Podcasts about Rainbow

How do you capture something as enormous and personal as the feeling of “home” in a book? How can you navigate the chaotic discovery period in writing something new? With Roz Morris. In the intro, KU vs Wide [Written Word Media]; Podcasts Overtake Radio, book marketing implications [The New Publishing Standard]; Tips for podcast guests; The Vatican embraces AI for translation, but not for sermons [National Catholic Reporter]; NotebookLM; Self-Publishing in German; Bones of the Deep. This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Roz Morris is an award-nominated literary fiction author, memoirist, and previously a bestselling ghostwriter. She writes writing craft books for authors under the Nail Your Novel brand, and is also an editor, speaker, and writing coach. Her latest travel memoir is Turn Right at the Rainbow: A Diary of House-Hunting, Happenstance & Home. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How being an indie author has evolved over 15 years, from ebooks-only to special editions, multi-voice audiobooks and tools to help with everything Why “home” is such a powerful emotional theme and how to turn personal experiences into universal memoir Practical craft tips on show-don't-tell, writing about real people, and finding the right book title The chaotic discovery writing phase — why some books take seven years and why that's okay Building a newsletter sustainably by finding your authentic voice (and the power of a good pet story) Low-key book marketing strategies for memoir, including Roz's community-driven “home” collage campaign You can find Roz at RozMorris.org. Transcript of the interview with Roz Morris JOANNA: Roz Morris is an award-nominated literary fiction author, memoirist, and previously a bestselling ghostwriter. She writes writing craft books for authors under the Nail Your Novel brand, and is also an editor, speaker, and writing coach. Her latest travel memoir is Turn Right at the Rainbow: A Diary of House-Hunting, Happenstance & Home. Welcome back to the show, Roz. ROZ: Hi, Jo. It's so lovely to be back. I love that we managed to catch up every now and again on what we're doing. We've been doing this for so long. JOANNA: In fact, if people don't know, the first time you came on this show was 2011, which is 15 years. ROZ: I know! JOANNA: It is so crazy. I guess we should say, we do know each other in person, in real life, but realistically we mainly catch up when you come on the podcast. ROZ: Yes, we do, and by following what we're doing around the web. So I read your newsletters, you read mine. JOANNA: Exactly. So good to return. You write all kinds of different things, but let's first take a look back. The first time you were on was 2011, 15 years ago. You've spanned traditional and indie, you've seen a lot. You know a lot of people in publishing as well. What are the key things you think have shifted over the years, and why do you still choose indie for your work? ROZ: Well, lots of things have shifted. Some things are more difficult now, some things are a lot easier. We were lucky to be in right at the start and we learned the ropes and managed to make a lot of contacts with people. Now it's much more difficult to get your work out there and noticed by readers. You have to be more knowledgeable about things like marketing and promotions. But that said, there are now much better tools for doing all this. Some really smart people have put their brains to work about how authors can get their work to the right readers, and there's also a lot more understanding of how that can be done in the modern world. Everything is now much more niche-driven, isn't it? People know exactly what kind of thriller they like or what kind of memoir they like. In the old days it was probably just, “Well, you like thrillers,” and that could be absolutely loads of things. Now we can find far better who might like our work. The tools we have are astonishing. To start with, in about 2011, we could only really produce ebooks and paperbacks. That was it. Anything else, you'd have to get a print run that would be quite expensive. Now we can get amazing, beautiful special editions made. We can do audiobooks, multi-voice audiobooks. We can do ebooks with all sorts of enhancements. We can even make apps if we want to. There's absolutely loads that creators can do now that they couldn't before, so it's still a very exciting world. JOANNA: When we first met, there was still a lot of negativity here in the UK around indie authors or self-publishing. That does feel like it's shifted. Do you think that stigma around self-publishing has changed? ROZ: I think it has really changed, yes. To start with, we were regarded as a bit of the Wild West. We were just tramping in and making our mark in places that we hadn't been invited into. Now it's changed entirely. I think we've managed to convince people that we have the same quality standards. Readers don't mind—I don't think the readers ever minded, actually, so long as the book looked right, felt right, read right. It's much easier now. It's much more of a level playing field. We can prove ourselves. In fact, we don't necessarily have to prove ourselves anymore. We just go and find readers. JOANNA: Yes, I feel like that. I have nothing to prove. I just get on with my work and writing our books and putting them out there. We've got our own audiences now. I guess I always think of it as perhaps not a shadow industry, but almost a parallel industry. You have spanned a lot of traditional publishing and you still do editing work. You know a lot of trad pub authors too. Do you still actively choose indie for a particular reason? ROZ: I do. I really like building my own body of work, and I'm now experienced enough to know what I do well, what I need advice with, and help with. I mean, we don't do all this completely by ourselves, do we? We bring in experts who will give us the right feedback if we're doing a new genre or a genre that's new to us. I choose indie because I like the control. Because I began in traditional publishing—I was making books for other people—I just learned all the trades and how to do everything to a professional standard. I love being able to apply that to my own work. I also love the way I can decide what I'm going to write next. If I was traditionally published, I would have to do something that fitted with whatever the publisher would want of me, and that isn't necessarily where my muse is taking me or what I've become interested in. I think creative humans evolve throughout their lives. They become interested in different things, different themes, different ways of expressing themselves. I began by thinking I would just write novels, and now I've found myself writing memoirs as well. That shift would have been difficult if someone else was having to make me fit into their marketing plans or what their imprint was known for. But because I've built my own audience, I can just bring them with me and say, “You might like this. It's still me. I'm just doing something different.” JOANNA: I like that phrase: “creative humans.” That's what we are. As you say, I never thought I would write a memoir, and then I wrote Pilgrimage, and I think there's probably another one on its way. We do these different things over time. Let's get into this new book, Turn Right at the Rainbow. It's about the idea of home. I've talked a lot about home on my Books And Travel Podcast, but not so much here. Why is home such an emotional topic, for both positive and negative reasons? Why did you want to explore it? ROZ: I think home is so emotional because it grows around you and it grows on you very slowly without you really realising it. As you are not looking, you suddenly realise, “Oh, it means such a lot.” I love to play this mind game with myself—if you compare what your street looks like to you now and how it looked the first time you set eyes on it, it's a world of difference. There are so many emotional layers that build up just because of the amount of time we spend in a place. It's like a relationship, a very slow-growing friendship. And as you say, sometimes it can be negative as well. I became really fascinated with this because we decided to move house and we'd lived in the same house for about 30 years, which is a lot of time. It had seen a lot of us—a lot of our lives, a lot of big decisions, a lot of good times, a lot of difficult times. I felt that was all somehow encapsulated in the place. I know that readers of certain horror or even spiritual fiction will have this feeling that a place contains emotions and pasts and all sorts of vibes that just stay in there. When we were going around looking at a house to buy, I was thinking, “How do we even know how we will feel about it?” We're moving out of somewhere that has immense amounts of feelings and associations, and we're trying to judge whether somewhere else will feel right. It just seemed like we were making a decision of cosmic proportions. It comes down so much to chance as well. You're not only just deciding, “Okay, I'd like to buy that one,” and pressing a button like on eBay and you've won it. It doesn't happen like that. There are lots of middle steps. The other person's got to agree to sell to you, not do the dirty on you and sell to someone else. You've got all sorts of machinations going on that you have no idea about. And you only have what's on offer—you only get an opportunity to buy a place because someone else has decided to let it go. All this seemed like immense amounts of chance, of dice rolling. I thought, yet we end up in these places and they mean so much to us. It just blew my mind. I thought, “I've got to write about this.” JOANNA: It's really interesting, isn't it? I really only started using the word “home” after the pandemic and living here in Bath. We had luckily just bought a house before then, and I'd never really considered anywhere to be a home. I've talked about this idea of third culture kids—people who grow up between cultures and don't feel like there's a home anywhere. I was really interested in your book because there's so much about the functional things that have to happen when you move house or look for a house, and often people aren't thinking about it as deeply as you are. So did you start working on the memoir as you went to see places, or was it something you thought about when you were leaving? Was it a “moving towards” kind of memoir or a “sad nostalgia” memoir? ROZ: Well, it could have been very sad and nostalgic because I do like to write really emotional things, and they're not necessarily for sharing with everybody, but I was very interested in the emotions of it. I started keeping diaries. Some of them were just diaries I'd write down, some of them were emails I'd send to friends who were saying, “How's it going?” And then I'd find I was just writing pieces rather than emails, and it built up really. JOANNA: It's interesting, you said you write emotional things. We mentioned nostalgia, and obviously there are memories in the home, but it's very easy to say a word like “nostalgia” and everyone thinks that means different things. One of the important things about writing is to be very specific rather than general. Can you give us some tips about how we can turn big emotions into specific written things that bring it alive for our readers? ROZ: It's really interesting that you mention nostalgia, because what we have to be careful of is not writing just for ourselves. It starts with us—our feelings about something, our responses, our curiosities—but we then have to let other people in. There's nothing more boring than reading something that's just a memoir manuscript that doesn't reach out to anyone in any way. It's like looking through their holiday snaps. What you have to do is somehow find something bigger in there that will allow everyone to connect and think, “Oh, this is about me too,” or “I've thought this too.” As I said, we start with things that feel powerful and important for us, and I think we don't necessarily need to go looking for them. They emerge the more deeply we think about what we're writing. We find they're building. Certainly for me, it's what pulls me back to an idea, thinking, “There's something in this idea that's really talking to me now. What is it?” Often I'll need to go for walks and things to let the logical mind turn off and ideas start coming in. But I'll find that something is building and it seems to become more and more something that will speak to others rather than just to me. That's one way of doing it—by listening to your intuition and delving more and more until you find something that seems worth saying to other people. But you could do it another way. If you decided you wanted to write a book about home, and you'd already got your big theme, you could then think, “Well, how will I make this into something manageable?” So you start with something big and build it into smaller-scale things that can be related to. You might look at ideas of homes—situations of people who have lost their home, like the kind of displacement we see at the moment. Or we might look at another aspect, such as people who sell homes and what they must feel like being these go-betweens between worlds, between people who are doing these immense changes in their lives. Or we might think of an ecological angle—the planet Earth and what we're doing to it, or our place in the cosmos. We might start with a thing we want to write about and then find, “How are we going to treat it?” That usually comes down to what appeals to us. It might be the ecological side. It might be the story of a few estate agents who are trying to sell homes for people. Or it might be like mine—just a personal story of trying to move house. From that, we can create something that will have a wider resonance as well as starting with something that's personally interesting to you. The big emotions will come out of that wider resonance. JOANNA: Trying to go deeper on that— It's the “show, don't tell” idea, isn't it? If you'd said, “I felt very sad about leaving my house” or “I felt very sad about the prospect of leaving my house,” that is not a whole book. ROZ: Yes. It's why you felt sad, how you felt sad, what it made you think of. That's a very good point about “show, don't tell,” which is a fundamental writing technique. It basically tells people exactly how you feel about a particular thing, which is not the same as the way anyone else would feel about it—but still, curiously, it can be universal and something that we can all tap into. Funnily enough, by being very specific, by saying, “I realised when we'd signed the contract to sell the house that it wasn't ours anymore, and it had been, and I felt like I was betraying it,” that starts to get really personal. People might think, “Yes, I felt like that too,” or “I hadn't thought you'd feel like that, but I can understand it.” Those specifics are what really let people into the journey that you're taking them on. JOANNA: And isn't this one of the challenges, that we're not even going to use a word like “sad,” basically. ROZ: Yes. It's like, who was it who said, “Don't tell me if they got wet—tell me how it felt to get wet in that particular situation.” Then the reader will think, “Oh yes, they got wet,” but they'll also have had an experience that took them somewhere interesting. JOANNA: Yes. Show me the raindrops on the umbrella and the splashing through the puddles. I think this is so important with big emotions. Also, when we say nostalgia—we've talked before about Stranger Things and Kate Bush and the way Stranger Things used songs and nostalgia. Oh, I was watching Derry Girls—have you seen Derry Girls? ROZ: No, I haven't yet. JOANNA: Oh, it's brilliant. It's so good. It's pretty old now, but it's a nineties soundtrack and I'm watching going, “Oh, they got this so right.” They just got it right with the songs. You feel nostalgic because you feel an emotion that is linked to that music. It makes you feel a certain way, but everyone feels these things in different ways. I think that is a challenge of fiction, and also memoir. Certainly with memoir and fiction, this is so important. ROZ: Yes, and I was just thinking with self-help books, it's even important there because self-help books have to show they understand how the reader is feeling. JOANNA: Yes, and sometimes you use anecdotes to do that. Another challenge with memoir—in this book, you're going round having a look at places, and they're real places and there are real people. This can be difficult. What are things that people need to be wary of if using real people in real places? Do you need permissions for things? ROZ: That book was particularly tricky because, as you said, I was going around real places and talking about real people. With most of them, they're not identifiable. Even though I was specific about particular aspects of particular houses, it would be very hard for anyone to know where those houses were. I think possibly the only way you would recognise it is if that happened to be your own house. The people, similarly—there's a lot about estate agents and other professionals. They were all real incidents and real things that happened, but no one is identifiable. A very important thing about writing a book like this is you're always going to have antagonists, because you have to have people who you're finding difficult, people who are making life a bit difficult for you. You have to present them in a way that understands what it's like to be them as well. If you're writing a book where your purpose is to expose wrongdoing or injustices, then you might be more forthright about just saying, “This is wrong, the way this person behaved was wrong.” You might identify villains if that's appropriate, although you'd have to be very careful legally. This kind of book is more nuanced. The antagonists were simply people who were trying to do the right thing for them. You have to understand what it's like to be them. Quite a lot of the time, I found that the real story was how ill-equipped I sometimes felt to deal with people who were maybe covering something up, or maybe not, but just not expressing themselves very clearly. Estate agents who had an agenda, and I was thinking, “Who are they acting for? Are they acting for me, or are they acting for someone else that we don't even know about?” There's a fair bit of conflict in the book, but it comes from people being people and doing what they have to do. I just wanted to find a good house in an area that was nice, a house I could trust and rely on, for a price that was right. The people who were selling to me just wanted to sell the house no matter what because that was what they needed to do. You always have to understand what the other person's point of view is. Often in this kind of memoir, even though you might be getting very frustrated, it's best to also see a bit of a ridiculous side to yourself—when you're getting grumpy, for instance. It's all just humans being humans in a situation where ultimately you're going to end up doing a life-changing and important thing. I found there's quite a lot of humour in that. We were shuffling things around and, as I said, we were eventually going to be making a cosmic change that would affect the place we called home. I found that quite amusing in a lot of ways. I think you've got to be very levelheaded about this, particularly about writing about other people. Sometimes you do have to ask for permission. I didn't have to do that very much in this book. There were people I wrote about who are actually friends, who would recognise themselves and their stories. I checked that they didn't mind me quoting particular things, and they were all fine with that. In my previous memoir, Not Quite Lost, I actually wrote about a group of people who were completely identifiable. They would definitely have known who they were, and other people would have known who they were. There was no hiding them. They were the people near Brighton who were cryonicists—preserving dead bodies, freezing them, in the hope that they could be revived at a much later date when science had solved the problem that killed them. I went to visit this group of cryonicists, and I'd written a diary about it at the time. Then I followed up when I was writing the book to find out what happened to them. I thought, I've simply got to contact them and tell them I'm going to write this. “I'll send it to you, you give me your comments,” and I did. They gave me some good comments and said, “Oh, please don't put that,” or “Let me clarify this.” Everything was fine. So there I did actually seek them out and check that what I was going to write was okay. JOANNA: Yes, in that situation, there can't be many cryonicists in that