Podcasts about Serengeti

Part two of Kiera's conversation with Howard Farran on the Dentaltown podcast. As a business owner, the greatest gift you can give yourself is to get systems in place so you are not dependent on core people. This second part of Kiera's conversation with Howard is about determining your weaknesses as a practice, building systems to fix those weaknesses, and letting your practice hum regardless of who's sitting in the seats. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and quick heads up, today's episode is a special repost from a podcast I joined as a guest. It is a great conversation for practice owners who want to progress without carrying everything. I cannot wait for you to hear it. Let's dive right in.   speaker-0 (00:16) And you know, I was doing a million dollars in the eighties, a million dollar practice, and I went to two and and I I thought I actually think I had a higher treatment plan acceptance rate than my buddies on just measuring the same day. My clothes is always like, you don't want to come back. I mean, we could you know, I'm when I'm doing the hygiene check, I'm gonna say, I'm gonna leave. The hygienist gonna Denise Missy, they'll numb me up.   speaker-1 (00:21) They're like eight million now there, Howard.   speaker-0 (00:44) And and then and then move her to room eight and we'll we'll we'll knock this out in 30 minutes because you don't want to drive all way from work and then kid and school. You just pulled your kid out of school, now you want to do it twice. It I just always s insisted on just the same day because if we do this because from my perspective, if we do this filling a day, it's two fifty. If you walk out that door, half of you never come back until it hurts, and then it's a twenty five hundred dollar root connected crown.   speaker-1 (00:50) Amen.   speaker-0 (01:12) It's only one tenth the price to do the filling. I got a room. The hygienist can numb you up. And then I always hit the hygienist on the show and said, You should have numbed her up before I got here and I could be doing it right now. And she laughed and she said, but that's illegal. I said, I'm not a lawyer. I'm a dentist. Let's get this done. But just by really leaning on same day. And I really think that was a huge part of our success.   speaker-1 (01:37) Well, and Howard, I think what you said is like going back to the COVID crank, I think so many business businesses right now have lost that like customer service and let's make it easy. Like, as you said, one of our core values in Dental A Team is ease. And I'm always like, How can you make it easy for everybody? Because that's what people want. Like you said, like no one wants to take time off for the dentist. I'm switching dentists right now and they're like, So you're gonna come in for a hour appointment and then we'll bring you back in like three months for your hygienist. And I told my assistant, I was like, just call them back. I was like, tell them no, no, no, like   Make it easy. I don't want to come back. And so I think when offices take on the mentality, I have grown practices 10, 20, $30,000 a month just by same day treatment. Like just get it done. Let's train our team. Like, let's be quick. Let's have that quick turnaround time. Now, of course, doctors, you've got to be like Howard can get that done and he can rock it out and he's great. If you're a dentist that is not quite that quick, like we do not want to scale back all your patients. So maybe you do like add, add on an extra filling that's already in the quad that you're getting numb.   Like, where can we do it? Can we add that fluoride in today? Can we add in this thing? Can we take the scan today? Because you're right, no patient wants to take time off of work to come to the dentist. So like let's just rock it out, make them a raving fan because we went above and beyond to make them happy.   speaker-0 (02:49) And and and it also is a good variance counterbalance to no shows and cancellations. You know, she said yes, and then your next patient didn't show up as opposed to reschedule this one a week from now and then then this doesn't show up. But hey, I want to ask you, I'm gonna hold your feet to the fire on this. True. Would you rather build a dental office on rock star employees or rock star systems?   speaker-1 (03:16) ⁓ this one is I think the this it's ⁓ it's interesting because I think that there's space for both. However, Rockstar employees can walk out that door and then you are left. And I say that this to me is where as a business owner, you're shackled and you're always going to feel scared. You're gonna feel scared to hold accountability, you're gonna feel scared to ask people to do their job because you're so afraid of them leaving. Whereas if you have systems, I'm not here to say be a jerk, like that's not what we're here for, but it becomes so much easier to just   plug and play. And then also for team members, they tend to stay longer because they understand they've got clear systems. And people get really weird on systems, Howard. And I think they feel like systems are so hard. And it's like, I'd rather just bring someone in who knows what they're doing. And I'm like, but make that repeatable. So if they're out and I make my rock stars go on vacation for a week. I'm like, absolutely. And people are like, no, no, no. I don't want them to leave. And I'm like, you need them to leave because you need to see where it breaks down and you need to build systems. But I will say as a business owner, the greatest gift you can give yourself   is to get systems in place where you are not dependent on those core people. Like I want great team members that love my patience and do what they have, but I want it to be a repeatable process that every time, no matter if I've got Susie, Sarah, Jenny, Mike, John, anybody, we're giving the exact same experience. Like I look at Chick-fil-A and it's the same amazing experience. Every time I walk in there, they say the same thing and none of us are annoyed by that. And teams are super happy and thriving. I interviewed a guy who's a big wig in Chick-fil-A and I was   Fascinated by the culture. I was like, tell me more about this. And he's like, we have systems. We have buddy systems. We have it built on systems. That is the core to great success. And it's the core to like less stress in your business. Like obsessively, I am so obsessed about simple systems. I've been called the Dr. Seuss of systems. Make it so simple that anyone can do it. And then hire amazing talent that treats your patients with the great culture that you want.   speaker-0 (05:08) Yeah, and if the systems are so good, they don't even have to have dental experience. I mean, I the best receptionist I had was the the teller at Chase Bank next to me and I absolutely said her, I said, You are so dang good. You're always happy, always you remember my name. I said, What do I have to do to get you to work for me? And she she told me and she's been here for you know, over a decade. just the same things.   speaker-1 (05:36) Howard, I want to highlight, I hope dentists listen to you. ⁓ there are not a lot of dentists that are scrap like you. And that's something I love about you. And this is just like a little, it's not intentional, like boost your ego, but like please take it. Like it's a good boost. You are so scrap, right? It's like, let's just get that done. Like again, like let's do same-day treatment. My best employee in the company was my next door neighbor. I knocked on her door. She like took care of my plants when I traveled. She's like, those things are gonna die. I was like, the fact that someone as a neighbor just watered my plants to be nice to me.   She's been amazing. She's been with me five years, best incredible EA I've ever had. You ask the bank teller. We look for great talent. You build on systems. And I just hope the dentists realize like, just saying yes and GSDing, like, let's just get it done. That is something that I think so many people have like lost that art. And truly, that's what impresses me with your podcast, with who you are. And I just hope that people here, you don't have to go for perfect. You don't have to find this perfect person. You just gotta be scrappy and gritty.   And your practice will grow and you'll have great team members with you. Like it's not actually hard. And I think we make it hard, but just hearing your examples, I hope people listen as a dentist, this is what makes successful dentists in dental offices and great team culture as well. That is the core vote values that he's got. And it is why he's so successful. And I hope dentists can learn from that.   speaker-0 (06:53) Well, thank you. And I got did I ever tell you a story about the third hygienist they hired? I I already had my two full time hygienists, everything was great. And ⁓ this ⁓ young girl walked in, just graduated straight out of hygiene school, and I could hear someone giggling up front and they said I was busy, you know, she wanted to talk to me and then she just took it upon herself just to just to walk through the office and I I er and anyway, long story short, I finally got done. I broke, I met her.   speaker-1 (06:57) Tell me, I'm ready.   speaker-0 (07:20) And had no opening for hygiene, and she was so into the office, and she's asking all the right. I can just feel her energy, she's like sucking out my soul. And I and the first thought I said is she's from Alwatukee, she lives in Alwatuki. Do you want to compete against this girl for the next 40 years? Or you know you want her on your team, you don't have room for her on their team, but she ain't gonna end up across the street. I hired her and told everybody we'll just have to figure it out because this is a rock star personality.   I mean, you know, she just walking through like she owned the place and probably probably one of the top two or three, her and Jan, probably the best employees I ever had. I mean, unbelievable. ⁓ how do you get the dentist to stop being the limit to his own growth? I mean, it's it seems like I don't know about dental school curriculums, and it seems like shooting yourself in the foot has got to be the first and the last course they teach you there. How do you get the dentist to quit being the ceiling to their own practice?   speaker-1 (08:21) Think it's a I actually want to just like shout out a lot of the dentists. I feel that the new generation of dentists coming through actually are very prone and open to understanding business and recognizing there's so many books out there that talk about like CEOs and owners of businesses are the bottleneck to their success. And so I just want to say, like, I think a lot are starting to recognize that, but I think that there's still a lot that don't. And I I usually help people say, like,   When the pain is bad enough is usually when people change. Or you can recognize that you need to get yourself out of the weeds. You need to become the CEO of your business. You need to be working at the highest level of your ⁓ license. And everybody in your practice needs to be doing the same. And if you're not, like I do a delegation exercise. I just did it with our doctors on Tuesday. I was like, write down everything that you're working on right now, everything on your to-do list, everything there. And then I want you to go back through it and I want you to literally look at that and like only things that you can do. And like, please don't like   Boost your ego, but what are the things that only you could do? And I had a group of 50 doctors the other night and they were like, really, it's like vision, culture, and profitability. Like everything else can be someone else can do. And so when doctors recognize like that is your sweet spot and no one else is doing that, you need to have other people in there. Like you're welcome to hold it all yourself. But there's also another path where you can elevate people around you. You do great dentistry and you own the visionary and the CEO seat. Be obsessive in there.   But I think so many of them want to just do everything. I'm like, that's great, but you're gonna run right into burnout really quickly. So it's a helping them realize, go look at your to-do list. Honestly, of that, who can you delegate this to? Who can do it better than you? And who's gonna be somebody that's gonna light up and be excited about it and get yourself continually moving towards that CEO seat? I think so many dentists don't realize that they are a CEO of a multi-million dollar business. And I think, like, look at Jeff Bezos, look at some of these really prominent people.   That are great CEOs. What are they doing all day long? They are not answering emails. They're not responding to these things. Like they're not doing any of that. They've got teams around them that are incredible at that. How can you get yourself closer to that? Because that is where the practice flourishes. But if you're sitting there doing every single thing, you're stopping it constantly. It's truly a bottleneck. ⁓ and I think that's when people are ready for it, when people actually recognize that, there's there's two types of dentists. There's the one who calls when they're absolutely burnout, exhausted, and they can't see like past like one foot in front of them.   There's the other dentist that realizes I don't want to be that. I've seen too many dentists like that. And I want you to coach me into how to become like not there. And I say, like, life's so much easier. I have a dentist hired us two months before he started his practice. As a brand new practice owner, this year he should be clearing 2.5 million. And I'm like, why? Because he recognized, get out of the way, have these other people do it, train my team. I'm going to bottleneck this. I don't want to be burnt out. I want to be present for my kids.   Teach me how to be the CEO of my practice and empower my team. And so I'm like, again, it's choose your hard. Which path do you want to live? It's all in Wonderland. There's both, there's paths. It's just what path do you want to go on? And also what mentors and what people be the CEO of your practice. Do not be the operator that's doing it all.   speaker-0 (11:35) You know, I always call a great idea is I always call them a giraffe. I'll never forget when I took my kids ⁓ to a ⁓ Serengeti and the guide was so funny, he would he would all of a sudden he'd stop. Well he stopped for a reason. He's giving us a guide and and it was one of these long tour to trucks where you'd stand up in the middle and you look out, and after about five minutes, we just said, What? What? And he's like, It's right in front of you and we're just like, Well, we're looking all around, my boy, everybody's gonna find it.   And he says, Are you kidding me? Look at that tree. Look at to the left of that tree. And it was a giraffe standing right next to the tree. Totally camouflage. And that that's what I mean when I say, you know, they can't see the giraffe. And here's a missing giraffe for 40 years. Remember the great Jennifer D. St. George? She's still out there. I love her to death. And she had this lecture on schedule. It's called Rocks, Sand and Water. She goes, You gotta schedule your rocks first. Do all your rocks. And then she'd fill up a glass with rocks.   And then she say, Then you can do your sand. And she'd pour like a half glass of sand on top of the rocks and you still didn't have a full. And then she'd say, and then the water, then she'd take like a full bottle water and pour it in the sand and and it was still full. And I already know when you talked about block scheduling, I already know that at least fifty to a hundred and fifty percent of the dentists said, ⁓ I don't care if I do a root canal in the morning or night. I they they don't understand block scheduling.   They don't understand rock, standing water. They haven't for 40 years. Jennifer lectured for 40 years and and I still don't think anybody saw the giraffe. Can you just slow down and talk about you just made the example about how all you did was change the scheduling and you got the it up. So show that giraffe. What what does that giraffe look like?   speaker-1 (13:23) Well, thank you, Howard, because I do love giraffes. I do have freckles and have I've definitely been like and have a very long neck and I'm very tall. So I do love giraffes in and of itself. So thank you. Like let's just talk about it. ⁓ but I I agree. It's so I don't know. I think as a team member, you just get obsessed with making puzzles. And like for me, I'm like, how can I maximize and squeeze more juice out of your lemon tree? Like, let's just do it. It's gonna be a great time. ⁓ and so what I love to do is.   Like, let's just go through and build you a perfect day. And I love to build my rocks. And I used to do like high production. And then I learned it was even more fun if I put a dollar amount on those high production blocks. Because as a team member, like, hi, Kiera, I'm Kiera. I sit up front. I am now looking for puzzle pieces that are coming through my puzzle. And instead of just filling your day with a bunch of water, aka no production, I'm actually able to like fill you full.   Make sure I've got you up to production and then I move on to my next day. And then as I have my little water that comes through, I just fill in the gaps. And you, doctor, are so happy. And I did this with an office and the doctor was like used to making five, seven thousand dollars a day max. We got him to a twelve thousand dollar day and he walked out the door at four o'clock. And normally he was there till 536. And he's like, Here, how'd you do it? And I was like, Because we actually put in blocks, we actually scheduled it of what's the most efficient way to use your time.   And it's playing seduco in a schedule is how you really do it. It's like perfect. Where is the doctor? And then where does doctor need to be for hygiene exams? What does my hygienist need to be producing? How much period do I have? How many new patients do I have? Let's block those so I can get those people in on our schedule. Make sure my hygienists are up to goal every single day. So, like, what are they supposed to be producing? Usually three times their pay is typical. And then on the doctor side, doctors, what do we want to be producing for the year? What do we need to be producing per day? Let's build in those dollar amounts.   That is going to make you feel so easy to get through to get to exams where you're not running behind. And now let's figure this out. And when we go through, and I look to see how much procedures cost, how much like on average, how many new patients we need, how many SRPs we need, how many perio maintenance we need. And then you take those pieces, those are your rocks, and I'm gonna go build a schedule to where it actually flows really, really well. And then from there, I'm gonna duplicate that over every single week.   And what's crazy about it is when you do this, people realize they're gonna be walking out with $10 to $12,000 days, getting out on time. We're doing the easy stuff in the afternoon, the harder stuff in the morning or whatever you like to work. I don't care. And when people see how much they can produce with minimal effort, no extra patience and no extra time, like usually that's how it builds. You're able to, like you said, see the draft, but it's crazy because you're a happier dentist, you're not running behind all day long, and you're actually profitable. We hold those blocks, I usually say for 24 hours as team members.   And me as a treatment coordinator, I am scanning my canvas, I'm scanning my own scheduled treatment to find something of that dollar amount or that rock to fill in my blocks. And I'm not gonna put multiples in there. We're gonna make sure if you only have one root canal system, we're not putting two next to each other. If you have one implant system, I'm not doing two back to back. Like you just have it to where the day flows and 85% of your days will be great. And the other like, you know, 15% are like, shoot, we couldn't get anybody in it. We just fill it with whatever we can, get you up to that, put emergencies in there.   But that's how you do it. And it's so, it's so satisfying. I've got an office that they lost two doctors. So I've only got two doctors. We are producing as much as they were on four doctors with better blocks, better scheduling. And it's just incredible to see how much more efficient you can be with your time without more patience, more effort. And it's very, very fun and fulfilling. And when people follow it, they're shocked at how much their practice grows without any, like hardly any extra effort.   speaker-0 (17:07) Tell me, tell me this. Why do my DSO buddies, who have hundreds of office locations, tell me that that when someone calls their office, they can convert 70 to 80% of the people on the phone to getting their butt physically measured in the chair? And that in private practice, it routinely shows up at about 42%. How can Heartland   close seventy to eighty percent of the callers as measured by you called on the phone and now your butt is sitting in a chair in private practice forty two percent. What do you think explains that the most?   speaker-1 (17:44) I think Howard, it's they're obsessive about numbers. I have an office that works for Aspen and I've just watched like they are obsessive about KPIs and tracking and measuring. And I feel like in private practice, we don't track and measure nearly as much as they do. Like they've got metrics, they've got numbers, they're looking at it. And so what they do in Heartland and corporate, they're smart businesses. They look to see where is our leaky hole and how are we going to fix it. So I know what they're doing is they're watching their call conversions.   They're talking to their offices and they're setting this of like your goal is 75%. And this is the training and the verbiage. And we're going to track this and we're going to measure it because what we track and measure improves. And I like tell me a private practice out there that's like, we know our call percentage rate. None of them could probably tell us, but you ask a DSO and you better believe they're going to know all their metrics. And that's where I love like so many offices are obsessed about systems and what system do I put into place and how do I grow my practice? And I'm like,   Number one, let's figure out where you want to go and what's your vision. I call that why. And then E is earnings and profitability. Like based on those two things, based on where you want to go and what the profitability and our our numbers are, then you determine the systems. And then we look at those metrics of the profitability and our KPIs and the metrics, and you put systems into place for that. So these DSOs are so good at tracking and measuring. And like I've got a practice doing 29 million. And what we do is we have a scorecard. They know.   We just hit the most important things that are going to drive the needle forward and we watch those numbers like a hawk and that's all we coach and focus on. You coach and focus on those items, your practice will grow. But I promise you it's because they're tracking, measuring, and training to that and having metrics of what they need to hit. They're not better than us. They're just better at measuring and then improving those numbers.   speaker-0 (19:24) Well, they they say that just by weighing yourself at the same time every day will start bringing your weight down just because you're focusing on it. Totally. And things like that. ⁓ I want you to do the same thing to treatment plan. Why do you think most patients are saying no? And what's the draft that one of my homies could listen to right now that could help him increase his treatment plan acceptance rate?   speaker-1 (19:46) I think the no is just surface level. And what you gotta hear is what they're not saying. And I also would say a lot of people, they're like, it's about money. And I'm like, again, you're looking for reasons and you're gonna continue to find that. So for me, my mantra, and this is a great thing for the homies out there, my mantra is everybody says yes to me and everybody loves me. Like, no joke, I say that every time I'm going into a treatment plan. Why am I sitting here thinking about my gosh, they can't afford it or they can't do this? You're creating more of that.   Rather than going in with a confidence, they're buying your confidence. Like hands down, I can I can close a fifty thousand dollar case same day. Let's swipe a credit card, like let's buy a boat. But it's confidence. And I'm walking in there of like, we're doing this, we're doing it now. My job is just to figure out how you're paying for it. And so when we look at that case acceptance, I've coached an office and we've added, I've got five locations. All I do is train their treatment coordinators. I just rep them. We are constantly going through reps. We add   One to two million annually amongst those five offices just by focusing on it. And I'm like, it's 80% psychology. What are you thinking about? You walk in there, everybody loves me, everybody says yes to me, and let's make this happen. And I do it in a way where I love them. I give them like a warm virtual hug, like I'm not actually hugging. I want them to feel so comfortable, so confident. But then I also say, like, watch out. How are you using words? Words are free, Howard. Like, I'm not going to lead with, do you want to get this done? No, I'm going to assume they want to get this done.   Hey Howard, let's get that treatment done. So I'm gonna schedule you. Doctor is really busy. So I'm gonna do Monday or Wednesday, which works best for you. ⁓ Kiera, I want to talk about fees. Howard, absolutely, I'm gonna talk about fees. Let's just make sure we get this time locked in. I've got Monday or Wednesday, which do you prefer? We schedule you on Wednesday. You're already halfway there for me. I've got you scheduled. Perfect. So treatment's gonna be this amount. This is what the total will be. This is what our insurance estimates are, this is what our total will be when I see you on Wednesday. What questions do you have for me? Howard then asked me. I'm not gonna say I'm like, so do you want to talk about money? Do you want to get scheduled?   Like, why? Why am I bringing this up? Like, let them come up with it. Give them the time. Have the things. Don't bombard them, but be so confident. If I've got a great dentist that I know has great dentistry, they diagnose my job is to close and let's have that type of attitude. Walk in their doctors, don't be like, I don't know if they want to do this. Like, what if they can't afford? No, be the freaking clinician that's like amazing and like they all love you. They say yes to you. Diagnose them. Stop scrimping on them. Like morally, that is your job is to tell me what's going on.   Your job is to diagnose for me and then I get to make the decision from there. But truly it's eighty percent psychology. What are you thinking about? What's your mantra? And then twenty percent is skill, but get that confidence because they're buying your confidence, they're not buying dentistry.   speaker-0 (22:18) Then I want you to pontificate on ⁓ this. ⁓ I watch this in my own eyes. ⁓ every American I know that's as old as me, ⁓ or by the time they die, has bought one new car in their lifetime. Am I right? You know any do you know anybody that lived to be 80 that never bought a new car? Yeah, yeah. And right now the average new car is 50,000.   speaker-1 (22:41) They all do it.   speaker-0 (22:45) And I would say ninety-five percent of all the dentists go to retirement and they never sold one case for the price of a new car, which would be fifty thousand dollars a day. And then I watched Clear Choice, my favorite DSO, because they rolled out a hundred locations, and the only thing they sell is fifty thousand dollar two arcs all on fours, twenty-five thousand dollars an arch. They rolled into Phoenix and all the world surgeons and paradox, like, I don't know, I don't know if I like this.   And they start doing all these infomercials. Remember, remember, orthodontists have always been ahead of general dentists in advertising. All the orthodontists were advertising before 10% of the flipping general dentists were. And when the general dentists finally got to like two or three percent, the orthodontists were at five. And now all my two million dollar dental orthodontist offices on up are spending eight percent on marketing. Here's clear choice.   You go through the channels, they got all these 30 minute infomercials and and all this stuff like that. No, I never I never had heard of an all on four until I heard it on a clear choice deal. And then all my paces were coming in saying, Do you do all on four? I'm like, what are you even talking about? Then then they tell me, and then because I I would have called it a you know, four implant. You know, I didn't think of four, say whatever. And and then the next thing you knew.   Every oral surgeon and peridonist in the valley of Arizona was doing more cases because they were selling it to so many people that our pace that we were benefiting from it. So I just want to hold your feet to fire. How come ClearChoice with a hundred locations? Don't tell me it's demographics. They're in the hundred biggest cities in America. And and in each one of those cities, 95% of the dentists will retire without selling a single $50,000 case. And ClearChoice is doing it in their backyard.   Every single day of the week. Explain that to me.   speaker-1 (24:42) gosh. I I don't disagree with you. And I think there's I I ⁓ to me it's kind of like the four minute mile, right? Like so many people did not think that they could do it. And then once the four minute mile broke, it was like, my gosh, now all these people can do it. I still cannot run a four minute mile mark. Like I'm still working on that, Howard. So I get it. There's like limitations still. But I think a lot of dentists I watch, a lot of them get weird. Like they get uncomfortable. They feel like, well, do they really need it? Should I really offer this? Like   They get into this weird space in their head rather than just like, why don't I just offer it? Like I have a dentist who literally presents $250,000 treatment plans consistently. And they do all like full cosmetic. I have another doctor. It's 75 per arch, 75k per arch, and they're closing them consistently. And I think there's a space of like, why are we not doing this? And like you said, clear choice is doing it in their backyard. I think there's a   My background's marriage and family therapy as well. So I studied that when I was in college. And so I love the psychology of it. And I think so many people are truly afraid of rejection. And so they're like, I'm just not going to offer it. And they like justify it in their brain of why, like, I don't need to do that. Like other people can do that. Like, I want to make sure I'm taking care of my patients. And they live in this world that's their own reality. And I think that we all create our own reality. And clear choice is like, no, there are patients out there that do this. My client that does 250,000 consistently.   My other client who does 150,000 consistently, that's just their level of comfort, right? And so, how can dentists get to a higher level of comfort? I think one, be confident in your clinical skills. If you know you're the best dentist out there and you can do this, like for me, I feel like that's my moral obligation to make sure that patients are getting the best dentistry because they don't know if Howard or John or Sarah or Tom is a better dentist than you. So if you aren't confident that you are a dang good dentist,   Your job is to make sure that those patients know that. The second thing is get more confident presenting larger cases. and I tell all the offices I coach on these large cases, like please drop the mindset of a large case. I think we psych ourselves out by being like, ⁓ it's like a $30,000. Like, no, it's just a case. There's no big, there's no small. It's just a case. And I'm going to present what this patient needs and I'm going to present it to them. And I'm going to believe that they want this and I'm doing the best thing. And then we get to decide from there. And our job is to make this to where it's easy. We follow up.   There are so many people that want to do this, but I think people hold themselves back and they live in lies that they choose to tell themselves, but they believe are truth. But they're only the truth to you because there's other people doing it just like the four-minute mile, and you can too. So I think it's a matter of why not? And so when dentists are nervous about this, the way I usually am able to break it is like going from a $5,000 treatment plan to a $50,000 treatment might feel a little scary.   And so I'm like, perfect. Let's just diagnose one more thing or let's present one treatment that we normally wouldn't. And let's start to like build that confidence for you. And whether they choose to say yes or no, you just got to work on your presenting, like presenting skills. It's not like they're not saying yes or no to you. It's just how are we presenting it? How are we using the words? Are we assuming the yes? Are we assuming that they want to do it? There's so many ways that you can present treatment better. Like it's an art, it's not a skill. But I think people choose like Howard, they   They just want to live in this world and they believe that that's the world. And so I'm like, until you choose to get uncomfortable, it's like we've got a little thermometer in our world and in our world. Like if I say that I am comfortable at 75 degrees, if the temperature goes up to 78, I'm like, this is out of control. Get it back to 75. If it drops down to 70, I'm like, it feels uncomfortable. So how can we take it to where I can get comfortable getting out of my 75 degrees and move me to the next level of whatever that is, to where that becomes my new norm. And then I move myself up to the new norm.   There are people doing 35, 75, 150,000. And I don't say that for you to like belittle yourself, but to see that's possible. Other people are doing it. Believe in yourself. If you're the best dentist, be confident in that. And then truly, please, for the love of everything, I am a patient. No hygienist offers me fluoride Howard. No dentist offers me emphasizaline. I would say yes to both of you, but you are selfish. And I'm saying this with like love and respect. You are selfish by not giving me the chance to say yes or no to you.   And I would say give more people the opportunity to say yes to you, offer it, get better at it, check to see why they're saying no to you, refine that and keep offering. I love my offices that set it a 35% case acceptance because I know that they're presenting 50, 2000, like they're sending 10,000, 15,000, $50,000 cases consistently because they know that the more things that they say yes to with great dentistry and great confidence, the more people will say yes to them. But like get out of your own way.   nudge it up a little bit more, get uncomfortable, but truly do great dentistry, offer to patients and stop like holding back and assuming that they don't want to do it because more patients want to than you believe that they do.   speaker-0 (29:37) And you know, a lot of dentists don't like the blood and guts. They don't want to place implants. They don't want to play certain modes. I get it. But you know what? I know a handful of dentists, at ⁓ five at least. I think the sixth one might have retired, but one of the reasons they're probably so big, they didn't they didn't like blood and guts either. But they would always tell ladies, they go, Well, I'll tell you what, before you go back to your twenty fifth wedding ⁓ school high school anniversary or or whatever, I mean tell you what, you always remember   For 50 grand, the price of a new car, what we do here is we take everything out, every filling and crown comes out, we put it all back in in the most beautiful portion. You'll leave with a Hollywood movie star smile. I know it's a lot of money, it's 50 grand, but you gotta think about that. And he and they both tell me they say, Well, you know, if you say that 10 times a month, yes, someone always always says it. And they go, Really? I'd have a movie star smile, and I'd say,   Absolut flipping Lutley, man. We take all that old crap out and veneers, inlays, onlays. I mean, when you're done, you'll look like a movie star. And and and I got a a a couple that is in not so rich areas of town like Tempe and Chandler Mesa. And they say that they have to say that about 10 times ⁓ to get one or two to do it. And in North Scottsdale Paradise Valley, ⁓ boulder area, ⁓ they they they say it's about a one in three close rate. If they just say it right like,   Be because when when someone gets a new car, what do they do? They drive around, they show it to everybody, you know, they just they they just love it. So I we're over an hour and we try to keep it under hour. So I wanna ask you one question. But first you said your background's a marriage advice and I just wanna tell you the best marriage advice you can have. Just like you're saying, it's all in your attitude. You don't you know, you start every day. When you wake up, the first thing you do is you tell your wife, I love you. Not you again. And ⁓   speaker-1 (31:35) I agree.   speaker-0 (31:35) If you if if you just drop the U again and it's so last question. What are ⁓ the one or two KPIs that ⁓ you think every dentist should be reviewing every single week? And what should they stop tracking? That's my final question.   speaker-1 (31:49) Hmm, this is a great one. ⁓ KPIs for dentists to be tracking specifically. ⁓ I really feel like the things that are gonna move you forward on a weekly basis are we've talked a lot about them. Your case acceptance is gonna drive you fast, like forward the best. Like track that, look at that, review it, get really good with that. And then I also really like to look at my hygiene. How is my hygiene doing? What's my what are they producing?   And then if you wanna add a third, like look at your schedule maximization and optimization. Like those are gonna be like really big, like heavy hitters for you constantly. And then I'm gonna throw in one on a monthly basis because I'm really big on I prefer weekly, but I get most aren't obsessive with me. I call it like my mind and my money. So every morning I meditate and I look at my money. So that's like my mantra of how I do it. But if you wanna do it at least monthly, you've gotta be looking at your overhead and your PNL and like what you're producing, what you're collecting, and what you're spending. ⁓   Just if you look at it alone, you're gonna get better. So it's like weighing ourselves. Now things for them to stop tracking. Gosh, there's like to me, I actually feel like really I don't want to say everything, like keep tracking, but I actually think people over track on a lot of things that don't move the needle forward. Like we want to track on, I don't know, I just see people like, well, we're gonna track on this and this and this. And like it's just like it feels like it's such a smorgasborg of items. But I'm like, what really is gonna move your practice forward?   Production collections, new patients, case acceptance, our scheduling optimization or overhead. Like those things and like sure you can look at like dollar amount per patient if you want, like so our marketing ROI. But like that's like really the core. And the more you can simplify it down, the easier it is for you. Cause like you can get lost in data, like buried in it, and actually not be able to execute on what really is gonna move you forward. And I'm like, I've got offices and I'm just a broken record. I say profit and production, profit and production, and that ties to collections. If you focus on that, your practice will grow.   So those would be the things that I'd end with.   speaker-0 (33:42) Garrett, you are a gift to dentistry. Thank you so much for all that you do for dentistry and thank you so much for coming back on the show. You gotta promise you'll come back again before the dirt nap. Gonna come back on again.   speaker-1 (33:52) I will.   I will. Don't take a dirt nap anytime soon, Howard. The world needs you and I'm grateful to be a part of it. So thank you.   speaker-0 (34:00) ⁓ thanks for all you do. It was an honor to podcast you.   speaker-1 (34:03) Likewise, thank you so much.   The Dental A Team (34:05) And that wraps up today's guest interview. If you liked this style of episode, let us know and we'll be sure to share more of them. For more resources, events, next steps, head on over to TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. We'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.  

As Vossy always says, "everything is just a mindset." When it came to taking down Callum, will was key! Time to Restump Podcast the Friday night atonement.On a Friday night in May just over 12 months ago at Marvel Stadium we suffered an inconceivable 10 goal belting at the hands of the St Kilda stranglers. It was an insipid performance, one that had every Freo fan at wit's end. But what felt at the time a near West Coast Eagles type depth of despair we'd never surface from, amazing good came from it. It turned out to be the shock wakeup call we needed and the catalyst for absurd change. Fast forward a tick over 12 months to another Friday night in May, this time in WA, and the same Saints tried the same suffocating assault on us.But the times, they are and have been a changing. This Freo team of soldiers now deals with heat. We love heat, we eat heat for breakfast… ok we heat things up and eat them for breakfast, but you get the point. We've grown, we've matured and we've improved. We can now weather the storm, we can dig in, grind and then we can counter punch.Friday night was an important test for us. Sure, I hear what you're saying, the Saints aren't top of the tree? But the fact is they were far from that last year. They can though drive you into the ground and pressure you to distraction in true typical Rosco Lyon style. If we were unable to mentally cope with the pressure this time around, then our potential premiership hopes were all but a shattered dream.The fact is we couldn't really have been more impressive. We went toe to toe with the Sainters pressure for 3 quarters and then in the final term, class won out. The Saints threw everything at us and at one stage they got out to a 3-goal lead. Last year we may have panicked and capitulated. This year when we find ourselves in such a position, we see opportunity and respond with, “challenge accepted.” Arguably what was most pleasing was being able to perform and win in that manner without the reliance on Caleb Serong, Alex Pearce and Hayden Young. You can't remove three players of such prominence, importance and impact from any team and be unaffected by it, except it seems we can! It's always said you learn a lot more from your losses than you do your wins. Given we've now won 22 of 27 games since that fateful Friday night in May 2025, that must have been one hell of a lesson!There's no time for any laurel resting or momentary complacency though because we've got another big box to tick this coming weekend. After two beltings on the bounce, could you face the Brisbane Lions at a worse time? ‘Beware the wounded Lion' has never been more prescriptive.Lyon last week, Lions this week... what are we playing in the Serengeti?Anyhow, while there's no time for the club to stop and head wobble, there's always time for fans to strut after a victory! So, if there's a pep in your step and glide in your stride, join us as we swagger through Friday's cathartic consecration on the pod.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

A powerful night recording from the heart of Serengeti Central. Listen as a lion pride roars close by—their calls echoing across the plains for up to eight kilometers 4 . Hyenas whoop and cackle in response, while insects create a steady rhythm and night birds call softly. This is the African night at its most raw and wild. Perfect for immersion, study, sleep, or experiencing the true voice of the Serengeti.Recorded in Tanzania by David Joseph.

"I steered safely around the lions only featuring a loop of a growl buried towards the end of the piece. I was more intrigued by the sound of insects and cracking undergrowth, moving noises. These were sampled and re pitched. I added kalimba played through a granular effects pedal and it skittered around the mix. Percussion shakes were found sounds of beads brushed on a contact mic. "Finally I added a free form melody via the tocante phashi. This is a solar powered touch synth that has a very esoteric playing style ( live circuit bending) and strange tuning structure. It added a haunting feel as modular synth emulated insect noises and something prowled just out of sight."Serengeti soundscape reimagined by Andy Billington.

SHOW NOTES: The fallacy is that you should be prepared to “spring” in a sales call to “pitch” the sale, like a cheetah on the Serengeti chasing an eland. Well, cheetahs can only maintain high speed for a limited duration, and they're only successful getting a meal one time in ten (as are all predators). One time in ten is not sufficient for a successful career. We need to empty our heads, and not allow our minds to be crammed with facts, figures, “closing” language, and one-upmanship comments. To “stay in the moment,” which we're constantly told, we need to listen and watch, not talk and pontificate. The sales “pitch” was already ineffective in the 1950s, but even today you hear about the elevator pitch or the airplane pitch from people who don't have a clue and cannot sell a thing (which means they're on Linkedin). Follow my lead. Empty your mind to stay in the moment. And it may just become your moment of glory. The eland is caught, your family is fed, nine times out of ten.

Rainer Zieger lebte in der DDR. Er war wissenschaftlicher Zeichner im Tierpark Berlin-Ost und ab 1969 freischaffender Illustrator von Tierbüchern. Sein größter Traum als Tiermaler war es, die Serengeti in Ostafrika zu besuchen. Doch im Grunde hatte er dazu kein Chance, denn als Bürger der DDR durfte er das Land nicht verlassen. In dieser Episode erfahren wir, wie er es letztlich doch schaffte und was die Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt damit zu tun hatte. Und obwohl das alles noch gar nicht lange her ist, so ist es doch eine kleine Zeitreise, die uns hinter die deutsch-deutsche Grenze führt. Übrigens: Ein Porträt über Rainer Zieger finden Sie in Ausgabe 64 der Jagdzeit. 

​Is comedy officially under investigation? Today, Opie dives deep into the high-stakes feud between Jimmy Kimmel and Donald Trump. Following a literal security breach at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the Trumps are demanding Kimmel be fired over his "Expectant Widow" joke. Opie breaks down why you have to protect the First Amendment—even for people you don't like—and calls out the "spineless" corporations that refuse to back their talent.​Plus: * Wedding Season Fatigue: Why getting married in the middle of the Bills' playoffs should be a crime.​Tony P. joins the show to reveal the absolute worst wedding songs that will ruin your reception.​The Cross Bronx Serengeti: A wild look back at the 1980s Bronx, where breaking down on the highway meant your car was getting picked apart like a carcass in the wild.​Opie's Dad's "Creative" Car Disposal: The legendary family story of how the senior Hughes would "retire" old family vehicles by ditching them in the middle of the Bronx.

Scott Simon visits Troy Public Radio to discuss his book Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known, a collection of essays about the animals that have impacted his life, from family pets like the cat Ulysses and the poodle Daisy to animals encountered during his travels, such as a zebra in the Serengeti and dogs in war-torn Sarajevo.

Tanzanie: Cesta do země „Pole Pole“ s Lenkou Čížovou Afrika, jak ji neznáte. V rozhovoru z 13. dubna nás Lenka Čížová provede Tanzanií – od nekonečných plání Serengeti a „Velké migrace“ až po historii Zanzibaru. Zjistěte, proč se Tanzanci řídí heslem „pomalu, pomalu“, jaké to je stát tváří v tvář divoké přírodě a co všechno si odvézt z ostrova koření. Inspirace pro cestovatele i snílky.

Join Michael Laubscher and Johan Van Zyl as they chat about all things Serengeti from our recently concluded photo safari to the southern reaches of this incredible national park and conservation area. If you ever wanted to know more about joining a photo safari in the Serengeti then this one is for you! Join us on a Wild Eye Photo Safari: https://wild-eye.com/tour-calendar/

April's Full Episode: Nobody's Dinner (Kenya)Story: Nia the eland is SUPER worried about joining the Great Migration from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara. I mean treacherous rivers…hungry lions and crocodiles…who could blame her?? Luckily, Tosha the cheerful bee eater and Kiloki the cool Zebra are on hand with friendly encouragement, good advice, and a few swift kicks to the armpit…for the lions and crocodiles, of course.Region: KenyaSticky Situation: What do you do when you're feeling worried about EVERYTHING?Unstick Tricks by: Denver (Age 6), Valentina (Age 7)Special Guest Narrator: Njeri GachathiFeelings Focus: Feeling worried, coping with anxiety; managing fear; positive visualizationKnow a kid with great advice for Sticky Situations? Tell us! Details at www.storypillar.com/unsticktricks. Make a donation! Support Storypillar!https://ko-fi.com/storypillar Info/Get in Touch: Website: www.storypillar.com Instagram: @storypillar Join our mailing list Story by:Courtney Lewis Listen to another of Courtney's stories here.Created, Written, and Produced by: Meg Lewis Sound Design/Audio Editing: Meg Lewis and Nate BlaweissStorypillar Theme Song: Lyrics by Meg Lewis Music by Meg Lewis, Andy Jobe, and Suzanna Bridges Produced by Andy Jobe Episode Cover Art Mackenzie AllisonSound Effects and Additional Music: -Freesound.org-Sounddino.com -Suzanna Bridges (As Sparky) -Pixabay Artists: HitsLab; Miguelppais; Tunetank; 9JackJack8; RaspberryMusic; GeoffHarvey© 2026 PowerMouse Press, LLC

The guys pick up where they left off, with Vinnie settling the record on some yellow journalism that's been circulating since last episode — and Brendan may or may not be heading to HR for a pre-show text that nearly ended the whole thing before it started. From there, the crew sits down for a full Pop the Trunk Pause, watching and breaking down the music video for "Cheese Steaks" off God of the Serengeti in real time. Billy directed it, and the behind-the-scenes stories are as raw as the footage — zero budget, gorilla-style, GoPro on a barbershop floor, Vinnie being dragged out of Liberty Bar every twenty minutes to shoot scenes he didn't want to do.Vinnie opens up about the sophomore slump anxiety going into God of the Serengeti, how the Beat Nuts beat became an anthem, and why at this point in his career, making videos painless is non-negotiable. The episode closes with listener mail, a full Brendan Long roast courtesy of the comments section, a tease of upcoming boxing content, and Vinnie going to war with the podcast's email address.

Sherri Donovan has been to 187 countries Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sherri Donovan, a well-known member of the community. I was taken aback when Sherri shared her solo international travels as a young teenager — a true free spirit. These early adventures paved the way for a truly global life of travel. You can meet Sherri at the third Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok this October. Don't miss out!

From the heart of the Maasai Mara, where the wild still writes its own stories, comes a voice shaped by survival, tradition, and the spirit of the land.Meet Saito Mike — born Mike Saitoti ole Morijoi — a boy who once wandered lost in the wilderness for five days… and lived to tell a story protected by a lioness. Raised herding cattle across the open savannah, his journey grew into something extraordinary.Today, he is not only the author of “Boy and the Lion”, but also a seasoned safari guide who has walked the landscapes of the Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and beyond — sharing untold stories through guided walks, bird calls, and the stars above.This is not just conservation. This is lived experience. This is storytelling from the ground itself. Enjoy

What's it like to take your family on a safari in Tanzania? In this episode, Jess and Pam are joined by Megan, who recently returned from a safari with her family. They're breaking down their experiences, from booking flights to the safari itineraries, and sharing tips for a family-friendly adventure of a lifetime.       Jess and Megan share the details of how they managed to get each of their families of five to Tanzania using points and miles for flights in both business class and economy. This episode is packed with insight into planning an epic family safari. Whether you're dreaming of seeing the Big Five or want to explore the Serengeti, this episode will inspire you to plan your own unforgettable family safari.      You can find links to resources mentioned in this episode plus the transcript here: pointstalksquad.com/173      Ready to get started with NEARLY FREE travel? Click here for the exact offers we would sign up for this month: https://pointstalksquad.lpages.co/bestoffers/      Points Talk is also on YouTube! You can watch this episode here: youtube.com/@pointstalksquad      Let us know what you want to hear on the podcast by sending us a DM on Instagram: instagram.com/pointstalksquad      *This episode was recorded prior to Qatari airspace closures. We understand that connections through Doha may not be possible at the time of release.

Robbie is joined by Carel Verhoef, a photo tourism operator in the Serengeti area of Tanzania. After learning to love the world of protecting humans from human-wildlife conflict, Carel came up with a groundbreaking strategy to use thermal imaging drones to push elephants away from human habitation and crops. While not a hunter, his pragmatism is infectious and he puts some nuggets of wisdom out there on the reality of what is happening on the ground in Tanzania. Robbie stubled across Carel on LinkedIn where he posts incredible thermal drone videos of his team and their work in Tanzania. Please follow Carel on LinkedIn and if you have the desire to help, Carel is always looking for help to raise funds to purchase more drones. Do you have questions we can answer? Send it via DM on IG or through email at info@theoriginsfoundation.org  Support our Conservation Club Members! Pete Fick Safaris: http://www.peteficksafaris.com/  McGhee Insurance: https://www.mcgheeinsurance.com/  Panyame Cheetah Project: https://theoriginsfoundation.org/conservation-projects/panyame-cheetah-project/  See more from Blood Origins: https://bit.ly/BloodOrigins_Subscribe Music: Migration by Ian Post (Winter Solstice), licensed through artlist.io This podcast is brought to you by Bushnell, who believes in providing the highest quality, most reliable & affordable outdoor products on the market. Your performance is their passion. https://www.bushnell.com  This podcast is also brought to you by Silencer Central, who believes in making buying a silencer simple and they handle the paperwork for you. Shop the largest silencer dealer in the world. Get started today! https://www.silencercentral.com  This podcast is brought to you by Safari Specialty Importers. Why do serious hunters use Safari Specialty Importers? Because getting your trophies home to you is all they do. Find our more at: https://safarispecialtyimporters.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judi Wineland, world traveler and founder of Adventure Women explains how a lifetime of extreme travel shaped her idea of “aliveness,” and why the right trip can change your relationship to your body, your confidence, and your attention. She breaks down what happens when women travel together without the labels and expectations they carry at home, and why that can unlock sharper honesty, better friendships, and a renewed sense of play. You'll hear how awe, discomfort, and laughter become practical tools for building resilience, whether you're walking an old pilgrimage route in Japan or feeling tiny on the Serengeti. If you want a clear-eyed take on how travel can support wellness, fitness, and personal momentum at any age, this episode is a blueprint. Special Thanks to Our SponsorsFatty15: C15:0 is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years, and Fatty15 is on a mission to optimize your C15:0 levels to help support your long-term health and wellness—especially as you age. You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/AGEIST and using the code “AGEIST” at checkout.Puori Grass Fed Whey Protein: 21g of whey protein per serving from grass-fed cows, with 6g BCAAs and 2.4g leucine, free from hormones, GMOs, and pesticides. Use code AGEIST at puori.com/AGEIST to get 32% off Puori Grass-fed Whey Protein when you start a subscription.Our Place: The top cookware brand for beautiful, non-toxic, PFA-free pots and pans. Use the code “AGEIST” for 10% off at fromourplace.com.Key Moments“It's not just about travel. And we had these wonderful conversations and we laugh a lot because we also do these trips and go out and challenge ourselves a bit.”“You have to be open to it. You have to be ready and vulnerable, ready for vulnerabilities.”“Well, I would want to maybe challenge the fact that not all of us, not all people are as brave. You have to be a little bit vulnerable to allow yourself to be open, to allow others in, to allow the earth in, to allow the air in, to allow things to affect you.”Connect with JudiSuper Age x Adventure Women ImmersionsLinkedInInstagramAdventureWomen InstagramConnect with AGEISTNewsletterInstagramWebsiteLinkedInClick Here for the full interview transcript.Say hi to the AGEIST team!

Tried as he might on his African safari vacation, your editor in chief could not ignore the news from back home. He saw a lot of lions, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, hippos, elephants, cheetahs, and leopards, witnessed real-life drama when a cheetah tried and failed to kill a baby wildebeest, and spent countless hours with a guide to point out all the amazing birds in the Serengeti. But all he could focus on was the Kevin Warsh nomination, the FDIC's new willingness to approve Industrial Loan Company charter applications, and the OCC's approval of stablecoin-related trust bank charters. If that was not enough to occupy his attention, he could not stop thinking about how the Small Business Administration's new Small Business Investment Company could be good news for bank treasury.Subscribe to The Bank Treasury Newsletter and Podcast at thebanktreasurynewsletter.com for professional Insights and commentary on bank treasury issues, investment portfolio strategy, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts,Spotify, and Amazon. Follow us on LinkedIn.

In this episode, we sit down with Scott Brills, co-founder of Pamoja Safaris, to learn about Tanzania and unpack what it actually takes to climb Kilimanjaro safely, see the Serengeti well, and travel in a way that respects people, wildlife, and your own limits.Scott's story starts far from Africa: a year abroad in Japan that flipped a shy, game-loving kid into a traveler, entrepreneur, and eventually a guide to some of the world's most iconic landscapes. He shares how meeting his partner Josh on his first safari led to building a tight, local-first team, and how fair pay and training change the guest experience. From Tarangire's elephants and Ngorongoro Crater's “lost world” feel to the Serengeti's Great Migration, we break down the Northern Circuit and when to consider quieter southern parks like Ruaha. Expect practical planning tips: best months to go, realistic costs, when yellow fever proof matters, and why bottled water should be your default.If Tanzania has lived in your head as a someday, this conversation turns it into a plan—with the right operator, the right pace, and the right expectations. You can find Scott here:Pamoja SafarisInstagramMap of TanzaniaSupport the showPlease download, like, subscribe, share a review, and follow us on your favorite podcasts app and connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wherenextpodcast/View all listening options: https://wherenextpodcast.buzzsprout.com/HostsCarol Springer: https://www.instagram.com/carol.work.lifeKristen: https://www.instagram.com/team_wake/ If you can, please support the show or you can buy us a coffee.

Vi hör vad lyssnarna varit med om under året som gått! Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radios app. Ett nyfiket och underhållande aktualitetsprogram med lyssnaren i fokus.Kristina genomförde sin drömresa till Serengeti i Tanzania, Timo har skaffat en ny hund som heter Pralin och Julia har under året funnit och träffat sina biologiska föräldrar i Kina.I extramaterialet får Christer sms med feedback från sin mamma och vi pratar om ångesten kring överfulla källarförråd.

This month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's just-released ⁠Where to Go list⁠—but this year's picks are different. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure. For Laikipia, that means looking beyond the overcrowded Maasai Mara to discover a Kenyan plateau where half the country's black rhinos roam, where you might be the only vehicle at a sighting, and where conservation and community go hand in hand. In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with Alexandra Owens, a travel writer who specializes in conservation tourism and sub-Saharan Africa. Alexandra shares why this network of community-run conservancies offers a model for what safari can be: high value, low impact, and genuinely beneficial to local communities. Plan Your Laikipia Safari (Listen to the View From Afar episode about the Great Migration controversy.) Stay —Book a stay at andBeyond Suyian, a new lodge that opened in July 2024 on Suyian Conservancy —Try Segera Retreat, a conservancy with a collaborative relationship with local communities and a new rhino sanctuary —Stay at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, one of the original conservancies in the region, known for its rhino protection program and house-made goat cheese See and Do —Visit Ol Pejeta Conservancy to see the last two northern white rhinos on Earth—a mother and daughter—and learn about groundbreaking efforts to bring the species back from functional extinction —Consider hiring a safari advisor, especially if visiting multiple conservancies—they can help with charter flights and insider experiences. Alexandra recommends Tamsin Fricker at Travel Artistry Africa and Chris Liebenberg at Piper & Heath Resources • Follow Alexandra's work on LinkedIn • Visit Alexandra's website • Learn more about Space for Giants, the elephant conservation NGO working in Laikipia • Explore all 24 destinations on Afar's Where to Go in 2026 list • Follow us on Instagram: @afarmedia Listen to All the Episodes in our Where to Go 2026 Series E1: T⁠⁠⁠⁠his Island in the Bahamas Promises Pink Sand, Historic Hideaways, and Perfect Solitude ⁠⁠⁠⁠ E2: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Why Peru's Second City Might Be Its Best-Kept Secret⁠⁠⁠ E3: ⁠⁠⁠The New 170-Mile Hiking Network Connecting Stockholm's Dreamy Archipelago⁠⁠⁠ E4: ⁠Route 66 Turns 100—and Albuquerque Is Ready to Celebrate ⁠ E5: Why Morocco's Chill Capital Deserves Your Attention E6: Three Hours From Nashville, the South's Next Great Food Capital Is Waiting E7: The French Riviera's Last Stop Before Italy—and Its Best-Kept Secret E8: Skip the Serengeti Traffic Jams for This Under-the-Radar Kenyan Safari (this one!) Stay Connected Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode.  Explore our other podcasts, ⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and⁠⁠ ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us. Unpacked by Afar is part of⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the heart of Africa, CIA Special Agent Alexandra Martel's safari with her father spirals into a deadly game of betrayal when he is kidnapped by rebels. Suddenly, her peaceful Serengeti vacation transforms into a desperate race against time. Suit Up! With Steve Urszenyi, author of the Alex Martel series. On this episode, we'll be talking about creating Alexandra Martel, the evolution of characters, his latest book Blood Oath, family histories and much more! Get a copy of Blood Oath - https://a.co/d/gO6IEv2 Order my crime adventure, Diamonds in Denver https://a.co/d/aHi7p9z Order my 1920's Aviator novella, Unwanted Passenger https://a.co/d/5FVQJWU Order my pulp treasure hunt novel, One Man's Treasure https://a.co/d/i19YMn7 Get the show ad free for $1.00/month - https://buymeacoffee.com/suitup  Follow Steve https://steveurszenyi.com/ https://www.instagram.com/steveurszenyi https://x.com/SteveUrszenyi https://www.facebook.com/SteveUrszenyiAuthor/ Follow The Show! https://terrancelayhew.com/suitup/ https://www.instagram.com/suitup.author https://www.facebook.com/tlayhew  

In this episode of The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast, Texas rancher David Will shares his firsthand experience implementing Serengeti grazing—also known as High Density Zero Rotational Grazing (HDZR)—on his 65-acre ranch. After the devastating 2011 drought, David set out to find a grazing system that could thrive even under extreme stress. Inspired by Mr. Sabino Cortez Jr., he began experimenting with compost applications, irrigation, and concentrated grazing on just one acre. The results were remarkable—rapid manure decomposition, vigorous grass growth, and record weight gains, including a young bull that gained 600 pounds in 190 days on a single acre. The episode explores how this system transforms soil fertility through the natural activity of dung beetles, compost microbes, and mineral balance—proving that regenerative solutions can turn challenges into lasting resilience.

Rose Kiseli, general manager-commercial for Kenya Airways, talks with David Cogswell of Insider Travel Report about the airline's nonstop service between New York JFK and Nairobi and its extensive network connecting travelers throughout East Africa, West Africa and southern Africa. Kiseli highlights the 14-hour direct flight on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that reduces jetlag and provides seamless connections to destinations including Masai Mara, Serengeti, Victoria Falls, Cape Town, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Accra and Lagos through partnerships with Delta, JetBlue and Safari Link. For more information, visit www.kenya-airways.com. All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived and available on our Youtube channel (youtube.com/insidertravelreport), and as podcasts with the same title on: Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, TuneIn + Alexa, Podbean,  iHeartRadio,  Google, Amazon Music/Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict, and iTunes Apple Podcasts, which supports Overcast, Pocket Cast, Castro and Castbox.

PipemanRadio Interviews Will Turpin, Bass Player of Collective Soul About performance at Bourbon & Beyond Festival 2025 and Louder Than Life ten years before.Other things we discuss:30th anniversary of Collective Soul's 1995 self-titled album, often called the "Blue Album,"Will Turpin's New Solo album Serengeti drivers and how he took over his Dad's Reel 2 Reel Studios in 2018 after his Dad's passing.  This studio is legendary and it's where Collective Soul's beginning is.Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story: The Collective Soul Story - a documentary that was an Amazon best seller upon announcement and debuted at #1 in Billboard's internal Music Video Chart (7/23/25)!! How Collective Soul recorded virtually all of HERE TO ETERNITY inside a house once owned by Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Called the “Elvis Presley Palm Springs Estate.Click Here to Subscribe to The Adventures of Pipeman for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS! Take some zany and serious journeys with The Pipeman aka Dean K. Piper, CST on The Adventures of Pipeman also known as Pipeman Radio syndicated globally “Where Who Knows And Anything Goes.”   Would you like to be a sponsor of the show?Would you like to have your business, products, services, merch, programs, books, music or any other professional or artistic endeavors promoted on the show?Would you like interviewed as a professional or music guest on The Adventures of Pipeman, Positively Pipeman and/or Pipeman in the Pit?Would you like to host your own Radio Show, Streaming TV Show, or Podcast?  PipemanRadio Podcasts are heard on Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and over 100 other podcast outlets where you listen to Podcasts.The following are the different podcasts to Follow, Listen, Download, Subscribe:•The Adventures of Pipeman•Pipeman Radio•Pipeman in the Pit – Music Interviews & Festivals•Positively Pipeman – Empowerment, Inspiration, Motivation, Self-Help, Business, Spiritual & Health & WellnessClick Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!Follow @pipemanradio on all socials & Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradioStream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV. Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

In this throwback episode we go all the way back to September of 2020. At that time we linked with beat smith Kenny Segal who was coming off of an incredible run of releases with Serengeti, R.A.P. Ferreira, and billy woods. We talked with Kenny about his early work with folks from Project Blowed and Team Supreme and explored the process behind the creation of his intricate soundscapes. Then we discussed his album pick for this episode - the Omid produced Project Blowed comp “Beneath the Surface”.

South Africa based contributor Dorine Reinstein has written often about conservation efforts and tackled overcrowding on safari tours. A video this summer that appeared to show safari trucks crowding and blocking the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti raised new questions for us about guest expectations; guide pressure points and the power balance between guests and guides; and how the travel trade can get involved. Joining us on this episode is Louise De Waal, a director and campaign manager at Blood Lions, and Anton Letegan, the managing director of EcoTraining. It’s an important, thoughtful discussion, and I want to add that both Louise and Anton urged me to emphasize that we’re looking to educate and create a dialogue on sustainability on the savanna – not to point fingers. This episode was recorded Sept. 23 and has been edited for length and clarity. Episode sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Europe Express https://www.europexpress.com Related links Dorine Reinstein's coverage for Travel Weekly: https://www.travelweekly.com/dorine-reinstein Safaris that go beyond the Big Five are catching on https://www.travelweekly.com/Middle-East-Africa-Travel/Safaris-that-go-beyond-the-Big-Five-are-catching-on The elephant in the room: Overturism in Africa https://www.travelweekly.com/Middle-East-Africa-Travel/Overtourism-in-Africa EcoTraining https://www.ecotraining.co.za/ Blood Lions: https://bloodlions.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In dieser Storyville-Episode besuchen Carolin und Konstantin die Halloween Nights im Serengeti-Park Hodenhagen. Sie sprechen über den gelungenen Mix aus Safari-Erlebnis, liebevoller Parkgestaltung und stimmungsvoller Halloween-Atmosphäre. Während Konstantin die Horror-Attraktionen testet, wünscht sich seine Partnerin eher das verspielte, magische Halloween nach amerikanischem Vorbild. Gemeinsam ziehen sie ein positives Fazit: Der Park bietet ein durchdachtes, unterhaltsames Event mit Charme, Lichtstimmung und Gruselfaktor – ideal für Familien und Fans des gepflegten Schreckens.

Send us a textIn this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 6: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Amanda and Asnath Kessy.Amanda Kessy is Managing Director and Co-Founder of Still Waters Safaris. Together with her sister, Asnath Kessy, Co-Founder, they create luxury, immersive, personalized safaris across Tanzania, including wildlife adventures in the Serengeti, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, relaxing on Zanzibar's beaches, and immersing in authentic local cultures. Still Waters Safaris connects guests with the heart and soul of Tanzania. Amanda is passionate about sustainable travel, making sure every journey is unforgettable for their guests while also giving back to local communities and supporting conservation. For her, travel is more than seeing beautiful places; it's about meaningful experiences, connection, and leaving a positive impact.Christine, Amanda, and Asnath discuss:· What it's like to grow up with a parent in the travel industry· The value of international education and careers· Following joy and building a business rooted in sustainability and community impact· Reshaping the safari experience through women's leadershipJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Amanda and Asnath Kessy.

In this throwback episode we're joined by Max Heath of Child Actor. At this point its almost a given that you will see Child Actor's name in the credits on many of the most anticipated rap releases of the year. Take Earl Sweatshirt's new "Live, Laugh, Love" for example, where Child Actor contributes production alongside Theravada, Navy Blue, Black Noise and Earl himself. At the time of our interview with Max in October of 2022 he had crafted production for artists such as Armand Hammer (billy woods and E L U C I D), AKAI SOLO, ShrapKnel, Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti. Max joined us for a thoughtful conversation about the art of beat making and shared some of the stories behind songs like "Charms" (Armand Hammer), "Sun 2 Moon" (AKAI SOLO), and "Old Magic" (E L U C I D). Then we discuss his album pick for this episode - the 2005 release from Count Bass D - "BEGBORROWSTEEL".

"It's a beautiful morning on the Serengeti..." New rule: Every time Carl, the random black man, sees any of us "being Jeremy," he's allowed to break a bottle over their head. Also, Dan comes to a spork in the road, Zaslow eats a plain stick, Chris reads, the women of the show flee the premises, Tony wants to talk ball, Billy gives the audience a helpful guide to NFL streaming, and Mike's limited fake RFK knows something you don't. Today's cast: Dan, Zaslow, Chris, Billy, Mike, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textBrett Morris shares his inspiring journey from addiction to becoming a passionate runner and finishing his first 50k, the Serengeti 50k in Tooele, Utah. He discusses the importance of mindset, setting micro goals, and the supportive community he found in the running world. Brett emphasizes the significance of replacing negative habits with positive ones and how running has transformed his life. He reflects on his experiences during races, the challenges he faced, and the lessons learned along the way, including the importance of joy in the process of achieving goals.You can reach out to Brett at the following locations:Personal Training: www.replaceandrecover.comLife Coaching: www.30daystoanewlife.comFacebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570724204356Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554866672963If you have hit a wall with your training and need help, you can reach out to us at https://trailto100.com/coaching/ and lets set up a free consultation call to see how we can help you along your journey.Also, leave a review and we will forever be in your debt!Remember, if you want to run 100 miles...MAKE IT HAPPEN!Support the show

Lots of talk these days about ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Along with confusion about what in the heck they are or what they're not, how bad they are for us, and what ought to be done about them. A landmark in the discussion of ultra-processed foods has been the publication of a book entitled Ultra-processed People, Why We Can't Stop Eating Food That Isn't Food. The author of that book, Dr. Chris van Tulleken, joins us today. Dr. van Tulleken is a physician and is professor of Infection and Global Health at University College London. He also has a PhD in molecular virology and is an award-winning broadcaster on the BBC. His book on Ultra-processed People is a bestseller. Interview Summary Chris, sometimes somebody comes along that takes a complicated topic and makes it accessible and understandable and brings it to lots of people. You're a very fine scientist and scholar and academic, but you also have that ability to communicate effectively with lots of people, which I very much admire. So, thanks for doing that, and thank you for joining us. Oh, Kelly, it's such a pleasure. You know, I begin some of my talks now with a clipping from the New York Times. And it's a picture of you and an interview you gave in 1995. So exactly three decades ago. And in this article, you just beautifully communicate everything that 30 years later I'm still saying. So, yeah. I wonder if communication, it's necessary, but insufficient. I think we are needing to think of other means to bring about change. I totally agree. Well, thank you by the way. And I hope I've learned something over those 30 years. Tell us, please, what are ultra-processed foods? People hear the term a lot, but I don't think a lot of people know exactly what it means. The most important thing to know, I think, is that it's not a casual term. It's not like 'junk food' or 'fast food.' It is a formal scientific definition. It's been used in hundreds of research studies. The definition is very long. It's 11 paragraphs long. And I would urge anyone who's really interested in this topic, go to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization website. You can type in NFAO Ultra and you'll get the full 11 paragraph definition. It's an incredibly sophisticated piece of science. But it boils down to if you as a consumer, someone listening to this podcast, want to know if the thing you are eating right now is ultra-processed, look at the ingredients list. If there are ingredients on that list that you do not normally find in a domestic kitchen like an emulsifier, a coloring, a flavoring, a non-nutritive sweetener, then that product will be ultra-processed. And it's a way of describing this huge range of foods that kind of has taken over the American and the British and in fact diets all over the world. How come the food companies put this stuff in the foods? And the reason I ask is in talks I give I'll show an ingredient list from a food that most people would recognize. And ask people if they can guess what the food is from the ingredient list. And almost nobody can. There are 35 things on the ingredient list. Sugar is in there, four different forms. And then there are all kinds of things that are hard to pronounce. There are lots of strange things in there. They get in there through loopholes and government regulation. Why are they there in the first place? So, when I started looking at this I also noticed this long list of fancy sounding ingredients. And even things like peanut butter will have palm oil and emulsifiers. Cream cheese will have xanthum gum and emulsifiers. And you think, well, wouldn't it just be cheaper to make your peanut butter out of peanuts. In fact, every ingredient is in there to make money in one of two ways. Either it drives down the cost of production or storage. If you imagine using a real strawberry in your strawberry ice cream. Strawberries are expensive. They're not always in season. They rot. You've got to have a whole supply chain. Why would you use a strawberry if you could use ethyl methylphenylglycidate and pink dye and it'll taste the same. It'll look great. You could then put in a little chunky bit of modified corn starch that'll be chewy if you get it in the right gel mix. And there you go. You've got strawberries and you haven't had to deal with strawberry farmers or any supply chain. It's just you just buy bags and bottles of white powder and liquids. The other way is to extend the shelf life. Strawberries as I say, or fresh food, real food - food we might call it rots on shelves. It decays very quickly. If you can store something at room temperature in a warehouse for months and months, that saves enormous amounts of money. So, one thing is production, but the other thing is the additives allow us to consume to excess or encourage us to consume ultra-processed food to excess. So, I interviewed a scientist who was a food industry development scientist. And they said, you know, most ultra-processed food would be gray if it wasn't dyed, for example. So, if you want to make cheap food using these pastes and powders, unless you dye it and you flavor it, it will be inedible. But if you dye it and flavor it and add just the right amount of salt, sugar, flavor enhancers, then you can make these very addictive products. So that's the logic of UPF. Its purpose is to make money. And that's part of the definition. Right. So, a consumer might decide that there's, you know, beneficial trade-off for them at the end of the day. That they get things that have long shelf life. The price goes down because of the companies don't have to deal with the strawberry farmers and things like that. But if there's harm coming in waves from these things, then it changes the equation. And you found out some of that on your own. So as an experiment you did with a single person - you, you ate ultra-processed foods for a month. What did you eat and how did it affect your body, your mood, your sleep? What happened when you did this? So, what's really exciting, actually Kelly, is while it was an n=1, you know, one participant experiment, I was actually the pilot participant in a much larger study that we have published in Nature Medicine. One of the most reputable and high impact scientific journals there is. So, I was the first participant in a randomized control trial. I allowed us to gather the data about what we would then measure in a much larger number. Now we'll come back and talk about that study, which I think was really important. It was great to see it published. So, I was a bit skeptical. Partly it was with my research team at UCL, but we were also filming it for a BBC documentary. And I went into this going I'm going to eat a diet of 80% of my calories will come from ultra-processed food for four weeks. And this is a normal diet. A lifelong diet for a British teenager. We know around 20% of people in the UK and the US eat this as their normal food. They get 80% of their calories from ultra-processed products. I thought, well, nothing is going to happen to me, a middle-aged man, doing this for four weeks. But anyway, we did it kind of as a bit of fun. And we thought, well, if nothing happens, we don't have to do a bigger study. We can just publish this as a case report, and we'll leave it out of the documentary. Three big things happened. I gained a massive amount of weight, so six kilos. And I wasn't force feeding myself. I was just eating when I wanted. In American terms, that's about 15 pounds in four weeks. And that's very consistent with the other published trials that have been done on ultra-processed food. There have been two other RCTs (randomized control trials); ours is the third. There is one in Japan, one done at the NIH. So, people gain a lot of weight. I ate massively more calories. So much so that if I'd continued on the diet, I would've almost doubled my body weight in a year. And that may sound absurd, but I have an identical twin brother who did this natural experiment. He went to Harvard for a year. He did his masters there. During his year at Harvard he gained, let's see, 26 kilos, so almost 60 pounds just living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But how did you decide how much of it to eat? Did you eat until you just kind of felt naturally full? I did what most people do most of the time, which is I just ate what I wanted when I felt like it. Which actually for me as a physician, I probably took the breaks off a bit because I don't normally have cocoa pops for breakfast. But I ate cocoa pops and if I felt like two bowls, I'd have two bowls. It turned out what I felt like a lot of mornings was four bowls and that was fine. I was barely full. So, I wasn't force feeding myself. It wasn't 'supersize' me. I was eating to appetite, which is how these experiments run. And then what we've done in the trials. So, I gained weight, then we measured my hormone response to a meal. When you eat, I mean, it's absurd to explain this to YOU. But when you eat, you have fullness hormones that go up and hunger hormones that go down, so you feel full and less hungry. And we measured my response to a standard meal at the beginning and at the end of this four-week diet. What we found is that I had a normal response to eating a big meal at the beginning of the diet. At the end of eating ultra-processed foods, the same meal caused a very blunted rise in the satiety hormones. In the 'fullness' hormones. So, I didn't feel as full. And my hunger hormones remained high. And so, the food is altering our response to all meals, not merely within the meal that we're eating. Then we did some MRI scans and again, I thought this would be a huge waste of time. But we saw at four weeks, and then again eight weeks later, very robust changes in the communication between the habit-forming bits at the back of the brain. So, the automatic behavior bits, the cerebellum. Very conscious I'm talking to YOU about this, Kelly. And the kind of addiction reward bits in the middle. Now these changes were physiological, not structural. They're about the two bits of the brain talking to each other. There's not really a new wire going between them. But we think if this kind of communication is happening a lot, that maybe a new pathway would form. And I think no one, I mean we did this with very expert neuroscientists at our National Center for Neuroscience and Neurosurgery, no one really knows what it means. But the general feeling was these are the kind of changes we might expect if we'd given someone, or a person or an animal, an addictive substance for four weeks. They're consistent with, you know, habit formation and addiction. And the fact that they happened so quickly, and they were so robust - they remained the same eight weeks after I stopped the diet, I think is really worrying from a kid's perspective. So, in a period of four weeks, it re-altered the way your brain works. It affected the way your hunger and satiety were working. And then you ended up with this massive weight. And heaven knows what sort of cardiovascular effects or other things like that might have been going on or had the early signs of that over time could have been really pretty severe, I imagine. I think one of the main effects was that I became very empathetic with my patients. Because we did actually a lot of, sort of, psychological testing as well. And there's an experience where, obviously in clinic, I mainly treat patients with infections. But many of my patients are living with other, sort of, disorders of modern life. They live with excess weight and cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes and metabolic problems and so on. And I felt in four weeks like I'd gone from being in my early 30, early 40s at the time, I felt like I'd just gone to my early 50s or 60s. I ached. I felt terrible. My sleep was bad. And it was like, oh! So many of the problems of modern life: waking up to pee in the middle of the night is because you've eaten so much sodium with your dinner. You've drunk all this water, and then you're trying to get rid of it all night. Then you're constipated. It's a low fiber diet, so you develop piles. Pain in your bum. The sleep deprivation then makes you eat more. And so, you get in this vicious cycle where the problem didn't feel like the food until I stopped and I went cold turkey. I virtually have not touched it since. It cured me of wanting UPF. That was the other amazing bit of the experience that I write about in the book is it eating it and understanding it made me not want it. It was like being told to smoke. You know, you get caught smoking as a kid and your parents are like, hey, now you finish the pack. It was that. It was an aversion experience. So, it gave me a lot of empathy with my patients that many of those kinds of things we regard as being normal aging, those symptoms are often to do with the way we are living our lives. Chris, I've talked to a lot of people about ultra-processed foods. You're the first one who's mentioned pain in the bum as one of the problems, so thank you. When I first became a physician, I trained as a surgeon, and I did a year doing colorectal surgery. So, I have a wealth of experience of where a low fiber diet leaves you. And many people listening to this podcast, I mean, look, we're all going to get piles. Everyone gets these, you know, anal fishes and so on. And bum pain it's funny to talk about it. No, not the... it destroys people's lives, so, you know, anyway. Right. I didn't want to make light of it. No, no. Okay. So, your own experiment would suggest that these foods are really bad actors and having this broad range of highly negative effects. But what does research say about these things beyond your own personal experience, including your own research? So, the food industry has been very skillful at portraying this as a kind of fad issue. As ultra-processed food is this sort of niche thing. Or it's a snobby thing. It's not a real classification. I want to be absolutely clear. UPF, the definition is used by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization to monitor global diet quality, okay? It's a legitimate way of thinking about food. The last time I looked, there are more than 30 meta-analyses - that is reviews of big studies. And the kind of high-quality studies that we use to say cigarettes cause lung cancer. So, we've got this what we call epidemiological evidence, population data. We now have probably more than a hundred of these prospective cohort studies. And they're really powerful tools. They need to be used in conjunction with other evidence, but they now link ultra-processed food to this very wide range of what we euphemistically call negative health outcomes. You know, problems that cause human suffering, mental health problems, anxiety, depression, multiple forms of cancer, inflammatory diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and dementia. Of course, weight gain and obesity. And all cause mortality so you die earlier of all causes. And there are others too. So, the epidemiological evidence is strong and that's very plausible. So, we take that epidemiological evidence, as you well know, and we go, well look, association and causation are different things. You know, do matches cause cancer or does cigarettes cause cancer? Because people who buy lots of matches are also getting the lung cancer. And obviously epidemiologists are very sophisticated at teasing all this out. But we look at it in the context then of other evidence. My group published the third randomized control trial where we put a group of people, in a very controlled way, on a diet of either minimally processed food or ultra-processed food and looked at health outcomes. And we found what the other two trials did. We looked at weight gain as a primary outcome. It was a short trial, eight weeks. And we saw people just eat more calories on the ultra-processed food. This is food that is engineered to be consumed to excess. That's its purpose. So maybe to really understand the effect of it, you have to imagine if you are a food development engineer working in product design at a big food company - if you develop a food that's cheap to make and people will just eat loads of it and enjoy it, and then come back for it again and again and again, and eat it every day and almost become addicted to it, you are going to get promoted. That product is going to do well on the shelves. If you invent a food that's not addictive, it's very healthy, it's very satisfying, people eat it and then they're done for the day. And they don't consume it to excess. You are not going to keep your job. So that's a really important way of understanding the development process of the foods. So let me ask a question about industry and intent. Because one could say that the industry engineers these things to have long shelf life and nice physical properties and the right colors and things like this. And these effects on metabolism and appetite and stuff are unpleasant and difficult side effects, but the foods weren't made to produce those things. They weren't made to produce over consumption and then in turn produce those negative consequences. You're saying something different. That you think that they're intentionally designed to promote over consumption. And in some ways, how could the industry do otherwise? I mean, every industry in the world wants people to over consume or consume as much of their product as they can. The food industry is no different. That is exactly right. The food industry behaves like every other corporation. In my view, they commit evil acts sometimes, but they're not institutionally evil. And I have dear friends who work in big food, who work in big pharma. I have friends who work in tobacco. These are not evil people. They're constrained by commercial incentives, right? So, when I say I think the food is engineered, I don't think it. I know it because I've gone and interviewed loads of people in product development at big food companies. I put some of these interviewees in a BBC documentary called Irresistible. So rather than me in the documentary going, oh, ultra-processed food is bad. And everyone going, well, you are, you're a public health bore. I just got industry insiders to say, yes, this is how we make the food. And going back to Howard Moskovitz, in the 1970s, I think he was working for the Campbell Soup Company. And Howard, who was a psychologist by training, outlined the development process. And what he said was then underlined by many other people I've spoken to. You develop two different products. This one's a little bit saltier than the next, and you test them on a bunch of people. People like the saltier ones. So now you keep the saltier one and you develop a third product and this one's got a bit more sugar in it. And if this one does better, well you keep this one and you keep AB testing until you get people buying and eating lots. And one of the crucial things that food companies measure in product development is how fast do people eat and how quickly do they eat. And these kind of development tools were pioneered by the tobacco industry. I mean, Laura Schmidt has done a huge amount of the work on this. She's at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in California. And we know the tobacco industry bought the food industry and for a while in the '80s and '90s, the biggest food companies in the world were also the biggest tobacco companies in the world. And they used their flavor molecules and their marketing techniques and their distribution systems. You know, they've got a set of convenience tools selling cigarettes all over the country. Well, why don't we sell long shelf-life food marketed in the same way? And one thing that the tobacco industry was extremely good at was figuring out how to get the most rapid delivery of the drug possible into the human body when people smoke. Do you think that some of that same thing is true for food, rapid delivery of sugar, let's say? How close does the drug parallel fit, do you think? So, that's part of the reason the speed of consumption is important. Now, I think Ashley Gearhardt has done some of the most incredible work on this. And what Ashley says is we think of addictive drugs as like it's the molecule that's addictive. It's nicotine, it's caffeine, cocaine, diamorphine, heroin, the amphetamines. What we get addicted to is the molecule. And that Ashley says no. The processing of that molecule is crucially important. If you have slow-release nicotine in a chewing gum, that can actually treat your nicotine addiction. It's not very addictive. Slow-release amphetamine we use to treat children with attention and behavioral problems. Slow-release cocaine is an anesthetic. You use it for dentistry. No one ever gets addicted to dental anesthetics. And the food is the same. The rewarding molecules in the food we think are mainly the fat and the sugar. And food that requires a lot of chewing and is slow eaten slowly, you don't deliver the reward as quickly. And it tends not to be very addictive. Very soft foods or liquid foods with particular fat sugar ratios, if you deliver the nutrients into the gut fast, that seems to be really important for driving excessive consumption. And I think the growing evidence around addiction is very persuasive. I mean, my patients report feeling addicted to the food. And I don't feel it's legitimate to question their experience. Chris, a little interesting story about that concept of food and addiction. So going back several decades I was a professor at Yale, and I was teaching a graduate course. Ashley Gerhardt was a student in that course. And, she was there to study addiction, not in the context of food, but I brought up the issue of, you know, could food be addictive? There's some interesting research on this. It's consistent with what we're hearing from people, and that seems a really interesting topic. And Ashley, I give her credit, took this on as her life's work and now she's like the leading expert in the world on this very important topic. And what's nice for me to recall that story is that how fast the science on this is developed. And now something's coming out on this almost every day. It's some new research on the neuroscience of food and addiction and how the food is hijacking in the brain. And that whole concept of addiction seems really important in this context. And I know you've talked a lot about that yourself. She has reframed, I think, this idea about the way that addictive substances and behaviors really work. I mean it turns everything on its head to go the processing is important. The thing the food companies have always been able to say is, look, you can't say food is addictive. It doesn't contain any addictive molecules. And with Ashley's work you go, no, but the thing is it contains rewarding molecules and actually the spectrum of molecules that we can find rewarding and we can deliver fast is much, much broader than the traditionally addictive substances. For policy, it's vital because part of regulating the tobacco industry was about showing they know they are making addictive products. And I think this is where Ashley's work and Laura Schmidt's work are coming together. With Laura's digging in the tobacco archive, Ashley's doing the science on addiction, and I think these two things are going to come together. And I think it's just going to be a really exciting space to watch. I completely agree. You know when most people think about the word addiction, they basically kind of default to thinking about how much you want something. How much, you know, you desire something. But there are other parts of it that