  Mike Couzens drops a Nebraska pun. Nick stiff-armed a radio interview request.  Is it the death of Cinderella?  Drop-Off Tournament update.  Kholls polls!  Is Gary Barta done introducing Fran?  History in the polls!  The boys get some love from a high school basketball broadcast.  Pun 300 from Benetti.   Connect with us! SchickandNick.com Facebook, Twitter, or email  We would hate it if you missed an episode! So PLEASE subscribe, rate the pod, and throw us a review. It helps us out so much! We'd likey that.  This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or Hurrdat Media YouTube channel! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OLGA URSU IGDLCC[00:00:00] George Buhnici: Dacă să fii bogat este o alegere, este valabil și reversul? [00:00:05] Să rămâi sărac este o alegere?[00:00:07] Olga Ursu: Cei mai mulți oameni spun că nu [00:00:10] investesc pentru că nu am bani.[00:00:11] George Buhnici: Și[00:00:12] Olga Ursu: eu zice invers, nu ai bani pentru că nu [00:00:15] investești.[00:00:15] George Buhnici: Deci e și o chestie culturală, noi nu suntem obișnuiți să avem bani.[00:00:18] Olga Ursu: Ne place mai mult să cheltuim decât să [00:00:20] câștigăm bani.[00:00:20] George Buhnici: Nu știu, să înceapă cu 100 de lei, poate să fie prea puțin.[00:00:23] Olga Ursu: 100 de lei e mai mult decât deloc. [00:00:25][00:00:25] George Buhnici: Bine Bucnici sau Olga, vii tu și ne spui nouă că trebuie să ne [00:00:30] facem avere? Eu abia mă descurc de la un salariu la altul.[00:00:32] Olga Ursu: Poți să pornești cu o sumă mai mică pentru la început [00:00:35] poate n-ai un capital foarte mare strâns și nici nu e recomandat să începi, mai [00:00:40] ales pe bursă cu un capital mare deodată dacă nu ai experiență.[00:00:44] George Buhnici: De unde știu ei să [00:00:45] facă bani? E o chestie nativă?[00:00:46] Olga Ursu: Pur și simplu profită de oportunități. Oricând există [00:00:50] oportunități și în business, și în piața imobiliară și pe bursă.[00:00:53] George Buhnici: Ok. Asta nu [00:00:55] e un sport național la noi încă.[00:00:56] Olga Ursu: Am un obiectiv în minte. Eu să ajung la... [00:01:00] 2.700.000 de euro obiectivul ăsta. Ok.[00:01:03] George Buhnici: Există oameni de genul ăsta care au astfel de obiective?[00:01:04] [00:01:05] Da. Și 2.700.000 lei n-ar fi rău pentru România? Acum[00:01:08] Olga Ursu: 10 ani n-ai fi investit în [00:01:10] Nvidia.[00:01:10] George Buhnici: Dacă pe vremea aia puneam banii pe index la bursă? Eu[00:01:14] Olga Ursu: cred că [00:01:15] ai fi depășit acum 1.000.000 de euro dacă atunci începeai. Tu[00:01:18] George Buhnici: vezi exact valoarea. Nu stai să te gândești [00:01:20] foarte mult la emoții și la sentimente. Tu vezi de unde se creează valoarea și cum o capturezi.[00:01:25][00:01:25] Salutare tuturor și bine v-am regăsit la IGDLCC, adică informații gratis despre lucruri care costă. [00:01:30] Și din când în când încerc să vă mai duc aici oameni foarte deștepți când vine vorba de făcut bani. Știu că sunt unele dintre cele mai [00:01:35] urmărite podcast-uri, cele în care vorbim despre cum facem bani. Iar astăzi nu se-o vină să credeți avem [00:01:40] o invitată nouă pe acest subiect.[00:01:42] De obicei vă aduc tot felul de experți bărbați. Mă [00:01:45] bucur că avem însă și femei foarte competente în domeniul ăsta [00:01:50] Una dintre puținele consultante de investiții [00:01:55] Avizată de ASF. Da. Bine ai venit, Olga. Bine te-am găsit, George. [00:02:00] Olga Ursul care, nu știu, acum, asta e Moldova acum, nu?[00:02:03] Olga Ursu: Unde locuiesc mă [00:02:05] întrebi?[00:02:05] George Buhnici: Da.[00:02:06] Olga Ursu: Acum nu mai locuiesc în România de trei ani, trei ani și [00:02:10] jumătate, dar am crescut, am născut în Bacău și am crescut în regiunea[00:02:13] George Buhnici: Bacăului. [00:02:15] Înainte să începem acest podcast, vreau să fac un pic de context și să vă explic de ce ne vedem [00:02:20] astăzi cu Olga. Nu știu câți dintre voi înțelegeți dar la nivel global, nu [00:02:25] știu dacă ați auzit chestia asta, se pregătește cel mai mare transfer de avere de la o generație la altă.[00:02:29] [00:02:30] Se vorbește despre mii zeci de mii de miliarde de dolari care se mută de la o [00:02:35] generație la altă. O să avem noi bogați ai planetei care [00:02:40] vin din generațiile Z și mai ales femei. De [00:02:45] când cu emanciparea femeilor Doamne ajută, avem din ce în ce mai multe femei puternice, nu doar în funcție de conducere, [00:02:50] ci și ca avere.[00:02:51] Și mă interesează și eu astfel de perspectivă, cum [00:02:55] văd femeile investițiile, cum văd femeile business-ul, pentru că va [00:03:00] fi inevitabil pentru toți cei care mă urmăresc fie că sunt bărbați sau femei să interacționeze în business și cu femeile. [00:03:05] Dar asta nu este treaba ta neapărat, tu te ocupi în general cu [00:03:10] consultanță de afaceri, nu?[00:03:11] Olga Ursu: Consultanță de investiții și mă refer la investiții pe [00:03:15] bursă adică investiții în acțiuni.[00:03:17] George Buhnici: Ok. Asta nu e un sport național la noi încă.[00:03:19] Olga Ursu: [00:03:20] Începe să devină din ce în ce mai atractiv pentru investitorii români, dar [00:03:25] să ajungă la nivel național mai e de muncă și asta este rolul meu ca și [00:03:30] consultant și rolul specialistilor din piață să facă burța mai [00:03:35] prietenoasă pentru investitorii români.[00:03:37] George Buhnici: Avem de vorbit. La partea asta că a făcut burța mai [00:03:40] prietenoasă, românii au acest obicei transmis din generație în [00:03:45] generație să țină banii la saltea și dacă nu îi mai țin neapărat la saltea, erau tot [00:03:50] felul de povești, mai ales în anii 90, că se găseau banii în saltele care expiraseră, spre [00:03:55] exemplu nu mai puteau fi schimbați sau putreziți sau stricați de un incendiu sau de [00:04:00] o inundație.[00:04:00] După lecțiile astea, mulți oameni și-au mutat banii din saltele în [00:04:05] bănci.[00:04:05] Olga Ursu: Și? O foarte mare pondere a averei românilor se află în [00:04:10] depozite la bănci. Și cealaltă și mai mare este în imobiliare.[00:04:14] George Buhnici: [00:04:15] Deci ne ținem banii, dacă nu mai sunt în saltele, sunt în bănci. [00:04:20] Mă hazardez dacă spun că e același lucru?[00:04:23] Olga Ursu: Din punct de vedere al [00:04:25] siguranței e mai bine.[00:04:27] Sub saltea există mai multe [00:04:30] riscuri. Pe de altă parte, banii într-un depozit bancar [00:04:35] produc o dobândă care încearcă să țină ritmul cu inflația, măcar atât. [00:04:40] Dar de cele mai multe ori, un depozit bancar are un randament sub rata [00:04:45] inflației.[00:04:45] George Buhnici: Mai pe românește practic banii pe care țin bancă își pierd valoarea în fiecare an.[00:04:49] [00:04:50] Se[00:04:50] Olga Ursu: devalorizează da.[00:04:51] George Buhnici: Cam cât-au devalorizat banii românilor din [00:04:55] bănci în ultimul an? Ai o idee?[00:04:56] Olga Ursu: Odată este inflația care mănâncă din valoarea banilor [00:05:00] apoi este costul de oportunitate. Îmi putea să plasăm banii ăștia să... [00:05:05] Producem un randament pozitiv peste inflație și sunt multe instrumente, [00:05:10] unele sunt destul de sigure, cum ar fi titlurile de stat, care au un [00:05:15] randament foarte bun.[00:05:16] În ultima perioadă randamentul la titlurile de stat românești a [00:05:20] crescut și a ajuns la o cotă în care, [00:05:25] doar dacă ai nevoie de banii aia pe termen scurs și ai nevoie să umbli la ei, atunci îi [00:05:30] ții într-un depozit dar altfel mai degrabă îi plasa în titluri de stat cu randamente [00:05:35] de 5, 6 7% depinde de valută, dacă e în euro sau în lei.[00:05:39] George Buhnici: La lei [00:05:40] am văzut inclusiv spre 8 în anumite situații, statul se împrumută la niște dobândi destul de ridicate [00:05:45] din cauza riscului de țară, contextul geopolitic recesiune și alte [00:05:50] asemenea.[00:05:50] Olga Ursu: Da, și deficitul bucetar foarte mare și asta este [00:05:55] motivul pentru care sunt emisiuni constante de titluri de stat și investitorii [00:06:00] români iau primul contact cu bursa plasând banii în aceste [00:06:05] titluri de stat, care sunt și listate pe bursă și apoi se pot tranzacționa.[00:06:09] George Buhnici: Ok, [00:06:10] așadar să ne întoarcem la saltea. Ai banii la saltea, știi că ai acces rapid la cash, [00:06:15] dar există riscurile de rigoare, că află cineva, că ți se fură, că se distrug, să întâmplă ceva cu ei. Acum e de [00:06:20] plastic, nu mai puterezezi la fel. Ard repede. Dar ard. Și [00:06:25] oricum, fiecare cu riscul lui. Însă dacă iei de la saltea și îi duci în bancă, [00:06:30] ce mai mulți îi țină oricum în conturi curente.[00:06:32] Conturile curente nu prea au dobândă, nu? Că asta [00:06:35] e dobândă la vedere, care e foarte mică.[00:06:36] Olga Ursu: Da, nu prea au, sau sunt anumite Tipuri de conturi [00:06:40] curente care au o dobândă mică, dar... E [00:06:45] mare diferența între a-ți plasa pe un depozit pe un termen mai mare, nu știu 3 luni, 6 luni un [00:06:50] an și ai ține în contul curent. În conturi curente ținem pentru [00:06:55] necesitățile curente că de asta se numește cont curent.