area. ROZ: They really were identifiable. JOANNA: There's probably only one group! But this is really interesting, because obviously memoir is a personal thing. You're curating who you are as well in the book, and your husband. I think it's interesting, because I had the problem of “Am I giving away too much about myself?” Do you feel like with everything you've written, you've already given away everything about yourself by now? Are you just completely relaxed about being personal, for yourself and for your husband? ROZ: I think I have become more relaxed about it. My first memoir wasn't nearly as personal as yours was. You were going to some quite difficult places. With Turn Right at the Rainbow, I was approaching some darker places, actually, and I had to consider how much to reveal and how much not to. But I found once I started writing, the honesty just took over. I thought, “This is fine. I have read plenty of books that have done this, and I've loved them. I've loved getting to know someone on that deeper level.” It was just something I took my example from—other writers I'd enjoyed. JOANNA: Yes. I think that's definitely the way memoir has to happen, because it can be very hard to know how to structure it. Let's come to the title. Turn Right at the Rainbow. Really great title, and obviously a subtitle which is important as well for theme. Talk about where the title came from and also the challenges of titling books of any genre. You've had some other great titles for your novels—at least titles I've thought, “Oh yes, that's perfect.” Titling can be really hard. ROZ: Oh, thank you for that. Yes, it is hard. Ever Rest, which was the title of my last novel, just came to me early on. I was very lucky with that. It fitted the themes and it fitted what was going on, but it was just a bolt from the blue. I found that also with Turn Right at the Rainbow, it was an accident. It slipped out. I was going to call it something else, and then this incident happened. “Turn Right at the Rainbow” is actually one of the stories in the book. I call it the title track, as if it's an album. We were going somewhere in the car and the sat nav said, “Turn right at the rainbow.” And Dave and I just fell about, “What did it just say?!” It also seemed to really sum up the journey we were on. We were looking for rainbows and pots of gold and completely at the mercy of chance. It just stayed with me. It seemed the right thing. I wrote the piece first and then I kept thinking, “Well, this sounds like a good title.” Dave said it sounded like a good title. And then a friend of mine who does a lot of beta reading for me said, “Oh, that is the title, isn't it?” When several people tell you that's the title, you've got to take notice. But how we find these things is more difficult, as you said. You just work and work at it, beating your head against the wall. I find they always come to me when I'm not looking. It really helps to do something like exercise, which will put you in a bit of a different mind state. Do you find this as well? JOANNA: Yes, I often like a title earlier on that then changes as the book goes. I mean, we're both discovery writers really, although you do reverse outlines and other things. You have a chaotic discovery phase. I feel like when I'm in that phase, it might be called something, and then I often find that's not what it ends up being, because the book has actually changed in the process. ROZ: Yes, very much. That's part of how we realise what we should be writing. I do have working titles and then something might come along and say, “This seems actually like what you should call it and what you've been working towards, what you've been discovering about it.” I think a good title has a real sense of emotional frisson as well. With memoir, it's easier because we can add a subtitle to explain what we mean. With fiction, it's more difficult. We've got to really hope that it all comes through those few words, and that's a bit harder. JOANNA: Let's talk about your next book. On your website it says it might be a novel, it might be narrative nonfiction, and you have a working title of Four. I wondered if you'd talk a bit more about this chaotic discovery writing phase when we just don't know what's coming. I feel like you and I have been doing this long enough—you longer than me—so maybe we're okay with it. But newer writers might find this stage really difficult. Where's the fun in it? Why is it so difficult? And how can people deal with it? ROZ: You've summed that up really well. It's fun and it's difficult, and I still find it difficult even after all these years. I have to remind myself, looking back at where Ever Rest started, because that was a particularly difficult one. It took me seven years to work out what to do with it, and I wrote three other books in the meantime. It just comes together in the end. What I find is that something takes root in my mind and it collects things. The title you just picked out there—the book with working title of Four—it's now two books. One possibly another memoir and one possibly fiction. It's evolving all the time. I'm just collecting what seems to go with it for now and thinking, “That belongs with it somehow. I don't yet know how, but my intuition is that the two work well together.” There's a harmony there that I see. In the very early stages, that's what I find something is. Then I might get a more concrete idea, say a piece of story or a character, and I'll have the feeling that they really fit together. Once I've got something concrete like that, I can start doing more active research to pursue the idea. But in the beginning, they're all just little twinkles in the eye and you just have to let them develop. If you want to get started on something because you feel you want to get started and you don't feel happy if you're not working on something, you could do a far more active kind of discovery. Writing lists. Lists are great for this. I find lists of what you don't want it to be are just as helpful as what you do want it to be because that certainly narrows down a lot and helps you make good choices. You've got a lot of choices to make at the beginning of a book. You've got to decide: What's it going to be about? What isn't it going to be about? What kind of characters am I interested in? What kind of situations am I interested in? What doesn't interest me about this situation? Very important—saves you a lot of time. What does interest me? If you can start by doing that kind of thing, you will find that you start gathering stuff that gets attracted to it. It's almost like the world starts giving it to you. This is discovery writing, but it's also chivvying it along a bit and getting going. It does work. Joanna: I like the idea of listing what you don't want it to be. I think that's very useful because often writers, especially in the early stages—or even not, I still struggle with this—it's knowing what genre it might actually be. With Bones of the Deep, which is my next thriller, it was originally going to be horror and I was writing it, and then I realised one of the big differences between horror and thriller is the ending and how character arcs are resolved and the way things are written. I was just like, “Do you know what? I actually feel like this is more thriller than horror,” and that really shaped the direction. Even though so much of it was the same, it shaped a lot about the book. It's always hard talking about this stuff without giving spoilers, but I think deciding, “Okay, this is not a horror,” actually helped me find my way back to thriller. ROZ: Yes, I do know what you mean. That makes perfect sense to me, with no spoilers either. It's so interesting how a very broad-strokes picture like that can still be very helpful. Just trying to make something a bit different from the way you've been envisaging it can lead to massive breakthroughs. “Oh no, it's not a thriller—I don't have to be aiming for that kind of effect.” Or try changing the tone a little bit and see if that just makes you happier with what you're making, more comfortable with it. JOANNA: You mentioned the seven years that Ever Rest took. We should say the title is in two words—”Ever” and “Rest”—but it is also about Everest the mountain in many ways. That's why it's such a perfect title. If that took seven years and you were doing all this other stuff and writing other books along the way, how do you keep your research under control? How do you do that? I still use Scrivener projects as my main research place. How do you do your research and organisation? ROZ: A lot of scraps of paper. My desk is massive. It used to be a dining table with leaves in it. It's spread out to its fullest length, and it's got heaps of little pieces of paper. I know what's on them all, and there are different areas, different zones. I'm very much a paper writer because I like the tangibility of it. I also like the creativity of taking a piece of paper and tearing it into an odd shape and writing a note on that. It seems as sort of profound and lucky as the idea. I really like that. I do make text files and keep notes that way. Once something is starting to get to a phase where it's becoming serious, it will then be a folder with various files that discuss different aspects of it. I do a lot of discussing with myself while writing, and I don't necessarily look at it all again. The writing of it clarifies something or allows me to put something aside and say, “No, that doesn't quite belong.” Gradually I start to look at things, look at what I've gathered, and think, “How does this fit with this?” And it helps to look away as well. As I said with finding titles, sometimes the right thing is in your subconscious and it's waiting to just sail in if you look at it in a different way. There's a lot to be said for working on several ideas, not looking at some of them for a while, then going back and thinking, “Oh, I know what to do with this now.” JOANNA: Yes. My Writing the Shadow, I was talking about that when we met, and that definitely took about a decade. ROZ: Yes. JOANNA: I kept having to come back to that, and sometimes we're just not ready. Even as experienced writers, we're not ready for a particular book. With Bones of the Deep, I did the trip that it's based on in 1999. Since I became a writer, I've thought I have to use that trip in some way, and I never found the right way to use it. I came at it a couple of times and it just never sat right with me. Then something on this master's course I'm doing around human remains and indigenous cultures just suddenly all clicked. You can't really rush that, can you? ROZ: You absolutely can't. It's something you develop a sense for, the more you do—whether something's ready or whether you should just let it think about itself for a while whilst you work on something else. It really helps to have something else to work on because I panic a bit if I don't have something creative to do. I just have to create, I have to make things, particularly in writing. But I also like doing various little arty things as well. I need to always have something to be writing about or exploring in words. Sometimes a book isn't ready for that intense pressure of being properly written. So it helps to have several things that I can play with and then pick one and go, “Okay, now I'm going to really perform this on the page.” JOANNA: Do you find that nonfiction—because you have some craft books as well—do you find the nonfiction side is quite different? Can you almost just go and write a nonfiction book or work on someone else's project? Does that use a different kind of creativity? ROZ: Yes, it does. Creativity where you're trying to explain something to creative people is totally different from creativity where you're trying to involve them in emotions and a journey and nuances of meaning. They're very different, but they're still fun. So, yes, I am an editor as well, and that feeds my creativity in various unexpected ways. I'll see what someone has done and think, “Oh, that's very interesting that they did that.” It can make me think in different ways—different shapes for stories, different kinds of characters to have. It really opens your eyes, working with other creative people. JOANNA: I wanted to return to what you said at the beginning, that it is more difficult these days to get our work noticed. There's certainly a challenge in writing a travel memoir about home. What are you doing to market this book? What have you learned about book marketing for memoir in particular that might help other people? ROZ: Partly I realised it was quite a natural progression for me because in my newsletter I always write a couple of little pieces. I think they're called “life writing.” Just little things that have happened to me. That's sort of like memoir, creative nonfiction, personal essays. I was quite naturally writing that sort of thing to my newsletter readers, and I realised that was already good preparation for the kind of way that I would write in a memoir. As for the actual campaign, I actually came up with an idea which quite surprised me because I didn't think I was good at that. I'm making a collage of the word “home” written in lots of different handwriting, on lots of different things, in lots of different languages. I'm getting people to contribute these and send them to me, and I'm building them into a series of collages that's just got the word “home” everywhere. People have been contributing them by sending them by email or on Facebook Messenger, and I've been putting them up on my social platforms. They look stunning. It's amazing. People are writing the word “home” on a post-it or sticking it to a picture of their radiator. Someone wrote it in snow on her car when we had snow. Someone wrote it on a pottery shard she found in her drive when she bought the house. She thought it was mysterious. There are all these lovely stories that people are telling me as well. I'm making them into little artworks and putting them up every day as the book comes to launch. It's so much fun, and it also has a deeper purpose because it shows how home is different for all of us and how it builds as uniquely as our handwriting. Our handwriting has a story. I should do a book about that! JOANNA: That's a weird one. Handwriting always gets me, although it'd be interesting these days because so many people don't handwrite things anymore. You can probably tell the age of someone by how well-developed their handwriting is. ROZ: Except mine has just withered. I can barely write for more than a few minutes. JOANNA: Oh, I know what you mean. Your hand gets really tired. ROZ: We used to write three-hour exams. How did we do that? JOANNA: I really don't know. JOANNA: Just coming back on that. You mentioned mainly you're doing your newsletter and connecting with your own community. You've done podcasts with me and with other people. But I feel like in the indie community, the whole “you must build your newsletter” thing is described as something quite frantic. How have you built a newsletter in a sustainable manner? ROZ: I've built it by finding what suited me. To start with I thought, “What will I put in it? News, obviously.” But I wasn't doing that much that was newsworthy. Then I began to examine what news could actually be. The turning point really happened when I wrote the first memoir, Not Quite Lost: Travels Without a Sense of Direction. I thought, “I have to explain to people why I'm writing a memoir,” because it seemed like a very audacious thing to do—”Read about me!” I thought I had to explain myself. So I told the story of how I came to think about writing such an audacious book. I just found a natural way to tell stories about what I was doing creatively. I thought, “I like this. I like writing a newsletter like this.” And it's not all me, me, me. It's “I'm discovering this and it makes me think this,” and it just seems to be generally about life, about little questions that we might all face. From then, I found I really enjoyed writing a newsletter because I felt I had something to say. I couldn't put lists of where I was speaking, what I was teaching, what special offers I had, because that wasn't really how my creative life worked. Once I found something I could sustainably write about every month, it really helped. Oh, it also helps to have a pet, by the way. JOANNA: Yes, you have a horse! ROZ: I've got a horse. People absolutely love hearing the stories about my ongoing relationship with this horse. Even if they're not horsey, they write to me and say, “We just love your horse.” It helps to have a human interest thing going on like that. So that works for me. Everyone's got different things that will work for them. But for me, it builds just a sense of connection, human connection. I'm human, making things. JOANNA: In terms of actually getting people signed up—has it literally just been over time? People have read your book, signed up from the link at the back? Have you ever done any specific growth marketing around your newsletter? ROZ: I tried a little bit of growth marketing. I have a freebie version of one of my Nail Your Novel books and I put that on a promotion site. I got lots of newsletter signups, but they sort of dwindled away. When I get unsubscribes, it's usually from that list, because it wasn't really what they came for. They just came for a free book of writing tips. While I do writing tips on my blog—I'm still doing those—it wasn't really what my newsletter was about. What I found was that that wasn't going to get people who were going to be interested long-term in what I was writing about in my newsletter. Whatever you do, I found, has got to be true to what you are actually giving them. JOANNA: Yes, I think that's really key. I make sure I email once every couple of weeks. And you welcome the unsubscribes. You have to welcome them because those people are not right for you and they're not interested in what you're doing. At the end of the day, we're still trying to sell books. As much as you're enjoying the connection with your audience, you are still trying to sell Turn Right at the Rainbow and your other books, right? ROZ: Absolutely, yes. And as you say, someone who decides, “No, not for me anymore,” and that's good. There are still people who you are right for. JOANNA: Mm-hmm. ROZ: I do market my newsletter in a very low-key way. I make a graphic every month for the newsletter, it's like a magazine cover. “What's in it?” And I put that around all my social media. I change my Facebook page header so it's got that on it, my Bluesky header. People can see what it's like, what the vibe is, and they know where to find it if they're interested. I find that kind of low-key approach works quite well for what I'm offering. It's got to be true to what you offer. JOANNA: Yes, and true for a long-term career, I think. When I first met you and your husband Dave, it was like, “Oh, here are some people who are in this writing business, have already been in it for a while.” And both of you are still here. I just feel like— You have to do it in a sustainable way, whether it's writing or marketing or any of this. The only way to do it is to, as you said, live as a creative human and not make it all frantic and “must be now.” ROZ: Yes. I mean, I do have to-do lists that are quite long for every week, but I've learned to pace myself. I've learned how often I can write a good blog post. I could churn out blog posts that were far more frequent, but they wouldn't be as good. They wouldn't be as properly thought through. In the old days with blogs, you had an advantage if you were blogging very frequently, I think you got more noticed by Google because you were constantly putting up fresh content. But if that's not sustainable for you, it's not going to do you any good. Now there's so much content around that it's probably fine to post once a month if that is what you're going to do and how you're going to present the best of yourself. I see a lot on Substack—I've recently started Substack as well—I see people writing every other day. I think they're good, that's interesting, but I don't have time to read it. I would love to have the time, but I don't. So there's actually no sin in only posting once a month—one newsletter a month, one blog post a month, one Substack a month. That's plenty. People will still find that enough if they get you. JOANNA: Fantastic. So where can people find you and your books and everything you do online? ROZ: My website is probably the easiest place, RozMorris.org. JOANNA: Brilliant. Well, thank you so much for your time, Roz. As ever, that was great. ROZ: Thank you, Jo.The post Writing Emotion, Discovery Writing, And Slow Sustainable Book Marketing With Roz Morris first appeared on The Creative Penn.

