Podcasts about Simplicity

“Making Your Life Simple Again”- Listen to my Morning Monologue: I'm sharing my take on pressing issues, enlightening research on human behavior, answering questions I get by email, and my favorite, most instructive interactions with callers. Everything you'll hear is designed to help you become a better spouse, parent, family member, co-worker, friend, and human being. It's the free therapy you need! Got a dilemma? Call 1-800-DR-LAURA / 1-800-375-2872 or make an appointment at DrLaura.com Follow on social media: Facebook.com/DrLaura Instagram.com/DrLauraProgram YouTube.com/DrLaura Join the Dr. Laura Family!! >> Receive my weekly newsletter, perks, and more! Sign up now, it's FREE > DrLaura.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you look in the mirror and your hair is out of place, you don't hesitate to fix it. You don't spiral into "my life is over and I'm not meant for success." You just adjust it. But when we look in the mirror of life, we don't apply that same radical responsibility and simplicity.In this episode I'm talking about why everything we see on the outside is a reflection of what's going on inside, how to take radical responsibility for what you're seeing without making it dense and heavy, and why the stories you're attaching to your results are the thing interfering with your simplicity. This is about looking in the mirror of life and adjusting what needs adjusting — no drama, no story.Key Takeaways:If your hair is out of place, you fix it — no story, no drama, no spiralEverything you see in the mirror of life is a reflection of what's inside youWhy we don't apply the same radical responsibility to life that we do to our physical appearanceThe sticky client situations I had this year (and how I asked: where is this my own reflection?)No avoidance, no projecting, no deflecting — just ownership and responsibilityThe prompt: look in the mirror of life and see what it's presenting you so you can go deeperScaling to multiple 6-figures? Apply for the CEO Mastermind here.Stabilizing your revenue before your scale? Get inside The Inner Circle here.Integrate AI systems & workflows into your business this weekend: Save $100 on Claude in a WeekendTry out the software I use to run my ENTIRE business: 30 day free trial for Go High Level

Ben Carlson, CFA, author of Risk & Reward, joins the podcast to discuss why successful investing is often less about finding the perfect strategy and more about keeping things simple and sticking with a plan. We discuss the challenges of private equity, bonds and TIPS, inflation hedges, investor behavior, and why portfolio changes should generally be driven by life changes rather than market headlines. Ben also shares how his investing philosophy has evolved, including his thoughts on factor investing, momentum, and using a little “fun money” as a behavioral release valve. Finally, we dig into increasingly popular tax-aware strategies such as direct indexing and long-short tax-loss harvesting, including whether the potential tax savings are worth the added costs and complexity. Ben sums up much of the conversation with three words: “Less is more.” • • • Jon Luskin, CFP®, a long-time Boglehead and financial planner, hosts this episode of the podcast. The Bogleheads® are a group of like-minded individual investors who follow the general investment and business beliefs of John C. Bogle, founder and former CEO of the Vanguard Group. It is a conflict-free community where individual investors reach out and provide education, assistance, and relevant information to other investors of all experience levels at no cost. The organization supports a free forum at Bogleheads.org, and the wiki site is Bogleheads® wiki. Since 2000, the Bogleheads® have held national conferences in major cities across the country. In addition, local Chapters and foreign Chapters meet regularly, and new Chapters form periodically. All Bogleheads activities are coordinated by volunteers who contribute their time and talent. This podcast is supported by the John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy, a non-profit organization approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity on February 6, 2012. Your tax-deductible donation to the Bogle Center is appreciated. Show Notes: Ben Felix on Simplicity, Private Equity, Factor Investing, & Living a Good Life: Bogleheads® on Investing Episode 95 https://boglecenter.net/ben-felix-simple-investing/ Financial Historian Mark Higgins in Fireside Chat with Bill Bernstein https://youtu.be/tFeHc_tGh88 You Can Spend More in Retirement with Bill Bengen: Bogleheads® on Investing Episode 92 https://boglecenter.net/bill-bengen-spend-more-money-in-retirement/ TIPS Ladders with Kevin Esler https://youtu.be/FOKg3OmIHAI Owning Individual Bonds vs. Owning a Bond Fund https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2022/11/owning-individual-bonds-vs-owning-a-bond-fund/ Bogleheads®  Live with J.L. Collins: Episode 19 https://boglecenter.net/bogleheads-live-with-j-l-collins-episode-19/ 2025 Bogleheads Conference Recordings https://boglecenter.net/2025conference/ 2026 Bogleheads Conference https://boglecenter.net/2026conference/    

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) This talk explores the freedom that becomes possible when the mind discovers what it no longer needs to carry, protect, or try to control.

https://teachhoops.com/⁠ Second week of December, a kid knocks on the office door, sits down, and says he thought he was going to start. Most of us have lived that exact moment. And the hard truth is he usually has every reason to believe it, because nobody ever sat him down and told him anything else. This episode takes the role conversation and runs it through a modern lens. Simplicity wins. If your role talk needs a whiteboard and eleven minutes, the kid is not listening, he is waiting to find out if he is starting. One sentence. What is your job on this team? Coach Collins breaks down why silence functions as a promise, why every player writes himself a bigger role than the one you had in mind, and why defining a kid by a position number is coaching from thirty years ago. The job is not what he is. The job is what he decides when the ball moves. What we cover: Silence as a promise, and how a quiet October turns into a hurt player in December Simplicity wins: saying the role in one sentence, in his language The canyon between calling somebody your eighth man and telling him he takes their best scorer for six minutes Defining roles by decisions instead of positions, so a player knows what to do the moment the ball moves Why minutes are the reward and the decision is the actual job Scaffolding the role so a sophomore gets the version he can hold right now, mastering one decision before you add the next Telling him exactly what earns more, with measurable standards instead of empty advice like work harder Why your best player gets the vaguest coaching in the gym, and why he needs a defined job too Reinforcing it every two weeks in thirty second hallway check ins, because roles drift when kids get hot, get hurt, or start hearing it from the bleachers The surprise: the kids you are most scared to talk to are almost always the most relieved to hear it Clarity is a kindness, and ambiguity is what actually breaks trust Your challenge: before your first practice, write one sentence for every player describing his job. If you cannot write it, you do not know it. And if you do not know it, there is no chance he does. Practice plans, preseason meeting structures, role sheets, and the full library are at https://teachhoops.com/ Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Target did not find a customer for a minstrel suit. Hyde and EEK is Target's own Halloween brand. That clown is the same product as Jussie Smollett's MAGA-country noose: a prop so sloppy only a trained audience would buy it. It's why Jamal Bryant could call Nolan Wells' drowning a lynching inside a church. After 2020, like a lot of corporations, Target built a DEI priesthood off of George Floyd. When those goals died, the racial monitors needed a new fire. Follow the transaction. The product is not the mask. ➢ Show Outline 00:00 - The Target Halloween Costume Controversy 00:37 - The DEI Decision and its Aftermath 01:43 - Manufactured Racism and Media Lies 05:07 - Systemic Racism and Corporate Actions 07:29 - The Role of DEI and its Critics 09:07 - Is the Target Controversy a Hoax 11:59 - Hoax Theory: Internal Manipulation at Target 14:12 - The Costume Design and Approval Process 18:08 - Simplicity vs Conspiracy Debate 22:53 - Media's Role in Connecting Dots ➢ Follow Our GUESTS https://www.youtube.com/@DreAllDay https://www.youtube.com/@TheShemekaMichelle  ➢ Subscribe to Jason's other channel https://www.youtube.com/JasonWhitlock?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockHarmony?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockBYOG?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockClips?sub_confirmation=1 ➢ Connect with Jason on Social Media:  https://x.com/JasonWhitlock  https://www.instagram.com/realjasonwhitlock/ https://www.facebook.com/jasonwhitlock ➢ Send Jason an Email FearlessBlazeShow@gmail.com ➢ Support The Blaze Visit https://TheBlaze.com. Explore the all-new ad-free experience and see for yourself how we're standing up against suppression and prioritizing independent journalism. Support Conservative Voices! Subscribe to BlazeTV at https://www.fearlessmission.com and get $20 off your yearly subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Reeves, author, speaker, and former global leader at Amazon, Airbnb, and WPP, who helps leaders and organisations cut through complexity, protect what makes them different, and move forward with clarity.Through his speaking, consulting, and book Eat The Donkey, Anthony brings hard-won lessons from the Outback and the boardroom to help businesses simplify pressure, alignment, decision-making, and the growing threat of sameness in the age of AI.Now, Anthony's journey from one of the loneliest and most hostile places on the planet to some of the world's most demanding boardrooms demonstrates the power of resilience, simplicity, and keeping your name intact when everything is on the line.And while he has seen the cost of not taking care of himself while building a high-pressure career, he now uses those lessons to help others lead with more clarity, humanity, and strength.Here's where to find more:anthonyreeves.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyreeves/________________________________________________Welcome to The Unforget Yourself Show where we use the power of woo and the proof of science to help you identify your blind spots, and get over your own bullshit so that you can do the fucking thing you ACTUALLY want to do!We're Mark and Katie, the founders of Unforget Yourself and the creators of the Unforget Yourself System and on this podcast, we're here to share REAL conversations about what goes on inside the heart and minds of those brave and crazy enough to start their own business.From the accidental entrepreneur to the laser-focused CEO, we find out how they got to where they are today, not by hearing the go-to story of their success, but talking about how we all have our own BS to deal with and it's through facing ourselves that we find a way to do the fucking thing.Along the way, we hope to show you that YOU are the most important asset in your business (and your life - duh!).Being a business owner is tough! With vulnerability and humor, we get to the real story behind their success and show you that you're not alone._____________________Find all our links to all the things like the socials, how to work with us and how to apply to be on the podcast here:https://linktr.ee/unforgetyourself

When does a cash-based pelvic health practice actually need a fancy CRM?For most of us? Never.And yes—we've made this mistake ourselves.

All summer, I've been talking about one idea: that simplicity and focus are not optional.Simplicity and focus are the harder, but better, choice and the fastest path to a profitable, sustainable expert business. And they only get more relevant as your business grows.If you want a business where you are not constantly feeling behind and overwhelmed, and where your success isn't just in your bottom line, but how you live your life, you have to be able to do three things. You have to attract the right people, sell without it being a drawn-out process, and deliver in a way that is actually profitable.The No BS Business Model gives you that one clear strategy for each of these.The No BS model came from Steve and I doing everything for everyone and ending up overworked and in debt, then paring down our business to just two offers, on one platform, with a clear audience. Our simplification was born out of necessity, but it gave me incredible relief and the success I had been chasing. And now I've taught that model to thousands of expert service business owners over the last ten years. Today, I'm going to walk you through it.Sponsored by Squarespace:Free Guide to Squarespace Circle: nobsmastery.com/squarespaceTune into this episode to hear:The low-tech, low-investment strategy that consistently brings the right people through your doorThe game-changing sales process that eliminates tire kickers and hagglers and sets you up as a trusted advisorHow intensives cut the BS and let you focus on delivering your best, most valuable workHow implementing the No BS model impacts not just your business, but your whole lifeResources:Grab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comProgram: No BS Mastery: https://nobsmastery.com/programThe Price to Freedom Calculator™ - http://nobsmastery.com/priceGrab a copy of my book: Badass Your Brand - https://www.badassyourbrand.com/The 7 Steps to $30k Months Playbook: nobsmastery.com/playbook 

