Podcast appearances and mentions of Rachel Maddow

In this episode, the boys reminisce on a lovely weekend together, spent bonding and sleeping and watching strangers make sweet, passionate love - we had to watch, for science. Elliott shaved his face and his wife says he looks like Rachel Maddow. More at 11. Music/SFX: If you like our sounds, sign up for ONE FREE MONTH on us at Epidemic Sound! Over 30,000 songs: http://share.epidemicsound.com/n96pc Follow The Valleyfolk across the digital globe: http://twitter.com/TheValleyfolk http://instagram.com/TheValleyfolk http://facebook.com/TheValleyfolk Follow the group on their personal socials: Joe Bereta: http://twitter.com/JoeBereta http://instagram.com/joebereta Elliott Morgan: http://twitter.com/elliottcmorgan http://instagram.com/elliottmorgan Steve Zaragoza: http://twitter.com/stevezaragoza http://instagram.com/stevezaragoza http://twitch.tv/elliottmorgan I SAID MORE AT 11 IT'S A NEWS JOKE

SONS of LIBERTY Radio with Bradlee Dean I Know Because They Did It To Me! Manufactured Heroes and Watching Eyes: Media Smears, AI Surveillance, and Political Betrayal Summary Edited Narratives and a Personal Media Dispute The episode opens with a news clip about an allegedly edited George Zimmerman 911 call, using the contrast between the shortened and longer versions to introduce the subject of media manipulation. Bradlee Dean then recounts his own dispute with MSNBC and Rachel Maddow, arguing that coverage of his ministry removed context and portrayed him as advocating violence. He describes this experience as evidence that broadcasters can create damaging narratives through selective editing and characterization. The opening also includes his religious and political commentary about sexuality, education, and constitutional government. These statements are preserved as the host's views, while the specific clips, quotations, and historical or legal assertions require verification. Manufactured Heroes and Political Allegiance Dean argues that popular media and political personalities are marketed to the public as freedom fighters while serving interests different from those of their audiences. He focuses on Sean Hannity, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, Anthony Fauci, and other public figures, criticizing their alliances, fundraising, public statements, and conduct. A prerecorded memorial or ceremony clip is used to support his argument about media loyalty and political influence, although the automated transcript does not reliably establish the event or all speaker turns. The host repeatedly urges listeners to judge leaders by their actions or "fruit" rather than their words, fame, or partisan labels. His accusations about crimes, foreign influence, stock purchases, and political betrayal remain attributed allegations within the program. AI Surveillance Sold as Public Safety A central portion of the episode challenges the rapid spread of AI-assisted surveillance and Flock camera systems. Dean argues that cameras are sold to local communities as tools for catching violent criminals, but he believes the broader purpose is mass monitoring and political control. One embedded clip describes visiting facilities associated with Flock, filming employees, and objecting to nondisclosure arrangements between officials and technology companies. Another clip narrates a map said to show camera expansion between January 2024 and July 2026. Dean links these systems to broader concerns about geofencing, targeted advertising, telephone monitoring, TSA searches, and erosion of Fourth Amendment protections. Resistance, Law Enforcement, and Constitutional Authority The program includes a clip describing citizens who damage surveillance cameras and a police officer who says the systems help him catch offenders and deliver justice. Dean responds by questioning where government obtained constitutional authority to fund and deploy such systems, and he characterizes unauthorized surveillance as the original offense. He argues that police officers' highest obligation is to their oath and the Constitution rather than directives from superiors. The discussion moves between legal claims, biblical references about vows, and calls for public resistance to what the host sees as unlawful control. The transcript records these arguments without establishing the legality of the cameras, the conduct described in the clips, or the accuracy of the Fourth Amendment analysis. Harriet Tubman, Slavery, and Recognizing Control Dean uses a quotation attributed to Harriet Tubman to frame his warning that people may not recognize forms of control imposed upon them. He connects the saying about freeing additional enslaved people to the idea that Americans accept surveillance, political promises, and institutional authority without recognizing a loss of liberty. The host also contrasts the "faithful wounds of a friend" with the "kisses of an enemy," arguing that truthful confrontation is a form of biblical love. A Donald Trump excerpt about accepting a program, receiving protection, making money, and reducing taxes is presented as an example of persuasive language used to overcome resistance. Dean interprets the clip and the growth of surveillance cameras as evidence that political branding differs from actual policy. Promises, Hot Mics, and Public Accountability The closing segment criticizes incumbent politicians who promise reforms during campaigns that they did not pursue while already in office. Dean tells listeners to support people who have demonstrated action before asking for money and invites audiences to judge his own record by the same standard. He references efforts involving Minnesota officials and says members of the party presented as the "good guys" blocked accountability measures. A final news clip reports that a mayor and vice mayor were caught on a hot mic discussing how to exclude disruptive attendees from future council meetings. Dean interprets the exchange as proof that officials may treat law-abiding political opponents as agitators, and he ends by urging listeners to remove officials who pervert constitutional government rather than overthrow the Constitution itself.

Rachel Maddow looks at decisions Donald Trump has made so far in his second term, from staffing his administration to policy choices and wars of choice, and points out that while the American people are the first to have to pay for Trump doing a bad job, ultimately the consequences fall on him as his political popularity plummets.  Rev. John Edgerton, senior minister at at Old South Church in Boston, talks with Rachel about protests forcing Citizens Bank to stop doing business with companies that run ICE prisons. David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, and his attorney, Abbe Lowell, talk with Rachel Maddow about standing up to Donald Trump's anti-immigrant intimidation tactics. Donald Trump has endorsed Pillow Guy Mike Lindell for governor of Minnesota even though Mr. Pillow doesn't vote in Minnesota and is not registered there. But that's nothing compared to the Colorado Republican who says he can perform exorcisms over the phone. And have you seen the candidates in Texas?? Rachel Maddow reports. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There's no question that Trump's 2024 win was in large part driven by chaos at the border. He still polls best in this area even as approval rates fall in other areas like inflation. There's a lot to discuss about why this is the case. Ken Salazar is a former senator from Colorado, served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013 and as United States ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2025. He's the author of the newly released book, “Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America.” He joins WITHpod to discuss why he says the border is indeed “broken,” what's needed to fix it and more.    As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mary and Andrew begin this week by addressing the Department of Justice dropping the subpoenas they ordered against New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns regarding President Trump's new Qatari-government-gifted Air Force One jet, noting that the attempt to subpoena the writers speaks to a failed effort of “chilling and intimidating” other reporters. But still, there were even more subpoenas: last week, the DOJ filed subpoenas for 14 major law firms as part of an ongoing lawsuit between the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Executive Office of the President, which Mary and Andrew believe is an effort by the government to try and “get the law firms to pressure the ABA to drop this lawsuit.” They also touch on an update to journalist Katie Phang's lawsuit against the federal government over Epstein files redactions and address Jack Smith's criminal referral by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan. Plus, two immigration-related cases: a judge's decision to throw out a DOJ lawsuit challenging Minnesota immigration laws and an appeal court's decision to reverse a lower court decision releasing Pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi. A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Democrats didn't merely disagree with Trump's press conference. They argued Americans shouldn't even hear it. That's a profound shift. For centuries the Enlightenment ideal was simple. Present competing ideas. Allow free citizens to evaluate them. Today's model often sounds different. Present one idea. Filter competing ideas. Explain why citizens should trust the filter. That's a radically different philosophy of citizenship. That isn't Republican versus Democrat. It's paternalism versus self-government.     Imagine if Ronald Reagan had announced a primetime speech on Soviet espionage and ABC replied, "Nah...we've got reruns." That's essentially where we've arrived. The President announces he's releasing declassified intelligence involving the most sacred institution in our republic, elections, and instead of every network saying, "America deserves to hear this," they suddenly become television sommeliers. "This speech has hints of misinformation with notes of conspiracy and an unpleasant finish. We recommend viewers pair it with three former intelligence officials and Rachel Maddow." The comedy practically writes itself. For nearly ten years the Left insisted Donald Trump represented an existential threat to democracy. Now the supposed threat to democracy wants Americans to see government documents. The defenders of democracy? "Please don't watch." You almost have to admire the accidental irony. Nothing says confidence like begging people not to hear the opposing side. And here's the bigger point. If Trump is completely wrong... Why be afraid of people hearing him? Kevin Jackson has been called, the "white-collar" Joe Rogan. Given their similar backgrounds in TV, comedy, and martial arts, it's easy to see why people enjoy Kevin's show so much. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The credibility war.   Trump's speech wasn't about election fraud. It's about fear. Not Trump's fear. Washington's. "Who Decides What You Are Allowed To Believe?" Notice something interesting. [SEGMENT 1-2] Trump's Speech 2 Democrats didn't merely disagree with Trump's press conference. They argued Americans shouldn't even hear it. That's a profound shift. For centuries the Enlightenment ideal was simple. Present competing ideas. Allow free citizens to evaluate them. Today's model often sounds different. Present one idea. Filter competing ideas. Explain why citizens should trust the filter. That's a radically different philosophy of citizenship. That isn't Republican versus Democrat. It's paternalism versus self-government.     Imagine if Ronald Reagan had announced a primetime speech on Soviet espionage and ABC replied, "Nah...we've got reruns." That's essentially where we've arrived. The President announces he's releasing declassified intelligence involving the most sacred institution in our republic, elections, and instead of every network saying, "America deserves to hear this," they suddenly become television sommeliers. "This speech has hints of misinformation with notes of conspiracy and an unpleasant finish. We recommend viewers pair it with three former intelligence officials and Rachel Maddow." The comedy practically writes itself. For nearly ten years the Left insisted Donald Trump represented an existential threat to democracy. Now the supposed threat to democracy wants Americans to see government documents. The defenders of democracy? "Please don't watch." You almost have to admire the accidental irony. Nothing says confidence like begging people not to hear the opposing side. And here's the bigger point. If Trump is completely wrong... Why be afraid of people hearing him? Kevin Jackson has been called, the "white-collar" Joe Rogan. Given their similar backgrounds in TV, comedy, and martial arts, it's easy to see why people enjoy Kevin's show so much. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You can read the interview I did with Intel Lady, published in the Critic, November 2025 issue, below: I am speaking to my favourite satirist, Jenny Stanton, on Zoom, and she is trying to turn off her backdrop. Otherwise known as Intel Lady, Stanton's best known parody is of former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, speaking to the nation from a bunker, filled with cans of lager, cigarette butts, and a framed photograph of smug, woke radio presenter James O'Brien. I point out to Stanton that she has captured the perfect image of O'Brien looking an absolute plonker. “I don't think he can look any other way, can he,” she replies, laughing. I got to know Stanton after messaging her on X to thank her for providing me with endless entertainment, and have followed her rise to internet fame ever since. Stanton was born into a happy, hardworking family in Leeds in 1979. She started to become interested in acting in her final year of secondary school, having accepted that her first love, music, was not going to be the career for her. “I was obsessed with music, played the guitar, wanted to be a rock star, and then I discovered that I could act. I was a bit of a shit guitarist, and not that great a singer either. It turned out that I was a better actor than I was musician”.Studying performing arts at college, she was advised to go to drama school. “But I thought, do I want to saddle myself with debt for the rest of my life?”Taking what she calls “the scenic route”, she subscribed to The Stage and (between cleaning jobs) applied for as many auditions as possible. She was 19 when she secured her first ever paid acting role, as a street theatre performer at a major theme park. “My favourite job was a cleaner at one of the big bank call centres in Harrogate. I loved that because I didn't have to bloody talk to anybody,” she says. “I could just be in my own little world, running audition pieces through my head whilst hoovering carpets.” In 2004, Stanton auditioned for a part she was desperate to get – a drama series about the building of the Titanic. “I'd never auditioned at TV studios before, it was an overwhelming experience,” she recalls. An agonizing week later her agent called to tell her she had been offered the part. Prior to this, Stanton had been a touring theatre actor, “which means I was poor,” she laughs. In true Titanic style, the shoot was an utter disaster. Filmed that summer, on location in Liverpool, it rained so heavily that some of the trailers floated away. The director decided to move to a studio. “But on that day, there was a heatwave,” she says, “and everyone was in their full-dress corsets and layers of clothing, sweating like mad.”Months later, Stanton heard the terrible news that her scene had been cut, because it looked so unnatural. “I ended up as nothing more than an extra,” she says. “All I wanted was my name in the Radio Times, because that means you've made it. I was gutted.”She stopped acting professionally when pregnant with her son, born in 2007. Five years later, she had a daughter. Both children were subsequently diagnosed with autism, and Stanton gave up acting to care for them.However, the lure of performing eventually drew her back, and in 2021, during lockdown, she introduced Intel Lady to the world. “The name was inspired by the QAnon grifters (far-right conspiracy theorists) I was covering. They all had ‘insiders' with ‘intel'. So I created a character who used to feed them complete claptrap. I would answer the phone with “MI5 paid asset helpline, how many I help you?”Stanton soon tired of these people, “because they're insane and they're not going to change”. Looking around at what else was going on, she landed on the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard trial, so parodied that. “And then I started looking at politicians”.Her first victims were American: former US Vice-President Kamala Harris and liberal commentator Rachel Maddow – but it wasn't long before she set her sights on British politicians Nadine Dorries and Liz Truss. Then she looked to the opposite side of the bench, and Angela Rayner caught her eye. “I started covering her in 2022, and, when Labour were elected, realised she was going to play a prominent role in government. So I worked really hard to get her right”.In 2024, Stanton released a video of her perfected parody. Set in a filthy hotel room in Ibiza littered with empty champagne bottles, it featured a swimsuit-clad Rayner, asking “Why is everyone getting upset, just because I was having a dance and enjoying myself?”It was a colleague, Rik, who came up with the idea of moving Rayner into Lord Ali's apartment, with the backdrop exactly as it had been when Starmer once did a speech from there. The idea was a keeper. “She would always allude to it as her ‘mate's apartment'. “All declared, all above board.”Stanton explains how the infamous backdrop came about: “One day a crumpled-up can of Tennents [Lager] appeared behind me, slightly hidden by one of the framed photographs of James O ‘Brien. And then the next time, a full ashtray appeared and then, a clothes horse with knickers on it and bras hanging off it.”She says that some comedians think the only things it is acceptable to laugh at are Trump, Farage or Brexit, but that she doesn't have a political agenda. “Anyone is fair game,” she says. “I find humour in pretty much everything, even the most horrifying situations. I think it's quite a British thing.”In her recent Big Brother parody, one contestant gets called into the Diary Room for the crimes of misgendering, homophobia, and disability discrimination. Another character is Carol, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainer for the NHS, who Stanton loves to play. “The jokes are ridiculous… because it's their world. It's their language. It's crazy to regular people.”People keep asking Stanton how she writes. She says, “It's all ad-libbed. I go into character, I press record, you're in character. It usually takes me between five and sometimes 15 attempts to get it right – or the doorbell rings”. She first became aware of her own rising popularity when Tracy-Anne Oberman started following her. Stanton was shocked, “I was checking that it was her real account”. But then a private message came, saying, “I love your No Brainer with Angela Rayner, it's bloody genius. Keep doing it”. Not long after that, she saw that “somebody called JK Rowling” had followed her on X. “I thought, let's see, they've got two followers or something, and I clicked on it, and I had to sit down because it actually is JK Rowling, she's actually following me!”When Comedy Unleashed asked her to do Rayner in a tiny Westminster pub called The Speaker, Stanton knew it would be a dream come true for her to perform there, and panicked. But then there she was, “stood on a crate on top of beer barrels”, wearing a hard hat, hi-vis, a really ugly pink dress and “the worst shoes you've ever seen” before an audience of bewildered journalists and politicians who had no idea who she was. Stanton describes that evening as the weirdest, weirdest night, but her Rayner triumphed: “I don't know why everyone's getting upset. It's not even a banter ban. I don't know why you're calling it a banter ban because it isn't that. It's about respecting people's boundaries and not saying offensive stuff, that's all.” Stanton says she's “very fond” of Marjorie and Gerald from Just Stop Oil. “I think it's hard not to love her because she's just ludicrous. And it's that cantankerous old lady vibe that people just are too frightened to argue with. And Gerald has become such a creep. He started out with a slight bladder weakness and now he's turned into a piss fetishist.”The minute Just Stop Oil popped up on the news, Stanton knew she had to cover them. “The activists are the most bonkers,” she says, and found it hilarious when she got a “barrage of abuse” from people unaware it was satire. “They told me they hoped I'd get run over and stuff. And I would just come back to them in character because it was just too good not to. I could spend hours a day just responding to them and laughing my socks off”. I ask about plans to develop new characters. “There's always room for more. I try and just keep my eye on what's going on in the news and the celebrity world. And if something catches my eye and I think they are worth the parody, then I will parody them,” she says. “If you're in power, I'm going to cover you, especially if you're ridiculous, even better.”Does she have plans for Reform and Farage? “Oh yes! When Reform get in, and I think it is more of a when, than [an] if, I will be keeping a very close eye on the ladies in the party.”With the world as crazy as it is right now, with Green Party activists shouting ‘Queers for Palestine' at its annual conference, and Emma Watson doing a reverse ferret on JK Rowling, Stanton will not be running out of material any time soon.I have one last question for her. How did she feel when she heard that Angela Rayner, one of her most famous caricatures, had resigned? “I was gutted, as I love playing her. But she will definitely be back! I have a theory that she'll do ‘I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here', in which case, I will be all over it.” So will I. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliebindel.substack.com/subscribe

July 15, 2026; 5pm: Rachel Maddow joins Nicolle Wallace to discuss Trump's moves to stop any change that might slow down ICE's mass deportation scheme, which has resulted in two deadly shootings in the span of just a week. Later, Ben Rhodes and John Heilemann join Nicolle to unpack Trump's willingness to plunge the U.S. military deeper into war with Iran just weeks after a supposed ceasefire. For more, follow us on Instagram @deadlinewh To listen to this show and other MS NOW podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. For more from Nicolle, follow and download her podcast, “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace,” wherever you get your podcasts.To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow notes that Donald Trump's news cycle seems to be stuck in a loop with the same basic headlines repeating, but with each cycle Trump becomes more desperate to achieve his ends, and more reckless in his efforts as his opposition gets stronger and wiser to his schemes. Rachel Maddow explains the New York Times' reporting about Donald Trump's new Qatari plane missing some key defensive security features, and Trump's apoplexy over the idea that the Times report was bolstered by sources leaking information. Renowned First Amendment attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. joins Rachel to discuss Trump's demand that the New York Times reveal its sources. Thomas Hicks, former commissioner with the Election Assistance Commission, talks with Rachel Maddow about the security of U.S. elections in the face of Donald Trump's open attacks. Rachel Maddow tells the story of Turkey, the host nation for this year's NATO summit, including a handgun and live ammunition in the parting goodie bag for NATO leaders without informing them they were carrying the weapon. Several of the leaders found ways to dispose of the gun. The White House did not respond to a query about whether Donald Trump also received a gun. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous soul  Lizz Winstead is one of the top political satirists working today. As co-creator and head writer of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," she forever changed the way people get their news. In 2004, Winstead also co-founded Air America Radio, while also co-hosting "Unfiltered" every morning with the Rachel Maddow and Hip Hop legend, Chuck D.  Her book of essays, Lizz Free or Die, was published by Riverhead Books in 2012. The New York Times called it "Searching and lively … and moving. … Ms. Winstead writes with a feel for the sound of words." Winstead also writes satirical commentary for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and The Huffington Post.  Her talents as a comedian and media visionary have been recognized by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly's 100 Most Creative People issue. She continues to make numerous television appearances, including Comedy Central Presents, HBO, and CNN, as well as her regular commentary on MSNBC Winstead is a prominent abortion rights activist, and one of the founders of Abortion Access Front (formerly Lady Parts Justice League), a team of comedians, writers, and producers that uses humor to destigmatize abortion and expose the extremist anti-choice forces working to destroy access to reproductive rights in all 50 states. With her work with AAF, Winstead has taken her satirical brilliance one step further, combining it with her passion for reproductive rights to expose anti choice hypocrisy and inspiring a whole new model of activism.  Join us Thursday's at 8EST for our Weekly Happy Hour Hangout!  Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE  On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Listen rate and review on Apple Podcasts Listen rate and review on Spotify Pete On Instagram Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on Twitter Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll  Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo

They're feds, baby, and everyone with a functional brain stem knows it. We've now devolved into the downright moronic as the "extreme right wing" Patriot Front marches in DC over the Fourth of July. If it wasn't for bad optics we'd have no optics at all. Rachel Maddow sounds like she needs to be 302'd and a stunning report out of New York City exposes what The Big Apple is getting for the most expensive per-pupil education. FAILURE.    

Analysis of the Boston Red Sox pitching and injuries and hope for 2026 comeback Mikey rips into TDS network MSNOW including Joe Scarborough, Mika, Jen Psaki, Ali Velshi, Al Sharpton, Symone Sanders, Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ari Melber, Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Nicolle Wallace, Molly Jong-Fast and Katy Tur   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For reasons that are hard to fathom, included among Biden era gun rules that Donald Trump has rolled back are restrictions on people who have been adjudicated mentally ill, making it easier for them to get access to guns and ammunition. Mirianna Mitchem, former associate assistant director at the ATF, talks with Rachel Maddow about the danger Trump is courting with his recklessness. Rachel Maddow looks back at how past national milestone anniversaries were celebrated and considers how history will view the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation's birth, marked primarily by narcissistic celebrations of Donald Trump. Rachel Maddow shares a collective cringe with other Americans ahead of Donald Trump's trip to a NATO meeting in Turkey as Trump always finds a way to insult and undermine NATO at these meetings. This time the Kremlin has informed Americans that Vladimir Putin has been in touch with Trump, talking with him on the phone for 90 minutes on July 4th. What ideas is Putin growing in Trump's head?   Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My conversation with Jonathan starts at 18 minutes Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete From Jonathan Larsen Substack If you haven't heard of me, it's because I've spent most of my career behind the scenes writing and producing for Dan Rather, Keith Olbermann, Chris Hayes, Lawrence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, Marc Maron, and a ton of other folks. Even when it wasn't part of my job, I've always broken news, breaking stories about the powerful and how the system is rigged against the powerless. Without trafficking in speculation or outrage-bait. Far too much of our journalism — from fringe to mainstream — is focused on feeding us info-bits that feel like they mean something (about what's going to happen, or who someone really is) but don't actually have any bearing on the material lives of everyday people. Until I was laid off in January 2024, I oversaw the original reporting of The Young Turks. Since then, I've been counting on reader support to continue breaking news here on Substack. (I also do an NSFW weekday-morning newsletter full of the kind of unabashed opinion-having that I make sure not to indulge in the reporting here on this Substack, because impartial journalism doesn't mean not having opinions it means being professional enough to ensure my reporting is intellectual honest.) Listen rate and review on Apple Podcasts Listen rate and review on Spotify Pete On Instagram Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on Twitter Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll  Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo

Plenty of Pilates studios look successful from the outside. The numbers tell a different story. In this episode, Lesley Logan sits down in person with Julian Barnes, co-founder and CEO of the BFS Network, the boutique fitness industry's market intelligence company behind the annual State of the Industry report. Julian brings the data from 500-plus studios across 46 states. Lesley brings the how. Together they break down the five numbers that separate a real business from an expensive hobby, and what it actually takes to keep clients for years instead of weeks. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:The five KPIs that profitable studios track every month.Why referrals still beat social media for new leads.How to structure an intro offer that converts.The objection scripts that turn a maybe into a yes.Why holding clients accountable is what kills churn.Episode References/Links:BFS Network – bfsnetwork.comBFS Pilates Studio Benchmarks Report - BFSreport.com or BFSpilatesreport.comFacebook https://beitpod.com/thebfsnetwork https://www.facebook.com/thebfsnetwork?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfrSubmit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsGuest Bio:Julian Barnes is Co-Founder and CEO of the BFS Network, the premier growth accelerator and market intelligence company in the beauty, fitness, and self-care industry. He leads BFS' CEO Network — the premier peer-to-peer leadership network for multi-location, multimillion-dollar operators who are building to scale — and serves as Managing Director of the Global Leadership Council, whose members collectively operate more than 10,000 locations worldwide. He also serves as an Outside Director for a global fitness brand. Barnes created NYU's Institute in Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management and served on the US Tennis Association's Investment Committee, which managed a $200M portfolio. He holds a BA from Tufts and a JD from UNC Chapel Hill.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Julian Barnes 0:00  You have to be confident enough, both in your own abilities and that the universe will provide for you the right way. You have to be confident enough to say no to the wrong person, so you keep space open for the right person, as you said, and you have to be confident that the universe is going to bring that right person to you.Lesley Logan 0:24  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 1:05  All right, Be It babe. This is really for my Pilates studio owners and teachers out there, people who want to open a Pilates studio. We are going to get deep in numbers, and you're hearing me talk a lot about my thoughts about the Pilates industry and how you are going to have a profitable Pilates business. So it's kind of fun. If you've never heard me talk Pilates business, and you want to hear my thoughts, you can. For those of you who are Profitable Pilates members, you're going to hear some of my favorite things to say, and I think you're going to be really impressed with how amazing your studios are doing compared to others. But also, I think it's really important to know what the stats are. What is going on in the Pilates history? It is changing. There are a lot of studios, but are these studios actually as successful as they look? Lesley Logan 1:28  So, I think this report is really fun. If you watch it on YouTube, you're gonna see the visuals of these numbers. If you're like me and need to see them, you can watch it there. We'll also have everything in the show notes and in the blog as well. You guys are awesome. Here is Julian from the BFS Network. Lesley Logan 1:43  All right, loves, this is gonna be fun. You guys get to hear me in my own element, probably a little more behind the scenes of what we do with other businesses, but we have an incredible guest here. We'll talk a lot of numbers, so if you're a visual person, you might want to watch this on our YouTube channel. Julian from the BFS Network, you are here. Hello, tell everyone who you are and what you rock at, because they're going to want to know.Julian Barnes 2:18  Lesley, I am here in your home studio in Las Vegas. This is not Zoom. This is.. I could touch your high five. Here we go. There we go. Awesome. Hello, everyone. My name is Julian Barnes. I am the co-founder and CEO of the BFS Network. I am based in New York City, here in Vegas to hang out with my good friend Lesley and Brad. We are the BFS Network. For today's conversation, the most important thing I'm going to share is we are known as the premier market intelligence company in the boutique fitness industry. We publish the State of the Industry report, which is the annual report, which is the most comprehensive report in our industry. A lot of data, a lot of KPIs, a lot of metrics, all focused on showing what profitable studios do. So I'm here today with Lesley, and I'm going to share some of the numbers, and she's going to tell us how to achieve those numbers.Lesley Logan 3:13  Yeah, I'm excited. Let's go, let's do it. I'm a visual person, so I'm glad you got a visual for us.Julian Barnes 3:18  So the first thing I want to just talk about is who participated in the survey. In addition to the Profitable Pilates community, this survey has been conducted over the last 18 months, 500-plus studios worldwide. Most importantly, it is the overwhelming majority, 89% of the studios that participated in the survey have three or fewer locations, and most of them have one location, individually owned, self-financed, no private equity, no investor. So we're talking about just the regular studio owner who bootstrapped and saved, and maybe borrowed from the bank to open, that's who's in here. There's no Solidcore in here, there's no Barry's, there's no SoulCycle. And if there are some independent Club Pilates franchisees, they're individually owned, they're not big corporate, so that's.Lesley Logan 4:17  Not one of those people who owns 75 or 100 sharing. Yeah, yeah.Julian Barnes 4:21  Exactly. All right, so that's who's in it. Also, there's broad geographical distribution of the survey, meaning 45% of the responses came from cities with a population of half a million or more, 45% came from cities 50,000 to half a million, another 10% are rural areas less than 50,000, 46 out of 50 states, so we have geographic representation, we have market size representation, one, two, and three locations, no PE, no investors, so we're talking about the average mom-and-pop small studio everywhere in this country.Lesley Logan 4:57  Okay, you know I'm gonna want to have dinner where the four states are, so we got a find studio close to. Julian Barnes 5:01  It's like three S's. No, three N's. So it's North Dakota, Nebraska, and I forget the other two.Lesley Logan 5:08  Okay, I have a really great city for you, Nebraska solo owner, really pretty incredible, open for over 20 years. Julian Barnes 5:13  That's what we need. Okay. So that's who we're talking about. The way we're going to rock today is talk about the BFS scorecard, which is six KPIs. I'm going to share with the listeners, all of you, the six KPIs that profitable studios track, and I'm going to tell you what those KPIs are. And then we're going to come back, and I'm going to ask Lesley how and what a studio should do to achieve those KPIs. So, I am the "what" today; Lesley is going to be the "how."Lesley Logan 5:49  Yeah. So, for those of you, this is how it was explained to me, and I think this is a lot of fun for my peeps to listen. He's gonna be that Steve Kornacki at the big board, and I'm gonna come in as Rachel Maddow or Chris Hayes. I mean, obviously I watch a news channel, so there we go. So I'm gonna come in with my opinion and my punditry.Julian Barnes 6:07  You don't have blonde hair, so you're not that other channel.Lesley Logan 6:09  I'm not. Also, these are still my cheeks, my lips, my eyes.Julian Barnes 6:18  All real, keeping it real. Okay, so KPI number one is number of leads per month, and Profitable Pilates studios generally are generating somewhere between 10 to 50 leads per month. The number one response is more than 50 leads, so 30% of the respondents generated more than 50 leads, and then the tie for second was less than 10 leads per month and 10 to 25. Less than 10 was 20%, 10 to 25 is 21%, so that's basically a tie. I don't know for sure, but if I had to guess, the studios that are generating more than 50 leads a month are probably mat Pilates with larger class sizes, and yeah, they need more leads.Lesley Logan 7:09  I think anytime you need more leads, it's probably better having more class-based classes. Yeah.Julian Barnes 7:13  Exactly. And so the studios with less than 10 or 10 to 25 are probably more of the Reformer.Lesley Logan 7:19  Yeah.Julian Barnes 7:19  So number of leads per month is the first metric to track. I'm going to run through these quickly, and then we're going to come back. Okay, so the first KPI is number of leads per month, and the highest response was more than 50 leads per month. 30% of the Profitable Pilates studios that we surveyed generate more than 50 leads per month, and I would imagine that the majority of those are Pilates mat classes, where they have more people in seats and bigger studios, and they need to fill classes. Tied for second was less than 10 leads per month and 10 to 25 leads per month, and that is between 20 and 21% of the people who completed this assessment selected less than 10 and 10 to 25. So number of leads per month is the first KPI that we're going to talk about. Second KPI is the conversion rate, and let's see if I can do this, because I'm not an idiot, is what I told you, right?Lesley Logan 8:19  You're doing great. So there we go.Julian Barnes 8:22  Conversion rate of leads to first-time visitors. I can't wait for Lesley to break this down, but it's one thing for someone to email you, to DM you, to IM you to say, "I'm interested, send me more information about your studio." It's another thing for that person to actually walk in the door, and so conversion rate of lead to first-time visitor, Profitable Pilates studios are converting at more than 30%. 54% of the Profitable Pilates studios are converting at more than 30%. So think about that: for every 10 leads, the best studios are getting three of those 10 emails to walk in the door, right? So, conversion rate of leads to first-time visitors. Now they came, they took a class, they bought the intro offer. The question is, what percentage of those people made a second, bigger purchase? They already purchased the intro offer. I like to think about it like this: you go to a restaurant the first time and you have a nice meal. My question is always, am I going to come back? And especially if you bring a friend with you, maybe it's your favorite restaurant, and you bring a friend with you to your favorite restaurant, and you pay for the dinner. The question for your friend is, did you enjoy your dinner, and did you enjoy your dinner enough that you would come back and pay for it? That second purchase, same thing applies with studios, so they bought the intro offer. Did they come back? And Profitable studios, 55% of Profitable Pilates studios convert to a second, bigger purchase more than 30% of the time. So see how small these numbers get: for every 10 leads, three walk in the door, and of those three that walk in the door, only one is making a next purchase. So Lesley's gonna break that down. She is chomping up the bits, waiting for me. Lesley Logan 10:13  I can't wait. Julian Barnes 10:13  All right, so those are the first three KPIs. Okay, so the last two KPIs we'll talk about are average member lifetime value, which is how long they stay, and so the largest category for Profitable Pilates studios, 28% of Profitable Pilates studios have a lifetime value greater than two years. The good news is, hence the name of Profitable Pilates, that 71% of the Profitable Pilates studios that completed this assessment have an LTV of more than two years, and that's really important. I'll let Lesley weigh in on why that's important, but the number is more than two years. You want to be an LTV more than two years. Julian Barnes 10:56  And finally, the last KPI we're going to talk about today is churn, and churn means how often your members leave and you have to go refill that spot. You can't grow if you're constantly replacing someone in your studio. So Profitable Pilates studios, 43% of profitable Pilates studios minimize churn to less than 5%, but here again, the Profitable Pilates community that Lesley runs, 71% of the people who completed this assessment have a churn less than 5%.Julian Barnes 11:31  So let's recap. The five KPIs are number of leads per month, converting those leads from lead to first visit, converting the first visit to a second purchase, assuming the first visit is an intro offer, second purchase, then how long do they stay, and do you retain them by minimizing churn? Those are the five KPIs. That's what Profitable studios do in the Pilates sector. Lesley, now tell the people.Lesley Logan 12:02  Oh my gosh.Julian Barnes 12:03  Tell the people, Lesley, what they're supposed to do to achieve these numbers. How do they get these number of leads per month?Lesley Logan 12:11  Okay, so here's a really great... I just want to say I'm really proud of the people who filled this out, because my goal has always been for the people we coach for the long term. I'm like, your business should get really boring, like it should get really predictable. My goal is that some of our people need one lead a month because they actually don't have room, and they're actually referring out to other businesses in the area. That obviously is more of a smaller studio that doesn't have large group classes, but that is the absolute goal, because it's better to be entertained in your life, your business should not be so entertaining. Lesley Logan 12:39  So what I would say is, for studios to have a really great conversion, if you don't know how many leads you're getting a month, that's important. You got to start there, and you want to know where they're coming from, because that really does help you understand where you're spending your time marketing. Everyone tries to sell you to the moon and back that you should be on social media. You might not need to be, depends on your community, right? Depends on how many people are there, and depends on how many leads you need. I know that sounds crazy in 2026 that I would tell someone that it's not about social media, but it's not, more and more people are not necessarily trusting what they're seeing on socials because of AI and things like that. So, you really want to have an amazing network of clients who love you, who refer people out, so you're getting strong, solid leads, because those are gonna be the ones that actually come in over just reaching out to see what's going on.Julian Barnes 13:22  You just said something I want to jump on. I didn't mention it, but we also asked studio owners what was their most effective lead gen tactic. You want to guess what that answer is, Lesley?Lesley Logan 13:33  Referral.Julian Barnes 13:34  By far, in every modality.Lesley Logan 13:39  Yes. And here's what people.Julian Barnes 13:40  It's two to one, like it wasn't close. And again, these are profit, not just Pilates, all modalities. The number one lead gen tactic is referrals. So when you said people don't trust what's on the social and socials, what do people trust?Lesley Logan 13:56  They trust their friends.Julian Barnes 13:57  They trust people they know, people who they know, like, and trust.Lesley Logan 14:00  So here's the thing: if you are a new business right now, or you need people right now, if you're spending all of your time marketing yourself through stuff online and buying ads, that's one way to do it. And you will get people. I'm not saying that doesn't work, but you will get more people quicker if you actually tell the people who know, like, and trust you, whether they're clients or not, "Here's what my studio does, here's who we help, here's how we help them. Who do you know?" If you say, "Who do you know?" it opens a loop. You open a loop, people aren't likely to say, "I don't know anyone," because they'd have to think about that. But if you say, "Who do you know?" it opens this loop, and they start being aware of it. And if their friend's like, "Oh, my shoulder hurts," they go, "Oh, I just heard about the studio down the street." People will refer you people, and those are the people who actually come in, more likely than not, than someone who's just cruising the internet and filling out the contact form. Whoever fills out the contact form, honestly, it's whoever gets to them first and doesn't bug them.Julian Barnes 14:49  Let's take the people behind the scenes for a second. Before this call, we were chilling out in your backyard, and is it safe to say that we have some fundamental disagreements about how studios actually operate some things, right?Lesley Logan 15:27  I think that's okay, though.Julian Barnes 15:36  I wanted them to know that the things you and I agree on are the most important fundamental aspects of running a business. The things we disagree on, I say they're on the fringe, they're just a matter of choice. But this, having referrals, know, like, and trust that, it is tested over time.Lesley Logan 15:26  Yeah, I mean, it's so true. And also, it just makes it a lot easier on you if you need clients today. You opened the studio recently, or you hired a new teacher, or you opened some new classes, you need people to fill those seats today, you will always have a faster rate of transitioning them into clients if you're going to your community and the people who trust you, because they will talk about you, they will have a trust transference. If you are waiting for people to fill out your contact form, then it's like, well, they wanted you at 11:00 PM last night while they were watching someone on some TV show doing what they thought was Pilates, so they reached out, but now it's 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM in the morning and they're at work. Then it's like, "Well, I'm too busy this weekend," so you got to get people when they're excited. Lesley Logan 16:07  If you have a 30% conversion rate from the lead into coming in, that's great. I actually don't think that that's a terrible... I think if you have higher than that, you are doing great, but if you have lower than that, that's where I have concern. I feel like 30% feels very fair. Where I want you to really look at is from that, when they come in, if you have a lower than 30% conversion rate, you really do have an issue, because the numbers just get so small, and you're actually just wasting a lot of time. You're working really hard. And so I think this is where you, as an owner, need to look at what your onboarding experience is. How are you setting people up? Are you getting them with the right teacher? Are you the only person who's teaching them? Then it really is on you, what's going on?Lesley Logan 16:47  And this is where I think a lot of people make mistakes, because they try to sell Pilates, or whatever the modality is. People actually don't want to buy process; they want to buy the transformation, they want to buy the passion from you. And so this is where, if you're a studio owner and you're not the one who's doing these intro offers, they're going into a class, or they're going into another teacher's experience. You need someone who's got passion and actually can read the person, because you have to take what their goal is and what you offer and show how they get there. Nobody wants to hear, "Oh, you're going to buy the four-session-a-week package," because that's, no, that's a process. They want to buy in on the belief that you have that you can get them to where they want to go.Julian Barnes 17:24  You just said the magic word, and I don't know if people really heard you or want to go back. You said they want to buy the what, starting with the letter T?Lesley Logan 17:34  Oh, the transformation.Julian Barnes 17:35  Say that again.Lesley Logan 17:36  The transformation. They want the transformation, they want the end result.Julian Barnes 17:38  I like to say that there is no transformation without the transaction. There is no transformation without the transaction. So you have to ask the question, why are you here, and you have to actively listen to what they say, and then be prescriptive in your answer to the question. Okay, so you want X, Y, or Z. Great. Here's how you're going to get that: two times a week, three times a week. You're going to take this class, that class, this class, etc. You're going to give them a prescription, just like a doctor would give you a prescription, and tell them when they ask what does it cost, you reframe it. The investment for you to achieve your desired goal is going to be one of time and money. The time is twice a week or three times a week, and the monthly investment for that is going to be X.Lesley Logan 18:29  I agree so much, because if you can actually get them to understand that this is a tool to the transformation, and they can make that transaction, and you break it down, you can also be honest with them, and this is where trust is really built. Some people are going to come to you with goals that are not in alignment with what you do. If you actually tell them... for example, in Pilates in LA, every single person wants to lose five pounds, and it's like, "Well, here's what we know about science. Science would say, if you want to lose weight, it's a few different factors, and any fitness is part of the journey, but it's not the tool." The actual tool, especially if you're serving women, is: what are your hormones like? What are you eating? And then you can go from there. But if all you do is work out to lose weight, you might lose a couple pounds, you might change the metabolism you've got, but it's actually not going to get you to the goal. Lesley Logan 19:20  And so this is where it's really cool for people, and this is what I coach people on their first-time sessions, is find out what they're there for, and then tell them you can or can't help them. So I would always say, "Here's how Pilates is going to be part of your journey, here's what we can't do, but here's what we can do." First of all, most people are lied to so much, or sold a bunch of smoke and mirrors, that they actually will like that you told them that. They might not buy from you, they might go to someone else, or they might try something else and come back, because they actually believe and trust you. I really do believe in being authentic here. And then when you're teaching the sessions, you need to actually tell them, "Here's why I've chosen this exercise for you, here's why this exercise is going to hit your goals." That's what people don't do, they just keep talking about Pilates this, Pilates that. Pilates is now on every corner, so maybe that worked in the 1990s or might have worked in the early 2000s, but it doesn't work today. You actually have to say, "With my eye, I'm seeing your shoulder is doing this, and you have back pain, and so what I'm seeing is because of this imbalance, you're gonna have back pain until we get this balanced. So, here's these three exercises we're going to do, and they're going to help you with this." You have to actually tell them, take them behind the scenes. I like to say that their first sessions, their intro sessions, are like going to a buffet. They get to see all the different options, and you're going to talk about all the different options, and then you're going to prescribe them, like Julian said, like, "Hey, okay." First of all, I never say, "Did you like that?" You got to just go with confidence. You're like, "Thank you for letting me teach you," because that gives gratitude, it lets them know the session's over, and then you go into, "You said you wanted this. Here's how we're going to get there. Here's the process." Julian Barnes 19:20  Here's the roadmap.Lesley Logan 19:20  Yes. And then if they're like, "Whoa, that's too much for me." If you go through all the investment and all the time, and they're like, "That's more than I can spend right now," you can say, "I understand. We can take a little longer; instead of coming three times a week, we can do two times a week, or we can do this and this," but you have to actually help them find a way. I get it, some people don't work out, so that's not even the money, it's the actual going from zero times at the gym to coming three times. You're asking a lot, so this is where you have to be honest, and this is where I think our industry really needs a little kick in the pants, and a nice one. People that are with me a long time have heard me say this: if you aren't going to hold people accountable to their goals, you're going to become a to-do that they move around all the time.Julian Barnes 21:28  1,000%. And remember, they came to you. You didn't go find them.Lesley Logan 21:34  Yeah.Julian Barnes 21:35  Even if you did, even if you went to the local farmers market, you didn't force them to give you their email. Lesley Logan 21:40  Yeah.Julian Barnes 21:40  They gave you their email. They walked into the door. You have to ask them why they walked in, and you have to actually listen, so you can connect what they said with what you're going to say. You know what you're going to say, you know what your packages are. The question is, can you connect your packages to the goal they told you they want to achieve? It is not about giving permission, you are the person in the position of authority.Lesley Logan 22:09  Well, that's the thing. You just said you are the person in the position of authority, and that's where people don't see themselves.Julian Barnes 22:15  Retain your power.Lesley Logan 22:16  And so when people come to us, I have to constantly remind them that you're so worthy. If you have people who are late canceling and you're not charging them, I promise you, you're losing that client. That's not a client you want, by the way, but it's also you're losing that client because when push comes to shove. Julian Barnes 22:31  They're not committed. Lesley Logan 22:33  Right. When their budget has an issue, when something comes up, they're like, "Oh, I'm going to cancel my Pilates," because they're not actually seeing results, because you didn't hold them accountable to get results. I think this is where people really have to actually remember there is such a thing as you being in relation to them, and there is a camaraderie, but you're also the expert. They came to you, and the only way that they can exchange the energy is to pay you that worth, but you have to hold them accountable so that they get those results. And when you get them the results, that's why you don't have churn, that's why your churn is so low, and that's why you'll have clients for life. And by the way.Julian Barnes 23:05  We're gonna come back to that. Lesley Logan 23:05  Okay I just want to say, I think a lot of people go, "Oh, this person came to me, I hope they like me." You can't be like that if you want a business that actually works and doesn't stress you out at the end of the day. You have to actually have the authority, because you are the expert. They don't know.Julian Barnes 23:21  You have to be a little bit like Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs said you don't ask the customer what they want; you tell the customer what they need. None of us raised our hand and said we want a phone, remember the Blackberries and the Treos, and we want a contact management thing, we want to surf the web. No one said, "I want that." He presented it to us and said, "Here, isn't this cool?"Lesley Logan 23:45  Yeah, right. I think that's where, I understand some people's first-time sessions are in a group class. I would argue that that's a harder way to sell things. I would absolutely say, if you are a class-based studio and you want to have clients for life, you should have some sort of onboarding that allows them to be either on their own or in a very small group of other people who are also on an intro, so that you can actually find out why they're there and actually tell them how these exercises on whatever equipment you're teaching them actually help them reach their goal. Because if you just put them in a class with a bunch of other people, first of all, they get lost, and the experienced people get annoyed if the teacher keeps teaching to the newbie. You're going to lose people; they're going to start going, "I'm not getting challenged here, I'm going to this studio over here." So, I really do believe in an onboarding journey. And, of course, people are going to say, "Oh, this studio over here will let me in." Great, you should go to that studio that doesn't have any worries about you getting hurt and doesn't want your sessions to be personalized. No problem. I understand you want to get started. I actually believe in villainizing a little bit of the thing that you are not doing, so that you can actually tell people, "Here's why you wanted to work with me. Here's why you want to trust me, because I actually care about why you're here, and you're not just a number on my Reformer, you're actually a person whose impact I want. I want you to have the transformation you wanted." But I also think when they're in that first session, whatever it is, a week or a session, I really do think if you don't tell them what you're seeing in their body that's keeping them from the goal they want to have, you are missing out on an opportunity for them to understand how smart you are and how much of an expert you are. If you tell me that you want to have better posture and I'm seeing that your hip is up to one side, you have to tell people, "Oh, I noticed this, no wonder your posture is having problems. So here we're going to do these exercises." I always said this, but I think it's really where people miss out. This is where teachers keep it to themselves and they actually don't tell the client what they're seeing; they just pick exercises, but the person doesn't know why you're picking that. So, you have to peel back the curtain, so that they can see that you're in there with them, you're a partner in this journey, and you're gonna hold them accountable to hitting the goals they want, and then when they hit those, you're gonna set new ones.Julian Barnes 25:40  Right. All right, so let's talk about KPI number three: percentage of new visitors who purchase a membership or a bigger package. So we're talking specifically about people who purchase the intro offer, they finish the one week or the two week or the one month, whatever the intro offer is, they finished that. Did they pull out their credit card and make a second purchase? What should studios do, owners, and instructors do to increase the probability of a yes?Lesley Logan 26:11  I love this question so much. I'm going to take us back a little bit. So I want to go back to the intro offer. You need to pick an intro offer that actually fits the goals you need. If you need a lot of clients, the intro offer needs to be very simple, very easy. I wouldn't even give people two weeks, I think that is crazy nonsense. I also don't like free; I think you have to charge. It's very hard to go from zero to whatever you're charging. So, I would say if you need clients yesterday, you're doing a single-session intro offer with a very much hands-on experience, where someone is told, you find out what they need in an interview style, and then a concierge style at the end about what's going on. That's what you need. If you don't need a ton of clients, then your intro offer can be a little longer, and can actually be a higher need to say yes, meaning instead of doing a private session and the intro offer is $60 for one session, it might be $180 for three. That obviously is going to get rejected more, because it's a bit more. "I don't know if I want to spend $180 on you, I just met you, I don't even know you." But you don't need a lot of people, so you're like, "I only want the best to come through," right? So you really want to make sure you're picking that. Now, obviously, the higher the intro offer's time and money commitment is, the more likely you're actually going to have a second purchase if they do it in a condensed form of time. That's why I disagree with two weeks or one month, I really do, especially for in-person. I think you want to keep things quick, because when that dopamine high is happening, that's when they're more likely to buy. If it's three sessions that they can take over three weeks, good luck, because they only felt the high in the moment when they drove their car home, they actually didn't get the benefits. But if it's three sessions in one week, you're more likely to get that second purchase. You want people to feel the benefits, because let's be really honest: Joe Pilates has a quote that everyone likes to use, but they don't finish the sentence. "In 10 Pilates sessions, you feel different. In 20 sessions, you look different. In 30 sessions, you have a whole new body." But they don't finish it: "If you come three to four times a week, or your money back." That's what Joe said, that's what his ad said. If you're just coming to Pilates once a week, it'd be like trying to study Spanish once a week. I can recognize words, but I'm not going to be able to understand Bad Bunny, that's not happening. I have to do it multiple times a week, and science is there, no matter the modality. Unless you're doing something three or four times a week, you're actually not making a change.Julian Barnes 26:58  Well, that's the key, right? Earlier you said you're here for the transformation. The first step, I would argue, in the transformation is transforming your daily routine. What you just said is people need to adopt a new routine that says, "I'm coming on Tuesday morning, Thursday after work, Saturday morning." I'm committed to that change. See, hear these terms: commitment, investment, transformation. They need to commit. You need to present them with a prescription. You are more likely to be successful if you present a prescription that gives them the opportunity to adopt a new routine from day one.Lesley Logan 28:10  Here's the thing: you will sound more confident when you're talking with them if you're making them rise up to the occasion. It is understanding their intake forms.Julian Barnes 29:12  You're leading them to rise to the occasion.Lesley Logan 29:18  Yes. Here's the thing: are you more likely to come to the person who says, "When do you want to come in?" If you're someone who's listening who says, "When do you want to come in? Do you want to come in next week?" I'm going to tell you right now, your business is a hobby, and eventually the IRS is going to audit you, so that's not going to be good for you. You're not gonna be profitable. If you're telling people, "Hey, you should come, you're gonna come two times a week. I have 10:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, does that work for you?" That is me telling you. You're going, "Hmm, does it work for me?" But you're not, you're more likely to look at your calendar like, "When do I want to come in? Oh, next week actually feels really full. Now I can't come in," right? You want to actually tell people and prescribe people and have the confidence in what you're doing, and this is where I think a lot of people have a lot of fear. "Oh my god, they'll think I'm being rude." No, they won't. They're going to think that you're in control. This is a business. It's a business. Lesley Logan 30:06  And also, I don't want to waste people's money, so you can even say that. Look, here's the deal: if you're only going to come once every other week, this is kind of a waste of money. You shouldn't really do this; you could probably do something at home on YouTube. If you really want the transformation, you have to commit to it, and the commitment looks like this. That's where I would say, whether you do memberships or packages, I don't like unlimited, because that is craziness, you also can't prescribe people the times to come in. "If you want to hit this goal in the next three months, I recommend our three-time-a-week commitment. If that's too much for you, there's a two-time..." You have these things that people can choose, a journey, a path. If you're only gonna have one time a week, here's the deal: you can never miss, and I'm gonna need you to do homework, because the reality is, one time a week, if that's all you can afford time or money-wise, I get that something is better than nothing, but you gotta do something at home. Otherwise, it is a waste of your time and money, and I don't wanna waste your money. And when you talk like that with people, they're like, "Oh, this person really knows what they're talking about." When you ask them, "When do you want to come in?" a broken clock is right two times a day. You're going to get some people, but those are the type-A people who happen to be near you or close to you, and they kind of like you. You're not going to have a business where it's easy to predict how much money you're going to make month after month.Julian Barnes 31:15  Would you say that transformation requires the three C's? You need to change your routine, you need to be consistent about the changes you're making in routine, and you have to be willing to get rid of your comfort zone, get out of your comfort zone. Very little change occurs when you're comfortable.Lesley Logan 31:37  Oh, you know what happens: if you don't change, the world does, and you just actually get further behind. So I do think that... I love all those three C's, and I think that's really helpful for people. Here's the thing, the objections you're going to get are three. There might be some other ones, but these are the three I've heard teaching for a really long time, and I used to run nine studios for a high-end fitness company, so I have heard them all, which are: "I don't have the money." Guess what, everyone says that when they actually don't really want to tell you why they can't do it, or they didn't like it. It's an easier thing. You're not going to go show me your wallet, right? So, "I don't have the money," and "I don't have the time." This is one for people who want change, but they're afraid of leaving their comfort zone. So, this is where you actually have to have a speech ready in hand. "I get that. I'm a very busy person. Here's what we're going to do: we are going to pre-schedule your sessions for the next month, so you can schedule your whole life around it. How about we start two weeks out, because it's a little easier? Two weeks out, it's not overwhelming. We're going to schedule your whole life around it, and because of our cancellation policy, you're going to cancel your friends over this, and you're actually going to get the transformation." Or they have to "think about it." If they have to think about it, there's a couple things going on. You weren't good enough at making sure they understood how what you're doing is going to help them with their transformation. You didn't get an honest goal out of them, or you actually didn't tell them how you're going to get there, so they're kind of in, but they're not sure. Or you have way too many offers. If you have too many offers, "I don't know what to do. If I see we have these packages, and we have these packages, we have this class over here, we have this class over here..." It's too confusing for me, and I have to think about it. You want things to be very easy for people to make a yes. And so, if they have to say, "Oh, I have to talk to my husband," that is also a way of saying, "I don't have the money," or "I'm not sure," because most women have the ability to spend the money on what they want. The first time I ever heard this as a brand new teacher, I said, "No problem. If your husband has any questions, here is my number. Remember, these are the goals we talked about, here's how we're going to get there." And if you want me to chat with him about how this is going to work out, I'm happy to do that. Guess what? He came up to my studio the next day and he said, "My wife can come as much as she wants, whatever she wants, she can come as much as she wants. I just want her to be happy," right? Most of the time it's not the husband; it's that she was not sure if she was worthy of the commitment, and we have to hold space for that. But if you can actually think of the objections you have, and then come up with your responses ahead of time, you're gonna come off more confident when they have those. And then guess what, they can go think about it. Okay, great. "I'm gonna reach out next week, I'm gonna reach out tomorrow, I'm gonna call back on the follow-up. Is that okay with you?" You'd be surprised how many people come in if you follow up.Julian Barnes 34:04  Now, here's one of the areas where we may disagree. I agree with everything you just said. Sometimes it's okay to say, "We may not be for you."Lesley Logan 34:13  Oh, we're not going to disagree on that. I love that.Julian Barnes 34:17  I hear you. The three objections: don't have time, can't afford it, not sure. Okay, I hear you. We may not be the right place for you. We are the place for people who are willing to make a commitment to the transformation they seek. We work with people who are committed. We work with... and then whatever's in your community, you know, describe them. They might be business owners, executives, presidents of corporations, whatever is in your tribe, in your community. We work with the best of the best. If you want to be part of that, we'd love to have you, but I get it, we may not be for you, and that's okay. Lesley Logan 34:56  That's okay. Julian, I love this, because I just coached someone today, and she was talking about, "Oh, they got sick and they couldn't do this, and now they're good there." I said, "You should fire them as clients, they're not good clients." In fact, I would call that dirty money. Every single teacher out there who's taking clients who just come in willy-nilly, that is dirty money. It's actually never going to get you good referrals. There's certainly not gonna be a walking billboard. The best advice I ever got when I first started teaching Pilates, best advice, a teacher took me aside on my first day, and he goes, "Get one client and make them obsessed with you. You focus every energy and everything you have on that one client, and you will have clients for life." And he's not wrong. I was gifted a duet session from a teacher who was moving, and I took that to heart. They're like, "We can't come next week." I'm like, "Oh, well, I'll see you... let's go with an extra one this week. Gotta make it up."Julian Barnes 35:43  Exactly right.Lesley Logan 35:44  And they're like, "What? We don't do two in a week." I'm like, "Well, you're missing next week. I'm not gonna wait two weeks to see you. What change are we gonna have? We gotta do this." They never miss a session. Guess what? Within two weeks, I had two of their friends from their building, right? Because I was like, "If you want to work with me, this is how often you have to do this." And here's the thing: when you tell people, "We might not be for you," one, some people will rise to the occasion because they don't like to be rejected, and two, you're leaving space for someone who's going to actually add to the community and make your business successful. And, by the way, more importantly, you're going to make an impact on them, because it's not fun to teach people who are not committed it's, actually exhausting.Julian Barnes 36:18  I know you believe in karma.Lesley Logan 36:19  I do. Julian Barnes 36:20  Right, as we sit in a room full of crystals everywhere.Lesley Logan 36:24  Some people, I'm wondering when their karma is coming. I'm just gonna say.Julian Barnes 36:28  So you have to be confident enough that the universe will present you what you need when you need it, and that confidence is really tested when you have some financial needs and the wrong client walks in. You have to be confident enough, both in your own abilities and that the universe will provide for you the right way. You have to be confident enough to say no to the wrong person, so you keep space open for the right person, as you said, and you have to be confident that the universe is going to bring that right person to you.Lesley Logan 37:12  Yes. Well, and.Julian Barnes 37:13  But it's not going to always be on your schedule.Lesley Logan 37:15  No. And that... well, that's here's the thing, we've been talking about these different leads, you actually don't get to decide when people are going to finally come in the door. So you have to make sure that whatever you're doing is making sure it's put in front of them and reminded in front of them, and they're reminded again until they're like, "Oh, I'm finally ready." We actually don't get to decide when they come in the door, but once they're there, we absolutely can say, "You're in my house, and in my house, this is how we do things," right? Like my house, you can leave your shoes on, we got a dog, he goes in and out, this is a desert, we're fine, but some people's houses, the shoes go off. I was just at a friend's house who's in the Pilates industry, and he's like, "Yeah, you take your shoes off," and we went upstairs, and he's like, "Oh, there's a deck, put these slippers on," and I'm like, "Oh my god, there's so many rules!" But guess what, it's his house. Those are the rules of participating in his world, and so I would just say it's okay to have these rules. It really helps people understand the boundaries, and it will make for better clients who are more consistent, and guess what, they will go back to the best way to get clients: refer you better clients.Julian Barnes 38:15  Great. So now, how do we keep them? How do you recommend that your clients act in such a way as to increase lifetime value? First of all, what is lifetime value? Second, why is it important? Third, how do you increase it? What is it? Why is it important? How do you increase it?Lesley Logan 38:34  So you can correct me. I'm going to do a simple lifetime value with clients: like if you have clients for two years, how much money do you often make off them? And getting an average of a lifetime value really helps you understand how many clients you really kind of need for your business to predict or project what you want to make. You want to make a million dollars for your studio, and your average lifetime client is X. Then you need 25 of those clients to get there, right? So it really helps you understand the business you're going to have. And our businesses, we have a really amazing lifetime value of a lot of our clients. It's kind of insane for our membership bases that are online, what they are, and so once we know those, it really helps us understand how much money are we going to spend marketing, right? Especially if you're an on-demand business or membership basis.Julian Barnes 39:12  How much you're willing to invest in marketing.Lesley Logan 39:14  Yes.Julian Barnes 39:14  If you know that your member is paying you 100 bucks a month, which is 1,200 bucks a year, and they have an average tenure of two years, then you know that you have about $2,400 for every client.Lesley Logan 39:27  Yeah.Julian Barnes 39:28  So now you back, that's not even that's before profit.Lesley Logan 39:30  Yep. Okay. Yep.Julian Barnes 39:32  Now you back that down and back that out and say, "Well, how much am I willing to invest by an acquisition cost? Am I willing to invest $100 to make $2,400? Sure. Am I willing to invest $2,000 to make $2,400? Not so much."Lesley Logan 39:32  There are people who will do that, and I think they're crazy.Julian Barnes 39:33  So you know that number because you want to know how much you want to invest.Lesley Logan 39:37  Yes, and it's really important, and it really does take time to get that value if you're a brand new studio. This is going to be something. Julian Barnes 40:00  6 to 18 months, minimum. Lesley Logan 40:02  So it's really important. What was the second two questions?Julian Barnes 40:06  That's what it is. How do you keep your members with you for two, three, four years? How?Lesley Logan 40:14  Okay, so first of all, this is going to sound crazy. If your value system doesn't include commitment and consistency, you've already started your business off on the wrong foot for a long-term lifetime value of a client. You have to actually have in your value of your business, "We want committed or consistent clients." What are we going to do? It's part of our value system to make sure that happens. Maybe that comes from communication, maybe that comes from transparency, maybe that comes from responsibility, maybe that comes from community, but you have to decide in your value system how you're going to get there from the get-go. Because everything in your value system dictates how you make decisions on who you hire, what services you offer, what days you're open, all that stuff, right? Second thing is, if you're not making sure your clients are consistent, if you're just letting them cancel and there's no fees, they're not committed. Guess what, they're going to eventually go somewhere else, because no one's making sure they show up.Julian Barnes 41:11  The word there you're looking for, I think, is accountable.Lesley Logan 41:14  Yes.Julian Barnes 41:15  Accountable. You have to hold your clients accountable to the prescription for the transformation that they said they want. You didn't tell them what they wanted; they told you what they wanted. You told them how to get it.Lesley Logan 41:29  Yeah, exactly. So, I think this is where people are afraid they'll lose clients if they uphold a cancellation policy. Nope, you'll lose them because you didn't. Now, you might lose them in the beginning, like, "This is too harsh." Great, this is not the studio for you. That studio on the street is in charge, go there. I don't know if you'll get your goals, but you won't be charged for not showing up here. You said you wanted to do this; I held a space for you, right? It's really important. And you'll say it in your own words, but I promise you, I promise you, I had clients when I was in LA... I taught in LA for 12 years. I was there for 14, taught 12 years in LA, and when COVID hit, I still had more than half of my clients from the first year I started teaching.Julian Barnes 42:08  How? What did you do to maintain that LTV?Lesley Logan 42:12  Aside from my boundaries, if I traveled, there was a teacher coming into their space at their exact same time, so their schedule didn't change just because my schedule changed. I think this is really important: no matter the size of your space, you've got to have backups or a backup policy in place, so that you can get sick, have to travel, or have a baby, and make sure that they're taken care of at the schedule that they committed to, because it's really hard for them to move their schedule, right? Second thing, if you're not reinstating what they're getting from you, you think that they're mind readers, they're not, right? So, you have to remind them how far they've come, how close they are to their goal. "Oh, you've hit this goal, where are we at now?" You also need to actually... they talk so much, they are nonstop, they think you're their therapist. If you're not listening to the things they're saying they're going to go do with their family, "Oh, you're going to go hike such and such volcano in Europe? Okay, we're going to add some exercises in to make sure you can do that. Oh, you want to start running a marathon? Okay, we got to do these things to help keep your hips open, otherwise your back's going to hurt." You need to hear the things that they're saying they want to do with their kids, their family. You have to insert yourself. Julian Barnes 43:15  You have to listen. I'm hearing you say, 'Listen, listen.'Lesley Logan 43:17  And what do most teachers do? This is the thing, I say this, the industry is having an amazing moment right now, but I promise you, right now, because all the teachers are focused on cues, and all the students are focused on how many people are in the class, you are going to see the pendulum swing the other way. Because people are not there for your cues; they're there for the transformation. And if you're not looking with your eyes at what their body is doing, you don't know what cue you need. You have to see what they're doing, and then give them the correction that they need in that moment. And because we have different learning styles and things like that, you can't... I'm sorry, you can't have memorized cues. You have to learn how to be present, and be present to listen to what they're saying when they're leaving. What are they saying? "Oh, you know, my sister's coming to town next week." Guess what I'm saying: "Oh, is your sister coming with you to class? Do we need to reschedule your sessions?" Because if you can start to train them, then they're never missing, they're getting the consistency. But you have to know that their goals are going to change with their life. My clients, 12 years long, I mean, it's amazing what height we got out of them, and they're older. So I think it's really important for people to actually remember that the impact you want to make is there if you listen, and they'll stay because you keep reminding them how Pilates is part of their life.Julian Barnes 44:32  And so churn, to wrap it up, LTV and churn are related. You want your LTV to be high so they stay with you for many years, and you want to reduce your churn, which is the percentage of clients or members who leave your studio. What are some of the best practices that studio owners can implement to minimize churn?Lesley Logan 44:53  So, I think this is where, if your business is based off waitlists and 12-hour things, and hoping people cancel so they will get off the waitlist, you're actually going to have churn. I actually think this is where we have to really think about who we're trying to serve and how we're serving them. And I would really make sure that your clients are able to be part of the journey of the growth of your business. They should be part of it, celebrated, reminded that they're there. They always need to have a name. Every single person, whoever you hire, no matter how big you get, if they are not saying people's first names, and also following up, "Oh, you've been gone for two weeks because of X surgery. How are you doing? Yes, we paused your membership, but..." actually check on them. "Oh, I don't want to bother them." Oh my god, they won't respond if you're bothering them! We have to actually stick around and be in people's lives, and follow up and remind them that they matter and that they're missed. And if you have any teachers who are not remembering people's names and not remembering that they've been gone, you're going to have a churn problem. I think the reason why my businesses have grown, even in coaching people, and that we have people who've been with us since day one, is because we constantly remind everybody who the OG people were. These people are here; they've been with us for the long haul. They remembered us when it was small, but they're being introduced to the new people when it's bigger, and they're feeling that they're part of a community. I think people forget that people, at the base of everything, just want to belong. And if you're not able to look them in the eye and remember their name and introduce them to somebody else, they're going to feel unseen at some point. So I really do think that churn is reduced when you see people as a human being.Julian Barnes 46:27  So, I have a bonus question for you which is, right in your wheelhouse as a veteran instructor, more like a comment for you to reply to, from the very beginning of this conversation, you haven't used this word, but it's my takeaway of what you've been saying: impact. We talk about how people want transformation. Talk about how do you convert from lead to first-time visitor? How do you convert from first-time visitor to second purchase? How do you keep them a long time? How do you minimize churn? To me, the answer is impact, and what we, at BFS, don't focus on front of house, we're not Pilates instructors, but you obviously are. And so what I like to remind people, and I'm going to ask you to elaborate, I like to remind people none of the processes, none of the systems, none of the messaging, none of the stuff matters if you're not delivering fire classes each and every time. Agree, disagree, assess?Lesley Logan 47:29  Oh, I agree. I also think it's really interesting because I come from this as a classical Pilates instructor, but I coach a lot of contemporary-based Pilates. So my fire classes on the Reformer always start with footwork and probably end with the same exercise. So, when you say fire classes, I think it's really important that I say.Julian Barnes 47:47  I want to say impact. The classes have to deliver impact.Lesley Logan 47:50  Yeah, they have to. Well, I'm saying I'm agreeing with you. I'm also saying you don't have to be someone who's recreating the wheel every time, but people have to feel so different than when they walked in the door, because if they feel the same, then they're not coming back. This is a nice hobby that they have, you fit the thing, but as soon as road construction's up or their job goes across town, you're out of it. Here's what I know about being a teacher for so long in LA: people would drive across freeways to stay with the same teacher because of the impact. Why would they do that when there's a studio... it's LA! There are, and by the way, it's LA, like New York, the best Pilates instructors in the world are in these places, and they're going across town. Why? It is because of the impact. And I think this is where people lose their confidence: they see other people doing things and go, "Oh, I should do that, too. Everyone's Reformers are beige now; I should do beige. Everything is this." No. What is it that you said you would give people, and what is it that they want? And if you can stay clear on that and keep understanding what their new wants are, you will have them for life.Julian Barnes 48:59  This goes back to something you said earlier today: take one client and give everything to, say that again, you said?Lesley Logan 49:07  Take one client and you make them obsessed with you, and then you'll have clients for life.Julian Barnes 49:11  Okay, so unpack that, because I think you're talking about how do you make them obsessed. To me, that sounds like you're saying give them 110%, teach the best class every time, you are the best.Lesley Logan 49:38  It goes back to accountability. I'm going to give 110% in every session, but you have to show up for the sessions, and it's a two-way street, I'm not in your body, right? So you got to make sure that they feel like they can trust you to tell you what's going on, but they have to show up

A special celebration of America's 250th anniversary with Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, and Ali Velshi from MS NOW's live community event in Philadelphia. In this hour Ali Velshi presents his acclaimed retracing of 250 years of American history. And Jen Psaki interviews Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A special celebration of America's 250th anniversary with Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, and Ali Velshi from MS NOW's live community event in Philadelphia. In this hour, Rachel Maddow interviews civil rights legal stalwart Sherrilyn Ifill, and the panel takes questions from the live audience. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A special celebration of America's 250th anniversary with Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, and Ali Velshi from MS NOW's live community event in Philadelphia. In this hour, Rachel Maddow interviews civil rights legal stalwart Sherrilyn Ifill, and the panel takes questions from the live audience. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A special celebration of America's 250th anniversary with Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, and Ali Velshi from MS NOW's live community event in Philadelphia. In this hour Ali Velshi presents his acclaimed retracing of 250 years of American history. And Jen Psaki interviews Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow describes how the Supreme Court conservatives radically expanded presidential power with a single ruling, even in the face of Donald Trump's unbridled corruption and abuse of the power he already had. Senator Jon Ossoff joins to discuss how Donald Trump's self-dealing has become its own political issue on the campaign trail. If the Supreme Court needed an illustration of why not to expand Donald Trump's presidential power to fire agency employees and fill them with loyalists, the billionaires in Trump's orbit should have made it clear. Former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya talks with Rachel Maddow about who gets hurt by a government full of Trump loyalists.   Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After Zohran Mamdani's endorsed slate swept three New York primaries, headlines screamed that the Democratic establishment is in crisis. Fox News is thrilled. Trump's calling it a "communist" surge. And today, as Colorado votes in primaries being framed as the next test of a Democratic civil war, Matt makes the case that everyone — right-wing media, mainstream media, and panicked Democrats alike — is missing what's actually going on.Jonathan Larsen of The Fucking News (and former producer for Chris Hayes, Keith Olbermann, and Rachel Maddow) joins Matt to dig into whether this is really an ideological shift toward democratic socialism, or a hunger for fighters and change that cuts across ideology — and Jonathan pushes back hard, making the case that you can't separate "change" from what people are actually fighting for.Plus: today's three blockbuster Supreme Court rulings — birthright citizenship, transgender athletes, and a campaign finance decision that could quietly help Democrats more than it hurts them — and a closing conversation on what Jonathan calls "ideological corruption" on the Supreme Court, plus Trump's chaotic 250th-anniversary State Fair.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Cold open: today's Supreme Court rulings teased00:24 – Monologue: is the "Democratic civil war" story being misread?05:00 – Jonathan Larsen joins the show06:00 – The core debate: change and fighters, or rising progressivism?12:00 – Organizing, incumbency, and getting "out-organized"19:00 – Live chat: AOC vs. MTG — why the comparison doesn't hold24:00 – Supreme Court: birthright citizenship ruling27:00 – TPS, mass deportations, and Stephen Miller30:00 – Supreme Court: transgender athletes ruling40:00 – Supreme Court: the campaign finance ruling that could help Democrats50:00 – Jonathan's Substack picks: corruption, the State Fair fiasco, and mail-in voting58:00 – Closing thoughts

Rachel Maddow talks with Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer, authors of "On Courage: How to be a dissident in an age of fear," about "the central question of how to live right as an American citizen right now," and the variety of ways people can throw sand in the gears of authoritarianism to preserve democracy. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow points out that while it's never a good thing to have a bad president, having a bad president as incompetent as Donald Trump means he is also bad at pursuing his own corrupt goals. Maddow points out examples of Trump's failed political prosecutions, caving to pushback and sparking a wave of political backlash against himself. Rachel Maddow looks at fresh examples of the Trump administration backing down in the face of pushback in matters ranging from science to media as Trump's extreme unpopularity saps his power and more people understand that pressure works on Trump. Jon Swaine, Washington Post investigative reporter, joins to discuss his jaw-dropping report on former Trump DNI taking orders from the guru of her cult-like religious sect. Bruce Nestor, defense attorney for Minneapolis activists, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the Trump Justice Department is abusing its power to make political prosecutions.   Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow lists the goals Donald Trump set for the war he started with Iran, from regime change to obliterating Iran's nuclear capacity, none of which have been met as Trump announces an agreement that reportedly will at least re-open the Strait of Hormuz, though apparently with some fees attached. MS NOW's Ayman Mohyeldin joins to discuss. Rachel Maddow tells the story of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would be the biggest U.S. border crossing in Candana and one of the most important routes for trade in the entire world, except that Donald Trump refuses to open it. And it so happens that the family that owns a competing bridge gave a large amount of money to Trump's super PAC. And Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket, joins to discuss what American voters can do to protect the upcoming election from Donald Trump's interference. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Emmy Award winning MS NOW host Rachel Maddow and Pulitzer Prize finalist Steven J. Ross join us for an urgent conversation about the new threat of white supremacy and antisemitism in the US, and what the rise and fall of hate groups in the wake of WWII can teach us about fighting it — and Ross' new book, The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy. The American myth of a steady march toward tolerance and freedom has been shattered in the last decade by a rising tide of bigotry and antisemitism. But the truth is that the forces of hate in America have been around for a long time. In her hit podcast Ultra and her #1 bestselling book Prequel, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the fringes of our politics for the better part of a century. And in The Secret War Against Hate, Steven J. Ross tells the story of the antifascist heroes who rose up after WWII to stop the proliferation of hate groups who aimed to "finish the job Hitler had begun" on American soil. How can we stop racism and anti-Semitism in America today? What does our history tells us about what works in this battle, and what doesn't? Rachel Maddow and Steven J. Ross, two of America's foremost experts on the fight against American fascism, join us for an urgent discussion about the history — and the future — of our fight for a more just, more perfect union. "At a time of renewed interest in America's previous fights with fascism, no one has done more than Steven J. Ross to unearth the epic conflicts and characters at the heart of that history." ― Rachel Maddow

Donald Trump was roundly booed in New York City outside of Madison Square Garden on his way to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. Trump was booed again once he was spotted inside the venue. Rachel Maddow shares footage of the booing and remarks on the way Trump has arranged to benefit financially from his other sports preoccupation, a UFC fight on the White House grounds. Rachel Maddow outlines Donald Trump's desperation tactics to delegitimize elections in California, trying to convince his followers that a grand conspiracy is responsible for his electoral failures in that state and not the clear, obvious explanation that California just has more Democratic voters. Jacob Soboroff, host of Connect on MS NOW, reports live from the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center to show exactly how the California voting process works, contrary to the misinformation of Donald Trump and his supporting media. Rachel Maddow lists example after example of people or organizations giving large sums of money to Donald Trump's interests and subsequently receiving some favorable treatment from Trump. The UFC fight on the White House lawn stands out as one of the more egregious examples, with Trump essentially giving himself a birthday present from the American people. Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project, talks with Rachel about his lawsuit to stop Trump's UFC event. Rep. Joyce Beatty talks with Rachel Maddow about her role in defending the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from Donald Trump's destructive force. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Piña coladas are way better in theory than in practice. Take it from MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. "The tragedy of the piña colada is that it was never wholesome. From the very start the piña colada was built on something horrible, which is Coco Lopez," she says, referring to the canned cream of coconut junk that's long been the stomachache-inducing base of the drink. This week Rachel tells us how she fixed the piña colada with her own special recipe. Plus, Rachel advises us on best practices for cocktail garnishes. The TLDR: Keep your muddy paws out of your drink. This episode originally aired on November 16, 2010, November 21, 2011, and July 24, 2017. It was produced by Dan Pashman, Mark Garrison, Anne Saini, and Dan Charles. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dinesh D'Souza. The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left.    Dinesh D'Souza GETS HONEST with Gavin McInnes About the Woke Left and his book- The Big Lie https://youtu.be/F_vhneqNkOc?si=4AkFTaP21fUOeyE0 Compound Censored 107K subscribers 5,908 views May 24 2026 Recorded 7/31/2017 *Go to CompoundMedia.com and use promo code 'YouTube' for 20% off an annual or monthly subscription and get behind the paywall for full UNCENSORED episodes, interviews, and other EXCLUSIVE content...support right wing com (Recorded 7/31/2017) Dinesh D'Souza joins Gavin McInnes in studio to discuss his new book The Big Lie. About the book- The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left by Dinesh D'Souza  https://www.amazon.com/Big-Lie-Exposing-Roots-American/dp/1621573486 "Of course, everything [D'Souza] says here is accurate... But it's not going to sit well with people on the American left who, of course, are portraying themselves as the exact opposite of all of this." —RUSH LIMBAUGH The explosive new book from Dinesh D'Souza, author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Hillary's America, America, and Obama's America. What is "the big lie" of the Democratic Party? That conservatives—and President Donald Trump in particular—are fascists. Nazis, even. In a typical comment, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow says the Trump era is reminiscent of "what it was like when Hitler first became chancellor." But in fact, this audacious lie is a complete inversion of the truth. Yes, there is a fascist threat in America—but that threat is from the Left and the Democratic Party. The Democratic left has an ideology virtually identical with fascism and routinely borrows tactics of intimidation and political terror from the Nazi Brownshirts. To cover up their insidious fascist agenda, Democrats loudly accuse President Trump and other Republicans of being Nazis—an obvious lie, considering the GOP has been fighting the Democrats over slavery, genocide, racism and fascism from the beginning. Now, finally, Dinesh D'Souza explodes the Left's big lie. He expertly exonerates President Trump and his supporters, then uncovers the Democratic Left's long, cozy relationship with Nazism: how the racist and genocidal acts of early Democrats inspired Adolf Hitler's campaign of death; how fascist philosophers influenced the great 20th century lions of the American Left; and how today's anti-free speech, anti-capitalist, anti-religious liberty, pro-violence Democratic Party is a frightening simulacrum of the Nazi Party. Hitler coined the term "the big lie" to describe a lie that "the great masses of the people" will fall for precisely because of how bold and monstrous the lie is. In The Big Lie, D'Souza shows that the Democratic Left's orchestrated campaign to paint President Trump and conservatives as Nazis to cover up its own fascism is, in fact, the biggest lie of all.

Rachel Maddow and a panel of her MS NOW colleagues analyze primary election returns in New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana and California. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow and a panel of her MS NOW colleagues analyze primary election returns from New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana and California, and react to breaking news of the Supreme Court granting an "emergency" request from Alabama to allow the elimination of a majority Black district, and CBS News firing Scott Pelley for speaking out against changes made to 60 Minutes by new management. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amid a politically punishing backlash against Donald Trump's flagrant $1.776 billion money grab for his criminal allies, a judge is considering whether to investigation if the "IRS settlement" on which the slush fund is based began as a legitimate court case or was a fraud on the court from the beginning. Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance talks with Rachel Maddow about the legal guidelines the judge is considering. Rachel Maddow looks at how federal prosecutors in Chicago crossed important lines of propriety in their desperation to secure indictments in politically charged cases and now face an angry backlash from a judge who is not at all pleased with their conduct. Chris Parente, defense attorney for a Chicago anti-ICE protester, talks with Rachel Maddow about pressing misconduct accusations against federal prosecutors who have been exposed for unethical behavior in trying to indict his client.   Senator Andy Kim joins Rachel to talk about the protests at the Delaney Hall immigrant prison in Newark, New Jersey, and the abuses by the Department of Homeland Security broadly across the United States. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade talks with Rachel Maddow about her acclaimed new book, "The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government," in which she draws upon her experience prosecuting fraud and organized crime to understand how to defeat Donald Trump's style of intimidation and inflicting pain on others to dominate them and get what he wants.  Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A special broadcast of Rachel Maddow's recent live event at the 92nd Street Y: A conversation with Steven J. Ross, author of "The Secret War Against Hate." Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow looks at Donald Trump's attempt to have $1.8 billion taxpayer dollars handed to him to distribute to his friends and allies, and debunks the notion that this money-grab has anything to do with suing the IRS. Rep. Jamie Raskin, who calls Trump's scheme "nothing but a racket," joins to discuss Trump's increasingly open, shameless corruption. Rachel Maddow looks at a collection of reports that show stock purchases made by Donald Trump that were followed by federal actions or specific statements by Donald Trump that affected the price of those stocks. With the major foreign affairs of the United States being handled by Donald Trump's son-in-law and his real estate buddy, Marco Rubio's State Department has become a catch-all for loose ends where officials are dumped after falling out of favor and Rubio's assignments become increasingly disparate. Mary Moriarty the elected Hennepin County prosecutor, talks with Rachel Maddow about her attempt to prosecute an infamous ICE agent. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As Donald Trump has tried to use the Department of Justice as his personal tool for petty revenge and political intimidation, the department's track record has been abysmal and its frequent mistakes, mortifying. Rachel Maddow takes a look at the degradation Trump has brought to a once-distinguished facet of American government. While the hantavirus is not an emergency in the U.S., the situation has highlighted the importance of a competent government public health apparatus and the fact that the U.S. is not as well provided for as it once was in that area. Rachel Maddow looks at the disarray at the Department of Health and Human Services. Rachel Maddow shares details of a new satirical video game from the Secret Handshake activist group that mocks the Trump administration's stumbling through its disastrous war on Iran. The game, "Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell," is playable as an old-school arcade game in a special installation in Washington, D.C., but also for free in an internet browser. Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability, talks with Rachel Maddow about the legal fight to bring accountability to Trump administration officials who have lost all inhibition with regard to exploiting conflicts of interest. The rush by Deep South Republicans to dissolve majority Black congressional districts in the wake of Donald Trump's Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act has sparked a wave of outraged pushback and legal action. Kristen Clarke, general counsel for the NAACP, talks with Rachel Maddow about the fight to prevent a backslide of the achievements of the civil rights era in the face of Republican eagerness to turn back the clock. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow makes the case that from the first day of his second term, Donald Trump has been engaged in "a concerted and intense targeting of Black Americans," from firings to executive orders and including his Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act, which will likely largely eliminate Black congressional representation in the American South.  Rachel Maddow looks at new polling that shows Donald Trump is abysmally unpopular with Americans, and shares an example of how the slashing of government employees, touted as "efficiency" at the time, is being reveals to be nothing more than breaking the government so it can't function correctly anymore when Americans are counting on it. Rachel Maddow describes the importance of the U.S. military bases in Germany, including in playing a role in supporting Trump's war on Iran. For reasons that are hard to discern, Donald Trump wants to yank 5,000 troops from those bases. This decision happens to come shortly after Trump spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin. This is not the first time that sequence of events has happened. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, talks with Rachel about the legal battle to prevent the elimination of Black congressional representation in the American South in the wak of the Supreme Court's dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. Rev. John Edgerton joins Rachel to discuss the growing protest movement against Citizens Bank for its business with ICE. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julia Ainsley, senior Homeland Security correspondent for NBC News and author of the newly released, "Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump's Mass Deportation Program" talks with Rachel Maddow about her original reporting into how the Trump administration's series of ad libs on implementing Trump's immigration policy led to a cascade of failures that turned Trump's biggest political boon into a disaster that turned the country against him. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump administration "would prefer to do things that are easy," Rachel Maddow points out. And so, by making the implementation of a nationwide immigrant prison system not at all easy, and, in fact, quite hard, Americans pushing back against Trump's plan are winning, and Trump's prisons are not opening.  Michael Wriston, co-founder of Project Salt Box, and Miles Taylor, former DHS chief of staff, talk with Rachel Maddow about their new project, GTFOICE.org, which is designed to help Americans mobilize against the construction of immigrant prisons in their local area. Rachel Maddow points out that the to the extent that the security breach at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner is a crisis for the Secret Service, it is only one of many crises that have come to characterize Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security. And Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, talks with Rachel Maddow about the upcoming May Day protests and the progress of American activism in the Trump era. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Donald Trump's secretary of labor, is resigning in a cloud of scandal, extending a string of high-level departures from the administration. Rachel Maddow surveys the landscape of Trump's Cabinet. Senator Jon Ossoff talks with Rachel Maddow about how upset the voters he talks to are about the Trump administration's open corruption. Depraved political commentator, conspiracy theorist and online huckster Alex Jones is finally having to pay for his unforgiveable smear of Sandy Hook families with the satire site The Onion obtaining the intellectual property rights to Jones' Infowars. Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, talks with Rachel Maddow about plans to to turn the Infowars site into a parody. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow highlights some striking parallels between Donald Trump and the authoritarian regime his administration is modeled on, Victor Orbán in Hungary. Maddow notes that the basis for an authoritarian's power is the sense that their continued rule is inevitable, so seeing Orbán tossed from power so handily by the voters of Hungary sends a clear and upsetting message to Trump, and an encouraging message to Trump's opponents. David Pressman, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, joins to discuss how Hungary will "unwind" the legacy of corruption and authoritarianism left behind by Victor Orbán and restore democracy. Rachel Maddow tells the story of an ICE prison in Mesa, Arizona that would move immigrants out of the facility ahead of congressional oversight visits to conceal overcrowded conditions ...until members of Congress dropped in unannounced. Rep. Analita Grijalva talks about what she saw on a surprise inspection of the facility. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump's overall cluelessness and incompetence is made worse by Pete Hegseth's active destabilizing of the U.S. military and poor decision-making in wartime. Rachel Maddow talks with Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, about reporting in the Washington Post that people close to Donald Trump are being pitched an idea to use fake intelligence about foreign election interference to allow Trump to declare an emergency and take over the voting system ahead of this year's midterm elections. Patrick Dattilio, founder of Hagerstown Rapid Respone talks with Rachel about how a diverse collection of activism has made a stand against a Trump immigrant prison project. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow points out several instances of Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security paying tens of millions of dollars more than the assessed value of warehouses the administration wants to turn into massive prison camps for immigrants. While Donald Trump's scattershot strategy against Iran appears to produce a lot of positive outcomes for Russia, the American public is not so fortunate. But Trump's worthless word and the biuld-up of U.S. troops in the Middle East make a negotiated end to the situation in Iran seem increasingly unlikely. Rachel Maddow discusses with former deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes. Indivisible's Ezra Levin, fresh off a massive weekend of No Kings protests, talks with Rachel about the next protest event in the works, a general strike on May 1. Rachel Maddow highlights the Trump administration's shift from using the Justice Department to meddle in states' elections to assigning that task to the Department of Homeland Security, which is distinguished by scandals, incompetence and a disregard for the law. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow looks at the news stories we would have trouble believing if we weren't living through them in real time, including Denmark, a U.S. ally, making preparations to defend itself and Greenland against the U.S., Donald Trump staggering around war crime-level threats against Iran, a MAGA sheriff seizing hundreds of thousands of ballots, and ICE agents being sent to airports with no real job to do. Rachel Maddow looks at how the "No Kings" protests have grown progressively as outrage over Donald Trump's policies and conduct has grown, and now with the third "No Kings" day set for Saturday, March 28th, truly massive crowds are expected to make their views known. Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, joins to discuss the growing movement. Reports of corruption at the Department of Homeland Security come at the same time as other reports about DHS overpaying for warehouses to convert into immigrant prisons. Utah State Sen. Nate Blouin talks with Rachel about what's going on. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As Donald Trump flings the world into an energy crisis with his war in Iran, his administration is apparently trying to resurrect the ghosts of past environmental catastrophes with deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and an oil pipeline off the coast of California. Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump's fast talk and gaslighting can't change the reality of the mess he has made in the Strait of Hormuz as allies resist his bullying and rivals and opportunists take advantage of him to enrich themselves. Donald Trump's avoidance of accountability or even having to give any real answers on his decision to go to war against Iran may be coming to an end as Senate Democrats are poised to bring the business of the Senate to a grinding halt by forcing a wave of votes on U.S. military action in Iran. Senator Cory Booker talks with Rachel Maddow about Trump's handling of his attack on Iran and the questions Senate Democrats want answered.   And the disaster at the Department of Homeland Security did not end with the firing of Kristi Noem. Wall Street Journal reporter Michelle Hackman discusses with Rachel. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Krystal and Saagar discuss Trump demands $100 billion for war, Rachel Maddow deranged monologue, US hegemonic world over, top Trump NatSec resignation. Yanis: https://x.com/yanisvaroufakis?s=20 Glenn: https://www.youtube.com/@GDiesen1 To become a Breaking Points Premium Member and watch/listen to the show AD FREE, uncut and 1 hour early visit: www.breakingpoints.comMerch Store: https://shop.breakingpoints.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over a week into the war with Iran, the casualties, global economic fallout, and incoherence of the Trump administration are all growing. This week Alex speaks to Senator Adam Schiff about Democrats' attempts to put Congress back into the decision maker's seat and how to bring transparency to a conflict costing American lives. Then, she speaks to Rachel Maddow, NYT Bestselling author and host at MS Now, about what a political and moral catastrophe the war is, how we got here, and why the only winner so far seems to be Vladimir Putin.

In a rambling press conference full of bizarre answers to questions about the war he started against Iran, Donald Trump admitted that he is doing it "for the other parts of the world." Rachel Maddow looks at how Russia is benefitting tremendously from Trump's attack on Iran, even as it helps Iran target American interests, and how Trump has set off a global energy crisis of historic proportions. ** Shortly after this episode began, Rachel shared new video of the dignified transfer of the remains of Sgt. Benjamin Pennington. The video provided to the media is without an audio track, so we've removed that from this podcast. But we've kept the conversation Rachel had with Col. Jack Jabobs about the recent history of the dignified transfer of the remains of fallen U.S. service members. Rep. Jim Himes joins to discuss the Trump administration's rationale for attacking Iran. Rachel Maddow reports on how the horrifying stories coming out of Donald Trump's existing immigrant prison camps are not only tanking Trump's approval ratings with the American public but are hindering his ability to bring his nationwide prison camp plan to reality. And the wheels are coming off Donald Trump's extremely narrow House majority as lame duck Republicans have less reason to show up for work as the year wears on and they move on to other things. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues track the primary election returns in Texas and North Carolina, with Ali Velshi offering special statistical insights from the big board as one of the most closely watched elections, the Democratic Senate primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico mired in legal complications after polling place confusion in Dallas.  The panel and special guests offer analysis of what the early voting patterns suggest about Donald Trump's political strength, the tone of public opinion in the United States and what it all could mean for the midterm elections later this year. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"They're not sending their best." Rachel Maddow reviews how the collection of unqualified culture warriors Donald Trump has put in charge of key facets of the United States national security apparatus is much worse than merely incompetent now that Trump has started a war with Iran and stoked a new level of threat against Americans and American interests. MS NOW's Carol Leonnig reports on new firings at the FBI that included members of an elite counterintelligence squad specializing in neutralizing threats from Iran. The firings came just before Trump started a war with Iran, setting up a whole new threat environment for Americans and American interests. Senator Tammy Duckworth joins Rachel to discuss Donald Trump's incoherent explanation for attacking Iran and the burden America's men and women in uniform are taking on for Trump's whim. And Donald Trump's Justice Department under Pam Bondi is in trouble with a judge again. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.