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Hey, Survivor! In today's episode, I break down the “recipe” behind narcissistically abusive relationships: the predictable blend of truth, lies, urgency, flattery, and psychological manipulation that keeps survivors stuck, confused, and doubting their own reality. If you've ever wondered “How did I miss this?”, today's episode will show you the answer: You didn't miss anything — you were intentionally misled. We'll talk about trauma bonding, intermittent reinforcement, and cognitive dissonance… and why highly empathetic, intelligent, trustworthy people are targeted. You'll learn: The 6 “ingredients” narcissists use to manufacture trust Why mixing a little truth with a lot of lies is so effective How your nervous system gets trained to bond to chaos How to rebuild clarity using Dr. Sears' L.E.A.N. pillars How to reframe shame, take back your power, and ground yourself in truth Whether the narcissist in your life was a partner, parent, friend, coworker, or authority figure — this episode gives you the clarity and validation you deserve. Know who you're dealing with. Know who you are.
Pediatrician Dr. Bob Sears joins Del to unpack ACIP's hepatitis B vaccine debate, the near-total absence of long-term safety data for newborn vaccination, and why the U.S. is an outlier in giving this shot on day one of life. He discusses the Physicians for Informed Consent's new Silver Book “Vaccines and the Diseases They Target”, designed to give doctors and parents clear, side-by-side numbers on disease risk and vaccine risk so real informed consent can finally happen.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-highwire-with-del-bigtree--3620606/support.
Diana revisits a former interview with the late Dave Ebert, who went to be with Jesus in July 2024. His wife, Bobbie Ebert, joins the conversation to discuss their unique ministry. The couple uses improv comedy as a tool to help survivors of sex trafficking rediscover their voice, improve communication, and build confidence. Bobby shares her personal story of overcoming abuse and finding faith, while Dave discusses their journey into full-time ministry and their goal of creating a residential facility to support survivors. The episode also touches on the importance of laughter and joy in the healing process and provides details on how listeners can support their mission. 00:00 Introduction: Comedy and Sex Trafficking? 00:23 Sponsor Message: 7 5 3 Academy 01:11 Welcome to The Wounds of the Faithful Podcast 01:42 Introducing Dave and Bobby Ebert 02:12 The Power of Improv Comedy in Healing 04:48 Dave's Ministry Journey 07:50 Bobby's Testimony and Healing Journey 15:38 How Dave and Bobby Met 24:16 A Surprise Proposal 25:29 The Significance of the Ring 26:07 Life After Marriage 27:11 Transition to Full-Time Ministry 28:11 Using Comedy to Heal Trauma 29:24 The Missionary Journey 32:16 Fundraising and Support 32:48 Future Plans and Goals 35:06 The Power of Laughter 41:17 Final Thoughts and Call to Action The website is still up after his passing. Bobbie may be keeping the ministry going in his place. www.gifts4glory.com Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/ Dave and Bobbie Ebert [00:00:00] What does comedy and sex trafficking have to do with each other? It's not what you think. We have my guest, Dave Ebert on the show again from the first season of the show to talk to us about his ministry once again. So find out the answer to my question next on The Wounds of the Faithful podcast. Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They [00:01:00] take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, Diana . She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hello friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm so glad to be here with you. We have a great show for you. More Dave Ebert. If you didn't hear Dave's first interview, please go back and listen to it. It was excellent. He told his personal [00:02:00] story and then how he started his ministry. He's gonna bring his wife tonight because they're doing this together. So you wanted to get the answer to the question that I posed in the beginning. The power of improv comedy in healing and growth. Reverends Dave and Bobby Ebert are on a unique mission to minister to survivors of sex trafficking using the power of improv comedy. With their help survivors find their voice, tap into their creativity, improve communication, and rediscover confidence as US missionaries. They use their unique calling to help those in need and bring light to the darkest of situations. So there areas of focus on their webpage here. Use comedy to break down walls and find the good soil for the seeds of God's word to be [00:03:00] planted. Rebuild confidence through fun, creative games and challenges. So these survivors are better prepared to reenter society. Provide a needed respite from the challenges of healing and recovery by creating a safe, fun, and laughter rich environment. Demonstrate the love of the father and share the redeeming power of Christ to encourage forgiveness of those who inflicted the unimaginable trauma. So I think you're gonna really enjoy Dave and Bobby. I mean, what, what could go wrong with comedians, right? I know that you're going to be blessed with their stories and their vision to help sex Traffick victims to heal. So without delay. Here's my conversation with Dave and Bobby Ebert. Please welcome back to the [00:04:00] show, Dave Ebert, and we also have his wife Bobby, on the show with us tonight. Welcome both of you guys. Thank you, Diana, for having us back or having me back. And then first time guest, long time listener. Bobby, thanks for having us. This is gonna be great having, uh, comedians on the show again, and you're on episode 12 of season one. So I definitely wanna see what you've been up to since then and you have some updates for us today. Yeah, absolutely. Did you want us to start? There's, there's a lot to cover. Yeah. Just remind the folks what you do, and then I'll have Bobby tell the folks a little bit about herself and what role she plays in the ministry you have there. Awesome. So for the last, decade, I've, run an improv ministry based here in Chicago where we sp spring the, light of Christ into various rooms using comedy to bring people together. [00:05:00] Most of our shows have been either ministry to the homeless or it's been fundraisers where we've raised funds for everything from animal care shelters to people who lost part of their home in a fire. To camps for foster kids, and it's all about bringing people together and uniting them in laughter. 'cause I truly believe that laughter is a gift from God because he knew that things would get stressful and science bears out that laughter is such a stress reliever, such a healthy benefit for the body that there's no way that happened by accident. God designed laughter as a gift to help us, kind of deal with, the things that are stressful and help us forget the things that really aren't our burdens to carry. And part of that ministry included for the last four and a half years have been working at Salt and Light Coalition in Chicago, working with survivors of sex trafficking, using improv as a way to kind of break down the walls that they've had to put up to just to survive because mm-hmm. Frankly, they've [00:06:00] been through hell on earth. And to survive you've gotta develop some calluses and around their heart, around in inside, there's just so many calluses and walls that are up and the gift of laughter kind of unlocks that and allows them to really advance in their healing. Mm-hmm. I'm such a big supporter of what you do, Dave, and, um, when you talk about. Oh, God created humor. I, I really wished in scripture there was more of like Jesus laughing or Jesus telling jokes, don't you? Yeah, I would think that the human experience would tell you that you get 13 men just camping out, walking the water in wilderness. They're gonna crack some jokes. They're gonna make some funny things like James and John teased Peter, oh, help me Lord, I'm drowning. Help me. And he would fire back, Hey, at least I got out of the boat. And the whole, the verse where, Jesus is talking about is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. To me, that's. [00:07:00] That could be taken as a sarcastic moment, like just Jesus in front of everybody, just like making this comment, which is so ludicrous. It could easily be interpreted as being of a funny comment. Like, I mean, camel obviously can't pass through a needle. So I think that there are moments you can find in scripture that, that are funny. It wasn't his focus. Mm-hmm. But. Proverbs 17:22 says, Lightheart is like good medicine. Some translations say laughter is like good medicine. So I think mm-hmm. If it's covered at least once, then we can stick to it. 'cause the Bible is true from front to back. But yeah, it would be kind of fun to hear like open night in Jerusalem, open mike night. Yeah. That's awesome. So Bobby, why don't you tell the folks about your background and how you met the Lord maybe, and how you met Dave. Yeah, so [00:08:00] I am Bobby Ebert, Dave's wife. We've been married for eight years and. My testimony starts in my childhood is through a series of abuse growing up all the way from junior high all the way through high school. Um, it became pretty serious. The police ended up being, getting involved and just a wide variety of things that happened with. All of that and being severe trauma, the Lord revealed to me in a vision, my sinful nature. And so how that happened was I was in a counseling session at a crisis center, and it was in the middle of that crisis center session that. The Lord gave me this vision of a Santa Claus list where it has one size, all naughty and then a nice, but instead of it being naughty and nice and who's on that list, and it was all of my sins and I could read [00:09:00] them and I just remember like staring off in this what would look to other people as if a day I was in a daydream and I was just feeling mortified. About myself and the counselor had no idea what was going on. I was just looking off and the car ride home, I was just very silent. I was staying with my best friend and her family, and so they were my transportation, obviously, and I would just start repenting and just like asking Jesus to forgive me for salvation and. So one thing that I had a hard time wrapping my mind around was how does the blood of Jesus actually cleanse us? That is a dirty substance. How does that actually cleanse us? And I could not wrap my mind around that until that moment of [00:10:00] salvation and that veil was, it came right off and I just had like this instant understanding. So that was pretty amazing. And fast forward through. A few more years of going through like hope and healing and some other counseling sessions like the Lord did a really huge work in my heart and in my spirit, and even in my mind, like just completely renewed me and healed me. There is one Wednesday night I went to a church service where I was attending at that time. Happened to be at the back of the subdivision where I grew up and my dad still lived. In our childhood home at that time and on the way to church that Wednesday night, the Lord convicted me and told me three times, forgive your father. Mm-hmm. And I said, no, I am not. And after that third time I said, fine Lord. I will forgive him [00:11:00] if I drive by his house. I see the lights are on and he is up and awake. So after service, I drove by and I pulled in front of the house, and of course all the lights are on, doors are open, windows are open. He is watching tv. So I'm like, Ugh. So I arrived unannounced. And he let me in and we chatted and I had no idea why I was there. And finally I get up to excuse myself so I can travel home. It was a 45 minute ride to where I was living 'cause I had since moved in with another family member. And as I'm walking out the door. I literally have my body half in and half out of the door. And I turned and I said, I forgive you. And I was walking out that door and he says, hold on a minute. You get back in here there bubble. [00:12:00] And he says, what is this a 12 step program you're going through? So I came back and I sat back down and I just told him I could give you everything that has ever happened in my childhood, everything that you've ever done, and all the, I went on and he is like it created this special moment where he opened up and started talking about his childhood and the trauma and different things that he experienced, and he was still very unrepentant. Still is to this day, still denies everything that has. Ever taken place mostly 'cause he is protecting himself and from being vulnerable and having to actually repent. But it created this beautiful moment that had I disobeyed God, my dad to this day would [00:13:00] not be open. To hearing about Jesus. He doesn't always wanna hear it from me, but he'll ask me questions. He'll ask me questions, and he'll ask Dave questions and Dave has his. Unique way of being able to create this bond with my dad, where my dad's more open to speak with him versus me. And that's okay. Yeah. Uh, because he's still gonna get the gospel. Totally. So I'm glad that he's open and he's been. Open for 15 years now, and now he is just starting to do a Bible study with a friend. So God will use anybody and it doesn't have to be me. I planted, I watered seeds, but God gives an increase and he'll use anybody and I just pray, Lord. I don't care who it is, I just pray for his salvation. Mm-hmm. And he's, really into the chosen. And the chosen brings the word to life in a way that ma most people [00:14:00] haven't even thought of before. And so the chosen has been really powerful and getting him closer and closer to taking that final step and like, yes, Lord, I'm yours. So it's been really exciting to see over the last eight years to see, her dad really grow in that way. And, get closer and closer. He's in a crockpot right now. Yes. And a few more hours he'll be ready. Wow. I've talked about the chosen on the show before and some of the guests, and I don't necessarily like some of the liberties they take with some of it, who am I? If the show is getting people to get in the Bible? Mm-hmm. To come to church or to start asking questions. Or renew their relationship with Jesus. So I just let God do what God does, right? Yes. And I think that's a healthy place to be, is that you don't have to think that they're getting everything perfect or doing it right. I, and you know, there are times that we've looked at each [00:15:00] other like, maybe they could have done it differently, but like you said, it is getting people excited about the word and prayerfully people are not forming their entire doctrine and faith based on a TV show, but at least getting their appetite wet for more of the living word. Yes. Awesome. I really just love your story, Bobby, and that you are obedient to what God had called you to do, even though it maybe you were a little afraid to approach your father, but it looks like God's blessing you in that way, and even the healing from the trauma that you've gone through, that's a journey too. Now, how did you meet Dave? I was previously engaged and after that engagement broke off, I was like, Lord, like it's just you and me. And some of that was just a couple years of healing and being able to move on from that previous engagement. [00:16:00] 'cause it was a long-term relationship. We were together for over five years, so. I've been told by a counselor in the past that when you have something happen, you count how many years you've experienced that, divide it in half, and that's about how long it takes to like be able to move on from that, to heal from that. And it was probably about that halfway mark that I really felt like I was ready to move on and I. The Lord was blessing me to move on and to be open to dating again. And there's a few people who presented themselves, and Christians and non-Christians and the non-Christians. I was like, well, you're gonna be wasting your time and you're gonna be wasting my time. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But. Even the Christians who presented themselves, they weren't, they still weren't the right ones that God wanted for me.[00:17:00] And I am grateful because the Lord really showed me to be more discerning. So fast forward, I one day was like, I've always been against. Online dating, meeting people through dating websites and stuff. But I was like done. I was tired of being single and crying my eyes out in my pillow every night and I said, Lord, I don't care I doing this. So I signed up for Christian Mingle that night, and the next day I met a friend of Dave's and we got together and. We kinda. Tested things out for a couple of months and it wasn't a right fit to. But during that time I met Dave. He was actually dating somebody else that he had met, ChristianMingle. And actually I met her on Plenty of Fish. [00:18:00] Oh, sorry. Free site. Well, you were on Christian Mingle though, so the free version. I paid. Alright anyway, so we would all hang out as a group of friends and his relationship ended. My relationship ended with his friend and. Fast forward about three, four months. It's December, and the guy I was dating, he was having a Mark Schultz concert at his church and he needed help and I was like, you need some help. So I'm like, I volunteered to help as concert because he really. Volunteers. And so it was when we were there that Dave in showed interest in me and inquired like, so what is going on between the two of you? And he gave his blessing for Dave to make his move. And whoa, Dave and I [00:19:00] was, he friended me on Facebook along with some other people I met at the church that night. So I was like, okay, whatever. It's just people that I've met. Friending me on Facebook. But then we would start chatting on Messenger for hours on end, and he would try flirting with me. And I was like, Dave, stop. You're like, you're flirting with me. Stop. And I would use his cheesy line, be like, Hey, I can't help it. I'm a Libra, I'm a hopeless romantic. What would you say, Dave? Give us one of your best lines here. I would just say she had a nice smile, just simple, flirty stuff, trying to make her laugh through Facebook Messenger. Yeah. I don't really even remember any of my deadlines. I honestly don't remember either. But fast forward, come March, he asks me to go to a concert. Oh, he is asking me out on a date, and I wasn't for that. And so I assume like a bunch of your guy friends are going and he is like, well, actually mm-hmm. [00:20:00] It's just one friend of mine, my sister, and I'm asking you, and I was like, crap. So I agreed to go and it was so awkward. How do I connect with these people? His sister ended up not going, so it was just me and his friend that he had started to improv the group with. And finally after the concert, his friend started talking about. Moody Radio, moody Church here in Chicago. Okay, here's a point of connection. Here's something to strike up a conversation. And so we started to converse about that and Dave was freaking out thinking, oh no, they're connecting, but we really weren't connecting like that. So he walks me to the train after I protested. 'cause the train was literally right across the street. I could walk myself and. It is Chicago is late at night. At night, [00:21:00] and you're not letting her walk by herself to the train. Mm-hmm. No. I've been to Chicago, but I'm not afraid of the city. So I've had plenty of experiences on my own and as a young kid in the city in some rough neighborhoods. So I am pretty confident. But anyway, I let him walk me to the train, and I have this anxiety about making sure I'm on the trains right away. And so I'm not missing my trains. So I get on this train and he's literally like, what? No hug. All right. So for context, I walked her all the way to the platform of the train. We're talking, and as soon as the doors opened, like literally as soon as they came apart, she was gone. No. So the lamest of lame ploys, I'm like. What, no hug. So she came back out, gave me the side bro hug, and then came back to the train. And here I am leaving this date thinking like, [00:22:00] man, I am in the friend zone. And then know what the friend zone is. So the next day we are talking on the phone and we're talking about this. Concert and what happened, and so to give some back info, the movie Courageous, if everyone has seen that at the end, they're doing the Father's Day speech and they're listing off all the I will declarations that they will do as fathers and men of the home and husbands. When that movie came out and I saw it, I was like, okay, Lord, whoever I marry really has to follow all of those declarations. And so we're on the phone discussing this date and at the, towards the end of the conversation, he starts saying all of these declarations. And he had never seen the movie. And so it was like literally God [00:23:00] was slapping me upside the head and I literally was on my couch like. Oh my. This is my husband. Well, okay Lord. So then it went from there. We dated for seven months, got engaged and got married seven months after our engagement. And now here we are eight years later. I propose at the end of church service. Yes, I had coordinated with, our pastor and I asked him to say, set it up as like a testimony stay. 'Cause it was two weeks before Thanksgiving, set it up as like, do you have any Thanksgiving testimonies? So a couple people shared and then when I realized that nobody was gonna go after, go next, I, that's when I started my testimony and then stood up to the platform and proposed and I was like, wow. Yeah, so, but it's funny though, because he stood up in his seat, well, not on his seat, from his seat, [00:24:00] and started to talk to the congregation, introducing himself and stuff. Okay. But then when he moved up to the front of the church, oh my gosh, Dave, this is not one of your comedy shows. You don't have to stand in front of everybody. You had no clue, huh? Yeah. And so one of the men in the church, he kind of thought it was funny too, and he is like, well, what is this? Like some kind of proposal happening. And as soon as he said that, I started backing up. 'cause I'm on the platform as part of the worship team. I interpreted. The worship in ASL. So I literally was backing up to the wall as far as I could go, and he starts his proposal and you hear the gasps and stuff, and I'm like, oh my goodness, because I'm not. Usually comfortable being center of attention and all [00:25:00] eyes were on me and I was no pressure freaking out. Were you happy that he proposed? Yes. And he will tell everybody that when he. I asked, will you marry me? That I never said yes, but I did several times with my head buried into his shoulder and in his ears. But what is true, I did not give her the ring. She snatched it out of the box. I did. But this is what is really cool. And so God ordained is the ring that he proposed with is his mom's ring. But it also happens to be the same exact ring that I used to look at in the old Sears and service merchandise catalogs when I was a kid. When I was a kid. Mm-hmm. So it was a sign that, yes, this really is of God and this, it really is your [00:26:00] husband. I've never heard that before. That is, yeah. That is something else. Yes. Wow. Years later, and I don't remember. You don't have any children, right? Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Okay. We're working on it. Not right now though. Yeah. That'll drive up the ratings, the tmmi ratings, because it's been a few years. I didn't wanna assume, but sorry. No, we just go with it here. Yeah. And yeah, I can't make this stuff up. Right, right. Now you were doing the comedy, the improv, like part-time, right? And you were pastoring, weren't you, Dave? We were co children's pastors and have been together basically since we got married. And so that was, that's part-time unpaid volunteer here. [00:27:00] 'cause we've been at small churches. Mm-hmm. And building up rewards in heaven. Yes. Yeah. The economy was part-time and we get paid every once in a while, but it was never an income generator. So I've had a few different jobs that paid the bills, but what's different now is in October of 22, I got laid off and the Lord showed us through several circumstances that it was time to get into full-time ministry. And so this September we went through missions training and we are now a US missionary candidate. And we'll be doing what I've been doing in salt and light full time, which is working with survivors of trauma, using comedy and improv to unlock their creativity and their communication skills and remind them that it's okay to laugh, it's okay to, mm-hmm. Let your guard down and find joy in life. Yeah. So we've been working with specifically trafficking survivors, and the need is [00:28:00] they need to know that. There's hope for them and there is a future for them, and that their hope is in Jesus and that their future is in Jesus as well. So through the comedy, what we do is like the improv workshops with them, and through that we're able to break down the walls in their hearts and turn stone hearts into hearts of clay, and we're able to share the love of Jesus with them. And what's really awesome and was the unwritten benefit and the unwritten aspect is that I, I am a man coming in with these women who survived being abused and just put through literal hell on earth by men. So they're getting a chance to see that, number one, there are. Healthy men that you can trust. Mm-hmm. And also because we're married, Bobby's been able to come to a few of the workshops now, and they're [00:29:00] able to see that there is a possibility of a healthy marriage. And we get to model those things while we're also having fun and seeing God really break down a lot of walls. You lost your job in 2020. I lost my job in 2022 also. It's just amazing how God moves us in a different direction and it's definitely changed my life. And you might remember from our first conversation, Dave, that I was a missionary for 13 years Baptist ary as a church planter. Now that process of becoming a church planter, it's probably different than the process that you're going through to become missionaries, or you just went through candidate school and what does that look like? So it started in January with the application very in depth, had to find 10 references, which to me was like they're serious because especially for guys, we don't have that many close people. We're [00:30:00] just like, we have, Jesus had like really three close people. Mm-hmm. Then he had the 12 disciples, but he had three. And it's like, how am I supposed to have three times as many friends as Jesus, but we got the re re it calling people. Right? And this is Dave, um, Dave Ebert? Yeah. Yeah. The comedian. Oh no. Yeah, that, that's me. And so it was kind like trying to find a groomsman for the wedding. Calling up people from third grade, Hey, uh, what are you doing this weekend? What's your dad doing this? I heard from him for 10 years. Right. And usually when you hear somebody out of the blue after 10 years and they talk really friendly, usually they're trying to get you in some MLM. Right, right. Hey, hey, you wanna buy my tell you about what I'm doing? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. doTERRA unto others as you would have doTERRA unto you. But, so there's application [00:31:00] process and there were interviews with the head of missions, then interviews with the people who would be over my specific department. Several testing a lot of forms that fill out Yeah. Psych tests. Psych tests, psych tests, and then, yeah. Yeah. Make sure that. We can at least lie well enough to, no, I'm kidding. No, to make sure that we're ready because Yeah. When you walk out into full-time ministry, especially with missions where you're responsible for your own fundraising and support raising. It takes a toll and you have to be healthy. You have to be in a good position also. You have to be in a place where you're not like escaping the world to say, oh, I'm just gonna be a missionary and get away from stuff. Mm-hmm. So they do a very good job of vetting and making sure that you're healthy and ready. Yes. And then the candidate school, the orientation was six, 10 hour days of. Learning about fundraising, about how to, honor the [00:32:00] gifts that people give, and also the different rules and regulations that we have to follow because we are accountable to our home church, to our home district as well as to the national assemblies. So a lot of training, a lot of prep, a lot of numbers. And now we're hitting the road calling every pastor we know. The churches that we visited for fundraising with the comedy team, we're connecting with them and just asking them for support. Because what we're gonna do is we're serving organizations that don't have a budget to hire an improv coach. So we wanna go and serve them free of charge and just rely on the body of Christ to make sure that our cats don't go homeless. The goal is to also eventually open our own facility. Wow. So like a home, like a residential home? Yeah, like a residential facility for survivors, men, women and children. And to offer [00:33:00] them a comprehensive therapy as well as job training skills and things to get them on their feet so that once they're on the, in this place where they're ready to start over. If they're ready to start over and start building a life, instead of many trafficking victims when they come out of trafficking, unless they have an organization that walks in hand in hand, they either fall back into drugs, they fall back into that lifestyle again. Or worse, they fall into depression and impossible suicide because. They end up escaping, but they have a record. Yeah, because they're, they've probably been picked up by the police several times. They've also probably got a drug record because either the people that they were quote unquote working for or by their own desire to survive, they. End up on drugs, just trying to cope. Mm-hmm. In many cases, and courts really don't care why you're being arrested for being intoxicated or on drugs. [00:34:00] They just know that you are. And so that makes their lives really hard once they escape, because who's gonna help them? They've got a rap sheet, they've probably got no place decent to stay. Mm-hmm. They might have kids that are now in the system, so they have a lot stacked against them when they get out. We want to be another or be an organization that gives them all the tools they need to not only escape and survive, but to actually start to thrive. Mm-hmm. They can leave their past behind and it will be just a beautiful testimony to share of God's goodness that no matter what you're going through, God can redeem it and heal it. And, we wanna do our own facility here in Illinois and we also wanna reproduce what we're doing because. We believe it's valuable and it's unique, and it helps kind of fill in some of the gaps that traditional therapy might leave. Mm-hmm. Because a lot of the times these survivors have felt betrayed or felt like they can't trust people, [00:35:00] and so traditional therapy doesn't always work. It doesn't always help them free themselves from their past. Yeah. So when comedy is entered into the picture. We can kind of till that soil a little bit so that now therapy is a little bit easier because now the, some of the calluses and the walls are torn down. Yeah. So then you open doors for other types of healing methods once you get through that big block wall. Right. It's been amazing 'cause we've seen women open up publicly for the first time and share their stories where. Traditional therapies may not have worked in that way, if that makes sense. They find more freedom when they start to laugh. When you laugh in a room with other people, there's like this bond that happens where you feel safe because now you have all admitted something about yourselves. If you go to a comedy show and you hear a group of 500 strangers laughing, they're not strangers when they leave that comedy show because in the midst of that, [00:36:00] they laughed and admit they have something in common. And when you admit that you have something in common with 500 other people, now you don't feel alone. Now you feel a little bit of safety and we've seen these women, , find that they are, feel safe enough to share their story for the first time in any kind of a public setting. And as once you shed light on your pain and shed light on what you're struggling with, it doesn't seem quite as big and as daunting and shedding light on it allows you to give it to God and let him finish the healing. Like you say, the laughter is so powerful because it makes you feel good, and then the laughter makes you feel better because all those endorphins and the serotonin levels are. Where they're supposed to be. And you look on the world in a different perspective. It's crazy. Like I, 10 minutes ago I was depressed and now I think I'm gonna make it. And here's something I like to talk about is. When you laugh, when you have like a deep [00:37:00] laugh and you're like truly just enjoying the moment, you naturally lift your head up and automatically your eyes are lifting up. Mm-hmm. It's almost like it's a form of worship when you have a good laugh. Wow. Because you're looking up to where your help comes from. Wow. And. It's just a beautiful sign because when you're laughing you just, you're letting this energy go, whether it's stress or it's just, you're even fatigue. When you let it go, suddenly your shoulders lift up. Suddenly your blood pressure drops and you're reminded that there's more than what's here right in front of you. You lift your eyes up and you realize there's so much more, and that's just a beautiful thing to see. Let's also think about it. God is our father, and what good father doesn't take joy in laughing with his kids. And when you see a healthy father and child relationship, they have moments of giggles and cackles and tickle fights. So [00:38:00] what Good father him doesn't take joy in laughing and enjoying the presence of his kids. So I think that when we laugh. In those moments of where it's pure and it's just joy. He laughs with us. And I think that those, like I said, are moments of worship in a way because we're reminded of his goodness. Yes. God give us a gift. I think that. People outside the Christian community, they, they view us as fuddy daddies and stuffed shirts and that we don't ever have any fun. And we're serious all the time and we're about reading our Bibles and praying all the time and that we don't have any fun. But I like your perspective. Of showing the world that it is a gift from God. And we do have fun. And like I said earlier, talking about Jesus and the 12 disciples, you get a group of guys together that they're gonna goof off, they're gonna laugh. And the adoration that the disciples have for Jesus less Judas is [00:39:00] scar, the adoration. That does not happen when it's just a militant leader saying, thou shalt, there has to be moments of levity, moments of bonding, and pure joy. That's more than just. A rabbi teaching his students the love that they had, the love that they felt for him to be willing to die for him for his name. That doesn't happen in a military setting that happens in relationship where there's moments of levity and laughter, and I can't wait to eventually be and be in heaven and hear Jesus tell some jokes. That'd be amazing. Like why did you really call them Sons of Thunder? Right. Probably farting around the campfire. Ah, yes, exactly. Jesus. Pull my finger. Some people have like checked out at this point. Oh [00:40:00] man. Love it. I'm so glad you're gonna create a center as a goal in the future after the show, I definitely wanna give you some folks to connect with that. I know I've got a lot of connections, but we have the Dream Center here in Phoenix. Okay. And I've gone to a few of their fundraisers and they're an incredible place. They have this center for trafficked women and. And men, and we're very close to Mexico, so we get a lot of trafficked people here in Phoenix. And there'd be somebody to connect with for sure. 'cause they could show you how to create the facility and what not to do, and what to do and what they've learned. They create like apartments for these girls. They're like designer rooms. They're not just like bunks and dorms and stuff. I've seen these rooms. They're incredible. They treat the girls like they're princesses. It's really. Wonderful. And they do teach the skills of how not to go back on the streets and finding your worth in Jesus and your [00:41:00] value. You're not just a piece of meat to be used, you are a daughter of the king. And so yeah, I'll definitely give you their contact information. Do you know Mark Sowersby? Oh yeah. Mark. He's, he's been, uh, on my podcast before. He's a survivor. Yeah. Big time. So. I know that we talked about a lot of different things. Was there anything that we didn't cover today that you wanted to share with the audience? Yeah. So if the Lord is leading you and you feel like, feel like the Lord's saying, support this ministry and uh, give us the opportunity and the tools to go out and reach more survivors of trafficking. 'cause we're working in Chicago right now. And there, there's a plenty of harvest there, but there's also other places that we want to serve as well. Yes. You can go to, partners.gifts fork glory.com and that'll take you right to the, ag website where our, page is. And you can log in and, or you can sign in as a donor. And if you can do one time gift, [00:42:00] if you can do a monthly gift, or if you wanna do the faith promise, which is just your promise between you and the Lord of what you're. Willing to commit to support us. Anything is gonna help us get there. The website is partners.gifts for glory.com and whatever the Lord puts on your heart is gonna be, well appreciated and is gonna be used to serve many survivors. And you know, part of what we're doing is also doing podcasts. 'cause we wanna raise awareness that this is an issue. Mm-hmm. And we are hoping that between working with survivors. Doing advocacy by going, on podcasts or media that eventually we'll work ourselves out of a job and that there will be no more trafficking, there'll be no more slavery. That would be the biggest blessing of all is if we could work hard enough and the Lord would move enough that we would see an end to it. Mm, amen. Yeah. Even if you don't have the money right now to support. Dave and Bobby, you can definitely share this episode. Tell your friends [00:43:00] about the ministry. I definitely have that in the show notes, and we're gonna share the podcast episode like crazy and anything else you wanted to share. If you're listening or watching, be sure to subscribe to the wounds of the Faithful. Check every episode out and I'll go back and see how much I've changed in the last two years since the first time I was on. Yeah, I'm gonna put the episode of Dave's testimony, his story in the show notes, so you guys can just click on that and listen to that. This was great. Had a lot of fun and laughter and learn some things, and you guys are always welcome to come back on the show and give us an update. Absolutely. To see how you're doing and when you open your center up in the future someday. Then I'm gonna come and cut the ribbon. Absolutely. I've been in Chicago a few times. It's a nice city, so God bless you guys, and we wish you the very best. Thank you so much for having [00:44:00] us. Yes, Diana, thank you so much for having us. We love you and we love the show. Love you guys too. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend you could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org. Where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.
Rev. Tyler Heston & Rev. Dr. Denise Smartt Sears
The latest edition of the retail industry's leading podcast features an in-depth conversation with Jason Buechel, CEO of Whole Foods Market and Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores, who shares Amazon's rapidly expanding grocery ambitions. Already surpassing $100 billion in gross sales, Amazon is leaning into grocery as a strategic category driven by frequency, loyalty, Prime stickiness, and the potential to unite all household purchasing into a seamless digital and physical ecosystem.Buechel explains how Amazon is transforming grocery shopping—a category in which consumers currently visit four to five retailers a month—into a single, unified experience. With more than 1,000 same-day grocery delivery locations today scaling to 2,300 cities, store-level innovations such as Whole Foods Daily Shop formats, and the integration of perishables directly into Amazon baskets alongside electronics or apparel, the company is erasing long-standing channel barriers. He also outlines the “one grocery” operational vision: unified supply chains, technology stacks, and customer journeys across banners, while preserving the brand trust and standards that Whole Foods customers demand.The episode opens with co-hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc breaking down early holiday results. This year's hottest retail storyline, however, may be the sudden emergence of agentic AI. Tools such as Amazon's Rufus and ChatGPT are now influencing search and conversion decisions, helping fuel what the hosts dub “the most agentic Christmas yet.” With traffic gains from AI agents multiplying, the shift from traditional search to intelligent assistants is poised to accelerate dramatically in 2026.The discussion then turns to Kohl's, and the decision to name interim CEO Michael Bender to the permanent position. The hosts frame this as symptomatic of a deeper issue: a retailer with declining relevance in a shrinking total addressable market.On the heels of new quarterly earnings reports they also spotlight the theme of “profitless prosperity”—brands reporting modest sales improvements but sliding EBITDA as tariffs, promotions, and supply chain pressures erode margin—the overarching message: top-line growth is not victory unless gross profit dollars follow.The episode concludes with the remarkable rise of Google's AI game, and Sears inexplicably still operating a handful of stores (though likely not for much longer). SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners! SAVE 20% on registration for the all new Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi January 27-29.For more info go to https://luxe.shoptalk.com/page/get-ticket and then register using our special code : RRLUXE20 About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.
To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around our region, click here: http://bethel.ag/give/Stay Connected Website: www.bethel.ag Bethel Church Facebook: www.facebook.com/bethelchurch605/ Bethel Church Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethelchurch605/
Jay Sears, founder and CEO of Team Daya, discussed the organization's mission to build primary schools in remote areas, funded by contributions from the ad tech industry. Team Daya operates in five countries: Senegal, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Sears emphasized the importance of community involvement, with local communities providing land and labor. The organization has completed 11 schools and aims to expand its impact. Sears also reflected on his career in ad tech, highlighting the need for leadership and the transformative power of AI in the industry. Timestamp: Podcasting Software and Initial Introductions 0:00 Introduction of Jay Sears and Team Daya 3:16 Challenges and Successes in Building Schools 12:58 Jay's Career Journey in Ad Tech 15:47 Leadership and Personal Growth 23:17 Impact of Team Daya's Work 24:51 Personal Reflections and Future Plans 30:47 Final Thoughts and Next Steps 33:11
Together (Song of Songs 7:1 - 8:4) - Luke Sears by Life Church Sunday messages
Nick welcomes back the always delightful Stephen Tobolowsky, who slips right into the conversation like he never left. They trade memories about the moviegoing rituals they shared as kids, revisit his early film work on “Josh and Sam,” and dig into the unforgettable day he performed on Broadway for a group of Hispanic schoolchildren who had never seen a play before, complete with Buck Henry running a post-show Q&A. Tobo also talks about the projects he has coming up on both the big and small screens. Esmeralda Leon later joins Nick for a round of Black Friday horror tales that feel equal parts shocking and strangely familiar. There's a sucker punch at Sears, a kid left behind at K-Mart, and even a customer who stepped over a dying person to grab a bargain at Target. Holiday cheer takes many forms, apparently. [Ep 407]
Neil talks Turkey Day leftovers, including best practices for how long you should keep them in the fridge before freezing or tossing them. Neil also laments the loss of Americana, as seen through the lens of Sears' closing down their storefronts around the country. Neil "became a man" with the bra section of the catalog... just saying... Happy Black Friday! Stay safe out there!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Lucious Lowe never saw his empire, but his son and son-in-law figured out how to give the customer what they needed. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today’s episode, a word from our sponsor, which is… Well, it’s us, but we’re highlighting ads we’ve written and produced for our clients, so here’s one of those. [OG Law Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. I’m Dave Young, Steve Semple’s here, and we’re going to talk about another empire. Stephen Semple: Another one. Imagine that. Dave Young: And it’s another one of these big boxes. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: So this is brick and mortar big box store. And so there’s two things. One thing I love, one thing I hate about big box stores in this category. I used to love going down to my local hardware store and just tooling around. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: And I guess you can still do that, but there’s something about some old guy walking up and chatting with you about what you could maybe buy or not. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: And so Lowe’s is our subject today. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: I’m interested to see how they started. And again, I love shopping at Lowe’s, I hate shopping at Lowe’s, for two different reasons, right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: The variety. It’s all there. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: The old guy that knows every piece of hardware in the store. Good luck finding that person. I mean, they may be there, they may not. It’s hit and miss. Stephen Semple: Yes. So the first Lowe’s, of course, started as one of those old-timey hardware stores. Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: It was a 3000-foot store in 1921 in North Wilkesboro in North Carolina by Lucius Smith Lowe. That’s basically the first Lowe’s was way back in 1921. Dave Young: Lucius Smith Lowe. Okay. Stephen Semple: But the success of Lowe’s actually did not come from Lowe, but rather an in-law named Carl Buchan, who came on the scene in 1943. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So when Lucius died in 1940, the business was inherited by his daughter, Ruth Buchan, who then… Now, I was not able to find the family story on this, because I find this interesting. It was inherited by the daughter, who then sold the company to her brother, and I always thought, “Why’d the brother not inherit the business?” Dave Young: Right? Stephen Semple: Now, I also get why she probably sold it, because as we know, one of the really big problems, especially back in the 1940s, was women couldn’t get credit, and it was very, very, very hard in the forties for a woman to actually run a business. So I also understand why she sold. Dave Young: Yeah. Yeah, and weird estate planning goes on that you don’t know why they did what they did. Right? Maybe the son had an insurance policy. Right? Stephen Semple: Who knows? Who knows? Dave Young: I don’t know, but maybe he got… Who knows? Stephen Semple: Now, at the same time, when she sold it to her brother, her husband, Carl, ended up becoming a partner in the business. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So it was this really weird, father dies, it goes to the daughter, the daughter sells it to the brother, and the husband ends up becoming a partner. Dave Young: Who knows about the transactions inside family businesses, right? That’s a… Stephen Semple: Right? All I’m just saying is, if it sounds weird, it was. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: That’s all I’m saying. But moving forward, what’s really incredible is today, Lowe’s is 1700 locations doing 80 billion in sales. So it is- Dave Young: That’s not nothing. Stephen Semple: That’s not nothing. That’s not nothing. But back in the early forties, hardware stores did not have building supplies. They didn’t have plywood, they didn’t have… They didn’t have building supplies. Dave Young: Yeah, yeah. You went across to the lumber yard to get that stuff. Stephen Semple: Correct. Correct. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And so one day Carl gets this deal on toilets, and he decides to buy a whole pile of toilets. When I say a whole pile, the whole truckload, which was 400 toilets. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: And James? James Lowe comes in the office one day and he’s like, “Toilets in the office.” And he says, “Carl, why is there toilets in the office?” He goes, “Well, I bought 400 of them and I ran out of space, so they’re sitting in here.” And he’s like, “We don’t sell toilets.” He goes, “Well, we are now, because we got 400 of them.” Dave Young: “Yeah, we sell toilets. Sell them or else.” Stephen Semple: “[inaudible 00:05:20] now!” So, “Yes we are.” And what turns out is that they sell out really quickly. And Carl looks into this a little bit more and he sees this trend. Right? Think about it. It’s 1946. What’s happening in the United States? There’s a building boom. Right? The number of homes being built has grown 10 times over the last three years, because we got the baby boom happening. We got the return of the soldiers, we got the baby boom, we got the sprouting up of the suburbs. That part is growing. So they sell out these toilets in like a week, and so he wants to open a second store. He goes, “Look, here’s what I want to do. I want to open a second store and we’re going to sell everything for building and fixing a home. Everything. We’re going to turn specialty stores into one shop.” So in other words, you don’t have to go to the plumber… you know. Look, this is another variation on the department store and the convenience store. Dave Young: Absolutely. Stephen Semple: So Lowe agrees, and they invest a hundred and sixty thousand dollars in the second store, and it’s a 10,000 square foot, so they’ve gone from 3000 square feet to a 10,000 square foot store in Spartan, North Carolina. Dave Young: And so yeah, we tripled the size. It’s all the space we’ll ever need. 10,000 feet. Stephen Semple: Right. So it’s 1949, and literally customers are coming. Yeah, that’s right. It’s 10,000 square feet. I missed that for a minute. Yeah, yeah. Hold that thought. Dave Young: “Hang on.” Stephen Semple: Hold that thought. So it’s so popular, they’re actually finding customers are coming from states away from, outside of North Carolina. So Carl wants to open a third store, and Lowe doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to grow this thing. Dave Young: Isn’t it amazing that the whole company’s not called Carl’s instead of Lowe’s? Stephen Semple: Well, here’s what ends up happening. Lowe says, “Look, I don’t want to do this. Why don’t you just buy me out?” Carl buys out Lowe, but says, “Well, let’s keep the name.” Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: “Let’s keep the name.” Dave Young: Yeah, that’s smart. You got equity there. Stephen Semple: Yeah. So in 1952, Lowe is bought out, but they keep the name. And it expands rapidly. They quickly open 13 more stores. [inaudible 00:07:27] Dave Young: Oh, wow. See, I did not know they were this old. Stephen Semple: Yeah. So it starts growing like crazy, but then they hit a problem. After six years, profits stall. Dave Young: Oh, okay. Stephen Semple: What he notices is, he’s been focusing on opening stores, but not focusing on the buying experience. And if you went into a Lowe’s at that time, it was super disorganized. Stuff was just all over the place. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: And so it was not appealing. So he hires Bob Strickland, marketing guy. Bob points out that people come in to get what they need, but what if we were able to make them to stay and buy other things? Like instead of an oven, how about a whole kitchen? Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: So he says, “Let’s be like a department store.” They looked at how Sears was laid out, right? There was these departments. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And basically this is the model that they created, which is really the template that all these big box home improvement stores are built on. Here’s the appliance section, here’s the flooring section. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: But it didn’t just have flooring. It had, okay, along with the flooring, the caulking and the this and the… Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: All the things that you need with it. Dave Young: So take those toilets out of the power tool section and put them where they belong. Yeah. Stephen Semple: Yeah. So they create this template that they’re going to roll out, and before they’re ready to roll it out, Buchan passes away. Dave Young: Oh no. Stephen Semple: And so now it’s up to Strickland to open with the new idea. So Strickland takes the ideas. He opens five stores on it. They’re super successful. In two decades they got a hundred and eighty stores, 1978 they’re the largest in the region, 1979 they’re 200 stores, and they just grow and grow and grow and become what they are today. But Lowe’s basically built this idea. The two innovations Lowe’s did was built this idea of, “We should have a store that’s dedicated to home improvement,” because they saw the trend on it. And then they created this whole idea of looking at department stores and saying, “This is how a home improvement store should be organized.” Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: That template? That template, that idea that every one of these big box home improvement stores is built on, was created by Lowe’s. Dave Young: Stay tuned. We’re going to wrap up this story and tell you how to apply this lesson to your business right after this. [Using Stories to Sell Ad] Dave Young: Let’s pick up our story where we left off, and trust me, you haven’t missed a thing. Stephen Semple: … that idea that every one of these big box home improvement stores is built on, was created by Lowe’s. Dave Young: Well, and so the reason I didn’t know about them when I was younger is that they started in the east and slowly moved west. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Yes. Dave Young: And I don’t know where Home Depot started, but in the Rocky Mountain West and Western Plains, there were Home Depot stores long before there were any Lowe’s stores. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Dave Young: So it’s just a matter of growth at that point then, right? Stephen Semple: Right. Dave Young: They figured out the formula. Stephen Semple: They figured out the formula, and then it’s just grow, grow, grow. Dave Young: I’m guessing that, yeah, Home Depot probably has a similar story. Either they copied Lowe’s or they figured it out themselves that this is the right way to do a big box home improvement store. We going to do that one sometime? Stephen Semple: Well, I don’t want to say much, because we are going to do… Oh. Dave Young: Okay. All right. I’ll hold that for another day. But- Stephen Semple: Well, what ends up often happening when I’m researching these things, there’s no way to do it without learning about both. Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: So often that’s the reason why when we’re doing these, there will be two in a category, because you learn about both of them at the same time, because they have kind of a shared history, right? Dave Young: Well, and those guys absolutely copy each other. Right? Stephen Semple: They did. Dave Young: I think we go back, I don’t know what episode it was, but we talked about Cabela’s, and then we sort of told the story of them being eventually bought by Bass Pro. Stephen Semple: Right. Dave Young: And the [inaudible 00:12:08] Bass Pro, I think… Well, at least according to the people that I knew at Cabela’s, they were the first ones to build this giant experiential store. Right? Stephen Semple: Well, in Sam Walton- Dave Young: And so… But that gets copied. And Sam Walton, same thing, right? Stephen Semple: Well, Sam Walton has openly stated that he stole a lot of his ideas from Sol Price. Dave Young: Yeah. Yeah. Stephen Semple: He has come right out and said that. He’s like, “Oh yeah, I always watched what this guy did, and I’d always keeping my eye on him, because he was brilliant.” Right? Dave Young: Yeah, I mean- Stephen Semple: Who was the founder of Costco. Right? So. Dave Young: At the end of the day, these are just sharing good commerce ideas. Right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: Nothing new under the sun here. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: There’s a reason that every ancient city has a bazaar, a marketplace where they all gather, right? You make it convenient for consumers by, even though you’re 10,000 little competitors, you’re all in one place. Stephen Semple: Yeah. What I really liked, again, about this story, was Lowe saw a trend going on in the United States, and the trend was, “People are building these homes, and so there’s going to be more demand for home improvement stuff. How do I make it easier?” Again, that theme of, “How do I make it easier for the consumer? Wouldn’t it be so much easier for the consumer if it was this one stop?” Dave Young: Yeah. [inaudible 00:13:29] Stephen Semple: Now, the other thing I thought that was brilliant is that when the profits stalled out, he didn’t flip to, “I need more leads, I need more customers.” He didn’t go there. He went, “Oh, if this has stalled out, there’s something I’m doing wrong inside my four walls.” Dave Young: Yeah, yeah. Stephen Semple: And he looked at the experience and he said, “Okay, I’ve already got customers. What I need to do is if I make that experience better, the customers will return more often and will spend more.” I remember going to a presentation from the folks from Barnes and Noble, and Barnes and Noble talking about how they… And Ikea’s the same. They would measure how long somebody was in the store. Ikea’s amazing at this. And what they know is, the longer you’re in the store, the more you spend. Period. So what’s their whole objective is “I’m going to keep you in the store. How do I do that? I’m going to put a restaurant in. I’m going to put in a place where you can stick your kids to play. I’m going to make it so that you’ve got to walk the maze.” The point is, the longer you’re there, the more you’re going to buy. And not only that, Ikea’s figured out, “If I display these things this way, people will stop and look at it,” so that they do move through the stores slower. Dave Young: Yeah. You- Stephen Semple: But Lowe’s really caught into- Dave Young: And there’s sort of a logical progression to it. Stephen Semple: Right. Right. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: So Lowe’s created that idea of “Let’s do this one stop shop.” And then the next one was, “Okay. Now that we’ve made this idea more convenient, let’s now make this idea more enjoyable and also more convenient, because there’s all these ancillary things that you need when you’re doing that in the moment. Let’s put all that stuff together.” Dave Young: Well, and you bring designers in because if you’re coming in for all these kitchen products- Stephen Semple: Yeah, absolutely. Dave Young: … maybe you don’t know how to put that all together and make it look good. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Yeah. Dave Young: Right? So here’s you’re somebody that can help you lay it out. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: And then they can sell you all the materials that either you or your contractor need to make it happen. Stephen Semple: Now what we know is, David Young is going to leave this talk with an even more love-hate relationship of Lowe’s. Am I right? Dave Young: I’m not remodeling anything. No, I love walking around a Lowe’s. I find it hard to… If I need some adhesive, I need some Gorilla Glue or something, and I walk into a Lowe’s, two things are going to happen. Unless I’m in just a blazing hurry and I’ve left someone in the car with the car running- Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: … I’m going to just wander around. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: And I’m likely to walk out with something else besides the glue. Along with the glue. Stephen Semple: Correct. Yes. Dave Young: Sometimes without the glue, because I forgot why I went in. Stephen Semple: Oh God, yeah. Dave Young: But that’s a whole different psychological thing. We just finished talking about that at my portals class this week. Stephen Semple: Oh yeah, [inaudible 00:16:25] Dave Young: Tell you about that sometimes. That was fun. Stephen Semple: It’s a thing. It’s a thing. Dave Young: We had a blast. Yeah. Wow. Lowe’s. Stephen Semple: Yeah. There you go. Dave Young: Now I’m thinking in my head, what do I need? You know, near Wizard Academy, we’re not really close to a Lowe’s. You’ve got to drive 20 minutes or so to get to a Lowe’s. Stephen Semple: Yep. Dave Young: But about 10 minutes, 15 minutes away is independently owned Ace Hardware store. Stephen Semple: Yep. Dave Young: And I love that one too. Right? Because if you’re really just looking for a tool or some little hardware bits and bobs, you’ll always find it there. Right? [inaudible 00:17:02] Stephen Semple: Yeah, well, because Ace is the place with a helpful hardware man, right? Dave Young: Yeah. And they’re helpful because they’re locally owned. So there’s always somebody in there that can, “This is not the glue you really want. You want this.” Stephen Semple: Right. Right. Dave Young: “Oh, I thought I just wanted Gorilla Glue.” But this guy knows. Stephen Semple: Right. Dave Young: So it’s two different experiences, and a lot of your choice in it is based on experience. Stephen Semple: Yeah, yep. Yes. Dave Young: I mean, shoot. When we lived in western Nebraska, they eventually got a Lowe’s, but they had a Home Depot first in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We were a hundred miles from there. Stephen Semple: Right. Dave Young: And there was a lumber yard in Sydney, and there was a hardware store in Sydney, and we would drive to Home Depot a hundred miles away. Stephen Semple: Yes. Yes. Dave Young: Because one, we could find any of it there. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: And two, Cheyenne also had a Starbucks and a Baskin-Robbins and a… right? Stephen Semple: That’s the other thing that starts to end up happening, is you get one of these, and then the other things sprout up around that. Dave Young: Yeah. Yeah, you rarely see one off by itself somewhere. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Well, that’s the reason why you would see a movie theater, and then the restaurants go. Dave Young: Yeah, yeah. Stephen Semple: These things happen. But yeah. But you know, I was pretty impressed when I heard the history of Lowe, and also thought it was really interesting looking at this department store and bringing it across. And again, it’s that idea. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: “Who outside of my world is doing this really well?” Dave Young: I kind of wasn’t surprised that their origin goes back as far as it did, because I think you always are going to assume that that started as a little hardware store somewhere, or a lumber yard. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: But I was surprised that they started that growth curve as soon as they did. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: Right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: So they were really the pioneers in that. So. Stephen Semple: Yep, and the key is you didn’t need more than 10,000 square feet, as you pointed out. Dave Young: Yeah. Well, you do today. Stephen Semple: Some of them are like, “Holy crap.” Yeah. Dave Young: You need 10,000 square feet in the kitchen part. Stephen Semple: No kidding. No kidding. Dave Young: All right, well, thank you for bringing that story, Stephen. I like that. Stephen Semple: All right. All right, thanks David. Dave Young: And congrats, Lowe’s, on decades and decades of money making as an empire. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Thanks, man. Dave Young: Thanks. Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please share us, subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a big fat juicy five star rating and review at Apple Podcasts. And if you’d like to schedule your own 90-minute empire building session, you can do it at empirebuildingprogram.com.
In this episode of the All About Nothing Podcast, Barrett Gruber and Jon Sears discuss the significant challenges facing the hospitality industry in South Carolina, particularly focusing on the liquor liability laws and the rising costs of insurance. Jon, a veteran entrepreneur in the restaurant scene, shares insights into how these laws have impacted local businesses, the struggles of maintaining personal responsibility in alcohol service, and the need for legislative reform. The conversation emphasizes the importance of community engagement and the dire consequences of inaction on the hospitality sector.Pest Control Exterminators in Columbia, SCGolfers LoungeHendrix | Columbia, SC | Cuisine. Cocktails. Elevated.Jake's of Columbia | Good Food, Good Beer, Great TimesZac King | LinktreeBarrett Gruber | LinktreeThe All About Nothing: Podcast | LinktreeClick here for Episode Show Notes!As always, "The All About Nothing: Podcast" is owned and distributed by BIG Media LLC!Check out our network of fantastic podcasts!Click Here to see available advertising packages!Click Here for information on the "Fair Use Copyright Notice" for this podcast.Mentioned in this episode:Thanksgiving Apparel and Gifts at ZJZDesigns!Check out all of the Thanksgiving Apparel and Gifts at ZJZDesigns!ZJZ DesignsBIG Media LLC Copyright 2025This Podcast is a product of BIG Media LLC and Copyright 2025 Visit https://bigmediallc.com for more from BIG Media LLC!BIG Media LLCZJZ Designs Holiday 2024 Prints Available NowZJZ Designs Holiday 2024 Prints Available Now. Featuring Eddie The Elf! Check Out ZJZDesigns.com!ZJZ Designs
To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around our region, click here: http://bethel.ag/give/Stay Connected Website: www.bethel.ag Bethel Church Facebook: www.facebook.com/bethelchurch605/ Bethel Church Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethelchurch605/
Axis is here! So are SpaceQueenEmily and Ethan Halker to discuss the 4th Z Gundam novel and cover the long digressions, the irrepressible horniness, and whatever is going on with the Sears catalog in the Universal Century.Find Emily on:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/spacequeenemily.bsky.socialFind Ethan at:Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/sundownmcmoon.bsky.socialBomb Squad Productions: https://bsky.app/profile/bombsquadprods.bsky.socialSkeet us @giantrobotfm.bsky.social and write to us giantrobotfm@gmail.com Giant Robot FM is hosted by Stephen Hero and pmcTRILOGY Support us directly at patreon.com/giantrobotfm Graphic Design by DuarfS https://www.behance.net/maezurita https://www.instagram.com/duarfs Art by Szkin https://twitter.com/szkin_art Music by fretzl (@fretzl) https://www.youtube.com/fretzl
Here's another 2 hours of 1960s dancers with That Driving Beat, including a Northern Soul classic he's been hoping to snag a copy of for years, more soul and R&B shakers, a nice run of popcorn steppers, and more! -Originally broadcast November 16, 2025- Willie Mitchell / That Driving BeatEarl Grant / Hide Nor HairLou Courtney / I've Got Just The ThingHarold Burrage / More Power To YouBaby Ray / The House On Soul HillMoses & Joshua / Get Out Of My HeartGlenn Watts / Money Gives DignityJackie Ross / Dynamite Lovin'The Contours / Don't Let Her Be Your BabyMajor Lance / Too Hot to HoldJay & The Techniques / Baby How Easy Your Heart Forgets MeCharlie Rich / Hurry Up Freight TrainFreddie North / How to CryBonnie Lou / Twenty Four Hours of LonelinessPeewee King / Slow PokeChuck Jackson / Any Other WayLynn Westbrook / I'm In LoveThe Dooley Sisters / Spider in the WebFay Simmons / BellsLenny Miles / In Between TearsTommy Raye / You Don't Love MeBig Maybelle / 96 TearsJewel Akens / Little Bitty Pretty OneJerry Williams / Sock It To YourselfThe Brothers Two / Boogaloo (Soul) PartyMelvin Davis / I Won't Come Crawling Back to YouPeaches and Herb / I Need Your Love So DesperatelyJ.J. Barnes / Say ItJ.J. Jackson / Down But Not OutNina Simone / It Be's That Way SometimeThe Linneas / It's A Good Kind Of HurtRudy West & The Five Keys / You're The OneLittle Joe / Ev'ry Now And ThenJohnny Preston / All Around The WorldWardell & The Sultans / Dance TimeAmanda Ambrose / This Door Swings Both WaysJ.T. Sears and the Rowbux / Walking On New GrassBobby Bland / Getting Used To The BluesDora Hall / Hoochi - KoochiClarence Murray / Don't Talk Like ThatCliff Nobles & Co. / Gettin' Away Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kyle Grieve discusses the incredible origin story of Home Depot and the visionary founders who built it from nothing. He explores how Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, and Ken Langone overcame countless setbacks to create a retail powerhouse. Kyle also shares timeless business lessons on leadership, culture, and competitive advantage that continue to define Home Depot's success today. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:06:13 - The setbacks that sparked Home Depot's creation after Bernie and Arthur were fired 00:09:35 - Why Ken Langone saw Bernie's firing as a billion-dollar opportunity in disguise 00:12:15 - How a handshake and a Cadillac nearly killed Home Depot's first funding deal 00:14:51 - The moment Bernie found his “dream store” was already built… by a competitor 00:19:07 - Why J.C. Penney's struggling subsidiary became the key to Home Depot's first stores 00:27:05 - How warehouse grit, not polish, became central to Home Depot's brand identity 00:27:59 - The creative $2 promotion that packed stores and put Home Depot on the map 00:31:06 - The critical lessons from Sears' fall that shaped Home Depot's management philosophy 00:35:43 - How Sam Walton's “everyday low prices” transformed Home Depot's margins forever 00:52:00 - Four timeless leadership and culture principles that still drive Home Depot's success Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members. Buy Built From Scratch here. Listen to TIP655: Nike: From Humble Beginnings to Global Domination here. Follow Kyle on X and LinkedIn. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Simple Mining Human Rights Foundation Kubera HardBlock Unchained Onramp Vanta Linkedin Talent Solutions Public.com Netsuite Shopify Abundant Mines Horizon Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Sermon Series: Seeing GodThank you for listening to the Disciple City Church Podcast! To learn more about us or to connect with us, please visit our…Website: https://disciplecitychurch.orgInstagram: https://instagram.com/disciplecitychurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/disciplecitychurch
Boise State QB Max Cutforth, who will make his first college start Saturday at San Diego State, met with the media after Tuesday's practice and talked about his growth during the bye week, where he's better than the injured Maddux Madsen and his plan to keep the starting job once Madsen returns from a lower-leg injury, Bob takes a look at Boise State's backup QB history in Bronco Focus (Hedrick, Rypien, Henderson, Sears, Tiller), former Broncos Tyson Degenhart (Raptors) and O'Mar Stanley (Pistons) made their G-League debuts, how you handling the ESPN-YouTube dispute, new CFP rankings/bracket (who's representing the G6?)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Boise State QB Max Cutforth, who will make his first college start Saturday at San Diego State, met with the media after Tuesday's practice and talked about his growth during the bye week, where he's better than the injured Maddux Madsen and his plan to keep the starting job once Madsen returns from a lower-leg injury, Bob takes a look at Boise State's backup QB history in Bronco Focus (Hedrick, Rypien, Henderson, Sears, Tiller), former Broncos Tyson Degenhart (Raptors) and O'Mar Stanley (Pistons) made their G-League debuts, how you handling the ESPN-YouTube dispute, new CFP rankings/bracket (who's representing the G6?)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jon Pundyk is a Dartmouth MBA, P&G brand manager, and a Booz-Allen strategy consultant. He's been in Glamorise for 35 years. Glamorise is a size-inclusive lingerie brand that designs bras for curvy women. Founded in New York City in 1921, Glamorise is one of the world's oldest bra manufacturers, and it has been size-inclusive since their inception.In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:28] Intro[00:53] Learning the fundamentals of consumer marketing[02:01] Climbing the ladder one title at a time[02:17] Pivoting a century-old business online[04:01] Transitioning from wholesale to direct-to-consumer[07:33] Balancing wholesale partners with D2C growth[10:08] Stay updated with new episodes[10:18] Investing ahead for scalable D2C growth[13:43] Sponsors: Electric Eye, Freight, Taboola, Next Insurance[19:16] Collecting data before knowing how to use it[20:25] Leveraging legacy brand recognition online[23:05] Relying on product quality to drive loyalty[24:08] Driving growth through actionable data insightsResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1Plus size bras & lingeries for full-figured women glamorise.com/Follow Jon Pundyk linkedin.com/in/jrpundykSchedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectTurn your domestic business into an international business freightright.com/honestPerformance beyond Search and Social discover.taboola.com/honest/Tailored business insurance. Zero hassle. Big savings nextinsurance.com/honest/If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!
Choice Classic Radio presents to you Richard Diamond Private Detective, which aired from 1949 to 1953. Today we bring to you the episode titled "Fred Sears Murder Case” Please consider supporting our show by becoming a patron at http://choiceclassicradio.com We hope you enjoy the show!
To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around our region, click here: http://bethel.ag/give/Stay Connected Website: www.bethel.ag Bethel Church Facebook: www.facebook.com/bethelchurch605/ Bethel Church Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethelchurch605/
Sermon Series: Seeing GodThank you for listening to the Disciple City Church Podcast! To learn more about us or to connect with us, please visit our…Website: https://disciplecitychurch.orgInstagram: https://instagram.com/disciplecitychurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/disciplecitychurch
"Put on your Sunday best, kids. We're going to Sears!"The Brady Bunch is one of those fascinating TV relics that helped shape American culture for decades, so in the 1990s, they lovingly spoofed it with THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE and gave us one of the great cult-hits of the decade. To sweeten the deal, the film is also centered on the middle teen girl of the group, the incomparable Jan Brady. Join The Wives Colangelo on a trip down memory lane on a sunshine day!--------Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/thisendsatprom--------MONTHLY SPOTLIGHTDONATE TO YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANKS. GIVE THEM MONEY!--------Social Media Plugs@ThisEndsAtProm@BJColangelo@HarmonyColangelo----------Logo Design: Haley Doodles @HaleyDoodleDoTheme Song: The Sonder Bombs 'Title': https://thesonderbombs.bandcamp.com/
Hillsdale College Radio General Manager and Radio Free Hillsdale Hour host Scot Bertram fills in for Jim on Wednesday's 3 Martini Lunch. Join Scot and Greg as they break down Democrats' bigger-than-expected wins in Virginia and New Jersey, Zohran Mamdani coasting to victory in New York City, and several ballot initiatives that mostly went the wrong way.First, they dig into Virginia, where Democrat Abigail defeated Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by nearly 15 points, outperforming every major poll. That landslide also helped rage texter Jay Jones win the attorney general's race by six points, while Democrats picked up 13 seats in the state legislature. In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill beat Jack Ciattarelli by 13 points. The wins were not shocking, but the margins were, and Scot and Greg break down what those results mean heading into 2026.Next, they come to grips with Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayor's race by taking comfort that Andrew Cuomo won't be mayor. They also highlight some very ominous indications of what's to come from Mamdani's victory speech. Dems will undoubtedly try to mimic his smiley socialism in some parts of the country next year. Are Republicans ready to fight it?Finally, they analyze key ballot measures across the country, including strong conservative victories in Texas protecting parental rights and requiring proof of citizenship to vote. But not all results went the right way, as Gavin Newsom's gerrymander gimmick passed easily in California, and Colorado voters approved a tax hike on the wealthy to fund free school meals.Please visit our great sponsors:Give your liver the support it deserves with Dose Daily. Save 35% on your first month when you subscribe at https://DoseDaily.co/3ML or enter code 3ML at checkout. Get 20% off your first purchase of classic menswear. Visit https://MizzenAndMain.com with promo code 3ML20—shop online or visit a Mizzen and Main store in select states.Sponsored by Quo, formerly known as Open Phone: Get started free and save 20% on your first 6 months and keep your existing numbers at no extra charge—no missed calls, no missed customers. Visit https://Quo.com/3ML
Alec Sears joined Brady to discuss the GOP's rough night in Virginia and elsewhere, and the latest controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson. Follow Alec @alec_sears and follow us @bradyleonard @nogimmickspod
We're only going to say this once: All results remain unofficial until certified by the state. More election coverage Democrats sweep Virginia's statewide offices, expand House majority Results: What will the 2026 House of Delegates look like? Jason Miyares concedes in attorney general race to Democrat Jay Jones Watch the moment VPM News announced Spanberger's win on-air (YouTube) Watch highlights from Abigail Spanberger's victory speech (Instagram) View Virginia's Election Day statewide in our photo gallery Other links Governor Glenn Youngkin Launches Virginia Cares Initiative Virginia Cares Initiative sign-up Our award-winning work is made possible with your donations. Visit vpm.org/donate to support local journalism.
Don't Kill the Messenger with movie research expert Kevin Goetz
Send Kevin a Text MessageIn this engaging episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz interviews his business associate, Bob Levin, about his remarkable journey from Sears catalog copywriter to President of Worldwide Marketing at Disney, Sony Pictures, and MGM, before joining Kevin at Screen Engine in the role of President and COO. Listen in as these two industry veterans share marketing insights and discuss their upcoming book, How to Score in Hollywood (Simon & Schuster, November 11th), which reveals the hidden formula behind a movie's profitability — showing how audience understanding drives smarter decisions from greenlight to release.Disney's Renaissance Era (09:00) Bob recounts joining Disney just as Eisner and Katzenberg were revitalizing the studio, leading marketing during 17 consecutive hits, including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Lion King, and Pretty Woman.Marketing Philosophy (15:51) "Good marketing is both instinct and data," Bob explains, describing his pioneering approach of creating targeted messaging for different audience segments at Disney's animation division.Pretty Woman & Marketing Triumphs (19:33) Bob reveals how he helped to transform Pretty Woman from a potentially dark R-rated film into a celebration of female empowerment, even suggesting the iconic title to replace the original "3000".The Screen Engine Years (34:40) After leading marketing at three major studios, Bob joined Screen Engine, helping to build their research business, which started in Kevin's living room, into an industry powerhouse that expanded beyond film into other industries.How to Score in Hollywood (42:48) Bob discusses their upcoming book, which examines how movies get greenlit, applying the principle that "every movie if made and marketed for the right price should make money.”Understanding Audience Response (47:42) Levy notes that audiences aren't "wrong" when they dislike something; they're simply reacting honestly. Bob learned that viewers fundamentally seek characters with whom they can identify.The Attention Economy (48:54) Rather than thinking in terms of being in "the movie business," Levin suggests viewing entertainment as part of "the attention economy" where respecting the audience and telling great stories remains paramount.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and share. We look forward to bringing you more behind-the-scenes revelations next time on Don't Kill the Messenger.Host: Kevin GoetzGuest: Bob LevinProducer: Kari CampanoWriters: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, and Kari CampanoAudio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)For more information about Bob Levin:Simon and Schuster:https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bob-Levin/240343657LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-levin-843797125/IMDB: For more information about Kevin Goetz:- Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com- Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678- How to Score in Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com/How-Score-Hollywood-Secrets-Business/dp/198218986X/- Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack: @KevinGoetz360- LinkedIn @Kevin Goetz- Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com
11/4/2025 PODCAST Episode #3085 GUESTS: Election Day! Jason Miyares, Elaine Parker, Dave Bossie, Winsome Sears, Glenn Youngkin, Sheriff Clarke, Tim Anderson+ YOUR CALLS! at 1-888-480-JOHN (5646) and GETTR Live! @jfradioshow #GodzillaOfTruth #TruckingTheTruth
-Bill Maher gets rare applause from Rob after comparing the Democratic Party to Sears — “once mighty, now a ghost brand.” -Gen Z commentator Justine Brooke Murray joins the Newsmax hotline, proving that femininity and fierce debate aren't mutually exclusive. Today's podcast is sponsored by : BEAM DREAM POWDER : Improve your health by improving your sleep! Get 40% off by using code NEWSMAX at http://shopbeam.com/NewsmaxGET FRESH OLIVE OIL : Try real farm fresh olive oils for FREE plus $1 dollar shipping at http://GetFreshRobCarson.comBIRCH GOLD - Protect and grow your retirement savings with gold. Text ROB to 98 98 98 for your FREE information kit! To call in and speak with Rob Carson live on the show, dial 1-800-922-6680 between the hours of 12 Noon and 3:00 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday…E-mail Rob Carson at : RobCarsonShow@gmail.com Musical parodies provided by Jim Gossett (www.patreon.com/JimGossettComedy) Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Listen Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media: -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Governor Glenn Youngkin of the Commonwealth of Virginia joined The Guy Benson Show today to discuss the latest on the state of Virginia, including tomorrow's gubernatorial election and the ongoing redistricting fight in VA. On the ongoing redistricting battle in Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin discussed how nonpartisan voter representation is being overridden by partisan maneuvering by Democrats in the state. Youngkin called out Abigail Spanberger for flipping her stance on redistricting after receiving major financial backing from the very effort she once criticized. Gov. Youngkin also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Democratic AG candidate Jay Jones, whose vile texts wishing death on political opponents have drawn widespread outrage, praising Attorney General Jason Miyares for taking a firm stand and shared numbers encouraging to Miyares' race. Youngkin also discussed the heated gubernatorial race between Winsome Earle-Sears and Spanberger, explaining why he believes Sears can make up ground in the final stretch. Youngkin also pushed back on Barack Obama's calls for "civility" as the former president continues to endorse Spanberger despite her silence on Jones' behavior. Listen to the full interview below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For well over 100 years, Sears Roebuck & Co. was literally the Amazon of its time. Sears changed daily life in America with its mail order and later retail stores across the nation. Sadly, Sears was not able to keep up with the changing world during the last 25 years and was forced to close the vast majority of its operations. Join Norb & Al as we discuss the lessons of Sears and how the principle of adaptability is so important to our own lives. The Magic of Positive Thinking is brought to you by Americaneagle.com Studios; follow today for exciting new episodes!
Sermon Series: Serving GodThank you for listening to the Disciple City Church Podcast! To learn more about us or to connect with us, please visit our…Website: https://disciplecitychurch.orgInstagram: https://instagram.com/disciplecitychurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/disciplecitychurch
With election day approaching fast, Virginia Lieutenant Governor and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Winsome Earle-Sears joins the show to discuss the extremely tight race and what role she believes Virginia will play in 2026 and 2028. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. - - - Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 - - - Today's Sponsors: Vanta: Get started at https://Vanta.com/MORNINGWIRE - - - Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacy morning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the 7 AM hour, Larry O’Connor and Patrice Onwuka discussed: WMAL GUEST: GREGG PEMBERTON (Head of DC's Police Union) on Extending the District's Juvenile Curfew WMAL GUEST: JOSH BRONSON (Director of Education, Programs, & Visitor Experience at National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund) on the Law Enforcement Museum Staying Open During the Shutdown WMAL GUEST: WINSOME EARLE-SEARS (Lt. Governor of Virginia & GOP Nominee for Governor) on Tuesday's Election Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Friday, October 31, 2025 / 7 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
WMAL GUEST: WINSOME EARLE-SEARS (Lt. Governor of Virginia & GOP Nominee for Governor) WEBSITE: WinsomeForGovernor.com SOCIAL MEDIA: X.com/WinsomeSears Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Friday, October 31, 2025 / 7 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join Jim and Greg for the Thursday 3 Martini Lunch as they assess the GOP's improving poll numbers during the shutdown, distinctly different poll numbers in Virgini, and Bill Kristol disgracing himself to the point of endorsing Zohran Mamdani.First, they're pleasantly surprised to see poll numbers showing Americans think better of Republicans and the GOP in Congress right now than they did before the shutdown. Independents are more bullish on Republicans too. With a simple message and many more ways for voters to get their news, the old strategies aren't working for Democrats anymore.Next, they dig into poll numbers showing a 10-point lead for Democrat Abigail Spanberger over Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears in the Virginia governor's race. Meanwhile, GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares leads by eight points. Are there really that many ticket splitters in Virginia? They also wonder why Sears has not spoken much about what she and Gov. Glenn Youngkin accomplished over the past four years, when Youngkin remains a popular governor.Finally, they shake their heads as former Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol completes his transformation from supposed conservative to leftist lapdog as he endorses Mamdani for mayor. Jim and Greg explain how some conservatives who dislike Trump kept their conservative policy positions while others, like Kristol, abandoned everything they ever claimed to believe in hopes of being embraced by the left.Please visit our great sponsors:Cancel unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money at https://RocketMoney.com/MARTINI Build your fall sanctuary of comfort with Boll and Branch. Save 20% plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at https://BollAndBranch.com/THREEMARTINI —offer ends soon, exclusions apply.
Every sales professional has a horror story that still makes them break out in a cold sweat years later. The deal that imploded spectacularly. The customer interaction that went sideways in ways you couldn't predict. The moment you sat in your car afterward in complete silence, questioning every decision that led you to this career. These moments feel intensely personal and isolating. But the truth is, every rep who's lasted in this profession has been there. On an episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Ashley Blount and I collected nightmare sales stories from our years in the automotive and telecommunications industries, plus stories from the sales community. We found 16 tales that prove no one faces this alone. Here are some of the most terrifying. Smelly Dave: The Angel of Death This sales horror story comes from the automotive industry, posted on Reddit by someone who still sounds traumatized. Dave started at the dealership after Sears closed. We found out he'd been the “Angel of Death” at several franchises—Sears, Future Shop, RadioShack. Every place he touched eventually shut down. Dave was in his early 40s, wore the same shirt with the same coffee stain on it every single day, and smelled terribly. Customers would flee after test drives, refusing to come back into the building with him. On one occasion, a customer was dry heaving. Management tried to delicately bring up the hygiene issue, but Dave wouldn't listen. One day, the manager was told to drop off a sold vehicle to a customer, and Dave drove the chase car. As they returned together, the smell in that enclosed space was so unbearable that the manager walked into the boss's office afterward and apologized for whatever he had done to deserve that punishment. The boss laughed, called Dave in, and fired him on the spot. The Bluetooth Incident That Still Haunts Ashley Ashley had been selling cars for a few months when a sweet older couple came into the dealership. The husband was retiring, probably late 60s, and they were one of those rare couples who were actually pleasant to work with. He picked out a lime green Ford Fiesta for his retirement car. They completed the test drive, finished all the paperwork, and Ashley sent the vehicle back to get ready for delivery. When delivering a new vehicle, you always get in with the customer to help them connect their phone to Bluetooth and walk them through all the features. Since it was a couple, the husband was in the driver's seat, his wife was in the front passenger seat, and Ashley was sitting in the middle of the back seat. They got his phone connected to the Bluetooth, matched the code, and turned up the volume on the car. He went to open his phone. The most explicit, obscene audio you can imagine came blasting out of the speakers. Dead silence in that vehicle for what felt like forever. Ashley wished them well, exited the car, and walked back inside, mortified. When asked how it went, she told them the story and muttered, “I don't really want to follow up. I'm not sure that's appropriate.” The Telecom Contractors Who Started a Gunfight I had door-knocked a large hair salon and built a relationship with the salon owner, who also owned the building. He helped me get in the door with all four of his tenants. Because he was switching, they all switched. I closed three to four months of quota on this one deal because of what he did for me. Installation day arrives. At 6 a.m., my phone rings. I try to sound as awake as possible with my gravelly morning voice, and the owner immediately screams, "Jeb, what the f**k?" He explains that our contractors came out the night before, got in a huge argument, waved guns at each other—he swears one of them shot at the other. Then they came back in the morning and dug a trench that cut every single internet line to the building. Every single one. No internet on the salon's busiest day, and all the other stores were out, too. I arrived at 6:45 a.m.
We're just about a week out from Election Day, and I have to say, this is what I live for. These are the kind of stories that really scratch the itch for anybody who loves the game of politics as much as I do. We've got real contests, real dollars behind them, and actual electoral stakes. Yes, I know it's not a presidential year, but this is the sandbox where some serious groundwork gets laid. And for as much as I hate the off-off-year calendar, I love election season more than anything. Here's my breakdown of where I think the chips are going to fall in November.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Starting in California, we've got Prop 50. Gavin Newsom has staked a big chunk of political capital on this one. It's pitched as a pushback on Republican redistricting, with the messaging ultimately landing on “protecting America from Trump.” What started off messy got refined quickly, and with Newsom's team sticking the landing, I see a 10 to 15 point win. McCarthy was supposed to pour in $100 million to fight it, but as of now, the actual spending is suspiciously light. All that adds up to a clear Democratic win.Now onto Virginia: Winsome Earl Sears vs. Abigail Spanberger. I'm heading up to D.C. this weekend, and originally thought I'd be bouncing around Virginia to catch campaign stops. But Sears? She's nowhere to be found. Spanberger, while not the most electrifying candidate, has managed to avoid major blunders post-Jay Jones scandal. The polling tells a consistent story; Spanberger holding a lead that's grown since the scandal broke. I'm calling it Spanberger by eight. Could be tighter, but it's hard to see Sears overcoming the fundamentals working against her.As for Jay Jones, man, what a collapse. DUI, community service for his own super PAC, and leaked texts about shooting a rival politician? That's how you lose an election. Miyares hasn't trailed since that story broke. Nate Silver might be holding out hope, pointing to early voting and ticket-splitting, but my money's on Miyares by one. A close one, but still a loss for Jones. This scandal made a difference, period.New Yorkers better get ready for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He hasn't been behind at all in public polling, all while Cuomo is clawing for relevance. Meanwhile, Curtis Sliwa isn't pulling enough Republican support to matter to anyone but Cuomo. The energy just isn't there for a last-minute surprise. Mamdani by 13.And then there's New Jersey. The Mikie Sherrill vs. Jack Ciattarelli race is the sleeper of the night. Sherrill has led for most of the race, but recent polling has things tightening. Trafalgar and Coefficient both show her up by one. Republicans are feeling bullish, and if this ends within three points, they'll have reason to. That would mean New Jersey, at minimum, becomes a fringe battleground in 2028. Not quite Arizona-level swing, but enough to force Democrats to spend real money defending it. I'm predicting Sherrill wins — but just barely.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:03:32 - Election Predictions00:23:08 - Update00:24:53 - Trade Deals00:30:58 - Shutdown00:38:10 - Israel00:44:36 - Interview with Austin Padgett01:38:03 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe
The News RundownSteve leads off with the latest tariff turmoil, as trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada stall amid the Trump administration's response to an ad created and paid for by the Ontario government running in U.S. media whose key auto sector is endangered by Trump trade policies. They also explore luxury corporate earnings, where Hermès continues to shine, while. Gucci owner Kering struggles to regain footing. Meanwhile, Mattel falls short as retailers tighten orders ahead of the holidays.The discussion then turns to job cuts at Target, Amazon, GM, and Nestlé, revealing how automation, AI, and tariff pressures are reshaping corporate structures, before turning to Amazon's plan to replace up to 600,000 roles with robotics. They also cover ChatGPT's meteoric rise to No. 2 in product search, challenging Google and signaling a shift in how consumers discover products.Throughout, they underscore the precariousness of retail confidence heading into the holiday season — from Tractor Supply's cautious guidance to Deckers' HOKA sales slowdown.Blank Canvas Strategy: Finding Retail's 'New Earth'In the second half, Steve introduces "Blank Canvas Strategy"— a methodology for retailers to reimagine their businesses from the ground up, free from legacy constraints. Unlike Blue Ocean Strategy, which focuses on discovering compltey untapped markets, this framework helps brands reinvent their core business models before disruption makes them irrelevant.Steve urges leaders to recognize when their "planet" (current business model and market domain) becomes uninhabitable, and to begin building "Earth Two" — an alternative growth destination. Together, the hosts examine why incremental change doomed once-iconic retailers like Blockbuster, Sears, and Pier 1, and how others like Dick's Sporting Goods and RH (Restoration Hardware) succeeded by boldly innovating their business designs.They close by discussing how executives can carve out time, treasure, and talent for R&D, overcome the fear of cannibalization, and lead with the courage to disrupt themselves before competitors do.After the focused content discussion it's on to the most remarkable stories of the week, including Walmart's massive commitment to deploying 90 million supply-chain sensors to track pallets and fresh-food products.The episode wraps with what needs to be on everyone's radar screens. One recommendation: keep your eyes on "GU" the first U.S. store fromUniqlo's parent company, Fast Retailing. Located in New York's Soho neighborhood, Gu is a bright, energetic space with "eye-poppingly good prices" and strong shopper buzz. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.
All Hail Unicron: Episode 103: Mini Gundams Everywhere INTRODUCTION Anybody Get Anything? Movie/Show News Third Party Dr Wu is doing Micromasters https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/10/dr-wu-dw-es10-artillery-dw-es11-airburst-g1-micromasters-flak-sunrunner-color-renders-548229 Cang Toys CHUG scale Dinobots, a closer look (two links) https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/11/cang-toys-ta-hylo-brontosolid-generations-scale-sludge-color-prototype-548454 https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/17/cang-toys-ta-hylo-pterhowl-generations-scale-swoop-color-prototype-548988 FansHobby continues their G1 European figures with TFCon Chicago 2025's Helmsman (G1 Skyquake) https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/13/tfcon-chicago-2025-exclusive-fans-hobby-mb-08b-helmsman-548690 https://www.tfcon.com/exclusives The Newage repaints that won't feel new at all https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/13/newage-toys-h72-typhon-new-dinobot-volcanicus-combiner-new-variants-548694 New MP Seacons brought to you by Sears and Craftsman tools https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19z3LcPTCz/ Official: NYCC 2025 - Hasbro's gone feudal! https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/10/nycc-25-panel-reveals-official-pics-548426 More pics from their display case https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/10/nycc-25-transformers-post-panel-update-timelines-548325 Skybound Prime reveal https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/11/nycc-25-skybound-prime-booth-update-548522 Blokees has news from the other big show that happened since last episode, China Toy Expo 2025 https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/15/china-toy-expo-2025-blokess-transformers-model-kits-548747 Two reveals from Takara's new TF line, Overgear (two links) https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/16/takara-overgear-ironhide-blackout-revealed-548840 More pics from the Japan Model Hobby Show https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/17/japan-model-hobby-show-display-pic-roundup-548885 Peppa Pig, Crash Bandicoot, and Bumblebee walk into an airport bar... https://news.tfw2005.com/2025/10/16/united-airlines-new-commercial-featuring-rise-of-the-beasts-bumblebee-548826 Questions? Discussion: Email your questions to: Hailunicroncast@gmail.com Special Shoutouts: Dustmightz for providing the beats for the theme song! Check the Realm of Collectors on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/realmofcollectors Everyone who followed us from Shattered Cast Uncut, we are grateful to each and everyone of you for joining us on this journey! Hosts: T2RX6 http://www.youtube.com/user/T2rx6 Rich “Preordered” H. Oscar Alonso https://www.youtube.com/user/oscarnjboy Robert Duyjuy-sabado-gigante
Mayor Karen Bass officially named Jaime Moore as the new Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department during a press conference — marking a historic moment for city leadership. Elex Michaelson announced his new CNN show, “The Story Is…”, premiering Monday, October 27th, promising a fresh take on national political storytelling. Meanwhile, Tim Conway Jr. battled through the show “under duress” after a flu shot — recalling a past bad experience with a Sears vaccine — while covering breaking news out of Ontario: semi-truck driver Jashanpreet Singh of Yuba City pleaded not guilty to three counts of vehicular manslaughter and DUI causing injury after a deadly 8-car pileup. Closing out the hour — World Series Game #1 kicks off in Toronto, with fans watching the order of the national anthems as the first pitch approaches.
Megyn Kelly breaks down why New Yorkers must hold their nose and vote for Andrew Cuomo to stop radical Zohran Mamdani, discusses the implications of the decision, highlights the most fiery attacks from Cuomo and Mamdani in the final NYC debate, weighs in on the Sliwa effect, responds to the disgusting attacks by Jen Psaki on JD Vance and Usha Vance, exposes the awful liberal white ladies podcast, and more. Then Virginia Governor candidate Winsome Earle-Sears joins to talk about her opponent Abigail Spanberger's muted response to the Jay Jones texts, the state of the race overall, Spanberger's lack of courage on key political issues, racist attacks she's faced from Democrats, the misogyny from the left, and more. More from Earle-Sears: https://winsomeforgovernor.com/ Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get your free info kit on goldDone with Debt: https://www.DoneWithDebt.com & tell them Megyn Kelly sent you!Lean: Visit https://TakeLean.com & use code MK for 20% offByrna: Go to https://Byrna.com or your local Sportsman's Warehouse today. Follow The Megyn Kelly Show on all social platforms:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MegynKellyTwitter: http://Twitter.com/MegynKellyShowInstagram: http://Instagram.com/MegynKellyShowFacebook: http://Facebook.com/MegynKellyShow Find out more information at:https://www.devilmaycaremedia.com/megynkellyshow Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Trump-Endorsed Gubernatorial Candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears came to America from Jamaica with nothing but grit and a dream — and made history.A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, small business owner, and Virginia's first woman of color ever elected statewide, Winsome Earle-Sears shattered barriers to become Lieutenant Governor — and now, she's running for governor.In this powerful episode, Winsome opens up about the beliefs and experiences that shaped her journey: her positions on abortion, gay marriage, ICE, Immigration, DEI, and right-to-work laws; the Jay Jones controversy that ignited debate across Virginia; and her bold vision for a state united by freedom, opportunity, and accountability — not identity politics.For the first time, she also speaks from the heart about the tragic loss of her daughter, and how that pain transformed her into a more compassionate, purpose-driven leader.Courage, conviction, and compassion — Get to know the firebrand that is taking Virginia's gubernatorial race by storm. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- While speaking with the press aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump urged Virginians to vote for Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears—marking the first time he has publicly endorsed her against Democrat Abigail Spanberger. 3:15pm- Democrat Gubernatorial Nominees See Their Lead Narrow: Polling shows the race between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill is, as of now, anyone's race. Meanwhile, Spanberger has seen her massive lead over Earle-Sears—which was at one point estimated to be as much as 17-points in May—fall to just 5 to 8-points, according to polling averages. 3:40pm- Breaking News: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has lifted a lower court's order which previously halted President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon. Rich wonders why the governor won't accept federal help to crackdown on violent crime? The strategy proved effective in Washington D.C.
We are in a global competition with China, and Glenn warns that if we lose this AI race, we will lose the country. China is constructing up to 40 nuclear power plants each year to power its AI farms. Are we reaching a point where it's impossible to catch up? Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts joins Glenn to discuss Project 2025, the government shutdown, and what's to come as Trump's second term continues. Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears (R) joins to discuss the dead-heat race and why she is the best fit to lead the state of Virginia. Glenn addresses the selective edits of a question he was asked at his TPUSA event regarding Israel and AIPAC. Why doesn't AIPAC register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? Glenn did his homework and revealed what he found. Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Eric Dexheimer joins to expose how an out-of-towner is plotting the complete takeover of a county in Texas, which prompted a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Glenn and Stu discuss the leftist media meltdown over War Secretary Pete Hegseth's new press policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We are in a global competition with China, and Glenn warns that if we lose this AI/rare-earth minerals race, America will be in big trouble. Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears (R) joins to discuss the close race and why she is the best fit to lead the state of Virginia. Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Eric Dexheimer joins to expose how an out-of-towner is plotting the complete takeover of a county in Texas, which prompted a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Meet my friends, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton! If you love Verdict, the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show might also be in your audio wheelhouse. Politics, news analysis, and some pop culture and comedy thrown in too. Here’s a sample episode recapping four takeaways. Give the guys a listen and then follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Radical Leftwing Violence President Donald Trump meets with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and addresses the press on multiple issues. The hosts analyze Trump’s remarks, including his blunt assessment of rising left-wing violence and his warning that radical rhetoric from Democrats is fueling domestic terrorism. The discussion shifts to the U.S. economy, highlighting a surprising 3.8% GDP growth in Q2, record-high stock prices, and falling interest rates. Clay and Buck break down how lower mortgage rates could unlock the housing market and why economic growth—not spending cuts—may be the only path to balancing the federal budget. They also touch on Elon Musk’s prediction that AI-driven innovation could help offset ballooning deficits. Phony Comey The conversation zeroes in on James Comey, the former FBI Director, as reports suggest possible criminal charges for lying under oath before the statute of limitations expires. Clay and Buck revisit Comey’s controversial role in targeting General Michael Flynn and his history of aggressive prosecutions, including the Martha Stewart case. They stress the importance of accountability to prevent the U.S. from descending into “banana republic” politics. Autism and Tylenol Dr. Mehmet Oz, now serving as CMS Administrator under President Trump and HHS Secretary RFK Jr., joins the show to discuss groundbreaking developments in autism research, including promising results from leucovorin therapy for children and emerging concerns about acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy. He emphasizes transparency in government health data and warns against overusing medications during pregnancy. The conversation explores the alarming rise in autism rates—now estimated at 1 in 31 children—and potential environmental and lifestyle factors, including allergies, chemical exposure, and older parental age. Dr. Oz underscores the need for urgent research and public awareness, noting that autism prevalence has increased fivefold in 25 years. Nerding Out with Ryan In-depth political analysis with guest Ryan Girdusky, host of It’s a Numbers Game. The discussion kicks off with the New Jersey governor’s race, where New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli is gaining momentum against Democrat Mikie Sherrill. Despite Democrats’ historic voter advantage, recent polls show a tightening race, fueled by Sherrill’s controversies—including a viral debate stumble and a resurfaced Naval Academy cheating scandal from 1994. Girdusky explains how skyrocketing electricity costs, driven by data center energy demands, have become a top voter concern in both New Jersey and Virginia, shaping campaign strategies. The conversation shifts to Virginia’s gubernatorial showdown between Republican Winsome Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger. Sears is focusing on cultural issues like transgender participation in women’s sports and locker rooms, while Spanberger avoids clear answers, offering vague responses that Clay and Buck criticize as political double-speak. The hosts argue that Democrats in purple states often run as moderates but govern as progressives, warning voters about the stakes in these off-year elections. Next, attention turns to the New York City mayoral race, where progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani is the overwhelming favorite according to betting markets, despite a crowded field including Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams, and Curtis Sliwa. Girdusky predicts Mamdani’s win could have national implications for Democrats in the 2026 midterms, as his far-left policies on policing and immigration could become a liability for the party’s brand. Make sure you never miss a second of the show by subscribing to the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton show podcast wherever you get your podcasts! ihr.fm/3InlkL8 For the latest updates from Clay and Buck: https://www.clayandbuck.com/ Connect with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on Social Media: X - https://x.com/clayandbuck FB - https://www.facebook.com/ClayandBuck/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/clayandbuck/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/clayandbuck Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/ClayandBuck TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@clayandbuck YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.