[00:06:58] George Buhnici: Adică pentru facturi, [00:07:00] întreținere, mâncare, mici plăceri lucruri de genul ăsta. Încerc să lămuresc câteva chestii de [00:07:05] bază din abecedar, că vreau să ajung la investiții, dar aș vrea să clarific unde simt că [00:07:10] noi ratăm exact ce ziceai tu, costul la de oportunitate. Da? Mă mut mai departe așa dar [00:07:15] dacă înțeleg că în contul curent nu prea fac dobândă, banii ăia își pierd valoare prin faptul că [00:07:20] dacă pun 100 de lei, s-ar putea să am și niște costuri de [00:07:25] operare ale băncii care să-mi topească banii ăia mai repede, nu doar prin inflație, pentru [00:07:30] că inflația statistică este 7, 8, ceva de genul ăsta.[00:07:34] [00:07:35] În realitate însă sunt produse la care inflația este mult mai mare. Adică s-au scumpit [00:07:40] prețurile și abia s-au mai domolit un pic. Și atunci ai avea [00:07:45] 100 de lei, acum s-ar putea să mai ai 90 de lei după un an. Echivalent. [00:07:50] S-ar putea să scrie 100 acolo în conioare, dar în realitate s-ar putea să mai fie doar 90.[00:07:55][00:07:55] De acord? Da. Asta este chestia care ne scapă cel mai mulți dintre noi. De ce fac românii [00:08:00] greșeala asta? De ce crezi că ratează fix înțelegerea că banii [00:08:05] lor își pierd din valoare, deși cifra poate nu se schimbă?[00:08:09] Olga Ursu: [00:08:10] Tot mai mulți români realizează în ultimii ani. Sunt destul de conștienți [00:08:15] românii că inflația le mănâncă din puterea de cumpărare practic.[00:08:20][00:08:20] Dar pentru că am avut mulți ani cu inflație mică cu [00:08:25] dobândi foarte mici atunci ne-am obișnuit să nu... Nu facem nimic cu banii sau nu [00:08:30] îi plasăm, pentru că oricum dobânzile nu contau. Dacă ți-aduce aminte, înainte de [00:08:35] pandemie, dobânzile erau negative. Dacă făceai un depozit aproape că nici nu [00:08:40] merita să ții banii în depozit.[00:08:41] Erau alte instrumente în care puteam să investim, [00:08:45] să obținem randamente, dar depozitele bancare erau pe ultimul [00:08:50] loc. Acum e prima variantă cea mai la [00:08:55] îndemână, în care putem să ne protejăm un pic de inflație. De ce țin românii banii [00:09:00] în conturi curente Pentru că nu gândesc neapărat în a economisi [00:09:05] să gândesc să folosească banii ăia și atunci ce rost are să [00:09:10] faci un depozit dacă peste două săptămâni umbli la el?[00:09:13] George Buhnici: Deci e și o chestie [00:09:15] culturală. Noi nu suntem obișnuiți să avem bani. Suntem obișnuiți că s-ar putea să fie nevoie să am acces rapid [00:09:20] la banii mei.[00:09:21] Olga Ursu: Da, ne gândim mai degrabă la consum, la cheltuieli, când avem bani, decât [00:09:25] la cum să economisim sau cum să producem alți bani. Ne place mai mult să cheltuim decât [00:09:30] să câștigăm bani, deși oamenii [00:09:35] afirmă că ok, îmi place să am bani, dar de fapt îi spun, îmi place să cheltuiesc bani, nu să [00:09:40] fac bani.[00:09:41] George Buhnici: Da valoroasă chestia asta. Cred că mergem [00:09:45] împreună cu ideea aia că să am bani pentru zile negre. Prea puțină lume spune că [00:09:50] am bani pentru zile albe, pentru zile bune, știi Adică suntem mult [00:09:55] prea atenți la riscul de a avea nevoie de cash la îndemână decât de [00:10:00] oportunitatea a mulți banii, nu?[00:10:01] Olga Ursu: Da, pentru că pur și simplu, nu [00:10:05] am gândit prea mult în direcția asta sau nu am fost educați să gândim [00:10:10] așa Da, pentru, pur și simplu nu De exemplu, antreprenorii își educă [00:10:15] copiii cum mai putea să câștigi bani, cum mai putea să generezi niște bani.[00:10:20][00:10:20] Am observat că antreprenorii își cresc în felul ăsta. Copiii nu le dau bani de [00:10:25] buzunar, îi pun să câștige banii de buzunar ca să-i învețe de miști să facă bani. [00:10:30][00:10:30] George Buhnici: Ok. Da, recunosc metoda. Că dacă [00:10:35] dai bani, se obișnuiește că banii vin.[00:10:36] Olga Ursu: Exact. Banii vin și se cheltuie. Vin și pleacă. Asta [00:10:40] învață copiii.[00:10:40] George Buhnici: Ceea e adevărat până la un punct.[00:10:43] Olga Ursu: Sigur. [00:10:45] Vin, pleacă, dar e important să și rămână ceva.[00:10:47] George Buhnici: Exact. Și să creezi [00:10:50] valoare, nu?[00:10:50] Olga Ursu: Da. Un antreprenor creează valoare. Un om care muncește [00:10:55] creează valoare. Și noi putem să creăm pentru noi valoare. În timp folosim [00:11:00] banii și... Investindu-i, pânându-i la treabă, să creeze valoare pentru noi [00:11:05] pentru perioadele în care poate o să vrem să muncim mai puțin, o să vrem să [00:11:10] menținem standardul de viață la bătrâneții, de exemplu la pensie.[00:11:14] Din ce în ce [00:11:15] mai mulți români își construiesc suplimentar fața de contribuția obligatorie la pensie, [00:11:20] pilonul 3, dar și un portofoliu de active care să le [00:11:25] genereze venituri la pensionare.[00:11:27] George Buhnici: Pentru că, în realitate, nu prea avem [00:11:30] încredere în sistemul public de pensii.[00:11:32] Olga Ursu: E destul de evident că [00:11:35] pensia din sistemul public va fi mai mică decât veniturile în [00:11:40] perioada activă.[00:11:41] Asta e evident. Acum întrebarea este cu cât la cât va fi, la 40%, [00:11:45] la 30%. Asta o să vedem în timp Din [00:11:50] perspectivele sunt din ce în ce mai... Proaste [00:11:55] pentru sistemul de pensii, atunci românii au învățat să nu mai [00:12:00] conteze numai pensia de la stat, să-și facă și ei o [00:12:05] sursă de venit suplimentară. De fapt eu aș zice, să acumuleze avere ca [00:12:10] să aibă un backup financiar.[00:12:12] George Buhnici: Să ai un pic de avere nu înseamnă să [00:12:15] fii bogat. Să ai o avere înseamnă să ai banii ăia [00:12:20] pentru viitor, nu doar pentru zile negre[00:12:23] Olga Ursu: Da să ai avere înseamnă să [00:12:25] fii da, ești bogat mai bogat decât dacă n-o ai.[00:12:29] George Buhnici: [00:12:30] Și să fii liber, să poți să decizi tu pentru tine pentru că dacă ai un capital, o avere, dacă [00:12:35] ai banii tăi, nu vei sta cu mâna întinsă.[00:12:37] Olga Ursu: Da, și ai libertatea de [00:12:40] decide pentru tine care vrei să fie standardul de viață, [00:12:45] când și cât vrei să muncești, unde vrei să [00:12:50] locuiești Ai puterea de decide asupra [00:12:55] felul în care străiești viața.[00:12:57] George Buhnici: Adică acum ești în putere, [00:13:00] ești productiv, te obișnui să bei cafea de o anumită calitate, să [00:13:05] mănânci carne de o anumită calitate și dintr-o dată vine pensia și te duci la [00:13:10] magazin și în loc de, nu știu, șuncă, iei parizer.[00:13:14] [00:13:15] În loc de cafea bună, te duci și ei, nu știu, [00:13:20] ceva mai ieftin. Dintr-o dată trebuie să-ți reduci stilul de viață.[00:13:24] Olga Ursu: Asta se întâmplă [00:13:25] dacă nu ai un backup, dacă nu ai niște bani ai tăi deoparte care [00:13:30] pe deoparte poate să-ți producă un venit destul de... [00:13:35] Destul de liniar De exemplu dacă investești în titluri de stat, ai lunar un [00:13:40] randament.[00:13:40] Depinde cât ai plasat. Dacă ai plasat cu 7%, obții 7%. Pe o [00:13:45] perioadă de cât De 5 ani pe cât ai plasat tu banii. Ei, pe venitul ăla poți [00:13:50] să te bazezi. Dar, sunt și alte instrumente în care poți să investezi să ai [00:13:55] randamente mai bune, cum ar fi acțiunile. Asta e motivul pentru care oamenii investesc pe bursă pentru că [00:14:00] vor randamente mai mare decât dacă ar plasa în instrumente care sunt mai [00:14:05] sigure, dar randamentul e limitat[00:14:08] George Buhnici: Deja acolo intrăm [00:14:10] într-o zonă în care avem prea puțini oameni.[00:14:12] Ajungem și la bursă. Până la bursă aș vrea să [00:14:15] clarificăm totuși pentru cei... Deja aud comentariile, mă uit acolo de sub și văd [00:14:20] bine Bucnici sau Olga. Vii tu și ne spui nouă că [00:14:25] trebuie să ne facem avere. Eu abia mă descurc de la un salariu la altul. Pe pună dreptate. Foarte [00:14:30] mulți români trăiesc de la un salariu la altul.[00:14:32] E o statistică că mai mult de [00:14:35] 75% din populația, din toate țările civilizate nu doar din România, dar și din [00:14:40] România, trăiesc de la un salariu la altul. Ce le spunem acestor trei din patru [00:14:45] care abia s-a ajuns cu banii de la o leafă la altă?[00:14:49] Olga Ursu: Cei mai mulți [00:14:50] oameni spun că nu investesc pentru că nu am bani.[00:14:54] Și el zice [00:14:55] invers. Nu ai bani pentru că nu investești. [00:15:00] În sensul că dacă îți propui să investești și începi, cu o sumă cât de mică, [00:15:05] dar începi. Și vezi că banii aia produc, o să vrei să investești mai [00:15:10] mult. Și atunci o să te gândești, ok, cum aș putea să fac mai mulți bani? Cum aș putea să-mi crez salariul?[00:15:14] [00:15:15] Cum aș putea să-mi specializez pe un [00:15:20] domeniu în care aș putea să câștig mai mult? Sau un antreprenor? Cum aș putea să-mi crez business-ul să [00:15:25] fac mai mulți bani ca să am capacitatea de a investi mai mult? Adică dacă ne gândim că nu ne [00:15:30] ajung banii, nu o ajungă niciodată.[00:15:31] George Buhnici: Hai să luăm un exemplu. Avem un om care trece [00:15:35] în București, viața-i scumpă, are de plătit chirie, are de plătit [00:15:40] mâncare, mai iese un pic în oraș că trebuie să trăiască și abia se descurcă nu știu, cu 4.000 de [00:15:45] lei într-o lună 3, 4 5.000 de lei pe lună.[00:15:49] Ce-i propui să [00:15:50] facă pentru a-și cărea acest mic capital pe care spui tu pentru a investi până că [00:15:55] nu știu, să înceapă cu 100 de lei sau să fie prea puțin?[00:15:58] Olga Ursu: 100 de lei e mai mult decât [00:16:00] deloc. Asta în primul rând. În al doilea rând [00:16:05] Aici e o problemă de venituri. Adică, ok, când vezi că ai un [00:16:10] nivel al cheltuielilor și nu poți să-l acoperi din veniturile pe care le [00:16:15] ai, în prima fază trebuie să faci ceva ca să screști veniturile.