Podcasts about Romanian

Welfare Work Without Welfare: Women and Austerity in Interwar Bucharest (De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2025) argues that women activists, wage workers, and homemakers in the Romanian capital Bucharest became de facto social workers in the interwar period through their "austerity welfare work". Revealing links and tensions between the performers of different types of underpaid or unpaid austerity welfare work, each empirical chapter focuses on a key domain: - knowledge production about social problems by "women welfare activist" (professional social workers, lay experts, left wing militants); - municipal-level social assistance policy, with emphasis on a pioneering generation of women local politicians in shaping welfare practices; - paid household work by underpaid servants; - unpaid household work by homemakers or precariously employed women in working class communities. The book offers a novel interpretation of state-society relations after the First World War, showing that unpaid labor and gender relations were crucial in responding to economic crisis in an Eastern European urban setting and beyond. At once a local and transnational history of women's work, Welfare Work Without Welfare contributes to the historicization of social reproduction work and to the rethinking of the history of welfare states. 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

Welfare Work Without Welfare: Women and Austerity in Interwar Bucharest (De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2025) argues that women activists, wage workers, and homemakers in the Romanian capital Bucharest became de facto social workers in the interwar period through their "austerity welfare work". Revealing links and tensions between the performers of different types of underpaid or unpaid austerity welfare work, each empirical chapter focuses on a key domain: - knowledge production about social problems by "women welfare activist" (professional social workers, lay experts, left wing militants); - municipal-level social assistance policy, with emphasis on a pioneering generation of women local politicians in shaping welfare practices; - paid household work by underpaid servants; - unpaid household work by homemakers or precariously employed women in working class communities. The book offers a novel interpretation of state-society relations after the First World War, showing that unpaid labor and gender relations were crucial in responding to economic crisis in an Eastern European urban setting and beyond. At once a local and transnational history of women's work, Welfare Work Without Welfare contributes to the historicization of social reproduction work and to the rethinking of the history of welfare states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