are really relevant here too. I mean one is how do you feel if you don't have it and sort of classic withdrawal. And people talk about, for example, being on high sugar drinks and stopping them and having withdrawal symptoms and things like that. And the other part of it that I think is really interesting here is tolerance. You know whether you need more of the substance over time in order to get the same reward benefit. And that hasn't been studied as much as the other part of addiction. But there's a lot to the picture other than just kind of craving things. And I would say that the thing I like about this is it chimes with my. Personal experience, which is, I have tried alcohol and cigarettes and I should probably end that list there. But I've never had any real desire for more of them. They aren't the things that tickle my brain. Whereas the food is a thing that I continue to struggle with. I would say in some senses, although I no longer like ultra-processed food at some level, I still want it. And I think of myself to some degree, without trivializing anyone's experience, to some degree I think I'm in sort of recovery from it. And it remains that tussle. I mean I don't know what you think about the difference between the kind of wanting and liking of different substances. Some scientists think those two things are quite, quite different. That you can like things you don't want, and you can want things you don't like. Well, that's exactly right. In the context of food and traditional substances of abuse, for many of them, people start consuming because they produce some sort of desired effect. But that pretty quickly goes away, and people then need the substance because if they don't have it, they feel terrible. So, you know, morphine or heroin or something like that always produces positive effects. But that initial part of the equation where you just take it because you like it turns into this needing it and having to have it. And whether that same thing exists with food is an interesting topic. I think the other really important part of the addiction argument in policy terms is that one counterargument by industrial scientists and advocates is by raising awareness around ultra-processed food we are at risk of driving, eating disorders. You know? The phenomenon of orthorexia, food avoidance, anorexia. Because all food is good food. There should be no moral value attached to food and we mustn't drive any food anxiety. And I think there are some really strong voices in the United Kingdom Eating Disorder scientists. People like Agnes Ayton, who are starting to say, look, when food is engineered, using brain scanners and using scientific development techniques to be consumed to excess, is it any wonder that people develop a disordered relationship with the food? And there may be a way of thinking about the rise of eating disorders, which is parallel to the rise of our consumption of ultra-processed food, that eating disorders are a reasonable response to a disordered food environment. And I think that's where I say all that somewhat tentatively. I feel like this is a safe space where you will correct me if I go off piste. But I think it's important to at least explore that question and go, you know, this is food with which it is very hard, I would say, to have a healthy relationship. That's my experience. And I think the early research is bearing that out. Tell us how these foods affect your hunger, how full you feel, your microbiome. That whole sort of interactive set of signals that might put people in harmony with food in a normal environment but gets thrown off when the foods get processed like this. Oh, I love that question. At some level as I'm understanding that question, one way of trying to answer that question is to go, well, what is the normal physiological response to food? Or maybe how do wild animals find, consume, and then interpret metabolically the food that they eat. And it is staggering how little we know about how we learn what food is safe and what food nourishes us. What's very clear is that wild mammals, and in fact all wild animals, are able to maintain near perfect energy balance. Obesity is basically unheard of in the wild. And, perfect nutritional intake, I mean, obviously there are famines in wild animals, but broadly, animals can do this without being literate, without being given packaging, without any nutritional advice at all. So, if you imagine an ungulate, an herbivore on the plains of the Serengeti, it has a huge difficulty. The carnivore turning herbivore into carnivore is fairly easy. They're made of the same stuff. Turning plant material into mammal is really complicated. And somehow the herbivore can do this without gaining weight, whilst maintaining total precision over its selenium intake, its manganese, its cobalt, its iron, all of which are terrible if you have too little and also terrible if you have too much. We understand there's some work done in a few wild animals, goats, and rats about how this works. Clearly, we have an ability to sense the nutrition we want. What we understand much more about is the sort of quantities needed. And so, we've ended up with a system of nutritional advice that says, well, just eat these numbers. And if you can stick to the numbers, 2,500 calories a day, 2300 milligrams of sodium, no more than 5% of your calories from free sugar or 10%, whatever it is, you know, you stick to these numbers, you'll be okay. And also, these many milligrams of cobalt, manganese, selenium, iron, zinc, all the rest of it. And obviously people can't really do that even with the packaging. This is a very long-winded answer. So, there's this system that is exquisitely sensitive at regulating micronutrient and energy intake. And what we understand, what the Academy understands about how ultra-processed food subverts this is, I would say there are sort of three or four big things that ultra-processed does that real food doesn't. It's generally very soft. And it's generally very energy dense. And that is true of even the foods that we think of as being healthy. That's like your supermarket whole grain bread. It's incredibly energy dense. It's incredibly soft. You eat calories very fast, and this research was done in the '90s, you know we've known that that kind of food promotes excessive intake. I guess in simple terms, and you would finesse this, you consume calories before your body has time to go, well, you've eaten enough. You can consume an excess. Then there's the ratios of fat, salt, and sugar and the way you can balance them, and any good cook knows if you can get the acid, fat, salt, sugar ratios right, you can make incredibly delicious food. That's kind of what I would call hyper palatability. And a lot of that work's being done in the states (US) by some incredible people. Then the food may be that because it's low in fiber and low in protein, quite often it's not satiating. And there may be, because it's also low in micronutrients and general nutrition, it may be that, and this is a little bit theoretical, but there's some evidence for this. Part of what drives the excess consumption is you're kind of searching for the nutrients. The nutrients are so dilute that you have to eat loads of it in order to get enough. Do you think, does that, is that how you understand it? It does, it makes perfect sense. In fact, I'm glad you brought up one particular issue because part of the ultra-processing that makes foods difficult for the body to deal with involves what gets put in, but also what gets taken out. And there was a study that got published recently that I think you and I might have discussed earlier on American breakfast cereals. And this study looked at how the formulation of them had changed over a period of about 20 years. And what they found is that the industry had systematically removed the protein and the fiber and then put in more things like sugar. So there, there's both what goes in and what gets taken out of foods that affects the body in this way. You know, what I hear you saying, and what I, you know, believe myself from the science, is the body's pretty capable of handling the food environment if food comes from the natural environment. You know, if you sit down to a meal of baked chicken and some beans and some leafy greens and maybe a little fruit or something, you're not going to overdo it. Over time you'd end up with the right mix of nutrients and things like that and you'd be pretty healthy. But all bets are off when these foods get processed and engineered, so you over consume them. You found that out in the experiment that you did on yourself. And then that's what science shows too. So, it's not like these things are sort of benign. People overeat them and they ought to just push away from the table. There's a lot more going on here in terms of hijacking the brain chemistry. Overriding the body signals. Really thwarting normal biology. Do you think it's important to add that we think of obesity as being the kind of dominant public health problem? That's the thing we all worry about. But the obesity is going hand in hand with stunting, for example. So, height as you reach adulthood in the US, at 19 US adults are something like eight or nine centimeters shorter than their counterparts in Northern Europe, Scandinavia, where people still eat more whole food. And we should come back to that evidence around harms, because I think the really important thing to say around the evidence is it has now reached the threshold for causality. So, we can say a dietary pattern high in ultra-processed food causes all of these negative health outcomes. That doesn't mean that any one product is going to kill you. It just means if this is the way you get your food, it's going to be harmful. And if all the evidence says, I mean, we've known this for decades. If you can cook the kind of meal, you just described at home, which is more or less the way that high income people eat, you are likely to have way better health outcomes across the board. Let me ask you about the title of your book. So, the subtitle of your book is Why We Can't Stop Eating Food That Isn't Food. So, what is it? The ultra-processed definition is something I want to pay credit for. It's really important to pay a bit of credit here. Carlos Montero was the scientist in Brazil who led a team who together came up with this definition. And, I was speaking to Fernanda Rauber who was on that team, and we were trying to discuss some research we were doing. And every time I said food, she'd correct me and go, it is not, it's not food, Chris. It's an industrially produced edible substance. And that was a really helpful thing for me personally, it's something it went into my brain, and I sat down that night. I was actually on the UPF diet, and I sat down to eat some fried chicken wings from a popular chain that many people will know. And was unable to finish them. I think our shared understanding of the purpose of food is surely that its purpose is to nourish us. Whether it's, you know, sold by someone for this purpose, or whether it's made by someone at home. You know it should nourish us spiritually, socially, culturally, and of course physically and mentally. And ultra-processed food nourishes us in no dimension whatsoever. It destroys traditional knowledge, traditional land, food culture. You don't sit down with your family and break, you know, ultra-processed, you know, crisps together. You know, you break bread. To me that's a kind of very obvious distortion of what it's become. So, I don't think it is food. You know, I think it's not too hard of a stretch to see a time when people might consider these things non-food. Because if you think of food, what's edible and whether it's food or not is completely socially constructed. I mean, some parts of the world, people eat cockroaches or ants or other insects. And in other parts of the world that's considered non-food. So just because something's edible doesn't mean that it's food. And I wonder if at some point we might start to think of these things as, oh my God, these are awful. They're really bad for us. The companies are preying on us, and it's just not food. And yeah, totally your book helps push us in that direction. I love your optimism. The consumer facing marketing budget of a big food company is often in excess of $10 billion a year. And depends how you calculate it. I'll give you a quick quiz on this. So, for a while, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was by far the biggest funder of research in the world on childhood obesity. And they were spending $500 million a year to address this problem. Just by which day of the year the food industry has already spent $500 million just advertising just junk food just to children. Okay, so the Robert V. Wood Foundation is spending it and they were spending that annually. Annually, right. So, what's, by what day of the year is the food industry already spent that amount? Just junk food advertising just to kids. I'm going to say by somewhere in early spring. No. January 4th. I mean, it's hysterical, but it's also horrifying. So, this is the genius of ultra-processed food, of the definition and the science, is that it creates this category which is discretionary. And so at least in theory, of course, for many people in the US it's not discretionary at all. It's the only stuff they can afford. But this is why the food industry hate it so much is because it offers the possibility of going, we can redefine food. And there is all this real food over there. And there is this UPF stuff that isn't food over here. But industry's very sophisticated, you know. I mean, they push back very hard against me in many different ways and forms. And they're very good at going, well, you're a snob. How dare you say that families with low incomes, that they're not eating food. Are you calling them dupes? Are you calling them stupid? You know, they're very, very sophisticated at positioning. Isn't it nice how concerned they are about the wellbeing of people without means? I mean they have created a pricing structure and a food subsidy environment and a tax environment where essentially people with low incomes in your country, in my country, are forced to eat food that harms them. So, one of the tells I think is if you're hearing someone criticize ultra-processed food, and you'll read them in the New York Times. And often their conflicts of interest won't be reported. They may be quite hidden. The clue is, are they demanding to seriously improve the food environment in a very clear way, or are they only criticizing the evidence around ultra-processed food? And if they're only criticizing that evidence? I'll bet you a pound to a pinch of salt they'll be food-industry funded. Let's talk about that. Let's talk about that a little more. So, there's a clear pattern of scientists who take money from industry finding things that favor industry. Otherwise, industry wouldn't pay that money. They're not stupid in the way they invest. And, you and I have talked about this before, but we did a study some years ago where we looked at industry and non-industry funded study on the health effects of consuming sugar sweetened beverages. And it's like the ocean parted. It's one of my favorites. And it was something like 98 or 99% of the independently funded studies found that sugar sweetened beverages do cause harm. And 98 or 99% of the industry funded studies funded by Snapple and Coke and a whole bunch of other companies found that they did not cause harm. It was that stark, was it? It was. And so you and I pay attention to the little print in these scientific studies about who's funded them and who might have conflicts of interest. And maybe you and I and other people who follow science closely might be able to dismiss those conflicted studies. But they have a big impact out there in the world, don't they? I had a meeting in London with someone recently, that they themselves were conflicted and they said, look, if a health study's funded by a big sugary drink company, if it's good science, that's fine. We should publish it and we should take it at face value. And in the discussion with them, I kind of accepted that, we were talking about other things. And afterwards I was like, no. If a study on human health is funded by a sugary drink corporation, in my opinion, we could just tear that up. None of that should be published. No journals should publish those studies and scientists should not really call themselves scientists who are doing it. It is better thought of as marketing and food industry-funded scientists who study human health, in my opinion, are better thought of as really an extension of the marketing division of the companies. You know, it's interesting when you talk to scientists, and you ask them do people who take money from industry is their work influenced by that money? They'll say yes. Yeah, but if you say, but if you take money from industry, will your work be influenced? They'll always say no. Oh yeah. There's this tremendous arrogance, blind spot, whatever it is that. I can remain untarnished. I can remain objective, and I can help change the industry from within. In the meantime, I'm having enough money to buy a house in the mountains, you know, from what they're paying me, and it's really pretty striking. Well, the money is a huge issue. You know, science, modern science it's not a very lucrative career compared to if someone like you went and worked in industry, you would add a zero to the end of your salary, possibly more. And the same is true of me. I think one of the things that adds real heft to the independent science is that the scientists are taking a pay cut to do it. So how do children figure in? Do you think children are being groomed by the industry to eat these foods? A senator, I think in Chile, got in hot water for comparing big food companies to kind of sex offenders. He made, in my view, a fairly legitimate comparison. I mean, the companies are knowingly selling harmful products that have addictive properties using the language of addiction to children who even if they could read warning labels, the warning labels aren't on the packs. So, I mean, we have breakfast cereals called Crave. We have slogans like, once you stop, once you pop, you can't stop. Bet you can't just eat one. Yeah, I think it is predatory and children are the most vulnerable group in our society. And you can't just blame the parents. Once kids get to 10, they have a little bit of money. They get their pocket money, they're walking to school, they walk past stores. You know, you have to rely on them making decisions. And at the moment, they're in a very poor environment to make good decisions. Perhaps the most important question of all what can be done. So, I'm speaking to you at a kind of funny moment because I've been feeling that a lot of my research and advocacy, broadcasting... you know, I've made documentaries, podcasts, I've written a book, I've published these papers. I've been in most of the major newspapers and during the time I've been doing this, you know, a little under 10 years I've been really focused on food. Much less time than you. Everything has got worse. Everything I've done has really failed totally. And I think this is a discussion about power, about unregulated corporate power. And the one glimmer of hope is this complaint that's been filed in Pennsylvania by a big US law firm. It's a very detailed complaint and some lawyers on behalf of a young person called Bryce Martinez are suing the food industry for causing kidney problems and type two diabetes. And I think that in the end is what's going to be needed. Strategic litigation. That's the only thing that worked with tobacco. All of the science, it eventually was useful, but the science on its own and the advocacy and the campaigning and all of it did no good until the lawyers said we would like billions and billions of dollars in compensation please. You know, this is an exciting moment, but there were a great many failed lawsuits for tobacco before the master settlement agreement in the '90s really sort of changed the game. You know, I agree with you. Are you, are you optimistic? I mean, what do you think? I am, and for exactly the same reason you are. You know, the poor people that worked on public health and tobacco labored for decades without anything happening long, long after the health consequences of cigarette smoking were well known. And we've done the same thing. I mean, those us who have been working in the field for all these years have seen precious little in the ways of policy advances. Now tobacco has undergone a complete transformation with high taxes on cigarettes, and marketing restrictions, and non-smoking in public places, laws, and things like that, that really have completely driven down the consumption of cigarettes, which has been a great public health victory. But what made those policies possible was the litigation that occurred by the state attorneys general, less so the private litigating attorneys. But the state attorneys general in the US that had discovery documents released. People began to understand more fully the duplicity of the tobacco companies. That gave cover for the politicians to start passing the policies that ultimately made the big difference. I think that same history is playing out here. The state attorneys general, as we both know, are starting to get interested in this. I say hurray to that. There is the private lawsuit that you mentioned, and there's some others in the mix as well. I think those things will bring a lot of propel the release of internal documents that will show people what the industry has been doing and how much of this they've known all along. And then all of a sudden some of these policy things like taxes, for example, on sugared beverages, might come in and really make a difference. That's my hope. But it makes me optimistic. Well, I'm really pleased to hear that because I think in your position it would be possible. You know, I'm still, two decades behind where I might be in my pessimism. One of the kind of engines of this problem to me is these conflicts of interest where people who say, I'm a physician, I'm a scientist, I believe all this. And they're quietly paid by the food industry. This was the major way the tobacco industry had a kind of social license. They were respectable. And I do hope the lawsuits, one of their functions is it becomes a little bit embarrassing to say my research institute is funded [by a company that keeps making headlines every day because more documents are coming out in court, and they're being sued by more and more people. So, I hope that this will diminish the conflict, particularly between scientists and physicians in the food industry. Because that to me, those are my biggest opponents. The food industry is really nice. They throw money at me. But it's the conflicted scientists that are really hard to argue with because they appear so respectable. Bio Dr. Chris van Tulleken is a physician and a professor of Infection and Global Health at University College London. He trained at Oxford and earned his PhD in molecular virology from University College London. His research focuses on how corporations affect human health especially in the context of child nutrition and he works with UNICEF and The World Health Organization on this area. He is the author of a book entitled Ultraprocessed People: Why We Can't Stop Eating Food That Isn't Food. As one of the BBC's leading broadcasters for children and adults his work has won two BAFTAs. He lives in London with his wife and two children.

Tech commentator Tony Grasso joins Kathryn to talk about the big news in the cyber-crime world.

Have you dreamed about climbing Africa's tallest mountain in Tanzania: Mount Kilimanjaro?  Join Kit as she interviews Damon about he and his wife and friends successful summit of Kili on the Lemosho Route, the prettiest route of them all and the one with the greatest success rate. We discuss what Damon saw and what it was like each day of the climb.  We talk about dealing with high altitude.  We will learn about the food, guides and porters, and other important details about this amazing adventure.   We also discuss Damon's after Kili trek wildlife safari in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater and seeing "The Big 5" - elephants, lions, buffalos, leopards and rhinos. Learn all about this beautiful, exciting and challenging active adventure on today's show. SAVE!!!  Damon went with Active Travel Adventure's affiliate, Active Adventures (based in New Zealand). Email me for an exclusive Active Adventures $100 off Promo Code good for this or any of Active's exciting adventure travel tours! COMPLETE SHOW NOTES  See important links for planning your adventure, photos, videos and more cool info about climbing Kilimanjaro's Lemosho route. Get FREE Travel Planners for ATA adventures (and each month you will get an email from Kit with links to all future Travel Planners (no spam promise!).  Get the monthly newsletter here. CONTACT KIT Resources  Promo Codes and Recommended Tour Companies Travel Insurance:  Quickly and easily compare rates and policies from different companies - no need to give any identifying information unless you decide to buy!  The best way to find the right policy for your adventures.  Train For Your Adventure  Ask Becki at Trailblazer Wellness to customize an at home, online personal training program for your upcoming adventure using whatever equipment you already have!  You'll get phone consultations, instruction videos and a plan to give you the best chance of success.  Becki offers a FREE initial phone consultation to see if you are a good fit.  AND she offers ATA listeners a 10% discount! Amazon Kit's Picks  Please use my Amazon link to access your Amazon account.  Even if you don't purchase any of my recommendations, I get credit for anything you DO purchase - at no additional cost to you, you'll be helping to support the show and keeping it AD FREE:) SUBSCRIBE to Active Travel Adventures (fantastic adventure destinations) Join the Active Travel Adventures Facebook Group Follow ATA on Twitter Follow ATA on Instagram Follow ATA on Pinterest    

Ready to fall asleep to a relaxing tale & sleepy visuals? Join Geoffrey by the campfire as he recounts the time he and his friends from the Falls took a trip to the Serengeti desert, to gaze at the stars. This is part 73 of the Falls series, but don't worry, you can jump in anytime. Love Night Falls?

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and our second part of Wandering in Yellowstone!  Part 2 takes Gabrielle and I into the hot springs, geysers, and thermal areas of Yellowstone, as well as wandering through Lamar Valley, the Serengeti of North America.  We'll share observations of these amazing areas, some of the wildlife we saw,  as well as  some of the historic sites like Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and the Old Faithful Inn, and the gorgeous natural beauty of this amazing park, including one of the most famous geysers, Old Faithful!Here's some websites for additional information:https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/hydrothermal-features.htmhttps://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/geysers-hot-springs/about-old-faithful/https://www.nps.gov/places/000/lamar-valley-wildlife-watching.htmhttps://www.usparklodging.com/yellowstone/old_faithful_inn.phphttps://www.usparklodging.com/yellowstone/mammoth_hotel.phpInterested in having Marvin and Gabrielle speak at your event?  Email us below for more information!Email us at www.walkingonthewildside21@gmail.comFollow us on our two webpages to see photos and blogs about our podcasts and nature in general.  We will be posting our Yellowstone pics here:Nature Nook PhotographyWalkin' on the Wild SideYou can listen directly from our website at: https://walkinonthewildside.buzzsprout.com, or from any of the major podcast platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Stitcher, and more!Subscribe to our podcasts on any of these platforms and leave us a review!We hope you enjoy listening to our podcast and welcome your emails, comments, and feedback.  Hopefully, we will inspire you to get out there and start "Walkin' on the Wild Side"!We'd love to hear from you with your questions and comments!

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—Erik is a behavioral scientist with a passion for understanding how people, especially kids, interact with digital experiences. He works at The LEGO Group, where he leads behavioral research to create safer, more inspiring, and more playful digital spaces for children. He specializes in using behavioral science, experimentation, and innovative research methodologies to uncover what kids need and love in digital play.Beyond his professional role, he is a self-proclaimed research methodology nerd, always exploring better ways to understand and test how kids engage with the digital world.In our conversation, we discuss:* Why ecological validity is critical to meaningful product testing and what it means in practice.* How Erik approaches testing with kids at LEGO, including the need for playful environments and cognitive load considerations.* The pitfalls of lab-based research and why researchers must move beyond “zoo-like” conditions to see real-world behavior.* Ways to mitigate social desirability and authority bias, especially when conducting research with children.* How remote research, diary studies, and mixed methods can provide deeper behavioral insights—if done with context in mind.Some takeaways:* Validity is about realism. Erik defines ecological validity as the extent to which research reflects real-world behavior. While traditional labs optimize for internal validity, in product development, what matters is whether your findings will translate when people are distracted, tired, or juggling multiple tasks.* Don't study lions at the zoo. One of Erik's standout metaphors urges researchers to avoid overly sanitized environments. Testing products in sterile labs might remove variables, but it also strips away the chaotic, layered reality where your product must actually succeed. Aim for the “Serengeti”—not the zoo.* Researching with kids requires creativity, play, and caution.Kids aren't small adults, they process and respond differently. Erik emphasizes using play as a language, minimizing cognitive load, and focusing on behavioral observation over verbal responses. A child saying “I loved it” means little if they looked disengaged the whole time.* Remote testing can work if grounded in real-life context. Remote methods like diary studies and follow-up interviews can capture valuable insights, especially if paired with contextual in-person research first. The key is triangulating methods and validating self-reports with observed behavior.* Think beyond usability, map the behavior chain. A product's ease of use in isolation means little if the behavior it enables is derailed by real-life obstacles. Erik illustrates this with a simple example: refilling soap sounds easy until you're cold, wet, and have other priorities. Designing for behavior means understanding the entire chain around your product.Where to find Erik:* LinkedInInterested in sponsoring the podcast?Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I'm always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at nikki@userresearchacademy.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities!The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.userresearchstrategist.com/subscribe

With a sweeping view of the Serengeti, Ken and Andres discuss their just-ending trip in northern Tanzania. Andres is, in a word, "overwhelmed"... and with good reason! This is such a remarkable part of the world. Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https://www.tropicalbirding.com/If you wish to support this podcast, please visit our Patreon page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Feel free to contact us at: cfchesse@gmail.com &/or ken.behrens@gmail.com Naturally Adventurous Podcast Nature - Travel - Adventure

Ein Leben für die wilden Tiere: Der Tierfilmer Michael Grzimek verunglückt mit dem berühmten Flugzeug im Zebra-Look tödlich - noch vor der Oscarverleihung vom 4.4.1960. Von Marko Rösseler.

I haven't done an episode on my own for a while but my recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania deserves to be shared with my audience.In this episode I am taking you on a captivating adventure through East Africa—Kenya and Tanzania. From the friendly people and stunning landscapes to the mesmerizing wildlife, every aspect of this journey was nothing short of magical.I am sharing my experience of traveling through East Africa with Gate 1's organized tour, where I was not only introduced to the rich cultural heritage of the Maasai people and the fascinating wildlife of the Serengeti but also embraced the Hakuna Matata philosophy—no worries, everything is perfect.What to Expect in This Episode:The Joyful Spirit of East Africa: Reflecting on the laid-back, worry-free atmosphere of Kenya and Tanzania, and how the people's kindness and warmth truly captured her heart.Captivating Landscapes and Wildlife: From the plains of the Serengeti to the stunning Masai Mara, I dive into the breathtaking natural beauty of East Africa and the incredible wildlife sightings.Amazing Guides and Experiences: Hear about the exceptional service and expertise of the Jeep driver-guides, Marcus and Harlekin, who made every game drive a memorable experience. I also want to share how the Gate 1 tour group dynamic made the trip even more special.Lodging and Amenities: Talking about my stay in some of the best accommodations, including the luxurious tents and lodges at Lion Hill Nakuru, Fig Tree Camp Masai Mara, Embalakai Serengeti, Mountain Lodge in Ngorongoro, and The Ole Tukai in Amboseli—highlighting the cleanest washrooms in the jungle and the outstanding staff that made every stay unforgettable.The Unforgettable Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride: The highlight of the trip was the unforgettable sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. Recountin the breathtaking views, the peacefulness of the flight, and the champagne breakfast that followed—truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.A Return to Africa: I was deeply moved by the beauty and culture of East Africa, and I am reflecting on how there is still so much more to explore, and I am already planning her next trip back.Key Takeaways:East Africa offers a unique, stress-free atmosphere with friendly people and stunning wildlife.The Hakuna Matata mindset embodies the ease and perfection of the experience.Exceptional lodges and clean facilities in the middle of the wild provide a comfortable and welcoming environment.A hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti is a must-do experience when visiting East Africa.Mentioned in this Episode:Gate 1 Travel (tour company)Lion Hill Lodge (Lake Nakuru)Fig Tree Camp (Masai Mara)Embalakai Camp (Serengeti)Mountain Lodge (Ngorongoro)The Ole Tukai Lodge (Amboseli)Adventures Aloft Serengeti Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Safari & Champagne BreakfastJoin me on this unforgettable journey through East Africa, and hear how a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience can leave you with lasting memories and a desire to return.

Note: this episode might be listed as "E" on your app, but there's no bad language in this one. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of our 13th year of podcasting, so we end #12 with another one-Ryan show...this time about a 7-time Oscar-winner. Along with a slew of technical awards, Out Of Africa won Best Picture and Sydney Pollack was rewarded for his direction. His romantic epic, with all those scenic vistas, was also a mega-hit. Yet not everyone loved the story about Karen Blixen, partly because it's really long and arguably too slow. It's also easy to be bothered that Kenyans & their land are just a backdrop for a love triangle between 3 white people. Coffee farmer Meryl Streep and great white hunter Robert Redford DO sell the love in this "based on real events" flick...even if he doesn't feel as authentic as she does. So enjoy the early days of spring listening to the 654th edition of Have You Ever Seen, the one about Out Of Africa. Well, Actually: to be very anal about this, the Ellis' honeymoon was on the island of Mallorca, not Ibiza. Also, the Serengeti is in Tanzania, not Kenya...although those 2 countries ARE neighbours. This movie is about a coffee farm down in Kenya, but we offer you the greatness of our Canadian sponsor, Sparkplug Coffee. use our "HYES" promo code and get a onetime 20% discount. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen. Rate and review our shows in your app too. Look for all our postings on YouTube too (@hyesellis in the search bar). Subscribe there, but also comment and like the show. Contact us. By email we're "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com". By social media, try Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or Bluesky (ryan-ellis and bevellisellis).

Learn how to experience the best of Tanzanian nightlife, food, music, beaches, mountains, safaris, history and culture. _____________________________ Subscribe to The Maverick Show's Monday Minute Newsletter where I email you 3 short items of value to start each week that you can consume in 60 seconds (all personal recommendations like the latest travel gear I'm using, my favorite destinations, discounts for special events, etc.). Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram ____________________________________ Justa Lujwangana joins Matt from Mt. Vernon, New York and talks about her experience growing up in Tanzania and Uganda before immigrating to New York at age 12.  She reflects on the cultural acclimation process, navigating the contours of Blackness in the U.S., and coming of age as an African immigrant in New York.  Justa talks about maintaining Tanzanian culture in the diaspora, the role of music in her life, and eventually re-connecting with her homeland as an adult.  Matt and Justa then talk about the amazing nightlife in Dar es Salaam, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro, Safaris in the Serengeti, and the beautiful beaches and distinct culture of Zanzibar.  Justa talks about founding her company “Curious on Tanzania” to help you experience the best of the country, focused on the themes that are most appealing to you.  She reflects on facilitating experiences for African-Americans to reconnect with the Continent and shares her thoughts about the ethical and sustainability dynamics of tourism in Tanzania. Finally share reflects on the impact travel has had on her and offers you a special discount for a “Curious on Tanzania” trip. FULL SHOW NOTES AND DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED ARE AVAILABLE HERE. ____________________________________ See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that's not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn  See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ____________________________________ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally.  You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Are photography contests worth your time? Can submitting your work really change your creative trajectory or confidence? Seth and Aaron sit down with photographer Neil Dankoff (@neildankoff), VIEWBUG CEO Ori Guttin, and Zach Hodges from VSCO to explore how photography contests go far beyond competing for prizes and likes, offering insight into your work, sharpening your skills, and pushing you to think outside the Instagram bubble.From judging nuances to personal stories of life-changing wins, the conversation dives deep into what makes a photo stand out in a sea of submissions. Along the way, the guests share behind-the-scenes tips on building a photography career, the value of branching out to specialized communities like VIEWBUG and VSCO, and how contests can motivate you to experiment, grow, and reconnect with why you started creating in the first place.Expect to Learn:Why the best photograph isn't always the most technically perfect one.How contests can inspire you to reevaluate your portfolio and take creative risks.Why rejection is necessary feedback and valuable to your growth.How platforms designed for photographers differ from mainstream social media.Why we often mistake the effort invested in capturing a photograph as a reflection of the image's quality or value.How to Enter the "My Best Frame" Photography Competition:(You do not have to do both, just one!)Visit the contest page on VIEWBUG: https://www.viewbug.com/contests/my-best-frame-photo-contestPost your work on VSCO with the hashtag #MyBestFrame. Learn how here: https://vsco.co/vsco/journal/win-the-serengeti-trip-of-a-lifetime Contest Parameters:How to Enter: Submit your photo via VIEWBUG or post it on VSCO with the hashtag #MyBestFrame.Deadline: Submissions close on March 30th, 2025.Genres Allowed: Open to ALL genres.Number of Entries: Unlimited submissions allowed.Grand Prize: A 7-day luxury Serengeti safari for two valued at $20,000 courtesy of Elewana Lodge.Runner-Up Prizes: Annual VSCO Pro or VIEWBUG Platinum memberships for 10 runners-up on each platform.Ownership Rights: You keep all rights to your photos.Our Links:Subscribe to TPM's Youtube page and watch full length episodes: https://www.youtube.com/thephotographermindset/Make a donation via PayPal for any amount you feel is equal to the value you receive from our podcast episodes! Donations help with the fees related to hosting the show:https://paypal.me/podcasttpm?country.x=CA&locale.x=en_USThanks for listening!Go get shooting, go get editing, and stay focused.@sethmacey@mantis_photography@thephotographermindsetSupport the show

Narrator: Thomas Jones

Prophecy is to the Bible what the Serengeti is to Africa—vast, expansive. If Bible prophecy is the Serengeti, some Christians...

We're having breakfast in the middle of nowhere. In the SERENGETI. With one of my new favorite people. If you've ever been on the fence about going on a safari experience, Hassan will convince you. Hassan shares with us about his life, what it takes to become a safari guide, and how he deals with difficult tourists. LOL. If you've ever wondered what it's like to face a hippo and live to tell the tale, this episode is for you. PLUS we're visited by a surprise guest! . . . . . Join the Instafamilia in sponsoring a child in the Kilimanjaro area with Compassion HERE! . . . . . Preorder your copy of my new book Reconnected HERE : ReconnectedBook.com  Let's keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear ALL my updates. https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1987227/1965424/ Interested in advertising with us? Reach out here. Book me to speak HERE: https://www.carloswhittaker.com/events  . . . . . INDEED: Need to hire? You need Indeed. Visit Indeed.com/HUMANHOPE to start hiring now. AIR DOCTOR: Head to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code HUMANHOPE and, depending on the model, you'll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! GOFUNDME: Go to GoFundMe.com/CARLOS and receive a free coaching session with a GoFundMe expert! SHOPIFY: Go to shopify.com/CARLOS to take your business to the next level today. CLARITIN: Go to claritin.com for a discount so you can Live Claritin Clear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last year and a half, the story of FTX has focused largely on the crimes and punishment of Sam Bankman-Fried. But in the background, the actual customers he left behind have been caught in a financial feeding frenzy over the remains of the company. On today's show, we do a deep dive into the anatomy of the FTX bankruptcy. We meet the vulture investors who make markets out of risky debt, and hear how customers fare in the secretive world of bankruptcy claims trading. This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and Amanda Aronczyk. It was produced by James Sneed and Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Jess Jiang, and fact-checked by Sierra Jaurez. It was engineered by TK. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Atlantic journalist Stephanie McCrummen says foreign interests are acquiring Serengeti territory in Northern Tanzania, effectively displacing indigenous cattle-herders from their traditional grazing lands. McCrummen spoke with Dave Davies about the billionaires, conservation groups, and safari tourism in this story. Also, John Powers reviews the TV adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Sympathizer.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy