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18 episodes with shondra
5 episodes with shondra
2 episodes with shondra
2 episodes with shondra
2 episodes with shondra
2 episodes with shondra
4 episodes with shondra
2 episodes with shondra
2 episodes with shondra
Darius Kawewehi, a former foster youth, shares his experiences and insights on being in foster care. He was born and raised in Hawaii and grew up surrounded by the Hawaiian culture. Darius shares the story of his viral video in high school where he read a thank you letter to his adoptive mom. He then delves into his journey of entering foster care at the age of four, the uncertainty and confusion he felt, and the traumatic experiences he went through. He highlights the importance of finding stability and a sense of belonging in a family, which allowed him to start healing and envision a future for himself.Dairius reflects on the pivotal moments in his life and the importance of belonging and support. He emphasizes the role of community in the lives of foster children, highlighting the impact of teachers, therapists, and coaches who provided love and guidance. Dairius also discusses the challenges of feeling like a transactional figure in some foster homes and the disruption of birth orders. He shares his vision of creating a mentorship program for current and former foster youth and the importance of creating a safe space for them to connect and heal.Some short videos featuring Dairius on various topics:What makes a good foster parent?Forgiveness and finding hopeThoughts around adoptionHealing from abuse and traumaMore from America's Kids Belong:Learn more about being a foster or adoptive parent or supporting those who are in your community.Meet kids awaiting adoption. Please consider donating today to support our mission to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Foster Friendly Podcast. To view Shondra's video, go to https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/shondra-tn01-8194302/Visit https://americaskidsbelong.org/ and click the donate button to help us change the outcomes of kids in foster care.
In this episode, Courtney and Brian interview Marcy Bursac, founder of the Forgotten Adoption Option, about her experience with foster care adoption. Marcy shares her personal journey of adopting two siblings from foster care and the challenges she faced along the way. She also discusses the need for more awareness and support for foster care adoption and how she started the Forgotten Adoption Option to provide resources and guidance to prospective adoptive parents. The conversation highlights the importance of intentionality, perseverance, and the power of sharing personal experiences to inspire and educate others. The conversation also explores the barriers and challenges of adopting through foster care. Marcy Bursac shares her perspective on the universal barriers that adoptive parents may face, including fear, stigma, and difficulties with the system. She emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and addressing personal wounds before embarking on the adoption journey. The conversation also highlights the two main categories of children in foster care: those with the goal of reunification and those waiting for adoption. Marcy encourages prospective adoptive parents to remember their why and be open to where the need is. The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of getting licensed and being ready to help when the opportunity arises.More from America's Kids Belong:Learn more about being a foster or adoptive parent or supporting those who are in your community.Meet kids awaiting adoption. Please consider donating today to support our mission to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Foster Friendly Podcast. To view Shondra's video, go to https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/shondra-tn01-8194302/Visit https://americaskidsbelong.org/ and click the donate button to help us change the outcomes of kids in foster care.
Jamie and Adriana Howard share their adoption journey of becoming an instant family of six through foster care. They initially planned for domestic infant adoption but felt drawn to foster care and older children. They emphasize the importance of learning as they go and being open to trying new strategies when it comes to parenting. They highlight the uniqueness of each child and the need to adapt parenting approaches accordingly. The Howards also discuss the significance of preserving sibling bonds and the sense of identity and stability it provides for children in foster care.They unpack their experience of adopting four siblings and the importance of keeping siblings together in foster care. They discuss the challenges and rewards of parenting a sibling group and the unique bond that develops between siblings who have experienced similar hardships. Jamie and Adriana emphasize the need for support from the community and the power of having other adults in the children's lives. They also highlight the gratitude and resilience of their children and the transformative impact of the adoption journey.Short video on the Howard's going from zero to four kids instantly and another video about their adoption journey. More from America's Kids Belong:Learn more about being a foster or adoptive parent or supporting those who are in your community.Meet kids awaiting adoption. Please consider donating today to support our mission to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care.Stats cited in this episode HERE: Thank you for listening to this episode of The Foster Friendly Podcast. To view Shondra's video, go to https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/shondra-tn01-8194302/Visit https://americaskidsbelong.org/ and click the donate button to help us change the outcomes of kids in foster care.
In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, Travis and Courtney interview Nicholas Kelley, a single foster dad who shares his journey into fostering and running a family-owned "Foster Friendly" restaurant, Kelley's Tavern and Grill, in Georgia. Nicholas talks about his experiences as a foster dad and the unique perspective he brings to the foster care system. He emphasizes the importance of finding a support system within the foster care community and being flexible in the face of challenges. Nicholas also discusses the stereotypes and assumptions he faces as a single foster dad and the rewards he experiences in his role. Nicholas discusses the importance of having a support system as a foster parent and finding inspiration to keep going. He emphasizes the role of faith in his journey and the joy of seeing positive changes in the lives of the children he fosters. Nicholas also shares his experience as a foster-friendly business owner and the motivation behind supporting foster families. The conversation highlights the need for support and community involvement in the foster care system.Short video of Nicholas' story and a short video story about his Kelly's Tavern being a Foster Friendly business:More from America's Kids Belong:Learn more about being a foster or adoptive parent or supporting those who are in your community.Meet kids awaiting adoption. Please consider donating today to support our mission to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Foster Friendly Podcast. To view Shondra's video, go to https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/shondra-tn01-8194302/Visit https://americaskidsbelong.org/ and click the donate button to help us change the outcomes of kids in foster care.
In this episode of the Foster Friendly podcast, hosts Brian, Courtney, and Travis delve into the fundamentals of foster care, sharing personal stories and insights from their experiences. They discuss the definition of foster care, the statistics surrounding it, and the pressing need for more foster families. The conversation also addresses common myths and misconceptions about foster care, practical steps for those interested in becoming foster parents, and the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for children in care. The hosts emphasize the emotional and relational aspects of fostering, encouraging listeners to consider their motivations and the impact they can have on the lives of children and families in need.More from America's Kids Belong:Learn more about being a foster or adoptive parent or supporting those who are in your community.Meet kids awaiting adoption. Please consider donating today to support our mission to dramatically improve the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care.Foster care stats mentioned in this episode:https://cafo.org/foster-care-statistics/ Thank you for listening to this episode of The Foster Friendly Podcast. To view Shondra's video, go to https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/shondra-tn01-8194302/Visit https://americaskidsbelong.org/ and click the donate button to help us change the outcomes of kids in foster care.
We get to interview the crew of the KEOM 88.5 FM Oldies Station. Station Manager Shondra Tharp & Music Manager Tyler Sloan sum up how the history lesson segments, broadcasting training, dedicated students & pitch meetings all came about! MAIN LINKS: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/JURSPodcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JackedUpReviewShow/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2452329545040913 Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackedUpReview Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacked_up_podcast/ Blind Knowledge Podcast Network: https://www.blindknowledge.com/ SHOW LINKS: YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCIyMawFPgvOpOUhKcQo4eQQ iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-jacked-up-review-show-59422651/ Podbean: https://jackedupreviewshow.podbean.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Eg8w0DNympD6SQXSj1X3M Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jacked-up-review-show-podcast/id1494236218 RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/the-jacked-up-review-show-We4VjE Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1494236218/the-jacked-up-review-show-podcast Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9hNDYyOTdjL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz Anchor: https://anchor.fm/s/a46297c/podcast/rss PocketCasts: https://pca.st/0ncd5qp4 CastBox: https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Jacked-Up-Review-Show-Podcast-id2591222 Discord: https://discord.com/channels/796154005914779678/796154006358851586 #MovieReview #FilmTwitter #PodFamily #PodcastersOfInstagram #Movies #Film #Cinema #Music #Reviews #Retrospect #Podcasts #MutantFam #MutantFamily #actionmystery #bmovies #scifihorror #truecrime #historydramas #warmovies #podcastcollabs #hottakes #edgy #cultmovies #nsfw #HorrorFam #badass
Dr. Dan Henley of The Church Developers Network is our guest. Pastor Dan shares the recent passing of his daughter, Shondra, and God's faithfulness and peace through the tears. He also shares the ongoing work of CDN is our city to encourage pastors, their wives, and ministries.
Shondra has a problem keeping her new boo. How do yall feel about body counts? Dealbreaker? Let's talk about it ! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tmcmess/support
Someone is moving on up in the East Side of Gotham and is throwing a wrench into Selena's good deeds. This week the brothers read Catwoman - Relentless. We discuss rhymes to get people to eat, Slam makes his move on Selena, and Maggie probably visits Shondra. Thanks for listening. Read: Catwoman - Relentless Next: Young Justice #52-55
Join us as we get into the journey of education, entrepreneurship and book releases with Shondra Quarles! GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH BOSS LIVES! BOSSES....! GET IT HERE: Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5532749777862656 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kailea-the-boss/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kailea-the-boss/support
The brothers are back to talk about the end of Azrael and his 90's comic. Lilhy and Biis hang around to surprise Azrael, JPV says his goodbyes to the Bat-family, and Ben misses Shondra's return. Thanks for listening! Read: Azrael-Agent of the Bat #90, 92-100 Next: Batman - Hush
Recorded live at the 11th Annual Becker's Healthcare CEO + CFO Roundtable, this episode features Shondra Williams, President & CEO at InclusivCare. Here, she discusses her organization, serving a vulnerable patient population, how patient expectations are evolving, what her big priorities are for 2024, and more.
Kerri covers the cold case of Shondra May. She was a teenager who lived in Mississippi who had her whole life ahead of her, she was only weeks away from graduating high school, but she was murdered. The small town was rocked by this crime, and it is definitely one that will leave you shaking your head. There was mishandling of evidence and also there were a few possible suspects, but no charges were ever filed. Donna hops aboard the RMS Queen Mary and tells about the history and the hauntings. It started out as a luxury option of travel for the higher class, then a troopship, then back to a passenger ship. However, now it is a tourist attraction with passengers from the beyond. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast Please rate and review us on Spotify and Apple Podcast! Thanks so much. This episode is also sponsored by Lume! Control unwanted body odor anywhere! Visit lumedeopdorant.com and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code CREEP! This episode is sponsored by Apostrophe. THIS IS A SPECIAL OFFER JUST FOR Y'ALL! Save $15.00 off your first visit with an Apostrophe provider at www.apostrophe.com/CREEP & when you use our code: CREEP This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. Go to www.trymiracle.com/CREEP to save 40%. Use promo code CREEP at check out to receive 3 free towels and save an extra 20%. This episode is sponsored Beam! If you want to try Beam's best selling Dream powder, go to shopbeam.com/creep and use code CREEP at check out to get up to 50% off for a limited time!! This episode is sponsored by Tushy. Go to www.hellotushy.com/CREEP and use code CREEP for 30% off your order now until November 25th. This episode is also sponsored by Care/of! Go to www.takecareof.com and use code CREEP50 for 50% off your first order! This episode was produced by Niall Mackay from Seven Million Bikes Podcasts.
On Tuesday evening, February 4th, 1986, 17-year-old Shondra May drove to her part-time McDonald's fast food restaurant job in Forest, Mississippi. Since it was a slow night, her manager let her go home around 7 pm. At 7:24 Shondra used a pay phone outside of the McDonald's to call her mother to tell her she was going to the local TG&Y store to pick up a Valentine's Day gift for her boyfriend, Tony Adams. Her mother, Janelle, thought nothing of it and figured her daughter would be home within the hour. But Shondra May never came home. Her car was parked outside of the home, down the driveway a ways in the woods, but no one heard from the girl for weeks. Then, three weeks later, on February 26th, an off-duty fireman named Jimmy Lewis found her body in a swamp outside of Bolton, Mississippi. She had been brutally murdered and was placed in a garbage bag. But who would have done such a thing to such a nice girl? The case remains unsolved today.Show Notes:https://www.usrynetwork.com/bhbThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5659010/advertisement
Kerri covers the cold case of Shondra May. She was a teenager who lived in Mississippi who had her whole life ahead of her, she was only weeks away from graduating high school, but she was murdered. The small town was rocked by this crime, and it is definitely one that will leave you shaking your head. There was mishandling of evidence and also there were a few possible suspects, but no charges were ever filed. Donna hops aboard the RMS Queen Mary and tells about the history and the hauntings. It started out as a luxury option of travel for the higher class, then a troopship, then back to a passenger ship. However, now it is a tourist attraction with passengers from the beyond. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast Please rate and review us on Spotify and Apple Podcast! Thanks so much. This episode is also sponsored by Lume! Control unwanted body odor anywhere! Visit lumedeopdorant.com and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code CREEP! This episode is sponsored by Apostrophe. THIS IS A SPECIAL OFFER JUST FOR Y'ALL! Save $15.00 off your first visit with an Apostrophe provider at www.apostrophe.com/CREEP & when you use our code: CREEP This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. Go to www.trymiracle.com/CREEP to save 40%. Use promo code CREEP at check out to receive 3 free towels and save an extra 20%. This episode is sponsored Beam! If you want to try Beam's best selling Dream powder, go to shopbeam.com/creep and use code CREEP at check out to get up to 50% off for a limited time!! This episode is sponsored by Tushy. Go to www.hellotushy.com/CREEP and use code CREEP for 30% off your order now until November 25th. This episode is also sponsored by Care/of! Go to www.takecareof.com and use code CREEP50 for 50% off your first order! This episode was produced by Niall Mackay from Seven Million Bikes Podcasts.
Talk about being black on love is blind, talking about love and many other things --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cameshiareviews/message
Nancy: Uma vez eu recebi uma carta de uma mulher chamada Shondra, que demonstra o que...
This week on In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. discusses issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace with Shondra J. Brown, a Family Nurse Practitioner and author of The Black Professional’s Guide: How to Navigate White Privilege in the Workplace.
Dr. Shondra Williams is a true lady boss! She's been at the helm of Inclusive Care medical professionals for over a decade as CEO, with 4 locations throughout the metro area.Not only has Dr. Shondra been a staple in the NOLA community, especially on the Westbank, but she's also been recognized nationally by organizations of excellence, including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She's also LOVED by her team-Listen now to hear Dr. Shondra's perspective on what it means to take the lead, plus find out who she shines the light on during Women's History Month.
Brace yourself for this episode! Today's guest is Shondra Watson, the founder of I am Shondra. We had such a wonderful conversation where the mic was dropped and wisdom came forth when it comes to women of faith, dating over 40, the realities of marriage and our expectations as singles. She is a Lifestyle coach, Singles Tactician, a single mom of three, ordained minister, worship leader with a thriving juice business, Juiced by Shondra. She shares:Singleness is not a disease and marriage is not the cure. Both are gifts and callings. Everyone may not do marriage, but everyone at some point does SINGLENESS!How we “counsel” ourselves to justify staying in misaligned relationships from the places in our souls that we have not dealt with. Marriage is a holy thing, but women are desiring it for the happy in it. Looking at wedding reels on IG sets up false expectations! How living single really well, wholehearted and fruitful is the real hack -- the real tool to be marriage ready!And so much more!You can connect with Shondra here:Website: https://iamshondra.com Instagram: @_IamshondraFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/IAmShondra and Juiced by Shondra https://www.facebook.com/juicedbyshondra Click the link below for books and resources on personal development and to get on Tonika Maria's VIP mailing list to stay in the loop on upcoming events for 2023! https://linktr.ee/tonikamaria
This episode features Dr. Shondra Williams, President & Chief Executive Officer at InclusivCare. Here, he discusses the non-profit InclusiveCare & all of the services it provides, the population they serve, the growth of their mental health services in the last 3 years, her top priorities going into 2023, and more.
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Shondra brings 14+ years of product and customer service experience with IGT. She is a pro at understanding all facets of gaming product operations, but what is most impressive about Shondra is her dedication to serve, lead and inspire others in the gaming industry. In this interview we discuss her keys to success, how to maximize project communication, trends in slot product development, hiring traits managers should look for and much more!
Shondra Washington worked in financial services in New York since 2013. She learned corporate finance and financial modeling as a technology investment banker at one of the fastest growing investment banks in the world. In 2018, Shondra co-founded TBC-Capital, an education-first investment firm. Today, she's an on-demand CFO and strategist for early stage companies, and is co-founder at Black @, which is building a token-gated community of Black creatives, investors, and entrepreneurs. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @willlucas Learn more at AfroTech.com https://instagram.com/afro.tech Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Put your registration where your mark is! Shondra Cheris gives us a practical guide to trademark registration.
Tune in to hear how former Army Linguist Shondra Mattos pivoted into lactation and made it continue to work for her with each move. Press play and learn how she's Leveling Up in Lactation! Learn more and connect with Shondra at: smattos@mattoslactation.com Mattos Lactation and Shondra Mattos Hosted by Erika Dudley, IBCLC, she created this podcast to highlight, amplify, and develop an audio hub for the journeys of Black Lactation Professionals. Join her every other Monday morning for about an hour as she has a laid back, candid conversation with Colleagues about their journeys through Lactation Land. Erika Dudley is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who began her career in lactation as a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor after successfully pushing through barriers to breastfeed her son. Within a year she became a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist then promoted to the Lead Breastfeeding Counselor. After becoming an IBCLC she transitioned into private practice where she owns Enriched Lactation. Enjoying the podcast? Be sure to follow, subscribe, review and share it with a friend! Learn more about the podcast: LevelingUpInLactation.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/endibclc/support
WTF! Walk The Floors Podcast- All Things Hospitality Training
In this episode, Parminder Batra and Shondra Deloach-Perea join hosts Michèle Kline and Stephanie Leger to discuss International Women's Day and break the bias. Connect with our guests on LinkedIn Parminder Batra https://www.linkedin.com/in/parminderbatra/ Shondra Deloach-Perea https://www.linkedin.com/in/shondra-deloach-perea-mba-622637b/ Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn Michèle Kline https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelekline/ Stephanie Leger https://www.linkedin.com/in/sleger/ Hosts Company Links: Michèle Kline https://www.klinehospitality.com/ Stephanie Leger https://www.firstratehospitality.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 lutego 1986 r. młodziutka Shondra May wychodzi do pracy. Niestety był to ostani dzień, kiedy jej rodzina widziała dziewczynę żywą. Kto uprowadził i zabił Shondrę? Czy było to działanie z premedytacją, czy może dziewczyna okazała się przypadkową ofiarą?*POCZĄTEK: 0:31#polskipodcast______Kontakt:Instagram: @maalks_ https://www.instagram.com/maalks_/Email: magda.maalks@gmail.com
Join me today as I have a chat with Shondra about her with journey with the Lord, with drug addiction and how God brought her out of it through a gradual transformation --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jaylonneely/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jaylonneely/support
Welcome back! It's Day 20 of our 25 Songs of Christmas where we will be spotlighting the ARTIST OF THE DAY- SHONDA MARIE who will be singing the Hugh Martin/ Ralph Blaine Holiday classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944). This was a big hit for Judy Garland who sang the song in the film Meet Me in St. Louis. Here's a Cool TRIVIA Fact! Judy met and married the director Vincent Minelli who will be the future parents of Liza Minelli. DISCLAIMER: I hereby declare that I do not own the rights to this video/music/song. All rights belong to the owner. No Copyright Infringement Intended. It has been uploaded for the simple reason that I have a deep appreciation of this work of art and used it for entertainment purposes only. Song Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Artist Holiday Lounge Players Album Retro Christmas Party The Orchard Music, WMG, [Merlin] Redeye Distribution (on behalf of Delta Christmas); Sony ATV Publishing, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutor - SonyATV, SOLAR Music Rights Management, LatinAutorPerf, Forward Music Publishing Co., Ltd., CMRRA, and 9 Music Rights Societies --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eric-jones6/message
Shondra and Tigers and JPV, oh my! This week the brothers catch up with Dr. Kinsolving and John Paul Valley. We discuss the map of Gotham City, Ben expresses his feelings about Denny, and Dick hoses himself off. Thanks for tuning in! We read: Azrael #11-14 Next: Detective Comics #693-694
November 18, 2021 - Julie Melton, Shondra Lynch, Tara Mata, and Seth Eridanus joined Byers & Co to talk about scholarships and pathways to employment at Richland Community College See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We discuss the sinking of the paddle steamer Anthony Wayne on Lake Erie in April of 1850. Selected sources:"Anthony Wayne" - Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio TrailBatemon, Shondra - "From Wreck to Rediscovery - PS Anthony Wayne: a historical treasure"Krueger, Bradley Alan - Anthony Wayne: The History and Archaeology of an Early Great Lakes Steamboat (2012)- This is the detailed source that I refer to heavily in the episode; there is detailed information about the ship's engine system and the ship's operational history on the Lakes. Weisman, Matthew J. and Paula Shorf - "Boats Built at Toledo, Ohio including Monroe, Michigan: A Comprehensive Listing of the Vessels Built from Schooners to Steamers from 1810 to the Present"Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/beyondthebreakers)
We're back on the road for our virtual true crime road trip, and today we visit the states of North Dakota and Mississippi.O'Dell kicks things off with the unsolved murder of William "Billy" Wolf Jr., a young man whose bisected body was found in two garbage bags floating in the Red River outside of Fargo, ND. Erin then discusses the unsolved murder of Shondra May whose body was also found wrapped in bags along Baker's Creek in rural Mississippi.O'Dell closes things out with a WTF in memoriam about a woman who got stuck behind her bookcase, prompting an 11-day search.Chapters:00:00 - Intro00:42 - Speaking of pulling out08:16 - Hypothetical: You find bags floating in a river. What do you do?13:17 - O'Dell's Story: William "Billy" Wolf Jr.35:14 - Erin's Story: Shondra May56:44 - In Memoriam: Behind the book caseListen to and chat with us about this episode on Podopolo! https://podopolo.com/podcast/303286Send us a tip: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/LEPodcastsSupport us by becoming a member: https://someoneprobablydied.com/index.php/become-a-member/Check out our website at https://sixdegreesofwtf.com for more information on this week's episode, including links to resources and videos mentioned during the show.If you have a creepy story or unsolved mystery that you'd like to share with us, send us a message to killerstory@sixdegreesofwtf.comCheck out our social media: https://beacons.page/sixdegreesofwtf
The Read with Carylee Show brings the love of literature to children and gives a peek behind the scenes by evoking the joy of reading, helping children interact with authors, and displaying the hidden talent of these authors who may be living in your community. This episode will read The Three Bears Go To School with Shondra Quarles. ✅ ABOUT THE STORY: Like everyone else, the Three Bears and Goldilocks are all grown up! What happens if they all meet again? Join us in this new episode as we listen to how author Shondra Quarles reimagines the encounter and puts a modern twist on a well-loved classic! ✅ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shondra M. Quarles is an early childhood educator and children's book author who resides in Dallas. In 2014, Ms. Quarles' students inspired her to write and self-publish her first e-book titled Kindergartner Wisdom: The Best Advice I Ever Got Came From Kindergartners. Shondra later published her first paperback book titled The Teacher Who Didn't Want to go to School in 2016. This book earned her a prestigious award from the National Celebrity Educators for authoring a book about teachers. The Teacher Who Didn't Want to go to School was also a children's book finalist for the 2017 and 2018 Indie Author Legacy Awards. In 2017, Shondra co-authored a book about diversity titled Trees. In 2018, she published Black Lives Matter: A Picture Book for Kids and My Black is Beautiful. Both books were written to promote self-love. Shondra went on to be a featured author at the 2018 NAACP Convention, and her books were featured at the 2018 Essence Music Festival. Her book Curly Hair, Don't Care was written in 2019 to encourage children to be proud of their natural hair. Other 2019 publications include Young King and Fati's Garden. Young King is a book of affirmations for young boys, and Fati's Garden follows a young girl who discovers the power of planting seeds. In 2020, Shondra published The Three Bears go to School and The Teacher Who Was Quarantined and Couldn't Go to School. Her most recent publications are Jamal's Nursery Rhyme Remix, featuring diverse characters and No Calvin, a book about a boy learning safe choices as he goes back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can follow Shondra's writing journey on all social media platforms @eyeheartteaching
Do you think Shondra has a chance to recover? Discuss with other COMA GIRL fans in Stephanie's Serials Facebook Group. (NOTE: Although some episodes of the COMA GIRL podcast will be marked E for “explicit,” those episodes feature only mild swearing.) If you're enjoying the COMA GIRL daily podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts so other listeners can find COMA GIRL. LIMITED TIME OFFER: Take a screenshot of your review of the COMA GIRL podcast and email it to stephanie@stephaniebond.com along with your mailing address to receive a COMA GIRL souvenir necklace while supplies last. Thank you SO much for your support! Interested in binge reading or listening ahead on the COMA GIRL story? Six e-novellas are available exclusively from Amazon. And the full-length audiobook is available on Audible, Amazon, Apple, and wherever audiobooks are sold. The complete daily serial is also available in print. If you like COMA GIRL, you might enjoy the ebooks and audiobooks of other serials written by Stephanie Bond: TEMP GIRL: Change is good... but not great. COMEBACK GIRL: Home is where the hurt is. FACTORY GIRL: Long hours, low pay... big dreams. LOTTERY GIRL: Maybe money CAN buy happiness? ELEVATOR GIRL: Life is like riding an elevator… just be sure to get off on the right floor. For lively discussions about Stephanie Bond's serials, including COMA GIRL, you're invited to join Stephanie's Serials Facebook Group. There you can also post questions for Stephanie to answer in an upcoming bonus episode of the COMA GIRL podcast. Or reach out with your questions on other social media channels (#ComaGirl #StephanieBond): Instagram Twitter For rights inquiries: stephanie@stephaniebond.com The COMA GIRL podcast team: Written by Stephanie Bond (www.stephaniebond.com) Narrated by Maureen Jones (www.mojovoiceover.com) Sound design and production by Propeller Sound Studios (www.propellerstudiosinc.com) Social media managed by Scottie Dog Communications (www.scottiedog.com) Cover art by Andrew Brown (www.clicktwicedesign.com)
In this edition of the MSU Today podcast, four MSU scholars discuss the sustained significance and impact of Juneteenth.“I am not one who grew up participating in or knowing about Juneteenth,” says Dr. Tamura Lomax (she/her), Foundational Associate Professor in MSU's Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS). “I didn't learn about it until sometime in high school in California. I lived my life between California and New York. And I'd never heard about it in New York, but in California I remember hearing something about it but not really understanding what it is.”Lomax explains what she means when, as a historian, she says the thing about Juneteenth that strikes her is the multiple attempts at freedom.“What's important to me is that, yes, Juneteenth is a celebration, but there's still this delayed sense of gratification in terms of freedom. So that's what's important to me in terms of my work, in terms of noting that. And noting how Black folks free and enslaved have been forced to navigate, this idea of freedom while living a life that is truly within a context of unfreedom.”Dr. Shondra L Marshall (she/her) is a national president of MSU Black Alumni. “I would like to salute the student body and all the excellent and phenomenal work they're doing at MSU. We push, and we move forward. MSU Black Alumni was officially founded in 1980. Under my administration, I have elevated three areas of organizational focus. They are engagement, enhancement, and evolvement. We have an endowment which includes several named endowments at the institution. And that actually was started off at one of our first homecoming events in October of 1980. At that event, they passed around a pumpkin and they raised money, which included $1000 to earmark our endowment at the institution. And today we have over $2.5 million in endowments.“When I think about freedom to liberation, how is MSUBA helping the institution get to liberation? Are we holding the institution accountable and looking at every policy, practice, rule, hire, and program with an anti-Black lens. What I have witnessed under the current administration is some progress, but I'm looking forward to see true change. And to me, liberation looks like access, opportunity, programming, resources, and freedom. And so the question that I like to ask is really just are we thriving? We're getting to liberation and the notion that we are living in a sense of freedom, but there's a sense of unfreedom that we are experiencing. How are we together thriving?”Sharron D. Reed-Davis (she/her) is a senior at MSU studying political science pre-law and human development and family studies. She's the former two-term president of the Black Students' Alliance (BSA). “I didn't grow up celebrating Juneteenth,” she says. “I didn't know much about it. I actually grew up celebrating the Fourth of July. But once I got to college and started getting involved in BSA, that is where I learned about Juneteenth and about what our celebration is supposed to be and when it's supposed to be. Not with the red, white and blue. Not celebrating a country and an institution that has held us down and has taken us for granted.“I think people should care about Juneteenth and want to uplift Juneteenth because not all people were free when everyone was free. Black people weren't free. We're still not free. So this small celebration that we get to have is when we as people got some type of freedom. It was just one step in the steps that we're still taking to become entirely free people. So this small celebration is something big for us. It may not be when everyone was free, but that's because we always have to be last. We always have to be the ones that are enslaved, that are taken for granted, that are pushed around. So this small celebration on Juneteenth is something that's big to us. And that's why people should want to celebrate and care about Juneteenth.”Stratton C. Lee III (he/him) is the president of Michigan State University Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association. “When I think about the significance of Juneteenth, I think about it being a celebration of freedom and liberation,” Lee says. “It serves as a reminder to our community of the lives that have been lost - for those who have fought for freedom and liberation coming from the continent of Africa to living their lives here in the U.S. to those of us who are alive today. This has been a fight for African Americans for absolute quality of life, rights and property. We memorialize those who have died and stand in forceful protest of those who have killed them. It is a celebration. And so when we think about liberation and freedom, we think about what does that mean? And what does that look like in word, action, and in deed?“It's important for us to come together at these times. To remember our past. To reflect on our shared histories. To learn about our various experiences and to come together collectively to identify what we want to do as a community as we move forward. It speaks to the resilience of our community and the people within it. “Upon our freedom and liberation, it finally meant that in theory, we are all free. But when you get into what freedom actually looks like, you recognize that our history has been bound to this sense of delay. Many in our communities have experienced those long-term impacts of Jim Crow and segregation and Black Codes, even though we had the Emancipation, the Proclamations, and the Thirteenth Amendment. There are those in this nation who fought tooth and nail to ensure that Black folks would never be able to truly experience that sense of freedom. And on these days and these times where we are able to come together as a community, this is our space to celebrate. To come together and to experience what joys and pleasures we can as a people and as a community. There are many to celebrate and there's much to smile about, even though things sometimes look ugly on the outside.”“To me this is a celebration of blackness,” adds Marshall. “Juneteenth at MSU on June 19th is called Juneteenth Celebration: From Freedom to Liberation. This is the first time MSU has hosted a university-wide celebration to commemorate the ending of slavery in this country. This recognition is really huge for a predominantly white institution. And what I'm most thrilled about is the unity across our affiliate groups, which are represented here today: Black Student Alliance, Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators, of course Black Alumni, and also the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) and Black Graduate Student Association as well. It shows the power and unity, and it clearly shows that institutional synergy as we have a trustee and leaders across the institution engaged. The event is going to happen on June 19th from 12:00 to 2:00 and more information, including how to RSVP is on the website of the office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. This is a true celebration with music, with food, community and more.”“I want to thank both Lee and Shondra for really bringing us back to the Black joy and bringing in that balance because that's very important,” Lomax adds. “I think about the ancestors, and I am amazed. I spent 10 years in what we call the stacks in my graduate program at Vanderbilt reading firsthand slave sources. And I've always been amazed at all the creative ways in which the ancestors have made joy and made beauty and made culture in the midst of complete dehumanization, just complete demonarchy, just complete ugliness they made the space for joy and beauty. I really appreciate that being re-centered.“I'm new to the institution, and I am watching the institution daily. We say in AAAS, ‘Okay, what y'all going to do?' They may say, ‘Well, you have a new department. You're hiring these people.' Well, it's more than that. I want to see all the ways that justice and equity in very real ways center Blackness. How are they lived out in terms of politics? I can't say that I'm seeing that every day. And that is as a new faculty member. I'd like to see what's next. I'd like to see what's next and want more.“This celebration is a start and it's wonderful in terms of acknowledgement. But truth be told, after America was burning last summer, a lot of companies dedicated time and resources and language to DEI efforts and to Black folks. I'm very much interested in how the institution plans to incorporate a model in real life. Beyond the celebration and beyond the building of the department, what is it? What are the plans? I'm very interested in that. Because to me, that should be a part of the efforts. I don't want to talk about Juneteenth and not talk about all the structural ways that the institution should be evolving.”“I want to echo that as well, because I think that a lot of what's been happening with people trying to step up and be allies,” Reed-Davis adds. “It's all good, but the world of social media and the people in charge are trying to make Black culture seem like it's something new and something that just happened or that we just made up. Juneteenth has been a thing. I'm not impressed that because of everything that happened last year, things are finally starting to happen for Black communities. The things that are happening to us are finally coming to light. That's why people are trying to hop on a bandwagon and say that this is not right. It's been not right. So yeah, I appreciate people finally learning and finally highlighting what is happening to Black communities, but what's next now? What's about to happen now because thanks, this was cool, but what's next?”“I want to attend to something else that Sharron pointed to and some of what Dr. Lomax and Dr. Marshall did as well - this sense of progress juxtaposed with trauma,” Lee adds. “Oftentimes people will say, ‘Well, why do you all want to do this? And why do you want to celebrate? And why is it important?' There are many people who have been a part of this. But when you think about it, it's still very new and fresh for many of the folks in our communities.“Many of us are navigating traumas that have been passed down from generation to generation. The fight doesn't stop. We can take time to celebrate. But as we celebrate, we must continue to move forward in advocating for our freedom, our liberty, our justice, and our rights.“I think that that's an important aspect of this celebration. It brings us together in a point of joy and reminds us that we are actually a community of people, one people, who have a common ancestry that brought us to this place in this time.”“I want us to truly think about what freedom deliberation really looks like,” Marshall says. “What are we doing to really look at, as I mentioned before, the policies, the practices, the structure, the hires, the programming, the funding, the resources, the access, and the opportunity? How are we looking at all of these things and holding accountable those who have the decision-making power to ensure that we're getting liberated?”“When I think about the progression of black people, my outlook on it is to appreciate and move forward,” adds Reed-Davis. “Thank you, but what is next? We have a long way to go still, and we have come a long way. We need to appreciate how far we have come but continue to look forward. If we get complacent or stuck on where we came from or what someone gave us, we won't be able to move forward to the next steps and find true liberation. So thank you, but what's next?”“I think about this is a time for the Black community to come together in joy and gladness,” Lee says. “Let's leave all of those internal conflicts and learned helplessness and all that type of stuff behind and find the strength and excitement to celebrate being Black in the U.S. I think about it as being a time our sister Maxine Waters describes as ‘Reclaiming My Time.' This is our time to reclaim. Our time to reclaim our joy. Reclaim our freedoms. Reclaim our peace. Reclaim our power and our energy to be us authentically and unapologetically. We're doing that in what people call a traditionally white space, and we're making an inclusive, diverse community each and every day.”“I am always looking back in order to look forward,” concludes Lomax. “And so sometimes I may dwell in the difficult parts of the past more so than the joy. I think the key here for Juneteenth is really bringing that balance. I know sometimes non-Black folks will see Black folks celebrating and think that we enjoy our oppression. I want to make it clear that when we see people celebrating, it is not about an enjoyment of oppression. It is a sense of finding joy, despite it all. That really speaks to the resilience of Black folks.“To me, that needs to be the centering message of the day: the amazing resilience of Black folks, then and now. It is amazing that Black folks are this resilient and that they can find joy. And so to me, the centering message for the day is that Black folks can find joy in spite of it all.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.
What are fantasy readers looking for? What attracts them to your book? What sort of reader magnet do they pick up the most? Heck, what sort of giveaway should you join? Join Autumn and special guest fantasy author and creator of Bookfunnel, Damon Courtney. They hash out some tips to help you understand what readers love and some ways that Bookfunnel can help you reach readers. Oh, and the fun of introducing your kids to D&D!
Our guest Shonda Broom is an experienced RN and the Founder of Coram Deo Holistic Center. With an affinity for home health, Shonda began a non-medical home health business early on where she provided a range of services to elderly and handicapped individuals. Closing her doors in 2016, Shonda began on a holistic path where she married her life experience with her healthcare education to create Coram Deo Holistic Center--but this did not come without its challenges! When she closed her doors to her first business, Shonda was depressed and experiencing health complications. Turning to cannabis, Shonda opened up the door to holistic modalities and began to study & experience healing in a whole new way. Shondra offers a range of holistic health options including Chakra Therapy, Readings, Crystal Therapy, and more! With a passion for helping people heal, she uses a range of health modalities to “help people see their purpose”. Constantly studying herbs and holistic modalities, Shonda learns from personal experiences and working hands on with her clients to find what treatments work best. To find out more about Shonda and her products connect with her on social media at https://www.instagram.com/healing_humanity_care/?hl=en (Instagram) or https://www.facebook.com/coramdeoholistic (Facebook). You can also visit https://www.coramdeoholistic.com/. Don’t Miss These Moments: Why holistic health? How Coram Deo Holsitic Center helps. Nursing in conjunction with holistic care. The Gypsy Collection.
Flipping houses is popular and is the subject of many TV shows. But it isn't for everyone. In fact, it's probably not for MOST people. There are many ways to invest in real estate and you should consider all your options before launching. For some the skills required are not a good fit. For others it's the money required. I want you to take a comprehensive and honest look at yourself before embarking on your real estate investing adventure. You can try things and see what works for you or you can save time and money by thinking through the issues ahead of time. Later in the show I’m going to play the audio from lesson one in my new course “Find Your Fit in Real Estate Investing.” This is a free course designed to help you get started on the right path. It’s available at bit.ly/findyourfitinre. It’s just 5 lessons. You can take the entire course in one afternoon or one weekend. Before we get to the course I’m going to try and finish up the questions we had put together for the BIG Q&A shows we just did. Mindset Moment: How to contact us www.RogerBlankenship.com. Leave a voicemail right from the home page! Facebook.com/flippingamericamedia Twitter and Instagram @FlippingAmerica Call our National Comment Line: 877-55-ROGER (877-557-6437) ext 1. Leave your message or your question. Email your questions to questions@flippingamerica.net. Please always tell us where you are from. We like to know where the show is being heard. And let us know how you found out about us if you don’t mind. Sponsors American IRA: www.americanIRA.com Flipping America Buyers Club Legal Shield Questions: Peter, Villages of Ocala, FL, What should I look for in a lucrative investment property? Cissie, Blue Ridge, GA, Does a higher credit score mean a better mortgage rate? Shondra, Mobile, AL, What does the new mortgage stress test mean? Home Sellers, Dozens, if not hundreds of people are asking these questions. How do I prepare my home before I sell it? When is the best time to sell my home? How long will it take to sell my home? How can I figure out how much a home is worth? Why is my home’s assessed value different than the market value? Are real estate prices negotiable? How much of the sale price do I get? Is paying 6% to sell a home required? Do discount agents provide the same service as more expensive agents? What is a home buyer rebate? Should I sell my home before buying a new one? What is the first step for buying a home? Why do I need a mortgage before I buy a house? Can I back out of buying a house? Can a seller help me pay closing costs? As a buyer do I have to pay a home inspector? Should I get a survey? Motivational Quote: “The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.” Arthur Schopenhauer
17 yr old Shondra May went missing in February of 1986 and her remains were found 22 days later but no-one has been arrested. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikki-temple/support
You have questions. Lots of them. Lots more than I could get into the previous show so today I’m continuing to answer your questions. If you have questions about real estate or real estate investing, send them in an email to questions@flippingamerica.net. We will answer your question within 24 hours and we might end up using it on a show like this. We like helping people and we like getting questions and feedback from the audience. So to encourage this, today we are starting a question contest. You have until March 15 to submit your questions via email to us. On the Monday, March 15 show, we are going to announce our contest winners and their prizes, which will include training, books and technology products with a combined value of over $10,000. All you have to do is send a question to questions@flippingamerica.net. Tell us where you are from, and ask your question, and tell me in one paragraph why you are worthy and deserving of a full scholarship to my Ultimate Real Estate Investor Machine Training. Most of the prizes will be from random drawings, but the grand prize - this $6000 scholarship will be awarded to one person based on a decision from our distinguished panel of judges here at Flipping America. Every question becomes an entrant for one of the prizes, and every paragraph of worthiness will be considered for the Grand Prize. Mindset Moment: Hey fellow entrepreneurs, I know that someone listening to me right now is thinking about giving up, going back to a W2 job, just to ease the stress and uncertainty of this life. This message is for you. I’m not going to tell you to not give up. I’m going to ask you to think objectively about your situation. Some of you probably should give up and get a job. Does it surprise you that I would say that? I’m just being real. This life simply isn’t for everyone. If I’m honest, and I always am, there have been some days I’ve wondered if it’s for me. Here’s what I encourage you to think about: The Situation The Realistic Prospects Your Skills Your Motivation Your Mindset - are you really cut out to be a business owner? What is happening when you feel “on top of things”? How to contact us www.RogerBlankenship.com. Leave a voicemail right from the home page! Facebook.com/flippingamericamedia Twitter and Instagram @FlippingAmerica Call our National Comment Line: 877-55-ROGER (877-557-6437) ext 1. Leave your message or your question. Email your questions to questions@flippingamerica.net. Please always tell us where you are from. We like to know where the show is being heard. And let us know how you found out about us if you don’t mind. Sponsors American IRA: www.americanIRA.com Flipping America Buyers Club Legal Shield Announcements: News: Questions The Top Asked Real Estate Investing Questions Marcus, Frankfort, KY, (and dozens of others) Why should I invest in real estate? Sara, Long Beach, CA, What kind of real estate investments are best? Manza, San Antonio, TX How do I find a profitable investment property? Anthony, Chicago, IL Where will I find the most profitable investment properties? Tracy, Chattanooga, TN How much initial capital do I need? Quentin, Moss Creek, SC How will I finance the property? Andrew, Puget Sound, WA, How long does it normally take to see profit from a flip? Pradesh, Atlanta, GA What contingency plans can I implement if my exit strategy fails on a flip?” Lakeisha, Mobile, AL, “Can I begin investing in real estate with no money?” Shawanda, Conyers, GA, “Is real estate investing easier if I already own property?” Jonathan, Portland, ME “Do I need a real estate agent when buying a property?” Tasha, Pittsburgh, PA “Should I invest in out-of-state properties?” Roselle, Denver, CO and about 200 others, “How can I learn about real estate investing? Alvin, Pasadena, CA “Do I need a real estate mentor?” Anthony, Jacksonville, FL “How will I determine the rent to charge for my property?” Kimberly, Roseberg, OR “How do I find the right tenant for my rental property?” Jameson, Johns Creek, GA“Should I make any improvements to my investment property before renting it out?” Sheila, Orlando, FL “Should I hire professional property management?” Matthew, Forsyth, GA “Do I need a home inspection?” Jimmy, Stockbridge, GA “Do I need a real estate license as an investor?” Candice, Stone Mountain, GA “What does After Repair Value mean?” Freddie, Waukesha, WI, “What marketing campaigns are best for new investors?” Carmine, Columbus, OH “What are the best tax benefits associated with real estate investing?” Addison, Milwaukee, WI “How should my real estate company be structured?” Larry, Harrisburg, PA “How do I choose a name for my real estate company?” Arden, Greenville, SC “How suitable is my market (Greenville) for investing? Sal, Leet Township, PA, “How do I determine the value of an investment property?” Charlene, Port St. Lucie, FL “How much of a down payment and mortgage do I need to get started? How much additional capital will I need in the future? William, Boulder, CO, “What do I need to know about a potential city where I might invest and how do I get this information? Cameron, Provo, UT, “I’m a college student and my studies keep me pretty busy. Is there something I could be doing right now to build my future as a real estate investor? I can devote about 4-6 hours a week to this” Real Estate Questions Asked by: Homebuyers Adrian, Modesto, CA, Should I buy or rent a home? Manny, Philadelphia, PA, How do I figure out what kind of home can I afford? Charlene, St. Petersburg, FL, When should I apply for a mortgage pre-approval? Arthur, Daytona Beach, FL, How do I look for a home? Cindy, Atlanta, GA Is it possible to buy a home and sell my current one simultaneously? I’m thinking about calling OfferPad. Marvin, Knoxville, TN, I am under contract to sell my house. I’ve changed my mind. Can I still back out of the deal? It’s a legal contract. You could be sued for failure to perform. You should offer the buyer money - cover all their costs and then some. They could force you to sell. Harold, Jacksonville, FL Do I really need a real estate agent? Mitch, Ft. Worth, TX, Can I trust my real estate agent? Jennifer, Memphis, TN How much do I pay a real estate agent? Austin, Indianapolis, IN I’m thinking about buying my first home. Where do I start? Harvin, Pittsburgh, PA, Is there a “best“ time of year price-wise to buy a home? Ernesto, Columbus, GA Can I buy a home with no down payment? Stan, Dallas, TX, How does mortgage loan insurance work? LaWanda, Jackson, MS, How much will I need for closing costs? Maggie, Charlotte, NC, Should I lower the list price, or offer an incentive to realtors to sell my home faster? Patricia, Birmingham, AL What color of houses sell fastest? Peter, Villages of Ocala, FL, What should I look for in a lucrative investment property? Cissie, Blue Ridge, GA, Does a higher credit score mean a better mortgage rate? Shondra, Mobile, AL, What does the new mortgage stress test mean? Home Sellers, Dozens, if not hundreds of people are asking these questions. How do I prepare my home before I sell it? When is the best time to sell my home? How long will it take to sell my home? How can I figure out how much a home is worth? Why is my home’s assessed value different than the market value? Are real estate prices negotiable? How much of the sale price do I get? Is paying 6% to sell a home required? Do discount agents provide the same service as more expensive agents? What is a home buyer rebate? Should I sell my home before buying a new one? What is the first step for buying a home? Why do I need a mortgage before I buy a house? Can I back out of buying a house? How can a real estate agent help me buy or sell a home? Motivational Quote: “ Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs, Co-founder, CEO, Chairman Apple Inc.
Family! This episode was brought to you by alcoholic beverages and one word text messages . The Squad is back welcoming new cohost Shondra to the family. This battle of the Sexes EP is one for the history books!!! What started out as a lengthy back and forth conversation between One Take No Chaser Podcast, Mind Triggers Podcast ( Jay Always in the Back Ground, and Henny Luke) and our own Scoob Rozay ( The Beard Gang) and the Petty Labelles - Wine Tyme Podcast( Cherry WIne ) our Good sisters and friends to the show Star and Jerzy and our sis Cortney from The Barbie Way Podcast, Turned into and No Holds Barred , trivia battle to end it all . Ladies grab your wine, fellas grab your Henny and kick back with some of the dopest content creators in the game! Its UDP Baby! The Vibe is Implied
Discover what the Divine Masculine & Divine Feminine really is with Steve & Shondra Rose of Light. ♡♡♡ Discover Steve's world-renowned book, his magazine and Steve's Heart Initiation Academy and much more at www.TheSteveExperience.com ♡♡♡ Shondra teaches at Steve's Heart Initiation school or visit roseoflight.com for more from Shondra. ♡♡♡ This podcast was recorded in 2015. ♡♡♡
This week the brothers catch up with Bruce Wayne in his quest to find Shondra and Asp. We discuss Alfred quitting again, sibling relationships, healing people, and stuffed animals. Thanks for tuning in! We read: Legends of the Dark Knight #59-61 Next week we conclude Knightquest with: Batman #505-508, Shadow of the Bat #28, Robin #7
“One of the reasons why TBC-Capital is education first is because we're trying to democratize all the information that's stuck in these corporate boardrooms.” @shondradanielle #DTCPOD“One of my goals in helping underrepresented founders is to help remove as many barriers as I can.” @shondradanielle #DTCPOD“The whole point of live crowdfunding is really for the people in the audience to be able to democratize the investing process and doing that using crowdfunding.” @shondradanielle #DTCPOD“Crowdfunding isn't just putting your company on to a platform to raise. There is a lot of PR and marketing you need to do in order to make it successful.” @shondradanielle #DTCPOD“Crowdfunding is great because you can turn your customers, the people that love your brand, into investors and align incentives.” @shondradanielle #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:15] About Shondra and her background[02:20] How Shondra ended up in the startup space[04:20] Shondra’s first take at community building for underrepresented founders[07:20] How Shondra built Pitch Practice on Clubhouse[09:40] Shondra’s plan on growing Pitch Practice and Crowdhouse[11:00] How Shondra’s experience in investment baking has impacted her current role[11:55] What Shondra is trying to accomplish with helping underrepresented founders[15:05] The future of crowdfunding[17:45] Is crowdfunding for every brand? The ingredients for success if you do it[20:15] What you need to do to crowdfund[21:50] Does crowdfunding have more potential than traditional fundraising?[23:45] How crowdfunding impacts revenue and customer growth[25:05] How Shondra helped 18.21 crowdfund over $100k[27:10] Participating in Shondra’s crowdfunding sessions[28:50] What’s next for Shondra?How Shondra Washington and Clubhouse are helping to democratize information about investingShondra Washington, Co-Founder of TBC-Capital, joins the POD to talk about live crowdfunding and how she’s helping underrepresented founders raise.Shondra co-founded TBC-Capital, an education-first advisory and consulting firm, offering on-demand CFO, business development and strategy services for early-stage companies. Through her efforts her clients have raised over $1.8M in grants and startup capital. She’s currently based in New York and focuses her work in consumer tech, CPG and marketplaces.Thanks to the rise in social platforms, more founders are able to share and learn about the investing space.Not knowing investor jargon can put you at a disadvantage the space so Shondra really wants to make sure education in this space is available for all.Part of doing that is through Shondra’s pitch practice and crowdhouse club on Clubhouse, a new social app that’s audio-only.Crowdfunding allows founders to get closer to consumers and bring them on as investors.Crowdfunding isn’t for everybody thoughEven though it’s easier than ever to start a crowdfunding campaign, Shondra says that crowdfunding isn’t for everyone.Crowdfunding is not as simple as launching a campaign on a website. You need to make a strong PR and marketing effort to be successful.If you are successful though, you can bring in a lot of brand loyalists.Stay tuned as Shondra offers some recommendations for crowdfunding, where she thinks live crowdfunding is headed, and how you can take advantage of this new form of funding.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:More about Shondra’s company, TBC-Captial: https://tbc-capital.com/Connect with Shondra on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shondradanielle
Actor, writer and coach, Courtney Bryant, talks about her American mom Shondra who recovered from a paralyzing stroke at 47. Courtney only started living with her mother at the age of 15 and they soon developed a co-dependent relationship. Through this experience, Courtney learned many important lessons on forgiveness, setting boundaries, moving on, loving yourself unconditionally, faith and manifesting. For more about Courtney and her coaching services please visit her website. For more about "Thank You, Mama" please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net To contact Ana, please send a mail to: info@thankyoumama.net
When Shondra May went missing back in 1986, her parents hoped their high school senior had gone away with her boyfriend on a whim. They prayed for a best case answer to their questions. What they eventually got was a worst case outcome. In this new investigative podcast series from A Sip of Justice, (recently rebranded from The Usry Network,) hear why Shondra was adored in her central Mississippi community, and take a hard look at a long list of suspects. What about the bad check-writer who turned out to be something far more sinister? Consider the hot rod-driving karate instructor who was the subject of countless complaints and reports from females in the area. Could a Sheriff's Deputy known to flirt with underage girls be responsible? The remainder of Big Heart Broken can be accessed by becoming a subscriber to the A Sip of Justice Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aSipOfJustice Track down all things A Sip of Justice and Big Heart Broken here: https://linktr.ee/aSipOfJustice BHB is produced, scored and edited by Jason Lee Usry.
When Shondra May went missing back in 1986, her parents hoped their high school senior had gone away with her boyfriend on a whim. They prayed for a best case answer to their questions. What they eventually got was a worst case outcome. In this new investigative podcast series from A Sip of Justice, (recently rebranded from The Usry Network,) hear why Shondra was adored in her central Mississippi community, and take a hard look at a long list of suspects. What about the bad check-writer who turned out to be something far more sinister? Consider the hot rod-driving karate instructor who was the subject of countless complaints and reports from females in the area. Could a Sheriff's Deputy known to flirt with underage girls be responsible? The remainder of Big Heart Broken can be accessed by becoming a subscriber to the A Sip of Justice Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aSipOfJustice Track down all things A Sip of Justice and Big Heart Broken here: https://linktr.ee/aSipOfJustice BHB is produced, scored and edited by Jason Lee Usry.
Like this episode? Want more?The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free thanks to contributions from supporters. Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and join today! All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!Shondra Mattos is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, LLL Leader, and Owner of Mattos Lactation, a location-independent Lactation Practice. She also owns and operates SM Business + Marketing consulting- helping lactation professionals build a strong business foundation and develop strategies that lead to success. In addition to serving families and helping business owners, she helps established and aspiring LC's gain a deeper understanding of complicated topics relevant to the lactation field and offers one-on-one and group tutoring to lactation students. When she is not nerding out on boob-related science, she spends her time hanging out with her husband and daughter, watching Youtube, and eating cookies. HIGHLIGHTS03:02 How Shondra got started doing SEO06:55 A realistic timeline for ranking on Google13:28 Optimizing pictures for SEO on our website14:28 Three common mistakes we make with our websites22:11 Updating content to stay relevant for marketing QUOTES04:29 "SEO is like the strategies and the tactics that one can use to let Google know that your website or content is relevant towards your, like for your target market.07:08 "So even from the time that you put your website up, even if you optimize that 100% perfectly, it may take a couple months anywhere from four to six months for your website to really get some traction."08:55 "You just have to make sure that the websites, the pages that you have are high quality, meaning that when people come to your website, they get the questions that they have answered.14:08 "When they Google that website, because of the image, having those keywords in that will pop up on Google images and may bring your site as an option for the parent to select.”23:57 "So now you're getting a new wave of people coming to see that and the traffic increase to that blog post will tell Google, yay, this is super relevant.” RESOURCESCheck out the Lactation Private Practice Essential Course for 50+ hours of training including Designing a HIPAA compliant website that stands out | Shondra Mattos IBCLC and Website AMA (Live) | Shondra Mattos IBCLC learn.anniefrisbie.com/courseShondra’s SEO Services hello.dubsado.com/public/form/view/5ebff01525b2a94ab85f5b3fShondra Mattos Lactation mattoslactation.com/about-shondra-mattosSM Business Strategist & Marketing Assistant shondramattos.comShondra’s Business School for Lactation Consultants & Birth Workers Facebook Pagefacebook.com/groups/ibclcbizschoolUsing Your Website To Reach Your Ideal Client (Podcast)paperlesslactation.com/the-podcast/using-your-website-to-reach-your-ideal-client-rebroadcast?rq=WebsiteWebsite Design for Lactation Private Practice paperlesslactation.com/blog/website-design-for-lactation-private-practice?rq=WebsiteJoin our next Deeper Dive: learn.anniefrisbie.com/deeper-diveListen on Patreon: patreon.com/lactationbusinesscoachingContact Us: hello@lactationbusinesscoaching.com
Chandra Beckman is a retired US Air Force fighter pilot who knows a bit about working in and managing difficult situations. Maneuvering through the many challenges in being an extreme minority as a female fighter pilot with children, Chandra continually found ways to overcome. The willpower, grit and determination that saw her through tough times in military and parenting situations was exactly what she needed when she faced the largest challenge of her life: her own health crisis. Undiagnosed multi-systemic issues for over a decade left her in long periods of house bound (and occasional bed-bound) states, discarded by the conventional medical realm. Based on her journey she is now creating a life in which she can use her “battle scars” to assist others who find themselves stuck in places where it seems no one can help. More about Chandra. Learn more about The Passionistas Project. Full Transcript: Passionistas: Hi, and welcome to The Passionistas Project Podcast, where we tell stories of empowered women who are following their passions to inspire you to do the same. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington and today we're talking with Chandra Beckman, a retired us Air Force fighter pilot, who knows a bit about working in and managing difficult situations. Maneuvering through the many challenges in being an extreme minority as a female fighter pilot with children, Chandra continually found ways to overcome. The willpower, grit and determination that saw her through tough times in military and parenting situations was exactly what she needed when she faced the largest challenge of her life — her own health crisis. Undiagnosed multi-systematic issues for over a decade, left her in long periods of housebound and occasional bedbound states discarded by the conventional medical realm based on her journey. She is now creating a life in which she can use her battle scars to assist others who find themselves stuck in places where it seems no one can help. So please welcome to the show. Chandra, Beckman. Chandra, what's the one thing you're most passionate about. Chandra Beckman: The one thing I'm most passionate about now is inclusive, inclusive healthcare options for all Americans. My journey was on laborious and costly, and I realized that if I was not in the financial position, that I was very fortunate to be in, I would not have been able to obtain the care that I did. And so I think it's very, very important for all of these health care options to be available to all Americans. Passionistas: We totally agree. So let's start at the beginning of your journey. Why don't you tell everybody what you were doing for a career when your journey began? Chandra: I was flying fighter jets for the United States Air Force, and I was 10 years into my career when my health started to fail. And it was very, very odd symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to GI issues, to headaches, to sinus issues, to things like mood changes, where I had previously been really optimistic and, you know, I loved challenges. I wanted to tackle anything that that could be done. And I started just getting snippy and short and angry. And my physical strength just started going away. Like literally I'm going to the gym working out more than I had been in the previous two years. And the number of sit-ups I could do was going backwards. And my physical strength just got zapped Passionistas: Before we get into your journey to discover what that was all about. Tell us a little bit about being a fighter pilot. What inspired you to become a fighter pilot? And what was that like? Chandra: So I was inspired to be a fighter pilot by the movie top gun. And I think I saw that way back in 1986 and I was sixth grade or so, but I loved the energy. I love the passion, the speed pushing yourself to the limit. And I just decided that's what I wanted to do. I had no idea how to get there. I had help along the way, very, very fortunate to link up with an Air Force recruiter who steered me down the path that I needed to take in order to achieve that goal. Passionistas: It's not a very female dominated industry. So what was that experience like for you as a woman? Chandra: For me personally, it was difficult. Although I don't think at the time I realized how difficult it was. I was so focused on doing the best I could. Every single day I was focused on completing the requirements I needed to complete. I was focused on flying to the best of my ability. And then when I went home, I was taking care of my kids with my husband. And so I didn't have time to step back and really take a look at how difficult is this position really to be in. Passionistas: I can't even imagine how stressful that type of work must be. Chandra: Yeah, I think for anyone, it is a very stressful job. I am pretty petite. So you know, about 5' 4”, 115 pounds. And so every single day when I was flying, I was reaching my limits and beyond in order to perform and in order to fly the airplanes, you know, the seats are fixed. So they're really made for a range of sizes, but that range is not for the really small people or the really big people. And so you accommodate you adjust, you, figure out how can I make this situation work for me? And I can't reach the rudder pedals if they're not all the way up or I can't reach the stick in the airplane. When I'm looking over my shoulder, checking behind the airplane, flying the airplane upside down, you know, at 315 knots. And if I don't put my seat at just the right place, I can't do this physically because of that. So every single day I was operating at the edge of my limits and then not to mention being the lone female in the all-male environment, it definitely had its challenges. Passionistas: How did the men react to you? Chandra: I didn't really pay attention to that. I know when I first entered that there were men that did not want me or any woman there, others didn't care either way, some were welcoming, but honestly, I really never paid attention to that aspect because I was doing everything I could to survive. And I think you have to, in that case focus, because if you open yourself to the negativity that may be existing around you, you easily drown. Passionistas: And was there camaraderie among the women or was it competitive? Chandra: I had a, a female in my pilot training class with me and we actually had discussions on that and we commented on that very aspect because her and I got along very well and we would pass other women in the hallway who wouldn't even say hello to us. And so we would just kind of ponder that, well, why is this? There's very few of us? Why would we not even just acknowledge that they're there? And I think there is there at least then 20 years ago, there was some of that, you know, you have to be tough and climb your own way up because there's only so many people that will get to where you want to go. Later on. As I moved into the, my career, my first assignment, I was the only female. So there wasn't any anyone to fight with. Right? I do remember my, what would you call the unit commander? The squadron commander came to me at one point though, because they were ha they were getting another female to the larger organization and they were wondering, where do we put her? Do we bring her into our squadron with you? Do we put her in the other squadron? What do we do? And I actually really appreciated the fact that he came to talk to me about it. I didn't know the individual. And, and I did tell him, honestly, listen, sometimes these situations work out great. We have new issues, we're a team player. We're just trying to do the best job we can. But other times there's a lot of hostility and I unfortunately don't know the individual, so I could not give him, you know, a definite answer either way. But I did answer it as honestly, as I could, based on the situation and scenarios I had seen. Passionistas: Where did you fly? Chandra: Yeah, my first assignment operational flying was actually stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. And there I was flying the F 15 C. We did have a few deployments for different things. And after that assignment, I actually went and flew the F one 17 out of Holloman Air Force base in New Mexico. My only official overseas assignment was to the Republic of Korea. And in that assignment I wasn't flying. Passionistas: So you are in this very intense career and you start to have these health issues and these symptoms talk about going to a doctor for the first time. What diagnosis were you given? Chandra: The first time I actually went to a doctor because of all of these random, strange, unusual symptoms. I was actually in the Republic of Korea and I had been kind of observing what was going on for the past four months. And I had been to the doctor for just acute things, you know, like a sinus infection, but I had never gone into this whole conglomeration of symptoms that were occurring. And at the time I was weak to the point where, when I tried to climb up the two flights of stairs to get to my dorm room after work, I had to stop because I did not have enough oxygen to continue walking up the flight of stairs. And, you know, for someone who had been doing a very physically demanding job, the fact that I can't go up two flights of stairs without running out of oxygen, the fact that I'm working out and getting weaker, the fact that I'm having significant digestive issues and that my mood is changing and that I'm starting to have a lot of pain. You know, these are all really, really big concerns. So I finally take them to the doctor and this was my introduction to conventional medicine. And I call it really the opening bookend. I explained to her everything that was going on and her response was you miss your kids. You'll be fine when you get back to the States. And honestly, I was like shocked, like my jaw kind of, you know, if it could, or if it did, I don't know that it did in front of her. I'm not sure I would have shown her, my reactions. I usually keep them hidden, but my jaw dropped at the same time. I'm like, I can't walk up two flights of stairs and you're telling me, this is because I miss my kids. Can I punch you in the face? You know, what's what, how, how is this even? Okay. So that was the opening. Along with that, I had my right. I had some blurriness to it that was passing. And honestly the only thing that came out of that appointment, it was that she got me to the optometrist to, to try to see if we could get some lenses to help with the blurriness in my eyes. But other than that, there was nothing. And yeah, like I said, that was the kind of the opening bookend to my experience with conventional medicine that lasted over 10 years. Passionistas: So then what's the next step? Your health continues to deteriorate. And do you go to a different doctor? How do you move forward? Chandra: Yeah, over the next several years, I was seen by, I, I, to be honest, I don't have the actual count. I never did count the probably hundreds of doctors because I was transferred back to the United States back into a flying position. And I became so weak that I could not fly. You know, another interesting factor here is, as this is occurring, the flight medicine doctors, who, some of them were very helpful. Some of them were understanding. They actually were, you know, told me to my face. I believe you. And I do honestly think something seriously is going wrong. And they were helping me get to the next step. On the other hand, you have the flight docs who told my boss she's scared to fly. And I get this. My boss happens to tell me this one day. And I said, really I'm scared to fly. Well, how am I still flying my own airplane at home, which has no objection, seat and still wanting to do it still wanting to fly Air Force aircraft. Yet my physical strength is so weak that I can't do it. And eventually my physical strength got so weak. I couldn't even fly our own airplane at home. So, you know, individuals and it used to be just women, but it's getting to be more and more men are facing this kind of behavior, this kind of mindset from the doctors who are there to help us supposedly. And so it became very, very difficult for me to navigate that system. And I had to continue going and continue fighting for the next doctor who was going to be able to help me. I was sent through the Air Force's medical center at the time. At the time it was called the Wilford hall. They did the full workup. They did find some minor things. And eventually I got to the Mayo clinic. They also did a full workup, some very minor things that, you know, of course, if we found, we took action on throughout this process, I went through two necessary surgeries. Had we known what we do now, the Jews went to the unnecessary and finally in the fall of 2015, early 2016, my health crashed so much again, that I was begging the doctors to help. Meanwhile, during this, you know, almost 10 year period, I'm working a full-time job in the Air Force, not flying. It was, you know, doing various what you would call desk, desk jobs. And I'm trying to navigate the medical system while performing at work to the best of my ability. Passionistas: And you're raising children. Chandra: Yes. Yeah. At the time began having the serious symptoms. I was dating my now husband, but I have two grown boys and he had three girls and so five kids together while this is going on. And you know, you're like here I am someone who is used to performing and getting things done and doing whatever it takes to make things happen. And, you know, not understanding what is it that these doctors can't help me. And as we roll back to the 2015, 2016 timeframe, when I'm bed bound several days a month, like literally do not have the strength to lift my arm off the bed. I can't work more than half a day. Most days, if that, and the doctor who I'm begging to help me tells me, you have fibromyalgia, no further workup puts it in my record. And so within the military system, you're only allowed to go to these doctors and I fought and fought and used every Avenue I could within that system and find the, I said, I'm not going to sit in the system to die. And I made up my mind to do my own research and find the doctors that could help. Passionistas: How did you do that? And what did you eventually find out? Chandra: Yeah, I did that by significant self-research and really it began, it, it became reading books by doctors, doctors who were in the trenches, helping patients, doctors who are specialists in areas based on symptoms I had based on the lack of energy, the energy was the biggest thing for me. And so I started researching that and eventually it brought me to the fact that I needed a functional medicine doctor and I had done the research. We had one in Las Vegas. I had spent three to four months trying to get the insurance company to pay for that because she did accept a version of my insurance. It wasn't the one I had, but if I had been my children or my spouse, I could have walked into her and made an appointment and gone to see her. And finally, I said, you know what? This is ridiculous. I'm not going to live like this for the rest of my life. And I paid cash first appointment. She took down all the symptoms. They were the same things. I had been telling people the, for the last almost 10 years, and based on all of the intake paperwork I had filled out for her, which was over 15 pages worth. She says, you have Lyme disease and why is no one seeing this? She followed it up with,ulab tests, which were confirmed. And for anyone out there who's not familiar with Lyme disease. Not only is Lyme disease prevalent or present, but usually there's any number of co-infections present with the Lyme disease and other viruses, things like mold toxicity, things like heavy metal toxicity. Your, your, your body is basically a toxic heap of trash inside. And especially when you've been living like this for 10 years. And that day she told me, listen, it's going to take you two to five years to recover from this. You have been sick for so long. I was one of the worst patients she had. She had one of the most complex and worst patients, as far as the kind of shape I was in at that point began a new journey. Little do you know that when you get a diagnosis such as Lyme disease and, a complex chronic illnesses, the treatment often puts you into worse spaces and places than you have been through just living with it. And that journey was to me, the worst part, the most difficult part, but it also brought about the most learning experiences that I would have never had. I see the world in such a different place, in a different space, and then in just a different way than I did before. I'm very, very grateful for this journey and to be this far along in it, to where I can actually talk to people now, because the, the self-care that comes along with this is never ending. So, you know, one day you may be able to work for an hour and the next day you're in bed for all day, because you don't know how your body's going to perform, and you do the best you can to get the max performance out of it. Passionistas: You're listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast, and our interview Chandra Beckman to learn more about Shondra and her business Soul Central Coaching and Consulting, visit Chandra beckman.com., visit Chandra, beckman.com. Now here's more of our interview with Chandra. You said that this has made you look at the world differently. How did you look at it before? And how do you look at it now? Chandra: Before? I don't think I was as accepting of people, accepting of others. The perspectives that I see now are so much more interesting and enriching to me. This has really allowed me to really expand that view. Passionistas: But at what point did you leave the Air Force and why did you make that decision? Chandra: I actually ended up retiring at the time that I became so sick. I couldn't function normally in the military, you go through what's called a medical evaluation board so that they can take a look at your case, determine whether or not you're capable of remaining on active duty to serve. And at the time when I should have went through one of those, I had already had an approved retirement date. I was getting CA better care than what that the military could provide. And so if we had pursued the medical evaluation board, it would have just extended my time on active duty a lot longer at that point I was allowed to retire. So I actually did 20 years. Passionistas: So you have had intimate experience with our health care system. What have you taken away from those experiences and how has it made you look at the system that exists in the United States? Chandra: While I was in it, it was atrocious at that point though, I did not realize how handcuffed, how not blind, but there are blinders on our medical system and how entrenched they are in one way of medicine. And it is not the individual medical care providers faults. It is the system that has been created through the insurance companies, through the pharmaceutical companies and the system that our nation has bought into, if you will, and there's history behind. If anyone wants to go look into it, I think it started back in about the 20 1920s when we kind of discarded the other medical care options. And now I feel so sorry, I guess, for people that are stuck in that system, I feel empathy for the people having to work within it and having to go to work day in and day out and not have answers for people or not be allowed to take the time, to really sit down and understand people, understand why things are happening. And that's, what's required in order for wellness to thrive in order for healthcare to be healthcare instead of sick care. And when you get out into the integrative and functional health medicine options and natural pathic, there is a, a plethora of options available to people yet we're not even educated on them. And I think that was a big thing for me is these options are available. These options were out there. They're legal, they're in the United States yet. None of my conventional medicine doctors even knew about them. So, you know, it's one thing if they could tell me about them so I could go pursue them, even if I had to do it at my own cost, but they aren't even educated on them. Passionistas: And you would have to do them at your own cost, which as you said earlier, is prohibitive to people who don't have those means. Chandra: Absolutely. And I'll tell you, that's one of the big things that I had to let go of, you know, the first six, eight, maybe even 12 months of recovery, once I was accurately diagnosed, I would hurt. I would feel for the thousands, if not millions of people in the United States that are suffering and you know, what we would consider S you know, the, the most well off nation on earth. And we have these people who are suffering because they can't afford this kind of care that is available and would help them get better so that they can be more productive in the future. How is this right? How is this even happening? Yeah. So I had to add that point, you know, I had to take a step back and say, okay, you've got to focus on using your financial resources to recover, to take care of yourself, to get stronger, to heal so that you can help those who maybe aren't aware of it, or maybe can't financially afford it. Passionistas: So how are you helping people at this point? Chandra: I am very fortunate to be at the point where I am able to be a resource for others. I was able to start my own coaching business so that I can be a source of education, a source of resources, a source of accountability for those that are going down this path. And I won't even limit it to healthcare because the clients that I work with really don't come from the same path that I walked, but really about transformation and digging deep into yourself and finding ways that you can affect your own life in much more positive ways. And that has been very rewarding that I am now to the point where I, I do have time and I do have energy to help others. Passionistas: So what are some of the services you offer? Chandra: I offer personalized one-on-one coaching and my role as a coach is to help people with whatever goal they have. It can be a personal goal, it could be professional, it can be transformational, it can be a health goal. And we walk together down that path options and the resources that are available for them and allowing the individual to really dig deep inside themselves and figure out what is going to work best for them. And my role is to be a partner. It's not to tell them what to do. It's really to be a partner in walking that path of discovery. Passionistas: What advice would you give to someone who's in a similar situation to what you went through and not getting the information they need to get better? Chandra: The first thing is don't give up. That was one of the beliefs that I had from the beginning when I started doing my own research. And really, you know, as you're age 40 and you're in bed saying, this is not the way I want to live the rest of my life. And there's answers out there. I know there is, and I'm going to find them. And so for anyone that finds myself there, don't give up because the answers do exist. They are out there. And when you start exploring, you will find that the next step will become available. It will appear before you, as you start researching and having to dig in and do that work. And then the other thing I would say with that as well, is that nutrition, nutrition is foundational for healing. And so I went through a number of dieticians and nutritional consultants, and it wasn't until we figured out what nutrition was best for me, and really strengthened my body and helped my body heal, that I could really start moving forward. And that's different for every single person. And so it takes a lot of time to relate to figure that out. Passionistas: And how are you feeling today? Chandra: Today? I'm feeling pretty good. I, you know, when you're dealing with people with invisible illnesses, it's easy to show up and have other people look at you and say, Hey, you look great, but they don't know everything that goes into you just showing up for that 10 or 15 minutes or showing up and sounding happy for that 10 or 15 minutes, or the fact that your body inside right now, it feels like 65 years old, but your face looks like you're 30. And so I am doing so much better today than I was six months ago and six months prior to that. Now in six months prior to that, the journey is very slow. And as a former fighter pilot, I just want to take the actions, do the steps that are required to fix it and go on. And that's been one of the biggest learning points of this journey is like, okay, the body heals at the speed, the body heals, and you have to have patience for it. Passionistas: Now that you're helping other people, what's the most rewarding part of this journey? Chandra: I think the most rewarding part of the journey is that I now have an even bigger toolbox, if you will, to be able to help and empower others to grow prior to this, I had never experienced getting close to suicide. I didn't even understand it, but it was never something that I would consider going through this journey and hitting the, and hitting that black wall of, I now have a decision to make, I can choose to keep fighting and keep living, or I can choose to end this. Now I now understand how people can get to that position. I would not have understood that before. I now understand why when people say I couldn't get out of bed, no, you physically can't get out of bed. It's not like you're making this up, you know? And it happens. Passionistas: What do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned about yourself on this journey. Chandra: Self-Love kindness really becoming okay with the fact that you can love yourself and you can love yourself first, because if you don't do that, eventually there won't be anything left of you. I think that's really important. I know it's really important for women. I don't know how much this can apply to men or to, to anyone else who from an early age, we're taught that at least I was taking care of yourself and giving yourself that self-love was not okay. It wasn't appropriate. There was something wrong with it. And I think that that is probably the most important factor. Passionistas: What's your dream for women? Chandra: To feel free, to feel free, to be who they are, and to understand that other women can be who they are and it's okay. And we can all be who we are without condemnation without having to judge. And there's beauty in that. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Chandra Beckman. To learn more about Chandra and her business Soul Central Coaching and Consulting, visit ChandraBeckman.com. Please visit ThePassionistasProject.com to learn more about our podcast and subscription box filled with products made by women owned businesses and female artisans to inspire you to follow your passions. Our winter box with the theme, Passionistas Pamper will be on sale soon. Sign up for our mailing list to get 10% off your first purchase. And be sure to subscribe to The Passionistas Project Podcast so you don't miss any of our upcoming inspiring guests. Until next time stay well and stay passionate.
The brothers continue reading the Knightfall storyline this week. We discuss Shondra's name, Jean Paul's addition to the Batsuit, and the mysterious absence of Harold. Thank you for tuning in! We read Batman #498, Detective Comics #665, and Batman #499.
What was the deciding factor for you to become an entrepreneur?What are some pros and cons of starting a business?What's your best advice for people who are looking to run a business? How do you block out the negative voices?What are you manifesting?How would you define an entrepreneur?Does generational wealth make it easier to become an entrepreneur?What were the steps you took to create Pitchit 365?Follow La'Shondra Johnson on Social Media:FB: Pitchit 365IG: Pitchit365Follow us on Social Media:FB: That's My SportsIG: tmspodcastTwitter: _tmspodcast
In today's episode, we sit down with "Mama" Shondra to discuss Showing up with God. It looks like forming a relationship with Him anchored in trust. There is an active part. We have to be willing to show up with Him. We have to be willing to invite Him into the space that isn't so favorable. It's not easy to say "oh my heart is gross here" or "look at how I am responding to this situation." Showing up with God is a partnership. "Showing up is a decision just like quitting is a decision." To quit is not an option. We'll venture through the various factors of how and why we should show up with God. Our prayer is that you are encouraged wherever you are on the journey to keep going! Despite what it looks like or feels like God knows where you are at this moment. He sees you! He wants us to hold onto him in the midst of it all.#TheShowMustGoOn
Running a business on your own can be overwhelming. Planning to hire and scale your business can be even more daunting. In this conversation, Shondra Washington gives steps to review your finances and determine who you should hire for your business. Washington has worked in financial services since 2013. She was first introduced to corporate finance and strategy while working as a technology investment banker at one of the fastest growing investment banks in the world. In 2018, Shondra co-founded TBC-Capital, an education-first advisory and consulting firm, offering on-demand CFO, business development and strategy services for early-stage companies. Want to learn from experts like Shondra Washington? Become a member of a FGF Club for weekly Get Funds Sessions on topics like this! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
On a cold rainy night in 1986, seventeen year old Shondra May phoned her mother to let her know that she would be heading home from work early. Little did anyone know that the beautiful teenage girl would never make it to comfort of her home because just 30 minutes later, Shondra's mother discovered her car abandoned at the end of their driveway, but Shondra was no where in sight. Join us as we discuss a case that even after 34 years still grips a small southern town seeking justice. Want to connect with us, you can find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/mmadnesspodcast and on our website at www.murdermadness.com. Make sure you subscribe and rate our show and check in every Friday for a new episode.
In this episode, we continue where we left off in episode ninety-two. What a bundle of energy Shondra is! Shondra’s Links:https://shondramusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ShondraMusic/ Greed Incorporated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcczOq04zxw https://tomandshondra.com/ Shondra with Dev Ross (Episode #50) https://thetwolucys.com/ HaskinCast Podcast links: Official Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1210703585754449&ref=br_rs My Website: https://www.scotthaskin.com/podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hr9NNZSe6Q9tFOjD5bX8j?si=Tqme3XQXQXq8Qo4EDE2rjw https://open.spotify.com/show/3hr9NNZSe6Q9tFOjD5bX8j iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/haskincast-podcast/id1437772872?mt=2 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/ScottHaskinMusic Google Play: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ipsjavxsi5u4l4t5xvzmxjess4i?t%3DHaskinCast_PodCast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16 Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/site/Search/index?v=haskincast
Shondra Miller shares her experience of starting a shared genome engineering resource at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Learn more about her research projects and her views on the past, present, and future of the genome editing field in this podcast episode.
Join me as I delve into the busy life of professional musician Shondra Jepperson. She has some great stories to tell and a solid focus on her career as a musician and an actor. Shondra’s Links:https://shondramusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ShondraMusic/ Greed Incorporated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcczOq04zxw https://tomandshondra.com/ Shondra with Dev Ross (Episode #50) https://thetwolucys.com/ HaskinCast Podcast links: Official Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1210703585754449&ref=br_rs My Website: https://www.scotthaskin.com/podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hr9NNZSe6Q9tFOjD5bX8j?si=Tqme3XQXQXq8Qo4EDE2rjw https://open.spotify.com/show/3hr9NNZSe6Q9tFOjD5bX8j iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/haskincast-podcast/id1437772872?mt=2 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/ScottHaskinMusic Google Play: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ipsjavxsi5u4l4t5xvzmxjess4i?t%3DHaskinCast_PodCast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16 Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/site/Search/index?v=haskincast
Adam Weiner is the heart and soul of South Philadelphia-based rock 'n' roll boogie band Low Cut Connie and may be one of the most charismatic performers in music today. He graduated from Cherry Hill East High School and admits he didn't have a "plan B" - he was going to be a rock star. With a hugely talented voice and a ceremonious devotion to being the best piano player he can be, Adam can be found in rock venues across the country jumping around the stage, rolling around his piano and undressing the crowd with his mind. He is flamboyant, sensual, unpredictable - and a Philadelphia treasure to behold. Low Cut Connie's latest album, "Dirty Pictures (Part 2)" was released in 2018. It boasts great tracks like "Beverly" (which is featured in this podcast) "All These Kids Are Way Too High" and "Master Tapes." Adam's band has received accolades from Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and President Obama, whom Adam met personally. Join us as we descend into Adam's lair, the Low Cut Connie Studios in South Philadelphia and capture a glimpse of what is going on in the mind of a Philadelphia rock star who is currently on the top of his game. Recorded December 10, 2019 in South Philadelphia. In this podcast: Excerpt of "Beverly" by Low Cut Connie (0:22); Adam offering his spontaneous rendition of the Action News Theme and his thoughts on the iconic song (3:07); on why hard work is an essential component to being a successful band (4:10); Low Cut Connie's mission statement and why the world needs more boogie (4:37); how he describes Low Cut Connie's sound to new listeners (5:28); on the band's latest album "Dirty Pictures (Part 2)" and how Philadelphia seeped into the music (6:38); Adam channeling his inner Bruce Springsteen in songwriting (7:43); why "Born in the U.S.A." and "Purple Rain" were such important albums during his childhood (8:40); how an early version of the song "Beverly" first came together during his years performing in New York City, with Adam demonstrating on his piano "Nellie" (9:27); who "Beverly" might actually be (12:20); Adam's live stage antics and how Iggy Pop provided influence (13:02); why he considers himself an "advanced amateur" on the piano and how he learned how to play (15:17); why Professor Longhair of New Orleans is his favorite piano player of all time (16:35); famous people who love his band, including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and President Obama (who put Low Cut Connie on his summer playlist of 2015) (20:50); on meeting President Obama and whether the new attention did anything for Low Cut Connie (22:05); why the Philadelphia music scene is "fabulous" and why it is such a great home for Low Cut Connie (23:39); why he named his favorite piano "Shondra" (24:50); Adam invites me to meet "Shondra," which is now being stored in a studio basement (25:58); Adam breaks out into a rendition of Sea of Love (27:35); if Jim Gardner will listen to this podcast (27:52); a slow rendition of "Beverly" (28:25); why the song offers sadness and hope at the same time (29:35); his favorite artists of all time (30:45); a song from Toots and the Maytals (31:31); why AC/DC was right when they sang "It's a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock and Roll (32:20); why his favorite Philadelphia spots are greasy delis (33:20); Adam plays an excerpt of his hit song "Boozophilia" (36:07)
What do you do when your book isn't selling? What changes can you make to make your book start selling? International bestselling author, Stuart Thaman, who works with traditional publishing companies to revive dead books that aren't selling. joins the Am Writing Fantasy podcast to share his insights. In this episode, the how-to guide book, "How to write a fantasy book description" is mentioned. You can find it here: https://www.jesperschmidt.com/books/how-to-write-a-fantasy-book-description/ You can find Stuart's helpful guides and articles here: http://www.stuartthamanbooks.com/marketing-series Tune in for new episodes EVERY single Monday. SUPPORT THE AM WRITING FANTASY PODCAST! Please tell a fellow author about the show and visit us at Apple podcast and leave a rating and review. Join us at www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy. For as little as a dollar a month, you'll get awesome rewards and keep the Am Writing Fantasy podcast going. Read the full transcript below. (Please note that it's automatically generated and while the AI is super cool, it isn't perfect. There may be misspellings or incorrect words on occasion). Jesper (1s): Hey there. Jesper just dropping in here up at the front of the episode. I have an excellent guest host on today, but I just wanted to drop in here quickly to let you know that we had a bit of audio quality issues, the internet on my guests and is not entirely stable and at one point about 18 and a half minute in it actually drops, which means that I cannot hear him and he keeps talking for a bit while I'm also talking on top of him to hoping, hoping that he's coming back online. So you're going to get about one and a half minute where we accidentally talk over one another. So my apologies for that. And also when it comes to his internet connection, there is a bit static on his end and uh, unfortunately I've done everything I can to try to clean it out, but, but it's not possible to get it any better than it is now, but you can hear everything he says. So I've decided to release this episode anyway, so I hope you will get a lot out of it. And the much, much apologies for the audio quality here. Thank you. Narrator (1m 7s): You're listening to the amwritingfantasy podcast. In today's publishing landscape, you can reach fans all over the world. Query letters are a thing of the past. You don't even need a literary agent. There is nothing standing in the way of making a living from writing join to best selling authors who have self published more than 20 books between them. Now onto the show with your hosts, Autumn Birt and Jesper Schmidt. Jesper (1m 35s): Hello, I am Jesper and this is episode 43 of the amwritingfantasy podcast. And we are going to talk about reviving dead books. Meaning, how do you get books that doesn't sell to start selling again? And as you've noticed, the autumn is not with me today, but instead I actually have a guest host and that's Stuart Thaman whose books have reached international international bestseller status in the U S Australia and Canada. So welcome to the amwritingfantasy podcast, Stuart. Stuart (2m 7s): Yeah, thanks for having me. Jesper (2m 10s): And I, I actually understood, uh, from a bit of our email conversations that they just spent a bit of time in I was about to say my part of the world, well I think it was in Germany and I'm in Denmark, but it's close. Stuart (2m 21s): Pretty close. Yeah. I was in central Germany, went to college and verts Berg, so been a decent amount of time in Europe. Oh, okay. What's bird what when Germany is, that is basically dead in the center of Germany. So it's a sort of a little bit to the East of Frankfurt. Probably the nearest a landmark, but not too far from you HC and yeah, honestly you can get anywhere from the center of the country, so it got to travel around a good amount as well. Oh, nice, nice, nice. So you were there for several years then. Yeah, for a good bit of time and really, really enjoyed it. I love the food. I love the climate. Uh, it's just a wonderful place to live. Jesper (2m 59s): Oh, cool. Very cool. But uh, but I think you're back in the U S now, right? Yup. Stuart (3m 4s): So living in Kentucky, which is a in the Midwest of the United States. Yeah. Jesper (3m 9s): Right. Okay. And actually before we get into the whole conversation about reviving dead books, which, ah, which I guess you've made a bit of a specialty out of, but before we get into that, I also noticed that you writing some lit RPG books and uh, I know that that's a, a Shaundra that has been a bit there. I don't know if we can call it hot, but, uh, I, I haven't understood that it's, it's something that, um, that is selling quite well in general, but, but it's also I think a bit of a special show to write. So I was just wondering if you could, you know, just yeah, a bit of insights about what is lit RPG and how do you go about writing it because I think it's a bit different, isn't it? Stuart (3m 50s): Yeah, it's a very niche, sort of a sub genre of fantasy and PSI Phi and, and really have any other genre you can sort of turn things into lit RPG. But, uh, it's been around for a while since ready. Player one came out quite some time ago, but really got big when the ready player one movie debuted a couple of years ago. And when that came out a lot of people started to get turned on the little RPG and a lot of people will call a game lit as well. And um, now the hardcore readers will, we'll put some designations between game lit and lit RPG, but typically, uh, the whole concept behind the sub genres, you have a fantasy, scifi horror world, whatever it might be, B. But in that world there exists the sort of mechanics of an actual video games. So, um, in I've got three different lid RPG series now that have done pretty well. Uh, it's uh, definitely a hot selling Shondra at the moment. Am it's really, uh, a lot of fun to write. And being a lifelong gamer, it's sort of like writing the video game that I wish I could play. And that adds a whole new dimension to the entire writing process, which is a ton of fun, but really starting to get popular am in the past year or so, just sort of a genre that's blown up. Jesper (5m 8s): Right? But am I right in understanding that you are actually writing out, that's for characters and stuff like that as well. Or Stuart (5m 15s): so there'll be a stats for the characters. They'll have like strength, agility, uh, this sort of traditional stats that you would expect from a video game. They go on quests, they go on dungeon runs, they get magic gear every time they level up and you know, gain experience points they need to pick new talents and they're sort of building their, their build more or less than kind of gives you that feeling of reading someone playing a really fun video game. Jesper (5m 41s): Right. So you're describing in the book itself what they're picking when delivering up and all that stuff. Yeah, Stuart (5m 47s): exactly. In and why they're making that decision and, and uh, what they anticipate that decision might mean in the future. Like if I get this talent now, it should unlock these future talents. And, uh, you can really mentally envision the video game aspect of it quite well. Jesper (6m 3s): Wow. That does different, yeah. And uh, and quite, it must also am I've never read a book like that, but it must be quite a different reading experience as well because I assume, I assume that's still a story in there, but, but a lot of it will then be broken up by these sort of well known story elements where you're just learning what skills they're picking for leveling up and stuff like that. Stuart (6m 27s): Yeah, it's very interesting because this story in some other PGS can honestly be secondary to the progression of the game and the progression of the character through the game. Uh, just depends on which kind of lit RPG you're reading. But I got turned on to it just on a recommendation from someone they told me I should read dungeon Lord by a Hugo who ESKA and the read that and just really, really, really liked it and just thought like, this is the kind of fantasy like I could write this, this is a lot of fun. And, uh, wrote my first one and took a while to really get it good and, and to really perfect it. But, uh, it's done really well. It's sold quite well and I'm really happy about that. So definitely a lot of fun to write. And uh, my, my first one only took me 20 days cover to cover to write it. So, um, very, very fast writing it because it was simply so much fun to do. Jesper (7m 18s): But how, how long are, uh, is IPG novel in general? How many words is Stuart (7m 23s): yeah, I mean typically the longer the better. So my very first one was right around 80,000 words. My, I've got two more that are coming out in November that are both over a hundred thousand words. So, um, the longer you can get them, the better. I'm just like normal, Epic fantasy people like to stay in that world as long as possible. Jesper (7m 40s): All right. Okay. Very cool. I was just curious about that. I know it's a complete detour versus what we're going to talk about. What I was just curious. Yeah, very new Stuart (7m 49s): stuff. Jesper (7m 50s): Yeah. Okay. But maybe we should get on topic, uh, for the sake of the listener here as well. Um, so yeah, I previously in the past I talked to Dave Chesson who, who was, uh, who was also on this podcast a while back. Uh, he's the guy who does the publisher rocket software and uh, he mentioned Stuart that I should contact you because you have made a bit of a specialty to revive that books. Uh, and you're also doing it for traditional publishing companies as far as I understood. But yeah, but where do we start this whole conversation about how to revive it? That book if the listener is in the situation where they have a book they published but it's just not selling. Stuart (8m 32s): Yeah. The first thing to do is just identify the quality of the product itself, which could be pretty difficult. And it kind of requires you to step back with an unbiased eye and try not to look at the book as, Oh, this is, you know, my baby that I've worked on for so long and my projects that I've had, you know, sort of putting in my heart for so long that I really want to succeed. And the first step is just to look at the product as just a product that you're selling to consumers. Like anything else, if you ran a pizza shop or whatever, you would look at the quality of the product that you're selling and see where you can improve that. So not every book is really, you know, ready to be revived or anything like that. I'm definitely not, there are a lot of books out there where the quality, you know, maybe it's something you wrote 10 years ago and it's just not that great. You know, if you can recognize that, it'll save you a lot of time and money and frustration. I've got books that I now call dead books where I've buried those books because the quality just wasn't that good and I'm not going to waste money trying to revive it myself. But then I've got other books that I wrote a long time ago released that did not do as well as I wanted that I have gone back and revive and then um, know working for different publishing companies. I've done exactly that. But the first step is really, especially if you have a big catalog, identify a good candidate. So you need something with good writing, unless you really want to drop another, a couple of hundred dollars or $1,000 into the editing costs as well. But you want to make sure you have something that's got a good enough backbone essentially to where you can improve it enough and revive it and it'll actually be worth it. Um, but figuring out which book that is in your catalog, it should really be step one. So really the thing that the strongest writing that didn't sell that, that the non-selling factor was a surprise. That's, that's probably step one for sure. Jesper (10m 28s): Right? Yeah. And that of course makes sense. But, but the thing or the question that popped up into my mind here, when you set that is like, but it's not, I don't think necessarily that every author can recognize that themselves. So, so, you know, of course, if you're doing it for a traditional author publisher and they give you some debt books that they could, you know, Stuart can you please revive these for us? Then you can approach this SD outside opinion that that takes a look at the book and say, okay, this is not up for that, you know, this is not good enough or whatever. Maybe that sounds a bit harsh but, but you know what I mean. Uh, but if it's the author who, who's supposed to do it on his or her own books, um, do you think that's possible to do or do you need somebody from outside to take a look? Stuart (11m 14s): It's definitely difficult and I, I think is, I have worked a little bit as a professional editor and proofreader as well and, uh, worked in acquisitions for a publisher for quite some time, reading through manuscripts in the slush pile and that kind of thing. So I think that gives me a little advantage and a little better perspective where no, I'm not attached to even my own writing as much as someone else might be. Yeah. I, I think that's a skill that people can develop if you look at something, especially if it's been awhile since you've actually sat down to write it, uh, you'll find oftentimes, at least in my experience, that even if I love the book and the moment I was writing it and I was really, really into it, thought it going to be fantastic. Going back and rereading it, I can look and say like, Oh, this just, you know, it's just not my best work. I've advanced as an author. I'm better than this now and this just doesn't really do it for me. Um, and I think that's a skill that people can develop. Okay. Honestly, I think there's a lot of editors out there that should be able to take a manuscript from someone if you send it and you know, maybe they charge you a hundred bucks or whatever, but just ask the editor, you know, for their outright opinions. Yeah. Do you think this is good enough for me to publish? You know, from the stuff you've seen that you've edited, um, you know, editors, a lot of times we'll follow how well their books do that they added, you know, look at it and say, Hey, if I were to try to revive this, do you think it's worthwhile? And, and just trying to get an honest answer that way. Jesper (12m 42s): Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Uh, and, and I think what I've often said before is that, uh, you need to be careful because what happens a lot of the time is that of course with every single book that we write, the better we become. So you see you, you need to be careful also that you, you don't step into this never ending spiral of, you know, because you can always go back and we write some older books and make them better, but you need to really ask yourself, is it worth it? Because the amount of time that you're spending rewriting is, is quite, uh, you know, it's, it's quite an investment of time to do that versus if it's just a cover that is off, you know, that's a much easier fix to, to see. So I was just wondering, because I was thinking that if I was going to approach it, rewriting was, unless I for sure knew, of course that this is just not good enough. Then it's, it's a given obviously that you need to do that. But I was just thinking from a time investment perspective, I think that we're rewriting part would probably be the last thing I would do. I would probably try out all the other elements first or, or what Stuart (13m 48s): yeah. If, if it's a book where you can simply pick flyer, like this is a book that needs rewritten, my recommendation would be just shelf it. And if you have that time later in the future, go for it from 90% of us. We're not gonna have that much time. So just, you know, pick a different book to try to revive. Or oftentimes I've found it's, it's even easier just to write the next one and just sort of forget about it and know leave that book as dead. But, um, really the, the best, you know, reviving the dead books is if you can go through that back catalog, maybe you've got four or five or six books that really aren't selling and just pick out, you know, find the one that has the strongest writing, the one that is the best that, you know, maybe it needs a proofread, something like that. But it doesn't need a whole lot of work to the actual manuscript in order to get it ready to go. Jesper (14m 39s): Right. And of course, well maybe they won't be many reviews on a day fee if it, if it is really a debt book and has always been a debt book, but, but if you do have some reviews, I think that's also a place where you could go to, to get some hints if, if it really needs another editing pass and you know, if there's complaints about too many typos and whatnot. Stuart (14m 58s): Yeah, exactly. I definitely agree with that. Yeah. Um, but I, I was also thinking in terms of Jesper (15m 9s): the look inside part, you know, from the Amazon, but how much attention are you, are you placing on making sure that those first, uh, I think, if I'm remember correctly, I might be a bit off on this, but I think it's 10% of the book Stuart (15m 23s): somewhere around there at least. Yeah. So Jesper (15m 27s): present, I think you, you can see from the look inside or the free sample on Amazon, but how much attention are you putting on making sure that those 10% are really engaging? Stuart (15m 36s): Yeah, it's definitely a part you need to hook the reader. So not every reader of course, is even going to look in on that feature or even know that feature exists. It's definitely a part, um, and that, that some people do pay attention to. And I think a lot of other authors, we'll start there if, you know, if you've written before and you're looking for new materials to read yourself, then it's an area where we're going to look, it's gotta be, of course, you know, professional formatting. And a lot of times, like when I worked for different presses, I'll go into their material. I'll see, okay, these books were made and you know, 2010 or 2014 and the formatting just back then wasn't as good. And they've gotten a professional format or now or whoever, there's, whoever is doing their formatting is simply gotten better. And so we just need to update this, run the manuscript through the formatting again as though it were brand new and get it updated, get it out there in the professional quality that the other more modern books are used to receiving. And, and that can be definitely a big thing, but I think just from a, okay, really from a story perspective, if you don't hook somebody in the first, you know, 10, 15 pages, if you don't get them absolutely invested, then there's so much other competition out there that readers will leave. And especially if you're trying to sell and Kindle unlimited, you have to be even more am sort of action heavy and really, uh, punching it up well upfront or you don't really have a chance cause somebody's pinhole unlimited. I mean, they didn't pay to download your book at all. If you don't get them committed and invested in the first 10 pages, they're just going to move on to the next book on their Kindle and you've lost them. So, uh, definitely very important from a story perspective to have a really, really strong active opening that introduces, you know, one or two characters, keeps the cast small, sets up the overarching conflict well and really attaches the reader to those characters right out of the gate. Yeah, fully agree. Um, Jesper (17m 36s): let, let's assume for now that that people sort of, they, they have the, they have the product itself, meaning meaning the book or the writing itself is, is up to par. So, so that, that stuff is good. They have a good to hook in the beginning. Uh, if, if Stuart (17m 50s): we assume that that is okay, then what about covers then? Yeah, so the cover of course is a huge aspect of writing and you know, we all know the old phrases of not judging books by their covers. And yet we all do it every single time we buy a book. It's the first step of marketing. It's the first thing you see when you approach a book, whether it be online on a bookshelf, and it doesn't matter. The first thing we see are first impression is always that book cover. And a lot of times what I've seen in some of the books that I have revived is that the cover just doesn't match the genre expectation. And if you're trying to sell a, a a really, you know, intense suspense thriller and your cover just doesn't speak to me as a thriller, it could be a beautiful gorgeous cover. But if it just doesn't meat the jhana expectations of a thriller, then it's not going to sell well no matter how good the cover is. So a lot of it is just looking at the top 100 covers in your genre or pick, you know, 10 or so competing authors that your book is most similar to, and you know, you write thrillers, look up Stephen King and Dean Koontz and look up those coppers and see what they look like. Because even if you don't like that style, that's what the reader expect. And that's what the reader wants to see because the reader is going to be coming from Dean Coons or Stephen King and they're going to be looking for more thrillers to read. And if they see, you know, a thriller that matches what they like, they're going to buy it versus seeing a thriller that could have a gorgeous professional, extremely good cover. But if the cover to them says, Oh, this is historical or horror or fantasy, this isn't a thriller like I like, then they're never going even to reach or blurb and they're not going to get any farther than glancing at your cover and ignoring it and you lose that reader forever. And that's an area where I see a lot of authors don't make sense. They spot on is that cover just doesn't really, really important and you have to have a cover that really explains what the show is about action and shows that it's not really about, uh, at the point in time when it comes to covers, it is not good. Me being original, which a lot of us authors can easily try to become a try to, to achieve. We tried to be so original and we try to, to make it so unique that nobody has seen this before and we believe it's, it's to be excellent, but in fact, that is not the case. Uh, and that's not what we're looking for because readers are looking for something similar to what they used to. And by giving them a cover that that shows them that this is the younger you are getting and it's on par with or similar to two other Jesper (20m 48s): best selling books in that younger, then that is how you are going to am to be successful from a, from a coverage perspective. Okay. So, so if that was all about covers then am I'm wondering the other element that also goes into whether another book will sell is uh, the uh, uh, book descriptions. So, so how do you or how do one yeah, consider or evaluate if once book description is good enough. Stuart (21m 20s): Yeah, I think in book descriptions and blurbs or a synopsis, it's a lot more difficult than with covers cause converse, you can compare to some of the top selling covers in your genre and get a good idea. But blurbs are so unique to the book that it makes it a lot more difficult. But with blurbs that very easy to change, especially on the electronic format, it's extremely easy to change. You can try out a different blurb every week until you get something that you really liked. But a big mistake at least that I see with lots and lots of blurbs is authors try to just sort of tell you the plot. Here's what my book is about. That seems logical, but it very, very rarely works. And really the goal of any sort of book blurb or synopsis is not to tell the reader what the book is going to be about, but it is to tell the reader instead why they should look at the book and what they're going to be excited about. And really what that comes down to is Shondra expectations, which is similar to the cover. And you want to just give them atmosphere and you want them to think like, Oh, this is going to be a really cool, you know, intense mystery thriller, not, Oh, this is a book about a guy who was framed for a crime and goes on the run and moves to Argentina. It should be a book, a description that gives them just the atmosphere and sort of builds up that expectation in their head and then leaves them wanting more. Because if they, if they get the plot from the, the book description, they don't need to read the book anymore. If they just get the atmosphere and the genre expectation, then they need to read the book in order to figure out what it's about. And I think that can be a, a, a really powerful selling tool. But again, since it's so easy to just change the blurb, essentially whenever you need to pick five or six that you like and you know, test them on a, a writing group and you know, on a sub Reddit or something like that, um, test them out in a Facebook group for authors. See what people like, pick the two or three that get the most votes, try one for a week with your marketing plan. If it works, great. If not, switch to a different one. And you can really am guess and check with them blurbs pretty easy. Jesper (23m 41s): Yeah, absolutely. And, and, uh, it's, it's sort of like thinking about the movie trailer. I mean, of course not all movies trailers does a good job at being a trail either. But yeah, it needs to just tease to stuff. You don't have to. Yeah, exactly. You don't have to tell bots. You just, you just tease it. Uh, and, and then, yeah, as you say, I mean, fortunately enough, eh, changing the blurb is quite easy. So, uh, you can just upload a new one and see how it performs. And of course, for you, dear listener, if you're struggling with that, don't forget that, uh, I actually have a guide book called how to write a fences. You put description so you can pick that one up and, uh, follow a step by step guide if you need some assistance on, on blurps. But, uh, but I do think blurbs are incredibly important because if people find, if, if you sort of have the writing on the control and you have the cover under control, meaning that it's sugar specific, like you talked about before, Stuart then people will then click, but then when they click and get to the book page on, for example, Amazon, then the blurb is the one that needs to close the deal, right? Yup. Definitely. Yeah. And if you don't have that sort of them, well, you're still gonna lose out at the problem. He, I guess in, in revising these books, reviving these books as a, that was what I was trying to say is that you have, so you have quite a lot of moving parts here, right? I mean, yeah, there's a lot of different elements that could be wrong that you need to evaluate. Yeah, there are a ton of variables and it can sometimes, especially when you're looking at your own work, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what's wrong, but Amy and I think, uh, if people really take a diligent look, it's not as hard as it seems to figure out exactly where there's room to improve. Right? Yeah. And then, and sometimes it's probably also about of, uh, if, if you are really stuck, you know, maybe get some author friends to take a look for you or something like that. There's tons of groups out there full of authors that don't mind giving advice to everybody else. So there's, the resources exist. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. But, but I was just thinking when I said that, I also thought of a caveat right away. I guess that's, that's the problem if you're trying to give advice and been thinking about caveats right away. But, but the, the problem is also that sometimes the authors themselves are not the right people to justice stuff because we think as authors and, and it's difficult sometimes to put yourself in the mind of the reader because just like you said with the covers, uh, the readers are looking for, uh, something that signals to them that this is, I know what I'm getting and this is what I'm used to. They're not looking for, this is the most amazing original fats as you cover I've ever, ever seen. You know, that's not what they're looking for. And we can get, well, I think sometimes by asking other authors, you can get into the same trap that they will tell you their author opinion. Um, and, but of course, sometimes you're going to get good advice from people who know what they're talking about. It's just a word of caution, I guess. Stuart (26m 50s): I would agree. A lot of authors will make the same mistake as an author trying to revive their own work and then they look through it from the wrong perspective. Jesper (26m 59s): Right. But okay, so if we have the writing we have to cover, we have the book description than, than what. What else? Stuart (27m 7s): It really, once you've got all that your, you're pretty much ready to go. So, uh, you've, you've got everything more or less. All right. Seated correctly. Sometimes. I've actually, we've, we've changed titles on books as well, so we've had titles on that comes to mind that as probably the most successful book revival I've ever done. Um, and it, it was a really cool portal fantasy about a Japanese fighter pilot going back in time during world war II and going back to feudal Japan times and sort of becoming a sword and sorcery fantasy and that book had a cover that said historical fiction to me. It had a title that was in Japanese and I didn't even understand it even though the book was in English and the writing, we just needed a proofread. But, uh, we changed that title to one that was very in keeping with am with sort of expectations and whatnot. The book's called samurai wind by Nigel sellers. But, uh, we, we revive that and got the new title on it, got a new cover on it and everything. And then really from there, the bulk of your work is finished and all you need to do is just find that audience and figure out where those people live. And with a samurai themed portal fantasy with a little historical bend to it, honestly, that appeals to most fantasy readers already. That's something that a lot of fantasy readers are going to really enjoy. So all you need to do is, is, uh, then dive into your sort of traditional marketing approach. And for me that would be Facebook and Amazon ads testing key words, figuring out which keywords are getting your sales, and then am pumping really as much of your budget as you can afford into those valuable keywords until they stop working. And then re-evaluating once those keywords fall off a little bit. But, um, once you get to the point where you've got, you know, the title, the cover, the blurb and the writing that is pretty much everything. You're, you're more or less they're ready to market it again and really rebrand the novel and get people interested in it. Jesper (29m 12s): Yeah. Yeah, I would agree. Uh, and of course then once you are at that stage, then you have the same problem that everybody else has and that is to drive enough traffic there and, and when those bits and all that. But do you have any, any good advice when it comes to, to running some ads and getting, getting the traffic to that book that you now know it's good and you know what you're sell but you just need to get eyeballs, eyeballs on it. Do you have any advice on, on how to best go about that? Uh, the advertising part of this equation? Stuart (29m 41s): Yeah, it's definitely marketing books is tricky. And sort of the uh, pitfall I guess of almost every author out there that I talked to am on my website on stuartthamanbooks.com I've got a whole series of free articles about marketing that go into, in a lot more detail than a, just a quick podcast. But essentially the biggest advice is if you're using pay to click or right, yeah. Pay per click ads. That's it. So if you're using those paper click ads, which I recommend you just want to sort of start with the shotgun blast and hit as much as you possibly can right out of the gate and it's going to be expensive to test and it's going to be a pretty steep learning curve. You'll need to know what you're doing. Yeah. If you set up, you know, maybe three or 4,000 different keywords on Amazon, which am I use the publisher rocket as well, but, um, set up 4,000 keywords and run those for fast and keywords, which will be four different ads, but run them on, you know, three different ad copies and adjust your ad copy. You know, three different times, figure out which keywords are hitting. And the combination might be something that's surprising. It might be something that you don't expect and he might have, uh, you know, a key word with an ad copy that doesn't strike you as something that you would, you know, would work for you. But again, the author's not the customer. So it's hard to think like a customer and we don't always understand the customers. Um, but really just sort of testing as much as physically possible for as long as you can to get enough data to be meaningful. Then figuring out from that data, okay, what about this makes sense and where am I actually going to make money? Um, you know, kill those keywords that are just sucking down budget with no returns. Kill those off real quick. Figure it out. The ones that, the keywords that are giving you the best bang for your buck and then put more and more into those keywords. Or maybe try five or six different ad copies with each key word to see what works the best. And eventually, you know, might take you a month, but you'll pair it down to where you've got ads running that are going to be very profitable on either Facebook or Amazon, whatever it might be. B, you'll get ads that are, are churning out a high rate of return. Jesper (31m 57s): Yeah. Do you uh, tend to be it high to, to, to get those, uh, basically to revive the books so to speak, in order to get to get the Amazon algorithm to pay attention to you? Do, do you tend to bid high to make sure you're winning those bits or, or do you just bit sorta Jewish sure. That you're going to get a return on investment if you win the bid. So how do you, how do, how do you go about that? Stuart (32m 20s): It's setting is definitely difficult. I'm not gonna say I'm a master of that just yet. Honestly, in the beginning I like to set the bids higher just cause I'm, I'm kind of impatient when it comes to getting that data and figuring it out. So I'll last a lot of ads in the beginning that are going to cost a good bit of money and have pretty high bids just so I can get all that data and you know, run through my budget every single day to make sure I'm hitting it. And uh, once I get all that data, all tone it down. And most of the time, once I have an ad that's fairly refined, I'll just send it to the Amazon recommended bid and they do like the dynamic bidding where they'll adjust it for you up to like 50% of what you put in. So I'll put maybe 50 cents in and so that'll let it adjust up to 75 cents if it needs to. And that seems to work pretty well. So you're not getting, you know, prime time bids, you're not winning those, but you're still at least, you know, winning enough bids to get a decent amount of impressions, a few thousand impressions or whatever it might be on each ad and, and that's really what you need. But once you pare it down, I think that the bid matters maybe less and less. And it might be the case I've had a few times where reviving an old book, I've found that it wasn't any keyword that was even expensive that ends up being the winner. And it'll be something, you know, for sent keyword that nobody else is bidding on that I would've never thought in a thousand years of irrelevant. But it was something that publisher rocket pulled up in their list and I kept it in there and there it went. And so it'll be a really cheap, a keyword, which is fantastic. Jesper (34m 4s): Yeah, I know, I know Dave Chesson likes to share the example of, uh, of, uh, what was it? Book book book. I think that was the key word, who was using just three times the word book in a row, which makes absolutely no sense at all. Stuart (34m 18s): Who types that in on am I don't know what they're hoping to find when they search book book book but people do apparently, and that you weren't as typically cheap so you can grab it. Jesper (34m 30s): Yeah, yeah, indeed. Indeed. Okay. Well, I think that that is good in terms of revitalizing the book so, so you certainly need to drive the traffic there and, and all the usual stuff that we usually talk about is, is of course also relevant in the sense that, uh, if you make sure to write in series, then of course you can afford to spend a bit more on, on this, uh, book one in the series that is debt, uh, because hopefully people will now start reading through that and, and like it because you just made sure that the product itself is good and then they'll buy the other books and, and that will bring you back some revenue, meaning that you will cover some of your ads. Exactly. Stuart (35m 10s): Yeah. Jesper (35m 12s): Okay. Uh, Stuart uh, is there anything else that is important to know about reviving that books, uh, Stuart (35m 19s): that we haven't talked about? Covered just about everything? Um, I guess as a last bit of advice, I would say, uh, one of the biggest mistakes I see authors making is, is always with the cover. And just the concept is actually a line that I read I think like two or three days ago, just came up. Another author mentioned that your when you look at a cover, you should not be looking for some flawless work of art. You should consider your cover to just be your first marketing tool. And even if it's a cover that you personally don't like, if it fits in your genre, the offense, what readers want, use it. It doesn't matter if you like it or not because the paycheck is what, what the authors in it for. So, uh, it doesn't have to be some, you know, flawless work of art. You can always make a special edition later that's going to be your flawless work of art, but you need to sell books first before we can afford that special edition. Jesper (36m 13s): Yeah, absolutely. And you mentioned early on that, that you had some articles or blog posts or whatever that, uh, goes into some of this. So if you send me the links to that, the Stuart, then I'll add those links into the show notes. Can go and read it. Stuart (36m 29s): Yup. Yeah. Just Stuart Thaman books is where you can find it all and we'll get those links up there. Jesper (36m 34s): All right, perfect. Okay. Thanks so much for, for joining Stuart. Yeah, thank you. So next Monday autumn is back and we are going to talk about whether or not free books are worth it as a marketing strategy. Narrator (36m 53s): If you like what you just heard, there's a few things you can do to support the amwritingfantasy podcast. Please tell a fellow author about the show and visit us at Apple podcast and leave a rating and review. You can also join autumn and Jesper on patrion.com/amwritingfantasy for as little as a dollar a month. You'll get awesome rewards and keep the amwritingfantasy podcast going. Stay safe out there and see you next Monday.
"Being Fatherless is like an epidemic. It's like a disease... Going up the mountain is a daily thing."In this episode, we sit down and discuss knowing God as Father with Shondra Watson of I Am Shondra.
Episode Notes Cornbread and Caviar: A Podcast Episode #33 - Lupus Lupus LupusJoin Ramón, the Cornbread & Caviar crew, and special guests Auntie Regina, and Shondra, as they open up about their personal Lupus stories. Lupus is a complex, potentially dangerous disease. If you have concerns about or want to learn more about Lupus, please visit www.lupus.org or see your physician.Want to join the conversation? Hit us up at EatcornbreadandCaviar@gmail.com, and follow us at EatCornbreadandCaviar on Instagram!Like, Share, and Subscribe! It only costs a few seconds of your time. Maria Renée @MsMariaRenée Jaymes Brandon @Jaymes.Brandon Cornbread & Caviar is an educational and collaborative space, designed to stimulate and entertain listeners using a range of topics to provoke thought, bring about unity, cultivate tolerance and collaboration, and catalyze change.Find out more at https://cornbread-and-caviar.pinecast.co
Sometimes you just have to face the facts and accept reality for what it is. Even when it hurts. We've decided to make a major change to the Am Writing Fantasy YouTube channel and Podcast. The reasons and what this change encompasses are shared in this announcement. Thank you so much for watching over the past three years. We sincerely hope that you'll continue supporting and find what we do helpful. New episodes EVERY single Monday. PATREON! Many bonus perks for those who become a patrons. https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy LET'S CONNECT! Closed Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmWritingFantasy/ Blog and Courses: https://www.amwritingfantasy.com/ Jesper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchmidtJesper Autumn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/weifarer Read the full transcript below. (Please note that it's automatically generated and while the AI is super cool, it isn't perfect. There may be misspellings or incorrect words on occasion) Jesper (1s): Hey there. Jesper just dropping in here, uh, up at the front of the episode. I have an excellent guest host on today, but I just wanted to drop in here quickly to let you know that we had a bit of audio quality issues, the internet on my guests and is not entirely stable and at one point about 18 and a half minute in it actually drops, which means that I cannot hear him and he keeps talking for a bit while I'm also talking on top of him to hoping, hoping that he's coming back online. So you're going to get about one and a half minute where we accidentally talk over one another. So my apologies for that. And also when it comes to his internet connection, there is a bit static on his end and uh, unfortunately I've done everything I can to try to clean it out, but, but it's not possible to get it any better than it is now, but you can hear everything he says. So I've decided to release this episode anyway, so I hope you will get a lot out of it. And the much, much apologies for the audio quality here. Thank you. Narrator (1m 7s): You're listening to the amwritingfantasy podcast. In today's publishing landscape, you can reach fans all over the world. Query letters are a thing of the past. You don't even need a literary agent. There is nothing standing in the way of making a living from writing. Join two best selling authors who have self published more than 20 books between them. Now onto the show with your hosts, autumn Bert and Jasper Schmidt. Jesper (1m 35s): Hello, I am Yesper and this is episode 43 of the amwritingfantasy podcast. And we are going to talk about reviving dead books. Meaning, how do you get books that doesn't sell to start selling again? And as you've noticed that autumn is not with me today, but instead I actually have a guest host and that's Stuart Peyman, whose books have reached international international bestseller status in the U S Australia and Canada. So we'll come to the amwritingfantasy podcast do it. Stuart (2m 7s): Yeah, thanks for having me. Jesper (2m 10s): And I, I actually understood, uh, from a bit of our email conversations that they just spent a bit of time in. I was about to say my part of the world, well I think it was in Germany and I'm in Denmark, but it's close. Stuart (2m 21s): Pretty close. Yeah. I was in central Germany, went to college and verts Berg, so been a decent amount of time in Europe. Oh, okay. What's bird? Where's when Germany is, that is basically dead in the center of Germany. So it's a sort of a little bit to the East of Frankfurt. Probably the nearest a landmark, but not too far from you hick and yeah, honestly you can get anywhere from the center of the country, so it got to travel around a good amount as well. Oh, nice. Nice. Nice. So you were there for several years then. Yeah, for a good bit of time and really, really enjoyed it. I love the food. I love the climate. Uh, it's just a wonderful place to live. Jesper (2m 59s): Oh, cool. Very cool. But uh, but I think you're back in the U S now, right? Yup. Stuart (3m 4s): So living in Kentucky, which is a in the Midwest of the United States. Yeah. Jesper (3m 9s): Right. Okay. And actually before we get into the whole conversation about reviving dead books, which, ah, which I guess you've made a bit of a specialty out of. But before we get into that, I also noticed that you writing some lit RPG books and uh, I know that that's a, a Shaundra that has been a bit there. I don't know if we can call it hot, but, uh, I, I haven't understood that it's, it's something that, um, that is selling quite well in general, but, but it's also I think a bit of a special show to write. So I was just wondering if you could, you know, just yeah, a bit of insights about what is lit RPG and how do you go about writing it because I think it's a bit different isn't it? Stuart (3m 50s): Yeah, it's a very niche, sort of a sub genre of fantasy and PSI Phi and, and really have any other genre you can sort of turn things into lit RPG. But, uh, it's been around for a while since ready. Player one came out quite some time ago, but really got big when the ready player one movie debuted a couple of years ago. And when that came out a lot of people started to get turned on the little RPG and a lot of people will call a game lit as well. And um, now the hardcore readers will, we'll put some designations between game lit and lit RPG, but typically, uh, the whole concept behind the sub genres, you have a fantasy, scifi horror world, whatever it might be, B. But in that world there exists the sort of mechanics of an actual video games. So, um, and I've got three different lid RPG series now that have done pretty well. Uh, it's uh, definitely a hot selling Shondra at the moment. Am it's really, uh, a lot of fun to write. And being a lifelong gamer, it's sort of like writing the video game that I wish I could play. And that adds a whole new dimension to the entire writing process, which is a ton of fun, but really starting to get popular am in the past year or so, just sort of a genre that's blown up. Jesper (5m 8s): Right? But am I right in understanding that you are actually writing out, that's for characters and stuff like that as well. Or Stuart (5m 15s): so there'll be a stats for the characters. They'll have like strength, agility, uh, this sort of traditional stats that you would expect from a video game. They go on quests, they go on dungeon runs, they get magic gear every time they level up and you know, gain experience points they need to pick new talents and they're sort of building their, their build more or less than kind of gives you that feeling of reading someone playing a really fun video game. Jesper (5m 41s): Right. So you're describing in the book itself what they're picking when delivering up and all that stuff. Yeah, Stuart (5m 47s): exactly. And, and why they're making that decision and, and uh, what they anticipate that decision might mean in the future. Like if I get this talent now, it should unlock these future talents. And, uh, you can really mentally envision the video game aspect of it quite well. Jesper (6m 3s): Wow. That does different, yeah. And uh, and quite, it must also am I've never read a book like that, but it must be quite a different reading experience as well because I assume, I assume that's still a story in there, but, but a lot of it will then be broken up by these sort of well known story elements where you're just learning what skills they're picking for leveling up and stuff like that. Stuart (6m 27s): Yeah, it's very interesting because this story in some other PGS can honestly be secondary to the progression of the game and the progression of the character through the game. Uh, just depends on which kind of lit RPG you're reading. But I got turned on to it just on a recommendation from someone they told me I should read dungeon Lord by a Hugo who ESKA and the read that and just really, really, really liked it and just thought like, this is the kind of fantasy like I could write this, this is a lot of fun. And, uh, wrote my first one and took a while to really get it good and, and to really perfect it. But, uh, it's done really well. It's sold quite well and I'm really happy about that. So definitely a lot of fun to write. And, uh, my, my first one only took me 20 days cover to cover, to write it. So, um, very, very fast writing it because it was simply so much fun to do. Jesper (7m 18s): But how, how long are, uh, is a lit IPG novel in general? How many words is, Stuart (7m 23s): yeah, I mean typically the longer the better. So my very first one was right around 80,000 words. My, I've got two more that are coming out in November that are both over a hundred thousand words. So, um, the longer you can get them, the better. I'm just like normal, Epic fantasy people like to stay in that world as long as possible. Jesper (7m 40s): All right. Okay. Very cool. I was just curious about that. I know it's a complete detour versus what we're going to talk about. What I was just curious. Yeah, very new Stuart (7m 49s): stuff. Jesper (7m 50s): Yeah. Okay. But maybe we should get on topic, uh, for the sake of the listener here as well. Um, so yeah, I previously in the past I talked to Dave Chesson who, who was, uh, who was also on this podcast a while back. Uh, he's the guy who does the publisher rocket software and uh, he mentioned Stuart that I should contact you because you have made a bit of a specialty to revive that books. Uh, and you're also doing it for traditional publishing companies as far as I understood. But yeah, but where do we start this whole conversation about how to revive it? That book, if the listener is in the situation where they have a book they published but it's just not selling. Stuart (8m 32s): Yeah. Thank the first thing to do is just identify the quality of the product itself, which could be pretty difficult and it kind of requires you to step back with an unbiased eye and try not to look at the book as, Oh, this is, you know, my baby that I've worked on for so long and my projects that I've had, you know, sort of putting in my heart for so long that I really want to succeed. And the first step is just to look at the product as just a product that you're selling to consumers. Like anything else, if you ran a pizza shop or whatever, you would look at the quality of the product that you're selling and see where you can improve that. So not every book is really, you know, ready to be revived or anything like that. I'm definitely not, there are a lot of books out there where the quality, you know, maybe it's something you wrote 10 years ago and it's just not that great. You know, if you can recognize that it'll save you a lot of time and money and frustration. I've got books that I now call dead books where I've buried those books because the quality just wasn't that good and I'm not going to waste money trying to revive it myself. But then I've got other books that I wrote a long time ago released that did not do as well as I wanted that I have gone back and revive and then um, know working for different publishing companies. I've done exactly that. But the first step is really, especially if you have a big catalog, identify a good candidate. So you need something with good writing, unless you really want to drop another, a couple of hundred dollars or $1,000 into the editing costs as well. But you want to make sure you have something that's got a good enough backbone essentially to where you can improve it enough and revive it and it'll actually be worth it. Um, but figuring out which book that is in your catalog, it should really be step one. So really the thing that the strongest writing that didn't sell that, that the non-selling factor was a surprise. That's, that's probably step one for sure. Jesper (10m 28s): Right? Yeah. And that of course makes sense. But, but the thing or the question that popped up into my mind here, when you set that is like, but it's not, I don't think necessarily that every author can recognize that themselves. So, so, you know, of course, if you're doing it for a traditional author publisher and they give you some debt books that they could, you know, Stuart, can you please revive these for us? Then you can approach this SD outside opinion that that takes a look at the book and say, okay, this is not up for that, you know, this is not good enough or whatever. Maybe that sounds a bit harsh but, but you know what I mean. Uh, but if it's the author who, who's supposed to do it on his or her own books, um, do you think that's possible to do or do you need somebody from outside to take a look? Stuart (11m 14s): It's definitely difficult and I, I think is, I have worked a little bit as a professional editor and proofreader as well and, uh, worked in acquisitions for a publisher for quite some time, reading through manuscripts in the slush pile and that kind of thing. So I think that gives me a little advantage and a little better perspective where no, I'm not attached to even my own writing as much as someone else might be. Yeah. I, I think that's a skill that people can develop if you look at something, especially if it's been awhile since you've actually sat down to write it, uh, you'll find oftentimes, at least in my experience, that even if I love the book and the moment I was writing it and I was really, really into it, thought it going to be fantastic. Going back and rereading it, I can look and say like, Oh, this just, you know, it's just not my best work. I've advanced as an author. I'm better than this now and this just doesn't really do it for me. Um, and I think that's a skill that people can develop. Okay. Honestly, I think there's a lot of editors out there that should be able to take a manuscript from someone if you send it and you know, maybe they charge you a hundred bucks or whatever, but just ask the editor, you know, for their outright opinions. Yeah. Do you think this is good enough for me to publish? You know, from the stuff you've seen that you've edited, um, you know, editors, a lot of times we'll follow how well their books do that they added, you know, look at it and say, Hey, if I were to try to revive this, do you think it's worthwhile? And, and just trying to get an honest answer that way. Jesper (12m 42s): Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Uh, and, and I think what I've often said before is that, uh, you need to be careful because what happens a lot of the time is that of course with every single book that we write, the better we become. So you see you, you need to be careful also that you, you don't step into this never ending spiral of, you know, because you can always go back and we write some older books and make them better, but you need to really ask yourself, is it worth it? Because the amount of time that you're spending rewriting is, is quite, uh, you know, it's, it's quite an investment of time to do that versus if it's just a cover that is off, you know, that's a much easier fix to, to see. So I was just wondering, because I was thinking that if I was going to approach it, rewriting was, unless I for sure knew, of course that this is just not good enough. Then it's, it's a given obviously that you need to do that. But I was just thinking from a time investment perspective, I think that we're rewriting part would probably be the last thing I would do. I would probably try out all the other elements first or, or what, Stuart (13m 48s): yeah. If, if it's a book where you can simply pick flyer, like this is a book that needs rewritten, my recommendation would be just shelf it. And if you have that time later in the future, go for it from 90% of us. We're not gonna have that much time. So Jesper you know, pick a different book to try to revive. Or oftentimes I've found it's, it's even easier just to write the next one and just sort of forget about it and know leave that book as dead. But, um, really the, the best, you know, reviving the dead books is if you can go through that back catalog, maybe you've got four or five or six books that really aren't selling and just pick out, you know, find the one that has the strongest writing, the one that is the best that, you know, maybe it needs a proofread, something like that. But it doesn't need a whole lot of work to the actual manuscript in order to get it ready to go. Jesper (14m 39s): Right. And of course, well maybe they won't be many reviews on a day fee if it, if it is really a debt book and has always been a debt book, but, but if you do have some reviews, I think that's also a place where you could go to, to get some hints if, if it really needs another editing pass and you know, if there's complaints about too many typos and whatnot. Stuart (14m 58s): Yeah, exactly. I definitely agree with that. Yeah. Um, but I, I was also thinking in terms of Jesper (15m 9s): the look inside part, you know, from the Amazon, but how much attention are you, are you placing on making sure that those first, uh, I think, if I'm remember correctly, I might be a bit off on this, but I think it's 10% of the book, Stuart (15m 23s): somewhere around there at least. Yeah. So Jesper (15m 27s): present, I think you, you can see from the look inside or the free sample on Amazon, but how much attention are you putting on making sure that those 10% are really engaging? Stuart (15m 36s): Yeah, it's definitely a part you need to hook the reader. So not every reader of course, is even going to look in on that feature or even know that feature exists. It's definitely a part, um, and that, that some people do pay attention to. And I think a lot of other authors, we'll start there if, you know, if you've written before and you're looking for new materials to read yourself, then it's an area where we're going to look, it's gotta be, of course, you know, professional formatting. And a lot of times, like when I worked for different presses, I'll go into their material. I'll see, okay, these books were made and you know, 2010 or 2014 and the formatting just back then wasn't as good. And they've gotten a professional format or now or whoever, there's, whoever is doing their formatting is simply gotten better. And so we just need to update this, run the manuscript through the formatting again as though it were brand new and get it updated, get it out there in the professional quality that the other more modern books are used to receiving. And, and that can be definitely a big thing, but I think just from a, okay, really from a story perspective, if you don't hook somebody in the first, you know, 10, 15 pages, if you don't get them absolutely invested, then there's so much other competition out there that readers will leave. And especially if you're trying to sell and Kindle unlimited, you have to be even more am sort of action heavy and really, uh, punching it up well upfront or you don't really have a chance cause somebody's pinhole unlimited. I mean, they didn't pay to download your book at all. If you don't get them committed and invested in the first 10 pages, they're just going to move on to the next book on their Kindle and you've lost them. So, uh, definitely very important from a story perspective to have a really, really strong active opening that introduces, you know, one or two characters, keeps the cast small, sets up the overarching conflict well and really attaches the reader to those characters right out of the gate. Yeah, fully agree. Um, Jesper (17m 36s): let, let's assume for now that that people sort of, they, they have the, they have the product itself, meaning meaning the book or the writing itself is, is up to par. So, so that, that stuff is good. They have a good to hook in the beginning. Uh, if, if Stuart (17m 50s): we assume that that is okay, then what about covers then? Yeah, so the cover of course is a huge aspect of writing and you know, we all know the old phrases of not judging books by their covers. And yet we all do it every single time we buy a book. It's the first step of marketing. It's the first thing you see when you approach a book, whether it be online on a bookshelf, and it doesn't matter. The first thing we see are first impression is always that book cover. And a lot of times what I've seen in some of the books that I have revived is that the cover just doesn't match the genre expectation. And if you're trying to sell a, a a really, you know, intense suspense thriller and your cover just doesn't speak to me as a thriller, it could be a beautiful gorgeous cover. But if it just doesn't meat the jhana expectations of a thriller, then it's not going to sell well no matter how good the cover is. So a lot of it is just looking at the top 100 covers in your genre or pick, you know, 10 or so competing authors that your book is most similar to. And you know, you write thrillers, look up Stephen King and Dean Koontz and look up those coppers and see what they look like. Because even if you don't like that style, that's what the reader expect. And that's what the reader wants to see because the reader is going to be coming from Dean Coons or Stephen King and they're going to be looking for more thrillers to read. And if they see, you know, a thriller that matches what they like, they're going to buy it versus seeing a thriller that could have a gorgeous professional, extremely good cover. But if the cover to them says, Oh, this is historical or horror or fantasy, this isn't a thriller like I like, then they're never going even to reach or blurb and they're not going to get any farther than glancing at your cover and ignoring it and you lose that reader forever. And that's an area where I see a lot of authors don't make sense. They spot on is that cover just doesn't really, really important and you have to have a cover that really explains what the show is about action and shows that it's not really about, uh, at the point in time when it comes to covers, it is not good many being original, which a lot of us authors can easily try to become a try to, to achieve. We tried to be so original and we try to, to make it so unique that nobody has seen this before and we believe it's, it's to be excellent, but in fact, that is not the case. Uh, and that's not what we're looking for because readers are looking for something similar to what they used to. And by giving them a cover that that shows them that this is the younger you are getting and it's on par with or similar to two other Jesper (20m 48s): best selling books in that younger, then that is how you are going to am to be successful from a, from a coverage perspective. Okay. So, so if that was all about covers then am I'm wondering the other element that also goes into whether another book will sell is the am book descriptions. So, so how do you or how do one yeah, consider or evaluate if once book description is good enough. Stuart (21m 20s): Yeah, I think in book descriptions and blurbs or a synopsis, it's a lot more difficult than with covers cause converse you can compare to some of the top selling covers in your genre and get a good idea. But blurbs are so unique to the book that it makes it a lot more difficult. But with blurbs that very easy to change, especially on the electronic format, it's extremely easy to change. You can try out a different blurb every week until you get something that you really liked. But a big mistake at least that I see with lots and lots of blurbs is authors try to just sort of tell you the plot. Here's what my book is about. That seems logical, but it very, very rarely works. And really the goal of any sort of book blurb or synopsis is not to tell the reader what the book is going to be about, but it is to tell the reader instead why they should look at the book and what they're going to be excited about. And really what that comes down to is Shondra expectations, which is similar to the cover. And you want to just give them atmosphere and you want them to think like, Oh, this is going to be a really cool, you know, intense mystery thriller, not, Oh, this is a book about a guy who was framed for a crime and goes on the run and moves to Argentina. It should be a book, a description that gives them just the atmosphere and sort of builds up that expectation in their head and then leaves them wanting more. Because if they, if they get the plot from the, the book description, they don't need to read the book anymore. If they just get the atmosphere and the genre expectation, then they need to read the book in order to figure out what it's about. And I think that can be a, a, a really powerful selling tool. But again, since it's so easy to just change the blurb, essentially whenever you need to pick five or six that you like and you know, test them on a, a writing group and you know, on a sub Reddit or something like that, um, test them out in a Facebook group for authors. See what people like, pick the two or three that get the most votes. Try one for a week with your marketing plan. If it works, great. If not, switch to a different one. And you can really am guess and check with them blurbs pretty easy. Jesper (23m 41s): Yeah, absolutely. And, and, uh, it's, it's sort of like thinking about the movie trailer. I mean, of course not all movies trailers does a good job at being a trail either. But yeah, it needs to just tease to stuff. You don't have to. Yeah, exactly. You don't have to tell bots. You just, you just tease it. Uh, and, and then, yeah, as you say, I mean, fortunately enough, eh, changing the blurb is quite easy. So, uh, you can just upload a new one and see how it performs. And of course, for you, dear listener, if you're struggling with that, don't forget that, uh, I actually have a guide book called how to write a fences. You put description so you can pick that one up and uh, follow a step by step guide if you need some assistance on, on blurps. But, uh, but I do think blurbs are incredibly important because if people find, if, if you sort of have the writing on the control and you have the cover under control, meaning that it's sugar specific, like you talked about before, stupid, then people will then click, but then when they click and get to the book page on, for example, Amazon, then the blurb is the one that needs to close the deal, right? Yup. Definitely. Yeah. And if you don't have that sort of them, well, you're still gonna lose out at the problem. He, I guess in, in revising these books, reviving these books as a, that was what I was trying to say is that you have, so you have quite a lot of moving parts here, right? I mean, yeah, there's a lot of different elements that could be wrong that you need to evaluate. Yeah, there are a ton of variables and it can sometimes, especially when you're looking at your own work, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what's wrong, but Amy and I think, uh, if people really take a diligent look, it's not as hard as it seems to figure out exactly where there's room to improve. Right? Yeah. And then, and sometimes it's probably also about of, uh, if, if you are really stuck, you know, maybe get some author friends to take a look for you or something like that. There's tons of groups out there full of authors that don't mind giving advice to everybody else. So there's, the resources exist. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. But, but I was just thinking when I said that, I also thought of a caveat right away. I guess that's, that's the problem if you're trying to give advice and been thinking about caveats right away. But, but the, the problem is also that sometimes the authors themselves are not the right people to justice stuff because we think as authors and, and it's difficult sometimes to put yourself in the mind of the reader because just like you said with the covers, uh, the readers are looking for, uh, something that signals to them that this is, I know what I'm getting and this is what I'm used to. They're not looking for, this is the most amazing original fats as you cover I've ever, ever seen. You know, that's not what they're looking for. And we can get, well, I think sometimes by asking other authors, you can get into the same trap that they will tell you their author opinion. Um, and, but of course, sometimes you're going to get good advice from people who know what they're talking about. It's just a word of caution, I guess. Stuart (26m 50s): I would agree. A lot of authors will make the same mistake as an author trying to revive their own work and then they look through it from the wrong perspective. Jesper (26m 59s): Right. But okay, so if we have the writing we have to cover, we have the book description than, than what, what else? Stuart (27m 7s): It really, once you've got all that, you're, you're pretty much ready to go. So, uh, you've, you've got everything more or less. All right. Seated correctly. Sometimes. I've actually, we've, we've changed titles on books as well, so we've had titles on that comes to mind that as probably the most successful book revival I've ever done. Um, and it, it was a really cool portal fantasy about a Japanese fighter pilot going back in time during world war II and going back to feudal Japan times and sort of becoming a sword and sorcery. Fantasy and that book had a cover that said historical fiction to me. It had a title that was in Japanese and I didn't even understand it even though the book was in English and the writing, we just needed a proofread. But, uh, we changed that title to one that was very in keeping with am with sort of expectations and whatnot. The book's called samurai wind by Nigel sellers, but we we revive that and got the new title on it, got a new cover on it and everything. And then really from there, the bulk of your work is finished and all you need to do is just find that audience and figure out where those people live. And with a samurai themed portal fantasy with a little historical bend to it, honestly, that appeals to most fantasy readers already. That's something that a lot of fantasy readers are going to really enjoy. So all you need to do is, is, uh, then dive into your sort of traditional marketing approach. And for me that would be Facebook and Amazon ads testing key words, figuring out which keywords are getting your sales, and then am pumping really as much of your budget as you can afford into those valuable keywords until they stop working. And then re-evaluating once those keywords fall off a little bit. But, um, once you get to the point where you've got, you know, the title, the cover, the blurb and the writing that is pretty much everything. You're, you're more or less they're ready to market it again and really rebrand the novel and get people interested in it. Jesper (29m 12s): Yeah. Yeah, I would agree. Uh, and of course then once you are at that stage, then you have the same problem that everybody else has and that is to drive enough traffic there and, and when those bits and all that. But do you have any, any good advice when it comes to, to running some ads and getting, getting the traffic to that book that you now know it's good and you know what you sell, but you just need to get eyeballs, eyeballs on it. Do you have any advice on, on how to best go about that? Uh, the advertising part of this equation? Stuart (29m 41s): Yeah, it's definitely, marketing books is tricky and sort of the, uh, pitfall I guess of almost every author out there that I talked to am on my website on Stewart Feynman books.com. I've got a whole series of free articles about marketing that go into in a lot more detail than a, just a quick podcast. But essentially the biggest advice is if you're using pay to click or right, yeah. Pay per click ads. That's it. So if you're using those paper click ads, which I recommend you just want to sort of start with the shotgun blast and hit as much as you possibly can right out of the gate. And it's going to be expensive to test and it's going to be a pretty steep learning curve. You'll need to know what you're doing. Yeah. If you set up, you know, maybe three or 4,000 different keywords on Amazon, which am I use the publisher rocket as well, but, um, set up 4,000 keywords and run those for fast and keywords, which will be four different ads, but run them on, you know, three different ad copies and adjust your ad copy, you know, three different times. Figure out which keywords are hitting. And the combination might be something that's surprising. It might be something that you don't expect and he might have, uh, you know, a key word with an ad copy that doesn't strike you as something that you would, you know, would work for you. But again, the author's not the customer. So it's hard to think like a customer and we don't always understand the customers. Um, but really just sort of testing as much as physically possible for as long as you can to get enough data to be meaningful. Then figuring out from that data, okay, what about this makes sense and where am I actually going to make money? Um, you know, kill those keywords that are just sucking down budget with no returns. Kill those off real quick. Figure it out the ones that, the keywords that are giving you the best bang for your buck and then put more and more into those keywords. Or maybe try five or six different ad copies with each key word to see what works the best. And eventually, you know, might take you a month, but you'll pair it down to where you've got ads running that are going to be very profitable on either Facebook or Amazon, whatever it might be. B, you'll get ads that are, are churning out a high rate of return. Jesper (31m 57s): Yeah. Do you uh, tend to be it high to, to, to get those, uh, basically to revive the books so to speak, in order to get to get the Amazon algorithm to pay attention to you? Do, do you tend to bid high to make sure you're winning those bits or, or do you just bit sorta Jewish sure. That you're going to get a return on investment if you win the bid. So how do you, how do, how do you go about that? Stuart (32m 20s): It's setting is definitely difficult. I'm not gonna say I'm a master of that just yet. Honestly, in the beginning I like to set the bids higher just cause I'm, I'm kind of impatient when it comes to getting that data and figuring it out. So I'll last a lot of ads in the beginning that are going to cost a good bit of money and have pretty high bids just so I can get all that data and you know, run through my budget every single day to make sure I'm hitting it. And uh, once I get all that data, all tone it down. And most of the time, once I have an ad that's fairly refined, I'll just send it to the Amazon recommended bid and they do like the dynamic bidding where they'll adjust it for you up to like 50% of what you put in. So I'll put maybe 50 cents in and so that'll let it adjust up to 75 cents if it needs to. And that seems to work pretty well. So you're not getting, you know, prime time bids, you're not winning those, but you're still at least, you know, winning enough bids to get a decent amount of impressions, a few thousand impressions or whatever it might be on each ad and, and that's really what you need. But once you pare it down, I think that the bid matters many less and less. And it might be the case I've had a few times where reviving an old book, I found that it wasn't any keyword that was even expensive that ends up being the winner and it'll be something, you know, 4 cent keyword that nobody else is bidding on that I would've never thought in a thousand years of irrelevant. But it was something that publisher rocket pulled up in their list and I kept it in there and there it went. And so it'll be a really cheap, a keyword, which is fantastic. Jesper (34m 4s): Yeah, I know, I know Dave Chesson likes to share the example of, uh, of, uh, what was it? Book book book. I think that was the key word, who was using just three times the workbook in a row, which makes absolutely no sense at all Stuart (34m 18s): who types that in on am. I don't know what they're hoping to find when they search book book book, but people do apparently, and that you weren't as typically cheap so you can grab it. Jesper (34m 30s): Yeah, yeah, indeed. Indeed. Okay. Well, I think that that is good in terms of revitalizing the book. So, so you certainly need to drive the traffic there and, and all the usual stuff that we usually talk about is, is of course also relevant in the sense that, uh, if you make sure to write in series, then of course you can afford to spend a bit more on, on this, uh, book one in the series that is debt, uh, because hopefully people will now start reading through that and, and like it because you just made sure that the product itself is good and then they'll buy the other books and, and that will bring you back some revenue, meaning that you will cover some of your ads. Exactly. Stuart (35m 10s): Yeah. Jesper (35m 12s): Okay. Uh, Stewart, uh, is there anything else that is important to know about reviving that books, uh, Stuart (35m 19s): that we haven't talked about? Covered just about everything? Um, I guess as a last bit of advice, I would say, uh, one of the biggest mistakes I see authors making is, is always with the cover. And just the concept is actually a line that I read I think like two or three days ago, just came up. Another author mentioned that you're, when you look at a cover, you should not be looking for some flawless work of art. You should consider your cover to just be your first marketing tool. And even if it's a cover that you personally don't like, if it fits in your genre, the offense, what readers want, use it. It doesn't matter if you like it or not because the paycheck is what, what the authors in it for. So, uh, it doesn't have to be some, you know, flawless work of art. You can always make a special edition later that's going to be your flawless work of art, but you need to sell books first before we can afford that special edition. Jesper (36m 13s): Yeah, absolutely. And you mentioned early on that, that you had some articles or blog posts or whatever that, uh, goes into some of this. So if you send me the links to that, the Stewart, then I'll add those links into the show notes. Can go and read it. Stuart (36m 29s): Yup. Yeah. Just Stuart Feynman books is where you can find it all and we'll get those links up there. Jesper (36m 34s): All right, perfect. Okay. Thanks so much for, for joining steward. Yeah, thank you. So next Monday, autumn is back and we are going to talk about whether or not free books are worth it as a marketing strategy. Narrator (36m 53s): If you like what you just heard, there's a few things you can do to support the amwritingfantasy podcast. Please tell a fellow author about the show and visit us at Apple podcast and leave a rating and review. You can also join autumn and Yesper on patrion.com/amwritingfantasy for as little as a dollar a month. You'll get awesome rewards and keep the amwritingfantasy podcast going. Stay safe out there and see you next Monday.
Seventeen year old Shondra May went missing in sight of her home. Her bound body was found 22 days later. Someone had held her captive for up to 17 days before murdering her. The killer was never found.
MailChimp's recent pivot from an email marketing provider to a full-service marketing platform left many authors in the dust. Including us! We jumped ship and we have some key tips to help you move on... and preferably move up to something that will make organizing your email list and newsletter life in ways you never dreamed were possible. Check out David Gaughran's article on MailChimp's changes here. You can check out Convertkit HERE and the migration form HERE. Join us on Facebook! New videos EVERY single Monday. Make sure to subscribe: http://bit.ly/1WIwIVC PATREON! Many bonus perks for those who become a patron of the channel. https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy LET'S CONNECT! Closed Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmWritingFantasy/ Blog and Courses: https://www.amwritingfantasy.com/ Podcast: http://podcast.amwritingfantasy.com/ Jesper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchmidtJesper Autumn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/weifarer Read the full transcript below. (Please note that it's automatically generated and while the AI is super cool, it isn't perfect. There may be misspellings or incorrect words on occasion). Autumn (1s): What the heck is going on with MailChimp. I've used it for years and it was slowly becoming more lost each time I logged in and it wasn't because I've crossed some invisible age threshold where software no longer made sense. I've never seen a company make a platform more difficult to navigate and use of every update so horribly. I treaded logging in this situation was unsustainable, not if I actually wanted to do you know, do business with a man and mailing list, but yes for and I had a plan. Autumn (38s): If you're a fantasy author, then you've come to the right place. My name is Autumn and together with Jesper we've published more than 20 novels. Our aim is to use our experience to help you writing marketing and selling books to fans all over the world. It started with little things like when I clicked on a campaign in MailChimp, the default action directed it to the stats instead of edits like it used to. I can't tell you how many times I groaned as I needed to back up, hit the dropdown menu to say I wanted to edit an automation sequence. Autumn (1m 12s): Instead of seeing, you know, the stats, years of doing things one way or so difficult to unlearn. Then my list disappeared and changed to audiences. It took two or three steps to burrow into the menu to find my formerly easily located lists and subscribers and the from there to go to items like subscription forms and emails. I was sorta like, what the fuck. But then I took a deep breath. I really don't rattle easily. I'm waking Lee adaptable. But then it got even worse. Autumn (1m 43s): My campaign menu's changed. Instead of seeing all the automations or recently sent email blasts, I could only see the ones that related to the audience I was currently viewing. So if I was working with a list for books in one Shondra, uh, wanted to see if I had email, I'd sent to a list that came in through like a giveaway. The search turned up, nothing, not a notice. There was a campaign like that attached to a different list. But thing. It was full panic mode a couple of times as surge just came up empty, like my entire history of emails had been erased. Old McGrumpy (2m 21s): Only worthless. Humans can mess up the beauty of code. Autumn (2m 26s): Oh hi or would make grubby. I should have guessed that our AI Cohoes you would take that view. Do I need to remind you that worthless humans invented computer code and some of it is all that beautiful, Old McGrumpy (2m 39s): but computers will perfect what you've begun Autumn (2m 43s): perhaps, but the last time I checked, there's still a lot of work to do now. Why don't you go chase down some redundant, outdated code of your own before you call humans too complicated. Old McGrumpy (2m 54s): I don't have time for this. Autumn (2m 57s): Where were we? Oh, right. MailChimp is the mailing list platform I've used since I first created an account as a new author. I recommended it to the writing courses I teach. At least I did until I didn't. I already didn't use about half of the platform because it was more than I needed to send newsletters out and organize a book launch or launch teams as MailChimp pivoted towards a new business model of a full service marketing platform and it left me in the dust. I don't use over half the platform normally, but when they transitioned to something entirely new where I wouldn't use over 80% of it but needed to pay for, well 100% I can only be happy that we jumped ship when we did, which was a full month before the new changes in pricing tiers. Autumn (3m 44s): I won't go into what MailChimp has been doing, but we'll billing to a very detailed article by David Koch ran in the show notes. That article is a great discussion in itself, which we've been doing in the amwritingfantasy closed Facebook group. We'd love to have you join us there and add your thoughts. The link is in the show notes. Yes. For night jumped out of MailChimp before getting out needed to happen ASAP and our account costs would have at least doubled if not tripled or more. Autumn (4m 15s): Part of the reason why we loved was I was tired of being frustrated with figuring out the platform when I just wanted to create a newsletter or just simply check the wording of it. Automation, a two minute task became 15 minutes Odyssey of frustration. Honestly, about a year ago I moved my reader lists out of MailChimp's to Miller Lite. Then Yesper and I decided this winter to move our author list to convert kit where he hosts his reader account. Don't get me wrong, I like Miller Lite. Autumn (4m 46s): It works fine for the reader newsletters, but convert kit is awesome. It is a whole level of organization and simplicity. I hadn't even known existed with mailing lists. If you have some pretty sophisticated automations, ConvertKit will not let you down. In fact, it will make your newsletter life upright so smooth that you'll be able to take the time to figure out any kinks in the flow and to get it all working better. One of my favorite things is we didn't have to do all the heavy lifting. If you have more than 5,000 subscribers, ConvertKit will migrate you to their platform for free. Autumn (5m 20s): You get a personal team who will work with you to translate what you used to do and to how it works in covid kit and give you the tour. Before handing over the keys. Our team was fantastic and asked lots of clarifying questions, which always boosts my confidence that they care and are taking their task seriously. Part of the process is completing a month migration form, which at first I felt so daunting. They wanted me to organize the chaos. I'd created a MailChimp. Autumn (5m 51s): Oh my gosh. I'll link to the migration forum too, but there are some key was of information you'll need. You'll of course near the main website you use the signup forms on, but if you are like us and have a few different sites, that isn't a problem. There is a spot for those too. You need your subscriber count, but approximate is fine, which is good because if you have duplicate emails you might not have as many subscribers as you think you do. You also need a list of all your subscriber forms in a very specific way. Autumn (6m 21s): That is one the URL, the optin to any thank you attached. Page three any lead magnet or freebie attached and for which list groups opt. It needs to view attitude. For me, that could look a little bit like this one, a photo link at this plebiscite to know thank you. Page three, PDF download, pound up this website and four goes to a free booklet. Not that bad except you need to do it for all of your opt-ins. I think it was at this point I realized I needed to do this exercise at a document and then copy and paste to the migration forum. Autumn (6m 55s): ConvertKit also leaves an entire section for you to type in anything odd or unique about your list or list management. For me, I listed the my website themes because I have one that wants stripped code in order to create a special pop-up signup form. They handle that. No problem. Next you need to know the name of your list tags and or groups that need to be moved. That makes sense. Especially for us, since I had some author lists and some Reno lettuce and well not everything was going to be in the same spot when it was all said and done. Autumn (7m 27s): The next really big piece of info you need is your automations and know how they are connected with lists sort of the whole way the puzzle fits together. They get written down like this. The arc reader onboard automation connects to the ArcSight of form and the arc reader list. There's also a place to list any integrations you use Zapier or a membership plugin as well as your timeline and any extra info you need to share after that you need to actually give a ConvertKit access to everything from MailChimp to your website, plugins and such because they actually go in and do all the switching for you. Autumn (8m 3s): I can't even begin to tell you how fantastic that was because I gave them some crazy long answers to all the above questions and they did it all and checked in to be sure they were moving it right and they do it in a very thoughtful way. The migration form has some fun examples and phrasing to take the, Oh my gosh, you need to meet to actually be organized and explain this to you. Pain out of the ordeal. Oh, and they give you a free tee shirt, which is kind of awesome too. Autumn (8m 33s): What about that MailChimp account you'll be leaving behind? You may still have subscribers coming through the old legs. Do you want to have them find a blank page? I didn't. So I figured out a few alternatives. One thing you can do is scrub all your list once you have them safely downloaded and then request MailChimp revert your account to free as long as you haven't done that before and now have less than 2000 subscribers if you have all is not lost. Another option is to pause your account. This is an option that's under your settings. Autumn (9m 4s): Hey, wait, wait, wait. Down at the bottom. Once your account is pause, you would not be billed and you cannot send whoever people could still sign up and so if they come in through an old link and then you can download that new site up and upload it to your new platform plow, you can view all of your account information like lists, campaigns and automations. It is actually a really great feature. Nothing's lost. You can still refer to it. I'd recommend that if you do pause the account though to change all of your subscription forms to say right there that the subscriber landed on an old link and a signup will not result in getting whatever it is they think they're signing up for, but not to worry and to follow the link provided to the correct sign-up spot. Autumn (9m 47s): Yeah, might use it through a few people through the jumble of link clicking, but you will have a better success rate than if a potential subscriber hits a dead link. If your questions are to ConvertKit migration and what is going on at MailChimp or some steps you can take, let us know in the show notes in the comments below. And if you're running an author newsletter, check out this video on using your email list to sell books for some tips. Stay safe out there and see your next Monday.
Shondra Mitchell is a Certified Life Coach, Motivational Speaker and Author of 3 books. She is a content creator on Instagram where she caught our attention motivating, inspiring, empowering and encouraging others to move towards their greatness. It was a true privilege having her on the show today.
Welcome back to Tech Forward, listeners! Today, for the final episode of our job seekers series, I spoke with Shondra McCray. A web developer and user experience strategist, Shondra recently moved from Texas to the San Francisco Bay Area to explore opportunities in tech. During our conversation, Shondra shares her journey navigating the job search process in Silicon Valley, as well as her advice for others looking to get their foot in the door in tech. After her UX role at Parker University and other jobs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, relocating to the Bay Area in June of this year was a massive shift for Shondra in more ways than one. In addition to the much higher housing costs, Silicon Valley’s professional culture was a stark departure from Texas. Some companies used language in their job descriptions that signaled their desire to hire a man for the role. Others made it clear that they would only consider candidates with an Ivy League education. For anyone looking to enter the tech sector, Shondra stresses the importance of job seekers being honest about their skills — and how those skills might translate differently from one region to another. “I realized when I moved that I could call myself a rockstar developer back in Texas — but not out here. But I’m open to working on skills that will add value to a company.” Shondra also advises job seekers to thoroughly research prospective employers. “Especially with startups here in Silicon Valley, I look at whether they started with a seed round or not, and what round they’re in currently.” When it comes to the interview, Shondra encourages interviewees to make the process a dialogue where both employer and potential employee take turns asking and answering questions. “I like to write down deliverables and things I can contribute, as well as things that I’d want from the company, such as time off and health insurance. I need to know how these companies invest in their employees.” For companies looking to attract talent such as herself, Shondra again stresses the importance of a respectful and engaged dialogue. “Treat your candidates as if their time is priceless, because it is. Show the people you interview that you care about their growth, not just their contributions.” Since moving to the Bay Area, her own interview experiences have been both positive and negative. The best experiences weren’t necessarily ones that ended in a job offer, but those where she was made to feel like a member of the team. Shondra, thank you so much for coming on the show and giving our listeners this glimpse into the current interview and hiring process. I wish you the best of luck as you continue your career journey. Thank you also to all of you out there listening, subscribing, and sharing the show. See you next week! Connect with us Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Amid the recent rise in "celebrity" suicides Kay and Ti decided to sit down with a group of their closest friends to discuss mental health. We welcome to the table Chrissy, Shaunny, and Shondra as we talk about our personal battles with stress, mental health and everyday living. We also visit the question: Why is mental health not talked about in the black community? We hope you enjoy, please do not forget to like, share, subscribe, and leave feedback. Also don't forget to follow us on: SoundCloud, iTunes, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.
We discuss how: - Shondra was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in May 2017 - Symptoms started in late 2015, and went so bad that she wasn't able to write and could hardly walk - She initially went to a naturopath and found she was anemic - She ended doing surgery in December 2016 but things didn't get better - After being diagnosed psoriatic arthritis she was put on methotrexate and Naproxen - At the same time, she started the Paddison Program - She became a member of the Paddison Program forum and found great support in it - Now, 6 months have passed since Shondra has been off all medications and her pain is under control
BeyChella was litty, and so is this weeks episode!! We talk about Bey, Cousin Cardi, Starbucks, and sooo much more...thanks to our friend Gallo Wine! LOL! Promise you haven't heard girl talk like this before!! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/2-chicks-talkin-shyt/support
If you’ve never seen Philadelphia’s Low Cut Connie live, let’s just say your nights have been kind of boring so far. The excitable boogie-woogie rockers have been crisscrossing the country for the past seven years baptizing ever-increasing crowds with their patented high-energy tunes, propelled by wildman singer Adam Weiner and his trusty upright piano, “Shondra.” Yes, she has a name, and by the end of Low Cut Connie's set you will know it well. Think Jerry Lee Lewis fury meets Replacements-like gutter punk bounce on tracks such as signature shout-along anthem “Boozophilia” from 2012’s "Call Me Sylvia" album. (Not for nothing, but former Pres. Barack Obama put the song on his 2015 Summer Playlist, which landed Weiner and his wife a lunch at the White House.) Rounded out by drummer Larry Scotton, bassist Lucas Rinz and guitarists James Everhart and Will Donnelly, the band’s unique sound was born a decade ago when Weiner began landing gigs in old age homes, gay cabaret bars, children’s ballet classes and dive bars, perfecting his unique combination of '50s rock and punk attitude in front of any audience that would have him. In addition to the Obama co-sign, the group got the ultimate 88-key stamp of approval earlier this year when the real Rocket Man, Elton John, kicked off an episode of his Rocket Hour Beats 1 radio show with the song “Dirty Water” from the group's latest album, "Dirty Pictures (Part 1)." That was topped off by John interviewing Weiner on the show and pledging to join the group on stage when Low Cut Connie plays in England in December. "Dirty Pictures" is perhaps the best example yet of the group’s versatile sound, bouncing from the four-on-the-floor handclap young man blues of “Death and Destruction” to a Talking Heads-like new wave cover of Prince’s “Controversy” and the moody Memphis rumble of the title track. Set list: Dirty Water Death and Destruction - interview - Am I Wrong? Mixed by Dave Chale Hosted by Gil Kaufman
Both Samag Kim and Shondra have returned to the desert to preform their designated jobs. A surprise awaits Shondra along with an unexpected ending.
Another woman wakes up in the desert but this time she is buried in the sand, waking up beneath ground. Her feelings towards this unknown arrival is filled with animalistic vengeance. She claws her way to the surface, in search of a breath of air. The name echoing through her mind is Lou. Just like Shondra, she hears a train and a mysterious blast. Meanwhile, somewhere else in the desert, Henrietta is being found by the scientist Des.
Jerry and Shondra reconnect, Henrietta reaches a new level of intelligence, Des travels through time once more, and Lou carries out her ultimate plan. Worlds collide.
This picks up where Episode 26 left off with Shondra on the run. The CIA's pursuit of Samag Kim becomes paramount and renders an unexpected outcome.
Shondra heads to Plant Number 5 to stop Samag Kim from successfully completing his mission to take control of the plant. Things don't exactly go as planned.
While Lou plots her next move according to the heist, she has flashbacks to her beginnings. Samag Kim and Shondra come back to the desert.
Fast forward two years. Shondra is now working as a CIA agent. Her partner Jerry and herself work in a diner called Audrey's in the middle of the desert as thier cover. This doubles as a CIA headqaurters for the current mission, Project L.U.V.
A similar looking woman wakes up in the desert in the same state Shondra was in. A local scientist named Dennison, "Des" for short, finds her there and takes her on. The woman has a thought of what her name might be: Henrietta. She decides to commit to the only familiar thought she has and call herself by this name. Henrietta is also harboring a sense of urgency to solve the puzzle of her appearance in the desert and her memory loss.
An unidentified woman wakes up in the desert, disheveled and disoriented. There’s nothing in site but train tracks and sandy terrain. She has no memory concerning her identity or her arrival but is harboring a sense of vengeance and conviction. The only familiar thought echoing in her mind is a name. She decides to assume the name as her own, Shondra. An unidentified woman wakes up in the desert, disheveled and disoriented. There’s nothing in site but train tracks and sandy terrain. She has no memory concerning her identity or her arrival but is harboring a sense of vengeance and conviction. The only familiar thought echoing in her mind is a name. She decides to assume the name as her own, Shondra.
Shondra and her partner Jerry finish a shift at Audrey's Diner, which acts as thier CIA cover. Shondra gets briefed for her next mission; to get in close to Lou's right-hand man, Samag Kim.
Shondra and Jerry ochestrate a mission put forth by the CIA to sabotage Samag Kim. Never having failed a mission before, Samag is found at a local dive bar drowning his sorrows in whiskey. A perfect opportunity for Shondra to meet a down-and-out Samag.
Shondra has spent the last couple of weeks settling in Santa Monica in order to commence her operation to "bump" into Samag Kim at the Downtown Los Angeles Farmer's Market while assuming her German alias Ondra.
Shondra has not returned as scheduled from her undercover operation in Los Angeles. Leaving her partner Jerry to have to cover for her back at Audrey's, the Reno, Nevada diner. One of the waitress’ Emma is stuck working double-time to cover all of Shondra’s shifts and one night after hours Emma discovers something she shouldn’t have.
Shondra stays in LA in order to execute the planned date with Samag Kim. She is of course acting as her alias Ondra. Samag is suspicious of “Ondra” and Shondra tries to keep her cover while gaining Sam’s trust. Meanwhile they realize a man following them.
Jerry has just been shot and Emma realizes what has been done. Shondra tries to reconcile the situation while still completing her mission.
Shondra is back from her trip to Los Angeles where she was fabricating a relationship with Samag Kim, only to return to a jealous Jerry. Secrets are in danger due to a curious and investigative Emma, as well as an unexpectedly placed surveillance system.
Jerry and Shondra's superior, Officer Adler, has found a secret recording of the two during multiple conversations in the CIA headquarters. One of which reveals their relationship and where it has taken them. Jerry faces the consequences.
This is the continuation of Shondra's date with Samag Kim. New revelations concerning the man that is following them arise and Samag begins to trust “Ondra".
Spiritual principles are all about creating a better life; principles that involve a tremendous amount of surrender and trust. The practicality of our choices and decisions can leave us feeling scared, overwhelmed and full of uncertainty. Join Bonnie Wirth on "Lighten Up!" with special guests Pamela Cushman and Shondra Jepperson and learn to find trust in the unknown and discover the three elements that are key to your better life. Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust. When we rely on God, it is perfectly acceptable to believe in magic.
*Rated M for Mature. Shondra Rhimes has two hit series on ABC, #Scandal and How to get away with Murder. Great shows, but do you feel Ms. Rhimes is pushing the envelop with graphic gay sex scenes ? We discuss today @ 12 noon on RNTR. Call in and voice your opinion. #Scandal #TGIT #Howtogetawaywithmurder #ShondraRhimes #gaysexscenes #OliviaPope #RNTR
Mona Scott Young & Shondra Rhimes are two of the most successful Black women in entertainment. They are known for being very successful writers, producers, talent managers, & directors. From Scandal to Love & Hip Hop Atlanta they are creating their own empires & they have no plans of slowing down. Not everyone is impressed with their success. Do they deserve the bashing that they get ? Topic#2:You know the media is "FUC$ED" up when it targets a 2yr. old to the point where there is a petition about her hair ! Topic#3: I'm not an expert on the NBA but I'll talk about it with you anyway ! See ya later :o) LISA
This show is amazing with Ilya Nabutovskiy interviewing Shondra ~ Rose of LIght and then Dr. DREAM with Laura Eisenhower!!!
Laura Fox interviews Shondra, Jeremiah & Dr. Dream - Jan 20,2011
As males and females we encompass both feminine and masculine energies and chakra systems. The chakra system which most are familiar with is only part of what is built into our energetic structures. In addition to the Divine Masculine System, which star5ts where the male organs are and goes up, we have a complimenting system meant to balance the other one. The Deep System of chakras begins where the female organs are and goes down from there. The first two chakras of each system overlap and interface. But be very clear, they are NOT the same chakras! The Divine Feminine chakra system is a completely unique system. It's purpose is to perfectly balance , and thereby compliment, the Upper System. They are meant to work as a whole, integrated unit.
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