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Melissa Dinwiddie doesn't have an MBA. She's never worked for a consulting giant, such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting, or Bain. She is a ukulele-playing, jazz-singing, Julliard-trained dancer and improv entertainer. Yet when companies, including Meta, Google, Uber, Intuit, and Salesforce, seek fresh thinking on innovation and team creativity, they turn to Melissa for results. Melissa draws parallels between performance troupes, such as her All That Jazz improv jazz group, and business teams. To be successful, she notes, all members must listen closely, support one another, adapt on the fly, and create something from nothing. Melissa is the founder and CEO of Creative Sandbox Solutions, communication, connection, and creativity experts. Her firm's specialty is helping teams blast through creative roadblocks. She is the author of The Creative Sandbox Way: Your Path to a Full-Color Life, which she wrote to help readers be comfortable with and embrace their own, authentic creativity. As Melissa explains this week, her unconventional background and unorthodox methods — including having six- and seven-figure salaried executives build with Lego bricks — consistently unlock breakthrough ideas and enhance team performance. Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart. Photo: Melissa Dinwiddie, Creative Sandbox SolutionsPosted: July 21, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 49:42 Episode: 14.7
Tim He checks many boxes as a guest on the Founders Sandbox- a 3x founder, now advisor, professor, creator, writer and coffee snob. Tim's newsletter, "Cherrytree", allowed him to keep teaching entrepreneurship while the pandemic closed the classroom. By providing a newsletter, Cherrytree now offers consulting and coaching to cofounders. In Tim's own words; "I want to actually change how people become cofounders. And then how they stay cofounders." It is a tough decision to “divorce a co founder” and we find on this episode with Tim He sound advice on getting the pre nuptials in place for just in case scenarios and preventatively preserving the co founding team dynamics. Listen to this month's episode “Choosing the right Cofounder” on The Founder's Sandbox with Tim He. You can find out more about Tim at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timhe2000/ https://www.dumbfoundcoffee.com/. Transcript: 00:04 Good morning. Welcome back to the Founder's Sandbox. I am Brenda McCabe, your host on this monthly podcast now in its third season. The Founder's Sandbox is a podcast where my guests are 00:33 business owners, founders, professional service providers and corporate directors. And we all share a mission and we find ourselves speaking here on the Founder Sandbox. This mission is really to work through the power of the private enterprise, be it small, medium or large, to create change for a better world. And each of my guests tells a story, right? The origin story. 01:03 that touches on the topics that I'm so passionate about resilience, scalable, purpose-driven enterprise, all with good corporate governance. And we do this in a fun sandbox environment here in the Founder Sandbox. I am absolutely delighted to have as my guest today, Tim He. He is joining us from Dallas, Texas today. And Tim. 01:33 is he's going to be speaking to us. He checks a lot of boxes, but today he's going to be speaking from his experience as an advisor to pre-seed and seed companies. And we share a common kind of subject matter expertise. We work with a lot of founders that are seeking to find a co-founder or we're working with them to how to divorce a co-founder, which 02:01 Nobody likes to talk about this, but it happens more frequently than not. Matter of fact, Tim has chosen for this episode, the title of Scaling Your Co-Founder Relationship. So Tim, welcome to the Founder Sandbox and thank you for joining me today. Thanks for having me. This is gonna be a lot of fun because the thing with co-founder relationships is that when it's bad, 02:28 It's bad. You you think of divorce, arguments, sometimes even litigation, but when it's good, it's pretty magical. You build very valuable companies that change not just your lives, but the world. And it creates a type of team and culture and company that people want to root for. And when I get to see that, that's the best part of my job. And it's actually pretty magical. It's very fulfilling, isn't it? It is. 02:55 So you check a lot of boxes, but we're going to focus on that. You are a founder yourself, prior founder, advisor, creator, writer, and coffee snob. So we'll get to your love of coffee later in the podcast. When you reached out to me, it did kind of make me giggle because nobody likes to talk about divorce, right? Let alone your co-founder. 03:24 And you specifically reached out to me because the work you do and your platform at Cherry Tree is around co-founder, choosing the right co-founder and the like. I have experiences with my clients on making that tough decision to divorce a co-founder. And I read some of your blogs. 03:52 And you do provide sound advice on getting what I call the prenuptials in place. So kudos to you. And more in the podcast today. So I love what I do, right? And my consulting firm where I advise kind of scaling companies to work with them on purpose and resiliency. 04:21 advice to founders when working at Cherry Tree and finding the right co-founders, scaling it that, it doesn't crack under startup pressure. It's probably rot with your own origin story as founding a company. Can you share that with us here, Tim today? Of course. Yeah. I'd say almost 10 years ago now, I started a company with five other co-founders. So six of us in total. 04:51 which is pretty unconventional in the sort of software startup ecosystem, but it wasn't intentional on my part. I was in college at the time and I was thinking, you know, I want something to do other than homework. So I found a bunch of my friends and asked them if they wanted to start a company with me. And I didn't expect them all to say yes, but they all did. And so we were like, sure, let's just do something together. And that was sort of the beginning. 05:21 And you were six co founders. Yeah. And let's carry on. That's good. That's unconventional. It was a lot, but it was a lot of fun. You know, I was best friends with some of them. And then some of them were mutual friends or classmates that I met in school. And so they also had different relationships with each other. Not all of them knew each other in the beginning. All of them knew me. 05:49 but to varying degrees as well. And so I kind of got to see the entire spectrum of what a co-founder relationship can be. And at the same time, I was teaching entrepreneurship in Seattle and a lot of my students would ask me the same questions about co-founders. You know, the basics like how do you split equity? How do you choose titles and roles and responsibilities? How do you fight with each other productively? 06:18 All those things that me and my co-founders were going through at the same time. And so we made a decision to be very open and transparent about it. I shared with my class how I split equity with my team and the reasons behind it. And I shared with them what we debated about on the product side or the marketing side and how we came to a resolution. And so the students had a very behind the scenes look at what goes on with co-founders. 06:47 And then COVID hit. And so I started writing online for my students quite a bit. And then over time that became a book about co-founders. And then when I published the book, you know, more people started reaching out to me, but it wasn't just college students anymore. was people with venture backed companies, companies going through YC and all sorts of industries all over the world. And then somebody was like, Hey, I don't want to read a 200 page book. I want something quick. 07:16 something easy and actionable. And so that's how I got started with the Cherry Tree newsletter, which comes out every Monday and Friday. And it's nice and easy. It's very relatable and actionable. And then people started replying to the email asking for personalized advice because they said that, you know, 500 words is not enough to solve a tricky situation. And that's how I got started with co-founder coaching. And so now 07:46 the Cherry Tree Company as an umbrella, comprises of the newsletter, which is free. And for people who are maybe just starting out and want to build good habits, and then also the coaching component as well, for people who are either going through some high growth stage, like raising a fund or going through a major pivot, or they just want to talk about some concerns or curiosities they have about co-founder relationships. Let's go back to your 08:16 co-founder, your six co-founders. that company still exists today? What was the, so what was the outcome? Yeah. It was a software company in the real estate space. And so COVID kind of took us out, but it didn't take out the friendships. We are all still best friends and visit each other over the holidays. In fact, when I, when I move in a couple months, I'm moving to a city where two of them already live right now and 08:43 One of the things I looked for was an apartment that was close to them so we could all hang out together. COVID took out the company, but not the co-foundership. All right. You did speak about the newsletter. why did you choose that medium? And again, I think you said there are typically 500 words. I've read a few of them. I blog myself. And we shared a couple of our blogs back and forth. 09:12 reached out to me, said, oh, I've written about that, and how to split equity and the like. So what made you choose the medium of a newsletter? 09:25 Yeah, I mean, I've always liked writing. think it makes me, it forces me to think very hard and clearly about what I wanna articulate. Back when I was teaching, I found that I would have a topic or a concept in my head, but when I went to explain it to somebody, I couldn't quite articulate it the way that I felt, especially when they started asking very thought-provoking questions. I felt I was stumbling. I felt that I... 09:52 had an answer in my head, but I couldn't quite deliver it to them. But, you know, because we all went remote, I was writing for them and that was a forcing function to get everything crystal clear. And that became a really good habit for me. Plus I've always liked reading. I follow several other newsletters as a reader, as a customer of theirs. And so I've always been intrigued by it. 10:16 And then one of my friends who is at a private equity firm specifically focused on newsletters was telling me a little bit about the backend of newsletter businesses and the unit economics for it. And I realized it was a very viable and very scalable business opportunity. And so I thought I would do this practice because it's good for my own just thinking process. 10:42 And I get to update it every every week, twice a week with new information that I find. And so a newsletter kind of just made a lot of sense. Excellent. And then the show notes later, we'll put the the URL is it cherry tree dot v hi.com, right? We had to access your newsletter. So teaching 11:09 you're teaching in a university in Seattle, entrepreneurship, you're so young, it's amazing. How did you get into the teaching position? I got very lucky. on my first, sorry, on my second quarter of college, I was working retail in the mall selling glasses. And it was 11:38 at about 9 p.m. right before we were closing and a customer walks in and you know how it is. Nobody wants to deal with a customer two minutes before closing. I'm a new kid so the manager is like, you go talk to them, get your practice. So I go and I talk to the customer and we just make small talk. I'd tell him that I wanna get into business school. want to... 12:04 be a part of startups and all this exciting stuff. I was 18 or 19 at the time. And he was like, hey, you should talk to this professor. He teaches at the business school as an entrepreneurship professor. And I think you guys will really get along. So he wrote down this professor's phone number. that was it. He didn't buy any glasses. We closed the shop and I walked home. I didn't think much of it. I was trying to make a sale. 12:34 I had that note in my pocket and when I got home, this was maybe around 10 PM, I was changing out of my work clothes and I had that note and I thought, hey, maybe I should give this professor a call and his name is Alan. And so maybe I was naive or impulsive, but I called him at 10 PM with no forethought. I didn't think, hey, maybe I should email him or call him tomorrow morning. I just had the note in my hand and I was like, let me just call him and he picks up. 13:04 And we talked for about an hour and a half. Oh my goodness. About the, yeah, about the classes he's teaching, about how he became a professor and his alumni. And it was very clear to me that he loved teaching. He was in his late fifties, early sixties and independently wealthy from running his own companies. He had retired for a number of years and then come back to teach because he just loved teaching. And so. 13:34 I was like, hey, can I take your class? It sounds really cool. But the administration was not happy with that because I was a freshman and he only taught senior classes. And I was not only not in the business school, I had not taken any of the prerequisites and the class was already overbooked. Oh my gosh. So. We were all stacked against you. Exactly. But he said, just come to the classroom at this time and sit in the corner. 14:01 Like you might not get credits for the class, but just sit in the corner and pay attention. And so I did that and I started answering questions in class. Questions that some of the upperclassmen may not necessarily have been able to answer, which was very surprising to me because I had never done well in school. Throughout high school, I barely got into college. My parents were on me all the time, but this was the one class where I felt like I knew what I was talking about. 14:31 And so I went to all of his classes and eventually became his assistant. And that slowly changed. And I, was an assistant for about 30 courses and then later become a co-instructor at both campuses. And so I got really lucky. It was unconventional, but this, this mentor, Alan sort of gave me that opportunity. And I finally felt like I, I was doing something that I was good at. 14:59 Amazing. That's an amazing story, very unconventional, but I love that. You heard it here on the founder's sandbox. My guest, Tim He, got into teaching, and then eventually COVID hit. You started continuing to teach virtually and started providing your content through a newsletter and your regular postings two times a week. So bravo. 15:30 You also have time to run another business. I introduced you with many titles, but you are a coffee son of so what is it with the coffee, Tim? Yeah. All right. You taught up in Seattle, right? And we all know he's from Seattle. But what is it about the coffee and it's called dumbfound coffees? Yes, yes. It's a fun story. It's quirky. I 15:59 A couple of years ago, I helped this coffee founder a little bit with his business. was my friend and I helping this one man show. He was bagging the beans by himself, sealing it, weighing it, driving it in his truck to the post office, handwriting notes for everybody. And he also had a day job. So he was doing this on top of that. And he had a wife and four kids. And so he really needed some more extra hands. And so 16:29 We started with helping him literally just bag beans. And then we got to understand the coffee business and how to market coffee, how to optimize shipping and logistics to save on costs and sort of everything in between. It was really fun. And my friend and I always joked that we would start our own coffee company. And then right after working there, I went to work at a very large coffee chain, global chain, strategy team. 16:58 And that was very different because there are thousands of people at this company with billions of dollars in budget. And so I saw this industry from a completely different lens. Right. And it was very interesting because there are so many similarities between this, you know, global corporation and a one person coffee shop. And of course I love coffee. I've been drinking it for 17:25 as long as I can remember drinking a little bit, a little sip of my mom's coffee when I was a kid. I'm Canadian. So I grew up drinking Tim Hortons for those of you Canadians out there, know what it is. so I love Tim Hortons. It's so good. Tim Hortons. Yeah. And of course, you know, Tim and Tim, so I have to get it from them. 17:51 Uh, but yeah, fast forward, uh, three or four years now, my friend and I got in touch again and we said, Hey, let's start a coffee company. Uh, we've been wanting to do this for years. We've, we finally have the circumstances and sort of the, the, the personal financial, uh, privilege to do this now. Um, let's, let's get something up and running. And so we're thinking, how do we differentiate? There's a billion coffee companies out there. Um, there's coffee for, for veterans, for teachers, for 18:21 hippies for everybody, except for founders. And founders drink a lot of coffee. I'm a three time founder. My friend was also with founder and we drink a lot of coffee. My friends drink a lot of coffee. And there's something satisfying about having a cup of coffee and sitting down at your desk, getting ready to lock in and get a ton of work done. It's just a very satisfying feeling. And so I wanted to capture that feeling plus 18:51 just the fact that founders drink a lot of coffee, but also this idea that the best founders I've talked to take their work very, very seriously, but they don't take themselves seriously at all. And I think that's the one commonality between all the best founders that I've come across. And so the name dumbfound, you know, it starts with dumb, but it actually means amazed or in awe. And it's the founders journey. 