[00:16:19] George Buhnici: Ok. [00:16:20] Și mă duc și renegocez salariul.[00:16:23] Olga Ursu: Renegocez salariul, sau caut [00:16:25] un loc de muncă mai bine plătit, poate trebuie să învăț ceva, să dobândesc niște abilități, fac ce e [00:16:30] nevoie să fac, să pot câștiga mai mult, apoi să pot să încep și să [00:16:35] investesc. Altfel nu o să ajungi niciodată să investești dacă nu-ți pui problema, dacă [00:16:40] nu-ți setezi obiectivul ăsta.[00:16:41] George Buhnici: Ok. M-am dus la patron, patroană, și am [00:16:45] spus, doamnă vreau mai mulți bani. Și mi-a zis, n-am. Du-te înapoi la muncă. [00:16:50] Iată de simplu În foarte multe locuri așa se întâmplă. Ce-i spun eu lui... [00:16:55] Gigel, care s-a dus să negoceze un salariu mai bun, sau Vasile, sau Nicu. [00:17:00][00:17:00] Olga Ursu: Mi-aduc aminte de o persoană cu care vorbeam tot așa că nu [00:17:05] avea suficienți bani voia să investească nu era nici într-un caz pregătită să [00:17:10] investească pentru că avea foarte multe datorii.[00:17:13] Avea un salariu bun, [00:17:15] extrem de bun, dar avea credite pentru mașină, pentru [00:17:20] casă pentru telefon, pentru laptop. Și era clar că nu era [00:17:25] momentul în care să înceapă să investească Avea[00:17:26] George Buhnici: salariu bun, dar avea credite la toate lucrurile.[00:17:28] Olga Ursu: Da. În [00:17:30] primul rând i-am zis, ok, trebuie să te apuci să plătești datoriile în [00:17:35] primă fază ca să poată să-ți rămână capital să și investești.[00:17:38] Mai mult de jumătate [00:17:40] din salariul se ducea pe datorii. La începutul lunii le dădea și apoi rămânea restul [00:17:45] pentru cheltuielile curente. Niciodată nu i-au ajunge o bani de la o lună la alta. În primul rând, i-am [00:17:50] zis, ok, chiar dacă e salariul mare, e nevoie să scriești veniturile. Și [00:17:55] repede pentru că te tot înfunzi în datorii, de la lună la lună.[00:17:58] Știi ce a fost prima dată? [00:18:00] A început să... Mergă cu[00:18:02] George Buhnici: autobuzul?[00:18:04] Olga Ursu: [00:18:05] Vă ia să-și păstreze mașina că avea credit pe ea. O folosea să [00:18:10] facă Uber, să transporte A[00:18:12] George Buhnici: e ceva. Măcar o folosea productiv.[00:18:13] Olga Ursu: Da, da. Și a început [00:18:15] să-și crească veniturile, să ajungă în punctul în care să înceapă să plătească din datorii. [00:18:20] A luat cam un an și jumătate să plătească datoriile astea care consumau cel mai mult [00:18:25] din venit.[00:18:25] A rămas creditul pe casă. După care a început să strângă [00:18:30] bani pentru investiții. Acum are un business, are investiții și e mult mai [00:18:35] relaxată.[00:18:35] George Buhnici: Mulți se vor regăsi în discuția asta. Au un anumit venit Dacă trăiești [00:18:40] într-un oraș mare, sunt șanse să ai și un salariu mai bun de 1.000 de euro. Sunt oameni care câștigă poate 2.000.[00:18:44] [00:18:45] I-am auzit povești de oameni care câștigă 4-5.000 de euro pe lună și tot nu reușesc să pună bani [00:18:50] deoparte. Alea e un caz extrem. Dar venind mai aproape de ce spuneai tu, mulți oameni au [00:18:55] credite. Cam care trebuie să fie o ordine corectă în a accepta de a te [00:19:00] împăca cu ideea ok, fac credit, fac credit, fac credit, dar câte credite?[00:19:03] Și la ce nu recomanzi să faci [00:19:05] credit?[00:19:05] Olga Ursu: N-aș lua nici într-un caz telefon, laptop pe credit. Indiferent [00:19:10] cât de tentante sunt ofertele, așa sunt făcute să fie tentante să ne luăm [00:19:15] credite, dar nu e o soluție bună.[00:19:18] George Buhnici: Ok, deci telefonul odată Apoi [00:19:20] nu recomanzi credit pentru mașină?[00:19:22] Olga Ursu: E o capcană asta cu [00:19:25] mașina ok. O să-ți iei o mașină foarte scumpă dacă îți permiți să iei credit.[00:19:30][00:19:30] Și o să plătești niște ani buni la mașina respectivă, bani pe care ai putea [00:19:35] să-i direcționezi către investiții.[00:19:36] George Buhnici: De ce este în cultura noastră atât de importantă totuși mașina? Tu stai [00:19:40] de vorbă cu foarte mulți antreprenori și, din nou, nu vreau să judecăm pe nimeni, da? [00:19:45] Nu plec de la nicio idee preconcepută.[00:19:47] Cred că există și o valoare în a avea o mașină bună, [00:19:50] în a avea o mașină modernă, nouă chiar.[00:19:53] Olga Ursu: Sigur. Dacă [00:19:55] tu ai capital și produci bani încă să ți-o permiți foarte bine, bucură-te de ea. [00:20:00] Da[00:20:00] George Buhnici: Adică ce înseamnă asta să ai capital să ți-o permiți? Că tu vezi lucruri diferite față de un om care zice am [00:20:05] salariu de 2000, îmi permit să bag 1000 pentru un Range Rover.[00:20:08] Atâta este leasing-ul. Dacă te [00:20:10] duci acum la autonom, poți să-ți iei Range Rover cu 1000 pe lună. Păi[00:20:13] Olga Ursu: asta ziceam că e ca cana Da, îmi [00:20:15] permit. Adică o să dau jumătate din venitul meu pe mașină și pentru investiții [00:20:20] zero.[00:20:20] George Buhnici: Păi da, da. Mie-mi place mașina aia.[00:20:22] Olga Ursu: De acord. Îți place mașina și [00:20:25] atunci ajungem la ce ziceam mai devreme.[00:20:27] Oamenilor le place să cheltuiască banii, nu să-i [00:20:30] facă. Dar o să rămânem în capcana asta tot timpul. Dacă nu, [00:20:35] pur și simplu trebuie să ieșim brutal din ea. Efectiv, e un moment în care hotărăsc, [00:20:40] bine, până acum m-am cheltuit, m-am [00:20:45] bucurat de viață, m-am bucurat de lucruri pe care poate nu mi le permiteam, [00:20:50] dar este un moment în care trebuie să mă gândesc și la...[00:20:55][00:20:55] și la îmi construi o avere, că până la urmă vreau să zic de pensie. Mulți [00:21:00] gândesc ok, mai e până la pensie văd eu ce fac atunci. Da, dar [00:21:05] ne întâlnim o familie, o să ne avem nevoie de casă sau să ne cumpărăm o casă mai mare, o să avem [00:21:10] atunci nevoie de o mașină mai mare. E important să acumulăm un capital și [00:21:15] când...[00:21:15] Chiar avem nevoie de mașina aia care să ne asigure confortul nu doar pentru [00:21:20] noi, pentru întreaga familie atunci să putem să ne permitem.[00:21:23] George Buhnici: La momentul în care noi registrăm, eu [00:21:25] mă pregătesc să îmi plinesc 44. Și dacă fac așa o mică socoteală, [00:21:30] teoretic dacă ar fi să mă iau după norma noastră culturală, aș mai avea [00:21:35] 21 de ani până la pensie.[00:21:36] 21 ori 12 sunt undeva la 252 [00:21:40] de luni. Câți bani [00:21:45] ar să pun eu în fiecare lună ca atunci când aș ieși la pensie în sfârșit să [00:21:50] am destui bani deoparte. Și dintr-o dată lucrurile astea sunt într-o perspectivă mult [00:21:55] mai clară. Pentru eu nu sunt sigur că o să pot să fac încă o noare chestie asta fix la fel.[00:21:59] Eu [00:22:00] m-aș bucura. Dar nu pot să-mi garantez eu mie că voi fi la fel de productiv [00:22:05] încă 21 de ani. Și cred că asta este capcanea în care suntem cei mai [00:22:10] mulți dintre noi. Ne imaginăm că vom fi la fel de productivi, vom avea aceeași putere de muncă, [00:22:15] aceeași disponibilitate la efort, la nesfârșit că în realitate lucrurile se pot schimba [00:22:20] foarte repede.[00:22:21] Olga Ursu: Da, merită să faci un efort mai mare. În perioada ta cea mai [00:22:25] productivă, când câștiești cel mai mult, să pui mai mult deoparte. [00:22:30] Acum cât Sunt investitori care își pun 50% din [00:22:35] venituri în investiții direct.[00:22:36] George Buhnici: 50%, jumătate?[00:22:38] Olga Ursu: Jumătate, da. [00:22:40] Și zic ok, o să fac asta pe perioada 5 ani sau 10 ani, [00:22:45] până îmi strâng un capital.[00:22:46] Am un obiectiv în minte. Vreau să ajung la 2.700.000 de [00:22:50] euro. Obiectivul ăsta. Ok.[00:22:52] George Buhnici: Există oameni de genul ăsta care au astfel de obiective?[00:22:54] Olga Ursu: [00:22:55] Da. Bravo lor. Cât trebuie să pun deoparte Ok, calculez. O parte din [00:23:00] sumă asta va acumula și din randamentul pe care îl producea [00:23:05] investiția. Aici[00:23:05] George Buhnici: e șmecherie. Ca să ajung la 2.700.000, Nu trebuie să pui [00:23:10] 2.700 deoparte.[00:23:10] Olga Ursu: Depinde de suma de la început. Dacă începi cu o sumă mică, [00:23:15] atunci capitalul pe care îl folosești din veniturile [00:23:20] tale, ca să ajungi la 2.700, e mai mare. Dar cu cât suma [00:23:25] inițială e mai mare, adică pornești de la o sumă deja, cu atât suma respectivă va produce [00:23:30] randament pe care îl reinvestești și ajungi mai repede de la 2.700.[00:23:35][00:23:35] Ca să luăm exemplul ăsta. Mă vântă minte pentru că am o persoană în minte [00:23:40] care are acest obiectiv. Nu[00:23:41] George Buhnici: toată lumea are astfel de obiective. Și 2.700 de lei n-ar fi rău [00:23:45] pentru România ca să ai o pensie liniștită să trăiești cum ai vrea tu. Dar poate [00:23:50] un milion, 500 de mii orice fel de sumă pe care o ai, [00:23:55] îți poate asigura un viitor, să zicem așa, un pic mai [00:24:00] confortabil într-o lume nesigură.[00:24:01] Olga Ursu: Un viitor confortabil și libertatea de decide. [00:24:05] Eu, de exemplu împreună cu familia Ne-am mutat din țară [00:24:10] În timpul pandemiei În [00:24:15] 2021 Pur și simplu Am plecat într-o vacanță Și am [00:24:20] zis că noi lucrăm online Și eu și soțul meu Și am zis De ce să [00:24:25] ne machinim în București? Hai să alegem să stăm aici Hai să stăm un an [00:24:30][00:24:30] George Buhnici: În 2021 erai în București?[00:24:33] Olga Ursu: Sunt în București Din [00:24:35] 2001 am venit la facultate Și aici am rămas[00:24:38] George Buhnici: 20 de ani ai [00:24:40] stat aici?[00:24:42] Olga Ursu: Fără Ultimii 3 ani jumătate 4 [00:24:45] aproape M-am mutat în Spania[00:24:48] George Buhnici: Și[00:24:48] Olga Ursu: pur și simplu Am [00:24:50] zis ok Avem câteva investiții Ne putem [00:24:55] permite Nu știu dacă Aveam soțul meu avea job Eu aveam tocmai ce [00:25:00] am început un business Dar nu făceam prea mulți bani Adică nu la [00:25:05] nivelul de cheltuieli din Spania Era ok pentru București Pentru Spania [00:25:10] era nevoie de un venit mai mare Dar am zis ok [00:25:15] Avem un capital Avem niște venituri care vin din [00:25:20] investițiile noastre Vrem să ne creștem un pic [00:25:25] standardul de viață Vrem să locuim în Spania Nu știm pentru cât hai să vedem cât ne permitem Și știi ce [00:25:30] s-a întâmplat prima dată?[00:25:31] Am început să ne gândim cum să putem să [00:25:35] câștigăm mai mult Adică ne-am ajustat veniturile Ca să putem să acomodăm [00:25:40] nivelul de trai pe care vroiam să le avem Adică exact ce mă întrebai mai devreme Cum [00:25:45] să facă un om care vrea să investească dar nu are venituri Ok, ia [00:25:50] provocarea Apucă-te să investești Puneți un obiectiv Și o să vezi că vin și [00:25:55] soluțiile O să le găsești tot tu, nu altcineva, dar [00:26:00] o să fii în căutarea soluțiilor.[00:26:01] Dacă ai provocarea asta, dacă stai tu singur [00:26:05] provocarea asta.[00:26:06] George Buhnici: Totuși, e adevărat ce am auzit că e Spania mai ieftină decât [00:26:10] Bucureștiul?[00:26:10] Olga Ursu: La supermarket prețurile sunt chiar un pic mai mici decât [00:26:15] în București. Locuiesc în Spania, pe insulă în Tenerife.[00:26:18] George Buhnici: E frumoasă [00:26:20] insula aia?[00:26:20] Olga Ursu: Este frumoasă, e clima foarte bună.[00:26:22] Eu am observat că sunt mult mai [00:26:25] productivă când stau într-un mediu mai liniștit, mai confortabil. [00:26:30] Sunt schimbări din astea bruște de temperatură. Știi cum e în București? Câteodată nu-ți vine să [00:26:35] muncești vrei să pleci la mare la munte Iarna nu-ți vine să [00:26:40] ieși din casă.[00:26:41] George Buhnici: Interesant. Este un alt mod de a vedea lumea și de a trăi.[00:26:43] Și sunt mulți români care au trecut prin [00:26:45] chestia asta. Nu sunt doar cei care au plecat să muncească în agricultura sau pentru munci, din [00:26:50] astea ușoare. Sunt și oameni cu un pic de educație și cu niște venituri care s-au dus către zonele astea. [00:26:55] Exact cum vin și englezii către Spania, din cât te înțeleg.[00:26:57] Olga Ursu: Da, sunt foarte mulți englezi, [00:27:00] nemți, români în ultimul timp.[00:27:05][00:27:05] În Tenerife există comunitate de români. Foarte mulți freelanceri [00:27:10] IT-ști, domenii care lucrează peste tot în lume, [00:27:15] online, și aleg să-și treacă, [00:27:20] adică să locuiască într-un loc mai prietenos din punct de vedere al climei, dar [00:27:25] și un pic mai liniștit față de marele orașe.[00:27:28] George Buhnici: Și asta pleacă fix din [00:27:30] libertatea de care vorbeai.[00:27:31] În momentul în care e capital...[00:27:32] Olga Ursu: Ai libertatea de decide. Unde [00:27:35] locuiesc, ce îmi Ce stil de viață vreau să am, [00:27:40] când ai un capital, când ai bani, poți să ai [00:27:45] curajul să începi un business. Pentru că într-un business, ca [00:27:50] antreprenor, trebuie să riști la început, dar nu știi dacă o să meargă sau nu o meargă [00:27:55] business-ul respectiv.[00:27:55] Dacă tu ai un capital backup, știi că [00:28:00] oricând dacă nu merge, te bazezi pe ceva și poți să revii să încerci un alt lucru.[00:28:04] George Buhnici: [00:28:05] Revenim la IGDLCC în dată ce-ți spun despre sponsorul nostru, Darkom Energy, cei care [00:28:10] ne garantează că nu ni se sting luminile din studio, adică nu avem niciodată [00:28:15] pene de curent.[00:28:15] Panourile fotovoltaice, invertoarele și bateriile sunt [00:28:20] inima sistemului nostru energetic și cred cu tărie că sunt investiții importante, dar [00:28:25] și rentabile. Cu acest sistem am economisit deja mii de euro la facturi Dar și mai [00:28:30] important, avem electricitatea garantată fără fluctuații care ne pot defecta [00:28:35] electricele și electronicele.[00:28:37] Dacă ai în plan să construiești, să renovezi orice [00:28:40] fel de clădire, inclusiv industrială, alege o soluție solidă de generare [00:28:45] și stocare de energie. Noi colaborăm cu echipa Adarcom Energy și îi recomandăm. Olga, [00:28:50] dar tu ai moștenit banii? De unde ai tu banii?[00:28:52] Olga Ursu: N-am moștenit nimic i-am[00:28:54] George Buhnici: [00:28:55] făcut. Ai câștigat banii de undeva?[00:28:56] Ți-a picat din cer?[00:28:57] Olga Ursu: Am fost angajat timp de 14 [00:29:00] ani, am fost broker. De când am terminat facultatea din [00:29:05] 2005, m-am angajat ca broker. Am lucrat ultimii 11 [00:29:10] ani ca broker la BRD, în departamentul de tranzacționare. Și [00:29:15] am renunțat la a fi broker înainte de pandemie Asta [00:29:20] mi-a permis să stau super relaxată în pandemie, nu trebuia să mă duc la birou, au fost [00:29:25] mult mai ok și să trec prin pandemie neavând constrângerea asta de a fi [00:29:30] angajat.[00:29:31] Mi-am dorit să devin consultant de investiții și momentan [00:29:35] pe lângă consultanța pe care o dau, sunt și antreprenor Am un [00:29:40] mic business de educație financiară pentru investitori Pentru investitori la bursă nu [00:29:45] educație financiară generală, ci pentru investitori Cum să-și construiască portofoliu, cum [00:29:50] să-l gestioneze, cum să fie eficienți ca investitori.[00:29:52] George Buhnici: Acum trebuie să spunem că BRD-ul a [00:29:55] introdus un sistem din asta de lucruri remote pentru foarte mulți [00:30:00] angajați.[00:30:00] Olga Ursu: După pandemie da.[00:30:01] George Buhnici: Sunt oameni conoare care lucrează remote și acolo și în multe alte [00:30:05] instituții. Ceea este o lecție bună cu limiterile de rigoare, pentru că există și [00:30:10] anumite... Nu toată lumea este eficientă când lucrează remote.[00:30:12] Olga Ursu: Da. Când ești antreprenor ești [00:30:15] nevoi să fii eficient. Așa este.[00:30:16] George Buhnici: Dar când ești angajat?[00:30:19] Olga Ursu: Acolo mai [00:30:20] merge să mai tragi mulția de coada haide că nu se prinde șeful că n-am lucrat [00:30:25] astăzi.[00:30:25] George Buhnici: Deci zici că tu n-ai primit bani din cerat să-i faci tu.[00:30:28] Olga Ursu: Da, dar nu-i [00:30:30] greu să faci bani dacă Păi este greu să faci bani.[00:30:32] Dacă muncești și îți propui să faci [00:30:35] bani adică dacă muncești pentru bani, e ușor în [00:30:40] România.[00:30:41] George Buhnici: Cum?[00:30:41] Olga Ursu: În 2005, știu că [00:30:45] când te angajai, salariile erau foarte mici. Eu... Mi [00:30:50] s-a părut că am avut un super noroc că am găsit un job super bine plătit ca broker, dar în general [00:30:55] colegii mei care au terminat facultatea câștigau super puțin erau atunci super la [00:31:00] modă job-urile în bănci pentru că erau bine plătite ce [00:31:05] înseamnă[00:31:05] George Buhnici: bine plătite?[00:31:06] cât era salariul în 2005? îți zic și eu salariul meu de la televiziune de pe [00:31:10] atunci eu[00:31:10] Olga Ursu: mi-aduc aminte, primul meu salariu a fost 1400 de lei și cred [00:31:15] că în bănci erau așa peste 1200 de lei încă [00:31:20] cred că denominarea în perioada aia a fost, nu mai știu dacă era un bani vechi sau un bani noi, dar [00:31:25] atâta eu[00:31:25] George Buhnici: am, spre exemplu eram corespondent special cu [00:31:30] 20 de milioane vechi 2000 de lei adică salariile au crescut un pic mai [00:31:35] târziu mai spre 2007-2008 și în perioada aia mulți am făcut credite și eu am făcut [00:31:40] credit am făcut două credite cu buletinul și m-am dus în Germania să-mi iau mașină și [00:31:45] mi-au luat mașină de toți banii Și după aici, ce crezi?[00:31:47] S-a stricat mașina.[00:31:48] Olga Ursu: Și nu mai aveai bani să [00:31:50] repari.[00:31:50] George Buhnici: Am mai făcut un credit. Wow. Acum eu mi luat mașină la mâna a doua, dar [00:31:55] la nivelul meu de venitori din perioada aia, ăsta era maximul posibil la care puteam [00:32:00] spera. Însă dacă pe vremea aia puneam banii pe index la bursă, [00:32:05] dacă cumpăram orice fel de acțiuni de la orice companie, orice, [00:32:10] orice, orice orice, acum aveam niște sute de mii de euro.[00:32:14] Eu[00:32:14] Olga Ursu: cred că ai fi [00:32:15] depășit acum un milion de euro dacă atunci începeai.[00:32:18] George Buhnici: Îți mai dau un exemplu. Am [00:32:20] mai făcut o prosie după aia. Mi-am plătit mașina și după aia mă și-am făcut un credit mai mare. Ca [00:32:25] să cumpăr teren. Am acum niște terenuri știi cum? Stau ele acolo frumos [00:32:30] cresc bălările pe ele.[00:32:30] Olga Ursu: Păi uite vezi, ai făcut o investiție.[00:32:32] Doar că nu a fost neapărat cea mai[00:32:34] George Buhnici: [00:32:35] potrivită[00:32:35] Olga Ursu: investiție. Dar te-ai gândit atunci Pentru ce ai cumpărat terenul?[00:32:39] George Buhnici: Pentru [00:32:40] investiție. Dar aceiași bani pe care, dacă îi băgam în bursă, cred că aveam mai mult de [00:32:45] un milion cum ai zis tu. Adică efectul ăsta de compounding al investițiilor pe [00:32:50] bursă m-ar fi adus la niște randamente care mi-ar fi depășit [00:32:55] de cel puțin 10 ori investiția inițială în 20 de ani.[00:32:57] Putem fi de acord?[00:32:59] Olga Ursu: Da, mai [00:33:00] ales dacă și știai ce faci dar nu-i... adică poți să începi fără să [00:33:05] ai mare experiență în domeniul să știi, dar să înveți pe parcurs.[00:33:09] George Buhnici: Acum [00:33:10] eu mă pot uita înapoi și în experiența mea pot să zic că am învățat ceva. Nu mă mai duc [00:33:15] după cea mai scumpă mașină pe care mi-o permit, deși am mai făcut niște mici extravaganțe cu mașini, [00:33:20] dar m-am mai domolit.[00:33:20] Adică acum conduc o mașină care în anul 4-lea an n-am mai schimbat-o, [00:33:25] n-am mai făcut investiții extravagante și sunt un pic mai atent [00:33:30] la bugetul devenitul și cheltul. Cu toate astea, trebuie să recunosc că nici eu nu am [00:33:35] reușit să-mi creez un capital de investiții pe bursă. Sunt totuși niște lecții de învățat [00:33:40] pe parcursul anilor și dacă m-aș uita înapoi, mi-aș spune.[00:33:44] [00:33:45] Dacă ai 20 de ani din bruma aia de bani în plus, chiar și la [00:33:50] 20 de milioane salariu 100, 2, 3 și așa mai departe hai să facem un plan [00:33:55] pe termen lung pentru cei care se uită la noi, cam care ar să fie o strategie corectă de a pune bani [00:34:00] pe bani pentru a nu te uita înapoi ca mine după 20 de ani și să zici dacă [00:34:05] aș făcut chestia asta Poți[00:34:06] Olga Ursu: să pornești cu o sumă mai mică la început poate n-ai un capital [00:34:10] foarte mare strâns și nici nu-i recomandat să începi, mai ales pe bursă [00:34:15] cu un capital mare deodată dacă nu ai experiență Piață sunt fluctuații, sunt și creșteri [00:34:20] foarte ample dar sunt și perioade când piața scade și atunci dacă tu ai o sumă [00:34:25] mare și prindi fix o perioadă din aia de scădere ce o să faci O te panichezi o să [00:34:30] vinzi o să zic nu mai cumpăr niciodată la bursă nu-i de mine nu mă pricep, gata, nu mă mai bag [00:34:35] dar dacă începi treptat ei Pe măsură ce banii ai, [00:34:40] vezi cum fluctuează în contul tău portofoliul tău fluctuează, crește scade, începi [00:34:45] să prinzi un pic cum merge bursa și începi să vezi ok, am [00:34:50] ales niște acțiuni, dacă le alegeam pe celelalte, au crescut mai mult, cum [00:34:55] aș putea să aleg mai bine acțiunile?[00:34:57] Și practic dobândești [00:35:00] experiență în timp ce investești, în timp ce crești și capitalul. După ce ai un [00:35:05] pic de încredere că faci bine ceea ce faci, începi să mai adaugi sume suplimentare.[00:35:09] George Buhnici: [00:35:10] Da, într-adevăr intri cu 1000, poate să scadă la 800, 700, 500 după care poate să [00:35:15] crească înapoi dar când faci zoom out după un timp o să vezi că am băgat 1000 și acum [00:35:20] totul sunt la 1500, poate la 2000, poate la 1100, dar cu siguranță [00:35:25] pe termen lung, nu ai cum să fii mai jos decât ai intrat, decât dacă chiar se întâmplă chestii catastrofale pe [00:35:30] termen lung.[00:35:30] Olga Ursu: Sunt investitori care s-aruncă foarte tare la început pentru că au sumă mică [00:35:35] și investesc în instrumente cu grad mare de risc[00:35:38] George Buhnici: nu[00:35:39] Olga Ursu: [00:35:40] neapărat de acțiuni, atât ai auzit, de Forex, CFD-uri, contracte pe diferență, [00:35:45] o felul de instrumente din astea financiare care sunt sintetice cu levier. [00:35:50] Adică tu nu tranzacționezi acțiunea Apple sau Nvidia, ci tranzacționezi [00:35:55] diferența creștere sau scădere pentru acele acțiuni.[00:36:00][00:36:00] Și asta n-ar fi o problemă în sine dacă n-ar fi cu levier multiplicat Adică [00:36:05] și aici poți să-ți iei credit pentru investiții, adică platforma [00:36:10] respectivă îți dă mai mulți bani pe lângă suma pe care o plăsat-o tu, să zicem 1000 de [00:36:15] euro, tu tranzacționezi de 10.000 de euro. Dacă au crescut cu [00:36:20] 5%, ai câștigat 50%.[00:36:22] Dacă au scăzut cu [00:36:25] 5%, ai pierdut jumătate din bani. Deci poți să pierzi dacă te [00:36:30] arunci și investești în instrumente riscante. Și mulți investitori fac asta. Investesc în [00:36:35] astfel de instrumente riscante pentru că vor un câștig rapid.[00:36:38] George Buhnici: Pentru că au bani puțin [00:36:40] la început și nu au răbdare să aștepte și zic hai mă pe mână, n-are cum să mai scadă [00:36:45] acum pornește în sfârșit.[00:36:47] Olga Ursu: Exact, ori îi fac, ori îi pierd, de tot cam așa [00:36:50] gândesc, totul sau nimic. Acum sunt și traderi să numesc, [00:36:55] oameni care știu ce fac, tranzacționează speculativ, [00:37:00] dar cei mai mulți n-au idee ce înseamnă riscul pe care [00:37:05] și-l asumă.[00:37:05] George Buhnici: Încă dată, marea majoritate, mai mult de 80% dacă nu greșesc din cei [00:37:10] care investesc în produse speculative, pierd banii.[00:37:14] Olga Ursu: Da, [00:37:15] se spunea mai demult regula 90-90-90, adică [00:37:20] 90% dintre investitori pierd 90% din capital în primele 90 de [00:37:25] zile tranzacționând produse cu levier.[00:37:27] George Buhnici: What? Asta este [00:37:30] un wipe-out, este un cataclism.[00:37:34] Olga Ursu: Da, asta s-a [00:37:35] întâmplat doar că... Investitorii tot speră. [00:37:40] Pierd niște bani, lasă că revină de câteva ori și o să le iasă după care [00:37:45] zic ok, am pierdut toți banii, bag alții nu contează și da, asta este gambling Dar[00:37:49] George Buhnici: [00:37:50] există acei 10% care câștigă?[00:37:52] Și toți visăm să fim aia 10% [00:37:55] Nu,[00:37:55] Olga Ursu: aia 10% nu câștigă Ei nu pierd 90% din capital [00:38:00] în 90 de zile[00:38:02] George Buhnici: Ei pierd în 91[00:38:04] Olga Ursu: [00:38:05] Foarte puțin nu știu ce între poate 1 și 3% sunt profitabil constant, [00:38:10] așa pe termen lung Deci[00:38:11] George Buhnici: ziceai că știi meseria asta de 20 de ani? Da,[00:38:13] Olga Ursu: din[00:38:13] George Buhnici: 2005 Ai [00:38:15] cunoscut pe cineva care s-a îmbogățit din Levier?[00:38:18] Și a păstrat banii?[00:38:19] Olga Ursu: [00:38:20] Da, n-a păstrat banii Am cunoscut pe cineva care s-a îmbogățit din Levier[00:38:24] George Buhnici: Îmi [00:38:25] povestești un pic, fără să dai nume[00:38:27] Olga Ursu: În criza din 2008 [00:38:30] Au fost absolut șoc pe toate piețele. Pe bursa [00:38:35] românească nu mai pusese așa o scădere niciodată. Aveam un profesor la universitate, era economist [00:38:40] șef la o bancă importantă și îmi zicea că el nu mai vede piața românească revenind [00:38:45] vreodată în 2009.[00:38:46] Atât de neagră era situația. Era un [00:38:50] pesimism în piață de... Efectiv nimeni nu mai avea încredere. Investitorii să [00:38:55] nu mai au de bursă lasă acțiunile alea în pierdere, o să le las [00:39:00] mușterile la nepoți, că copiii nu o apuce să prindă [00:39:05] revenirea Cam așa era sentimentul în piață.[00:39:07] George Buhnici: Așa-i acum pe BVB. [00:39:10] Parcă nu ne mai revenim.[00:39:11] Așa anyway, continuă.[00:39:12] Olga Ursu: Atunci în America, [00:39:15] a căzut banca Lehman Brothers, a făcut faliment, dar înainte de [00:39:20] asta, piața cădea și... [00:39:25] Aveam un coleg, broker, de la o altă societate de brocheraj, [00:39:30] care tranzacţiona opţiuni, care sunt tot [00:39:35] contracte derivate, prin care şi asigura un preţ de [00:39:40] vânzare stabilit şi dacă preţul acţiunilor scădea, [00:39:45] practic el vindea la preţul ăla ridicat şi [00:39:50] putea să le cumpere din piaţă mult mai ieftin.[00:39:52] Ei, el pătea foarte puţin pe [00:39:55] asigurările respective, pe opţiuni, ca o primă exact ca la o [00:40:00] poliţă de asigurări, dar era despăgubit cu toată suma toată căderea respectivă şi [00:40:05] levierea era imens. Ţi-mi minte că mi-a povestit că a făcut undeva la [00:40:10] 600.000 de dolari pornind de la 10.000.[00:40:12] George Buhnici: 60X Da. Da [00:40:15] Ok. Ce levier avea 10?[00:40:17] Olga Ursu: Aici la opțiuni levierul e mult mai [00:40:20] mare, dar riscul nu e la fel de mare. Adică, la opțiuni plătești o primă, e sumă limitată, nu [00:40:25] poți să pierzi mai mult decât prima plătită, dar poți să câștigi de sute de ori.[00:40:29] George Buhnici: [00:40:30] Ok. Și era câștigat de 60 de ori sumă investită.[00:40:32] Olga Ursu: Pentru tot capitalul nu a avut un [00:40:35] singur instrument de genul ăsta Au avut mai multe acțiuni, inclusiv au avut opțiuni pe Lehman Brothers.[00:40:39] Și,[00:40:39] George Buhnici: [00:40:40] practic, din căderea Lehman Brothers, el a făcut foarte mulți bani.[00:40:42] Olga Ursu: Da.[00:40:43] George Buhnici: Ce-a făcut cu banii?[00:40:44] Olga Ursu: [00:40:45] Nu știu povestea mai departe dar știu că după scăderea pieței, adică în [00:40:50] 2009, când bursa a început să-și revină, strategia asta, care a funcționat perfect [00:40:55] pe scădere, nu mai avea cum să funcționeze. Și atunci a tot mai testat [00:41:00] strategii, gândindu-se că e chiar bună în ceea ce face să pricepe la [00:41:05] trading.[00:41:05] Și așa e și capcana investitorilor care Pe bursă când crește bursa sunt foarte bun la [00:41:10] ce fac, dar când se schimbă trendul, atunci practic trebuie să te adaptezi ca investitor și el, ca [00:41:15] trader, din ce mi-a povestit nu au reușit să se adapteze, să-și [00:41:20] adapteze strategia. Au testat alte strategii, n-au mai fost la fel de profitabile și [00:41:25] știu că au renunțat să mai tranzacționeze opțiuni în felul ăsta, speculativ.[00:41:29] [00:41:30] Dar, atunci mi-a rămas mie ideea în minte că în următoarea [00:41:35] criză financiară vreau să tranzacționez și eu opțiuni. Așa m-am gândit după ce am vorbit cu el și am [00:41:40] zis că în următoarea, când o să vină o să fiu pregătit, o să am bani și o să fac [00:41:45] același lucru. Am trecut 10 ani. [00:41:50] În 2019 mi-am dorit să Dacă [00:41:55] vine o scădere și mă pregăteam pentru o scădere a bursei, să pot să tranzacționez și opțiuni.[00:42:00][00:42:00] Mi-am dat demisia de la BRD pentru că e foarte greu să tranzacționezi pe [00:42:05] compropriu fiind angajat într-o instituție financiară. Ai nevoie de tot felul [00:42:10] de aprobări, raportezi toate tranzacțiile. Și în 2019 [00:42:15] mă gândeam eu că ar putea să vină o criză. Burza a crescut de foarte mult [00:42:20] timp și am zis că la un moment dat o să vină.[00:42:23] Și zic ok, când o [00:42:25] să vină o să fiu pregătită. Și au venit într-adevăr nu m-am așteptat, e că nu [00:42:30] trebuie să știm în 2019 că o să vină în 2020 și că o să avem pandemie. [00:42:35] Dar a fost primul moment în care am testat și opțiunile pe scădere. [00:42:40] Și într-adevăr poți să câștigi foarte mulți bani în timp scurt, [00:42:45] n-am transacționat nici într-un caz o sumă foarte mare și [00:42:50] nici n-am făcut la fel de mulți bani ca el, oricum scăderea a fost mult mai [00:42:55] scurtă în pandemie, dar atunci am văzut cât bine funcționează instrumentele [00:43:00] astea pe cădere, pe panică când e volatilitatea ridicată.[00:43:03] Și mai [00:43:05] departe mi-am dat seama că dacă investitorii care eu am lucrat de-a lungul timpului ar avea acces la astfel de [00:43:10] instrumente, nu să speculeze să parieze pe scădere, ci să-și protejeze [00:43:15] portofoliile în astfel de momente, nu le-ar mai fi teamă să [00:43:20] investească. Și m-am apucat și am gândit eu un [00:43:25] curs.[00:43:26] Pentru investitori cum să-și gestioneze [00:43:30] riscul cu ajutorul opțiunilor. A fost primul program pe care l-am făcut eu pentru [00:43:35] investitor. Aveam foarte puțin că era super, super nișat, mult prea [00:43:40] un nivel foarte ridicat. Era nevoie și de experiență [00:43:45] și de capital, și de cunoștințe. Dar, a [00:43:50] fost debutul meu, ca să zic așa, în partea asta de educație financiară pentru investitori Am pornit de la care [00:43:55] credeam eu că e nevoie atunci Și...[00:43:59] De atunci fac [00:44:00] lucrul ăsta.[00:44:00] George Buhnici: Practic e ca un fel de poliță de asigurare în cazul în care, exact cum ai zis tu, cade piața. Problema este [00:44:05] că, dintre cei care ne urmăresc, cred că sunt procente mici care înțeleg cum funcționează lucrul ăsta și cei mai mulți [00:44:10] suntem în capcana asta. Ori trăim de la un salar la altul, ori investim un capital în [00:44:15] imobiliare, ori investim ceva în bursă ori investim...[00:44:18] Iar lecția cea mai [00:44:20] importantă cu care am rămas în minte din tot ce am citit, pe exemplu, de Nassim Taleb este că în viața unui [00:44:25] trader nu există decât un singur obiectiv realist. Don't blow up. [00:44:30] Să nu explodezi. Nu? Că asta este sperietarea cea mai mare între trader, mai ales cei [00:44:35] care, exact cum ai zis tu sunt pe opțiuni pe tot felul de instrumente derivate.[00:44:39] Să nu [00:44:40] cumva să-ți pierzi capitalul al tău și al clienților. E[00:44:43] Olga Ursu: foarte mare riscul să-ți pierzi capitalul ca [00:44:45] trader. De asta eu nu fac trading. [00:44:50] Am testat, mi-am dat seama că nu este pentru mine. Nu În nivelul [00:44:55] la care trebuie să fii implicat[00:44:56] George Buhnici: Dar nu prea aud oameni care să zică că eu sunt [00:45:00] trader și asta este viața mea.[00:45:02] Adică înțeleg că este o perioadă scurtă în care ce mai mulți fac [00:45:05] trading.[00:45:05] Olga Ursu: Sunt oameni care fac asta de mulți ani. [00:45:10] Și continuă și tot încearcă și tot încearcă. Și te întreb ok, [00:45:15] și dacă tot stai atât timp cu nasul în monitoare, că asta [00:45:20] înseamnă să fii trader. Faci ceva bani merită [00:45:25] Cei mai mulți nu reușesc să justifice orele [00:45:30] alea petrecute în fața ecranului.[00:45:33] Adică dacă ar dacă [00:45:35] ar dacă ar face banii altfel ar face mai mulți decât fac din [00:45:40] trading. Pentru că știi care e problema cu [00:45:45] tradingul și de asta nu recomand investitorilor să înceapă cu trading. [00:45:50] Sincer nici nu e o metodă de a face avere din trading, adică oricum foarte puțin reușesc, [00:45:55] dar de ce nu recomand este că nu o să-ți crești valoarea portofolului în timp.[00:45:59] [00:46:00] Pentru că valoarea portofolului, cum vorbeam mai devreme, te-o crești și din randamentele pe care ți le [00:46:05] produce investiția, dar și din aport de capital nou. Dar dacă [00:46:10] investești într-un fel foarte riscant, cum e tradingul, [00:46:15] nu o să te lase inima să pui capital nou, tot să [00:46:20] riști, tot timpul să riști banii. O să ai o sumă și o [00:46:25] tragi de ei să încerci să faci bani din ea, o să te focusezi pe asta, în loc să te focusezi O focusezi [00:46:30] pe creșterea portofolului, pe creșterea venitului și să acumulezi în timp [00:46:35] capital în portofoliu tău.[00:46:36] Deci cei care încep cu trading-ul rămân la un nivel mic. [00:46:40] Al portofolului pentru o perioadă lungi până să prind că, de fapt, stai un pic. [00:46:45] Am petrecut atât de mult timp [00:46:50] cu nasul în ecrane, tranzacțiuni, m-am stresat atât de mult și, de fapt cât am [00:46:55] făcut? Merită asta? În cele mai multe cazuri, răspunsul este nu.[00:46:59] George Buhnici: Foarte [00:47:00] interesant pentru că mulți ne imaginăm că poți să mulțești banii La asta ne gândim. [00:47:05] Dar, de fapt, în esență, dacă dai un pic de zoom out, este încercând să mulțești [00:47:10] banii, de fapt nu reușești să creezi valoare.[00:47:12] Olga Ursu: De fapt ți scade încrederea [00:47:15] că tu poți să produci valoare. Pentru că dacă nu ai rezultate acolo în [00:47:20] trading sau ai rezultate modeste comparative cu riscul la care te [00:47:25] expui, ok, nu merită să dau capital nou, nu merită să [00:47:30] muncezi să aduc capital nou și să-i pierd.[00:47:33] George Buhnici: Și[00:47:33] Olga Ursu: o să [00:47:35] rămână tot timpul la un nivel... Scăzut al portofolului. Când [00:47:40] focus-ul ar trebui să crește în portofoliu, prin aport de numerar, prin creșterea [00:47:45] prin randamentul pe care îl aduce portofoliu, dar nu doar din randament, adică nu poți să începi cu 1000 de [00:47:50] euro și să speri să faci un milion. Să întâmplă nu [00:47:55] cu 1000 de euro, dar să întâmplă 0,00 nu știu cât ca la [00:48:00] loto.[00:48:00] Sau ca în[00:48:01] George Buhnici: eSports, că sunt foarte mulți copii care își imaginează că se [00:48:05] pot apuca de eSports și să ajungă campion și să împartă premiile alea de milioane. [00:48:10] Că sunt tot felul de campionate internaționale la care, mamă ce premii se dau. Ok, da, dar acolo [00:48:15] cum să zic, short tail-ul este foarte short. Adică ce înseamnă asta?[00:48:19] Cei care [00:48:20] chiar câștigă bani sunt foarte puțini în dauna celor mai mulți, marea majoritate [00:48:25] care cheltuiesc bani și timp energie într-o chestie în care nu vor câștiga niciodată. [00:48:30][00:48:30] Olga Ursu: Cam așa e și în trading, dacă de să ne gândim și să fim sinceri[00:48:34] George Buhnici: Și atunci [00:48:35] cum creăm valoare? Hai să ne concentrăm un pic pe chestia asta.[00:48:38] Cum facem până la urmă? Așadar tu [00:48:40] vorbești despre faptul că ar trebui să-ți creezi un portofoliu și să-ți adaugi capital. Asta înseamnă că [00:48:45] trebuie să fii productiv în alte părți decât în bursă? Da trebuie[00:48:47] Olga Ursu: să faci bani în alte părți, în activitatea la care te [00:48:50] precepti tu cel mai bine, care te-ai pregătit atât și o să produci [00:48:55] valoare.[00:48:56] George Buhnici: Deci tu nu ne propui să ne îmbogățim pe bursă. [00:49:00] Trebuie ne îmbogățim din bursă aducând valoare, capital în alte [00:49:05] părți? Da, ne[00:49:06] Olga Ursu: îmbogățești treptat pe bursă nu din primă Ai investit o sumă și [00:49:10] gata. Nu[00:49:10] George Buhnici: e o idee bună să puni acolo 1000 de euro și să-i lazi 10 ani pe bursă?[00:49:14] Olga Ursu: [00:49:15] Sunt extrem de rare cazurile în care îmi merești o acțiune care chiar să crească [00:49:20] timp de 10 ani.[00:49:23] Sunt, într-adevăr [00:49:25] companii super valoroase și acum dacă ne uităm în urmă, în ultimii 10 ani au crescut spectacolul Dar dacă [00:49:30] te-ai fi dus acum 10 ani, s-ar putea să nu le fii ales pe acelea în portofoliu.[00:49:34] George Buhnici: Acum 10 ani [00:49:35] cred că încă mai puteai să pui pe Blackberry, pe Nokia, pe Xerox, Kodak.[00:49:39] Olga Ursu: Da, [00:49:40] acum ceva mai mulți ani, da, și acum nu mai aveai.[00:49:44] [00:49:45] Și n-ai fi pus, acum 10 ani n-ai fi investit în Nvidia, eu cel [00:49:50] puțin nu știam compania. Abia din [00:49:55] 2019-2020 am remarcat-o și o deveni [00:50:00] populară în ultimii 2 ani, 2 ani și un pic.[00:50:02] George Buhnici: Ce alte companii mai sunt populare în perioada asta? La ce te [00:50:05] mai uiți când vine vorba de investiții pe termen lung? Eu m-am uitat, pe exemplu [00:50:10] și să zicem că sunt încă unul dintre cei care poate au ratat Nvidia.[00:50:13] Avem alte priorități oricum. [00:50:15] Eu chiar am vizitat compania și știam de ce este în stare, dar chiar și atunci când ești foarte aproape și [00:50:20] vezi o astfel de companie și vezi de ce este în stare, nu te gândești că ai putea să-i și investești. [00:50:25] Însă în 2025, la ce fel de industrie te uiți, pe exemplu pentru [00:50:30] viitor?