Podcasts about Queens

Help us keep the conversations going in 2026. Donate to Conversations with Tyler today. Gaurav Kapadia has deliberately avoided publicity throughout his career in investing, which makes this conversation a rare window into how he thinks. He now runs XN, a firm built around concentrated bets on a small number of companies with long holding periods. However, his education in judgment began much earlier, in a two-family house in Flushing that his parents converted into a four-family house. It was there where a young Gaurav served as de facto landlord, collecting rent and negotiating late payments at age 10. That grounding now expresses itself across an unusual range of domains: Tyler invited him on the show not just as an investor, but as someone with a rare ability to judge quality in cities, talent, art, and more with equal fluency.  Tyler and Gaurav discuss how Queens has thrived without new infrastructure, what he'd change as "dictator" of Flushing, whether Robert Moses should rise or fall in status, who's the most underrated NYC mayor, what's needed to attract better mayoral candidates, the weirdest place in NYC, why he initially turned down opportunities in investment banking for consulting, bonding with Rishi Sunak over railroads, XN's investment philosophy, maintaining founder energy in investment firms and how he hires to prevent complacency, AI's impact on investing, the differences between New York and London finance, the most common fundraising mistake art museums make, why he collects only American artists within 20 years of his own age, what makes Kara Walker and Rashid Johnson and Salman Toor special, whether buying art makes you a better investor, his new magazine Totei celebrating craft and craftsmanship, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel. Recorded October 8th, 2025. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Follow Gaurav on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:32 - Queens and NYC's geography 00:08:36 - New York City mayors and electoral politics 00:13:22 - Building a career in investing 00:18:50 - XN's investment philosophy 00:24:35 - Maintaining founder energy in investment firms 00:30:45 - The sociology of finance in NYC, London, and UAE  00:32:21 - How AI is reshaping investing 00:36:53 - Museum operations 00:42:21 - Favorite artists 00:50:39 - Tastes in art and how the canon will evolve 00:57:22 - Totei, a new venture

We're back with Part 2 of our deep dive into Helena Blavatsky—the controversial, chaotic, and endlessly woo woo founder of modern occultism. In this episode, we follow Madame Blavatsky's journey to America, where she teams up with Henry Steele Olcott and steps fully into her era as a spiritualism celebrity. From the founding of Theosophy to her many scandals, disputed “miracles,” and the wild amount of cultural appropriation baked into her work, we're unpacking the messy, fascinating legacy that shaped New Age spirituality, occult history, and the modern mystic movement. If you've ever wondered how one woman became the blueprint for so much 19th-century spiritualism—for better and worse—this episode has you covered. Time stamps 00:00 Intro 01:26 Helena's Lost Decade and Move to America 02:37 The Rise of Spiritualism 06:23 Helena's Struggles and New Beginnings 10:14 Meeting the Eddie Brothers 14:02 Partnership with Henry Steele Olcott 17:26 Founding the Theosophical Society 22:47 The Success of 'Isis Unveiled' 26:03 Helena's Celebrity Era 26:27 Move to India and Cultural Appropriation 29:51 Blavatsky's Popularity and Controversy in India 32:51 Health Issues and Betrayal 40:50 The Secret Doctrine and Blavatsky's Theories 45:40 Final Years and Legacy Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, check out our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ merch store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Isaac Sachmechi, MD, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Internal Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens joins the podcast to discuss why NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens is recognized for excellence in diabetes care. He shares insights into the future of diabetes treatment, highlights advancements in care delivery, and explores strategies for improving patient outcomes in endocrinology.

In February of 2021, police officers performed a welfare check on 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in Canton, Massachusetts. When they gained entry to her apartment, they found the young teacher's aide dead in her bedroom from what they determined (after 4 hours) was a suicide. It would take more than two years and multiple law enforcement agencies investigating before someone was charged with Sandra's MURDER. The investigation revealed a horrifying story of grooming and abuse, all stemming from local police officers, and leading to the murder of Sandra and her unborn baby. Want access to our first 45 episodes? Grab em here! We've made them available for free to anyone who signs up! Remember, these episodes were recorded when we had no idea what we were doing, so just keep that in mind. The audio isn't the quality we would want to put out now, but the cases are on point! Visit killerqueens.link/og to download and binge all the archived episodes today! Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch Bonus Episodes Support Our AMAZING Sponsors: GhostBed: To get 25% sitewide off during GhostBed's Holiday Sale, go to GhostBed.com/queens and use promo code QUEENS at checkout.  HelloFresh: Go to HelloFresh.com/queens10fm now to get 10 Free Meals + Free Breakfast for Life.  © 2025 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved Audio Production by Wayfare Recording Music provided by Steven Tobi Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rhiannon Evans, Caillan Davenport, Matt Smith and special guest William Dalrymple share items of Roman interest! You will hear: - A phoenix in the forum - The unknown Queens of Rome - The Roman perception of elephants - Trade between India and Rome - The low bar of Roman insults - The false female centurion - What Emperors called themselves - An accurate population of Pompeii - The false Theodosius - Sallust and ethnic etymology in North Africa Guests: Associate Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University) Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University)) William Dalrymple (Esteemed author and host of Empire podcast)

In this episode, a California man who's ridden Disneyland's Cars attraction over 15,000 times, forcing Connery to unveil his theory that the dude is actually hunting down a Star Wars icon hiding in Radiator Springs. Meanwhile, new data shows residents of Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens consume more OnlyFans than entire countries, so Connery offers a very necessary PSA: adult content is free, you animals. A tourist in China survives a 130-foot plummet while taking a selfie, proving that gravity might be undefeated, but stupidity is resilient. Then the crew reacts to 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers signing with the Colts, prompting important questions like: how many sponsors specialize in joint health? And finally — Shedeur Sanders is officially QB1 for the rest of the season, unless the Brown screw things up. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dale Hanson is a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran and Green Beret who served three years as a commando in the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), conducting extremely dangerous reconnaissance missions deep behind enemy lines. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in Saco, Maine, with family ties to Minnesota's harsh winters, Hanson was influenced by his family's military legacy—his father, born in 1894, served and died when Dale was eight. Given the name "Kam Baw Ya Chin," meaning 'eternal life, never die,' by his Chinese mercenary counterparts, he led recon teams facing high casualty rates and earned numerous decorations. Hanson is also an accomplished sculptor, MENSA member, black belt martial artist, author, pilot of fixed-wing and glider aircraft (including aerobatics), and Special Forces underwater diver. He shares his experiences through his memoir Born Twice: Memoir of a Special Forces SOG Warrior (2016) and SOG Missions to the Well, highlighting the challenges, heroism, and lack of recognition for SOG soldiers. Hanson advocates for honoring veterans' sacrifices, preserving military history, and using personal stories to educate on the realities of covert warfare. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Receive 30% off your first subscription order. Go to https://armra.com/SRS or enter SRS to get 30% off your first subscription order. Right now, you can try Aura free for 14 days when you visit http://aura.com/SRS Our listeners get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/SRS. Head to http://DRINKAG1.com/SRS you'll get the welcome kit, a Morning Person hat, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and a AG1 Flavor Sampler for free. Dale Hanson Links: Studio Website - https://www.dale-hanson-studio.com Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dale-Hanson/author/B001KD7KE0 SOG Site - https://sogsite.com/product/born-twice-memoir-of-a-special-forces-sog-warrior Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Sibling Watchery, Bob and Monét break down the RuPaul's Drag Race Season 18 Meet the Queens promo. They react to the Season 18 cast reveal, review the promo video, and debate which Drag Race season had the best promo ever. They share early predictions for the queens who will do well and analyze the contestants' answers about why they chose to compete. They also discuss signature scents, the correct way to apply fragrance, and which cereal mascot is secretly the hottest. Plus, is this the smartest Drag Race cast yet, is Monét already coming for a queen, which contestant should join the Sibling Rivalry family, and is every queen somewhere on the Drag Delusion spectrum? Thanks to our sponsors: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/rivalry #rulapod For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners FIFTY PERCENT OFF and free shipping for your first box PLUS free dessert for life! Go to https://HomeChef.com/RIVALRY Visit https://WaldenU.edu. Walden University. Set a Course for Change®. Certified to operate by SCHEV Want to see exclusive Sibling Rivalry Bonus Content? Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/siblingrivalrypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be the first to see our latest Sibling Rivalry Podcast Videos! @BobTheDragQueen @MonetXChange Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the weekend Adam Schiff appeared on NBC to oppose the President's strikes on narco boats. While he obsesses over shipwrecked sailors, the international chessboard is dominated by those who move the Queens, & Rooks in support of the King.   