19:21 Right? You start off dumb because you don't know what you're doing. Maybe you're taking a huge risk. are, you know, you're starting a company, you feel dumb a lot. And if you've been a founder, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But you keep grinding and you keep working at it. And little by little, it starts to become a really amazing journey. People looking on the outside, they're like, wow, how did you, like, how did you start a company? That's, that's amazing. That's crazy. And even more than that, you look at your progress. 19:50 Even though some days it feels like you're going backwards, it's really awe-inspiring. And so that's why I wanted to capture with Dumpfound. In the name of the company. Bravo. I will have to order some from you. You know, I use the term pre-naps. Tell me in your consulting practice now, because you are working full-time. This is your gig and the coffee. 20:19 What is it that you found the secret sauce to scaling a co founder relationship? Right? What is it? What's your secret sauce? Or what have you observed in high performing co founding teams? Yeah. Everybody asks me what they can do for their co-foundership so that it improves their company. That's the wrong question. That's backwards. 20:49 the best co-founderships I've seen all use the company as a means to improve their co-foundership. Tell me about that. that one more time. This is important for my listeners. Yeah. Instead of using your relationship as a means to improve your company, use your company as a means to improving your relationship. Okay. And I'll give you some examples. Back when I was teaching, I would, you know, make 21:18 groups of students and teams randomly. would draw stuff out of a hat randomly. And that didn't guarantee friendships. In fact, a lot of them ended up fighting with each other. And so I thought, okay, maybe they should pick their own teams. And that didn't guarantee friendships either. In fact, some of them ended up fighting even harder than randomly assigned teams. And then I thought, 21:47 Why is that? How can we create teams where everybody gets a pretty good experience out of the class? Because we all know group projects, our group projects, and there's always somebody who either pulls the team forward or drags it behind. And so I was looking at the best performing teams, the ones that blow my mind. And I found that all of them, regardless of whether they were friends before the class or they had met for the first time during the class, 22:18 they all saw the class, the course as an opportunity to hang out and have fun, joke around with each other, but also do something very interesting like building a company. And so that was always in the back of my head. And then when I talked to co-founders, I've talked to over, I believe like 300 co-founders already this year. The best ones, doesn't matter if they were friends before they started a company, but they use the company as a means. 22:46 to improve their friendship. So what does that look like? Well, it's easy for co-founders to silo and say, okay, you do the engineering, I do the marketing, and we come together and share progress. That works for clarity, but not so much for compatibility. The best co-founders kind of do everything together. Even if they're, you know, one person is not technical, they're still very involved in the product with... 23:13 talking to users or creating documentation or making wireframes or mock-ups. And for the non-technical co-founder, they're also very involved in the marketing and the sales and the pitching because a lot of people think, oh, it's not my strength. So I'm not gonna be involved in it. You're the expert on it. I'll let you handle it. But if you think about friendships, that's not really how we operate, is it? You don't divide responsibility so rigidly with your friends. 23:42 You do everything together because it's fun. Share responsibilities. Maybe somebody is better at it. Sure. But that's, that's part of the fun. And so when I realized that, and I, I communicated it to people who were asking me how to do the opposite, do it the wrong way. When I told them what I thought was the right way, all of them had a light bulb moment go off in their head. 24:10 And I would ask you how does friendship scale? If I'm going to pressure test your your your the, the, guess the empirical data, right? You've taught many, many classes, you've worked with co founders, you've worked with co founding teams, let's say. How do you scale that? 24:40 If you can imagine like a staircase model at each step of a co-foundership, there are different levels of sacrifices that you have to make. So for example, when you choose co-founders, you sacrifice the ability to become co-founders with anybody else. And then you start working on your product and you sacrifice maybe some nights and weekends. Maybe you're sacrificing some Netflix time. 25:09 And then you go up a step, maybe your company has some traction and you've got some users and you sacrifice having a day job or having a stable income, or maybe you sacrifice some sleep some nights. And so the sacrifices become more demanding. And if you translate that to a friendship, it's kind of the same. you become friends with someone, you're not necessarily eliminating all other friendships. 25:36 but you are eliminating some options for how you spend your time. Now let's say you have families or you move to different cities depending on your stage of life. The sacrifice is the effort that you need to stay in touch. Now, how many friends have we had in high school that we don't talk to anymore because we just never stayed in touch because we didn't make that sacrifice. And so back to the co-foundership, a lot of times the company might be progressing. 26:05 You have your product and then some users and then some funding and then some more users. one co-founder decides that the next level of sacrifice is not worth it. Maybe they cannot quit their day job. Maybe they have kids that they have to spend time with and want to spend time with. they have, you know, whatever the situation is, it might not be malicious. It might just be circumstantial, but for one reason or another. 26:32 they decide that the sacrifice to move to the next level is not worth it anymore. But that usually doesn't mean that they quit. That usually means that they stay at their current level of sacrifice and they keep doing that. And so the other co-founder or the other people are continuing to do that. And that's a case where it doesn't scale. And so to be able to scale, I'm not saying you have to sell your house and free a personal runway or never spend time with their kids. 27:01 The important thing is to understand where each co-founder is on which step and where the company is at which step and to recognize what are the milestones and the sort of achievements and the effort needed to unlock the next step. And so when you're very clear about that, it becomes very simple and apparent what you need to scale the co-founder show. Excellent. 27:30 And I'm certain that not not all relationships have happy endings. And that's when we get to splitting the equity, right. And hopefully, with your advice, there were there's been, you know, a stakeholder agreement, a priori, and there's cordial negotiations. And that's for another episode. So Tim, how 27:58 Can my listeners contact you? I'm pretty active on LinkedIn. You can find me by searching my name, Tim He. Yes. I also have the newsletter, the Cherry Tree newsletter. I read every reply to that myself. And it's really fun to see what people are saying. So if you want to email me or reach out on LinkedIn, I'm available on both. So that's Cherry Tree. And the coffee. 28:27 coffee company? What is it again? It's dumbfoundcoffee.com. Excellent. Excellent. Is it dark roast or you do that? Do you have several roasts? It's a so it's a medium roast from Costa Rica. Costa Rica. It's delicious. I've tested over a dozen different coffees for this. My girlfriend and I we were way over caffeinated many days to find perfect bean and I think we did. 28:55 All right. I'm more of Guatemala and darkerist than we have, but willing to try. Thank you. Thank you. You know, I do like to bring all my guests back to the sandbox to touch on the three cornerstones of the work that I do, which is around resilience, purpose driven, and scalable growth, and ask each of you to describe 29:25 what does the meaning what is the meaning of that word for you? And here's to you, Tim, what does resilience mean to you? That's a good question. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. And by default, you know, we all think of the get knocked down seven times, give back up eight, or keep going when it's hard. And those are really inspirational when you feel like being inspired. 29:54 but on the days that you don't feel like you're being inspired, on the days that you're knocked down and everything sucks, I think it can be frustrating to hear stuff like that, you know, because you're like, just go away, give me a minute and just leave me alone. And I think that's also a sign of resilience, just taking the time and the space you need. You don't need to be motivated every day. You don't need to grind every day, despite what startup culture tells you. 30:22 sometimes being resilient is just recharging. And I've been doing a lot of that lately myself, and it's been helping me stay on this path. 30:32 I'm an entrepreneur and working with entrepreneurs. I like it recharging. How about purpose driven enterprise? Yeah, very purposeful. I'm a bit unconventional, but purpose. I, I like this company, my company, because you're right, I am purposeful. There's, there's a magic that happens when I do my job, right? And co-founders have the relationship that they want. 31:02 and the company that they want to build. And I think if you do your job right, and you're genuinely happy because of a magical feeling, and I use the word magic because there's really no way to describe it. It's not the pay, it's not the hours, it's not the freedom, it's not any of that. It's a magical feeling. And if you have that, I think the purpose is good. And no other... 31:31 purpose-driven company that I've talked to denies the magic that happens when they do their work, right? I often, you describe it as magic, right? It's the flow, you're working with your clients and just seeing that your inputs valued, right? I call that joy, right? So when you discover or feel joyful, 31:59 in what you're doing with your clients that is resonated and purpose. Thank you. That's an amazing description of magic. What about scalable? The title of this episode that we chose together once I understood your practice is scaling your co-founder relationship. So what does scaling mean to you? 32:30 I mean, change is inevitable and scaling is just adapting to those changes. And in the startup world, we think of scale as growth, as more users, more money, more funding, more profit. And that is a type of scale when you're getting out more than you put in and it's leveraged and that's all great as a technical term. But I think scale doesn't have to be confined to that. It can be if that's the context in which 32:59 We want to look at it, but scale is just adapting to changes and hopefully that change is good because you can also scale down depending on your priorities. know a lot of founders who'd rather build a million dollar company than a billion dollar company. They're much happier that way. And so everybody is obsessed with growth for the sake of growth and scale gets a bad rep because of that. But if it's just changing and creating the circumstances that gives you purpose, then 33:28 It's, yeah, it's all good. Fantastic. Very refreshing perspective, Tim. Thank you. Last question. Did you have fun in the sandbox today? Yes, I did. Thank you for asking. And that's just where I find joy. Thank you for spending time here in the Founder's Sandbox. To my listeners, if you liked this episode with Tim Heat, sign up for the monthly release. 33:58 of the Founder's Sandbox, where business owners, corporate directors, professional service providers provide their stories so that you learn how to build your company with strong governance as a resilient, scalable, and purpose-driven company to make profits for good. Signing off for today, thank you for joining us. Thanks, Tim.
What if your team's best innovation is stuck behind a lie - like “I'm not creative”? In this episode, Nicole Greer sits down with Melissa Dinwiddie, author of The Creative Sandbox Way: Your Path to a Full-Color Life, to smash that myth and uncover the truth: creativity is your birthright—and it's the key to building a vibrant, energized culture.Melissa shares her personal journey from self-doubt to singing jazz, thriving as an artist in Silicon Valley, and coaching leaders at Google, Facebook, and Salesforce. She introduces her 10 transformative guideposts to unlock innovation, break through fear, and help people across all industries build their own “Creative Sandbox.” Whether you lead a team, launch ideas, or build culture, this episode will give you the tools—and the mindset—to turn possibility into reality.Vibrant Highlights:[00:06:54] – The lie of “I'm not creative”—and how most people are wounded out of creativity in childhood.[00:25:48] – “Think Quantity, Not Quality”: Why messy first drafts and crappy pots are the secret to innovation.[00:29:38] – Tiny and daily wins: how 15 minutes a day changed Melissa's creative life—and can spark your next big thing.[00:33:21] – “Take the riskier path” — If you're not risking, you're not innovating. Even Coca-Cola took big swings![00:36:57] – Dismiss the Gremlins: How to spot the sneaky voices of fear and self-doubt—and send them off for a pedicure.[00:43:22] – Self-awareness + self-compassion = the key to everything good. (Golden formula alert!)Melissa's Book: https://a.co/d/76rgugOFREE Download - Impact Innovation Checklist: https://bit.ly/bvcpthankyouConnect with Melissa:Website: https://melissadinwiddie.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadinwiddie/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDinwiddieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_creative_life/Also mentioned in this episode:Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland: https://a.co/d/bJJ5Q9YTaming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson: https://a.co/d/arACGUqThe Human Condition by Thomas Keating: https://a.co/d/6wNXGqUSelf-Compassion by Kristin Neff: https://a.co/d/4tyG8IeListen at vibrantculture.com/podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts! Learn more about Nicole Greer, The Vibrant Coach, at vibrantculture.com
Man.... It finally happened.... Josh lost his mind. NOTE: Language is pretty rough in this. Check us out - https://linktr.ee/COWJAMSpecial thanks to our sponsors:Northwest Figure 8 Peter's Auto ServiceWhite River Adventures JP Creations Soapy Joes AND The Indianapolis Speedrome Studio Liquid Sponsor - Casey's Landscaping
Court and Saint Kabr breakdown the latest Bungie developer livestream and weapons sandbox while Impetus abandons his cohost duties once again.TIMESTAMPSLivestream Recap - 16:00Weapons Sandbox Changes - 35:20Exotics Tuning - 1:13:30PatreonBECOME A PVE PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/podcastversusenemiesSocialsPVE TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PodvsEnemiesPVE BLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/podvsenemies.bsky.socialPVE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/TheyfeQDestiny ScienceSCIENCE WEBSITE: https://www.destiny2.science/AudioAUDIO PRODUCTION (Autodidaktos): https://twitter.com/CameronChollarINTRO MUSIC (Radio Orphe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POdqgitXq64
Sales expert Sam McKenna, Founder of Sam Sales, shares her journey from solo consultant to a thriving 20-person team with 250+ clients. The podcast discusses her unique sales strategies, including the "Expand the Sandbox" method for LinkedIn prospecting, which landed her a deal with Equifax. Key takeaways include the importance of building genuine rapport with clients (even discussing breakfast!), prioritizing consistent outreach, and investing in employee growth. McKenna emphasizes the critical need for sales leadership training and highlights the detrimental effects of slow responses in communication, advocating for a "give a shit" (GAS) approach that prioritizes human connection over automation. She also shares a surprising personal anecdote about her father's grave and recommends the book "Unreasonable Hospitality." The conversation underscores the transferable nature of sales skills across various business functions and the power of human interaction in building lasting relationships.
Why does Scott Frost keep stepping into the sandbox? - July 8th, 3:30pmAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
OpenAI neue Deep-Research-Modelle: o3-deep-research & o4-mini-deep-researchOpenAI WebhooksOpenAI ChatGPT Connectors für Google Drive, Dropbox, Sharepoint für Pro User:innenOpenAI o3, o3-pro und o4-mini mit Web SearchGemini 2.5 Modelle vorgestelltGemini CLI veröffentlichtGoogle Imagen 4 über Gemini API verfügbarGemma 3n allgemein verfügbarMagenta Real-time Musikmodell von DeepMindElevenlabs veröffentlicht Standalone App für iOS und Android11ai: Sprachbasierter AI-Assistent von ElevenLabsProject Vend – Claude betreibt einen ShopOpenRouter erhält $40M FundingVercel launcht Sandbox, um unsicheren AI Code sicher auszuführenPhilipps Artikel zu Context-EngineeringSchreibt uns! Schickt uns eure Themenwünsche und euer Feedback: podcast@programmier.barFolgt uns! Bleibt auf dem Laufenden über zukünftige Folgen und virtuelle Meetups und beteiligt euch an Community-Diskussionen. BlueskyInstagramLinkedInMeetupYouTube
In this episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosts Julie Henningsen and Kaycee McIntosh recount the harrowing tale of a French family's dream vacation that turned into a nightmare at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. The episode delves into the extreme conditions and decisions that led to the deaths of David and Ornella Steiner, who sacrificed their lives to save their 9-year-old son amidst the park's unforgiving heat. Through expert insight and a step-by-step narrative, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the physiological and psychological challenges faced in such harsh environments, emphasizing the critical importance of preparation and caution when venturing into nature's most perilous landscapes. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:39 Setting the Scene: White Sands National Park 02:16 Meet the Steiner Family 04:46 The Fateful Hike Begins 08:38 The Harsh Realities of White Sands 13:50 Understanding Heat-Related Illnesses 16:40 A Mother's Sacrifice 18:01 Ruff Greens 19:12 A Heartbreaking Turn of Events 20:04 The Sunk Cost Mentality 21:05 Heat Exhaustion and Underestimation 23:20 The Family's Final Moments 25:09 The Rescue Operation 26:57 Aftermath and Reflections 28:09 Lessons from the Tragedy 30:33 The Essence of Parental Love 36:00 Final Thoughts and Takeaways 37:23 Podcast Outro and Listener Engagement Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ References StrangeOutdoors.com - "The disturbing deaths of David and Ornella Steiner at White Sands Monument" (July 21, 2024) CNN - "French couple who died in desert gave son extra water, sheriff said" (August 11, 2015) The Washington Post - "French parents who died on New Mexico trail saved son's life by giving him their water, sheriff says" (August 8, 2015) Outside Online - "Couple Dies Hiking in White Sands" (August 2015) TIME - "Boy's Life Spared When Parents Sacrifice Water to Save Him in Desert" (August 11, 2015) France24 - "French couple die in US desert, nine-year-old son rescued" (August 8, 2015) CNN - "French couple dies in New Mexico desert; son survives" (August 10, 2015) Christian Science Monitor - "French couple dies in New Mexico desert, but saves son by giving him water" (August 11, 2015) Albuquerque Journal - "French couple die during midday White Sands hike" (August 7, 2015) ABC7 Chicago - "Sheriff: French pair who died in US desert likely saved son" (August 9, 2015) Yahoo Finance - "French hikers die in US desert, son survives" (August 8, 2015) Medical Sources: 12. Cleveland Clinic - "Heat Stroke: Symptoms, Treatment & Recovery" (2021) 13. NHS - "Heat exhaustion and heatstroke" 14. Healthline - "Heat Stroke vs. Heat Exhaustion: What's the Difference?" (May 26, 2023) 15. PMC/NCBI - "Exertional heat stroke: pathophysiology and risk factors" 16. StatPearls/NCBI - "Heat Stroke" 17. New England Journal of Medicine - "Heatstroke"
Nel caldo torrido novarese commentiamo a freddo gara 7, il draft e le prime caldissime trade. Finale di stagione lunghissimo e, mentre aspettiamo eurobasket e che il carrozzone NBA riparta ci prendiamo una meritata pausa estiva! Baci
Jon Jordan and BlockchainGamer.biz editor Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[01:10] Animoca Brands and Moca Foundation have announced Moca Chain. [01:35] Originally this was the Mocaverse NFT collection, which has become Moca Network. [06:25] They've tried to build a reputation and privacy-focused ID system. Not clear who's using it.[12:25] The issue is you have to build something 10x better and still people won't use it. [17:59] Nexon has launched a Credit Level system to reduce botting in MapleStory N.[26:43] Wildcard will be launching on Steam in October 2025.[30:42] The project's longterm success is more about the Thousands streaming platform, however.[32:19] Startup Spekter Games has raised $5M. Its first game is Telegram roguelite Spekter Agency.[37:58] The Sandbox is partnering with Cirque du Soleil for the forthcoming Alpha Season 6.
Internet personality Sébastien Borget is the co-founder and COO of The Sandbox [TSB] decentralized Metaverse, a virtual world where users can create, compete, and monetize their experiences using NFTs aka SAND--the main utility token of the platform. Read more...
I am thankful for having the opportunity to get in front of the microphone these last five years and spill my soul, interview fantastic guests, and learn. Thank YOU, dear listener, and may our paths cross again! Until then, blessings as we journey on.My email: aprilific@gmail.com
Hablamos con Leire Arbona, Directora de Legal y Cumplimiento de Veridas
On this episode of The Founder's Sandbox, Brenda speaks with David Hirschfeld, owner of 18 year old business Tekyz, that boasts a hyperexceptional development team building high “ticket” products in the B2B space. They speak about ways in which AI is a gamechanger, how Tekyz backs their work for clients with relentless pursuit of quality, and how Tekyz practices ruthless compassion,to protect the company and enable it to grow Having collaborated with over 90 startups, he developed the Launch 1st Method—a systematic approach that minimizes risks and accelerates software company success with reduced reliance on investor funding, after observing that many companies launch a product first and then fail at a later stage – With Tekyz approach of Launch 1st exceptional founders are in love with the problem not the product. David's expertise bridges cutting-edge AI technologies, workflow optimization, and startup ecosystem dynamics. When not transforming business strategies, he enjoys woodworking, golfing, and drawing leadership insights from his experience raising four successful sons. You can find out more about David and Tekyz at: https://sites.google.com/tekyz.com/david-hirschfeld?usp=sharing https://tekyz.podbean.com/ - Scaling Smarter Episodes. www.scalingsmarter.net - Schedule an interview https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhirschfeld/ https://x.com/tekyzinc https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhirschfeld/ https://www.facebook.com/dmhirschfeld transcription: 00:04 Welcome back to the Founders Sandbox. I am Brenda McCabe, the host here on this monthly podcast, now in its third season. This podcast reaches entrepreneurs, business owners that are scaling. 00:31 professional service providers that provide services to these entrepreneurs, and corporate board directors who, like me, are building resilient, purpose-driven, and scalable businesses with great corporate governance. My guests to this podcast are business owners themselves, professional service providers, and corporate directors who, like me, want to use the power of the private company to build a better 01:01 world through storytelling with each of my guests in the sandbox. My goal is to provide a fun sandbox environment where we can equip one founder at a time to build a better world through great corporate governance. So today I'm absolutely delighted to have as my guest, David Hirschfeld. David is the owner and CEO of Techies, 17 or 18 year old business now that boasts 01:29 a hyper exceptional development team that are building high ticket products in the B2B space. Welcome David to the Founder Sandbox. Hi Brenda and thanks for having me. Great. So I'm delighted that we actually did a dry run in February. We've known each other for some time and AI, we're going to be touching on AI. And I think that the world of AI 01:58 particularly in software development, has changed significantly since we last spoke in February. So we're going to be getting into some, I think, novel concepts for the listeners of the Founder Sandbox. So I wanted to, you I always talk about how I like to work with growth stage companies that typically are bootstrapped and 02:26 It's only at a later stage do they seek institutional investment by building great corporate governance and reducing the reliance on investor funding until such a time that they choose the right type of investors that can help them scale. So when I found out what you do at Techies with Launch First and the type of work you do in B2B businesses, I absolutely wanted to have you here on the founder sandbox. 02:56 So let's jump right in, right? I think I'm eager to learn more about how to scale your bespoke development at Techies, right? To scale my own business? Okay. So there's a lot of different aspects to scaling my business and I bootstrapped for the last 18 years. 03:25 I've never taken any investment with techies. And I've done that very specifically because it gives me a lot of freedom. I don't have a reporting structure that I have to worry about. That doesn't mean that I can be lazy with my team. To grow my team, I have a philosophy 03:52 that I only hire people that are smarter than I am. And the ones that are in a position to hire, they can only hire people that are smarter than them. And by really sticking to this philosophy, even though sometimes it makes us grow a little slower than we would like, it means that when we bring in people, those people contribute immediately and contribute in a way 04:21 that it's our job to get the impediments out of their way and to facilitate them so that they can contribute and help us grow the company. So I call it the ball rolls uphill here because my job is to support everybody that is above me, which is everybody. And then the people that I support directly, their job is to support the people that are above them. 04:51 Because if we're hiring correctly, then people that we bring in can contribute in the area that we're bringing them in way more than the person that's hiring them. Okay. Thank you for that. So before you launched Techies, you had a career in companies like, I believe, Computer Associates, right? Texas Experiments and TelaMotorola. 05:19 There was a period of time between your experience in these large corporations before your launch tech is where you actually had your own startup and you sold it in 2000, right? And I believe you also learned perhaps with the second startup about how hard it is to find product market fit. Can you talk to that for my listeners, please? 05:46 I don't know that it's that hard to find product market fit. It depends if that's your focus or not. If your focus is to nail down product market fit, then it's not that hard to determine whether you can achieve that or not fairly quickly. You can do that by selling your product to potential customers. That sounds strange. Of course, we all want to sell our products, but 06:14 What I'm suggesting is you start selling your product before you have a product, before you have a full product. And I don't mean an MVP, but a design prototype. You go out to the market and you start to sell it. If you have product market fit and you've identified the early adopter in your market and you know that they have a very high need from a perception perspective and there's a big cost to the problem that you're solving. 06:45 then you can offer them a big enough value upfront that they'll buy your product early and you can prove that there's a market for your product and they'll buy it in enough numbers that you can achieve a measurable metric, which I kind of call the golden ratio, which is three to one in terms of what is the lifetime value of a customer versus what does it cost to acquire that customer? And you can get to that three to one ratio. 07:13 in a prelaunch sale model before you ever started developing your product as a way of proving product market fit. Or you pivot quickly and cheaply because you're not having to rebuild a product that you've built in the wrong way. Or you fail fast and cheap. And every entrepreneur's first goal should be to fail fast and cheap. know that sounds backwards, but that should be your goal is that you can fail fast and cheap or if you 07:42 If you fail to fail fast and cheap, that means you've found a path to revenue and product market fit. And now you know you have a viable business. making the investment to build the product is a no brainer. And you came upon this methodology, right? Yes. because you did yourself when you had your first company, you did not understand the funding part, right? Can you talk? 08:12 a bit about your specific example and then how that's informed now 17 years of techies and over 90 projects with startups. Okay. So my first company was Bootstrap. Okay. And that one was successful and we grew it despite me, it was me and a partner. And despite ourselves, we grew it over eight years. 08:39 where he ended up with 800 customers in 22 countries and sold it to a publicly traded firm out of Toronto. That was in the product food, snack food distribution business because that was what our product was focused on. So I started another company about five years later, not realizing the things that I did the first time. 09:08 that made it so successful, which really fit the launch first model to a large degree. But the second time I built a product that would have been successful had I followed my first model, but I didn't. So I went the route of building an MVP and getting customers on a free version of it, and then going out and trying to raise money, which is the very classic approach that the SaaS products 09:38 take now. And the problem is with that approach is that you end up digging a really deep hole in terms of the investment that you make to build the product with enough functionality that you can convince people it's worth putting an investment in and you're not generating any revenue at the time. And I should have just started selling the product and generating subscription revenue right from the beginning. First of all, I would have been able to raise money much more easily. 10:08 Secondly, I would have not needed to raise money as much if I'd focused on sales. The problem with a lot of founders is they fall in love with their product. They believe that people will buy it at enough numbers and that investors will see the potential. they're afraid of sales. I've fallen into this trap before too. I've done it both ways. And I can tell you selling early 10:38 and staying focused on the customer and the problem are the way to be successful. So founders who I find are consistently successful, they are focused on the problem, they love the problem. The product is just the natural conclusion to solving the problem, not something to be in love with. They spend their time talking to customers about the problems. So how does a potential customer find you and work with you? 11:08 Oh, they can find me at Techies or they can find me at LaunchFirst, was spelled launch1st.com. And they can find me on LinkedIn. And then to work with me, it's just give me a call, send me an email, we'll set up a Zoom. I'll start to learn about what you're trying to accomplish and what your requirements are. And I'll typically spend quite a bit of time with any potential clients. 11:39 in one to usually multiple calls or Zooms, learning and creating estimates and doing a lot of work in advance with the idea that there'll be a natural conclusion at the end of this that they'll wanna start working with me in a paid fashion. So there's a lot of value that my clients get from me whether they end up contracting me or not. And how, again, back to, thank you for that and that. 12:08 how to contact you will be in the show notes. But what types of sectors do you work in? You know, in your introduction, I talk about high ticket B2B, right? who are the, so what founder that's has some idea today? What would be their call to action to find techies? And what would you, is it launch first before you go down? 12:35 No, it's not necessarily. It may be an existing company that is trying to implement AI or implement workflow automation, or they have a project and they don't have the IT team or capacity to handle it. We love those types of projects. It might be an existing startup that is struggling with their software development team and they're not 13:04 getting to the end goal that they're expecting and the product's buggy, it's taking too long, there's constant delays, they're way over budget and they need to get this thing done. And I call those recovery projects, they're probably my favorite because people recognize very quickly the difference that we bring. 13:33 and they really, really appreciate us. As far as what sectors, business sectors, healthcare, law enforcement, prop tech, real estate, finance, entertainment, I mean, we work in many, many different sectors over the last 18 years. So regardless in B2B, B2B2C, not so much e-commerce unless there's some 14:03 complex workflow associated with your particular e-commerce, but there's lots of really good solutions for e-commerce that don't require developers to be involved. But mobile, web, IoT, definitely everything is AI now. Absolutely. And in fact, when we last spoke, I'd like to say that you started to drink your own Kool-Aid at Techies. 14:33 you're starting to actually use AI automation for internal functions as well as projects at Techies. So can you walk my listeners through how you're using AI automation and what's the latest with agentic AI? So let's do the first. Yeah, okay. So there are a bunch of questions there. So let me start with 15:02 that we're building products internally at Techies to help us with our own workflows. These products though are applicable to almost any development company or any company with a development team. Some of them are, and some of them are applicable to companies that are, well, so one product is putting voice capability in front of project management tool. 15:32 and we use JIRA and JIRA is an incredibly technical tool for project managers and development teams to use to their projects, requirements, their track bugs, all of that. And so your relationship with what I call relationship with project management is very technical one. If you're a client, some clients are willing to go through the learning curve so that they can enter their own... 15:59 bugs and feature requests and things like that directly into JIRA. Most don't. They want to send us emails, which is fine, and just give us a list of what's going on and the problems that they're finding or the things that they need for a future version and the planning and the documentation, everything else. This is a real technical thing. We're going to make it a very natural personal relationship by adding voice in front of all this so that you can 16:29 be sharing your screen with your little voice app and say, just found a problem on the screen. And the voice app can see the screen. It knows your project. It knows your requirements. And it can identify problems on the screen that you may not have even noticed. And it can also prevent you from reporting bugs that have already been reported and tell you when they're planned to be built. And all of this just with a verbal discussion with the app. 16:58 that basically knows your project. Kind of like talking to a project manager in real time, but they don't have to write down notes and they can instantly look up anything about your project in terms of what's been reported in terms of bugs or feature requests and update them or create new ones for you or just report them to you and tell you when things are planned to be built and released or. 17:24 where they've already been released and maybe you need to clear your cache so you can see the change, whatever. Yeah. So it be like an avatar, but it's trained and it's specific to Jira in your case? In the first version, it's actually being built architected so that we'll be able to add other project management tools to it besides Jira in the future. to begin with, because we use Jira, it's going to work directly with Jira to start. 17:54 And this, by the way, you asked about agentic workflows, right? So we're building an agentic workflow in this tool where we have more different agents that work together to resolve these issues. so we have an agent that reads and writes documentation to JIRA. We have an agent that communicates with the user and the user might be the programmer 18:23 might be a person in QA, it might be a client for a lot of different things. And we have an analyst agent that when the person talks, the voice agent says to the analyst agent, here's what I understand. Here's the information I just got. Go do your work and come back and get me the answer. And it'll speak to the JIRA agent to get the information. It will also speak directly to us. 18:52 a vector database, which is a database where all the documentation from that project is ingested into our own separate AI model so that the context of all the communication is about their project and doesn't go off into other directions. And then can get back. So this is an agentic workflow. The idea of 19:20 agents is like everybody keeps talking about agents. Not everybody is really clear on what that even means. Can you define that? an agent is an AI model that you can interact with that is focused on one specific area of expertise. So if it's a travel agent, the word agent fits very well there, then their expertise would be on everything related to 19:49 travel and booking travel and looking up options and comparing prices. And that would be an AI travel agent. So that's very different from an AI project management agent, very different from an AI financial analyst agent. So each agent specializes in its own area of expertise and may draw from specific 20:18 repositories of information that are specific to that particular agent's area of expertise. And they actually look from the perspective of that type of person, if it was a person. So, and so they'll respond in a way that is consistent with how somebody who is a project manager would respond to you when you're talking to them, asking you questions about your requirements, knows what 20:46 information it needs to be able to assess it properly, things like that. wouldn't be very good about travel because that's not its area of expertise. Right. So is it common to have companies that are creating with their own large language model, right? Or their workflow processes internally to the company to create their own agent AI? 21:14 Or is there a marketplace now where you can say, want this type of agent to get in. This is a very basic question, but do build it? Right. Or do you buy it? Or is it something in between? It's something in between. So there are tools that allow you to basically collect agents out there. And there's a difference between an agent and a context. Cause you hear a lot about model context switching and things like, don't know. 21:44 if your audience knows these things. Or model context protocol. A context is not an agent, but it has some agent capabilities because it's kind of specializing your model in a certain area. But you would use this, but you're not, if it's a true agent, then it's probably tied to its own vector database. 22:12 that gets trained with specific information. It might be company's information. It might be information, let's say if I'm a security agent, then I'm going to be trained on the entire NIST system as well as all of my security architecture that's currently in place. And that so that it could monitor and 22:41 assess instantly whether there's security vulnerabilities, which you wouldn't ask Chet GPT to do that. No. Right? Because it couldn't. Because it doesn't know anything about your organization or environment. And it really also doesn't know how to prioritize what matters and what doesn't at any given moment. Whereas a security agent, that would be what it does. 23:10 I don't know if I answered that question. Oh, bad thing about building or buying. there are- Or something in between, Yeah. So there are tools that you can use to build workflows and bring in different agents that already exist. And you can use something like OpenAI or Claude and use it to create an agent and give it some intelligence and- 23:37 give it a specific, in this case, you're giving it a specific context. You could even tie a special machine learning database to it and make it even more agentic in that way. And then build these workflows where you're like, let's say a marketing workflow, where you're saying you first go out and research all the people who are your ideal customer profile. 24:07 I was going to say ICP, but I'm trying not to use acronyms because not everybody knows every acronym. Ideal customer profile. And then it finds all these people that fit your ideal customer profile. Then it says, well, which of these people are in the countries that I do business? And then it illuminates the ones that aren't. then which ones, and it may be using the same agent or different agents to do this. Then once it's nailed it down to the very discrete 24:37 set of customers. Now the next step in the workflow is, okay, now enrich their data of these people to find their email and other ways of contacting them as well as other information about them so that I have a really full picture of what kind of activity are they active socially? they speak? Do they post? What are they speaking about? What are they posting about? What events are they going to? Things like that. 25:07 So that would be the next step and that'd be an agent that's doing all the enriching. And then after that, the next step would be to call basically call a writing agent to go do, am I writing an email? Am I writing a LinkedIn connection post? Am I doing both? Set up a drip campaign and start reaching out to these people one at a time with very customized specific language, right? That is in your voice. 25:34 It doesn't sound like it's written by a typical AI outreach thing. All right, so these would be steps in a workflow that you could use with several different tools to build the workflows and then calling these different agents. 25:48 Let's go back to the launched first. What would be a typical engagement with a company? you know, they, um, the founders that have the greatest success in your experiences are the ones that love the problem space and not the product. All right. So walk my listeners through. 26:17 What a typical engagement. it's staff augmentation. it full out outsourcing? it tech? because it's very complex. I can touch so many. can touch high tech and high ticket B2B products, sector agnostic. what, put some legs on this for my listeners, please. Sure, sure. We're not. 26:46 so much a staff augmentation company, although we'll do that if asked to, but that's not the kind of business that we look for. We look for project type work. So a typical engagement for launch first would be somebody wants to launch a product, they're in the concept phase. We help refine the concept and we build out, help that we do the design and then we build a high fidelity prototype, which is a design prototype. 27:16 When I demo a design prototype to somebody, they think that they're looking at a finished product, but it's not. It doesn't actually do anything. It just looks like it does everything. So it's very animated set of mock-ups is another way to look at it. And it's important because you can build out the big vision of the product this way in a couple of months, whereas 27:46 it takes instead of, you so you're looking at the two year roadmap when we're done of the product. If we were to build an MVP, then you're going to see a very limited view of the product and it's going to cost a lot more to build that MVP than it takes to build this design prototype. Now we're in the process of doing this. We're also nailing down who that early adopter is. And there's a, there's a very, 28:14 metrics driven methodology for doing this. your launch first. Within launch first, right. Okay. All right. And then we'll help the client build a marketing funnel and help them start to generate sales. We're not doing the selling, they're doing the selling. And it's important that founders do the selling because they need to hear what customers are saying about the thing they're demoing, why they want it, why they don't. 28:43 So that if we need to pivot, which we can do easily and quickly with a design prototype, then we can pivot and then go and test the model again, two or three or four times in the space of a couple of months. And we'll either find a path to revenue or accept the fact that this probably isn't the right product for the right time. But in the process of doing this, you're learning a lot about the market and about the potential customer. 29:13 I want to be clear about something. Almost every founder that comes to that I meet with, they love the product, not the problem. They started out with a problem that they realized they had a good solution for and they forgot all about the problem at that point. And so I spend a lot of time with founders reminding them why the problem is all that matters and what that means and how to approach customers, potential customers so that 29:41 you're syncing with their problems, not telling them about this product that you're building because nobody cares about your product. All they care about is what they're struggling with. And if they believe that you really understand that, then they care about whether you can solve that problem for them or 30:01 And can I be audacious and ask you what a typical engagement duration is like? So this would be for launch first. Yes. If it's a, and our hope is that they'll find a path to revenue and start building the product and engage us for the development. Cause that's really our business is building the products. So, but it's not a requirement. And, and our typical engagement with our clients are several years. 30:32 Not all of them, but most of them, would say. Once they start working with us, they just continue to work with us until they decide to bring in their own in-house team or they fail eventually, which many of our clients do, which is why I created Launch First. Right. You often talk about your hyper exceptional team at Techies. What is it that's so highly exceptional? Talk to me about your team. Where are they? Yeah. 31:02 And if you go to my website, which is tekyz.com, you'll see at the very top of it in the header above the fold, it says hyper exceptional development team. And I don't expect people to believe me because I write that down or I tell them that I expect them to ask me, well, what does that mean? Do you have evidence? And that's the question I want to get because I do. Because when you work in an exceptional manner, 31:31 as a natural consequence of working that way, you produce certain artifacts that the typical development teams don't produce. And I'm not saying there aren't other exceptional teams, but they're really few and far between. And what makes a team exceptional is a constant need to improve their ability to deliver and the level of quality that they deliver as well and the speed at which they develop. It's all of these things. 31:59 So, and, you know, after 18 years, we've done a lot of improving and a lot of automation internally, because that allows our team to work in a really disciplined protocol manner without having to feel like they're under the strict discipline and protocol of, you know, a difficult environment to work in. And so we create automation everywhere we can. The voice... 32:27 tool is one of those automations. The way we do status reports, it's very clear at the level of detail that we provide every week to every client in terms of status reports where we're showing here's what we estimated, here's the actual, here's our percent variance on how much time we spent and how much it's costing. We want to always be within 10 % above or below. 32:56 Either being above or below is not, know, the fact that we're ahead of that doesn't necessarily mean that's a good thing, right? So we want to be accurate with our estimates. And we are typically within 10%. In fact, our largest customer last year, we did a retrospective and we were within six and a half percent of what our estimates were for the whole year. and that's a, we're pretty happy with that number. 33:24 I think most teams are looking at many, many times that in terms of variance. it's not that uncommon for teams to be double or triple what they're or even higher what the actual estimate was. So when we do invoicing, we invoice for each person at their rate. 33:50 based on their level of expertise, which is all part of our agreement upfront. So the client is very transparent every month for the hours that they work. And we attach the daily time sheets to every invoice. I'm the only company I know of right now that does that. I know there are others. I've seen monthly, but I've never seen daily. Yeah. Yeah. Because for me, if I could ask, well, 34:18 why did this person ask a work that many hours that last month? What did they do? I hate that feeling that I get when somebody asks that question. I know they're only asking because they have to justify it to somebody else or whatever the reason, but I don't like the way it feels because it feels like my integrity is being questioned. I don't get upset at people for asking me that. I just feel like I'm not giving them enough information if they have to ask me that question. So we started about eight years ago. 34:47 providing the daily time sheets because I don't like that question. And we never get questioned on our invoices ever anymore. I bet you it's informed you as well in future projects, maybe on including workflow automation in your own internal processes, right? When you see people's time sheets, right? And you've gone over budget. So it informs you internally. So it's not only for the client. 35:16 I suspect, right? No, it's not. Right. And we use it ourselves to also, because it also helps us looking at our overhead costs because not everything gets built to the client. And so we track all our own times, you know, what we're spending doing what. And we don't get to, it's not like a developer has to spend a lot of time or a QA person or whatever, putting in a lot of detail. We just need a couple of bullets, you know, every day in the time sheet with the, whatever they spend. 35:45 If they spent four hours on one thing and three on another, they'll just break it into two entries just to make it easy. And that's important for us, or they may be working on two different projects and each project. So when we do the timesheets also every month, we give our clients a breakdown by project. So if we're working on four different projects for a client or even one project, but it has four different really 36:15 functional elements that are very clearly different. Like let's say a mobile app and a web app and a particular client implementation. Each one of those gets assigned its own project and we break down summaries of the time spent on each of those every month and who spent the time on those, along with the daily time sheets, along with the invoice. And nobody else does that because it takes a lot of discipline and protocol and you have to have lot of systems in place 36:45 to do that without literally getting everybody to quit, right? That works for you. And nobody minds doing it because it's easy because of all the systems we put in place to do that. That's the whole point, right? Right. were not particularly happy of getting asked that question oftentimes. So eight years ago, you set out to provide the information on a daily basis, which is incredible. We started that with blended rates like a lot of companies do. 37:14 And then I didn't like that because at the end of a project when most of it's QA, people would start to get frustrated that they're still getting billed the same blended rate, even though for the more expensive period at the beginning of the project, I thought, okay, forget this. Well, just bill based on individual. And then I didn't get those questions anymore, but then I would get questions about individuals on the month. And that's when I started doing the time sheets. 37:43 And like I said, I'm sure there's other companies that do it, but I haven't run into one or somebody that works with one. So that's an exceptional thing that we do. But it also allows us to do really, really good reporting to the client on status on what we've spent our time on, what we're expecting to spend our time on next week, what we just spent our time on this week, where we are. 38:12 in terms of our plan for the month, things like that. So let's switch gears, David. Yeah. Back to actually the podcast and some of my guests and listeners are corporate board directors. So they're sitting on either advisory boards or fiduciary corporate boards. And with all the hype around AI. 38:39 it's not uncommon for them to be asking, what are we doing, right? For existing companies, right? And I'd like you to walk my listeners through while it's in the, you know, in the imaginary realm, what is it? I think any founder today that's actually scaling, right? Has to have some AI element. At least I've even heard you need to have it. 39:08 an AI officer in the company. So what's your take on that? What would you respond to either to your board of advisors, your advisory board, or your board of directors? So, and of course, a lot of it depends on the type of company you are. Absolutely. Right. If you're making alternative material I-beams, for example, for skyscraper construction, then 39:37 AI, other than maybe in the design process of these specialized materials, AI may not be as big a critical factor, although for invoice reconciliation and distribution and scheduling and all that, AI could be a huge value to you if you don't have super efficient systems already. For most everybody else though, if you have not embraced the need to 40:06 leverage AI and everything you're doing, then you're way behind already. That doesn't mean you have to be in a race to do this. just, because I'm of the belief that you have to slow down to speed up. But you do need to make it a priority. And in a lot of different ways. Number one is, 40:36 The most obvious is workflow automation. You should be probably tackling workflow automation as just a part of your constant improvement program to become more efficient, whether it's with AI or not. But AI is particularly good at workflow automation because it can tackle steps in that workflow that couldn't be tackled without AI. So the first thing 41:06 the companies should be doing if they're not doing it is documenting all of their processes, all of their tribal knowledge into playbooks. So when you have somebody who's an expert in something in your company and they're the person who's the only one that knows how to do it and so we can't live without them, that's a bottleneck for scaling. Because if you bring somebody else in to expand their capacity, they're going to... 41:32 put a big dependency on that person with all the expertise, which is going to cause problems. So anybody in a position like that should be documenting all of their procedures and protocols and especially all the nuances and all the edge cases into playbooks. And there should be some centralized playbook repository for the company. And this becomes part of your intellectual property and part of your value if you ever 42:02 you're trying to raise money or you're trying to sell your company. So it increases your value. So you do that, then AI, you start to look at automating those workflows because now they're documented. So now what can be automated in them from just a workflow automation perspective. And then how much can you implement AI in there? Because now AI can learn to make the same kinds of decisions that this person is making. 42:31 And this is like the low hanging fruit that I'm talking about right now. Right. Exactly. Right. Because the bigger stuff is if we implement AI in here, what workflows would we totally throw away and start from scratch? Because we can think of way more sophisticated ways of addressing this now that we have intelligence involved in all these steps. But that's later. 42:57 worry about that once you get your arms around implementing AI, automated workflows and then- So workflow automation. So playbooks, workflows and AI in your automated workflows. That's sort of the stepped wise process. Excellent. You heard it here on the founder sandbox. Thank you, David. And if you're not sure how to do all that, 43:25 ask AI, okay, here's my company. What should I be focusing on if I wanna implement playbooks, workflow automation and AI? And AI will help you figure this all out. Right. That's a jewel here. So what'd you do? Chat GBT, co-pilot, what's your complexity? Where would you go to? All right. Well, it just depends on the flavor of the day. Right now. 43:53 I was using chat GPT primarily for this stuff just because it was a first and I'm very comfortable with the apps. have them everywhere. And Claude's recently come out with a new version and it's in some ways I'm just finding the output way more organized and smarter. And so I've been using Claude more in the last couple of weeks, but that'll change in another week or two. Any one of them will do a pretty decent job. 44:21 I'm not using perplexity because it's built on top of the other ones. But perplexity is a great tool if you're newer with this because it makes some of the... It's a little bit more accessible for somebody who doesn't know how to use AI. Gemini is also really good, but that's more of a technical... And there's so many things you can do. 44:49 with AI that you wouldn't even think about. And I'll give you an example, more as a brain opening exercise for everybody than anything else. Because this is something I did about seven weeks ago. I, chat GPT had just come out a week or two before with their vision capability in the mobile app. And for those of you who don't know it, with chat GPT, there's a talk 45:19 button. It's not the microphone. It's the one that looks like a sound wave in the mobile app. You tap that, and now you have a voice conversation with chat, which I use this constantly. Even when I'm working with, I've got some contractors at my house whose English isn't very good, so I ask it to do real-time translation for me. And it does matter the language. And I start talking, and it translates to their language. And they respond 45:49 in their language and it translates to English and it's doing it perfectly. And so I can have a very natural conversation with anybody just holding my phone up in front of them now. Right? But it has this vision capability where when you go into that voice mode, you tap the camera next to it, and now it's looking out the front of your screen while you're talking to it. And so I'll give you a couple of examples where I've used it six weeks ago and again, like 46:18 weeks later and I now used it many times like this. I was in Lowe's, which is a store for home improvement. And for some project I was on, my wife calls me and says, I need fertilizer for a hibiscus. And I say, well, what do I get? She says, anything that says hibiscus on it, it'll be fine. I said, okay, fine. And if anybody that knows these big box stores, there's like hundreds of bags of fertilizer of different brands. 46:48 And I couldn't find one that said hibiscus. This is a typical thing with my wife. Oh, just look for this. And of course, there isn't that. So I asked Chess GPT, okay, I'm in Lowe's and I'm looking for a fertilizer for hibiscus. What would you suggest? And it said, oh, there's a number of brands that are high acid. And I said, we'll recommend a brand. Tonal is a really good brand. And I said, okay. So I'm looking and I can't find it. 47:18 So I walked 30 feet back and I'm talking, right? I'm having this, know, people are looking at me like, what the hell is he doing? And I walked 30 feet back because there's many, many shelves, you know, columns of shelves with fertilizer. I walked back and I turned on the vision and I say, okay, there's all the fertilizers. And I'm moving my phone across all these shelves. say, do you see tonal here? And it says, yes, look for the one in the red and white bag. 47:48 And I see it on the shelf. So I walk straight forward. see a red and white bag. That's not tonal. said, this isn't it. And she, cause it's a woman's voice that I have, she says, it's two shelves to the left, second from the top. I walk over there and it's right where she said it was. Crazy. And you're not a beta user. So this is available today. This is available. It's been available for a couple of months. And then 48:18 My daughter-in-law asked me to get something from the pharmacy, from CVS, another big box pharmacy store, right? And this is something I don't even know if I'm in the right aisle because it's something I've never bought. So I ask it, I say, I'm looking for this brand and I'm not sure if I'm in the right aisle or not, but I'm going to walk down the aisle and tell me if you see it. As I'm walking down the aisle, holding it straight forward so it can see both sides. And it says, well, 48:45 Yes, I'm familiar with the brand. You should look for it in a green and white box. then she goes like this. Oh, I see it. It's down there on the right on the bottom shelf. And I turn and I look and it's right by my right foot. 48:58 You heard it here. This is crazy. think it's a bit creepy. How many times have you been looking for something on a shelf? You know, and you're like, oh, how long, how many hours is this going to take me to spot it? Good internet connection and all that. So, oh my goodness. It's creepy and it's wonderful. So same time. the same time. Yeah. Yeah. For quality of life and even for, um, yeah. So 49:25 That's a mind opening thing is all the reason I bring that up. Excellent. Hey, let's go. Let's continue on in the founder sandbox. I'd like to ask each of my guests to share with me. I'm all about working with resilient, purpose driven and scalable companies in the growth phase. So what does resilience mean to you? You can either answer, you know, what's the first thing that comes out of your, you cannot use chat, GBT. I'm not fancy. No hands. 49:55 No hands, and I don't have the voice version going because you'd hear it. Podcast we could do it. And we are real. We're not. Yeah, we are real. We're not. So I think that's, I don't think that's a difficult question to answer. Resilience means opportunity. So no matter what happens, even if it seems terrible, what opportunity does that create? Excellent. If you ask that. 50:22 keep reframing everything from that perspective, it creates resilience. Right. Thank you. What about purpose-driven? Purpose-driven means having a clear long-term path and goal and asking yourself if the things you're doing keep you on purpose to that. 50:56 Scalable. What's scalable mean for you? Scalable for me means eliminating tribal knowledge or not eliminating it, but documenting tribal knowledge. First of all, figuring out how you generate revenue and then how you expand your ability to generate revenue, which means growing your 51:25 growing your team, growing your capacity and identifying the bottlenecks and focusing all your energy on the bottlenecks. And usually the bottlenecks have to do with tribal knowledge or with lack of workflow automation. Wow, you know, it's easier said than done though, that tribal knowledge, it is resistant, right? Oh yeah, because it's career, what's the word I'm trying to think of? 51:55 It keeps you in your job forever if you're the only one that knows how to do the thing. Absolutely. That's for another podcast, David. My final question today is, did you have fun in the Founder Sandbox? Oh, yes. I had a lot of fun. Thanks. That's a great question too. Thank you, Brenda. Did you have fun? 52:20 Did you? I had had fun. And particularly in this last part, right? Cause we're talking about some heavy duty, you know, uses of, um, agentic AI, right. And scalable, you know, LTV, CAC and all that. And then we get to hear these real life, you know, kind of creepy, um, uh, uses of, um, on our phones today with, um, with AI, which is, which is quite amazing. But I also know that in your world of techies, 52:50 your team, which is distributed, have a lot of fun events too. So you probably- have one more thing on the whole scalable thing. You have to be compassionately ruthless or ruthlessly compassionate, however you want to say it. Okay. So that the people, every, and the ruthless is anything that's going to get in the way of you growing your company, which benefits everybody in the company. 53:19 it needs to be addressed in a ruthless way. But if you build a culture of ruthlessly compassionate, then all the people that work for you feel that same level of ruthlessness to protect the company and make it grow. And you practice what you preach, I suspect, at Techies. Yes. Yes. It took me a while, but if we accidentally hire the wrong person, either because 53:45 we made a mistake in the process or they faked us out and we recognize they're not smart enough. Literally, that's usually the problem. They're not smart enough to carry their weight. We fire them immediately. We don't try to bring them along because you can't improve somebody's IQ. You can improve any other aspect, but their IQ is their IQ. And that will be a bottleneck forever. 54:13 in our team and it'll require other people to carry that person. And it sends the wrong message to the team that I don't value them enough to make sure that we only surround them with people that are going to inspire them and help them grow. Excellent. And I suspect they are not fungible by AI, your employees, not techies. I mean, we've gotten better and better. 54:40 at not making those mistakes over the years. So that doesn't typically happen. takes us, we're much more careful about how we hire. AI gives us the ability to recruit faster, more broadly, along with workflow automation. But what I mean by real, this is the compassionate. Once my team understood this, now they embody that and they will get rid of somebody if they made a mistake. I don't have to force the issue ever anymore because 55:10 they recognize how much, important it is to protect their teams. So to my listeners, if you liked this episode today with the CEO and founder of Techies, sign up for the monthly release of founders, business owners, corporate directors, and professional service providers who provide their examples of how they're building companies or consulting with companies to make them more resilient, scalable, and purpose-driven. 55:40 to make profits for good. Signing off for today. See you next month in the Founder Sandbox. Thank you.
Hark and hearken, good folk, to a tale most joyous! Lo, after many a season spent in patient longing, bold AC doth at last return to the noble realm of tabletop role-playing! With great fanfare and mirth, he unveil'th his much-anticipated Planescapes campaign, and his fellowship of players taketh up the dice once more. As the Lords do revel and wax rhapsodic o'er the delights of their newfound quest, they dost turn back the wheel of time, revisiting a discourse of yore, nigh eight years past, wherein was debated the merits of sandbox tales versus the guided path of on-rails adventures. Sit thee down, pour thyself a flagon, and partake in their merry musings.
Dr. Paulson discusses the difference between free will and dominion over creation. Here, the conversation turns to Genesis, but it demonstrates how Luther explained that Adam and Eve were not exercising free will but rather utilizing the gift of dominion over creation. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Preorder Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley Ditching the Checklist by Mark Mattes Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation, Book 1 of 2 by Amy Mantravadi More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Steven Paulson
Richard Flynn pops by Morning Movers to discuss the A.I. headlines emanating from Great Britain. He says the U.K. is the 3rd largest investor in artificial intelligence technology, noting this week's the A.I. Sandbox announcement from Nvidia (NVDA). Richard discusses the state of the U.K. markets and how the government is changing the way investors approach the overall domestic investing picture.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
June's Patch [FIX] Tuesday unpacks a lighter-than-usual Windows patch cycle — but don't get too comfortable. Join Automox cybersecurity experts as they break down high-risk vulnerabilities across macOS and Windows, including:A chained SSH vulnerability (CVE-2025-26465 & CVE-2025-26466) that allows memory exhaustion and bypasses host key verificationA WebDAV remote code execution flaw (CVE-2025-33053) actively exploited in the wildMultiple macOS threats, from sandbox escapes to keychain access and privilege escalationThe team also shares patching strategies, mitigation tips, and password hygiene advice you'll want to follow.
Fancy setting us a gaming challenge? Get in touch here!In this episode of the Gaming Blender podcast, hosts Matthew and Scott discuss the latest highlights from the Xbox Game Showcase, including the announcement of Final Fantasy for Xbox and the potential for a big year ahead for Xbox. They explore upcoming games, their trailers, and the implications for handheld gaming in a market dominated by the Nintendo Switch. We both then explore the concept of a sandbox game centered around vehicular warfare. They discuss the mechanics of building vehicles, the narrative of an underdog in a dystopian war, and the creative freedom players would have in designing their own combat machines. Thanks for listening and please leave us a review and subscribe if you enjoyed it. It really helps us out. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gaming-blender/id1597738101Also please get in touch with us at @gamingblendpod or thegamingblenderpod@gmail.com with your ideas for new games and challenges.We have begun to update our YouTube channel with video playthroughs and we hope to put more up there soon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZTPuScm5BTf8DdwvaCj0jQKeep blending!
There's a phrase the kids are using these days– to be “ten toes down” is to live and act with integrity, standing firm on what one believes. For over 18 years, Fabric has been experimenting with what it means to be church closer to the margins (read: in the ecotone!). Who's in the sandbox with us, and what walls might we benefit from analyzing a bit further?
Et si la révolution du Web3 n'était plus bruyante… mais silencieusement en marche, portée par l'Asie, l'IA et les créateurs eux-mêmes ?Dans cet épisode de 135 grammes, Sébastien Borget, cofondateur et CEO de The Sandbox, revient sur 4 années de transformation profonde du métavers. Oubliez le buzz et les promesses creuses : ici, on parle d'un écosystème qui fonctionne, évolue et s'adapte.On y découvre comment l'Asie est devenue le moteur du Web3, grâce à une culture technophile, des gouvernements proactifs et une jeunesse connectée.On explore aussi le rôle de l'intelligence artificielle dans la création de mondes, la modération des expériences et, bientôt, l'invention de jeux entièrement nouveaux.Et surtout, on comprend comment créer, jouer et posséder devient une réalité concrète, à travers des outils no-code, des NFT utiles et un modèle phygital qui relie les mondes virtuel et réel.
Dr. Masoud Nafey is a technology expert who brings a wide array of views about how Optometry might utilize the tools at their discretion to best connect with the 21st century health and eye care consumer. He provides an excellent insight to how we might advance as a profession while the patients advance toward more of a consumerist approach to consuming their eye care. From a family of Afghan refugees, he has an incredible sense of the importance of education and shares why that has shaped his path in Optometry, following a wandering career of entrepreneurism that started in his youth. He's a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry and achieved an MBA to demonstrate his commitment to being a business person as much as a Doctor of Optometry. The Stories within the Story include: 1:11 The Patient Mindset Story 4:53 The Online Shopper Story 9:22 The Professional Advancement Story 15:32 The Metaverse Story 20:04 The Afghan Refugee Story 28:06 The Athletics Story 31:23 The AI in Eyecare Story 36:03 The Mentorship Story 37:42 The Business Mindedness Story 42:13 The Hope Story Runtime: 44 min.
Follow Video Podcast Channel: ANALYTIC DREAMZ: VIDEO PODCAST | Podcast on SpotifyLinktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticBecome A Patron Of The Notorious Mass Effect Podcast For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme! Join Our Patreon Here: https://ow.ly/oPsc50VBOuHFollow Lil Oochie: Liloochie | Instagram, TikTok, Twitch | LinktreeSandBox VR: Sandbox VR Cerritos | Immersive Virtual Reality Experiences Join Analytic Dreamz on the Notorious Mass Effect podcast for an exciting segment diving into the first-ever vlog: Analytic Dreamz vs. Lil Oochie Full Gaming Gauntlet. This action-packed gaming showdown features thrilling experiences at Main Event Entertainment, immersive adventures in Sandbox VR, and intense battles in NBA 2K25. Analytic Dreamz delivers passionate commentary and expert insights, breaking down the highlights and cultural impact of this epic gaming event. Tune in for in-depth analysis and stay updated on music, gaming, and pop culture with Analytic Dreamz. Subscribe now! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
What might we find when we dig in the sandbox? In this episode, Ian McConnell welcomes artist, educator, and author Dave Scherer (AKA Agape*) back among us to share some reflection and frameworks for really getting in the sandbox and planting our toes in it. How do we acknowledge fear without letting it get in the driver's seat?
Et si la révolution du Web3 n'était plus bruyante… mais silencieusement en marche, portée par l'Asie, l'IA et les créateurs eux-mêmes ?Dans cet épisode de 135 grammes, Sébastien Borget, cofondateur et CEO de The Sandbox, revient sur 4 années de transformation profonde du métavers. Oubliez le buzz et les promesses creuses : ici, on parle d'un écosystème qui fonctionne, évolue et s'adapte.On y découvre comment l'Asie est devenue le moteur du Web3, grâce à une culture technophile, des gouvernements proactifs et une jeunesse connectée.On explore aussi le rôle de l'intelligence artificielle dans la création de mondes, la modération des expériences et, bientôt, l'invention de jeux entièrement nouveaux.Et surtout, on comprend comment créer, jouer et posséder devient une réalité concrète, à travers des outils no-code, des NFT utiles et un modèle phygital qui relie les mondes virtuel et réel.
When you hear the word “interfaith,” what stirs in you? We're curious to learn more from Peter Digitale Anderson, Executive Director of Peace Catalyst about the gifts of “playing in the sandbox” with those of different perspectives and cultures.
