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Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training With clients increasingly expecting their agencies to leverage AI, are you waiting for client direction, or leading the way on how to use it? Today's featured guest has a unique vantage point on this shift. He runs a platform that connects clients with credible agencies while helping agencies showcase their expertise, giving him a front-row seat to what clients truly want and what agencies fear about AI. With hundreds of thousands of agencies on his platform, he's seen firsthand that the agencies standing out are the ones leading the AI conversation, not waiting for permission to start it. He'll share why educating your clients on the possibilities of AI is now a competitive advantage and how his company's new verification layer aims to bring trust and clarity to an increasingly crowded agency marketplace. Tim Condon is the Chief Revenue Officer at Clutch, the largest B2B service provider marketplace online, boasting over 300,000 agencies. Tim helps agencies showcase services, collect reviews, and attract qualified buyers. With a front-row seat to the challenges and wins of agencies across industries, Tim sees exactly how the best adapt—and how others risk falling behind. Tim has been on the show before with advice on how agency owners can separate from the pack and position their agencies for success. In this episode, we'll discuss: Is AI coming for your agency? Document your AI processes before it gets expensive. How you should be starting the AI conversation. The power of documented proof. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Is AI Coming for Your Agency? It Depends The elephant in every agency Slack channel: Will AI replace us? Tim sees a spectrum. Some agencies think they're immune (“We only serve local dentists, so we're safe.”), while others are already using AI to transform delivery, productizing what used to be manual labor into scalable SaaS products for other agencies. Most agencies are stuck in the middle - unsure where to begin and afraid to fall behind. Basically, if your clients are tech-savvy DIYers, yes, you're at risk. But 99% of clients aren't like that. They want the results AI brings, but they don't want to build or manage it themselves. Hence, those who adopt AI to streamline delivery and elevate their positioning—not those who ignore it or just dabble, will win. AI Isn't a Threat. It's Your Edge AI is already making agencies faster, leaner, and more profitable if they leverage it correctly: Custom GPTs for marketing, sales training, and operations Automated research and lead qualification Speeding up delivery while maintaining quality Tim shared an example of a San Francisco agency using LLMs to automate internal processes. It wasn't complicated: structured folders, an AI model to search and output organized results. Simple, but powerful. If your agency isn't at least experimenting with AI to remove repetitive manual work, you're falling behind—not because AI will replace you, but because other agencies will outpace you by using AI to do what you do, faster and cheaper. Document Your AI Processes Now (Before It Gets Expensive) AI pricing today is like Uber in the early days: cheap to get you hooked, but it won't last. AI's current affordability is saving agencies the equivalent of multiple salaries annually. Eventually, these tools will increase in price to reflect their true value. What can you do about this? Jason recommends documenting your workflows and data used to train custom GPTs or AI agents now. If pricing spikes or a model goes down, you can pivot to another provider without losing your institutional knowledge. Why Agencies Must Shift from Order-Takers to Advisors Most agencies fail not because they lack skills, but because they act like order-takers. As a clients, it's frustrating for Jason when agencies ask, “What do you want us to do?” instead of showing him what's possible. Remember that as agencies, your purpose is to solve problems for your clients. Clients (dentists, local businesses, even large brands) don't know what's possible with AI. They think it's just a fancy chatbot. If you step up to educate and advise clients on what's possible with AI, you become indispensable. Look to build systems that: Research prospects automatically before calls Automate competitor and market analysis Help clients leverage AI in their workflows Agencies that step into this advisor role, showing clients what's possible and taking accountability for delivering results, become irreplaceable. You're not just executing tasks; you're creating outcomes they can't create alone, and that's where real value lies. Don't Be Another “Nomad Agency.” Be the Real Deal Too many people who failed at running agencies pivot into teaching how to run an agency while living the “digital nomad” lifestyle, without having actually built sustainable businesses. This creates noise and mistrust in the marketplace, making it harder for real agencies to stand out. Most of the time, agency owners are accidental entrepreneurs—people who mastered a skill and were asked to help, not those who started for the lifestyle. If you're listening to this, you're likely the latter. To stand out, you need to showcase not just what you can do but what you've actually done. Your wins, client results, and case studies speak louder than lifestyle photos on Instagram. The Power of Specific, Documented Proof If you want to stand out from the fly-by-night agencies, talk specifics. Others mostly speak in generalities. Instead, credible agencies share specifics. If you can clearly articulate, “Here's the exact problem we solved for a client just like you,” then you instantly separate yourself from the pack. Tools like Clutch help because they use AI to pull themes from your reviews to match buyer intent, but your agency still needs to collect, showcase, and share detailed case studies and client stories. Documentation matters. If you're working with SMBs or mid-market clients, they want to see clear, verified results before investing. When you can present proof, it's hard for low-quality competitors to compete, no matter how flashy their pitch decks look. Start gathering your “receipts” now to future-proof your positioning. Verification Adds Trust in a Crowded Marketplace Tim's company Clutch now offers Clutch Verified as an additional trust layer. They don't just take your word for it; they check your business registration, credit history, and operating longevity to separate real agencies from “gaming-the-system” players. It's a powerful way to signal to potential clients, “We're credible, stable, and vetted.” For clients, it's a good indicator of who you'll be working with and for agencies it becomes a sales asset. When potential clients research you on Clutch, verified agencies are prioritized, giving you an edge over competitors. It's a practical, low-cost step to build trust and signal legitimacy, especially if you're competing for premium clients. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

Enjoy the What's Bruin Show Network!Multiple shows to entertain you on one feed:Support WBS at Patreon.com/WhatsBruinShow for just $2/month and get exclusive content and access to our SLACK channel.Twitter/X: @whatsbruinshow        Instagram: @whatsbruinshowCall the What's Bruin Network Hotline at 805-399-4WBS (Suck it Reign of Troy)We are also on YouTube HEREGet Your WBSN MERCH - Go to our MyLocker Site by Clicking HEREWhat's Bruin Show- A conversation about all things Bruin over drinks with Bruin Report Online's @mikeregaladoLA, @wbjake68 and friends!Subscribe to the What's Bruin Show at whatsbruin.substack.comEmail us at: whatsbruinshow@gmail.comTweet us at: @whatsbruinshowWest Coast Bias - LA Sports (mostly Lakers, Dodgers and NFL) with Jamaal and JakeSubscribe to West Coast Bias at wbwestcoastbias.substack.comEmail us at: WB.westcoastbias@gmail.comTweet us at: @WBwestcoastbiasThe BEAR Minimum - Jake and his Daughter Megan talk about student life and Cal Sports during her first year attending UC Berkeley.Subscribe to The BEAR Minimum at thebearminimum.substack.comEmail us at: wb.bearminimum@gmail.comTweet us at: @WB_BearMinimumPlease rate and review us on whatever platform you listen on.

I talk which Canadian teams did enough to make a run at the cup this year, I also comment on the Hockey Canada Trial that just wrapped up this past week. Sign up to become a Friend of the Show to access a Slack community, behind the scenes content, discounts on merch, and more: https://www.patreon.com/dropping_glovesFollow the Show:MerchPatreonFacebookInstagramTwitter / XYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we discuss the AI hype cycle, Astronomer's viral moment, and yet another YAML flavor — KYAML. Plus, private equity is coming for your donuts. Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode (https://www.youtube.com/live/Lul4dCCIT24?si=qeBAZXHmFBdRuuAx) 531 (https://www.youtube.com/live/Lul4dCCIT24?si=qeBAZXHmFBdRuuAx) Runner-up Titles Sometimes it's hard to make money I've given into Big Donut Maybe you can fake your way through life At some point you have to have some expertise AI has no taste Can you fix my PowerPoint? There is a chance we're all going to be naked soon Gobbling up the dark fiber WHYAML Waymo for Babies Rundown Beloved Texas doughnut chain sold to California equity firm (https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/shipley-do-nuts-sold-private-equity-houston-texas/285-259116a6-8819-4b32-8ca8-20359bb4f1e1) AI Mid-Year Hype-Cycle Check-in Gartner hype cycle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gartner_hype_cycle) Betting on AI: The Delusion Driving Big Tech - Last Week in AWS Podcast (https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/betting-on-ai-the-delusion-driving-big-tech/) Clouded Judgement 7.25.25 - TAMs Lie (https://cloudedjudgement.substack.com/p/clouded-judgement-72525-tams-lie?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=56878&post_id=169176822&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2l9&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email) Microsoft's AI CEO thinks Copilot will age and ‘have a room that it lives in' (https://www.theverge.com/news/713715/microsoft-copilot-appearance-feature-age-mustafa-suleyman-interview) Flaw in Gemini CLI coding tool could allow hackers to run nasty commands (https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/07/flaw-in-gemini-cli-coding-tool-allowed-hackers-to-run-nasty-commands-on-user-devices/) Claude Code is a slot machine (https://rgoldfinger.com/blog/2025-07-26-claude-code-is-a-slot-machine/) The Hater's Guide to the AI Bubble (https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-gui/) 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey (https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/) 2025 Stack Overflow sentiment and usage section (https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/ai/#sentiment-and-usage) Astronomer Data Pipelines with Apache Airflow (https://www.thecloudcast.net/2025/07/data-pipelines-with-apache-airflow.html) Astronomer (@astronomerio) on X (https://x.com/astronomerio/status/1948890827566317712?s=46&t=EoCoteGkQEahPpAJ_HYRpg) Ryan Reynolds' ad agency, was behind the Gwyneth Paltrow Astronomer ad (https://www.businessinsider.com/ryan-reynolds-maximum-effort-gwyneth-paltrow-astronomer-ad-2025-7) Introducing KYAML, a safer, less ambiguous YAML subset / encoding (https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/blob/master/keps/sig-cli/5295-kyaml/README.md#summary) Palo Alto Networks to acquire CyberArk in $25 billion deal (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/palo-alto-networks-cyberark-deal.html) Relevant to your Interests Microsoft's Satya Nadella says job cuts have been 'weighing heavily' on him (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/24/microsoft-satya-nadella-memo-layoffs.html) IBM shares drop as software revenue misses (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/23/ibm-q2-earnings-report-2025.html) MSFT Teams in your car? (https://www.theverge.com/news/708481/microsoft-teams-mercedes-benz-integration-in-car-camera-support) Y2K38 bug? Debian switching to 64-bit time for everything (https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/y2k38_bug_debian/) A.I.-Driven Education: Founded in Texas and Coming to a School Near You (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/us/politics/ai-alpha-school-austin-texas.html) How Anthropic teams use Claude Code (https://www.anthropic.com/news/how-anthropic-teams-use-claude-code?utm_source=changelog-news) Anthropic unveils new rate limits to curb Claude Code power users (https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/28/anthropic-unveils-new-rate-limits-to-curb-claude-code-power-users/) Alphabet's Q2 revenue beats estimates as cloud computing surges (https://www.fastcompany.com/91373657/alphabet-google-earnings-q2-cloud-ai) Listener Feedback Steve recommends Lessons from Production (https://podcast.techwithkunal.com) Podcast (https://podcast.techwithkunal.com) Conferences Sydney Wizdom Meet-Up (https://www.wiz.io/events/sydney-wizdom-meet-up-aug-2025), Sydney, August 7. Matt will be there. SpringOne (https://www.vmware.com/explore/us/springone?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cote), Las Vegas, August 25th to 28th, 2025. See Coté's pitch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_xOudsmUmk). Explore 2025 US (https://www.vmware.com/explore/us?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cote), Las Vegas, August 25th to 28th, 2025. See Coté's pitch (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-COoeIJcFN4). Wiz Capture the Flag (https://www.wiz.io/events/capture-the-flag-brisbane-august-2025), Brisbane, August 26. Matt will be there. SREDay London (https://sreday.com/2025-london-q3/), Coté speaking, September 18th and 19th. Civo Navigate London (https://www.civo.com/navigate/london/2025), Coté speaking, September 30th. Texas Linux Fest (https://2025.texaslinuxfest.org), Austin, October 3rd to 4th. CFP closes August 3rd (https://www.papercall.io/txlf2025). CF Day EU (https://events.linuxfoundation.org/cloud-foundry-day-europe/), Frankfurt, October 7th, 2025. AI for the Rest of Us (https://aifortherestofus.live/london-2025), Coté speaking, October 15th to 16th, London. SDT News & Community Join our Slack community (https://softwaredefinedtalk.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-1hn55iv5d-UTfN7mVX1D9D5ExRt3ZJYQ#/shared-invite/email) Email the show: questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Free stickers: Email your address to stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Follow us on social media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/softwaredeftalk), Threads (https://www.threads.net/@softwaredefinedtalk), Mastodon (https://hachyderm.io/@softwaredefinedtalk), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/software-defined-talk/), BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/softwaredefinedtalk.com) Watch us on: Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/sdtpodcast), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3OJPV6h9tp-hbsGBLGsDQ/featured), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/softwaredefinedtalk/), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@softwaredefinedtalk) Book offer: Use code SDT for $20 off "Digital WTF" by Coté (https://leanpub.com/digitalwtf/c/sdt) Sponsor the show (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/ads): ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Recommendations Brandon: Uber Teen (https://www.uber.com/us/en/ride/teens/) Matt: Software Defined Interviews - Chris Dancy (https://www.softwaredefinedinterviews.com/105) Photo Credits Header (https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-black-floral-round-decor-qZ6uvJHLHFc)

Adam Miller founded Revel Bikes, sold it to private equity, then bought it back when the brand went bankrupt. We've seen this same program play out so many times in the past few years - but what makes this story different is that Adam bought his original company back and relaunched it. In this conversation, Adam takes us through the entire journey, with a bunch of behind-the-scenes insights. Show Notes: Revel Bikes: https://revelbikes.com/ Borealis Bikes: https://fatbike.com/ Why Cycles: https://www.instagram.com/whycycles/ Canfield: https://canfieldbikes.com/ Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia

Juan Pablo went from a late-start sophomore at UChicago to securing a coveted Private Banking summer analyst seat at JPMorgan in Miami. In this episode he reveals: How 50+ cold calls turned into warm referrals—and three Superdays The mock-interview routine inside WSO Academy that leveled up his technical & market questions fast Why targeted outreach (15 banks) beat the scatter-shot 50-application strategy Insider tips on speaking to directors with confidence, building a “precision hobby” resume, and turning econ coursework into market-moving insight If you're gunning for asset & wealth management, private banking, or any front-office role, Juan Pablo's playbook is pure gold. Watch, take notes, and start lining up your own calls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What if the secret to a peaceful, impactful life is simply refusing to live by anyone else's rules?”Then imagine what would change if you stopped living for a legacy and started living like today is all that matters.As you get to know Andrew Brummer and his journey toward self-actualization, you'll discover the seeds harvested with him were planted early. He had a difficult childhood for various reasons, but his parents provided a sound upbringing. His father taught him to be a “multiplier”. This means, to not only enhance others, but to be skilled in many areas rather than have a narrowly-focused specialty. Add his mother's teaching that nobody is going to make things better for you and you alone choose how to live, and you combine resourcefulness with resilience. His mother also taught him to accept people as they are and love them the way they want to be loved. Over time, this liberated Andrew to be of better service to his employees, his teammates, and his community. It also helped him find his own True North and build a solid foundation for himself.All in all a good package, and on the surface it looked fine. But Fine Is a 4-Letter Word. We all wear what Andrew calls “the Facebook mask”, where we make it seem like everything is great and watch everyone else do the same. Andrew admits here he's gone through many tough times, including in his relationships, work situations and immigration challenges. Plus, he's had a lifetime of medical issues that have required numerous surgeries.But what did he discover?Ultimately, nobody is going to put their nose to the grindstone and do the work for you. It's up to you to make it happen. And, like his mother taught him, it's up to you to decide what kind of day you'll have when you wake up in the morning and get moving.Today, Andrew is not only a fractional COO, he's also either leading or launching several other companies, including one that's building a firearms training system that can even teach kids to use them safely. He is a coach and a mentor. Plus, he has a radio station that has a 200-song playlist. And that's when he's not doing woodwork or decorating his house with 35,000 Christmas lights. Skilled in many areas, as his father taught him. Sounds like an interesting guy, yes?In a moment, when you hear from Andrew, you'll discover a lot more about his journey. One key lesson was finding his own truth and coming to embrace that each of us has our own truth. There are so many more in his new book, “Leading Magnanimously”, which you'll hear more about.Andrew's hype song is "Kiss Off" by Violent Femmes.Resources:Andrew Brummer's website: https://ardunan.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbrummer/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrummer X: https://x.com/andrewbrummer Claim your copy of Andrew's new book, “Leading Magnanimously”, at https://ardunan.com/village/books/land-lm Invitation from Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication....

Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars, movie directors, and sometimes - sometimes - movie writers! Today, we speak with author and screenwriter Jordan Harper, whose novel She Rides Shotgun got made into a movie of the same name, directed by Nick Rowland and starring Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger. The film is in theaters this Friday, August 1st, 2025. We spoke with Harper about adapting his novel for the big screen, his reaction to watching the final cut of the film, and those superb lead performances from Egerton and Heger. There's mention of his other books The Last King of California and Everybody Knows, as well as B-Sides that reminded us of She Rides Shotgun, which include One False Move, Flesh & Bone, A Perfect World, and Lone Star. Harper mentions Freeway as well, which is a great call. Harper brings up his new novel due out next year: A Violent Masterpiece. There's also appreciation for Shogun Assassin (a direct inspiration for She Rides Shotgun) and a discussion of genre and genre tropes and why they are so effective when used well. Be sure to give us a follow on social at @tfsbside.bsky.social. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

I got the chance to talk to NHL Legend Marty McSorley. We went over everything, fighting, winning, what the Oilers need to do to win the cup, rule changes, what it was like protecting Wayne Gretzky for so long and so much more. Enjoy this as much as I did taping it, it's a great one. Sign up to become a Friend of the Show to access a Slack community, behind the scenes content, discounts on merch, and more: https://www.patreon.com/dropping_glovesFollow the Show:MerchPatreonFacebookInstagramTwitter / XYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin gets real about one of the toughest career skills no one really teaches you: managing up with confidence. Because let's be honest, trying to figure out what your boss actually wants can feel like decoding emoji hieroglyphics at 11 PM. Enter Melody Wilding: therapist-turned-career-coach, emotions researcher, and author of Managing Up. Named one of Insider's “most innovative career coaches,” Melody is here to help you stop overthinking every Slack message and start building a relationship with your boss that's rooted in clarity, confidence, and collaboration. Whether you're a new grad navigating your first 1:1, an early-career professional trying to stand out without burning out, or a sensitive striver who struggles to speak up, this episode will help you transform anxiety into action and guesswork into game plans. Inside This Episode: What managing up really means (and why it's the fastest way to build trust and grow) The 3 toughest conversations to have with your boss — and how to start them Why “sensitive strivers” are actually management superstars (with the right mindset shift) How to protect your boundaries without damaging your reputation One simple step you can take today to feel more confident in every manager conversation Who This Episode Is For: Early-career rockstars. Career changers. Anyone tired of reading between the lines of vague emails and ready to build real, human, mutually beneficial relationships at work. Stop guessing what your boss wants. Start showing up like the leader you're meant to be. Listen now and share this episode with a friend who's stuck in the “do they hate me?” spiral. Let's make managing up feel less like a guessing game and more like a playdate. Feeling stretched thin but still trying to “stay positive”? Grab our free Positivity Without Pretending Toolkit. It's a quick, honest reset for people leaders who want to show up without faking it. In five minutes or less, you'll reframe, refuel, and lead with heart (even when you're running on fumes). Download it now and take the pressure off.   No, You Hang Up First (Let's Keep Connecting) Did today's episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight and we'll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader's Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy. Have another question that we can answer? Leave us a Speakpipe audio clip and we'll answer it in an upcoming episode. Don't want to miss another episode? If you're a Spotify listener, find our show here and click “Follow.” If you're an Apple Podcast listener, click here and make sure to hit “+Follow.” Want access to a bunch of free resources for your work life? This is your personal jackpot that gives you access to the frameworks that help us thrive both personally and professionally. Whether you're trying to improve your daily routine, flesh out an idea that you've had for quite some time, or want to add more play into your day - these resources have got your back. Want 2 emails a week from us? One with a quick tip you can implement right away to enhance your personal and/or professional lives & one of our famous F.A.I.L. Fourward Friday newsletters? Subscribe here. Connect with Melody Wilding Melody's LinkedIn Melody's website Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Erin's website Erin's Instagram Erin's TikTok Erin's LinkedIn improve it!'s website improve it!'s Instagram

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training RJ Huebert went from corporate comfort to agency chaos—and nearly lost himself in the process. In this episode, he shares what it really takes to balance speed-to-lead sales with sanity, and how he's redesigning his agency life for more freedom, better clients, and real personal wellbeing. Guest Overview RJ Huebert is the founder of HBT Digital, a Pittsburgh-based lead gen agency helping clients capture high-quality leads through digital ads that convert. Former corporate marketer turned agency founder, RJ knows both sides of the game—and why it's harder than it looks. What You'll Learn Why corporate escapees struggle more than expected in agency life The underrated power of speed in lead gen (and what most teams screw up) How to nurture not-yet-ready leads without annoying them What happens when your business always comes before your health and family How RJ is reclaiming time and rebuilding systems Key Takeaways Speed wins deals: If your sales team isn't responding within minutes, you're losing leads. Nurture with value: Use short, high-impact videos instead of stale PDFs. Even Meta is doing email wrong: Don't copy the big guys—build trust instead. Agency life means 20 clients, not one boss: And that requires stronger boundaries. Health > Hustle: RJ's learning that health, family, and freedom must come first. The solution? Systems: You can't scale or shut your brain off without them. Are you working harder than ever, but still can't turn your brain off—even on weekends? Today's featured guest is one of the many agency owners who has found it hard to find the right balance to take care of himself as well as the business. Like many agency owners, he made the leap from building someone else's business to finally building his own. But trading a cozy corporate job for the chaos of running an agency with dozens of clients wasn't as easy as it looked. He shares the real challenges of sales, why speed is still the secret to winning leads, and how he's figuring out how to convert prospects who aren't quite ready to buy. Most importantly, he opens up about the ongoing struggle to find the right balance between health, family, and keeping the agency growing. RJ Huebert is the founder of HBT Digital, a Pittsburgh-based lead generation agency helping clients pull in quality leads using online ads that actually convert. After 11 years of climbing the corporate marketing ladder, RJ got tired of building someone else's dream and decided to bet on himself—and it's paying off. In this episode, we'll discuss: Why he stopped building someone else's dream. How speed wins in lead generation. Always be first to respond. Ways to nurture leads that are not ready to buy. Why boundaries and self care are more important now than ever. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Building Someone Else's Empire? Here's the Wake-Up Call Like many agency owners before starting their own business, RJ was the corporate marketing guy building someone else's business, getting them rich, while rising through the ranks and learning how to actually drive results with digital marketing. Also like many others, he hit a moment of questioning whether it was worth it after eleven years. Sound familiar? That's when he decided it was time to test if people would actually pay him for these skills. He got some clients on the side, launched a 5K race company, and eventually opened his own digital marketing agency, proving that you can take your skills and build your own agency if you're willing to start. The Attribution Struggle He Faced as an Agency Client From his experience hiring agencies on the corporate side, one of the biggest frustrations RJ encountered was the attribution nightmare. It wasn't always easy to see where the lead came from and where they were at in the pipeline. This was some ten years ago, so every agency was siloed: SEO, PPC, outdoor, TV—and each claimed leads but no one could prove it. And even today, with GA4, HighLevel, UTMs, and tag managers, the truth is: “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.” We're bombarded with data, but turning it into actionable insight is another story. RJ prefers to establish a baseline, track what matters, and avoid drowning in vanity metrics - like open rates—that don't impact the client's bottom line. Why Speed to Lead Still Wins Both RJ and Jason agree that speed to lead wins deals. If you're not calling leads while they're still on your website you are likely losing opportunities. Just like you probably click on the first result in a Google search, whoever calls back first is going to win. If your sales team is still waiting hours (or days) to follow up, you're leaving money on the table. Rethinking Nurture Sequences Without Being “That Guy” Even if you're not converting them right away, how are you nurturing those leads in a way that doesn't feel like overkill? First of all, replace boring white papers with short, actionable videos that deliver instant value. For example, Jason's Budget Buster video helps prospects get budgets 99% of the time, creating immediate ROI and building trust. Follow that with another bite-sized value piece a few days later. Once leads warm up, move them to your newsletter list. Have some lead magnets ready, like useful videos you can send each week to warm up that client. After that, you can move that client from the “warm-up” list to a newsletter list, so you can send them valuable content on a daily basis. Sending daily value-packed emails to engaged subscribers actually increased their domain authority and engagement. It's about quality frequency, not spam. Think about what you'd want to receive yourself, not just what you want to send. The Meta & Google Frustration We're All Tired Of Not even Meta is getting emails right, as they send multiple emails a day that don't really add much value for clients. On top of that, their reps hardly ever provide the right solutions and are mainly focused on “spend more” strategies. It's a universal frustration for agency owners, who see Meta is calling clients directly trying to cut their agency out. It's one more reason why agencies need to protect their positioning, control client conversations, and not let the platforms dictate strategy. From One Client to Twenty: The Real Agency Rollercoaster What's the hardest shift going from corporate to owning your agency? For RJ, it was going from one clear client you're focusing on at one moment to having even 20 clients, plus “trying to get clients to pay you, to keep paying you, while finding new ones, and keeping them happy.” Running an agency turned out to be way harder than he expected. Corporate can be robotic and boring, but on the bright side, you have one client: your boss. Lose that, and you're done. In the agency world, a client can fire you, but you've got 5, 10, or 20 others paying the bills. The flip side? You're always on. Even when you're “off,” your mind is stuck on proposals, scope creep, and that client's weird Slack message at 10 pm. That's one of the biggest challenges for RJ at the moment. Setting Your Priorities Straight with The Right Systems When it comes to taking care of yourself, your priorities should always be: Health, Family, Agency—In That Order. However, too often agency owners get their priorities backwards. You have a zillion things you can and should be doing and choosing the priority is the challenge. That balancing act gets easier once you build the right leadership team and put systems in place that pull you out of the weeds. But agency owners often struggle to shut their brains off, leading to constant stress, scattered priorities, and burnout cycles that can wreck family time, health, and even your love for the business. If you're stuck in the chaos, it's time to step back and prioritize what actually moves the needle in your agency. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

What if the future of work isn't just about where we work, but how we think about work itself? In this episode, Kevin is joined by Steve Cadigan to explore the shifts reshaping our workplaces, what Steve calls a “work quake.” Steve shares insights on how leaders and employees can adapt to a rapidly changing world of work. They discuss why lifelong learning and "learning agility" are no longer optional, and how our ability to learn quickly is becoming more valuable than what we already know. Steve also challenges leaders to rethink traditional talent strategies, including embracing higher turnover, building organizational capacity more rapidly, and treating employees as part of a lifelong talent ecosystem. Listen For 00:00 Introduction to the episode topic – “Work Quake” 00:30 Importance of preparing for the future of work 01:00 How to join live and engage with future podcast episodes 01:36 Kevin's book mention – "The Long-Distance Leader" 02:00 Introduction of guest Steve Cadigan 02:23 Steve's background and experience 03:16 Steve joins the conversation 03:36 Steve's unconventional career journey 04:57 Discovering a passion for recruiting 05:45 Learning through working in small and large organizations 06:49 Why Steve wrote "Workquake" 08:11 Adjusting the book for the impact of COVID 09:06 Kevin on how the book stayed relevant since 2022 09:30 Employee vs. employer vs. leader mindsets 09:57 The importance of learning agility 10:47 AI as an opportunity for human differentiation 11:53 Defining learning agility 13:16 The organizational challenge of fostering agility 14:17 Spotify's experiment with internal mobility 14:49 Delegation and building organizational capacity 15:06 How the world of work radically changed in 2020 16:08 What employers must consider now 16:43 The remote vs. in-person debate 17:16 “Yes, and…” hybrid work models 18:16 Pilot vs. policy mindset 19:45 Aligning work strategy with actual results 20:04 Rethinking AI's role and use 21:17 The limits of AI for customer experience 22:01 The power of asking better questions 23:06 Rethinking talent strategy: 7 models 23:27 Steve's ecosystem approach to talent 24:04 Designing for shorter tenures 25:03 Speeding up onboarding and retention through new models 26:15 The “illegal after 3 years” strategy exercise 26:58 What Steve would add to the book today 27:29 The rise of hybrid experimentation 28:08 The benefits of remote/hybrid work 29:04 Zoom meetings and inclusive communication 29:24 Final reflections on hybrid as an opportunity 29:45 Any final takeaways from Steve? 30:25 Organizations must become business schools 31:03 Training and internal learning over hiring externally 31:22 Kevin's rapid fire closing questions 31:44 Steve's personal interests – tennis, coaching, bird watching 32:26 Books and content Steve is consuming 33:04 Being a student of AI – trusted sources 34:39 Where to find Steve online 35:18 Kevin's closing thought: Take action now 36:26 Outro and invitation to return next week Steve's Story: Steve Cadigan is the author of Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working. He is a top talent strategist and leadership expert with 30+ years of experience. He famously led LinkedIn's early hyper-growth phase as its first CHRO, building its world-class company culture from scratch and scaling the organization from 400 to 4,000 employees in 3.5 years. As one of the most provocative global thought leaders on the future of work, Steve is hired not only by F500 companies but by entire countries to help them navigate the talent landscape. His clientele spans from Google, X, Slack, BBC, and Inel, to the City of Lisbon, which hired him to develop the startup incubator Unicorn Factory. He has also written for Forbes and Inc., will soon be writing for Business Insider, and frequently appears on Bloomberg and CNBC to talk about the evolving nature of work, talent management, the Big Resignation, and successful leadership. This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working by Steve Cadigan The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Moore Like this? How to Navigate the Future with Margaret Heffernan How the Future Works with Brian Elliott The Forces Reshaping the Workplace with Phil Simon Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we'd be thrilled if you'd let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here's a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group  

#309: In this episode, Darin and Viktor discuss their personal experiences and insights related to the rapid advancements in AI technology, particularly focused on AI agents like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code. They examine the paradigm shift in development practices due to these technologies, providing a critical evaluation of their effectiveness and efficiency. The conversation delves into the role of agents, how they operate alongside large language models (LLMs), and the intricacies of context management. They also reflect on the challenges and benefits of restarting projects when they veer off course, emphasizing the impact of AI in such scenarios. Additionally, they address the hurdles and considerations for integrating and managing multiple AI tools and agents in a development environment. This episode sets the stage for future discussions on how developers can adapt to and leverage these evolving AI tools effectively.   Gartner Predicts Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled by End of 2027 https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-06-25-gartner-predicts-over-40-percent-of-agentic-ai-projects-will-be-canceled-by-end-of-2027   YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/devopsparadox   Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://www.devopsparadox.com/review-podcast/   Slack: https://www.devopsparadox.com/slack/   Connect with us at: https://www.devopsparadox.com/contact/

WetMore Summer Series: Prophetic Water - Ken WetmoreThroughout the Bible, water carries powerful prophetic meaning. From judgment—like the Flood and Elijah's drought—to symbols of salvation and life, water flows through Scripture as both purifier and promise. In this message, we explore how water represents people, nations, and the Holy Spirit, all of which lead to the hope found in the river of life flowing from God's throne.Let us know your thoughts by reaching out and joining the conversation with your questions and comments using the information below:Text/Voicemail: 407-965-1607Email: podcast@wholelife.church#ThisIsWholeLife

In this episode of Disguised Coverage Anthony details the top takeaways from Buffalo Bills training camp, where the roster and depth chart stands with regard to several positional battles, injuries, and performances throughout camp thus far, and what it all means going forward #bills #buffalobills #billsmafia0:00 | Opening thoughts9:17 | Bills training camp battles - Cornerback30:26 | Bills training camp battles - Safety33:56 | Bills training camp battles - Tight End42:49 | Injury impact on the depth chart56:15 | Questions from the live chat - Brandon Beane draft process1:05:59 | Stock up (I forgot to do stock down and I hate myself)1:14:57 | Comments from the live chat1:21:33 | One Pie Pizza1:23:38 | Closing thoughtsPresenting Sponsor - One Pie Pizza https://www.onepiepizza.com/ Elevated Catering of Buffalo https://elevatedcateringbuffalo.com/Tell them Cover 1 and Disguised Coverage sent you!!Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pro__AntFollow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/proant.bsky.socialCover 1 would love to hear your thoughts on this topic and the show in general. Comment below and let us what you think!One Pass Premium Membership - https://www.cover1.net/onepass/Don't miss out on our PREMIUM CONTENT-Access to detailed Premium Content.-Access to our video library.-Access to our private Slack channel.-Sneak peek at upcoming content.-Exclusive group film room sessions & much more.Thank you for watching this video, we can't do it without the support of our fans. If you have any ideas for content you'd like to see from us, comment below. -DOWNLOAD THE COVER 1 MOBILE APP!► Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coverapp► iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1532587486► Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClL6eJS1s8xmRoYRQbYgxQQ?sub_confirmation=1► Subscribe to our Cover 1 Network channel - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cover-1-sports/id1370162953 -Cover 1 provides a multi-faceted analysis of the NFL and NFL Draft including Podcasts, Video blogs, Commentary, Scouting Reports, Highlights, and Video Breakdowns. NFL footage displayed is not owned by Cover 1. -Follow Us HereTwitter: https://twitter.com/Cover1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@Cover_1_Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cover1NFL/Official Merchandise:https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/cover-1The Cover1.net website and associated Social Media platforms are not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by the NFL or any of its clubs, specifically the Buffalo Bills. All products, marks, and company names are the registered trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only and does not imply any association with the trademark holder of their product brand.

Today's workplace is changing fast—ghosted interviews, Slack snubs, viral firings. But the legal rules? Not so much. In this episode, Jen unpacks how modern behaviors collide with decades-old employment laws, and how employers can modernize their expectations without running afoul of protected activity, bias claims, or wage-hour traps. Consider this your crash course in managing the new workplace without making the old mistakes.

Enjoy the What's Bruin Show Network!Multiple shows to entertain you on one feed:Support WBS at Patreon.com/WhatsBruinShow for just $2/month and get exclusive content and access to our SLACK channel.Twitter/X: @whatsbruinshow        Instagram: @whatsbruinshowCall the What's Bruin Network Hotline at 805-399-4WBS (Suck it Reign of Troy)We are also on YouTube HEREGet Your WBSN MERCH - Go to our MyLocker Site by Clicking HEREWhat's Bruin Show- A conversation about all things Bruin over drinks with Bruin Report Online's @mikeregaladoLA, @wbjake68 and friends!Subscribe to the What's Bruin Show at whatsbruin.substack.comEmail us at: whatsbruinshow@gmail.comTweet us at: @whatsbruinshowWest Coast Bias - LA Sports (mostly Lakers, Dodgers and NFL) with Jamaal and JakeSubscribe to West Coast Bias at wbwestcoastbias.substack.comEmail us at: WB.westcoastbias@gmail.comTweet us at: @WBwestcoastbiasThe BEAR Minimum - Jake and his Daughter Megan talk about student life and Cal Sports during her first year attending UC Berkeley.Subscribe to The BEAR Minimum at thebearminimum.substack.comEmail us at: wb.bearminimum@gmail.comTweet us at: @WB_BearMinimumPlease rate and review us on whatever platform you listen on.

In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we explore a life transition that often goes unexamined: retirement. What happens when your professional identity has defined you for decades, and suddenly you're faced with the question, “What now?” My guest this week is Sarah Friedell O'Connell, executive transition coach and founder of ChangePoint Advisors. Sarah specializes in helping high-achieving professionals prepare for the non-financial side of retirement—what it means for their identity, purpose, and daily life.Together, we unpack the emotional and psychological aspects of leaving full-time work, how to intentionally design your next chapter and why so many of us struggle to imagine a fulfilling life outside of our careers. Whether you're approaching retirement or simply want to live more intentionally now, this conversation is a powerful reminder that transitions don't have to be terrifying, they can be transformational.About My GuestSarah Friedell O'Connell is an Executive Transition Coach and the owner of ChangePoint Advisors, a firm dedicated to helping senior executives navigate career changes. Sarah brings both business and career management expertise to her work with senior leaders, and her background as a former communications executive at Fidelity Investments and a spokeswoman for the President of Harvard University gives her a unique perspective and deep understanding of business and leadership. Sarah made her own career pivot into executive coaching, so she understands what it takes to successfully manage major change.Sarah has been coaching C-suite executives for over 10 years, helping hundreds of executives across a variety of industries and functions achieve success personally and professionally. Sarah is a graduate of the College of William and Mary where she received a B.A. degree, and is certified in several psychological assessment tools. She is a graduate of the Coaches Training Institute and the College of Executive Coaching and is a Certified Retirement Coach.~Connect with Sarah:Website: https://www.changepointadvisors.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfriedelloconnell/~Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files:Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge:https://www.kimmeninger.com/challengeLearn more about the Leading Humans discussion group:https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroupJoin the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6Join the Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumansSchedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-sessionConnect on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/Website:https://kimmeninger.com

Rare Beauty just dropped its most personal product yet — a fragrance — and we're giving you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how it came to life. Joyce Kim, Chief Product Officer at Rare Beauty, joins us to talk about what it's like working with Selena Gomez and what it takes to create products that truly resonate, beyond just going viral.We get into the development journey behind Rare Beauty's new scent, Rare Eau de Parfum (including how our Glams got to test it first through Gloss Angeles Confidential!), the global inspiration behind the ingredients, and how the team prioritized inclusivity in every design detail, down to the bottle cap.Join our Slack for testing opportunities!Shop this episodeWatch our episodes!CALL or TEXT US: 424-341-0426Instagram: @glossangelspod, @kirbiejohnson, @saratanTwitter: @glossangelespod, @kirbiejohnson, @saratanEmail: glossangelespodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Slack, the voice of the Fresno Grizzlies, joins us on The Road to Blake Street to talk about some of the top Rockies prospects making noise in the California League. We dive into the standout seasons of key players, what it's like watching them grow day-to-day, and how the Grizzlies' clubhouse culture helps shape future Rockies. Tim brings a unique behind-the-scenes perspective that Rockies fans won't want to miss.

Steve is a top talent strategist and leadership expert with 30+ years of experience. He famously led LinkedIn's early hyper-growth phase as its first CHRO, building its world-class company culture from scratch, and scaling the organization from 400 to 4,000 employees in 3.5 years. In your book Workquake, you talk about how the world of work is rapidly changing. What are some of the biggest shifts you're seeing now that executives need to pay attention to? What do you see as the most common mistakes leaders make when trying to adapt their talent strategies for the future? How do talent challenges differ across these sectors, and what lessons can leaders learn from each other? What role does company culture play in navigating an unpredictable world of work, and how can leaders build resilient cultures that thrive during times of change? What separates good leaders from truly exceptional ones in this rapidly evolving work landscape? How should executives rethink their approach to hiring and developing talent to ensure they remain competitive in the years ahead? Steve Cadigan Steve is a top talent strategist and leadership expert with 30+ years of experience. He famously led LinkedIn's early hyper-growth phase as its first CHRO, building its world-class company culture from scratch, and scaling the organization from 400 to 4,000 employees in 3.5 years. As one of the most provocative global thought leaders on the future of work, Steve is hired not only by F500 companies but by entire countries to help them navigate the talent landscape. His clientele spans all the way from Google, X, Slack, BBC, and Intel, to the City of Lisbon, which hired him to develop the startup incubator Unicorn Factory. His award-winning book Workquake is considered a game changer for leaders and organizations on the future of work in a post-COVID world. He has also written for Forbes and Inc., will soon be writing for Business Insider, and frequently appears on Bloomberg and CNBC to talk about the evolving nature of work, talent management, the Big Resignation, and successful leadership. Excellent Executive Coaching Podcast If you have enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. We would love for you to leave a review. The EEC podcasts are sponsored by MKB Excellent Executive Coaching that helps you get from where you are to where you want to be with customized leadership and coaching development programs. MKB Excellent Executive Coaching offers leadership development programs to generate action, learning, and change that is aligned with your authentic self and values. Transform your dreams into reality and invest in yourself by scheduling a discovery session with Dr. Katrina Burrus, MCC to reach your goals. Your host is Dr. Katrina Burrus, MCC, founder and general manager of Excellent Executive Coaching a company that specializes in leadership development.

What if the smartest thing you could do as a leader... was make yourself unnecessary?  In an era where AI is changing how we work and lead, tech executive Amber Winter proves that success isn't about working harder—it's about working smarter.  From her start as a marketing coordinator to becoming CEO in just eight years, Amber shares how she's used continuous learning, smart delegation, and artificial intelligence to lead high-performing teams without burning out. In this episode, she opens up about what it really takes to scale your leadership while staying human in a tech-driven world.  "Relationships are your superpower." — Amber Winter Amber reminds us that even with AI on your side, people still matter most. What You'll Learn in This Episode: How Amber uses AI tools to scenario-plan, prioritize, and problem-solve on the fly Her "tour of duty" approach to leadership—and why it's a game-changer for growth What she learned from creating AI agents for her teams (and trying to make herself unnecessary) A real talk moment that taught her the power of clear, human-centered communication The career path that took her from coordinator to CEO to CRO—without following a traditional roadmap Why treating people as individuals (not resources) leads to stronger results How AI can help uncover blind spots, support strategic thinking, and prep leaders for tough conversations  ✨ Want to lead smarter, not harder? Start by reflecting on how you show up—and where AI   can amplify your strengths.

Building AI Agents that work is no small feat.In Agents in Production [Podcast Limited Series] - Episode Six, Paul van der Boor and Sean Kenny share how they scaled AI across 100+ companies with Toqan—a tool born from a Slack experiment and grown into a powerful productivity platform. From driving adoption and building super users to envisioning AI employees of the future, this conversation cuts through the hype and gets into what it really takes to make AI work in the enterprise.Guest speakers:Paul van der Boor - VP AI at Prosus GroupSean Kenny - Senior Product Manager at Prosus GroupHost:Demetrios Brinkmann - Founder of MLOps Community~~~~~~~~ ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ~~~~~~~Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://go.mlops.community/TYExploreJoin our slack community [https://go.mlops.community/slack]Follow us on X/Twitter [@mlopscommunity](https://x.com/mlopscommunity) or [LinkedIn](https://go.mlops.community/linkedin)] Sign up for the next meetup: [https://go.mlops.community/register]MLOps Swag/Merch: [https://shop.mlops.community/]

In today's snack-sized dose of Workday Playdate, Erin's flipping the “fear your boss” script and serving up an improv-inspired reframe that'll help you manage up with confidence, not chaos. Spoiler: It starts with a Slack message and ends with you owning your power. The Problem: You get a vague “Let's chat” from your boss and spiral. Are you getting fired? Forgotten something? Turns out, you're not alone. Gallup says 70% of team engagement depends on your manager... but only 30% of early-career pros feel confident talking to theirs. Most of us are winging it. Badly. The Improv Hack to Try: Play the Status Shift In improv, every scene has a status dynamic, and you can shift it. So instead of acting like a nervous squirrel asking for approval, show up like a grounded scene partner. Sit tall. Pause before you speak. Lead with thoughtful questions like: “Does this align with your priorities?” You're not pretending to be the boss. You're showing you're a partner in progress. That small shift builds trust, signals self-assurance, and makes managing up feel human. Wednesday Tease: Episode 301 — “Real Talk: How to Stop Guessing What Your Boss Wants” Get ready for a career-changing convo with Melody Wilding: human behavior expert, executive coach, and author of Managing Up. She's bringing real talk, hilarious insights, and zero fluff to help you navigate tough convos and lead from where you are. Feeling stretched thin but still trying to “stay positive”? Grab our free Positivity Without Pretending Toolkit. It's a quick, honest reset for people leaders who want to show up without faking it. In five minutes or less, you'll reframe, refuel, and lead with heart (even when you're running on fumes). Download it now and take the pressure off.    No, You Hang Up First (Let's Keep Connecting) Did today's episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight and we'll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader's Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy. Have another question that we can answer? Leave us a Speakpipe audio clip and we'll answer it in an upcoming episode. Don't want to miss another episode? If you're a Spotify listener, find our show here and click “Follow.” If you're an Apple Podcast listener, click here and make sure to hit “+Follow.” Want access to a bunch of free resources for your work life? This is your personal jackpot that gives you access to the frameworks that help us thrive both personally and professionally. Whether you're trying to improve your daily routine, flesh out an idea that you've had for quite some time, or want to add more play into your day - these resources have got your back. Want 2 emails a week from us? One with a quick tip you can implement right away to enhance your personal and/or professional lives & one of our famous F.A.I.L. Fourward Friday newsletters? Subscribe here. Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Erin's website Erin's Instagram Erin's TikTok Erin's LinkedIn improve it!'s website improve it!'s Instagram

Kris and David are back to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Between the Sheets, and there's no better way to do that than to look back at the week July 23-29, 2015, the week where we recorded and released our first episode.(Note: Other than the Halftime segment, this episode was recorded before Hulk Hogan passed away.)Topics of discussion include:WWE firing Hulk Hogan after the contents of his racist rant contained in one of the sex tapes featuring him with Bubba the Love Sponge's wife were reported by the National Enquirer.Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling holding its first pilot TV taping in Las Vegas, which would be later be repurposed as TNA-branded PPV's.The weird relationship between GFW and TNA during a period where TNA was putting on very blah shows and taping TV far in advance.The changes to the structure of NJPW's G1 Climax tournament, extending it to a weeks-long tour, complete with full rundowns of the early shows.Alberto el Patron and Myzteziz (Mistico) having a legit war of words on Twitter that was not part of any AAA storylines at the time.ROH's Death Before Dishonor iPPV, featuring Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong going to a 60 minute draw and Colby Corino in his role as The Decade's “young boy.”PWG running their 12th Anniversary Show, complete with a full in-person rundown by Dave Meltzer.Vincent Verhei's rundown of Lucha Underground's ULTIMA LUCHA Part 1 in Figure Four Weekly.Bryan Danielson's book tour, featuring Bryan opening up about his concussion issues for the first time and lots more.Rundowns of SmackDown, Raw, NXT, and all of the other happenings in WWE.We thank everyone for their support over the last 10 years and we hope you enjoy the show!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 Hulk Hogan1:20:55 GFW & TNA1:56:41 Int'l: AJPW, NJPW, AAA, CMLL, & Tijuana2:31:10 Classic Commercial Break2:36:24 Halftime: Death of Hulk Hogan & BTS 10th anniversary messages3:49:53 Other USA: ROH, PWG, Lucha Underground, Bruce Tharpe/NWA Classics, & A.J. Lee5:14:42 WWE6:23:09 More BTS 10th anniversary messagesTo support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!If you're looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you've been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you'll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you're looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.You can also use code BTSPOD to save 25% on your first payment — whether paying month to month or annually — when you subscribe to Ultimate Classic Wrestling Network at ClassicWrestling.net!To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back to Identity at the Center! Jeff flies solo this week as Jim handles a cross-country move, bringing you an insightful conversation with Joni Brennan, the new Chair of the IDPro Board of Directors.In this episode, Joni shares her vision for IDPro's future, discussing what the organization does well and where improvements are needed. As both IDPro Chair and President of DIACC (Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada), Joni brings unique insights into the business side of identity management, international perspectives on digital wallets, and the importance of building bridges across different identity ecosystems.Joni also opens up about her work bridging local, national, and international identity initiatives in Canada, and why she believes identity professionals need to think beyond just technical specifications.Plus, stick around for a special bonus segment where we meet Champ, Joni's adorable new German Shepherd-Rottweiler puppy!#idac #identity #cybersecurity #digitalidentity #identitymanagement #iam #idpro #digitalwallets #canada #authenticationConnect with Joni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonibrennanLearn more about IDPro: https://idpro.org/Learn more about DIACC: https://diacc.ca/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comTimestamps00:00 - Introduction and Solo Host Setup00:40 - Welcome Joni Brennan, New IDPro Chair01:00 - Official IDPro Podcast Partnership Announcement02:00 - Life Updates: Still in the Trailer on Starlink03:00 - What IDPro Members Should Know05:00 - Open Invitation for Community Feedback07:00 - What IDPro Does Well vs Areas for Improvement10:00 - The Need for More Structure in IDPro12:00 - Defining Identity Professionals Beyond Technical Roles14:00 - The Value of IDPro Slack Community16:00 - Business of IAM: Beyond Technical Implementation18:00 - Case Studies and Success Stories for IDPro20:00 - Learning from Failures and Sharing Knowledge22:00 - Organizational Politics in Identity Management25:00 - Building Bridges Between Identity Ecosystems27:00 - Introduction to DIACC and Canadian Perspective30:00 - Local vs National vs International Identity Initiatives32:00 - Digital Wallets and the Trust Problem35:00 - Centralization vs Decentralization in Identity38:00 - Trust Anchors and Multiple Wallet Ecosystem40:00 - Making Identity Products People Want to Use42:00 - Privacy, Audit Trails, and Government Regulation44:00 - Citizen-Directed Government Data45:00 - International Perspectives on Identity Solutions47:00 - AI, Fraud, and Regulatory Responses in Canada49:00 - Serving Current Needs While Building Future Solutions50:00 - The Challenge of Being an Identity Expert51:00 - Wrapping Up IDPro Discussion52:00 - Bonus: Meet Champ the Puppy54:00 - Dog Stories and Puppy Training56:00 - Closing Remarks and Contact InformationKeywordsIDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Joni Brennan, IDPro, identity management, digital identity, IAM, cybersecurity, authentication, digital wallets, trust frameworks, DIACC, Canada, identity professionals, business of identity, case studies, community feedback, Slack community, certification, CIDPRO, international identity, EU wallets, mobile driver's license, Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, trust anchors, interoperability, fraud prevention, AI in identity, government regulation, citizen directed data, open banking, privacy, audit trails, identity politics, organizational change, professional development, technical skills, non-technical professionals, policy advocacy, governance, standards, specifications, bridge building, ecosystem connectivity, puppy, German Shepherd, Rottweiler

Nadia Rawlinson and Michael Alter are co-owners of the WNBA team, the Chicago Sky. Nadia was the Chief People Officer at Slack Technologies when the company was acquired by Salesforce in 2021 for $28 billion.  She is an advisor for Google Ventures, serves on the Stanford University Board of Trustees and is on the Board of Directors for J. Crew and Vail Resorts. Michael is President of the Alter Group, which was founded by his father and has become one of the largest private commercial real estate developers in the country.  He is also the founder and a board member of the non-profit organization City Year Chicago. In today's conversation, we will learn: (1:05) – What were Michael and Nadia's formative years like?(4:16) – How and why did Michael join the family business (Alter Group)?(8:39) – How did Nadia define her career path after the Slack acquisition?(12:23) – What makes for a good board member?(15:12) – What do entrepreneurs get wrong when building a business?(16:43) – Why did Michael decide to buy Chicago Sky?(21:08) – What does being a good “steward” of the Chicago Sky mean to Nadia?(24:35) – How does the organizational structure of a sports franchise work?(29:01) – What life lessons have Nadia and Michael brought home from Chicago Sky?(33:15) – What are Michael and Nadia's “why's”?  © 2025 Northern Trust Corporation. Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, IL 60603. Incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Member FDIC.

What is the Church of the SubGenius?What if parody could be sacred? This video explores the Church of the SubGenius—a surreal blend of satire, esotericism, and counterculture. Discover the origins of “Bob” Dobbs, the mystery of Slack, and how this invented religion both mocks and mirrors spiritual belief. Drawing from academic research on contemporary religion, occultism, and pop culture, this episode unpacks one of the most bizarre and thought-provoking movements of our time. Is it a joke, a faith, or something in between? Watch to find out.CONNECT & SUPPORT

If you've ever wondered how to make test-driven development more than a coding technique, this episode is for you. Ashok Sivanand and producer Doug Branson answer listener and Reddit-sourced questions about building better product teams—covering everything from mindset shifts to hard truths about performance reviews and strategic alignment. Ashok connects TDD to the principles of Essentialism by Greg McKeown, revealing how teams can define success before they begin and cut through the noise of Slack and OKRs. Hear practical advice for first-time founders struggling to articulate value without a 20-minute demo, plus techniques to scale beyond early adopter customers using real-world interviews and Jobs to Be Done. Later, they explore how to recover from a tough performance review, especially in remote roles, and why communication—not effort—is often the missing ingredient. The episode wraps with a conversation about the dangers of leadership ambiguity when a company isn't sure whether it's selling a service or a product. ASK YOUR QUESTION: convergence.fm/contact Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Episodes referenced in this episode... From Code to Culture: How Shopify Thrives Under Farhan Thawar's Thought Leadership - https://youtu.be/tKEKfjACv3k The POWER of Small Data With High Signal - A Jobs To Be Done masterclass with Andrew Glaser - https://youtu.be/0X1RKZWJgOU Building Customer-Centric Teams: Josh Seiden on OKRs and Agile - https://youtu.be/0dPoDNCQmyc Best of 2024 - Derisking and Evolving on your OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Implementation - https://youtu.be/6HcRd6qUq1A Inside the episode... TDD as a mindset beyond code, inspired by Essentialism How to recover from a tough performance review in a remote org Tips for first-time founders explaining product value without demos Jobs to Be Done and using customer language in sales Diagnosing product vs service strategy confusion in your org Mentioned in this episode... Essentialism by Greg McKeown The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Jobs to Be Done framework Calendly Integral Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Kris and David are back to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Between the Sheets, and there's no better way to do that than to look back at the week July 23-29, 2015, the week where we recorded and released our first episode.(Note: Other than the Halftime segment, this episode was recorded before Hulk Hogan passed away.)Topics of discussion include:WWE firing Hulk Hogan after the contents of his racist rant contained in one of the sex tapes featuring him with Bubba the Love Sponge's wife were reported by the National Enquirer.Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling holding its first pilot TV taping in Las Vegas, which would be later be repurposed as TNA-branded PPV's.The weird relationship between GFW and TNA during a period where TNA was putting on very blah shows and taping TV far in advance.The changes to the structure of NJPW's G1 Climax tournament, extending it to a weeks-long tour, complete with full rundowns of the early shows.Alberto el Patron and Myzteziz (Mistico) having a legit war of words on Twitter that was not part of any AAA storylines at the time.ROH's Death Before Dishonor iPPV, featuring Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong going to a 60 minute draw and Colby Corino in his role as The Decade's “young boy.”PWG running their 12th Anniversary Show, complete with a full in-person rundown by Dave Meltzer.Vincent Verhei's rundown of Lucha Underground's ULTIMA LUCHA Part 1 in Figure Four Weekly.Bryan Danielson's book tour, featuring Bryan opening up about his concussion issues for the first time and lots more.Rundowns of SmackDown, Raw, NXT, and all of the other happenings in WWE.We thank everyone for their support over the last 10 years and we hope you enjoy the show!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 Hulk Hogan1:20:55 GFW & TNA1:56:41 Int'l: AJPW, NJPW, AAA, CMLL, & Tijuana2:31:10 Classic Commercial Break2:36:24 Halftime: Death of Hulk Hogan & BTS 10th anniversary messages3:49:53 Other USA: ROH, PWG, Lucha Underground, Bruce Tharpe/NWA Classics, & A.J. Lee5:14:42 WWE6:23:09 More BTS 10th anniversary messagesTo support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!If you're looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you've been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you'll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you're looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.You can also use code BTSPOD to save 25% on your first payment — whether paying month to month or annually — when you subscribe to Ultimate Classic Wrestling Network at ClassicWrestling.net!To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Where do we think the Cobblers will finish this season? Who will win League One? And what absolutely batshit crazy thing will happen over the course of the next 10 months? Play along and leave your predictions on our socials. ----- Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Threads.  Get involved and send your thoughts to us at podcast@cobblerstome.com  Leave us a voicemail at speakpipe.com/cobblerstome  Visit our website for articles, match previews and buy merch: cobblerstome.com Sign up to our Patreon for ad free episodes, regular bonus content, access to our community Slack channel and loads more: patreon.com/cobblerstome It's All Cobblers To Me is a Vibrant Sound Media original production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Ricardo shares five tips to optimize meetings. First, keep them short and focused—long calls often waste time. Second, ask if a meeting is truly necessary; many decisions can be handled via Slack or email. Third, when a meeting is needed, send a clear agenda and define objectives in advance. Fourth, use AI tools to record and summarize meetings so participants can focus on the discussion. Tools like Claude help create action-based summaries. Fifth, assign a facilitator to keep the meeting on track and ensure outcomes turn into actions. Finally, gather team feedback to improve future meetings. Effective meetings can truly accelerate project success. Listen to the podcast to learn more!

Neste episódio, Ricardo compartilha cinco dicas para otimizar reuniões. Primeiro, mantenha reuniões curtas e focadas, evitando longas chamadas improdutivas. Segundo, questione se a reunião é mesmo necessária — muitas decisões podem ser tomadas via Slack ou e-mail. Terceiro, quando for necessária, envie uma agenda clara com antecedência e defina objetivos. Quarto, use a IA para registrar e resumir as reuniões, permitindo foco na participação. Plataformas como Claude ajudam a gerar resumos com tarefas e prazos. Quinto, nomeie um facilitador para manter o foco e transformar decisões em ações. Por fim, colete feedback da equipe para melhorar continuamente. Boas reuniões aceleram projetos. Escute o podcast para saber mais!

he king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.8 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

This week, we cover AI going rogue, Cloudflare declaring independence, and the secure container craze. Plus, Matt bravely judges 9 new emoji. Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode (https://www.youtube.com/live/lRlWChvJ_m8?si=cZJ-0kzBrEH5ERZh) 530 (https://www.youtube.com/live/lRlWChvJ_m8?si=cZJ-0kzBrEH5ERZh) Runner-up Titles VP of getting it on Neutral trombone Good Margin Independent from what? The New Benevolence I have plenty of cynicism for other things Rundown Emojis Australian Bigfoot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yowie) Unicode's new emoji refuses to put respect on Bigfoot's name (https://www.engadget.com/mobile/unicodes-new-emoji-refuses-to-put-respect-on-bigfoots-name-184412935.html) Matt's Rankings: Hairy Creature Trombone Treasure Chest Fight Cloud Orca Landslide Apple Core Ballet Dancers Distorted Face AI coding platform goes rogue during code freeze and deletes entire company database — Replit CEO apologizes after AI engine says it 'made a catastrophic error in judgment' and 'destroyed all production data' (https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/ai-coding-platform-goes-rogue-during-code-freeze-and-deletes-entire-company-database-replit-ceo-apologizes-after-ai-engine-says-it-made-a-catastrophic-error-in-judgment-and-destroyed-all-production-data) Cloudflare Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 Incident on July 14, 2025 (https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-1-1-1-1-incident-on-july-14-2025/) Content Independence Day: no AI crawl without compensation! (https://blog.cloudflare.com/content-independence-day-no-ai-crawl-without-compensation/) Accidental Tech Podcast: 649: Prove It With Cameras (https://atp.fm/649) Anubis Web AI Firewall (https://github.com/TecharoHQ/anubis) Announcing Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for AWS Price List (https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2025/07/model-context-protocol-server-price-list/) Chainguard builds a market, everyone else wants in. (https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/2025/07/18/chainguard-builds-a-market-everyone-else-wants-in/) Bitnami Secure Images (https://github.com/bitnami/charts/issues/35164) Relevant to your Interests Browser extensions turn Trojan and infect 2.3 million Chrome and Edge users (https://cybernews.com/security/chrome-edge-hijacked-by-eighteen-malicious-extensions/) Code was the least interesting part of my multi-agent app, and here's what that means to me (https://seroter.com/2025/07/17/code-was-the-least-interesting-part-of-my-multi-agent-app-and-heres-what-that-means-to-me/) Dell employees are not OK (https://www.yahoo.com/news/dell-employees-not-ok-135038218.html) How Uber Became A Cash-Generating Machine (https://len-sherman.medium.com/how-uber-became-a-cash-generating-machine-ef78e7a97230) Clouded Judgement 7.18.25 - The Return of the Point Solution (https://cloudedjudgement.substack.com/p/clouded-judgement-71825-the-return?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=56878&post_id=168595292&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2l9&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email) Mid-Year 2025 CNCF Open Source Project Velocity (https://www.cncf.io/blog/2025/07/18/a-mid-year-2025-look-at-cncf-linux-foundation-and-the-top-30-open-source-projects/) new Date("wtf") (https://jsdate.wtf/) Intel axes Clear Linux, the fastest distribution on the market — company ends support, effective immediately (https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/intel-axes-clear-linux-the-fastest-distribution-on-the-market-company-ends-support-effective-immediately) The Epic Battle for AI Talent—With Exploding Offers, Secret Deals and Tears (https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-ai-recruiting-mark-zuckerberg-sam-altman-140d5861?st=pBmtib&reflink=article_copyURL_share) Cursor snaps up enterprise startup Koala in challenge to GitHub Copilot (https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/18/cursor-snaps-up-enterprise-startup-koala-in-challenge-to-github-copilot/) Lovable becomes a unicorn with $200M Series A just 8 months after launch (https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/17/lovable-becomes-a-unicorn-with-200m-series-a-just-8-months-after-launch/) Apple details how it trained its new AI models, see highlights (https://9to5mac.com/2025/07/21/apple-details-how-it-trained-its-new-ai-models-4-interesting-highlights/) Instacart's former CEO is taking the reins of a big chunk of OpenAI (https://www.theverge.com/openai/710836/instacarts-former-ceo-is-taking-the-reins-of-a-big-chunk-of-openai) The Enshittification of American Power (https://www.wired.com/story/enshittification-of-american-power/) Customer guidance for SharePoint vulnerability CVE-2025-53770 (https://msrc.microsoft.com/blog/2025/07/customer-guidance-for-sharepoint-vulnerability-cve-2025-53770/) Mike Lynch's Estate Ordered to Pay Hewlett Packard $945 Million (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/business/dealbook/mike-lynch-hp.html) OpenAI announces ChatGPT agent for web browsing (https://mashable.com/article/openai-announces-chatgpt-agent-web-browsing) OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent can control an entire computer and do tasks for you (https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/709158/openai-new-release-chatgpt-agent-operator-deep-research) ChatGPT Numbers (https://www.threads.com/@axios/post/DMXssSjuHax?xmt=AQF0UNyFv8CGZkBsSBbi7XWeXnW67U-Y-ZWQEwDod8lyhA) Move Mesos to the Attic (https://lists.apache.org/list.html?dev@mesos.apache.org) Anthropic hired back two of its employees — just two weeks after they left for a competitor. (https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/708521/anthropic-hired-back-two-of-its-employees-just-two-weeks-after-they-left-for-a-competitor) Investors Float Deal Valuing Anthropic at More Than $100 Billion (https://www.theinformation.com/articles/investors-float-deal-valuing-anthropic-100-billion) Nonsense Coldplay's Kiss Cam Exposes Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron Alleged Affair With HR Chief Kristin Cabot (https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/coldplay-kiss-cam-exposes-astronomer-142620411.html) Unicode's new emoji refuses to put respect on Bigfoot's name (https://www.engadget.com/mobile/unicodes-new-emoji-refuses-to-put-respect-on-bigfoots-name-184412935.html) Atari Is Re-Releasing Its 2600+ To Celebrate Pac-Man's 45th Birthday (https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025/07/atari-is-re-releasing-its-2600plus-to-celebrate-pac-mans-45th-birthday) Conferences Sydney Wizdom Meet-Up (https://www.wiz.io/events/sydney-wizdom-meet-up-aug-2025), Sydney, August 7. Matt will be there. SpringOne (https://www.vmware.com/explore/us/springone?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cote), Las Vegas, August 25th to 28th, 2025. See Coté's pitch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_xOudsmUmk). Explore 2025 US (https://www.vmware.com/explore/us?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cote), Las Vegas, August 25th to 28th, 2025. See Coté's pitch (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-COoeIJcFN4). Wiz Capture the Flag (https://www.wiz.io/events/capture-the-flag-brisbane-august-2025), Brisbane, August 26. Matt will be there. SREDay London (https://sreday.com/2025-london-q3/), Coté speaking, September 18th and 19th. Civo Navigate London (https://www.civo.com/navigate/london/2025), Coté speaking, September 30th. Texas Linux Fest (https://2025.texaslinuxfest.org), Austin, October 3rd to 4th. CFP closes August 3rd (https://www.papercall.io/txlf2025). CF Day EU (https://events.linuxfoundation.org/cloud-foundry-day-europe/), Frankfurt, October 7th, 2025. AI for the Rest of Us (https://aifortherestofus.live/london-2025), Coté speaking, October 15th to 16th, London. SDT News & Community Join our Slack community (https://softwaredefinedtalk.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-1hn55iv5d-UTfN7mVX1D9D5ExRt3ZJYQ#/shared-invite/email) Email the show: questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Free stickers: Email your address to stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Follow us on social media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/softwaredeftalk), Threads (https://www.threads.net/@softwaredefinedtalk), Mastodon (https://hachyderm.io/@softwaredefinedtalk), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/software-defined-talk/), BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/softwaredefinedtalk.com) Watch us on: Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/sdtpodcast), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3OJPV6h9tp-hbsGBLGsDQ/featured), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/softwaredefinedtalk/), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@softwaredefinedtalk) Book offer: Use code SDT for $20 off "Digital WTF" by Coté (https://leanpub.com/digitalwtf/c/sdt) Sponsor the show (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/ads): ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Recommendations Brandon: Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad for Mac (https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK83LL/A/magic-keyboard-with-touch-id-and-numeric-keypad-for-mac-models-with-apple-silicon-usb-c-us-english-black-keys?fnode=9586aab2077eb774c28648c4795309d1121a0be316d0cef51e8ecb4f03f94a17a88ca466c99d3d3ce977c5a3933a01e4a9d465d8c36e6a9db43dcd2fdd97c814f69fee0a947209242f7e16f10d07223c5fa2dd831c66ffc4bca1a0c99c10f58ec0b7562aa4f1a834e276771b7ef3bfa8&fs=f%3Dkeyboard%26fh%3D36f4%252B4603) Matt: Spirited (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1524415/) Photo Credits Header (https://unsplash.com/photos/a-statue-of-a-gorilla-sitting-on-top-of-a-wooden-bench-p9uwu_LDmoc)

Imagine running a travel agency in the year 2020 - and not only surviving, but finding new ways to continue growing the business. Travel is something that connects everyone in the outdoor industry (and beyond), and in this conversation, Leigh gives us a behind-the-scenes look at one of the largest adventure travel agencies in the world. Show Notes: Leigh Barnes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcbarnes/ Intrepid Travel: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us Timeshifter: https://www.timeshifter.com/ DJI on Everest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csDriucITDE Uncharted Trips: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/uncharted Antarctica Trip: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/antarctica Intrepid - Protecting National Parks: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/protect-us-national-parks/ BPC: Brand, Product, Content: Citymapper (App): https://citymapper.com/ Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia

Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars, movie directors, and sometimes - sometimes - the companies that made the movies those stars and directors made! We were lucky to speak with Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films in honor of Metrograph's 30th Anniversary program, with screenings starting on August 2nd, 2025. Vachon and Koffler speak on curating the celebratory program, which includes Office Killer. We also dish on Dan and Conor's time as interns at Killer many years ago, some B-Sides (including A Home at the End of the World, The Safety of Objects, Dark Waters, and how Killer has survived this ever-changing industry of independent film. There's a wonderful discussion about wigs in film (prompted by Colin Farrell's bad wig in the first act of A Home at the End of the World), an appreciation of Dark Waters getting made and getting discovered to this day, and line producers “carrying the burden of the budget.” Vachon mourns The Safety of Objects being swallowed by the tragedy of 9/11 while Koffler suggests why the independent ensemble drama has gone by the wayside. There's discussion on the dangers of saying “good enough” during pre-production as well as Vachon and Koffler shouting out Killer Films B-Sides they personally love (The World to Come, Vox Lux, Dirty Girl). Dan shouts out She Came to Me, an underrated, recent gem. Be sure to give us a follow on social at @tfsbside.bsky.social. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

Real-time Feature Generation at Lyft // MLOps Podcast #334 with Rakesh Kumar, Senior Staff Software Engineer at Lyft.Join the Community: https://go.mlops.community/YTJoinInGet the newsletter: https://go.mlops.community/YTNewsletter// AbstractThis session delves into real-time feature generation at Lyft. Real-time feature generation is critical for Lyft where accurate up-to-the-minute marketplace data is paramount for optimal operational efficiency. We will explore how the infrastructure handles the immense challenge of processing tens of millions of events per minute to generate features that truly reflect current marketplace conditions. Lyft has built this massive infrastructure over time, evolving from a humble start and a naive pipeline. Through lessons learned and iterative improvements, Lyft has made several trade-offs to achieve low-latency, real-time feature delivery. MLOps plays a critical role in managing the lifecycle of these real-time feature pipelines, including monitoring and deployment. We will discuss the practicalities of building and maintaining high-throughput, low-latency real-time feature generation systems that power Lyft's dynamic marketplace and business-critical products.// BioRakesh Kumar is a Senior Staff Software Engineer at Lyft, specializing in building and scaling Machine Learning platforms. Rakesh has expertise in MLOps, including real-time feature generation, experimentation platforms, and deploying ML models at scale. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and fostering a culture of innovation. This is evident in his contributions to the tech community through blog posts, conference presentations, and reviewing technical publications.// Related LinksWebsite: https://englife101.io/https://eng.lyft.com/search?q=rakeshhttps://eng.lyft.com/real-time-spatial-temporal-forecasting-lyft-fa90b3f3ec24https://eng.lyft.com/evolution-of-streaming-pipelines-in-lyfts-marketplace-74295eaf1ebaStreaming Ecosystem Complexities and Cost Management // Rohit Agrawal // MLOps Podcast #302 - https://youtu.be/0axFbQwHEh8~~~~~~~~ ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ~~~~~~~Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://go.mlops.community/TYExploreJoin our Slack community [https://go.mlops.community/slack]Follow us on X/Twitter [@mlopscommunity](https://x.com/mlopscommunity) or [LinkedIn](https://go.mlops.community/linkedin)] Sign up for the next meetup: [https://go.mlops.community/register]MLOps Swag/Merch: [https://shop.mlops.community/]Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: /dpbrinkmConnect with Rakesh on LinkedIn: /rakeshkumar1007/Timestamps:[00:00] Rakesh preferred coffee[00:24] Real-time machine learning[04:51] Latency tricks explanation[09:28] Real-time problem evolution[15:51] Config management complexity[18:57] Data contract implementation[23:36] Feature store[28:23] Offline vs online workflows[31:02] Decision-making in tech shifts[36:54] Cost evaluation frequency[40:48] Model feature discussion[49:09] Hot shard tricks[55:05] Pipeline feature bundling[57:38] Wrap up

Disclaimer *** - There are a few curse words (4-5) in this episode, I don't think they are too bad but if you have kids listening maybe have the mute button ready or skip this one for the kids. I catch up with Andre Roy and talk his stanley cup run, playing with legends and of course commiserating about our times with Torts. Sign up to become a Friend of the Show to access a Slack community, behind the scenes content, discounts on merch, and more: https://www.patreon.com/dropping_glovesFollow the Show:MerchPatreonFacebookInstagramTwitter / XYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From managing construction sites in Ann Arbor to breaking into a real-estate private-equity shop—Chandler's detour pays off. After a non-target MBA at Georgia and zero on-campus finance recruiting, he leaned on WSO Academy for brutal coursework, mocked interviews and relentless networking. Hear how he leveraged a single phone call to land a full-time REPE internship, slashing MBA debt with a full ride and proving persistence beats pedigree. Perfect for career-switchers aiming at high-finance from unconventional backgrounds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feeling worthy isn't about waiting for permission—it's about owning your story and making bold decisions. In this recap, Lesley and Brad revisit conversation with fine jewelry designer Margot McNaull, whose bespoke creations empower women to celebrate their milestones. Together, they explore redefining self-care, building unshakable confidence, and shifting your mindset to break free from old patterns. This episode will inspire you to create a life that feels as good as it looks.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Must-know tips for underwear and shake plate use in Pilates.The reason why women often struggle to buy fine jewelry for themselves.The connection between self-worth, spending guilt, and asking for what you deserve.How to navigate life's “dark valleys” and see failure as a cue to keep going.Why revamping old jewelries can be a powerful reminder of your worth.Episode References/Links:Agency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniOPC Summer Tour - https://opc.me/tourOPC Summer Tour Calgary - Opc.me/CalgaryUK Mullet Tour - https://opc.me/ukCambodia October 2025 Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comEBY Seamless Underwear - https://shop.join-eby.com/collections/seamless-panties Shake Plate Recommendation - https://a.co/d/2WPk3eeSubmit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsStór by Margot Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storbymargotStór by Margot Website - https://www.storbymargot.com Margot McNaull's Website - https://www.margotmcnaull.comEp. 319 Nikole Mitchell - https://beitpod.com/nikolemitchellEp. 171 Johanna White - https://beitpod.com/johannawhite If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  That's where worthiness comes in. Is like, what can you do? Do you need to sit down and write down all the things that you know throughout realize you're worthy of asking for that pay raise? What is it going to take? But you can't ask other people for why you're worthy. You have to sit down and do some digging on yourself. Lesley Logan 0:16  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:59  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the worthwhile convo I had with Margot McNaull in our last episode. I mean, also like glitter, like sparkle, like legacy, worthiness, worthwhile in our last episode, if you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause us now and listen to that one, then come back and listen this one, or listen to this one as a cliff notes, and then see if you like what we like, and listen to that one. You're gonna want to listen to it that's pretty cool. Okay, today. Brad Crowell 1:22  Actually, it's quite interesting. Lesley Logan 1:24  Oh yeah, it's a fun it was a fun episode. Who would have thought that we would have that episode but we did. Now, people like, what is the episode? Anyways. So today is, so today is July 24th 2025 and it's International Self-Care Day.Brad Crowell 1:44  Kind of poignant topic. Lesley Logan 1:45  Yeah, it really is. This is something I literally every single morning when I go on a walk. I shouldn't say every single morning, because, like with this sinus infection, if you haven't heard it yet, it'll pick up on it a little bit. I just don't think I look amazing in the morning, nor do I sound great. So I haven't been like all my you need to go on a walk. But if there's something I preach about every single day, it is self-care. So this is your day. This is your holiday. Brad Crowell 2:09  To buy yourself a ring. What? Lesley Logan 2:11  Yeah, what? Brad Crowell 2:11  What? Oh, I mean, it's your day to self-care.Lesley Logan 2:14  Self-Care, International Self-Care Day is celebrated on July 24th and I would actually call a getting yourself a ring, just like a reward and or something worth doing. But self-care is actually free usually. It stresses the importance of self-care as a cornerstone of wellness. On this day, individuals throughout the world are encouraged to make self-care as part of their day everyday routines entered into a priority is a milestone and an opportunity to raise further awareness of the benefits and effectiveness of self management of health. That's what self-care is, self-management of health. I love that. That is so great as opposed to like self-care isn't selfish care. Self-care, it's literally self-management of your fucking health. Oh, my God, my mind is blown. Self-care has always been incredibly important, but especially now, as people realize they need to take care of themselves and put themselves first. This has made people talk about and it increased the interest of others to take control of their health and wellness by prioritizing themselves. Today, we urge you to practice self-care, even if all you do is take a walk. Self-care, the reason I say it's mostly free because most of the things you can do for self-care is prioritize your sleep, your water intake, how you fuel yourself, that you that drunk food? Are you giving yourself food that makes you feel really awesome, giving yourself food that makes you feel like shit, right, every time? And I'm not saying food is good or bad, like when we have the Anthony episode, like we talked about that, but like, there are foods that aren't serving you, whether or not they're considered healthy or unhealthy, I don't care, whether they're not serving you. So are you fueling yourself, right? Are you surrounding yourself with people who make you feel better about yourself? That's self-care, right? Like, literally say no to a friend, an Eeyore friend, just throwback from last week, like or not, that's self-care, right? So maybe you have to put your phone on Do Not Disturb that's self-care. You know, so tons of things that are self-care, that are free. Spa days, not self-care. That is just something you get to do because it feels good and you deserve it. But it, to me.Brad Crowell 2:14  I like that distinction, because I think most of I mean for me too, I've thought about like, oh, self-care, I gotta go do something for myself, which means spending money. And it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Lesley Logan 4:13  No, going for a walk around the block is self-care. Brad Crowell 4:21  Or, you know when, when you're feeling that afternoon slump, go do a handstand for four seconds at the wall and get some blood flow to your head. Yeah, that's self-care. You know, getting some vitamin D by sitting in the sun in the morning, that's self-care. Yeah. So doesn't have to involve spending money. All right. Well, here's what we got coming up. Agency Mini from Profitable Pilates just closed in the last couple of days. What an amazing event. I'm not gonna lie. Lesley Logan 4:46  It's a really great people. Brad Crowell 4:48  Well, I like that we changed it and it was shorter.Lesley Logan 4:51  Yeah. I mean, I think for everyone, because the biggest problem we have with and this is, like, why you know at the Be It Till You See It podcast, we talk about, like, you get better every time you do something. And so Agency Mini. Brad Crowell 5:03  It's our 11th time doing it, 11th. Lesley Logan 5:05  Yeah. It evolved. Every single time it evolved. And then the last three or four times, we're like, we have it dialed in. We have it nailed down. Everything is good. But the one piece of feedback that we used to get that we could never solve was like, the overwhelm. And we'd always tell people, don't take in everything, like, just take in what you need. But the problem is, is people have FOMO and we are perfectionist and, like. Brad Crowell 5:26  Don't worry. Agency isn't like Agency Mini. Agency Mini was chaos and, like, a whirlwind, and Agency actually, you know? But like, we still have to say that. So we were like, this is, there's, it's not aligned.Lesley Logan 5:36  Yeah, it's not aligned. So because of our new tools, we have in Agency, because of our new app, all these different things. Yeah, we have an app. It made it easier for us to make Agency Mini a mini version of Agency, without the overwhelm. And it was super fun to help people and now we have a bunch of Agency members, and it's just super great. So I'm excited for you guys. Can't wait to work with you guys, and we literally leave tomorrow. Brad Crowell 5:57  We're going on tour y'all. Lesley Logan 5:59  Are we leaving today? No, we leave now. Yeah, we're leaving today. Brad Crowell 6:03  Oh yeah, we're leaving tonight. You're totally right. I'd have 25th as the first class but, but we actually drive out tonight. Lesley Logan 6:11  Clearly, we recorded this early. We're on the road. Brad Crowell 6:14  We're on the road. No, no, we're not on the road just yet, because this drops in the morning, we'll be leaving tonight.Lesley Logan 6:14  They could be listening to it at night. So if you're listening tonight, we're on the road. So anyway, opc.me/tours, where you can get tickets because it's not too late, some cities are too late, but it's not too late to sign up. You can, as long as there's room you can sign up. And also, the Calgary stop is a virtual stop so.Brad Crowell 6:36  There are two virtual workshops in Calgary go to opc.me/calgary for that.Lesley Logan 6:40  Yeah, but opc.me/tours such tours, all 15 cities. It's really going quite amazing. We have three cities in Canada. Of course, Vancouver is way sold out. At the time recording this, Kamloops only has space in the workshop and not a lot. And Calgary has room in all of its goodness. I'm including the virtual spots. We did limit how many people could be at the virtual as well. So just because it's virtual doesn't mean everyone can attend. We we kept it quiet, kept it small, so you have a great experience. So go to opc.me/tour. Want to see you. And then we come home, unpack and change out the suitcases because now, and clean out the van. Brad Crowell 7:14  Because we're home for like, a week and a half. Lesley Logan 7:16  Week and a half, and then we go to the U.K. yeah, we're going to the U.K. Brad Crowell 7:22  Yeah we're gonna go to Scotland. Lesley Logan 7:26  We're gonna leave my dad in Scotland. We're gonna head down into the into Britain, and we're going to teach in Essex and Leeds in England, I guess. Brad Crowell 7:29  I mean I guess we'll call it Britain but I think Great Britain is all of it, and England is.Lesley Logan 7:34  You know, it's really quite complicated. It's really annoying. Let's say England is correct. You're absolutely right. I got little stuck. I was watching the Hamilton King George Sing a Song, and I think I just got stuck. You know, I love. It's one of the best songs. It's too bad it's about him. Yes, you'll be back. So anyways, so anyways, we'll go down into England. Excuse me, somehow I'm supposed to drive on the opposite side of the road that I'm used to, and we'll see how that goes. Brad Crowell 7:59  You're gonna do great, babe. Lesley Logan 8:06  Do great. No one. No turns, please. So we're gonna go to Essex. We have a Tuesday and a Wednesday workshop and workout situation going on. So go by day passes or two-day pass, you'll save money if it's two-day pass, and then we're gonna go up to Leeds. That's our second time in Leeds. We only have a couple spots left there. And then we're gonna hit back up to Scotland, grab my dad for his like, I don't know, adventures he's going on himself, and fly home.Brad Crowell 8:35  There's a coffee shop in Leeds that I'm very excited.Lesley Logan 8:38  Oh, the guy who makes a seven minute long latte. Brad Crowell 8:38  Yes, the guy. Lesley Logan 8:41  Yeah, the guy. Brad Crowell 8:42  I really hope he's still there. Lesley Logan 8:44  I think he is. According to Claire, he still is. Brad Crowell 8:47  Okay, good. Well, I'm very excited, because that's gonna be awesome. Lesley Logan 8:50  It is. Okay, you guys. Is one of the best lattes. It is the smallest cup I have ever seen. Have espresso and milk in it, and it.Brad Crowell 8:50  It's just like scientific coffee. Lesley Logan 8:58  It took them so long. I was like, I need a cup of coffee. Brad Crowell 9:00  He made one, tasted it and dumped it and started over for me. I was like, what was wrong with that one? He's like, it was, it didn't it didn't settle. It wasn't the right flavor. It was burnt, so whatever the heck it was he was like, no, I'm not serving you this.Lesley Logan 9:14  We're not even doing a great job, because we don't even know the name of the place. But you know what? If you come to Leeds, Brad will take you. Brad Crowell 9:22  I'll take you. Lesley Logan 9:22  Okay, so opc.me/uk, to snag your spots there. Then we come home. Our besties are visiting us from Florida. Yeah, we're gonna unpack the cold weather clothes we took and put hot weather clothes back in a suitcase and be in Cambodia. Oh, my God, I can't wait for the humidity to be on this skin after all of the Summer Tour and and U.K. like, no offense, but like, I I live for humidity. Like I am. Everyone's like, I love a dry heat. You have no idea what you're talking about. Humid heat is way better for your skin, for the youthfulness, for your hair. Everything is better. So crowsnestretreats.com if you would like to have humidity on your skin and spend time with us in an epic place, see the temples, come to our house, do Pilates. Brad Crowell 10:06  Take a break from all the chaos. Lesley Logan 10:07  Figure out your self-care routine. I will help you with that. I will help you bring out your dream schedule. Anyways, before we get into the amazing episode with Margot, we have an audience question. Brad Crowell 10:18  We sure do, two questions, actually, from Caroline on IG, thank you, Caroline for asking. Number one is, hi, can you recommend a great pair of undies for Pilates or leggings? I read this before and forgot. I always notice a print when I get off my reformer. Lesley Logan 10:37  Yeah. Brad Crowell 10:37  Okay. Lesley Logan 10:38  Yeah. Brad Crowell 10:38  I can't, Caroline but, I know someone who can. Lesley Logan 10:42  Okay, we, remember when we got this question on YouTube. We're like, do we go live about this? I'm like, oh my God, what weirdos are gonna show up for the live? It's like, my favorite underwear for Pilates. So here's the thing. I like, EBY they're they have a type of of of underwear that is (inaudible). We have, right? We have a video.Brad Crowell 11:07  I didn't know how to find it, so I just went to YouTube and I searched Lesley Logan underwear, and the video comes up.Lesley Logan 11:13  Perfect, perfect, perfect. I wish they had millions of views. It probably doesn't, but anyways, so I like those because they're nice and thin under my leggings, so they don't leave a mark. Like when I'm walking around, you can't see my underwear, which is like a big deal to me. I don't know why we are obsessed with this, but I'm obsessed with people not seeing the outline of my underwear, probably from purity culture life. I have no idea. Anyways, the other reason I like it is if, ladies, you don't know this, but if your underwear covers your butt and then you put leggings on it, that is why you're losing your pants on stomach massage. So I like that also, you know the reason, another reason I like EBY is because I'm I am a sweater, and I don't really like when your like underwear doesn't keep you dry from and so otherwise, like your pants are wet, where your underwear is. I like my underwear keep me dry as much as possible, so that I have like, sweat, like on my thighs, but not in my crotch. So anyways, that's my favorite for that. Otherwise. Brad Crowell 12:12  What did you say it is? Lesley Logan 12:14  Think they're called EBY. Brad Crowell 12:15  And they're from. Lesley Logan 12:17  EBY underwear. Brad Crowell 12:18  Oh, that's the company. Lesley Logan 12:19  Yeah, yeah, it's EBY women seamless yeah, that's the one I like. Brad Crowell 12:24  All right, we're gonna put a link in the show notes for that.Lesley Logan 12:27  Yeah, yeah. So anyway, oh, they're having a sale. I should get some more. Brad Crowell 12:30  Thanks, Caroline. Lesley Logan 12:31  Thanks, Caroline. She had another question, though.Brad Crowell 12:34  Yes. Caroline had a second question. She said hey, do you have a shake plate that you recommend? Lesley Logan 12:40  I do. we'll put. Brad Crowell 12:41  I had a feeling,Lesley Logan 12:42  We'll put a link in the show notes, because I don't know the brand name, to be honest, but I love this thing I get on mine.Brad Crowell 12:51  It also wasn't, like, outrageously expensive. It wasn't nothing but it wasn't like a million dollars. Lesley Logan 12:51  It's like, it ranges from like, a little over 100 to about 150 and I think depends on the color or the time of year. But, like, honestly, it, it's something that, if I'm like, oh. Brad Crowell 13:08  Well, let's talk about what, what is a shake plate and why do you do it? Lesley Logan 13:12  Okay, so it kind of is a shake plate is kind of like a spin on the power plate. Power plate would be the brand and Power Plates I have experienced. Brad Crowell 13:19  Those big metal silver-looking ones that are, like, you know, two and a half feet wide. You can do a handstand on those. Lesley Logan 13:19  Oh, yeah, you can do some great stretches on those. My trainers at Equinox will, like, go here and do your pigeon stretch. And it, like, would really help with my running, help with my hips. I mean, I don't know all this. Here's thing, you guys, I don't know all the scientific facts are on it. But, like, I can say that Power Plates are really, really epic. And they can, like, turn your muscles on and off in such a way that it's like a full workout. In fact, in Vegas, there's a place called Vibe 28 that's literally workouts on a Power Plate. Brad Crowell 13:52  I didn't know that. Lesley Logan 13:52  And it's like they even do like, like a meditation class on them. So you like, just do different stretches on them. It's really quite cool. I will say they made me put a like, a band, a booty band, around my legs, and do squats on that thing. And I was like, oh my God, I thought I was in shape. No, no, no, no. It's like, what? It's like intense. And you that's, there's a reason why it's like only 28 minutes. You definitely don't want to work out longer than that. So it can be really effective but the reason I got one is because it can also be really good for lymphatic drainage, and it really good for balance and stability. And so I have my ankles are really hyper mobile, and my muscles around my knees have been really hard for me to, like turn on. And so I got one because you can just stand on it, and I swear, I swear it's doing something for lymphatic drainage, like my girlfriends and I just like, live by that. I have another girlfriend who, like, had some back stuff, and she just put it on, like, the lowest level and sat on it and her back felt better. So, like, that, that's amazing. So anyways, I get on mine, and I literally will, like, do Slack for 15 minutes, or I'll read a book. Yes, I can read a book while shaking. I'm also very tall. I could like my arms aren't shaking. The rest of me is. I play a video game on there. On my days where I don't want to work out, but I've got time on my hands, I get on there and I do it. Sometimes I just put my legs on it, and it feels really good. I have literally Googled multiple times, is standing on my shake plate at all beneficial? And the answer is yes. Now, of course, it's more beneficial if you do like a plank or a squat, but I play around my different foot positions, and my ankles are much more stable. My medial quad is actually turning on. I think it's been really fun for my lymphatic drainage around my center. So I love my shake plate. Big fan, yeah, total, yeah. So anyways, and it doesn't take a lot of space. One of my girlfriends lives in like, a tiny, like, studio apartment. My got one, and she's like, I do it twice a day, every day. So some of us now, like, do, like, we like, take pictures of ourselves send to each other, like, I'm on mine. Oh, I'm on mine. So now it's for like, a little club. Brad Crowell 16:00  That's funny. That's fun. I've even done it, too. I do enjoy it. It definitely first time you do it, you're gonna feel a little bit like, numb getting off of it afterwards. Don't turn it up that high your first time.Lesley Logan 16:12  There's programs and literally, start with the first program. And also a little side note that I would do, I was like, oh, every day I'm just gonna do the next program up. No, that is not how you get used to it. I recommend like doing program one for a few days and program two for a few days because I made my psoas so fucking sore, I had to stretch, so.Brad Crowell 16:12  Well, anyway, Caroline, we'll put that link in the show notes so you can check it out. Hey, look, if you have a question at all for anything, or about anything or whatever go to beitpod.com/questions, beitpod.com/questions and you can leave us a question or a win. So if you want to be featured on the FYFs for Friday's episodes.Lesley Logan 16:55  Your win could be that you bought yourself a shake plate and you did your first 15 minutes of self-care on it. Brad Crowell 17:01  All right. Well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to talk to talk about Margot McNaull in just a minute. Brad Crowell 17:09  All right, welcome back. Let's talk about Margot McNaull. Margot is the founder of Stór by Margot, a bespoke fine jewelry company born from her own journey of designing her engagement ring in India. With no formal background in jewelry design, she turned her natural eye and personal experience into a thriving business helping women create meaningful, deeply personal pieces today, her work centers around empowering women to own their worth, often through designing their own legacy jewelry that tells their story, and that's what most of the episode was actually about. Was about worth and worthiness, and, you know why you would buy a ring for yourself, and conversations that happen in the home, you know, in a family, usually a married couple. You know, it was interesting. It was interesting. I, you know, I, I thought, I don't know. I've never really, I'm not really the guy that's out there trying to buy myself a ring, but if I wanted to buy a ring, I would probably save up the money and go buy the ring. But that's not how the conversation traditionally goes. Lesley Logan 18:14  No. I mean, also, like, even while the ring, that the beautiful ring I have, I literally told someone to tell you. Brad Crowell 18:20  I have no idea what you just said. Lesley Logan 18:24  My engagement ring that you got me, I made sure people in my life knew what I wanted, because we well, because you had said, don't talk to me about getting married. So I was like, well, how am I going to tell him about the ring I want if I don't can't talk about getting married. So I just made sure all of my friends who you knew knew which ring I wanted. Brad Crowell 18:40  I don't remember that that's how the story went.Lesley Logan 18:42  No. The story goes, you asked my friend for my ring size. He said, oh, I can tell you what ring she wants. Brad Crowell 18:46  Yes, because he had it from, like, a year before.Lesley Logan 18:48  Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was before, yeah. So anyways, I knew what I wanted. The point is, around here, we just buy that ourselves, the thing we want, but I do have tons of friends who won't put a ring on their their wedding ring finger, because they that's saving of her then. Or they, they they want something, but then they they compromise, or they don't have the it's a whole thing. And so she's just a big person like, buy the thing that you want and buy the ring that you want, and that because you're worthy of it, and not waiting for a partner or waiting for external people to tell other people outside of you, to tell you what what ring you should have, or what you're worth, or things like that. I think it's really cool. And I also she said she was observing that women often struggle to buy fine jewelry for themselves, not because of money, but because they don't feel like they're worthy of it. Because, like you said, I would just save up the money and go get it. A lot of people will save up the money and then feel bad about like that. They're not like, oh, I shouldn't have spent all that money on that thing this, like, like.Brad Crowell 19:47  I mean, I get that, you know. Like, I definitely understand that, you know, I saved up money for a pair of glasses that I was like, wow, these are really expensive, and I literally wear them every day now, and I'm like, proud of myself for doing it.Lesley Logan 19:59  Yeah, don't you feel you feel good. Brad Crowell 20:01  I like them. Lesley Logan 20:01  Yeah. I mean, I love our car. It feels really cool to be in that car. I feel very worthy of that car, you know, like, now we had to save up for it. We have to wait, like, it's it was an expense, but, like, I think.Brad Crowell 20:12  We waited 10 fucking years. Lesley Logan 20:14  I fucking did, yeah, I did, but I, I wanted to have her on because I actually feel like we have a lot of listeners who are that person who has, has saved up the money, or does have it and and maybe feels a little guilty, like, oh, I shouldn't be spending on me. It should be spent on the kids, or I should be I should be doing X, or should be doing y. And it's like, you know, if you saved up that money one time, you probably could do it again, and you could probably spend it on them then that time. But so she she reflects on her own deeper journey, and that she even like while she was running her business, she was going through her own journey of self-doubt and realizing of self-worth. And so she had to go into it and realize, where do I feel like how do I feel about my worth? And so I also thought that this is really cool, because oftentimes it doesn't have to do with the ring. If you don't feel worthy, it's going to translate in other areas of your life.Brad Crowell 21:03  Yeah. And had nothing to do with the ring, nothing to do with the ring. Well, you know, when she's talking about, I think the conclusion of the worthy conversation was, it was it was an interesting back and forth between you and her about your experience working in retail and jewelry and seeing how couples would come in, and obviously they influence each other, but not just couples, like, friends, and then the person who wanted the, the one was doing the shopping would be influenced by the friend, and maybe the thing like and the friend might not have self-worth. So then they're, you know, projecting their insecurity on the decision-making process. And it could talk someone out of doing something that they were trying to do for themselves. And so what I thought was neat about her thing was she said, you know, the only person that's gonna make you feel worthy is you, yeah, that's interesting, but it also makes me, you know, like, is there an exercise? How do we do that? How do we feel worthy? How do we help ourselves feel worthy? Lesley Logan 21:52  I think that's a really interesting question. I think, like, also part of it is going back to, like a Nikole Mitchell, you know, like it's like putting Post-Its around your your your house, like, I am worthy of liking things. I am worthy of having this. I am worthy of reaching the goals that I want to have. Like it doesn't have to be I'm worthy of the stuff I want to buy, put it on. I'm worthy of get seven hours of sleep. I'm worthy of 100 grams of protein. I'm worthy of saying no to people coming over on a Tuesday night. I'm worthy of my time. So start with there.Brad Crowell 22:49  So we're not having dinner with them? Just kidding. Lesley Logan 22:50  Yeah. But like, I think, I think it comes from actually saying it out loud and saying it around things you can't have cognitive dissonance around. So like, if buying yourself expensive sunglasses or car or whatever is feels a dissonance to you, you have stuff that you still have to unpack and work through, then start with something smaller. I'm worthy of eight glasses of water a day, right? I am worthy.Brad Crowell 23:18  Or I'm worthy of a pay raise. You know, like, this is actually, you know, one of the things that that I really that resonated a lot with me is a topic that I get the chance to talk about a lot, which is money, right, and money when, especially with Pilates instructors, there's this weird stigma that Pilates is expensive, so you must be taking advantage of people when you're teaching. And then we shame ourselves into being like, oh, you know, I only teach a few hours a week, you know, so it's not that much money I'm making. And we have this weird, upside down perspective of, you know, the industry that we're in, the people that we serve, what we're doing, how much time and money we invested in getting trained, all this stuff, and then we adopt this, this like, strange mindset around the income that we're making, yeah, and so I've had this really interesting opportunity over the last year to talk about money on a consistent basis through a webinar that I've been hosting. And, you know, unabashedly talk about the desire to get more money, to make more money, and and but not be weird about it, right? We're not out there, like, championing, like, money for the sake of money. That's not the point. One of the things that I've really enjoyed is, in this the webinar is actually future-casting. Right? So taking a moment closing our eyes and actually thinking down the road, right? When we talk about money in these webinars, I actually talk about something that's like, scarily, like, almost like, it feels scary to even be willing to dream about it. It's about doubling your money, doubling your income. So, like, let's say you're making $35,000 a year. Could you make $70,000 a year with Pilates, you know? And. And the answer is, yes, you could. But why? Why would you want to do that, right? And I think the glib and obvious answer is, because I can get more money. But that's not the point. The point is, what are you going to do with that money? And then what are we doing with that? Like, how is that helping us shift our life to be better and more enjoyable? Easier, like, we it puts us in a position to go do something else that we want to do.Lesley Logan 25:25  Yeah, I mean, like, because, if you I mean to go back to that, the worthiness of it's like, okay, I want to make $70,000 because, but why? So I want to be able to pay for my kid to go to summer camp. I want to be able to have money in savings. I want to be able to do X, Y and Z. I want to donate to this thing. I want to do this thing right. Okay, so then it's not that. Brad Crowell 25:48  Or even it could be I want to create a life for myself that allows me a breather, a break, so I don't have to be going 90 miles an hour.Lesley Logan 25:58  And I think if we were all to say I am worthy of having a life that gives me a break. What selfish is about that? So, like. Brad Crowell 26:06  In the same vein, you know, let's translate that over to buying things. Yeah, why do we buy things, right? Why do we buy a nice car? Why do we, you know, I don't know, put in a pool? Why do we buy fancy sunglasses that cost $500 you know, which seems like absurd, you can buy a same pair of sunglasses for $12. Why do we do that? Like, like, how do we do that and justify that without, you know, feeling like an asshole, right? Lesley Logan 26:33  Well, I think the interesting word there is justify. I don't think anyone I think that.Brad Crowell 26:37  Well, there's a story we tell ourselves in our head, right? And I think that it's like, if, especially if we don't feel worthy of it, then we're justified, then we're justified.Lesley Logan 26:45  Yeah. But if you feel worthy, you don't have to justify anything, because it's it goes to the person who goes, oh, it must be nice. And the response, the only response, to it must be nice is it really is. It is. Thank you. It is because we have to. We, that has been trained into people for years and years to keep you poor. That's what it is every time someone has told their kids that money doesn't grow on trees, putting the same as point earned, you know, you, like, the justification of things that is to keep youth playing small. If you play small, then there, then the rich can keep getting richer off of you playing small, of you not demanding the pay raise, of you not charging your actual worth. Because, by the way, for the Pilates instructors who are listening, I just had a huge talk on both an AR Agency office hours and the next day instead of eLevate and I was like, on a pedestal, I couldn't get off of it. And I was like, y'all have to have some courage and conviction. Like most of the problems that this goes for anyone you don't have to be a Pilates instructor, is you don't realize all the hours you haven't sat down and counted all the hours of all the time you spent learning what you do, train on what you do, practicing what you do, teaching what you do. And you're thinking, oh, I'm pricing something for the 55 minutes I'm teaching them. No, you're not. That price is based on your entire past building up to it. And by the way, the future you're giving them, that's what that session, that the present that they're paying for, it's for your expertise and what they get in the future. And I think that's where worthiness comes in, is like, what can you do? Do you need to sit down and write down all the things that you know throughout realize you're worthy of asking for that pay raise? What is it going to take? But you can't ask other people for why you're worthy. You have to sit down and do some digging on yourself. This has to come from inside you, and it has and and the external stuff and the ring or the car, whatever. That's later, because some people like material things and some people don't. According to my astrology signs, I like material things, and I don't disagree with that.Brad Crowell 28:51  I could have told you that the day I met you. Yeah, but, but honestly, that's the thing. Here's the thing, it's okay to like material things. It's okay. We're allowed to do it. I don't know, you know, we feel guilty about it because of, for me, it was the way I was raised. Right? Is, is that, you know, the the money mindset element of it, and so, like, buying something really expensive was always out of the question. It was never even considered, right, ever, but, but like with, with the ring, like, if you want, if it's like, something that is going that means something to you, it's kind of like we were talking about tattoos, right. Like, if, if there is a sentimental association with it, you know, and you it's a goal you achieved in your life. Like, we've, we've, we've a friend we've mentioned before, when she wins a case, she buys a purse, or she buys the glasses, or she buys the thing, and she says, you know? And here's ironically, ironically, her dad not shaming him, but his response is always like, you still spent the money to buy the thing. Lesley Logan 29:56  And also, she doesn't get a pay raise when she wins. Brad Crowell 29:56  Right. It's not like she's getting a pay raise. Lesley Logan 29:57  No, she get the same amount whether she wins or loses.Brad Crowell 30:01  She, like, she's like, when I when this case goes, when it when the case concludes, then I get to buy the thing, right. And I think it's great. They're like, they're like, milestones of her life, you know.Lesley Logan 30:12  Yeah, yeah. I really agree. And I just want to, like, go on this one thing when it comes to some of the material possessions, especially a piece of jewelry that is something that one you wearing every day, so it's a physical reminder of of why you thought you're worthy of that. And then two, and Margot talked about this, you do often give it to someone, like, we don't have children, but I imagine Ella will like all of my jewelry. If Meredith has a daughter, we'll have to figure it out. But like, I imagine that like our niece Ella, she likes to wear pretty princess stuff. I imagine she'll like my things.Brad Crowell 30:51  I'm sure she will. Well, thanks for going down that journey with us here. Stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna dig into some Be It Action Items that you discussed with Margot McNaull. Brad Crowell 30:58  All right here let's talk about those Be It Action Items, what bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Margot McNaull? Don't give up on yourself, she said, right? To go through what you need to go through, to go through to be that strong, that's successful, that whatever you have to go through some pretty dark valleys, right? It's not just like it's just kind of inherently built into life. We all know this, right? But don't give up. Don't give up on yourself. She said, look at things in a way that other people maybe they don't want to. It's easier not to dig into these things, to look at these things, then you're gonna, you're gonna come out. And if you, if you, if you give up, right, you're gonna come out with a less powerful message, okay, let's put some actual context into what this vagueness that we're talking about here, don't give up on yourself, right? If you, you're allowed to fail, okay, but if you fail, let's keep going. So for example, maybe it is going to bed earlier or just getting up earlier, or maybe it is, you know, eating food, that is, you know, like, maybe you may always skip breakfast, and you're like, I want us to eat breakfast because I know it's going to jump start my metabolism, whatever, right, you know, like, like, okay, like, how do we how do we do this? How do we actually make this habit, create this habit? And we could talk about habit-building later, but, you know, it doesn't have to be this huge, epic goal. It can be these smaller things, and that's such a great place to start to build that, that habit. Lesley Logan 32:33  Yeah. And if you miss a day, it's not failure. You start, you drink, eat your breakfast later, start again. Celebrate that you thought about it. Brad Crowell 32:41  Yeah. What about you? Lesley Logan 32:42  Okay, so this is really cool. This made me think of Joanna, whose last name is escaping me, but she was in the second year the podcast was out, and she had to be an action about wearing the shoes, just like buy the shoes.Brad Crowell 32:55  Johanna White. Johanna White. Episode 171.Lesley Logan 33:00  Nailed it. She always said, buy the shoes and wear them, right? And so this particular Be It Action Item makes me think of that. She said, you can take your old jewelry and have it revamped and have it transformed and and sometimes that's like the permission that a lot of us need. It's like, oh, we're not buying a new thing because we have these old things, but we're not wearing the old things. Are we not as proud of old things? And you can actually just revamp the old things and now it's new again. And so if you have an old an old thing, you know, like, consider revamping it because you are worthy of it, yeah.Brad Crowell 33:35  Or maybe it was at a family heirloom that's like, you know, cool and amazing and sentimental, but not hip and fun and funky that you'd wear all the time. Maybe you could have something tweaked on that, and it would all sudden fit your personality today. So love that you have our permission to make changes to things.Lesley Logan 33:53  And walk around. I am worthy of, I'm worthy of, I'm worthy of, fill in the blank for yourself. I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 33:58  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 33:59  Thank you so much for listening to our amazing podcast. Yes, I said our podcast is amazing because it fucking is. Brad Crowell 34:05  We're worthy of it being amazing. Lesley Logan 34:06  I'm so proud of it. This is episode 554, you guys. Holy mackerel. So do me a huge favor and share one of your favorite episodes with a friend who needs to hear it. It's how this podcast gets out. It means the world to me. It is the like a great gift to me and Brad. And a review goes a long way, because words of affirmation are my love language. So I've asked for two things. Thank you so much, asked for three, actually. And you know, just do one of them. You don't have to be an overachiever. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 34:36  Bye for now.Lesley Logan 34:38  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 35:20  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 35:25  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 35:30  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 35:37  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 35:40  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—Amanda runs Stockwell Strategy, a user experience research and innovation strategy practice. She has spent the last 15 years helping teams understand who their users are, what they need, and how to tie those insights to product and business strategy. Happy clients include startups, nonprofits, fortune 100s, and nearly everywhere in between. Amanda is happiest when helping teams spin up their UX research practices and individuals refine their research and strategy skills. She also frequently writes and speaks about all things UX and product, teaches classes on LinkedIn Learning and for Duke's Design and Technology Innovation program, and helps organize local Ladies that UX meetups. You can also find her hiking, spoiling her dog, or sharing lobster facts.In our conversation, we discuss:* The concept of “research onions,” how core skills are just one layer of what makes someone effective in UX.* Why understanding business goals and context makes research more actionable, not less user-centered.* How collaborating with cross-functional teammates means more than just scheduling whiteboard sessions.* Tips for solo researchers on becoming better collaborators, from small talk to strategic alignment.* A networking approach that's not transactional and why your next opportunity may come from a six-year-old Slack intro.Some takeaways:* Research is more than the craft. Amanda introduces the idea of “onion layers” to describe the full spectrum of skills researchers need. Beyond knowing methods and tools, researchers should understand how business decisions are made and where their insights fit in.* You don't need to be a business strategist but you do need to care. Understanding cash flow, team capacity, and strategic priorities helps researchers frame insights that get acted on. It's not about becoming a PM; it's about asking the right questions and understanding how your work fits the broader picture.* Relationship-building is essential, especially when you're the only researcher. Whether it's baking banana bread to attract teammates or tailoring your report formats to individual preferences, Amanda shows how small acts of intentionality lead to better collaboration and insight adoption.* Network like a human, not a transaction. Amanda advises networking consistently and authentically, not just when you're looking for a job. The best opportunities often come from long-forgotten connections so be curious, be helpful, and stay in touch with generosity.* Treat your stakeholders like users. Just like you wouldn't ship a product without understanding your users, you shouldn't present findings without understanding your audience. Customize communication styles, understand what they care about, and make it easy for them to act on your insights.Where to find Amanda:* Website* LinkedIn* BlueskyStop piecing it together. Start leading the work.The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like.You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role.It's built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to.→ Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks→ Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus→ Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic deliveryInterested in sponsoring the podcast?Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I'm always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at nikki@userresearchacademy.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities!The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.userresearchstrategist.com/subscribe

In a world where one Slack ping can derail your entire day, high-performance coach Lisa Goldenthal returns with a powerful wake-up call for every overwhelmed leader. If you feel like you're leading at 200mph while dodging constant digital chaos, this episode is your blueprint for taking back control.   Lisa dives deep into: ✅ Is digital noise draining your energy and profit—and how can you reclaim your focus? ✅ The hidden cost of reacting vs. leading—and how she flipped the script in her own life ✅ 3 Game-Changing Shifts for High Performers >Build a Bias for Bold Boundaries >Schedule Your Sanity >Make Simplicity Your Strategy ✅ Why clarity is your most underrated competitive advantage  

This month on Center Stage Chronicles, Kris Zellner is joined by Rob Naylor and Our Good Buddy Charles to discuss the month that was July 1990 in not only the National Wrestling Alliance but also pop culture. Topics of discussion include:2 Live Crew releasing “Banned in the U.S.A.” to piss off their critics even more.“Blossom” debuting on NBC, “Dream On” debuting on HBO, and “Northern Exposure” debuting on CBS.The Great American Bash in Baltimore, featuring Sting finally winning the NWA World Heavyweight Title from Ric Flair, the in-ring debuts of El Gigante and Big Van Vader, the Freebirds going glam, the Southern Boys vs. Midnight Express U.S. Tag Title match tearing the house down, and so so much more.Andrew Dice Clay crying on “The Arsenio Hall Show.”Ric Flair injuring his knee days after the Bash PPV and Harley Race replacing him on house shows. Howard Stern's "Summer Show" debuting on WWOR-TV in New York.Jim Herd getting tired of Flair-Sting matches.Exactly why Ric Flair vs. Dustin Rhodes didn't happen at Halloween Havoc.The "regional" perception of the NWA at this time.THE PEARL making his debut on TV.Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem in San Diego in memorable fashion.The birth of E!: Entertainment Television.The first mention of the Black Scorpion in the newsletters.…and so much more on a highly entertaining CSC.---To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!If you're looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you've been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you'll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you're looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.You can also use code BTSPOD to save 25% on your first payment — whether paying month to month or annually — when you subscribe to Ultimate Classic Wrestling Network at ClassicWrestling.net!To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Running an agency can feel like chaos on repeat—clients, team stress, and no clear direction. You're not alone. Today's featured guest has built and sold a $3M+ agency, kept employee turnover under 5%, and is now launching a focused, values-driven agency built to thrive in today's market. He shares some hard-won lessons on building a culture your team will never want to leave, attracting clients who respect your expertise, and creating the clarity and focus you need to scale without burning out. If you're an agency owner who's tired of the chaos and wants a clearer, saner path forward, this conversation will give you a roadmap worth following. Colin Hetherington is the founder of the newly minted Common Good in Dublin, but he's no rookie. Before that, he co-founded Zoo Digital, growing it past $3M a year before it was acquired, and even earlier, he pitched and built agency.com's Dublin presence when Ireland barely had broadband. After building and scaling agency.com Ireland, Colin and two colleagues grabbed coffee after a client meeting and decided, “There's a better way to do this.” It wasn't a grand plan with a 50-slide deck. It was a hunch—and a leap of faith. In this episode, we'll discuss: Why he believes in taking the leap before you're ready. Build systems or burn out. How to keep turnover at less than 5%. Why focus is the ultimate power move. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Look for the Venn Diagram Sweet Spot Colin's first experience in digital marketing came when he worked for an agency in San Francisco back in 1999. At iTraffic, subsequently taken over by Agency.com, he learned about what was called at the time ‘internet advertising', and five years later he pitched the idea of setting up Agency.com in Dublin.  Their developing edge was putting strategy, creative, and technology under one roof at a time when agencies treated digital as an afterthought. That unique combination allowed them to win big clients like the National Lottery and the Irish Tourism Board with a tiny seven-person team. In just two years, they went from zero to driving 12% of the group's revenue and Colin and his partners felt ready to grow their own business. Hitting Their Stride with Innovation Zoo launched in 2008, right before the Great Recession and right as businesses started pulling back and budgets evaporated. However, they were able to adapt by winning some solid clients and partnering quietly behind the scenes with agencies that couldn't handle digital in-house. They found scrappy ways to deliver big ideas on smaller budgets, often using student illustrators or leaner production. By 2015, they'd grown the team to fourteen people and were hitting their stride with their original formula of combining strategy, creative, and technology under one roof that led them to work with big names like Redbull. After bringing innovation to countless brand events, Colin's agency started focusing on UX and got an important partnership with one of the largest banks in Ireland. While not every flashy innovation won new business immediately, it got them on pitch lists and made their team proud. Hiring Before You're Ready Colin's hiring strategy has always been taking leaps of faith. Instead of hiring one by one, they'd hire in threes or fours—betting on themselves to fill the pipeline. This was even back when they couldn't forecast beyond five months. For Colin, there was no use in debating and agonizing over these leaps for weeks when the team was already stretched for 1–2 months straight. Playing too small can be riskier than making bold, smart bets and, as they learned over time, taking those leaps of faith paid off every time. Every time they made that leap, the new team members were busy almost immediately. Build Systems or Burn Out On the other hand, Colin was not as quick to scale processes as they grew the team, which resulted in many projects being delayed and clients rightly unhappy about the situation. At one point, Colin was heading to a client meeting with that sick-to-your-stomach feeling that they were about to get fired for missing deadlines. They didn't get fired, but the client laid it out: “We love you, but can you ever deliver on time?” That wake-up call pushed Colin to bring in operations help, implement systems, and build scalable processes so they could grow without chaos. This next step also required them to admit they just weren't great project managers and needed outside help to build the foundations to grow the business. Culture Is What You Live, Not What You Write Colin managed to keep his agency's employee turnover at less than 5% by putting a heavy focus on culture while he was at Zoo. It's easy to slap a “values” page on your agency's website. He understood that reducing churn meant reducing time spent on getting people up to speed, for instance, but he also understood that culture isn't what you write down—it's what you live. For Colin, it all came down to leadership and how the leadership team delivers culture. For starters, they treated people like adults, trusting their team to own their work without micromanagement, and recognizing that work is just one part of life. When hard times hit, like during COVID, Colin and his partners were transparent. They had to temporarily reduce salaries but promised to pay it back when the storm cleared—and they did. That act of integrity built trust in a way no ping-pong table or Slack emoji ever could. Your Values Attract the Right Clients (and Repel the Wrong Ones) If you've ever worked with a nightmare client—the kind who demands everything yesterday, disrespects your team, and thinks paying your invoice is a license to treat you like dirt—yyou know the toll it takes on your team and energy. On this, Jason and Colin agree: it's better to walk away. Colin has learned that sharing the unspoken values you hold as a team don't just keep your culture healthy; they also shape the clients you attract. The best, longest-lasting client relationships he had were with organizations that shared similar values around respect, partnership, and clear communication. As to the nightmare clients? Those relationships were doomed from day one because the values were out of sync. Focus Is the Ultimate Power Move After selling Zoo, Colin is launching his new agency, Common Good, with one big lesson in mind: Focus beats everything. Instead of being a generalist, Colin is zeroing in on serving state and civil service organizations in Ireland. He believes these organizations are doing important work that deserves to be communicated well—and that clear positioning will set them apart in a market where every agency says the same thing about their “process, portfolio, and people.” What's more, Colin isn't trying to build another 60-person agency. He's embracing the shift in the market toward lean, senior teams that can deliver high-quality work without unnecessary bloat. If you're still in the grind of your first agency, it's normal not to have perfect clarity yet. You have to try things, learn what drains your energy, and double down on what gives you energy. The sooner you build reflection time into your schedule, the sooner you'll find your agency's true direction. It may be hard to take the time to really think about these things. The day-to-day of running an agency can drown you in Slack messages, client calls, and fires to put out. But stepping back—even for a few hours each week—to reflect on where you're going and why can be the difference between a business that drifts and one that thrives. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

In this episode of Experiencing Data, I chat with Irina Malkova who is the VP of AI Engineering and VP of Data and Analytics for Tech and Product at Salesforce. Irina shares how her teams are reinventing internal analytics, combining classic product data work with cutting-edge AI engineering—and her recent post on LinkedIn titled “AI adoption moves at the speed of user trust,” having a strong design-centered perspective, inspires today's episode. (I even quoted her on this in a couple recent product design conference talks I gave!)  In today's drop, Irina shares how they're enabling analytical insights at Salesforce via a Slack-based AI agent, how they have changed their AI and engineering org structures (and why), the bad advice they got on organizing their data product teams, and more. This is a great episode for senior data product and AI executives managing complex orgs and technology environments who want to see how Salesforce is scaling AI for smarter, faster decisions.

I talk about the new CBA deal between the NHL and NHLPA, my experience going through the lockout in 2012-13 and a few tidbits at the end of the show. Cheers!Sign up to become a Friend of the Show to access a Slack community, behind the scenes content, discounts on merch, and more: https://www.patreon.com/dropping_glovesFollow the Show:MerchPatreonFacebookInstagramTwitter / XYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With just three months left in his MEng at University College London, Alkin ditched an engineering track and sprinted into high-finance. Hear how he combined a last-minute PE internship, CFA Level I prep and WSO Academy's modeling + interview bootcamps to master derivatives, send laser-targeted cold emails and wow SocGen's X-Asset Solutions Sales team by nailing the only “impossible” technical of the day—earning the job on the spot. Perfect for late pivots who still want an elite markets seat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this episode, the hosts break down an overpriced, confusingly diversified urgent care and med spa hybrid in Orange County, exploring why it's unlikely to trade at the asking price.Business Listing – https://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/urgent-care-for-kids-and-adults-full-service-plus-med-spa-3405-sqft/2323118/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.Sponsors:This episode is sponsored by OpenPhone — the modern phone system built for founders and operators. OpenPhone lets you create dedicated business numbers that work right from your existing phone or desktop. You get features like auto-replies, shared inboxes, call recording, integrations with tools like Slack and HubSpot—and best of all, you look way more professional.We use OpenPhone here at Acquisitions Anonymous. It keeps our personal lives separate, our teams in sync, and our deals moving fast.Head to https://www.openphone.com/aapod for more info.Verivend – Simplify your capital calls and LP payments with Verivend's frictionless, secure platform. No more wires, no more hassle. Learn more at https://www.verivend.comThe hosts dive into a peculiar $8M listing for a hybrid urgent care and med spa based in South Orange County, California. Pulling in $3.5M in gross revenue with $1.5M in seller's discretionary earnings, the business claims to offer everything from urgent care and COVID testingKey Highlights:- $3.5M revenue, $1.5M SDE, asking $8M (5x+ multiple)- Located in affluent South Orange County, CA- Services range from urgent care to med spa and STD testing- Owner is “very semi-absentee” and willing to stay on- Hosts question valuation, mixed identity, and transaction viabilitySubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com