“Your beliefs govern your reality.” In this episode, Nick speaks with Damon Cart, an NLP teacher and coach, about the transformative power of self-concept coaching. Damon shares his personal journey through depression, the importance of understanding one’s values, and the pitfalls of self-worth. What to listen for: Understanding your values changes how you approach achievement Self-worth is a flawed concept; it’s better to focus on values instead Taking action is crucial for gaining clarity on what truly matters Failure can lead to unexpected success “It has everything to do with your beliefs… Most people don’t believe they are the value that they’re seeking.” When you don't see your own value, you'll constantly search for it outside yourself Confidence and self-esteem are built internally, not earned through achievements Changing your beliefs about who you are opens the door to the life you actually want “If you’re adamant about being a happy and fulfilled person and you’re willing to work for it, you will get there.” You're never permanently stuck unless you stop moving toward what you want Working on yourself is an investment that pays off in how you experience life Happiness grows when you treat it like a priority, not a side quest About Damon Cart Damon is a world-leading expert in creating lasting internal transformations using the Self-Concept model™. As a master NLP practitioner and co-founder of The Self-Concept Research Group, he transformed his own life from a struggling insurance agent to a globally recognized authority in personal development. Mentored by NLP pioneer Steve Andreas, he has spent nearly eight years helping thousands achieve identity-level change. Based in Santa Cruz, California, Damon combines deep theory with practical application to make transformation effortless and permanent. https://selfconcept.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-cart-aa79b122/ https://www.instagram.com/damoncart Resources: Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have? Send Nick an email or schedule a time to discuss your podcast today! https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/podcasting-services/ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089 Listen to other episodes here: https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/ Watch Clips and highlights: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA Guest Inquiries right here: podcasts@themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show” Click Here To View The Episode Transcript Nick McGowan (00:01.436)Hello and welcome to the Mindset and Self Mastery Show. I’m your host, Nick McGowan. Today on the show we have Damon Cart. Damon, how you doing today? Damon Cart (00:11.266)Good. How are you? Nick McGowan (00:12.828)I’m good, man, I’m excited. As I told you, this is the first episode of Brand New Office. So if people watch the video and I’m looking around, it’s other stuff in the office. I’m excited that you’re here, man. We were just shooting the breeze a bit before we got started and I’m excited to get into things. So why don’t you kick us off? Tell us what you do for a living and what’s one thing most people don’t know about you that’s maybe a little odd or bizarre. Damon Cart (00:23.182)you Damon Cart (00:35.694)Hmm. Well, I teach NLP and I coach it as well. I do one-on-one coaching and not just NLP. I focus on a specific model called the self concept model. And it was a model that was taught to me by my mentor, Steve Andreas. He created it. And it is a model that models our identity, how we create our sense of self and how to transform that. Most people are not living the life that they would want to be living. And that’s rooted in them not being the person they want to be. And we think that we have to go conquer mountains or defeat dragons until we’re worthy of that. And that’s just not true. It has everything to do with your beliefs and how you organize that information into those beliefs and what in fact you believe about yourself. And most people don’t believe they are the value that they’re seeking. And as a result of that, they experience lower self-esteem, lower confidence and overall just lack of fulfillment. And we can transform that and sometimes as simple as one hour session just by transforming beliefs, restructuring that information. So instead of taking years of willpower and discipline and all of those things, it’s really in how you think about it. And there’s an exact organization to that. And once you understand it, then you can change it. And something about me that is, I don’t know if I’m, I don’t know, I feel like I’m a pretty open book about things, about myself. And I don’t know of anything that I would call bizarre. would say something that probably not a lot of people know about me, unless you really know me very well, is that I’m a rather emotional person. And that can be anything. That can be anger. That can be watching a movie and, you know, feeling emotional because of it, because it’s sad or it’s a great love story or something like that. I tend to be very emotional and be The older I’ve gotten, the more comfortable I am with just being emotional and vulnerable in front of people. But I don’t really show that in my videos. In my persona online, it’s just not, I don’t think it’s really relevant. And it’s not that I’m ashamed of it. It’s just, I don’t see the value in doing that. I’m a teacher and it’s for me, it’s about getting the information out there. Nick McGowan (02:51.884)Interesting. I want to go down that path a little bit because I am emotional. If you watched any videos, you can see some of the emotions come out. There are often times I’ll blame, I’m from Philly, so I’ll just blame the Northeast. I’m like, it’s because of Philly. Like, yeah, yeah. And that’s what everybody thinks about Philly people anyway. They’re crazy or they’re loud. It’s like partially, but some of that’s also generational trauma and they don’t really know how to handle it. And Damon Cart (03:03.854)Why not? Nick McGowan (03:16.787)It’s interesting because also as we get older like you can watch a commercial and you get over 40 and you start crying and you’re like I don’t know why like what the fuck was that what a good 12 second clip of something but it’s interesting that you put that to the side when you make your videos and it sounds really conscious like you’re like I’m not gonna allow myself to be not vulnerable but emotional because you don’t want it to block the message is that about right? Damon Cart (03:43.691)You know, got a comment on one of my videos recently and that one of the live streams I did was very academic. And I was like, well, like as opposed to what, how do you, because they’re, and you’ll hear people throw this word around when it comes to NLP teachers. like, this person’s very academic. And to me, that means like more theory-based and not experiential, but NLP is very experiential. So I was just like, well, you know, how do, Nick McGowan (04:03.638)Mm-hmm. Damon Cart (04:09.358)As opposed to what I’m giving you the steps of a process that you have to go and do and experience and he was like no No, not like that. You should put your personality into your videos more and he referenced a podcast and I went and looked at the podcast and it was one of those kind like bro podcasts where It was a young man and he’s you know, kind of putting a little bit of arrogance out there No judgment on him. Like this is what plays this is what sells and So I haven’t responded to the person yet, but on my video, but basically it comes down to this I I don’t see myself as the brand of what I’m doing. The information that I’m getting out there is the star of the show, not me. And there have been times where I put my personal life on there. I’ve done vlogs and things like that. And you will see me get emotional in those. But I’ve never found it to be like why people are coming to my videos. And if my personality overshadows what I’m teaching, which is you see this in like Tony Robbins, you know, and Nick McGowan (04:46.008)Mm. Nick McGowan (05:06.915)Yeah. Damon Cart (05:06.926)Then I feel like I’m not doing my job. I feel like I’ve the message and what I’m teaching is the most important thing, not who I am. I don’t want my, if I get emotional about something, I don’t want that to hijack the video. I want the information I’m teaching to be the thing that people are coming for and that they’re getting it. Nick McGowan (05:20.653)Yeah. Nick McGowan (05:26.553)That makes total sense. And I guess to people that don’t know that, they’re just going to interpret how they’re going to interpret because we are people and we’ll interpret things how we want and make up a story and go, here’s what it is. But that’s a great way to put it. You’re stewarding it. You’re basically just letting it come through you and kind of work through you. Do you feel like some of it is also channeled in that sort of way specifically? Or are you just saying, I’ve learned this information. I want to package it in the right way so you can get the information and Damon Cart (05:38.466)Yeah. Damon Cart (05:41.826)Yes. Nick McGowan (05:56.342)Never mind how I feel about Damon Cart (05:58.735)So definitely yes to the second part, when you say channel, what do mean by channel? Nick McGowan (06:04.412)There are certain people that channel information from a higher level, from God or from the universe or whatever, and they feel that comes through them. It’s almost like how creatives or artists can say, I don’t really know where that came from, but it just came out of me and it was kind of channeled through. And I’ve seen different people and I’ve talked to different people that are like, I don’t let my vessel really, or like the being get in the way because it’s being channeled through. And it sounds like you’re taking more of the conscious approach of like the information is the information. So take the information and me being yelly or emotional about it or whatever is not going to do you a bit of good. Here’s the information. But it also sounds like that person who’s like, I want I want you to be emotional because they probably are, you know. Damon Cart (06:46.668)Yeah, and yeah, so I’ve had those moments on, because I like to do live streams. So yeah, I’ve had those moments where I felt like, yeah, I was just channeling. But majority of it is, I’ve felt this my entire life. If I was struggling to solve a problem and I solve that problem, I know that there are other people who are trying to solve that problem and they’re really frustrated. And I know what that frustration feels like. So I just want to go to them and say, here’s the key or here’s. Here’s the information you need so that you don’t need to struggle with this anymore. And I feel like that’s really my job. My channel started with one of the things I realized very quickly when I was going to like one NLP training after another, especially getting into more and more advanced NLP trainings that I was attending, not teaching, was how many people didn’t actually know basic NLP. And it was like, okay, they’re spending thousands of dollars learning all this. And it is true. Like you just don’t really get a lot of practice in NLP trainings because that would make Nick McGowan (07:34.966)Mm. Damon Cart (07:43.299)the training’s extremely long and that wouldn’t be very competitive in the market. So people aren’t really practicing and then they hand you a certificate and say, now you’re certified. And it’s like that is completely meaningless. You have to go and practice it. And so what I was doing is I was practicing every single day on myself. was practicing, I had a practice group and I would practice with them once a week and had a practice partner who I practiced with once a week. And I was practicing on people and they didn’t even realize it. I was just making the world my NLP classroom. Nick McGowan (07:44.983)Yeah. Damon Cart (08:11.054)So I was understanding NLP rapidly. And a lot of this, was not getting the help of a teacher or a mentor up until I met my mentor, Steve Andreas. And so I started my YouTube channel being that the whole point of it was I’m going to teach people what they should have learned in their NLP training. And actually to this day, when I’m going, when I’m speaking at conferences, actually when I’m shoulder to shoulder speaking with other people who are presenting at these conferences, they will come to me and say, When I was taking my NLP training, I didn’t understand what I was learning and I had to turn to your videos because your videos were the videos that actually taught me what I was supposed to know. And so I get this compliment to this day, which is a huge compliment because that’s exactly what I was set out to do in the beginning. So yeah, I’ve always, the spotlight has always been the information that I’m teaching, not me. Nick McGowan (08:46.155)Nice. Nick McGowan (08:59.383)And it sounds like with everything you’re saying, you’ve just solidified it more and more and more. Like if they were like, you know, it’s a little dry, you would probably open up a little bit in that sort of way. But the fact that you keep getting like, this is what you set out to do and this is what it’s about. That’s awesome, man. And again, I think people are gonna interpret how they want. Like I wanna hear more emotions. Damon Cart (09:17.378)Yeah, and I do share, I’m happy to share like one of the reasons why I’ve had a lot of people come to me for coaching is they would say like, you know, I heard some of what you were saying and it didn’t really speak to me, but when you talked about your depressions or you talked about your divorce and things like that. that is something that I think it helps feed what I’m trying to do here. When I, when I don’t pretend like I’m this perfect person, I think when people are trying to really build a personality brand, that’s what they’re doing. Nick McGowan (09:30.69)yeah. Damon Cart (09:45.133)And there are people who want to follow that. want to believe that there are these sort of like higher than human people that they can follow. I just, that defeats the whole point. So yeah, I want people to know that I’ve worked through problems. I’ve worked through depression. I’ve had a divorce. I’ve had to deal with, you know, trying to maintain relationships with my kids. Nick McGowan (09:45.216)Yeah. Nick McGowan (09:55.851)Yeah. Damon Cart (10:06.222)you know, in these tough times of going through a divorce and moving out of the home, you know. So I do talk about these things because I want people to understand that I’m not just like coming from a place of like, had this all figured out from the beginning. It’s like, what I’m giving you is things that, problems that I’ve solved, things that I had to figure out for myself. that’s how I know that it works. And so now I’m giving it to you. So you don’t have to stay in that frustration. Nick McGowan (10:18.443)haha Nick McGowan (10:31.273)Wait, so there aren’t perfect people on the planet? Like there’s not somebody wandering around? Like all these people on social media? Damon Cart (10:36.426)you would be amazed you would be amazed at how people really buy into that stuff and i just like yeah Nick McGowan (10:41.716)my God, well they want to, you know? Like they really want that. And I can understand like really wanting that, but it’s like self-awareness. Like once you see it, like you can’t not see things. So if you’re like, I want this, why would I want this? Well, you know, and then you kind of work through your stuff. But big thing you’re saying with this is context. Like setting the stage, giving some context to it. Like if you just talked about all these things and you’re like, went through a divorce, but I’m totally good. And like everything’s totally fine. And like everything’s all right. for the people that are out there that would just be like, cool, see, he’s totally good. Like you’re actually hurting those people at that point. And it’s interesting, cause I think there’s a lot of like, there’s a lot of hurt that’s being given out from coaches because they’re not actually working through this stuff that they’re working through. You told me before we even got started, like you were doing the work and kind of almost tripped into this because it made sense to do it when it made sense instead of like where I think 2020 and the whole COVID thing is an easy thing to look back to because a lot of people were like, well, what the fuck do I do now? I guess I become a coach for what? I don’t fucking know. But I guess I’ll do it because I see these other people doing it and like, why the fuck not? And at that point, they’re just like spewing things. I kind of tripped backwards into coaching because I went through a divorce and I had friends that were like, man, you helped me. Can you help a buddy of mine who’s also going through shit? Can you help somebody else? And it’s like Damon Cart (11:46.635)Yeah. Nick McGowan (12:05.334)Yeah, but I need to do so much more work because the more that you learn, the more you understand. Like there’s more to know about it. And likewise, I’m sure with the NLP stuff, like as you started to go into it, I’m sure you got three weeks, three months, three years into it. You’re like, oh my God, there’s so much that I’ve learned from it that you’re then able to turn around. And it sounds like you’ve got a good, I guess mindset, a sense of like, I’m going to help. I want to deliver the information instead of like pushing it upon people. But why don’t we take a little bit of a step back. How the hell did you get here? I know a little bit of the story, but why don’t you share that? Because again, context is important. Damon Cart (12:40.153)Yeah, so I became, well, I had my first depression right after I graduated college and it was, 9-11 happened. It was the first time I was out of school in my entire life. I guess I started going to school like at three and now I’m like 22 and I’m out of school for the first time and just, you know, facing that the rest of your life. Like, what do I do now? Nick McGowan (13:06.409)Yeah. Damon Cart (13:06.734)Yeah, 9-11 happened, which really shook me up because you feel like you’re living, you don’t even question your safety and suddenly something like that happens. And then I got arrested for something really stupid. And it’s really stupid to the point where it’s like, I mean, if you want to get into it, I don’t mind talking about it, but it’s not, I don’t know, I don’t find it that relevant. anyway, those three things happened in one summer. And I just was like, I don’t even feel like walking out my front door. It just feels dangerous. Like, who knows what can happen? Nick McGowan (13:22.1)I’m down. Nick McGowan (13:26.206)Fair enough. Damon Cart (13:35.047)And I gradually just kind of like pulled in more and more and didn’t process the feelings, the negative feelings that I was experiencing. And I just suddenly I realized I’m in a really bad place. And I’ve actually been in this place for months now. And I don’t know how to get myself out of it. And I remembered that I had a professor who taught a class called the philosophy of psychology. And he went through different therapeutic modalities, including hypnosis and gestalt therapy, which NLP is based on. And then at the end, he Nick McGowan (13:57.267)Mm. Damon Cart (14:04.856)pulled out NLP and he said like, this is the mother of them all, because it takes the best of everything that whatever works. And I was just amazed by what this guy could do. And I was, I remember thinking to myself, I got to learn this NLP thing one day. So that was in college and then I was graduated. Now I’m experiencing depression. I don’t have health insurance. I’m a bartender. And so I can’t, I don’t even have the money to hire a therapist. Nick McGowan (14:16.2)Mm. Damon Cart (14:27.502)So I remembered my professor and I called him up and told him what was going on and he said, well, come into my office. He said, I don’t believe in a free service, but I also don’t need your money. So he said, donate your time every time you come to see me to charity or money or whatever. And he’s like, I’m not going to check back with you. I’m just going to trust that you do it. Come back next week and we’ll get to work. I come back next week and in one hour session, months of depression is gone. And I just, my logical mind said, no, no. Nick McGowan (14:45.971)That’s cool. Damon Cart (14:57.056)No, cannot even be possible. But every other part of me was just like, I’m free, like I’m not depressed anymore. And I remember leaving his office and just like I had to stop and sit at a bench on the campus and was just like looking around. like, I walked in there a different person. I walked in there depressed and I’m walking out and there is no depression. just didn’t, it seemed crazy. And so I didn’t get depressed for another 10 years. And when I finally got depressed again, it had nothing to do with what I had gotten depressed with the first time. Nick McGowan (14:58.13)Hehehehe Nick McGowan (15:19.816)Yeah. Damon Cart (15:26.926)But I can say now, knowing NLP, that it was a way that I would think about things. Depression is a process, not like a thing. So, you know, 10 years later, now I’m living in Santa Cruz, California. I have an insurance agency. I’m married and I have two really young kids, like two kids under two years old. And everything is going wrong. And so I slip into a depression again and then even realize it. My wife at the time, ex-wife now, she’s a therapist and she just said, you need help. And I remember Part of me was like well, no, don’t and then I just stopped and I was like, yeah, actually I do I’m not good. And so I found a therapist and this was traditional therapy So I went to traditional psychotherapy and it took me an entire year to come out of depression So we’re talking one session with somebody who knew NLP versus an entire year with someone who’s doing more traditional therapy And when I started to realize even though I was out of that depression I was thinking maybe I can make some progress and some advances here But no, he only knew how to get, this therapist only knew how to get you out of the hole. And then once you were there, then he kind of like kept you there by asking more and more about problems rather than trying to move you to solutions. And I was like, okay, this isn’t working for me anymore. And so I stopped going to see him, but I knew if I didn’t do something different, I was going to end up right back there again. And that’s when I decided it’s time to learn NLP. And there was a training that might still happen here in Santa Cruz where NLP was created up at the university every summer. Nick McGowan (16:31.538)Mm. Damon Cart (16:56.52)And so I went to that training and it just felt like I came home. I was like, this is what I’ve been looking for. And I wasn’t even thinking that I was going to be a teacher or a coach at that point. I was still thinking I’m going to fix my insurance agency and I’m going to fix my marriage and everything’s going to be great. And I just couldn’t stop doing NLP. I would just try to get into a training every chance that I could. Like I mentioned before, I was practicing all the time. And by the time I came back a year later, Nick McGowan (17:00.627)Hmm. Damon Cart (17:22.79)About 75 % of the people who were there the year before returned for the, it was a master practitioner training. And they just kept coming up to me and they were like, why are you so much better than us? And I was like, I don’t know. said, so I started asking them questions and they were like, you we went, we got the same certification you did. So we, you know, we should be at the same level as you. And I was like, did you practice? Have you practiced at all since the last training a year ago? And they were all no. Nick McGowan (17:28.528)Well. Damon Cart (17:51.343)I was like, it’s not a secret. If you don’t practice, you’re not going to get good at it. And that’s why I’m better than you is I’m not, I don’t have any special talents. just practice. And, uh, so, and that’s when people started saying, uh, and then when I go to other NLP trainings, people would be like, well, how long have you been a coach or how long have you been a teacher? And I was like, I’m not, I’m an insurance agent. And they were like, what are you doing here? Cause mostly coaches and you know, teachers go to these trainings. And, uh, so yeah, by that point, after a year had passed, I was like, yes, I’m going to. Nick McGowan (17:53.212)Yeah. Damon Cart (18:20.216)I’m coaching, I’m gonna do teaching. And even still, was more about I wanted to be better at NLP and that was was driving me to wanna do that. So I started just teaching workshops and when that didn’t go very far, that’s when I decided to get on YouTube. A friend of mine actually said, hey, you’ve been to film school, why don’t you try YouTube? And so like, okay, I’ll give that a shot and I did. And yeah, I realized in that whole process that my marriage was not salvageable. was… just, you know, we hit that inroads and it was nothing that was going to make it better. And I also realized that being an insurance agent was making me absolutely miserable and there was no changing that. So it was like, you know, it’s not, I always thought that it was something about me not being good enough. And that’s why I wasn’t succeeding at the insurance business, but it was like, no, it’s just not a good fit. The crazy thing about it, once I realized that, and I realized that it was just going to use the business to keep me afloat until I transferred into this other business. I actually was able to make it successful at that point. was really strange. It’s like when, you know, this thing you’re trying so hard to do and then you finally say, fuck it, I don’t care anymore. Then it, you know, then it was easy. And then it was like, I want to say it easy, but it was, it was working a lot better. And so I was just basically, I moved my office in with another agent. said, can you babysit this while I transition out of this? And he said, yeah, absolutely. And so I was, you know, it took me a few years to kind of figure out this new business. But once I did, I was, I jumped and haven’t looked back since. Nick McGowan (19:20.817)the Yeah. Nick McGowan (19:46.162)I love all that and especially the I mean the real side of it like I joked like yeah You were overnight success took nine years like the amount of stuff that people see that they think like this is Whatever they make it up to be in their own heads and the fact that you were doing the work I mean there are little principles that are through all of this stuff where it’s like You did it in the sense that you just wanted to learn it and you were you even said to me that it was your calling When we feel that and we go in that direction, things will start to get easier, even if it’s the other stuff of like, I need to get this away. And I don’t know the answer to this question, but is it safe to assume that you’re living a better life and more happy life than you did when you had the agency, when you were married, at least to her and like where things are now, is it better? Damon Cart (20:33.742)100 times over. Especially thinking back during the times that I was depressed and I was just like, I guess this is just kind of how life is going to be for the rest of it. And that was depressing to even think about. And that’s what I like to tell people because when I come across someone who’s either depressed or kind of close to that. I want to be respectful. You don’t want to just say, your life is so much better than you. That will make it worse. what I do want to communicate to them is it will get better. It can get better. If you’re adamant about being a happy and fulfilled person and you’re willing to work for it, you will get there. You’re not stuck. This is not how the rest of your life has to be. Nick McGowan (21:02.095)Yeah. Damon Cart (21:25.708)Because yeah, like at this point, it’s like it has exceeded the fulfillment I experienced now has exceeded what I thought was even possible. And still it’s getting more and more fulfilling. So my take on it now is just like, well, how, how good can