[00:50:30] Olga Ursu: Venim după 2 ani de creștere Pe sectorul tehnologic În continuare [00:50:35] există potențial, dar pe de altă parte sunt și multe [00:50:40] companii care au ajuns să fie evaluate foarte sus și am putea să avem o [00:50:45] corecție mai drastică în sectorul ăsta. De fapt pe piață am putea să avem o corecție [00:50:50] mai amplă. Deja am început odată cu tarifele [00:50:55] și cu îngrijurile cu privire la inflație și la creșterea [00:51:00] economică din SUA și la tot spectacolul ăsta geopolitic la care investitorii se [00:51:05] uită cum să se repoziționeze.[00:51:07] Așa că chiar e o perioadă de [00:51:10] repoziționare și în care n-ar trebui să ne aruncăm foarte repede să [00:51:15] vedem în ce plasăm banii.[00:51:17] George Buhnici: În momentul în care a depus opțiunea, de care ziceai tu? [00:51:20][00:51:20] Olga Ursu: Ar putea fi, sunt investitori care fac, din motivul ăsta indicele de volatilitate VIX [00:51:25] a crescut în ultima săptămână. Există loc de [00:51:30] scădere Poate chiar mai mult, adică probabilitatea ca piața să mai [00:51:35] scade e mai mare decât să continuă să crească.[00:51:36] Sau cel puțin e greu de [00:51:40] crezut că o mai crească în ritmul în care a crescut în ultimii doi ani. Acțiunile din Statele [00:51:45] Unite au tot scăzut în ultima săptămână. De fapt în ultima lună am avut o [00:51:50] scădere. Noi înregistrăm pe[00:51:50] George Buhnici: început de martie 2025, pentru că astea vor rămâne multă vreme Acolo se aibă oamenii [00:51:55] context.[00:51:55] Olga Ursu: Da. În schimb în Europa, bursele au crescut în [00:52:00] ultima lună și de la începutul anului au fost creșteri de peste 10%. Sectorul de [00:52:05] apărare din Europa au crescut foarte mult. [00:52:10] Companiile producătoare de armament au crescut explosiv de la începutul [00:52:15] anului. Oricum crescuse răși înainte, dar aici văd că [00:52:20] investitorii se repoziționează puternic.[00:52:21] George Buhnici: Abia a anunțat Ursula von der Leyen 800 de [00:52:25] miliarde pentru rearmarea Europei banii. Unde se vor duce În companiile alea.[00:52:28] Olga Ursu: Exact. Asta se [00:52:30] întâmplă pe piață și cum poți să-ți dai seama care companii și care sectoare ar putea să performeze [00:52:35] fix în cele în care intră banii și sunt și declarații pe care putem să [00:52:40] le urmărim și să intuim pe de altă parte este și foarte vizibil dacă te uiți în [00:52:45] acțiuni și pe anumite sectoare pe piață poți să-ți dai seama când intră bani într-un anumit [00:52:50] sector, într-o anumită companie, când ies bani din sectorul respectiv [00:52:55] și asta mișcă prețurile în sus și dacă e să ne uităm la piața din Statele Unite în sectorul [00:53:00] tehnologic au fost mai degrabă scăderi de la începutul anului Dar[00:53:03] George Buhnici: vine recesiunea America?[00:53:04] Olga Ursu: [00:53:05] Până vine, investitorii se poziționează întâi să sperie și apoi vine recesiunea dacă vine. [00:53:10] Sunt foarte multe momente în care investitorii se sperie și zic că anticepează vine recesiunea și apoi nu mai vine [00:53:15] recesiunea[00:53:15] George Buhnici: Dar eu aud un scenariu în care se pare că Donald Trump ar vrea să-i inducă o [00:53:20] recesiune care să reseteze economia pentru că încă de vreme în mandatul lui [00:53:25] vede problemele de deficit Și o recesiune l-ar ajuta să [00:53:30] dea drumul la imprimantaie mai repede.[00:53:32] Olga Ursu: Ar putea fi. Nu știu, nu m-am gândit [00:53:35] așa de... Ar fi așa de... [00:53:40] să fie creată o recesiune, dar prin măsurile pe care le ia [00:53:45] poate să împinge de economia americană Altfel[00:53:47] George Buhnici: de ce ai băgat tarife atât de dure [00:53:50] partenerilor, care până la urmă sunt plătite de cetățenii americani și nu sunt plătite de producători? [00:53:55][00:53:55] Olga Ursu: Da, investitorii americani acum își pun problema dacă [00:54:00] dacă lucrurile astea se întâmplă ce o să întâmple cu...[00:54:04] [00:54:05] adică ce o să întâmple cu inflația, ce o să întâmple cu dobânzile. Au crescut [00:54:10] din nou randamentul la titlurile americane, pe 10 ani, iarăși în creștere, [00:54:15] deși au fost eforturi mari din partea Fedului să scadă [00:54:20] ratele de dobândă și au fost... Câteva tăieri, un procent [00:54:25] din septembrie anul trecut acum din ce în ce mai puțin probabil să mai scadă [00:54:30] dobânzile și în piață să vede o tendință de creștere de dobânzi Deci[00:54:34] George Buhnici: practic [00:54:35] dacă economia americană se duce în direcția asta, investitorii pot să [00:54:40] zică bă nu știu, fac europenii ceva interesant acolo, sau trebuie să vreau să mont banii?[00:54:44] Să [00:54:45] întâmplă în[00:54:45] Olga Ursu: ultimii 10 ani a fost invers adică banii investitorilor europeni [00:54:50] s-au îndreptat mai degrabă sau banii investitorilor au ieșit din Europa s-au îndreptat [00:54:55] mai mult către Statele Unite[00:54:56] George Buhnici: Mergea atât de bine bursa era inevitabil, nu? [00:55:00] S-au făcut foarte mulți bani din bursa americană[00:55:01] Olga Ursu: Da, și în continuare este foarte mare potențial în piața [00:55:05] americană e cea mai mare piață de capital De-aia[00:55:09] George Buhnici: vorbim [00:55:10] atât de mult de America aici Da,[00:55:11] Olga Ursu: la nivel global e cea mai mare bursă sunt cele mai multe [00:55:15] oportunități Dacă la un moment dat piața americană [00:55:20] Devine iarăși atractivă iarăși să mută banii.[00:55:24] Acum este [00:55:25] atractivă este foarte mult potențial de creștere, doar că sunt momente în care se mai [00:55:30] reașează piața și asta poate să fie un astfel de moment.[00:55:33] George Buhnici: De unde zici tu că este acest [00:55:35] mare potențial de creștere? Pentru că încă o dată a tot crescut. Dacă ne uităm pe graficul de pe [00:55:40] bursa S&P și toate astea, se tot duce în sus, în sus, în sus.[00:55:43] La un moment dat trebuie să mai și [00:55:45] corecteze, nu? Da.[00:55:46] Olga Ursu: De ce se duce bursa în sus? Tocmai pentru că există acest [00:55:50] pote

It's All Been Done Radio Hour #515  Privates #18 "The Wire"     Jake goes into the lion's den, and Wayne is not happy because someone's been lyin'. Also, a shocking betrayal!    Visit our website http://iabdpresents.com Script books, clothing, and more at https://amzn.to/3km2TLm Please support us at http://patreon.com/IABD   Find more from It's All Been Done Radio Hour here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iabdpresents/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iabdpresents   A comedy radio show originally performed Saturday, February 10, 2024, at Boxland in Columbus, Ohio.     STARRING Keith Jackson as Detective Jake Cotton  Shane Stefanchik as Frank Berry  Kristin Green as Dame Judy Bench  Chase McCants as Wayne Bench  Megan Overholt as Mary-Louise Gardner  with Samantha Stark as Dame Cordelia Bench  GUEST STARRING  Nathan Haley as Louie  Sam Clements as Willie Rawls  Beth Muir as Director Daniels    Narrated by Darren Esler  Foley Artist Megan Overholt  Podcast edited by Trulie Awesome Productions     It's All Been Done Radio Hour created and produced by Jerome Wetzel  Written by Jerome Wetzel Directed by Kristin Green  Music Director Kristin Green  Theme Songs composed by Nathan Haley, with lyrics by Jerome Wetzel  Technical Director Shane Stefanchik   When you post about us, hashtag #IABD   #youtuberadioplays #bestyoutubepodcastchannels  

This week, on episode 495, I'm talking with Will Schafer, founder of Altisnooze. The First-of-its-kind sleep aid for high-altitude. After struggling for years with sleeping during alpine adventures, Schafer came to learn from a sleep doctor that altitude insomnia is a thing. He connected with formulation experts to develop a natural solution, ALTISNOOZE. Facebook   Twitter   Instagram Love the show? Subscribe,  rate, review, and share! Sign up for my Newsletter  HERE I'd love to hear your feedback about the show! You can contact me here:  rick@theoutdoorbizpodcast.com What Happened: For years, I chalked up my awful sleep in the mountains to bad luck. Every time I went to Summit County, Colorado, my nights were a mess—staring at the ceiling, waking up feeling like I'd been run over by a snowcat, and then trying to enjoy the outdoors while running on fumes. I blamed it on travel, excitement, bad pillows—you name it. But then I started noticing something weird. Friends on ski trips and camping adventures were having the same problem. Some of them, tough-as-nails hikers and backcountry warriors, were walking around like zombies after a single night at altitude. That's when I met Dr. Michael Breus, a legit sleep doctor, who hit me with a truth bomb: altitude insomnia is real. And worse? It affects up to 75% of people. Your body's struggling with low oxygen, which wrecks your sleep cycle, making it nearly impossible to rest. So, I set out on a mission to fix it. After a deep dive into research, testing a ridiculous amount of natural ingredients, and countless sleepless nights (for science), I created Altisnooze—a sleep aid designed specifically for high-altitude adventures, without the grogginess of melatonin. Principle: Bad sleep = bad adventure. Period. You can have the best gear, the most epic trail planned, and a perfect sunrise waiting for you—but if you don't sleep well, your trip is going to suck. Most people don't even realize altitude is the issue. They just assume they're bad sleepers, or that their body needs to “adjust.” But waiting around for a week to acclimate? Not ideal when your trip is only a few days long. Good sleep isn't just about comfort—it's about performance, recovery, and actually