In this special episode of the Everything Electric podcast, Robert jumps into the passenger seat of a Fiat 500 Electric with Katie White MP, Minister for Climate in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. From her early days as a "petrol head" and Jeremy Clarkson fan to leading the charge on the UK's carbon budgets, Katie shares her unique journey into climate politics. Robert and Katie delve into the realities of being a Minister, the status of the UK's transition to a green economy, and why electric vehicles are a "dollop of joy" for any driver.   00:00 - Meeting the Minister: A Lift in a Fiat 500e  03:59 - The "Rainbow of Emotions": Life as a Climate Minister  06:26 - Why EVs are a "Dollop of Joy," Not a Sacrifice  09:45 - The Quiet Revolution: Electric Buses & Bin Lorries  14:41 - Energy Security: Why the UK Should "Buy, Not Rent" Power  18:29 - The Clarkson Effect: Farming, Nature, and Changing Minds  22:46 - Ending Range Anxiety: UK Charging Infrastructure Today  27:54 - Why British Scientists are Our Innovation Superpower  35:45 - Communicating Climate: Moving Beyond the "Hessian Shoes"  42:30 - Solar Schools and the Economic Case for Green Power  48:00 - Global Progress: Why Even "A Global Experiment" Needs Optimism   Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: www.everythingelectric.show    Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: commercial@fullycharged.show   EE NORTH (Harrogate) - 8th & 9th May 2026  EE WEST (Cheltenham) - 12th & 13th June 2026  EE GREATER LONDON (Twickenham) - 11th & 12th Sept 2026 EE SYDNEY - Sydney Olympic Park - 18th - 20th Sept 2026   Tags:  #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk #EverythingElectric #EVs #KatieWhiteMP #ClimateChange #NetZero #ElectricVehicles #UKPolitics #GreenEnergy #RenewableEnergy #WindPower #Sustainability #Fiat500e #CleanTech #EnergySecurity #BritishInnovation

►Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/McFixer  The future of Xbox has been shared and apparently it's going to be more blurred lines between xbox and PC. Let's talk about it! ►Please Subscribe www.youtube.com/@UCtBPt1KMIIHpHuqrCLwZJLg   ► BRAND NEW MXAM DISCORD - https://discord.gg/aQDSbAy8QH   ► Twitter: @MCFixer @Kreshnikplays @MattPVideo @PaulDespawn  ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/McFixer   ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/Kreshnik  ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/PaulDespawn  Timecodes: 00:00 Intro 02:42 Helix  24:36 Whats in your Box? (Resident Evil Requiem, Rainbow 6 Siege, Assassins Creed Unity)  39:46 Xbox Full Screen Experience now coming to Lenovo Legion GO 41:47 South of Midnight Coming to Switch 2 March 31 44:41 Yakuza Creators new game gets funding pulled 50:06 Guess That Game 01:01:23 Whats in our Box?

The Flesh RainbowBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/darkest-mysteries-online-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2026--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Blooming Dreams: A Garden Romance in Tulip Paradise Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-03-05-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Het was een levendige lentedag in het dorp, precies goed voor een wandeling over de markt.En: It was a lively spring day in the village, just perfect for a walk across the market.Nl: De lucht rook naar verse bloemen en de kleuren van de tulpenvelden omringden Sander en Fenna als een schilderij.En: The air smelled of fresh flowers, and the colors of the tulip fields surrounded Sander and Fenna like a painting.Nl: Overal om hen heen stonden kraampjes vol met allerlei soorten bloembollen en lokale lekkernijen.En: All around them were stalls filled with all sorts of flower bulbs and local delicacies.Nl: Sander was op een missie.En: Sander was on a mission.Nl: Zijn tuin had dit jaar iets speciaals nodig.En: His garden needed something special this year.Nl: Hij wilde tulpen die de voorbijgangers zouden verrassen met hun pracht en praal.En: He wanted tulips that would surprise passersby with their beauty and splendor.Nl: "Ik zoek de perfecte tulpenbollen," vertelde hij Fenna, terwijl ze langs de kraampjes liepen.En: "I'm looking for the perfect tulip bulbs," he told Fenna as they walked past the stalls.Nl: Fenna keek haar vriend met een lichte glimlach aan.En: Fenna glanced at her friend with a slight smile.Nl: "Waarom geen planten waar we iets aan hebben?En: "Why not plants we can actually use?Nl: Kruiden of groenten?En: Herbs or vegetables?Nl: Iets dat we kunnen eten," stelde ze voor.En: Something we can eat," she suggested.Nl: Sander schudde zijn hoofd lachend.En: Sander shook his head, laughing.Nl: "Tulpen zijn kunstwerken.En: "Tulips are works of art.Nl: Ze brengen kleur in het leven.En: They bring color to life.Nl: Het is goed om soms iets te hebben dat er gewoon mooi uitziet."En: It's good to have something that just looks beautiful sometimes."Nl: Ze stopten bij een kraam waar nieuwe variëteiten werden gepromoot.En: They stopped at a stall where new varieties were being promoted.Nl: Een daarvan, de "Prinses van de Regenboog," was precies wat Sander zocht.En: One of them, the "Princess of the Rainbow," was exactly what Sander was looking for.Nl: Maar toen hij de boer vroeg, bleek de variëteit bijna uitverkocht.En: But when he asked the farmer, it turned out the variety was almost sold out.Nl: "Ze zijn zeldzaam en zeer gewild," legde de verkoper uit.En: "They're rare and highly sought after," the vendor explained.Nl: Fenna keek naar de rij mensen die ook geïnteresseerd waren.En: Fenna looked at the line of people who were also interested.Nl: "Misschien kunnen we iets anders zoeken?"En: "Maybe we can find something else?"Nl: stelde ze voor.En: she suggested.Nl: Maar Sander was vastberaden.En: But Sander was determined.Nl: Hij wilde geen compromis sluiten met de gewone variëteiten.En: He didn't want to compromise with the ordinary varieties.Nl: Met hoop liep hij verder over de markt.En: With hope, he continued walking through the market.Nl: Plotseling, in een hoekje, ontdekte hij een kleine, bijna verborgen kraam.En: Suddenly, in a corner, he discovered a small, almost hidden stall.Nl: En daar, tussen allerlei kleurrijke potjes en zakken aarde, zag hij precies wat hij zocht: de zeldzame "Prinses van de Regenboog."En: And there, among all sorts of colorful pots and bags of soil, he saw exactly what he was looking for: the rare "Princess of the Rainbow."Nl: "Kunnen we er wat van krijgen?"En: "Can we get some?"Nl: vroeg Sander hoopvol aan de verkoper.En: Sander asked the vendor hopefully.Nl: De oude man achter het kraampje knikte en glimlachte.En: The old man behind the stall nodded and smiled.Nl: "Ja, maar het zijn de laatste," zei hij.En: "Yes, but these are the last ones," he said.Nl: Fenna en Sander werkten samen om de beste bollen uit te kiezen en maakten een plan om ze in de tuin te planten.En: Fenna and Sander worked together to choose the best bulbs and made a plan to plant them in the garden.Nl: Terwijl ze zich voorbereidden, begon Fenna de charme van de tulpen te zien.En: As they prepared, Fenna began to see the charm of the tulips.Nl: Hun gezamenlijke werk in de tuin bracht hen vreugde, en ze besloot ook wat kruiden te planten.En: Their joint effort in the garden brought them joy, and she decided to plant some herbs as well.Nl: Sander vond uiteindelijk balans in zijn tuin.En: Sander eventually found balance in his garden.Nl: Hij had bloemen om van te genieten en kruiden om in te koken.En: He had flowers to enjoy and herbs to cook with.Nl: Fenna leerde de schoonheid van bloemen waarderen en werkte graag met Sander samen.En: Fenna learned to appreciate the beauty of flowers and enjoyed working with Sander.Nl: En zo, onder de warme lentezon, was de markt voor hen beide een succes.En: And so, under the warm spring sun, the market was a success for both of them. Vocabulary Words:lively: levendigesurrounded: omringdenstalls: kraampjesdelicacies: lekkernijenmission: missiesplendor: praalglanced: keekcompromise: compromisvarieties: variëteitenpromoted: gepromoothighly sought after: zeer gewilddetermined: vastberadenordinary: gewonecorner: hoekjevendor: verkopersmiled: glimlachtecharm: charmeappreciate: waardereneffort: werkplan: plannoticed: ontdektepainting: schilderijpassersby: voorbijgangersrare: zeldzaamrefused: weigerdejoint: gezamenlijkeenjoyment: vreugdebalance: balanshidden: verborgendiscover: ontdekken

Send a textKaren Ferguson welcomes back Sandra Kay Chambers, the founder and original host of 5-Minute Parenting! In this episode, Sandra shares exciting life updates and a teaser for a new book that's coming soon! Sandra has had some important life changes since last being on the podcast, but what hasn't changed is her passion for books and writing. Listen in as she shares the heart behind her soon-to-be-published children's book Nana's Piano. Sandra also continues to partner with 7Homes, a foster and adoption agency, with her book Fingerprint Devotions. Click the link below and donate a copy to support this important ministry!  7Homes (Fingerprint Devotions Book Donation): https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/28RHN75099DNP?ref_=wl_share&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAPnU1lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaeRwrRd_ZWtHqYrmzKSRrL0q3_7Lvo6vaEEwv8xMe3AUPxsQ5joMfXq0X93RQ_aem_zfC1WYlz-V4c8zVSaASyuASign up for Sandra's Quarterly Newsletter by visiting her website: https://sandrakaychambers.com/  Book 3 in the Questions for Kids picture book series is now available! Check out Guess Why God Made the Rainbow on Amazon or your favorite book retailer!