On this episode of The Founder's Sandbox, Brenda speaks with Alexa Steinberg – a corporate and transactional attorney for middle-market companies and entrepreneurs. Acting as outside general counsel, Alexa represents privately held companies in a wide range of general corporate and transactional matters, including entity formation, structuring, and commercial transactions. With a focus on mergers and acquisitions, she offers clients guidance on structuring deals and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Brenda and Alexa discuss her journey from working at a small, all-female law firm to joining a full-service firm to better support her clients. Alexa shares how her parents—both deeply involved in business and community service—shaped her values around financial literacy, record-keeping, and the importance of building generational wealth. They speak about family-owned businesses and best practices in family governance, such as setting clear roles, regular meetings, and involving independent board members. Alexa also emphasizes the importance of building trust with clients and maintaining a purpose-driven, relational legal practice. Brenda and Alexa explore what "purpose-driven," "resilience," and "scalable" mean within the context of business and legal practice. You can find out more about Alexa at: https://www.greenbergglusker.com/alexa-steinberg/ episode transcript: 00:04 Hi, I'm pleased to announce something very special to me, a new subscription-based service through Next Act Advisors that allows members exclusive access to personal industry insights and bespoke 00:32 corporate governance knowledge. This comes in the form of blogs, personal book recommendations, and early access to the founder's sandbox podcast episodes before they released to the public. If you want more white glove information on building your startup with information like what was in today's episode, sign up with the link in the show notes to enjoy being a special member of Next Act Advisors. 01:01 As a thank you to Founders Sandbox listeners, you can use code SANDBOX25 at checkout to enjoy 25 % off your membership costs. Thank you. 01:18 Welcome back to the Founders Sandbox. I am Brenda McCabe, your host of this monthly podcast where I have guests that are either founders, professional service providers, corporate board directors that actually share a mission with me, which is bringing change to the world through great corporate governance, but building resilient, scalable and purpose-driven companies. On a monthly basis, my guests are going to tell their origin stories and kind of how I've met them. 01:48 through the work they do. And I've recreated a fun sandbox environment in which we do storytelling. And ultimately we will touch upon resilience, purpose-driven and scalable or sustainable growth in the businesses that they are working in or owners of. 02:17 l I'm absolutely delighted to have as my guest today, Alexa Steinberg, Alexa is counsel at Greenberg, Glasgow. And before that, she was actually practicing in a smaller law firm and where her story today is going to kind of have some some 02:47 lessons learned on why she chose to leave the firm and move into Greenberg, the Greenberg Lasker. But more importantly, you and I go back a couple years. are part of an informal group of women. We call ourselves Women and Wealth. We meet periodically to really refer business to each other for those women business owners that 03:16 are seeking perhaps an exit in the next three to five years. And through our skillset, some of us are CPAs, strategy advisors, yourself as counsel. A lot of these businesses are family owned. And so you and I and another, know, seven other ladies get to meet each other over lunch and discuss these opportunities. And we're all very passionate about helping women business owners. Aren't we, 03:44 We are Brenda, thank you so much for having me on the Founder's Sandbox. I am an avid listener, so I'm very excited that I get to be a guest. Thank you, thank you. you know, we've had many, conversations, obviously, but I wanted for my listeners to really dive into what you do today, right? Which is really purpose. 04:12 driven and it's preserving family wealth, right? And I know that you actually come from a background where your father owned his business. So tell us a bit, us down memory lane and that first story that you told me. Well, you know, growing up, I watched both of my parents. My mother was a career woman. My father, a financial planner. 04:38 running his own book. My mother, a buyer and then in fashion and then into real estate. I watched they were both very involved in the community. My mother sat on the Studio City Council, the Neighborhood Council. She was on many boards involved with the temple. My father as well sat on many boards involved with the 05:07 Boys and Girls Club, and involved with the Jewish Federation. So I watched as my parents really instilled the importance of being involved in community, being involved in family, being involved in the greater good and in purposeful and meaningful organizations. And I... 05:35 sort of learned a lot about that watching them both in their respective arenas being involved. And you know, they've, they've truly inspired me, not only in my career path, but in how I treat my clients in the arenas that I've become involved in. There's a specific story that I think I've shared with you, Brenda, about my father and how he sort of taught me 06:05 the value of wealth, the value of money, because as his career, that was what he did. He focused mainly on planning for retirement and financially setting yourself up and your family up to have generational wealth and what that looked like and how you could prepare for it when you were 10, 15, 20, 25 years old, preparing for family, preparing for children. 06:35 So when I turned 16, my father went into our QuickBooks. We had a family QuickBooks. Oh, wow. That was before it was actually. It was probably a hard disk, right? Not even on the internet. Oh, yeah. It was like a hard disk. had a full set up, massive computers, the whole thing, in our family office. And he went into his QuickBooks. And he took. 07:03 what he spent on me in a year. And he divided it by 12. And this included insurance. Mind you, I just turned 16. So my car insurance, my car lease, medical, entertainment, my tennis lessons, all of these things that were spent on me, what it cost for me to function. Children are expensive, you know. 07:32 I was very expensive because I will tell you that check was large that he cut me every month. And he laid out, these are the things that are monthly expenses for you that you need to pay with this money. And the rest you can use on entertainment, gifts, shopping, which I loved. But I had to learn to balance my checkbook and balance 08:01 this amount of money, because I wasn't able to get any more until the next month. And that really taught me how that money was never something that was readily expendable to me. even if I went to Starbucks and I bought a drink with my father's credit card, he'd ask me for the receipt. He'd want to know where the receipt was, always. 08:28 I was very meticulous in his record keeping which I am now very much meticulous in my record keeping and I enforce with my clients and make sure that record keeping is so important in your business as well. You know and so when I when I graduated high school my father said to me okay the checks are done. And you need to go get a job in college. 08:56 And what I will do is I will subsidize the paycheck that you bring home. So if you bring home $600, I will pay you 50 cents on the dollar for what you bring home, but only up to $300. So I could get a max of $300 every paycheck that he would subsidize. And then that was how I had money to live and to function. my parents, I was lucky enough that my parents would pay for my college. 09:24 in my housing, in my dorms, but it was still really teaching me the value of money. And my father required that a certain portion of those funds get put away in savings and invested. And he would tell me how to do that. And he would guide me. because my father was a financial planner, he would call me like a client and say, listen, 09:53 You're 70 % stocks, 30 % cash. I think you need to swap it. Let's talk about what that means. And of course, I'm like, you're my dad. Just do it. Why are we having this conversation? But it was so valuable because he wanted me to understand what he was doing and why he was doing it and how it really functioned. that I've also taken into how I guide and advise my clients. 10:22 I don't just do for them. understand, I want them to understand how we're doing it, why we're doing it, what the alternatives are and what it means if we do it this way or that way. You know, a lot of my discussions with my clients are about strategy and about structure and so they can make an informed decision. You know, I think that that's extremely important, especially in a family business. Working with your family is tough. So, 10:52 The way that you can make it that much easier is communication and understanding and knowledge. And I try to arm my clients with that. And that's something that my father really taught me. my mother as well, because my father managed our money and my mother would bring it home and hand my father a check and be like, here, I don't know what you do with it, but do something with it. 11:21 She also would, he would say, hold on a second. Like, I know you just sold a house and here's your commission check, but let me show you what we do with this and how we create generational wealth and how we invest it and what the best benefit for these funds are and how to use debt to our advantage. Um, you know, and that's all of these things were such a value add that I 11:51 I obtained understanding about and that I've now turned this value add to my clients and how they run their business. I'm not a financial advisor, I'm not a tax attorney. These are just really sort of general understandings and general guidance points for my clients to go out and have knowledgeable conversations with the appropriate 12:21 guidance, appropriate people, and the appropriate service providers that are going to help them accomplish those things. really, this is very loaded, but I really like the methods your father used. very, well, first of all, intentional and bespoke. And that's really, and he did communicate to your mother, right? To instill also in her an understanding 12:52 of although she's bringing the check home because many, many women business owners today oftentimes do not own a majority of their companies. Right. And that is a shocking statistic that I run into time and time again that women actually don't know how much equity they have in their own business. Right. So just the informing and, and you've translated that bespoke, you know, communicating 13:22 helping your clients understand, pardon me, and providing options as well as access to other professional service providers as your own bespoke offering to your clients. But it wasn't always like, yeah, go. That's sort of the benefit of the group that you and I met in and all of the networking opportunities that I've been involved in. Of course, networking is about building 13:51 um, your brand and your book and, um, but a majority of it and the real value there is meeting and learning and understanding, um, and really coming to know people that can help your clients where you can't, um, and having trustworthy referral sources to do that, because I'm not just going to tell my client, Oh, 14:18 this individual can help you with wealth management, call them without knowing how this person functions, without knowing how they run their clientele, how they do business. Those are really important things and to have trustworthy referral sources is really important. And that's sort of what our group is all about. That's right. And it wasn't always like this. 14:46 Right, you graduated from law school and started with a small, it was a, I think a female-led law firm. all female attorneys. Yeah, so what was your, this is right out of college, what were you doing and what then informed your decision at a very tender age to leave? So right out of law school, 15:17 had worked my way through law school. I worked in family law for about five or six years. during the day, I was at a law firm. And in the evening, I took classes from 5 to 10 PM, four days a week for four years. took me four years to get through law school. And when I graduated, unfortunately, I wasn't afforded 15:47 All of the opportunities in law school that most law students take advantage of, externships, fellowships, things like that, because I was working my way through. I had already been financially independent and I wanted to stay that way. So I didn't want to quit my job to go to school. I wanted to be able to do it all. 16:15 So as a result, I really didn't have the summer clerkships that turn into job offers. And I was a little lost because I had taken the bar exam and I was like, OK, I'm not an attorney yet. But in three months, if I pass the bar exam, I could be. Am I applying for law clerk positions? Am I applying for associate positions? Like, know, I was so lost. And I went on Craigslist. Oh my goodness. 16:44 And I found law firms that were hiring because I figured those people, you know, they're they're looking to hire somebody now, which is what I'm looking for. and hopefully those people, you know, will transition me into an associate role. If I pass the bar exam in a few months. And that was that was like my first sort of in. And I joined a very boutique law firm in West Hollywood. It was 17:13 By the time I left, we were three female attorneys. were all female for my entire tenure there. I was there for six and a half years. And it was in late 2019, early 2020 that I really decided I wanted more for my career and for my book of business. And I wanted to be able to provide my clients with a well-rounded 17:43 advice and guidance. I can't do it all, nor should I. I'm pretty sure my malpractice of insurance wouldn't like that. Not at all. But more and more, had clients that were asking me to help with litigation matters or employment matters. And those are arenas that I know just enough about to be dangerous. But I'm not going to run a full litigation. 18:13 I can't willfully and knowledgeably advise on employment matters. You know, especially to do justice by my client, do well by them. I'd like to be able to have somebody for them that they can speak to and trust and get the advice and counsel that they need. And that really stemmed my yearning to branch out. 18:42 and go to a firm where I had all of those resources at my fingertips. I wanted more for my career, but my biggest drive was I wanted more for my clients. I wanted really to be able to provide them with well-rounded, multidisciplinary counsel. And so I sought out full-service law firms. 19:11 I found my home at Greenberg Gloucester, which is a fantastic place to be. I'm very happy there and everybody is so fantastic and everybody is so good at what they do. We've got employment and tax and IP and litigation, environmental, entertainment, you name it. And it's been such a benefit not only to my career, 19:41 to my clients, but I've learned so much. And is it true? How would you characterize the typical clients without revealing, you know, confidential matters? Is it also a firm that's very oriented towards family owned businesses? Would you say that? Yeah, I would. You know, I'm a counsel in the corporate and tax department. 20:08 And you we don't have a ton of institutional clients. A lot of our clients are family owned businesses, mostly held entities, you know, which I love on a daily basis. I am working with two sisters that own a business together or a multi-generational company where, you know, senior is working with G2 and G3 or 20:37 were actually this morning I was working on assigning interests and reorganizing and restructuring a bunch of entities that own a bunch of real estate for clients. And that's also the kind of benefit that I get that I get to be pulled into real estate matters with my corporate expertise to help a family office restructure their ownership. 21:04 You know, and I love that stuff. We're extremely, the way that Greenberg provides advice and counsel is on a very personal level. The way that the firm and myself, especially, we're a lifestyle firm. You know, we understand that attorneys are people outside of 21:33 the walls of the office and that we all have lives. And we, you know, I translate that to my clients. My clients have lives. My clients have other things going on than their business. And especially when you deal with family offices and family businesses, there's a whole different dynamic of family interaction. Yes. You know, and, and I have now experienced that not only with my clients and sometimes I become 22:03 therapist in that regard, although I'm a very expensive therapist. I'm sure there people that are less per hour. But I'm experiencing it firsthand because my husband has his own business with his brother and I have become advice and counsel for them as well. And so I'm seeing it sort of from a different angle too, but I think that my clients truly appreciate 22:32 that when I talk to them, I talk to them as a person. It's not just as a business owner. It's not just as I'm guiding you with this legal advice. It has to make sense. And it has to be actually applicable. And sometimes what my advice and guidance would be in sort of this like legal box is not the best. 23:00 for my client and how their business is operating. And you've got to be sort of fluid with that. And bespoke. Yeah, so it's really beyond, it's not a transactional relationship. It is a trustworthy relationship based on the values of the family businesses that and their goals in preserving wealth or continuing to generate family wealth. Yeah, absolutely. This is a great segue because you know, I also 23:29 passionate and have often guests that are sitting on corporate boards. As counsel, have you observed any best practices and family governance structure? You talk about G1, G2, G3, Have you observed any best practices? We don't have to talk about bad practices, right? But any best practices that you would like to share here? Yeah, you know, I think that I've observed that 23:59 Some of the most effective family governance structures prioritize clear communication, well-defined roles, professionalized decision-making. I use this in a very loose sense of the word, but you could establish a family constitution. Creating a board of advisors is always really important. 24:28 having independent members in your board of advisors is so incredibly valuable to have a knowledgeable, independent person that can help through disputes. business disputes are one thing, but when you include a family dynamic in these disputes, emotions can get high and heated. And so having an independent third board 24:57 Third party board is extremely valuable. Somebody that can guide you, something that your family trusts. Those are some big things that I've seen as best practices. And I think that lastly, holding dedicated, regular meetings. 25:23 You'll talk about business, you know, at the dinner table or, you know, out and about you're at a kid, one of your niece's birthday parties and everyone's there and you're like, Hey, did you see that email from XYZ? We got to figure out how to handle that. But those are not the time and place and you're not going to have a productive conversation. And so you need to set aside and create boundaries between your family life and your business life and set aside regular times. 25:53 weekly, bi-weekly, to have an hour conversation about what's going on, any disputes that need to be discussed, any decisions that need to be made. And that's your time to solely be in your business mode. Because having these conversation piece meals, dinner on a Saturday night, or a family's birthday party, or a holiday party, 26:22 It's not effective for your business. And one of the biggest, best practices and the most, one of the most important goals is to preserve your family relationships. Beautiful. You heard it here on the founder's sandbox to preserve family. Absolutely. Cause if you don't have family, do you have? That's right. 26:52 Family first. really important. It's really important. And sometimes business can get in the middle of family relationships. And it hurts to see that. It hurts to see business tear between brothers, tear between father and son. And I've seen those things in it. There needs to be just a second to breathe. Yes. 27:21 and realize that there are bigger things than business and that they need to be resolved, but they can only be resolved if you have a good relationship with your business partner slash your family. They're your biggest support. 27:37 This has been immensely actionable in terms of governance, the best practice you've seen in family offices. So thank you. Thank you for that. It's not often that I do have a lawyer that works in this arena. Although family businesses just in the LA ecosystem is 28:05 It's very predominant. very, very, you know, third, actually third and fourth generation now. So very relevant to your business and mine. Let's switch gears. You are, I believe, sitting on the board of directors or one of the committees of the Association of Corporate Growth. Yes. And tell us a bit what why what is the Association of Corporate Growth and what committees do you serve on? 28:35 And how do you further your business there? Thank you. The Association of Corporate Growth or ACG is a national organization for professionals in the M &A sphere. So you've got members that are VCs, investment bankers, M &A attorneys, wealth managers, insurance specialists. You sort of name it. Anybody that's 29:03 has some sort of involvement in the purchase or sale of a business or just surround sort of just general business governance that either prepare for an exit. You know, those are the kind of people that are members of ACG. And I got involved a few years ago. And I think three years now, I've been sitting on the Women's Committee, which is a 29:31 Fantastic. We schedule and create women-focused programming within the confines of the ACG organization and really promote networking amongst women. More and more, I have had clients that have requested that they only work with women. 29:58 You know, and this sort of goes back to what I was talking about earlier about being able to provide trustworthy referrals. And I've met some incredible, incredible women in connection with ACJ. In fact, our group kind of came out of ACJ. This is how I met you, Brenda. And so it's been a fantastic, fantastic network to be a part of. You know, I love planning the programming, our programming. 30:28 ranges everywhere from talking about the state of the market to balancing family and career and what that looks like and mental health. I think I hate calling out a distinction that we are women in business because I think a 30:57 A business person is a business person. I don't think it needs to be defined as such, but there is something to be said about the fact that women have a different set of challenges in the workplace than men do. And a lot of those stem from family life. And that needs to be balanced. And so there's a lot of programming that the women's committee puts on that sort of 31:26 talks about that and gears us in that direction and gives us tools to be successful and to strive in the face of everything else that women just have to deal with and take care of. That's for another episode here. Yes, very much so. Very much so, yes, as we all have balanced our careers and family priorities, right? 31:56 Let's switch gears. How do my listeners contact you? How's the best way? Well, so I'm at again, I'm at Greenberg Gloucester. We're in Century City. They can email me. It's a Steinberg at gg firm.com. And on our Greenberg Gloucester website, if you search people, I've got my whole bio and all of my contact information as well. Excellent. 32:25 Well, that will appear in the show notes. All right. So we're coming into the final part of this podcast in which I actually enjoy asking my guests what the meaning is of certain terms that I actually practice with my clients. I'm working with purpose-driven companies, resilience. We work on resilience tactics and scalable business is sustainable. So I always love the opportunity to hear 32:55 firsthand from my guess. What does purpose-driven mean to you, Purpose-driven means a mission that goes beyond profit. It taps into creating meaningful value for your customers, for your employees, for the community that you operate in. It's sort of about building a company that 33:25 that stands for something. And I'm very pleased to say that we have seen so many more companies start out of a purpose-driven goal. There's a bunch of old companies and new companies. There's a lot of companies that have this sort of one-for-one model. You buy one, we donate one. 33:52 There are socks companies, there are eyeglass companies, there are shoe companies, there are cleaning product companies that sort of have this as their motto. And then you see additionally, know, products and companies that are committed to the environment or sustainability and cleanup efforts. You know, that's really what purpose-driven 34:21 means to me is that these companies have a goal. They want to accomplish something more than what they can show on their balance sheet. consumers of that product are helping them achieve that. Excellent. Excellent. You've touched on even other aspects like sustainable growth, right? Yeah. Right. What is resilience? You've been particularly resilient. 34:49 You having a father like your father, building life skills early. would resilience, what's the meaning to you? 35:00 Resilience is about navigating challenges with adaptability and with determination. It's about learning from your setbacks instead of being defined by them, having them be a fire to your growth and having them be the galvanization of your progress forward. 35:30 You know, and in business, it also can be about the ability to pivot while staying aligned with your long-term goals, about the ability to, you know, okay, there's a new regulatory, new regulation that's gonna affect the way we operate. Okay, how are we gonna pivot to continue doing what we do, but still can stay in compliance? You know, that's really, 35:59 what it's all beyond your toes. Excellent. And you're scalable. I'd like you to kind of share the meaning within the context of scaling the legal practice. What have you found to be particularly challenging or easy to do? Right. And scaling, right. Because it's a very bespoke practice. Is there any important, right? Scaling is absolutely important. Okay. 36:28 In my practice and in my business, number one goal and the biggest galvanization point of scaling my practice are my clients, my current clients. If you do a good job for them, they'll continue to come back. 36:59 and they'll continue to give you more business. Creating a network. I watched my parents in their, both of their practices. All of our family friends at this point have at one point or another been a client of my mother's or of my father's. They've swapped clients, referred to each other. And these individuals either started as friends and became clients. 37:29 or became friends because they were clients. And that is the way that both of my parents have built their practice and their brands. And that's how I want to do it too. It's a value add when, attorneys are scary to begin with. Nobody wants to talk to an attorney. It's expensive. Half the time you have no idea what they're talking about. It's language. 37:57 You know, but if you create this relationship of trust and of loyalty and friendship and when you feel like your attorney sees beyond just you as a dollar figure or you as a business, it goes such a long way. And that's my main value add to my clients. And in turn, they help me scale. 38:22 my business, clients continue to come back to me and I'm able to continue to grow that because I can satisfy all of their needs with the network that I'm creating through places like ACG. You know, so that's, that's what I see is as scalable in my industry. It's extremely important. And it goes to the heart of how I practice law and how, how I guide and advise my clients. Beautiful. 38:52 Thank you. heard it here on the Founder's Sandbox. Last question, Alexa. Did you have fun in the sandbox today? Oh, it was so fun. Brenda, thank you so much for having me. This was fantastic. Thank you. So to my listeners, if you've enjoyed this monthly episode with Alexa Steinberg, counsel at Greenberg, Greenberg Gloucester, right? Greenberg Gloucester. Yep. I encourage you to 39:22 sign up, subscribe either on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I'm on all main podcasts streaming services where my guests talk about how they felt resilient, scalable and purpose driven practices informed by their origin stories. You can find it here on the founder sandbox. Thank you and signing off for this month. Thank you, Alexa. Thank you. This was fantastic.
In today's episode, I dive into the complex dynamics of self-advocacy inside Big Law firms—especially when you know stepping up may trigger pushback or quietly harm your reputation. I talk about what it really feels like to raise your hand in an environment where power dynamics are murky, and how to do it strategically so you're not sidelined for asking for what you've earned. Whether you've been burned in the past or you're simply unsure how to assert yourself without risk, I break down practical ways to navigate firm politics, advocate for your own advancement, and shift how you're seen by the decision-makers at your firm. You'll hear real-world examples from my coaching clients, including how one partner successfully challenged a toxic situation by staying grounded in facts—not emotion—and how to use smaller, safer forums to build visibility before taking bigger swings. At a Glance: 00:00 Introduction and the real challenge of self-advocacy inside Big Law 01:20 Why internal negotiation feels riskier than client advocacy 02:12 The hidden rules of the sandbox—and how fear shapes behavior 03:12 How law firm culture discourages asking for more 04:00 Imposter syndrome and unclear rules for advancement 05:10 Why some partners turn cold—and how that shift derails careers 06:01 A mindset reframe to engage power players strategically 07:06 A junior partner's story: pushing through abuse to win a major pitch 09:07 How to build influence through low-risk contributions 10:14 Why tone and timing matter more than content in firm-wide conversations 10:35 How to read your firm's sandbox like a strategist 11:30 What to do when you've been cut out or undermined 12:43 Gut-checking your fears vs. firm realities 13:45 Advocacy isn't selfish—it's part of owning your career 14:26 How to show up consistently and shape your firm's future Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life? Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law. For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here! For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com laura@lauraterrell.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/ Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast
Welcome to the Sandbox! Today, Megan and April talk with Reverend Rose Hope, who has been featured on several national news platforms regarding her NDEs (near-death experiences). In this episode, Rev. Rose Hope discusses these events as well as several other key themes of her new book, The Arc. She expounds on the amazing life she has found (and believes is available for us all) in the Now moment. GIVE-AWAY: The Sandbox is offering a free copy of Rev. Rose Hope's debut fantasy fiction novel The Arc to the first 5 listeners that email April at thesandboxpod@gmail.com. Please put "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.
Have you ever been repulsed by that sludgy, weedy zone between land and water? We're going to dive into the ecological concept of “ecotones” to walk a bit closer to the edges of what may feel comfortable… it turns out, there's some pretty rich soil in those borderlands.
THIS WEEK: Dan and Dan and Tiddly and Bona talk about the sandbox changes that come with the Rite of the Nine, Edge of Fate anticipation and HEAVY METAL!Listen to Destiny Digests:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51utOpaycri2x7WotgVlFXApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/destiny-digest/id1638939545On Bluesky? Follow our Guest Starter Pack: https://bsky.app/starter-pack/danfinity.gg/3lbrtal4y7c2rFollow Bona: https://bsky.app/profile/bonafidehiro.bsky.socialFollow Danfinity: https://danfinity.ggFollow EpicDan: https://linktr.ee/epicdan22Follow Eseipha: https://bsky.app/profile/eseipha.bsky.socialFollow Sami: https://linktr.ee/samikatplaysFollow Tiddly: https://bsky.app/profile/tiddly.bsky.social
When your world's on fire, the schedule's in chaos, and the goblins are unionizing—welcome to West Marches. In this episode, Ash Ely and Tyler “RPGBOT” Kamstra venture deep into the untamed wilds of West Marches–style tabletop roleplaying games. With no regular party, no fixed storyline, and no safety net, they explore how this classic format redefines player agency and opens the door to truly dynamic storytelling. The hosts explain how to build a vibrant, reactive world filled with tension, consequence, and creative freedom. They also share tips for managing the behind-the-scenes chaos: prepping seasonal events, tracking a living timeline, and handling player-driven schedules without losing your mind. Along the way, they touch on the mechanical differences between Pathfinder 2 and D&D 5e in supporting exploration-based gameplay and share some clever ideas for managing treasure, experience gaps, and inevitable player death. The conversation expands to include updates on upcoming Pathfinder 2 spell list guides, their thoughts on reading vs. audiobooks, and why supporting local game stores is vital to the RPG community. As always, personal stories and sharp banter round out the episode, keeping things informative and entertaining. Links Hexploration on Archives of Nethys Mork Borg (affiliate link) Outdoor Survival PF2 GM Core (affiliate link) Shadowdark RPGBOT.Podcast Episodes Random Encounters If you want to get into a West Marches Campaign and join his personal Discord Server, contact Ash Ely at BlueSky: @GravenAshes Key Takeaways West Marches Gameplay Design West Marches games emphasize flexible scheduling and nonlinear, player-driven adventures. The world is sandbox-style—no set party or plot—and players choose when and where to explore. Hex crawling and random encounters enhance exploration and inject unpredictability. A successful West Marches world is reactive, with consequences shaped by player choices. GM prep includes world timelines, seasons, and milestone-based time management. NPCs may be unreliable, adding narrative tension and misdirection. The format suits drop-in/drop-out play, allowing varied player participation. Players must prepare before sessions, as they drive the story. Storytelling and Worldbuilding The world should feel lived-in, with visible effects from past player actions. Incorporating pacing shifts and seasonal changes creates depth and realism. Building a sense of urgency can help motivate player decisions. Character death and level gaps must be handled carefully to maintain balance and satisfaction. Creative treasure systems can engage players more than traditional loot drops. System Considerations Pathfinder 2 excels at structured exploration, making it a strong choice for West Marches. D&D 5e is viable but may require tweaks for sandbox structure and time management. Community and Culture The hosts provide updates on upcoming Pathfinder 2 spell list guides. Audiobooks offer a practical way to enjoy fiction while multitasking. They tease an upcoming audiobook version of Randall's novella. Supporting local game stores is emphasized as critical to the health of the hobby. Listener engagement through reviews and shares helps sustain and grow the show. Ash and Tyler discuss personal struggles with reading and time, connecting with listeners on a relatable level. As always, the show mixes insightful advice with humor and camaraderie, the secret ingredients that keep listeners coming back. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati
The Mandalorian seems like a great way to explore how the walls created by traditionalism separate us from others, and even from ourselves. It turns out, “This” may not be the only way…
As we continue our search for a permanent home in Connecticut, MSYH.FM is hosting monthly studio recording sessions in New Haven, CT. These sessions are taking place at The Sandbox, courtesy of the Greater New Haven Art Council. As a part of our monthly DJ showcase we will be highlighting our station's local resident DJs and hosts as well as guest DJ sets from some of the state's most talented selectors. This month we are featuring Koob. From the artist: Coming from Danbury, CT, DJ Koob is a up and coming talent focused on seamlessly blending the genres he loves. DJing has been a way for him to share that love of music with the world. Since a child hearing tracks like Percolator and Gypsy woman he's always known that he's loved dance music and to dance. Now his goal is to get you dancing to his mixes or at his live sets. Whether it's house, techno, or hip hop he's bound to bring a mix that gets you ready to move. Drawing inspiration from hard hitting DJs such as Dazegxd, Gum.mp3 and Mall Grab you never will know what's coming next. It can be a classic house track one minute then a hard-hitting techno track the next. Koob has constantly evolved his sound in ways to connect to his ever changing audience. Coming off a strong performance at our recent MSYH.FM mixer, Koob is ready to light the studio on fire with his upcoming mix for our radio show. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/owSEVpMaktM?si=wY1L7BFbqdMrltzH ---------- Follow Koob ◊ https://soundcloud.com/david-gavi-776626918 ◊ https://www.instagram.com/lilasthmaattack_ ◊ https://www.tiktok.com/@lilasthma4ttack ---------- Follow MSYH.FM » http://soundcloud.com/MSYHFM » http://MSYH.FM » http://x.com/MSYHFM » http://instagram.com/MSYH.FM » http://facebook.com/MSYH.FM » http://patreon.com/MSYHFM ---------- Follow Make Sure You Have Fun™ ∞ http://MakeSureYouHaveFun.com ∞ http://x.com/MakeSureYouHave ∞ http://instagram.com/MakeSureYouHaveFun ∞ http://facebook.com/MakeSureYouHaveFun ∞ http://youtube.com/@makesureyouhavefun ∞ http://twitch.tv/@MakeSureYouHaveFun
As we continue our search for a permanent home in Connecticut, MSYH.FM is hosting monthly studio recording sessions in New Haven, CT. These sessions are taking place at The Sandbox, courtesy of the Greater New Haven Art Council. As a part of our monthly DJ showcase we will be highlighting our station's local resident DJs and hosts as well as guest DJ sets from some of the state's most talented selectors. This month we are featuring Justino. From the artist: Justino is a deep / melodic house DJ out of New Haven, CT. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYCVrvfGlIM ---------- Follow Justino ◊ https://www.instagram.com/justino.dj ◊ https://www.tiktok.com/@justino_dj ◊ https://www.youtube.com/@Justino-DJ ---------- Follow MSYH.FM » http://soundcloud.com/MSYHFM » http://MSYH.FM » http://x.com/MSYHFM » http://instagram.com/MSYH.FM » http://facebook.com/MSYH.FM » http://patreon.com/MSYHFM ---------- Follow Make Sure You Have Fun™ ∞ http://MakeSureYouHaveFun.com ∞ http://x.com/MakeSureYouHave ∞ http://instagram.com/MakeSureYouHaveFun ∞ http://facebook.com/MakeSureYouHaveFun ∞ http://youtube.com/@makesureyouhavefun ∞ http://twitch.tv/@MakeSureYouHaveFun
Enabling Firefox's Tab Grouping. Recalled Recall Re-Rolls out. The crucial CVE program nearly died. It's been given new life. China confesses to hacking the US (blames our stance on Taiwan). CISA says what Oracle still refuses to. Brute force attacks on the (rapid) rise. An AI/ML Python package rates a 9.8 (again!) The CA/Browser forum passed short-life certs. :( A wonderful crosswalk hack hits Silicon Valley. Android to add force restarting ahead of schedule. Maybe. The EFF is never happy. But especially now, about Florida. Interesting research into ransomware payouts. Windows Sandbox: The amazing gem hidden inside all Windows 10 & 11! Show Notesb - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1022-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/securitynow bigid.com/securitynow 1password.com/securitynow material.security
Enabling Firefox's Tab Grouping. Recalled Recall Re-Rolls out. The crucial CVE program nearly died. It's been given new life. China confesses to hacking the US (blames our stance on Taiwan). CISA says what Oracle still refuses to. Brute force attacks on the (rapid) rise. An AI/ML Python package rates a 9.8 (again!) The CA/Browser forum passed short-life certs. :( A wonderful crosswalk hack hits Silicon Valley. Android to add force restarting ahead of schedule. Maybe. The EFF is never happy. But especially now, about Florida. Interesting research into ransomware payouts. Windows Sandbox: The amazing gem hidden inside all Windows 10 & 11! Show Notesb - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1022-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/securitynow bigid.com/securitynow 1password.com/securitynow material.security
Enabling Firefox's Tab Grouping. Recalled Recall Re-Rolls out. The crucial CVE program nearly died. It's been given new life. China confesses to hacking the US (blames our stance on Taiwan). CISA says what Oracle still refuses to. Brute force attacks on the (rapid) rise. An AI/ML Python package rates a 9.8 (again!) The CA/Browser forum passed short-life certs. :( A wonderful crosswalk hack hits Silicon Valley. Android to add force restarting ahead of schedule. Maybe. The EFF is never happy. But especially now, about Florida. Interesting research into ransomware payouts. Windows Sandbox: The amazing gem hidden inside all Windows 10 & 11! Show Notesb - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1022-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/securitynow bigid.com/securitynow 1password.com/securitynow material.security
Enabling Firefox's Tab Grouping. Recalled Recall Re-Rolls out. The crucial CVE program nearly died. It's been given new life. China confesses to hacking the US (blames our stance on Taiwan). CISA says what Oracle still refuses to. Brute force attacks on the (rapid) rise. An AI/ML Python package rates a 9.8 (again!) The CA/Browser forum passed short-life certs. :( A wonderful crosswalk hack hits Silicon Valley. Android to add force restarting ahead of schedule. Maybe. The EFF is never happy. But especially now, about Florida. Interesting research into ransomware payouts. Windows Sandbox: The amazing gem hidden inside all Windows 10 & 11! Show Notesb - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1022-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/securitynow bigid.com/securitynow 1password.com/securitynow material.security
Enabling Firefox's Tab Grouping. Recalled Recall Re-Rolls out. The crucial CVE program nearly died. It's been given new life. China confesses to hacking the US (blames our stance on Taiwan). CISA says what Oracle still refuses to. Brute force attacks on the (rapid) rise. An AI/ML Python package rates a 9.8 (again!) The CA/Browser forum passed short-life certs. :( A wonderful crosswalk hack hits Silicon Valley. Android to add force restarting ahead of schedule. Maybe. The EFF is never happy. But especially now, about Florida. Interesting research into ransomware payouts. Windows Sandbox: The amazing gem hidden inside all Windows 10 & 11! Show Notesb - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1022-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/securitynow bigid.com/securitynow 1password.com/securitynow material.security
Enabling Firefox's Tab Grouping. Recalled Recall Re-Rolls out. The crucial CVE program nearly died. It's been given new life. China confesses to hacking the US (blames our stance on Taiwan). CISA says what Oracle still refuses to. Brute force attacks on the (rapid) rise. An AI/ML Python package rates a 9.8 (again!) The CA/Browser forum passed short-life certs. :( A wonderful crosswalk hack hits Silicon Valley. Android to add force restarting ahead of schedule. Maybe. The EFF is never happy. But especially now, about Florida. Interesting research into ransomware payouts. Windows Sandbox: The amazing gem hidden inside all Windows 10 & 11! Show Notesb - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1022-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/securitynow bigid.com/securitynow 1password.com/securitynow material.security
Are you struggling to help SOC teams move beyond alert fatigue and scale investigations effectively? Curious how innovative startups are transforming security operations by empowering analysts, not just automating them? Wondering what truly sets apart the next wave of cybersecurity platforms—and what you can learn from their go-to-market approach? This episode delivers deep insight and practical lessons from the cutting edge of security operations.In this conversation we discuss:
All Aboard the Innovation Express: RSAC 2025 On Track for Cybersecurity's FutureLet's face it—RSAC isn't just a conference anymore. It's a movement. A ritual. A block party for cybersecurity. And this year, it's pulling into the station with more tracks than ever before—figuratively and literally.In this On Location episode, we reconnect with Cecilia Murtagh Marinier, Vice President of Innovation and Scholars at RSAC, to dive into what makes the 2025 edition a can't-miss experience. And as always, Sean and Marco kick things off with a bit of improvisation, some travel jokes, and a whole lot of heart.From the 20th Anniversary of the Innovation Sandbox (with a massive $50M investment boost from Crosspoint Capital) to the growing Early Stage Expo, LaunchPad's Shark-Tank-style sessions, and the new Investor & Entrepreneur track, RSAC continues to set the stage for cybersecurity's next big thing.And this year, they're going bigger—literally. The expansion into the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts brings with it a mind-blowing immersive experience: DARPA's AI Cyber City, a physically interactive train ride through smart city scenarios, designed to show how cybersecurity touches everything—from water plants to hospitals, satellites to firmware.Add in eight hands-on villages, security scholars programs, coffee-fueled networking zones, and a renewed focus on inclusion, mentorship, and accessibility, and you've got something that feels less like an event and more like a living, breathing community.Cecilia also reminds us that RSAC is a place for everyone—from first-timers unsure where to begin to seasoned veterans ready to innovate and invest. It's about showing up, making a plan (or not), and being open to the unexpected conversations that happen in hallways, lounges, or over espresso in the sandbox village.And if you can't make it in person? RSAC has made sure that everything is accessible online—600 speakers, 600 vendors, and endless ways to engage, reflect, and be part of the global cybersecurity story.So whether you're hopping in the car, boarding a flight, or—who knows—riding a miniature DARPA train through Northridge City, one thing's for sure: RSAC 2025 is going full speed ahead—and we're bringing you along for the ride.⸻
The lads take a health check on the Heresy sandbox!TIMESTAMPSAct 3 Artifact Mods Update - 5:20Heresy Artifact - 9:50New Aspects - 27:00Bolt Charge - 39:00Other Elements Sandbox - 53:30Exotic Weapons - 1:12:40Legendary Weapons - 1:22:10Armor - 1:45:30PatreonBECOME A PVE PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/podcastversusenemiesSocialsPVE TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PodvsEnemiesPVE BLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/podvsenemies.bsky.socialPVE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/TheyfeQDestiny ScienceSCIENCE WEBSITE: https://www.destiny2.science/AudioAUDIO PRODUCTION (Autodidaktos): https://twitter.com/CameronChollarINTRO MUSIC (Radio Orphe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POdqgitXq64
As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe What if you had a thousand doctors working for you 24/7, at virtually no cost? In this episode of Theories of Everything, a panel of leading AI and medical experts explores how “medical swarms” of intelligent agents could revolutionize healthcare, making personalized, concierge-level treatment accessible to all. This isn't science fiction, it's the near future and it will change everyone's life. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/SpotifyTOE Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join Links Mentioned: • Ekkolapto: https://www.ekkolapto.org/polymath • Ekkolapto's Longevity Hackathon: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy5dPSW_KkniuHpoLwlzkYcxhxn50Mn0T • William Hahn's lab: https://mpcrlab.com/ • Michael Levin's presentation at ekkolapto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exdz2HKP7u0 • Gil Blander's InsideTracker (website): https://blog.insidetracker.com/ • Dan Elton's website: https://www.moreisdifferent.com/ • FAU's Sandbox: https://www.fau.edu/sandbox/ • Will Hahn on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr4R7eh5f_M&t=1s • Will Hahn's in-person interview on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fkg0uTA3qU • Michael Levin on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8iFtaltX-s • Stephen Wolfram on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YRlQQw0d-4 • Neil Turok's lecture on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gwhqmPqRl4&list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlOYgTu7P4nfjYkv3mkikyBa&index=13 • Robin Hanson on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEomfUU4PDs • Tyler Goldstein (YouTube): http://www.youtube.com/@theoryofeveryone GO TO THIS MAN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL. HE HELPED WITH THE CAMERA WORK IMPROMPTU AND ALSO HAS A FANTASTIC CHANNEL ANALYZING THEORIES. THANK YOU, TYLER! • Joscha Bach on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MNBxfrmfmI • Manolis Kellis on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g56lxZwnaqg • Geoffrey Hinton on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_DUft-BdIE Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 4:43 A New Approach to Healthcare 5:33 AI in Medical Imaging 7:40 Cognitive Models 11:09 Education in Medicine 23:02 Exploring the Boundaries of AI 32:04 The Future of AI in Medicine 37:20 Swarming Agents 41:49 The Ethics of AI in Healthcare 45:17 AI into Clinical Practice 55:58 Preparing for an AI-Driven Future 1:15:03 The Human Element in Medicine 1:17:19 Emotional Intelligence in AI 1:20:11 Unified Theory in Medicine 1:21:31 Conclusion Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mozilla patches Firefox flaw similar to actively exploited Chrome vulnerability. Russia-based RedCurl gang deploys ransomware for the first time. Ukraine's railway operator recovers from cyberattack. India cracks down on Google's billing monopoly. Morphing Meerkat's phishing kit abuses DNS mail exchange records. 300,000 attacks in three weeks. Our guest is Chris Wysopal, Founder and Chief Security Evangelist of Veracode, who sits down with Dave to discuss the increase in the average fix time for security flaws. And Liz Stokes joins with another Fun Fact Friday. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Chris Wysopal, Founder and Chief Security Evangelist of Veracode, discussing increase in the average fix time for security flaws and percent of organizations that carry critical security debt for longer than a year. Selected Reading After Chrome patches zero-day used to target Russians, Firefox splats similar bug (The Register) Microsoft fixes Remote Desktop issues caused by Windows updates (Bleeping Computer) Firefox fixes flaw similar to Chrome zero-day used against Russian organizations (The Record) RedCurl's Ransomware Debut: A Technical Deep Dive (Bitdefender) Ukraine's state railway restores online ticket sales after major cyberattack (The Record) Google App Store Billing Policy Anti-Competitive, India Court Rules (Bloomberg) Morphing Meerkat PhaaS Platform Spoofs 100+ Brands - Infosecurity Magazine (Infosecurity Magazine) Fresh Grandoreiro Banking Trojan Campaigns Target Latin America, Europe (SecurityWeek) Malware distributed via fake DeepSeek ads on Google (SC Media) GorillaBot Attacks Windows Devices With 300,000+ Attack Commands Across 100+ Countries (Cyber Security News) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In our journey together, we've explored the creative processes of authors, songwriters, interior designers, architects, and even scientists. Each guest has shared unique insights into how they bring their ideas to life and push creative boundaries. Today, we continue that journey with someone who knows all about transforming the 'impossible' into reality—Melissa Dinwiddie.Melissa's website -- https://melissadinwiddie.comMelissa's Instagram -- @a_creative_lifeMelissa's YouTube channel -- https://youtube.com/@MelissaDinwiddieMelissa's LinkedIn -- https://linkedin.com/in/melissadinwiddieSpecial Offer: Get book excerpt -- https://bit.ly/YWoCthankyouFrom dreaming of Juilliard as a teenager to now empowering leaders and teams through her Create the Impossible™ keynotes and workshops, Melissa has mastered the art of making big dreams come true.Your journey from taking your first dance class at 16 to attending Juilliard just three years later is inspiring. What mindset shifts did you have to embrace to turn what seemed impossible into reality, and how do you help others do the same?You have such an eclectic background—calligraphy, jazz singing, and now corporate innovation coaching. How have these diverse creative experiences influenced your approach to fostering innovation in major companies like Google and Meta?Your book, The Creative Sandbox Way™, encourages readers to play and experiment. What role does playfulness have in achieving breakthrough innovation, especially in high-pressure corporate environments?You work with analytical minds, helping them adopt a creative mindset, skillset, and toolkit. What are some common challenges these individuals face, and how do you guide them past those barriers?Your workshops and retreats are known for being highly interactive and results-driven. Can you share a standout success story where a team truly embraced your approach and achieved remarkable outcomes?Listeners, if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave us a review—it helps more creative minds like you discover the show. And don't forget to tune in next time, when we'll continue to explore the many facets of creativity with another incredible guest.A big thanks to our sponsor, White Cloud Coffee Roasters. Enjoy a 10% discount when you use the code CREATIVITY at checkout. Visit whitecloudcoffee.com to grab your next favorite brew.