enjoying the adventure you planned. Transition: A lot of outdoor lovers deal with this and don't even realize what's holding them back. They push through exhaustion, drink too much caffeine, or try to knock themselves out with melatonin—only to wake up feeling worse. That's exactly why I created Altasnooze. Because when you finally fix your sleep at altitude, everything changes—your energy, your performance, your mood, and most importantly, how much fun you have. That's Why: …we want to introduce you to Altisnooze and just dropped an episode of the Outdoor Adventure Lifestyle Podcast with Will Schaefer, founder of Altisnooze. He went from being a sleep-deprived mess in the mountains to developing a game-changing solution for adventurers who want to feel fabulous at altitude. In this episode, we dive into the science of altitude insomnia, how it messes with your body, and what you can do to fix it—so your next high-altitude trip doesn't turn into a sleepless disaster. Call to Action: If you've ever struggled to sleep in the mountains, this episode is your wake-up call. (Pun intended.) Don't let altitude ruin your adventure—get the inside scoop on fixing your sleep at high elevation and feeling your best. #Outdoor Adventure Lifestyle Podcast, #altitude insomnia, #AltiSnooze, #high altitude sleep aid, #altitude sickness, #sleep doctor, #Michael Breus, #adventure travel, #melatonin-free, #sleep disturbance, #alpinists, #electrolytes, #high altitude adventures, #natural supplements, #altitude symptoms

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, AI chatbots continue to be the most fought over segment of the technology market, with artificial intelligence worming its way into every aspects of our daily lives. For instance, I wrote this article you are now reading using my own mind and thoughts, but the software I wrote it with has a button I could have hit to have AI write it for me. The graphic that sits atop of this article was created in Photoshop that now has artificial intelligence all through it. Every mobile phone with a software upgrade done in the last 6 months is now powered by AI whether you are aware of it or not. AI is a seductively powerful tool whose ultimate end is to remove the human component from, well, everything. Remember what happened in the 1999 thriller ‘The Matrix'? Humans fought with the computers they created, and the humans lost. This is why Ecclesiastes 1:9 in our theme verse for 2025, and this is where we are on the end times timeline. On this episode, we bring you the very latest news in AI, and run it through the filter of your 66 caliber King James Bible, fully loaded. Pun intended.

This is a PG-13 interview.. so yes.. we tried super "hard" to not be offensive to anyone. lol.. Pun not intended. Please listen to our light-hearted interview with a curious ear. Our interviewee shares her experiences in her former relationship and the things she's learned from it. Interviewee: Mimi of Mimi's Mocha Treats - https://www.instagram.com/mimismochatreats You can find this and all of our videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Vee_Mindful FREE MASTERCLASS: https://www.veemindful.com/Top-5-Ways-Your-Masculinity-Is-Keeping-You-Single EBOOK: HOW TO DATE AS A MASCULINE WOMAN (only $8!) https://www.veemindful.com/How-To-Date-As-A-Masculine-Woman Schedule a Discovery Call with Vee Mindful: https://calendly.com/veemindful/discovery DATING ON DEMAND: https://www.veemindful.com/datingondemand VEE MINDFUL FREEBIES: https://www.veemindful.com/freebies CONNECT WITH ME: https://www.veemindful.com MY BOOKS: My 1st Book about Healing - THEY TRIED. YOU WON. https://a.co/d/hn8xiMP 2ND BOOK - LADIES, LEAVE YOUR D*CK AT HOME https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9S5R7Y3 Check out our Self Guided Course! -> https://www.veemindful.com/FeminineCourse WHO IS VEE MINDFUL? I am a Certified Relationship Coach with over 35 yrs of Dating, Relationship, & Marriage experience. I help the Mature Man and Woman (over 40) have healthy relationships FINALLY after years of unsuccessful attempts. WOMEN: you'll understand Men better MEN: you'll understand Women better Topics I cover: Narcissistic love, Attachment Style and Communication issues, Feminine and Masculine Imbalance, and Dating after Divorce. Vee Mindful's Product Sharing Links

Send us a textIn this episode of Veto's Corner, we dive into the hottest topics shaking up sports, music, and pop culture. We start with the controversy surrounding college football star Travis Hunter and his girlfriend, whose relationship has sparked heated debates across social media. Then, we explore Muni Long's bold reaction to being asked by an industry executive to write soulful songs for non-melanated artists, raising important questions about authenticity and cultural appropriation in the music business. Pleasure P stirs the pot by claiming he wrote Lil Wayne's iconic hit "Lollipop," a revelation that has the industry and fans buzzing. Dame Dash adds fuel to the fire as he explains why he benched Memphis Bleek and reveals that Jay-Z wrote many of Bleek's rhymes, giving us a glimpse into the inner workings of Roc-A-Fella Records. We also touch on the ongoing drama between Big Pun's widow, Liza Rios, and Fat Joe, as Liza claims Joe's career would've faded if Pun had signed to another label. Finally, we wrap up with the incredible performance by Beyoncé at the Nel halftime show, featuring surprise appearances by Blue Ivy, Shaboozey, and Post Malone, leaving the audience in awe. Tune in for a jam-packed episode filled with drama, revelations, and unforgettable moments!Support the showFor all advertising opportunities email contact@vetoscorner.comFollohttps://on.soundcloud.com/hgBygU7aEBexoABm7w Veto's Corner: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetoscornerpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetosCornerPodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@VetoscornerpodcastYoutube Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@vetoscornerpodcast Follow Veto Vangundy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vetovangundy Twitter: https://twitter.com/vetovangundy Follow Kyng Musix: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Ky.n.gmusix Disclaimer "Welcome to “Veto's Corner”. Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of “Veto's Corner”or its affiliates. Some of the content shared on this podcast may be intended for comedic or entertainment purposes only, and should not be taken as factual information. We encourage our listeners to conduct their own research and form their own opinions on any topics discussed. Thank you for listening!"

On this flashback of Take It Personal, we're hitting you with a combined remastered version of episodes 86 & 87, our Kool G. Rap Tribute. This 7+ hour episode features music from one of the most prolific rappers to ever touch mic. When you hear the term "your rappers favorite rapper", they're are talking about Kool G. Rap. Whether you consider him the G.O.A.T. or  somewhere in your Top 5, there is no denying that Kool G. Rap is one most influential rappers of all-time.     Whether you like Nas, Jay, Big, Pun, Em, Black Thought or any other great lyricist, just know they're great because of Kool G. Rap. The multis, the wordplay, the humor, the violence, the voice and god-like ability to tell a story, there is NOBODY quite like him.   The man of the hour sat down with us to discuss his illustrious career. We talk Marley Marl, Eric B., Kane and the whole Juice Crew. We get into his favorite mobster movies, favorite verse of all-time and we even make him pick his own top 5. We discuss Nas, Black Thought, Masta Ace, Pun and Necro. We even cover the Rawkus debacle and much more.  ⁠www.takeitpersonalradio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/TakeItPersonal⁠⁠⁠

For extra episodes and exclusive content, subscribe to our Patreon! Help us reach 20 new paid Patrons in 2 weeks, and we'll reveal our wedding video - don't miss this exclusive moment! For only $5 a month, receive a bonus episode every week! Subscribe today ⁠https://www.patreon.com/thepuddlespodcast/ ⁠ Welcome to Puddles. Andrew and Brenna joke about everything, mostly their own relationship. In this episode, we cover David Dobrik's pickleball tournament, FBoy Island, cucking, writing letters to Planet Fitness, Andrew's appearance on “Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry” on Netflix, having a hangover when you didn't plan on drinking, the passive way comedians communicate, unhealthy grooming habits, and seeing influencers in the real world. Leave us a voicemail to be played on the podcast: ⁠⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/Puddles⁠⁠ Send us questions: ⁠⁠puddleboyandpuddlegirl@gmail.com SUBSCRIBE! Puddles Youtube Feed Puddles Podcast Spotify Audio Feed Puddles Podcast iTunes Audio Feed CHAPTERS 00:00 - Saturday night out 04:00 - Cucking 08:00 - Pun jokes 10:30 - Handwritten letters to Planet Fitness 14:00 - Andrew on Netflix 20:30 - A personal reading from Tyler Henry 25:00 - Trimming Andrew's eyebrows 29:00 - Losing sentimental items 37:00 - Good cries with mom 40:30 - David Dobrik's pickleball tournament 48:00 - Andrew's accessory 50:00 - Green room hangs 53:00 - Continued on Patreon FOLLOW US: Puddles Andrew Brenna Melanie Theme song performed by: Ed Glaser Ending song written by: Andrew Collin Visuals and Graphics by: Melanie Meisner Produced by: Melanie Meisner