Welcome to another edition of Bettin N Boozin on the HHH Racing Podcast! This week we head back to South Florida as we cover the full Rainbow 6 at Gulfstream Park for Saturday 3/7 that includes TWO STAKES! Who do we think wins? Find out in this episode!Come for the handicapping, stay for a drink!It's a great day to make some money, we are always Boozin N Not Losin! Stay tuned for GREAT ANALYSIS and see you in the LIVE CHAT!Please Like, Subscribe and comment below the video player your opinions, we would love to hear from you and respond to every one!__________________________________________________________________NORMAL PODCAST SCHEDULE:Tuesday Night @9:30pm EDT: Pacific Horseplayers with Noah, Ryan and JacksonWednesday Night @8pm EDT: Bettin N Boozin with Kyle, Andrew and Patrick Thursday Night @8pm EDT: Picks and Ponies with Howard, Pete and Paul(MORE COULD BE ADDED AT ANY TIME, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND HIT THE NOTIFICATION BELL TO BE NOTIFIED OF ALL LIVESTREAMS/VIDEOS!)__________________________________________________________________Go to our website: https://www.hhhracingpodcast.com__________________________________________________________________Podcast Twitter/X: @hhhracingpodHost:Kyle Roscoe: X - @APRoscoeKCo-Hosts:Andrew Rdesinski: X - @phillyboy415Patrick Kuenzel: X - @PatrickKuenzelIntermittent Co-Hosts:Noah Meagher: X - @NoahMeagCharlie Freeman: X - @CFREE316_________________________________________________________________Horse Racing Promotions: Subscribe to the excellent, informative, AFFORDABLE and profitable "Power Picks" Tip Sheet! Please go to: www.patreon.com/hhhracingpodcast Fantastic ABC P4 and P5 grids, along with Spot Plays and Price Plays provided that currently has an ROI around $2.15 (national average is $1.60). Picks arrive via email every Sat. morning for that day's races. Purchase your Power Picks NOW and make 2024 your best handicapping year ever! www.patreon.com/hhhracingpodcast__________________________________________________________Bettin N Boozin Logo by Erik Morgan (Instagram @erik_mgn10)__________________________________________________________Intro Music:Superepic by Alexander Nakarada | https://creatorchords.com/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...___________________________________________________________Horse Racing Intro Background Video graciously provided by @Fastec ImagingLink to video: ___________________________________________________________LINK TO A GREAT HORSE RACING OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY WITH CROWNS WAY RACING: ___________________________________________________________LINK TO SIGN UP TO BETUS -- (USE CODE RACING3H WHEN DEPOSITING MONEY)https://www.betus.com.pa___________________________________________________________#horseracing #horseracingtips #GulfstreamPark #GulfstreamParkPicks

From the March/April 2026 edition of The Scottish Rite Journal.  Any accompanying photographs or citations for this article can be found in the corresponding print edition.Make sure to like and subscribe to the channel!  Freemasons, make sure you shout out your Lodge, Valley, Chapter or Shrine below!OES, Job's Daughter's, Rainbow, DeMolay?  Drop us a comment too!To learn how to find a lodge near you, visit www.beafreemason.comTo learn more about the Scottish Rite, visit www.scottishrite.orgVisit our YouTube Page: Youtube.com/ScottishRiteMasonsJoin our Lost Media Archive for only $1.99 a month!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv-F13FNBaW-buecl7p8cJg/joinVisit our new stores:Bookstore: https://www.srbookstore.myshopify.com/Merch Store: http://www.shopsrgifts.com/

Oh no!

Jamie needed to learn that John does the transitions (and he had to attend GAMA), so John enlists fellow raccoon Dylan to talk about how D&D beyond is getting an overhaul, that Asmodee felt the tariff reverb, and apparently backgammon has a story mode now...

Thirteen men walked into the woods of Paturis Park seeking a moment of freedom, only to be met by a predator who treated their lives like a "social cleansing." In a case where the justice system's silence was as deafening as the gunshots, the line between the hunters and the law began to blur.From 2007 to 2008, the busy suburbs of São Paulo were haunted by a serial killer who specifically targeted gay and bisexual men in their most vulnerable sanctuaries. This chilling gay murder case exposed the deep-rooted "impunity" within the Brazilian legal system, where victims were blamed for their own deaths and the investigation was sabotaged by systemic bias. Join us as we track the hunt for the Rainbow Maniac, explore the high-stakes DHPP investigation into a retired military officer, and examine one of the most prolific unsolved LGBTQ+ mysteries in true crime history. This episode dives deep into a queer history of survival and the 2011 trial that left an entire community demanding justice.Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers brings chilling crimes, queer stories, and twisted justice to light—all with a cold one in hand. Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ true crime from a perspective you won't find anywhere else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yvonne Rainbow Teplitsky is the founder of Artsy Goddess Studio, where she actively carries out her role in helping others and the planet heal. Rainbow is passionate about art, as seen in the upcycled clothing she creates from second-hand materials, as well as the visual arts she creates, such as murals, paintings, and tapestries. She also helps women transform through voice-empowering workshops, and she co-facilitates couples retreats and workshops with me. Stress can negatively affects both partners' well-being and relationships, often leading to increased arguments, decreased intimacy, and a general sense of disconnection. The strain of dealing with stress often affects communication, making it difficult for partners to understand each other's needs and feelings. However, it can also bring a couple together, as they demonstrate their connection and positive attunement.  In this episode, my wife Rainbow and I have a conversation of a recent stressful event in our lives and how we navigated it. Related Podcasts: Couples Appreciation Feeling Seen and Heard Aftermath of a Fight or a Regrettable Incident  The Importance of Apologies The Art of Apology Maintaining Connection Through Conflict Let's Talk About It! Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.  Check out our Guided Audio Practices and Meditations at Relationships! Let's Learn About It. You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs. Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships. And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!   Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk Sound Production by Matt Carlson

Uh-oh!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Trinity Church Denver - Be A Good Man 2/28/2026

Beginnings | Week 27 The Rainbow and God's Everlasting Covenant March 1, 2026 Pastor Ben Bufkin 00:00 Rainbows remind us that the weight of the world is not on our shoulders 26:29 Rainbows remind us that God's memory is better than ours 36:01 Rainbows remind us that God remembers to forget

Tune in every Friday for more WOW Report.10) EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert @00:469) Shit Show: State of the Union @06:478) Punch the Monkey @11:097) Shit Show: Twitter @20:316) Hot Doc: Under the Rainbow @26:245) Murder in Glitterball City @31:404) RIP Maxi Shield @40:083) Hot Gen Z Trend: Antinatalism @42:312) Hot Trend: Chinamaxxing @46:411) 2026 Winter Olympics: Gold for Alysa Liu @48:46

Is the 2020 “stolen election” story really a setup to seize control of future elections? Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman react to a Washington Post report that lays out an executive order blueprint to blame China for 2020 and trigger emergency powers that could reshape how Americans vote. They argue this is what happens when a bloated presidency meets a party that treats democracy like an optional accessory, and they talk about what actually stops it when Congress will not. Then they pivot to new reporting on Epstein documents, storage units, and a DOJ that keeps finding ways to investigate itself with a straight face. From there it gets darker as they dig into the military push for full access to leading AI systems, the rush to turn surveillance and war into software, and why Democrats taking piles of cash from Palantir and SpaceX tells you plenty about what is not going to get fought. They close with what they're watching and reading, including The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere and Gravity's Rainbow. Support the show by signing up to our Patreon and get access to the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast

Check out this interview with Jade Du Preez on Rainbow Stars Unite, the latest queer anthology featruing short stories and poerty about queer identities:) Book drops today! 

Owen was on holiday abroad when he received a disturbing message from a colleague: “The boss is looking to replace you.” Deeply upset, he prayed one morning at dawn and asked God: “Where are you?” Then, he went to the window to open the curtains—and spotted a huge, beautiful rainbow suspended above the lake outside. Immediately, a comforting warmth gushed over him. “It was as if God was simply telling me, ‘It’s okay, I’m here,’” he recounted later. In Genesis 9, God promised not to destroy the earth through a flood again. He promised, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (v. 16). This covenant was everlasting and unconditional. It depended totally on God’s protection and provision, not on humanity’s performance. And it was just the first of many promises God would make to His people. Jesus, too, said: “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). God doesn’t promise that we won’t suffer. But He does promise His ever-present comfort and personal presence. We may not get “rainbow answers,” but we have His assurance that no matter what happens to us in life, He’s always there for us, and we can draw on His strength, comfort, and presence.