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Todd Wilson, co-founder of Exponential and a leader at Multipliers, where he helps churches and ministry leaders pursue multiplication and greater Kingdom impact. Todd has spent decades studying church planting, disciple-making, and movements, and his latest book, How Did We Get Here? Looking Back to Look Forward, explores the evolution of the American church growth movement and what it may mean for the future. Are churches working harder while reaching fewer people? Have our systems become better at producing activity than disciples? Todd challenges leaders to examine the operating system beneath modern church ministry and consider what needs to change if we want to see true reproduction and multiplication. We have a disciple-making problem. // For years, Todd has championed the goal of seeing more churches reproduce. Research once showed that fewer than 5% of U.S. churches were reproducing, and while that number has improved, multiplication remains rare. But Todd believes church planting is ultimately an outcome of a deeper issue: most churches do not have a functional culture of disciple-making. If disciples aren’t reproducing disciples, churches will struggle to reproduce churches. Reproduction has to become generational. // Multiplication begins when reproduction continues beyond the first generation. One disciple makes another disciple, who then makes another, and the process keeps going. The same is true with churches. A church plants a church, which plants another church, which plants another. Once reproduction moves across multiple generations, addition becomes multiplication and the potential for movement begins to emerge. The church growth system has slowly changed. // Todd’s research traces roughly 75 years of church growth history, beginning with missionary Donald McGavran. McGavran originally studied why some churches on the mission field grew while others did not and developed principles aimed at helping missionaries reach more people. Over time, those ideas moved into the American church and blended with seeker-sensitive ministry, the megachurch movement, purpose-driven strategies, multisite, church planting networks, and other innovations. Much good came from these eras, but Todd believes the system gradually shifted toward institutional and programmatic growth. Good intentions can still create the wrong outcomes. // Todd is careful not to blame previous generations of church leaders. Many of the people who shaped modern church ministry were deeply evangelistic and sincerely wanted to reach people. Yet over time, the dominant definition of success increasingly became bigger attendance, larger programs, and expanding organizations. The unintended result is a consumer-driven model that can attract people effectively but struggles to produce disciples who reproduce. The angst leaders feel is real. // Todd hears a growing frustration among pastors: churches are spending more money, employing more staff, and working harder while seeing less fruit. Even churches that appear successful can sense something isn’t right beneath the surface. Todd believes much of that angst comes from trying to produce multiplication through an operating system designed primarily for addition. Naming the problem is an important first step toward changing it. Leaders must model what they want reproduced. // Todd believes transformation has to begin with senior leaders. If disciple-making is going to become the church’s growth engine, lead pastors and elders must personally participate in a simple, reproducible disciple-making process. Rather than merely preaching about discipleship, pastors should be able to name the people they are actively discipling and allow those relationships to shape the way they lead and teach. Keep the process simple and reproducible. // Whatever model a church chooses, Todd believes it must be simple enough for anyone to reproduce. The goal isn’t another sophisticated program but a way of following Jesus that can move naturally from person to person. The same approach should work for a lead pastor, a volunteer, or even a teenager. Simplicity increases the possibility of multiplication. Give the next generation permission to experiment. // Todd isn’t calling churches to abandon everything they’ve inherited. Instead, he encourages leaders to learn from the past, retain what is fruitful, and recognize that the current operating system may be losing effectiveness. Churches should create space for younger leaders to experiment, learn, and discover more reproducible approaches to disciple-making without being forced to preserve every assumption of previous generations. To learn more about Todd Wilson, visit multipliers.org. You can also download a free PDF or audio version of How Did We Get Here? Looking Back to Look Forward at church-growth.org or pick up a paper copy on Amazon.com. In addition, check out Todd Wilson’s conversation with Carey Nieuwhof, and the interview A Simple & Scalable Way to Reproduce Christians with David Putnam. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it's time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. I am so glad that you have tuned in today for this reason, friends, lean in. um I want you to be a part of the conversation that we’re having today. The leader that we’ve got on the phone, on the I don’t know why say the phone because we have not been on phones for podcasts in, you know, 10 years, but on the line is really pressing on an issue that I know that a large portion, you know, almost 90 percent of the churches in the country need to be doing what we’re talking about today. And they’re not. And I really want you to lean in and learn from Todd Wilson. Rich Birch — If you do not know Todd Wilson, he has been the founding and co-founding member of a number of faith-based organizations, including Exponential and Multipliers. He has designed a number, and been a part of the launch of a multiple of national church planting networks. He’s currently a team member, or team leader at Multipliers and serves leaders and ministries who are pursuing multiplication, helping them develop vision and strategy ultimately for a 100 X impact. You know that I love that. Rich Birch — Recently, he wrote a book that caught my attention that I want to dive in on and kind of um unpack some of the core lessons for us today. It’s called, How Did We Get Here? Looking Back to Look Forward. And it’s really looking at the whole conversation, American church growth movement. Todd, welcome to the podcast. So glad you’re here.Todd Wilson — Rich, it’s great to be here with you. I’m really looking forward to this conversation.Rich Birch — Yeah, me too. So why don’t we start with kind of giving us a picture of Multipliers and the work that you’re focused on now, kind of set the context for us.Todd Wilson — Sure. It’s probably good to have the context, you know, at at my core, my own personal calling. I am an entrepreneurial engineer at my core. I love to envision, envisage opportunities, seek strategies and opportunities of the future. And so where I like to do it anywhere, there’s potential for a hundred X kingdom impact. And that’s what gets me in trouble often is the, wherever there’s potential for a hundred X kingdom impact.Todd Wilson — When I came out of the marketplace over 25 years ago into full-time ministry, the most natural hundred X place for me, in addition to being in the local church was, was church planting. I was just drawn to church planting. I got to spend almost 20 years, ah you know, leading Exponential and co-founding there.Todd Wilson — And in recent years, really trying to get even more focused really on the 100x impact. I want to spend my next decade as I’m getting older here, you know, what’s it look like for every hour, for every dollar, for every bit of energy, to see 100x return.Todd Wilson — And so the idea of Multipliers, and it’s a small team of us that, you know, we have a definite bias within the kingdom space to the disciple-making as the mission and engine of the church. And what’s it look like to get back to Jesus style disciple making. But then church planting and multiplication, what does it look like to be doing things that that are even capable of reproduction that can lead to multiplication and ultimately movement. So our goal is to just help champion at the personal level through personal calling, at the church level through disciple making and cultures of disciple making that can ultimately produce movements.Todd Wilson — And so we are a champion and advocate for that.Rich Birch — That’s fantastic. You and I are are similarly wired. And over the years, you know I’ve heard people talk about, you know, and they always they’ll do like a series at a church on spiritual gifts. And I’ve often wondered because of the kinds of things I’ve been involved in, if, you know, if I have some sort of apostolic gift, just because of the stuff I found myself doing and, you know, launching campuses and all that.Rich Birch — And it’s interesting that gift over the years I’ve heard, which is similar to the kind of work you’ve been doing over the years is the only gift that I’ve ever noticed that preachers, they seem to talk down about it. And they’re like, stop starting things like, you know, they’re like, they always, you know, are like on the negative side of, you know, being the guy who wants to be entrepreneurial and see new things.Rich Birch — And that’s a part of what I admire about you and the good work you’ve done. When you were at Exponential over those, you know, with you that you co-founded, you know, that almost 20 years, you know, they had this, they saw some amazing things happen there under your leadership, where this idea of moving church reproduction from under 5%, really trying to push us towards 16%.Rich Birch — So for people that are unaware of this, I think this is good context to kind of take a step back and talk about why that number, why are we actually, why are you giving decades of your life towards this idea of trying to move towards 16%? What do we mean by that when you you know talk about that? Because I think that’s a good foundational idea for today’s conversation.Todd Wilson — Yeah. I think it’s important it to understand, again, context for me. I didn’t grow up a Christian. I never had a dream to be in full-time vocational ministry. I’ve never wanted to be a lead pastor of anything. You know, ministry was the farthest thing from my mind growing up. When you’re asking kids, what do you want do when you grow up? Todd Wilson — So when God brought me into full-time vocational ministry, and I’m going to say kicking and screaming, I wanted to go start a company. I wanted to go make money. I wanted to go change the world. And so coming into full-time vocational ministry, why in the world would I want to see anything except movements happening? Rich Birch — That’s good.Todd Wilson — We read about movements in the New Testament. Why do I want to be personally satisfied if God’s calling me into a new life of ministry with anything less than seeing movements?Todd Wilson — And so that was my context of stepping in and and leading at Exponential and what was driving us. And your question from 5% to 16%. Well, Houston, we have a problem.Todd Wilson — If movements are multiplication, and multiplication is generational reproduction, and we, at the time we were starting Exponential, there were less than 5% of U.S. churches were reproducing. You just got to let that sink in.Rich Birch — Yeah.Todd Wilson — 95% of churches just 25 years ago, 95% of churches in the U.S. are not reproducing. It’s physically impossible, both mathematically and biblically, to see multiplication and ultimately movements if less than 5% of churches are reproducing.Todd Wilson — So the answer to where’s the 5 to 16, for me personally, God’s called me into a new life and a new ministry. I don’t want to be satisfied with just status quo, but the state of the U.S. church is such that we physically can’t see 100x impact in the operating system of how things are working. Todd Wilson — So the 5 to 16 was very simple. Let’s measure where we’re at. And so the 16% sociologists say that if you can get 16% of an audience acting a certain way, behaving a certain way, it will become normative for everyone else. I like to say, if you’re in a room and you start quacking like a duck to talk, if you can get 16% of the people in the audience quacking like a duck, then everybody’s going to communicate by quacking like a duck.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — And so it just became a conviction. Let’s move the needle from less than 5% to 16%. And then the language we would use is, at 16%, healthy church reproduction would become such a normative thing that we would see multiplication happening.Todd Wilson — Now, the little bit of an elephant in the room before we move on, church planting is just the outcome. So that 5% number, it’s an outcome of the system and what’s happening.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — The more ornery number is that the national studies that we did on what percentage of U.S. churches have a disciple-making culture. That’s also less than 5%.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — So 95% of churches don’t have a functional mission of disciple-making, and that’s their normative growth engine through disciple-making. So in reality, we have a disciple-making problem, not a church-planting problem. And so those two became very tied together, as as will become evident as we have this interview.Rich Birch — Yeah, absolutely. and And just can you define generational reproduction for folks that are listening in? When you when you when you say that, like, hey, we’re trying to move churches towards generational reproduction, kind of just unpack that a little bit more.Todd Wilson — Yeah, let’s let’s start at the personal level of disciple-making. If one person makes a disciple of another person, you’ve got one generation. If that person goes on to make another disciple two generations, that person makes a disciple three generations. We see that biblically. We see that in the leadership pipeline with Paul, that you know we need to see disciples who make disciples who make disciples.Todd Wilson — Once you get to the third or fourth generation of something reproducing itself, if you drew that on paper, one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight, eight becomes 16. That is an exponential or a multiplication curve. So all you have to do to go from addition to multiplication is have healthy reproduction broad and wide multiple generations into the future.Todd Wilson — Now we just take that to the church level, a church that plants a church that plants a church that plants a church broad and wide.Todd Wilson — Now you’ve gone from one church to 16 churches. And now look at the collective attendance of those 16 churches. That’s what you call healthy growth. That’s what you call multiplication when you keep reproducing it over and over.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. And there’s actually been progress against this. This is one of the things that I’ve loved as a person just sitting on the outside looking in as you and the team, you know, Dave and the broader Exponential community have really been hammering away at this. You know, we’re not at 16% yet, but we’re seeing progress, which is which is amazing.Todd Wilson — Right. It’s in the studies that we did, and it’s been repeated a couple of times, the needle has moved to at least 7%. That may not sound like a lot, but if you go take the number of churches we’re talking about…Rich Birch — Yes.Todd Wilson — …and that needle moving from less than 5% to 7%. And we’re not taking credit for all that at Exponential. Rich Birch — Right. Todd Wilson — We’re getting to ride a wave that really started around 2000. Prior to 2000, denominations planted churches, not really churches or networks. We saw the birth of networks around 2000 in the U.S. It’s hard for people to realize, but like in the church planting world, groups like City to City and GlocalNet and Acts 29 and ARC and Church Multiplication Network and Stadia and New Thing Network, none of them existed.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Todd Wilson — Literally in a five-year time period, we saw the birth of all these church planting networks, and that happened to coincide with that we saw that need to start Exponential to serve those networks.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — So We we were a little bit the right group at the right place, advocating for the right thing.Todd Wilson — And I do think that generally the the wonderful thing is that as that needle is starting to move and the visibility is getting more and more, the next generation wants it. Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah, I would agree.Todd Wilson — They want the scorecard of that. So I feel very optimistic that we’re still a ways away from 16%, but the needle is moving in the right direction.Rich Birch — Yeah, I would echo that too. I think there is, um you know, one of the couple years ago, I had one of those ages in my life flip over with zero on the end that you kind of notice and you reflect back on life a little bit. And I would say one of the things I’ve noticed over, you know, almost 30 years of ministry is this issue is has become more normative. Like it’s it’s a part of the conversation. It’s not that everyone’s doing it, but it’s in the dialogue, which I think is is wonderful.Rich Birch — Well, I, so you know, there’s, you interact with a lot of church leaders across the country. You interact with a lot of people, you have a pulse on a lot of, you know, what’s going on. And there’s a growing sense, you have flagged that there’s a growing sense among leaders that there’s just something wrong. It’s like, you know, there’s like a stink in the bottom of our, our, garbage that’s like, oh it’s a little bit stinky. It’s not like overwhelming, but we can’t put our finger on exactly what that is. Rich Birch — They can’t necessarily name it, but we feel it. We kind of see that there’s maybe something in the way we’re doing what we’re doing that isn’t working. What are you hearing as you sit across the table from church leaders in across the country, you know, around all of these things that we’re talking about?Todd Wilson — Let me describe it a couple of different ways. I think the the word I would put on it is an angst. I think if you look at the definition of an angst, there’s a there’s a growing and an underlying angst. um I’m going to say, if I’m descriptive of the angst, that might not be the way people would exactly say it but it’s how I translate what I’m hearing.Todd Wilson — We are working a lot harder to reach less people and we don’t like the cultural Christian product we’re getting. We’re working a lot harder. We’re spending more money to reach fewer people. And we’re just having this angst that the product we’re producing is a little bit too much consumer cultural Christian as we’re working harder and spending more money. And that leaves somebody full time, know, if I mean, if you’re a full time vocational pastor, there’s an angst that sits in the middle of that dynamic going on. Todd Wilson — My mentor and friend, Robert Lewis, who led Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock for years, Robert’s handed off the leadership back in 2005. Robert describes it this way. He did the foreword on my recent book, and when he read and reviewed the book, he said, Todd, oh my goodness, this is first and foremost a walk down history lane. It’s like going back and looking at history. Todd Wilson — But he said, here’s the thing. I had this angst in 2005. Everything was up and to the right. We were growing. We were doing new campuses. We had started a church planting. Like we’re doing all of the stuff. People are turning to us. They’re looking at what we’re doing. We had started a leadership conference. And I just had this angst that something wasn’t right.Todd Wilson — And he said, I couldn’t name it. He said, I needed a therapist. But where does a megachurch pastor who’s having nothing but success with up and to the right, who’s feeling angst about the system, where do you go for therapy in that? He’s like, I didn’t know whether to feel like I was being ungrateful or what.Todd Wilson — And his words were, as you’ve traced the 75 years of the church growth movement and its evolution into a consumer-driven operating system, you have named my angst. I wish I would have had this book in 2005 to name my angst because half the battle is getting our hands around understanding why we’re feeling the way we do.Rich Birch — Yeah, I was talking to denominational leader within the last year to kind of add a bit more flavor even to that angst, who was saying, and this is a fantastic denomination, you know, Jesus loving, you know, fantastic group of people um and have, you know, very similar what you’re saying, like lots of good things going on.Rich Birch — And this was one of those like, After dinner conversations, you know, long ah a long ways away from a bunch of leaders, we were just chatting on the sideline. And he said, you know, the interesting thing, when you look at our tribe, his movement, he rattled off all their stats. We have a certain number of churches. We have a certain number of pastors. We have a certain number of, you know, baptisms every year. It rattles all that off.Rich Birch — And he said, you know, if you were to look at where we were 20 years ago, the number of churches is the same, the number of, and rattled off all these stats that are the same. Like we’re baptizing the same number of people, the attendance is the same, the the like all these things. He said, the only thing that’s gone up in the last 20 years is we’ve doubled our staff head count. There’s twice as many staff today as there was. And when I read, heard about your book and you talk about this angst, I was like, ooh, that’s exactly what he was describing. He’s like, wait a second. what’s happening here. And him as a denominational leader, he had the same read, hey, there’s something wrong with the way we set this thing up. Rich Birch — So your book, let’s actually dive into a little bit. It starts really at 70 year arc from Donald McGavron from 1955, all the way to today. And so for a leader who’s never really stepped back and thought about the history of like, what, how did we get here? It’s the name of your book. Why does knowing what got us to where we are today, this kind of consumer operating system that you describe, why does, how does understanding that help us as we think about the future?Todd Wilson — It’s a really good question. And I’m not sure, honestly, that I when I, when I set out to write this book, that, that that was even driving me to begin with, but very quickly that became the, I realized that’s why I need to write this book.Todd Wilson — So let, let me explain. And I need to give you a little bit of background to explain, because it’s an important question.Rich Birch — Yep, yep, for sure.Todd Wilson — So when I think about the moment that, that I realized we had a problem. Like that that, okay, we’re on this trajectory, things are moving the right direction to the 16%, and I’m back in the leadership of Exponential now. And I’m realizing, oh my goodness, we really do have a problem. And here’s here was what that looked like. Todd Wilson — I believed we had started learning communities and we had very vibrant learning communities And our learning communities got started because we felt like we need to shift the paradigm of people’s measure of success in the scorecard of church. It was very much about we need to shift paradigm. Alan Hirsch was involved with this on how do we shift from just growing large things to growing decentralized things that saturate. And it was very much about scorecard.Todd Wilson — And if you think about it, we’re wanting to move the needle from 5% to 16%. That’s a scorecard thing. So our initiating event was scorecard. But as we got into these learning communities, which in my opinion were the best things we were doing at Exponential. I mean, they were six to eight month learning journeys and we would rock people’s paradigm.Todd Wilson — We really would. People would go through it and be like, Oh my goodness, I got to have a different view of success in the church.Rich Birch — Right. yeahTodd Wilson — And guess what? They’d go home and Sunday’s coming. Rich Birch — Right. Todd Wilson — There’s, services to run, there’s people to pastor, there’s things to do. And the aha moment for me came, Rich, when I realized the the whole definition of insanity, that if you just keep doing the same thing over and over and hope for a different outcome, but that’s insanity. And here I am trying to lead a national organization to see a change in scorecard to move the needle to 16%.Todd Wilson — And I remember the day that I realized we’re not going to get there with the operating system we have in place in church right now. This operating system is not capable of getting us to the 16% number.Todd Wilson — That was a personal crisis. I’m leading an organization that’s up and to the right that the needle is moving. But as a futurist, I’m realizing we’re not going to get where we need to be with the operating system in the church. So the the operating system part was what drove me to start writing this book. I’ll let you ask a question there, and then we’ll circle back to the how does it relate to understanding how we got here, though.Rich Birch — Yeah, so ah just to underline what you’re saying there, um you know in in other conversations, I’ve heard leaders say, you know it’s like, um you know what you know what you reach people with is what you end up keeping them with. And so if what I hear you saying, just putting, I think, other language around it, but correct me, is kind of a consumer-oriented or a consumer cultural operating system that we’ve we’ve used as a church… Todd Wilson — Right.Rich Birch — …you know, obviously by definition, if you ah use a um consumption-based model, that doesn’t, leave you it’s very difficult to turn around and say, okay, now become a multiplier. You know, we got you here as a consumer. Okay, now how do we make you a multiplier? Is that the core pain?Todd Wilson — It is. And Rich, you’re painting the picture of why looking back to understand how we got here is important. If it’s true, that are ah If it’s true, and I want to suggest people ought to go look at it for themselves, that the underlying operating system that has evolved over the last 75 years, it’s not where it started with Donald McGavern in 1955. And there was never bad intentions by any of the good people through the 70 years.Rich Birch — Yeah, right.Todd Wilson — We have evolved from what was originally one thing. into a consumer model that is way more focused on success is growing big, success is making converts, not necessarily disciples. And we we can diagnose that if there’s a problem today, and I suggest there is a problem today, then how we got here and understanding how over 70 years, what was intended to be one thing, gradually (like the frog getting boiled in cold water) turned into something else.Todd Wilson — We’ve got to go through the the, if we really want to change the operating system, and I’ve seen how hard it is, guys can have the paradigm shift. We need to change. Then they go back home into the operating system that they’re operating in. And it is really, really hard to just throw off one operating system and embrace another oneTodd Wilson — And I wouldn’t even encourage people to do that. Don’t go home and just change your operating system overnight. But if you do want to make thoughtful, progressive change, the best way to do it is to start by going back and learn the lesson of how did we get where we are?Rich Birch — Yeah.Todd Wilson — How did things get off track to where to where we are?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Todd Wilson — And that’s what ended you know, I started out the book really to go after understanding the operating system itself. And very quickly came to the conclusion, oh, we I’m not sure how we’re going to move to a new operating system if people don’t go through the hard work of looking back and understanding how well-intentioned people over time have delivered for us what we have today in a flawed system.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. You know, I know, again, from my own personal experience, not to bring this back to me, but to my own personal experience, again, it’s been interesting to see similar patterns. You know, every couple years, there’s like some new idea that comes up in the church. And oftentimes I’m like, yeah, this is just like of rehash of a thing I saw 10 years ago or 15 years ago or 20 years ago.Rich Birch — It’s like, oh, this is is brand new. It’s like, ah, it’s echoes of things we’ve seen in the past. So why don’t we just kind of give people a flyover or a walkover of the kind of eras that you kind of define as you went through the book, just to give people a high level. Rich Birch — Ultimately friends, you know, I’m encouraging you to to do two things out of today. One is to pick up, I think this could be a great book for you and your team to go through. You and your leadership team, buy copies of this, read it. I think it could be an interesting book for you or, and go and listen to Todd’s interview with Carey as well. Carey just takes longer in his podcast and has more time. So there’s going to be, there’s lots packed into that as well. Rich Birch — But why don’t you kind of give us a flyover of the eras? And then maybe when you think about each one of those, something that was like, really positive that came from that area something like hey there’s something good there or maybe there’s something there that we’ve got to be cautious about as we think about the future.Todd Wilson — Yeah. And just to be clear, Rich, you know this, ah I’m a local church guy. My calling is a local church. I’m still on staff at a local church. I love the local church. So this part of the, difficulty for me in spending two years and over a hundred hours of interviews and putting this timeline of history together is I love the church.Todd Wilson — And I I, don’t know that I’d be sitting here talking to you if it weren’t for several of these eras I’m getting ready to name to you. So you’ve got really, I think a common thread through across these areas as we jump into them is typically apostolic, evangelistically driven leaders who really want to reach people. Hell is real. Lost people are going there. We got to reach them. And I think that’s the driving factor across all these eras is well-intentioned people…Todd Wilson — And if I can start with the end point, I think we’ve sort of co-opted the more holistic disciple-making growth engine that’s capable of generational disciple-making with strategies for institutional programmatic growth that are not capable of reproduction. They’re very good at growing large things and reaching lots of people, but not necessarily making, you know, through relational disciple making, disciples who make disciples who plant churches that plant churches.Todd Wilson — So here’s how I would do the flyover. When I got started writing this history, I thought I was doing one chapter of this history in another book. Rich Birch — I love it.Todd Wilson — And one chapter turned into two chapters and three chapters. And eventually my editor said, Todd, you just need to do a full book.Rich Birch — Well, that’s a book.Todd Wilson — And it ends up turning into the longest book I’ve written because of the 75 year history. And ah Rich, seriously, don’t, people don’t need to feel bad if they don’t know all the history. I, I’m like a where’s Waldo through a lot of this history. I’ve had a seat at the table for a lot of the stuff through these eras.Todd Wilson — Until writing this book, I did not know how all the dots connected across these eras. And then it became there were so many, oh, oh, oh. So here’s here’s the shot I’ll give to you. Ididn’t really I knew I had heard of Donald McGavern. I knew he was considered the father of the modern church growth movement. I’ve never, prior to writing this book, read about him, gone off and studied him. Gary McIntosh is his by is Donald McGavern’s biographer. So I spent a lot of time with Gary. He pointed me in the right directions.Todd Wilson — And here’s what I learned. Donald McGavern, born in the late 1800s, international missionary in India. um His father and mother were missionaries in India. He came from the mission field and his context was the international mission field. Todd Wilson — Now, get this as the starting point in 1955. He’s an international missionary. He has planted 15 churches himself in his career, none of which ever grew to more than 100 people. So you got to let that sink in. The father of the modern church growth movement planted 15 churches, none of which grew to more than 100. And yet he’s the father of what we consider now the modern church growth movement.Rich Birch — Right. Interesting.Todd Wilson — So the kind the context was, he became fascinated after reading a research report on why some churches in provinces in India were growing and others weren’t. Sometimes churches in the same village that were growing and just down the street, others weren’t.Todd Wilson — So he kind of took a scientific approach, the study of church growth. Like let’s study this like it’s a science, like what’s causing some churches to grow. And he he had very clear conclusions out of that, but you know, a handful of conclusions of what’s causing that.Todd Wilson — And so ultimately, when he came off the mission field by 1960, 61, he started the Church Growth Institute, not for U.S. pastors, but for international missionaries who were on furlough to come home and learn about church growth principles that they could take back to the international mission field. He had no interest in U.S. pastors. Todd Wilson — So for multiple years in the 60s, he was doing that. And when Fuller wanted to start their International School of World Missions, one of their best faculty member ratings was Donald McGavern. So they invited him to come become the founding dean of the the Fuller School of World Missions.Todd Wilson — But he only agreed to do it if he could bring the Church Growth Institute with him. So by 1970, you’ve got that up and running. He’s built his team. He invited a guy called C. Peter Wagner off the mission field to come be on his faculty staff. And in 1970, 71, Peter Wagner convinced Donald McGavern that they ought to run one class for U.S. pastors on church growth.Todd Wilson — And the rest is history. That one class, it just turned into, Imean, people were very interested in it. Denominations became interested. And literally within a couple of years, you’ve got this up and to the right people latching on to church growth science.Todd Wilson — And that starts the process, you know. Even from the beginning, you start to see a little bit of co-opting away from McGavern’s things. Not fast, but a little bit. Todd Wilson — So right on the heels of that, in the 70s then, you’ve got this young kid, ah Bill Hybels… Rich Birch — Right. Todd Wilson — …who’s running you know going to go into business and he’s running a street ministry with youth. He’s being mentored by Robert Shuler.Rich Birch — Yes.Todd Wilson — And Shuler’s got the possibility thinking, think outside the box, very apostolic. Turns out Shuler not only mentors Hybels, but there’s some mentoring of Rick Warren. And so you’ve got the birth of the seeker-sensitive era then.Todd Wilson — You know, if the first era was the McGavern-Roots era, now we’ve got the seeker-sensitive era. And, you know, that can be a positive or a negative stigma. For me, in 1976, I’m in middle school going into high school, not a Christian, live down the street from this movie theater called the Willow Creek Movie Theater. Rich Birch — Right. Right.Todd Wilson — And my mom drags us kicking and screaming into the Willow Creek Movie Theater. We were the avatar family for the Seeker Sensitive family movement.Rich Birch — Right. Movement.Todd Wilson — From Seeker Sensitive, you get out of that the what Peter Drucker and Bob Buford would call the large church phenomena and the birth of Leadership Network then with the large church phenomena, which became the megachurch phenomena.Todd Wilson — You’ve got Rick Warren and his masterful work with the purpose-driven church. Rick’s able to put handles on this church growth part, but Rick was a disciple of Donald McGavern, so he’s got the McGavern roots. Todd Wilson — You’ve got Hybels with the Shuler roots. And in that 80 into the 90s with the birth of the Global Leadership Summit and the other, you’ve you’ve got this very influential large church phenomena, purpose-driven, being shaped by, you know, in large part, the combination of Leadership Network, Hybels, Rick Warren… And that brings us up to you know about 2000. Todd Wilson — And just as a flyover, I would then call the era of the externally focused church. You’ve got the rapid fire birth of church planting networks. You’ve got multi-site. People don’t realize prior to 2000, there’s less than 50 multi-site churches.Rich Birch — Yeah.Todd Wilson — Leadership Network engages it in 2000. And from 2000 to 2010 you see an up, I mean, radically up and to the right.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — The externally focused church, same thing. Rick Russo has book right in that time period. The missional guys, right in that time period. So the common theme between these church planning networks, the missional guys, the externally focused guys, the multi-site, is we’re now looking outside of ourselves.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — But in large part, we’re still looking outside of ourselves as growth strategies for our things. If you really go look under the hood of a lot of those.Todd Wilson — And then I would say coming out of the externally or outwardly focused era, 2015 to 2025, I just have no other name than the disruption era. As I was doing the research on this book, um I had to stop at like 12 major disruptions that happened in that time period with COVID right in the middle. Rich Birch — Right. Todd Wilson — And so that’s the…Rich Birch — Political upheaval. There’s a bunch in there in that same, you know, yeah, that there’s been a schism.Todd Wilson — You’ve got deconstruction of faith.Rich Birch — Yep.Todd Wilson — You’ve got cynicism. You’ve got platformed individualism with the birth of social media. Now anybody can be their own, you know, playlist influencer. There’s just so many disruptive factors in there.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — Now you look at all those disruptive factors with the evolution of what’s happening in the church and the church operating system. And it leaves us on a very shaky foundation at that point that, you know It kind of brings us up to where we are now, and you can either be a pessimist at that or an optimist. And I choose the optimist path that we’re poised for a new day and a new operating system is my prayer.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s amazing. And friends, as you can see, you just got a real thin slice of, you know, just all the various phases that you do such a great job unpacking for us to help us really understand how we we got here. It was It was wild, it’s wild thinking about a lot of that because I remember, you know, various phases of those over the last particularly 25 years, you know, seeing that up close and seeing, you know, kind of the impact that has had and then wondering about the future and where we go from here. Rich Birch — So thinking about the future and, you know, obviously you’ve, um you know, you’ve you’re making a clear clarion call around, hey, we’ve got to think differently than the consumer driven operating system. We’ve got to we’ve got to come up with something different. After all of that, um and we’ve kind of covered this already, but I’d love to make sure we kind of hone on this, have this resonate with people that are listening in. Why is it so difficult for that system, for the consumer-driven operating system to to really ultimately produce healthy reproduction and multiplication and in churches? What’s structurally ah broken about it? And what what would be some first steps we should be thinking about change to the future as we think about, okay, where we go from here? Todd Wilson — Yeah.Rich Birch — How do we, you know, build on the positive stuff, but also look for something different as we look to the future? Todd Wilson — Yeah. I think we don’t have to make it complex, Rich, if we just keep trying to come back to simplicity for a minute. Like the system that has evolved has actually become pretty complex when you think about it. I would say if we could just focus on, I’m not even going to say changing overnight, but if if I’m a lead pastor, if I’m on staff at a church, I’m really focused on disciple-making as the core mission and growth engine of the church. Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — Like what is it, most churches are going to say our mission is disciple making or it’s going to be part of it. They’re going to say we have a culture of disciple making, but it is not what the data shows. Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — You know, again, 95% of churches do not have a culture of disciple-making. They have a culture of program activity. Rich Birch — Right. Todd Wilson — And so I’m not an advocate of changing everything overnight, but if you want to shift from a culture of program activity to a true culture of disciple-making‚ it has to start with the lead minister having a simple, reproducible, in-practice disciple-making approach that is being modeled for the… I don’t mean discipling the staff. I mean there’s people the lead pastor are personally discipling, modeling that simple, reproducible process. Todd Wilson — Where we’re starting to see traction and where I think the breakthroughs are going to come in getting us to the new operating system of the future, it is going to start, and it’s it’s happening right now, with pastors who say, you know, if I’m really honest, I’ve been preaching the last 52 weeks. I’ve been leading meetings. I’ve been doing, I’ve been doing, I’ve done, but I’m not really personally making disciples. Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — And I think it’s going to start with the lead pastor, the elders, senior people saying, If we could only have one metric of success in the next 12 months, it’s not growth, it’s not the activities we do, it’s not the new building. If we only have one measure of success, it’s how many disciples have I personally, relationally been involved in? me Not how many have I preached to, not how many outreach events have we done where we’ve got, but what have I personally done on the disciple-making front?Todd Wilson — And I don’t want to make it more complicated than that. That’s what we’re missing right now.Rich Birch — That’s good. No, that’s really good. Yeah, that’s good. I love the practical takeaway of, um yeah, it’s like, who are the three people in your life that you’re actually discipling? Let’s start there. Rich Birch — So this is kind of a sidebar to it.Todd Wilson — Can I just look real quick?Rich Birch — Yes. Yep. Push back. Yep.Todd Wilson — So David Putman, who’s part of what we do at Multipliers, David’s longtime kingdom guy.Rich Birch — Yep.Todd Wilson — You should have him on as an interview here. David is completely focused on what he calls the 5-3-2 right now. Five simple reproducible principles, three rhythms, and and two relationships. So it’s a triad of three people that just keeps reproducing.Todd Wilson — Anybody can do it. A ninth grader can do it. A lead pastor can do it. I’m watching this model take different groups by storm right now. And whether you embrace the 5-3-2 or some other model like it, the key is going to be having a simple, reproducible process that works for the lead pastor and anyone else in the church. Same model.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah we had David on back in 2020 and I’m like we got to get him back on uh the podcast. Rich Birch — So sidebar issue, so this is not something we’d you know kicked around ahead of time but it’s kind of adjacent to this. So I am not a I'm not a teaching pastor. Similar to you. I’m not, i never saw myself as a lead pastor. I’ve always been in the like, Hey, my job’s to be in the second chair, cheering for other lead pastors. I’ve worked for um really over my career as an XP three incredible communicator lead pastors who it would appear like, and it is, they, all three of them, God gifted them with this ability to speak and gather crowds. Like that was like core. And, and I, I’ve spent a lot of time like listening to them and watching them. And part of it just appears to be like, it’s definitely a gifting that’s going on there.Rich Birch — And I, over time, ah questions like the following would come up that I would I'd struggle with, where it’s like, it would appear like this person can gather a lot of people, and we can build more chairs in front of that person and people will hear that person and they’ll they’ll take steps towards Jesus. Rich Birch — And I understand that that’s not, or that’s not a full picture of discipleship. That’s one piece of the discipleship puzzle, but it’s not… And the the kind of organizational pressure is, okay, let’s keep figuring out how to build more seats in front of this person and and their gift. How do we get them to leverage their gift well? Rich Birch — And to be honest, I’ve been in conversations where I’ve been the voice of like, I want to line 100,000 people up in front of this person to hear this person speak because I think the way they talk about Jesus is different than what I’ve heard other people say and it it’ll make a difference. Rich Birch — That is, I think, at the center of this tension that there’s some there seems to be something about the gift of teaching that it’s not, I don’t know whether it’s not evenly distributed, or there’s like a brokenness in humanity and we only want to listen to certain kinds of people. I don’t know whether it’s one of those two things. So all I’ve done is describe a problem and I’m going to say, comment on it, Todd.Todd Wilson — Yeah. I think you’re right on the mark. I think I want to affirm that, you know, I mean, everybody has their definitions. I believe the preaching role is, and and the teaching and reaching is a piece of the discipleship equation.Rich Birch — Yep.Todd Wilson — I think if I’m defining the problem statement, We have made it the biggest piece… Rich Birch — Sure. Todd Wilson — …instead of a piece or a playing a role in it. So I think the issue is that how big we’ve made it. Like you, I was an executive pastor for years. And when I look back on that time, my role was not about holistic relational disciple making that could be the growth engine of the church. and it It was how do we get as many people in seats in the auditorium on Sunday? We need great marketing. We need great outreach.Todd Wilson — And again, I think all of those play a role in the disciple-making process ultimately. But let’s just be honest, that’s not disciple-making itself. It plays a role in the disciple-making process.Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — So the elephant in the room here is, how do we scale disciple-making? If I if I could be If I could be the czar of this, I’m not, but if I could be, I want the genius at the end. I want the unique gifts that are represented across the whole mosaic and the church, starting with that dynamic creature that can attract the crowd. I want it. Todd Wilson — But I also want those senior leaders of the organization I really want to be focused on what is our growth engine and what is our holistic disciple-making process. Rich Birch — Right.Todd Wilson — And the number one thing I want from those senior leaders is not their unique gift. I want their modeling, their personal modeling of the simple, reproducible, disciple-making growth engine that anybody in the church can do. Rich Birch — That’s good.Todd Wilson — I mean, that that preaching gift you’re talking about, that that one lead pastor can do, how many other people in the church can do that?Rich Birch — Right. Not many. Yep.Todd Wilson — So there’s their paradigm. So we need them doing it.Rich Birch — Yes.Todd Wilson — But I would argue what we need them doing even more than that inspiration is modeling the simple reproducible disciple making thing that people know that’s how we’re going to win here.Rich Birch — Yeah. Well, and I’ve that lines up, I’ve said it at probably, well, not a thousand times, but hundreds of times with lead pastors over the years that in the context of this conversation, I would rather them weave in the discussion about their discipleship relationships as like just a normative part of conversation rather than the, we’re doing six weeks on discipleship and how to become disciple making. I’m like, if you just pepper that stuff in week in, week out, it just is a normative part of the conversation that changes culture. Rich Birch — The kind of like, we’re going to make it a program. We’re going to brand it. We’ve got a great name on it. And my experience has been, it’s it’s a little bit like nailing jello to the wall. There’s there’s actually some of that containing of what we’re talking about actually kills the exact thing that we’re trying to do. And so, man, I think there’s a real tension there. And how do we help those people? Rich Birch — Because it’s not like we want them to do a worse job. It’s not like, hey, if you could stop talking in a way that attracts a crowd, that’s not the answer. But we’ve got to, like you say, how do we move them into those personal relationships? That’s fantastic.Rich Birch — Well, this has been a great conversation…Todd Wilson — My question would be, Rich, what what would happen…Rich Birch — Yep.Todd Wilson — …if an average lead pastor went on a one-year journey to to of disciple-making themselves? Call it a triad, call it four, five. They’re always, over the next year, going to be in a disciple-making small micro group… Rich Birch — Yep. Todd Wilson — …and all of their preaching is going to be informed.Rich Birch — Yep.Todd Wilson — That’s their laboratory of learning.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s their paradigm. Yeah, that’s good.Todd Wilson — That’s their paradigm. And now they’re bringing it to life, not just as periodic examples, but, you know, my whole frame of reference of my library is what comes out of that experience. Rich Birch — Yeah.Todd Wilson — And our problem right now is that’s just lack. It isn’t that it’s inserted a little bit. It’s just lacking.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s good. Yeah, this has been great. what ah What a great conversation. And as you can tell, friends, there’s a lot we could talk about there. And a lot you know just there’s a rich conversation that could be had around this. Rich Birch — Let’s let’s pivot and kind of talk a little bit about the book specifically. i want to make sure people pick up copies of this. Again, the name of it is How Did We Get Here? Looking Back to Look Forward. People can get this on Amazon. Are there other places that you would send people if they want to pick up copies of this?Todd Wilson — Yeah. So if they go to church-growth.org, church-growth.org, that’s the book’s homepage. You can actually get the free PDF there. You can get the free audio version there. There’s a full wiki there that people can contribute to. What you kind of mentioned it in passing, but I’ll highlight, it is impossible to read this book and not see yourself in it. Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah.Todd Wilson — Anyone who’s been a Christian for a while, they, the editor of the book said the power of this is going to be, she said, I can tell you the page in the book that I entered the story. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. Todd Wilson — So you’ve got the free PDF, the free audio, the wiki, and then for people that just want the paper versions, you can get it on Amazon.Rich Birch — That’s great. And we’ll link to that friends so that you can, you know, find that quickly in the show notes and, and friends, I would encourage you again, to me, I think this could be a great resource to do with your leadership team, as I mentioned earlier. It would be a great kind of conversation starter and really context setter for us to think through these issues as we think about the future. Rich Birch — So kind of as we, as we come to close up today’s conversation, any final words as we wrap up today?Todd Wilson — Rich, I just appreciate the work you’re doing. I want to be an encouragement to pastors. Don’t let this book be, it’s not a deconstruction book. It’s not, oh my goodness, the church has fallen apart.Rich Birch — No, yeah.Todd Wilson — We need to keep plugging away doing what we’re doing, but we also have to have an eye on the future that this operating system that has evolved, everything has a beginning and an end. And this operating system, I believe, is in its final days. I think we’re we’re seeing you know less and less effectiveness with it. And I think we just need to be in a posture of giving permission to the next generations to do some trial and error and experimentation and not be locked into the paradigm of the of the past inheriting previous things.Rich Birch — No, fantastic, Todd. I appreciate you being here. And I would echo that, you know, you’re you’re the kind of leader that’s in our corner trying to help us get better. And so I appreciate the voice that you’ve had for for decades. And so I really appreciate that. Rich Birch — If people want to track with you, get connected, follow along with Multipliers where do we want to send them online?Todd Wilson — Multipliers.org can get me to all the different ways from email to phone to social media. So multipliers.org.Rich Birch — That’s great. Thanks so much, Todd. Appreciate you being here, sir.Todd Wilson — Thank you, Rich. Appreciate it.

Rob have over four decades in sales and marketing within the securities, real estate and insurance industries. As a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company, managing partner of his own investment firm, past school board president and member of multiple boards, his track record and affiliations demonstrate a high level of professionalism, as well as providing advisors with unique viewpoints to every situation that might arise in the growth of your practice.His years in senior management with a national independent marketing organization gives Robe firsthand knowledge of the obstacles a producer encounters, as well as the steps to take in moving beyond them. His dedication to service is what sets him apart from other marketers. Accessibility, enthusiasm, and personalized service are my trademarks. In 2018, a hand-picked group of advisors were chosen to develop Advisor Mentorship Program (AMP) to link themselves to a network of successful advisors across the country and share best practices. This program helped our advisors double their production collectively as a group. In 2019, this same group of advisors grew their business an additional 25%., 2020, up 23%, 2021 up 24% and 2022 up 34%.If you are an independent advisor establishing a practice based on integrity, leadership, and growth, then a relationship with Simplicity InsurMark and his team should be on your immediate “to do” list. They are dedicated to you, the independent advisor, and everything they do is committed to making sure you have the resources and support necessary to provide the very best solutions to their clients, and their practice. Are you ready to catapult the business to the next level—and beyond? Then they invite to meet their team and customize a growth plan suited especially to you. At Simplicity InsurMark, it's about people, it's about relationships and it's about the long-term. Give them a call, let's learn more about each other and see if there.Learn more: http://insurmark.net/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-rob-rickard-vp-senior-advisor-development-consultant-with-simplicity-insurmark-discussing-how-to-scale-your-practice-without-losing-your-sanity

Rob have over four decades in sales and marketing within the securities, real estate and insurance industries. As a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company, managing partner of his own investment firm, past school board president and member of multiple boards, his track record and affiliations demonstrate a high level of professionalism, as well as providing advisors with unique viewpoints to every situation that might arise in the growth of your practice.His years in senior management with a national independent marketing organization gives Robe firsthand knowledge of the obstacles a producer encounters, as well as the steps to take in moving beyond them. His dedication to service is what sets him apart from other marketers. Accessibility, enthusiasm, and personalized service are my trademarks. In 2018, a hand-picked group of advisors were chosen to develop Advisor Mentorship Program (AMP) to link themselves to a network of successful advisors across the country and share best practices. This program helped our advisors double their production collectively as a group. In 2019, this same group of advisors grew their business an additional 25%., 2020, up 23%, 2021 up 24% and 2022 up 34%.If you are an independent advisor establishing a practice based on integrity, leadership, and growth, then a relationship with Simplicity InsurMark and his team should be on your immediate “to do” list. They are dedicated to you, the independent advisor, and everything they do is committed to making sure you have the resources and support necessary to provide the very best solutions to their clients, and their practice. Are you ready to catapult the business to the next level—and beyond? Then they invite to meet their team and customize a growth plan suited especially to you. At Simplicity InsurMark, it's about people, it's about relationships and it's about the long-term. Give them a call, let's learn more about each other and see if there.Learn more: http://insurmark.net/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-rob-rickard-vp-senior-advisor-development-consultant-with-simplicity-insurmark-discussing-how-to-harness-the-power-of-the-largest-imo

I sat down with Thomas Smith, founder of skinatwork.com. Here are 3 takeaways. 1. Simple is a strategy. Nearly 70% of Thomas's customers buy a full kit on the first visit. Simplicity is doing the hard work so your customer doesn't have to. 2. Know your numbers. Acquisition cost. Lifetime value. Repeat rate. Chase one metric and wonder why you're losing. 3. Build for a need, not a moment. Thomas launched during the pandemic , when everyone said don't. He did it anyway because the customer pain was real. That's the only reason that matters.   --- In Thomas Smith's words: I've been in skincare for 30 amazing years working for some of the most exciting brands and retailers in beauty: on the sales floor, in the spa, as a buyer, developer, marketer, entrepreneur and lover of all things skin. I spent a decade in NYC at Saks and Sephora, a decade in Colorado creating formulas for dry, sensitive skin at my own stores called MELT and a decade in LA marketing or developing products for Murad, Meaningful Beauty and Anastasia Beverly Hills, to name a few. My mom loves to tell people that I started as a cosmetics stock boy in Saks Denver, I prefer to say that I didn't choose skincare, it chose me. Over the years, I have watched as skincare has gotten increasingly complicated. So many steps, so many new products and so much time, money, brain space and energy spent trying to decode it all. Trust me, the amount of choice overwhelms me, too! Whenever I visit family or friends, they always ask for my advice on what to buy, when to use, how to use and in what combinations and it got me to thinking… how could I create the simplest, and I mean THE SIMPLEST, most efficacious skincare system possible for my mom, my sister, all of my peeps (including myself!) for skin of all ages, stages and concerns? That's how SKIN AT WORK was born. SKIN AT WORK is an obsessively streamlined, ultra concentrated, ALL-IN-ONE-STEP skincare system of clinically tested, gently powerful, hyper-tasking hero formulas that give your skin everything it needs (over 14 ingredients at efficacious levels) to thrive at its healthiest, deliver head-turning wow and the freedom to spend less time doing steps in the mirror and more time squeezing the juice out of life." Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big! Connect with Thomas Smith: Website: www.skinatwork.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skinatwork​ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skin-at-work-official/ *E - explicit language may be used in this podcast.

Rob have over four decades in sales and marketing within the securities, real estate and insurance industries. As a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company, managing partner of his own investment firm, past school board president and member of multiple boards, his track record and affiliations demonstrate a high level of professionalism, as well as providing advisors with unique viewpoints to every situation that might arise in the growth of your practice.His years in senior management with a national independent marketing organization gives Robe firsthand knowledge of the obstacles a producer encounters, as well as the steps to take in moving beyond them. His dedication to service is what sets him apart from other marketers. Accessibility, enthusiasm, and personalized service are my trademarks. In 2018, a hand-picked group of advisors were chosen to develop Advisor Mentorship Program (AMP) to link themselves to a network of successful advisors across the country and share best practices. This program helped our advisors double their production collectively as a group. In 2019, this same group of advisors grew their business an additional 25%., 2020, up 23%, 2021 up 24% and 2022 up 34%.If you are an independent advisor establishing a practice based on integrity, leadership, and growth, then a relationship with Simplicity InsurMark and his team should be on your immediate “to do” list. They are dedicated to you, the independent advisor, and everything they do is committed to making sure you have the resources and support necessary to provide the very best solutions to their clients, and their practice. Are you ready to catapult the business to the next level—and beyond? Then they invite to meet their team and customize a growth plan suited especially to you. At Simplicity InsurMark, it's about people, it's about relationships and it's about the long-term. Give them a call, let's learn more about each other and see if there.Learn more: http://insurmark.net/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-rob-rickard-vp-senior-advisor-development-consultant-with-simplicity-insurmark-discussing-is-it-time-to-outgrow-your-imo

In this episode, the brothers discuss military technology, retirement planning, and the cultural impact of hip hop, blending insights on national security, personal well-being, and music. The conversation offers a mix of expert opinions, personal stories, and humorous takes that matter to listeners interested in current events, self-care, and music history. In this episode, we explore the evolution of hip hop, the impact of iconic songs, and the importance of balancing entertainment with authenticity. Our guests share insights on music, pop culture, and personal growth, making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview01:20 Discussion of Ukraine's Drones and NATO War Games02:30 Trump's Proposal to Return to Steam-Powered Launchers03:57 Job Numbers and Workforce Trends05:28 The Concept of 'Me Days' and Personal Self-Care09:03 The Importance of Relaxation and Unplugging10:50 The Challenge of Turning Off and Recharging12:47 Facilitation, Leadership, and Bringing People Together16:52 Meditation, Mindfulness, and Self-Reflection17:27 The Need for Hobbies and Interests Outside Work18:18 Defending Trump and Military Decisions20:21 National Security, Bunkers, and Presidential Safety Measures22:23 Naming and Renaming of Airports and Landmarks23:36 Celebrating Seven Years of the Show24:19 The Show's Impact and Media Presence25:50 Questions and Audience Engagement36:59 The Evolution of Military Technology and Strategy37:06 Balancing Innovation and Simplicity in Defense41:02 Favorite Hip Hop Songs and Classics42:36 Lyricism and Impact of Iconic Tracks

Susanna Clarke's "Piranesi" has held popularity for a few years now and has been dubbed a "modern classic." What makes it classic? Readers wander "The House" with lovable Piranesi while he figures out the meaning of his life and uncovers some life-changing secrets. All the while, it teaches lessons on life, loneliness, simplicity and change.

Much of the anxiety we carry every day is rooted in a single, quiet fear: the fear of losing what we have. We worry about losing our status, our complex lifestyles, and the expensive comforts we have built around ourselves. But in this episode, we are going to explore a powerful truth: if you can train your mind to find its deepest joy in the simplest things in life, you become psychologically untouchable, and you will never fear losing things again. New Episode of the Happiness Podcast with Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D., Newport Beach Psychologist: https://www.DoctorPuff.com

Francois Lamoureux is CEO and co-founder of CXC, which funds Real Solutions to Real Problems, drawing on a Grammy‑winning creative career bridging art, science and entrepreneurship. Top 3 Value Bombs 1. Purity of intent matters more than chasing money because authentic motivation compounds over time. 2. Creativity becomes a curse when you ignore the gifts you know you are meant to pursue. 3. Simplicity, focus, and patent-protected innovation can create massive value without chasing traditional revenue models. Check out Francois' website to learn more about CXC and its innovations - CXC Website Sponsors HighLevel - The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies. Learn more at HighLevelFire.com. Nexus Install - Have a high-ticket offer? Nexus Install builds you a custom LinkedIn prospect booking system designed to generate more quality sales calls. Email JLD at John@EOFire.com to learn more.

Episode Description Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 10–12; John 14 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible-in-a-year podcast with 20-minute Scripture readings, Christ-centered devotion, and guided prayer. This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this 12th day of August, we journey through Jeremiah 10–12 and John 14 with Hunter, your Bible reading coach. In Jeremiah, we encounter the folly of idols, the faithfulness of the living God, and the prophet's struggle to understand what God is doing in the midst of injustice and suffering. Then, in John 14, Jesus draws his disciples into some of the deepest mysteries of our faith, revealing his union with the Father and promising the coming presence of the Holy Spirit. Yet amid these profound mysteries, Jesus gives his disciples something remarkably simple: follow me. There is so much about God, life, and faith that we may not fully understand, but we are not required to have everything figured out before we walk with Christ. We are invited to trust his presence, receive his peace, and go where he leads. Today's devotion reminds us that faith is not ultimately about mastering every mystery, but about learning to hear the voice of Jesus and respond when he says, "Come, let's be going." TODAY'S DEVOTION: There are some things about God that are simply beyond us. In John 14, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about some of the deepest mysteries imaginable. He tells them that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. He tells them that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will come and live within them. He tells them that somehow, through the Spirit, they will participate in this life and love that exists between the Father and the Son. That's a lot to take in. And you can almost feel Thomas and Philip trying to keep up. They want more explanation. They want Jesus to slow things down and make everything clearer. Thomas says, essentially, "We don't even know where you're going." Philip says, "Just show us the Father and we'll be satisfied." I understand that impulse. I think most of us do. There are so many things about faith that we want explained. There are mysteries we want solved and questions we want answered. We want greater clarity about God, about ourselves, about suffering, about the future, about what God is doing in our lives. But Jesus doesn't give his disciples a theological diagram that explains everything. Instead, he gives them himself. He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled. He promises them his peace. He promises the Spirit. He reminds them that they are not being abandoned. And then, at the end of the chapter, he says something remarkably ordinary and practical: "Come, let's be going." Come. Follow me. There is something beautiful about that. The mysteries are still mysteries. The disciples still don't understand everything. But Jesus is with them, and for now that is enough. They can follow him. And maybe that is enough for us today too. You don't have to understand everything before you follow Jesus. You don't have to solve every theological question or make sense of every circumstance in your life. There are things we may understand later that we simply cannot understand now. But we can hear his voice. We can receive his peace. We can trust the Spirit who lives within us. And we can follow. Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life. The way is not simply information about God. The way is a person. And as we follow him, we begin to experience the life he has promised us. We discover his peace, his strength, his joy, and his presence along the way. So maybe today, instead of demanding an answer to every mystery, we can simply listen for the invitation of Jesus: Come, let's be going. Follow me. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters and my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen. Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen. OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation. Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL You are loved!

University of Alabama Huntsville women's basketball head coach Allen Sharpe, discussing his coaching philosophy and the team's recent success. Sharpe shared insights from his long career, including his influences from playing under Don Meyer at Lipscomb University and his experience coaching both men's and women's teams. He detailed his emphasis on simplicity in defensive systems, focusing on one-on-one defense and closeouts, and the importance of physicality and accountability in his program. Sharpe explained his use of notebooks for players to enhance learning and retention, and discussed the balance between maintaining high standards and ensuring players are physically and mentally prepared. He also reflected on the unique challenges and rewards of coaching women's basketball and the role of team culture in their success. The conversation covered the transition to coaching at UAH, the integration of high-usage players into the team dynamic, and the lessons learned from past experiences to sustain success.

Anika sat down with Dr. Michael Gerharz to explore why brilliant ideas and vital corporate strategies so often end up in the trash bin. The conversation revealed a counterintuitive truth: the solution isn't persuading harder—it's resonating stronger. Michael's unique background transitioning from computer science networks to executive communication offered practical pushback against the persistent reliance on complex professional jargon, alongside a sharp look at what truly makes a presentation unforgettable (spoiler: it requires stepping off the hero's pedestal).   In This Episode From computer science to communication: frustration with discarded ideas What corporate leaders can learn about complexity from writing children's books The Alcoa turnaround: how focusing on worker safety quintupled company revenue Why words that resonate are found by listening better, not thinking harder The danger of hiding behind professional tech jargon and PowerPoint slides Breaking down the PATH Framework: Plain & Simple, Actionable, Transformative, Heartfelt Applying the framework in real-time: a CEO's vulnerable keynote success The pass-along phrase: a journalistic tool for razor-sharp presentation focus Stepping off the hero's pedestal: why audiences don't need another hero   Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: Simplicity as the entrance to complexity 02:18 The transition from computer science to communication 04:10 The connection between five-year-olds and CEOs: simplifying the core idea 08:14 Don't persuade harder, resonate stronger: The Paul O'Neill Alcoa story 13:21 Why leaders hide behind professional-sounding language 17:09 The PATH Framework explained 20:17 A real-world example of trading statistics for vulnerability 23:18 How the PATH framework led to a worldwide toy licensing deal 29:16 Creating a successful short-form format in a long-form world 33:14 The "pass-along phrase" communication strategy 35:36 Turning the spotlight off the speaker and onto the audience 38:29 Why smart people need to stop trying to be right and start getting it right 40:24 Final thoughts and the Miles Davis quote   Key Insights & Takeaways   Insight 1: Simplicity is the Entrance to Complexity   Professionals frequently wear complex jargon as a badge of honor, assuming it proves sophistication. However, whether speaking to a five-year-old or a board of directors, complexity without a simple entry point leads to immediate disengagement. Simplification isn't "dumbing down" the message; it is providing a clear hook that makes the audience say, "Tell me more," thereby inviting them down the rabbit hole into the complexity.   Insight 2: Don't Persuade Harder, Resonate Stronger   When a business is struggling, the instinct is to overwhelm the team with data, charts, and demands for greater effort. True impact, however, requires finding the intersection between business objectives and the audience's personal interests. As demonstrated by Paul O'Neill at Alcoa, focusing on an emotionally resonant keystone habit (like worker safety) can indirectly solve massive operational and revenue problems without relying on brute-force persuasion.   Insight 3: The Danger of the "Hero's Pedestal"   Speakers frequently step onto the stage believing they must prove their worth and act as the hero of the room. This mindset creates immense pressure and often alienates the audience, who view themselves as the heroes of their own lives. True influence is achieved by stepping down from the pedestal, adopting the role of the mentor, and utilizing the spotlight solely to help the audience overcome their own challenges.   Insight 4: The Power of the "Pass-Along Phrase"   To ensure a message lands, communicators must reverse-engineer their presentations. By identifying the exact phrase they want an audience member to relay to a colleague who missed the meeting, speakers create a razor-sharp navigation system. Any slide, anecdote, or statistic that does not directly support that final "pass-along phrase" is a detour that should be cut.   Insight 5: Stop Trying to Be Right, Start Getting it Right   Highly analytical leaders often waste presentations trying to make an airtight, factual case to force agreement. However, two people can agree on the exact same facts and still choose different courses of action. Communication is most effective when leaders let go of their ego and the need to be "right," focusing instead on outlining a shared path forward that makes sense for both parties.   Insight 6: Jargon is a Shield   When leaders know what they want to say but resort to dense, approved corporate language, they are usually trying to protect themselves. This vague, professional surface prevents them from being backed into a corner, but it also strips the passion and clarity from their message. The most powerful presentations often occur when a speaker drops the slides and explains their vision in plain, conversational English.   Resources & Links Mentioned The Path to Strategic Impact (Book) Irresistible Communication The Best Talk of Your Life:  https://michaelgerharz.com/yba   About Dr. Michael Gerharz   Dr. Michael Gerharz holds a doctorate in communication networks and has transitioned his expertise from machine-to-machine systems to high-stakes human communication. He is the author of The Path to Strategic Impact and The Aha Effect, and the host of the Irresistible Communication podcast. Through his consultancy, the Clarity Lab, he helps senior C-suite leaders abandon complex jargon and find the simple, resonant messages needed to deliver career-defining presentations.   Connect with Dr. Michael Gerharz   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgerharz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgerharz/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelGerharz Website: https://michaelgerharz.com Like the show? Leave us a rating or review: https://lovethepodcast.com/67940257010b317cdaa9d857Follow the Show: https://followthepodcast.com/67940257010b317cdaa9d857Send a Message: https://podcastfeedback.com/67940257010b317cdaa9d857Check out our Website: https://www.yourbrandamplified.comSpeak to my Delphi Clone: https://www.delphi.ai/amplifywithanika Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen To Full Sermon: "St. Mary and Life of Simplicity" @ St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church - Peoria, AZ ~ August 6, 2026https://on.soundcloud.com/pyTcOq7lJW3MkfsJx9

Questions, comments? Shoot me a text.I Barely Eat. So Why Can't I Lose Weight?“I really don't eat that much.”If you've said this—or thought it—while watching the scale refuse to budge, you're not alone. And you may be absolutely right.But what if the more important question isn't how much you're eating?What if it's something you haven't been paying attention to at all?In this episode of The Simplicity of Wellness Podcast, Amy shares an unexpected lesson from her recent vacation that completely changed the way she was thinking about hunger, appetite, and the eating patterns we often don't even realize we have.You'll discover why not feeling hungry very often isn't necessarily the same thing as having a calm appetite, why menopause and a “slow metabolism” may not tell the whole story, and what your body may be trying to tell you that you simply haven't been able to hear.And this isn't just an episode to listen to and forget.Amy gives you a specific 7-day appetite experiment you can start immediately to uncover what's actually happening between you, food, and hunger throughout your day.No calorie counting. No complicated diet rules. Just one week of paying attention in a very specific way.By the end of those seven days, you may finally have an answer to a question you've been asking for years:If I barely eat… why am I not losing weight?Listen before you decide your metabolism—or menopause—is the problem.Join Hangry to HealthyWebsite: The Simplicity of WellnessTransformation Starts Here: Schedule Your ConsultFollow Me on TikTokFollow Me on Instagram

This is a reflection of this morning's mantra - I Find Joy in Simplicity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home equity investment companies are winning attention with a simple pitch: no debt, no interest, no monthly payment. So how should reverse mortgage professionals respond? In this HECM World Food For Thought, LoanDepot reverse mortgage leader Lisa Moriello explains why loan officers should stop trying to out-simplify HEI marketing — and instead reframe the conversation around the homeowner's long-term financial outcome. Lisa explores: Why HEIs are increasingly entering the conversation before a reverse mortgage does Why dismissing home equity investments outright can damage credibility The question loan officers should ask instead: what will you actually owe when you leave the home? Why “no interest” does not mean no cost How HEI settlement timelines can matter for homeowners planning to age in place The difference between sharing future home appreciation and paying interest Why HUD-approved counseling is an important distinction How to move clients from comparing marketing pitches to comparing actual outcomes As Lisa puts it: “We're never going to out-market a venture-backed app with a slick onboarding flow … but we can out-explain them every single time.” For reverse mortgage professionals facing growing competition from HEIs, this is a practical framework for having a more credible, transparent and effective client conversation. Watch the full Food For Thought with Lisa Moriello and read the article here Visit hecmworld.com for more reverse mortgage news, insights and industry education.  

Jim George is a stillness coach, former animator, and one of the first guests ever to appear on this podcast. He has spent nearly 50 years developing what he calls practical spirituality, a way of working with the mind that requires no doctrine, no dogma, and no special belief system. What it does require is the willingness to get quiet enough to see what is actually there. In this conversation, we return to the most essential territory: the cost of mental noise, the nature of the ego, and what it genuinely means to be present for your own life.What We Dive Into:1. The noise in the mind is not neutral. Every moment spent in a self-generated narrative about the past or future is a moment you were not actually there. At the end of a life of that, Jim says, there is a strange vacuum.2. The drive for status was not a character flaw. It was, quite literally, a matter of life and death for our ancestors. Understanding that gives you room to stop being run by it. When you see the mechanism clearly, competition can begin to evolve into something closer to cooperation, which Jim argues is the actual path forward for the species.3. Gratitude is not a feeling you perform. It is focused attention on what already is, and it shifts your neurochemistry from dopamine-driven wanting toward something more stable. Know Thyself, but not by yourself. A guided space to return home to yourself.https://www.knowthyselfcollective.com✨THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:https://www.im8health.com/knowthyselfcode KNOWTHYSELF for an exclusive offerhttps://drinkLMNT.com/KnowThyselfTry LMNT & get a free sample pack ___________00:00 Intro02:40 The Cost of Normalizing Internal Noise06:07 What the Noise Is Made Of: Limbic Survival and Chatter12:11 The Contrast Between Noise and Stillness14:52 Status as an Evolutionary Artifact24:16 Normalization and the Tiger in the Mind29:18 Pure Stillness vs. Stillishness32:37 The Ego Narrative and the Illusion of Separation40:14 Everything We Want Is an End to Seeking45:36 Simplicity, Dopamine, and the Holotropic Universe49:27 What Happens When Subject and Object Dissolve57:32 Stillness as Practice, Not Destination59:24 Self-Love vs. Realizing Self as Love1:02:08 How to Actually Do It: The Long, Short, and Micro Form1:08:38 The Gifts of Headlessness: Harding's List1:13:47 Physics, the Quantum Field, and the Non-Physical1:25:15 How Far the Self Can Expand1:37:08 Values Work: What's Actually Driving Your Behavior1:47:18 Finding Your Me-Shaped Hole in the Universe1:59:43 The Universe Conspires When You Commit2:08:31 Closing Message: Quiet Down and Bring It___________✨MORE FROM ↳Instagram:

Robin Swan is a plant alchemist and the founder of Swan Apothecary, with over 30 years of experience in holistic health and cannabinoid medicine. Rooted in her Indigenous heritage, she blends ancestral herbal wisdom with modern cannabis science to create small-batch, full-spectrum formulations. Robin is known for integrating physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental healing into her approach to plant medicine. A passionate advocate for ethical business and patient-centered care, she champions safe cannabis integration and regulatory reform. Guided by her principle "Love All ~ Serve All," Robin brings a bold, heart-centered voice to the future of hemp and cannabis.

Jason and Ben kick off the conversation on spiritual disciplines.

Plenty of creators treat paid ads like cheating and wait years for organic reach that rarely comes. Eric Montgomery built Podcast Haven, a production house running shows for businesses, and grows them with paid promotion and craft, not luck.In this episode of Podcasting Secrets with host Nathan Gwilliam, Eric reveals how a category-targeted Overcast display ad reaches the right audience for a couple hundred dollars a month, how he pointed an AI agent at more than one hundred old blog posts to refresh their SEO and climb Google again, and why plugging a service you already sell is the quickest way a podcast pays for itself.Want a podcast that grows and pays for itself without waiting on sponsors?Learn the craft first, add paid promotion to your organic reach, and point the show at a service you already sell. Subscribe and follow Podcasting Secrets on Apple, Spotify and YouTube for weekly strategies from creators building shows that last.Grab your FREE copy of the 101 Podcasting Secrets Guide by signing up for the newsletter at podcastingsecrets.com.Catch the full playbook in this week's story:https://podcastingsecrets.com/blog/how-to-grow-and-monetize-a-podcast-without-waiting-on-sponsorships-with-eric-montgomery-1Follow, Like & Subscribe: Podcasting Secrets:Website: https://podcastingsecrets.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podcasting-secretsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastingsecrets/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/poduppodcasting/Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcasting-secrets/id1726056241Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0edA45tyPxFRfiUmDxYSUjNathan Gwilliam:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/Website: https://podup.com/Podcasts: Why We Believe: https://whywebelieve.com/Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/Eric Montgomery:Website: https://thepodcasthaven.com/Show: ClippedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmontgomery1/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepodcasthaven

Josh and John discuss how fraud prevention, compliance, and outdated processes have made everyday banking more difficult than it needs to be. Using a recent bank account-opening experience as an example, they explore why customer experience has become a competitive advantage, how fintechs continue to raise consumer expectations, and why banks should spend as much time removing friction as they do adding security. The post Episode 213 | Security vs. Simplicity appeared first on Marketing Money Podcast.

Send us Fan MailIf you're ready to leave insurance or start your own direct care practice, don't make the mistake of selling visits. Sell the transformation. In this episode, I break down why every successful direct care practice needs one signature offer—the thing you're known for and the outcome your patients actually want. I'll show you why packages create more commitment, more predictable revenue, and a simpler business than charging per visit. You'll also learn the three-part framework I use to build offers that patients understand, trust, and gladly invest in. Start with one offer. Refine it over time. Simplicity is what helps your practice grow.  Support the show--> Build Your Signature Offer Before You Opt Out PDF here***WORKSHOP: Build Your Profitable Direct Pay Package get on my email list to be the first to know about the next live coaching session hereDirect Care Launch Lab: 12 week live coaching where you get a clear plan on your signature offer, a patient acquisition plan, and group support for on-going implementation. Take the readiness assessment to get started here.---Join the Direct Care Society, a private WhatsApp community here. Ads free!EMR I'm currently using in my Direct Care practice Simple PracticeFind me on LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/in/teadpmMore resources teadpm.com

We often overcomplicate happiness. A reminder that some of life's richest experiences cost nothing - a conversation, fresh air, cooking a meal, laughter, music or sitting in the sunshine. Your Morning Mantra: I find joy in simplicity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us Fan MailIf you're ready to leave insurance or start your own direct care practice, don't make the mistake of selling visits. Sell the transformation. In this episode, I break down why every successful direct care practice needs one signature offer—the thing you're known for and the outcome your patients actually want. I'll show you why packages create more commitment, more predictable revenue, and a simpler business than charging per visit. You'll also learn the three-part framework I use to build offers that patients understand, trust, and gladly invest in. Start with one offer. Refine it over time. Simplicity is what helps your practice grow.  Support the show--> Build Your Signature Offer Before You Opt Out PDF here***WORKSHOP: Build Your Profitable Direct Pay Package get on my email list to be the first to know about the next live coaching session hereDirect Care Launch Lab: 12 week live coaching where you get a clear plan on your signature offer, a patient acquisition plan, and group support for on-going implementation. Take the readiness assessment to get started here.---Join the Direct Care Society, a private WhatsApp community here. Ads free!EMR I'm currently using in my Direct Care practice Simple PracticeFind me on LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/in/teadpmMore resources teadpm.com

This episode is a replay from The Existential Stoic library. Enjoy! Do you want more? Does growth equal success? Are we making our lives overly complicated? In this episode, Danny and Randy discuss the importance of simplicity.Subscribe to ESP's YouTube Channel! Thanks for listening!  Do you have a question you want answered in a future episode? If so, send your question to: existentialstoic@protonmail.com

“Aquinas on Simplicity and Analogy: A Problem in Natural Theology” by Rev. David Paternostro, S.J. (Creighton University). Presented at Thomas Aquinas College's 2026 Thomistic Summer Conference.

“Aquinas in the Western Tradition of Divine Simplicity” by Dr. Brett Smith (Thomas Aquinas College, New England). Presented at Thomas Aquinas College's 2026 Thomistic Summer Conference.

As we continue our series on misliving, Sean discusses the power of simplicity. First, we take a look at the life of Jesus for the perfect model. And then we discussed three practices that can help us simplify our life and focus more on Him.

Wesley Wright Lighthouse Bible Church Sunday, August 9, 2026 2Co 11:1-3 Title: The simplicity of Christ We'll discuss a matter of great importance today. Can a Christian be deceived? How do you defend against being deceived? How can we help others who might be? Paul has a godly jealously for his readers (2Co 11:2). That desire distinguishes him from the false apostles. Eph 4:11-16 Be clear: God is a jealous God - He has a desire for His people and their obedience, and deservedly so. Num 25:6-13, Deu 4:20-27 The term chaste virgin (2Co 11:2) refers to a certain purity in doctrine (Ephesians 5:22-27) as the church awaits a marriage to come. That marriage: Rev... for full notes: http://www.lbible.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1801

Michael Clementi is an advisor development consultant at Simplicity Group. Over the course of his 8 years in the financial services industry he has built meaningful relationships with advisors across the country while supporting and growing their practices. Clementi offers immense support to the advisors he works with through his deep understanding of building effective financial strategies to achieve clients' long term goals. Additionally, he provides instrumental value in their continued growth by keeping them up to date and educated on the latest industry trends.Learn More: https://www.simplicitygroup.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-michael-clementi-advisor-development-consultant-with-simplicity-group

Michael Clementi is an advisor development consultant at Simplicity Group. Over the course of his 8 years in the financial services industry he has built meaningful relationships with advisors across the country while supporting and growing their practices. Clementi offers immense support to the advisors he works with through his deep understanding of building effective financial strategies to achieve clients' long term goals. Additionally, he provides instrumental value in their continued growth by keeping them up to date and educated on the latest industry trends.Learn More: https://www.simplicitygroup.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-michael-clementi-advisor-development-consultant-with-simplicity-group

Youth Meeting @ St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church - Peoria, AZ ~ August 6, 2026

How much of your business was designed by you, and how much of it came from watching what worked for somebody else? In this episode, I'm getting into the concept I've been circling all year, which is personalizing your business model before you buy another strategy.  Nearly every "proven system" on the market is somebody's personality and strengths turned into a process, and when you buy the process without checking whether the person behind it resembles you at all, you end up running your business on willpower. I'm walking through why two completely opposite launches both worked this year, where the income roller coaster comes from, and the three functions of your business that can be personalized to how you're wired. I'm also sharing the two questions I run every new strategy through before I spend money on it, including the four-hour webinar I sat through for a program I decided not to buy. If something in your business has felt off lately and you haven't been able to name what it is, this conversation will give you language for it and a way to decide what stays, what goes, and what you never should have bought in the first place. Timeline Highlights [01:19] – Coming back from the summer interview series and why I pulled myself off the content cycle for six weeks [03:20] – The concept I've been diving into all year, and the offer I built that made money without fitting me at all [05:32] – Two launches at opposite ends of the price spectrum, and what they prove about what's working right now [09:02] – Why the thing that's working isn't a specific model, and what it is [13:03] – The four-hour webinar I watched for a program I decided not to buy, and the discernment behind that call [19:01] – Every proven system is somebody's personality and strengths turned into a process [20:26] – Why the coach teaching daily video and the mentor who refuses sales calls are both teaching themselves [23:57] – Where the income roller coaster comes from, and why willpower is the mechanism [27:15] – The three core functions of your business that can all be personalized to you [38:22] – The two questions to run before you buy another strategy, course, or coaching program [45:49] – The free personalization panel on August 12 with Megan Yelaney, Heather Sager, and Linda Sidhu Top Quotes from the Episode "Every proven system you can buy is somebody's personality and strengths turned into a process. The real question is whether that process fits how you're built." "If you try to run a system that doesn't match you, it runs on willpower, and willpower always runs out before the revenue does." "Those income swings are a design problem, and no amount of discipline is going to fix a model that was built for somebody else." "Almost any business model you've ever heard of is working for somebody right now. What's left to figure out is which one is working for you." "The strategy has to fit your average day. Your best day is not the one you'll be living most of the time." "I had close to a 40K month in July while barely showing up online, because the business runs on assets that compound instead of a schedule that demands I perform." "Simplicity is what scales. Complexity is usually the thing draining your revenue while you're busy adding more to fix it." Links & Resources Take the "What's Your CEO Type?" Quiz Free personalization panel, August 12 at 12:30 PM ET, with Megan Yelaney, Heather Sager, and Linda Sidhu: https://go.lauraschoenfeld.com/personalization  If this episode resonated with you, follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who's ready to build a business that actually fits their life.

In this episode, Heather continues her coaching series by bringing you inside a real coaching session with Elevate member Ashley Smith of Ashley Anita Photography. You can explore Ashley's beautiful work at https://ashleyanitaphotography.com/. Ashley has a creative idea to attract more clients through a signature session, but she's feeling stuck before she even begins. Together, she and Heather simplify the challenge, uncover the thoughts creating hesitation, and shift the focus from selling to serving. If you've ever had a great idea but talked yourself out of sharing it, this episode will help you move from overthinking to confident action. Key Takeaways:    Complicated thoughts create inaction. Simplifying the problem makes it much easier to move forward. Treat your ideas like experiments. You don't need certainty—you just need a willingness to test and learn. Don't let your current audience determine your future results. Growth begins when you start sharing consistently, not when you reach a certain follower count. Service is more powerful than selling. When you genuinely believe your offer helps people, marketing feels natural. Belief changes your energy. Confidence in yourself, your client, and your offer makes your message more compelling. One clear offer is more effective than endless overthinking. Simplicity creates clarity for both you and your clients. Marketing doesn't have to feel pushy. Inviting people to something valuable is an act of service. Consistency builds momentum. Committing to share your offer repeatedly gives it a chance to succeed. Abundance creates better decisions. When you aren't relying on one strategy to save your business, you can market with confidence instead of desperation. Action creates evidence. You'll never know what works until you're willing to put your idea into the world. How many incredible ideas have you talked yourself out of before anyone else had the chance to see them? The biggest obstacle to your next client may not be your marketing; it may be your thinking. One simple mindset shift can turn hesitation into action and ideas into opportunities. Press play and discover why simplifying the problem is often the fastest path to results. How to Support the Podcast: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please like, share, and leave a review. If you like the content, please share with your friends by posting on social media so that we can reach and impact more people. Join our next free coaching workshop: www.getcoachedbyheather.com Connect: Heather Lahtinen: Website, Facebook, Instagram   

When the Title Changes but the Authority Doesn't: Family Business Succession with Paul Edelman Most family business succession plans fail not because the legal structure is wrong, but because authority never actually moves. In this episode of Wealth Actually, Frazer Rice talks with Paul Edelman, PhD of Edelman & Associates about how to tell the difference between a real handoff and a cosmetic one. Edelman unbundles succession into six separate questions, explains the three behavioral tells that reveal who is really in charge, draws a hard line between a legitimate safeguard and an open-ended veto, and makes the case that agreement from a family is not the same thing as ownership of a decision. https://youtu.be/p2KCsftvM74 Key Takeaways Succession is not one decision — it is at least six. Who gets the economic benefit of ownership, who votes the shares, who appoints and removes directors, who runs operations, who receives what information, and who retains informal influence after formal authority ends. Watch behavior, not titles. Compensation changes and org charts are easy to read and easy to fake. How decisions actually get made — and whether they get reversed — is the real signal. Three tells that authority hasn't moved: the next management layer still routes real decisions to the founder; the successor has never had a disputed call stand; and in a genuine crisis, the founder is the one who walks into the room. Speed is not the test. A five-year transition can be disciplined development; a six-month transition can be denial with a deadline. The test is whether milestones and readiness criteria are observable and stable, or whether the goalposts keep moving. “Not ready” is not a concern — it is a placeholder. If a founder cannot restate it in specific, testable terms, the obstacle is emotional rather than substantive, and it needs a different path. Advisor impatience often masquerades as clarity. When you catch yourself thinking “why can't they just do this,” ask whose timeline is actually being served — the family's, or your need to close the file. A safeguard is bounded; a veto is not. Reserve specific extraordinary decisions with defined scope, thresholds, triggers, evidence, and duration. “The successor is in charge unless the founder feels uncomfortable” is an undefined operational veto. Agreement is not ownership. A family can be outvoted and formally agree while owning nothing. Ownership comes from having weighed the trade-offs and the implications of each option in the room. Timestamps [00:00] Cold open — why “he's just not ready” is untestable [01:05] Welcome: founders at the sell-or-transfer crossroads [01:48] Unbundling succession into six separate questions [02:23] Running a diagnostic on where the founder actually is [03:00] Watch behavior, not titles — and what the CFO tells you [04:00] Decision reversals and the second-guessing test [05:00] The crisis test: who owns the emergency [05:36] Fast handoff vs. staged succession and prolonged ambiguity [06:10] Milestones that show it's working — and goalposts that keep moving [08:00] Inside vs. outside successors and family dynamics [08:54] Competing heirs and the outside CEO as bridge or avoidance [09:47] Reading resistance: making “not ready” addressable [11:10] The advisory ecosystem's frustration with stalled progress [12:16] Whose timeline is being served? [13:31] Push, pause, or reframe — the art and science of advising [15:00] When to change the forum, the decision rights, or bring in a facilitator [15:36] Safeguards vs. vetoes and the trap doors founders build [17:37] Board composition: independence vs. familiarity [20:00] Restructuring boards to create seats for new expertise [20:54] Income-dependent family members vs. growth-minded owners [21:34] Agreement is not ownership: dividends vs. reinvestment [23:31] Matching complexity to the outcomes you need [25:00] Communicating decisions to people who weren't in the room [25:26] How to reach Paul Edelman [25:46] The Edelman–Shenkman trilogy for estate planning attorneys [29:19] Close Pull Quotes “If the CFO briefs the new successor CEO and then confirms things with Dad, then the org chart is not telling the real story.” — Paul Edelman “To have authority when things are going well is fine. But the person who owns the crisis is the one who's really owning the leadership.” — Paul Edelman “A safeguard should be limited, explicit, and connected to some extraordinary risk. A veto is an ongoing ability to stop or reverse any old ordinary decision.” — Paul Edelman “Just because there's an agreement in name doesn't mean there's ownership of the decision.” — Paul Edelman About the Guest Paul Edelman, PhD is a coach, facilitator, and mentor at Edelman & Associates, where he works with family enterprise and family office leaders on decisions that cannot be delegated. He holds a PhD in developmental psychology from Harvard University and a BS in physics from MIT, and serves as faculty at The UHNW Institute and the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship at Babson College. Contact Paul Edelman Email: paul@edelmancoaching.com Website: edelmancoaching.com (contact form on site) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pauledelman The Edelman & Shenkman Trilogy Paul and Martin M. “Marty” Shenkman, CPA, MBA, JD, PFS, AEP (Distinguished), of Shenkman Tietz, have written a three-part series aimed at estate planning attorneys: Simplicity and its trade-offs — When Clients Ask for a Simple Estate Plan, WealthManagement.com / Trusts & Estates, July 8, 2026. The language of estate planning conversations — published in Steve Leimberg's LISI Estate Planning Newsletter (subscriber archive). Beneficiary education — forthcoming October 2026, expected in Estate Planning. Paul's running author archive: wealthmanagement.com/author/paul-edelman More from Paul Edelman Approval Is Not Ownership: Helping Family Office Investment Decisions Hold Under Pressure — Family Wealth Report, July 1, 2026 How Families Can Override Emotions to Make Better Judgments — Family Business Magazine, April 9, 2026 Lessons For Families And Their Advisors From A Hit TV Series — Family Wealth Report, February 24, 2026 Stronger Family Bonds and Better Strategic Decisions — FFI Practitioner, January 20, 2026 Frequently Asked Questions What are the six questions a family business succession decision should be broken into?Who receives the economic benefit of ownership; who votes the shares; who appoints and removes directors; who runs the company operationally; who receives what information; and who continues to hold influence after formal authority ends. Bundling these into a single “handoff” decision is what creates ambiguity. How can you tell whether authority has really transferred to a successor?Watch three behaviors. First, where the next management layer goes for real decisions — employees are excellent at reading where power actually lives. Second, whether the successor has ever made a call the founder disagreed with and had it stand. Third, the crisis test: when a covenant breaks or a key employee leaves, who walks into the room and who gets briefed afterward. Is a fast succession better than a gradual one?Speed itself is not the test. A five-year transition can represent disciplined development, and a six-month transition can be avoidance followed by an arbitrary deadline. What matters is whether responsibility moves against observable milestones, whether the successor learns from outcomes instead of being rescued, and whether readiness criteria stay fixed rather than shifting each time the successor advances. What is the difference between a safeguard and a veto?A safeguard is limited, explicit, and tied to extraordinary risk — selling the company, debt above a threshold, issuing new equity, changing core strategy, or related-party transactions — with defined scope, thresholds, process, duration, trigger, evidence, and who decides. A veto is an ongoing ability to stop or reverse ordinary decisions. If the founder can intervene whenever they feel uncomfortable, that is an undefined operational veto. How should advisors handle their own frustration with a stalled family?Notice that impatience often feels like clarity. When you think “I see exactly what they need to do, why can't they just do it,” that is often the moment to slow down and ask whose timeline is being served — whether the ambiguity is genuinely damaging the company, or whether the recommendation mainly closes the case and relieves the advisor's discomfort with uncertainty. What makes an independent director genuinely independent in a family company?The ability to exercise business judgment and fiduciary duty free from undue family influence or loyalty to a particular branch. A director who is the founder's golfing buddy or tied to one family faction will struggle to deliver the value independence is supposed to provide. Why isn't agreement good enough?Because agreement in name is not ownership. A family branch can be outvoted, formally accept the outcome, and still feel no responsibility for it. Ownership comes from working through the trade-offs — what each option makes better and worse — so participants can say they helped weigh the considerations even if the result was not their first choice. Full Transcript [00:00] Paul Edelman: The resistance often takes the form of some sort of concern that is stated like, for example, the most general concern that people will say is, well, he or she, the likely successor, is just not ready. But that phrase “not ready” is at a very high level of generality. It's not specific enough to be testable or to be capable of being satisfied. So the challenge is to work with the founder to help them express their concern in terms that are actually addressable. [00:36] Announcer: Welcome back to the Wealth Actually podcast, the show that features experts, entrepreneurs, and commentators that will give you the right knowledge, planning, and guidance so you can preserve your assets and enjoy your wealth. Learn more and subscribe today at wealthactually.com. This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is neither investment, legal, nor tax advice and does not represent the opinions of the employers of the host or guests. [01:05] Frazer Rice: Welcome aboard, Paul. [01:07] Paul Edelman: Thanks, Frazer. Looking forward to our conversation. [01:09] Frazer Rice: Well, it's important because I deal with a bunch of founders and a bunch of other business owners, families, et cetera, that are trying to make sense out of the concept of passing along the business either to the next generation or deciding to sell it, and all sorts of parts of that tough crossroads that everybody has to go through at some point. And that's really the crux of your practice — to help people with those conversations. [01:34] Paul Edelman: Yes. [01:35] Frazer Rice: So when we're thinking about that and kind of unbundling the decision to pass the business along, when a family wants to talk about that, what are the separate parts of that decision that need to be contemplated? [01:48] Paul Edelman: Well, I see at least six different questions that need to be separated. One is who receives the economic benefit of ownership in the company. Another is who gets to vote the shares. And a third is who appoints and removes the directors. Then there's who runs the company from an operational standpoint, and who receives what information. And then, who continues to have influence even though they may no longer have formal authority. [02:23] Frazer Rice: So once you get into the… it always seems to me to be tough to sort of say, okay, here are six things that have to happen, and that's a lot for somebody to digest in the course of one or two meetings and get the buy-in from all the different constituencies that are interested in what the business is up to. How do you run a diagnostic to understand where a founder is — or generation one — in their own head space, and understanding what control being passed on looks like in summary form on those six different aspects that you brought up? [03:00] Paul Edelman: I think the key thing is to watch behavior more than titles. People often pay a lot of attention to when the titles have shifted or compensation shifts, things like that. But they pay less attention to how decisions are being made and whether those decisions get reversed. So when the title has moved but the authority hasn't moved, you tend to see three different things. First of all, you can see something going on at the next level down in management — not with the founder and successor per se, but with the other executives. You can ask yourself, who do they go to for the real decisions? If the CFO briefs the new successor CEO and then confirms things with Dad, then the org chart is not telling the real story. [04:00] Paul Edelman: Employees are excellent at reading where the actual power lives, because they can't afford to be wrong about that sort of thing. So that's one clue. Another is to look at decision reversals, or what is more commonly called second-guessing. You want to look for whether the successor has made a call that the founder disagreed with. And if so, did it stand, or did it get reversed? If the company is two years into succession and that's never happened, it's possible that the successor is pre-clearing everything with the former CEO and only making decisions that they know will be approved. So in that case, it's not real authority. And a third situation is what you could call a crisis test. [05:00] Paul Edelman: So when something genuinely bad happens — there's a breach of a covenant, or a key employee departs, or a lawsuit — the question is, who do people go to? Who walks into the boardroom and into the decision-making situation, and who ends up getting briefed afterwards? To have authority when things are going well is fine, but the person who owns the crisis is the one who's really owning the leadership, in a sense. [05:36] Frazer Rice: So one of the avenues that I think is interesting, that I read in your materials ahead of time, was the idea that a quick succession oftentimes — and maybe not often, but can be — a better avenue in terms of moving the succession forward, as opposed to having a staged succession where a long period of ruminating and decision-making often perpetuates ambiguity, or even confusion, amongst different constituencies both managerially and ownership-wise. [06:10] Paul Edelman: Speed itself is not the test. You could have a five-year transition that represents disciplined development of the successor, and you could also have a six-month transition that essentially is a denial of what needs to happen, followed by some kind of a deadline. But you certainly don't want to allow things to drift. If the transition is proceeding gradually, you can tell it's working if responsibility and authority are moving according to observable milestones. So the successor is making increasingly consequential decisions. They're learning from the outcomes rather than being rescued by the founder or the prior leader from their mistakes. [07:01] Paul Edelman: They're developing important relationships and they're becoming someone that others rely on. The criteria for readiness also should become clearer over time, and the founder's involvement should change in ways that are recognizable. So that's the ideal. But sometimes a gradual transition represents avoidance, and in those cases you see criteria — sometimes people refer to them as the goalposts — that keep moving. And decisions are repeatedly returned to the founder. Also, each step that the successor takes toward greater authority may be followed by a new reason why the founder feels that they're not ready. So the question that can be asked is: what are the capabilities that the successor is developing, and what specific evidence would demonstrate that? [08:00] Frazer Rice: When you're diagnosing what those capabilities are, as part of that diagnosis, if the successor is inside the family versus outside the family, how do you diagnose whether that is a positive or a negative, in addition to maybe the harder skill sets that are being dealt with? [08:29] Paul Edelman: If the successor is from inside or outside the family, I would say that many of the capabilities needed for leadership are the same. [08:40] Frazer Rice: Yeah, I was going to say — if you run into situations where a family member is capable skill-wise, but there are dynamics issues that have prevented their succession to the throne, essentially. [08:54] Paul Edelman: Sometimes there may be a situation in which you have more than one potential successor and they're in competition with one another, and the family is reluctant to declare a winner. And so one move that can be made in that situation is to essentially bypass the decision by going to the outside to bring in someone. It could be a kind of conflict avoidance mechanism. On the other hand, if no successor is really ready, then sometimes going to the outside can be an interim move. So some companies will hire an external candidate for CEO with the expectation that part of the responsibility will be to develop one of the family members who ultimately may take over. [09:47] Frazer Rice: And so part of your methodology is to read resistance in the room and understand where those pain points are. How does a founder, or generation one, or the successive generations understand what the resistance is? And how do you help them overcome that? [10:02] Paul Edelman: The resistance often takes the form of some sort of concern that is stated like — for example, the most general concern that people say is, well, he or she, the likely successor, is just not ready. But that phrase “not ready” is at a very high level of generality. It's not specific enough to be testable or to be capable of being satisfied. So the challenge is to work with the founder to help them express their concern in terms that are actually addressable. If you try to do that and you're unable to, that's an indication that the concern is less about something specific and addressable, and more about some unpleasant feelings that the founder is experiencing — and that implies a different path for how to address those, or what needs to be done. [11:10] Frazer Rice: For those of us in, let's call it the advisory ecosystem — that can be the wealth manager, or the lawyer, or the accountant, the people who help guide the technical succession issues, whether it's tax planning or trusts and estates or even just the corporate handoff — oftentimes we're presented with situations that just get muddled, and we look at lack of progress with frustration. How does an advisor deal with that, when the instinct and in a sense the business model is to try to push, to get resolution and to get progress on these types of issues? [12:16] Paul Edelman: The signal that I watch for is what that impatience feels like to the advisor. Sometimes it feels like clarity. The advisor says to himself, oh, I see exactly what they need to do — why can't they just do this? And in my experience, that's often the moment when it's helpful for the advisor to slow down. Not because the family should be allowed to delay indefinitely, but because the advisor's own need for resolution may begin to shape what they say and do, and the advice that they give. [13:00] Paul Edelman: One useful check that advisors can use for themselves is to ask whose timeline is being served. There may be a genuine business reason to act — it may be, for example, that the continued ambiguity is hurting the company, or weakening the successor, or leaving employees unsure about who's in charge. But I would also ask myself, and other advisors can ask themselves, whether their recommendation is mainly to help them close the case, or to demonstrate progress, or to relieve their own discomfort with uncertainty. [13:31] Frazer Rice: The concept of — this is really, I guess, the mix of art and science of advising — between push versus pause versus a total restructure or a reframing of the conversation. There's an intersection of, you have to have the technicals down, but then experience in dealing with personalities, experience with dealing with the specific family and situation, and guiding that. [14:15] Frazer Rice: I imagine occasionally you run into situations where, at the intersection between the advisors and the family, they feel stuck. And so then the concept of getting them unstuck — yet there is resistance to maybe bringing in a facilitator to help grease the skids and get the conversation moving again. How do you help that reframing discussion? [14:40] Paul Edelman: I guess the question I would ask is, where do things stand? Has a decision actually been made, or is the obstacle substantive, or is it the process? So when a decision has been reached through a legitimate process and what you see is some sort of executional drag or discomfort, those are the situations where I think it's helpful to hold the boundary. You can acknowledge whatever feelings may be slowing things down, but there's not a need to reopen the decision. [14:55] Paul Edelman: On the other hand, if the discomfort that people are feeling suggests that there's some sort of important concern that hasn't yet been understood, then that's where I would pause. And that pause can involve useful work. You can ask people, what is it you're trying to protect? What are the consequences that you fear? What would need to be true for proceeding to feel responsible rather than reckless? And then there are times when it makes sense to restructure or to add structure. So for example, the choices are pretty clear, but the same conversation keeps recurring and producing the same result. In that case, you want to think in terms of either changing the forum, or clarifying the decision rights, or maybe dividing the issue into smaller decisions, or even bringing someone in to help structure the conversation, like a third-party facilitator. [15:36] Frazer Rice: The handoff ultimately — when the founder, or generation one, has gotten to the point where they're ready to move things along to the next set of operators, the next set of owners — and at the same time, in order to feel safe, they've created some safeguards, or let's call it some trap doors or back doors, to be able to help influence decisions if they feel like things are going in a different direction. How do you think about it so that they don't turn into pain points — maybe regret that turns into a veto power that stymies the succession, even if it's already been decided and put in motion? [16:21] Paul Edelman: Well, I think you put your finger on it. There's a key distinction to be made here between a safeguard and a veto. A safeguard should be limited, explicit, and connected to some extraordinary risk, whereas a veto is kind of an ongoing ability to stop or reverse any old ordinary decision. So when it comes to safeguards, a family might reserve certain kinds of decisions — like selling the company, or taking on debt above a certain level, or issuing new equity, or changing the basic business strategy, or entering into a transaction with a family member. [16:59] Paul Edelman: Those kinds of things can be specified, and the scope, the threshold, the decision process and the duration of the safeguard should be clear — as well as who can invoke that protection, what evidence is required, and who decides whether the trigger has occurred, and so on. So the problems arise when the arrangement is essentially one in which the successor is in charge unless the founder feels uncomfortable. If the founder is allowed to intervene anytime they feel uncomfortable, as opposed to for these specific kinds of reasons, then you're dealing with more of an undefined operational veto. [17:37] Frazer Rice: To that end — boards of directors related to these companies, whether they're private or public, but we're really talking about private in most cases. The constitution of those boards: how involved do you get in that? And what is the importance of independence versus familiarity versus family member input, to act as a go-between in many ways between founder, the operational executives, and then ultimately the owners? [18:07] Paul Edelman: Well, in order to really add value — the kind of value that independent directors can potentially offer to a company — they need to be adequately independent. That is to say, they need to be able to exercise their sound business judgment and carry out their fiduciary responsibilities in a way that is free from undue influence by other kinds of family considerations, and potentially loyalty to particular family members. So I think in those cases where a so-called independent board member is actually a golfing buddy of the CEO or the founder, or has a tie to one particular family member or branch of the family, it may be harder for them to bring the full value that an independent director can bring. [18:55] Paul Edelman: Then of course, another reason why companies bring in independent directors is because they have some additional expertise that the current board members or family members lack. So for example, a colleague and I are working with a company right now where the core business has been subject to commoditization, and they've made a strategic decision to diversify. But in order to diversify, they need to bring in people with new expertise, particularly in the line of business that they want to move into. In order to do that, they need to create some space in their board or boards of directors — they have several different kinds of boards. And as part of this, we were brought in to take a look at those existing boards and help them think about how to restructure in a way that could create some open seats while minimizing the displacement of people who are currently board members, including family members who are board members, who may not feel too positively about losing their board seat. [20:54] Frazer Rice: Related to board seats, but more specifically to family ownership — the concept of family members who rely on the family business for income, versus maybe other parts of the family that are looking at the business and thinking of growing the valuation or innovating with the business, that type of thing. With the tension between those two different components, how do you solve for that and have that conversation stay productive, when I imagine it can get emotional very quickly? [21:34] Paul Edelman: This is where a third-party facilitator can be helpful to slow things down. When things begin to get heated, it's often helpful to have a neutral or impartial person present who can help to reduce the heat in the conversations. There are a number of things in particular that can be done under those circumstances. First of all, anytime there are these kinds of tough decisions, there's never a single right answer. There's always trade-offs involved. And some boards work their way through these things by voting. I'm dealing with a situation right now where some members of the family were outvoted. At the end of that vote, they say, okay, we now have an agreement, we're going to move forward with this. But just because there's an agreement in name doesn't mean there's ownership of the decision. [22:34] Paul Edelman: So in order to create ownership, I think it is helpful to have the difficult conversations and to consider the implications of going one way versus another. If we were to distribute all this money in the form of dividends, what would be the benefits of that, and what would be the costs associated with that? And on the other hand, if we were to plow it all back into growth of the business, what's the upside and downside of that? Only by considering different options and the implications of each can the family ultimately arrive at a decision where people feel like, well, I may not have agreed to this, but I was part of the discussion, I was part of the process of weighing the different considerations, and I'm willing to buy into this. In other words, I feel some ownership for this decision. [23:31] Frazer Rice: As we start to wind down here, an interesting concept is what should all the constituencies come away with from the decision-making process. And as a follow-up to that is simplicity versus complexity of the solution. How do you manage that so that you take care of the needs of the business and the needs for structuring, with the need for simplicity, so that everyone who comes away from the discussion and the decision-making understands what's been put in place? [24:06] Paul Edelman: As far as the solution itself goes, the level of complexity should match what's required to accomplish the desired outcomes. So complexity for its own sake is not useful. But when you're trying to accomplish more than one thing at a time, it may require a more complex approach to the solution. So that's on the solution side. Now the other side of it has to do with communication. How do you share what's been decided with other people, especially people who haven't been in the room? And I think that the best way to do that is to try to explain clearly what was the context of the situation in which the need to make this decision arose; what were the desired outcomes that the decision makers were trying to produce, what were they trying to accomplish; and the flip side of that is what were they trying to avoid, or what were they trying to protect. [25:00] Paul Edelman: When you share all of that, the rationale for the decision becomes more understandable, and also you have a better case for justifying any complexity that's part of the decision. As far as complexity goes, of course, you want to use the simplest, most straightforward language to describe what you've come up with. But I think the key thing to getting buy-in is to make sure that the rationale is clear, and people understand that there was a thoughtful and systematic process behind it. [25:26] Frazer Rice: Really good stuff. Paul, how do people find you to hear more about what you're up to? [25:32] Paul Edelman: My website is edelmancoaching.com. So people can go to edelmancoaching.com, read more about the work that I do, and there's a contact form there. Or people can simply email paul@edelmancoaching.com. [25:46] Frazer Rice: Just to — because you're being very humble — you have a couple of articles coming out with Marty Shenkman, where the intersection of probably the trust and estate planning and the actual, let's say, getting the business ready for the next generation, whatever form that takes, is probably front and center there. How would people find that? [26:06] Paul Edelman: So we've written three articles recently, kind of a trilogy, and they're each going to be carried in different places. Two have already come out, and one is due to come out. These are aimed primarily at estate planning attorneys. But the first one is on when the client asks for a simple estate plan. And this relates a little bit to what you were describing, in a different domain — the domain of trusts and estate plans and so on. But the point that we make is that the client's request for simplicity is understandable, and ideally the attorney will validate that. But at the same time, along with the request for simplicity goes potentially some compromises, because when you have multiple desired outcomes, it may take more of a complex structure to achieve those outcomes. So the role of the planner is not to introduce complexity for its own sake, but to make clear to the client [27:06] Paul Edelman: what trade-offs they'd be making if they went with a simpler plan, and what additional protections they can get by considering a more complicated one. Then the second piece is on the use of language in these estate planning conversations. And again, it relates to this concept we were talking about a minute ago, of the difference between agreement and ownership. Some clients are willing to agree to whatever the attorney says. If you say to them, “Well, I think this is the best plan for you,” they say, “Fine, where do I sign?” But the goal, ideally, is more than just agreement. It's ownership. Because in the absence of ownership — and by ownership, I mean that the client understands the trade-offs that are being made, they feel that they had agency in the process of making those trade-offs — [28:06] Paul Edelman: and ultimately, if something doesn't work out as well as hoped, people will not go back and point a finger at the planner and say, “You did this, how could you do this?” or something like that, but rather, “This was a collaborative effort. You made clear what the choices were, and we made them together.” So that piece talks about language, and how, for example, there's a difference between saying to a client “you should do this,” and speaking to them in terms of what they can do. [28:42] Frazer Rice: And then the third piece — when's that coming out? [28:46] Paul Edelman: The third piece is on beneficiary education, and that one will come out in October. And so the first piece came out in a publication called Wealth Management. The second piece came out in a newsletter that's published by, I think it's LISI. And the piece that's coming out in October is, I think, being published in a magazine or a journal, something like Estate Planning. [29:19] Frazer Rice: They're everywhere. So, terrific. Well, Paul, thanks for being on. I'll put all that in the show notes, and look forward to staying in touch. [29:26] Paul Edelman: Thanks very much, Frazer. [29:28] Announcer: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is neither investment, legal, nor tax advice, and does not represent the opinions of the employers of the host or guests. Additional Links Mark Tepsich of Family Governance https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

"Know your stuff, practice, and then just do it and be there."How do you explain complex ideas without losing your audience? The challenge isn't knowing more—it's helping others understand. For Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal, great communication comes from making difficult topics accessible while holding people's attention. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Ryssdal joins Matt Abrahams to discuss how to simplify complex information without oversimplifying it, conduct interviews that feel like genuine conversations, and communicate with confidence under pressure. From asking better questions to earning your audience's trust, Ryssdal shares practical techniques for staying present when the stakes are high.Key Takeaways:Complex ideas become powerful when they're easy to understand. Great communicators don't just share information—they translate it into clear, engaging messages that help others learn without sacrificing nuance.Preparation gives you the freedom to be present. The more thoroughly you prepare, the easier it becomes to listen, adapt, and communicate with confidence when the conversation takes an unexpected turn.Activity:Rewrite for clarity. Take an email, presentation, or document you've already written and revise it for someone with no background in the topic. Remove jargon, simplify explanations, and make sure every sentence helps your audience understand your message.Episode Reference Links:Kai RyssdalEp.220 Prep Like a Pro: Communication Confidence, Clarity, and Comedy Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn Chapters:(00:00) - Introduction (00:59) - Making Complex Ideas Clear (02:24) - Find Your Communication Rhythm (03:30) - Keeping People Listening (04:38) - Better Introductions (05:50) - More Conversational Interviews (08:49) - Getting Conversations Back on Track (10:23) - Communicating Through Uncertainty (12:23) - Managing Speaking Anxiety (14:22) - Recovering from Mistakes (15:39) - Staying Curious (16:42) - When Your Mind Goes Blank (18:05) - The Final Three Questions (21:35) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.With LinkedIn Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence, knowing you're getting the best talent for your needs. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com/fast

JOIN PATREON FOR EARLY UNCENSORED EPISODE RELEASES: https://www.patreon.com/JulianDorey CLIPPERS DISCORD: https://discord.gg/8QmWEKJ3BT (***TIMESTAMPS in Description Below) ~ Zachary Foust is a real estate executive and viral economics expert on social media. ZACH's LINKS: IG: https://www.instagram.com/zachary.loft/?hl=en YT: https://www.youtube.com/@ZachFoustShow/videos WEBSITE: https://zachary-loft-shop.fourthwall.com/ FOLLOW JULIAN DOREY IG: https://www.instagram.com/julianddorey/ X: https://x.com/juliandorey JULIAN YT CHANNELS - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Clips YT: https://www.youtube.com/@juliandoreyclips - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Daily YT: https://www.youtube.com/@JulianDoreyDaily - SUBSCRIBE to Best of JDP: https://www.youtube.com/@bestofJDP ****TIMESTAMPS**** 0:00 - Joe Kent, Kiriakou, Zach's Army & Afghanistan Days 10:00 - Prison Kingpins, Afghan Ping Pong, Bin Laden 20:18 - Bin Laden Doubts, Tribalism & the Debt Society 29:46 - Inflation NEVER Stops, 2008, & Federal Reserve 39:52 - Reserve Requirements Hit 0%, Rothschilds, Friedman & Bernanke 57:20 - Telecom Bill 1995, Lutnick & JP Morgan's Bailout 1:09:22 - A French Warship K*LLED the Gold Standard, BlackRock 1:18:40 - Capitalism Changed in 2008, Jenga & Epstein 1:31:18 - Collective Apathy & Neutered Millennials 1:40:45 - Homesteading, Simplicity & Why Law Reform Comes First 1:50:31 - Zach's Check List: Antitrust & Single Issue Bills 1:55:26 - Skits, the Rothschilds, 1837 & August Belmont 2:04:20 - Epstein, Liquid Funding & Larry Fink's CDO 2:15:20 - Clinton's Testimony, Nat Rothschild & Erika Kirk 2:28:15 - Christianity HIJACKED, Masons & Love Thy Neighbor 2:38:22 - Thomas Massie's Primary, Cult of Personality & Money 2:52:02 - Critiquing Israel ≠ Antisemitism, Social Media Warfare 2:58:28 - Zach's Work CREDITS: - Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey - COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ - In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 456 - Zach Foust Music by Artlist.io Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

Seemingly in balance to our episode with Kwame Christian on big swings, we need to talk about small starts!  Making decisions about size, scope, and scale of our cafes can set us up for success or it can set us up for disappointment. I see this play out time and time again where people over commit to something and bite of more than they can chew. This leads to al sorts of downstream issues. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the mentality of starting small in all aspects of your business and why it makes all the difference for the sustainability of what you create.   REGISTER NOW FOR THE SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES!  Build a Stronger Coffee Shop: One Step at a Time Great coffee shops don't happen by accident. They are built by hiring the right people, training them well, and leading them with clarity and consistency. In this live three-part Summer Webinar Series, Chris Deferio shares the practical systems and coaching insights that have helped coffee businesses build stronger teams, healthier cultures, and more resilient operations. Each webinar includes: Live instruction and Q&A PDF workbook One hour of virtual consulting for each live attendee Lifetime access to the recording Register for the individual sessions that fit your current needs, or scroll down to save 20% when you bundle the last two in our series.  REGISTER NOW FOR THE SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES!    Sign up for 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email chris@keystothshop.com OR... book a free call now to talk about working together https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min    Related episodes: 443: Keep Your Communication Simple! w/ Author Ben Guttmann Keep Systems Simple! SHIFT BREAK! The Best Strategy is Simplicity

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) — Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: ⁠⁠https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join⁠ Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3645: Bob Lotich explores practical ways to reduce financial complexity by streamlining accounts, eliminating unnecessary debt and expenses, simplifying investing, and focusing on the habits that matter most. His advice shows how fewer financial obligations and distractions can lead to greater control, less stress, and more freedom in everyday life. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/simplify-finances/ Quotes to ponder: "Debt doesn't just cost you money, it also makes life more complicated." "Confusion is never a sound position from which to simplify your financial life." "Implementing just a few of these changes can go a long way toward simplifying your financial life." Episode references: SeedTime: https://seedtime.com/ Chase Sapphire Preferred: https://creditcards.chase.com/rewards-credit-cards/sapphire/preferred Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices