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It's 2021 and for the first time in nearly 50 years, Southwest Airlines posts an annual net loss. Amid the crisis, thousands of Southwest workers head for early retirement. The next year, Southwest is short on staff as Americans return to the skies. Pilots and flight attendants complain of being overworked. A winter storm cripples Southwest's operations, exposing the airline's underinvestment in technology. Millions are stranded. Lawmakers and the public ask: Will Southwest ever straighten up and fly right?Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Business Wars on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/business-wars/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Title: Travel Like a Billionaire: The 90% Off Secret to a First-Class Lifestyle with Eli Facenda In this conversation, Eli Facenda shares insights on maximizing travel experiences through strategic use of points and credit cards. He discusses his nomadic lifestyle, the entrepreneurial journey that led him to travel hacking, and the importance of understanding the value of different points systems. Eli emphasizes the need for a structured approach to travel, focusing on maximizing points, optimizing travel upgrades, and effectively using credit cards to enhance travel experiences. The discussion also touches on the significance of having a clear strategy for business owners and how to navigate the complexities of travel rewards. In this conversation, Eli Facenda shares his expertise on maximizing travel experiences through strategic use of points and credit cards. He discusses the importance of community in travel planning, innovative solutions for entrepreneurs, and his personal journey in the travel industry. Eli emphasizes the significance of experiential wealth and actionable steps listeners can take to enhance their travel experiences. Links to Watch and Subscribe: https://youtu.be/c7QqSscsajc Bullet Point Highlights: Seth and Eli kick off with casual banter about van life, audio gear, and the nomad lifestyle. Eli shares his background going from broke entrepreneur to travel-hacking expert. He explains how he got obsessed with using points after a free trip to Thailand changed his mindset. Eli now helps entrepreneurs take $20K–$50K luxury trips for 90% off using credit card points. His 3-part system includes maximizing points, optimizing travel perks, and redeeming for bucket-list trips. He gives a real-world example of booking a $20K ANA business class flight to Japan for just $12. Seth dives into a real-life org structure and Eli explains how points flow to the guarantor, not the LLC. Best practice: 2–3 business cards and 2–3 personal cards tailored to your biggest spend categories. Eli introduces his new “DreamTrip Alert System” that delivers full trip itineraries at massive discounts. In the Million Dollar Monday segment, Eli shares how he made, lost, and remade his first million. His next million will come from scalable digital products and a wider reach through content and community. What makes Eli top 1%: He walks the walk, traveling the world and running a business around it. His #1 tip: Pick your dream trip, put it on the calendar, and commit, then let the how figure itself out. Transcript: Eli Facenda (00:00.059) What's up, Seth? Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:01.43) Yo, what's going on, brother? Eli Facenda (00:03.237) How we doing, man? How we doing? Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:05.141) Excellent man, what's happening? Eli Facenda (00:06.893) Not much. you, how's the audio coming through here? Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:11.032) Sounds good, sounds good. Eli Facenda (00:12.547) it clean? Okay, because I'm, it's basically we're in the middle of a Nomad trip here, so I normally have like a, like a shirt mic like you have, but on the road I haven't had, so I haven't had to test this yet, but I figured the DJI's are pretty solid, so I wanna make sure it's actually coming through decent. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:16.962) Okay. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:26.732) Nice. Yeah, no, it sounds good. Sounds good, man. Eli Facenda (00:29.425) Okay, cool, awesome. Awesome Dave, we'll get to connect with you. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:33.802) Yeah, brother definitely, so I don't butcher it. How do you pronounce your last name? Facenda, okay, cool. Cool Awesome, man. Yeah, we've we've crossed paths on social media. I think or maybe our va's have crossed paths who knows Eli Facenda (00:39.077) for sender. Yep, yep. Eli Facenda (00:47.663) Yeah, think that was where, yeah, think we were initially connecting, yeah, totally. Instagram, I think, was the place. Yeah. Because you're out in California, right? Nice, I'm in West Palm right now. And I mean, normally based in Austin, but we're in the middle of a like, six to eight month nomad adventure. And so we are, we're on the road here, and we go to Europe in a few weeks for like the next several months. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:53.42) Yeah, nice, nice, where you at right now? Yep, San Diego. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:10.446) Sweet dude. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:17.166) That's awesome dude, awesome, awesome. Love it man, that's a long time. So we did last May we did, man it's been like a year, geez. We did like 30, 33 days in a van trip. So we took our van up through Wyoming into Montana and into Canada. That was a long time for us, but 68 months. Right, yeah. Eli Facenda (01:18.117) Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, man. Eli Facenda (01:33.455) Nice. Eli Facenda (01:37.465) sick. Yeah, well vans are intense too. You know, I haven't done van life but my fiance, she did that before and it was like a lot for her. But yeah, so totally depends on the way you're traveling as well. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:47.266) Yeah. Nice, nice. Cool, man. Just give you a quick rundown. our audience, my audience is typically, so it used to be passive investors, right? So it used to be the passive income attorney podcast. I think when we might've tried to schedule before and that was for investors. So accredited investors trying to get them to invest in my commercial real estate deals, that sort of thing. But now I've rebranded to raising the bar, which is more geared towards active investors and entrepreneurs and folks like that. So still, Eli Facenda (02:10.619) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:19.982) Still, I'm sure your clients, wealthy folks that are starting businesses, that have businesses, that are raising capital for real estate or private equity or other types of businesses, that sort of thing. And then we'll do about, we'll do it a little on the shorter side. So we'll do about 30 minute interview, probably at the longest. And then we'll kind of just close that out. And then I do two little smaller sections that I break down into like little five minute episodes. One is a million dollar. Eli Facenda (02:25.403) Totally. Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:49.622) Monday I put that in the notes and it's basically just like real quick, like how you made your first million dollars, how you made your last million, how you plan on making your next million. then, yeah, and then the last one is the top 1%. Basically just kind of what separates you and makes you the top 1 % in what you do. Eli Facenda (02:59.675) Cool. Yeah, I love it. It's great. Eli Facenda (03:08.699) Okay, beautiful. And then as far as, is there any place you want me to point people that is connected to you or do you care if you're asking about that? I don't have any hard call to action kind of pitch thing, but it's more just like. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:19.916) No, man, whatever, it's up to you, man, whatever you want to do, whatever you, whatever call it action you want to use, if want to send it to your website or social media, whatever you want to do, Eli Facenda (03:26.577) Cause you know what we do have, I can do this. We have a pretty cool playbook that's normally 150 bucks and I'm happy to give it to your listeners for free. So I could give them a code, just say what would be the best code for that? Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:37.175) Okay, awesome. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:43.429) Um, just raise would probably be good. use that a lot for like call to action, like DME raise. So you could use a raise. Eli Facenda (03:46.161) Cool. All right, so yeah, so I'll just say go to the website and just DM or just put in the code RAYS and you'll get it for free. But it's like a whole playbook on how to maximize points for trips. I've act like legitimately I've had someone buy it and within 48 hours he texted me a screenshot. was like, dude, I just saved 20 grand on a trip from your ebook. And I was like, wow, okay, it works. So it's good. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:57.07) Sweet. Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:09.366) Nice, Cool. All right, man, well, we're already recording, so I'll just jump right in, and then if I need to add anything to the beginning, I'll do that later. And cool, man, yeah, we'll just jump right in. Eli Facenda (04:14.129) Sweet. You're welcome. Eli Facenda (04:20.27) Awesome. Eli Facenda (04:24.913) Let's do it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:27.444) Eli, what's going on, brother? Welcome to the show. Eli Facenda (04:30.181) Thank you man, excited to be here and I we're going coast to coast today so this will be good. Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:34.382) Absolutely, man. So we chatted beforehand, but I think you're tuning in on a road trip right now. So you're living proof of what you do, right? Eli Facenda (04:44.065) Yeah, totally. are, well this part's kind of like a road trip. We're in West Palm Beach right now, but this is basically leg number two out of, we'll end up being probably an eight month nomadic adventure with me and my fiance and our little puppy. And so we're in West Palm Beach right now in Florida. We head to Europe in less than a month and we'll be bouncing around different parts of Europe for about four months roughly before we decide where we're gonna go next, which we're not exactly sure. Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:58.904) Nice. Seth Bradley, Esq. (05:12.28) That's awesome, man. Are you using all your hacks and secrets and travel tips that you put out there? Eli Facenda (05:18.449) Absolutely, yeah, 100%. I mean, we just got back from a crazy trip to Japan. This was really cool. I run an entrepreneur mastermind. So we integrated our own trip around Japan around this mastermind event. So I had 53 people come out for like eight days. We went snowboarding in the mountains in Niseko in the Northern Park. And then we went down to Tokyo for the cherry blossoms. But for myself personally, to get there and back and do a lot of the hotels, we used points. We saved over 50 grand just on that portion of the trip. We then... know, flew down to West Palm on points and then going over to Europe and a lot of the stays over there will also be leveraging the point strategies that I help clients use and then I talk about on social media and the stuff that we'll dive into today. But yeah, I like to be living proof of it because it's pretty awesome. It's something that's really impacted my life. I love doing it. And when I do it, I get to share it too. So has like a multiple benefit for everybody. Seth Bradley, Esq. (06:06.648) That's awesome, man. I'm excited, dude. I'm excited to dig in here, because it's just for my own personal benefit and education, because I'm super stoked about this stuff, and I travel a lot with my fiance, or my fiance, my wife, and it's something I'm personally interested in as well. We've had past conversations too, so it's great to have you on, man. So just to start off, man, if somebody, you meet somebody in the street, they ask you what you do, how do you explain that? in a sentence, right? Like without going into some crazy like tangent about all the awesome things that you do. Like what, how do you answer that question? Eli Facenda (06:36.453) Yeah. Eli Facenda (06:41.329) Sure, sure, Yeah, it really does depend on the situation, but I oftentimes will ask a couple questions because it makes it easier for people to understand. So usually it's like, do you have any big dream bucket list trip you've ever wanted to take? And they'll be like, oh yeah, Greece. I'm like, well, what we do is we help you get to Greece in business or first class, stay in five star hotels, have the trip of your dreams at about 90 % off. So that's kind of the tagline is take the trip of your dreams for about 90 % off. I'll get into the whole point side of things, but some people don't know what points are, or some are really well studied in that world. So I just leave with the trip because that's usually what people want. They want to have the experience where it's you and your wife flying first class, sipping champagne on the way to Paris to go see the Eiffel Tower and the points and the credit cards. That's really the mechanism. That's how we make the experience happen. But at end of the day, what we want is the amazing memories, the beautiful experience, all that stuff. So I leave with the trip when I talk about it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:37.848) That's awesome, man. Yeah, I mean, you're literally selling the dream, right? Like in marketing, you sell the dream or hit on a pain point. Like you are like the quintessential selling the dream. Like that's what everybody thinks about. So. Eli Facenda (07:42.969) Yeah, exactly. Yeah, Right. Well, it's funny because, you know, in marketing, they'll say like, sell the destination, not the vehicle, right? They'll be like, sell the outcome, not how you get there. And so we do that in our marketing. But then when you think about it, when people are taking a trip, what we are helping them do is make the vehicle to get to the destination part of the destination. Because really, when you travel well, and you do it in style, the flight becomes a part of the trip that you're excited for. I can't wait to see the the drinks and the champagne and the food they're gonna have and how awesome the seat is and the movie selection, how big's the screen. At least for people that love to travel, it becomes a fascination of the trip, not just getting there. So that's a big difference maker when people start to go on these flights, and this is what a lot of our clients will say, and for me, it goes from flying economy to like, I'm counting down the hours to get off this freaking plane. to like, we do another lap around the city? Cause like, I'd love to just hang out here longer, right? And like the flight attendants treat you really well. So yeah, it's a whole experience. Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:49.314) That's awesome, man. Yeah, that's great. Was there a trip that you went on personally where you just kind of thought, man, I can turn this into a business, right? Like you're just enjoying it so much that you just were like, like the light bulb went off or how did this business spawn? Eli Facenda (09:04.515) Yeah, there wasn't one trip that I made the connection between like, trip is awesome, let me start a business. But there was one trip that gave me the light bulb of, my God, I am obsessed with this, I need to learn everything I can. There was zero intention or thought about business that when it first started. And that'll take you back about 10 years. So was around 22 years old and I'm just coming out of college. And basically I'm in my mom's basement and I remember this really... like heavy feeling because I went to a good university near New York City and all my friends went to Wall Street and they were making like six figures plus right out of school. And I had this like entrepreneurial bug. I was like, that's not for me. I don't want to sit in an office. I don't care if I can make a lot of money. I want to like play life on my terms, even if it means I'm making less. So at this point I have friends that are making tons of money, know, lots of disposable income and I'm making like 20 grand a year. I'm working four side jobs. I was trying to build a company. I remember getting this text. And my stomach just dropped, because I was like, shit, I'm going to miss out on this incredible experience. was friends inviting me to go to Thailand. And I was like, if I don't figure out a better strategy of either how to make more money or figure something out, I'm not going be able to go on this trip. And I was like, damn, this is going to be just a life of missing out on experiences. Is that what it means to follow my dreams with entrepreneurship? It's like, I have to forego everything that my other friends are doing. And so was like, let me think about this differently. And I had a mentor that told me, you don't need more money, you need a better strategy. And he was talking about growing a business. But for me, I was like, oh wait, there's this credit card point thing. What if I could figure that out? So I ended up piecing it together. I got a trip to Thailand for free. I had this amazing experience with some of my best friends. It's like still, you know, 13 friends in Thailand at age like 22, 23. Memories you don't get back. So was really grateful to have that. And then I came back from that trip and I got another flight a few, probably a year later to Europe in business class where it was a $6,000 ticket that I paid $6 for. Now after that one, I came off that flight and I was like, I will read every blog, I will watch every YouTube video, I will learn everything about this because it meant I could travel the world and have this incredible lifestyle without having to go take a corporate job. So was like, I get to have my entrepreneurial dream and the travel I want without any trade-offs and I was like, this is amazing. So that was my first time I got hooked. It took me years of researching and reading blogs and websites and doing stuff for myself before I even had the thought of helping anyone else. I just became obsessed with it on my own. Seth Bradley, Esq. (11:27.086) I love that you recognize you had the entrepreneurial bug early on, right? Before you got drugged down into the corporate ladder and then you got the golden handcuffs, we like to call it, and that sort of thing where it gets much, much harder to escape that gravity. I know for myself, it took a really long time. ended up going to, I went to med school, then I got my MBA, and then I went to law school, and then I worked in a big law firm, and it just took me all this time to figure out like, I don't want this. Eli Facenda (11:38.405) Yeah. Eli Facenda (11:49.201) Mm. Eli Facenda (11:56.763) Right, well the social pressure alone of like everyone year round is going one way, it takes a lot of guts for you to zig when everyone else is zagging, like it's not easy to do. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (11:57.015) And I think it's. Seth Bradley, Esq. (12:06.648) For sure, for sure. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough, right? And especially when you see your friends making six figures right out of college, you're like, man, I could do that right now if I wanted to do it, but I don't want that. So it takes guts to be able to go out there and do your own thing. Eli Facenda (12:21.873) Totally. And I think everyone has their own version of that still. There's even vert flavors of that today that are still existing for me where it's like, everyone's kinda going this way, but when I really get quiet and listen to myself, I'm like, yeah, you could do that, but you actually, what your soul or your heart really wants is to go over here. And so I've always just tried to listen to that more because I think about one of my North stars is, at the end of my life, I'm 80, 90 years old, I do the rocking chair test and look back, it's like, What regret would I rather not have when I'm 90? I'd always rather be like I bet on myself than like I took the sure, you know, the well-paid path, which is the old cliche, but I think it's really true. Seth Bradley, Esq. (13:01.004) Totally, I love that North Star, man. Have you ever asked ChatGBT to give you advice as your 80 or 90 year old self on your deathbed? It's great. Yeah. I love it, man. I love it. Yeah, it's great. It you great insight. You start reading, you're like, this is good. Eli Facenda (13:07.409) Yeah, yeah, I actually created a custom GPT and it's my future me that coaches current me. yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Exactly. Yeah, totally. Seth Bradley, Esq. (13:21.326) Awesome man, well let's get back kind of on the business of travel, right? So somebody comes to you, they do that introduction that we talked about, you get in a deeper conversation, they're super interested in it, they wanna learn more about these travel hacks and strategies, like where do they start? Where do you point them? Eli Facenda (13:42.447) Yeah, so in terms of the process, I like to chunk it into three main buckets. And it's important to have context around this game because if you don't, it just starts to feel like there's so many moving pieces and who has time for that and it's too confusing and then it becomes overwhelming and overwhelm just basically leads to an action. And then that is the person who's like, well, I just don't wanna do that, I'll just take a cash back card or I'll just stick to my Delta card, right? And so when you have the right context, you can start to understand the highest leverage moves to make and then you know really how to get the result you want with the least amount of effort. So that's what we focus on and specifically like I've worked with probably over a thousand business owners now. And with business owners, investors and entrepreneurs, it's a different, the points game takes on a different context, right? Because usually the constraint we have to solve for is time and complexity. And if you work a nine to five, you know, after five o'clock, you've got hours for your night. But entrepreneurs, it's like every hour is kind of an asset that you can use. So it's a little bit different. So the three buckets are, the first one is to maximize the points that you earn. So this happens from getting the right cards and the right expenses. because all of these different points are like currency, so you wanna earn the right type of points and then you wanna maximize the amount of them by getting the right cards and the right expenses. So that's the first piece and that's really, really key, because nothing else happens if you don't get that right. The second bucket is gonna be to upgrade and optimize your travel. So you've got domestic trips for a conference, are you getting TSA pre-check and clear, are you getting the best lounges, are you getting first class upgrades and free bags and hotel suite upgrades and free breakfast at the hotels and free wifi. Really it's just like, There's all these opportunities available for people that are traveling domestically for work, for family events, you know, your kind of ordinary traveling might have. And what we want to do is we just want to enhance the quality of all of that and reduce all the headaches and annoyances by maximizing benefits on cards and status perks and all the kind of like little tactics that you can play. So that's the second thing that just makes your travel more comfortable. And then the third bucket, which is really the most important in terms of impact in your life and the most meaningful piece is to take your dream bucket list trips for 70 to 90 % off. Eli Facenda (15:45.775) And so that's where you're gonna take the points you've accumulated. You're gonna use some strategies that I can break down here around transferring these points from the banks to the airlines and hotels, and you're gonna get these dream trips for literally a fraction of what they should cost if you're paying cash, or compared to if you were using your points through a site like Amex Travel or Capital & Travel or Chase Travel. Okay, so that's a mouthful, but those are the three. So maximize your points, get the best possible upgrades, and then take your dream trips for 90 % off. Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:13.934) Yeah, dive into one of those little those connecting strategies there that you mentioned. Eli Facenda (16:19.183) Yeah. Yeah. So I'll talk first about the cards. That's the order. This is the first mistake that most business owners and individuals are making is they're just getting random cards. They're like, well, I live in Dallas. Let me get the American card or live in Atlanta. So I'll get the Delta card or, whatever it may be. Or live in San Diego and I fly domestic. So I'll just get the Southwest card. Well, they don't realize is that again, these points, these points like currencies. And so if I told you, Hey, do you want 150 Mexican pesos or 150 us dollars for your couch that you're selling on Facebook marketplace? you're obviously gonna take the US dollars, right? Because the currency is much higher. But with points, people don't realize that. So they might be racking up Hilton points or Delta miles or other points and miles that just aren't as valuable as other ones out there. And then they burn through them quick or they don't go as far. And they end up just basically sitting there being like, I feel like I should be getting more. This is the common thing I hear. I feel like this should be taking me further, but like it's not doing much. And so what we wanna focus on is bank points that are transferable. So certain banks, have this ability to convert the points to the airline hotel loyalty programs. And what happens is the banks have a different way of pricing than the airlines do. And certain airlines and certain hotels have really good what we call sweet spots or opportunities for you to get the best possible deals. Okay, so when you earn these effective points, which the top ones I recommend are generally Amex, Chase, and Capital One, and there's a new program built actually is out where you can put your rent on a card with no fees and earn points, it's really cool. But when you get those right, And then you look through your expenses and you say, what do I spend the most on? Is it groceries and dining and the personal side? Cool. There's a card like the Amex Gold that is specifically really good for those types of expenses. Then you look at your business. What do I spend a lot on? Is it ads and software and taking clients out for dinners? Great. The Amex Business Gold earns four points per dollar on those categories, but maybe it's you're spending a lot on flights for company travel, or maybe you have inventory you're buying, or you're paying a lot of contractors, or you have a lot of payroll. You want to assess where you're spending the most money. and make sure you have the optimal card lined up for that type of expense. So I'll pause there, but that's kind of the first bucket. The other one is on using the points effectively, which I can talk about too, is pretty powerful. But that first one is really the linchpin. Because if you have a bunch of Delta miles and you want to go to Europe, I'll give an example actually one more before I kind of pause. There was an example recently I saw of a client and they wanted to go to Europe and we're looking at different options. This was from JFK to Amsterdam. If you have Delta miles, Eli Facenda (18:43.547) The ticket for Delta One, this big awesome Delta Suite, was 320,000 miles. That's what Delta was charging to go from JFK to Amsterdam. It's really expensive amount of miles. But the same exact flight, like same flight number, same aircraft, everything, if you booked it through Virgin Atlantic, it was 50,000 miles. One seventh of the amount almost. It's really, really big difference. And so here's the kicker, right? If you have a Delta card, you only earn Delta miles, so you have to pay the 320,000. Seth Bradley, Esq. (18:46.765) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:02.124) Hmm. Eli Facenda (19:12.497) but if you had an Amex card that earned Amex points, so like the Amex gold or business gold, you could actually convert those points into Virgin to book the Delta flight because Virgin and Delta are partners, and you'd pay 50,000 points instead of 320,000. So this is the part where like, for people that kind of get this, they're like, whoa, and the other people are like, what did you just say? So I get it can be, it can be tricky for some people that are just getting to grasp it, but I want to make sure to lay out the whole game so people can understand really what's possible for them. Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:34.764) Yeah Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:42.329) Totally, totally. Yeah, it's just, mean, I'm sure people out there listening, it's both, right? Some people know these things exist, but they don't know the extent of it. And you're opening up their minds regardless, right? Like all the possibilities. I think most people are just like, sure, I need to find a great car that has a welcome offer of some sort. That's usually what people look at. And then they just try to pick, perhaps they take it a step further and they're looking to see like what they spend money on the most and they'll... Eli Facenda (19:54.139) Tour then. Eli Facenda (20:04.443) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (20:11.128) calibrate that card to that. But you're taking it step further because you know, it's kind of just opening yourself up to knowing all the possibilities, right? All these different connections, where to spend the points, where you can earn the points, those sorts of things. How thick is your wallet, man? Do you have, is your wallet like this and it's got 25 cards in it or what? Eli Facenda (20:19.419) Totally. Right. Yeah. Eli Facenda (20:28.123) Haha Yeah. Yeah. Well, caveat this first by saying when we work with clients and we might do recommendations for people, I always recommend if you have a business, two to three personal cards and two to three business cards. That is a simple way to set this up. That's only four to six cards across both things. That's enough where you're really gonna get some serious ROI, but it's not so much that's really complicated. Some people are kind of curmudgeoned about it, like I only want one card. And I'm like, that's fine. There's no right or wrong in this. It's really preferential, but you should just know if you do that, you're gonna be leaving for most business owners that spend at least a few thousand a month. that's gonna cost you tens of thousands of dollars of free trips a year. So I'm like, is your simplicity of having one card worth that much? If it is, great, but maybe having a second or third card doesn't add that much complexity. But if you get an extra $30,000 a year trip out of it, probably worth it, right? So that's the first thing. But to answer your actual question, so I have an entire thing called the Credit Man purse. It's like this portfolio binder, and it's just stacked with cards. I mean, I have over 40 credit cards, but I've been doing this for a long time, right? And there's like, here's the thing also with credit. Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:28.28) Hahaha Eli Facenda (21:34.041) A big question, a lot of investors, specifically people that are doing real estate or business owners, really want to their credit clean and we're huge advocates of actually not just keeping your credit score the same but improving it over time. And when you get business cards, they don't show up on your personal credit report. Okay, the vast majority. The inquiry will, but the actual card won't. And some banks, you can actually get multiple cards with no additional inquiries. So like when we do a custom card plan for someone or when we're just recommending it, we're always saying like, make sure to look at which banks you already have relationships with. Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:48.142) Mm-hmm. Eli Facenda (22:02.373) which ones you can get a soft pull from, the order matters of these card applications. But at end of the day, you just want a couple of specific cards that are really gonna be custom built for you, and you don't have to go crazy with it. If you get excited and you're like passionate about it, you can get 10, 15, 20 cards over the course of several years, and if you do it right underneath your businesses, it's not gonna drop your personal credit score. Your personal credit score will actually go up over time. Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:26.314) Mm-hmm. That's a good hack, man. I'll get I'm put you on a spot a little bit. I'm gonna explain like what what I see a lot of the people that are probably listen to this show have in place structured wise like organizational structure and it's kind of similar to mine. Mine's probably a lot more complicated, but just to keep it simple, you know, there might be a parent company, right? Like this overhead parent company that owns everything. So let's let's call it parent company, right? And then below the parent company, the parent company owns, let's say a management company. This management company probably manages funds, manages properties, manages equity for investors, that sort of thing. And then they also might have these other businesses, right? Like it just depends on the person. Like for instance, I own gyms and some other, my law firm, things like that. So they might have these own individual operating companies that owns a gym or owns another business or does these other things. you know. Eli Facenda (22:55.889) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:20.066) Based on that structure, so you've got a parent company, you've got a, let's call it an equity management or fund management or property management company, and then you've got kind of this other operating business. How would you structure, what credit cards I guess would you kind of recommend? Not necessarily specific ones, but like, do they need one for all three or, yeah, how would you think about that? Eli Facenda (23:27.301) Mm-hmm. Eli Facenda (23:36.593) Yeah, yeah, but how would you think about that? Yeah, totally. I mean, it's a super common question. Like this is exactly the kind of clientele that we work with all the time where they're like, are you sure this is gonna work for me? I have four rental properties, two companies, one holding company. I have an investment thing. I have this thing over here. It's like, yeah, it all works. So simple is the key. So it's always a spectrum too. Like some people are, again, really minimalist with like what they want. we always, like when we're doing this for a client, we custom build it. But. The real recommendation there is we wanna, again, assess which of these companies are actually generating the highest amount of spend. And those are the ones we wanna start with first in terms of cards and really optimizing. Now, if you have a bunch of different companies and they all have a bunch of spend, the first key thing to know is that the points will go to the business owner, the person who personally guaranteed the card, not to the business. So there's no business points account. It's underneath your name, even if it's underneath the LLC. So the points go to you. So if you have like six different companies and you have like three Chase cards and three Amex cards, all of those three Chase cards and all of those three Amex cards are gonna basically funnel up to your account, okay? So that keeps it simple in terms of how you can think about accruing these points. They're not gonna be scattered everywhere where you can't use them. So that's good to know. Same with the airlines, right? doesn't matter if it's an airline or a bank card. So that's the first thing. For these management companies, usually lot of them don't have much spend. So what we'll tend to do is just get one card that is like a catch-all card. And so this would be a card that we want to have earn around 1.5 to two points per dollar spent. Because what we've done is we've taken the floor of what you're gonna earn on your everyday spend and we just increase it by 50 to 100%. Okay, so like let's say a parent company is used for some client meetings and some basic legal and admin stuff and it's like 1,500 bucks a month just to do upkeep and normal stuff like that. and it's not a crazy amount of different categories to spend. You're not running ads, you don't have that much software, there's not really a lot travel happening with it. But if that's the case, then what we wanna do is get a card, maybe like the Chase Inc. Unlimited, which earns 1.5x on everything, and we'll say, look, we're gonna keep this simple. That holding company doesn't have a lot of points earning power, so let's make sure we get a card on it just to earn, but we don't wanna like go crazy and get a bunch of cards and try to maximize every dollar. But this company that owns four different gyms and spends... Eli Facenda (25:52.369) 50K a month on equipment and advertising and payroll and all this stuff, that's the company where we wanna look to get maybe two or three cards that are specifically aligned with that business to spend because that is where you as an entrepreneur, as an owner, are gonna be generating the most return. It's gonna be from that one entity. So I hope that breaks it down in a way that makes sense, but this is also where, again, having your cards across two to three main banks will keep it relatively simple because even if you have four different entities, if it's under one Amex login, that makes it nice and easy too. Seth Bradley, Esq. (26:22.53) Totally, totally. Awesome, man. I knew you could handle that. Easy, easy peasy. Cool, man. Let's go to number two, right? Using the points effectively. You kind of touched on a little bit of that strategy, but let's jump into that. Eli Facenda (26:26.682) Easy basic. Eli Facenda (26:32.709) Yeah, yeah, so the second thing was optimizing the upgrades and all that. I'll cover that one really quick. If you're going through the airport and you don't have TSA PreCheck and clear and lounge access, you're missing out on some really easy perks that will just make your life way more enjoyable. So that's the first thing. There's a lot you can do with hotel upgrades and status. So like when I travel and go to Miami tonight for a conference, I have status at Hyatt. I'm staying at Hyatt for two of the nights down here. Seth Bradley, Esq. (26:39.628) Okay. Eli Facenda (27:02.225) I probably would get upgraded to a suite that's worth like thousand to 1500 bucks a night because I know how to use the suite and I certificate, it's my globalist status, I know how to message the hotel the right way. So there's some strategies there where if you do that, whenever you're traveling, you just get a much better experience. You get early check-in, late check-out, the free suite upgrade, much more spacious room. A lot of times they have lounges at the property like when we were in Tokyo, a bunch of us stayed at the Grand Hyatt there. They had a beautiful lounge overlooking the city. They had breakfast every morning. They had drinks all day. They had a great lounge area. We actually had a mastermind session in there and they like a 15 person breakout room for us to go to. It cost us $0 to use it. They had afternoon drinks and stuff like that. So these are just the things that make your travel much better. So small tweaks that over time just again, make it a much more enjoyable experience. But that bucket on how you use your points, this is one of the most critical pieces. And I've already kind of alluded to it with that Delta One example, but I'll share another one. So on the way to Japan, right, we flew ANA business class. This is all Nippon. It's one of the premier airlines in the world for international business class travel. They actually have a seat called The Room because it's so spacious and big, your own big sliding door. They have like an omakase menu. You've got ramen, champagne. It's like really, really good. Amazing sake and green tea and all this good stuff. It was like an incredible way to fly and you know, it's an 11 hour flight and I didn't sleep a wink because I was just eating the whole time. But here's the deal, right? So that flight for my fiance and I, it would have been $20,000 for the two of us. It's 10,000 a piece. Okay, San Francisco to Tokyo. We're going in peak season, mind you. So I have three options to book that flight. I pay cash for it, which you know, I do decent in business, but I'm not dropping 20 grand on flights. just to get to Japan, like that's out, that's way out of my bucket of what I would ever want to do. The second option, I go to the bank site. Okay, so again, if you have AMEX points, a lot of people have AMEX cards, like the platinum or the gold card, and this is a good start, but when you go to the bank site, each point is worth one penny. Okay, this is the baseline value of a point. So what happens is if you go to AMEX travel, they'll say, okay, this flight would cost, let's call it 20 grand. So 20 grand times one cent for each point equals 2 million points. Eli Facenda (29:20.977) So my second option would have been to go to Amex's site and pay two million points, which I don't even have. Okay, so I'm like, that wouldn't have even worked, but that's what most people are doing at use points. They're going directly to the bank site and they're booking using Amex travel and they're getting absolutely screwed. Okay. There's kind of, and then there's a third option, which is to go through the airline site. So there's like three A and three B. Three A would be like, again, you only have Delta miles and you're kind of screwed going just to Delta. I don't recommend that. But the last option is what we did. which is where we had Amex points and Chase points, and I looked at my different options and I said, okay, what are the best partner airlines I can book through to get to Japan? Well, it turns out, ANA is a part of the Star Alliance, okay? United is also part of that alliance. Chase and United have a partnership where I could convert my Chase points into United miles. When I looked that up, I ended up finding the deal and there's ways you have to kind of search this and track it, but that same flight that would have cost me two million points, through Amex or Chase travel directly cost me 220,000 points to transfer from Chase to United. And I paid $12 out of Okay, so $20,000 flight, I paid 12 bucks. But how did I do it? I had the right points first. I had enough of them because I had the right cards and the right expenses. I knew how to search for this flight. And then I was able to transfer these points from Chase into the airline. So the hardest part of this entire process Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:30.402) Hmm. Eli Facenda (30:49.413) is figuring out the points transfers and which partners are the right ones for certain airlines. That gets very nuanced and complicated. It's kind of like, you know, if you were talking to a CPA and someone's trying to explain how like the Augusta rule works, whatever, and like the CPA pulls up like the tax code and is like unveiling this long list of tax jargon. The average person is just like, what, just like tell me how to do it, right? That's kind of the same thing here. There's a lot of different like angles and transfer partners and bonuses and. Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:12.43) Right. Eli Facenda (31:17.689) alliances and partnerships and it gets kind of complicated but that's how it works. Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:22.434) Totally, totally. So let's talk about that. how do you help people keep track of that or learn that or execute, I guess, on these strategies? Eli Facenda (31:32.241) Sure, yeah, so for us, our company really has two main levels to it. So we have a community-based level where it's like you're just getting the fast track, you're getting help from experts. So I'm really good at this, but I'm more of an entrepreneur than a points nerd. So as I built this, initially I was the one on the phone with all the clients, walking everyone through it, and then I built a team. So I found basically some of the other points nerds in the world that I was mind blown by. I knew them from social media and just seeing their stuff, and I was like, that person has their stuff. So I brought them onto the team. And so our clients will interact with both me and them inside of our community, but it's not just points. We're also providing really cool travel experiences. So for example, I posted this, but I'm going kiteboarding in Egypt in June on this epic like entrepreneur kiteboard trip where it's 40 entrepreneurs going to learn how to kiteboard together and masterminding on one. And so I'm attending, I sent it out to our clients and I said, Hey, if you want to come on this, our team will help you plan the flights out there on your point so you can get business class on the way out. So I like to, because ultimately I wanna help people, my mission is to help people create more experiential wealth in their life. There's financial wealth, and a lot of people accumulate dollars, but they're not turning it into experiences. So I'm like, let's create more experiential wealth, and the points are the way to justify it. So we have that community level where you get access to our team, there's calls you can jump on, ways we help you plan trips, and then we have the done for you services, where we basically just handle it for you. That's more like, think of like a travel agency on points for entrepreneurs. That's more of what that is. And in there we'll do the custom card planning and map out what cards you need based off of what your specific spends are and stuff like that. So we do some pretty deep intake. And we kind of are almost like a travel agent. It's a little bit different in some ways, but that's basically the two levels in how we help people. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:12.29) Great, man. I love how you build in the experience, right? Like that's part of it. Like that's what you're teaching anyway. So it's like, it's not like, hey, join this, join this group and then we'll talk about all these things. You're actually doing it. You're actually inviting them to execute on what you're teaching so that they can see it in motion and then they can continue to do it and experience life at a different level. Eli Facenda (33:32.497) Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, like, I really love it too. like, I'm like, everyone that works with us is really, usually a pretty cool person. Like, if you're an entrepreneur and you have the guts to build your own business, and then you wanna travel the world, like by nature of that, you're already probably a pretty cool person. Like the majority of people that are doing that, I think well-traveled people are some of the most interesting people. If you want the best stories in life, like, someone who's traveled the world is gonna have some stories for you. And so when you combine those two, it's like, these are people I wanna hang out with anyways. So like, I'm going on a trip to Egypt. I'm like, come with, like. Whoever in the community wants to come, let's have a party, let's go do it. So it's great thing. Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:04.994) That's great. Awesome, man. How are you raising the bar in your life and your business right now? Like what are you doing to build your business further, building off of some of the things that you're offering right now? Where are you taking it to the next level? Eli Facenda (34:18.833) Yeah, so we have a new project we're rolling out inside of our community, which I'm really excited about, which is even just in our lower tier membership, and it's called our DreamTrip Alert System. So what this is, is when people come in, this has never been done before in the world of points and miles or travel at all. So we're the first to do this, which I'm really excited about. So let's say you were to sign up. You're gonna come in and give us your DreamTrip destinations, the seasons or windows that you could go, the points you have, your home airport, all this stuff. and our team is going through and we're not just finding you like a flight, because there are different alerts out there that'll be like, hey, we found a flight. And it's like, cool, one way from LA to London, but like, what am I gonna do when I'm there? Where am gonna stay? How am getting back? Right, it's like part of the puzzle, but it leaves a lot on you to figure out. And for our clients, most business owners and entrepreneurs, investors, they're too busy to piece all that together. So they're like, well, cool, that doesn't really help me. So we decided to do, we said, what if we... just basically sent people like a mystery subscription box of their dream trips. And so when you come in and you fill that out, we gather it. And then a couple times a month, we're gonna send out alerts where it's like a 30, 40 or $50,000 type trip, somewhere incredible in the world. We're talking Greek islands, Amalfi Coast, Japan, New Zealand, African safaris, Maldives, Bora Bora, places like that, business and first class flights, five star hotels, four pennies on the dollar. So these are like, we get $40,000 trips where people will end up paying a thousand bucks, 1500 bucks, two grand out of pocket. Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:25.389) Mm-hmm. Eli Facenda (35:44.337) And so we're gonna send the entire trip to you. So it's like the flights, the hotels, the entire step-by-step booking, the recommendations on the ground, the entire experience. And so we're sending those out so people come in, they tell us when, where, like the things they wanna do, and then they're just gonna get these alerts where it's like every month they're gonna be like, you you're sitting there with your wife, hey babe, you wanna go to Bora Bora in like June? It's gonna cost us like 800 bucks and it would be a $30,000 trip. It's like that's what I want. That's what I wanna create. So that's us raising the bar in the industry and in our business. Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:06.35) you Eli Facenda (36:13.615) I'm very excited, it's brand new for us, so I'm just pumped to see that continue to roll out, because it's, for me the mission is to help people live with experiential wealth in the form of travel. And so, usually there's some barriers that get in the way. There's time, there's planning, and then there's cost. And what we're trying to do is eliminate as many of those barriers as we can to make it just easier to say yes to the trip. Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:34.252) Yeah, man, sign me up, dude. Sign me up. I feel like you've got to get both significant others on your list, right? So they both see it and whoever's like the person is like, we've got to do this, you hit both of them and then they convince the other one to do it. Eli Facenda (36:36.625) All right. Eli Facenda (36:49.477) Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. There's usually one. There's usually like sometimes it's the husband's on the call and he's like, dude, I don't know where we ever travel. Like I'm gonna pay for this, my wife's gonna do everything or it's the opposite where the guy's like, you know, she just shows up and I tell her where we're going. And so like that's my relationship. I'll be like, you know, it's my industry, my passion. I'm like, we're going here and then here. And she's like, tell me where to be. And she just has no idea where we are and she just loves it. And I'm like, I like planning. So, you know, but it's different for everybody. Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:11.736) Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:17.144) For sure, for sure, man. All right, brother, this has been incredible. Tell our audience where they can find out more about you, where they can get involved with all the things, all the incredible things that they've heard on this show. Throw it out there, Eli Facenda (37:28.859) Totally. Yeah, a couple of main places. So the first thing I'll share is that we have what I call the CEO Points Playbook. This is something I custom built. Took me a long time, and this was not a Chad TBT prompt. Like, I really built this on my own. And it is like a 30 to 40 page playbook that any business owner or entrepreneur can use to really maximize their travel experiences, get better bucket list trips, figure out the right cards for them. And it's normally 150 bucks, but if you go to freedomtravelsystems.com forward slash playbook and you put in the code RAYS, you're gonna get it for free. Okay, so anyone listening, it is free for you. And so that's gonna be freedomtravelsystems.com forward slash playbook and then use the code RAYS, maybe we can put it in the show notes. And so that'll be the first thing. Second place is if you're like just want done for you services, just take off that forward slash and go to freedomtravelsystems.com. can talk to myself and one of the team members. And the last place, I hang out on Instagram and post a lot there, that's where we connected. Seth Bradley, Esq. (38:14.049) Absolutely. Eli Facenda (38:27.595) And that's where I'm sharing the most like behind the scenes and as I'm booking this stuff, as I'm planning it, as I'm showing like what our clients are doing, you get to see more of the visuals and the fun and come along for the ride. And so I love engaging on Instagram as well. Seth Bradley, Esq. (38:40.27) Great. Thanks Eli. I really appreciate you coming on the show, Eli Facenda (38:43.973) Thanks Seth, appreciate you having me on. Seth Bradley, Esq. (38:45.806) All right, brother, talk soon. All right, sweet dude. Nice. Yeah, right around 30 minutes. Let's see. Yeah, we'll just jump into these last few questions here. Eli Facenda (38:51.748) Awesome. Eli Facenda (38:55.205) Perfect. Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:03.862) Welcome to Million Dollar Monday with Eli Fisenda. Let's just jump right in. Hey brother. Yeah, how did you make your first million? Eli Facenda (39:09.243) Let's do it. Eli Facenda (39:13.499) So I actually made my first million in a tour company. Now I made the first million, I didn't get to keep the first million, but what we were doing, we were running sports trips all over the world. This is actually part of how I fell in love with the travel industry and the work that I now do with points. And ultimately what we were doing, we were creating these international tour packages for youth sports teams and families to go on these international tours. think of like a 14 year old baseball team in your, you're in San Diego. We'd like do a selection of kids. Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:19.694) Sure. Eli Facenda (39:41.329) from that area and the families would come and they would go to Japan or Italy or wherever and travel for 10 days, experience the culture, have an educational tour and also play the local teams. So we did that in a variety of sports, ice hockey and baseball and lacrosse and all these different sports. And we were growing a lot and then that was ramping right until COVID and that just decimated the entire business. we took us about two years to get to a million and then we started to double almost every year for a few years and that was like. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:02.432) Mm. Eli Facenda (40:09.399) Really, really tough break at COVID, but that was the first million. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:11.63) COVID man. Nobody saw that coming. mean. Eli Facenda (40:13.881) No, definitely, you know, group, large, large group sports international travel was like the worst potential. Like you can't go overseas and you definitely can't do it with 60 people. So was, was a brutal industry to be in. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:25.506) Right? Yeah, there were certain sectors that just, I mean, there was nothing you could do. We opened up our first gym actually two weeks before COVID hit in 2020. we had our, us like two years to open and then our grand opening. And then we had a bunch of free clients in those first two weeks. And then they ended up being free clients for about a year because we couldn't charge them. Cause we couldn't get them back in the gym. We're doing online workouts and all that kind of stuff is insane. Eli Facenda (40:36.817) Ugh. Eli Facenda (40:47.696) Wow. Eli Facenda (40:53.337) And that's like where the true entrepreneurial muscles are definitely strengthened in times like that though. mean, like the people that bounce back and figure it out, like you just have a new sense of confidence of like, you know, I can handle anything. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:54.22) But hey, we adapt, Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:06.764) Yeah, man. I mean, you pivot, right? Like I actually ended up launching my first podcast during during COVID because I was stuck inside and it was like, all right, let's let's do this. Let's get on Zoom and interview people and all that kind of stuff, man. So that leads us right to the next question. And how do you make your last million? How do you make that transition? Eli Facenda (41:12.859) Cool. Nice. Cool. I'll it. Eli Facenda (41:24.143) Yeah, so the last million that I made was in the current business that I have. so essentially what we've been doing there for about four years now is helping entrepreneurs maximize their travel on credit card points. So helping them get their dream bucket list trips, these 30, 40, $50,000 trips all over the world for about 90 % off by leveraging credit card points. And we've traditionally had some pretty high ticket services. I mean, not crazy expensive, but like, you five, 10, 15 K and that range has been the main main service. And so, We cracked our first million about two years in, so that was 2020, 2024 actually was the first year we made a million there. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:00.526) Awesome man, awesome. How about your next million? Where are you scaling to? Eli Facenda (42:04.305) Yeah, so the next million I wanna make is the same business. love what I do, I really enjoy it. And what I wanna do is do it in a more community oriented and lower ticket way. So I wanna have bigger reach, more digital products, more of the community, more affiliate services and stuff like that. And I'm really excited about kind of cracking the code on that, because we've done it decently with the higher ticket stuff, more agency level, service level stuff, which is great. And we're still cranking on that, we're gonna keep growing it. But I really wanna see what we can do with... So the lower ticket stuff, creating awesome stuff on YouTube that leads to different channels and distributions there. So that's the next million and same business, just different type of money. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:41.57) I love it man, yeah, that's kind of opposite of how some people approach it, right? You usually start with a lower ticket and then you have to build up that base before anybody will give you, you know, higher, pay for that higher ticket product, but you're kind of working backwards because you want to help more people. Eli Facenda (42:56.677) Totally, exactly, yeah, and there's a limit. mean, what we do in the high ticket is incredible, but it really is a specialized skill. Like you think about like a bookkeeper or an accounting firm or something, like there's like a million bookkeepers. There's like 50 people that know points and travel to the level that I need them to know it to really serve clients with the highest level. So there's a real limit on the ability to scale that. And so it's also just like, we wanna be able to do really quality work for less people, but then serve more people with the other stuff too. Seth Bradley, Esq. (43:25.368) Totally, totally. Seth Bradley, Esq. (43:29.518) Cool, let's jump into the next one dude and we'll wrap up. Eli, you're clearly in the top 1 % of what you do. I don't even know if there's that many people out there that do what you do at all, period. So clearly in the top 0.0001%, what is it about you that separates you from the rest of the field? Eli Facenda (43:49.701) I think it's our ability to actually live what we preach. This is something where, you know, there are other fantastic people that talk about credit card points, but very few of them are actually business owners, like that's who we serve, and very few of them are actually traveling in the way that they're trying to help people travel. So we've done both. I've built multiple businesses, so I understand the psychology and the relatability of how you wanna think about travel and points and the various stresses in your life, the limitations on time and complexity. And I also, Seth Bradley, Esq. (44:06.062) Hmm. Eli Facenda (44:20.636) What just happened? Seth Bradley, Esq. (44:22.998) I'm not sure. We can splice it together, but let's see. Lost the video. Eli Facenda (44:26.748) Let me see here. Did my camera die or something? Bizarre. second. Seth Bradley, Esq. (44:36.076) Yeah, weird. Never had that happen. Seth Bradley, Esq. (44:42.038) Not a big deal, we can splice it together, but let's see if we can get your camera working again. Eli Facenda (44:46.992) Don't see my camera get help. Is the audio coming through okay? Did it switch over there to my MacBook from the other one? Or it sounds the same. Seth Bradley, Esq. (44:51.564) Yeah, I can hear the audio. Seth Bradley, Esq. (44:57.806) I don't know. All I see is like a car. It's like I don't know. It's a card with a symbol on it I wonder what that is that riverside or is that your symbol? I can't be your symbol Eli Facenda (45:06.556) weird. Get help. Eli Facenda (45:12.006) Let me see. trying to check this out. Seth Bradley, Esq. (45:19.458) We can also just finish it with audio. Eli Facenda (45:23.556) Is it, Dude, I don't know what's going on. Sorry about that. I've never seen... Seth Bradley, Esq. (45:28.654) no worries, dude. We can just finish it with audio anyways. Eli Facenda (45:31.63) New recording track created the participants have been recorded. Issue device struggling to record. High load on your device. Try closing all other apps. Give me one second. I don't have any apps open. That's really weird. Eli Facenda (45:53.126) Yeah, I don't know man. I apologize. I Okay, well yeah Seth Bradley, Esq. (45:57.219) you're good, We'll just finish an audio and then I'll pull up for the video. I'll just black screen to a logo or something. So all good. I don't exactly know where you're at. If you want to start that sentence over. Eli Facenda (46:04.048) Okay, cool. Eli Facenda (46:07.866) Yeah, I'll just, I'll say, I'll just start. So yeah, so not only have we really walked the walk with actually living what we preach, but we also understand that psychology of what it's like to be a business owner, your limitations on time and complexity and all that stuff. And because we're talking about travel, people also want to know like what's actually in store for me in this destination. I've been to 50 countries now and my business partner has been to almost 100. We have other team members who are all over 30, 40, 50 countries. So we've been to a lot of the destinations around the world that we're advising people to go to. So we know the ins and outs, best places to stay, hidden gems, top restaurants, stuff like that, that really add another layer of personalization and true experience into the service. So I think those are the things that really make us most credible in this space. Seth Bradley, Esq. (46:57.506) Dude, it's so important, right? Like there's so many, you know, there's so much content out there now. There's gurus and coaches and mentors, whatever you want to call them. Like the ones that are truly valuable and that people should pay attention to are the ones that are actually practicing what they preach, right? The ones that aren't just selling you education or aren't just selling you a product. Like they're actually, they've done what they're selling and they continue to enjoy or do what they're selling. Eli Facenda (47:28.635) 100%, yeah, if you're a living embodiment of what you do, it makes it that much easier to communicate it and sell it because you just are the thing you're selling. Seth Bradley, Esq. (47:38.764) Yeah, absolutely. What's one thing someone listening could do today to get 1 % closer to their dream life? Eli Facenda (47:45.089) One thing that would be the easiest is to spend 30 minutes, go on Instagram, go on your favorite social media site, go on some travel blog site, look for your dream destination, then pull up your calendar and put a time on the calendar where you're committing to go. One of my favorite quotes is from Tim Ferriss, I forget the exact quote, but basically the idea is that if you don't schedule your fun first, it won't happen. because your business and your life will take up as much space as you allow it to. So most people find that I'll take the trip when it's convenient. I'll take the trip when I have more time. That time is never coming until you make it a priority. So the one thing they can do to get closer to their dream life is to just make a more bold commitment to putting the time on the calendar and be like, I am going and make some sort of investment, whether you're telling someone, whether you're putting some money down, whether you're learn the point stuff, that's gonna be the biggest leverage you can make. to make sure that you actually follow through on taking these trips and then you'll find how to get there on points if you need to from there. Seth Bradley, Esq. (48:50.766) 100 % man, gotta put it, people, entrepreneurs, people like us, we work in all the time, you've gotta put it, put it in your schedule. You've gotta block it out, commit to it. Eli Facenda (48:59.821) Absolutely, 100%. Seth Bradley, Esq. (49:04.554) Alright dude, I think we got it wrapped up, man. Eli Facenda (49:05.743) Beautiful. Awesome, Dan. Well, this was super fun and I apologize agai
Exciting news, Hero Makers! We're sharing a new episode of Why That Worked – Presented by StoryBrand.AI, with Donald Miller back in the host seat. This new show uncovers why certain ideas, brands, and strategies succeed—so you can think differently and apply those insights to your business and life. Hopefully you're getting a chance to recharge this summer—but that doesn't mean you have to lose momentum. Fall is just around the corner, and before you know it we'll be heading into the final stretch of the year. That's exactly why we're rereleasing several of our high-impact episodes—designed to give you clarity, sharpen your message, attract the right customers, and ultimately drive more revenue, so you're not stuck playing catch-up when it matters most! -- Southwest Airlines built one of the strongest brands in the world by doing one thing better than almost anyone: clear, clever messaging that made customers feel like family. “Bags fly free” was more than a tagline. It was a promise that set them apart from every other airline. But when they recently backtracked on that core message, the backlash was instant. In a world where loyalty is fragile and expectations are sky-high, even the best brands can stumble if they don't communicate the right way. So what happens when a company known for brilliant messaging gets it wrong? In this week's episode, Don and Kyle unpack the marketing brilliance that made Southwest an iconic brand and why their latest messaging misstep is such a big deal. They reveal how Southwest's playful, people-first branding created an unbeatable bond with customers, and how this new shift risks breaking that trust. You'll learn what Southwest could have done differently, why your messaging must evolve without abandoning what made you great, and how to communicate tough changes without losing customer loyalty. Tune in to find out how even a beloved brand can slip and how you can avoid making the same mistake. -- Click HERE to find a StoryBrand certified marketing coach to help you grow your business! Unlock the power of a framework that works—the StoryBrand Framework at StoryBrand.ai. It's like having the world's best copywriter create high-converting marketing whenever you need it. Start your free 7-day trial at StoryBrand.ai. Learn how to make your marketing and messaging work using a proven framework in the updated book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0. Order it now on Amazon or wherever you buy books!