this get? How deep can I take this? And it’s not like a, it’s not like a greedy thing. It’s more of like a potential thing. What potential do I have to be even more fulfilled and Nick McGowan (21:43.877)Yeah. Damon Cart (21:52.844)more engaged in life and I’m curious to see how far I can take that. Nick McGowan (21:58.124)What a cool aspect of it. Like, well, fuck, let’s see what happens. And like, cool, let’s see how far we can go. And I think to call something out here too, for the people that are listening, isn’t, Damon’s not saying like, well, I was in a shitty spot. I learned this thing and everything worked better. Like that’s just not how life works. Like the amount of work that you had to put in that wasn’t just like curriculum work, but also work on your own. if you… Damon Cart (22:01.698)Yeah. Nick McGowan (22:26.232)If you actually sat back and thought about the amount of hours that you spent just even pondering on it, thinking about it, looking at other people, how they relate to life and what they do. Like you literally enveloped yourself in it instead of saying, well, I really want that. And the reason why I say that is there are people that I hear from the times that are like, man, I’ve tried therapy. I’ve tried this. I’ve tried that. It’s like, great. So what’s next? I’m like, if that didn’t work or if that was a piece of it, like talk therapy, everybody will go into talk therapy and they’re like, This was great and it led me in some direction or it was bullshit and I just yammered to somebody about my problems and they were, they would ask me, how does that make you feel or whatever? It’s like, that’s a part of all of this, but not just the end thing. I think a lot of people do want, they just want that like, what’s the pill that I can swallow and like push all this stuff away instead of trying to break down one barrier to break down another, to break down another, like they’re. There are visuals in my head at times where I’ll climb a mountain only to get to the top of it and go, what the fuck is that? Jeez, it’s another, all right, cool. And you get to a point where you just, you keep trucking along with it. So let’s talk about some of the really tough times where obviously going through a divorce can be a tough time. And for somebody who’s a divorced, it’s one of those things like congratulations or I’m sorry, or a mixture of both, you know? But that can be one of those things that really shapes you in a beautiful way. Like I used to tell people, Damon Cart (23:44.2)All right. Nick McGowan (23:51.65)I didn’t get a divorce to die. I got a divorce so I could live and actually change things. like, I look at life now and think, my God, how did I have that same sort of question that you did of like, well, is this it? I guess this is it. So I guess this is just what life is gonna be like. And it doesn’t have to be that way, but there were still dark times he went through. So were there any that come to mind that you were like, man, that was one of those like super pivotal moments? Like I went through that within my NLP journey and that changed how things shifted. Damon Cart (24:23.212)Yeah, there were a few. When I got a divorce, I was dating for the first time in 15 years. And in my late 30s, that was scary. Things had changed quite a bit. Now there was online dating, and I tried that. And that didn’t go so well, because on these apps, it’s like 70 % men and 30 % women. So the odds are really stacked against you. So I also had my own business, so I wasn’t going to date my employees nor my insurance clients. so I started saying, realizing that I needed, if I saw an attractive woman, I was going to have to go and just talk to her, you know, and that was really difficult to do. And also wanted that choice because I was kept slipping in the relationships, even some of the rebound relationships that I went through, kept slipping in the relationships where the women would turn out to be very passive aggressive and playing a lot of games and really trying to control and manipulate me. And I remember coming to like a choice point thinking, wait, Nick McGowan (25:16.247)Mm. Damon Cart (25:23.126)Is this all women are all women like this or is this just the women I’m attracting? And so I had to be really like honest with myself and I was like, you know what? I’m going to take this on. This is my responsibility. I know that there are good women out there. And so there’s something I’m doing that’s attracting this type of woman. And I want to figure out what that is. And so I just decided I was going to just date and date and date for an entire year. And at the end of that year, if I found someone that I was going to settle down with them. And I did find someone and it was coming up to that year and then the red flag went up and I saw she was doing the same thing. And I was like, oh man, I spent a year doing this and I almost missed it again, almost got slipped into this relationship with this person who was basically going to, it was going to be a rerun of all my relationships. And so was like, I need another year. And so I went another year and I dated a lot. could catch these red flags very quickly. Nick McGowan (26:01.954)Hmm. Damon Cart (26:16.366)And I started realizing that I was putting a certain kind of vulnerability out too early and certain women, was attracting certain women because they thought that they could control me. But once I made it clear that I understood what they were doing, because the last thing a passive aggressive person wants is to be called out. That’s why it’s passive aggressive, right? So I would start calling out what they were doing. They would disappear very quickly. And then I started to develop myself along that way and started attracting much better women. But I do remember like, I was getting to the end of like, Nick McGowan (26:24.066)Yeah. Nick McGowan (26:30.517)Yeah. Damon Cart (26:46.178)I was getting into the third year and I was like, I’m not really finding anyone. was just, I was really getting a bit cynical about it. And I just thought maybe I’m not gonna find someone to share the rest of my life with. And so I quit dating for six months. Like I quit approaching, quit dating. And I was just like, I really needed to focus on my business. Cause that was something that was lacking as well. And I had another big failure in that. Nick McGowan (26:51.243)Hmm. Damon Cart (27:11.756)that I was able to overcome. I was like, you know, less dating, more attention on my business. And that started to work out well for me. And six months later, I had like zero social life. I hadn’t been on a date in, you know, six months. And I was like, OK, I was just finishing up this online training that I had created. I was like, I really need to get out. I need some sunlight. I need some fresh air and I need to see people. And I’m walking down the street downtown here in Santa Cruz. And I just see this really attractive. really young woman and I was trying to talk myself out of talking to her but I was like you know actually no I’m gonna go do this and I just walked up to her and told her I thought you know she was really cute and that I wanted to know her name and possibly go out on a date with her now I’m married to her and you think about those times where you know you almost didn’t do something but you did and then how that changes the trajectory of your life And then that opened a whole new can of worms because she’s from a different country and we got separated by COVID. And she also got her visa taken away. we basically, we eloped in Istanbul, Turkey. The media picked it up and so it was broadcast live in Turkey, our wedding. And then we still couldn’t be together. And so it went on for two more years where the only way we could be together is if I traveled to Romania or we traveled to a country where we could both enter. It was a… Nick McGowan (28:37.42)Mm. Damon Cart (28:38.508)That was another dark time, but with a light at the end of the tunnel. but yeah, that’s, I threw a lot in there all at once. And I also, another dark time was a time that, I, my, business that I have now, had a major failure. And I just thought that was the end of it. All this work that I had done on YouTube for, you a year of doing videos. did a video every single day for eight months straight. And that was a lot of work. And I, that’s how I started to build. Nick McGowan (28:45.366)pain. Damon Cart (29:07.232)my following and then I put out my first training after doing youtube and it just was a spectacular failure and I thought that’s the end of it all this work that I had done and six weeks of I didn’t publish a single video and for six weeks and then suddenly I started getting all these emails and these messages hey we haven’t seen you put a video out in a while we’re worried about you are you sick are you dead let us know you’re okay and I was like you wouldn’t come to my Nick McGowan (29:30.154)Thank What? Yeah. Damon Cart (29:35.235)fucking training and you just want me to keep putting free videos out there. Is that what this is about? So was a little resentful, but then I started making videos again. And then I realized what that was all about. It was, I was promoting a live in-person workshop for a different trainer. And it was like, they, my following didn’t know who he was and didn’t want to see him and didn’t want to show up to a live workshop. They wanted on, they found me on a screen. They wanted me and they wanted me on a screen. And that’s when I realized. Nick McGowan (29:41.654)Yeah. Damon Cart (30:02.734)that they wanted digital products, digital trainings. And so I didn’t know that at the time, but I just thought nobody really wants to know what I have to say and that’s the end of it and it’s time to go move on to a different business. It was quite a relief when I realized the mistakes that I’d made and that actually people did want what I was offering. yeah, so it was a interesting learning curve and very frustrating at the time, but it all ended up being really good. Nick McGowan (30:31.084)So in what was that five minutes seven minutes, maybe you’ve just chunked all this stuff in and I I laugh at times because I think it’s funny how we can we can look in like history books and they’re like from this period to this period like 600 years these three things happened. What the fuck do you mean? Like there were so many other things that happened. You had all these dark times even the six weeks off. I’m sure you still had the body feeling of like why I got to sit down. I could do the video. Wait a minute. And then people come back, be like, are you all right? Are you dead? And be like, what the fuck do you mean? Where have you been? And you’re like… Damon Cart (31:04.15)No, and was so cliche, like whenever that failure happened, had trouble getting out of bed. I stayed in my pajamas most of the day. All the blinds were closed. They had very little light in my apartment. it’s like, because it was so weird. Like, I look back on it now, but it was like, that’s what you would see in a movie because you have to like show, you know, what’s going on inside the character by lighting it the right way and all that. And it was like, that’s what I was actually living through. And I didn’t even realize it at the time, but I was like, yeah, it was a Nick McGowan (31:24.479)Yeah. Damon Cart (31:33.773)It was a dark time and it was literally dark in my home. And that’s the way that it all felt. And finally, I remember just kind of emerging from that. And it was almost like opening the blinds and letting the sunlight in. it was like, you know what, I’m going to pick up my camera. And, yeah, I was just like, you know what? I’m a teacher. This is what I do. So I’m going to put that camera back up and start teaching again. And then eventually shortly thereafter, it led to one of the biggest successes that I had that still creating a training that I’m. Nick McGowan (31:37.685)Yeah. Nick McGowan (31:45.215)Bird singing. Damon Cart (32:02.956)you know, still selling to this day because I put so much effort into it. And, but if it hadn’t been for that failure, I would have never discovered that. And so, you know, it’s how these things often work. Nick McGowan (32:14.994)It’s how life works. Like you have to fail through things. You have to fuck around and find out. You also have to bash your head into the wall, the wrong wall sometimes to go, well, shit, that’s the wrong direction. Let me go back. And you still can learn things from it. I think, I think we can sometimes understand, from an intellectual perspective, like, yes, I get that you need to fail. You need to do this to do that. But then when people get into it can be really, it can be hurtful in a way that isn’t just to the timing that they’re in, but there are so many other things that they haven’t worked through or processed through that it feels like they’re just stacking it on. Like, and now this, and now that, and my God, and now my shoes, and now this. It’s like, you’re just adding things to it. But it can be really easy to do that when you’re in that dark spot. Now, obviously you’ve been through these different things. You’ve fucked around, found out, but you’ve also learned through all this stuff. And I joke with the like, well, here was this short little thing. Like how they even do it in movies. Like all this chaos and craziness happened and like 15 minutes later, it’s like, no, there was a lot of dark times, but there’s still that momentum and that movement. Even if you’re slowing down and you’re resting, you’re still moving in that direction. So the fact that you just didn’t give up, like, let’s be real, man, you had a lot of different times you could have just totally checked out. You could have been like, no, this is too much. I’m not doing it. And now, like, have you thought about that? Like, what have you checked out? You wouldn’t be where you’re at. You wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing. You know, maybe you’re selling insurance again and like, fuck this, I can’t. Damon Cart (33:47.039)And I, you know, when I had that major failure, that’s what I thought. I was like, okay, do I have to go back into insurance? And I was seriously considering that. And, man, it was so painful to just even think about that. what I see with a lot of people, the real difference between people who are living the life that they want to live and really fulfilled by that and experiencing the kind of freedom they want is… They stuck with what they were doing, even if that like evolved, you know, because you try things, they fail, you keep trying new things. And so it evolves, but you’re still sticking with it. And what I would say is, you know, the really important thing is not to be so fixated on how you’re going to get there because I, if I had actually gotten what I wanted the way that I thought I wanted it, it would have been a lot more restrictive. I would have been having to show up, you know, just to keep my money going out, to actually physically show up in many different places and be teaching constantly, which is, you know, that’s what my teachers were doing. So I thought, well, that’s how it’s done. But they hadn’t really tapped into the Internet and YouTube and all that. So now I get the choice if I want to do that. I don’t have to like do that all the time. So I learned enough about, you know, business and everything to make it work the way that I make it work now. But that only came because the way that I thought I was going to do it failed miserably. So had to try to had to find a new way. Nick McGowan (35:06.633)Hmm. Damon Cart (35:08.192)When I think about like, had this weird experience earlier this year, was, so my wife and I, also my wife’s Romanian and we have a home in Romania. So we always go there in January and then we went to Cambodia and then we went to Vietnam. And I remember just like it really hitting me how much I was driven by freedom. And this is another thing that I think is really important to understand is when you, when you focus on values, then you’re not so focused on how you think it has to happen. You become more flexible and you know what. the values are that you’re after. And for a long time, freedom was such an important thing to me. And I remember earlier this year being in Vietnam and just being like, more freedom is not going to make me happier. More freedom is not going to make me more fulfilled. I have really hit that level of freedom that was far more than I expected to ever achieve. I can travel anywhere and go anywhere because I can run my business off of a laptop. And also have a great team of people who I work with who, you know, I don’t have to do everything. Nick McGowan (35:50.761)you Damon Cart (36:07.598)They’re there for that as well. So I have the money I need and I have all the freedom to travel and do whatever. And that was both a victory in that moment that I realized that, but it was also like, okay, so where do I go from here? And it was like a real question for me to sort of contemplate. And that’s, I that might sound a little arrogant, like you achieve all that you want and then you’re kind of like, okay, well, what do I do now? Like that’s a… a first world problem that most people would want to have that don’t even get to that point to have. it’s be prepared for that. Like if you really believe you’re going to be successful and you’re not going to stop until you become successful, be prepared for those moments that you have where you go, wow, OK, I really have it now. What now? And so I thought about all these different things that I could do from that point on. And I was like, well, wait a minute. It’s not about doing something different. I’m so happy with what I’m doing now. I don’t need to do anything different. I just want to do more of what I’m already doing. Nick McGowan (37:05.094)Yeah. Damon Cart (37:05.26)and I don’t need more freedom to do that. And it was a realization of I don’t need to be pursuing freedom so hard anymore because more of it actually can, at this point in my life, would probably be more nihilistic or more escapism. And it’s like, that’s not worth that either because that’s not gonna fulfill me more. So it was an interesting realization to come to that. And it’s like, yeah, okay, freedom doesn’t have to be the main thing here anymore. Nick McGowan (37:22.481)Mm-hmm Nick McGowan (37:33.874)Well, I think we’re also taught in this world with all the systems we have that you have to have a destination. Like think about even being like in high school and they’re like, we, need a five or you need a 10 year plan. That was always so difficult. I remember somebody even years ago was like, well, what’s your five or 10 year plan from now? It’s like, fuck if I know, because anything I come up with is going to be like half-hearted and like what I kind of want right now. But as you’ve moved through things and you do things, you start to see, well, I really want this. I want that. Like freedom is a big thing. I think a lot of people want freedom. I. Damon Cart (37:43.822)Hmm. Hmm. Nick McGowan (38:03.706)I love the freedom that I have. I’m right there with you where it’s like one of those things where you go, well, cool, I have it. Well, that’s cool. But like what’s really fulfilling inside is the thing that actually just drives us and pulls us from basically our chest. So for the people that are on their path towards self mastery and with everything you’ve gone through and especially with NLP, what’s your advice for those folks? Damon Cart (38:26.318)Keep your attention on what’s most important and what’s most important is your values. A value is a generalization about an experience that is important to you. So if happiness is important to you, success is important to you, authenticity is important to you, always keep your eyes on that. And then any goals you set need to be aligned with those values. Most of the time people have no idea what their values are in a particular context and they will be different from context to context. And they just set a goal because they think, okay, like you said, You have to have a destination, right? So here I’m going to set this goal, but they don’t really understand what’s driving the motivation to have that goal. And a lot of times it’s more external values. Well, other people value achieving this, so it must be valuable. Or if I achieve it, then these people will think very highly of me and respect me. Those are, you know, if you’re accomplishing something that does those things, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if that’s why you’re doing it, you’re probably not going to be fulfilled. by accomplishing that. And so a lot of people are chasing goals that are not even fulfilling to them. And whenever they fail at that, because really there’s that inner wisdom that is holding them back, like the inner wisdom that helped me back from succeeding as an insurance agent, because that would have been the golden handcuffs. It would have been really hard to walk away from a very successful business with a lot of money. And I would have probably tolerated that misery. you want to be careful. know, like when you quit at something because you run out of motivation for it. Nick McGowan (39:45.318)Hmm. Damon Cart (39:52.345)Check in with that is that a deeper wisdom that knows better that that’s not really going to fulfill you. But what most people do is they beat themselves up and they say, I should have had more discipline or I should have had more willpower. I’m just not good enough. And they go into this whole self-worth thing, which is not real by the way. It’s something that holds a lot of people back. And then the people who do succeed at it and they get there and they go, wow, this isn’t fulfilling. This feels rather empty. thought it would be great if when I finally Nick McGowan (40:03.791)Yeah. Nick McGowan (40:08.454)the Damon Cart (40:21.39)Achieve this but again, it wasn’t aligned with their values. So no, it’s not going to be fulfilling and Because they feel lost without a goal They set another goal and get back on that treadmill and they do the whole thing over and over again and people come to me for coaching now who are very very successful on paper you would think they would be extremely happy and fulfilled they have all the money they have the family they have the cars the house and everything and they’re coming to me because they feel like imposters or they’re coming to me because they feel so unfulfilled and they can’t understand it because they’ve accomplished everything they’ve ever wanted to accomplish yet they feel so empty inside. And it’s like, yeah, you’re good at accomplishing. The problem was you never really got in touch with what do you truly value? What is really important to you? And so that’s the most important thing is what’s most important to you. And the better you understand that, the more clarity you have around that, the more you’re naturally going to be drawn to that and motivated to do that. The other thing I would say is There is no such thing as self-worth. How this problem comes up is feeling like you’re not good enough, feeling like you deserve it or don’t deserve it. It goes both ways. And so what most people are feeling is a low sense of self-worth. And they feel like if I go and try to achieve something and I fail at it, I will lower my self-worth and I’m already clinging to what little I have. So most of the time people won’t do something and they’ll sit back and say, well, I’m waiting for the right opportunity. what they’re waiting is to feel of higher self-worth so that they feel like they can go do something and if they lose some self-worth, they’ll still be okay. Well, here’s the thing, there is no such thing as self-worth. There is no way to measure your value, which is what worth is. It’s really a metaphor and there’s a lot of problems that happen when we try to apply metaphors literally. And we see this in the Bible. Fundamentalists are people who are trying to apply metaphors in the Bible literally and it causes a lot of problems. So what people do is they have this idea of self-worth. And so they think, well, how do I measure my worth? Well, first of all, there’s no way to do it. There’s no objective scale or person who can be objective and measure people’s worth. So what do we do? We compare ourselves to others and that will destroy you every time. If you compare yourself to others to make yourself feel better about yourself because you think they’re less than you. Now you’re engaging in the superiority that’s going to bring you down. And if you play that game, you can’t only play it in one direction. Damon Cart (42:45.87)when you encounter someone you think is of higher worth than you, now you’re gonna feel bad about yourself. The whole thing, you can kill the whole thing just by stop comparing yourself to others. Now this idea of self-worth, it usually comes about very early in life and we just pile more and more beliefs on top of that whole idea. So the two things that I would recommend is get clear and clear about your values, basically what’s important to you. What does that actually look like to you? And you’re not going have it all figured out. And you’re definitely not going to figure it out all out on paper. You need to take action. And action is the best way to get that clarity, experience. And then the other thing is to dismantle the whole concept of self-worth entirely. When you do that, when you do those two things together, you’re just on the path to living a very fulfilling life, a life of being who you want to be and therefore creating the life you want to live. Nick McGowan (43:38.213)That’s awesome. And I think a lot of people can anchor into like the understanding of action and motivation too. Like you have to take action to be motivated, continue to do the thing. It’s likewise with what you’re saying where you have to take those actions, but you have to understand why you’re doing those things. And it is interesting how a lot of people don’t know what their principles are or they are somebody else’s principles. Like, well, my wife and I, or my partner and I, or my family and I, have these principles. Like, well, where did those come from? Well, you know, they just kind of came up and like, we don’t really think about that or don’t think about it throughout their day to day life of like, well, how do I move about this? And why do I want to do such a thing? I’m really glad that you touched on those two things, man. It’s been great having you on. So I appreciate your time. Before I let you go, where can people find you and where can they connect with you? Damon Cart (44:27.852)Yeah, the easiest place is my YouTube channel. It’s just Damon Cart, Damon Cart NLP. And we’ve got a lot of videos been doing this for quite a while, almost 10 years. So that’s, you’ll find not only my videos, but in my videos, I give a lot of free resources so that you can get started usually on the topic that I’m giving you or the solution to a problem. You can access like free PDFs and things like that. so also I have my website is selfconcept.com. Like I said, I do general NLP, but I also really focus on this one model because your beliefs about yourself determine your beliefs about everything else, you the world around you. And if you haven’t realized already, it’s your beliefs that govern your reality. So what you believe is possible, what you believe is true. lot of, most of our beliefs are deeply unconscious. So when you can understand what the beliefs are, especially the deeply unconscious ones about who you are, when you understand what those are, you understand their limitations and then you transform them so they don’t have those limitations. Then you become that person you value. Your self-esteem goes up, your confidence goes up and you naturally gravitate toward creating that life that you want to live that’s reflective of the value that you are. Nick McGowan (45:45.38)So wait, you putting worth to that? No, I’m just kidding. I’m only kidding. Awesome, man. Well, again, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for being with us today. Damon Cart (45:48.052)It’s different, worse than the measurement. Damon Cart (45:55.246)Thank you for having me on.

Welfare Work Without Welfare: Women and Austerity in Interwar Bucharest (De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2025) argues that women activists, wage workers, and homemakers in the Romanian capital Bucharest became de facto social workers in the interwar period through their "austerity welfare work". Revealing links and tensions between the performers of different types of underpaid or unpaid austerity welfare work, each empirical chapter focuses on a key domain: - knowledge production about social problems by "women welfare activist" (professional social workers, lay experts, left wing militants); - municipal-level social assistance policy, with emphasis on a pioneering generation of women local politicians in shaping welfare practices; - paid household work by underpaid servants; - unpaid household work by homemakers or precariously employed women in working class communities. The book offers a novel interpretation of state-society relations after the First World War, showing that unpaid labor and gender relations were crucial in responding to economic crisis in an Eastern European urban setting and beyond. At once a local and transnational history of women's work, Welfare Work Without Welfare contributes to the historicization of social reproduction work and to the rethinking of the history of welfare states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

Romania is one of America's key allies in the fight for Eastern Europe. Romanian Special Forces are critical to the success of that mission; and the partnership between United States Special Operations and our Romanian counterparts sits at the center of that strategy.From the Global Special Operations Symposium in Athens, Greece, Fran Racioppi sat down with Major General Claudiu Dobocan, Commander of the Romanian Special Operations Forces, to discuss how Romanian Special Operations are combatting Russian aggression and holding the line in Europe.General Dobocan shared his perspective on strengthening SOF partnerships, advancing interoperability, and building modern capabilities that allow allied forces to operate seamlessly together. He spoke about Romania's place within NATO, the importance of trust and shared mission across borders, and the need for Special Operations units to remain agile and prepared for the full spectrum of emerging threats.From combating hybrid threats to maintaining readiness alongside allied SOF elements, General Dobocan emphasized that success today depends on relationships, shared understanding, and the willingness to stand together in the face of uncertainty.Highlights0:00 Introduction1:26 Welcome to GSOF Europe 20253:21 Mission of Romanian Special Operations Forces8:45 Evolution of technology in SOF10:45 Eliminating Human-in-the-Loop?13:35 Changes in military tactics16:57 Romanian Special Forces Mission18:44 Why Join the Romanian Army?20:06 NATO Alliance Importance25:24 Leading against a Global ThreatQuotes“We were created by cooperation between Romanian Ministry of Defense and US SOCEUR.” “Interoperability, no one really talks about what that really means.” “Words carrying value carry meaning.”“Industry defines the speed of technological development.”“The strategic game changer is generative AI.”“I'm scared of the moment when everything is passed to AI.”“I don't think swarming is going to be the next way of doing battle.”“Our mission is to be a strategic level instrument that helps with reaction to crisis and building partnerships and capabilities in the region.”“10th Group and 20th Group came around and showed us what right looks like so I signed up.”“It's a tool that kind of prevents conflict.”“NATO is the umbrella under which we share a lot of things that otherwise we cannot discuss about.”“When you talk about the good work NATO has done, you have to talk about the standards.”“We have to be deterrent on our part, but capable to move from military assistance type of missions into a very kinetic one.”Special thanks to the Global Special Operations Foundation for hosting us in Athens. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

Sami Steigmann was born in Romanian controlled territory in December 1939. Before he turned two years old, he was a prisoner at the Mogilev-Podolski concentration camp. He was five when the war ended, but the impact of the Holocaust on his family and his own life carry on to this day. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Steigmann, shares the horrible conditions of his father's childhood, how Romania started as a Soviet ally but then aligned with Nazi Germany, and what life was like under both.Steigmann then explains the brutal conditions at Mogilev-Podolski and the desperate effort to find food. He shares what his father gave up for bread and tells us about the mysterious stranger who saved his own life. He was also subjected to medical experiments by the Nazis.We'll also learn about the nightmares Steigmann suffered after the war, why Steigmann's family moved to Israel in 1961, and about his service in the Israeli Air Force before he came to the United States.Now a public speaker about the Holocaust, Steigmann shares why it is vital for all generations to understand what happened and how and why is happened.

The wish came true.Now the consequences begin.Natalie Primavera is trapped in a hospital bed, her body broken, her future uncertain — while her mind is stuck inside Ava Ross, a dancer who was never supposed to be good enough for the spotlight.Ava, meanwhile, is living inside Natalie's perfect body… and discovering that perfection is a prison with great lighting.As Nutcracker rehearsals intensify, the magic destabilizes. Roles are threatened. Loyalties fracture. The Sugar Plum Fairy becomes a battleground. And the line between ambition and identity starts to blur.Friendships turn sharp. Parents get complicated. Romance gets messy. And a Romanian ballet master with secrets of his own begins pushing both girls toward a reckoning neither of them is ready for.Act Two is where the comedy deepens, the stakes rise, and the story stops being about switching bodies — and starts being about who deserves the life they're fighting for.Because wanting something badly doesn't mean you understand the cost.It's still funny.It's still chaotic.But now it hurts in the best way.Written by award-winning writer Jenna St. John.Starring: Kensington Tallman as Natalie Primavera Logan Laurel as Ava Ross Konstantin Lavysh as Mr. Constantine Carson Bolde as Grayson Garcia Sasha Knight as Trevor Rita Dos Santos as Kenzie Samantha A. Smith as Jasmine Kearn Eva Binder as Zoe Dennings Adele Abinante as Bean Ross Avery Clyde as Mrs. Primavera Katherine Brunk as Ms. Ross Brandon Potter as Mr. Primavera Sarah Elmaleh as Miss Lana Miki Yamashita as Miss Miyako Paula Tiso as NarratorOnly on Table Read.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you doing all the "right" Christian things but still struggling to feel joy? You're not alone. In this heartfelt conversation with special guest, Asheritah Ciuciu, we talk about what it means to move from duty to delight—from trying to earn God's love to truly enjoying it.  Together we'll explore the simple rhythms that restore joy and the freeing truth that we were created for delight—not performance. If your faith feels weary or stuck, this episode will remind you that joy isn't just for eternity; it's for right now.   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE Connect with Asheritah on Instagram! Connect with Asheritah on Facebook! Delighting in Jesus: Rhythms to Restore Joy When You Feel Burdened, Broken, or Burned-Out Visit Asheritah's Website   ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST Asheritah Ciuciu is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the Prayers of Rest podcast. Asheritah is the author of many books, including Full, Prayers of Rest, and Unwrapping the Names of. A Romanian missionary kid, she's passionate about helping people around the world enjoy through creative spiritual habits. Asheritah is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they raise their three spunky kiddos in NE Ohio. Discover your creative devotional type at www.OneThingAlone.com.  

From Restless to Rooted: Joshua Williams on Calling, Repentance, and a Faith That Endures.What happens when the map you drew for your life no longer fits the road God is actually giving you? In this continuation of our conversation with Joshua Williams, we trace a candid journey through disappointment, redirection, and the quiet practices that turn belief into a way of life. This isn't highlight-reel faith; it's the daily, hidden work of following Jesus when the feelings fade and the next step isn't obvious.In this episode you'll hear about:Calling vs. career: how God reshapes ambition into service and steadies the heart when doors close.Repentance as renewal: not shame, but the rhythm that keeps love honest and hope alive.Prayer that holds in storms: learning to pray Scripture when words run out.Community and accountability: why “just me and Jesus” isn't enough when you're tired, tempted, or unsure.Sacrament and Scripture together: how worship and the Word form a faith that lasts beyond trends.Suffering without cynicism: carrying grief to Christ and finding courage to begin again.Why listen: If you're in a season of waiting, change, or quiet rebuilding, Joshua's story offers both clarity and comfort—practical ways to keep moving with Jesus when you're short on answers but rich in questions.If this conversation encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs steadying grace, and leave a quick review with the one practice—prayer, repentance, or community—you're committing to this week.**********What if the road to Jesus runs through a guru? We sit down with Joshua to trace his unlikely path from a Romanian “enlightenment” school to Orthodox Christianity, and we ask the questions seekers rarely say aloud: Do mystical experiences prove truth, or do they force us to ask which spirit we're listening to?Joshua describes leaving the U.S. to “throw himself into the arms of the universe,” clinging to ideas like reincarnation and religious unity while resisting the moral claims of Christ. Inside a syncretic school that blended Hindu and Buddhist concepts, he encountered a compelling teacher, apparent clairvoyance, and a vision of reality where Brahman reigns as impersonal essence. That promise of unity felt expansive—until it demanded he treat personhood, love, and moral responsibility as illusions. We contrast that with the Orthodox claim that God is personal and tri-personal: the Trinity as eternal communion, love that exists before creation, and a God who is everywhere present yet distinct from creation. Rather than absorbing us into a faceless One, God calls us by name and invites real relationship.Across the conversation, we map the turning points: irritation at the name of Jesus giving way to self-awareness, recognition of authentic Christian witness, and a rethinking of “science versus faith” that leaves shallow slogans behind. We explore discernment of spirits, why power isn't proof, and how an impersonal metaphysics drifts toward quiet nihilism. Then we look at the Orthodox vision of personhood that grounds meaning: if we're made in God's image, our capacity for love is not a cosmic trick—it's the point.If you've chased enlightenment and still long for a face behind the light, this story will meet you where you are. Listen, share with a friend who's wrestling with pantheism or syncretism, and leave a review to help others find the show. Subscribe for more conversations that take faith, reason, and experience seriously.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, XPlease leave a comment with your thoughts!

Romania is on NATO's eastern flank, and it is feeling the heat from drone incursions attributed to Russia, and from the Trump administration's strategic shift away from Europe. We speak to Romanian President Nicușor Dan about how his country is faring with these headwinds, and also about tough economic reforms that have put pressure on his fragile coalition government.

(Presented by ThreatLocker (https://threatlocker.com/threebuddyproblem): Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 76: On the show this week, Costin walks through how a single Romanian documentary kick-started nationwide protests, exposing how corruption can be perfectly legal when the law itself is gamed, and why this moment feels different, darker, and more consequential than past flare-ups. Plus, news on the React-to-Shell exploitation wave overwhelming the internet, why patching is structurally hard, and how APTs and criminals are converging on the same fragile dependency chain. Along the way, they take aim at Microsoft's shrinking transparency, the limits of vendor trust, and what it really means when defenders are told (again) to just patch and pray. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Costin Raiu (https://twitter.com/craiu).

Bigfoot Society Members Only Exclusive:In this shocking and emotional episode, a former Canadian student shares the unforgettable series of events that unfolded while living outside Rolla, Missouri—a rugged, wooded landscape hiding far more than wildlife. What began as strange rocks hitting the trailer roof escalated into one of the most disturbing signs of a Sasquatch encounter ever reported: the violent death of the household's pet potbelly pig, found with its neck crushed upward and a hind leg torn clean off.Through firsthand testimony—and the reactions of two Romanian roommates unfamiliar with North American cryptids—you'll hear how repeated encounters, window sightings, tree knocks, and a dramatic riverbank observation painted a chilling picture of something massive sharing their 240 wooded acres.

Daniele Irandoost is the author of four books and may have guested on this show as many times. One of his books was vetted and can be found in the CIA's libraries. He's a citizen of the UK, recently relocated from Britain to Scotland, and an outspoken critic of the surveillance State. His heritage is half Iranian, half Romanian and he's earned several degrees.We discuss diplomacy in it's current state and embark on an in depth, and hopefully, interesting discussion on whether diplomacy needs to follow the old rules or whether blunt force diplomacy is the rule of the day. Listen in if you want to hear an expert humor me. You know, like most episodes.   

learn 25 verbs that are used every day in Romanian

What happens when you wish you were someone else… and the universe says bet?Natalie Primavera has a million followers, perfect technique, and the lead role in every show. Ava Ross has a cracked phone, a boyfriend who sings like naked Miley Cyrus, and a work-study job sweeping up after other dancers.One ancient snow globe. Two desperate wishes. And suddenly they wake up in each other's bodies.There's just one problem: Natalie's body is now in a hospital bed with a shattered hip. And Ava's body? It's about to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy… with ankles like wet spaghetti.What follows is the funniest, most chaotic Nutcracker rehearsal season in history... zombie cats, possessed dolls, a Romanian ballet master who might actually be a warlock, his terrifying nine-year-old son, and a love triangle nobody ordered.But underneath the chaos is something real: two girls discovering that the lives they envied aren't what they seemed.It's Freaky Friday meets Center Stage, and it hits.THE UNDERSTUDY: ACT ONEWritten by award-winning writer Jenna St. John.Starring: Kensington Tallman as Natalie Primavera Logan Laurel as Ava Ross Konstantin Lavysh as Mr. Constantine Carson Bolde as Grayson Garcia Sasha Knight as Trevor Rita Dos Santos as Kenzie Samantha A. Smith as Jasmine Kearn Eva Binder as Zoe Dennings Adele Abinante as Bean Ross Avery Clyde as Mrs. Primavera Katherine Brunk as Ms. Ross Brandon Potter as Mr. Primavera Sarah Elmaleh as Miss Lana Miki Yamashita as Miss Miyako Paula Tiso as NarratorOnly on Table Read.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter Biden, Chinese Spies, and the Monetization of Political Connections: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel reports that following his father's departure from the vice presidency, Hunter Biden faced financial pressure and sought lucrative foreign clients, leading to risky entanglements; one venture involved a corrupt Romanian real estate magnate who hired Hunter along with former FBI Director Louis Freeh and Rudy Giuliani to resolve his legal troubles, with the proposed solution involving selling land including the site of the U.S. Embassy in Romania to a Chinese state-linked fund, and Hunter Biden was aware of the nature of his associates, referring to one as the "spy chief of China." OCTOBER 1, 1949

SHOW 12-8-2025 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1895 KHYBER PASS THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE FEDERAL RESERVE  BOARD OF GOVERNORS. FIRST HOUR 9-915 The DC Shooter, the Zero Units, and the Tragedy of the Afghan Withdrawal: Colleagues Husain Haqqani and Bill Roggio discuss recent violence in Washington, D.C. involving an Afghan immigrant that has drawn attention back to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021; the shooter, Ramanula Lakanal, was a member of the elite "Zero Units" of the Afghan National Army, a force that demanded priority evacuation for their families in exchange for providing security at the Kabul airport during the U.S. retreat, and while these units were stalwart allies against enemies like al-Qaeda and ISIS, they fought a "dirty war" and were accused of human rights violations, highlighting the broader failure of the withdrawal which occurred because political will faded across multiple administrations. 915-930 The Vetting Failure and the Lack of an Exit Strategy in Afghanistan: Colleagues Husain Haqqani and Bill Roggioexplain that the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was exacerbated by the lack of a methodical exit strategy, unlike the British who organized their departure and evacuation lists well in advance; critics argue that the U.S. imported significant security risks by rushing the evacuation, bringing in over 100,000 Afghans without adequate vetting, and while there was a moral obligation to help those who served, experts suggest that wholesale importation of citizens from a war-torn country was not the only solution and that better vetting or resettlement in third countries should have been considered. 930-945 Martial Law in South Korea and the Shadow of the North: Colleagues Morse Tan and Gordon Chang discuss South Korea facing severe political turmoil following President Yoon's declaration of martial law, a move his supporters argue was a constitutional response to obstructionist anti-state forces; the opposition, led by figures previously sympathetic to North Korea, has been accused of attempting to paralyze the government, while accusations of "insurrection" against President Yoon are dismissed as nonsensical, with the political infighting fracturing the conservative party and leaving South Korea vulnerable to the North Korean regime in a way not seen since the Korean War. 945-1000 Japan Stands Up for Taiwan While Canada Demurs: Colleagues Charles Burton and Gordon Chang report that Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi recently declared that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be a "survival threatening situation" for Japan, authorizing the mobilization of self-defense forces; this statement has triggered a massive propaganda campaign from Beijing demanding a retraction, as a successful invasion of Taiwan would likely require violating Japanese sovereignty, while in contrast Canada remains reluctant to support Tokyo or criticize Beijing, hoping to secure trade benefits and diversify exports away from the U.S., leaving Japan isolated by its allies. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 The Survival of UNRWA and the Flow of Terror Finance: Colleagues Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotterreport that despite investigations revealing corruption and ties to terrorism, the UN has renewed the mandate for UNRWA for another three years; the organization's facilities have been used by Hamas and its schools have been implicated in radicalizing children, yet international efforts to replace it have stalled, while Hamas leadership refuses to disarm or accept international oversight, demanding a Palestinian state as a precondition for any change, with financial support for terror groups continuing to flow through networks in Europe and the Middle East. 1015-1030 Greece's "Achilles Shield" and Israel's Iron Beam Laser Defense: Colleagues Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter report that Greece is undertaking a historic modernization of its armed forces, unveiling a new national defense strategy focused on long-range missiles and a modernized air defense system dubbed "Achilles Shield," allowing Greece to project power more flexibly in the Eastern Mediterranean and counter threats from Turkey; in Israel, a major defensive breakthrough is imminent with the deployment of the "Iron Beam," a laser defense system capable of intercepting threats at approximately $50 per shot, expected to rewrite the rules of air defense by effectively countering drone swarms and missiles. 1030-1045 Hezbollah's Quiet Regeneration Under Naim Qassem: Colleagues David Daoud and Bill Roggio report that since the ceasefire began, Hezbollah has received at least $2 billion from Iran and is actively rearming and regenerating its forces in Lebanon; the terror group is focusing on acquiring drone swarms and other asymmetrical weapons that are cheap to produce and difficult for Israel to counter, while Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem is leveraging his "bookish" and underestimated persona to lower the temperature and allow the group to rebuild without attracting the same level of scrutiny as his predecessor. 1045-1100 Fragmentation in Yemen: The Southern Transitional Council Advances: Colleagues Bridget Tumi and Bill Roggio report that the civil war in Yemen is fracturing further as the Southern Transitional Council, which advocates for southern secession, advances into eastern governorates to secure territory and combat smuggling; this move has heightened tensions within the anti-Houthi coalition, as the STC is backed by the UAE while other government factions are supported by Saudi Arabia, weakening the collective effort against the Houthis who control the capital Sanaa and maintain ambitions to conquer the entire country. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 The Druze National Guard and Internal Strife in Southern Syria: Colleagues Ahmad Sharawi and Bill Roggio report that instability is growing in Syria's Druze-majority Suwayda province, where a newly formed "National Guard" militia has begun arresting and killing political opponents; the militia is spiritually guided by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who has consolidated power by sidelining other Druze leaders who were open to reconciliation with the Assad regime, with Turkey expressing support for the anti-Assad Druze factions against both the Syrian government and Kurdish forces, while recent violence suggests a hardening of anti-regime sentiment. 1115-1130 The "Variable Geometry" of the Muslim Brotherhood and Its Global Affiliates: Colleagues Edmund Fitton-Brown and Bill Roggio explain that the Muslim Brotherhood operates as a "mothership" for various Islamist movements, utilizing a strategy of "variable geometry" to adapt to local political environments while aiming for a global caliphate; Hamas functions as the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood and despite being severely damaged by the war with Israel remains the dominant force in Gaza, with the Brotherhood finding state sponsorship primarily in Qatar, which provides funding and media support via Al Jazeera, and Turkey, where President Erdogan acts as a leader for the organization. 1130-1145 Ukraine Negotiations Hit a Cul-de-Sac Amidst Infiltration Tactics: Colleagues John Hardie and Bill Roggio report that peace talks regarding Ukraine are currently at a standstill, with the U.S. and Ukraine at odds over Russia's demands for territory in the Donbas versus Ukraine's need for meaningful security guarantees; while the U.S. has pressured Ukraine to concede territory, the security assurances offered are viewed skeptically by Kyiv, and Russia refuses to accept any Western military presence in Ukraine, while on the battlefield Russia employs infiltration tactics using small groups, sometimes single soldiers, to penetrate deep into Ukrainian positions. 1145-1200 The Trump Corollary: Reviving the Monroe Doctrine in Latin America: Colleague Ernesto Araújo discusses a new "Trump corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine reshaping U.S. policy in the Americas, signaling a more assertive stance against foreign influence and authoritarian regimes; this shift is evident in Venezuela, where President Maduro appears to be negotiating his exit in the face of U.S. pressure, while in Brazil the administration of Lula da Silva faces significant instability due to a massive banking scandal linking the government to money laundering and organized crime, with the new application of the Monroe Doctrine suggesting the U.S. will favor political figures aligned with its security strategy. FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Devil's Advocates: Robert Stryk, Rudy Giuliani, and the Business of Influence: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel discusses how in the power vacuum created by Donald Trump's arrival in Washington, unconventional lobbyists like Robert Stryk rose to prominence by marketing access to the new administration; Stryk, described as an "anti-hero" with a checkered business past, hosted a lavish event at the Hay-Adams Hotel to legitimize the regime of Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, successfully delivering Rudy Giuliani as Trump's personal attorney, signaling a new informal channel for foreign diplomacy and highlighting how foreign regimes utilized large sums of money and unconventional intermediaries to seek favor. 1215-1230 The Accidental Diplomat: Robert Stryk and the New Zealand Connection: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel explains that Robert Stryk's rise in the lobbying world was fueled by serendipity and bold bluffs, exemplified by a chance encounter with a New Zealand diplomat at a cafe; the diplomat revealed that New Zealand, having prepared for a Clinton victory, had no contacts within the incoming Trump team and could not arrange a congratulatory call between their Prime Minister and the President-elect, and Stryk, leveraging a connection to a former Trump campaign field director, provided a phone number that successfully connected the embassy to Trump's team, establishing his credibility and launching his career in high-stakes foreign lobbying. 1230-1245 Hunter Biden, Chinese Spies, and the Monetization of Political Connections: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel reports that following his father's departure from the vice presidency, Hunter Biden faced financial pressure and sought lucrative foreign clients, leading to risky entanglements; one venture involved a corrupt Romanian real estate magnate who hired Hunter along with former FBI Director Louis Freeh and Rudy Giuliani to resolve his legal troubles, with the proposed solution involving selling land including the site of the U.S. Embassy in Romania to a Chinese state-linked fund, and Hunter Biden was aware of the nature of his associates, referring to one as the "spy chief of China." 1245-100 AM FARA: From Fighting Nazi Propaganda to Modern Transparency: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel explains that the Foreign Agents Registration Act was originally enacted in 1938 to counter Nazi propaganda in the United States before World War II; at the time, the Third Reich was paying well-connected American consultants to whitewash Hitler's image and keep the U.S. out of the war, operating without public knowledge, and Congress passed FARA to create transparency, requiring those paid by foreign principals to influence the U.S. government or media to register their activities, with the law remaining today the primary vehicle for accountability in foreign lobbying

LIVE SHOW: Featuring Cecile Landi and Levi Jung-Ruivivar is this Sunday, December 14th at 3 Pacific/6 Eastern. Get your tickets now to ask questions live! The NCAA unveils major rule changes for 2026, and coaches are going to get so many more yellow cards. We break down the new NQS math, the Georgia Collective's NIL lawsuit, Romania's latest retaliation crisis,  Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos clarifying exclusively to Jessica that she is not in financial distress, plus more info on the American Cup's new mixed-team format. HEADLINES Simone demonstrating why all of us should do gymnastics Five Romanian gymnasts have submitted formal complaints against the Romanian Federation and the Federation is retaliating against their own coaches and athletes What are the conditions the coaches and athletes are facing? How can the FIG continue to allow such a federation to be certified? Thanks to Uncle Tim and his PhD-level gymnastics history research, we know many past Romanian World and Olympic medalists, some with current leadership positions in the Romanian federation, competed with underage or with false birthdays A Melanie de Jesus Dos Santos update. What happened post-Paris Olympics? 2025 World All-Around Champion, Angelina Melnikova, is out of Bundesliga after her club  severed ties with her The American Cup is back! This time as a mixed-team competition When and where will the event be held? How is the format different compared to the European Championships mixed-pairs event? Who are our dream international teams? GYMTERNET NEWS NEW ELEMENT ALERT! The piked full-twisting Jaeger is now the Minamino The Georgia Collective is suing athletes who transferred which could have big implications for the future Athletes.org released a collective bargaining agreement you can see here Max Whitlock has announced his return to gymnastics with the hopes of making it to the Los Angeles Olympics Oksana Chusovitina is training for 2026 World Cups Jayla Hang announced on Instagram she had surgery on her wrist Giovanni Maria Fares, a lawyer formerly at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, is the new head of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation Lawsuits and Dumpster Fire News Chows is being sued after an investigative piece by Eddie Pells of the AP Former Rutgers coach Umme Salim-Beasley is suing the school for wrongful termination The Trump administration is refusing to administer visas to athletes from Caribbean countries, preventing them from participating in LA28 qualifying events NCAA photo shoot drama Two top schools are using horses as their photo theme... (1) (2) Kaylia Nemour has released a book, ''The Shadow of Gold'' The University of Minnesota Men's Gymnastics Club has a new facility European Gymnastics will allow Russians to participate in competitions as neutral athletes, opening up Olympic qualification paths for artistic and rhythmic gymnasts  Ashikawa Urara has retired after years of battling worsening scoliosis Claire Pease commits to Utah! Dulcy Caylor is deferring her NCAA start at Florida to focus on LA28 GYM NERD SCHOOL - College Gymnastics Rule Changes in 2026 What are updates to the National Qualifying Score? What are the differences between the new and old versions? Do we think the changes are positive? Controversy radar activated: some teams will have to drop 2 high scores and some teams will have to drop 1 The Yellow Card Game - becasue these caoches are going to get yellow cards constantly INTERVIEW Gymnastics Medicine interview: pain myths & better injury care with Dr. Elspeth (Elly) Hart DScPAS and Dr. Ezara Greene DPT SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast Friday this week only at noon Pacific/8 GMT NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved it, please leave a review

Today I am delighted to welcome activist and scholar Erin McElroy to the podcast. She is the author of a remarkable book, Silicon Valley Imperialism: Techno Fantasies in Postsocialist Times. At the center of this rich and provocative study is the Romanian city of Cluj, which has been dubbed the “Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe.”  McElroy untangles this notion by going back to the socialist period, whose technological advances made Romania a particularly attractive site for foreign tech investment after the fall of Communism. Erin explains how the arrival of what were called “digital nomads” into Cluj was first made possible by the brutal eviction of its Roma population.  As enticing as it is to map these evictions to similar displacements of racial minorities and the poor in the San Francisco Bay Area, Erin explores the fissures and disconnects between the two cases, as well as their eerie convergences. We end by, as McElroy writes, “reflecting on what bringing abolitionist and ant- imperial geographies together in post-socialist contexts can do. Just as global capital connections mapped the Siliconizing moment, other connections scaffold the very possibilities of unbecoming Silicon Valley.”Erin McElroy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington, where their work focuses upon intersections of gentrification, technology, empire, fascism, and racial capitalism, alongside housing justice organizing and transnational solidarities. McElroy is author of Silicon Valley Imperialism: Techno Fantasies and Frictions in Postsocialist Times (Duke University Press, 2024) and coeditor of Counterpoints: A San Francisco Bay Area Atlas of Displacement and Resistance (PM Press, 2021). Additionally, McElroy is cofounder of the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project—a data visualization, counter-cartography, and digital media collective that produces tools, maps, reports, murals, zines, oral histories, and more to further the work of housing justice. At UW, McElroy runs Landlord Tech Watch and the Anti-Eviction Lab which produce collaborative research and collective knowledge focused on intersections of property, surveillance, technocapitalism, and technolibertarianism. 

Allen covers Ecowende’s first monopile installation in the Netherlands, designed to be the most ecological offshore wind farm ever built. Plus Ireland’s offshore potential proves far smaller than hoped, Australia cancels its third offshore project in recent months, LiveLink Aerospace solves radar clutter in Scotland, GE Vernova secures a Romanian turbine deal, and Canadian tariffs threaten BC Hydro wind development. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! If you want to see the future of offshore wind… look to the Netherlands.Off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden… about fifty-threekilometers out to sea… something special is rising from the waves.They call it ECOWENDE.VAN OORD’s installation vessel BOREAS just planted the firstmonopile there on December third. Fifty-one more will follow. And whencomplete… this seven hundred sixty megawatt wind farm will become… themost ecological offshore wind project ever built.Why most ecological?The monopiles come in two sizes. Research shows taller turbines givebirds more room to fly safely between the blades. Some turbines will sportred blades… to make them even more visible to passing flocks. The seabedgets eco-friendly scour protection. And those massive VESTAS fifteen-megawatt turbines? They will sit atop foundations built by SIFand SMULDERS.Power for the Netherlands by end of twenty-twenty-six.Meanwhile… across the North Sea in Scotland…At ABERDEEN Offshore Wind Farm… LIVELINK AEROSPACE just solveda problem that has plagued the industry for years.You see… wind turbines create radar clutter. Their spinning blades confusemilitary and civilian radar systems alike. But LIVELINK’s Air IntelligenceSystem… mounted on the nacelle… eliminates that clutterwithout emitting any signals of its own.The UK’s Department for Energy Security funded the test through the onebillion pound Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.BEN KEENE of LIVELINK says the technology unlocks offshore wind’s fullpotential… while strengthening national security. Clean energy AND defense. Together.But not every nation is celebrating.IRELAND just discovered… its offshore wind dreams may be smaller thanhoped.Energy Minister DARRAGH O’BRIEN receivedconfidential maps this spring. The assessment initially found potential forforty-eight gigawatts offshore.The realistic number?Between three and eighteen gigawatts.Deep waters. Shipwrecks. Arms dumps. Undersea cables. Protectedhabitats. All these stand in the way.The Irish government had targeted five gigawatts by twenty-thirty. Theyface fines of up to twenty billion euros if they miss their climate goals.Social Democrats spokeswoman JENNIFER WHITMORE says she issurprised detailed mapping took this long.Four years from the deadline… and they are only now learning which siteswill not work.Down Under… the news is worse.AGL Energy just cancelled GIPPSLAND SKIES… a two-and-a-half gigawattoffshore wind project in Victoria, Australia.That makes three offshore wind farms scrapped in recent months offAustralia’s south coast. German company RWE abandonedits two-gigawatt KENT project in October. BLUEFLOAT ENERGY droppedGIPPSLAND DAWN in July. AGL says it will focus on onshore wind… batteries… and pumped hydroinstead.But there is bright news from Eastern Europe.GE VERNOVA just signed a deal with GREENVOLT POWER to supplyforty-two turbines for the GURBANESTI wind farm inROMANIA.Each turbine… six-point-one megawatts. Combined with another recentproject… these two farms will bring five hundred megawatts online…powering more than one hundred ten thousand Romanian homes.Turbines start arriving in twenty-twenty-six.And in British Columbia… Premier DAVID EBY has a fight on hishands.A twenty-five percent tariff on imported wind towers threatens BC HYDRO’selectricity supply.PATRICIA LIGHTBURN of the Canadian Renewable Energy Associationsays the tariff could derail projects already announced. BC HYDRO iscounting on those wind farms to close an impending power gap.Canada’s Energy Regulator expects wind to fill seventy percent ofrenewable demand growth through twenty-thirty.The tariff? Nobody saw it coming.Now… for those of you heading to Edinburgh this week…The UK Offshore Wind Supply Chain Spotlight takes place Thursday. JOEL SAXUM and I will be there… meeting with innovating companies andentrepreneurs who are building the future of this industry.If you are attending… come say hello. We'd love to hear from youAnd that is the state of the wind energy industry on December 8, 2025.Join us tomorrow for the Uptime Wind Energy Pocast.

"We care witnessing in the digital news reports a major shift since the COVID-19 crisis. (…). During the COVID crisis, the main information source became social media. With social media, you have many, many difficulties in finding the rightinformation or the correct information”, stated Raluca Radu, a Professor of Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Bucharest, speaker for the Budapest Forum and contributor to the Reuters Institute Digital Report.  In a conversation for the Review of Democracy, she explains how social platforms like TikTok, WhatsApp groups, and AI-driven chatbots reconfigure the trust towards information. As Raluca Radu clearly emphasizes, COVID-19 marked a shiftin media consumption. During the pandemic, the main source of information became the short-form video content on platforms such as TikTok. Some newsrooms recognized that their audiences migrated elsewhere and rushed to follow. They tried to adapt to this changing landscape by establishing social media presence. By now, social media is not only an additional channel of dissemination but, in some cases, the only way to reach citizens who do not read traditional websites or watch TV. Thus, social media and algorithmsredefine the public sphere worldwide. This poses new problems. Whilst seemingly the AI data appears to be neutral, it might often be biased. Thus, this shift might need new conceptual approaches. Throughout her research, Raluca Radu puts a strong emphasis on the topic of trust. As she explains, this concept can be extremely valuable. For instance,  trust in media tends to decrease duringpolitical crises, particularly when politicians attack media companies. Economic divides complicate this already fragile situation. The misinformation and radicalization is also created by the lack of access to good quality information. Whilst the Nordic countries show high subscription rates and mediatrust, the Romanian model follows a different model. Here, the audiences expect free and high-quality information. In this context, investigative journalism relies more often on crowdfunding than on paywalls. Consequences are visible. Romania's 2024 elections showed that the rise of fringe political figures such as Călin Georgescu was driven less by overt campaigning (grassroots) than coordinated comment networks and WhatsApp chains (known as astroturfing). The comments on the posts were often AI-generated. Such tactics were much more difficult to spot by researchers and electoral regulators. Raluca Radu is not merely diagnosing the problem. Instead, as a researcher in PROMPT, she is contributing to developingan AI-assisted tool that tracks harmful narratives across languages and platforms. Throughout the podcast, Raluca Radu's emphasis is that the public sphere seems to be fragmented, but not beyond repair. Understanding the newframeworks of information consumption is the first step towards building strong, trustworthy content.

Ankara is voicing alarm over a spate of attacks on Russian tankers in the Black Sea, with fears that strikes on ships carrying oil and other key commodities could threaten global trade and pose environmental dangers to Turkey, which has the longest coastline in the strategic sea. The Turkish government on Thursday summoned both Russian and Ukrainian envoys, warning them to desist from escalating the conflict in the Black Sea. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the past week's attacks on three Russian tankers as "unjustifiable". Kyiv said its drones targeted two of the vessels, and Moscow has warned it may consider striking the ships of countries supporting Ukraine if such attacks continue. "This escalation is very dangerous; no one can estimate what will happen," warns international relations expert and former Turkish presidential advisor Mesut Casin. "Putin says he will use reciprocity rights. This means some of the [Russian] submarines could attack not only Ukraine but also some of the Western NATO allies' tanker ships," he explains, a possibility that raises the threat of "a very big environmental disaster". Shadow fleet Kyiv has claimed responsibility for the drone attacks on two empty Russian-flagged tankers but denied involvement in the strike on a ship carrying sunflower oil to Georgia. The Russian tankers belong to Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet", which is used to circumvent international sanctions by carrying oil and other exports aboard ships not officially registered to the government.  Given Turkey's long Black Sea coast, fears of an environmental catastrophe are foremost for Ankara. "These shadow fleet tankers are not modern and are not in good condition," observes former Turkish diplomat Selim Kuneralp. "The Russians provide their own domestic insurance for these ships," he says. "But how useful and how valid these insurances will be [...] remains a question mark." How one man's ship-spotting hobby is helping thwart Russian sanction-busting Trade implications With Ukrainian forces destroying much of Russia's navy in the Black Sea, Moscow has limited capacities to protect its tankers. Ukraine has so far targeted only empty Russian tankers, but alarm bells are ringing on the potential implications for global trade. "Both Ukraine and Russia are leading exporters of basic food and agricultural commodities," notes analyst Atilla Yesilada of GlobalSource Partners. "Despite massive bombing, Ukraine's grain export capacity is largely intact and is taking the coastal route. So any impairment of that is bad for the world at a time when we are not certain of crop yields because of the ongoing drought elsewhere." Insurance premiums for cargo ships using the Black Sea have already spiked amidst the escalating conflict. Ankara wary of escalation Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his NATO counterparts this week, broaching the topic of ensuring safe navigation of the vital sea trade route. Turkey is already cooperating with its partners in the alliance that share the Black Sea coast, Romania and Bulgaria, to clear sea mines. Fidan said that cooperation could be expanded to enhance shipping security.  However, any increased NATO involvement in the Black Sea would be borne mainly by the Turkish navy, given that the Romanian and Bulgarian navies are largely coastal forces. Ships belonging to navies outside the Black Sea have been shut out by Ankara since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with Russian warships. Turkey, under the 1936 Montreux Convention, regulates access to the sea and is only allowing warships to enter to return to their home ports. Turkey's mediator role in the Ukraine war faces growing US pressure Former diplomat Kuneralp claims Ankara will be cautious of getting drawn into any conflict in the Black Sea. "It would put all the burden on Turkey alone. What would it do? Would it try to intervene in a dispute between Russia and Ukraine? That's unlikely. I would not want that to happen because it would be too risky," he says. "And that's perhaps why there have not been any concrete actions since the start of the war other than talk." For now, Turkey – one of the few countries with good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow – is relying on diplomacy, and hoping that Washington's ongoing peace efforts will succeed.

Betel Chapel - A Romanian Baptist Church located just outside of Chicago, IL. Located at 330 W Touhy, Park Ridge. The Church's Mission is: Missions - To Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples. Sunday Worship 10:00 AM 5:00PM & Wednesday Worship 7:00 PM | | Listen to our Bi-Weekly Services 25/47

Dr. Marc Lewis is a neuroscientist, psychologist, and psychotherapist who taught developmental psychology at the University of Toronto for over 20 years. He's the author of "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain" and "The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease". Drawing from both his personal recovery journey and decades of research, Dr. Lewis offers a revolutionary perspective on addiction neuroscience.WHAT WE DISCUSSEDNEUROSCIENCE INSIGHTS:Why dopamine isn't a "pleasure chemical" and what it actually does in addictionThe real difference between healthy learning and addictive learningHow the striatum, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex create compulsive behaviorWhy different types of emotional pain lead to different substance choicesThe neuroplasticity principle: "what fires together, wires together"THERAPEUTIC PERSPECTIVES:Why addiction is NOT a chronic relapsing brain diseaseInternal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and how it heals addictionThe three parts: The Critic, The Firefighter, and The Exile (inner child)Why self-compassion is non-negotiable for recoveryHow to talk to the different "parts" of yourselfMark's approach with his 20-30 weekly therapy clientsPERSONAL WISDOM:Mark's 8-10 year journey through heroin and cocaine addictionHis daily practices for staying present and connected at age 74How he faced a terrible year (divorce, family estrangement, illness) with IFS toolsWhy connection (not sobriety) is the opposite of addictionPractical steps for breaking bad habits and building new neural pathwaysPARENTING & PREVENTION:How to talk to kids about drugs in a way they'll actually listenWhy loneliness is the biggest risk factor for addictionThe critical importance of movement, sleep, and feeling understoodWhy some childhood experimentation is actually healthyKEY INSIGHTS:"The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It's connection" - Johann Hari"We have different parts of our personality, and they often polarize in addiction.""You can heal at any age—with presence, breath, and self-love.""Stop thinking of addiction as a disease. It's learned behavior."RESOURCES MENTIONEDBOOKSThe Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease" by Marc Lewis (available in Romanian: "Biologia Dorinței")Memoirs of an Addicted Brain" by Marc Lewis"Chasing the Scream" by Johann HariPROGRAMS & PEOPLELiminal Learning program by Isabela Granic Dr. Gabor Maté - Compassionate InquiryDr. Dick Schwartz - Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapyJohann Hari's TED Talk: "The Opposite of Addiction is Connection"Sat Dharam Kaur - Compassionate Inquiry practitionerTHERAPIESInternal Family Systems (IFS)Compassionate Inquiry (CI)Acest episod este produs și distribuit cu susținerea E.ON Energie România. Episodul este creat în colaborare cu Compassionate Inquiry România, parte din inițiativa ReConnect 2025, un eveniment dedicat tratării și prevenirii adicțiilor. (00:00) Introduction(04:09) Mark's Journey: Addict → Scientist → Therapist(09:50) The Dopamine Myth Debunked(12:52) Addictive Learning vs. Healthy Learning(16:05) Why Some Get Addicted & Others Don't(19:59) Connection: The Opposite of Addiction(23:50) Genes vs. Environment in Addiction(29:20) The Most Important Thing Parents Can Do(36:50) How to Talk to Kids About Drugs(39:55) Different Pain = Different Addictions(46:53) The Neuroscience of Alcohol(51:21) Why Addiction Isn't a Disease(56:27) Different Paths to Recovery from Addiction(01:03:03) Internal Family Systems Therapy Explained(01:05:12) The Three Parts: Critic, Firefighter, Exile(01:07:52) Self-Compassion as the Engine of Healing(01:14:25) Processing Trauma Later in Life(01:17:50) Mark's Daily Healing Practices(01:21:33) The Science of Breaking Bad Habits(01:28:54) Can You Heal Without Self-Love?(01:34:59) Three Questions to Transform Addiction Treatment

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SEASON 2 - EPISODE 170 - Cristian Mungiu - Director In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Cristian Mungiu (R.M.N., GRADUATION, BEYOND THE HILLS). Cristian's films—which we deeply admire—largely focus on social issues in his native country of Romania, and though they are told in his own unique voice, his films explore problems many in the world face today. We learn how the fall of communism and Ceaușescu's regime in Cristian's youth enabled him to become a filmmaker, and he reflects on the lingering effects of the country's cinematic culture before and after the Romanian Revolution. We spend much of our conversation discovering how Cristian approaches filmmaking and cinematic storytelling, and he shares how he works on any given day in production. Cristian also reveals how his films are received by Romanian audiences, and we discuss our commitment as filmmakers to presenting the truth as we see it. Plus, Cristian lets us know what to expect in his upcoming feature, FJORD. - Recommended Viewing: R.M.N., GRADUATION, BEYOND THE HILLS - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

✨ Want to become a confident parent in 12 weeks or less? Start here: https://drlindsayemmerson.com/workshop-pod In this episode, you'll learn about the critical 0–9 month window that most new parents overlook and why secure attachment, not sleep schedules or fancy gear, is what truly shapes your baby's brain. I'll walk you through the research behind early bonding, including the powerful lessons from Romanian orphanage studies, and show you exactly how simple, consistent responsiveness builds lifelong emotional health. You'll learn what secure attachment looks like in everyday moments, why clinginess is actually a sign you're doing it right, and how those first months lay the foundation for your child's resilience, relationships, and future success. New to my podcast?  I'm Dr. Lindsay Emmerson, a clinical psychologist and Mom of 4, and I help parents find that sweet spot between support and structure that psychology research tells us is best for families now and best for our kids in the future. ------------------------------------------- Let's connect! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlindsayemmerson TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drlindsayemmerson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@drlindsayemmerson ------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: The advice provided on my channel is different from therapy and does not substitute for professional psychological treatment or other types of professional advice or intervention.  Never disregard the advice of a medical professional or postpone seeking professional medical advice related to anything you hear on this channel.   If you or your child have concerns or need further parenting or personal support, please contact a physician or other qualified local health professional. #drlindsayemmerson #childdevelopment #parentingstrategies 00:00 – 0:48: Why the First 9 Months Matter Most   0:48 – 1:28: What Secure Attachment Really Looks Like   1:28 – 2:15: Long-Term Impact & What Success Actually Means

THE UNDERSTUDYWhat happens when you wish you were someone else... and the universe says bet?Natalie Primavera has a million Instagram followers, perfect technique, and the lead role in every show. Ava Ross has a cracked phone, a nerdy boyfriend who dresses as naked Miley Cyrus, and a work-study job sweeping the dance studio.One ancient snow globe. Two desperate wishes. And suddenly they wake up in each other's bodies.There's just one problem: Natalie's body is now in a hospital bed with a shattered hip. And Ava's body? It's about to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy... with ankles like wet spaghetti.What follows is the funniest, most chaotic Nutcracker rehearsal season in history. We're talking zombie cats, possessed dolls, a Romanian ballet master with a terrifying nine-year-old son, and a love triangle nobody asked for.But underneath the chaos is something real: two girls discovering that the lives they envied aren't what they seemed, and that maybe the grass isn't greener, it's just... different grass.The Understudy. It's Freaky Friday meets Center Stage, and it slaps.Written by award-winning writer Jenna St. John.Starring:Kensington Tallman as Natalie PrimaveraLogan Laurel as Ava RossKonstantin Lavysh as Mr. ConstantineCarson Bolde as Grayson GarciaSasha Knight as TrevorRita Dos Santos as KenzieSamantha A. Smith as JasmineKearn Eva Binder as Zoe DenningsAdele Abinante as Bean RossAvery Clyde as Mrs. PrimaveraKatherine Brunk as Ms. Ross BrandonPotter as Mr. PrimaveraSarah Elmaleh as MissLana Miki Yamashita as Miss MiyakoPaula Tiso is the NarratorOnly on Table Read.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marjorie Taylor Greene just dropped the mother of all red pills and resigned from Congress, admitting Trump is a total fraud, both parties are owned by the same Jewish billionaires, and there is NO PLAN to save America. Tonight we go full nuclear on the AIPAC stranglehold, the Epstein blackmail tapes they're hiding, and the child-trafficking orphanages their networks run from Romania to Tel Aviv.   Donald Trump Jr. was caught red-handed in a secret Romanian backroom deal with Israel's ex-intelligence minister whose family built the Hezbollah exploding pagers, while America's children are trafficked and Gaza is bulldozed for Jewish luxury resorts bearing the Trump name. The same Zionist cabal that murdered Charlie Kirk and tried to silence Candace Owens is now running the White House through cocaine-fueled Shabbos goys and their Israeli handlers, proving once again that every road of treason leads straight back to Tel Aviv.   Tonight we rip the mask off the Military Industrial Complex's Zionist pipeline running straight through the University of Cincinnati and right into Charlie Kirk's own bedroom through his handler wife Erika and her Raytheon connected, geofencing spook mother Lori Frantzve.

Think launching a handbag brand is as easy as designing a pretty product? Think again. In this episode of Handbag Designer 101, we're joined by industry expert Nancy Forman, whose decades of experience—from Bloomingdale's to Accessory Think Tank—have made her a trusted voice in fashion strategy, manufacturing, and merchandising.Nancy doesn't sugarcoat it. Today's market demands much more than a great idea—it requires a plan, a factory, and a deep understanding of your customer before you even produce your first bag. From hidden development costs to managing trade show expectations, her insights are a must-hear for any serious designer.

We start off this one by talking about some old school wrestling jobbers. (Sorry, Enhancement talent.) Then the three fat guys talk about their favorite comfort foods.The album we talk about was suggested by friend of the show Magnolia and it is the self titled debut by the band She wants revenge.The movie is a charming Romanian movie called Be my cat.

Betel Chapel - A Romanian Baptist Church located just outside of Chicago, IL. Located at 330 W Touhy, Park Ridge. The Church's Mission is: Missions - To Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples. Sunday Worship 10:00 AM 5:00PM & Wednesday Worship 7:00 PM | | Listen to our Bi-Weekly Services 25/46

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In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: President Trump signals he's ready for direct talks with Nicolás Maduro—even as Washington labels the Venezuelan leader a terrorist. Xi Jinping makes a rare personal call to President Trump to discuss Taiwan and Ukraine. Russia appears set to reject the latest U.S.–Ukraine cease-fire proposal, suggesting the war will grind on through Christmas. And in today's Back of the Brief—a Russian drone breaches deeper into NATO airspace than ever before, triggering a rapid scramble by Romanian and German jets. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com.  Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.  YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Masa Chips: Ready to give MASA or Vandy a try? Get 25% off your first order by going to http://masachips.com/PDBand using code PDB. Lean: Visit https://BrickhouseSale.com for 30% off Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between garlands of garlic on doorways, wolves finding their voice in the dark, and the undead rising from their graves,  Romania's celebration of St. Andrew's Eve (November 29th-30th) blurs the line between the living and the dead. Join Alyson in exploring this magical and uncanny Romanian holiday. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marjorie Taylor Greene just dropped the mother of all red pills and resigned from Congress, admitting Trump is a total fraud, both parties are owned by the same Jewish billionaires, and there is NO PLAN to save America. Tonight we go full nuclear on the AIPAC stranglehold, the Epstein blackmail tapes they're hiding, and the child-trafficking orphanages their networks run from Romania to Tel Aviv. Donald Trump Jr. was caught red-handed in a secret Romanian backroom deal with Israel's ex-intelligence minister whose family built the Hezbollah exploding pagers, while America's children are trafficked and Gaza is bulldozed for Jewish luxury resorts bearing the Trump name. The same Zionist cabal that murdered Charlie Kirk and tried to silence Candace Owens is now running the White House through cocaine-fueled Shabbos goys and their Israeli handlers, proving once again that every road of treason leads straight back to Tel Aviv. Tonight we rip the mask off the Military Industrial Complex's Zionist pipeline running straight through the University of Cincinnati and right into Charlie Kirk's own bedroom through his handler wife Erika and her Raytheon connected, geofencing spook mother Lori Frantzve. While the enemy spikes your food and jabs your arm, John Jubilee and Energized Health are handing loaded weapons back to patriots: lose the gut, kill the pain, ditch the poison pills, and become unstoppable in 88 days even while eating everything on the holiday table.

The source is an excerpt from a faith-based podcast featuring a guest speaker, Philip Cameron, who shares a powerful message encouraging listeners to shift their focus from personal need to giving and helping others. Cameron introduces his ministry, Orphan's Hands, which rescues children from trafficking and orphanages in places like Moldova and Ukraine, emphasizing that he immediately teaches these vulnerable children to give to others to break their "orphan spirit." The speaker uses historical analogies, such as Winston Churchill's use of pots and pans during World War II, and personal anecdotes, including the story of his own adoption of a son from a Romanian orphanage, to illustrate the difference between the devil's "plots" and God's superior "plans." Finally, he makes an appeal for financial support to finish a new Promise House facility dedicated to rescuing younger children.

Romania is officially returning to Eurovision 2026 after withdrawing following the Eurovision 2023 Song Contest — and we're celebrating!

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The history of Doping in women's gymnastics staring East Germany, part two of Patrick Kiens and Daymon Jones' interview, USA Gymnastics' new CEO hire, the return of the American Cup, 2027 college signings and a LA 2028 comeback wish list mini-commission. youtube link CHAPTERS pre-automatic ad insert 00:00 – Steroids Disguised as Candy (Cold Open) 01:35 – HEADLINES: New USAG CEO Kyle Albrecht 04:41 – American Cup Returns as Mixed-Team Event 07:07 – College Signings: 2027 Class Breakdown 12:11 – United States of Romania: Romanian Stars Announce NCAA Plans 14:14 – More 2027 Signees: UCLA, Oklahoma, Utah, LSU, Georgia, Cal 16:52 – Elite Paths, Injuries & Why Some Elites Skip NCAA Signing 17:26 – DOPING DEEP DIVE (Part 1): East Germany's System Exposed 20:21 – How the GDR Program Worked: State-Run, Double-Blind, Children Targeted 22:31 – "Candy Steroids" & Personality-Based Doping Assignments 23:36 – What Drugs They Used & Why They Worked in Gymnastics 24:36 – Growth-Plate Closure, Neuro Drugs & Long-Term Damage 26:04 – Cadaver-Gland HGH & CJD Risk 27:41 – Reactions in 1989–1990 When the Stasi Files Were Opened 29:06 – IOC Refuses to Strip GDR Medals 29:47 – Missy Marlow Responds: "Where Did All the East Germans Go?" 30:34 – Should Medals Be Corrected or Re-Awarded? 34:13 – Abuse vs. Doping: Who Should Be Punished? 35:36 – Why These Lessons Still Matter for Today's Gymnastics 36:15 – ROMANIA UPDATE: Responses to Patrick & Daymon Interview 37:19 – Maria Holbură Speaks: "I Had to Stand Like a Soldier" 38:24 – NEW Abuse Video of Sabrina Voinea Surfaces 39:00 – Why Romanian Athletes Are Going to the Press 39:54 – INTERVIEW: Patrick & Daymon Part 2 Intro 40:06 – Jakarta Worlds: Overall Impressions 40:26 – Judging Shoutout: Silvia Brescia Nails It 41:47 – Artistry Judging Finally Taken Seriously 42:37 – Floor Choreography Evolving: "You're a Director Now" 43:18 – Consistency Across Subdivisions & Post-Olympic Judging Trends 44:18 – Should US Team Selection Use International Judges? 45:20 – Category Bias: Why Outside Eyes Matter 46:23 – Storyworth Ad Read (Spencer's Mom's Skirt Story) 49:54 – Huel Ad Read (Daily Greens + Peach Flavor Stan Club) 51:55 – Should Trials Use the Same Equipment Brand as Worlds? 53:22 – Equipment Access Inequities: US vs Europe 54:17 – Training Camps & Jet Lag Protocols 55:57 – "Survival of the Fittest": US System vs Small-Nation Systems 56:09 – Should Worlds Allow Traveling Alternates? 57:04 – Why Alternates Need the Experience 57:35 – Daily Logistics in Jakarta: Hotel, Volunteers, Food, Illness 59:07 – Only One Training Time per Day: The Reality 01:00:51 – FIG Cost-Cutting & Why Fewer Trainings Exist Now 01:02:04 – FIG Understaffing Concerns 01:03:12 – White Landing Mats: Visibility & Safety Issues 01:03:52 – Coaches' Round Table: No Questions Allowed?! 01:04:12 – Fujitsu 3D Judging System: Still Vaporware? 01:06:02 – What the Athletes Learned from Jakarta 01:07:31 – Dulcinea's Experience: Making Finals & Next Steps 01:08:32 – Upgrades, Code Exploration & Smart Routine Building 01:10:20 – Why E-Score Matters as Much as D-Score 01:11:03 – Routine Construction in the U.S.: A Long-Standing Problem 01:12:18 – Why International Judges Should Be Involved in Routine Design 01:14:12 – Long-Term Vision for Building a Program 01:14:46 – MINI COMMISSION INTRO: Comeback Wishlist for LA28 01:15:05 – Christy's Brief: "Who Should Come Back for 2028?" 01:15:25 – Spencer Prepares Emotionally 01:16:22 – Jessica's #1 Pick: Casey Jo Magee on Beam 01:17:56 – Spencer's #1 Pick: McKayla Maroney (All-Around Queen) 01:18:25 – Also Spencer: Brenna Dowell Comeback Campaign 01:19:10 – Jessica's #2 Pick: Vanessa Atler 01:20:04 – Spencer's 2009–2016 Alt Universe Superteam 01:21:00 – Pre-Paris Retirees: Who Should Return Now? 01:21:28 – JJ Marshall + Bailey Key + More Forgotten Talents 01:22:00 – The Gabby Douglas Rule ("No Today Show Comebacks") 01:23:04 – Why Gymnasts Need Real Meets Before Announcing 01:24:00 – College Head Coach Comeback Team?! (Casey Jo, Wieber, Preece, Tabitha) 01:25:10 – Cecile as Beam Queen? Citizenship Questions 01:26:07 – Tabitha Yim as the Secret Weapon 01:26:50 – Shawn Johnson? Nastia? Maybe Not. 01:27:03 – Chelsea/Alicia Self-Selecting Themselves for Paris (Chaos Edition) 01:28:32 – Join Club Gym Nerd / Fantasy Notes 01:29:11 – GYMTERNET NEWS: NCAA Schedule + ABC/ESPN Slate 01:30:03 – All-Japan Results + Aurora Tribute Routine by Kenzo 01:31:18 – FEEDBACK: Obi Cam Praise + Cocopuff the Pomeranian 01:32:38 – YouTube Subscriptions & Comment Rules 01:33:35 – Junior Worlds Preview: "It's in a Ballroom!" HEADLINES: USA Gymnastics has hired Kyle Albrecht, a former Major League Soccer executive, to lead the organization. What do we think about this decision? The American Cup is BACK as an international meet and is now a mixed-team event. When and where will the competition be held? We have college signings for 2027! Who is going where? But what does it even mean to "sign" with a school? All the big elites are going to Florida No Hezly for LSU? The United States of Romania starring Ella Oprea (Clemson), Amalia Ghigoarta (MSU), and Lilia Cosman (MSU) DOPING IN WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS: If you thought doping wasn't a problem in gymnastics, Uncle Tim busted out the archives to let you know otherwise Blue Pills and Broken Spines: How East Germany Destroyed Its Young Gymnasts The Vault Champion Who Vanished after Doping   INTERVIEW: PATRICK KIENS AND DAYMON JONES PART TWO VOINEA ABUSE ALLEGATION UPDATE: Video and more allegations against Camilla Voinea  What were the reactions from the Romanian media about last week's part one interview with Patrick and Daymon? Maria Holbură released a statement speaking out about the abuse within the Romanian system What do Patrick and Daymon think about selection procedures for the American system? What were Jakarta World Championships like in comparison to previous World Championships? How did they feel about competition safety and the equipment? Is the Fujitsu AI judging system actually happening? Reactions from the  presentation What do judges want to see in terms of artistry on beam and floor? A shout out to Sylvia Brestyan for her analysis on judging accuracy How American gymnasts can reconstruct their routines for code-smart routines What are some positive examples of athlete adaptation? MINI COMMISSION: COMEBACK WISH LIST FOR THE LA 2028 GAMES This mini commission is from our Fantasy Winner, Christy: With the next summer Olympics in LA, it's the perfect time for someone to mount a comeback! Love a good comeback, and who wouldn't want to compete at your home country's Olympics!?! Is there anyone you realistically believe is training for a comeback, and who would you like to see come out of the woodwork and make a run for 2028? GYMTERNET NEWS: NCAA schedules are starting to roll in! Starts: Jan. 10 - ABC - Sprouts (Oklahoma, UCLA, Utah, LSU) Jan 10 - ESPN2 - Sprouts (Michigan State, California, Kentucky, Michigan) Ends: Apr. 18 - Championship Preview Show is back, followed by NCAA Championship All Japan Championships results VT: Miyata Shoko (13.999 average) UB: Nakashima Karin (14.066) BB: Kishi Rina (14.500) FX: Kishi Rina (14.166) AA: Kishi Rina (55.999) UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast Friday this week only at noon Pacific/8 GMT RELATED: World Championships Headquarters Videos, Interviews, Podcasts, Fantasy, Guides from Jakarta World Championships Jakarta Worlds Debrief: The Romanian Drama Explained With Coaches Daymon Jones & Patrick Kiens Trouble in Romania The History of Romanian Gymnastics (Commissioned) 80's Fight! The great Soviet Romanian Rivalry (Commissioned) The Fluff Cast: Deva isn't a castle?! Behind The Scenes: Back from Jakarta Eythora Thorsdottir and Coach Patrick Kiens  Behind the Scenes - all episodes SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Thank you to our Sponsors: Storyworth Memoirs! Right now, save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to STORYWORTH.com/GymCastic  Huel Daily Greens Ready to Drink – Get 15% off your purchase for New Customers with our exclusive code GYMCASTIC at https://huel.com/GYMCASTIC. Use our code and fill out the post checkout survey to help support the show! NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved it, please leave a review.  

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Elena Black, a Romanian-born orthodontist practicing in Virginia, who shares one of the most unexpectedly moving conversations we've had on the podcast. From her journey through dental school in Romania, to training under the legendary Dr. Gianelly at Boston University, to becoming a small-town practice owner and passionate beekeeper—Elena's story is equal parts inspiring, honest, and deeply human.We talk about the challenges of starting over in a new country, the cultural dynamics of being a female orthodontist in a Southern town, and what it's like to manage 11 bee colonies just for the love of it. You'll hear about her humble beginnings, her reverence for education, and how watching bees helped her reconnect with mental peace after the stress of COVID. If you're looking for a reminder that you are more than your practice, this episode is it.Quotes“Dr. Gianelly was the kind of teacher who'd say: ‘You'll find your answer on page 3, upper left corner of that AJODO issue.' He wanted us to think, not just follow.”— Dr. Elena Black“Beekeeping is my way to serve the world without needing anything back. I just go out at night and say hello to my bees.”— Dr. Elena BlackKey TakeawaysIntro (00:00)Training under Dr. Gianelly & what made him special (02:16)From Romania to Boston: the winding road through Japan (07:33)Practicing in the South as a female orthodontist with an accent (11:12)Building a practice from scratch—literally waiting on her husband's location (06:23)Introducing digital scanners and aligners in her market (12:37)Why dental school in Romania starts at age 18—and how it compares to the U.S. (14:57)Beekeeping 101: 11 hives, 11 queens, zero stress (20:45)What bees can teach us about leadership, resilience, and peace (22:51)How she makes honey, keeps it separate, and shares it with friends (25:32)Why beekeeping saved her sanity after COVID (30:12)Additional ResourcesIf you've ever felt like your identity is just your practice, Elena's story is your wake-up call. Whether it's beekeeping, jiu-jitsu, or just watching cows graze—you need something that's just for you.Want to get in contact with Dr. Elena Black? Visit Lynchburg Orthodontics:https://lynchburgorthodontics.com Register for Ortho Vanguard: https://www.opvanguard.com - For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

An airhacks.fm conversation with Olimpiu Pop (@olimpiupop) about: Romanian developer's journey from 486 computers to Transylvania Java User Group, early programming with Turbo Pascal at age 9-10, playing games like Jazz Jackrabbit and Prince of Persia, influence of Star Trek and science fiction on career choice, mathematics olympiads participation, computer science high school education, learning C and FoxPro, Java vs .net ecosystem in Romania during 2000s, Microsoft's university infiltration strategy, first Java exposure with version 1.4, Siemens internship on telecommunications servers, neighborhood network building projects, working without home internet until 2005-2006, nearshoring company experience, EJB and Spring framework with XML configuration, master's studies at Johannes Kepler University Linz 2008-2011, working with fabasoft on observability systems, .NET development for two years with C#, attributes vs annotations comparison, Java ME micro edition development, implementing DTOs and service architectures, agile methodology adoption, iterative development practices, data gravity concept from Ruby on Rails, working for Uniqa with WebMethods, brueckner Group spin-off developing industrial software, DevOps implementation with Jenkins and Git, choosing between Mercurial and Git version control, Broadridge financial technology work, stock exchange monitoring systems, low-latency Java implementations, Mechanical Sympathy and Disruptor pattern, taking over Java User Group from Gabi Pop, managing Java Advent Calendar for 15 years, WordPress to Java migration plans using quarkus-roq, transition from coding to management roles, challenging microservices adoption, modular monolith advocacy, Java verbosity improvements and scripting capabilities, young developers returning to Java, typescript developers discovering Java patterns, Romanian tech scene evolution, Cluj coffee culture and steampunk bars Olimpiu Pop on twitter: @olimpiupop

He was born in Ukraine in 1722, one of the many children of a priest. He attended the Ecclesiastical Academy in Kiev, but was disappointed by the worldliness, love of ease and western theological climate that he found there.   After four years he left the school and embarked on a search for a spiritual father and a monastery where he could live in poverty. He eventually found wise spiritual guides in Romania, where many of the Russian monks had fled after Peter the Great's reforms. From there he traveled to the Holy Mountain. Spiritual life was at a low ebb there also, and Plato (the name he had been given as a novice) became a hermit, devoting his days to prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. After four years, a visiting Elder from Romania tonsured him a monk under the name Paisius, and advised him to live with other monks to avoid the spiritual dangers of taking up the solitary life too soon. A few brethren from Romania arrived, seeking to make him their spiritual father, but as he felt unworthy to take on this task, all of them lived in poverty and mutual obedience. Others joined them from Romania and the Slavic countries, and in time they took up the cenobitic life, with Paisius as their reluctant abbot.   In 1763 the entire community (grown to sixty-five in number) left the Holy Mountain and returned to Romania. They were given a monastery where they adopted the Athonite rule of life. Abbot Paisius introduced the Jesus Prayer and other aspects of hesychasm to the monastic life there: before this time, they had been used mostly by hermits. The services of the Church were conducted fully, with the choirs chanting alternately in Slavonic and Romanian. The monks confessed to their Elder every evening so as not to let the sun go down on their anger, and a brother who held a grudge against another was forbidden to enter the church, or even to say the Lord's Prayer, until he had settled it.   The monastic brotherhood eventually grew to more than a thousand, divided into two monasteries. Visitors and pilgrims came from Russia, Greece and other lands to experience its holy example.   St Paisius had learned Greek while on Mt Athos, and undertook to produce accurate Slavonic translations of the writings of many of the Fathers of the Church. The Greek Philokalia had been published not long before, and St Paisius produced a Slavonic version that was read throughout the Slavic Orthodox world. (This is the Philokalia that the pilgrim carries with him in The Way of a Pilgrim).   The Saint reposed in peace in 1794, one year after the publication of his Slavonic Philokalia. The Synaxarion summarizes his influence: "These translations, and the influence of the Saint through the activity of his disciples in Russia, led to a widespread spiritual renewal, and to the restoration of traditional monastic life there which lasted until the Revolution of 1917."

He was born in Ukraine in 1722, one of the many children of a priest. He attended the Ecclesiastical Academy in Kiev, but was disappointed by the worldliness, love of ease and western theological climate that he found there.   After four years he left the school and embarked on a search for a spiritual father and a monastery where he could live in poverty. He eventually found wise spiritual guides in Romania, where many of the Russian monks had fled after Peter the Great's reforms. From there he traveled to the Holy Mountain. Spiritual life was at a low ebb there also, and Plato (the name he had been given as a novice) became a hermit, devoting his days to prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. After four years, a visiting Elder from Romania tonsured him a monk under the name Paisius, and advised him to live with other monks to avoid the spiritual dangers of taking up the solitary life too soon. A few brethren from Romania arrived, seeking to make him their spiritual father, but as he felt unworthy to take on this task, all of them lived in poverty and mutual obedience. Others joined them from Romania and the Slavic countries, and in time they took up the cenobitic life, with Paisius as their reluctant abbot.   In 1763 the entire community (grown to sixty-five in number) left the Holy Mountain and returned to Romania. They were given a monastery where they adopted the Athonite rule of life. Abbot Paisius introduced the Jesus Prayer and other aspects of hesychasm to the monastic life there: before this time, they had been used mostly by hermits. The services of the Church were conducted fully, with the choirs chanting alternately in Slavonic and Romanian. The monks confessed to their Elder every evening so as not to let the sun go down on their anger, and a brother who held a grudge against another was forbidden to enter the church, or even to say the Lord's Prayer, until he had settled it.   The monastic brotherhood eventually grew to more than a thousand, divided into two monasteries. Visitors and pilgrims came from Russia, Greece and other lands to experience its holy example.   St Paisius had learned Greek while on Mt Athos, and undertook to produce accurate Slavonic translations of the writings of many of the Fathers of the Church. The Greek Philokalia had been published not long before, and St Paisius produced a Slavonic version that was read throughout the Slavic Orthodox world. (This is the Philokalia that the pilgrim carries with him in The Way of a Pilgrim).   The Saint reposed in peace in 1794, one year after the publication of his Slavonic Philokalia. The Synaxarion summarizes his influence: "These translations, and the influence of the Saint through the activity of his disciples in Russia, led to a widespread spiritual renewal, and to the restoration of traditional monastic life there which lasted until the Revolution of 1917."

Things get very heated on this episode over an incident in Donaghmeade involving Irish flags being flown outside homes in an estate. A woman married to a Romanian national wants them taken down as she finds them "intimidating"

Former Romanian head coaches Daymon Jones and Patrick Kiens join us to unpack the turmoil inside Romanian gymnastics — from new accusations to decades-old coaching culture and leadership struggles. Plus: what we learned from the 2025 Jakarta World Championships and our wish list for future World Championships. And a happy message from Rings World Champion, Donnell Whittenburg. Find Resistance Resources here. CHAPTERS - pre auto-ad insert 00:00:00 – Intro Cold Open: Romania abuse reports surface 00:03:36 – Headlines: Romania context (Golgota, Voinea, leadership turmoil) 00:10:02 – Interview: The Romanian Situation with Daymon & Patrick 00:10:34 – Abuse allegations and what coaches witnessed firsthand 00:20:15 – Old-school culture, leadership failure, and bad press 00:31:13 – Federation power dynamics, elections, and fallout 00:41:28 – Updates & programming notes 00:45:17 – Jakarta Worlds Debrief: Overall medal table (WAG/MAG highlights) 00:49:16 – China's event-specialist strategy (7 routines, 3 medals) 00:51:54 – Judging parity: Melnikova's AA score & floor 14 club 00:55:51 – Selection & pipeline fixes (camp vs real meets) 01:06:44 – Who needs a reset? USA, Italy & Brazil post-Olympics 01:24:11 – FIG talk: host selection, logistics & equipment issues 01:32:02 – Gymternet News: Canada CEO, Arthur Gander results, Liverpool 2030 bid 01:36:56 – Listener feedback & notes UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast Friday this week only at noon Pacific/8 GMT RELATED: World Championships HeadquartersVideos, Interviews, Podcasts, Fantasy, Guides from Jakarta World Championships Trouble in Romania The History of Romanian Gymnastics (Commissioned) 80's Fight! The great Soviet Romanian Rivalry (Commissioned) The Fluff Cast: Deva isn't a castle?! Behind The Scenes: Back from Jakarta Eythora Thorsdottir and Coach Patrick Kiens  Behind the Scenes - all episodes SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved it, please leave a review. Cover Art & Photos: Steve Cooper ©Gymcastic

Piero San Giorgio is one of Switzerland's best selling authors. After 20 years as an executive in the software business, Piero decided to write essays about the future. His first book Survive —The Economic Collapse was in the top-50 best selling books of 2012 in France and has sold over 200,000 copies, with translations into English, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Romanian, Polish, Turkish etc. and has a foreword by JHKunstler. His other books are , CBRN (How to Survive Nuclear, Radiological, Biological,and Chemical events), and Giuseppe: A Survival Story, a biographical novel about his grandfather's ordeals in WW2.  The KunstlerCast theme music is the beautiful Two Rivers Waltz written and performed by Larry Unger

Lots of Hebrew learners find it hard to discern between ‘speak,' ‘talk,' and ‘tell' when they talk with their Israeli friends, colleagues, classmates, and flatmates. It's time, once and for all, for Guy to imprint it on our memories. Don't worry, it's not difficult! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ledaber – To speak – לדבר Medaber – Speaking – מדבר “Ratsiti ledaber itcha al hakol” – I wanted to talk to you about everything – רציתי לדבר איתך על הכל Ani medaber im – I am talking to – אני מדבר עם Hu amar – He said – הוא אמר “Az ma ratsinoo lehagid be'etsem” – So what did we actually want to say? – אז מה רצינו להגיד בעצם “Tagid li eich la'atsor et ha-dma'ot” – Tell me how to stop the tears – תגיד לי איך לעצור את הדמעות Tagid / tagidi / tagidoo li – Tell me (imperative) – תגיד / תגידי / תגידו לי Emor / imri / imroo – Tell (archaic imperative) – אמור, אמרי, אמרו  “Slicha, ata yachol lehagid li eifo ha orez?” – Excuse me, could you please tell me where the rice is? – סליחה, אתה יכול להגיד לי איפה האורז “Rak al tagid she-” – Just don't say that… – רק אל תגיד ש Hu diber romanit kshe-hu haya katan – He spoke Romanian when he was little – הוא דיבר רומנית כשהוא היה קטן Hu diber im Eyal etmol – He spoke to Eyal yesterday – הוא דיבר עם אייל אתמול Hu amar – He said, he told – הוא אמר Mi amar lecha / lach? – Who told you? – מי אמר לך Daber, daber – You can talk – דבר, דבר Efshar ledaber im Benny? – May I speak to Benny? – אפשר לדבר עם בני Mi amar? – Who said so? – מי אמר Zot omeret – This is to say – זאת אומרת Ma zot omeret? – What does it mean? – מה זאת אומרת   Playlist and Clips: Nasreen Qadri – Ratsiti Ledaber Itcha (lyrics) Shlomo Artsi – Ma Ratsinoo Lehagid (lyrics) Ofra Haza – Le-orech Ha-yam (lyrics) Maya Buskila – Rak Al Tagid Li (lyrics) Ha-yehudim – Kach Oti (lyrics) Roni Daloomi – Mi Amar (lyrics) Dori Ben-Ze'ev – Radio, Daber Elai (lyrics)

In this landmark 800th episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ekta Yadav sits down with the legendary Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills and one of the most influential figures in modern beauty. Known globally as the Queen of Brows, Anastasia joins Dr. Ekta to discuss her newly released book, Raising Brows: My Story of Building a Billion-Dollar Beauty Empire. In this intimate conversation, she reflects on her remarkable journey—from her early years as a Romanian immigrant to becoming the visionary behind one of the most iconic brands in beauty history.What began as a simple observation—that eyebrows were being overlooked—sparked a revolution. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's studies on facial proportion, Anastasia developed her signature Golden Ratio method, shaping not only brows but the direction of the entire beauty industry. Her commitment to craftsmanship, precision, and empowerment turned Anastasia Beverly Hills into a global symbol of artistry and integrity.Anastasia opens up about the discipline, mentorship, and mindset that built her empire—offering wisdom that transcends business. She shares her mother's lessons in humility, her belief that fear must never dictate one's path, and the philosophy that has guided her from the salon floor to international fame: “If there's no seat at the table, build your own.”Episode 800 is more than a milestone—it's a celebration of resilience, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence. Tune in to hear Anastasia Soare's powerful story and discover the legacy behind Anastasia Beverly Hills—and now, behind her new book Raising Brows.Shop Raising Brows: My Story of Building a Billion-Dollar Beauty Empire and Anastasia Beverly Hills CosmeticsCHAPTERS:0:02 – Introduction & Welcome1:03 – Starting Over in a New Country3:06 – Entering the Beauty Industry4:41 – The Birth of the Brow Technique6:22 – Creating a New Beauty Category8:19 – The Philosophy of Giving Your Best11:05 – The Rise of ABH & Social Media Breakthrough13:07 – Building Confidence & Carving Your Own Path16:23 – Leadership, Mentorship & Lessons in DisciplinePlease fill out this survey to give us feedback on the show!Don't forget to subscribe to Skin Anarchy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred platform.Reach out to us through email with any questions.Sign up for our newsletter!Shop all our episodes and products mentioned through our ShopMy Shelf! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.