ICE chase in Newark ends in a 3-car crash involving 3 children... Booklynites trying to prevent a man's detention by ICE were pepper-sprayed... Schumer and Goldman push bill to allow Rainbow flag to fly at Stonewall monument full 502 Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:45:04 +0000 oNX7QVUoBVvPkNvinlC2LwhJyEmuFsud news 1010 WINS ALL LOCAL news ICE chase in Newark ends in a 3-car crash involving 3 children... Booklynites trying to prevent a man's detention by ICE were pepper-sprayed... Schumer and Goldman push bill to allow Rainbow flag to fly at Stonewall monument The podcast is hyper-focused on local news, issues and events in the New York City area. This podcast's purpose is to give New Yorkers New York news about their neighborhoods and shine a light on the issues happening in their backyard. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev and Dr. Manish Shah join the podcast to discuss the updated guideline on immunotherapy and targeted therapy in unresectable locally advanced, advanced, or metastatic gastroesophageal cancer. They share first-line and subsequent-line recommendations for both gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on actionable biomarkers including PD-L1 expression, MMR and/or MSI, CLDN18.2 expression, and HER2 status. They note the importance of the algorithms and tables in the guidelines that provide visual illustrations and quick reference guides of the evidence-based recommendations. They also comment on ongoing and recently presented trials that may impact future guidelines in this space. Read the full guideline, "Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update" at www.asco.org/gastrointestinal-cancer-guidelines" TRANSCRIPT This guideline, clinical tools and resources are available at www.asco.org/gastrointestinal-cancer-guidelines. Read the full text of the guideline and review authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,  https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO-25-02958      Timestamps ·       00:00 – 02:15 Introduction and Overview ·       02:16 - 08:20 First-line treatment for patients with pMMR/MSS, HER2-negative gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma ·       08:21 –10:29 First-line treatment for patients with pMMR/MSS, HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma ·       10:30 – 14:39 First-line treatment for patients with dMMR/MSI-H, gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma ·       14:40 – 18:03 First-line treatment for ESCC ·       18:04 – 22:04 Second- and third-line therapy for gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and ESCC ·       22:05 – 24:38 Importance of guideline ·       24:39 – 27:45 Outstanding questions and future research   Brittany Harvey: Hello and welcome to the ASCO Guidelines podcast, one of ASCO's podcasts delivering timely information to keep you up to date on the latest changes, challenges, and advances in oncology. You can find all the shows, including this one, at asco.org/podcasts.   My name is Brittany Harvey, and today I am interviewing Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Dr. Manish Shah from Weill Cornell Medicine, co-chairs on "Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update." Thank you for being here today, Dr. Rajdev and Dr. Shah. Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: Thank you. Dr. Manish Shah: Thank you for having us. It is wonderful. Brittany Harvey: And then just before we discuss this guideline, I would like to note that ASCO takes great care in the development of its guidelines and ensuring that the ASCO conflict of interest policy is followed for each guideline. The disclosures of potential conflicts of interest for the guideline panel, including Dr. Rajdev and Dr. Shah, who have joined us here today, are available online with the publication of the guideline in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, which is linked in the show notes. So then to dive into what we are here today to talk about, Dr. Shah, I would like to start first with what prompted the update to this guideline, which was previously published in 2023, and what is the scope of this updated guideline? Dr. Manish Shah: Yes, terrific. So even in the last few years, the pace of drug development in gastroesophageal cancers has just been astounding. So, what prompted this guideline is actually the practice-changing results for a new biomarker, CLDN18.2 hat was based on the GLOW and SPOTLIGHT studies, as well as a practice-changing study in HER2-positive disease where we added pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy for tumors that are HER2-positive and PD-L1 CPS 1 or greater. And then there were also new studies and new approvals in esophageal squamous cell cancer that you will hear about as well. So there were several studies, overall more than 5,000 patients were reported on, and that led to several new therapies, new indications, and it really necessitated this guideline. Brittany Harvey: Excellent. It is great to hear about all of these exciting updates in this space. So then to next review the key recommendations of this guideline by clinical question that the expert panel addressed. So, Dr. Rajdev, what is the recommended first-line treatment for patients with proficient mismatch repair, microsatellite stable, HER2-negative gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma? Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: Thank you for that question. So historically, we have sort of used fluoropyrimidine and platinum doublets, which yielded a survival of about one year. More recently, immunotherapy and targeted therapy options have improved outcomes in patients with advanced esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma, as well as squamous cell carcinoma. Patients with gastric and GE junction adenocarcinoma have a high rate of actionable alterations, so it is imperative that physicians test the following biomarkers upfront so that it can help guide therapy. The markers recommended by the ASCO panel are HER2, MMR or MSI, CLDN18.2, and PD-L1. And also, it was recommended to use NGS if feasible in this patient population. HER2, as we know, is expressed in about 15% to 25% of patients; PD-L1 expression occurs in about 80% of patients; MSI-high, deficient MMR is present in about 5% to 8% of patients; and CLDN18.2 expression is present in about 40% of patients. There is, of course, biomarker overlap. About 13% to 22% of CLDN18.2 patients are also PD-L1 positive. For patients with pMMR or microsatellite stable HER2-negative disease with PD-L1 expression greater than 1 and absence of CLDN18.2, the panel recommended a first-line therapy with fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based therapy in combination with immunotherapy. These recommendations stem from large phase 3 trials, and the agents approved in the United States are pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and tislelizumab. It has been shown that immunotherapy benefit is greater in patients with higher PD-L1 expression, and it is not possible to comment on the individual PD-L1 cutoff scores and sort of identify the optimal PD-L1 cutoff score that sort of balances benefits and harms. But what is recommended is that immunotherapy-based treatments can be offered in patients with a CPS score of greater than 1. With regard to the choice of immunotherapy agents, that is pembrolizumab, nivolumab, or tislelizumab, these agents are considered to have similar efficacy, and the selection of an agent could be based on dosing schedule, cost considerations, toxicity, and the method of administration. Typically, clinicians should avoid withholding the start of chemotherapy while awaiting biomarker testing, depending on the clinical scenario. Now, for patients with pMMR microsatellite stable disease that is HER2-negative with PD-L1 expression less than 1 and positive CLDN18.2 expression, zolbetuximab-based treatments or in combination with chemotherapy is recommended, and this is based on two global phase III randomized controlled trials, the GLOW and the SPOTLIGHT. And across both studies, the hazard ratio for the overall survival was 0.78, and similarly, there was also an improvement in progression-free survival favoring the zolbetuximab group compared to the chemotherapy group alone. An important note is that nausea, vomiting is commonly associated with zolbetuximab-based treatments, and the panel recommended prophylactic antiemetics, adjusting zolbetuximab infusion rates, pausing infusion temporarily, using non-prophylactic antiemetics, and hydration intravenously prior to discontinuation of zolbetuximab-based chemotherapy. So effective handling of the GI-related symptoms with zolbetuximab is recommended prior to discontinuation of therapy. Now, for patients with pMMR microsatellite stable HER2-negative gastric, GE junction adenocarcinoma with PD-L1 expression greater than 1 and CLDN18.2 positivity, the ones with the dual expression with CLDN18.2 as well as PD-L1 chemotherapy, the choice of therapy can be based on the degree of PD-L1 expression, the toxicity profile, the burden of symptoms, and the anticipated improvement in symptoms associated with response to treatment, the patient comorbidities, the prior medical and treatment history. So this decision needs to be made on a case-by-case basis, and these are some of the factors that we suggested that could potentially influence the choice of therapy. For patients with pMMR microsatellite stable disease that is HER2-negative and a PD-L1 expression less than 1 and an absence of CLDN18.2 expression, first-line therapy with fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based chemotherapy is recommended. So you can see we have segmented out patients based on PD-L1 expression, pMMR and microsatellite stable disease expression, and also based on CLDN expression. Brittany Harvey: Absolutely. And that first point you noted, I think is really important, that biomarker testing is really critical for treatment decision-making in this space. So then the next subgroup of patients that the panel looked at, Dr. Shah, what first-line therapy is recommended for patients with proficient mismatch repair, microsatellite stable, HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma? Dr. Manish Shah: So this was an update from a few years ago. So we have known for 15 years now that if you are HER2-positive, you should get trastuzumab plus chemotherapy. That was based on the ToGA trial. And the update now is based on a trial called KEYNOTE-811, where it examined the addition of pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy versus trastuzumab and chemotherapy, and there was a progression-free and overall survival benefit. And again, here, the biomarkers are important. If your CPS PD-L1 is less than 1, we would not recommend Pembrolizumab in that setting, so you would still get trastuzumab and chemotherapy. But if it is 1 or greater, the PD-L1 CPS score, then we do recommend pembrolizumab unless there is a contraindication to immunotherapy. The take-home message really is from the onset of diagnosis, please check your biomarkers. And I will just, it is worth repeating, it is important to check your PD-L1 status, HER2 status, mismatch repair status, and CLDN18.2 status. And then the optimal therapy, and it is outlined in the publication, is really biomarker-driven. We know that if we are able to hit the target that is overexpressed, we are going to have a better outcome. And Dr. Rajdev did mention where there is overlap, there can be a lack of data, and that is where we are with both PD-L1 positive and CLDN positive. Here we do have data in HER2-positive cases where if you are both HER2-positive and PD-L1 positive, you would combine trastuzumab and pembrolizumab for the best outcomes. Brittany Harvey: Understood. I really appreciate you detailing what is most important for each individual biomarker combination that patients may have. So then following that, Dr. Rajdev, what does the expert panel recommend for first-line treatment for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma that is not amenable to definitive chemoradiation? Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: There are three phase III randomized clinical trials that have influenced practice in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma examining the benefit of immunotherapy in this patient population. The RATIONALE-306 was a randomized trial of tislelizumab plus chemotherapy with platinum and fluoropyrimidine or paclitaxel versus placebo with chemotherapy. And then you have the KEYNOTE-590, which compared pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone. And then you have CheckMate-648, which included comparisons of nivolumab plus chemotherapy versus nivolumab plus ipilimumab or chemotherapy. And the primary endpoints for these studies were overall survival, and they did look at subgroups with PD-L1 expression. They used TPS score greater than 1% in CheckMate-648 and PD-L1 CPS greater than 10 in KEYNOTE-590. The bottom line is that the overall hazard ratio for overall survival across this patient population was 0.72. So clearly, there is benefit in patients that express PD-L1 CPS greater than 1 for benefit for the addition of immunotherapy. Now, the benefit again in patients with a PD-L1 expression less than 1 remains limited, and so the panel has made a recommendation for using immunotherapy in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with a PD-L1 greater than 1. Again, we know that it is hard to make recommendations on what PD-L1 cutoffs are recommended in this patient population, meaning that should it be limited to patients with a PD-L1 of 1 to 4 or greater than 10? I think that the general consensus that has been gleaned from the data is that the higher the PD-L1 expression, the greater the benefit. I do want to comment on another option that is available in patients with squamous cell carcinoma compared to adenocarcinoma, and that is the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab. Now, in CheckMate-648, nivolumab with ipilimumab was also recommended as a treatment option in patients that have a PD-L1 score of greater than 1. There was a survival benefit demonstrated with this combination compared to chemotherapy alone. And an important observation in this study is that, although there was a slightly increased rate in early death, but there was really no significant difference in PFS and OS compared to chemotherapy alone. Importantly, the treatment appeared to be pretty well tolerated by the study population. There was a notable difference in the objective response rate, which was 35% in the nivolumab plus ipilimumab group compared to patients receiving nivolumab and chemotherapy, where it was 53%. So superiority is, so the importance of chemotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is to be noted. However, there is no difference in overall survival and progression-free survival when using the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, and thus it affords a chemotherapy-free option for this patient population with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and a CPS with a score of greater than 1. Brittany Harvey: Understood. I appreciate you reviewing the evidence underpinning those recommendations as well. So then the next patient population that the guideline panel addressed, what first-line therapy is recommended for patients with deficient mismatch repair, microsatellite instability-high, gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma or esophageal squamous cell carcinoma? Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: The rate of MSI-high expression is about 3% to 7% across different studies. Now, the KEYNOTE-158 was a tumor-agnostic study in patients with non-colorectal cancers, and again, the problem with the MSI-high population, given that it is so rare, the numbers in the individual studies are fairly small. But consistent outcomes do emerge, indicating high response to immunotherapy. So in KEYNOTE-158, a response rate of about 46% was noted. The number of patients was small, it was about 24. In CheckMate-649, which is a study of chemotherapy plus or minus nivolumab in patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma, there was again a very small number of patients, and patients that were MSI-high or deficient MMR did experience substantial benefits with the addition of immunotherapy, with hazard ratios in the order of about 0.38. In KEYNOTE-062, again, it was a very small number of patients, again about 6% or so, and similar to CheckMate-649, a substantial benefit was noted in combination with chemotherapy, but also there were benefits noted with pembrolizumab alone. The RATIONALE-305 again was a study of tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy and similarly showed benefits to the combination of chemotherapy plus immunotherapy in this patient population. I think that we are all aware of the dramatic benefits of immunotherapy in this particular subset of patients, deficient MMR MSI-high, and also we have seen in CheckMate-649 they did have a subset of patients that received nivolumab and ipilimumab. And in this patient population, they noted unstratified hazard ratio of 0.28. So I think that the overall consensus is that immunotherapy is a very important treatment modality in patients with deficient MMR MSI-high disease, given that a lot of the trials in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma have utilized chemotherapy-based options, that is certainly a recommendation of the panel to use chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy. However, on a case-by-case basis, the panel recommended immunotherapy alone as well, and given the high response rates noted in trials across different diseases as well as noted in this disease as well. Brittany Harvey: Certainly. And I appreciate you both for reviewing these first-line recommendations. So moving to later lines of therapy, Dr. Rajdev, what recommendations did the expert panel make for second or third-line therapy for gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma? Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: So, I think that the RAINBOW trial that investigated the utility of the addition of ramucirumab as second-line therapy has been around since 2014, and those results have led to the addition of ramucirumab to taxane-based therapy in the second-line setting. Based on the utilization of oxaliplatin and platinum-based therapy in the front-line setting, there may be patients that have an underlying neuropathy, and so we wanted to really include treatment options for this patient population so that an agent that is less neurotoxic could also be recommended in combination with ramucirumab. The RAMIRIS trial is one such trial where ramucirumab was combined with FOLFIRI, and it demonstrated benefit in combination with ramucirumab. So we have listed that as a potential treatment option for patients in the second-line setting who may have an underlying neuropathy or even for whatever reason that based on the toxicity profile, that needs to be the preferred option by a physician, that recommendation is new from the older guidelines that we have. With regard to the utility of PD-1 inhibitors, there really has been no benefit noted in the second-line setting with regard to overall survival or progression-free survival, so no recommendation is made for that option. I think an important study that has been recently presented is the DESTINY-Gastric04 trial, which really has been practice-changing and has led to the recommendation for trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients that have HER2-positive metastatic gastric or GE junction adenocarcinoma. Now, this is a phase III trial in patients who retained HER2-positive disease after progressing on front-line trastuzumab-based treatments, and the comparator for this trial was trastuzumab deruxtecan versus ramucirumab plus paclitaxel. There was significant improvement and progression-free survival in patients that received trastuzumab deruxtecan. The patients that were excluded from the trial are patients that have pulmonary problems, interstitial lung disease; that is one of the toxicities of this particular agent, and close monitoring and prompt initiation of therapy such as glucocorticoid treatment in patients who develop this toxicity was also highlighted by the panel. So to summarize, the new guidelines highlight the possibility of FOLFIRI plus ramucirumab as a second-line option and then trastuzumab deruxtecan as a later-line option in patients that still retain HER2 expression. And that is very important because the trial did retest patients whether they expressed HER2. As we know, in a substantial number of patients, there is downregulation of HER2, and there is emerging data that the benefit for subsequent HER2-directed therapies is best noted in patients that still retain HER2 expression. Brittany Harvey: Great. So as our listeners have heard, there are many recommendations and new treatment options for advanced gastroesophageal cancer. Dr. Shah, earlier you highlighted the importance of biomarker testing, but I would like to hear in your view, what is the importance of this guideline and how will it impact both clinicians and patients with gastroesophageal carcinoma? Dr. Manish Shah: So as we have discussed throughout this podcast, the treatment for gastroesophageal cancer, both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell cancer, is increasingly complex, increasingly biomarker-driven. And I think the value of the guideline is to place all of that into context. So it provides the data for why certain biomarkers are important, what therapies should be indicated. Not only that, but if you are able to review the guideline, it provides the details of each of these studies and summarizes them in a meta-analysis fashion to sort of give you the context, because sometimes the individual studies can be maybe a little bit discordant or confusing and the guideline attempts to harmonize all that. And then also, I think the tables are very, very interesting because they give you actual numbers in terms of how many patients over a thousand would this benefit or how many patients over a thousand would this cause harm in terms of nausea, vomiting, or other things like that. So it gives you context for helping clinicians and patients weigh the potential benefits of the novel treatment strategies against the potential adverse events. And then finally, the guideline does also provide an algorithm that you are able to follow based on the biomarkers, and those are in figures 4 and 5. So I think overall, it is a very comprehensive guideline. It intends to make more manageable a very complex subject, and you know, I really encourage our listeners to review it after listening to the podcast. Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: If I can add to that, I think that what is also really good about the guidelines is there are quick summaries. So if someone is busy in the clinic, of course, there is the opportunity to review the data supporting the guidelines in great depth in the manuscript, but what is also really good is that there are good summaries. In the event that you are very busy, you can easily identify what the recommendations should be for that particular patient based on these summaries. Brittany Harvey: Absolutely. Listeners are encouraged to review the full guideline, including those tables and figures that may be more helpful when they are looking for something quick to look at in the clinic as well. So, as you both mentioned, there have been a number of recent practice-changing trials in this area. So I imagine there is still a lot of ongoing research as well. So Dr. Shah, what are the outstanding questions regarding treatment options for patients with locally advanced unresectable, advanced, or metastatic gastroesophageal carcinoma? Dr. Manish Shah: I think we touched upon it a little bit. The guidelines are based on the data available, and they are primarily examining one novel therapy with chemotherapy in a specific biomarker population. But as you know, the biomarkers are not either/or; you are not either CLDN18.2 positive or PD-L1 positive. A portion of patients could have dual biomarkers, and you know, I think that we are generating data on how to manage those patients. At the recent GI Symposium in January this year, the ILUSTRO trial was presented by Dr. Shitara, which looked at combining zolbetuximab and chemotherapy with immunotherapy for dual-positive biomarkers, and that is leading to a phase III study that has begun to enroll. So unanswered questions are: how do we manage dual-positive biomarkers? The other thing that was mentioned is that the current data for mismatch repair deficiency involve chemotherapy plus immunotherapy. Only squamous cell cancer is there a study with a positive non-chemotherapy kind of backbone, that is CheckMate-648 that Dr. Rajdev mentioned. As we move forward, it will be good to get data on non-chemotherapy options in certain biomarker-positive populations. And then finally, another update, which is likely to be practice-changing, is the HERIZON-GEA-01 study that looked at zanidatamab, which is another biparatopic antibody that targets HER2, and that is likely to change practice. And as that data gets published, we may look to even do a rapid update for the current immunotherapy and targeted therapy guideline that is just being published. Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: So, if I can add to that, there are numerous ADCs that look very interesting. There are bispecific antibodies; in fact, the zanidatamab is a bispecific antibody showing improved activity in patients with HER2-positive disease. So I think there are studies from Asia looking at CLDN CAR T-based therapies. So, I think that there are a lot of novel agents and a lot of excitement in the field. We know that the bemarituzumab study, unfortunately, the FGFR2 inhibitor failed to demonstrate any benefit, but I think that there are other agents that are being explored, so there are newer targets, newer agents, ADCs, bispecifics that could potentially change the field in the future. Brittany Harvey: Yes, we will look forward to the data to address these unanswered questions and new agents and inform future guideline updates. So, I would like to thank you both for all of your work to review the evidence here and update this important guideline, and for your time today, Dr. Rajdev and Dr. Shah. Dr. Lakshmi Rajdev: Thank you. Dr. Manish Shah: Thank you. Brittany Harvey: And finally, thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in to the ASCO Guidelines podcast. To read the full guideline, go to www.asco.org/gastrointestinal-cancer-guidelines. You can also find many of our guidelines and interactive resources in the free ASCO Guidelines app, which is available in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. If you have enjoyed what you have heard today, please rate and review the podcast and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.

Send a text5-Minute Parenting host Karen Ferguson loves sharing good books for families and on today's episode she is recommending a great one for children! Join Karen and special guest, author Laura Sassi, who has a new Easter book available, called Happy Easter, Risen King! Laura shares the inspiration behind this joyful, colorful book and also good points about how to share the Easter message with your littlest ones! Laura Sassi has been a teacher, homeschool mom, children's ministry director and more. She is the author of multiple books for young children including Goodnight, Ark; Goodnight, Manger; Love Is Kind, Bunny Finds Easter, Happy Birthday Christmas Child, My Tender Heart Devotions, Faithful Feet and now her new book Happy Easter, Risen King. Laura writes daily from her home in New Jersey and finds special joy in sharing messages of kindness, comfort and hope at school visits, church gatherings, and other events.  You can find Laura's books and connect with her online by visiting her website: https://laurasassitales.wordpress.com/  Book 3 in the Questions for Kids picture book series is now available! Check out Guess Why God Made the Rainbow on Amazon or your favorite book retailer!

Join us for today's Our Daily Bread devotional by Leslie Koh, taken from Genesis 9:12-16. Today's devotional is read by  . Meet the team at odb.org/meet-the-team. God bless you.We hope that you have enjoyed today's reading from Our Daily Bread. You can find more exciting content from Our Daily Bread Ministries by following @ourdailybreadeurope on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. You can even sign up to receive Our Daily Bread Bible reading notes sent straight to your door for free: odb.org/subscribe

From the January/February 2026 edition of The Scottish Rite Journal.  Any accompanying photographs or citations for this article can be found in the corresponding print edition.Make sure to like and subscribe to the channel!  Freemasons, make sure you shout out your Lodge, Valley, Chapter or Shrine below!OES, Job's Daughter's, Rainbow, DeMolay?  Drop us a comment too!To learn how to find a lodge near you, visit www.beafreemason.comTo learn more about the Scottish Rite, visit www.scottishrite.orgVisit our YouTube Page: Youtube.com/ScottishRiteMasonsJoin our Lost Media Archive for only $1.99 a month!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv-F13FNBaW-buecl7p8cJg/joinVisit our new stores: Bookstore: https://www.srbookstore.myshopify.com/Merch Store: http://www.shopsrgifts.com/

Like the episode? Let us know with a quick text!In this conversation, Allison interviews Selena, a runner and the race director of Run the Rainbow, a multi-distance race event in Jackson, Mississippi that benefits the state's only children's hospital.Selena shares how she began running in her early 30s as a personal goal, progressed from 5Ks to marathons, and grew passionate about the running community.She discusses taking on trail running at longer distances, including a goal sequence with the local Muts Group (Frosty 15, Big Butts 50K, Clear Creek 50K) and an attempt at her first 100-miler (reaching 100K but missing the cutoff), with plans to complete a 100-miler and earn “Big Dog” status this year after a back issue affected her last attempt.Selena explains that Run the Rainbow started after the hospital's former 5K ended during COVID; she expanded it from 5K/10K/half to include a full marathon and a new 50K, with an earlier start option for slower runners and a commitment to supporting participants through the final finisher.She details that all proceeds support children's hospital needs not covered by standard funding, citing examples like patient iPads, specialized playground space, NICU “angel eyes,” transportation gaps, and hopes to add another trained facility dog like "Hollywood."She highlights Run the Rainbow's challenging hills, frequent aid stations and entertainment (including bands and mile-by-mile encouragement), safety planning with Capitol Police, JPD, and campus police, a course feature that includes passing a castle, and an after-party.Selena also describes the event's swag structure (shirts, kid-designed medals, towels, cups, hats/beanies, quarter-zips, and affordable donation-based expo items) and a new educational panel featuring a dietitian (Elizabeth), trainer Megan Cook, and runner Chuck Engle.Selena Daniel - https://www.facebook.com/selena.lockwoodRaces MentionedRun the RainbowFrosty 15Fondren 50kBig Butts 50kClear Creek 50kMamba 100-milerRocket City MarathonShout OutsMuts GroupDina BoylesJames BoerJeremy JunglingRunStrongHollywoodDanaPothole RunnersJackson Run ClubElizabethMegan CookChuck EngleDina BullsSupport the showFor more details on Run Your Story happenings, visit https://runyourstory.com/For web development or tech services, visit https://gaillardts.com/Go Run Your Story and take a piece of this story with you! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news on upcoming episodes. Support me on Patreon!Can't wait to hear Your Run Story!! Thank you to all of our Patreon supporters!Kristen RatherSteve TaylorMary TrufantSuzanne CristSuzanne ClarkAnna SzymanskiDave McDonaldKarla McInnisJames ContrattoJordan DuBoseCristy EvansSharonda ShulaNell GustavsonMeredith NationsAllyson SwannChris StrayhornKaren SaldivarStefan ClaytonRachael McRaeScott Thornhill

25/02/26

In 1988, I was one of only two white elected Democratic officials in all of America to endorse Jesse Jackson to be our party's nominee for President. (The other was Bernie Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington Vermont).As a Texas politico, my endorsement of the fiery Black leader was both derided as political suicide and hailed as gutsy. But it was neither – it was just the right thing to do. As I had learned from an old-time Texas Democrat, “Every now and then, a politician ought to do something just because it's right.”In the 1970s and 80s, I had gotten to know and work with Jackson. A renown orator, he was an even more effective thinker and uniter. For example, he was able to link white, conservative dirt farmers in common cause with impoverished farmworkers and inner-city families battling chain-store profiteers.So, when he ran for president, I had to ask myself: If this guy (1) is standing for the progressive populist values I believe in, (2) is standing with the grassroots families I'm fighting for, and (3) has the populist grit to stand up to the moneyed elites – why am I not standing with him?Millions of us responded to his deliberate campaign trying to forge a multi-racial populist movement, and it's up to us to carry that historic mission forward. But Jackson's “Rainbow” vision was not one of fluffy hope however, but one of profound “intentionality.” That means doing the grunt-level political work of strategizing, organizing, and mobilizing to make good things happen. Especially in these dark Trumpian times, emphasizing Jesse's deliberate determination is the best way to honor this true champion of democracy.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

In this message Cole discusses covenant made by God and token of that covenant with the rainbow and that serves as a reminder of God's promises and the picture the Noahic covenant is to the covenant of grace, emphasizing that it is a unilateral agreement that assures us of God's love and faithfulness

Against a backdrop of violent anti-semitic and anti-indigenous attacks and the relaxation of police restraints in response to them, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras organizers are faced with twin controversies: the withdrawal of the Jewish group Dayenu from the event and demands for the expulsion of the New South Wales Police contingent. Veteran activist Ken Davis explains the situation (Barry McKay reports). New Yorkers defy the Trump administration and replace the rainbow flag the government “disappeared” from the Stonewall National Monument (Paul DeRienzo of WBAI reports). A Black History Month Rainbow Rewind honors Langston Hughes (produced by Sheri Lunn and Brian DeShazor). And in NewWrap: the European Parliament approves a resolution specifically calling for “the full recognition of trans women as women,” HIV-positive enlistees are once again banned from serving in the U.S. military, intersex children are now protected from undergoing unnecessary medical procedures without their informed consent in the Australian state of Victoria, Kansans can now sue if they're upset after sharing a bathroom with a trans person, U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team captain Hilary Knight leads her team to gold and plans to lead speed skater Brittany Bowe to the altar, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Nico Raquel and Ret (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 23, 2026 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at thiswayout.org/donate/.

Public works employees removed homophobic messages in December. They were thanked Monday at the intersection, which is now surrounded by new artwork.

 Recovery literature (quit-lit) recommendation: Living Sober- https://www.aa.org/living-sober-book Best piece of Recovery advice: We don't have to takeourselves so seriously all the time Song that symbolizes Recovery to Marie:Somewhere Over the Rainbow - https://youtu.be/PSZxmZmBfnU TakeawaysMarie has been sober since September 6, 1983, marking over 42 years of recovery.She emphasizes the importance of community and service in recovery.Marie believes in keeping recovery simple and accessible.Literature, especially 'Living Sober', has been crucial in her recovery journey.She highlights the significance of understanding family dynamics in recovery.Marie advocates for kindness and non-judgment in helping others.She stresses the importance of self-care and health in recovery.Marie shares her experience of coping with grief after losing her son.Humor and lightness are essential in navigating recovery challenges.Marie encourages others to take what works for them and leave the rest. SummaryIn this episode of The Way Out Podcast, Marie Elden sharesher inspiring journey of recovery, which began on September 6, 1983. With over42 years of sobriety, Marie emphasizes the importance of community, service,and literature in the recovery process. She discusses her early life, thecultural transition to the United States, and the impact of alcoholism on herfamily dynamics. Marie highlights the significance of keeping recovery simple,the role of humor in navigating challenges, and the importance of self-care.Through her experiences, she offers valuable insights on coping with grief, theimportance of kindness, and the need for non-judgment in helping others.Marie's story is a testament to resilience and the power of recovery. Don't forget to check out “The Way Out Playlist” available onlyon Spotify. Curated by all our wonderful guests on the podcast! https://open.spotify.com?episode/07lvzwUq1L6VQGnZuH6OLz?si=3eyd3PxVRWCKz4pTurLcmA (c) 2015 - 2026 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved. ThemeMusic: “all clear” (⁠⁠⁠https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/)byKetsa (https://ketsa.uk⁠⁠⁠) licensed underCCBY-NC-ND4.0(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd)

Back in the 70s and 80s, the television broadcast of The Wizard of Oz was a hugely anticipated annual event. The kids had their Wizard of Oz dolls from Mego, and their Wizard of Oz comic book from Marvel and DC, just to get them through the long year between viewings. But that was the classic movie from 1939. Have you ever seen the 1925 version? Kevin and the Mayor just did, so we're here to file our report for you. This is a bizarre little silent slapstick comedy, and it features a Buster Keaton-type Scarecrow, a Dorothy played by a lady actually named Dorothy, Oliver Hardy (pre-Laurel) as the Tin Man, an unhealthy dose of blatant racism, and a vomiting duck. It's not great, but it is a curiosity. And since it's silent, you don't have to worry about the duck breaking into "Over the Rainbow." The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Have Coffee, Will Travel!  