The summer of 1945 saw three nuclear explosions that ushered in a new era of experimentation, development, and fear when it comes to the potential for such a powerful weapon. Native people are among those suffering the most from the consequences of that path. The first test of the atomic bomb at the Trinity site in New Mexico, and the subsequent use of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, signaled the U.S. Government's new push to develop nuclear weapons, fueled by millions of tons of uranium ore mined near Native land in New Mexico and Arizona. And ongoing nuclear tests exposed thousands of Native people in the Southwest and in Alaska to dangerous levels of radiation. We'll explore the ongoing effects on Native people of nuclear weapons and power development, in this encore presentation.
Cathy and Lee are on leave this month, and August is Greatest Hits time on TechMagic as we pull out some special episodes from our vault. In this Greatest Hits episode of TechMagic, hosts Cathy Hackl and Lee Kebler explore cutting-edge innovations, from AI agents to Meta's fashion-forward Ray-Ban smart glasses. Special guest Melissa Medina, CEO of eMerge Americas, discusses South Florida's rise as a global tech hub and previews their upcoming conference featuring industry leaders like Palmer Luckey and Daymond John. The hosts also dive into gaming news from GDC, NVIDIA's latest advancements, and the evolution of "vibe coding" in software development. Packed with industry insights and engaging discussions, this episode is a must-listen for tech enthusiasts, developers, and innovation leaders alike.Come for the Tech, stay for the Magic!Melissa Medina BioMelissa Medina Jiménez is the co-founder, CEO, and President of eMerge Americas, a venture-backed platform transforming Miami into a global tech hub. Under her leadership, the annual eMerge Americas conference has grown to attract 20,000+ attendees from over 50 countries. A University of Florida graduate, Melissa also studied at ESADE in Barcelona. She is a partner at Medina Ventures and leads the Medina Family Foundation. Passionate about innovation and community impact, she champions Miami's tech growth while raising her five children.Melissa Medina on LinkedIneMerge Americas WebsiteKey Discussion Topics:00:00 Welcome to Tech Magic with Cathy Hackl & Lee Kebler02:09 The Hidden Musical Talents of Tech Leaders - Lee's Harmonica Journey06:55 Inside DC's Tech Scene: AI Summit & Chip Diplomacy Discussions 13:14 The Global AI Race: Who Will Be #3 After US and China?19:35 South by Southwest 2024: Music Takes Center Stage31:02 Gaming Industry Updates: GDC Preview & Nintendo Switch News38:37 Meta's Fashion Future: Partnership with Coperni for Smart Glasses43:25 The Rise of AI Agents: From Simple Tasks to Complex Automation53:54 The Evolution of Coding: From Machine Language to AI-Assisted Development1:00:19 Special Interview: Melissa Medina on Miami's Tech Transformation1:11:53 Key Takeaways & Looking Ahead to Future Tech Developments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Southwest has made a flurry of changes in 2025 — from charging for bags and introducing assigned seats to rolling out brand-new fare types and tweaking credit card perks, including increasing their annual fees. And they've managed to make things very complicated. But here's the good news: I've cut through the clutter to get to the heart of what actually matters in my trademark "keep it simple stupid" approach
Last time we spoke about the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. In the summer of 1945, Japan faced its most devastating siege, characterized by an aerial campaign called "Starvation" that crippled its industrial capabilities. As resources dwindled and chaos reigned, the Allies intensified their firebombing efforts, targeting major cities. By July, Japan was on the brink of collapse, culminating in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, where over 140,000 lives were altered or lost in a blinding flash. As the nation reeled from the destruction, the Japanese leadership was torn between surrender and continuing the fight. They faced not just the threat of American bombs, but also a Soviet invasion looming on the horizon. Days after Hiroshima, the atomic bomb "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, resulting in catastrophic casualties and extensive industrial losses. This attack further devastated an already weakened Japan, leaving the Emperor and his government grappling with the dire consequences. This episode is the Invasion of Manchuria Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945. August 9 stands as a catastrophic day in Japanese history. On this day, the nation faced the devastating impact of a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, along with the relentless Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Admiral Ivan Yumashev's Pacific Fleet moved to disrupt Japan's maritime communications in the Sea of Japan and provide support for offensive operations. At the same time, Soviet air forces targeted cities across Northeast Asia, striking both Manchuria and North Korea, as well as Japanese convoys in the Sea of Japan. General Twinning led a diversionary B-29 raid on Amagasaki, followed by a significant attack involving 108 aircraft on the rail yards at Marifu. In addition, Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet launched more strikes against airfields in northern Honshu and Hokkaido, where U.S. intelligence suspected a large Japanese air fleet and commando force was preparing for a desperate mission to Okinawa. Japanese paratroopers were gearing up for a new mission, codenamed Ken-go, but this time their target wasn't Okinawa. Similar to the earlier May 24 Raid on Yontan Airfield, Lieutenant General Sugawara Michio's Giretsu Kuteitai, also known as the “Heroic Paratroopers,” set their sights on the B-29 complex in the Mariana Islands for nighttime suicide raids. This operation marked the second planned assault on bases within the Mariana Islands, specifically aimed at destroying B-29 bombers. The plan involved deploying 60 transport aircraft to deliver 900 commandos during the nights of August 19 to 23. Around 300 personnel from Lieutenant Commander Daiji Yamaoka's 1st Kure Special Naval Landing Force initiated preparations at the end of June. Originally established for submarine-delivered raids on U.S.-held islands, these forces were now adapted to be flown in 30 Mitsubishi G4M 'Betty' twin-engine bombers, which had the necessary range for an unrefueled, one-way trip to the Marianas. The raid was initially scheduled for July 24. However, ten days earlier, U.S. carrier-based warplanes had attacked Misawa naval air base on Honshu Island, damaging or destroying many of the operation's bombers. Consequently, the raid was postponed to August 19, with the addition of 30 transport planes and 300 paratroopers from the army's 1st Raiding Regiment. Ultimately, however, on August 15, Japan surrendered, and Operation Ken-go was cancelled. Meanwhile, Admiral Shafroth's Bombardment Group unleashed heavy damage on the Kamaishi steel mill. The day after, to assist the Soviets, Halsey ordered additional airstrikes on northern Japanese airfields, causing extensive destruction. However, these were not isolated incidents; they were part of a sustained air-sea siege that had been intensifying for several months. The Allied blockade of Japan had severely impacted food imports, and industrial activity had nearly ground to a halt due to the ongoing blockade and bombings. By this point, six of Japan's ten largest cities had been completely destroyed, and over sixty smaller cities had been reduced to ashes from relentless incendiary raids. This scenario was a powerful manifestation of War Plan Orange in action. More critically, with the reality of Hiroshima's destruction echoing loudly, the Japanese government now grappled with the impending threat of complete annihilation, a grim reality they had never faced before in this war. Though they had recognized their defeat with the loss of Saipan and the initial Yawata raid, the stubborn resolve of the Japanese leadership had pushed them to prolong the conflict for an agonizing 14 months, clinging to the hope of a different outcome. Many now believed that peace was the only path to survival for the Japanese nation. As the crisis intensified, Prime Minister Suzuki and his cabinet engaged in heated discussions. He sought to persuade War Minister General Anami Korechika and Chief of the Army General Staff General Umezu Yoshijiro to accept the Potsdam Declaration on August 9. However, Suzuki and the militants could only agree that if there were any surrender, then it should ensure that the "national polity" or imperial family would continue in any postwar settlement. Anami and Umezu pushed for further, more favourable conditions. First, Japan would demobilize and disarm any IJA or IJN forces overseas. Second, Japanese courts would prosecute any war criminals. Third, after surrender the Allies would not occupy Japan. Chief of the Navy General Staff, Admiral Toyoda Soemu, agreed with Anami and Umezu. To break this deadlock, it became necessary to involve the Emperor directly. Around 2:00 AM on August 10, the cabinet convened with Emperor Hirohito, who ultimately agreed to accept the Potsdam Declaration and ordered an end to all military efforts, initiating the surrender process. Faced with no viable alternatives, all present reached a unanimous agreement. That morning, the Japanese government, through Swedish and Swiss intermediaries, sent an offer to accept the Potsdam Declaration, stipulating one condition: there would be no change to Japan's government structure, with Hirohito retaining his title as Emperor and sovereign ruler. Months afte the war Hirohito said this about his decision to surrender “The main motive behind my decision at that time was that if we . . . did not act, the Japanese race would perish and I would be unable to protect my loyal subjects [sekishi—literally, “children”]. Second, Kido agreed with me on the matter of defending the kokutai. If the enemy landed near Ise Bay, both Ise and Atsuta Shrines would immediately come under their control. There would be no time to transfer the sacred treasures [regalia] of the imperial family and no hope of protecting them. Under these circumstances, protection of the kokutai would be difficult. For these reasons, I thought at the time that I must make peace even at the sacrifice of myself.” Simultaneously, a new military campaign was underway, and several units of General Yamada's Kwantung Army were unexpectedly caught off-guard in Manchuria. In response, he implemented emergency measures and ordered commands to proceed with their plans for delaying operations. Upon learning of the Soviet declaration of war and the subsequent invasion led by Marshal Vasilevsky's Far East Command, Tokyo decided to place General Kozuki's 17th Area Army under the Kwantung Army. Furthermore, they instructed General Okamura Yasuji's China Expeditionary Army to transfer one army headquarters, along with six divisions and six brigades, to support this effort. As directed by Tokyo, the primary objective of the Kwantung Army was to defend Japanese territory in Korea. However, by the end of the first day of conflict, several border observation units had been completely destroyed while attempting to defend their positions. In the east, Lieutenant General Shimizu Noritsune's 5th Army, supported by the reinforced 128th Division, was confronting the main assault by Marshal Meretskov's 1st Far Eastern Front. To the south, Lieutenant General Murakami Keisaku's 3rd Army was engaged in defending against multiple penetrations along the border. In the northern sector, the 134th Division at Chiamussu was withdrawing towards Fangcheng, as planned, while flames engulfed Japanese houses in the city. General Uemura's 4th Army was preparing to face what they expected to be the main assault from General Purkayev's 2nd Far Eastern Front. Meanwhile, the 119th Division had already departed Hailar for Wunoerh, leaving only the 80th Independent Mixed Brigade behind. To the west, Lieutenant General Hongo Yoshio's 44th Army was confronting the formidable armored spearhead of Marshal Malinovsky's Transbaikal Front. Southwest of their position, the 108th Division was redeploying to the Chinhsien area. On August 10, the offensive led by Vasilevsky continued, as Colonel General Ivan Managarov's 53rd Army began crossing the border behind the now distant 6th Guards Tank Army. Recognizing that the 44th Army was not prepared to engage the overwhelming enemy armor in guerrilla warfare across the expansive terrain of western Manchuria, General Ushiroku made the independent decision to order Hongo to retreat to the Dairen-Hsinking line. This was where Lieutenant General Iida Shojiro's 30th Army was already establishing defensive positions. This decision contradicted Yamada's main strategy, which called for delaying the enemy advance at the borders. Faced with what they deemed an illegal order, the Kwantung Army Headquarters convened an urgent staff conference. During this meeting, several opinions emerged: a sudden shift from established plans would likely create confusion; any attempt to counterattack after a withdrawal would likely fail if the enemy advanced quickly; and abandoning forward airfields prematurely would enable the enemy to advance unimpeded. To most participants, General Ushiroku's decision seemed to deliver a potentially fatal blow to the overall operational direction of the Kwantung Army Headquarters. However, since the 44th Army had already begun its withdrawal as ordered by General Ushiroku, Kwantung Army Headquarters was left with a fait accompli. Thus, they felt compelled to uphold the decision of the Third Area Army Commander, which was subsequently approved by General Yamada. Meanwhile, General Pliyev's cavalry-mechanized units advanced rapidly toward Kalgan and Dolonnor, reaching the foothills of the Grand Khingan Mountains. General Danilov's 17th Army also continued to encounter weak resistance, covering an additional 40 kilometers. General Lyudnikov's 39th Army bypassed the encircled 107th Division in the Halung-Arshaan and Wuchakou Fortified Regions. Here, the 5th Guards Rifle Corps moved toward Solun and Tepossi, while the 113th Rifle Corps advanced southeast toward Wangyemiao. The 94th Rifle Corps had to divert southward to support the 124th Rifle Division. In the east, General Luchinsky's 36th Army launched ongoing attacks against Hailar, with the 2nd Rifle Corps bypassing it to the east. Meanwhile, General Kravchenko's 6th Guards Tank Army reorganized its right-wing column and began crossing the Grand Khingan Mountains during the night, with both columns entering the central Manchurian plain by August 11. To the east, Meretskov continued his offensive. The 17th, 65th, and 72nd Rifle Corps of General Krylov's 5th Army advanced swiftly west and south, ultimately securing Machiacho, Laotsaiying, Suiyang, and Suifenho. This maneuver widened the zone of penetration to 75 kilometers and forced the 126th and 135th Divisions to withdraw their main forces to Yehho. In support, General Beloborodov's 1st Red Banner Army to the north broke through into open terrain, pushing rapidly westward to occupy parts of the cities of Pamientung and Lishuchen, along with their vital bridges across the Muleng River. Further south, General Chistyakov's 25th Army captured Tungning and successfully reduced its fortified region. Units in that area also secured Tumentzu, Hunchun, and Wuchiatzu. Lastly, General Zakhvatayev's 35th Army continued its operations far to the north. The 264th Rifle Division and the 109th Fortified Region seized Hutou and initiated a movement west along the railroad toward Hulin, while the 363rd and 66th Rifle Divisions pressed on with their advance northwestward. In northern Manchuria, General Purkayev continued his main assault, with General Mamonov's 15th Army reconnoitering key enemy strongholds south of the Amur River. After successfully crossing the river, the 34th Rifle Division and the 203rd Tank Brigade occupied Lopei and advanced through Fenghsiang to bypass the Hsingshanchen Fortified Region, leaving a force behind to reduce it. Meanwhile, the 361st Rifle Division captured Tungchiang, and the 388th Rifle Division secured Chienchingkou, preparing for an advance toward Fuchin. In support of these operations, General Pashkov's 5th Rifle Corps cleared Japanese forces from the Jaoho Fortified Region, while General Teryokhin's 2nd Red Banner Army was preparing to launch its offensive the following morning. On August 11, forward units landed at Heiho, Aihun, and Holomoching under the cover of artillery fire, quickly establishing a beachhead as additional forces crossed the Amur. However, due to a lack of crossing equipment, it took five days to transport all units across the river. Consequently, Teryokhin had to commit his forces piecemeal against the 123rd Division and the 135th Independent Mixed Brigade. This was not the only new offensive operation initiated by Purkayev on this day. A new target had emerged: South Sakhalin, known as Karafuto to the Japanese. As per Vasilevsky's plans, Major-General Leonty Cheremisov's 16th Army was deployed on North Sakhalin and along the mainland coast of the Tatar Strait, stretching from Sovetskaya Gavan to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. If the invasion of Manchuria continued to progress favorably, this force was set to attack the Japanese-controlled portion of the island alongside the Northern Pacific Flotilla, commanded by Vice-Admiral Vladimir Andreyev, which was prepared to conduct amphibious operations against Esutoru and Maoka on the island's west coast. Opposing the Soviet forces, General Higuchi of the 5th Area Army positioned Lieutenant General Mineki Toichiro's 88th Division in the southern part of South Sakhalin, with only the 125th Regiment stationed to the north. Sakhalin shared many characteristics with several of the Manchukuoan border areas, presenting challenging terrain for mechanized warfare. The only viable invasion route south from the border at the 50th Parallel followed the Poronay River, located more or less in the center of the island. This river flows southward, flanked to the east and west by forested mountain ranges, as well as countless swamps and bogs. Both sides recognized the strategic importance of this potential invasion route and constructed extensive fortification networks. The Japanese fortifications were collectively known as the Koton, or Haramitog, fortified region. These defenses were built in three interlinked layers, with their western flanks anchored in the mountain range and eastern flanks in the wooded, swampy river valley. The permanent defenses spanned approximately 12 kilometers in frontage and extended up to 30 kilometers in depth, containing over 350 bunkers, pillboxes, artillery positions, and similar fortifications. These were protected by an elaborate network of infantry trenches, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and barbed wire. The heavy forest and brush made it challenging to locate these defenses. While enough vegetation had been cleared to allow for effective defensive fire, sufficient cover remained to obscure them from an attacking force. Consequently, the 16th Army would confront these formidable defenses without the advantage of surprise. At daybreak on August 9, reports emerged that the Soviet Army had unexpectedly invaded Manchuria from multiple directions. By 8:00 AM, telegraph lines were cut near Handa, a village located at the center of the Russo-Japanese border in Sakhalin. An excellent military road connected Handa to Kamishikuks, a region known as the Central Military Road area. At the same time, reports indicated that enemy forces were attacking the observation posts in this area. On August 10, observation posts were forced to withdraw as the Soviet Army gradually advanced toward our main position in the Happo Mountains, situated about 10 kilometers south of the border. That evening, it was reported that the 125th Infantry had engaged in a skirmish, during which the Isunisawa Platoon, fighting near the Handa River bridge for over five hours, was wiped out. On that same day, the commander of the Fifth Area Army declared that not only had the Army engaged Soviet forces, but civilians in the area, including office workers and laborers, had also joined the battle in a desperate attempt to halt the advancing Soviet Army. By August 13, the National Volunteer Combat Teams were summoned. The recruitment of these volunteer combat teams from the general populace was unique to the Sakhalin campaign, aimed at creating the appearance of military readiness to deter the Soviet advance. Additionally, the 125th Regiment executed demolitions while retreating to establish stronger defensive positions on the western flank of Happo Mountain, northwest of Furuton. Given the unexpectedly favorable developments in Manchuria, the invasion of South Sakhalin was authorized on August 10. General Yumashev further directed Vice-Admiral Andreyev's naval forces to commence attacks on both South Sakhalin and the Kuriles. Major General Georgii Dziuba's air forces joined the effort, conducting reconnaissance flights over key Japanese ports that revealed Toro and Esutoru were almost entirely unprotected. In the early hours of August 11, the 56th Rifle Corps crossed the border and began its main advance along the central military road but encountered resistance at Handa, where around 100 defenders held them up for an entire day. Back in northern Manchuria, the 5th Rifle Corps embarked on a challenging march southwest toward Paoching, while Mamonov launched a bombing raid followed by an attack on Fuchin, which ultimately fell after a coordinated tank-infantry assault. Concurrently, the 4th Army headquarters and the bulk of the 149th Division received orders to retreat from Tsitsihar to Harbin. To the south, the 112th Fortified Region and the 6th Field Fortified Region crossed the Muleng River south of Mishan during the night. In the following days, they collaborated with units from the 35th Army to secure the Mishan Fortified Region. More importantly, the 26th and 59th Rifle Corps successfully secured Pamientung and Lishuchen, initiating a pursuit of withdrawing Japanese forces to the west and southwest. On August 11, the 5th Army advance continued, with reinforced forward detachments of the 65th and 72nd Rifle Corps reaching the Muleng River and preparing for an advance on Mutanchiang. At this juncture, Meretskov reassessed the situation and determined that his best opportunity for successful exploitation in the front zone lay within the 25th Army area. Consequently, he attached the 17th and 88th Rifle Corps to this command and placed the 10th Mechanized Corps in army reserve. This allowed the 17th and 39th Rifle Corps to commence a coordinated advance toward Wangching, Tumen, Tunhua, and Kirin. Looking west, Pliyev's units continued to encounter minimal resistance. The 17th Army was finally nearing the western foothills of the Grand Khingan Mountains. The lead brigade of the 5th Guards Tank Corps reached Lupei, while the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps completed its crossing of the Grand Khingan Mountains. The 39th Army maintained its holding operations against the Halung-Arshaan and Wuchakou Fortified Regions, coupled with main advances toward Solun and Wangyemiao. The 2nd Rifle Corps and the 205th Tank Brigade advanced along the railroad to Yakoshih. The 94th Rifle Division, supported by air and artillery, launched an assault and captured the southwestern portion of Hailar city before being reinforced by the entire 86th Rifle Corps. Meanwhile, the Soviet operational group on the right flank of the 36th Army broke through Japanese resistance at Manchouli, moving eastward along the rail line to join the Soviet forces besieging Hailar. As the Soviet armored units in the west made an unexpectedly swift advance, they were anticipated to reach Hsinking by August 15. On this same day, Yamada decided to relocate his headquarters to Tunghua. Additionally, during the night, a small naval force successfully conducted an assault landing at Yuki in North Korea, securing the port unopposed on August 12. Simultaneously, the 393rd Rifle Division pushed south into North Korea, quickly reaching Yuki before continuing toward Rashin. There, another small naval force landed on August 12, facing minimal resistance except for artillery fire. Meanwhile, the 25th Army advanced up to 40 kilometers in its main march southwest, prompting the commitment of the 10th Mechanized Corps to exploit further toward Wangching and beyond. The 5th Army had to eliminate a strong enemy position east of Taimakou before it could resume its advance to Mutanchiang. The 1st Red Banner Army pressed forward relentlessly, with the 26th Rifle Corps successfully bypassing Tzuhsingtun to advance on Hsientung, cutting the Linkou-Mutanchiang railroad line. The 363rd Rifle Division occupied Mishan while the 264th Rifle Division secured Hulin. The 171st Tank Brigade began a challenging advance southwest toward Chiamussu as the 15th Army reduced the Fuchin fortified region. Forward detachments of the 2nd Red Banner Army engaged Japanese advanced positions south of Holomoching and north of Aihun. After reducing Handa, the 56th Rifle Corps commenced an advance toward Furuton, although it faced delays from small enemy forces. Furthermore, in western Manchuria, Pliyev's Soviet-Mongolian formations and the 17th Army continued their advance through Inner Mongolia largely unopposed for the next two days. Throughout 12 and 13 August on the Trans-Baikal Front's right flank, the Soviet-Mongolian formations of General Pliyev swept across the Inner Mongolian deserts towards Dolonnor and Kalgan at a rate of ninety to one hundred kilometers a day, rudely shunting aside local cavalry forces. Pliyev's principal concern was providing his forces in the vast desert wastes sufficient food, fuel, fodder, and water. The 6th Guards Tank Army had to temporarily halt its advance as the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps reached Tuchuan. This pause was necessary due to severe fuel shortages, requiring an increase in fuel supplies before the offensive could resume. This situation allowed Ushiroku to withdraw the 63rd and 117th Divisions before they could be engaged. However, the 107th Division was less fortunate, as it was attacked by the 5th Guards Rifle Corps on the road to Solun. On the northern flank, the 36th Army continued its siege of the Hailar fortifications while the 2nd Rifle Corps seized Yakoshih and advanced up to Wunoerh. That day, Japan also received the initial Allied response to its surrender offer, penned by Secretary of State James Byrnes and approved by the British, Chinese, and Soviet governments. A critic of the Japanese imperial system, Byrnes insisted on an unconditional surrender but remained ambiguous regarding the future of the imperial family's position. The response included a statement that Japan's future form of government should be “established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people.” Thus, even though the Soviet and Chinese governments aimed for the abolition of the imperial system, the Japanese could choose to retain their emperor, and likely would. Meanwhile, Secretary Stimson urged President Truman to accept the peace offer immediately, believing that, without an organized surrender supported by the emperor, U.S. forces would face “a score of bloody Iwo Jimas and Okinawas” across China and Southeast Asia. He cautioned that without the immediate capitulation of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, rogue military commanders might continue to resist. Retaining Hirohito would also aid Allied efforts to achieve a swift and orderly reconstruction while maintaining a compliant populace. The Japanese cabinet deliberated over the Allied response, with Anami and Suzuki, among other key military figures, arguing for its rejection unless an explicit guarantee for the imperial system was provided. Ultimately, however, Foreign Minister Togo and Marquess Kido Koichi succeeded in persuading Suzuki to support the acceptance of Byrnes' reply. Meanwhile, President Truman issued instructions prohibiting any further atomic weapons from being dropped on Japan without his approval, and he later ordered a complete halt to all bombings. Despite this, Halsey's 3rd Fleet remained in the area, preparing to launch additional strikes. Admiral Rawlings' Task Force 37 unfortunately had to retire at this point, though a token force was integrated into Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 to ensure British support until the end. The Olympic timetable had called for Third Fleet to retire to Eniwetok and Manus in mid-August, but late on the night of August 10 Missouri intercepted a cryptic radio transmission: “Through the Swiss government, Japan has stated that she is willing to accept Allied surrender ultimatum at Potsdam, provided they can keep their Emperor.” Halsey had long predicted an early Japanese collapse, and had accordingly kept his logistic pipeline full. The following morning, August 11, flagships Missouri and King George V refueled simultaneously alongside oiler USS Sabine. Halsey recalled, “I went across to the ‘Cagey Five' as we called her, on an aerial trolley, just to drink a toast with Vice Admiral Rawlings.” Although Japan teetered near collapse, TF-37 lacked its own fast oilers and would have to retire immediately. With Nimitz's permission Halsey offered to sustain a token British force with Third Fleet so that the Royal Navy would be in “at the death.” Rawlings enthusiastically accepted. After replenishment, King George V, Indefatigable, Gambia, Newfoundland, and ten destroyers were re-designated TG-38.5 and absorbed into McCain's TF-38. The rest of TF-37, under Vian, reluctantly retired for Manus. In a truly desultory attack the following day, August 12, a single Japanese plane penetrated Buckner Bay, Okinawa undetected and torpedoed TF-95's just-arrived battleship Pennsylvania. Twenty Americans were killed, while Oldendorf and nine others were wounded. Back off Honshu, Halsey canceled August 12 strikes due to a typhoon. Late that night Third Fleet intercepted a confusing and ambiguous radio bulletin announcing that Japan had, with qualifications, accepted Allied terms. After a heated staff conference Halsey decided that, without firmer information, the following day's strikes were still on. Nevertheless, the prolonged negotiations were causing the Third Fleet considerable logistical problems; Halsey recalled, “Our galleys were reduced to serving dehydrated carrot salad. If the war was over, we could provision on the spot; if it was not, we would have to retire, reprovision, and return.” That night, a group of officers led by Major Hatanaka Kenji and Colonel Arao Okikatsu approached Anami, seeking his backing for a coup d'état to prevent Japan's surrender. Anami refused, leaving Hatanaka's conspirators to attempt the coup on their own. At the recommendation of American psychological operations experts, B-29 bombers spent August 13 dropping leaflets over Japan detailing the Japanese offer of surrender and the Allied response. In stark contrast, that same day, McCain's newly Anglo-American TF-38 launched 1,167 sorties against Tokyo, expending 372 tons of bombs and 2,175 rockets. Only seven planes and one pilot were lost, none to combat. Airborne opposition was virtually nil, as Lieutenant-General Kanetoshi Kondo, commander of Tokyo's defending 10th Hiko Shidan, “failed to urge his men to press the attack to the utmost, because it seemed absurd to incur additional losses with the war obviously lost and its termination due in a matter of days.” Simultaneously, Suzuki's cabinet debated their reply to the Allied response late into the night but remained deadlocked. Back in Manchuria, on August 13, the 6th Guards Tank Army resumed its offensive by pushing reconnaissance units toward Tungliao and Taonan. The 39th Army continued its assault on Japanese units at Halung-Arshaan, while the 5th Guards Rifle Corps attacked and captured Solun. To the north, as the battle for Hailar raged on, the 2nd Rifle Corps engaged the determined 119th Division for control of the Grand Khingan passes west of Pokotu, achieving little progress over the next two days. Looking east, the 2nd Red Banner Army gathered sufficient forces to resume its offensive, successfully penetrating the defenses of the 123rd Division at Shenwutan and Chiko. They destroyed small Japanese outposts at Huma and Santaoka, further pushing the 135th Independent Mixed Brigade toward the main fortified region at Aihun. Additionally, the 15th Army reduced the fortified positions at Fuchin, while the 171st Tank Brigade continued its advance toward Chiamussu. To the south, the 66th Rifle Division finally occupied Tungan, cutting the highway and railroad to Hutou. Meanwhile, the 59th Rifle Corps reached and secured Linkou before turning south toward Mutanchiang. Advance elements of the 26th Rifle Corps attacked and occupied the railroad station at Hualin, though they could not secure crossing sites over the Mutan River due to the fierce resistance of a single battalion. During the night, heavy Japanese counterattacks forced Soviet forces back to a hill northeast of Hualin. More importantly, while the 45th Rifle Corps continued to reduce remaining Japanese strongpoints in the Volynsk, Suifenho, and Lumintai centers of resistance, the bulk of the 5th Army advanced 30 kilometers along the road and rail line, successfully approaching the outer fortifications of Mutanchiang by nightfall. Even farther south, the 25th Army pushed southwestward, with its three formations sharing a single road along the military rail line through the mountainous, heavily wooded area from Laoheishan to Heitosai. In South Sakhalin, the 56th Rifle Corps launched a siege attack against Furuton. However, the fierce resistance of the 125th Regiment successfully repelled Soviet assaults for the next three days. On the same day, in preparation for an amphibious invasion of Toro, two naval patrol craft reconnoitered Esutoru. Additionally, Meretskov approved the Seishin Operation in North Korea, leading to another small naval force landing successfully at Chongjin that afternoon. Soon after, they faced a strong Japanese counterattack, which drove the landing force out of the port and inflicted heavy losses on the Russians. The following morning, a naval infantry battalion was landed to retake Chongjin, but Japanese reinforcements from the Nanam Divisional District Unit arrived to contest the port. As the Russians were pushed back again, Yumashev decided to embark the 13th Naval Infantry Brigade for a third assault scheduled for August 15. To the north, the 393rd Rifle Division advanced south along the coast, reaching Kwangjuryong by August 14. Concurrently, after breaking through the 128th Division's main defenses at Lotzukou, the 25th Army reached Heitosai and prepared to launch its main attack against Murakami's 3rd Army. The 5th Army struck the right flank of Shimizu's 5th Army at Ssutaoling and in the hills southeast of Mutanchiang, while the 1st Red Banner Army attacked the northern and eastern flanks of the city and the railroad station at Yehho on the eastern bank of the Mutan River. The 35th Army began a rapid advance toward Poli and Linkou, encountering negligible opposition. Meanwhile, the 5th Rifle Corps reached Paoching, drove off its garrison, and continued marching toward Poli. In addition, the 15th Army finally reduced the Hsingshanchen Fortified Region, opening a more direct advance route toward Chiamussu. Meanwhile, the 2nd Red Banner Army succeeded in breaking through the outer Japanese defenses to besiege the Sunwu Fortified Region and surround the Aihun Fortified Region. To the west, the 36th Army continued to encounter strong resistance at Hailar and Wunoerh. The 5th Guards Rifle Corps initiated a southeastward pursuit along the railroad toward Wangyemiao, eventually catching elements of the 107th Division at Tepossi, while also engaging Japanese units retreating from the Wuchakou area. The forward detachment of the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps occupied Taonan after a march hindered by wet weather and Japanese kamikaze attacks. The 17th Army captured Taopanshin, and Pliyev's left column overcame a small Manchurian cavalry force, entering Dolonnor at the east end of the pass across the southern Grand Khingan Mountains. Back in the Pacific, the Allies grew restless as they awaited a Japanese response, ultimately interpreting the silence as a non-acceptance of the imposed peace terms. Consequently, Truman ordered a resumption of attacks against Japan at maximum intensity. More than 400 B-29 bombers launched daylight attacks, while over 300 conducted night raids, culminating in what would become the largest and longest bombing raid of the Pacific War. Furthermore, Truman began planning to drop a third atomic bomb on Tokyo. However, before he could proceed, Emperor Hirohito met with the most senior Army and Navy officers in the early hours of August 14, convincing them to cooperate in ending the war. The cabinet immediately convened and unanimously ratified the Emperor's wishes for an unconditional surrender. They also decided to destroy vast amounts of material related to war crimes and the war responsibilities of the nation's highest leaders. Shortly after concluding the conference, a group of senior army officers, including Anami, gathered in a nearby room and signed an agreement to execute the Emperor's order of surrender. This decision would significantly impede any attempts to incite a coup in Tokyo. During this meeting, General Kawabe Torashirō, Vice Chief of the Army General Staff, proposed that the senior officers present should each sign an agreement to carry out the Emperor's order of surrender, "The Army will act in accordance with the Imperial Decision to the last." An agreement was ultimately signed by each of the most important officers present, including Minister of War Anami, Chief of the Army General Staff Umezu, commander of the 1st General Army Field Marshal Sugiyama Hajime, commander of the 2nd General Army Field Marshal Hata Shunroku and Inspector-General of Military Training Doihara Kenji. When Umezu voiced concern about air units causing trouble, Vice Minister of War Wakamatsu Tadaichi took the agreement next door to the Air General Army headquarters, where its commander Kawabe Masakazu, the brother of Torashirō also signed. The document would serve to seriously impede any attempt to incite a coup in Tokyo. Simultaneously, the Foreign Ministry transmitted orders to its embassies in Switzerland and Sweden to accept the Allied terms of surrender, which were received in Washington at 02:49 on August 14. Anticipating difficulties with senior commanders on distant war fronts, three princes of the Imperial Family, who held military commissions, were dispatched to deliver the news personally. By 19:00, the text of the Imperial Rescript on surrender was finalized, transcribed by the official court calligrapher, and presented to the cabinet for their signatures. Around 23:00, the Emperor, with assistance from an NHK recording crew, made a gramophone record of himself reading the rescript. At long last, Japan had admitted defeat. However at around 21:30 on 14 August, the conspirators led by Hatanaka set their plan into motion. The Second Regiment of the First Imperial Guards had entered the palace grounds, doubling the strength of the battalion already stationed there, presumably to provide extra protection against Hatanaka's rebellion. But Hatanaka, along with Lt. Col. Shiizaki Jirō, convinced the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the First Imperial Guards, Colonel Haga Toyojirō, of their cause, by telling him (falsely) that Generals Anami and Umezu, and the commanders of the Eastern District Army and Imperial Guards Divisions were all in on the plan. Hatanaka also went to the office of Tanaka Shizuichi, commander of the Eastern region of the army, to try to persuade him to join the coup. Tanaka refused, and ordered Hatanaka to go home. Hatanaka ignored the order. Originally, Hatanaka hoped that simply occupying the palace and showing the beginnings of a rebellion would inspire the rest of the Army to rise up against the move to surrender. This notion guided him through much of the last days and hours and gave him the blind optimism to move ahead with the plan, despite having little support from his superiors. Having set all the pieces into position, Hatanaka and his co-conspirators decided that the Guard would take over the palace at 02:00. The hours until then were spent in continued attempts to convince their superiors in the Army to join the coup. Hatanaka, Shiizaki, Ida, and Captain Shigetarō Uehara (of the Air Force Academy) went to the office of Lt. Gen. Takeshi Mori to ask him to join the coup. Mori was in a meeting with his brother-in-law Michinori Shiraishi. The cooperation of Mori, who was the commander of the 1st Imperial Guards Division, was vital. When Mori refused to side with Hatanaka, Hatanaka killed him, fearing Mori would order the Guards to stop the rebellion. Uehara killed Shiraishi. These were the only two murders of the night. Hatanaka then used General Mori's official stamp to authorize Imperial Guards Division Strategic Order No. 584, a false set of orders created by his co-conspirators, which would greatly increase the strength of the forces occupying the Imperial Palace and Imperial Household Ministry, and "protecting" the Emperor. The rebels, led by Hatanaka, spent the next several hours fruitlessly searching for the recordings of the surrender speech, failing to locate them amid a blackout caused by American bombings. Around the same time, another group of Hatanaka's rebels, led by Captain Takeo Sasaki, targeted Prime Minister Suzuki's office with the intent to kill him. When they found it empty, they opened fire with machine guns, devastating the office, and then set the building ablaze before departing for Suzuki's home. Fortunately, Hisatsune Sakomizu, the chief secretary to Suzuki's Cabinet, had warned Suzuki, enabling him to escape just minutes before the assassins arrived. After setting fire to Suzuki's residence, the rebels then proceeded to the estate of Kiichirō Hiranuma, aiming to assassinate him as well. Hiranuma managed to escape through a side gate, but the rebels torched his house too. In the aftermath, Suzuki spent the remainder of August under police protection, sleeping in a different bed each night to avoid detection. Around 03:00, Hatanaka was informed that the Eastern District Army was on its way to the palace to confront him and urged him to surrender. As Hatanaka saw his plan collapse around him, he pleaded with Tatsuhiko Takashima, the Chief of Staff of the Eastern District Army, for airtime on NHK radio to explain his intentions to the Japanese people. His request was denied. Meanwhile, Colonel Haga, commander of the 2nd Regiment of the First Imperial Guards, learned that the Army did not support Hatanaka's rebellion and ordered him to vacate the palace grounds. Just before 05:00, while his rebels continued their search, Major Hatanaka went to the NHK studios, desperately trying to secure airtime to convey his actions. However, slightly over an hour later, after receiving a phone call from the Eastern District Army, Hatanaka finally conceded defeat. He gathered his officers and left the NHK studio, feeling the weight of his failed coup. At dawn, General Tanaka learned that the palace had been invaded, so he went there to confront the rebellious officers. He berated them for acting against the spirit of the Japanese army and ultimately convinced them to return to their barracks. By 08:00 on August 15, the rebellion was entirely dismantled. Although they had held the palace grounds for much of the night, they ultimately failed to find the recordings. After his failed coup, Hatanaka took his own life before witnessing Japan's surrender. While TF-38 refueled on August 14, Halsey signaled McCain, stating, “I intend to strike the same general target area on the fifteenth.” McCain informed TF-38, “Our orders to strike indicate the enemy may have dropped an unacceptable joker into the surrender terms. This war could last many months longer. We cannot afford to relax. Now is the time to pour it on.” In fact, the Western Allies had sunk their last Japanese ships of the war that day, when submarines USS Torsk (SS-423) and USS Spikefish (SS-404) torpedoed I-373 and two small escort ships in the East China Sea, resulting in the death of 112 Japanese sailors. The following morning, August 15, the Third Fleet launched its first strike of 103 aircraft at 04:15 hours. At 06:14, just as the first strike was returning and the second strike was five minutes from the target, Halsey was ordered by Nimitz, “Air attack will be suspended. Acknowledge.” Shortly afterward, an officer burst in, waving a transcript—President Truman's official peace announcement. Halsey erupted with exuberance, “pounding the shoulders of everyone within reach.” He recalled, “My first thought at the great news was, ‘Victory!' My second was, ‘God be thanked, I'll never have to order another man out to die.'” However, within minutes, four retiring Hancock Hellcats were attacked by seven Japanese fighters, resulting in the Hellcats shooting down four without loss. Over Tokorazawa airfield, northwest of Tokyo, 20 IJAAF Ki-84 “Franks” ambushed six VF-88 Hellcats from Yorktown. The Hellcats managed to shoot down nine Franks but lost four of their own, along with their pilots. Rawlings' dawn strikes were intercepted by about 12 Zeros. Escorting Seafires shot down eight Zeros but lost one, while an Avenger downed a ninth Zero. Tragically, seven TF-38 flyers never returned. During the morning, Halsey launched his last strike of the war, but was soon ordered by Admiral Nimitz to suspend all air attacks. At 12:00, the Emperor's recorded speech to the nation, reading the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, was finally broadcast. The war was over… or was it really? I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. As Prime Minister Suzuki and his cabinet debated surrender, the Emperor Hirohito finally accepted the Potsdam Declaration, conditionally ensuring the imperial family's continuity. However, conspirators attempted a coup to prevent the surrender, ultimately failing. By August 15, Japan officially surrendered, marking the end of the Pacific War.
Ron sits down with Clint Peek to cover a range of topics, including life updates, the exorbitant prices of stadium concessions, and more.
Send us a text From smoky brisket buns in Texas to lobster rolls in Maine, America's love affair with the sandwich is as diverse as its regions. In this episode of Bottles & Bites Without Borders, Rob takes a flavorful road trip across the U.S., exploring the most iconic and beloved sandwiches from each region—Northeast, Southeast, South, Midwest, Southwest, West Coast, and Pacific Northwest.We'll dig into the stories behind these regional favorites, what makes them culturally significant, and how local ingredients, history, and tradition shape what we eat between the bread. Whether it's a po' boy in New Orleans, an Italian beef in Chicago, or a bánh mì in Portland, these sandwiches tell the story of America—one bite at a time.Grab your napkin and your beverage of choice, because this is going to be one delicious ride.
Hopefully you're getting a chance to recharge this summer—but that doesn't mean you have to lose momentum. Fall is just around the corner, and before you know it we'll be heading into the final stretch of the year. That's exactly why we're rereleasing several of our high-impact episodes—designed to give you clarity, sharpen your message, attract the right customers, and ultimately drive more revenue, so you're not stuck playing catch-up when it matters most! -- Southwest Airlines built one of the strongest brands in the world by doing one thing better than almost anyone: clear, clever messaging that made customers feel like family. “Bags fly free” was more than a tagline. It was a promise that set them apart from every other airline. But when they recently backtracked on that core message, the backlash was instant. In a world where loyalty is fragile and expectations are sky-high, even the best brands can stumble if they don't communicate the right way. So what happens when a company known for brilliant messaging gets it wrong? In this week's episode, Don and Kyle unpack the marketing brilliance that made Southwest an iconic brand and why their latest messaging misstep is such a big deal. They reveal how Southwest's playful, people-first branding created an unbeatable bond with customers, and how this new shift risks breaking that trust. You'll learn what Southwest could have done differently, why your messaging must evolve without abandoning what made you great, and how to communicate tough changes without losing customer loyalty. Tune in to find out how even a beloved brand can slip and how you can avoid making the same mistake. -- Click HERE to find a StoryBrand certified marketing coach to help you grow your business! Unlock the power of a framework that works—the StoryBrand Framework at StoryBrand.ai. It's like having the world's best copywriter create high-converting marketing whenever you need it. Start your free 7-day trial at StoryBrand.ai. Learn how to make your marketing and messaging work using a proven framework in the updated book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0. Order it now on Amazon or wherever you buy books!
"Americana" is an American crime thriller film written and directed by Tony Tost that premiered at South by Southwest in 2023 and stars Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon, and Simon Rex. The film received positive reviews from critics for its story and depiction of the modern West through the lens of the Neo-noir western. Tost and Hauser were both kind enough to speak with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on August 15th by Lionsgate. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This episode is brought to you by https://www.ElevateOS.com —the only all-in-one community operating system.Home prices are falling.John Burns Real Estate Consulting reports that new home construction is outpacing job creation. That shift is driving builders to slash prices and sweeten incentives to move inventory — especially in the Southeast, Southwest, West Coast, and select middle markets.Here's where it gets interesting for multifamily operators.If these incentives collide with a possible rate cut, we could see first-time buyers, move-up buyers, and even investors re-enter the market in force. That could mean apartment residents giving notice in the fall to buy homes before the holidays.I share why this trend matters, how it could signal a wave of change in multifamily occupancy, and what hyper-local data might tell us before the national numbers catch up.If you're in the multifamily space, this is a development you don't want to ignore.Like, subscribe, and join the conversation.For more engaging content, explore our offerings at the[https://www.multifamilycollective.com](https://www.multifamilycollective.com/) and the [https://www.multifamilymedianetwork.com](https://www.multifamilymedianetwork.com/)Join us to stay informed and inspired in the multifamily industry!
AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports a blistering heatwave is gripping southwest France, sending thermometers soaring to 43 degrees Celsius - nearly 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's the Ranch It Up Radio Show Herd It Here Weekly Report! A 3-minute look at cattle markets, reports, news info, or anything that has to do with those of us who live at the end of dirt roads. Join Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt, the Boss Lady Rebecca Wanner aka 'BEC' by subscribing on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel. EPISODE 93 DETAILS Cow Prices Double & Screwworm Threatens Texas Weigh Up Cow Prices Are Up Weigh-up cow prices have increased dramatically over the last two years and are now currently at prices that are close to double the average price of what they were just 3 years ago in 2022. To put this in perspective, the average annual weigh-up cow prices per CWT were $60.05 in 2020, $65.40 in 2021 and $76.12 in 2022, as reported by USDA Market News at the Joplin Regional Stockyards in Missouri. For folks who are marketing home raised cows that are more than two years of age, make sure that the income from these cows is identified as capital gains income when it is being reported for tax purposes. This is especially important this year because many cow-calf producers will also have excellent income from the sale of weaned calves and yearlings. Capital gains income is not subject to self-employment tax, and the federal capital gains tax rate will be lower than the ordinary income tax rate for the same level of earnings. Make sure you consult with your tax professional on all income tax law and liabilities. REFERENCE: https://www.nationalbeefwire.com/weigh-up-cow-prices-are-up-way-up Screwworm Closer To U.S. Border Threatening Texas Cattle Industry The deadly parasitic New World screwworm has been spotted less than 400 miles from the Southwest border and is threatening Texas cattle, lawmakers say. The screwworm was first reported in Mexico in November and has steadily made its way north since then. The most northern recent reported case was in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, which is about 370 miles south of McAllen, Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says the screwworm flies could devastate the state's cattle industry if it crosses onto U.S. soil. Cornyn says an outbreak could cost Texas livestock producers approximately $1 billion and cost the general economy $3.7 billion. Last week, 175 groups sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the U.S. House and Senate in support of building a sterile fly facility in the U.S. Among the national groups that signed the letter were the American Farm Bureau, Livestock Marketing Association, National Beef Cattlemen's Association and the National Milk Producers Association. REFERENCE: https://www.borderreport.com/news/environment/screwworm-closer-to-us-border-threatening-texas-cattle-industry/ https://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/okfr/2025/08/01/175-ag-groups-agree-we-need-a-sterile-fly-production-facility-in-the-us-asap/ Upcoming Bull & Heifer Sales On RanchChannel.Com Lot's of bull and heifer sales coming up on the RanchChannel.Com sale calendar. Check out the full line up HERE. SPONSORS American Gelbvieh Association https://gelbvieh.org/ @AmericanGelbvieh Axiota Animal Health https://axiota.com/ @MultiminUSA Jorgensen Land & Cattle https://jorgensenfarms.com/ @JorLandCat Ranch Channel https://ranchchannel.com/ @RanchChannel Superior Livestock Auctions https://superiorlivestock.com/ @SuperiorLivestockAuctions Wulf Cattle https://www.wulfcattle.com/ @WulfCattle Questions & Concerns From The Field? Call or Text your questions, or comments to 707-RANCH20 or 707-726-2420 Or email RanchItUpShow@gmail.com FOLLOW Facebook/Instagram: @RanchItUpShow SUBSCRIBE to the Ranch It Up YouTube Channel: @ranchitup Website: RanchItUpShow.com https://ranchitupshow.com/ The Ranch It Up Podcast is available on ALL podcasting apps. https://ranchitup.podbean.com/ Rural America is center-stage on this outfit. AND how is that? Because of Tigger & BEC... Live This Western Lifestyle. Tigger & BEC represent the Working Ranch world by providing the cowboys, cowgirls, beef cattle producers & successful farmers the knowledge and education needed to bring high-quality beef & meat to your table for dinner. Learn more about Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt & Rebecca Wanner aka BEC here: TiggerandBEC.com https://tiggerandbec.com/
In this Quick Hits episode of Revolutionizing Your Journey, DeAndre Coke recaps highlights from his recent bachelor party trip while diving into fresh updates from the travel world. He shares personal reflections on hotel stays and previews upcoming hotel reviews and travel strategy episodes. Key news includes Southwest Airlines setting a long-awaited date for seat selection changes and an update on Zil Money's current testing phase. DeAndre also discusses how tools like the American Express Business Gold Card can optimize reward-earning strategies. From personal travel takeaways to future-focused insights, this short episode blends helpful advice with a glimpse behind the scenes.Key takeaways: Bachelor Party Reflections: DeAndre shares his recent personal travel experiences and trip highlights.Hotel strategy insights: Loyalty programs are crucial for maximizing value during hotel stays.Major Southwest update: Seat selection officially rolls out January 27, 2026.Zil Money testing phase: The platform is now live with limited features, with more functionality expected soon.Patience is encouraged: Users should stay updated as Zil Money continues to develop.Resources:Book a Free 30-minute points & miles consultationStart here to learn how to unlock nearly free travelSign up for our newsletter!BoldlyGo Travel With Points & Miles Facebook GroupInterested in Financial Planning?Truicity Wealth ManagementSome of Our Favorite Tools For Elevating Your Points & Miles Game:Note: Contains affiliate/sponsored linksCard Pointers (Saves the average user $750 per year)Zil Money (For Payroll on Credit Card)Travel FreelyPoint.meFlightConnections.comThrifty Traveler PremiumLTH Online Points & Miles In Depth Course: Use coupon code "BOLDYGO" for a 50% discount!Connect with DeAndre Coke: Instagram: BoldlyGo.worldTikTok: BoldlyGo.world Website:...
Send us a textNote: Audio Version Only, Please See YouTube for Video.Ever stumbled upon a natural wonder that feels like a well-kept secret? That's exactly what awaits at Spence Hot Springs, tucked away in New Mexico's breathtaking Jemez Mountains.Nestled within the Santa Fe National Forest just outside Jemez Springs, these thermal pools offer a perfect blend of accessibility and natural beauty. After a quick 0.4-mile hike across the Jemez River, you'll discover a series of warm, soothing pools cascading down the mountainside. The main upper pool accommodates about a dozen people, while smaller pools below create a natural multi-tiered spa experience. Perhaps most intriguing is the small cave adjacent to the main pool – a natural sauna where the warm water makes a perfect retreat from the mountain air.My midweek visit revealed the stark advantage of weekday exploration. With the place nearly to myself, I could fully appreciate the tranquil sounds of flowing water and the pristine mountain surroundings without distraction. The water temperature feels like a comfortable, warm bath, perfect for soaking tired muscles while taking in panoramic views of the national forest. While not scalding hot, the springs provide a gentler thermal experience that many find more enjoyable than intensely hot springs elsewhere.Visitors should note the limited parking (approximately eight spaces), potential weekend crowds, and the importance of responsible stewardship. Remember not to ingest the spring water, pack out all trash, and respect clothing requirements due to the springs' proximity to public areas. These simple courtesies help preserve this natural treasure for future explorers.Have you experienced New Mexico's hot springs? Share your story in the comments below and subscribe for more hidden gems across the Southwest's magnificent landscapes. If you're planning your first visit to Spence Hot Springs, I'd love to hear how it goes!Support the show
Southwest is in the midst of a transformation. Brian Sumers, Jon Ostrower, and Brett Snyder discuss how it's going so far. It was a rough second quarter but at least one of the hosts is unusually optimistic about the airline's future.We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show.Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.
SkyMiles Status, Luxury Cruises & Tonga Island Savings – Hot Travel Deals Ready to upgrade your travels? In this episode, we're sharing this week's hottest travel deals, including how to get free Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status, luxury 7-night Celebrity Cruises in AquaClass, a once-in-a-lifetime private island escape in Tonga with whale swims included, and a Viking Ocean Cruise to chase the Northern Lights—with free airfare. Whether you're booking with points or planning a bucket list getaway, these curated travel deals will help you travel better, for less. See ALL the Travel Deals Here! Here's the Deals: 1. Right now, Delta is having a SkyMiles Medallion Status Match Challenge, and this rarely happens! Delta is matching Southwest elite flyers to Gold or Platinum Medallion Status FREE and includes free checked bags, same-day confirmed changes, and higher mile earning Enroll in Delta Status Match Here 2. 7-Night Celebrity Cruises – AquaClass (and these are their All-Included rates that include a Classic Drinks Package and unlimited. Basic Wi-Fi package, and the rates are even less if you don't want either of these included. Valid for bookings made until August 11th September 7, 2025 • Itinerary: Grand Cayman, Mexico, Jamaica & Perfect Day at CocoCay • Departure: Miami, Florida • AquaClass All-Included Rate: $1,771 September 14, 2025 • Itinerary: San Juan, St. Maarten & Perfect Day at CocoCay • Departure: Miami, Florida • AquaClass All-Included Rate: $1,720 September 21, 2025 • Itinerary: Grand Cayman, Mexico, Jamaica & Perfect Day at CocoCay • Departure: Miami, Florida • AquaClass All-Included Rate: $1,721 September 28, 2025 • Itinerary: St. Maarten, St. Thomas & Bahamas • Departure: Miami, Florida • AquaClass All-Included Rate: $1,694 Here's the link 3. This week's All-Inclusive Resort Spotlight is very unique: The Bucket List Family has just launched the Bucket List Collection, featuring the private island of Mounu Island, Tonga. You can currently save $750/Night with this offer. Includes ALL meals, whale swims, and transfers from VAV airport Valid: Aug 11–Oct 15, 2025, Book the Mounu Promo 4. Viking Ocean Cruises has an In Search of the Northern Lights 13-day cruise from Bergen to London (Jan–March 2026), FREE Airfare Included, Gratuities, Prime Aurora Viewing Season Sailings Jan 17 – Mar 18, 2026. Here's the link to learn more. _________________________________________________________________
Dr. Joe Utash, owner of Wellness Key Chiropractic. Talking about keeping you healthy and in full motion.Next is Tucson High Football, Coach Zachary Neveleff. The football season is about to start.
Airbnb reported strong interest in its revamped Experiences and new Services offerings, with higher guest ratings than for stays and a plan to unify all products under one brand. Southwest Airlines expanded its reach by partnering with Priceline and other Booking Holdings platforms after years of resisting online travel agencies. Choice Hotels is turning to international markets for growth as U.S. performance weakens, cutting its 2025 forecast following a drop in domestic revenue. Airbnb: Early Experiences Trends, AI Rollout, International Growth Southwest Airlines Flights Are Now Available on Priceline Choice Hotels Talks Up International Growth as U.S. Demand Softens Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
A South West baker is on a mission to change the way people think and cook, when it comes to food waste.
Join Opie for a wild ride on this episode of the Opie Radio podcast, live from Long Island's East End! Kicking off with a hilarious revelation about mishearing Wang Chung's "Dance Hall Days" lyrics for decades, Opie dives into a rant about Canadian wildfire smoke ruining beach days. He pays tribute to Hiroshima survivors on the 80th anniversary of the bombing, debates Howard Stern's fading radio passion and SiriusXM drama, and tackles a bizarre spider swarm in the Southwest. With guest Chris from Fish Guy Photos, Opie explores a tragic whale incident off Jersey, the impact of wind farms, and the surprising stench of whale breath. Plus, a shocking tale of a Miami Heat security guard stealing LeBron's championship jersey for millions! Expect laughs, rants, and unfiltered takes on this jam-packed show. Hit that like button and join the fun!
We'll tell you why Trump administration officials are meeting for a dinner at Vice President JD Vance's residence. Wildfires are causing air quality problems across the US as the Southwest bakes under heat alerts. Sean “Diddy” Combs' attorney spoke to CNN about his chances at getting a pardon. A deadly wall of water has devastated a Himalayan village. Plus, we'll tell you what testing President Donald Trump wants to see ahead of the next Summer Games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The summer of 1945 saw three nuclear explosions that ushered in a new era of experimentation, development, and fear when it comes to the potential for such a powerful weapon. Native people are among those suffering the most from the consequences of that path. The first test of the atomic bomb at the Trinity site in New Mexico, and the subsequent use of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, signaled the U.S. Government's new push to develop nuclear weapons, fueled by millions of tons of uranium ore mined near Native land in New Mexico and Arizona. And ongoing nuclear tests exposed thousands of Native people in the Southwest and in Alaska to dangerous levels of radiation. We'll explore the ongoing effects on Native people of nuclear weapons and power development. GUESTS Marissa Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), deputy director of Sovereign Energy and board member for Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) Loretta Anderson (Laguna Pueblo), co-sponsor of the Southwest Uranium Miners Coalition Post-71 Tina Cordova, co-founder and executive director of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium
Website: https://www.nodoubtaboutitpodcast.com/Twitter: @nodoubtpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoDoubtAboutItPod/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markronchettinm/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
We're winding down our summer road trip series with an epic listener-submitted adventure through Arizona's most stunning spots (thank you Maria!)—from Phoenix to Flagstaff, Sedona, and Page.Join us as we share highlights from this five-day, 800-mile trip filled with gorgeous landscapes, fun hotels (think Wyndham and Hilton), delicious local eats, and unforgettable hikes. Whether you're planning a getaway or just love travel inspiration, this episode has plenty of tips for points, driving, and exploring the Southwest.If you're dreaming of desert views and red rocks, this one's for you!Submit Your Summer Road Trip Series Story HEREFacebook GroupWonderland On Points BlogVisit Sedona Facebook GroupFind Us On InstagramMary Ellen | JoLinks30% off the CardPointers subscription!FlyKitt- the BEST Jet Lag Solution!Tripiamo Driving TutorialsOur Favorite Travel NecessitiesCredit Card Affiliate LinksThe above link includes referrals for Capital One Travel Cards. If you need AMEX or Chase please reach out and we would be happy to send you our personal referral links.We receive a small commission when you use our links. This is an amazing way to show your support for the show at no cost to you ❤️
After testifying against John Gotti and the Gambino crime family of New York, former underboss Sammy "The Bull" Gravano and his family headed to Arizona. But instead of retiring into a life of ease and normalcy, he and his family became entangled in the drug trade of the Southwest. Patrick and Gillian have had their coffee for this one, and are ready to cover all the crazy twists and turns! WE'RE ON YOUTUBE! Want to view the episodes and not just listen? Check our new video feed to see full video episodes starting today. CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND SUBSCRIBE! LOOKING FOR MORE TCO? On our Patreon feed, you'll find over 400 FULL AD-FREE BONUS episodes to BINGE RIGHT NOW, including our episode-by-episode coverage of popular documentary series like Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, LulaRich, and The Curious Case of Natalia Grace; classics like The Jinx, Making A Murderer, and The Staircase; and well-known cases like The Menendez Murders, Casey Anthony: American Murder Mystery, and The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, and so many more! Episode Sponsors: Cornbread Hemp - Check out the new THC seltzers! Head to www.cornbreadhemp.com/TCO and use code TCO at checkout for 30% off your first order over $75! Hiya - The pediatrician-approved superpowered chewable vitamin. Receive 50% off your first order at www.hiyahealth.com/TCO Hydrow - Skip the gym, not the workout—stay on track with Hydrow! For a limited time go to www.Hydrow.com and use code tco to save up to $450 off your Hydrow Pro Rower! ASPCA Pet Insurance - The ASPCA Pet Health Insurance program offers customizable accident & illness plans making it easier for pet parents like you to help your pet get the care they may need. To explore coverage, visit www.ASPCApetinsurance.com/TCO FAM! COME SEE PATRICK ON TOUR! Patrick is headed out on the road WITH A BRAND NEW SHOW! Only a few more stops left before it's over: Washington, Philadelphia, and London. CLICK HERE for tickets and info! Join the TCO Community! Follow True Crime Obsessed on Instagram and TikTok, and join us on Facebook at the True Crime Obsessed Podcast Discussion Group! AND INTRODUCING THE NEW TCO DISCORD CHANNEL AS WELL!!!
HerbRally | Herbalism | Plant Medicine | Botany | Wildcrafting
This episode is brought to you by the 2025 Good Medicine Confluence August 17 - 20, 2025 Ghost Ranch, New Mexico Use coupon code HERBRALLY25 at checkout to save 30% off of your registration! LEARN MORE & REGISTER Welcome to episode 15 of The Plant Healer's Path | Glad Misfits & Herbalists Watch all of the episodes of The Plant Healer's Path on YouTube Jesse Wolf Hardin is an impactful author, ecosopher, ecological restorationist, personal counsel, graphic artist, musician, and historian on a mission –– a champion of diversity and what he coined “ReWilding,” as well as an impassioned proponent of nature's medicines. Wolf co-founded with Kiva Rose both the international Good Medicine Confluence gathering and Plant Healer Quarterly magazine, and is the author of over 25 books on herbalism, nature connection, and personal realization. For more information go to PlantHealer.org. The Plant Healer Online Bookstore is the largest single source or herbal related books and ebooks, both titles by Jesse Wolf Hardin and Kiva Rose, as well as numerous focused compilations by many dozens of other well known herbalists: PlantHealerBookstore.com Plant Healer Magazine is the most in-depth and artistic magazine available for herbal practitioners, artisans and healers of culture, see: PlantHealerMagazine.com Herbaria Monthly is a totally FREE full color zine, full of herbal information, inspiration and empowerment. Subscribe at PlantHealer.org More Free Resources including complimentary guides to herb schools and suppliers can be downloaded at: LEARN MORE Plant Healer on Instagram: @PlantHealer Plant Healer on Facebook: @PlantHealer The Good Medicine Confluence is a unique annual educational event and celebration held in the forested mountains of the enchanted Southwest each Summer, click through to the Events pages from: GoodMedicineConfluence.com
Garrett Case with Steamy Concepts, talking about restoration and the steps you should take if you have damage to your home.Then Eli Wnek with Athletes in Action. He's also a former Arizona football player and the current Tucson High Volleyball coach.
From beekeepers to woodworkers, passionate artisans in Ontario's Southwest are giving visitors skills and memories to last a lifetime. Joanne Wolnik leads the area's regional tourism organization. In this episode, she tells us about transformational experiences and shares how an experience development program is placing passion at the heart of travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today marks the final stop on our tour of the US National Science Foundation-funded Regional Innovation Engines. To round out our adventure, we're headed to Tempe, Arizona to talk with Brian Sherman, CEO of the NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest.The NSF Futures Engine represents three states–Arizona, Nevada, and Utah–with a diverse range of landscapes, a large population that includes fifty-eight tribal nations, and a variety of industries from semiconductors to ski resorts and the entertainment hub of Las Vegas. With its resources and environments, the Southwest has both incredible opportunities for rural and urban regenerative economic development and unique challenges.Join us as Brian talks us through what the NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest is doing to address regional challenges in energy, water, and air systems through building an ecosystem in the American Southwest.Brian Sherman joined the NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest (formerly the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine or SWSIE) as CEO in July 2024. Brian approaches economic development as a social entrepreneur, startup evangelist, and bureaucracy hacker. He believes human-inspired, market-leveraged, data-driven entrepreneurship can create a better world. His work is focused on technology-based economic development, entrepreneurship, early-stage capital formation, technology commercialization, and innovation in public policy, strategy, and finance. Listen to the full episode to hear:How the Futures Engine is building on Arizona's history of maximizing efficiency and planning in water use and conservationWhy the Engine is investing in research on ozone, air quality, and direct air carbon captureHow the Futures Engine is collaborating with other Regional Innovation Engines to share information and resources as they address shared challengesWhy addressing the region's environmental constraints is vital to unlocking economic opportunities that benefit both urban and rural populationsHow the Futures Engine is facilitating market-driven research and capital investment to get innovation out of the lab and into the world The challenges of aligning workforce development programs with the availability of those job opportunitiesLearn more about Brian Sherman:Connect on LinkedInLearn more about Anika Horn:Social VenturersSign up for Impact CuratorInstagram: @socialventurersResources:NSF Futures Engine in the SouthwestS07E02: Solving Global Water Challenges from the Great Lakes Region featuring Alaina HarknessS07E04: Building a Climate-Ready Future in Colorado and Wyoming featuring Mike FreemanS07E06: Powering Ideas That Feed The World with FARMS CEO Dr. Hollie MackeyS07E07: The Future of Energy Innovation with Mike Mazzola at the NSF FUEL Engine in LouisianaWAVR TechnologiesEntangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures, Merlin Sheldrake
In this episode, I have two wonderful people and artisans on the podcast, Julie & John Taber of Taber & Company. This husband and wife duo have been together in life and business for 30+ years and they are going to share their story with us. Taber & Company is located in Tucson and specializes in high-end custom furniture, doors, cabinetry and millwork that are individually designed and handcrafted in Arizona. John is a "Master of the Southwest" and has mastered the art of enhancing the natural beauty of the wood he uses with his proprietary blend of stains and waxes. We all met back in 2006 while working on a home in Paradise Valley, and we are currently working on two new homes that are about completed in PV and Arcadia. One special aspect about their company is how considerate they are about the wood they use and ensuring as little waste as possible in their local harvesting and milling of their wood. Listen to hear all the interesting stories, designs and lessons learned along the way and what makes this couple and company so incredible! For photos of their doors and designs, and more of our past podcast episodes, visit our Podcast Page: www.candelariadesign.com/inspiring-living-podcast https://www.instagram.com/taberandcompany/ https://www.candelariadesign.com/press
Show Notes: Gregory Mose, an English major, currently lives in Aix-en-Provence where he is the director of international relations and professor of International Law at a small American University program called the American College of the Mediterranean. When he graduated, his parents wanted him to go to Law School, but Greg wanted to travel. He was offered a teaching fellow position at Athens College in Greece, and he fell in love with the place and the experience. He returned to the US and law school at Duke where he met his wife. Working for United Nations Greg's interest in international public international law led him to work for the UN during Yugoslavia's war crimes tribunal research project. He secured a two-year contract with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Conakry, Guinea, which was a paranoid, isolated place. He worked with refugees there for two years, traveling through Mali, Timbuktu, Dakar, Freetown, Abidjan, and upcountry Guinea. During this time, he helped resettle some people to the United States. Greg's experience in Conakry was both powerful and passionate. He helped resettle some people to the United States who wouldn't be able to be resettled today. However, he returned home underweight and suffering from malaria and PTSD. A Career Changes: Director of International Relations - Stay-at-home Dad Greg joined his fiance in London. After a period of recovery, Greg secured a job in corporate law at an international firm in London. He worked on IPOs and was hired as a young US lawyer in securities practices. After three years, he moved to a London-based firm, Freshfields, Brookhouse, Deringer. Greg and his wife had their son in 2002 and decided to raise their son themselves rather than handing him over to a nanny. He decided to leave his job to write a novel and raise their son while his wife worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. They considered downsizing and moving to the English countryside or getting more remote to facilitate a change in lifestyle. However, after spending time in the South West of France, they decided to do something radical and bought a medieval farmhouse and land in the South West of France, near a village called Montcabrier. Village Life in Wine Country Greg describes their experience living in a wine region called the Lot, near the Dordogne, in the southwest. The village had about 30 full-time residents, but most people lived in farmhouses outside the village. The village had a two-room schoolhouse, a bakery, and a mayor's office. Greg and his family rented out renovated three holiday cottages in summers to families with small children. They built a playground, swimming pool, and a beautiful field on their property. Greg also shares his experiences with their neighbors. He also learned how to use a chainsaw and finished his novel, Stunt Road. However, as their son grew older, they decided they needed a bigger centre with more activities and schools. They moved to Aix-en-Provence. Working in Education Greg didn't know what he was going to do there, but they enrolled their son in the International School where he was hired to teach a critical thinking course called Theory of Knowledge at the International Baccalaureate program. He became a high school teacher for 10 years and realized his love for teaching, and eventually wanted to teach at university. He decided to pursue a PhD program at French universities, which were affordable. The tuition for a PhD was about $500 a year. Greg mentions the benefits of social programs in France. He eventually became a full-time professor at the American College in Aix and runs a master's program in international relations. Integration with French Culture Greg's life is different from what people think it is like living in Southern France. He finds it challenging to integrate into the country. In the rural areas, French culture is radically different, with people being warm but also private. Weekends are spent with family, and they do not easily invite people into their homes. However, he finds warmth in the greetings and the respect shown to others. This reinforces a tradition of treating each other as equals and respect. He also talks about how his students from abroad adjust to French culture. Back to London and Recovery Greg thinks back to 1998 when he arrived in North London with his fiance and was unemployed. He had been working at UNHCR, which provided decent pay. However, he was always physically cold and underweight due to his previous experiences with malaria and the constant heat in the tropical climate. He was exhausted from the work and the influx of refugees during the renewed violence in Freetown. One of his bouts of malaria occurred while doing a refugee census in the forest region. He spent three days in a room full of bugs and had limited access to food. He talks about how he broke down and found it was cathartic for him. He talks about a particularly difficult time, and how he teaches a course on armed conflict, linking it to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and refugees. Large glass He often shares anecdotes from his time there, but admits that sometimes he struggles to get through them. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Greg mentions his first year English course with Helen Vendler. He recalls a kind act of kindness from her. He also mentions professor Burriss Young, who was the Associate Dean of freshmen at the time and lived in Mass Hall. Burriss was an archeologist, and he invited students to tea in his apartment filled with archeological artifacts. This made his first year at Harvard a magical experience. Greg, coming from LA, idealized Harvard. He had a wonderful time in Cabot House, and Greg believes that these experiences will be a lasting memory for him. Timestamps: 04:44: Early Career and UN Experience 09:31: Transition to Corporate Law and Family Life 22:55: Return to Education and Teaching Career 30:10: Life in Southern France and Cultural Adjustments 40:37: Personal Reflections and Professional Growth 45:02: Memorable Experiences and Influences from Harvard Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorymose/ Stunt Road, by Gregory Mose: https://amzn.to/46Orq4X The American College of the Mediterranean: https://www.acmfrance.org/ Greg's Blog: https://quercychronicles.wordpress.com/ Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this week's episode is recommended by Keith Quinn who reports: “Hi. This is Keith Quinn, class of 1992 the featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is water.org. Water.org. Is a global NGO working to bring water and sanitation to the world. The water crisis is a global crisis where 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water, and 3.5 billion people lack access to a safe toilet. I've served on the board of water.org for over 15 years, doing rewarding work, along with two other class of 1992 alums, my fellow board member, Larry Tans, and water.org co-founder, Matt Damon, and I'm proud to say that to date, water.org has changed 76 million lives with water and sanitation. You can learn more about their work@water.org and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: water.org.
Alex De Cata, Senior Manager of Global Development at WSET, joins Janina to explore how wine education can break barriers and create opportunity. From adapting materials for visually impaired students to funding wine courses in Angola and South Africa, WSET's reach goes far beyond the classroom. They discuss how education—through tasting, theory, and structured approaches—empowers people to understand and enjoy wine, regardless of their background or budget. Along the way, you'll learn why blind tasting is such a powerful tool for wine education, how cultural context shapes the way we perceive aromas, and why exploring lesser-known grapes like Fetească Regală or Xinomavro can offer incredible value. Alex also reflects on the emotional connection we form with wine through meaningful moments, and how staying curious—and truly listening—can help build a more inclusive and diverse industry. This inspiring conversation will leave you rethinking what wine education really means—and who it's for. Episode Guide (Chapters) [02:21] – How Alex carved out his role at Wine & Spirit Education Trust [03:44] – What is the WSET and what does it stand for? [04:33] – Who are WSET courses for? [05:43] – Why blind tasting matters [09:35] – How to build your aroma memory [12:48] – Tasting the unexpected: wines off the beaten path [15:01] – Exploring regions beyond Bordeaux, into the South West of France [19:16] – How WSET promotes accessibility and inclusion [23:46] – WSET's global social impact [27:42] – What's next for WSET's social initiatives? [32:31] – How wine education can save you money [34:24] – Discover: Fetească Regală and Fetească albă [36:15] – Alex's favourite part of teaching [38:31] – Wine recommendation: meaningful moments [40:45] – What can we all do to make the industry better? If you are wanting to explore more the qualifications available at the WSET, find all details on their website: https://www.wsetglobal.com/
The Cult: The Cannabis Business, Culture, and Marketing Show
In this must-listen episode, the Hybrid Marketing Co. team explores what truly sets love brands apart—and why this distinction could be the difference between growth and irrelevance in the cannabis space. Whether you’re a dispensary owner or brand marketer, you’ll gain powerful insights into creating lasting emotional connections with your customers. What You'll Learn: What a “love brand” really is—and why cannabis companies need to careHow to forge authentic emotional connections that drive loyaltyReal-world lessons from brand missteps: Southwest, Bud Light, TargetThe difference between lifestyle and love brands (and why it matters)Simple, actionable steps you can take today to start building trust Featured Experts:Matt Gillespie – VP of CreativeTyler Jacobson – Director of MarketingAaron Rosenbluth – Director of Content Topics Covered:The psychology of brand love and cannabis consumer behaviorCommon brand misfires that erode trustBuilding loyalty in a highly regulated marketHow to connect deeply—on any budget
We are in the heat of the summer travel season, and many travelers are finding that it's getting more expensive to take a vacation. Airlines, whose hopes for this year were rattled by tariff uncertainty, have started adapting to more upscale consumers; Southwest, for example, has adopted new bag fees and started selling tickets with assigned seats. Hotels are seeing a decline in foreign visitors as domestic travelers scale back their plans, even as short term rental services like Airbnb are broadening their offerings to include services. Allison Pohle covers travel and tourism for the Wall Street Journal, and she joins host Alex Ossola to discuss how travel is looking different these days, and what this means for travel in the future. Further Reading: Europe Is Out. Road Trips Are In. Welcome to the Scaled-Back Vacation. Airlines Are Having a Bruising Year. Delta and United Are Doing Better. New York City's Hotel Market Is Envy of the Country Airbnb Lets You Add a Private Chef to Your Rental. Your Host Might Not Like It. Where Did All the Las Vegas Tippers Go? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
El Camino Real de Los Tejas is a network of trails that connected Spanish missions, settlements, and military outposts from Mexico through Texas and into Louisiana. Now a national historic trail, this road played a crucial role in the Spanish colonization of the region in the late 1600s. It served as a vital route for communication, trade, and military movement. Over time, that trail facilitated cultural exchange and interaction between Spanish settlers, indigenous peoples, and later, Anglo-American pioneers. The 2500 mile route is marked by numerous historical sites, including mission ruins, forts, and early settlements. It provides a tangible link to the colonial past and the diverse communities that shaped Texas and the broader Southwest. The Traveler's Lynn Riddick takes a stroll along the trail with expert Steven Gonzales, who shares his knowledge about the significance of the trail and the American historical narrative.
The City of San Diego made changes to a lawsuit to stop La Jolla from becoming its own city, saying the Association for the City of La Jolla did not collect enough signatures to continue its efforts. People who live in a Middletown neighborhood protested to stop a proposed 14-story high rise from being built on Columbia street. The County Health Department is warning people at Southwest High School that people there might have been exposed to tuberculosis.
Ben Maller & Danny G. have a fun Saturday podcast for you! They talk: Southwest is Calling, So You Think You're Better than Us, Cinematic Group Text, the Slip N' Slide, & more! ...Follow, rate & review "The Fifth Hour!" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fifth-hour-with-ben-maller/id1478163837 Engage with the podcast by emailing us at RealFifthHour@gmail.com ... Follow Ben on Twitter @BenMaller and on Instagram @BenMallerOnFOX ... Danny is on Twitter @DannyGRadio and on Instagram @DannyGRadio #BenMaller #FSRWeekendsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ben Maller & Danny G. have a fun Saturday podcast for you! They talk: Southwest is Calling, So You Think You're Better than Us, Cinematic Group Text, the Slip N' Slide, & more! ...Follow, rate & review "The Fifth Hour!" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fifth-hour-with-ben-maller/id1478163837 Engage with the podcast by emailing us at RealFifthHour@gmail.com ... Follow Ben on Twitter @BenMaller and on Instagram @BenMallerOnFOX ... Danny is on Twitter @DannyGRadio and on Instagram @DannyGRadio #BenMaller #FSRWeekendsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Episode 131 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Angie Sparks, Anthony Cave, and Justin Walter kicked things off with a community discussion where member Antha asked whether to use points for a premium cabin on the outbound or return leg of a trip. The consensus leaned toward upgrading the overnight flight for better rest, with 66% of the poll agreeing. The episode also covered a range of updates: Choice Privileges launched a sweepstakes, Hyatt added more Standard and Bunkhouse properties (though with limited Globalist benefits), and Delta is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a slew of SkyMiles promos. Alaska Airlines and Choice Privileges were also named the top travel rewards programs of the year. Meanwhile, all Southwest credit cards underwent significant changes—higher annual fees, reduced benefits, and elevated welcome offers that could help earn the Companion Pass if timed right.In personal updates, Angie closed her BOA Travel Rewards card and debated keeping her WF Autograph Journey. Justin finished a $20K Amex Business Platinum bonus and is planning a trip to Paris, while Anthony just returned from The Hague and is anticipating Alaska's rumored premium card. The main topic focused on EU261, the European regulation that provides broad passenger rights for delays, cancellations, and other travel disruptions. Both Anthony and Justin praised EU261, calling it one of the most passenger-friendly laws globally and noting that its coverage is often enough to make up for the lack of credit card travel protections when booking flights in Europe.Links to Topics DiscussedChoice Privileges SweepstakesHyatt, The Standard BrandUS News Best Travel Rewards ProgramsDelta Airlines Beyond the Summer PromotionsSouthwWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Tickets are now ON SALE for our next meetup in Miami September 19-21. Secure your spot today at https://award.travel/miami2025 Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card! Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.
In this week's Quick Hits episode, DeAndre Coke shares the latest developments in the travel and points world, including the official launch of the Citi Strata Elite card. A significant update is the new ability to transfer Citi ThankYou points to American Airlines—something that opens up powerful new redemption options. DeAndre also breaks down data from the Travel Price Index, showing that while hotel and airfare costs are down slightly compared to last year, dining and rental car prices continue to rise. Amid inflation, travel remains one of the more stable categories, making points and miles even more valuable for savvy travelers. Plus, a peek into DeAndre's Vegas bachelor party plans and why content creation never takes a break.Key takeaways: Strata Elite goes live: Citi officially launches the Strata Elite card with sign-up bonuses of up to 100K points.Transfer to American Airlines: Citi cards can now transfer points directly to AA—offering a long-awaited boost for frequent flyers.Strata bonus tip: In-branch applications may unlock a higher bonus than online.Southwest fee changes ahead: Annual fees on multiple Southwest cards are expected to increase soon.Hotel and airfare down: Rates have decreased ~3–4% compared to last year, offering relief to travelers.Dining and rentals up: Eating out and renting cars are more expensive, offsetting some of the savings.Travel costs stay steady: Travel prices have risen just 9% since pre-pandemic—less than other major categories.Points offset rising costs: Using points and miles remains an effective way to reduce travel expenses.Vegas vibes incoming: DeAndre teases upcoming stories from his bachelor party weekend in Las Vegas.Resources:Earn 3X Points on Your Next Hyatt StayAct now - Protect your points!Book a Free 30-minute points & miles consultationStart here to learn how to unlock nearly free travelSign up for our newsletter!BoldlyGo Travel With Points & Miles Facebook GroupInterested in Financial Planning?Truicity Wealth ManagementSome of Our Favorite Tools For Elevating Your Points & Miles Game:Note: Contains affiliate/sponsored linksCard Pointers (Saves the average user $750 per year)Zil Money (For Payroll on Credit Card)Travel FreelyPoint.me
For the month of August, we have a returning voice of forestry to talk the Southwest Forest Products Expo! Larry Boccarossa, the executive director of the Arkansas Timber Producer's Association, is back to discuss the history of their event and the benefits it brings not only to vendors but to loggers looking receive education credits. Visit arkloggers.com for more information about the expo and to purchase a ticket.Thank you to this month's sponsor, PotlatchDeltic! We appreciate their continued support of the show.You can find more music from Some Guy Named Robb/Robb McCormick on Spotify or by visiting https://www.sgnrobb.com/.For more information about the Arkansas Forestry Association visit arkforests.org.
If you're not a patron, subscribe at patreon.com/workstoppage to get full access to the episode. In the fourth episode of our series on the class struggles on the US-Mexico border, we begin a three part section on the history of struggle by Mexican farmworkers in the fields of the Southwest. At the turn of the 20th century, the center of gravity of US agricultural production shifted to California, and the demand for labor soared. This era was dominated by attempts by large landowners to split up their workforce by race, and use demonization and discrimination to keep workers from organizing and keep wages low. But while organizing has always been difficult, workers have never accepted brutal exploitation without fighting back. In this episode, we discuss efforts like the Japanese-Mexican Labor Association, the Renters Union, and Las Gorras Blancas to organize and fight against racist oppression in the first two decades of the 20th century. Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter, John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee
INTRO (00:23): Kathleen opens the show drinking a Swarm Golden Ale from Exile Brewing Company. She shares her sentiments over the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, reminiscing how excited she was to see his Blizzard of Oz tour in St. Louis when she was a teenager. TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.” COURT NEWS (20:51): Kathleen shares news announcing that Stevie Nicks is re-releasing the Buckingham Nicks album, and Snoop Dogg released a new album. TASTING MENU (3:47): Kathleen samples Town House Everything Pita Chips, and Doritos Twisted Queso chips. UPDATES (25:54): Kathleen shares updates on “Chimp Crazy's” Tonia Haddix recent arrest, the last Sear's store in the US is closing, and Prince Harry offers his diary to the Royal family. HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (40:05): Kathleen reveals that a 50,000 year old extinct lion was found in Siberian permafrost, and a 3-year-old boy discovers a $4M 16th century gold pendant in the UK. FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (48:30): Kathleen shares articles on Pope Leo extending his summer vacation, the Vatican is soliciting hot priest influencers to connect with young Catholics, Augusta's Hooters location is permanently closed, full-time cheetah monitors are being hired in Mozambique, wealthy Telluride residents fight over 14 parking spots, Canada has been named the most loved country in the world, hordes of tarantulas are coming to the Southwest, and Pope Leo extends his vacation. TOURONS (43:02): Kathleen reports on a man in the Philippines attempting to take a selfie in an alligator pond, and a car carrying 5 people runs off the road and into a hot Yellowstone geyser. SAINT OF THE WEEK (1:16:25): Kathleen reads about St. Ignatius of Loyola. WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (14:35): Kathleen recommends watching documentary “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” on Prime Video, and “Being Evel,” the Evel Knievel documentary on Amazon Prime Video. FEEL GOOD STORY (1:15:15): Kathleen reads highlights of Colorado's construction of the “world's largest” wildlife overpass on I-25 between Denver and Colorado Springs.
The full show returned for a big episode. We covered a lot of ground including Moon's West Coast Warped Tour shows this past weekend and King Scott's experience acting in a film shot in Nashville. Why a doctor's note will no longer excuse absences at this Tennessee school district - https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2025/07/28/lawrence-county-tennessee-schools-doctors-note-excuse-absences/85378878007/Southwest announces when passengers can book assigned seats - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-assigned-seating-boarding-july-2025/TSA Launches “Families on the Fly” Campaign in Orlando - https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2025/07/24/tsa-launches-families-fly-campaign-orlandoAndre Pallante authors 7 stifling, 1-hit innings before Cardinals break out to sink Marlins - https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/article_e7610d12-1ea1-416a-9400-911d822a1dfc.htmlFollow us @RizzShow @MoonValjeanHere @KingScottRules @LernVsRadio @IamRafeWilliams - Check out King Scott's Linktr.ee/kingscottrules + band @FreeThe2SG and Check out Moon's bands GREEK FIRE @GreekFire GOLDFINGER @GoldfingerMusic THE TEENAGE DIRTBAGS @TheTeenageDbags and Lern's band @LaneNarrows http://www.1057thepoint.com/RizzSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The third and final livestream of the book tour celebrating the publication of Bordertown Clashes, Resource Wars, Contested Territories: The Four Corners in the Turbulent 1970s Hosted by Red Power Hour co-host Melanie Yazzie at the Inspired Moments Event Center Farmington, New Mexico. Watch the video edition on The Red Nation Podcast YouTube channel Press Release: "From the late summer of 1972 to the late summer of 1974, John Redhouse and many other Navajo and Indian rights activists threw all they had into mass movement organizing and direct action. And they were pretty good at it too in terms of effectiveness and impact. Written in the first-person and above all, with a collective spirit of generosity and witness, John Redhouse describes the hot temper of the times in the racist and exploitative border towns in the Four Corners area of the Southwest region. As John Redhouse says, “Without the People, you have nothing. But back then, we had a lot of people WITH us.” Yes, the Power of the People, the collective human spirit of the emerging local and regional Indian civil movement, thousands of us marching in the streets of Gallup and Farmington in northwestern New Mexico with our demands. A bold citizen's arrest at city hall, a downtown street riot, burning images of enemy leaders in effigy. And more marches, demonstrations, and direct actions. Above all, though, there was that Spirit—that unbroken, unconquerable spirit—that moved us, that drove us, that led us. And that was just in the border towns. In that turbulent decade, there was also the rapidly rising and spreading with-the-people, on-the-land resistance struggles in the coal, uranium, and oil and gas fields, and in disputed territories in the San Juan and Black Mesa basins that were targeted for ethnic cleansing and mineral extraction. Bordertown Clashes, Resource Wars, Contested Territories: The Four Corners in the Turbulent 1970s brings readers to the enduring issues of the day, traced over half a century ago, where John Redhouse and many more were in the middle of a revolution that unfolds to this day." Empower our work: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter: https://www.therednation.org/ Patreon www.patreon.com/redmediapr
Nearly 100 million under heat alerts as temperatures soar nationwide; Southwest passenger: ‘Entire plane was screaming' during close call; Trump visits Scotland as details surface about DOJ meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell; and more on tonight's broadcast.
Southwest plane makes mid-air maneuver to avoid collision with another plane; DOJ completes two-day interview with Maxwell; Flash flooding and extreme heat as summer of severe weather rolls on; and more on tonight's broadcast.
Happy Thursday De-Influencers! For our Jordan takeover fans, we have a special treat for you! It's a Jordan Guest episode and man have we been waiting for this one! Jordan sits down with Texas Billionaire Tim Dunn to talk business, family, religion and politics. It's a great conversation with Tim bringing a lot of insight from his years in the oil industry, being a husband and father of six children, and a man of faith. He came in right from a SouthWest flight wearing his favorite New Balance sneakers to this interview. I mean how many billionaires have you heard of that are flying commercial? We scored some great deals with a few of our favorite brands for our listeners: Huggies Little Snugglers, now with blowout protection in every direction* *Sizes 1-2. Huggies. Huggies.com. Cotton is The Fabric of Our Lives and make sure you're checking tags to ensure it's the fabric of your life too. Learn more at TheFabricOfOurLives.com. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal you must go to hiyahealth.com/DANIAUSTIN. This deal is not available on their regular website. Shop the best selection of home improvement online. Get renovating with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. Visit LiveConscious.com today and make the switch to a smarter sip with Beyond Brew. Use code DANI to receive 15% off. If you're ready to build your own business—whether it's merch, a passion project you've been sitting on, or even a summer side hustle, get on Shopify.com/dani and make it happen! Make your life easier—shop Amazon.com for college. With Amazon's low Off-to-College Prices, just save on college, save the everyday. Let us know in the comments what you thought about this interview!! Make sure you're subscribed to our official channel on YouTube, @deinfluencedpodcast, and follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your De-Influenced fix! Stay connected with us on Instagram and TikTok @deinfluencedpodcast, and as always thank you for being a part of this journey. we love y'all!! D+J