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A New Hampshire doctor and his wife kept a secret from their children, friends, and community for nearly two decades. That was until the federal government discovered the lie. After the publication of their story in Reader's Digest in 1947, the entire nation would know. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/a-white-lie-podcast-246/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uselessinformationpodcast X (Twitter): https://t.co/7pV2H8iXJV Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FlipSideofHistory/ The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network.  Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jason Blitman talks to Eliana Ramage about her debut novel, TO THE MOON AND BACK, this month's Reese's Book Club pick. Highlights include:

Meet Dr. Tamir Qadree who grew up one of 11 children in a 2-bedroom apartment in Chicago. When I asked him how 11 children and two parents lived in an apartment with only 2 bedrooms his response was that it is all about family. We all made it worked, and we all learned to love each other. Tamir heard about California before high school and wanted to move to that state. A brother, 8 years older than Tamir, was recently married and agreed to take Tamir to California since this brother and his new wife were moving there. Tamir always had a “servant attitude” toward others. He felt that he could learn to help others and, after attending some community college courses he decided to go another route from school. Tamir always felt he was selling and in sales. He tells us about that and points out that we all sell and receive results from others who sell in whatever we do. Dr. Qadree eventually discovered metaphysics which is about self-help and learning to adopt a mindset of improvement through self-analysis. We discuss this in detail as you will hear. Tamir offers many good life pointers and lessons we all can adopt. This episode is pack with useful ideas that we all can use to better our lives. About the Guest: ‘The Dean of Dynamic Results' “The Dean of Dynamic Results” has a Double Doctorate in the field of Metaphysical Philosophy, specializing in personal development coaching, mentoring, mind, and mystical research. The Powers of the Mind, Influence and Attraction has captured the minds and imagination of the world over the past 35 years. Dr. Tamir Qadree is a leader in the field of this study, and says that, “WE Can All Achieve Dynamic Results”! Tamir is the author of several books, audio programs. He conducts workshops, 2 day retreats and does one on one, exclusive coaching. His clientele has ranged from business developers in the fields of Network Marketing, Direct Sales, Real Estate, Legal, the Medical Professions, and Self-Help enthusiastic individuals, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Tamir Qadree, (Also known as TQ) carefully guides his audience and clients through the vast field of sales psychology, effective closing skills, prospecting mastery and all of the necessary communication skills needed in today's world. He also teaches and demonstrates the connection between ‘The Results the Reader or Listener Gets,' and his or her ‘Emotional States and Habits.' Tamir teaches his students how to ‘Feel' rather than to simply ‘Reason' everything through. He teaches that, feeling is more about ‘Intuition' while reason is often about ‘Ego' and knowledge gleaned from books on one level; but when they are both combined (Feeling and Reason) you have your road map to success and contentment. Tamir Qadree, writes with clarity, precision, and direct language, that is easy to read, simple to follow and are full of great content. His podcast, (Dean-Cast) are usually not planned. They flow from inspiration and direct knowledge from experience. What you read and listen to in his array of programs are genuine, authentic, and straight from ‘The Dean of Dynamic Results himself.' The information Tamir delivers, whether from audio book, eBook, audio programs or Dean-Cast, or Live Events, are carefully select and digested to bring to the reader, the listener, the audience, the best information. Often there are differences of opinion in matters of, ‘what to eat,' or ‘how to lose weight' or ‘scientific and technology.' These are all necessary to grow, to develop and to keep the mind moving and expanding. Welcome To The World of The Dean! Ways to connect with Dr.Tamir: New Podcast, "Dynamic Results On Fire!' Every Monday! https://tamirqadree.com https://learn.tamirqadree.com Https://coach.thedeanofdynamicresults.com dynamicyou@gmail.com (17) Dr. Tamir Qadree | LinkedIn (20+) Facebook Dr Tamir Qadree (@theresultscoach1) | TikTok (381) The 'Results' Coach - YouTube https://www.Instagram.com Ebooks and an audio program: Clear Vision – Mastermind Mastery Click and Grow Rich – Mastermind Mastery Super Potential – Mastermind Mastery The Esteem Success Factor – Mastermind Mastery About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I've told you all in the past about a program that I attend every so often called Podapalooza. And on the 19th, excuse me, the 18th of June, we had number 16 in the patapalooza series. And one of the people I got a chance to speak with was Dr Tamir Qadree. And Tamir is is our guest today. He calls himself or I want to find out if he calls himself that, or somebody else calls him that, the Dean of dynamic results. I want to hear more about that, certainly, but we're really glad that he's here. He has been involved in dealing with metaphysical philosophy. He's a coach. He does a lot of things that I think are very relevant to what we hear from a lot of people on this podcast. So I'm really looking forward to having a chance to chat with you. So Tamir, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 02:25 I'm glad to be here. Thank you very much for inviting me.   Michael Hingson ** 02:28 Well, we appreciate you coming and spending the time. We met Wednesday the 18th of June, and here it is the 24th and we're chatting. So that   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 02:37 works. That works out for me well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:41 so tell us a little bit about the early Tamir growing up.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 02:46 The early Tamir growing up, sure, interesting story that's always fun, because I grew up in Chicago on the west side, and during time I grew up, I grew up in in the 70s, that was coming out of the turbulent 60s of the youngster, then coming out of that, coming out of the the other protests and the civil rights movement and all that stuff. So I grew up in the 70s. Basically, life to me was a lot of it was. I had a lot of happy times in my life, although we had so called very little. My mom had a home with a partner with 13 children, 13 people at all times, two bedrooms. I don't know how she made that work, but she did. We had, we stayed cleaned the house. My like bleach. We smell like bleach. We smell like pine. Saw and so I got my my my cleanliness from that. I don't know how she did it. And we all ate, okay. And what I got from my childhood, me, my brother, we we've always been innovative. We've always been results driven, going out, knocking on doors. Before there was a Door Dash, we were knocking on doors, taking buying people's groceries, going to store for them. We're cutting their yards and doing odd things to earn money. So I've always been go get a results. Driven guy, not afraid to ask and looking to get the results, not just for the money, but the money was good to have. But I've always been like that. That's in a nutshell. Where I've always been,   Michael Hingson ** 04:18 well, how did you all sleep? 13 people in the apartment?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 04:22 Well, it was my mom, my dad, before they separated, and it was 11, and then plus cousins, so that's 14. Hey, you know, buddy Michael, you make it work? Yeah, people say how it's not how. I think why is a better question. Because you're a family and you can make it work. It can work easier than people think it can, because we have love and togetherness and closeness, and you have two parents that are on top of their game is doing the best they can do. It works. That's a very good question. And you're the first person to have asked me, how did that work? You're the first person.   Michael Hingson ** 04:56 Well, I can imagine that there are ways to make things work. Um. Um, as you said, you do have to be innovative, and you all have to learn that it's important to get along, and that's what family is really all about,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 05:09 that that's true and that we did not we had to get along. We live in a house with that many children, five boys and six girls, no six boys and five girls. I reversed it. You have to learn to get along. You have to learn to respect the different genders. You have to learn respect authority. You have to learn to share how to care for other people. Interesting about that, my mom would always bring people in from the street. She'd find people less privileged than us, believe it or not, let's we'll have one bathroom, by the way, less privileged. She would buy them clothes and feed them, and we abuse that person any kind of way we get it, where we get it? Okay, so I got that from also that's and that that leads me into how I am now.   Michael Hingson ** 05:53 Well, we'll get there. So you went to school in Chicago, and how long did you live   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 05:58 there? Why would the school I started high school in California? Okay? So California, okay? My freshman year in Cali. Yeah, California.   Michael Hingson ** 06:07 So what caused you guys to move out to California?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 06:10 Well, my aunt came out maybe 20 years before. Then my sister came out. Two years after that, my sister came back bragging about California. Everybody in those days, everybody thought California the land of milk and honey, back in the Midwest and back east California, Judas, land of milk and honey. It really is. People will go California represented freedom to us, the promised land. It really did sort of a promised land thing. And I was just determined to get to California. My story, if I can tell you about me getting to California, we're in the household. I was 14. My sister had came and promised she'd take me with her. And I said, Okay, I'll go. I was her favorite, she promised. So I told everybody on the block, I'm going to California. 13 going on, 14 year old kid, and have people excited. He's going to California. Some were jealous, and I was telling people I would knock on their door and go and go pick up groceries for them and cut yards. And after the summer passed, my sister couldn't get me any people started laughing at me, Jeremy behind my back. He's not going to California. And some of my siblings were, of course, probably a little jealous, little envious. He's not going some people, yeah, you're not going anywhere. You stay down here with us, in this area, with us. And so I said, No, I'm going to California. And I watched this story the weekend before going to high school. My mother said she lied to you. She's not going to get you. She lied to you. You can give it up. My cousin said she lied to you. I said, No, I'm going to California. I had two pair of pants, one pair of shoes, two pair underwear and two shirts. That's all I had. I was going to go to school. Well, that Friday came, I said, I'm going to California that Friday. This is all summer. I've been saying that people started doubting me. My brother walked in the door. My older brother, eight years old, to me, walked in the door about an hour later and said, I just got married, me and my wife decided to go to California. Monday. You can come with us. That's why I got to California.   Michael Hingson ** 07:52 There you go. Well, and again, it's really cool that family sticks together somehow, Too bad your sister misled you, but you you made it work.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 08:05 Well, I don't think she so much misled me. She couldn't make it work. She wanted to do it. She couldn't find the finance, little time or the effort. She couldn't make it work. She didn't make it work. You know, she obviously lied to me. That's what they thought. But no, I don't think I never thought that.   Michael Hingson ** 08:19 Yeah, well, I understand. Well, at least you made it and you got to California. And so what did you find when you got out here?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 08:27 I found it to be what I thought it's going to be okay. I saw I was driving, we're driving. And came over the mountains. We saw the little the little lights on the freeway, the little on the road, the little reflectors. We're like, wow, there's diamonds in the streets of that night, right? With those reflected, we never seen nothing like that before. Wow. They're diamonds in the street. And then we look around like at San Jose, and I would see the lights up in the air. It was the mountains, with people living in the mountains, yeah, with the lights, we I thought, Oh, my God, this is heaven. I didn't know. Yeah, please know those houses the lights. So anyway, it was what I thought was going to be. Here's the land of milk and honey.   Michael Hingson ** 09:05 For me, sure. I'm not sure what caused my parents to want to move to California. We moved in 1955 right? In fact, I mentioned earlier, we did patapalooza on the 18th of June, and today is the 24th that is the day we're recording this. So you'll see when this actually comes out. But June, 24 1955 was the day we arrived in California from Chicago. And I don't know what caused my father to want to sell his part in the television repair business that he and my uncle owned and wanted to get a job in California, whether they thought it was the land of milk and honey or what I've never, never did learn. But nevertheless, we moved out to California, and I think there was a lot to be said for they wanted to be out here. They felt that there were a lot of opportunity. And probably they wanted to get out of the city, but we did. So I have now been out here, other than living in other places as an adult. Part of the time I've lived out here 70 years. 70 years. Well, we came out in 1955 we got here on June 24 1955 so it's pretty cool. But anyway,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 10:25 I wasn't born, but you beat me. Well, there you go.   Michael Hingson ** 10:28 Well, I think there's a lot to be said for California. It's, you know, I can make a lot of places work. I've lived in New Jersey, I've lived in Boston. I've lived in other places in Iowa for a little while and so on. And so I know there are places that are a lot colder than California, and where I even live in California, and there are places that are warmer but still enjoy it well. So you moved out to California when you went to high school here. And then did you did college. Where did you do college?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 11:03 Well, I did some community college at De Anza. I did some courses over there. Most of my learning came from self study, community college courses, self study and university. Finally, University of metaphysics. I got involved in metaphysics over 20 years ago, which is, metaphysics is really philosophy. Philosophy comes from the Greek word, I believe metaphysical from from philosophy. So it's philosophy. It's what it is. I got involved in that about 25 years ago, when I met speakers like Anthony Robbins Les Brown, I started listening to Norman, Vincent, Peale, you've heard of him. People like that. People like that. And then I got into I've always been, I've always been a voracious reader, even in Chicago, I've always been a voracious reader, someone that wanted to know. So my educational track really started. See education in the United States and in a lot of places, is them pouring some menu. But true education is what you bring out of you, is what you learn about yourself internally. That's the true education, instead of pumping stuff in what's inside of you. So you take what's taken outside of you and mix it with what's inside of you, and there you go. So I've always been a self starter, but the University of metaphysics is really, really with the jewel to me. I said there's actually a place that reward or they give you a degree and what   Michael Hingson ** 12:21 you love. And where is that university?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 12:25 It's in Arizona. It's the largest metaphysical university in the world, the oldest metaphysical university in the world. In fact, Harvard just start off in metaphysical degrees in my in my field, about four years ago, which is a great thing, great. They finally came around to it and and they recognized it. Wait, wait a minute, they start offering the same degrees, metaphysical degrees. Now, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 12:49 well, but still, so did you go there and actually study there, or did you study remotely, as it were,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 12:56 instead of remotely, like Phoenix and all it's remote. I went there, of course, I graduated and going back and doing, get my third doctorate, to graduate, go across stage two. You have, we have ceremonies and all that. And we have, you know, we're renowned throughout the metaphysical world, throughout the world, as far as philosophy, right?   Michael Hingson ** 13:14 What got you to decide that you wanted to take up a study of metaphysics? You know, you went to community college. You studied some things there, and what did? Well, let me do this first. What did you do after Community College?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 13:26 Community College, I was family man, working building. See, I've always been a self starter. I've never jobs. Never settle with me. See, so I've always been a student, a study here. I've always been someone to read the books. Mm hmm. Listen to the motivational thing. Listen to the philosophy. I've always wanted to know deeper knowledge. And I had my brother that brought me to California. He's always been a student too. He was in the service. He's always been a a person that study and contemplate. He studied politics, war, philosophies, religion, and I follow. I did the same thing. So it's something that's been inside of me, believe it or not, for a very long time. I've known this since I was like eight years old. I've actually known it, and people that knew me knew it. In fact, one lady told me this about four years ago. She knew because I was a baby. I hadn't talked to her in about 40 years. She said, Oh my God, she's really my cousin, but not blood. And she said, Oh my God. And she started telling me about myself. Hence, she told me. She said, when you were a baby in the crib, you would always stand up for what's right. How can I do that in the crib? She said, when somebody's done wrong, you let them know. When you're a baby, when you guys start to stand up, walking up, you'd always stand up for what's right. So I've always had this sense of me, of service to other people and a sense of justice. Okay, certainly, I've had my pitfalls too and all that. That's not the point, but I've always had that with me. I've always had that thing about service and helping others. So getting into self help, which is what metaphysics is, self help and self development gets it was right up my alley. It was right down my lane. It. Was a straight strike. When I did that, it's just a strike. It's a fit like a glove. The glove does fit, by the way.   Michael Hingson ** 15:08 Well, what did you What is but what did you do after college? You had to support yourself and so on, until you decided to take this up. What did you do?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 15:16 No, no, I've been in sales all my life. Okay, I've been, I've been a salesman all my life. You've been sales, okay, yeah, sales, people, sales, good sales people will never starve. No, you always find a way to make it. That's it. I've been selling all my life, yeah? So that that that should answer that, yes, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 15:32 Now I understand well, and there's nothing wrong with being a good salesperson. I think that so many people don't understand that and misunderstand sales, but there are also a lot of people who do truly understand it, and they know that sales is all about developing trust. Sales is all about guiding somebody who needs something to the best solution for them, not just to make money, but as you said, it's all about self help and and helping others.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 16:01 Well, well, it's actually something real quick about sales. People that have issues with sales don't understand one thing you have issues with people that use sales in unethical way. Yeah, everything is sales, the phone you use and the headset using the house you get you to buy it from someone that sells the water that comes to your home is put there by somebody signing the contract. That's sales. Who going to bring the water to our home? What company? PG, e Edison cup, whatever. All everything is based on sales, sales communications. But because there's some people that are shysters, you blame the whole pot. You blame everybody. That's not the way it sells. Sales is sales is community. Sales is service. That's what sales   Michael Hingson ** 16:41 is. Sales is service. That's what it appear. And simple,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 16:45 yeah, it's not some sheisty guy or woman trying to con you. And no, that's a con person.   Michael Hingson ** 16:51 There are too many of those. There are way too many of those, but never every field. Yeah, in every field, yeah, sure. But what you say is true, sales is service in every sense of the word. And the best sales people are people, people who really understand that and put service above basically anything, because they know that what they do, they can do well, and they can help other people and make money, which is also part of what they do need to do, and that's okay.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 17:18 And without sales, nothing goes around. Sales is really communication. Sales connecting a product or service, fulfilling the need, getting rid of a pain or something you really don't want to bring you to what you want that sales is fulfilling, is uprooting the pain unfulfilled desire and bringing you to the pleasure side of getting what you need, whether it's food, clothing and shelter, all sales doing a bridging the gap, and the salesperson is a communicator that bridge that gap. And the reward is, once you have two satisfied sides, the company and the individual, the product, and the reward is you get paid to do it, right? So now it's like you're getting paid to do what you love, sure.   Michael Hingson ** 18:01 Well, and there you go, well. So you have, however, been a person who's been very focused on the whole concept of self improvement for quite a while. Yes. So what got you started down that road?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 18:19 Here's what got me started down that road I'm gonna go way back to Chicago again. I remember I was 13 years old, and my uncle used to get he was a big beer drinker, and he just talked to me, invite me over and my auntie, and he wanted me to talk. He's wanted me he won't hear me talk. I always had these philosophical sayings, even I was 10 years old, philosophical quotes, these ideas that I didn't read, but just came to me, and one day I told him, life is a dream. We're here to play roles, and we leave the earth. You wake up. In other words, there's no real physical body passes on, but you wake up and you're boom, whatever. Anyway, these philosophies like that. And he was at the lake with me trying to catch fish. He was so busy drinking beer and talking, he wouldn't catch no fish. He told me, talk. Keep talking. I kept talking. And so one day, he brought out my other uncle with us, and we sit down at the lake. And my other uncle was saying, I wish he'd Shut up. He turned to me and say, Talk. Listen to this boy talk. He kept doing that. And one day my aunt said this, he brings Tamir over because he want him to talk. That's why he brings them over. So that kind of encouraged me to make me realize that I had something of value, not just talk, something to say, he would ask me. And then I knew, I knew, from then on that I had a place in life to assist and service others will not just talk, but practical ideas to get results. So I've been known that for a very long time, allowed me to be very successful in sales. I've been top producing billion dollar companies allow me to write books and to be on share the stage with some great people like Mark Victor, Hansen and Jim Rohn. It allowed me to get into a space to where I am now, where this flawless confidence that I can be doing half whatever I want to be but I. I'm able to show other people how to do the same. Those are receptive and those that afford me to show that I'm not for everybody. I understand that,   Michael Hingson ** 20:07 right? You can only do what you can do, right? So you started down this, this path of dealing with self improvement, and how did that lead you into metaphysics?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 20:24 Well, remember now metaphysics and self is the same thing. It's just a different word. It's the same thing. Self improvement come from metaphysics.   Michael Hingson ** 20:31 But what made you decided that you wanted to get, like, an advanced degree in it, and actually get degreed in it   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 20:37 after studying over 1000 books in like a two year period. Literally, literally reading those books. Okay? After going through that kind of I went through a breakthrough in 2005 and I went to a breakthrough session called Breakthrough to success. And the gentleman told me something that's very interesting. I said, in this circle about 50 people around me, like I'm a fish in a fish bowl, he told me, I had high self confidence for low self esteem. In other words, I don't know what self esteem was. I had developed a Harvard vocabulary. I had spoken on stage and coached clients. I was top producing network marketing company. I don't know what self esteem I never thought about what self esteem was. He told me that if, for some reason, it really hit me, it really hit to the core of who I am. What do you mean low self esteem? You have had self confidence. And here's what I went home and I cried that night. I realized that what I realized what that meant, because I accept, I have to accept that, but I did. Here's what that meant. Self esteem is self confidence how you feel you can do outside of you. Self esteem is how you feel about yourself, okay, and there's no one like you. And I realized that self esteem by loving yourself and appreciating yourself, not trying to be anybody else, not trying to wish you with somebody else, not want anybody else, money, fame or fortune, but being you and loving you. When I got that, when I got that, my whole world shifted. Mm, hmm. It shifted from this having this confidence, knowing what I can do. I can communicate and speak and sell, but how do I I wasn't give enough attention to myself and appreciating who I was, my own value and that that go,   Michael Hingson ** 22:08 and that certainly is something that people around you would sense, who who understand how to do that, right?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 22:16 Well, this guy certainly did, and, yeah, I guess he's the only one that says that, not just me, but other people. I said, Wait a minute. I said, is I never, had never thought about that. Then I wrote a book called from that. I mean, I must have cried for about 30 days straight, every day, tears of joy in my heart. I didn't care about fame or fortune or impressing nobody. I wasn't trying to be this big speaker, this big guy. I'm just being me. I'm I love me. I didn't care about none of that, but myself and what I call God. And from that point on, I begin to really get things come to me that I never have. My mind really opened up to why I didn't care about trying to please anybody I was enjoying every moment. And I wrote a book called reclining master, awaken one minute to healthy esteem. That's when I wrote that book. It talked about, it's like an autobiography. It talked about my journey to understanding that and what happened to me, what what caused me to have low self esteem, what caused not to even understand what self esteem was, and I was a child in that book. Remember the movie The Wolf Man, with Lon Chaney, Cheney, That movie scared be Jesus out of me. My siblings would take me and tell me I was The Wolf Man, Wally Wolf. They call me The Wolf Man, right? And That movie scared me, man, and it really had a psychological effect on my on me growing up, right? I was really, really afraid, and didn't know that that child in me was still afraid. It was afraid all that time. And that's the part that was really hurt by the low self esteem when I discovered that game was on. It was over as far as that. No, I love me. I'm good enough. I am that you're a bet, we're both that that's all there is that was it. Game was on after that.   Michael Hingson ** 23:53 So does the boyfriend scare you today? No, I   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 23:56 laugh at that. Okay, it's funny. That's funny as heck. I laugh at it. It's funny as heck to me and like, Wow. I look at again, like, wow, really, seriously, I can see how that could affect somebody. You tell a little kid something like that.   Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Lon Chaney in that movie, comes across as not having great self esteem. But that's another story.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 24:16 Look well and i It's not to say I mimic that.   Michael Hingson ** 24:19 I manage that? Yeah,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 24:23 people too. I get to fight side you bite, people too.   Michael Hingson ** 24:27 So when did you essentially start doing your own business and start working toward coaching and teaching and finding ways to work with clients?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 24:39 2000 No, 1994 I began to really study the self improvement movement. And I would see guys like Les Brown, that's, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I like that. I was already that. I was already teaching. I was already doing that. I didn't know that was a field. I've told that. Years ago, a guy told me that, and I. The other field, like that. And I started to study those guys and see what they do. And I'm like, really interesting. They're doing their thing, they're talking they're assisting people. Okay, I can do that too. Then I get involved in network marketing. Network marketing is one of those fields where people are. They're some most open to self development I've ever seen out of all the fields, network marketing and direct sales, they are the most open people to self development. They will spend the money on themselves. People spend money on everything, on fancy cars, bigger housing, they need clothing, everything. But they lot of more spend money on good books and to self improve, right? So when I, when I, when I saw that, I said, Wait a minute. Hmm, here we go. Here we go. This is what I want to do. This what we'll do. So I took that with my sales ability, and I started to have that finance me as I go see sales and self improvement. The same thing, the best sales people have charmed character charisma and class. They have charm. Character charisma and class. They ask questions. They seek to see understand other people. They seek to appreciate other people. Those who appreciate it show appreciation. They seek to listen and to learn and to find out what the customer or client want. And they try to match that with that, out of all sincerity, and that's why I love sales. Sales and self improvement go together. Yeah, they go right together.   Michael Hingson ** 26:25 And the best sales people are the ones who will even say, if their product isn't the right product, it won't work,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 26:32 it won't work. And that's the best coaches, the best anything. If I was coaching the client today, and she's a prospect and we're talking, and I told her that I don't want your money. No, no. This. This is a preliminary call. Okay, here's why. I don't know if I can assist you or not. I don't know what I have will assist your situation. I don't even know you yet. How can I ask you for money? She was so appreciative of that, because most people in our industry, they talk to you one time and offer you something. Wait a minute. You don't know what Michael needs. You haven't even diagnosed him. You heard what he's gonna say. You had a canned thing. You're gonna it was canned what you're gonna say to him. You do what you're gonna say. Well, me, I'm different, Michael, I don't know what I'm gonna say to you. That 30 minute call is really discovery call, sure. And if you qualify, if I qualify, let's set up another call in that call. Then at the end of that call, we may come to something, then I can make your offer. So I feel I can help you at if there's a match, boom. That's what a doctor does. No. Doctor, no. Doctor you go to is going to tell you your jaw hurt. You said, No. Doctor, my thigh hurts. Is a pain? No, your jaw hurts that doctor's a quack. That's a lot of coaches do. A lot of them are quacks. They just read something and they want to apply to micro plat. To Michael, apply to me. That may not even fit me. I may not be the one to help Michael, sure, and I have enough integrity and faith and confidence to command to know that in other way, I don't have commission breath. I'm going to get mine regardless. And nobody can stop   Michael Hingson ** 27:54 it, sure. Well, and again, it's how you operate, and it's the ethics you operate with which is very important. Ethics.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 28:05 In fact, I it's, this is a shameless plug, but I'm gonna do it anyway. My third doctor I just finished, called conscious business ethics. Conscious business ethics. You see how we went from metaphysics to to the secular world, and Harvard went from the secular world to metaphysics, we both came together now. So we're doing one. I'm doing one now on conscious business ethics, which is a really big issue in business today. Oh yeah, business are more concerned about their bottom line than the people that work for them, until they treat their employees like customers. They always have those problems they don't need,   Michael Hingson ** 28:39 and it's unfortunate, but I think there have always certainly been people who weren't overly ethical, but I think it used to be that a larger number of businesses were more loyal to employees than we see today. Now the response always is, this is what the stockholders want. That's what we have to listen to, and that's all we listen to. And that's just not true.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 29:05 Not only is it not true, is it not true? What a lot of companies are turned around, well, they begin to understand the value of self improvement, the value of treat the value of leadership versus management, the value of being a boss versus being a leader. There's a difference. Managers push leaders, pull managers tables. Do leaders encourage you. They change languages on how they talk to you, how to present to you. They that you understand. You have a family. This person has a family. Have needs and concerns outside this business, the way a lot of businesses do it now and have done in the past. This the business. This is our life. This what we want, regardless what you want if you fit in or you don't, well, they ran up on a I'm a rhino that never worked with me, brother. I am psychologically unemployable. I will work a job. I have to, even today, if I say it's quote, unquote, have to. I would do I gotta do to get what I gotta get. But I'm a rhino, I'm gonna I'm psychologically and terminally unemployable. I was taught by Yogananda, which is, you. One of my favorite teachers wrote Autobiography of a yoga you may have heard of yoga under and I've been his student for 15 years, and he said something very important that already knew, but he affirmed it, if you're, if you're, if you can't be subordinate to other people. Some, some of us are like that. That's not your style. Then do what you got to do until you get where you get where you got to go, be respectable who you with, take it and then move, but be working your way out of it. Yeah, but I, I've been terminally unemployable all my life. Brother, a renegade.   Michael Hingson ** 30:32 Well, but that doesn't mean that you're not useful part of the system, or trustworthy or reliable. It just means that you operate in a slightly different way than most people are used to doing.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 30:46 Well, yeah, it means this You're right. It means this You're right. It means that you look into Apple to give you something. I'm going to create my own apple. That's what it means. I'm that kind of person. We need those kind of people. If we didn't, you wouldn't have this laptop. You wouldn't have the technology you have right now. Those people were innovators, entrepreneurs like me, you I'm an entrepreneur. I'm the entrepreneur solopreneur. They want to be apreneurs, and there's not a preneurs Don't even try go to work for somebody else. Don't even try to be apreneur. Some people just don't have it. So no, it doesn't mean anything that. It means that being psychologically employable. Mean that, okay? He is IBM, he is Apple, okay? He is Tesla, he is Cadillac, he is American airline. I'm like that. Whether I achieve that level, it's irrelevant. I'm one of those people that's all. That's it.   Michael Hingson ** 31:36 So for you, who are the typical people who would be your client, who are your typical clients or your target audience today, entrepreneurs.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 31:49 I mean entrepreneurs in a real sense, those who understand sales and psychology, entertainers, athletes. Why say those people, those in network marketing and sales? Because those people traditionally understand mindset. They're coming to the mindset they they promote the books in their seminars and the reading and bringing the speakers. They're open to they're open to it, to what I have. They're ready for it. They're ready for it. That's my audience. That's my target. And I hold it on target, because people say, Well, my audience is everybody. Well, not true, not true. If you want to catch bass, you go to a bass lake. I have specific audience that I'm targeting, and I'm focused on the article that audience is open and receptive and to level I'm at. I don't teach kindergar. That's not my specialty. Okay, they gotta start too, okay. I teach those people that are in the field that want to get it, they have a glimpse of it, they want to get it now. They're ready. So with me, it's like a university level coaching. It doesn't mean you gotta, you have to, you have to have 10 years in the field. It means that you're open and receptive, to listen, to accept and to work. When I give somebody assignment, if you don't work it, don't talk to me about it, unless you have a question about it. If you didn't work it, I don't talk to you about it. I want you to. I'd rather you fail first, then come back to me, because the other side of failure is success. We got to tweak it or do something. But if you don't do the assignment I give you, let's talk about the next thing, not that we'll talk about that. When you do if you don't do it, I   Michael Hingson ** 33:17 won't talk about it, yeah, unless there's some real, substantial reason why you didn't or couldn't do it, but that's different, but that's a different story.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 33:26 Amen. I agree with you that that's that's true, brother,   Michael Hingson ** 33:30 that's always a different story, right, right? So you, at the same time, you have to earn money and survive. What are your thoughts about the whole concept of money?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 33:44 Money is a terrible master, but a wonderful servant. Yeah, money is money is necessary. Money has this place. Money is good, money is not bad, money is not evil, it's not wicked, and nothing like that. Money is neutral. Money serves you according to your level of service and how you expected to serve you, how you think about it. Money is a terrible masculine it's a wonderful servant. Money is that thing where can serve you, but it can be the one of the worst tyrants, second to sex, lust, that is the worst. But let me get back to Money. Money is a tool. Money is energy. That's why they call it currency. And it must flow. If it's not flowing, it ain't growing. If it ain't growing, you ain't knowing you feel me and that mean, that mean you ain't sowing the seed that rhymed. I just made that up, by the way. Good job. I just made that up, dude, off the top of my head, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 34:37 good job.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 34:38 This came to me. It happened to rhyme, we learning rhymes. Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse went up the clock and all that kind of stuff. So that's what I think that's that's money. The concept of money is very fascinating, because money is the most easy thing I've ever manifested. See, money is actually easy to manifest, but people make it hard. Here's why, because they're running. After it. While you're running after it, it's right there in front of you, but you're chasing after it, and you want to knock on other people, to get with a light sheet and still to get it. Some people, some willing to con someone, to do unethical things, to get you to do it like the old commercial. What's this taste good? Like a cigarette should? Well, there's nothing good tasting about tobacco. I always   Michael Hingson ** 35:21 wondered that myself, having never smoked, but yeah, I hear you,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 35:24 yeah, yeah, but telling you that, telling you that, getting your mind that frame gets you to spend your money. And we're so money conscious. You want to get money. I want to spend, spend, spend, spend, spend, spend. How about respecting the money? How can I make this money circulate? How can I one give something to somebody else in a service or calls? Okay, it's very good to do that, whether you call it tithing or just giving. That doesn't matter with the percentage. It doesn't matter. Give from the heart someone else. And then find a way to circulate that money. That money is actually energy. It will, it comes back to you. It actually comes back to it circulates. You create. You create a universal energy, a Goodwill has nothing to do with religion, politics or nothing, but I just said nothing. I just said has something to do with life and the laws of the universe, albeit which works the same for everybody, for everybody. Mm, hmm.   Michael Hingson ** 36:17 Well, you clearly want to help people, and you want people to obtain results. What do you do? Or how do you how are you able to consistently help entrepreneurs and your clients and so on to achieve dynamic results and positive results? Another way of saying is, what do you do anyway? Go ahead,   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 36:38 right? What do you Well, I'm a content creator. I create content. Okay? I create content. I have a course that's coming out really soon called create dynamic results, and it's a seven transformational steps to show people how to make these subtle mind shifts that become permanent. Okay? And I'm fortunate enough to be the guide through this program. In that program, what they learn to do is how to take those habits, those nagging, nagging habits. See, habits are what make us what we are. Habits. Period, you brush your teeth in the morning. It's a hat bleeding. You gotta think about you're gonna brush your teeth. You're not gonna think about it. You gotta get up and go do it. Period, in the story, you're not gonna more about it. Not gonna say maybe I don't feel like today, you gotta do it Okay. More like them do it okay. And because the habit, because that little bit happens, ingraining your brain, it's like a fluid. It's been ingrained, and it's like a track. Now, as soon as you wake up, soon as you wake up, waking up and open your eyes and get out of bed, is actually a trigger to go brush your teeth. Now it's a trigger, so you got to do it. Well, bad habits are the same way you have habits you don't want. They're the same way those habits you hear certain words or certain things that trigger anger certainly trigger hunger, certain thing will trigger lust, greed or violence or just whatever. Okay, so in order to have the habits that, that, that that that that support you, that benefits you, you have to transmute those by setting yourself on like a seven days. I'm just using seven days right now. Say, say, You tell yourself today I'm not going to get angry, period. Imma, remain calm. Now, when you say that, I guarantee you, I will guarantee you, I'll bet you $25 to a bucket of beans that you're going to get plenty opportunities to get angry that day. People going to say things. They're going to do things you're angry. Now here's the thing. The test is to remember what you said, what you said when it comes, ignore it, and then replace that with a different you keep doing that, you're going to change that habit. Eventually, it may take a year you're going to change that habit. So you've got a habit of procrastinating, not following up on your goals, your plans, not prospecting. You can change that habit by going through certain steps, by changing those grooves in the brain, okay to have that record play. One good example is that is the mother Turkey. The mother Turkey is one of the best mothers in creation. The mother Turkey love that baby, cleans that nurtures that baby. Just really, really, really, really, really, okay. And when that baby chirps, that baby chirps, that baby chirp that the turkey hearts melt. That mother Turkey heart will melt when that baby chirp, period. So now you have let me change some you have this pole cat. Pole cat is the universal enemy of a turkey. When Turkey see a pole cat, that Turkey go crazy and get crazy and want to kill. It this hard to death. Well, there's a spirit one day where they put a pole cat near the turkey, and the turkey went crazy, gonna kill it to protect his young. Well, they had a little walkie, a little radio inside of the a little device inside, the inside of stuffed turkey. That shirt like little baby birds, red Turkey chirp that Turkey. When that pole cat shirt, that Turkey was disarmed, that Turkey nurtured the phony pole cat. Cause of that chirp, nurtured it. Heard that shirt. That's what habits are. You're a certain sound, and you act like a robot. So actually, we're puppets on a string. This is getting a little deeper that. That's, in essence, what it is. So in assisting people how to change those habits and. Then how to concentrate Focus. Focus is so big in self improvement. All people great success have great focus skills, but very few people teach you how to focus. Have anyone ever taught you how to focus? Very few people have techniques like that how to focus. Then there's self analysis. When you self analysis, you analyze yourself. Then there's willpower, which is creative power. Then there's transportation and sexual energy, and then the words you speak to yourself, those six or seven things I just named, are the key and foundational to all of our success.   Michael Hingson ** 40:31 The only thing I would add to that are the words that your inner voice is saying to you, and you need to learn to listen to them.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 40:36 That's and that's what I said about that self analysis. Yeah, right, right. And that's where you come in, concentrate and meditation, yeah. And so one thing about meditation really quickly, real quick meditation people, especially a lot of religious people, think, well, I'm this or that. I'm a Christian, Muslim or Judas or Jew or Buddhist. I don't do that meditation stuff. Stop, stop, stop. Here's where knowledge becomes power when you understand and use it. When you want to get stronger arms, you can do push ups when you want to shoot. Be a better shooter in basketball, you practice the shots anything you want. You practice Okay, in order to strengthen your mind, where you have the one point of focus on where you're calm you meditation is an exercise of the mind. That's it. No matter what religion you are, be quiet and learn how to calm down, to quiet the thoughts, all distracting thoughts. Once you quiet the thoughts, and then that lake becomes clear without any ripples, and you see the pure reflects of the moon, that's gonna become calm. That's when you get some stuff done. Now you can focus on that thing with laser focus and get it done. Nothing great was ever done without laser focus, ever? There are no accidents,   Michael Hingson ** 41:46 right? Well, and also just the whole idea of clearing your mind, letting yourself calm down. It's perfectly okay to ask yourself, How do I accomplish this? The problem with most people is they won't listen for the answer, no. And whether you want to say it's God telling you your inner voice or whatever, it's really all the same thing. But the problem is, people won't listen. And then when they get the answer, they go, it can't be that simple. People don't listen to that inner voice.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 42:20 It's very powerful. I meant to the inner voice thing. I love meditation. I love doing it as once a little girl in the church, she's a Catholic, and she was she whenever, I believe the church, she'd sit there about 10 or 15 minutes every week. And so the cardinal, whoever given the service, came here and said, How you doing, little girl, when she stopped, Hi, how are you? I noticed after every service, everybody leave the chapel. Your parents leave outside too. But every Sunday, little girl, you sit here, I think she's about 12 years old, you sit here, and you keep praying. And he asked her, why may I ask? Why? Why? Why you do it like that? She said, Because. Now, watch this out of the mouth of babes, because everybody's praying to God. I want to hear what God has to say to has to say to me. Mm hmm. I want to listen. Bam. Mic drop. That's it. Mm hmm. Mic drop. That's how powerful being quiet in meditation is meditation exercising the mind. So if you say, Well, I'm a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, I'm a Baha that doesn't matter. Meditation had nothing to do with that. It has nothing to do with that. Has them do it like you said, Brother internally, who you are, your inner self. This is that still small voice. And by the way, all those religions say that, but few people understand that. They all say the same. They all said the same thing. I know because I study them. I studied the world religions. I studied Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Kabbalah. I studied new thought. I studied that stuff. I love it, but I understood something about it that we're all actually one. We're what we're actually one,   Michael Hingson ** 43:56 viewed as the many. Do you generally find that you can get through to people who want to be your clients. Or how does that work?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 44:06 Can you repeat that, please?   Michael Hingson ** 44:07 Okay, so somebody comes to you and says, I really want to hear what you have to say. I want to learn from you. And you've talked about the fact you don't teach kindergarteners. You you teach people who are further along the process. Do you? Do you ever miss assess or find that you're not teaching the right person or they just don't want to listen to you once you get started and working with them?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 44:29 I've never had that happen. I thank God never. I'll tell you why. When people come to me, okay, people want to make money, they want to increase their sale, they want to increase their contact, they want to increase their network. They will increase their productivity by me showing them how to increase their transformative value, to enhance their performative value, to get to the results they want. Here are the results we talk about. We talk about what they want. Now see when I'm talking to you right. Now, give me the philosophy, but the coaching is very different. The floats, the culture is actually the philosophy in action with what they're doing. You. I use the language they're doing, interacting what they're doing, how their prospect, who they're talking to, the attitude they have, the ideas how to shift certain things. What goals you hitting right now? Okay, what do you do? What what's what's the top person in the company doing? What are you doing? How do you rate yourself to that? What are you doing right now? Let me show you how to increase that by 25% 50% in the next month. Let me show you how to increase that. So I'll take what they're doing and I'll remember now all what I'm saying is good, but if you can't take it to fit the people and make it practical, it's just talk. All books, all books, religious or whatever, are just dead writings. Until you make them come alive, we have to make them come alive. So I take what I'm take talking now, and I apply it to the network marketing, the sales, the people, into coaching, the mind technology, you have to apply it. So I never had that problem. I haven't I thank the Creator for that. Never had that issue. Never, never had that because anyone even hit   Michael Hingson ** 45:59 that, yeah, because you've had people that that when you accept them as a client, you've you've communicated with them, you've assessed what their needs are. They tell you what their needs are, and you come to agreement as to they're going to listen to you to deal with fulfilling those needs, right?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 46:17 You're going to follow it like in my in my course, that I'm at the part of the course creator. I'm court doing the videos right now, the intro and outro and all that. This one thing my class got to understand. When you get this course, if you don't do the work, don't talk to me about it. Now, if something come up where you can't get it done, you need a way to get it done. Let's talk. But you just didn't do it. You have not earned the right to come to me and tell me that, which is what I have to work before, right? Yeah, talk about before. So, so I'm really into getting you to move and to feel that result. See, everything is result of something, and you need to prove that to yourself. And no one can do that, but you, no one's gonna do but you, no one can do but you, no one should do but you, damn it. You should do it, but you can be guided,   Michael Hingson ** 47:07 that's right, to how to do it. But then you have to make, but you have to make the choice to do it.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 47:14 That's right, see, and I don't care if it's Warren Buffett, I'll give you example about here's what coaching is all about, and mentoring is all about it's all about human beings having two things that they want to do. They want to avoid pain and suffering and gain pleasure, reach the desire. There's only two motivators we have. There are no other motivators, no other motivators in the universe. We only have two motivators, to avoid suffering and pain and to seek happiness and feel the desire. Okay? The idea is to solve the pain puzzle so that the person, place or thing, can enjoy the pleasure principle. If I can solve I don't give a warren buffett right now. If Warren Buffett, with all his billions, would approach me right now, if he had a problem that no one could solve all his life and it gnaws at him, he won't answer to it. He's dreamed about all these years. And if he met me right now and he felt that that's the one he can solve that problem. He would hire me right now. He would hire me right now. That's right, yep. Well, it doesn't matter how much money you have. When I learned that, when that dawn upon me, game on for anybody. There are people out there that are my clients, and I know it. I don't care how what your status is. I'll give you the king of England or the pet the United States. I don't care if you the Grand Poobah. I don't care if you have a trillion dollars in the bank. If you got an issue, and I'm the one you see can solve it, you're going to pay me, and I'm going to work with you, period. That's the commitment, though, there are no boundaries, right?   Michael Hingson ** 48:39 That's That's the commitment. You are committing to do it. You're committing to help. You're committing to bring your skills to it. Bring my   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 48:47 skill set to it. I don't have to have as much money as you to do it. I ain't got to have a bigger home than you to do that. I ain't got to be Michael Jordan to help. Michael Jordan if he had the problem of pain. So I don't have to be that. Once people that coach and teach get past that. A lot of my scared, why that person can't? Oh, hold on, I might have a answer to a thing that Anthony Robbins need help with. We all need some growth and development. We all do until we reach that level of a certain level where we're there and we're just helping other people. But most of us, most of us, 99% of us or more, have pain problems, get who you are and give you a story about Joseph in the Bible. You've heard the story about Joseph in the Bible, how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Okay? He sold slavery by his brothers into prison, something he didn't do. And while he was in prison, he began to be known as his philosophy and his work and his spirituality. And people would talk to him. So one guy got out, Joseph said, Please tell the king, yada ya, or whatever. The guy got out and forgot about Joseph. Then tell Well, years more, more years passed by. Another guy got out. He went and told the king, or whatever, about Joseph. I know a guy can solve your dreams. I'm paraphrasing the story. And the king asked Joseph to come out. He's, I heard you can solve my problems. And. Joseph told him how to solve his problem. Well, Joseph became a billionaire overnight. Yeah, he solved the king's problem. That's not the exact story, but you see, no. So it doesn't matter who you are or your status in life, once you get past that thinking, well, I ain't, I can't do this. I only live in No, no, no, no, no, no. They do it work. It's like, it's like, it's like, needing, getting to car accident, okay? And your stomach is you got a gas in your stomach, okay? And say you're multi billionaire, okay? Or say you the biggest athlete in the planet or the richest king in the world, you're not going to say how much money that doctor make, or nothing like that. You're going to say, Please heal me. You don't care about that. That doctor had the skill to heal you to take care, and that's you want to take care. That's all you want. Gotta say, I don't want that doctor flying so and so from so and so. You're not gonna do that. And a lot of people understand that when you have something to give, you give it. You hone your skills, you bunker down, you walk with thoughtless confidence, command, you have the self esteem, doing the ambient maybe move forward. That's why I work with entrepreneurs and I will work with people that are not on that low. Get me wrong. Now, I'm not saying I will work with people that are newbies. All depends on the newbie. If they want sales training, I'll give it to them. Yes, I'll give it to them. They want sales training. They want training on how to close, how to be better communicated. Sales are the communication daughter, a daughter of charm character, Chris man, class, and the more charm character, charisma and class you add in appropriate form, you're able to connect, communicate and close. That's seven C's, yep, sell the seven C's.   Michael Hingson ** 51:36 I counted four. Where are the other three? Charm, charm characterism   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 51:40 in class. That's four, communicate, connect and close.   Michael Hingson ** 51:44 Okay, just checking on you, because once   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 51:47 you have those four, you open to bed. Line of communication. Add some more things in there. As far as you know, psychology and persuasion tools. Now you're connecting. Once you connect, then you can close.   Michael Hingson ** 51:59 There you go. Just wanted to make sure we got to all seven.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 52:02 We got all Thank you. Thank you for holding me to that.   Michael Hingson ** 52:06 No, I hear exactly what you're saying, and it is, it is so important to do that. So tell me what you know, with all the things that you're doing, you're clearly a person who cares, what's your take on giving back and charity and so on?   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 52:26 Everything, everything, everything. And I'll tell you why I say everything, everything is a result of something the universe and life is always giving me something. Mm, hmm. See, life is what I call the creator's gift to us. What we give back is our gift to the creator for being on this planet. We are creators. Giving is a natural part of your being, who you are, your power. When you're your power, you can give from the heart, okay? And when you give, believe me, it's going to come back to you anyway. Now you don't give it for it to come back. You give it because you want to service and love because you you realize that we're one giving, giving from the heart empowers you. You want to feel empowered give you want to feel empowered every time somebody get paid, give something. I don't care if it's 10% of 5% give from your heart and keep it to yourself. Yeah, much as you can. Keep it to yourself, because you spoil your own goods. Keep it to yourself and let it flow the way it's going to flow, and then you will grow, and then you'll know, yep, how it goes. That Ryan too. I just made that up. That pretty   Michael Hingson ** 53:36 well rhymes, yeah, but, but it's true. It's true. Too many people have to show off. Oh, I gave a million dollars to this charity. The problem is, you're not you shouldn't be doing it for notoriety. You should be doing it because it's the right thing to do. It's what you want to do.   Dr Tamir Qadree ** 53:55 If somebody found out that's different, like Warren Buffett is one of my favorite. Warren Buffet is one of my favorites. Warren Buffett is one of the most humble giving people. His money 70 billion he gave out. It got out there because there's so much money. I bet he didn't, he didn't promote that. Okay, now I look, I look at one athlete. I won't mention a name here, always, they always say about how much he gives and how much he gives. And build this and build that. Always talk about that, about that guy, the other guy they compare him to, never opens his mouth about his giving. He gives all the time. Never opens his mouth. One guy always told me what he gives, and I said to myself, dude, that that that's taboo. This the opposite of giving. I'm not saying your heart ain't in it, but you're allowing this narrative to be there without comment on the narrative that's it's that is personal, that, in fact, giving to me is sacred. It is sacred. You're giving to help humanity, other people, my gift, my charity, which I have to do today, by the wa

Send us a textEver wondered why some people transform their lives through books while others barely remember what they've read?The difference isn't intelligence—it's intention and system.I'm joined again by Nick Hutchison, founder of BookThinkers and author of Rise of the Reader. Nick's journey from a self-described “jock” who avoided books to a thriving entrepreneur built on reading is both inspiring and practical.What sets Nick apart is his systematic approach to reading for results:How to set intentions before opening a book to activate your reticular activating system and uncover exactly what you need.A step-by-step multi-sensory process for retention—highlighting, rewriting, digitizing, and teaching—that makes insights stick.Real-world examples of how a single book helped him increase his business's average deal size from $1,000 to $10,000.Whether you're an avid reader or haven't picked up a book in years, this episode will give you the tools to turn pages into progress and books into breakthroughs.As Nick reminds us, “the pain of discipline weighs much less than the pain of regret.”Tune in now to discover how to make your reading habit one of the most powerful levers for change in your life.Thank you for tuning in! If you feel led, please subscribe & share the show to others who you believe would benefit from it.Keep in touch below! Join The Unshakeable Discipline Community! Winning Is... Weekly Newsletter! LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/ryanacass/ Instagram | @ryanacass

On Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, host Avik Chakraborty talks with David L Cary, author of The Well Chronicles—including Maria's Shadow and The Veil Strikes. We unpack why he writes fast-paced, clean thrillers rooted in faith, justice, and resilience, how he portrays human trafficking without graphic detail, and why Book 3 aims for a decisive “good wins” conclusion. A direct conversation for readers who want suspense without explicit content, and for creators navigating moral stakes, hope, and responsible storytelling.   About the Guest   David L Cary is the author of The Well Chronicles, a clean-thriller series blending high-octane action with themes of faith, courage, and justice. His novels—Maria's Shadow and The Veil Strikes—confront trafficking and systemic corruption while avoiding graphic content. He's currently finishing Book 3. Find him as DLCary on Goodreads, and “David L Cary” on Amazon and Facebook.   Key Takeaways: Clean doesn't mean dull: Cary proves you can deliver Hollywood-pace suspense without profanity, graphic sex, or gore—and still keep readers turning pages. Ethical storytelling:Maria's Shadow addresses human trafficking with sensitivity—no explicit scenes—inviting reflection without retraumatization. Violence with restraint: Characters face real danger and death, but graphic depictions are omitted, preserving intensity and accessibility for broader audiences. Faith as framework: Cary's worldview centers grace over greed and the conviction that hope matters, even when darkness is real. From headlines to fiction:The Veil Strikes mirrors contemporary concerns—blackmail, shadow groups, institutional rot—while staying fictional and responsibly framed. Reader imagination > shock value: Suggestion and context let readers grasp stakes without explicit content, aligning with platform standards. Series arc with closure: Book 3 aims for an uncommon choice in political thrillers: accountability and resolution, not a cover-up. Why this matters: For viewers seeking faith-aligned, socially aware fiction, Cary models how to write page-turners that respect boundaries and still challenge systems.   Connect with the Guest   Goodreads: Search “DLCary” Amazon Author Page: Search “David L Cary The Well Chronicles” Facebook: Search “David L Cary” (match the author photo used on Amazon/Goodreads)   Want to be a guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? DM on PM - Send me a message on PodMatch DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik   Disclaimer: This video is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed are the personal opinions of the guest and do not reflect the views of the host or Healthy Mind By Avik™️. We do not intend to harm, defame, or discredit any person, organization, brand, product, country, or profession mentioned. All third-party media used remain the property of their respective owners and are used under fair use for informational purposes. By watching, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer.       Healthy Mind By Avik™️ is a global platform redefining mental health as a necessity, not a luxury. Born during the pandemic, it's become a sanctuary for healing, growth, and mindful living. Hosted by Avik Chakraborty—storyteller, survivor, wellness advocate—this channel shares powerful podcasts and soul-nurturing conversations on: • Mental Health & Emotional Well-being• Mindfulness & Spiritual Growth• Holistic Healing & Conscious Living• Trauma Recovery & Self-Empowerment With over 4,400+ episodes and 168.4K+ global listeners, join us as we unite voices, break stigma, and build a world where every story matters.

Their second film is fab and gear! Untitled Peedles, Have No Fear! 2025, what a year! And our final look at “Help!” has arrived! #WeDidntWriteNoPoetry Tony, T.J., and producer P3Z-Casz put the Finnishing touchers on their “Help!” deep-dish, with a side of extra kvetching, as old, sad, deranged people do. Who doesn't want to hear that? Are U a fan or not, pal? And, while we're here, are you a fan of these questions?

  - Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5 - Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs. - Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoir Indian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling  horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal.   Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno.   Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts.   This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

Dear Listeners,After years of stories, scares, and countless hours together, it is time for me to say farewell to the Indian Noir podcast. I want to thank every single one of you for tuning in, sharing the episodes, and making this journey such a grand success. Your support and passion for these tales of darkness and imagination have meant the world to me.If you've enjoyed the stories here and would like more, please support my work by picking up Tales of Horror on Amazon. It is filled with chilling stories that carry forward the same spirit you loved in Indian Noir.Thank you again for walking with me through the shadows. Until we meet in another story, stay brave, and keep the horror alive.With gratitude,Nikesh Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs.Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoirIndian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal. Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno. Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts. This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

  - Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5 - Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs. - Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoir Indian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling  horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal.   Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno.   Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts.   This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

  - Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5 - Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs. - Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoir Indian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling  horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal.   Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno.   Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts.   This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

  - Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5 - Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs. - Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoir Indian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling  horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal.   Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno.   Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts.   This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

  - Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5 - Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs. - Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoir Indian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling  horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal.   Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno.   Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts.   This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

Unlock your Kindle's hidden features. Send PDFs, borrow library books, track reading speed, use dyslexia-friendly fonts, and listen to audiobooks via Bluetooth. Read smarter and faster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda and Steve are back with Episode 7 — and let's just say this one's a rollercoaster.

What does it take to make someone like the romance genre? Maybe just an amenable coworker whom we coerce into sitting down with us...Also congratulation to Angus and Alysun! We wish you both the happiest of ever afters❤️Questions/comments/concerns? Email us at ragingromantics@nopl.org.Alysun SandersThe Women by Kristin HannahFrom Blood and Ash by JLALovers in the Museum by Isabel AllendeOut of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-YoungFunny Story by Emily HenryBridgerton by Julia QuinnA Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana HerreraJR WardChristmas Notch series Julie Murphy/Sierra SimoneCredence by Penelope DouglasDen of Vipers by KA KnightButcher & Blackbird (trilogy) by Brynne WeaverKatee RobertBromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (series)Victoria AveyardBrandon SandersonThe Princess Bride by William GoldmanTamora PierceJodi PicoultGirl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Episode Summary: If you’ve ever struggled with discouragement, and we all have because life is full of disappointment and disillusionment, then this episode is for you. In honor of National Day of Encouragement, my co-host, Rev. Jessica Van Roekel and I talk about How to Find Biblical Encouragement for Your Everyday Life. Discouragement can rob us of joy, peace, and a sense of purpose. Encouragement is more than a feeling - it’s a powerful tool to propel us toward hope and confidence even when life feels less than happy. Today we’re going to talk about how to find biblical encouragement for your everyday life. Quotables from the episode: In 2007, a group of young people at the National Leadership Forum at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas saw a lack of encouragement as one of the main obstacles that people face. While dedicating a day to encourage others is noble, we can experience encouragement every day when we turn to the Lord and receive his encouragement. The challenge to receive biblical encouragement is when we know God’s promises but don’t see him working. This topic is close to my heart because I’ve seen firsthand how knowing God, and his promises have encouraged me in the face of difficult and seemingly unchanging circumstances. I know many of our listeners and viewers struggle with discouragement, and my prayer is that today’s conversation will bring encouragement and hope. Knowing God’s names helps us learn to trust him. When we trust him, it’s easier to experience encouragement in our every day. Psalm 9:10 says, Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Relationships are an area where we can experience extreme discouragement. Personality differences can create division. Unforgiveness leads to rifts. It can feel discouraging to desire a healing in a relationship, but every effort is rejected. We’ve talked about the temptation to judge God’s goodness based on humanity’s failures. If our in-person relationships are broken, and we don’t have a vibrant or growing relationship with God, we grow discouraged because we were made for relationship. Friend, if you’ve found yourself in a place of discouragement—especially when you're facing relationship struggles—you are not alone. As a neuropsychologist, I’ve seen how deeply our relationships impact not only our emotional well-being but also our brain health. God designed our brains for connection. We were created in His image, a God who is relational by nature, and He wired us for fellowship—with Him and with each other. When our relationships are strained, whether due to misunderstanding, unmet expectations, betrayal, or emotional distance, our brains register it as a threat. That triggers our stress response—what we often call “fight, flight, or freeze.” Over time, if that stress continues unchecked, it leads to anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, and a foggy, overwhelmed mind. Our thought life becomes a battlefield, and discouragement sets in. But here's the hope: God doesn’t leave us to navigate this alone. He sees every tear, hears every unspoken word, and knows the condition of our hearts and minds. Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Our healing begins when we bring both our brain health and our relational wounds to the Great Physician. Practical steps include tending to your thought life—taking every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), practicing forgiveness to unburden your heart, and choosing truth over lies. Sometimes that means setting healthy boundaries or seeking wise counsel. And always, it means leaning into the One who offers peace that transcends understanding. Your brain can heal. Your heart can mend. And your relationships can be restored—if not with others, then certainly with the Lord, who is the source of all true comfort and strength. Discouragement may visit, but it doesn’t have to take up permanent residence. Knowing God as Abba leads us to know God as a wonderful Father. (Galatians 4:6) He is the Alpha and Omega – Jesus was in the beginning as the Word of God and he is God’s final word for all eternity. (Revelation 21:6) As Adonai, we recognize his leadership in our life. He is our Lord and Ruler. (Ezekiel 16:8) El Chay, or Living God, reminds us that the entertainments, enticements, and other distractions are not worthy of worship. (Psalm 84:2) El Roi, The God Who Sees, encourages us with God’s mercy, grace, and comfort. We are not invisible to him. (Genesis 16:13) Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord our Provider, tells us God is our provider, and it is the same Hebrew word as Moriah, the region where God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. God may ask us to give something up, and he gives us himself in return, and becomes all we need. (Romans 8:32) Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord Our Banner, paints the picture that we live under God’s banner. It was the name revealed when Moses erected an altar to commemorate the defeat of their enemies. It encourages us that we live under God’s victory. He goes before us and comes behind us to make us victors in life’s battles. (Exodus 17:15) The Lord Our Healer, or Jehovah-Rapha, encourages us because God heals our hearts in the here and now. (Exodus 15:26) The Lord is Peace, Jehovah-Shalom, our security, sufficiency, and serenity. (Judges 6:24) Jehovah-Tsuri, the Lord our Rock, helps us remember God is permanent, faithful, protective, a firm foundation, a hiding place and shelter. (Psalm 18:2) Knowing the names of God gives us insight into his character, which encourages us when we face different situations where we need to rely on a different aspect of God’s character. For example, if someone feels discouraged because of life’s chaos, remembering God is Jehovah Shalom encourages their heart because God is their serenity. God is a covenant making and covenant keeping God. The primary promise of the covenant is the Lord’s promise to “be God to you and to your offspring after you.” The goal of God’s covenant with humankind is to bring salvation, not just to one nation, but to the entire human race. This covenant was eventually fulfilled through Jesus Christ as his followers began to spread the good news about him throughout the world. God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Israelite nation, David, and finally the whole world through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Covenants, or promises, are conditional because they are based on the agreements of two parties. God cannot go back on his promises, but we can refuse the comfort of the promises when we fail to take God at his word and allow doubt to lead us to sin. Because of God’s covenants, we have promises like the promise of his presence. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not be afraid for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (NLT) Deuteronomy 31:8, “‘Do not be afraid of discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (NLT) Isaiah 43:2, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Joshua 1:19, “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Those are wonderful reminders of God presence. I know I’ve needed to believe them by faith because sometimes what I see, and what I feel don’t match up with what I know to be true. I also cling to the promise of Victory found in: John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Exodus 14:14, “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, persecutions, and troubles I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Isaiah 40:29, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” God promises to guide us: Psalm 32:8, “The Lord says, I will guide along the best pathway for your life. I will advise and watch over you. Psalm 37:23-24, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 23:1-2, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. Not only does God promise us his presence, victory, and guidance, but he also promises rest, life, peace, and forgiveness: Rest: Matthew 11:28-29, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Life: John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Peace: Isaiah 26:3, ‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” Forgiveness: 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all wickedness.” Our faith grows when we plant our feet on God’s promises. (Psalm 34:18) He is close to the broken hearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit. (2 Cor. 4:8-9) We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (Isaiah 54:17) “No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD. I think it starts with looking at the end of Hebrews 11, knowing the stories of those who have gone before us, remembering the past so we can encourage ourselves in the present and build hope for the future. Hebrews 11 opens with this verse: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The next several verses list people who lived by faith and received what God promised and those who died without receiving things promised and yet, they are commended for having faith. It’s faith in the promise maker which matters. Looking at our circumstances for “proof” of God keeping his promises leads to disappointment. Remember, faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. Sometimes, we need to cling to other’s people’s stories when our stories are littered with doubt and disappointment. One story which encourages me when I am feeling discouraged is Mary, Martha and Lazarus when Lazarus became ill and died. That story reminds me that things are not always as they seem, but God always has a plan and he sees the end from the beginning. he bible is full of encouragement and doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulties people of faith faced. If Job can lose his entire fortune, family and health and still remain faithful to God—believing him to faithful and true—then I can look beyond my circumstances and see that God is bigger than what’s right in front of me. I can take the magnifying glass off of the things in my life that discourage me and point my magnifying glass to the God who breathes stars and breath in my lungs. I am encouraged by Abraham, when he looked the impossibility of his reality (too old to have children) and yet remained believing that God would fulfill his promise. I’ve been in situations where I couldn’t see a way forward and following Abraham’s example encourages me so much. Knowing God intimately is a great first step toward experiencing biblical encouragement. Understanding his heart and loyalty toward us is key. Second, we can remember to look beyond what we see to what we know to be true. Sometimes feelings follow an act of faith. Take Hebrews 11 to heart. Recommended Resources: Reframing Rejection: How Looking Through a Different Lens Changes Everything By Jessica Van Roekel Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Jessica Van Roekel: Website / Instagram / Facebook For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Co-Host: Jessica Van Roekel is a worship leader, speaker, and writer who believes that through Jesus, personal histories don’t need to define the present or determine the future. She inspires, encourages, and equips others to look at life through the lenses of hope, trust, and God’s transforming grace. Jessica lives in rural Iowa surrounded by wide open spaces which remind her of God’s expansive love. She loves fun earrings, good coffee, and connecting with others. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dani Vee and Gabriel Bergmoser go head to head in a rapid fire chat about the publishing industry. Reading a Game Bergmoser book is like taking a shot of adrenaline, and so is this interview. What was the worst advice he received as a young writer? What does he think about the industry and what is his gold advice for all writers. Gabe is a best selling adult and children's writer, he a screenwriter and has even dabbled in some ghost writing erotica!

A special reading from Way of the Desert Elders

What do children believe in? In Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England (Princeton UP, 2025) Anna Strhan, a Reader in the Department of Sociology at the University of York and Rachael Shillitoe, a senior social scientist in the UK civil service and honorary fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of York use ethnography and interviews with young people and parents at a variety of schools in England to examine current forms of non-religiosity. The book explores how children make meaning and sense of their world, offering an account that foregrounds their sense of ethical commitments and their beliefs in key humanistic ideas. Theoretically rich, and with a wealth of fascinating empirical material, the book will be of interest across the humanities and social sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What do children believe in? In Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England (Princeton UP, 2025) Anna Strhan, a Reader in the Department of Sociology at the University of York and Rachael Shillitoe, a senior social scientist in the UK civil service and honorary fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of York use ethnography and interviews with young people and parents at a variety of schools in England to examine current forms of non-religiosity. The book explores how children make meaning and sense of their world, offering an account that foregrounds their sense of ethical commitments and their beliefs in key humanistic ideas. Theoretically rich, and with a wealth of fascinating empirical material, the book will be of interest across the humanities and social sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

This month, Julianna, Bonnie, and Kimberly share their most recent reads! Looking for a laid-back book club with no required reading? Join us for Lit Chat—a "Reader's Choice" group where you can share whatever you're currently reading, from novels to manga, audiobooks, and more. We meet every second Thursday at 1 PM for fun, engaging conversations that welcome all adult readers—whether you've just finished a book or need inspiration for your next one. Come chat or just listen in!

What do children believe in? In Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England (Princeton UP, 2025) Anna Strhan, a Reader in the Department of Sociology at the University of York and Rachael Shillitoe, a senior social scientist in the UK civil service and honorary fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of York use ethnography and interviews with young people and parents at a variety of schools in England to examine current forms of non-religiosity. The book explores how children make meaning and sense of their world, offering an account that foregrounds their sense of ethical commitments and their beliefs in key humanistic ideas. Theoretically rich, and with a wealth of fascinating empirical material, the book will be of interest across the humanities and social sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

What do children believe in? In Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England (Princeton UP, 2025) Anna Strhan, a Reader in the Department of Sociology at the University of York and Rachael Shillitoe, a senior social scientist in the UK civil service and honorary fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of York use ethnography and interviews with young people and parents at a variety of schools in England to examine current forms of non-religiosity. The book explores how children make meaning and sense of their world, offering an account that foregrounds their sense of ethical commitments and their beliefs in key humanistic ideas. Theoretically rich, and with a wealth of fascinating empirical material, the book will be of interest across the humanities and social sciences.

What do children believe in? In Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England (Princeton UP, 2025) Anna Strhan, a Reader in the Department of Sociology at the University of York and Rachael Shillitoe, a senior social scientist in the UK civil service and honorary fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of York use ethnography and interviews with young people and parents at a variety of schools in England to examine current forms of non-religiosity. The book explores how children make meaning and sense of their world, offering an account that foregrounds their sense of ethical commitments and their beliefs in key humanistic ideas. Theoretically rich, and with a wealth of fascinating empirical material, the book will be of interest across the humanities and social sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

Host Jason Blitman talks to Patrick Ryan about his new novel, Buckeye, which is this month's Read with Jenna Book Club selection. They talk about writing inspirations, father-son relationships, and Ryan's love for pinball. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, Rabih Alameddine (The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)) his perspective on dealing with trauma, devotion, and forgiveness. Patrick Ryan is the author of the novel Buckeye. He is also the author of the story collections The Dream Life of Astronauts (named one of the Best Books of the Year by the St. Louis Times-Dispatch, LitHub, Refinery 29, and Electric Literature, and longlisted for The Story Prize) and Send Me. His work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, the anthology Tales of Two Cities, and elsewhere. The former associate editor of Granta, he is the editor of the literary magazine One Story and lives in New York City.Rabih Alameddine is the author of the novels The Wrong End of the Telescope; Angel of History; An Unnecessary Woman; The Hakawati; I, the Divine; Koolaids; the story collection, The Perv; and one work of nonfiction, Comforting Myths. He has won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award. He received the Dos Passos Prize in 2019 and a Lannan Award in 2021.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE September Book: The Sunflower Boys by Sam Wachman SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Noticing: An Essential Reader (1973-2023) By: Steve Sailer Published: 2024 458 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? A collection of essays from Steve Sailer covering immigration, culture war stuff, and human biodiversity. What's the author's angle? For some, Sailer is a horrible right-wing racist. For others he's a data-driven contrarian. I mostly fall in the latter camp. Also whatever you think of his opinions, his tone is exceptionally mild. He's not a fire-breather. Who should read this book? If you've been following Sailer forever there's nothing especially new here. Even if you haven't previously read all of the included essays (and I believe I was at probably 90%), he's covering territory which is very well-trod by him in general. On the other hand if you're only vaguely familiar with Sailer—perhaps you've come across his name once or twice, then this is a great summation of his opinions and writings.  Specific thoughts: How important is tone?  

Brian Reader made his name as “The Guv'nor” in the 1960s and 70s by pulling off daring, Ocean's Eleven-style heists that turned him into a tabloid sensation. By the 2010s, his glory days were long gone – but when the lure of one final big score proved irresistible, Reader and a crew of aging criminals plotted one last job over Easter weekend in 2015. But the heist that was meant to cement their legend instead turned into a tabloid spectacle – and the downfall of a man who couldn't leave his past behind.Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Special Patreon Release: Wisdom from a Homeschooling Dad with Steve Lambert   Luke 6:40 (NI) "The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher."   *Transcription Below*   Questions and Topics We Discuss: What are some wonderful aspects of your lifestyle that are not available to families who are not home educating their children? What are some common questions you get about homeschool and what truth do you have to replace the myths? How long will prep take for the homeschooling parent and what does a typical schedule look like?   Steve Lambert has worn many hats in his 73 years: Pastor, author, speaker, stock broker and more. Together, he and his wife Jane Claire Lambert created and publish "Five in a Row" homeschool curriculum which has been a reader's choice favorite for nearly 30 years. They began homeschooling their children in 1981 and their seven grandchildren were homeschooled as well.   Five in a Row Website   Thank You to Our Sponsors: Chick-fil-A East Peoria and Savvy Sauce Charities   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook, Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”   Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”   Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”   John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*     Music: (0:00 – 0:08)   Laura Dugger: (0:09 - 1:37) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   I want to say a huge thank you to today's sponsors for this episode, Chick-fil-A East Peoria, and Savvy Sauce Charities.   Are you interested in a free college education for you or someone you know?   Stay tuned for details coming later in this episode from today's sponsor, Chick-fil-A, East Peoria.   You can also visit their website today at Chick-fil-A.com/EastPeoria.   I'm excited to introduce you to my fascinating guest, Steve Lambert.   Steve has a unique perspective, as he has worn various hats, such as pastor, author, speaker, stockbroker, and more.   But today, we're going to hear various stories of how God has been faithful in calling he and his wife, Jane, to homeschool, and also publish homeschool curriculum called Five in a Row.   Regardless of our family schooling choice, these stories will build up our faith and remind us who we get to turn to in all things.   Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Steve.   Steve Lambert: (1:37 - 1:39) Good morning. It's great to be with you, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (1:40 - 1:53) Well, you are a part of a multi-generational homeschooling family.   So, will you begin our time by taking us back to that initial decision that you and your wife made to home educate your children?   Steve Lambert: (1:54 - 3:31) Sure, I'd love to. We made that decision back in 1981. I'm sure probably you and many of your listeners were not even born in 1981. But my wife came to me and she said, "So, hypothetically, what would you think if…” and my response was something like, "That cannot possibly be legal."   Because at that point, we knew no one who homeschooled. We never met a homeschooler.   I don't, you know, it was just completely foreign to my understanding. But I began to pray about it.   And as I did, I felt like the Lord said, "You're accountable for how you raise your children."   And I thought, well, if I'm accountable, then I ought to have some idea of how they're being raised.   Because, frankly, in a classroom, 95% of their lives are spent there in the classroom.   And they get home on the activity bus at 5:15 and eat dinner and go up and do their homework.   And that's the end of the day. And so, I thought, alright, maybe that's a good plan.   Now, parenthetically, let me add that it wasn't until a couple of years later, I felt like the Lord spoke to me and said, "And your children are accountable for how they turn out," which was profoundly important to me at the time.   Because we've all known great families who produce train wrecks for kids.   And we've known some train wreck parents who produce great kids. But we're accountable for how we raise our kids.   And I thought, if I'm going to have to sit for the final exam before the Lord of Heaven, I'd like to at least have some input in some part and at least know how they were raised. So, that was beginning in 1981.   Laura Dugger: (3:32 - 3:43) That is incredible, because you had no idea.   I'm even getting goosebumps just thinking now of where your family is at from that decision.   And could you catch us up to speed? How many children do you have?   Steve Lambert: (3:44 - 4:25) We had two daughters. We kind of left that in the Lord's hand. And that's what we ended up with. And my wife would have loved to have more, but we ended up with two daughters.   And between them, they have six daughters and one grandson. So, we have seven grandkids.   Several of them are through homeschooling now, college or career. The youngest at this point is six.   So, they're third-generation homeschoolers, which I think speaks to the validity of the homeschooling option for many people. You know it's worked successfully when your children want to homeschool their children rather than running as far away from homeschooling as they could possibly get.   Laura Dugger: (4:27 - 4:38) Well, and even going back then to 1981, you were questioning at that point, is this even legal?   So, catch us up. At that time, were there any legalities that you were up against?   Steve Lambert: (4:40 - 8:42) Then, like now, it really does depend on the state where you reside.   And Missouri has always been fairly homeschool-friendly. That said, within about a year after we began, our oldest daughter had been in public school in K-1 and had been in a private Christian school for one semester of second grade before we began the decision to homeschool.   And someone, presumably a family member I suspect, turned us into Family Services for Educational Neglect Child Abuse.   So, we had that dreaded knock at the door, and DFS came and had to inspect the children, make sure that they weren't bruised or harmed in any way, and then begin kind of the prosecutorial process against us.   But eventually they realized they really didn't have much say, so they turned the case over to the superintendent of schools.   And we happened to live in the same district where Jane and I had become high school sweethearts.   So, we hired an attorney, and we went and had a meeting with the superintendent of schools.   I often tell the story and describe him as being an older gentleman.   Now, in reality, compared to me today at age 73, he was probably only 60. He was a young fellow of about 60. But when you're 30, that seems pretty old.   And he had a couple of PhDs in education and administration, and he said, "You know, I strongly disagree with the choice you've made," but unfortunately, we had had our daughter tested using standardized testing just prior to that, and he compared her test scores after a year of homeschooling with her test scores when she had been in his public school classrooms, and she had improved significantly in every subject area.   So, he said, "I'm not going to cause you any problems, but I still think you're making a serious mistake." And the footnote to that story was lived out less than a year later when my phone rang, and it was the superintendent of schools.   And he said, "Mr. Lambert, can I speak with you frankly?" And I thought, oh boy, here we go. He said, "I don't know if you're aware of this, but we're having some problems in public education."   And I said, "No, not, I can't believe that. Really, doctor?"   And he goes, "No, we really are. Test scores are declining. Parents are unhappy. Faculties are unhappy. Administrations are unhappy. Students are unhappy. And I put together a blue-ribbon panel of educational experts for six weeks this summer to discuss how can we reface and reimagine education in our district. And you seem to have a very unique perspective on education, Mr. Lambert. Would you consider being a part of that panel?"   And I said, "I would."   And so, I went to the first meeting. They all introduced themselves and they all had lots and lots and lots of letters after their name.   One was the director of curriculum development, another the director of elementary testing, another the director of high school counseling.   And finally, I introduced myself and said, "Hi, I'm Stephen Lambert. I'm a homeschool dad." And every head in the room turned to look at me sitting in the back because up until that point, as far as I know, none of those men and women had ever seen a homeschooler and lived to tell about it.   So, they began the journey. The first night of the discussion and the person in charge of the summer series said, "You know, we can all make a long list of things that are wrong with public education, but let's not start there. Let's start on a positive note as we explore this difficult topic. Number one, responsibility for educating children rests with the state."   And I raised my hand and I said, "That's not right."   And he said, "What do you mean that's not right?"   And I said, "No, the responsibility for raising and educating children rests with their parents and only insofar as they choose to delegate some or all of their authority to you, does the state have anything to say about it?"   And he said, "Let's take a brief recess." So, it's probably just as well that I didn't tell him that God told me that because that would have made his head explode completely.   But anyway, that was 40 years ago. So, lots of water under the bridge since then in public education, I'm sorry to say has not gotten better, but instead it's gotten worse.   Laura Dugger: (8:44 - 9:07) Well, and I think within that, you've even brought up some questions that people have about homeschooling families when you first were talking about the standardized tests.   So, do you get these questions? A lot of times, do your children have any friends?   Did they grow up socialized or how did they compare to their peers?   Those types of things that there may be an underlying myth.   Steve Lambert: (9:09 - 11:20) Oh, for sure. Those are the common questions. I was so ignorant of homeschooling in 1981 that I didn't even notice. I didn't even know the word socialization.   I was too ignorant to even know that, but I did know friendship.   And in fact, I prayed and I asked the Lord, I said, "How are my kids going to have friends if they're homeschooled?"   And as you and some of your listeners may understand, I felt like the Lord spoke to me, not audibly, but in a sense that I clearly understood his heart.   And he said, "Do you want friends for your children?"   And I said, "Yes, Lord, of course I do more than anything."   And he said, "And so friends come from being in the midst of people." And I went, yes.   And then I paused and I could sense him kind of waiting on me. And I said, "Don't they?"   And I felt like the Lord said, "No, if you want friends for your children, ask me. I'm the author of friendship."   And he reminded me of David and Jonathan, for example.   He said, in my imagination, at least he said, "This very night, I can hear the prayers of tens of thousands of people around the earth who are surrounded by people, but who are contemplating suicide this very night because they're so lonely. Friends don't come from being in large groups. Friends come from heaven, ask me."   And so, that became a prayer. And neither of our children, none of our grandchildren have ever lacked for friends, lots of friends, close and intimate friends through sports, through music, through their church connections.   And it really has turned out to be true that friendship, whether you're an adult, a child, or a teen, if you're lacking friends in your life right now, getting involved in more and more people and more and more busyness isn't necessarily the answer.   Just stop and ask the Lord, "Lord, I'm lonely. I need some friends in my life. Would you bring me some?"   And our daughter's first close friend, after I prayed that prayer was a number of months later.   It was a little girl who had immigrated all the way from South Africa.   Her father had immigrated to the United States after becoming a believer to attend a Bible college and then came to Kansas City to attend a seminary.   And his daughter became my daughter's best friend, but she came from halfway around the globe.   And since then, there've been so many that we couldn't count them all.   Laura Dugger: (11:22 - 11:49) Wow. Steve, that is such a powerful and encouraging parenting tip, really just in every phase that we know where to turn and that God is the one who actually has the power to make these prayers answered.   So, thank you for sharing that. What would you say are some wonderful aspects of your lifestyle that were not available to families who were not home educating their children?   Steve Lambert: (11:50 - 14:20) You get to see your kids come to life, to discover who they are and why they were made and to watch them learn to read and to watch them explore and discover God's amazing creation in the world around them.   You can travel with your kids. If you're homeschooling, you can take them wherever you go and you can have school in the car or school in the park or school at the lake.   My kids, instead of reading about some of the national parks and reading about some of the great museums in America, we went and we saw them firsthand and in the process we got to see them begin to blossom and figure out who they were and why they were created.   We're seeing with all that's happening today, a struggle that really so much boils down to children and teenagers and young adults having absolutely no idea who they are and they're questioning everything from their gender to their faith, to philosophy, to finances, to all those kinds of ecological issues.   They really have no idea who they are and it's because in the classroom, nobody ever teaches them.   You know, it says in Luke 6:40, "that a student is not greater than his teacher, but when he is fully trained, a student will be like his teacher."   Discipleship is really about teaching and if you're not disciplining your children, somebody is.   And in a public-school classroom, the wisdom of Dr. Luke suggests that your children will grow up to be just like their teachers and that's exactly what we're seeing in today's culture.   So, if you want to have some input, if you want to see your children blossom, I mean, there's nothing more exciting than seeing your children learn to read for the first time and it's not that difficult.   I mean, I often tell parents if you were trapped on a desert island, just you and your child, could you teach them to read?   Well, sure you could. You take a stick and you make the letter A in the sand and you'd say, this is an A and then this is a B and this is the number two and this is the number three.   There's nothing more rewarding at the end of life. And I can say this at age 73, I can say this without any reservation.   The single most important thing you can do is to trust your life to Jesus.   The second most important thing you can do is find somebody who's like-minded and marry them and make that marriage work through thick and through thin.   And the third most important thing you'll ever do is raising your children and watching them become the men and women God created and take their place in a dying culture.   Laura Dugger: (14:22 - 14:42) And you have years of wisdom journeying through being a homeschooling dad.   And so, again, I would love to hear more about your journey. So, if we go back to 1981, I'm assuming that all of the curriculum was not available that we have available today.   And so, how did you and your wife practically live this out?   Steve Lambert: (14:44 - 22:14) Well, you're right, Laura. There wasn't any of the curriculum, which in many respects was a blessing.   To be honest, there's so much material out there today. It's a little overwhelming.   If you go to some of the larger homeschool conventions, you can find as many as seven or 800 vendors there, each telling why their particular curriculum is the one that you ought to choose.   But back then there were no choices. And in fact, we contacted a couple of Christian curriculum publishers and asked to buy their materials.   And they said, "No, we can't sell you because that would upset our Christian school customers because they had the exclusive right to this material."   And so, we began with a old set of world books and a stack of children's reading books.   And I think we did go to the yard sale, and we found an American history book that was published, I think in 1943. And so, it was somewhat incomplete because it didn't explain who won World War II.   It just kind of ended in the middle of the war, but we began that journey.   And what we discovered was that God consistently brought us the tools, the resources, and the people that our children needed.   I would come home on certain days and I'd find Jane kind of crying in her bedroom and the girls crying in their bedroom.   And because they were, we were trying to replicate school at home. And that's completely the wrong direction.   Well, it turns out we didn't want school at home. We wanted homeschooling, which is an entirely different proposition.   And so, on that journey, Jane began to pray. And she said, "Lord, this is not what I had in mind for our children. I did not imagine that we would be fighting and arguing over. You will do your homework. I won't. You can't make me. Yes, I can. How can I teach my children?"   And he said, "Why don't you read to them?" And she said, "Well, I do read to them, but how can I teach them?"   And he said, "Why don't you read to them?" She said, "No, no, I understand. I love to read to them, but how do I teach them?"   And he said, "Why don't you read to them?" And so, after the third time, they began focusing more on reading aloud.   And that just naturally led to the entire world around us. It doesn't really matter what you're reading.   God gave educators and parents a secret weapon, and it's called curiosity.   And so, if you can engage that curiosity and you read them a story, it doesn't matter what three bears, and suddenly they want to know more about bears.   And how does this hibernation thing work and where do they live? And do we have any near our home?   And can you find bears? And what's the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear? And how long do they live? And what do they eat?   And suddenly you become the guide rather than the opposing force.   Suddenly you begin to sit on the same side of the desk with your students and you go on a learning journey together, because particularly in those early years up to middle school, really the only lessons, the lesson that you really need to teach children is to fall in love with learning.   If they learn that you're home free, because they will self-direct and self-educate right on through high school, graduate school, they'll be lifelong learners.   But if you reduce education to nothing more than carrots and sticks and dangling promises and threats, they will quickly learn that learning is not fun.   And we just need to get through this as quickly as we can so that we can get on with life and the things that are truly important.   And if you doubt that, I often tell parents who are contemplating homeschooling, if you doubt that, just look in the mirror, go back and just think about, for example, your fifth grade social studies exam.   Tell me who the Norman Conqueror was. When did the Norman Conquest take place? How did that change European history?   And you'll say, wow, I remember. I've heard of the Norman Conqueror, the Norman Conquest, but honestly, I don't remember it yet.   Why not? Because honestly, I just learned it long enough to take the test. And then I forgot. And your kids are just like you. Many attribute Einstein with the saying that doing the same thing the same way and expecting some sort of a different result is insane.   So, it stands to reason if you teach your kids the same way you were taught to memorize names and dates and highlight pages and books for Friday's quiz, they'll end up with the same results.   They won't particularly be interested in learning. They won't remember 99% of all the things that you checked off your checklist that you covered with the children, but they don't remember any of it.   So, through reading, that opened the door for the girls to begin to ask questions.   And suddenly, like I said, instead of being in that tug of war, where as a parent or a teacher, you're trying to force children to memorize and regurgitate long enough to take a test, you suddenly become a resource person and you take them to the library and you take them to the natural history museum and you take them to the art gallery and you take them on nature hikes in the woods.   And one question always begets ten more. I remember that when my oldest daughter, her firstborn was about two or three and she was getting ready for bed and in the bathtub and she said, "Mama, can I ask you a question?"   And my daughter said, "No." She said, "Please, mama, just one question."   She said, "No, honey, you've already had your 472 questions for today. Mama's exhausted. Finish your bath. Let's go to bed. You can ask a question tomorrow."   She said, "Please, mama, please. Just one more question." She said, "All right, one more question. And then it's bedtime."   She goes, "Okay. So, like, how does electricity work, mom?"   So, that curiosity that God gave those children is the spark that makes homeschooling, not only a joy, but makes it infinitely doable.   Whether you dropped out of high school or whether you have a doctorate in education, if you can keep that curiosity alive, your kids are going to be great.   And let me add one other thought. We live in a world, the dean of a medical school, school of medicine at a university told me not too long ago, he said, "Do you realize that the body of knowledge of the human body doubles every year?"   We learned more in 2022 about the human body than we had learned in all of history through 2021. And he said, we get the best and the brightest, the top one tenth of 1% who come here to medical school.   And there's no way they can possibly keep up with the amount of new knowledge that's being developed.   And if you ask someone who has a doctorate in any subject, the most tempting question to ask is, so you must know pretty much everything there is to know about that.   And if they're even remotely honest, the first thing they'll say to you is, "Oh no, no, no, no. The farther we explore, the deeper we get, the more we realize we haven't even scratched the surface. There's so much we don't understand. The more we learn, the more we realize how much we yet have to learn."   And so, that's an infinite loop of getting children to begin to manage their own education. We've said for years, you know, he got the best education money could buy, or they gave him the best education.   You can't give a child an education. They're education resistant.   The child has to learn to want to know, to be hungry and thirsty to know more about the world that God created around them and how it works.   And homeschooling is a wonderful vehicle to make a lifetime learning out of your son or your daughter.   Laura Dugger: (22:15 - 28:23) And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Did you know you can go to college tuition free just by being a team member at Chick-fil-A East Peoria?   Yes, you heard that right. Free college education. 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Now, back to the show.   The more I learn about homeschooling, the more encouragement I've heard from homeschooling parents, they will talk about there is always a learning gap no matter how you were educated.   And so, I love how you're addressing that with lifelong curiosity that we will continue learning our whole life.   But you also mentioned this word, if parents are considering homeschooling, you said it's so doable.   And when you're talking about Jane hearing from the Lord, read to your children, I find that so encouraging.   That's my favorite activity to do with our girls. That was the impetus for your family launching Five in a Row.   Is that right?   Steve Lambert: (28:24 - 32:17) That is right. Over a period of time, Jane certainly did math mechanics in a math workbook, and she used some specific structured approach to phonics to teach reading.   But other than that, it was largely an open palette in which reading helped direct the course of education.   And that became something that many of her homeschool friends as the years went by found enviable.   They said, "You know, how does that work?" And she said, "Well, you just read aloud to your children, and then there's opportunities in an illustrated book to talk about the illustrations, the perspective, vanishing point, type of colors, the difference between watercolor and gouache, complementary colors on the color wheel, history, where did our story take place, what's it like, where is it on the map, what do people eat there?"   And they said, “Yeah, we don't get that.” So, she began to just really as kind of a love gift for a few girlfriends, began to write some lesson plans to go with some popular children's books.   And one thing led to another, and that was in 1994. So, this is our 29th year in publication, and I think Five in a Row has won pretty much every award that's out there, from Reader's Awards, Magazine Awards.   It's more than 100,000 families, 600,000 children have used Five in a Row in the last 29 years, and virtually no advertising.   It's almost exclusively by word of mouth, from a veteran homeschool mom pulling aside a young mom who just spent $1,300 on a massive stack of curriculum and is completely overwhelmed just three weeks into September, to say, you know what, we tried that, and we tried this, and we tried this other program, and we spent a lot of money.   And then an older mom told me about Five in a Row , let me show you how it works.   And suddenly that changes everything for so many of these young moms.   Most of the problems that new homeschoolers are facing simply are not issues at all. And the crazy part is that there are some things they ought to be worrying about, but they don't know enough yet to worry about the correct areas.   But both the obvious and the more subtle areas, God has answers.   If he's invited you to go on the homeschool journey, he has something amazing in mind for your family.   There are very few born homeschoolers, very few 15- or 16-year-old adolescent young women tell their school counselor, "You know what, I'd like to spend my life living in a two-income world on a single income and stay locked up with little people all day long without any peer support and have my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law think I'm crazy."   That's not on most young women's radars, but it begins, for most families, the same way it began for our family.   Hypothetically, honey, what would you think if, as the finger of God, the same God that said, let the waters be parted, the one that said, Lazarus, come forth, the one that said, let there be light, says, "Why don't you homeschool your kids?"   And so, you become what we often call accidental homeschoolers.   It suddenly occurs to you something that you swore you would never, ever do.   But the good news is the one who invited you is faithful. Love is a powerful motivator.   We all have stuff, and God has tried to make us deal with our stuff for years, and we've been resistant in many cases.   So, he invites us to the covenant of marriage so that we'll have a living witness to remind us of our stuff.   Honey, why do you always wait to the last minute? Honey, why do you get so upset?   And if we're still stubborn, then he invites us to have children so that we have several living witnesses.   But if we remain stiff-necked, finally he invites us to homeschool with children. And this way we have a house full of living witnesses all day long that say, "Mama, how come this and why do you do that?"   And suddenly we begin to grow in ways we never thought possible through the medium of homeschooling. It strengthens marriages.   It grows us up in Christ. It causes us to deal with our stuff.   It's amazing what it does for our children.   Laura Dugger: (32:18 - 32:44) It does seem like progressive sanctification, how the Lord has built that in within the family.   And I just appreciate how you've gone before us. And so, if someone's feeling nudged in this direction, can you paint a picture, even using Five in a Row curriculum, what kind of prep would that require for the homeschooling parent?   And what kind of schedule would their day look like?   Steve Lambert: (32:46 - 39:39) Homeschooling is essentially tutorial education, and that's always been the realm of kings and the super wealthy who hired an individual tutor for their children.   Because of homeschooling, our children can have a tutor. And tutorial education is so inherently efficient that even if you're terrible at it, your kids are going to do pretty darn well. So, when we start out, we're tempted to emulate the classroom. So, we think, well, my daughter's six.   She was going to go into first grade, so we need to start at 7:45 in the morning and we need to go until 3:45 in the afternoon with 20 minutes for lunch.   Nothing could be further from the truth. You can work with a kindergarten or first grader; 90 minutes a day is probably overkill.   So, it's something that anybody can do in their schedule, at least in those early years. And it works best when it works for you and for your children.   If your kiddo is a late-morning sleeper, trust me, they're not going to be at their best at 7:45. Don't let them sleep until 9:30. That's okay. You'll realize, for example, when you have teenagers, that they don't come to life until sometime after 11:00 p.m.   That's when they want to come into your bedroom and ask you important life questions when you're struggling to try to get to sleep.   So, first of all, you work with your children's schedule to some degree.   You work with the schedule that works for you. And you work where it works for you. If you're sick or if you're dealing with morning sickness and pregnancy, homeschool's going to happen in the bed today, kids.   Come on, gather around. We're going to read a story.   If it's a nice day, homeschooling is going to happen at the park today.   We're going to go on a nature hike. We're going to look at trees and wildlife and streams and rocks and waters.   And we're going to learn to take our paints with us.   And we're going to learn to paint the sky the way the illustrator did in our story this week that we're reading in Five in a Row.   When Jane began, she actually would take the girls to a cemetery nearby where everything was beautifully mowed and there were beautiful trees and lakes.   So, Five in a Row is built around the concept of reading a classic children's book, which Jane has selected thoughtfully and curated.   And you read it for five days in a row.   And so, on the first day, you're going to read the story aloud.   And the children just want to know how did the story ended, what happened?   A very surface, cursory reading of the story, really thinking only about the plot.   But, you know, as you go back and watch a movie the second or the third time or read a book sometimes or play the second or third time, you discover there's a whole lot more beneath the surface.   So, the first day they look at, on Mondays they do social studies.   So, they look at the setting of the story. Where did it take place?   How did people live in the 17th century? How did people live today in Japan or Australia?   How did people live along the Ohio River in the 1800s? What sort of foods did they eat? What was their language like? Let's find it on a map.   Let's learn more about it and maybe plan to cook a meal from that region or that period of history later in the week for the family.   And you can make that as complex as you want.   You can have the children make shopping lists and invitations and invite Grandma and Grandpa and help cook the meal and learn liquid and dry measure and cups and quarts and all of that and put a towel over their arm and serve the meal to Grandma and Grandpa and tell them about what they learned about Spain or Italy or France or Canada this week.   So, now you've read the story and you've learned something about what's going on in the story.   So, Tuesday, we go back and we read it a second time.   This time we look at language arts, so new vocabulary words that came up in our story this week, new creative writing techniques that maybe there was a cliffhanger that made us want to turn the page and read and see what was next or maybe the author was really great at asking questions or writing dialogue or opening sentences that create curiosity.   And so, we learned some of those techniques, and we can try them ourselves.   And even a four- or five-year-old can dictate while Mom writes down their story, and they can illustrate it later and share it with Dad.   And then on Wednesday, we look at the art. So, what did the artist teach us? What medium did they use?   Was this charcoal? Was it pen and ink? Was it watercolor or gouache? Was it oils or pastels?   How did they draw the water? Look, they drew reflections on the water. It's not just blue paper, is it?   You can see the same colors in the water that were on the shore on the opposite side.   You know what, kids? Let's get out your colored pencils or your crayons or your pastels.   Let's try drawing water more realistically the way the illustrator taught us in our story today.   And maybe learn something about famous artists who had similar styles of Degas or Renoir or Van Gogh or whoever.   Thursday, we do applied mathematics, which is not the same as math.   You're going to be doing math for 15 to 30 minutes every day in a sequential approach.   But this is about learning, you know, the difference between a square and a rectangle.   Well, they have four sides, but what's the difference? They're not all equal on the rectangle, are they?   We're going to learn, like I said, how many pints in a quart, how many quarts in a gallon.   And then on Fridays, we do science lessons. So, there's lots of opportunities in every children's book to learn more about why does the sky look blue?   Why is the grass green? Why do some things float when you put them in the water and some things sink?   And all of a sudden, you're at the kitchen sink with a stopper in it.   You fill it with water, and you've gotten a penny and a cork and a birthday candle and whatever is in the kitchen junk drawer.   And suddenly, the kids are learning about buoyancy, and they're testing things, and they're predicting their answers, learning more about the world of science and creation.   So, typical day, long story short, for a beginning homeschooler with a kindergarten-aged child, probably going to be 15, 20 minutes maybe for phonics, 15 to 20 minutes for math, which at that level is simply learning the digits and haven't even thought about adding yet.   And then another 30 open-ended minutes, 30 minutes to 90 minutes for exploring Five in a Row or whatever it is that you're reading that day.   And for some days, that might turn into two hours.   In fact, there are some days where it turns into all the way to bedtime and continues over the next two days.   If you're learning about the solar system, and suddenly that catches their attention, and they want to go to the planetarium nearby, and they want to borrow their uncle's telescope, they eat, sleep, and drink astronomy for the next two or three days.   And frankly, that's not an interruption in the curriculum. That's the answer to a prayer.   God, please help my children grow curious. Help them nurture their love of learning. Cause them to want to learn.   And sooner or later, we're going to learn about astronomy anyway, but all too often, it's while the kids are fascinated by a bug that just crawled in the room.   And so, the smart mom puts astronomy on the shelf for the moment and learns about insects. Or vice versa.   You're trying to learn about insects, and they're staring out the window looking at moons still visible in the western sky that hasn't set yet.   So, helping children learn in the proper season is another key to making it all work. It's so flexible, and it's so simple.   Laura Dugger: (39:41 - 40:33) Guess what? We are no longer an audio-only podcast.   We now have video included as well. If you want to view the conversation each week, make sure you watch our videos.   We're on YouTube, and you can access videos or find answers to any of your other questions about the podcast when you visit thesavvysauce.com.   Well, that flexibility sounds so freeing and attractive, and as you explain it, it just sounds like such a lovely educational experience.   And yet, I know a lot of homeschooling parents fear is that when their children graduate from the home, they wonder if they've done enough and how they'll perform out in, quote, the real world.   So, what was your experience as you and Jane launched your first child to college?   Steve Lambert: (40:35 - 46:24) Well, we actually sent our first one to college a week after she was 16. And to be honest, I wouldn't recommend that again for a variety of reasons.   She had a four-point-something or other GPA in college beginning at just barely 16. But being academically ready and being emotionally ready are two different things.   And so, probably, if for no other reason, we missed out on two more years of just exploring and learning together in home education.   But when she went, she was the top of her class pretty much in every subject.   Almost every study done of homeschool students by private industry and government suggests that students, on average, score about 20% higher if they were home-educated in every subject except math, where they're about the same, than their public school peers.   And it's now been more than 20 years since Harvard set out, and they kind of were one of the earliest ones to create full-time recruiters for homeschool students because universities and the marketplace are looking today for homeschoolers.   They realize that these kids are the leaders today. I saw a study of a small private university, I think in the Carolinas, if I recall, and they only had 3,000 students on campus, of which 90 were homeschooled, so 3% of the student body.   But of the 12 elected student leadership positions, student advisor to the dean, senior class president, whatever, 11 of the 12 were homeschool students.   So, even their peers recognized that these were the leaders in their community.   And we now live in a world where nobody seems to want to work. Everywhere you go, there's help-wanted signs.   And we've seen so many stories from friends and customers whose children were homeschooled who said it's a tremendous opportunity right now in the marketplace if you just show up and you're just semi-dedicated to actually doing the job.   I interviewed a guy, well, he actually came up to ask me questions after I spoke, in Chicago, as a matter of fact.   And he was the head of human resources for a large Fortune 50 company, and he said he had, I don't know, a quarter of a million employees.   And so, I asked him, I said, so this is in May, you're out recruiting, I assume.   And he says, “Yeah, I've got six recruiting teams crisscrossing American college campuses trying to recruit new employees.”   And I said, “So you're obviously looking for the highest-grade point average or highest graduating class position and competing for those students.”   He said, “No, not at all.” And I said, no? I said, “So IQ or SAT score?”   He goes, “No, none of that.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Let me tell you something.”   He said, “The average new hire costs us $70,000 to train. And this has been 15 years ago.   So, it's probably 170,000 a day. And no matter what your discipline, whether you're in sales, marketing, quality control, engineering, whatever, we're gonna spend the first year teaching you how we do it here, not how you learned it in college.   If we aren't successful in our recruiting, our company will go bankrupt. This is our largest single expense is personnel.”   And we have learned over the years that graduating class position or grade point average or SAT score IQ is totally irrelevant when it comes to determining who'll be successful in the company and who won't.   And I was a little taken aback and I said, “Well, if it's not any of those things, then you just throw darts at resumes?”   He goes, “No, no, no.” He said, “We can accurately identify these students in the most cases.” I said, “So what do you look for?” And he said, “Well, you're gonna laugh.” I said, “Maybe.” He said, “First and foremost, by far and away, the ability to get along and work well with others.”   He said, “If you can't, you're gonna get cross ways of your boss or another employee and either quit or get fired in the first six months.   The second is to be able to complete a job, see it through to completion and meet the deadline.   And number three, if you're really, really golden, the ability to work within the constraints of a budget.   Those are the things that are successful, whether you work for our company or whether you're an entrepreneur or whether you're a homemaker, whatever you do in life.”   So, with that in mind, I've spoken all over the country and encourage parents. These are things that we need to be working on. There are things that are not being worked on in the classroom.   So, look for opportunities to hand more of the education off to your students, let them plan what do I wanna study for the next two days, the next two weeks, the next two months?   Where am I gonna get the resources to discover that by the time they're in high school?   I'm gonna give you a budget to work with. There's $200, you can buy some resources, tools that you think would be useful in the process.   Where do we need to be in project management to start the process?   Where should we be by the end of week two? Where should we be by the end of the month?   These are the skills that employers are looking for and so many parents have told us that their kids have just rocketed in the marketplace.   My final question to this guy was, so are you finding bright young men and women who can do the job?   He goes, there's never been brighter, more thoroughly educated young men and women who can do the job.   He said, the problem is I can't find any who will do the job.   I can't find people who will do even four hours work for eight hours pay.   They wanna go to Starbucks, they wanna be on their cell phone, they wanna be on Facebook, they wanna be talking to their friends, taking care of their online banking, paying bills.   And so, character comes first. And if we teach our children their purpose and their place in this world, if we help them find and discover their giftedness and their aptitudes and invite them along those pathways and we increasingly turn more and more of that education over to them in the high school years where they begin to take responsibility for their own education, we're going to end up with not just capable but outstanding young men and women who can quickly take their place in our culture and rise to the very top because frankly, there's very little competition.   Laura Dugger: (46:26 - 46:36) Wow. Well, Steve, is there anything else that we haven't yet covered?   Any scriptures or stories to share that you wanna make sure we don't miss?   Steve Lambert: (46:37 - 50:16) The thing we want people to take away from all of that is not that the only way to raise your kids is to homeschool or that God doesn't approve of anything else.   The point is, listen to God and do what he said, but don't put your fingers in your ears because he often calls us to things that we really maybe didn't wanna hear and obedience is better than sacrifice.   One of my favorite stories, when our oldest daughter started to college, she went through placement counseling that summer and the placement counselor said, "You know, I don't think I've..." That was in 1991. He said, "I don't think I've ever had a student who was homeschooled."   So, that's pretty interesting. And she said, "Okay, great." And there were 30,000 students at this college and she was not only at that point, as far as we know, the only or first homeschooler, but she was also the youngest, having just turned 16 that in the middle of August.   And so, when she began, one of the prereq classes that every incoming freshman had to take was public speaking.   And she realized much to her horror that her public speaking teacher was the guy who had helped with her placement counseling earlier in the summer.   And she really didn't want anybody to know she'd been homeschooled, but she said there were returning GIs from Operation Desert Storm.   There were empty nest moms coming back to finish the degree. There were pre-med students. There were student athletes.   There were just every kind of student in that class because everybody had to take public speaking.   And he said, the very first day, the teacher said, "I'd like for everybody to give a six-minute speech on Monday. That's the best way to do this is just to jump in on whether or not you think we ought to be involved in nation building. Except for you, Ms. Lambert, and I'd like for you to give six-minute speech on what it was like to be homeschooled."   And she slunk down below her desk and tried to disappear into the floor.   And she said, "Dad, what am I gonna do?" I said, "Well, just get up and tell them."   So, she did. And she said, you know, as far as I can tell over the course of that semester, she said every single person in that class, whether they were 18 or 58, found me somewhere on the campus in the quadrangle at the library, the cafeteria, in the parking lot, and said in one way or another, their own words, "You're so lucky your parents cared enough about you to be involved in your education. I'm jealous. I'm envious. I wish my parents had been."   She said, but the one that killed me was a girl who was 18, had just graduated from a prestigious high school the previous May.   And she began to tell her story. And she said, "When I began high school four years ago, my goal was to become valedictorian of my graduating class. I've never been at a sleepover. I've never been to a, you know, skating party or, you know, movies. All I've done is study for four years. And she said, I was in AP classes all the way through and my GPA was like 4.7887. And there was this guy and his was 4.78779. And he and I competed every year in every class. And it came down to the final test and the final class and the final semester. And I beat him by two points."   And so, last May, she said, my dream came true.   And I stood on the football field and I gave the commencement address, the valedictorian address to 4,000 of my peers, their parents, civic leaders, laity, community leaders of faith. And both of my parents were too busy to attend.   She said, "I wish my parents cared and had been as involved in my education as yours were. You're very lucky."   And she said, "Dad, it just killed me to hear her story."   And I said, "I don't have any answers, honey, but our joy was raising you girls and seeing you become the people that God intended you to become."   Laura Dugger: (50:18 - 50:43) Wow, Steve, that is so powerful.   And what an incredible charge to leave each of us with to go and do likewise.   And as we wind down our time together, you are already familiar that we are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so, as my final question for you today, what is your Savvy Sauce?   Steve Lambert: (50:45 - 51:59) Read aloud, read often, read to your spouse, read to your kids.   Jane and I continue, we've been together now 57 years, and we still read aloud to one another every single day.   I read aloud to my kids still on occasion, my grandkids still, my daughters are in their 40s.   My grandkids, but that was the joy. And that's the thing that when all else fails, when your relationship is struggling, when your homeschool day is falling flat on its face, get a great book and snuggle together with your kids and read out loud.    It's in that process that their imaginations are birthed, their angst is quieted, and disagreements between spouses can suddenly be pushed aside because suddenly you're facing sorrow and you have a sword in your hand or you're coming down the Mississippi River on a riverboat or whatever it is that you, it unlocks doors that sometimes we didn't even know were locked.   So, that's the Savvy Sauce that's worked for us. Read aloud, read often, and don't let a day go by that you don't read to your children, even when your kids are 18. And if you have little ones, read to the little ones and I guarantee you the high schoolers will come around and listen to every day.   Laura Dugger: (52:00 - 52:23) I love that so much. That is wonderful.   And I have very much appreciated your insights and wisdom that you shared with us today.   So, thank you for the legacy that you and Jane have been building for years.   Thank you for being a faithful and intentional father and husband.   And thank you so much, Steve, for being my guest.   Steve Lambert: (52:24 - 52:29) Laura, it's been my pleasure. I've appreciated the opportunity. Thank you for what you do.   God bless you.   Laura Dugger: (52:29 - 55:45) Thank you. One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you.   But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.   This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own.   So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a Savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute.   This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him. That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us.   Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place.   I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.   Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him.   You get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started?   First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible.   The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John.   Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ.   We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process. And finally, be encouraged.   Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with.   You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Good books, good stories help us understand the world and ourselves. They awaken us to truth, warn us about falsehood, and provide unforgettable examples. You’ll hear from two guests who believe that good books open our hearts to beauty and wonder. How can you help your children build insight and discernment as they navigate today’s literary culture? Don't miss Chris Fabry Live. Featured resource:The Redeemed Reader September thank you gift:The Man on the Middle Cross by Alistair Begg Chris Fabry Live is listener-supported. To support the program, click here. Care NetBecome a Back Fence Partner: https://moodyradio.org/donateto/chrisfabrylive/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Letters beat emails for trustworthiness. A gullible skeptic reflects on navigating trust in a 50-year marriage, and the energy cost of distrust. Click here to view the printable newsletter with images. More readable than a transcript, which can also be found below. Please comment and ask questions: at the comment section at the bottom of the show notes on LinkedIn  via email YouTube channel  DM on Instagram, TikTok to @healthhats Production Team Kayla Nelson: Web and Social Media Coach, Dissemination, Help Desk  Leon van Leeuwen: editing and site management Oscar van Leeuwen: video editing Julia Higgins: Digital marketing therapy Steve Heatherington: Help Desk and podcast production counseling Joey van Leeuwen, Drummer, Composer, and Arranger, provided the music for the intro, outro, proem, and reflection Podcast episode on YouTube Episode Dear Listener and Reader, I thought I'd start writing you letters. I miss letters. I send cards thanking my guests for their participation. People universally appreciate getting something via snail mail. But cards aren't letters. They're preformatted notes, where I just change the image and the name. For giggles, I looked back at my very first blog post, July 31, 2012. It was a paragraph, a letter of sorts, short and simple, Improv and Best Health. It's taking me longer to produce each episode. So, no more frequently than once a month. So, why not a letter, short and sweet, from time to time? Let's start with trust. A letter feels more trustworthy than an email or a tweet. It's signed; a person who writes a letter really wants to communicate and thinks about what they're saying. So, perhaps, not a troll, more trustworthy. I always open letters. My immediate, momentary, default reaction to almost anything is trust. My kids say I'm gullible. My next instant reaction is skepticism. I think about what's not true about whatever. ‘AI is the solution to everything.' What do you mean, everything? What is AI anyway? Like that. I've been married for 50 years because at our core, my wife and I trust each other. We disagree, we misunderstand, we anger, I sulk. Yet we trust. On the other hand, I make stuff up. I misremember, create a story, and if it serves my purposes, stick with it or modify it as needed. My wife and grandkids are my fact-checkers. Still, we trust each other. In my personal life, trust isn't an on-or-off switch, all or nothing. Well, not usually. It's a matter of degree; it's about something. I trust that I can count on you to be there for me, unless you can't. I trust that you'll return my call, unless you're hurt, don't feel like it, or missed it. Distrust sucks energy; be more careful with my words, self-censor, close my heart and mind. I don't expect to trust everybody or everything. When I do trust, it's priceless. Thanks for listening, I'll be back. Related episodes from Health Hats https://health-hats.com/improv-and-health/ https://health-hats.com/pod113/ https://health-hats.com/trust-willing-to-be-vulnerable-worth-the-investment/ Artificial Intelligence in Podcast Production Health Hats, the Podcast, utilizes AI tools for production tasks such as editing, transcription, and content suggestions. While AI assists with various aspects, including image creation, most AI suggestions are modified. All creative decisions remain my own, with AI sources referenced as usual. Questions are welcome. Creative Commons Licensing CC BY-NC-SA This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements:    BY: credit must be given to the creator.

  - Buy my collection of horror novellas TALES OF HORROR at https://amzn.to/42XxAu5 - Donate via https://ko-fi.com/U7U03JREM to cover the web hosting and sfx costs. - Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/indiannoir Indian Noir is written, narrated and produced by one of India's best horror and crime writers Nikesh Murali. Nikesh is the author of a multi-award winning, Amazon bestselling  horror novella collection 'Tales of Horror'. His novel 'His Night Begins', which was praised by Crime Fiction Lover magazine for its 'terse action scenes and brutal energy', was released to critical acclaim and earned him the tag of the 'most hardboiled of Indian crime writers' from World Literature Today Journal.   Nikesh has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Asian region) and DWL Story Prize, and also received honourable mentions for the Katha Short Story Prize twice. Nikesh was among the top creative talents from India (including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Tabu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui) selected to create original shows for Audible Suno.   Indian Noir Podcast has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, India Today, CBC, The Hindu, Times of India, New Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, The Statesman, The Week, The Telegraph, Femina, The Economic times, Mid-Day, The News Minute, The Quint, India Times, ABC Radio, Mashable, Reader's Digest India, Men's World, Your Story, Calcutta Times, Grazia and other media outlets. It has won rave reviews on major podcasting platforms, from critics and listeners alike and is widely considered as one of India's best horror and crime podcasts.   This podcast is rated R 18+. It may contain classifiable elements such as violence, sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. This podcast may also contain information which may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault, violence, drug abuse or mental health issues. Listener discretion is advised.

In this very casual chat Sam Powell & Jaryd Krause from propertypals.au interview me to discuss:

SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. NB: In case it needs saying, no, I don't think people should just seize hold of one another's genitals without asking.My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it's easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Literary Matters 18.1– Submit to LM (but ignore the submissions guidelines)– Tar River Poetry– Submit to Tar River Poetry– New Verse Review– Submit Halloween-themed poems to New Verse Review – Come hear me read at the Frost Farm this Thursday, September 11, at 6:30!– My recent appearance on Matt Wall's Bukowski Pod– Zina Gomez-Liss– Helena Feder– Matt Steinhafel– Emily Grace– The ALSCW– The Poetry Space– To the Reader by Charles Baudelaire, trans. Tristram Fane Saunders– The Little Review– Concerning The Wreck by T. O. Brandon– Women's Work by Maya Venters– Alien vs. Predator by Michael Robbins– Chubby Checker by M. I. Devine– The Bad Apple Sings by Hailey Leithauser– Senryu at Zion National Park by Pedro Poitevin– Eratosphere– The Wreck of the Deutschland by Gerard Manley Hopkins– Concerning Kipling by George Bradley– Nightjar by James Midgley– Yangtze Gorge by Nida Sophasarun– A thing I wrote on another poem of Nida's for 32 Poems– 90 North by Randall Jarrell– Narcissus by R. Nemo Hill– The Shield of Achilles by W. H. Auden– Assurances by Sunil Iyengar– Spoor by Forester McClatchey– The End of the Age of Singing by Niall CampbellFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– Matt Wall– Steve Knepper – Helena FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: In Future PostsBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith

An interview with Daniel Golden, author of The Ransomware Hunting Team. The book is a real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfits taking on the biggest cybersecurity threats of our time. Note: this is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in February 2023. 

I've been meaning to write a piece about “the basics” of weight and healthcare and a question from a reader gave me the perfect chance. Get full access to Weight and Healthcare at weightandhealthcare.substack.com/subscribe

Let us know what you think of this episode with a text!This week's episode dives into the strange, the surreal, and the headlines you didn't know you needed. We start with a Reader's Digest sighting in the least likely of places: a casino floor. Then, we turn to Illinois politics, where state leaders are pushing back against federal offers of help in tackling rising crime. A story of forbidden love takes a bizarre turn when it's caught on body cam. And finally, we explore how the “green sex toy phenomenon” is continuing to make shockwaves in the world of sports.Email: 3copstalk@gmail.comWebsite: https://www.3copstalk.comYoutube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCFWKMerhChCE6_s5yFqc4awFacebook: 3 Cops Talk | FacebookInstagram: https://instagram.com/3copstalk?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Episode Summary: Jesus told us to go into all the world and share the gospel. Yet many Christians admit they struggle with the confidence to do so. In this episode, my son, Blake, joins me to talk about how to start natural conversations that open the door to sharing your faith with others. Together we share practical ways to make those conversations genuine and meaningful. Quotables from the episode: God tells us to go to all the ends of the earth. And he says that it's his desire that none would perish, not even one. So we have a responsibility to share our Christian faith with others while we still have the time. My faith really became my own when I went off to college. One of the big focuses of our church’s college ministry was evangelism. We were practicing evangelizing towards students who maybe didn't have a worldview set in stone yet. Lots of students who were leaving the home and flying the nest for the first time and looking for an explanation for the world around them. Something to cling to as they looked for hope and as they looked for something to identify themselves with. Since graduating college, handful of years ago, I have moved into a job in the professional workforce where I am around adults who now have a set worldview. And my practice of evangelism has had to change from inviting people who are seeking a worldview to adopt the worldview of Christianity and pursue our loving God and Savior, while they were just looking for a way to identify themselves. And that was an easy invitation to now discussing with strangers and coworkers who have set worldview and who have set opinions on Christianity, which has definitely been a shift. It is important to ask people about themselves and to ask people about their beliefs and even when people aren’t comfortable talking about themselves, people are generally willing to talk about their hobbies and their beliefs about the world and how the world operates and how the world should operate. Efforts to evangelize with people can be difficult because even if it’s true that you were sinful and there’s a solution to sin and we can be forgiven for it, people don’t care about the sin if they don’t think that the God that says these things are sin exists or they don’t think that God has any impact over their life or over what happens after their life and so it’s not until you get people to a place where they recognize this God is real and he does have an impact on our life and what happens after our life that they care about what he says is sin and what he says is wrong. We all start with questions of “who am I?” “Where did I come from?” “Why and I here?” “How am I supposed to treat other people while I’m here?” and “Where am I going?” Two important questions are “what do you mean by that? Why do you believe that?” People don’t care what you have to say, until they know you care. even just asking the question, what do you mean by that, it shows that you have interest, you care about their beliefs and where they came from. Right. And I think that that question is powerful and it serves multiple purposes because when people have legitimate hurts, you don't want to just immediately jump to the Bible and go, well, you shouldn't have been hurt by that because that's not how God is. - Or God works all things together for good. Right, which is true. And that's a helpful response for Christians who you're close to and you know that that will hold some value to them. But for someone who's not a Christian, that response will necessarily feel insensitive. - Yes. - And so to ask, what do you mean by that when you're discussing with someone who has legitimate hurts from the church or legitimate hurts from people who are Christians, further clarifies what their beliefs are, which is helpful for you because you get an understanding of what you're actually responding to. Recommended Resources: Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host: For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

August was definitely our worst reading month so far this year - Kyleigh kept the momentum going and read 8 books, Hannah managed to read 5 and Micaela read 3. But don't worry, we actually have some really great conversations this episode surrounding books! And we let our cute, delulu selves jinx Lando this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix…but we still have faith in our fave driver!!   Check out the full list of what we read over on our Instagram!   Currently Reading: Manacled by SenLinYu Funny Feelings by Tara DeWitt Right on Cue by Fallon Ballard  

When you first read the Lord of the Rings, which character did you most relate to? Has that changed as you've gotten older? This month, we are joined by Dr. Luke Shelton, who leads us down his lesser-trod path, exploring reader response theory and the ways that personal experience and interpretation interact with criticism. Thanks for joining us, Luke, for this fascinating and emotional discussion!Citations: Thank you to our guest host, Dr. Luke Shelton! How to find Luke:Instagram: @lukebsheltonBsky: @lukebshelton.bsky.socialLuke's website: https://luke-shelton.com/ (Accessed June 27, 2025)Show Notes from Luke:Luke's work:Luke's dissertation is free online here: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/81312/The title is “‘Small Hands Do Them Because They Must': Examining the Reception of The Lord of the Rings among Young Readers”Luke's most recent publication: “Towards an Ethos of Discussing In-Corporeal Gender in Fantasy Literature: Part I—A 'Feminine' Eldil and a 'Masculine' Vala”: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythpro/vol2024/iss1/7/?utm_source=dc.swosu.edu%2Fmythpro%2Fvol2024%2Fiss1%2F7&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPagesIn prior scholarship, Luke talked about:Dawn Walls-Thumma's “Attainable Vistas: Historical Bias in Tolkien's Legendarium as a Motive for Transformative Fanworks”: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol3/iss3/3/Robin Reid's “J.R.R. Tolkien, Culture Warrior: The Alt-Right's Crusade against the Tolkien Society's 2021 Summer Seminar on ‘Tolkien and Diversity'”: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol16/iss2/4/Maria Alberto's “‘The effort to translate': Fan Film Culture and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien”: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol3/iss3/2/Megan Abrahamson's “J.R.R. Tolkien, Fanfiction, and ‘The Freedom of the Reader'”: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol32/iss1/5/Ernest Mathjis, editor of Watching The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien's World AudiencesFor gaming, Luke mentioned:Alicia Fox-Lenz and a forthcoming volume she edited which will be about Tolkien and Gaming, title unknown at this time.Tim Bolton: Luke mentioned that he occasionally writes pieces about gaming for Amon Hen (not something that is easy to link to, unfortunately), it looks like he also has a blog which is more consistent: https://greenbookofthewhitedowns.blogspot.com/search?q=gaming+in+middle-earth

Host Jason Blitman kicks off season 5 with political leader and author Stacey Abrams discussing her latest legal thriller, Coded Justice, the role of AI in healthcare, and what it means to be a professional troublemaker. Later, Jason is joined by Dan Pelosi, beloved for his culinary adventures on Instagram as @grossypelosi, who chats about his new cookbook Let's Party.STACEY ABRAMS is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader. She served as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first black woman to become gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history.  Abrams has launched multiple nonprofit organizations devoted to democracy protection, voting rights, and effective public policy. She has also co-founded successful companies, including a financial services firm, an energy and infrastructure consulting firm, and the media company, Sage Works Productions, Inc.DAN PELOSI is the Italian meatball making meatballs behind GrossyPelosi, the popular Instagram favorite for all things comfort and food. Approachable and tasty, Dan's recipes are meant to be shared and celebrated with the ones you love. Dan's first cookbook, Let's Eat, was an instant New York Times bestseller, and his Big Italian Sandwich Puzzle is the first-ever deli sandwich jigsaw puzzle (as far as he knows!). Dan is a contributor to New York Times Cooking. He splits his time between Brooklyn and upstate New York, but you can always find him online at @grossypelosi.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE September Book: The Sunflower Boys by Sam Wachman SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

A few weeks ago, I was pootling around on substack where The Shift newsletter lives - https://theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com/ - and I noticed I had a DM from a new subscriber. It turned out to be from one of my favourite crime writers - the award winning Laura Lippmann, who some of you might know from the recent apple TV+ series of her novel, The Lady In The Lake. Laura had been brought to The Shift by a piece I wrote a year or so ago about how all of my friends were getting divorced. “I feel like such a schmuck,” she wrote “because I stuck it out like the Good Girl I was raised to be, only to be dumped 9 days after my 61st birthday (and one month before the Covid lockdowns). I didn't even have the triumphant narrative of: “Reader, I left him.” But, five years out, I think I'm happier than I've ever been.” That happiness is evident in her immensely enjoyable new book, her 20th, I think!, Murder Takes A Vacation, about a woman in her 60s slowly realising that life is full of possibility. (And dead bodies, of course!) Laura joined me from Baltimore to talk about her second coming, why not everyone is good at marriage, the dissonance of divorce, making bad choices, the death of the good girl and how she finally gave up diets. Laura is living her best old lady life and I'm here for it. * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Shift bookshop on Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, including Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippmann as well as the book that inspired this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too, by me. * If you enjoyed this episode and you fancy buying me a coffee, pop over to my page on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. • And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including exclusive transcripts of the podcast, why not join The Shift community, come and have a look around at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Juliette Nicholls at Pineapple Production. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/ review/ follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on Bluesky @theothersambaker.bsky.social or instagram @theothersambaker or message me on substack The Shift with Sam Baker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Jana Byars talks to Lucy Delap, Reader in Modern British and Gender History at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University, about her new book Feminisms: A Global History (University of Chicago Press, 2020). This outstanding work, available later this year, takes a thematic approach to the topic of global feminist history to provide a unified vision that maintains appropriate nuance. Delap is a gender historian, writ large. Her first book, The Feminist Avant Garde (Cambridge 2007), examined the development of feminism in the Anglo-American context, tracing the ideas as developed in trans-Atlantic discourse. She then directed her gaze back to her homeland in subsequent publications, including Knowing their Place: Domestic Service in Twentieth Century Britain (Oxford 2011) and the 2013 Palgrave release, Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Britain since 1890, Delap explore another expression of gender altogether. The breadth of her scholarship – women and men, intellectual elites and domestic servants, adults and children – prepared her to write this broad but fairly concise work of history. Enjoy our lively discussion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

268. Savvy Business and Health & Wellness Tips and Journey to Overcoming Infertility with Laura Jean Bell   1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."   Today's episode includes some thematic material. I want you to be aware before you listen in the presence of little ears.    *Transcription Below*   Laura Jean Bell is a believer, storyteller, writer, wife to her high school sweetheart and mama to three miracle babies.   She is a published author of You Can Always Come Home by Laura Jean Bell, in addition to being a Business and Social Media Coach.    Laura also overcame stage 3 endometriosis by taking the road less traveled and now she spends countless hours helping other women take that road with her!    Connect with Laura on Instagram: @laura_jean_bell   Laura Jean Bell's Website   Questions and Topics We Discuss: What are a handful of practical tips you can offer others, especially as it relates to digital marketing? Will you share your research on Minerals: How do we even determine what minerals we need?  Will you leave us with a few more social media tips?   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Midwest Food Bank   Other Episodes Related to This Topic from The Savvy Sauce: 48 Pursuing Health, Not Vanity Before and After Childbearing with Blogger, Speaker, and Coach, Megan Dahlman 33 Pursuing Health in the New Year with Functional Medicine Specialist, Dr. Jill Carnahan 68 Hormones and Simple Changes to Feel SO Much Better with Functional Medicine Expert, Dr. Jill Carnahan 70 Energy to Spark Success in Your Business with Best-Selling Author, Speaker, and Podcaster, Christy Wright 76 Conflict Resolution, Infidelity, and Infertility with Licensed Psychologist and Certified Sex Therapist, Dr. Jessica McCleese 77 How 2 Questions Can Grow Your Business and Change Your Life with Author, Pastor, and Podcaster, Jeff Henderson 132 Pursuing Your God-Given Dream with Francie Hinrichsen 256 Gut Health, Allergies, Inflammation and Proactive Solutions with Emily Macleod-Wolfe 266 Female Sex Hormones, Periods, and Perimenopause with Emily Macleod-Wolfe   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook, Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:10)   Laura Dugger: (0:11 - 1:25) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.    Today's episode includes some thematic material. I want you to be aware before you listen in the presence of little ears.    Thank you to an anonymous donor to Midwest Food Bank who paid the sponsorship fee in hopes of spreading awareness. Learn more about this amazing nonprofit organization at MidwestFoodBank.org.   Laura Jean Bell is my guest today, and she is a Jesus-loving author and also a business and social media coach. So, not only is she going to share some of her best savvy social media and business tips, but also the conversation takes a detour into health and wellness, and she has an abundance of wisdom to share there as well, even including practical tips that we can implement today for our own flourishing in health and well-being. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Laura.   Laura Jean Bell: (1:26 - 1:27) Hi, thank you for having me.   Laura Dugger: (1:28 - 1:34) I'd love for you just to start us off by giving us a snapshot glimpse of your current life right now.   Laura Jean Bell: (1:35 - 2:27) Oh, my goodness, my chaotic life. Actually, it's a sweet, beautiful thing, but I am a wife to my high school sweetheart. We have been married, this year will be 11 years, and we have three kiddos. Emmylou, who is six. She literally just turned six. My son Oaks, who is three, and my youngest is Lottie, and she just turned nine months. So, my life is very full. I own my business, I am a published author, and I have three very, very needy children, right? I'm in a season of life where I'm very, very, very needed, and that's a beautiful thing, but it can be a very overwhelming thing at times. So, that is a little snapshot about my day-in and day-out life.   Laura Dugger: (2:27 - 2:43) That sums it up well. Gorgeous kid names, by the way. Oh, thank you. But I'd love to hear more about your business, too. Would you mind just explaining the work that you get to do as a digital marketer and online income mentor?   Laura Jean Bell: (2:44 - 4:58) Sure. Okay, so, this has been such a fun journey for me, and just to maybe explain it in like a Reader's Digest version, because I think that there's so much on the internet right now that's like, make $5 million in four minutes. But what I do is actually help business owners.    So, like the average woman who maybe is wanting to build an income or find her place online, that was where I started. That's where I began, like really helping those women be like, “Hey, I can be a business owner, too.” I can actually have like a mark and a place in this space, which I think is often really hard for women to like grasp, because we're so inundated with influencer culture.    But as the business began to expand and grow, I really started to lean into how do I help business owners actually market their business and make it really profitable online? Because a lot of times there's business owners that have these great businesses, but they don't actually have the marketing piece to actually sell the thing that makes their business a business. And some of them have a brick and mortar, and they're brick and mortar as well, but they'd love to increase their income.    How do you do that? You get online; you make sales online. And so, what I do is I teach female business entrepreneurs how to scale their business using Instagram.    I do not focus on any other platforms. My main focus is Instagram and teaching them how to use their messaging to make sales consistently. And so, I help them figure out their messaging and then write it.    Actually, I write content for a lot of my clients. And then I teach them consistency and speed so that their life isn't just consumed by the internet, which is like what all of us feel, right? Like, once you get on, you're like, how do I do this?    And I have to create this, I have to edit this, I have to do that. Like, it becomes very overwhelming. And so, what I do is I just eliminate the overwhelm.    I simplify it and I help entrepreneurs really find their messaging.   Laura Dugger: (4:59 - 5:15) Wow, that's incredible. So, you clearly have a gift for communication and articulating different things. Is there anything you want to just give us a little peek into practical tips if somebody is running their own social media?    Any tips you'd have for business owners?   Laura Jean Bell: (5:17 - 6:59) I think that the biggest, the greatest understatement that's happening right now online is followers and views mean absolutely nothing. They are like the beginning of Instagram, the beginning of social media. It was all about like, how many friends do you have?    And then it was how many followers do you have? And you know, how many views are you getting on your stories? And you get all these interactions on your reels.    And like, while that is the mental game of social media, and that is the thing that everybody is going for, because it actually fuels this like dopamine hit in your brain. But the reality is, is that there are people with thousands upon thousands of followers that are making $0 on the internet. And what they need is the actual messaging that says, “Hey, this is how I serve this pain point, and give you the life you want.”   And so, the biggest thing is, if you have five people in one day that view your stories, and three of them actually buy from you, like, that's over 50%. So, you're looking at, while everybody is freaking out about the number, it really is about your messaging in order to convert to sales, you can have a bunch of eyes on you. But if you're not serving the people that are following you, and serving them towards a sale, it doesn't mean anything.    So, don't focus on the numbers, focus on your messaging, focus on your brand, focus on what it is that you are serving your people with. And you will make money, you just will. It's how it works.    So, I hope that answers your question. Well for you.   Laura Dugger: (6:59 - 7:26) But yeah, I love it, because it's so unexpected, I would have never known. And I've also heard you encourage people to share their stories rather than just stating facts. And you share your own story, both online and in your book, You Can Always Come Home: Following the Breadcrumbs of Your Past to Find the Hope for Your Tomorrow.    So, Laura, how can we all incorporate stories into our own work so that we can better serve others?   Laura Jean Bell: (7:28 - 8:59) That's such a good question. And I think the biggest thing is, what story do you want people to know? What story is it that like, you really think like, you've been pricked, right, by the Holy Spirit, like, this is the story that I need you to tell.    This is why you walked through this experience. This is why you're doing this thing. Because oftentimes, we can negate the things that we've walked through, and act as if like, those things didn't, weren't that big of a deal because you survived it, right?    Like, oh, well, you know, it wasn't anything, it was a big deal, right? And so, what are the things that you actually feel are important, they keep showing up, they keep becoming the things that people are asking you about? And how do you tell that story to where somebody hears the messy middle, and then the beautiful resolve, the beautiful ending to that story, because there is, right, the beginning, the middle, and the end.    And that's what makes stories so impactful. Facts tell, right? Like, anybody can tell you that, like, a carrot is orange.    But like, if somebody tells you the story of how the carrot became orange, or how this, like, what the soil does to all of this, and how it adds these nutrients, doesn't that make you like, appreciate a carrot more, want to eat a carrot more, want to go buy the carrots more, right? And so, the same goes with our story, like, what is it that actually happened to create this specific result?   Laura Dugger: (9:00 - 9:11) That's so good. Well, and speaking of stories, are you willing to walk us through a little bit of your own story with your health journey? Yeah, absolutely.    Ask me anything.   Laura Jean Bell: (9:11 - 9:16) I'm an open book. It might scare some people. I'm an open book about it.   Laura Dugger: (9:17 - 9:33) I appreciate that. Yeah, just, you're clearly a very healthy woman. But I know you've had a whole past that you've walked.    So, has health always been important to you? Or at what point of life did you start to make some changes because it wasn't working?   Laura Jean Bell: (9:35 - 14:24) Yeah, you know, it's so interesting. When I reflect on something like that. Um, you know, I grew up in a home, I always start with this, like, my mother was not a dieter.    Like she didn't diet all the time. She wasn't always like, on some workout trend or not eating carbs or not doing this. Like it was never that.    My mom is naturally like very, very, very thin. And so, like that wasn't a part of the conversation. My mom was always obsessed, though, with, like eating food that's good for you.   Like, and in the 90s, like that was really tricky, right? Because they were so many messages about like, what's good for you? What's not that is bad.    Like there's all these things. And while our household, I say was probably much healthier than the average household in the 1990s and early 2000s. I don't think that I ever like cared about my health.    I still ate the Hot Pockets and the Easy Mac and ramen noodles and every opportunity that my parents actually let us eat out like I was chowing down. So, when I reflect on like my years, like 0 to 18, all I cared about was just consumption. I was like, nobody could stop the amount of food that I could consume.    I'm five foot eleven (5' 11”). I was growing like crazy. You can ask my family like I could out eat anyone.    It was kind of unbelievable. So, that part of my life, like, that was not an unhealthy thing. College is when things began for me.    And when I went to college, I for most of my life, I was a competitive dancer. So, like, I was consuming but I was burning like it was like calories in versus calories out. I had no concept of that.    I did not know how to read a nutrition label on the back of a box until I was like, well into college, like, literally remember learning how to do it in a college health class. So, I go to college. And I noticed that I started gaining weight, right?    Like, I'm eating all the fast-food options that are in our student center. And then the cafeteria food. This isn't my mom's home cooked meals anymore.    This isn't the mostly healthy option anymore. And I start gaining weight. So, when that happened, I started hearing other girls talk about what they were doing.    Like, oh, well, you just eat less than exercise more. And like, I had no concept of like, what, what did that mean? Right?    Like, do you just not eat like I love to eat, right. And so, what I started doing, I didn't know how to like lift weights or do anything. So, I started running, because I thought, okay, I have endurance, I danced forever, like, you have to have that endurance with that.    So, like, I'll run. So, I start running. And I completely gave up meat.    I was like, well, I can just eat. I thought meat somehow made you fat. I don't know.    That was just some weird thing that I had in my head. And I stopped eating meat, and I ate less. So, like, I just kind of narrowed down what I was eating, and then ate less of it kind of thing.    And that was when my health problems began, was when I began doing that. Which is really interesting, right? I was probably eating roughly like 1000 to 1200 calories a day, but I was running four to six miles a day.    So, like, I was not fueling what I was burning. Although I was losing weight. So, like, calories in versus calories out, like the concept of like, just eat less than exercise more, it was working.    I was 19. Like, I was young, I had a like, everything was working right, you know. But all of a sudden, my body was like, you're depriving me.    And I'm not only being deprived of actual calories, I'm being deprived of nutrients. And what began to happen is it started to show up in my hormones, with my cycle, started breaking out in hormonal acne on my chin, I started having very short cycles. So, like, for any woman listening that maybe doesn't have a concept of this language, because oddly enough, so many women don't, and it's like about us.    But like, a woman has a cycle, your period isn't your cycle, it's the full month that's your cycle. And I was instead of 28 days, I was having 18 day cycles. And the pain during my period was excruciating.    It was so painful. And I'd never experienced that before. So, those were the things that began to show up.    But I just kept going with what I was doing. And just thought I just had bad periods. I had family members that had bad periods, this just must be genetic. And I just have to live with it and pop ibuprofen every 18 days, right. So, that was kind of where it where it started.   Laura Dugger: (14:25 - 16:04) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. Midwest Food Bank who exists to provide industry leading food relief to those in need while feeding them spiritually. They are a food charity with a desire to demonstrate God's love by providing help to those in need.    Unlike other parts of the world where there's not enough food, in America the resources actually do exist. That's why food pantries and food banks like Midwest Food Bank are so important. The goods that they deliver to their agency partners help to supplement the food supply for families and individuals across our country, aiding those whose resources are beyond stretched.   Midwest Food Bank also supports people globally through their locations in Haiti and East Africa, which are some of the areas hardest hit by hunger arising from poverty. This ministry reaches millions of people every year. And thanks to the Lord's provision, 99% of every donation goes directly toward providing food to people in need.    The remaining 1% of income is used for fundraising, cost of leadership, oversight and other administrative expenses. Donations, volunteers and prayers are always appreciated for Midwest Food Bank. To learn more, visit MidwestFoodBank.org or listen to Episode 83 of The Savvy Sauce where the founder David Kieser shares miracles of God that he's witnessed through this nonprofit organization. I hope you check them out today. Was that the point that led to what you call your year of rebellion? Or did that come later?   Laura Jean Bell: (16:05 - 23:39) No way that that was just the start of basically, roughly eight years of undiagnosed endometriosis. So, what started happening is in college, I would have these what I call episodes where I would be roughly like a day or two before my period would start. And I would have this unbelievable pain that would come over me.    And I could feel it literally my lower abdomen, so much pressure, so much discomfort. Oftentimes, it would involve vomiting, passing out, so painful. To this day, I've had an unmedicated birth.    And I'm here to tell you that the pain of pushing out an almost 10-pound baby, and that were roughly the same thing. It was unbelievable, excruciating pain. I would go to the doctor, they would not give me ultrasounds, they would not check anything, they would not even do my blood work, they did nothing.    They would just say you have really painful periods, and we'll give you birth control. That was every year from 2010 until 2017. This was what was given to me.    And so, in 2017, I was on my way to work, and I had one of those episodes. And I called the doctor, they bring me in, and I said, I want an ultrasound, like I will sit here all day, I need an ultrasound. And so, they did an ultrasound and found two cysts on one ovary, one on the other, and they were six and seven centimeters and six centimeters.    I mean, it was just crazy, these large cysts. And they were like, you more than likely have endometriosis. This is, you know, they started explaining all the things.    And fast forward, I ended up having two laparoscopies, which is the surgery to remove endometriosis in 10 months, the average woman can go 18 months between surgeries, and I had mine in 10 months. That's how reoccurring rapidly it was growing and spreading in my body. And I felt zero relief from the surgeries, which everyone promised, like, you'll feel amazing, you'll, you know, you'll get pregnant. I couldn't get pregnant. I was in so much pain, and I go through another cycle of it.    And it's like, these doctors are like, yeah, you're probably just not going to be able to have children. We recommend you getting on birth control, or getting a hysterectomy, like, these are your options. And so, what I did is I went to see a fertility specialist, like anybody would do like, I'm not going to just stick with my OB. I'm going to see if I can actually have kids. And so, I see a fertility specialist, I go through multiple, multiple, multiple rounds of fertility treatments, and I wind up getting pregnant with my first daughter, Emilu.    So, she is a product of folly stem stimulation and an IUI. And lots of trigger shots and lots of synthetic progesterone. I did all of it.    And after my daughter was born a year postpartum, I got pregnant again, and I miscarried that baby. That baby was miscarried March of 2020, which is when everybody went crazy, right? 2020, like who has their 2020 story, right?   And so, my daughter was little, I mean, she was like 14 months old, when I had this miscarriage. And I remember watching, I watched this video, it was called The Pandemic. And a lot of people like didn't actually see it because it was taken off the internet for misinformation.    And it was a woman that was explaining what was really happening with the pandemic, which is funny, because all of it's true now. But it was taken down like, she's crazy. This is a horrible pandemic, nothing was created in a lab, all of that.    And I was like, I went to watch it again, because I thought this woman must be crazy. Like there's no way that this would actually happen. And I went to watch it again.    And it was taken off the internet for misinformation. And this thought came over me, which is so bizarre now. Like, I know more about Kim and Kanye's divorce, than I know about what's happening with this pandemic.    Yet, Kim and Kanye's divorce information is there for me to see. And they're not letting me look at this. Why?    And it was this very strange thing that came over me. But everything that came out that was like, don't take this medicine to help COVID, don't do this, actually, like saturated fats are bad for you, like all of these different things that were popping up. And people were saying, it's misinformation.    I was like, I'm going to research that. I'm going to research that. I'm going to research that the fertility doctor that did my DNC after I had a miscarriage. They actually said to me, you will never again, have another pregnancy.    But if you do, you will not have a normal child. That is what they discovered and decided about me, according to the results from that DNC, what happened to that baby, why that baby wasn't developing, why I lost that baby. It literally like, and him saying that to me, I was like, why?    And it was almost like he couldn't explain to me the reasons why, but that I just never would. And this is what I needed to do next in order to stay healthy and keep endometriosis away. And so, I went on this journey for one year and I committed to one year where I was like, everything that is misinformation, I'm going to research it.    Everything that I have been told is good for me or is the best choice for me because of my condition. I'm going to actually look at what they're giving to me and like, why? Um, every time somebody told me like endometriosis is incurable.    Okay. But like, what is endometriosis? Nobody actually explained to me what it was.    They just told me I had it and that it caused what it caused, not actually what caused it. And so, when I went on this journey, I began to discover and unfold so many things that absolutely blew my mind, broke my heart, made me very angry because as I began to implement the things that I discovered, I healed and I got better. And all of a sudden I don't have endometriosis anymore.    All of a sudden I'm pregnant with a very healthy baby. All of a sudden, like everything is better. How is it that the things that the providers that were working with me, what they were doing for me was keeping me sick.    And as I branched out and did all the things that they said was absolutely crazy. I had one of them literally looking at me and he was holding topical progesterone and he was like, this stuff, like with all due respect to this functional doctor that talked to you, this stuff doesn't work. And unfortunately they sell things to people like you, young women who are desperate for answers.    They sell this stuff to you to make so much money and it's not going to do anything for you. Guess what? Topical progesterone changed my life.    So, anyways, that is kind of a little bit of like my year of rebellion and what happened. I'm happy to go into details for you, but I feel like I'm getting long winded with it.   Laura Dugger: (23:39 - 24:13) No, that's incredible. I do want to do a deep dive into it because I think it's such a blessing after you've spent over a year researching this and then living this for multiple years. I think it can be such a benefit to each of us.    And I'm recalling this story specifically about toxins where people were saying that means nothing. But in that fertility clinic, somebody told you, there was a sign that said their employees were not allowed to wear certain toxins because quote, it could inhibit the fertility process.   Laura Jean Bell: (24:14 - 24:14) Yes.   Laura Dugger: (24:15 - 24:16) Can you elaborate on that?   Laura Jean Bell: (24:17 - 26:18) Yes. You know, what's really funny is I went to the health department to get some paperwork and stuff for my kids the other day. And, um, there was a sign up that was like any and all women that are getting mammograms, if you're getting a mammogram, do not wear perfume or deodorant for a mammogram because of the radiation mixed with the toxins.    I asked the woman that was sitting there, I was like, why did they say that? And she explained it to me and I was like, oh, okay. So, why aren't you telling us to stop wearing it altogether?    Um, but when I went to the fertility clinic, I was going through fertility. I was like an avid Daisy by Mark Jacobs perfume where I don't know. I still love the way that smells.    It's the yummiest, but I would wear it all the time. And I went in and the woman that was there, she was like, you smell so good. And I was like, it's Daisy by Mark Jacobs.    She was like, I wish I could wear perfume to work. I'm not allowed to. And I was like, why not?   And she was like, oh, because like the people that are working on women who are going through fertility, getting their IU eyes. So, it's like when they're actually inseminating you, like we, it could inhibit the fertility process. She was like, have you ever noticed we don't have any candles?    Like we're not allowed to bring candles here, all of that. And I was like, why aren't you telling me to stop doing that? Is that not interesting to anyone?    Like why is no one paying attention to the fact that like, I'm walking in here with perfume on to get an IU eye that's going to fail because it inhibits the, for the fertility process, like the one that works. Uh, guess what? I wasn't wearing any perfume.    So, it's like, it's one of those things that like, when I heard that, I thought, well, what is it that messes with the fertility process? Like what, what is that? And this was honestly, when I heard this information, this was before my year of rebellion.    So, like, I remember her telling me that and I kind of stopped wearing it to the sessions because I thought, well, I don't want to get this messed up anyways.   Laura Dugger: (26:18 - 26:29) So, yeah, pretty wild. That's incredible. And okay.    So, from that year of rebellion, what other tweaks did you make small and large?   Laura Jean Bell: (26:30 - 29:38) Oh man. Um, some big things like I removed toxins from my home. So, that looked like removing Clorox wipes and, um, detergents that are just like your average detergents that you buy from the store.    Um, I stopped burning candles and started burning, not burning, but diffusing essential oils. Um, from there, what I really started focusing on was my protein intake. Um, I spent so many years vegan, vegetarian, refusing meat, refusing proteins.    And those were the years that things were really bad for me. When I started to reincorporate animal proteins and quality animal fats, my cycles went from 18 days to 29 days. I started having painless periods.    My hair started growing more. Um, my nails wouldn't break. Um, my, even my vision got better.   And so, what was really interesting is I started learning that if you are protein deficient, you will be progesterone deficient and progesterone is the pregnancy hormone. This is the hormone you have to have in order to conceive. I always tell it like this progesterone equals pro gestation.    So, if you don't have enough progesterone, your baby cannot survive the first 12 weeks. That's what the baby lives on before the placenta is formed. You have to have progesterone in order to balance out the estrogen progesterone balance.    If it's imbalanced, that's where you have pain, mood swings, acne, discomfort, the growth of endometriosis and PCOS. These things are really important. Progesterone is so important for your mental health.    If you are mentally low, like think about your progesterone levels. Think about how much you're sleeping. If you're sleeping in complete darkness, that raises your levels.    If you eat at least 80 grams of protein a day, it raises your progesterone levels. These are two really basic things. Like it's really simple.    It's not complicated. So, that was probably the biggest thing for me was learning how to eat because for years we're told, at least all of my life, like fat is bad. They would rather you eat hydrogenated oils and I can't believe it's not better than actually eat grass-fed butter.    Why? Why is it bad for you? When you really uncover the work that was done in the studies that were given for explaining that fat is bad, it was all paid for.    It was all paid for by the medical industry, by big pharma in order to push this agenda. They said that it was bad for our hearts, but get this, in the years after they told everyone that it was horrible for heart health, heart disease skyrocketed as people began to eat less animal protein and less animal fats. So, anyways, just to give like a little, some of the things that I discovered and changed, that's the main thing, which really and truly is like not that complicated.    Wow.   Laura Dugger: (29:39 - 29:45) Yes. Focusing on what you're intaking. What about cortisol? What did you learn about that?   Laura Jean Bell: (29:46 - 32:21) So, cortisol is like your get up and get crap done hormone. Okay. And when you are living in a state of fight or flight, where basically you get up in the morning, I'm going to give you an example of what a lot of women do.    And they end up having issues with cortisol and eventually stop producing it altogether. So, a woman gets up in the morning, she wakes up, she drinks a cup of coffee with no food on her stomach. And she goes and does a 30-minute cardio workout.    And then she comes in and she eats maybe like a protein bar, like a little, like some type of granola bar, another cup of coffee. She goes to work. She works all day or she's home with her kids all day.    And by the time she's got her work done, or she's taking care of her children and fed her children, doing all of these things, you're going all day long. All of a sudden it's three o'clock and you haven't eaten anything and you're in a bad mood and you're really tired. And so, maybe you go get a snack and another cup of coffee.    And then by the time you get to dinner, it's the only meal that you've really sat down and had for the day. Okay. So, what has that done to you?    Your body believes because your body and your brain don't know the difference between a bear chasing you or you running strictly on caffeine and doing too much cardio. And so, all of a sudden she is moody. She's exhausted.    She's running on all this tension. Her hair starts to fall out. She gets acne.    Her skin's doing some weird stuff. Her nails are kind of brittle. All this, you're always moody.   You're always in a bad mood. It's because your cortisol is doing this. It's like, and it's like on, it's like high.    And sometimes when you keep doing this, you actually can get a lot of energy. And then all of a sudden your adrenals, because your adrenals are what produced cortisol. Your adrenals are like, actually we're done.    Like stop running from the bear. Just die. Like literally it like can't do anything for you anymore.   And you go into what a lot of people call, or doctors call adrenal failure, which is where your body doesn't even produce cortisol anymore. And so, that is when you can't get out of bed in the morning. You're so exhausted.    Um, you can't lose weight. You, no matter what you do, you're winded. You're overwhelmed.   Um, but you don't have energy for anything. You have so much brain fog, um, so much bloat and inflammation. It's because your body's not producing cortisol.    So, you don't have the energy to get anything done. Um, does that answer your question?   Laura Dugger: (32:21 - 32:45) Yeah, this is so interesting because I feel like there's a whole health movement right now. So, there's a lot of buzz about all of this and people, I think, especially after 2020 people are waking up. So, love gathering perspectives as you're talking about inflammation then too, with cortisol, have you researched much about grounding, like actually barefoot on the earth?    Yes, girl. Are you kidding me? Absolutely.   Laura Jean Bell: (32:46 - 35:48) Um, so, something that was really interesting, I went to see a specialist, um, when I was really healing my adrenals, because a fun fact for you, like when your adrenals are just in overload, if you are experiencing high cortisol, you're constantly up here. Guess what? Your body's going to throw out the window fertility because what in the world is safe about a body that is running from a bear?    Like, no, your body is preserving you because it's not safe for you to host a life. So, I was seeing a doctor who was really helping me. Um, it's called muscle testing.    So, they test each organ according to how your muscles respond. And, um, I was in adrenal failure. And at this point I'd already had my second child and was experiencing a lot of inflammation.    I couldn't lose weight. I was like so tired. I was irritable.    And, um, I did this long session with him and I was in St. Pete, Florida doing this session. And he said, you have an assignment for the rest of the day. And I was like, okay.    And he was like, you need to go to the beach, like go somewhere and actually lay your entire body down on the sand. He was like, I know, like nobody wants to get sandy, but like lay on the sand. And I was like, tell me why.    And he was like, if you lay on the sand, it's your body touching the earth. And God gave you the earth as a battery pack. And this battery pack literally is going to shoot energy back into your body that your body has been deprived of.    And like, there's, he started going into all the studies for it, but he was like, don't you ever know the difference? Like, and how you feel when you've been cooped up at work all day. And then like, you go on a vacation to the beach and you sit on the beach and you put your feet in moving water.    He was like, it's literal living water. This living water moves and it heals and rejuvenates what happens to water that stagnant. It gets disgusting. Yeah.    It turns to mold, right? It actually goes toxic, but that moving water is healing. It's living.    It's rejuvenating. It's very biblical, right? And then you have the earth that God gave you is this battery pack.    There are people, this is going to sound crazy, but there are who have done LSD, like psychedelic drugs that talk about the vibrations of the earth. When they're on this drug, they are seeing the way. And they talk about there's a magnetic field.    They like, you can read, you can watch videos. You can see studies of people who did LSD, who literally can see the energy that the ground gives you. I mean, it's crazy, but isn't it like the Lord, right?    To give us what we need in nature, like magic.   Laura Dugger: (35:49 - 37:17) Yes. Where we're going back to the way that he designed, whether that's eating whole foods or getting outside in his beautiful nature. There's countless benefits, but I think it's just amazing that taking your shoes off and being on the earth, even for 30 seconds is beneficial.    When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce?   How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you? Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials, anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love?    If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world. So, we need your help. Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple podcasts.    Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share. We appreciate you.    You had also talked about previously with your health journey, being deficient in minerals, I think you said as well, or just not getting the nutrients. So, are there any minerals that we all are likely lacking or any that you would recommend from your research and experience?   Laura Jean Bell: (37:18 - 39:36) Yeah, I would, I mean, every mineral. The most underrated mineral right now is potassium. The amount of women who are potassium deficient and need more potassium is unreal.    But magnesium is huge. You have to have magnesium for your body to even naturally produce vitamin D. Like vitamin D is a hormone, but you have to have magnesium for your body to produce vitamin D.    How many have gone to the doctor and they're like, you are very low in vitamin D, right? Well, get in the sunshine more, take the supplement, but like, where's your magnesium, right? And so, magnesium, potassium, potassium is huge, especially for your mental health.    This is really going to help you in like balancing out, like you're removing the brain fog, really. Sodium, which everyone's like, eat less sodium. You need less sodium chloride.    You need less table salt. You don't need less salt. Your body has salt.    Your body needs salt. Think about what your t-shirt looks like when you drenched in sweat. It dries and what does it have?    Salt. It's salty, right? When you're sweaty, it's salty.    And it's because your body actually needs sodium. It has to have it. And so, stop using white table salt, like iodized salt.    Go get some quality Celtic salt, like really simple, but put that in your water. Like first thing in the morning, drink some water with some Celtic salt, like get those electrolytes back in your system. So, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium, like your body needs calcium and you can get calcium in multiple ways, um, multiple ways, but calcium is going to support your bones.    It's going to help support your muscles. Cause if you are working those muscles, your body needs the strength. And so, calcium is going to give you that balance as well.    It's fantastic. So, all of them, but like, I think the make sure you're getting magnesium, just like if you just need to start somewhere, just get a magnesium supplement. I recommend magnesium glycinate because it's kind of the overall magnesium.   Laura Dugger: (39:37 - 39:44) So, it's great. Okay. And you said you can get calcium multiple places.    Do you take that as a supplement or where do you get your calcium?   Laura Jean Bell: (39:45 - 41:04) So, I actually do adrenal cocktails. So, that is, um, coconut water, orange juice and Celtic salt. That's it.    And just do a little adrenal cocktail in the morning. And in the afternoon, make sure that you have had protein before you drink it, because if you're anything like me, it'll spike your blood sugar. Um, if you're not balanced, so, you need to be balanced.    Um, I've always been very sensitive to things like orange juice, apple juice. Like as a kid, I would feel really bad in the mornings and I just thought breakfast made my stomach hurt. And actually it was like, my blood sugar was dysregulated from the cup of orange juice and the cinnamon toast that my mom gave me.    Right. So, like, it's like butter, sugar, white flour, orange juice, like eat this for a nutrient dense breakfast. And I like would feel horrible after because my blood sugar was off.    So, um, make sure you get some protein on your stomach and drink the adrenal cocktail. Like my parents, my parents swear by it. My dad's like, this has changed my life.    I'm your mom's going to make me one of those little cocktail things that you tell, I tell her about all the time. It's hilarious. And I'm like, it's just juice and coconut water, but it's got the minerals.    That's why it makes you feel so good. It's because it's giving your body the nutrients that it needs.   Laura Dugger: (41:05 - 41:17) That's incredible. Are there any other biohacks, health hacks, even the role of light that it plays or movement or anything else that you want to recommend with your extensive research?   Laura Jean Bell: (41:18 - 43:19) Um, I'll give two things. Uh, number one: if you can get up as the sun is rising or a little bit before and actually go outside and stare at the red light. The actual, morning sunrise, and then watch the sunset. If you can get your eyeballs on just like the surroundings where that red light is hitting, that will do wonders for the production of melatonin in your gut.    It's going to help you sleep. It's going to help you sleep really good at night, which is going to help you with your progesterone levels. So, that is great.    Number two is weightlifting. If you can incorporate at least two days a week of heavy weightlifting into your routine, it's going to do wonders. And the reason I say that is that estrogen, toxic estrogen, not the estrogen that's good for you that you need to like make you female, but like the toxic estrogens you're getting from perfumes and food and plastics and all the things it stores itself in fat, in visceral fat.    And so, the best way to burn fat and build muscle is by lifting weights. And so, if you want to keep toxic estrogens out of your body, step number one, get rid of fat, like fight hard for like, I mean, I'm still postpartum. I'm still burning off like weight that I gained in pregnancy.    But the number one thing that motivates me is not like, I want to look better, which of course I want to look better. Of course I want to fit back into my clothes, like all of that. But like Laura toxic estrogens store themselves in this fat.    And so, what, when you are lifting weights, you are burning fat and building muscle to support your family and not be burdened by the imbalance of your hormones. Like right there. That is the reason why.    So, lift weights. It's so good for you. It protects you from so many other diseases, but like that alone, women do not understand the power of that.    It's going to do wonders for you.   Laura Dugger: (43:20 - 43:47) Okay. This is so helpful. And then I'm thinking it's beneficial to have a specific plan.    So, as we think about where you talked about laundry detergents or limiting toxins, will you share a few of your personal favorite products? And then also what are some recommended things we can actually eat? Like when you walk through a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, what would you share?   Laura Jean Bell: (43:49 - 45:22) Okay. So, some favorite products. I started out using Thieves household concentrate.    Young Living sells it. And it's like $26 for a bottle of the concentrate. That concentrate can be household cleaner.    So, like it can clean any surface in your home. It can be used as dishwasher detergent. So, we use thieves instead of like pods in our, in our dishwasher.    And I'm here to tell you, I think Young Living just came out with dishwasher pods, like Thieves dishwasher pods. We don't use it. We still use the concentrate.    But we use that. You can use it in your laundry so you can wash your clothes in it. And so, we alternate with that.    Sometimes we use that. Sometimes we use Molly's Suds. Those are like little pods.    You can get them on Amazon. It's a non-toxic option. You can also wash your clothes and like baking soda and vinegar, like just be old school.    Your clothes won't smell like vinegar. Don't worry. Like the vinegar gets rid of the odor.    That's like how our grandparents did it. So, those are some really simple hacks. Just because that's inexpensive.    Like you can make 16, I think it's 16 bottles of household concentrate, like spray with the one bottle. So, like you buy the one bottle, it takes a cap full and then you fill the rest of the way up with water and it cleans anything. It's fantastic.    It smells great. You'll love it. What else did you ask me?   Laura Dugger: (45:22 - 45:28) Food? Yes, food. Like a sample menu. Okay.   Laura Jean Bell: (45:28 - 47:02) Something that I love to eat. I love to just really enjoy my food. Like if you're on the go, like I'll give it an example.    If you're on the go, I recommend like boil some eggs. Okay. Take like three boiled eggs.    Get like a chopstick to get your protein and like an RX bar. RX bars are going to have the carbs, but it's also going to have more protein. You'll get six grams of protein per egg and then about 10 grams in your chopstick.    So, it's like 18 grams of the eggs plus 10 is 28 grams plus the RX bar. You're going to get over 30 grams of protein and then you'll have some carbs. I do recommend getting a little bit more carbs, but if you're on the go and you're in a hurry and you need to feel balanced, that's a good start.    If you're home, like I love doing scrambled eggs and air frying sweet potatoes, peppers, and onions. It is delicious. Just trust me and season it with garlic powder and salt.    It's so simple. Some avocado oil and literally just allow, like think about all the carbs, all the protein, everything. The best hack though, that I learned with eggs is do two regular, like the full egg and then do two egg whites and then add cottage cheese to your eggs, blend it in a blender and then cook them and just thank me later.    So, you're getting extra protein, it's creamier, it's so good. And then eat that with sweet potatoes and peppers and it's primo.   Laura Dugger: (47:02 - 47:12) Okay. This sounds amazing. I love it.    And this is my post recording meal, the RX bar. I love it on busy days.   Laura Jean Bell: (47:13 - 48:27) Yes. For lunch, I mean lunch, I honestly, I keep like ground beef patties just ready. And my air fryer stays on. I literally use it for every meal.    Sometimes if I don't have it ready, I just pat it out, put it in the air fryer, it cooks. Do that with a bunch of veggies, get lots of fruit, mainly berries, like berries, apples, and just adding that in is your carb. You can do, if you need a snack, I highly recommend doing Greek yogurt and mixing in your favorite protein powder and mixing that up.    It's so good. The Greek yogurt gives you the carbs, the fats and protein, and then you add the extra protein in it. And so, it's excellent.    For dinner, our favorite meal, we eat a lot of grass-fed beef because we buy cow every year. So, we'll do bowls and we'll do like a bed of rice, sweet potatoes, peppers and onions, and then ground beef. And then we drizzle the Japanese barbecue sauce over it.    And we call it Japanese barbecue bowls. It's literally just like a bunch of vegetables and meat with sauce, but it's really good.    So, there's some meal ideas for you.   Laura Dugger: (48:28 - 48:49) That's incredible. Thank you for just rattling those off. We've got a plan now.    And I love how this conversation took a turn toward health. So, before we leave that section, any other healthy rhythms or best practices or ways you've simplified your life that you would recommend? Just sleep.   Laura Jean Bell: (48:49 - 49:34) I know that sounds ridiculous, but people aren't sleeping and go to bed without your phone. You're going to be okay. You really are.    If your kids can go to bed without their phones, without a phone in their face, you can do it too. It's not the best way to turn your brain off. So, go to bed.    When you lay in a dark room without any blue light, you actually are helping your nervous system reset itself. And it needs a moment to rest and digest. So, get in the bed without a blue light and close your eyes and go to sleep.    You can do it, but it's so simple. And try to get eight to 10 hours of sleep a night. Truly, it's so important.   Laura Dugger: (49:35 - 49:54) That's so good. And you're all about simplifying. You even help people simplify their digital marketing.    So, as we turn it back to business, I know you can't give away all of your secrets, but will you share just a few more business or social media tips with all of us?   Laura Jean Bell: (49:55 - 50:43) Oh, man. I think the number one thing that I would tell anyone who's wanting to do anything in the online space is don't spread yourself across every platform. It's not worth your time.    And the more you hone in on one thing, the more of that thing you will sell, like plain and simple. And you will make way more money. You will spend way less time working on it.    You will enhance the lives of the people that choose to work with you. That is what you will gain.    If you simplify your offers, number one, sell less. Just sell more of one thing and stop spreading yourself thin across all the platforms. It's just too much work.   Laura Dugger: (50:43 - 51:03) That's wise counsel. And will you also tell us, I mean, I'm amazed as I'm thinking of all this research that you've done. You're living a healthy lifestyle.    You're raising young children, consulting with others as their coach. Also, you wrote a book. Can you share a little bit about that?   Laura Jean Bell: (51:03 - 52:50) I wrote my book. I actually have it right next to me because I was like, if somebody is going to ask you what this book is about, it's a book of short stories. And it sounds really simple, but it's a book of short stories that really draws you back to who you are in the Lord and understanding your place, like your identity in Christ, your belonging, fighting against fear and really coming home to who God created you to be.    And so, this book is a compilation of short stories of my own life where these things were very disrupted. My identity, like a total identity crisis, like not just having so much fear, learning how to come back to who God made me to be, but really writing out the moments of when I was living in that season and the people that helped me kind of find my way out and the things that God really showed me in that journey. And so, have it right here.    You Can Always Come Home: Following the Breadcrumbs of Your Past to Find the Hope for Your Tomorrow. It's really what my heart was and I learned a lot when I left my hometown and I moved to small town, North Alabama. And although this is where my dad is from, this was not where I was raised.    And I walked into a total identity crisis when I moved here. And I write a lot about that and about the moments when I was living in that season. How the Lord would reveal to me, like, remember when this happened, or remember when this happened and how you handled it or what that person said to you. And I wrote those stories in here.    And so, the goal of this book is for anybody who reads it to know that God's on your side and everything's going to be okay.   Laura Dugger: (52:51 - 53:06) Thank you for sharing that, Laura. And we'll certainly add a link for that in the show notes for today's episode, but also what links can we give for your social media? And then if somebody wants to reach out and work with you, what would that process look like?   Laura Jean Bell: (53:07 - 53:47) Yeah, so, my Instagram is Laura_Jean_Bell and Jean is J-E-A-N. And if you want to work with me or reach out, you can email me at laurabellwrites@gmail.com, or you can literally go to my Instagram account and click the link in my bio where I explain what I do. And it offers an ability to hop on a call with me where we can talk together and see if we would be a good fit to work together.    So, those are the ways that you can contact me. I have a website, laurabell.co, and you can contact me through that as well.   Laura Dugger: (53:48 - 54:07) Wonderful. Thank you for adding that. We will make sure it's accessible for everyone.    And Laura, you may be familiar with why we're called The Savvy Sauce, which is because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, my final question for you today, Laura, what is your Savvy Sauce?   Laura Jean Bell: (54:09 - 56:38) For life in general? You got it. Okay.    Well, I have two of them. And so, one of them is kind of silly and one of them is not. So, I'm going to go with the non-silly one.    Oh, share both. Yes. But I will say like this, there was this line that I heard, and I don't know who like trademarked this line, but it was very simple.    It said, “You are the CEO of your life.” And it was very simple, but it changed everything for me because for so much of my life, like if your knee jerk reaction to things not going your way is to blame someone else, you're not living as the CEO of your life. And I have spent a lot of my life, like when something doesn't go my way, I look for a person to blame instead of looking at myself and my own flaws. Being able to see that, “Hey, sometimes Laura, you're to blame and like, it's okay.”   You're the CEO of your life and you get to see what you did wrong, see how you messed up, see how you needed to shift something and then move on. And I think so many of us, whether we want to believe it or not, we can fall victim to that and live our lives so attached to this idea that somebody else is always to blame. Somebody else did this to me.    Sometimes things do happen to you that are not your fault. Sometimes you are a victim of horrible crimes and horrible things happening to you. But the question is, what are you going to do about it?    Who are you going to talk to about it? Are you going to go to the Lord and ask Him what it's actually supposed to look like for your life moving on from this place? Are you going to stay in a mindset that's small and traumatized, small and victimized?    Or are you going to say, “I'm the CEO of my life and I'm going to link arms with the Holy Spirit and keep moving forward.” And so, that was a huge thing for me to learn. And I feel like it's kind of been my savvy sauce in the last probably year, because 2024 was a year of a lot of things happening to me that weren't my fault.    And finally, one day I thought, you know, Laura, you can sulk in this, but it's not going to change your circumstance. What's going to change your circumstance is you saying, “I'm in charge of my life and I'm going to pick up the pieces of this and I'm going to ask God what to do with it.” And so, anyways, you're the CEO of your life and it's time to take charge of that.    So, yeah.   Laura Dugger: (56:38 - 56:42) I love it. And now you've got to share your silly one as well. You've left us curious.   Laura Jean Bell: (56:43 - 57:01) What is The Savvy Sauce? Let me just tell all of my, all of my geriatric millennials out there, you need to put castor oil on your face. Okay.    Just know that like castor oil, you need to look like a glazed donut when you go to bed and your skin is going to be, your skin will thank you. Just trust me.   Laura Dugger: (57:02 - 57:26) That's incredible. I was so grateful you shared. And Laura, I can see why clients are so drawn to work with you.    It is so delightful to have conversations with you. You are gifted in so many different arenas. And I think what really stands out is your generosity and just your willingness to share all of this with us.    So, thank you so much for being my delightful guest today.   Laura Jean Bell: (57:26 - 57:29) Oh, it's such a gift talking to you. Thank you for having me.   Laura Dugger: (57:30 - 1:01:12) One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.    Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.    We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.    That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.    This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.    Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.    And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.    First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.    You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.    We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.    And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.    And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

This episode, Keepers Bridgett & Evan welcome back the HPLHS to showcase their newly released awesomeness and epicness! Patreon Plug & Update Dear listeners– do you know that we have a Patreon? That's right! We have a Patreon! How else do you think that we keep the lights on around here? Here at MUP we pay our editors, we pay our hosts, and we also pay plenty of hosting fees, site fees, software fees, fees, fees, fees, you get it! Patreon earnings help support our efforts and keep the showing running. What do you get? Over on our Patreon, we offer everything from exclusive backer only bonus content, Patreon only episodes, backer only hangouts, access to our backer only portal on Discord, and more!  If you would like to support the podcast and engage with other backers, please consider backing. If you're already a backer, please take a look at the new levels and consider moving to the next level up.  Please back us on Patreon! To back us you can click the button on the sidebar of our website, mu-podcast.com or head over to Patreon directly at www.patreon.com/mup! The Discord Plug Our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor Ben for editing this episode.  Bridgett's Pet Pick Shout Out Tonight, I'm shouting out… a groundhog. A groundhog that's looking deep into your house… into your eyes into your soul….. Definitely check out this bi-pedal groundhog shared by JZahler who is outside… looking all into this his house. Let's give the wildlife a hearty “Go Pods!”  Main Topic Tonight, we're here with the HPLHS to discuss what they're been up to, and what's coming down the pipeline! They have some exciting things to share, but first, some introductions!  Purgatory Chasm - a new interactive Dark Adventure show hosted by Nick Offerman https://www.hplhs.org/dartpc.php The H.P. Lovecraft Experience - a new deluxe boxed set featuring the complete works of HPL, a Reader's Guide by the HPLHS and whole bundle of nifty Miskatonic ephemera by the HPLHS https://store.hplhs.org/products/the-h-p-lovecraft-experience Audio Props - Call of Cthulhu game props rendered into an audio format. Instead of Keepers handing players a telegram, they might play our recording of the Western Union boy reading the telegram. We hope you're going to like the audio props for No Time to Scream (GAHHHHHH!!!!). https://store.hplhs.org/collections/games-props/products/audio-props-cthulhu-by-gaslight

Today Jana Byars talks to Lucy Delap, Reader in Modern British and Gender History at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University, about her new book Feminisms: A Global History (University of Chicago Press, 2020). This outstanding work, available later this year, takes a thematic approach to the topic of global feminist history to provide a unified vision that maintains appropriate nuance. Delap is a gender historian, writ large. Her first book, The Feminist Avant Garde (Cambridge 2007), examined the development of feminism in the Anglo-American context, tracing the ideas as developed in trans-Atlantic discourse. She then directed her gaze back to her homeland in subsequent publications, including Knowing their Place: Domestic Service in Twentieth Century Britain (Oxford 2011) and the 2013 Palgrave release, Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Britain since 1890, Delap explore another expression of gender altogether. The breadth of her scholarship – women and men, intellectual elites and domestic servants, adults and children – prepared her to write this broad but fairly concise work of history. Enjoy our lively discussion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

Today Jana Byars talks to Lucy Delap, Reader in Modern British and Gender History at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University, about her new book Feminisms: A Global History (University of Chicago Press, 2020). This outstanding work, available later this year, takes a thematic approach to the topic of global feminist history to provide a unified vision that maintains appropriate nuance. Delap is a gender historian, writ large. Her first book, The Feminist Avant Garde (Cambridge 2007), examined the development of feminism in the Anglo-American context, tracing the ideas as developed in trans-Atlantic discourse. She then directed her gaze back to her homeland in subsequent publications, including Knowing their Place: Domestic Service in Twentieth Century Britain (Oxford 2011) and the 2013 Palgrave release, Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Britain since 1890, Delap explore another expression of gender altogether. The breadth of her scholarship – women and men, intellectual elites and domestic servants, adults and children – prepared her to write this broad but fairly concise work of history. Enjoy our lively discussion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The reader is like a camera as the scene unfolds.  Where should that camera be?  How far away from the characters and the action?  Here are thoughts on authorial distance, about the benefits of placing the camera--the reader--near or far.  Plus, how Charlotte Bronte worked. Support the show

Episode Summary: Not one of us is exempt from loss. We lose what we expected, what we thought we believed, what we dreamed, our sense of security or identity. We lose friendships. We lose people we love. What do we do with the disruption, the devastation of loss? How do we survive unpredictable grief, ongoing suffering, and the questions about God that happen in the dark nights of our lives? None of us want to be in seasons of sorrow. But sometimes the dark nights of life and faith have strange gifts. On the other side, we find ourselves free from the superficial in our lives. We discover peace and the assurance that we are loved. And we may experience a deeper, more honest relationship with the God we found in the dark. In this episode, I sit down with pastor and author Aubrey Sampson to talk about navigating deep loss and learning to sense God’s presence in the darkest seasons. Quotables from the episode: For me, writing was a prayer, writing was an anchor to God, writing was trying to figure out what in the world was happening when everything felt very out of control. And ultimately, writing did become a lifeline to hope in the midst of something that felt very hopeless. Grief is also very difficult to find language for, to explain, because it can feel like so many jumbled, opposed, and poignant metaphors or events all at once. Grief is like jumping on a cheerless trampoline, a constant disorientation between adrenaline and gravity. Grief is an empty, dilapidating playground, a sad, stoic icon of lost memories and what could have been. Grief is a firestone, full of uncontrollable destruction and rage and simultaneously a mudslide, sloppy, shocking and unstoppable. Grief is a planet, vast, cold, and mysterious, and grief is somehow also a roly-poly pill bug, often unnoticed by others, unarmored and earthy. The questions I was asking felt like almost like I described them in the book as like baby-deer questions. They just felt very vulnerable to me to be asking a God that I have centered my life around questions like, "Are you real? Is your arm too short to heal cancer? Where are you? Are my prayers hitting the ceiling fan or are they actually going to your ears, Lord?" I was asking some questions that I sort of felt like I should not be asking these, not because I felt ashamed. I know God can handle our hard questions. It wasn't that. It was just like, I should be beyond these questions by now. But the grief was so tender, Michelle, and so close. Some of my prayers were like, “how could you? Like, how dare you?” And part of it was her journey. She experienced healing from cancer about a year in and they didn't call it remission yet. But the doctors did say, this is great, cancer -free, the chemo's done what it should, and then about three months later, it came back with a vengeance. So that was some of it too. The whiplash of it made me ask God some really difficult questions. Like, “can you do anything good in this, God? Like, this feels so lacking in goodness, so lacking in hope, so lacking in beauty you are taking a mom away from three young sons you are taking a daughter away from parents a sister away from sister. Can your goodness reach even into this place?” There's just so many situations that prompt those honest gut level questions. Like, I know you God, but I don't understand. I don't understand and God often doesn't answer our why, but he does invite us to be honest with our questions. I mean, I think about so many in the Bible and some of the questions they ask, you know, it'd be easy to say, well, how could they dare? But we ask our own variety of those same questions. And I find it helpful to read those questions in scripture because, you know, you find some comfort in, "Okay, these were historical, ecumenical, faithful followers of God throughout history, and yet they are asking God the same questions. How long, O Lord? How lonely, I feel." Lamentations is full of these, like, "How could you? How dare you? How will you fix this?" And so to be able to know that actually, though it feels opposite of our faith. Actually, this type of posture before God is a very, I think, crucial part of our faith journey. I think God actually allows us and wants us to ask those questions on purpose as part of our spiritual formation. Again, we kind of get into our heads as if this isn't faithful or something's wrong. I'm going backwards spiritually, but then when you read those questions all throughout scripture, you can find some comfort in like, okay, these people are in the Bible, right? They were faithful followers of God. They're asking the same questions I'm asking. Yeah, God used them as examples for us. That's it. To teach us, to encourage us. One thing that you want as a Christian, even in your darkest hours, is for God to come for you with a sense of comfort. Holy Spirit provides you peace. Holy Spirit provides you a sense that God is with you. God sees you. God is around you. And what I found in my season of grief was that was not occurring. I could not sense God with me. I couldn't hear God speaking to me. I could not “connect with God.” I was just like, “God, where are you? Like, I can't even sense your spirit comforting me and I need you more than ever.” And I began because of the Lord's kindness, I was meeting with a spiritual director at the time. And I began to read about a very common spiritual experience again throughout history, again throughout the Bible, called the Dark Night of the Soul. Which, again, we tend to use it a little generically just to me, and I'm going through a hard time, that's a Dark Night of the Soul. A dark night of the soul was coined by St. John of the Cross right after the Spanish Inquisition. And what he talked about was the very thing I'm talking about, when you cannot sense God answering your prayers, when you cannot sense God's nearness, when you cannot see what God is doing, that sense of God's quote "absence" is actually what it means to walk through a dark night of the soul. That can happen in grief, it can happen in loss, it can happen just in life, midlife crisis, it can happen. And what we find in dark nights of the soul is something that We know to be true, God never leaves us nor forsakes us. But for some reason, God does tend to pull back that "felt sense of His presence." And part of what God is doing, we can't all understand everything God is doing, but part of what God is doing is teaching us that our faith is not just about a feeling. Our faith is about the object of our faith, Jesus. And so, whether we're "feeling" the presence of God or not, can we choose to have faith that says He is true, His character is true, He is steadfast, I will keep believing, I will keep leaning in, I will keep being faithful even when I can't "feel" Him. And there's something mysterious and explosive and actually good that we find in dark nights of the soul even though it's often quite painful and confusing. Michelle, it is hard to sort of find yourself on the grief map when you're in it, especially when it's fresh. And so sometimes you don't know is where I'm at normal, okay, should I be farther along than I am. And the hard part is, depending on the context texture from, often people want you to be further along than you actually are. And you're just not, I mean, it just until you've walked through grief, you, you don't know, no, no, no, I can't move faster than I can move. I am right where I am. And that's as far as I can go. I wrote about these, these three different moments in darkness to try to at least help readers, grievers, someone walking through any type of loss or transition to sort of go, "Okay, I might find myself here." And also, to say any of those places are right where you're supposed to be. God is not rushing you past the finish line of pain. Some of us, I think, like I said, rush past it or pretend it isn't happening, but just to go, "Okay, God, things are changing. This is a new season. I don't necessarily like it. I don't really enjoy why I'm here, but I'm going to trust you've got some discoveries for me. And so, I'm going to keep open to whatever you're doing as the night falls. And then the next phase, midnight, I mean, this is where I wrote about my best friend's jet death and just everything changing. I mean, it is just the onslaught of grief that you feel physically, you feel emotionally you experience spiritually it's in your body it's in your mind it's you know you know this from the mental health world your brain is flat you can't really function the way that you used to function and I wanted to put some language for that again just to say it is normal and your only job is to be gentle with yourself at your spiritual midnight your emotional midnight like just Be kind to yourself. Be kind to yourself. I think we want to learn the lesson and we want to build the muscles and we want to build resilience. We want to grow in our depth and our meaning. That will come, but it is okay to be right where you are for as long as you need to be, especially in that initial onslaught of grief. We write a lot about that in the section on midnight. And then the last section, when I was very careful not to do, Michelle, and I think you'll appreciate this as one who talks about her own depression. I didn't want to say, "But the sun is coming. Sunrise is on its way." I did not want to write another book about, like, quote, "sunny spirituality," because that's not always what healing is. Healing isn't always darkness to light. Sometimes healing is this gradual progression of, "Oh, I see a little glimmer of hope here." Okay, here's some light coming through. I think so often we celebrate like the mountaintop, or the victory and we forget to celebrate what a courageous thing it is to step out in community again after loss or try something new after loss or frankly put pants on and go to Target after loss like those are victories. And so, I wanted to write and sort of normalize that healing can look dramatic. And in a moment, healing can also be very slow. And isn't, you know, isn't always just your sun. Sometimes it's like, you know, here's some stars in your darkness, that's healing too. In one sense, I think you do the things you don't do, meaning you rest Sabbath if you're not someone who has done that before, try to sleep if you can. I think this is a time to take up spiritual practices of slowness, stillness, silence, listening. I guess what I'm trying to say is there's not a lot you have to do. And especially early on in the dark night of the soul. And I said this before I will say it again and again and again, be gentle with yourself. I mean, you know, any listener who or view or who has been through loss knows, you often can't even remember like what shampoo is or how to shampoo your hair, let alone want to, or want to, that's a very good point, or even have the desire to. So I think a thing you do is be gentle with yourself Loss, grief, darkness can be very isolating. And so I think it is so important that you allow yourself intentionally to reach out to the safe people in your life. That doesn't have to be everybody. You don't have to be best friends with everyone who wants to come around you or, but who are the safe, trusted people that you can say, I can't pray right now, so I need you to pray for me. I am hurting right now. I need somebody just to know. I think the community piece is so important. We are not meant to do the faith journey alone. We're not meant to do grief alone. We're not meant to do darkness alone. We need some traveling companions. And again, you get to choose who those people are. There are some people for some reason that it just can't go with you in dark places and that's okay. But if you have some safe people that can't, you know, let them be a lifeline to you. It's hard in grief because people will often very well meaning ask you, what can I do for you? What do you need? And you just don't have the wherewithal to do it. So, on the flip side, I would say if you are walking with someone who's in a dark season, don't even ask, just say, I've sent you a Chipotle gift card, it's going to arrive in your mail, Uber Eats, whatever it is. I've sent you a gift card to any service, use it when you need to. I think some of that proactive approach for someone who's walking through darkness is really helpful too. Oh, for - Sure, because it's almost like the brain fog and the decision fatigue is so great that it's too hard to think about what I could ask someone else to do. Plus, if you've just lost having to ask someone for help, you risk rejection, which is another form of loss. So, what about the person who feels like their faith is being shaken by their dark night? What would you say to that person? Because we know the enemy is crafty and he seeks to steal, kill and destroy and he watches so intently. So, he knows when we're at our weakest point, so how do So how do we fight back against that? - Yeah, I think that is so good because what you don't want to do is get in a mindset where you are thinking God caused this pain in my life. God is not the author of pain, author of evil. God in Jesus conquered death. So those things are not from God. But what we and trust is that God is in them, redeeming them, making all things new. I think it's important to know this again, this is a normal part of your spiritual walk. I think sometimes again, we can think, the scaffolding of my faith is being shaken, that's bad, that's bad, that's bad. But sometimes to be disillusioned spiritually is a really good healthy thing because you're not living an illusion anymore. And so, some of the things that you have clung to that are false ideas about God, about faith, God is actually shaking those up on purpose. And that's something good he does in darkness is you find, you know, your faith is a little more explosive, a little more intimate, because you've embraced mystery and God's bigness and the boxes that you put God in suddenly God is breaking out of all of that is very good all of that is part of spiritual formation it can feel like it's you're going backwards but again if you can keep leaning in staying connected to God you find on the other side of that a greater intimacy with God however what you just talked about the spiritual attack that can come. I do think we have to be wise about this. I have a good friend who talks about these are the moments when you just have to contend for your faith. Like Jesus, I am not going anywhere. I am putting my anchor of faith in the ground. I am believing that you are good. I am believing that you do good. Any light otherwise is from the enemy, I plead the blood of Jesus over it and I will not walk in it. And so that's a hard muscle when you are depressed, dark, grieving. It's hard to kind of know what's spiritual attack, what's, you know, my just mental state is not okay, what is just, I'm sad, right? And so, I do think this going back to community where it's so helpful to have your other friends pray for you and you don't have to wherewithal to do it yourself. And to say, okay, Lord, I hate everything about this, but you have called yourself faithful and so I'm going to believe you are faithful. I think there's some work we have to do, Michelle, like to remember in the darkness what we knew in the light, remember in the desert what we knew in the garden seasons of our lives, remember in the valley what we knew on the mountaintop, like there is some work of recall, okay. God has been good to me, God has been good throughout history, God's character is true, I will choose to believe that even though this is like the fight of my life right now, and God honors that kind of faith and that kind of wrestle, he really does. And I appreciate what you're saying about remembering what we knew in the light and taking that into those dark places. I think it's also so important for us to remember, just as you said, God doesn't cause pain. He doesn't cause hardship. But God is always concerned with us growing. I love to garden. I'm a very impatient gardener, but I love to garden. But what it has taught me is that the most crucial growth happens below the soil in the dark place. And while none of us wants to go through pain and suffering, if we can appreciate that God is in that dark place and cultivating something good, that's a hope line that we can hold on to when it doesn't feel good. Think about Jesus in the garden. That was a dark place. His friends wouldn't even stay awake, right? And yet it was a good thing that came out of it because even though he was so honest and I love his honesty, Father, if there is any other way that this cup could pass from me, please, please do it, but ultimately, I want your will, not mine. And I think that's so important for us to remember that our savior of the world went through that dark night. Thankfully God is so patient with us. - Yes. - Oh, so patient with us. And I began to sense God sort of lovingly drawing me back to the word, but not for performance, not for study, not for output, not even for preparation. Just, "Hey, you're my daughter. Why don't you just come and read one song, read one, one little verse?" And I began in my mind to call it inchworm Bible reading where I just would read one song and then I would read it again. And then the next day read it again. And I was not accomplishing anything deeply spiritual, very profound. But there was something healing. And it won the words of the Psalms and this beautiful book of prayers and poems and laments for the people of God. And a lot of them are about pain and suffering. So that was one to find language for what I was walking through. But also, it was like, I felt like, again, God just let me be a human being and not a human doing. And I just got to sit in his presence. And it didn't matter how much I accomplished, it didn't matter that I made some beautiful social media post, wrote a sermon based on the reading, it was just about connecting with the father. And the Lord was again, very patient with me. And in time, I just began to sense all of that was God kind of reminding me, “I'm here, I'm still here. There's a rope tethering you to me. I am not going to let you go." And so that inchworm Bible reading, as silly as it sounds, became very profound. I feel like God found me again in that. It's such a profound act of worship and faith to run to God with those things because he would rather us come to him with that type of anger and raw questions and authenticity than walk away in apathy. And so whatever you can do, whether it's journaling, praying aloud in your car, writing, singing, painting, Whatever it is to give those heart things to the Lord is in itself an act of worship and connection and a tool. When we go through such incredibly painful times, like the dark night of the soul that we talked about before the break, it's natural in our humanness to ask, why did this happen? Those questions are the right questions to be asking. Those are the questions that God loves to hear. And so, I would invite you to ask those questions to God and wait as long as it takes for God to answer. You do not give up. But I would also say this, hope is coming, light is coming. The dark night does not say dark forever. Grief stays for a very long time, but it changes shape. I grieve my best friend Jen differently. We just celebrated her 45th birthday. I grieve her differently on her 45th birthday than I did two years ago. I still miss her deeply. The grief is different. I am different. The way I experience grief is different. I've had new losses since Jen and those are different. And so, it is okay to also remind yourself that hope is coming. You can continue to choose to hope even when you feel hopeless, can ask other people to hold that for you and you can't hold it yourself. I think, again, that's a beautiful part of the Christian faith is it's not meant to be individual; it's meant to be collective and communal. And so, Michelle, I can borrow your hope and your faith when I don't have any and you can borrow mine when you don't have any and all of those things the Lord will use to bring you back to a place of hope and delight and goodness and even joy again in His presence with other people and hope for the future. What you're walking through is normal. It is not antithetical to your faith, but part of the faith journey. I want to tell you to keep leaning into Jesus because he is faithful and true. And I would also, I think about the words of Psalm 40:40 where David says I'm at the bottom of my pit and what I found Lord is that you lifted me out and I kind of referred to this subtly a minute ago but there is that spiritual tether connecting you to God if you're a person in Jesus and God is not going to let you stay in your pit the rest of your life God is not going to you alone in your pit. And in fact, what's so beautiful about Jesus in his suffering, he crawls down in our pits with us, does not leave us alone in them. And so you have a friend in suffering who is actually in it with you, but outside of it able to redeem it and able to make something beautiful and new in the situation that seems so painful now. I just want to remind you that the temptation is great to pull away from God and from others especially when we've just gone through a period of loss, but I'm encouraging you consistent With God's admonition that you continue to cry out to him be honest with him ask the types of questions that Aubrey shared that she asked. There's no shame in that and God is big enough to handle that. Scripture References: Psalm 88:12 “Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?” Psalm 88:1 “Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.” Recommended Resources: What We Find in the Dark: Loss, Hope, and God’s Presence in Grief by Aubrey Sampson Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Aubrey Sampson: Website / Facebook / Instagram For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Guest: Aubrey Sampson (MA, evangelism and leadership) coplanted and is on staff at Renewal Church, a multiethnic congregation in Chicagoland. She is an author a coach with Propel Women Cohorts and the cohost of The Nothing is Wasted Podcast. She is passionate about helping hurting Christians find God’s presence in their pain. She and her husband, Kevin, and their three hilarious sons live, minister, and play in the Chicagoland area. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What does it take to stop ignoring red flags about drinking—especially when no one else notices them but you?  Tammy spent years managing life like a pro: raising kids, surviving the recession, and building a beautiful new chapter with her blended family. From the outside, everything looked fine. But inside, the hangovers got worse, the joy disappeared, and a voice inside kept whispering, “You need to do something.” In this episode, Tammy joins Annie to talk about what finally made her listen to that voice—and why the red flags don't always have to be loud to matter. In this episode, Annie and Tammy discuss: Growing up as the “perfect” daughter who internalized anxiety Using alcohol to fit in and quiet emotions from an early age Drinking through job loss, financial stress, and a divorce Why running was her first mental health tool—and how she returned to it The moment she realized she didn't want to be a “drunk Nana” Why COVID intensified her drinking and disguised her red flags The subtle signs her body and mind were giving her that no one else saw How she decided to stop ignoring red flags about drinking before things got worse Finding connection through podcasts, books, and her own writing How her decision created a ripple effect for her daughters and friends And so much more… Episode links:Related Episodes: Drinking After Divorce - Brian's Naked Life - E609 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-609-naked-life-story-brian-c/ What is the correlation between alcohol and anxiety? - Reader Questions - E480 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-480-reader-question-what-is-the-correlation-between-alcohol-and-anxiety/ How do I talk to my kids about alcohol? - Reader's Questions - E442 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-442-reader-question-how-do-i-talk-to-my-kids-about-alcohol/ Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/nakedmind Quince: For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to Quince.com/naked for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Hungryroot: Get 40% off your first box + a free item for life at Hungryroot.com/nakedmind with code nakedmind Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com/mind