Brrr! ❄️ Even Peggy, Lil' Zebra, and Giddie learned that when the snow is wild and the wind is howling, the best adventure is staying cozy at home!

Brrr! ❄️ Even Peggy, Lil' Zebra, and Giddie learned that when the snow is wild and the wind is howling, the best adventure is staying cozy at home!

Support the show by signing up to our Patreon and get access to the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: ⁠http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast⁠ Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open this Weekender by asking the ugliest question out loud: Are we drifting toward a strike on Iran with no clear end game? They dig into why the silence feels like the point, how Russia and China fit onto the board, and why a wider conflict always seems to make a few very specific people rich. Then they pivot to the Epstein fallout and what it looks like when Europe actually treats the network like a crime, while the U.S. political class keeps trying to pretend it is somebody else's problem. From there it gets bleakly funny as they talk about the AI chip rush, the coming squeeze on everyday electronics, and how tech oligarchs keep turning basic life into a scarcity game. Somehow, a treatise on Doritos emerges before ending with what they're watching and reading, including a new crime caper that mostly works, Gravity's Rainbow as a full-time job, and Nick trying to finish a Mick Cronin video before the weekend is over.

Send us an email @ info@parentcoachesunleashed.com SummaryIn this episode of Parent Coaches Unleashed, Carrie Wiesenfeld and Jessica Anger engage in a heartfelt conversation with Paige, a mother of a transgender daughter named Chloe. They explore the journey of recognizing Chloe's gender identity from a young age, the importance of support systems, medical guidance, and the challenges faced in social transition, sports participation, and dating. Paige shares her experiences, insights, and resources for parents navigating similar paths, emphasizing the need for open communication, understanding, and community support.TakeawaysIt's essential to recognize and support a child's gender identity early on.Language around gender identity is evolving, and parents should be open to learning.Building a network of allies is crucial for a transgender child's acceptance.Medical guidance should come from competent professionals familiar with transgender issues.Social transition should be approached methodically and with preparation.Coming out can be a significant event for transgender children and their families.Medical interventions like puberty blockers should be discussed with a knowledgeable team.Participation in sports can present unique challenges for transgender youth.Safety concerns for transgender individuals, especially in dating, are paramount.Community support, such as camps for transgender youth, can be life-changing.Resources1. www.genderspectrum.org   Many downloadable resources General, Family, Educational, Faith, Medical and Mental Health, Allyship, Book list. You can also get speakers and speak to professionals 2. www.thetrevorproject.orgNon profit LGBTQ plus youth   They have a suicide hotline and so many resources3. Local PFLAG  and LGBTQ Centers  in your city   Just google it   Many have support groups, activities, advocacy opportunities, groups for parents and grandparents as well4. Psychologytoday.com to find a therapist using the therapist finder. You can enter your location, issues, insurance, preferences and other criteria and it will give you names, specialties, and contact information5. For specialists in medical care, go to WPATH Provider Directory, and https://lgbtqhealthcaredirectory.org6. https://harborcamps.orgBooks 1. My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis2. Raising my Rainbow by Lori Duron3. The Transgender Child (and Teen ) by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper4. Raising The Transgender Child by Michele Angello  

From the January/February 2026 edition of The Scottish Rite Journal.  Any accompanying photographs or citations for this article can be found in the corresponding print edition.Make sure to like and subscribe to the channel!  Freemasons, make sure you shout out your Lodge, Valley, Chapter or Shrine below!OES, Job's Daughter's, Rainbow, DeMolay?  Drop us a comment too!To learn how to find a lodge near you, visit www.beafreemason.comTo learn more about the Scottish Rite, visit www.scottishrite.orgVisit our YouTube Page: Youtube.com/ScottishRiteMasonsJoin our Lost Media Archive for only $1.99 a month!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv-F13FNBaW-buecl7p8cJg/joinVisit our new stores:Bookstore: https://www.srbookstore.myshopify.com/Merch Store: http://www.shopsrgifts.com/