UnratedRuntime: 1hr 41minDirected by Tina RomeroWritten by Tina Romero and Erin JudgeStars: Jaquel Spivey, Katy O'Brian and Quincy Dunn-BakerPremiered at Tribeca Film Festival June 7, 2025Released in US October 24, 2025 (limited)RT: 88% critics / 71% audience Currently available to rentSynopsisThe drag night Yum is preparing for their Easter show in a converted warehouse in Brooklyn when a zombie outbreak occurs. Now the performers and a few outsiders are sheltering in place and trying to figure out their escape. Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Man Finds Tape, currently available to rent.Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Joyhdae says she's finally ready… and Ryan immediately needs to know: “Ready for what, exactly?”That's how today's episode kicks off — with declarations, confusion, and a little Virgo-level side-eye as the duo digs into dating apps, algorithm training, and why Hinge keeps serving Joyhdae matches that feel like personal attacks.From there, things escalate quickly (as they always do). We go from 2026 relationship goals to a wild DNA-test family feud, the mess unfolding between Tamar, Yandy & Mendeecees, and the ongoing chaos of the Queens of R&B tour. Ray J is doing Ray J things, Netflix is out here buying entire studios, and somehow the U.S. Postal Service ends up in a conspiracy theory we did not see coming.And if you've watched All her Fault…Whew. We get into the twists, the questionable parenting decisions, the very illegal plot developments, and the moment we collectively realized this entire show could've been avoided if one Black mama had been involved.Then of course we have first reactions to the new 50 Cent–produced Sean Combs: The Reckoning documentary — the allegations, the production quality, and the cultural earthquake it's stirring.Then we wrap up with a discussion about an AI-generated Michael Jackson TrapSoul EP that sends us into a conversation about artistry, ethics, legacy, and whether AI is doing too much. Is it innovation? Is it disrespect? Is it both? The Virgo discourse gets deep.Dating chaos. Celebrity mess. True crime twists. This episode has all the things.Alright y'all, we need your take:AI-generated Michael Jackson TrapSoul — creative evolution or disrespect to a legend's legacy?Drop your thoughts in the comments! We're reading every single one.If this episode made you laugh, gasp, side-eye, or say “nah, this is wild,” hit Like, Subscribe, and tap the notification bell so you never miss a new episode of Virgo Season Show — your go-to pop culture podcast with personality, humor, and Ryan's out of pocket takes.-----Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Trapsoul Version) | Slow Jam R&B AI Cover by GhostChords:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QerkcSVCDz0Michael Jackson - Thriller (Trapsoul Version) | Full Album Reimagined by GhostChords:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhW56_Vu6Do-----Connect With Us:• Email: Virgoseasonshow@gmail.com• Website: Virgoseasonshow.com• YouTube, TikTok & Instagram: @VirgoSeasonShow• Ryan: @OhBlackRyan• Joyhdae: @Joyhdae-----CHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:05 Joyhdae's Ready...10:17 The Rundown10:48 Storytime: DNA Test Reveals Family Drama19:56 Funky Tamar & Yandy Mendeecees26:38 Shoutout to Maino29:52 More "The Boy Is Mine" Tour Drama37:25 Netflix Acquires Warner Brothers41:43 Spoiler Alert: Discussing 'All Her Fault'54:34 Spoiler Alert:  Discussing 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning'01:08:12 False Start & Reprimand01:08:35 Public Service Announcement:  Status of The Show01:09:04 Michael Jackson Trap Soul...?01:18:46 Dad vs Auntie Jokes01:23:47 Find Us On All The Things!01:24:41 One More For The Road...01:25:09 Outro

Welcome to a jam packed edition of Fright School! This week we welcome to the Wes Craven Memorial Library LUXE THE DRAG QUEEN! Like the rest of the world, we are catching up on the latest episodes of STRANGER THINGS! SPOILER ALERT! Joshua spent the fall watching GILMORE GIRLS instead of rewatching the exploits of Eleven and the Gang so he is a bit lost in the Upside Down. Luxe tells us about her horror journey and how the genre intersects with drag. Let's get sickening with the QUEENS OF THE DEAD! Tina Romero invites us all to the last drag show before the apocalypse offering a critique of how the Queer community can devour its own. We discuss internalizing self-hatred, the role apps and phones have in killing Queer community, enabling self-destruction, and offer our thoughts on a new era of horror: Dragsploitation. When there's no more room in hell, let's have a kiki! Find LUXE THE DRAG QUEEN here! Recommended Reading: SUFF Interview: Glitter and Gore: Tina Romero on Queens of the Dead by Nadine Whitney Why Tina Romero put a queer twist on her father's zombie-movie legacy with Queens of the Dead by Aimee Hart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A shining path to cosmic enlightenment… or a deadly descent into madness?This week on Killers, Cults & Queens, Nikki Druce and Cheryl The Queen investigate the Order of the Solar Temple, one of the most infamous cults of the 20th century. Founded by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret, the group claimed sacred connections to the Knights Templar and promised its followers salvation when the apocalypse arrived.Instead, members were subjected to manipulation, sexual “healing” rituals, staged supernatural events, and a terrifying ideology — all of which led to international tragedy.In Part One, we uncover: ✨ Why people are drawn to charismatic cult leaders ✨ How spirituality and control became dangerously intertwined ✨ The role the Waco Siege played in pushing the cult underground ✨ The early warning signs of the mass deaths to comeDive into the chilling psychology behind cult belief, and prepare yourself for Part Two… where the Solar Temple's darkest secrets ignite into unimaginable horror.If you love true crime, dark tourism, occult history, or spooky storytelling with a camp twist — you're in the right place.If you're interested in more true crime deep dives, hit subscribe and ring the bell to stay updated.

This week we are joined by comedian Lauren LoGiudice. Lauren talks about growing up in Queens, playing college basketball for a couple years before moving to rugby, being a donor baby and what comes with that, and so much more.Great EX Drinking Buddy stories this week: Lauren tells us about starting to drink at 16, tunnel clubs in the city, smoking on the side of a highway, becoming the "funnel queen", how drinking is portrayed vs the reality and what eventual lead her to stop drinking.Follow Lauren on INSTAGRAM and check out her "Misfit Variety Show"Find everything for me through the LINKTREE

Send us a textWARNING: FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. UNDER 17 REQUIRES ADULT SUPERVISION.  This week takes a hilarious turn as the Queens discuss the 4th season of the Amityville saga, "Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes" (1989), which is a made for TV movie about a demonically possessed LAMP... pure gold.  Leave ya girls a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll dedicate an episode to your movie pick!

Cees games of the week, 1k club, standout performaces !

This week's Mets highlights are full of Devin Williams reactions, from Sal calling it a good move regardless of what happens with Edwin Diaz to Chris McMonigle giving it an incomplete grade, depending on what moves are next. Plus, BT and Sal react to reports of a chilly relationship between Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, and ponder what the market is for Pete Alonso.

This week's Mets highlights are full of Devin Williams reactions, from Sal calling it a good move regardless of what happens with Edwin Diaz to Chris McMonigle giving it an incomplete grade, depending on what moves are next. Plus, BT and Sal react to reports of a chilly relationship between Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, and ponder what the market is for Pete Alonso.

We kick things off describing Sid's poop. We spend sometime checking in with our favorite Yelp reviewer, and his thoughts on a local Dollar Tree and a Queens pizza joint. We discuss Trump's new peace prize from FIFA. We take a look at the residences at Epstein Island. We learn about Michael and Susan Dell and how there is nothing at all weird about them. We play a new song from Livecast Hall of Famer D4nny. Plenty of fun this episode!NEW! LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL with feedback or any questions. Just call(240) LIVE - CASTThat's ‪(240) 548-3227‬Watch the episode on Youtube for free. Join our Patreon and get a bonus episode each month, and other behind-the-scenes goodies. More info here.Follow us on: Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and our Discord Chat. Also don't forget about our Spotify playlist. We also have merch if you're into that kind of sharing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Mets highlights are full of Devin Williams reactions, from Sal calling it a good move regardless of what happens with Edwin Diaz to Chris McMonigle giving it an incomplete grade, depending on what moves are next. Plus, BT and Sal react to reports of a chilly relationship between Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, and ponder what the market is for Pete Alonso.

Lara and Carey are back in the vortex of Utah to hitch a ride on the covered wagons of our Saltiest of Queens. But first, they discuss Bryan Johnson's cringey declaration of love towards his longtime girlfriend/immortality assistant, shattering Lara's plan to woo him.On RHOSLC, Bronwyn continues her impeccable revenge campaign against Mr. Farts (Todd) and Muzzy by fetching Todd at the airport in a sloth costume and forcing Muzzy to mail Pride flags to protest anti-LGBTQ laws in Utah, much to Muzzy's Mormon chagrin. Whitney laments her money woes to Justin and — though futile — attempts to extract herself from Entity; Heather prepares her younger daughter for college and readies herself for an empty nest Cumspringa. In the spirit of her impending American citizenship, Bronwyn assembles the ladies for a “Spill the Tea Party” where they reenact the Boston Tea Party and confess to the gossip they've spread about each other. Meredith's plane meltdown comes into question again, as Whitney accuses her of being a pill-popping booze head, leading Meredith to whip out drug tests to clear her name. Then, in the spirit of Utah, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt make a shocking cameo…Chapters:00:00:00 It's SUP After Dark (at 3pm!)00:03:19 Major Bryan Johnson Update! He's found love in an ageless place.00:20:12 RHOSLC Recap!Come see SUP LIVE for the first time in 2025 on December 6th and 7th in the heart of Hollywood. Tickets on sale now at sexyuniquepodcast.comListen to this episode ad-free AND get access to weekly bonus episodes + video bonus episodes by joining the SUP Patreon. Watch video episodes of the pod on Thursdays by subscribing to the SUP YouTube. Relive the best moments of this iconic podcast by following the SUP TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Uglies - Join the Queens of Darkness, the Boulet Brothers, as they gather the congregation for the last rights for the recently deceased. Everyones secrets are dragged out into the open during the Titans S2 last supper reunion before we get caught up on all of your  listener questions. Follow The Boulet Brothers on Insta: @bouletbrothers To watch the Creatures of the Night podcast videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BouletBrothersProductions Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/BouletBrothersPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Surprise, y'all! It's a kiki on the main feed! Katy and Nathan are stuck at home for the holidays, so obviously we're talking shit into microphones. In this series you can expect tarot pulls, feminist history side quests, pop culture rants, internet drama (looking at you, rage bait), and whatever else is living rent-free in our brains this week. Grab a drink, grab your headphones, and come kiki with us while we gossip about the past, present, and extremely cursed timeline we're living in. 00:00 Introduction and Holiday Plans 02:35 Thanksgiving Recap and Family Stories 03:47 One Card Tarot pull 06:14 Word of the year Rage Bait 12:11 Spotify Wrapped and Listener Stats 17:44 Wicked Fatigue and Movie Reviews 25:58 The Running Man and why are movies so long 28:39 Diddy Documentary Review 30:49 Sabrina Carpenter vs The White House 35:55 Stranger Things and Aging Cast 40:10 Frankenstein and Woke Criticism 43:18 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly in Westchester called Ken to tell him that she is laughing at the caffeine story he mentioned about looking at an article that states caffeine may or may not be the best for you each morning. David in Queens, NY, hit Ken up to let him know that the inflation check NY Governor Hochul sent out is probably to win back votes when she runs in the 2026 gubernatorial election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kimberly in Westchester called Ken to tell him that she is laughing at the caffeine story he mentioned about looking at an article that states caffeine may or may not be the best for you each morning. David in Queens, NY, hit Ken up to let him know that the inflation check NY Governor Hochul sent out is probably to win back votes when she runs in the 2026 gubernatorial election.

In a world where Israel is headline news every day, most people are trying to interpret events through a fog of bias, misinformation, and instant reaction culture.  We sat down with longtime Jerusalem-based journalist Nicole Jansezian to ask a simple question that's not simple at all:  How do we know what's actually true?  What unfolded was an inside look at the fractured media landscape inside Israel and the ideological forces shaping the region. Nicole helps us slow down and understand why the Middle East defies the easy categories most Westerners reach for.  Israel's political divisions don't map onto America's left-right spectrum. Palestinian society is not monolithic. And both sides live with historic, cultural, and religious dynamics that rarely show up in the headlines.  When we oversimplify, we miss the deeper story - and the deeper human reality. This conversation is for anyone who wants discernment in an age of propaganda. We explore why speed has replaced accuracy, why influencers often outrun truth, and why we need a long view shaped by Scripture, not by algorithms.  For Christians seeking to understand Israel, this isn't just geopolitics - it's about returning to the story God has been telling since Genesis and learning to see the world the way He sees it. Key Takeaways Israel's internal political spectrum is far more complex than the American left–right divide. Headlines often frame events without context, leading to widespread misunderstanding. Influencer-driven “news” prioritizes speed and virality over verification. Propaganda is not always overt; sometimes it's subtle, soft influence that shapes perception. Ideology - religious, historic, territorial - drives Middle Eastern decisions more than economics. The media environment inside Israel is deeply divided, with competing narratives shaping public opinion. Christians must pursue discernment by slowing down, asking better questions, and grounding their understanding in Scripture. Chapter Markers  00:00 – Welcome and introduction from Jerusalem 01:20 – Nicole's story: from Queens to the Middle East 04:00 – Why Israeli politics don't mirror America 08:30 – Divisions inside Israel after October 7 13:45 – How to read news with discernment 16:45 – The rise of influencers and the loss of verification 21:00 – Why analysis is disappearing from modern news 23:00 – Ideological drivers of the Middle East 30:20 – Propaganda and soft influence 37:00 – Where to follow Nicole's reporting To go deeper into conversations that reconnect the whole Bible and illuminate God's ongoing story with Israel and the nations, explore more resources at thejewishroad.com, join us on an upcoming trip to Israel, consider becoming one of The Few who support this work regularly, and follow today's guest at nicjan.com and on her YouTube channel for on-the-ground reporting from Jerusalem.

Okay, I confess that the title of this week's episode is intentionally misleading, but if I told you what it actually was outright, you might not listen, and that would be a great loss! On Monday I celebrated Larry Kert for World AIDS Day, and today, I have made a selection of musical settings of the Marian Antiphon Salve Regina, which translated means, “Hail, Queen,” so there you have the inspiration for the episode. In fact, this is an episode chock-full of particularly glorious singing, and I don't think you'll regret spending the time with these glorious Queens of Song (with a few Kings tossed in)! The 11th-century Salve Regina text, far from being dry and dull, provided inspiration for a wide range of composers, primarily of the Baroque (Handel, Vivaldi, Hasse, the Scarlattis, Monteverdi, and a number of others), but also of later vintage (Mozart, Johann Christian Bach, Schubert, and even Puccini). The singers who perform these works are a Who's Who of Countermelody favorites (Helen Donath, Rachel Yakar, Margaret Marshall, Francisco Araiza, Elly Ameling, and Roberta Alexander) and new friends, including three countertenors (Gérard Lesne, John Angelo Messana, and Jochen Kowalski) who provided inspiration to me as a young singer. Dive right in to this episode, my friends, and never fear: would I steer you wrong? Never! The episode begins with a tribute to Madeline Kahn, who died 26 years ago this week. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

The All Local Afternoon Update on Friday, December 5th, 2025

In our first segment, we speak to City & State Editor Peter Sterne about who Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani selected for his transition team. He explains what role these committees might play in helping him staff his administration, along with setting policy goals. In our second segment we talk to Sarah Ahn and echo - two Flushing Workers Center organizers. We discuss why they oppose billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen's push to open a casino in their working class Queens community. In our final segment we tune into gratitude and the spirit of giving with Palestinian restaurant owner, Abdul Elenani. We talk about a Friendsgiving meal event at Ayat in Astoria, Queens and why he believes in embracing his culture and identity through food.

Sarah Ahn and Echo – two organizers with the Flushing Workers Center – discuss why they oppose billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen's push to open a casino in their working class Queens community.

The head of the popular Palestinian restaurant talks about the Thanksgiving meal they are holding in Astoria, Queens and why the restaurant chooses to publicly embrace its Palestinian identity.

Janae talks with WNYC's Brian Lehrer about 5 things going on in New York City news.

Stories have a way of helping us recognize ourselves, and that's exactly what happened in my conversation with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond. Nana shares what it was like to grow up in Queens, then suddenly move to a boarding school in Ghana, and how that experience shaped her identity in ways she's still uncovering today. As Nana describes her path from writer to author, her years of persistence, and the curiosity that led to books like Powder Necklace and Blue, I felt a deep connection to her commitment to keep creating even when the process feels uncertain. We also explored trust, partnership, and the lessons my guide dogs have taught me—all ideas that tie into the heart of Nana's storytelling. This conversation is an invitation to see your own life with more clarity, courage, and compassion. Highlights: 00:00:10 – Step into a conversation that explores how stories shape courage and connection. 00:01:41 – See how early environments influence identity and spark deeper questions about belonging. 00:02:55 – Learn how a major cultural shift can expand perspective and redefine personal truth. 00:23:05 – Discover what creative persistence looks like when the path is long and uncertain. 00:27:45 – Understand what distinguishes writing from fully embracing authorship. 00:33:22 – Explore how powerful storytelling draws people into a moment rather than just describing it. 00:46:45 – Follow how curiosity about history can unlock unexpected creative direction. 00:59:31 – Gain insight into why treating a publisher as a partner strengthens both the work and the audience reach. About the Guest: Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is the author of Powder Necklace: A Novel, the award-winning children's picture book Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky, the collection Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices, and My Parents' Marriage: A Novel.  Tapped for her passion about Africa's rich fashion traditions and techniques, Brew-Hammond was commissioned by the curators of Brooklyn Museum's "Africa Fashion" exhibit to pen and perform an original poem for the museum's companion short film of the same name. In the clip, she wore a look from the made-in-Ghana lifestyle line she co-founded with her mother and sister, Exit 14. The brand was featured on Vogue.com. Every month, Brew-Hammond co-leads the Redeemed Writers Group whose mission is to write light into the darkness. Learn more about it here.Learn more at nanabrewhammond.com. Ways to connect with Nana**:** Instagram, Facebook and Threads: @nanaekuawriter Twitter: @nanaekua  www.NanaBrewHammond.com  ORDER my new novel   MY PARENTS' MARRIAGE Read 2023 NCTE Award Winner & NAACP Image Award Nominee   BLUE: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky   Read RELATIONS: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices , stories, essays & poems by new and established Black writers   Shop Exit 14 , all weather, uniquely designed, 100% cotton apparel sustainably made in Ghana About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:20 And a pleasant, Good day to you all, wherever you happen to be, I would like to welcome you to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a conversation with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond And Nana has a lot of interesting things to talk about. She's written books, she's done a variety of different things, and rather than me giving it all away, it'll be more fun to let her tell the stories and get a chance for us to listen to her. She is in Oakland, California, so she's at the other end of the state for me, and we were just comparing the weather. It's a lot colder where she is than where I live down here in Victorville, where today it's 104 degrees outside. And Nana, you said it was like, what, somewhere around 70. Yeah, it's 68 There you go. See lovely weather. Well, Nana, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here, and I want to thank you for taking the time to be with us. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  02:23 I feel the same way. Thank you for having me on your amazing show. And it's so wonderful to be in conversation with you. Michael Hingson  02:30 Well, I'm glad we get a chance to spend some time together and we can, we can talk about whatever we want to talk about and make it relevant and interesting. So we'll do that. Why don't we start with what I love to do at the beginning of these is to talk about the early Nana growing up and all that. So take us back as close to the beginning as your memory allows. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  02:52 Oh gosh, as my memory allows. Um, I so I was born in Plattsburgh, New York, which is upstate near Montreal, Canada. Michael Hingson  03:06 Been there. Oh, cool in the winter. I even crossed the lake in an icebreaker. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  03:12 But yeah, oh my gosh, wow. Okay, yeah. Bring back memories. Well, I was only there for till I was, like two years old. So, but I do, I have gone up there in the winter and it is cold. Yes, it is cold, yeah. So I was born there, but I grew up in New York City and had that really was sort of my life. I lived in New York, grew up in Queens, New York, and then at 12 years old, my parents decided to send me to Ghana to go to school. And that was sort of like a big, the biggest change of my life, like I know that there was a before Ghana and an after Ghana, Nana and so, yeah, wow. Michael Hingson  04:02 So, so when was that? What year was that that you went to Ghana? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  04:06 That was 1990 August of 1990 actually. Michael Hingson  04:11 So what did you think about going to Ghana? I mean, clearly that was a major change. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  04:15 Yeah, you know, I, you know, my parents are from Ghana originally. So when, you know, they would always talk about it. We, you know, back then phones, long distance phone calls to Ghana. I, you know, that was, that was the extent of my sort of understanding of Ghana, the food that we ate at home, etc. So going to Ghana was just sort of mind blowing to me, to sort of be crossing, you know, getting on a plane and all of that, and then being in the country that my parents had left to come to the United States, was just sort of like, oh, wow, connecting with family members. It was just, it was a lot. To process, because life was very, very, very, very different. So yeah, it was just sort of a wild eye opening experience about just the world and myself and my family that ultimately inspired me to write a book about it, because it was just, I just, it was a lot to process. Michael Hingson  05:25 Why did they want you to go to to Ghana to study? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  05:30 Yeah, so in the 90s, in New York City or and in the late 80s, there was the crack epidemic was happening, and we, you know, I mean, I remember, we lived in a house in Queens, and when we would, you know, part of our chores was to sweep in front of the house, you know, rake the leaves, that kind of thing in the fall. And we would, all the time there would be crack files, you know, like as we're sweeping up, and I didn't get there where we were young. My sister was, you know, a teenager. I was 12, and my, you know, my younger brother had just been born. He was just like a, like, a little under a year old. And I think my parents just didn't feel that it was a safe place for us as kids to grow up. And so, yeah, they wanted to kind of give us an opportunity to get out of, you know, that environment for a while. Michael Hingson  06:33 What did you think of it? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  06:35 I mean, you know, as a kid, you never want to leave what to you. So it was, I would say it was, it was, it was interesting. Because initially I loved it. I was like, I actually campaigned, you know, I was like, I really, you know, would like to stay in Ghana, but I didn't want to stay for, you know, the three years, which is what I what happened? I wanted to stay for maybe, like a year, kind of try it, you know, go to school for a year. I found it this really cool adventure, go to boarding school and on all of that. But my parents made the decision that we should just sort of ride it out and finish like I had to finish high school. And, yeah, so, so great for me. Michael Hingson  07:25 So you were there for three years, yes. So by you were 12, so by 15, you had finished high Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  07:32 school, yeah, because the system there is different. It's it was at the time the British system. So it was like a form system where I saw I entered in form three, because it was, it wasn't quite the equivalent in the sense that I probably should have started in form two or form one, but I was also an advanced student, and and they, the way the system there works is you have to take a common entrance exam from primary school to get into secondary school. So it's very difficult to get into school midstream there. So we had to go through all of these hoops. And, you know, there was an opening in form three, and that was higher than my, you know, than where I should have been, but I was advanced, so I was able to get into that school that way. You did okay. I assume I did. I mean, I struggled, which was interesting, because I was a very, you know, good, strong student in the States, but I struggled mightily when I first got there, and throughout, it was never easy, but I was able to manage. Michael Hingson  08:49 Now, did your sister also go to Ghana? She Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  08:52 did, and she was hopping mad. Michael Hingson  08:55 How old was she when you were 12, she was Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  08:59 17, so she Okay, yeah, almost about to go to college. She was really excited about, like, that portion of life. And then it was like, okay, she's in Ghana. She was hopping mad. Michael Hingson  09:13 Well, how long did she stay? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  09:16 Well, so she stayed for two years. Because what Ghana has is sort of like, at the time it was something called sixth form, which is, again, the British system. So it's sort of like a college prep in between the equivalent of that. So she basically did that in Ghana. Michael Hingson  09:38 Okay, well, and your little brother didn't go to Ghana, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  09:44 not yet, not not yet. You Michael Hingson  09:47 mean they didn't send him over at one year? No, okay, well, that's probably a good idea. Well, so looking back on it, what do you think about having spent three years in. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  10:00 Ghana, looking back on it, I think it was actually really, really good for me. I mean, it was that doesn't take away from the fact that it was very difficult. It was very, very challenging, not only academically. It was I was bullied really hard at this boarding school that I went to. The girls just kind of made my life hell. But what was amazing about it for me was that I had, I had exposure to Ghanaian culture in a way that I would never have had in the States. As I mentioned to you, Ghana was sort of that country over there when I lived in America. And you know, it existed as you know, family members coming to visit, long distance phone calls, the food that we ate, that you know, the accents that we had, things that made us different, and at the time, that was not cool. You know, as a kid, you just want to fit in and you don't want to be different. And going to Ghana was my opportunity to learn that, wow, I didn't have to be embarrassed or ashamed of that difference. There was so much to be proud of. You know, my family was, you know, a sprawling family, you know, my my grandmother owned a business, my grandfather owned a business, you know, it was, it was really, it was eye opening, just to sort of be in another environment. People knew how to, you know, pronounce my name, and I didn't have to, you know, just explain things. And that was really affirming for a 12 year old and a 13 year old when you're going through that, you know. So it was really good for me. And in Ghana is where I came to know Christ. I became a Christian, and it was something that spiritually, I was not really, I don't know, I just didn't really think about spiritual. I did on some level. But going to Ghana, it everything just felt so palpable. It was really like we're praying for this. And it happened, you know what I mean, like, yeah. It felt very Yeah. It was just a time in my life when life really felt very the mysteries of life really felt like they were open to me, Michael Hingson  12:37 interesting and so you clearly gained a lot of insight and knowledge and experience over there that you were able to bring back with you when you came Yes, yes. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  12:55 When I returned to the States, I was just, I think of myself, I guess, as a weirdo. Like, when I came back, I just felt so weird because I couldn't really, fully, you know, connect with my friends, because I had missed out on three years of culture, you know. And you You don't realize how much culture means, like, until, like, you know, you don't have those references anymore. I didn't know the songs that were popular. I didn't, you know, know about, I forget, there was some sort of genes that were really popular while I was gone. I didn't know what they were. I didn't have a pair of them. So it was just sort of this, this interesting time. And I was also young, because I had finished high school, and I was 15, yeah, my friends were, you know, sophomores, yeah, you know, and I was beginning the process of looking into college. So it was just a really isolating time for me and I, but also, you know, interesting and I, again, I say it was, it was ultimately in the in the wash of it. I think it was good because it enabled me to sort of, I guess, mature in a way that enabled me to start college earlier. And, you know, sort of see the world in a much different way. Michael Hingson  14:26 So when you went to college, what did you want to do? Or had you had you decided to start laying plans for a major and what you wanted to do post college, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  14:36 I did not know what I wanted to do. I kind of, I mean, I kind of thought I wanted to be a doctor. I thought I wanted to be a doctor. Like, all my life, growing up, I was like, I'm going to be a doctor. And I was a science student in Ghana, but I struggled mightily. But still, I went. I entered college with us. You know, the plans? To become a bio psychology major. And you know, I took two, three classes, well more than that, I did, like, a year of classes. And I was just like, This is not for me, not for me at all. But yeah, yeah. So it was, it was that was a little rough. Michael Hingson  15:21 Things happen. So what did? What did you go off and do? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  15:25 Then I ended up majoring in political science and Africana Studies, and it was, I remember taking a political science class my freshman year, and I, my my professor was amazing, but it was, it was interesting to me. I think looking back now, being able to think about the world in a way that was sort of linking history and politics and culture together. And I think that was interesting to me, because I had just come from Ghana and had been exposed to, like, sort of this completely different culture, completely different political system, and, you know, kind of having that, I that thinking, or that wonderment of like, wow, you can Life can be so different somewhere else, but it's still life, and it's still happening, but also having that connection as an American to America and what's happening there. And so holding both of those things in my hands when I got to college, I think I was, I just what I was really sort of intrigued by the idea of studying politics and studying culture and society, Michael Hingson  16:48 and that's what you did. Yes, I did. So you got a degree in political science. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  16:54 Yes, a double degree political science and Africana Studies. Michael Hingson  16:57 Africana Studies, okay, and again, that that's probably pretty interesting, because the the Ghana influence had to help with the Africana Studies, and the desire to to do that, and you certainly came with a good amount of knowledge that had to help in getting that as a part of your major. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  17:16 Well, interestingly, my focus was on African American Studies, because I really growing up as an immigrant, like with immigrant parents, their understanding or their their thought process wasn't necessarily, I don't know they weren't. They didn't really raise us to think about race or being black, because their consciousness wasn't about that. It was they were immigrants. You know what? I mean, they weren't thinking about that. So I was actually quite curious, because I did grow up in America and I was black, but I didn't understand, you know, the history of America in that way. And I remember, actually, when I was in was it the third or maybe it was the second or third grade, or maybe it was fifth grade. I did a project on the Civil War, and I remember being so interested in it, because I had, I just didn't, you know, it wasn't. I was so fascinated by American history because I really wasn't. I didn't, I didn't understand it in the way that maybe somebody who wasn't the child of immigrants, you know, might, you know, connect with it. So I was just Yeah, so I was really fascinated by African American history, so I ended up double majoring in it and concentrating on African American politics, which was really fascinating to me. Michael Hingson  18:55 Yeah, and there certainly has been a fair amount of that over the years, hasn't there? Yes, there has, but you can, you can cope with it and and again. But did your time in Ghana, kind of influence any of what you did in terms of African American Studies? Did it help you at all? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  19:15 Um, I, I don't know, because I don't because, because I think what, what I what, what Ghana helped me with was, I remember, I'll say this. I remember one time in Ghana, in class, we were reading a book by an author who had we were reading a play, actually by a Ghanaian writer who was writing about a Ghanian man who married an African American woman and brought her to his home. And there was a lot of clash between them, because, you know, they were both black, but they had different sort of backgrounds. Yeah, and I remember the teacher asking, because the. The the wife that he brought home, the African American woman, mentioned certain things about America, and no one in the classroom could answer any questions about America, and I was the only one who could. And I was, you know, very, very sort of shy in that in that school and in that context. But I remember that day feeling so emboldened, like I was, like, I can actually contribute to this conversation. And so maybe, you know, in on some level, when I got back to the states, maybe there was some interest in linking those two things together. But it wasn't as as is in life. It wasn't obvious to me. Then it was sort of just kind of me following my interest and curiosity. And I ended up, I didn't set out to be an Africana Studies double major, but I ended up taking so many classes that I had the credits. And, you know, I was like, Okay, I guess I'm I have two degrees now, or two, two concentrations, Michael Hingson  21:02 yeah, did you go and do any advanced work beyond getting bachelor's degrees? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  21:08 No, I did not. When I graduated, I initially thought I might get interested, get in, go to law school. But this was me again, following my muse. I realized that my real interest was in writing papers when I was in college. You know, give me a 15 page paper, 20 page paper, I was ecstatic. I loved writing papers. And I think that's one of the reasons, too, why I loved political science and Africana Studies, because we were assigned tons of papers, and it enabled me to sort of, you know, writing these papers enabled me to kind of think through questions that I had, or process what I was reading or thinking about or feeling. And so when I graduated from college, you know, I got, you know, a job, and was working, trying to figure out, Okay, do I want to go to law school? But at the time that I graduated, that was also during the time of, like, the.com boom, and there were a lot of online magazines that were looking for writers, and so I started, kind of, you know, submitting, and I got some some things published. And as that was happening, I was like, I think this is what I want to focus on. Michael Hingson  22:30 So when did you really know that you were a writer? Then? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  22:34 I mean, I don't I think that when I got back, when I started working, so I, ultimately, I got a job in advertising, and I was working, you know, as an assistant in the on the account side of things, but there was this whole creative department that, you know, got to, you know, come up with all of the, you know, the the taglines and write commercials and write jingles and all that kind of stuff. And I was, like, so fascinated by that, and that's what I thought, okay, I could if you know, I need a job, I need money, and I want to write, so maybe this is what I need to be doing. And so I ultimately did get a job as a copywriter and and I still, you know, do that work today, but I think I always knew that I needed to write, and I wanted to actually write about my experience in Ghana. So I remember, you know, I started kind of very fledgling. Would began to write into that, and I ultimately started writing that the book that became my first book, powder necklace, on the subway to and from work. Every morning I would wake up very early, write what I could get ready for work, right on the bus, right on the subway, you know, get to work after work. You know, repeat. And it took me many years, but that's what I did. And I wrote my first book, Michael Hingson  24:14 and that was published in 2010 right? Yes, it was, did you self publish? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  24:18 Or I well, I did not self publish. I was published by Simon and Schuster. Simon and Schuster's Atria Books, Washington Square press. And part of my process was I started just kind of, you know, the Internet. The Internet was new. It was something that was available to me. So I started just kind of Googling, how do you get published? And they said you needed a literary agent. So I started looking online for literary agents. And because I lived in New York City at the time, I would literally write my my query letters and like, hand deliver them different agencies. 90s, and one woman, after four years of looking, said, Okay, this sounds interesting. I'd love to meet with you. And I didn't believe. I was like, wow, I've been rejected for four years, and somebody actually wants this, and she was able to sell the book. And I was shocked. I was like, Simon and sister, okay? And at the time they bought it, the, you know, the America, the US, was going through the whole financial, you know, crisis, the recession, in 2008 so they held my book for a year, and then we began the process in 2009 and then they, you know, we were on track to publish it in 2010 Michael Hingson  25:46 Wow. Well, tell me about that book. Yeah. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  25:51 Powder necklace is a novel. It's a fictionalized account of my experience going to high school in Ghana. I when I went to school in Ghana. I went to a girls boarding school in the mountains of Ghana central region, and that school was going through a major water crisis. We did not, I mean, we the short story is that, I guess, because of we were on the mountain, the water pressure was very low, and so it was really difficult to get the water up that mountain. And they didn't have like enough, you know, tanks around the school and what have you. So we had one artificial well, and then we had, like, an underground well, and that was it. And the underground well wasn't always, you know, full of water to service the whole school. It was really difficult. So, you know, we had to bring in our own water, some. And then it became, if you had money, you could bring water. But if you didn't have money, you didn't and it was a very desperate time for for young girls without being not being able to take a shower on demand. And it was, it was wild. Michael Hingson  27:15 Where does the title powder necklace come from? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  27:19 So the title, I named it powder necklace, because, as I mentioned, taking a shower became this like symbol of the haves and the have nots. And, you know, all of this having water, really. And if so, what, what the girls, what we would do is, you know, after you've taken a bath, people would put tons of powder on their necks. And it was sometimes it was okay we didn't take a bath, so we're going to put powder on our necks to scented powder to cover the odor. But it was also a way, like if you had bathed, to sort of, you know, show off that you'd bathed. So for me, it was as I was reflecting on the on this as I was writing this story and reflecting on that whole experience, I thought, wow, it was sort of our way of holding our heads up, you know, in the difficult situation, and kind of making the best of it. So that's why I called it powder necklace, Michael Hingson  28:17 okay? And that was for children. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  28:20 Well, it was for young adults, young adults, but Michael Hingson  28:25 it was more writing than pictures. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  28:27 Yeah, it was a young adult novel. I actually, I mean, this was my first book. I really didn't know what I was doing. I just, I wrote the book and I didn't know that it was a young adult novel, until people were like, Yeah, you wrote a young adult novel. I'm like, okay, Michael Hingson  28:47 works for me. Well, what does, what does being a writer mean to you? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  28:54 Um, I think being a writer means to me being able to articulate. A time, a place, a mood, a moment, being able to articulate it, one for myself, but also to create a record that helps people who don't necessarily have that gift to be able to sort of put words to the experience of living at a time place, having a certain feeling about something. Michael Hingson  29:34 Do you think there's a difference between being considered a writer and being an author, are they the same, or are they really different? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  29:45 I do think that there is a difference, and not in a sort of, you know, highfalutin way. I think the difference is the fact that when you I think, like, when you asked me initially, like, when do you think that you you became. Became a writer. My My instinct is to say that I think I was always a writer, because I think if you write, you're a writer. And whether you're published or not, you're a writer. If you have that inclination, that gift, and you sort of invest in that gift, and invest and develop it. I think you're a writer, but I think with an author, I think then that's to me. I think of it as the business of being a writer, or the business of being, yeah, you are now sort of in business with your publisher. Publisher has invested a certain amount in you, and it then becomes a more sort of public facing thing. The work is not just for you anymore. The work is now being disseminated to a group and hopefully to as many people as possible, and you as the writer now have to figure out, like, how do I get to my audience? How do I maximize or expand the reach of this thing that I wrote? How do I connect with people around the story and build build a readership. And how do I ultimately, you know, the my desire and goal would be to live off of this. How do I make turn this into something that I can, I can do, you know, full time and live off of Michael Hingson  31:38 so you turn from a writer to being an author. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  31:42 I'm, yes, I am an author, and I'm and I'm hoping to get to the to the, you know, the point where I can do it 100% full time, and it be, you know, 100% lucrative in that way. Michael Hingson  31:56 So what are you doing now? In addition to doing books, I Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  32:01 also freelance as a copywriter, so I'm still copywriting, Michael Hingson  32:05 okay, I was wondering what you what you did? So you're doing, still marketing and jingles and all those things, yeah, well, I Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  32:13 I'm my focus. I do do that, but my focus is mainly in the digital space. So I write lots of websites and web ads and social media copy, and, you know, things of that nature, campaign work. Michael Hingson  32:33 Well, that's, is there anything that you've written or copy written that we would all know, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  32:42 yeah, I mean, I did. I've done a lot. I guess the maybe the most recent thing that I've done that people might be aware of, or some people might be aware of, is the Brooklyn Museum in New York, did a an exhibition called Africa fashion. And I, they created a short film to promote it, and I, they commissioned me to write an original piece for it. And so I wrote that piece and and performed it in the film. So, you know, people who are into that kind of thing a museum, that that museum might be aware of it. But I've also written for, I did a lot of work for L'Oreal Paris, USA, and I've just done a lot of beauty work. So many of the beauty brands you might be aware, you know, you might know, I've done some work for them, cool. Michael Hingson  33:45 Well, that, you know, you do have to do things to earn an income to to be able to afford to write until you can do it full time. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  33:53 Yeah, yeah. And I actually really love copywriting. I think it's an it's been an incredible teacher in the sense of how to how to crystallize an idea in very short, you know, in just a few words, how to convey emotion in just a few words. And also that storytelling is not just the words, it's how you deliver the story that's all part of it. So I think it's been an incredible teacher in that way. Michael Hingson  34:28 I know for me as a speaker, it is how you tell the story. And I've learned over 23 and a half years of speaking how to take people inside the World Trade Center and actually have them travel with me and do all the things that, and experience all the things that that I went through, and then come out of the other side and I and I say that because so many people after I speak somewhere, well. Come up and say, we were with you in the building. We were with you with everything that you did. And I appreciate that there is a real significant art to storytelling, and part of it is also, and I'm sure that this is true for you as a writer and an author, that part of it has to be that you have to actually connect with the audience. You've got to understand the audience. You've got to connect with them, and you have to bring them along, because they're not expecting to go with you. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  35:33 Absolutely, absolutely. And I will say that I started one of your books just the beginning of it, and I was just running with Roselle, and I was so taken, so absorbed by the first few pages of it. You really do immerse us. And I think that that's the best kind of of writing. You know, when you're able to kind of present material that people may or may not be familiar with, and make it riveting and really bring us into it, and then have us invest being, feel invested well. Michael Hingson  36:16 And I think the last book that we did last year live like a guide dog. I worked really hard to make sure that we were drawing people into the experiences, because every chapter is actually taking lessons from one of my guide dogs and also from Fantasia, which who is my wife's service dog, but each chapter relates to one of those dogs, and I wanted them to be environments where people again were drawn in and appreciate the dogs for what they are and what they do, not just some dumb Animal that comes along. Yeah. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  37:00 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, so interesting. I think there's, there's so much, I guess. I don't want to use the word, I guess what I want to say, there's a lot of mystery in in the sort of human animal interaction, and people just aren't aware of how powerful it is, and I can, I'm saying that I speak for myself, because growing up, actually, I was really, really scared of dogs and animals, all animals, and I so there's, there's two, there's kind of two stories I'll share. But one is when we were, when we were growing up, my parents, you know, were from Ghana. They wanted to eat goat meat. And at the time, you couldn't just go to a supermarket goat meat. So we used to go to a farm out in New Jersey that had goats, and we would have to go and have the goat, you know, slaughtered and, you know, cut up and all that kind of stuff for the meat. And I remember that whenever the hand would go into, you know, the pen where the goats were, the goats would just were. They would be so stressed out, they would like, you know, part like the ocean walked in, and if he picked, when he picked one out. There would be other people, other goats in the pen that would start screaming in agony, along with the goat that had been picked out. And I was just like, Oh my gosh. That must be his family members, like, or his loved ones. And it was so I remember that was so eye opening to me, like, wow. So I ended up years, years later, I wrote a short story, and I actually did some research on goats and how brilliant they are, and I was just like, wow, oh my goodness, I remember that so well. But I have a cat right now, and my kitty cat is just such a such a joy, like just sort of to build that relationship with, with my with my pet, is just such a beautiful thing, and how she just kind of, because I grew up really scared of pets, and I sort of inherited her when I got when I got married, you know, she's been very patient with me, like, because at first I was so skittish around her, and I could see her, kind of like rolling her eyes, like, I mean, you no harm. You can pick me up. It's all good. And she's just been so wonderfully patient with me. We've built that bond over time. Michael Hingson  39:31 Well, yeah, I have, of course, my my eighth guy, dog, Alamo, and stitch the cat. Stitch is 15 and a half and a real cutie pie. We rescued her. Actually, there were people who were living next to us, and he was moving out. His wife had died, and he just told the people who were moving all of his stuff out, take the cat to the pound. I don't want anything to do with it. And we, we said, Absolutely not. We'll find it a home. And then I asked, What the. Cat's name was, and they told me the cat's name was stitch. And I knew that this cat wasn't going to go anywhere because my wife had been, well, my wife had been a quilter since 1994 and a quilter is never going to give away a cat named stitch. Yes. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  40:14 Oh, I'm so glad stitch found a home with you. Michael Hingson  40:18 Oh, yeah. Well, we found a stitch. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  40:20 Oh, that's right, that's right. Michael Hingson  40:23 And, and, and so she's, she's got lots of personality. And so it really works out pretty well. No, no complaints. And I've always said, Whenever I get a guide dog, because my wife has always had cats, when I get a new guide dog, I've always said, and will continue to say, it has to be a dog that's been raised around cats and has no problems with cats. I have seen a couple of Guide Dogs, actually, that hated cats, and one almost killed a cat, and that's I will never tolerate that. Yeah, they have to get along. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely now, when we brought Alamo home, stitch had a few concerns about this dog in her house. She got over it when she decided that Alamo wasn't going to do anything to bother her and they they talk all the time now and rub noses and all that sort of stuff. Oh, that's so cool, yeah, but, but it's, it is great, and they, they bring so much joy and so many lessons to us that I think it was really important to learn. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  41:34 Yeah, yeah. You're reminding me the first dog, because my grandmother actually loves animals, and when I went to Ghana, she got a dog, and, you know, as a kid, so we got a puppy. And I remember the puppy was initially supposed to be a guard dog, but we I, I would feed the I would hand feed the dog sausages and just spoil the dog so much. Could not be a guard dog, so I loved that dog. Joshua, yeah, Joshua, Michael Hingson  42:07 well, but you and Joshua got along really well. On we got along great. One of the things that people sometimes ask me is if my dog trained to protect and the answer is no, they're not trained, and then they've said, Well, what would happen if somebody were to decide to attack you with the dog around? And my response will always be and rightly so, I wouldn't want to be the person to try that and find out what will happen, because much more than guarding, there's love. And I've always believed that dogs love unconditionally. I think trusting is a different story. They are open to trust, but, but you have to earn their trust. They'll love you, but will they trust you? That depends on you. And so it's it's really pretty cool, but I would not want to be the person to ever decide to try to attack us, because I, I am sure that Alamo would not tolerate that at all. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  43:10 Oh, not at all. How do, how do you or how have you built trust with your your pets? Michael Hingson  43:17 Well, a lot of it has to do with they want us to be the pack leaders. They want us to be their team leader. And so I have to set the ground rules. So, for example, no jumping on the furniture and all that. But again, it's also how you convey that. So if my dog is going to jump up on something and I don't want that, I'll say, leave it. And as soon as the dog obeys, I'll give the dog a food reward, a kibble, to let the dog know, and I'll also use a clicker, but I'll let the dog know I approve of what you did, not punishing them for, you know, something else. Yeah, so it's not punishment, it's positive rewards. I think that's extremely important, but also it is in the stressful times being very focused and calm. So if we're walking somewhere and we get lost, that is not the dog's fault, because it's my job to know where to go and how to get where I'm going, and it's the dog's job to make sure that we walk safely to get there, so if we get lost, that's on me. And what I can't do, or shouldn't do, is panic and become very fearful and upset, because the dog will sense that I have to stop and figure it out and continue to praise the dog, saying what a good job you're doing, and so on. And those kinds of things are the things that will, over time, build that trust. I think it takes a good year to truly build a trusting relationship that is second. To none. And that's the kind of teaming relationship that you want, whether it's a guide dog or any dog. And even as far as that goes, although they're different cats, yeah, but it's, it's all about building that relationship and conveying the command and conveying that you want to trust and be trusted? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  45:24 Yeah, yeah. I think you're you. What you said that really resonated with me is that they want to know. They want you to be the pack leader and the and part of that is, you know, you lay down the ground rules, but also you're responsible for them and their well being. And, yeah, that really, that really resonated with me. Michael Hingson  45:48 Well, so you wrote your first book, and then when did you write your second book? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  45:55 My second book came out in 2022, so it was a 12 year spread in my first book and my second book, Why so long? Oh my gosh, my book, I was the book I was working on, like to sort of follow, was just rejected for, for all that whole time, and I was, you know, in more and more distraught, and, you know, in despair about it. I didn't know what to do about it. And I actually, you know, I was actually reading the Bible, and I came across the fact that there was a curtain, a blue curtain, in King Solomon's temple. And I was like, why does it matter that the curtain was blue? And so I just started googling casually, and I discovered that there was a snail in antiquity that was harvested for the blue drops that it it secreted, or it secreted drops that were ultimately oxidized to turn blue. And I was like, what I've never heard about this? I started doing some more research, and I realized, like, oh my gosh, the color blue has such a fascinating history. Kids need to know about this. And so I wrote it really as a poem initially, but then I thought, you know, I really want to see if I can get this published. And I was able to get it published, and that became my children's book blue, which was such a bomb to my soul, because after sort of a decade of getting, you know, rejected, and, you know, close to a decade of getting rejected, this, this sort of beautiful, like, sort of knowledge, you know, I came across, But I was able to create a book, and it's just been a wonderful experience with the children's Michael Hingson  47:45 book, wow, so the full title of blue is, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  47:51 it's blue a history of the color as deep as the sea and as wide as the sky. Wow. Michael Hingson  47:57 That should be enough to get the book sold. But as you point out, there's, there's a lot of history, yes, and that, that's pretty cool. So it was, it was released in 2022 and they finally, the publishers finally bought into that, huh? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  48:16 Well, yeah, I mean, that wasn't the novel that I've been working on. So I was still working. I ultimately, I did sell the novel, but that was its own journey, and I ended up writing another book that became the book is called my parents marriage, and it is not about my actual parents marriage. It's a novel about a young woman for adult readers. It's my first book for adult readers, and it is about a young woman whose parents are in a polygamous union, and how they're they have a really turbulent polygamous union, and how that relationship kind of kind of cast a shadow on this woman's, you know, choices in relationships and marriage for herself. Michael Hingson  49:10 So you you publish that my parents marriage. You also did a collection relations. Tell me about relationships. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  49:18 I did. Yeah, so relations is an anthology of its stories, essays and poems that are by writers from all across the continent of Africa. So I have Egyptian poets and Libyan you know essayists and you know, Nigerian storytellers, just it was, it was a really amazing project to work on. I started working on it during August of 2020, which was sort of like I've heard it described as peak pandemic, right? You know, we were several months. Into lockdown, and you know, it became this wonderful way for me to kind of connect while I was sort of holed up in my apartment in New York. Michael Hingson  50:15 Okay, now, were you married by then? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  50:18 No, I was not. I had just started dating my now husband, and I was like, Am I ever gonna see this man again? Because he lived in California, so at that time, the planes were grounded. I remember we were, like, on the first, very first flights that were able to start, you know, that started and be on planes, there'd be like, four people on the entire plane. Michael Hingson  50:42 Yeah, hopefully you both weren't on planes going against each other at the same time. No, you did communicate a little more than that. Oh, good. Well, so you published. So when was well? What was relations published? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  51:02 Relations came out in 2023 okay, February of 2023, and my parents marriage came out in July of 2024. Just came out in July of 2025, Michael Hingson  51:14 which one the paperback of the paperback? Oh, okay. Have any of them been converted to audio Yes, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  51:23 all, but my first book, are audio books. So blue is an audio book, beautifully read, and then their relations, the stories and essays and poems are read by two speaking artists, and then my parents, marriage is is also wonderfully performed. So, yeah, they're all an audience. Michael Hingson  51:50 That's cool, yeah. So when you're writing, what, what's kind of the difference, or, how do you differentiate between writing for young people and writing for adults. There must be differences. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  52:07 Yeah, I think, I think with for young people, and the practical thing that I try to do is make sure that the vocabulary is are is familiar to them, mostly familiar. I like to put in a stretch word now and then to kind of get them to, like, get to the dictionary and find out what. But if I'm right, when I when I wrote blue, for example, knowing that, you know, the the age group is, the age spread is four to 888, year olds are in third grade. Four year olds are in pre K, so that's that's pretty big spread. So my sweet spot is first and second grade vocabulary words. Okay, it has to be something that they've been exposed to. So thinking of it in that way, the other thing too is breaking down concepts that are, you know, as adults, you know, we just assume that you know, or you can go look it up, but just kind of thinking it through. So if I'm talking about, instead of saying that, you know, there was a snail in antiquity who, you know, heart, you know, dyers were harvesting blue dye from these snails through after a process of oxidation. I wouldn't use any of those words. I would say, snail produced some drops that when exposed to the air and the sun turned blue. And so just sort of really, kind of being mindful of that, and also thinking very visually, writing, very visually. How can I create pictures with words that would be familiar to a child, that can sort of ignite their imagination? Michael Hingson  53:53 Yeah, I think it's extremely important to to deal with the visual aspects of it, but using words and really drawing again, drawing people in because if you just say, well, you can see this in this picture. That doesn't mean a lot, and you're also, I would think, helping to teach or create the concept that some people might some children might want to go off and write because they like how you say and what you say Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  54:24 absolutely and when I when I talk to kids, I go or visit schools, I invite them like I wrote about the color blue. What's your favorite color? These are some some things that I did to kind of learn about it. You can do these things to learn about your favorite color and write your own book? Michael Hingson  54:42 Yeah, yeah, it's, I think, so important to really draw people in and get them to think. And I think it's so much fun for me, I do some of that, but I have probably more of a chance. Challenge, because kids want to play with the dog. Yeah, it's all about the dog. I did a lecture at a K through six elementary school in San Francisco several years ago. I'm trying to remember what school it was anyway, and the teacher said you can only talk for about 10 or 12 minutes, because they just won't pay attention any longer than that. 35 minutes later, I finally ended the discussion, because they were so fascinated to hear me talk about what my dog did. And then I carried that over to how blind people work and function and all that. And the fact is, they were fascinated. The teachers couldn't believe it, but for me, it was a great lesson to know that it's all about creating these pictures that people can follow, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  55:53 yeah, and also to extending those pictures or those words into an experience for kids. Yeah, they really, they really appreciate, sort of like seeing it, kind of, you know, see if the having the concept come to life, yeah, way. And so I'm sure when they see your dog, or are able to interact with your dog, that must be so wonderful for them, Michael Hingson  56:22 but it's important for them to understand what the dog is all about. So by the time they get to interact with the dog, we've talked about things like, you never pet a guide dog in harness. This is what a guide dog does, and this is what they don't do. There are a lot of things to to cover. So it's great when I have the opportunity to really teach them. And sometimes we'll walk around a classroom and I'll show them what he does. Yeah, it's important to be able to do that. Oh, I love that. I love that. And he loves it, of course, all the way. So no question about that. He's you haven't lived until you've seen two or 300 kids all wanting to pet this dog. And the dog knows what to do. He's down on the floor with every appendage stretched out as far as he can go to maximize petting places, petting. Oh, it is so funny. I love that. He loves it. He's, he's, he's so happy. He doesn't care whether he'll do it more with kids even than adults, but, yeah, he'll do it with everybody. It's all about petting me and just remembering I'm the dog. I love that. Well, you've gone through a fair amount of time between books, and I'm sort of curious, what do you think about all the various kinds of changes and ebbs and flows that have come along in the book business, in the book publishing business and so on. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  57:56 Yeah, there have been a lot of changes. Um, I think, um, when my first book came out, like things like, you know, Instagram Bookstagram did not exist. There weren't many sort of podcasts or things of that nature. So I think that there is, there's definitely, there are more venues and more platforms to, you know, get the message out about the book. But I think also there is, it's also just hard. It's in some ways, it also feels in some ways more challenging to get the word out, because in addition to, like, yes, there are more venues in that way, regard, there are fewer book reviewers and fewer places to get a book reviewed, and there's a whole kind of interesting business about around getting reviews. So it's just not the same in that way. But then at the same time. I think what remains the same is connecting with readers. I think the most effective thing is, you know, writing a book that's good and then getting people who have read it and liked it to evangelize, to tell people I liked it, please buy it, or you should have you heard of and because at the end of the day, you know, that's what's going to, you know, give it some wind Michael Hingson  59:30 when thunder dog came out, and we did mention about reviews, and it actually has had, like well over 1600 reviews since it came out in 2011 live like a guide dog hasn't had, of course, so many yet, but every time I get a chance to talk about that book, I ask people to go review it and tell them why it's so important, because potential readers want to know what people think of the book. Yeah, for sure. For sure, it's. It really is important for readers to review and just be honest and say what you think. It's fine, but people should do that. For me, I think one of the biggest things that I see that publishers are doing less of is in a lot of ways, true marketing. You don't, you know, you don't see them doing nearly as much. Of course, I know it's more expensive, but to help create book tours or anything like that, they focus only on social media, and that's not the way to market the book. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  1:00:33 Yeah, I think, I mean, I've never worked inside a publishing office, so I don't know what actually, how they make these decisions and what goes on, but I do. I think what I have come to sort of think, how I've come to think of it, is the publisher is my business partner, sort of invested in terms of, they've given me an advance. They're going to do the turn key things like, you know, make sure the book gets reviewed by Publishers Weekly, or, sorry, Publishers Marketplace, or no Publishers Weekly. I was correct, and Kirkus review, Kirkus right, and all those kinds of things. And maybe they'll do a mailing to you know who they believe are the people that they need to mail it to. But outside of that, unless you know you, you know it's stipulated in your contract, or you know you are that high, yeah, you know that that celebrity author, or that that best selling author that they you know, are willing to put that money behind. You're working with some your publicist, who's been assigned to your book has is probably working on 10 other books. Can devote so much to it. And so what I've learned is thankful. I'm thankful that, you know, I have this publisher, but I also know that I need to do a lot of work on my own to get Michael Hingson  1:02:04 you've got to be your best marketer, yes, but, but there's value in that too, because you can tell the story whatever it is, like no one else, exactly, exactly. And so that's that's really pretty important, yeah, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  1:02:18 for sure, for sure. And you can be, you know that I think, also giving yourself permission to be creative, yeah, you know, how can you get the word out in really creative ways, like, again, the publisher. These are things that like, if there was, you know, people, there were many people dedicated to your book for this amount of time, they could kind of sit there and brainstorm and do all those things. But, you know, the reality is, in most cases, it's a small it's a lean and mean team. They don't have that bandwidth, so yeah, just kind of coming up with creative ways. And at times, what I have learned to do is, how can I, if I have an idea that is maybe low cost and but I can't necessarily do it on my own? How can I ask them for support, because they do have, you know, a little bit more resources, Michael Hingson  1:03:16 yeah, and, and the how is really pretty simple. Actually, you just ask exactly, exactly, and you know either they will or they won't, or you'll share it, or whatever. And I have found that same thing to be true. Well, Nana, if people want to reach out to you, how do they do that? If they might want to talk about you doing copywriting for them or whatever, how can people find you? Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  1:03:41 So my website is Nana brew-hammond.com, can you spell please? It's n, a n, a, b, r, e, w, H, A, M, M, O, N, d.com, and I have a newsletter there. So a newsletter sign up. So they can sign up to be a part of my newsletter and connect with me that way. They can also find me on Instagram, I'm at n, a, n, a, e, K, U, a writer on Instagram, and I'm also on Facebook at that same name, and then on Twitter, I am that without the writer. So, n, a, n, a, e, K, U, a, Michael Hingson  1:04:28 okay, cool. Well, I hope people will reach out and and I hope that they will read your books and like them and review them. I hope the same thing. Well, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. We really appreciate you being here with us. I'd love to hear what you think. Please feel free to email me. I'm reachable at Michael H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I. B, e.com, Michael H i@accessibe.com love to hear your thoughts and love to get your your opinions. I would really appreciate it if you would give us a five star rating when you have the opportunity to review this podcast. We really value your ratings and reviews very highly, and definitely want to know what you think, but please give us a great rating. We love that. If you know anyone who wants to be a guest on a podcast, or you think ought to be a guest, we're always looking for guests. And Nana you as well. If you know anyone, we're always looking for more people to come on the podcast and tell their stories. So we appreciate it. If you'd let us know. By the way, you can also go to my podcast page, www dot Michael hingson, M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s o n.com/podcast, that's another way to reach out to me as well. But definitely anything you can do to bring more folks to us, we value it very highly. And so with that, once again, Nana, I want to thank you for being here. This has been great. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond  1:06:01 Thank you so much. I really appreciate you having me on, and you are such an inspiration. And thank you. Michael Hingson  1:06:13 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

BT & Sal kick off with weekend plans, discussing the upcoming SantaLand queue and their fascination with the Diddy documentary, before diving into the baseball hot stove. They get fiery over Mets target Tarik Skubal, arguing the Tigers are "idiots" if they don't trade him now for max value, and debate the merits of signing Framber Valdez (a ground ball pitcher) despite the Mets' shaky infield defense. They also briefly touch on the Yankees' minimal offseason moves, the lingering Giannis rumors for the Knicks, and the mystery of who stole Sal's vintage baseball cards from the community area, symbolizing a "nose dive" in office etiquette!

Queens, a production of Manhattan Theatre Club, runs at New York City Center Stage I through December 7th. For more information, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com. Follow The Present Stage on Instagram at @thepresentstageThe Present Stage: Conversations with Theater Writers is hosted by Dan Rubins, a theater critic for Theatermania and Slant Magazine. You can also find Dan's reviews on Cast Album Reviews and in The New Yorker's Briefly Noted column.The Present Stage supports the national nonprofit Hear Your Song. If you'd like to learn more about Hear Your Song and how to support empowering youth with serious illnesses to make their voices heard though songwriting, please visit www.hearyoursong.org

There's a restaurant that opened in Queens, New York, a couple months ago with the name Whitexicans. That's a loaded word – loaded with enough implications of classism and racism that it sparked a protest. But it also sparked a lot of media coverage. So what does it mean that your place of hospitality has an inhospitable name?Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank and Dr. Steven Alvarez of St. John's University.Episode NotesShout outs this episode to Ismael Gomez, The Great Gatsby, sound engineer Roy Sierra, the Instagram page of Whitexicans, Steven's course Taco Literacy, and the neighboring restaurant The Queensboro!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sen. Zellnor Myrie has introduced legislation that will impose consistent standards on foreclosure auction sales after an investigation by WNYC and New York Focus. Plus, immigrants who want to become a U.S. citizen will face a higher hurdle next year: a harder citizenship exam.

We're so excited to bring you this powerful conversation with Philip Anthony Mitchell, recorded live at our studio! Philip is a pastor, evangelist, and founder of 2819 Church, Atlanta. From the streets of Queens, New York, to leading a movement for Christ, Philip's story is one of radical transformation and unwavering obedience to God's call. Join Zach and Zoe as Philip unpacks his incredible journey from a life of darkness—trafficking drugs, shootouts, and suicidal despair—to encountering Jesus in a bathroom at age 24. Discover how God spoke to him about pastoral ministry just six months after salvation, why he ran from that call for four years, and what finally brought him to complete surrender. FOLLOW PASTOR PHILIP: https://www.instagram.com/philipamitchell/ FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thewayuk/ FOLLOW US ON TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewayuk/ Want to know more? Find a church that has things happening for young people. Visit https://achurchnearyou.com/youth/ [In partnership with CofE Digital Projects]

The first event, titled The Era of Honor Begins, took place on February 23, 2002, in Philadelphia, the former home area of ECW. It featured nine matches, including a match between Eddy Guerrero and Super Crazy for the IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and a triple threat match between Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson, and Low Ki (who would become known as the "founding fathers of ROH"). In its first year of operation, Ring of Honor confined itself to staging live events in a limited number of venues and cities – primarily in the northeastern United States. Ten shows ran in Philadelphia, two in Wakefield, Massachusetts; one in metro Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and, one in Queens, New York.Disclaimer: The following may contain offensive language, adult humor, and/or content that some viewers may find offensive – The views and opinions expressed by any one speaker does not explicitly or necessarily reflect or represent those of Mark Radulich or W2M Network.Mark Radulich and his wacky podcast on all the things:https://linktr.ee/markkind76alsohttps://www.teepublic.com/user/radulich-in-broadcasting-networkFB Messenger: Mark Radulich LCSWTiktok: @markradulichtwitter: @MarkRadulichInstagram: markkind76RIBN Album Playlist: https://suno.com/playlist/91d704c9-d1ea-45a0-9ffe-5069497bad59 

This week, Alaska and Willam wrap up their coverage of Drag Race UK Season 7. For the Season Finale, Ru challenges her Top 4 Queens to go for the ‘Money Shot!' These British gals must write and record original verses to a new song and perform it on the Main Stage surrounded by their season sisters. Plus we get a little heartfelt chat with Ru and Michelle and surprise appearances by the queens' loving family members. And to clue in on who Ru decides to crown this season…all you need to do is take out the BS, and you've got the one!Listen to Race Chaser Ad-Free on MOM PlusFollow us on IG at @racechaserpod and click the link in bio for a list of organizations you can donate to in support of Black Lives MatterFOLLOW ALASKAhttps://twitter.com/Alaska5000https://www.instagram.com/theonlyalaska5000https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaThunderhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9vnKqhNky1BcWqXbDs0NAQFOLLOW WILLAMhttps://twitter.com/willamhttps://www.instagram.com/willamhttps://www.facebook.com/willamhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrO9hj5VqGJufBlVJy-8D1gRACE CHASER IS A FOREVER DOG PODCASTSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An inside look at a hostage negotiation team at work focusing on an incident involving 23-year-old Jarrett Jordan, a disturbed man who shot three people and barricaded himself in a house in residential Queens. He had with him his four-month-old daughter. “48 Hours" Correspondent Harold Dow reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 8/9/2003. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Schoen's report card, the Knicks may be star hunting. The pressure of The Bronx vs Queens.

Is there more pressure to pitch for the Yankees than the Mets

On this episode No Rest for the Weekend's Yasin Lago and host Jason Godbey review films from this year's Brooklyn Horror Film Festival including: Queens of the Dead, Every Heavy Thing, New Group, and Karmadonna.Sponsored by BlackMagic DesignTonkawa Film FestivalDehancer.comShow theme & Music by Christopher GillardWritten by Yasin LagoJason GodbeyProduced & Created by Jason Godbey

Want Part 2 early and ad-free? Join Patreon at patreon.com/killerqueenspod In February of 2021, police officers performed a welfare check on 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in Canton, Massachusetts. When they gained entry to her apartment, they found the young teacher's aide dead in her bedroom from what they determined (after 4 hours) was a suicide. It would take more than two years and multiple law enforcement agencies investigating before someone was charged with Sandra's MURDER. The investigation revealed a horrifying story of grooming and abuse, all stemming from local police officers, and leading to the murder of Sandra and her unborn baby. Want access to our first 45 episodes? Grab em here! We've made them available for free to anyone who signs up! Remember, these episodes were recorded when we had no idea what we were doing, so just keep that in mind. The audio isn't the quality we would want to put out now, but the cases are on point! Visit killerqueens.link/og to download and binge all the archived episodes today! Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch Bonus Episodes Support Our AMAZING Sponsors: Hungryroot: For a limited time get 40% off your first box and a free item in every box for life by going to hungryroot.com/queens and use code queens.  Beam: Go to shopbeam.com/QUEENS, use code QUEENS, and get up to 50% off during Beam's Cyber Sale! Rula: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance.  Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/queens #rulapod © 2025 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved Audio Production by Wayfare Recording Music provided by Steven TobiLogo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Princess wants to talk about one of her favorite scams of all time. And it involves like 400 horses.This episode originally ran on 3.27.25 on the Bye Pumkin Patreon. For more content like this, join at patreon.com/byepumkin. 

Walter in Forest Hills, Queens, called Mark as a first-time caller to talk about the new casinos that will be built in the boroughs, which could cause a traffic nightmare at Citi Field in NY. Dave in Chicago calls Mark to ask him about an article that mentioned First Lady Melania Trump launching a new production company.

Walter in Forest Hills, Queens, called Mark as a first-time caller to talk about the new casinos that will be built in the boroughs, which could cause a traffic nightmare at Citi Field in NY. Dave in Chicago calls Mark to ask him about an article that mentioned First Lady Melania Trump launching a new production company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

P.M. Edition for Dec. 1. Mets owner and billionaire investor Steve Cohen gets the nod for an $8 billion hotel and casino project near the Mets' stadium in Queens. WSJ hedge-fund reporter Peter Rudegeair discusses Cohen's comeback and why he wants a casino by Citi Field. WSJ's E.B. Solomont joins the show to discuss a North Carolina village where some of America's richest people go to fly under the radar. Plus, Goldman Sachs says it's spending about $2 billion to buy Innovator Capital Management, a company behind a kind of ETFs known as “boomer candy” for their popularity with baby boomers looking to curb the risks of investing in volatile stock markets. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

: Join us as Comedy Saved Me host Lynn Hoffman talks with Jeremy DeBardi of Steel Beans, a creative force who’s blending unique style with fresh sonic experimentation, while utilizing a comedic approach to performance. In this comedy interview, Jeremy opens up about his distinctive artistic vision, the creative process behind his new music, and how he’s carving out his own lane in today’s landscape. From the comedic inspiration that fuels his sound to the risks he takes in pushing boundaries, we explore what it means to stay true to your creative instincts while constantly evolving. Steel Beans is developing a following of famous artists in music history including: Lenny Kravitz, Jack Black (Tenacious D), and Jason Momoa and we are sure that list is growing as we speak. Jeremy DeBardi collaborated on his new release with Anderson Paak, and Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age and he discusses the surprisingly unique influence that comedy plays in his role as an emerging musician. Whether you know him from Steel Beans or you’re just discovering his work, this is an intimate look at an artist who refuses to play it safe. If this episode of Takin’ a Walk – Music History on Foot struck a chord with you, we invite you to keep the journey going by exploring the many other stories, conversations, and musical pathways waiting in our episode library. Every installment of the podcast opens a new door into the world of music—whether it’s a deep dive into a legendary artist’s creative process, a walk through the overlooked corners of music history, or a compelling conversation with the people who shape the soundtrack of our lives. There’s an entire universe of rhythm, narrative, nostalgia, discovery, and behind-the-scenes insight spread across our past episodes, each one crafted to make your next walk, drive, workout, or moment of downtime more meaningful, more memorable, and more connected to the music you love. So don’t stop here, take a few extra steps and check out the rest of the Takin’ a Walk – Music History on Foot catalog. The stories waiting for you are as timeless, surprising, and inspiring as the songs that have carried you through your life. Keep listening and discover your next favorite episode. Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.