Natalia Ball, global chief growth officer at Mars Pet Nutrition joins The Big Impression podcast to talk about how Pedigree transformed a local Brazilian insight into a global business story. She also shares why she is now focused on the next frontier of growth: Connected commerce and making sure brands show up when AI agents, not just people, are making purchasing decisions.  Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio. Damian Fowler (00:00):I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Liffreing (00:01):And I'm Ilyse Liffreing.Damian Fowler (00:02):And welcome to The Big Impression.Ilyse Liffreing (00:09):This week we're joined by Natalia Ball Global Chief Growth Officer at Mars Pet Nutrition home to brands like Pedigree and Sheba.Damian Fowler (00:18):Last March, pedigree launched a bold, purpose-driven campaign in Brazil celebrating mixed breed dogs, especially the iconic Vela Caramelo.Ilyse Liffreing (00:27):It wasn't just a campaign, it became a movement boosting adoption and challenging long held bias.Damian Fowler (00:35):The work went on to win top honors at the 2025 cans. Lions including the titanium lionIlyse Liffreing (00:41):And its impact is still rippling across markets and media channels worldwide.Damian Fowler (00:45):So today we're unpacking what made it work with the person who helped drive it. Natalia, tell us about the Carello campaign and how you landed on the idea.Natalia Ball (00:57):Carmelos are mixed dogs that are beloved in Brazil. They are found on the streets everywhere. They are the subject of meme, street culture, and people just identify Carmelo as the Brazilian dog. However, the inside that we discover was that this dog is 90% less likely to get adopted than breed dogs. So it is the most popular dog in Brazil, but the most overlooked. And when we learned about that, we decided that we wanted to make a difference and that we wanted this dog to get the position it deserve and pedigree decided to champion the underdog and become the official brand of caramel's in Brazil.Damian Fowler (01:41):You talked about the caramel. Could you just describe a little bit more for people who don't really know the caramelo and that term Vita, where does that come from?Natalia Ball (01:52):Yes, so caramels are basically mixed breed dogs that you can find on the streets of Brazil everywhere they are called caramel because they are caramel color and that's what it is in Spanish and they tend to be that caramel color, short hair. But there are different ways that these dogs look and feel because they are mixed breeds. But like I said, they are beloved dogs in Brazil, but when it comes to getting a pet, getting a dog, they are not the ones that people are going for. They see them as street dogs, not a dog that you have in your house. And the whole campaign was about, like I said, championing these caramels, driving adoption of mixed breed dogs, not only breed dogs. And we did that by saying that if caramels were considered non breeded, pedigree was going to give them a breed and who better to give them a breath than pedigree.Ilyse Liffreing (02:48):Great. And then at what point did you connect that insight to the campaign itself?Natalia Ball (02:54):What you need to know about pedigree? Pedigree is one of the largest dog brands in the world. Pedigree feeds more dogs than any other brand, and it has been there for many years and for the past 20 years or more, pedigree has been driving adoption, encouraging people to adopt pets everywhere. We have had a lot of iconic campaigns so much which maybe you would've heard, like for example, docs on Zoom during COVID or the child replacement program, which was a very interesting one. And we were talking about adoption in Brazil, but other local brands were talking about adoption too. So we were not cutting through and it was only when this insight came to us, which was a very deeply local insight that we made the connection, if we want to drive adoption in Brazil, this is going to be the way in and we're going to make this as big as it can possibly be.(03:51):Because we, from the very beginning saw we understood this idea of the vi Lata. You mentioned it before by the way, the vi lata is how you call mixed breed dogs in Brazil. And so when we had these conversations about this insight, the injustice of this beautiful dog not getting adopted, but also the cultural impact that it would have on resilience themselves, who could see themselves related in the fact that they were being championed, we decided to go really big on this campaign and not only do just an activation, but actually we are doing this campaign. We did it all of last year and we continue activating through this year. And some of the ways in which we championed this was actually by creating a caramel kennel club by creating the first ever caramel DNA testing. And it's the largest ever DNA test done in mos in all of history, kept creating a Carmelo dog show and not only that, putting caramels for the very first time ever on our packs. So it was really a way to give them the rightful place.Ilyse Liffreing (05:01):I love how you guys just took it a step further than even just it being a campaign and you actually adopted it into your packaging and the whole bit. At what point did you realize that the campaign wasn't only just a marketing ploy and it began actually affecting culture?Natalia Ball (05:23):Yeah, I mean this campaign has really changed culture in Brazil, but it was a campaign that was deeply rooted in culture itself because Carmelos were part of Brazilian culture. But when we realized the campaign became bigger than ourselves, absolutely. When it started driving difference in adoption of Carmelos, we saw more than 200% lift of caramelo adoption just in the first month. And we saw a 65% increase in likelihood to adopt a Carmelo in the future with this campaign. And then when we started seeing other brands and other businesses even outside of the pet care category start using the Carmelo in their campaigns in their advertising, that's when we knew this had really hit culture big. An example of that was Chevrolet that actually launched a partnership with Netflix that launched a documentary about caramel, and several launched a caramel or a caramel colored car in a promotion.(06:29):Other brands like Honda or Whirlpool also feature caramels in their advertising. So we started seeing that this became much bigger than ourselves, but maybe the biggest achievement that we had with this campaign other than driving adoption itself, which was the cost at the end of the day, was the fact that we were betting on the mixed pre-doc actually not being accepted in dog shows because only breed dogs are accepted usually in dog shows. But at the end of the day, the movement became so big that after only two weeks of this campaign, the federation that actually controls the dog shows called us and said, we now want to move to accept mixed breed dogs in all of our shows. So that was a huge achievement that we never knew it would be possible.Damian Fowler (07:18):What's really interesting to me about this campaign is the way you focused on one region, one country, one market, but obviously you're a global brand. So how does that connection to the local end up escalating? So it became this global campaign.Natalia Ball (07:35):Like I said, adoption is a huge cost for us, and we have been very consistently on pedigree, driving adoption for a long time. So we have an evergreen brief that goes out to all of our agencies on adoption, and in my case in particular, I am a strong believer in creative excellence as a driver for growth. And so I put a creative excellence program in place that included building capabilities on creative excellence, but also creating a creative council where the best ideas could come faster to the marketing leadership of Mars Pet Nutrition so that we could move at speed, but also we could fund the better ideas. And in this creative council DL map team, Al Map VO, who are the agency that came up with this idea presented Carmelo. And from the very beginning, me and the whole leadership team fell in love with it, and so we decided to fund it.(08:31):We decided to go big and to give it our full support. We knew it had the potential to drive the business and change culture, and I think in this case, the important thing about the campaign, obviously it did a lot of good. So it's a purposeful campaign and pedigree is a purposeful brand, but it was not only about the purpose, it was also about driving business results. Through the campaign in the first couple of months, we were able to grow 15% and through all of last year, we moved to grow volume and value by double digits. So the campaign really did the job about turning around the pedigree brand and delivering results not only on the cost but also on the business.Ilyse Liffreing (09:11):That's great. And you're doing something right when all the other brands out there are copying you guys suddenly in pop culture and everything like that. I'm very curious about as the campaign evolved, obviously it started out from a social aspect, but as it evolved, how did you decide what other channels to bring it into? What other channels did you try out in this process?Natalia Ball (09:42):Yes. Actually this campaign started as social first and we then boosted with media. The way it started is we partner with local influencer called Tata Vernick. She loves caramels and she herself has adopted caramels. And we asked her to register her caramel in a dog show because we knew that her caramel was going to get rejected, which it did. And so she posted on her Instagram that had 60 million followers that she was outraged that her beautiful and smart caramelo could not be accepted in a dog show. This went viral immediately in Brazil and everybody was outraged. This went on the evening news, the morning shows everywhere, and we waited for it to gain enough fire for us to step in. So actually we were planning that this was going to take a couple of days, but at the end we had to act after only 10 hours because this became so big so quickly.(10:41):And we step in and we said, you know what, Tata, don't worry. Pedigrees got you. We're going to give all caramels a breed. And we launched the campaign with our beautiful campaign video that talks about our program of giving them a DNA test, giving them a show, giving them a kennel club and giving them everything that breed dogs have. And then after that, we use that video and we boost the message. The video went viral as well, but we boost the message, for example, with connected TV as well as Prime and Disney, et cetera. So in order to make sure that everybody had listened to it, but it was truly an omni-channel approach because we use a lot of offline tools like for example, the dog show itself that we created or the adoption drive that we had later on where we were invited people to adopt caramels and then online tools like Instagram or Connected TV or Disney, et cetera.Damian Fowler (11:38):You suggested that the kind of timeline got really sped up really fast. So this thing you had to act very quickly. At what point did you realize you had a hit on your hands in a way, and how quickly did it escape the local context and became this bigger campaign that everyone looked at?Natalia Ball (12:01):Yeah, this exceeded all of our expectations. So we knew that it was going to get picked up, but like I said, we were not expecting for this to become so big so fast. And the fact that it appeared in all of the big shows, evening news, morning shows, et cetera, it appeared as well on national media, on print Everywhere meant that we needed to step in faster, but we were fully prepared for that. So that didn't represent the challenge. It was more of an opportunity. And then the other thing that really surprised us was that the largest dog association reached out to us after only 24 hours to partner to see how mixed beat dogs could then be allowed to compete. We were not expecting this. We were expecting actually that to be attention point that we were going to leverage in our campaign, and this became so big that they just couldn't ignore it. So it was a big win just from the very beginning.Damian Fowler (12:57):Wow.Natalia Ball (12:57):Now one of the things that we're seeing is even though this was very, very local, as we have started sharing this work across many other places in the world, we have realized that the insight actually exists in many other markets. For example, in Chile they have a dog called the Quilter, which is the equivalent of the caramel. We have them in Philippines, we have them all over the world. So this insight can travel. The way to activate might be different because you need to localize to the nuance, but we are very excited about the potential of drive more inclusion of these dogs with these campaigns, but also for pedigree to stand stronger in culture.Ilyse Liffreing (13:36):I love that. As a dog owner, myself and owner of a mutt, I'm glad they're getting their time in the spotlight a little bit more around the world. Generally, I feel like post COVID in the marketing world today, some brands have actually moved away from purpose-driven marketing a little bit, but this is a really good example of it done right. What would you say this campaign proved or maybe disproved about purpose-led marketing?Natalia Ball (14:04):I am a strong believer of purposeful brands actually growing stronger, but it only works when it's aligned truly and authentically to the reason for the brand to exist. Pedigree itself, the purpose of the brand is we believe that dogs bring out the best in us, and pedigree wants to bring out the best in dogs. So the purpose of pedigree is pedigree brings out the good dogs bring to the world to do that. We obviously do that with our great nutrition, but we do that by putting dogs in houses so that they can bring out the best in people. That's what we do because we strongly believe that dogs make us better. So that's why we have been driving adoption for more than 20 years. And when you really make this part of your core DNA and it's authentically linked to the brand, that's when it really works.Damian Fowler (14:56):And one of the proof points of that is the awards that you scooped up last year. Can you tell us a little bit more about how that happened? And that must have happened quickly because the campaign rolled out in March, 2025 by June, you're already in the spotlight.Natalia Ball (15:13):Yes. So this campaign was picked up for a lot of awards at Cannes last year. We won the Rainbow, silver, gold and Titanium. The titanium we are very excited about because it's Mars Inc. First ever titanium. So we are really proud of that, and it's also an award that rewards transformation in the creative industry, and we believe this idea was transformational. We're also proud of, I mean, we've got the many other awards, but the other one that we're really proud of is that we got the Grand Phy in the latam phy and in the Brazil phy, which shows that this was not only a creative idea that was very strong, but also a very effective idea in driving the business. So you can achieve both. You can do good in the world, you can drive the business and you can be creative actually. So it's three.Damian Fowler (16:03):Yeah, that's great. I love that trifecta. What happens to the titanium award?Natalia Ball (16:09):Well, I have it right hereIlyse Liffreing (16:10):With me.Damian Fowler (16:12):NoIlyse Liffreing (16:12):Way. Very nice. Beautiful here. It's beautiful.Damian Fowler (16:16):Beautiful. Well, congrats again. So from that, obviously momentum has come on. We've talked a little bit about how it influenced other brands, but in terms of the campaign continuing, what's next? How are you thinking about expanding this?Natalia Ball (16:33):In Brazil itself? We want to stay committed to this idea. We don't want to do one and go, and we are working, we continue activating the campaign through all of our channels. We continue doing adoption drives. For example, very recently we released the results from the DNA research that we did. So we find ways to keep this relevant. But now I think the next stage is to move on from not only caramels but all mixed breed dogs. Because with this campaign, the sentiment has been extremely positive. We got 99% positive sentiment. The only 1% negative comments was what about the other mixed breed dogs? They also deserve to be adopted. They also deserve recognition. So I think that's probably where we're taking it next in Brazil and then outside of Brazil, we are working on, like I said, these inside travels very well, but we're working on how to localize it in a world that feels authentic for the specific markets. I can't share anymore. Stay tuned, because some interesting things are coming soon.Ilyse Liffreing (17:44):And it sounds like that theme is going to keep going with this idea of all putting mutts in the spotlights from now on too.Natalia Ball (17:54):Exactly, yes. This is about inclusion. At the end of the day, our hope is that mutts are shown everywhere. We also love breed dogs. They're great. All dogs deserve to be feature everywhere. So our hope is that this campaign will drive inclusion, inclusion in advertising, inclusion in homes, inclusion everywhere.Damian Fowler (18:16):Another thought I had actually is when you were filming this campaign, did you have any standout caramelo stars?Natalia Ball (18:22):Actually, actually, I think our biggest star was Patas Caramel, which we then did a lot of things with her, I think. I mean, I don't record very well, but I think it was Mia, her name, but we did a lot with her in our activation. She was present when we did the dog show, et cetera. So I think that was our biggest star.Ilyse Liffreing (18:43):Oh, that's great. It can't always be that easy to shoot with dogs though, even if they're very well-trained, I imagine it's still a different world than human actors. So Natalia, what problem are you most obsessed with solving right now?Natalia Ball (18:59):I am right now obsessed with agentic commerce and agentic search and winning the race to thatIlyse Liffreing (19:08):BecauseNatalia Ball (19:09):I'm really concerned that in only a couple of years, if we are not winning, we will completely disappear the way all decisions are going to be made. So together with my team, we're trying to figure out how do we stay ahead of that race and how do we crack it pretty soon, so we're ready future.Ilyse Liffreing (19:26):Wow. And just to press you a little bit more on that, so you're talking about probably using agents on your website directly.Natalia Ball (19:35):It's about we are very good about marketing to people. We have cracked the code on how do we talk to people. We have the best insights in pet care, so we know how to create compelling stories that humans will listen to, but we need to crack how to market to agents, how to market to the machine because they are going to be making a lot of decisions for us in the future, in the very near future. And that's what we're working on.Damian Fowler (20:05):You're talking about media buying specifically on the creative side of itNatalia Ball (20:12):Or the LLM. This is about how do you make your brands show up in searches that are being done on ai? This is how do you make your brands be the ones that get recommended to be bought? So for example, when you're on Cha G PT and you're asking Cha G pt, I got a new puppy, what brands should I buy for my puppy? We want our brands to be the first ones to be recommended if you are going to buy a gift, anything like that, we want our brands to show up and we want our brands to show up in good light. And so that's what we're trying to figure out and to win. There is a combination of how do you have the right content in the right places? How do you get the right third parties to talk about you in the right way? What are the media channels where you need to show up? How do you optimize your search? So it is a very complex way. We need to crack the algorithm basically.Damian Fowler (21:12):On that point, how do you ensure your marketing teams have the right capabilities for success?Natalia Ball (21:19):Well, that's a big priority for me as CGO is one of my main jobs is to make sure that we're building capabilities for today and for the future. So in my team, we have a strong capabilities program where each and every one of the people on my team owns a capability and owns making sure that we get best in class content training and as well as the tools, because it's not only the knowledge, it's also the tools in order to do that. But the reality is that none of this works unless you are creating a culture of curiosity. And I really want to instill that in myself and in my teams because the industry is changing so fast. The minute you think you have cracked something, there is a new challenge. And the only way to stay fresh, the only way to stay in line with what's happening is to be curious. Whenever you don't know anything, go and ask someone who knows, go and ask questions like really try to learn instead of fearing the change, be curious about the change, and that's the way that we will build future proof capabilities.Ilyse Liffreing (22:22):Beyond ai, how do you see the role of connected commerce in the pet industry? Are there any other channels, for instance, that you're testing out? I'm thinking of are you testing shopping ads on CTV or any of that?Natalia Ball (22:40):Connected commerce is extremely important for us in pet care. The reason for that is because this category is one of the highest engagement categories that there are out there. People are making decisions for living beings, and they need to do deep research in order to make those decisions because they have real consequences. And so people are very engaged in reading through rating and reviews, and connected commerce gives us an opportunity to connect better with pet parents in those moments that matter most. We also, when it comes to pet care, a lot of our products come in huge bags that are hard to carry. So actually the fact that the convenience of those bags getting delivered at home make so that digital commerce becomes really important in our category. And so what we're trying to is to really help consumers navigate the pet parent journey and moving from content to commerce in a seamless way so that they can make the best decisions for their pets and that we are helping them along the journey to make those decisions.Damian Fowler (23:46):Okay, here's another, what's one marketing rule? This campaign, the Caramelo campaign happily ignored.Natalia Ball (23:52):The one rule that we happily ignore is about keeping your distinctive memory structures consistent because pedigree has always had a golden retriever on its pack. But with the Caramel campaign, we thought that it would be hypocritical of us to feature a breed dog while we were championing a mixed breed dog. So for the first time ever in history, we changed our pack and we feature a caramel, and this made the news again. And this was a huge bold move that we made and that made the campaign even more authentic and more powerful.Ilyse Liffreing (24:28):Now we have a fun one for you. Personal one really. Are dogs better than cats when it comes to brand lift?Natalia Ball (24:36):Oh, when it comes to brand lift, well, actually both are great for brand Lift. We actually have studies that show that when you feature cats or dogs in advertising, attention significantly increases emotional connection, significantly increases. This is why you see a lot of brands that are not in the pet care space featuring cats and dogs. They are both fantastic. Cats are more powerful in meme culture, as you probably know. They are huge in meme culture. And then dogs are some of the biggest stars in social media today. Some of the biggest accounts on social media are dogs accounts. So we are lucky that we get to work in this beautiful category because people want to see dogs and cats. I myself have a dog. My dog's name is Bella. She's been with us for three years and she's great. But the more I work in this category, the more I'm falling in love with cats as well because they are so particular and so unique. So yeah, both are fantastic.Damian Fowler (25:45):And that's it for this edition of The Big Impression.Ilyse Liffreing (25:47):This show is produced by Molten Hart. Our theme is by love and caliber, and our associate producer is Sydney Cairns.Damian Fowler (25:54):And remember,Natalia Ball (25:55):You can do good in the world, you can drive the business, and you can be creative.Damian Fowler (26:00):I'm Damian.Ilyse Liffreing (26:01):and I'm IlyseDamian Fowler (26:01):And we'll see you next time.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When is a trout a steelhead and when is it a rainbow? Are steelhead just rainbow trout that migrate to the ocean?  Is it something in their genes or just random chance? And in a given population of rainbow trout, will only some of them migrate to the ocean? And according to a biologist, are the Great Lakes "steelhead" truly steelhead? My guest fisheries biologist Katie Kobayashi [32:13] has studied these fish down to the genetic level and has some exciting information on their life histories. In the Fly Box this week, we have some great questions that I think will be helpful to many of you, including: If I hook a trout in the back behind the dorsal fin, will it survive OK? And can I count this fish as "caught"? What is the most useful saltwater fly line for inshore species? For my smaller creeks in Pennsylvania, would an 8 ½ foot 4-weight or 7 1/2-foot 3-weight be better? Have you used articulated flies? Have you had success with them? Are there articulated subsurface flies other than streamers? I have an 8-weight rod for flats fishing in salt water and want a second rod for bigger stuff.  Should I get a 9-weight or a 10-weight? For fishing in a Colorado tailwater, when should I use an indicator setup and when should I Euro-nymph? And when Euro nymphing, how can I get a tiny size 22 nymph down into the right zone?

Helgrammite, Loraveth, Rictus seek out who they perceive as their biggest threats, coming as a surprise for some of these opponents. But though the trials proclaim only one can survive, some of the wizards are ready to take their fate into their own hands.Royale Theme: “Wizard Disco” by Louie Zong: https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/album/wizard-discoOriginal Music by Griffin McElroyAdditional Music in this Episode: "Pure" by Jahzzar:  http://www.betterwithmusic.com/; "Atmosphere for Documentaries" by Universfield: https://unil.ink/universfield; "Moulds Sun" by 10 Echo: https://10echo.bandcamp.com/;  "When the Wick is Gone" by The Pangolins: https://thepangolins.yolasite.com/; “If You Can't Be the Sun, Be the Sun” and “The Redemption in Her Arms, the Light at the End of Her Tunnel" by Schemawound http://schemawound.com/; "Languid Dawn" by Blear Moon: https://blearmoon.bandcamp.com/; "tribute to eddy" by Jean Toba: https://jeantoba.blogspot.com/; "The Unknown" by Jar of Flies: https://jaroffliesofficial.bandcamp.com/; "A Rainbow in the Sewers" by Jangwa: https://www.petitesmaisons.it/jangwa/; "Haze" by Scott Holmes Music: https://scottholmesmusic.com/;  and "The Fae" by Mark Lingard: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/mark-lingard/.Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota: https://www.ilcm.org/donate/