Podcasts about sparling

Operaspymaster you may ask? Read on and listen to this episode. In this powerful and multifaceted episode of Unstoppable Mindset, we welcome Kay Sparling, former opera singer, PTSD survivor, and now debut novelist—as she shares her incredible life journey from international stages to the shadowy world of espionage fiction. Kay talks about the creation of her first novel, Mission Thaw, a gripping spy thriller based on her own real-life experiences volunteering with refugees in post-Cold War Europe. Kay and Michael discuss the inspiration behind her protagonist, CIA agent Caitlin Stewart, and how real-world trauma and service led Kay to use fiction as both a vehicle for healing and a call to action on the modern crisis of human trafficking. This is a conversation that transcends genres—music, espionage, activism, and resilience—all converging through the unstoppable spirit of a woman who refuses to stay silent. About the Guest: Kay Sparling was raised in the Midwest. At the age of seven, she began her professional singing career as Gretl in “The Sound of Music” and she continued to perform through high school. After graduation Kay attended University of Kansas and earned a BME in music education and a minor in Vocal Performance. She then attended graduate school in opera voice performance for one year at UMKC Conservatory of Music. She was awarded a grant to finish my graduate studies in Vienna, Austria. From there she won an apprenticeship at the Vienna State Opera. After moving to NYC to complete her second apprenticeship, Kay lived in Germany, Austria, and Italy for many years. In 1999 Kay returned to NYC and continued singing opera and became a cantor for the NYC diocese. After 9/11, she served as a cantor at many of the funeral and memorial masses for the fallen first responders. In 2003, Kay moved from NYC to the upper Midwest and started a conservatory of Music and Theatre where her voice students have been awarded numerous prestigious scholarships and won many competitions. In 2020, the pandemic shut down her conservatory, so she began training to be a legal assistant and now works in workers compensation. Back in 2013, Kay had started writing a journal as a PTSD treatment. She was encouraged to extend the material into a novel. After much training and several drafts, Mission Thaw was published in 2024. Kay is currently writing the second book in the Kaitlyn Stewart Spy Thriller Series. Ways to connect with Kay: Website: https://www.kaysparlingbooks.com X: https://x.com/MissionThaw/missionthaw/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/missionthaw.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/505674375416879 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-sparling-8516b638/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionthaw/ Litsy: https://www.litsy.com/web/user/Mission%20Thaw About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:16 Well, hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Mike hingson, and our guest today is a very fascinating individual. I was just teasing her a little bit about her email address, which is operaspy master@gmail.com I'm telling you, don't cross her. That's all I gotta say. Anyway, we'll, we'll get into all of that. But I really am glad that she is with us. Kay Sparling is a fascinating woman who's had an interesting career. She's written, she's done a number of things. She's used to be an opera, gosh, all sorts of stuff. So anyway, we'll get to all of it and we'll talk about it. I don't want to give it all away. Where would the fun in that be? Kay, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kay Sparling ** 02:11 Well, thank you. I'm glad to be here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:13 we're glad you're here. You're from up in Wisconsin. We were going to do this a couple of weeks ago, but you had all the storms, and it stole your internet and your power away, didn't   Kay Sparling ** 02:23 it? It sure did. Yeah, that was a terrible storm we had.   Michael Hingson ** 02:28 Yeah, that's kind of no fun. I remember years ago, I was talking to somebody on the phone. We were doing a sales call, and he said, I might not be able to stay on the phone because we're having a really serious storm, and he said it is possible that the lightning could hit the phone lines, and if it does, it could come in the house. And we talked for a few minutes, and then he said, I'm going to have to hang up, because I just felt a small shock, because the lightning obviously hit the phone line, so we'll have to talk later. And and he was gone. And we did talk later, though he was okay, but still, wow, yeah, there's a lot of crazy weather going on, isn't there? And we were just talking about the, we were just talking about the Canadian wildfires. They're No fun.   Kay Sparling ** 03:15 No, no. Just everywhere is having crazy weather.   Michael Hingson ** 03:20 Well, tell us a little bit about you growing up and all that sort of stuff, and telling me about the the early K   Kay Sparling ** 03:32 Well, growing up, I grew up in a farm community in the in the central Midwest, just you know, right in the middle of the bread basket, you might say, not near where you are now. No no, no further south and in very much agriculture time, I mean skipping ahead. I remember talking to a famous opera conductor when I was an apprentice, and I made some reference, and he goes, Well, how would you know that? And I said, because I grew up on a farm. And he went, Oh, get out here. Nobody makes it, you know, to a major European opera house from a farm. And I went, Well, I did. And later, I asked my mom to send me a picture, because we had had an aerial view taken of our homestead, and it was obvious for miles, all the way around the house and the barn and all, it was just corn fields and soybeans. You know what they showed   Michael Hingson ** 04:40 Illinois, Illinois, and so you showed it to him, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 04:44 I showed it to him, and he was like, well, doggone, you're not lying. Like, No, I wasn't kidding you. I really did.   Michael Hingson ** 04:51 It shows how good I really am. See how far I progressed.   Kay Sparling ** 04:55 Well, you know, I was one of these kids. I. At five years old, I my parents took me to see sound and music at the theater, and during the intermission. Now I'm five years old, it's pretty late for me, right? But when we're in the concession stand, I tug at my mom's skirt, and I say, Mom, that's what I want to do. And she looks at me kind of funny, and she's kind of funny, and she's kind of confused. Well, what do you want to do work in a theater? You know, a movie theater? No, no, I want to do what those kids are doing on that on the movie screen. And she was like, Well, honey, you know, that's that's really hard to get somewhere like that. So that was when I was five. And then when I was seven, she just, you know, the all the school and the church were telling her, this kid's got a great voice, and they kept giving me solos and stuff. And so when I was seven, she put me in the Sangamon County Fair Little Miss competition. And of course, my talent was singing, so I just sang away. I really can't remember what I sang, but afterwards, a fellow came up to my parents and introduced himself, and he said that he was there, he had family, not, you know, in the area, and that he had grown up there, but since then, he he was in St Louis, and he said, we are, I'm a scout, and I'm looking, I'm an entertainment Scout, and I'm actually looking for, you know, the von trop children. We're going to do a big production, and we'd love to audition your daughter. Well, we were about, think it was an hour and a half away from St Louis, so my parents are like, wow, that'd be quite a commitment. But long story short, I did it, and that started my professional career. I was the youngest Bon Troy. You know, over cradle, yeah. And so it just went from there. And, you know, it was all Broadway, of course, and I did a lot of church singing, you know, it got to be by the time I was, you know, in high school, people were hiring me for weddings, funerals, all that kind of thing. And so I was a Broadway and sacred singer. Went to college. My parents said, you can't depend on a vocal performance degree. What if things don't work out? You have to have something fall back. So I went into vocal music ed at a very, very good school for that, and also music therapy, and, you know, continue being in their shows. And when I when I graduated, continued the Broadway, and one night I was also singing a little bit of jazz in Kansas City, where I was living, someone approached me. She was a voice teacher at the conservatory there, and that conservatory had an apprenticeship with the Kansas City Lyric Opera. And she said I knew you was an undergrad. My husband works where you, where you went to school, and I have been watching you for a long time. And I wish you quit this nonsense of singing Broadway and jazz and rock and everything and get serious, you know, and try opera. So I thought she was crazy to bring that up, but it wasn't the first time it had been brought up. So I have been teaching for a year, and at the end of that school year, I announced everyone I was going to graduate school and I was going to study opera. And so   Michael Hingson ** 08:55 what were you teaching?   Kay Sparling ** 08:57 I was teaching high school choir, okay, at a very big high school, very, very good choir department.   Michael Hingson ** 09:03 Now, by the way, after doing Gretel, did you ever have any other parts as you grew older in Sound of Music?   Kay Sparling ** 09:11 Okay, that's a very cool question. I am one of the few people that I know that can say I have sang every major role in Sound of Music sometime in my life. Ah, okay, because it was so popular when I was Oh, yeah. And as I would grow older, well now you're going to sing, you know, you just kept graduating up. And then pretty soon I sang quite a few Marias. And then after I was an opera singer. During covid, I was asked to sing Mother Superior. Mother Superior. Yeah, literally, have sung, you know, in a decades long career, I've sung every role in Sound of Music.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 Cool. Well, that's great.   10:00 Yeah, so, so, anyway, so   Michael Hingson ** 10:02 you said that you were going to go study opera,   Kay Sparling ** 10:07 and I did a graduate school, and then I got the chance to get an international grant over to Europe, and so I decided to not finish my masters at that time and go over there and finish it, and most of all, importantly, do my first apprenticeship in Europe. And so I thought that was a great opportunity. They were willing. They were going to willing to pay for everything. And I said I would be a fool to turn this down. Yeah, so off I went, and that's kind of the rest of the story. You know, got a lot of great training, left Europe for a while, moved to New York City, trained best coaches and teachers in the world at the Metropolitan Opera and then, you know, launch my career.   Michael Hingson ** 11:04 So you Wow, you, you've done a number of things, of course, going to Europe and being in Vienna and places like that. Certainly you were in the the right place.   Kay Sparling ** 11:16 Yes, yes, definitely. You know, at that time in the in the middle 80s, United States was we had some great opera houses Iran, but we had very few. And it just wasn't the culture that it was in Europe, in Europe. And so, yes, there was a lot more opportunity there, because there was such a culture established there already.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 So you went off and you did Europe and saying opera, what were you a soprano? Or what were you that sounds like a way a little high for your voice?   Kay Sparling ** 11:59 Well, you have to remember, I'm a senior citizen now. So this is the way it worked for me, because we're talking decades from the age 27 and I quit singing at 63 so that's a very long time to sing opera. So I started out, as you know, there is a voice kind of category, and each one of those, we use a German word for that. It's called Foch, F, A, C, H, and you know, that is determined by the kind of vocal cords you have, and the kind of training and the literature you're singing, and hopefully that all meshes together if you have good coaches and a good agent and such. And I literally have seen so many different Fox lyric, lyric mezzo, then to, very shortly, lyric soprano, and then for a long time, spinto soprano, which would be the Puccini and a lot of them really popular things. And then I was, I felt I was quite lucky that my voice did have the strength and did mature into a Verdi soprano, which is a dramatic soprano, not many of those around. And so that was, that was an endeavor, but at the same time, that was a leg up. And so most of the time in my career, I sang the bigger Puccini, like, let's say Tosca, and I sang a lot of Verdi. So I was an Italian opera singer. I mostly sang in Italian, not to say that I didn't sing in German or French, but I did very little in comparison to the   Michael Hingson ** 13:56 Italian Well, there's a lot of good Italian opera out there, although mostly I don't understand it, but I don't speak Italian well.   Kay Sparling ** 14:07 The great thing about most houses now is, you know, you can just look at the back of the seat in front of you, and there's the translation, you know, yeah, that   Michael Hingson ** 14:18 doesn't work for me. Being blind, that doesn't work for you. Yeah, that's okay, though, but I like the music, yeah. So how long ago did you quit singing?   Kay Sparling ** 14:32 Um, just about, well, under, just a little under three years ago, okay?   Michael Hingson ** 14:38 And why did you quit? This was the right time,   Kay Sparling ** 14:42 senses or what I had a circumstance, I had to have throat surgery. Now it wasn't on my vocal cords, but it was on my thyroid, and unfortunately, the vocal cord nerve. They had to take out some Cyst On. My right thyroid, and then remove it too. And unfortunately, my vocal cords were damaged at that time, I would have probably be singing still now some you know, I mean, because dramatic sopranos just can go on and on and on. One of my mentors was Birgit Nielsen, famous singer from Sweden, and she was in my grandmother's generation, but she didn't, I went to work with her, and she demonstrated at 77 she could still pop out of high C. And I believe, I believe I would have been able to do that too, but you know, circumstances, you know, changed, but that's okay. Yeah, I had sung a long time, and at least I can speak. So I'm just very happy about that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:51 So when you did quit singing, what did you decide to go do? Or, or, How did, how did you progress from there?   Kay Sparling ** 16:01 Well, I had already made a transition where I had come in 2003 to the Midwest. I came back from New York City, where I lived many, many years, and I started a conservatory of music and acting, and then that kind of grew into a whole conservatory of music. So I was also a part time professor here in Wisconsin, and I taught voice, you know, one on one vocal lessons, so high school and college and graduate school, and so I had this huge studio. So when that happened, I wasn't getting to sing a whole lot, because I was much more focused on my students singing me at that point, especially the older ones, professional ones, and so, you know, I just kept teaching and and then I had started this book that I'm promoting now, and so that gave me more time to get that book finished   Michael Hingson ** 17:10 and published. What's the name of the book?   Kay Sparling ** 17:13 The book is called Mission, thaw.   Michael Hingson ** 17:16 Ah, okay, and what is it about   Kay Sparling ** 17:22 mission thaw is feminist spy thriller set at the very end of the Cold War in the late 80s, and the main protagonist is Caitlin Stewart, who it who has went over there to be an opera singer, and soon after she arrives, is intensely recruited by the CIA. They have a mission. They really, really need a prima donna Mozart soprano, which is what Caitlin was, and she had won a lot of competitions and won a grant to go over there, and so they had been vetting her in graduate school in the United States. And soon as she came to Europe, they they recruited her within a couple weeks of her being there, and she, of course, is totally blindsided by that. When they approach her, she had she she recognized that things were not exactly the way they should be, that people were following her, and she was trying to figure out who, are these people and why are they following me everywhere? Well, it ends up being young CIA agents, and so when the head chief and his, you know, the second chief, approach her, you know, she's not real happy, because she's already felt violated, like her privacy has been violated, and so she wasn't really too wonderful of listening to them and their needs. And so they just sort of apprehend her and and throw her in a car, in a tinted window Mercedes, and off they go to a park to talk to her, right? And so it's all like crazy movie to Caitlin. It's like, what is going on here? And, you know, she can tell they're all Americans, and they have dark suits on, even though it's very, very hot, and dark glasses, you know? So everything is just like a movie. And so when they approach her and tell her about what they need her to do, you know, and this would be in addition to the apprentice she is doing that, you know, she just gets up and says, I'm sorry I didn't come over and be in cloak and dagger. A, you know, ring, I'm getting out of here. And as she's walking away, the chief says, Well, what if you could help bring down the Berlin Wall? Well, now that stops her in her tracks, and she turns around. She goes, What are you kidding? I'm just a, you know, an opera apprentice from the Midwest grew up on a farm. What am I gonna do? Hit a high C and knock it down. I mean, what are you talking about?   Michael Hingson ** 20:28 Hey, Joshua, brought down the wealth of Jericho, after all. Well, yeah, some   Kay Sparling ** 20:34 later, someone tells her that, actually, but, but anyway, they say, well, sit down and we'll explain what we need you to do. And so the the initial job that Caitlin accepts and the CIA to be trained to do is what they call a high profile information gap. She has a wonderful personality. She's really pretty. She's very fashionable, so she can run with the jet set. And usually the jet set in Europe, the opera jet set is also where all the heads of states hang out, too. And at that time, the the Prime Minister was pretty much banking the Vienna State Opera where she was apprenticing. So he ends up being along with many other Western Austrian businessmen in a cartel of human trafficking. Who they are trafficking are all the the different citizens of the countries that USSR let go. You know, when you know just got to be too much. Remember how, oh yeah, we're going to let you go. Okay? And then they would just pull out. And there was no infrastructure. There was nothing. And these poor people didn't have jobs, they didn't have electricity. The Russian mafia was running in there trying to take, you know, take over. It was, it was chaos. And so these poor people were just packing up what they could to carry, and literally, sometimes walking or maybe taking a train into the first Western European country they could get to. And for a lot of them, just because the geographical area that was Austria. And so basically, the Austrians did not want these people, and they were being very unwelcoming and arresting a lot of them, and there was a lot of lot of bad behavior towards these refugees. And so the Catholic church, the Catholic Social Services, the Mennonite Relief Fund, the the UN and the Red Cross started building just tent after tent after tent on the edge of town for these people to stay at. And so the businessmen decide, well, we can traffic these people that have nothing over to the East Germans, who will promise them everything, but will give them nothing. But, you know, death camps, basically, just like in World War Two. So you have work camps, you have factories. They they don't feed these people correctly. They don't they don't give them anything that they promise to them in in the camps. And they say, Okay, be on this train at this time, this night. And then they stop somewhere in between Vienna and East Germany, in a very small train station in the middle of the Alps. And they have these large, you know, basic slave options. And unfortunately, the children in the older people get sent back to the camp because they don't need them or want them. So all the children get displaced from their families, as well as the senior citizens or anyone with a disability. And then, you know, the men and the women that can work are broken up as well, and they're sent to these, you know, they're bought by these owners of these factories and farms, and the beautiful women, of course, are sold to either an individual that's there in East German that just wants to have a sex aid, pretty much. Or even worse, they could be sold to an underground East Berlin men's club. And so terrible, terrible things happen to the women in particular, and the more that Caitlin learns. As she's being trained about what's happening, and she interviews a lot of these women, and she sees the results of what's happened, it, it, it really strengthens her and gives her courage. And that's a good thing, because as time goes through the mission, she ends up having to be much, much more than just a high profile social, you know, information gather. She ends up being a combat agent and so, but that that's in the mission as you read, that that happens gradually and so, what? What I think is really a good relationship in this story, is that the one that trains her, because this is actually both CIA and MI six are working on this, on this mission, thought and the director of the whole mission is an very seasoned mi six agent who everyone considers the best spy in the free world. And Ian Fleming himself this, this is true. Fact. Would go to this man and consult with him when he was writing a new book, to make sure you know that he was what he was saying is, Could this really happen? And that becomes that person, Clive Matthews become praying, Caitlyn, particularly when she has to start changing and, you know, defending herself. And possibly, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 26:38 so he becomes her teacher in   Kay Sparling ** 26:42 every way. Yes. So how   Michael Hingson ** 26:45 much? Gee, lots of questions. First of all, how much of the story is actually   Kay Sparling ** 26:50 true? All this story is true. The   Michael Hingson ** 26:53 whole mission is true. Yes, sir. And so how did you learn about this? What? What caused you to start to decide to write this story?   Kay Sparling ** 27:08 So some of these experiences are my own experiences. And so after I as an opera singer, decided to be a volunteer to help out these refugees. I witnessed a lot, and so many years later, I was being treated for PTSD because of what I'd witnessed there. And then a little bit later in Bosnia in the early 90s, and I was taking music therapy and art therapy, and my psychiatrist thought that it'd be a good idea if also I journaled, you know, the things that I saw. And so I started writing things, and then I turned it in, and they had a person that was an intern that was working with him, and both of them encouraged me. They said, wow, if, if there's more to say about this, you should write a book, cuz this is really, really, really good stuff. And so at one point I thought, Well, why not? I will try. So this book is exactly what happened Caitlin, you know, is a real person, and everyone in the book is real. Of course, I changed the names to protect people and their descriptions, but I, you know, I just interviewed a lot of spies that were involved. So, yes, this is a true story.   Michael Hingson ** 29:06 Did you do most of this? Then, after your singing career, were you writing while the career, while you were singing?   Kay Sparling ** 29:13 I was writing while I was still singing. Yeah, I started the book in 2015 Okay, and because, as I was taking the PTSD treatment and had to put it on the shelf several times, life got in the way. I got my my teaching career just really took off. And then I was still singing quite a bit. And then on top of it, everything kind of ceased in 2018 when my mother moved in with me and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but Louie body Alzheimer's, which is a very, very rough time, and so I became one of her caretakers. So I quit singing, put that on hold, and I. I had to really, really bring down the number in my studio I was teaching and spend time here at home. And so I would take care of her, but then after she would go to bed, and she'd go to bed much earlier than I wanted to, that's when I write, and that's when I got the lion's share of this book written. Was during that time, it was a great escape from what I was dealing with, believe it or not, you know, even though there's some real graphic things in the book and all it wasn't, it was a nice distraction.   Michael Hingson ** 30:36 Wow, so you, you lived this, needless to say,   Kay Sparling ** 30:41 Yes, I did, and yes.   Michael Hingson ** 30:45 So you've talked a little bit about what happened to these countries after the collapse of the USSR and communism and so on, these eastern companies, companies, countries. Has it changed much over the years.   Kay Sparling ** 31:03 Oh, yeah, for instance, one, you know, I went to Budapest after they were freed, I guess is what usr would say. Stayed in a five star hotel, and we were lucky if we had running water and electricity at the same time. And every time you went down on the streets, all you'd see is lines, you know, I mean, just because there'd be all like, Red Cross, etc, would be there, and they'd have these big trucks they drove in every day, and it just got to be because they had nothing. If you saw a truck, you'd start running towards it and get in line. You didn't care what it was, you know, and it was. And then fights would break out because they wouldn't have enough for everyone. And then, like, you know, maybe someone's walking away with a bag of rice, and some of us knock them over the head and take, you know, and it was very hard, you know, I was a volunteer there, and it was very, very hard to see this, you know, desperation, one story that I'd like to tell, and I put it in the book. I was riding my bike, you know, on a Friday afternoon to get some groceries at the nearest supermarket where my apartment was, and at that time, they still had the European hours, so they were going to close at five o'clock, and they weren't going to open until seven or eight on Monday morning. So you had to make sure you got there to get your weekend supply. So I was on my way, and I was parking my bike, and this woman, refugee woman, runs up and she has two small children with her, and she's carrying a baby, and she's speaking to me in a language I did not know. I do speak several languages, but I don't know Slavic languages and so, but I'm getting the gist of it that she has nothing to eat, neither do her children, and so I'm patting her on the shoulder, and right when I do that, a policeman that was guarding the door of the supermarket came up to me and, like, grabbed me really hard, and told me in German that I was not To speak to them, and I was not to help them, because if you help them, they'll stay. And I said to him in German, I'm an American. I am not Austrian. I am here on a work visa, and I can do whatever the hell I want to do. Well, he didn't like that. And so I just walked away from him, and I went in the store. And so I got up everything I get. Think of the big need, you know, I never had a baby, so I was trying to kind of figure that out, yeah, and I had to figure it out in German, you know, looking at labels now. And so finally I got, I got some stuff, you know, the stuff I needed, and, and, and the stuff that I got for the family, and I checked out, and I'm pushing the cart, you know, towards them. And he runs up beside me and stops me, and he says, I am going to arrest you if you bring that. I told you not to help them. And I said, again, I don't think I'm breaking any laws. And he said, Oh yes, you are. And I said, Well, I didn't read that in the papers. I didn't see it on TV where anyone said. That you cannot help a refugee. And so we're going back and forth. And so, you know, I'm pretty strong, so I just keep pushing it towards it. Well, she's kind of running down the park, and I'm like, wait, wait, you know, because she's getting scared of this guy, you know, he has a gun, he has a nightstick. Of course, she's scared, and so, you know, I would say, No, no, it's okay, because I can't speak for language, right? And so I'm just trying to give her body language and talk. Well, finally she does stop, and I just throw I give the one sack to the little boy, and one second little girl, they just run and and then, you know, I'm talking to her and saying, you know, it's okay, it's okay. And he grabs me, and he turns me around and he spits in my face.   Michael Hingson ** 35:53 Wow. Talk about breaking the law. But anyway, go ahead.   Kay Sparling ** 36:00 Welcome to Austria in the late 80s. You have to understand their Prime Minister Kurt voltheim won on the Nazi ticket. Mm, hmm. At that very time, if you got on a bus and you saw these businessmen going to work, at least 50% of them were reading the Nazi paper. Okay, so we kind of know what, where his affiliations lie. You know, this policeman and, you know, and I was very aware, you know, of of that party being very strong. And so you have to watch yourself when, when you're a foreigner. And I was a foreigner too, just like her. And so after wiping my face, I mean, I really, really wanted to give him a kick or something, yeah, and I do, I do know martial arts, but I was like, no, no, gotta stay cool. And I just told her to run. And she did and caught up with the children, and, you know, kept running. So that was the first experience I had knowing how unwelcome these people were in Austria. Yeah, so I got involved, yeah, I got involved because I was like, this is absolutely not right.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 And so the book is, in part, to try to bring awareness to all that. I would think   Kay Sparling ** 37:36 absolutely there are, there are bits of it are, they're pretty darn graphic, but it's all true, and it's all documented. Sometimes people about human trafficking, they think, oh, it's not in my backyard. I'm not going to think about that. Well, I live in a very small college town, around 17,000 people, and two months ago, on the front page of this small paper here in town, there were seven men that were arrested for many counts of human trafficking of underage women and prostitution. So guess what, folks, it is in your backyard. If it's in this little town, it's probably in yours too. And we have to be aware before we can do anything. So we have to open our eyes. And I hope this book opens the eyes of the reader to say, Oh, my God, I knew things were bad, but I didn't realize that torture, this kind of thing went on. Well, it does, and I the International Labor Union estimates that 21 million people are being you. You are victims of human trafficking right now, as we speak, throughout the world, that's a lot of people, a lot of people. So most likely, we've all seen some hint of that going on, it didn't register as it at the time. You know, if you're just walked out of a restaurant, and you're walking to your car that's parked on the street, and you happen to go by an alley and there's restaurants on that row, and all of a sudden you see people being kind of shoved out and put in a truck. That's probably human trafficking, you know? And you know, a lot of people don't pay attention, but like, if they stop and think that doesn't look right, and if those people look like they may be from another country, yeah. And all you have to do is call the authorities, you know, and other ways that you can help are by you know, that that you can get involved. Are, you know, donate to all the different organizations that are finding this now.   Michael Hingson ** 40:19 Was the book self published, or do you have a publisher?   Kay Sparling ** 40:25 I self published, but it's more of a hybrid publishing company that's kind of a new thing that's going on, and so I cannot learn all those different facets of publishing a book, right? It just wasn't in my, you know, skill set, and it also wasn't even interesting to me. I don't want to learn how to do graphic illustration. Okay? So what I did is I hired a hybrid company that had all these different departments that dealt with this, and I had complete artistic control, and I was able to negotiate a great deal on my net profits. So I feel that, after looking into the traditional publishing world and not being exactly pleased with it to say the least, I think that was the right business choice for me to make, and I'm very happy I did it.   Michael Hingson ** 41:46 How do you market the book then?   Kay Sparling ** 41:48 Well, that was, that was the tricky part that that publisher did have some marketing they started, but obviously now they agreed it wasn't enough. So at that point, I attended a virtual women's publishing seminar, and I really paid attention to all the companies that were presenting about marketing. And in that time, I felt one that I just was totally drawn to, and so I asked her if we could have a consultation, and we did, and the rest is history. I did hire her team and a publicist, Mickey, who you probably know, and, yeah, it's been going really great. That was the second smart thing I did, was to, you know, hire, hire a publicity.   Michael Hingson ** 42:50 Well, yeah, and marketing is one is a is a tricky thing. It's not the most complicated thing in the world, but you do have to learn it, and you have to be disciplined. So good for you, for for finding someone to help, but you obviously recognize the need to market, which is extremely important, and traditional publishers don't do nearly as much of it as they used to. Of course, there are probably a lot more authors than there used to be too. But still,   Kay Sparling ** 43:19 yeah, their their marketing has changed completely. I remember I had a roommate that became a famous author, and just thinking about when he started, you know, in the 80s, how the industry is completely changed. Mm, hmm, you know. So, yeah, it's, it's really tricky. The whole thing is very tricky. One thing that I also did is one of my graduate students needed a job, and so I've known her since, literally, I've known her since eighth grade. I have been with this student a long time, and she's done very well, but she really is a wiz at the social media. And so she made all my accounts. I think I have 12 altogether, and every time I do something like what I'm doing tonight, soon as it's released, she just puts it out there, everywhere and and I have to thank her from again that that's probably not my skill set.   Michael Hingson ** 44:37 Well, everyone has gifts, right? And the the people who I think are the most successful are the people who recognize that they have gifts. There are other people that have gifts that will augment or enhance what they do. And it's good that you find ways to collaborate. I think collaborating is such an important thing. Oh, yeah. All too many people don't. They think that they can just do it all in and then some people can. I mean, I know that there are some people who can, but a lot of people don't and can't.   Kay Sparling ** 45:12 Well, I've got other things. I've got going, you know, so maybe if I only had to do the book, everything to do with the book, that would be one thing, but I, you know, I have other things I have to have in my life. And so I think that collaboration is also fun, and I'm very good at delegating. I have been very good at delegating for a long time. When I started my school. I also started a theater company, and if you know one thing, it's a three ring circus to produce an opera or a musical, and I've done a lot of them, and yeah, I would have not survived if I didn't learn how to delegate and trust people to do their own thing. So what are you   Michael Hingson ** 45:58 doing today? What are you doing today? Besides writing?   Kay Sparling ** 46:04 Well, during covid, everything got shut down, and I didn't have an income, and I had to do something. And one of, believe it or not, one of my parents, of one of my students, is an attorney for the state of Wisconsin, and she was very worried. I mean, it looked like I might lose my house. I mean, I literally had no income. And so, you know, I was a small business person, and so she offered me very graciously to come work in the department of workers compensation in the legal Bureau at the state of Wisconsin. So I never have done anything like that in my life. I have never sat in a cubicle. I've never sat in front of a computer unless it was in its recording studio or something like that. So it was a crazy thing to have to do in my early 60s, but I'm a single woman, and I had to do it, and and I did, and it put me on solid ground, and that was one reason I couldn't finish the book, because I didn't have to worry about a live cookie. And so I am continuing to do that in so as in the day, that is what I do. I'm a legal assistant, cool.   Michael Hingson ** 47:32 And so when did mission thought get published?   Kay Sparling ** 47:38 Mission thought almost a year ago, in August of 2024 it launched, yes, okay, yeah. And it was very scary for me, you know, because my hybrid publishers up in Canada, and they were telling me, Well, you know, we're going to get you some editorial reviews and we're going to have you be interviewed. And you know, those very first things where my editor at at the publisher had told me it was one of the really a good book, and that was one of the cleanest books she ever had to edit. And so that kind of gave me some confidence. But you understand, look at my background. I I didn't go to school to be a writer. I had never studied writing. I hadn't done any writing up until now, and so to that was my first kind of sigh of relief when the editor at the publisher said it was really a good book, and then I started getting the editorial reviews, and they were all stellar, and they continue to be. And I'm, I'm still a little shocked, you know, because it takes time, I guess, for a person to switch gears and identify themselves as an author. But you know, after a year now, I'm feeling much more comfortable in my shoes about that. But at first it was, it was trying because I was scared and I was worried, you know, what people were going to think about the book, not the story, so much as how it was crafted. But it ends up, well,   Michael Hingson ** 49:15 it ends up being part of the same thing, and yeah, the very fact that they love it that that means a lot. Yeah, so is, is there more in the way of adventures from Caitlin coming up or what's happening?   Kay Sparling ** 49:30 Yeah, this is hopefully a trilogy, um of Caitlin's most important standout missions. And so the second one is set in the early 90s during the Bosnian war. And this time, she cannot use opera as a cover, because obviously in a war zone, there's no opera. And so she has to. To go undercover as either a un volunteer or Red Cross, and this time, her sidekick is not the Clive Matthews. He has actually started a special squad, combat squad that's going in because, of course, we, none of us, were really involved with that war, right? But that's what he's doing. And so, believe it or not, her, her sidekick, so to speak, is a priest that very early, goes on and sees, you know, this absolute ethnic cleansing going on, you know, massacres and and he tries to get the Catholic Church to help, and they're like, no, no, we're not touching that. And so he goes AWOL. And had been friends in Vienna with the CIA during the first book. He goes to the CIA and says, This is what's going on. I saw it with my own eyes. I want to help. And so he becomes Caitlin's sidekick, which is a very interesting relationship. You know, Caitlin, the opera singer, kind of, kind of modern girl, you know, and then you know, the kind of staunch priest. But they find a way to work together, and they have to, because they have to save each other's lives a couple times. And this is my favorite book of the three. And so basically what happens is called Mission impromptu, and I hope to have that finished at the end of this month. And the reason we call it impromptu is because her chief tells her to just get the information and get out, but her and the priest find out that there is a camp of orphaned boys that they are planning to come massacre, and so they they they basically go rogue and don't follow orders and go try to help the boys. Yeah. And then the third book, she has actually moved back to New York, and she's thinking, well, she does retire from the CIA, and it's the summer of 2001 and what happened in September of 2001 911 and so they call her right back in she literally had been retired for about three months.   Michael Hingson ** 52:35 Well, to my knowledge, I never met Caitlin, so I'm just saying Mm hmm, having been in the World Trade Center on September 11, but I don't think I met Caitlin anyway.   Kay Sparling ** 52:43 Go ahead. No, she wasn't in the towers, but no, I was in New York. And yeah, so they called her back right away. And so the third one is going to be called Mission home front, because that's been her home for a very long time. She's been living in New York.   Michael Hingson ** 53:01 Are there plans for Caitlin beyond these three books? I hope so.   Kay Sparling ** 53:08 I think it would be fun for her to retire from the CIA and then move back to the Midwest. And, you know, it turned into a complete fiction. Of course, this is not true stuff, but, you know, like kind of a cozy mystery series, right, where things happen and people can't get anyone to really investigate it, so they come to Caitlin, and then maybe her ex boss, you know, the chief that's also retired, they kind of, you know, gang up and become pi type, you know, right? I'm thinking that might be a fun thing.   Michael Hingson ** 53:46 Now, are mostly books two and three in the mission series. Are they also relatively non fiction?   53:53 Yes, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 53:57 okay, cool, yes. Well, you know, it's, it's pretty fascinating to to hear all of this and to to see it, to hear about it from you, but to see it coming together, that is, that is really pretty cool to you know, to see you experiencing have the book, has mission thought been converted by any chance to audio? Is it available on Audible or   Kay Sparling ** 54:21 anywhere it has not but it is in my plans. It's there's a little bit of choice I have to make do. I use my publisher and hire one of their readers you know to do it, someone you know, that's in equity, that type of thing. Or you know, my publicity, or people are also saying, well, because you're an actor, and, you know, all these accents, it might be nice for you to do to read your own book. Well, the problem is time, you know, just the time to do it, because I'm so busy promoting the book right now. And really. Right writing the second one that you know, I just don't know if I'm going to be able to pull that off, but I have my own records, recording studio in my voice studio downstairs, but it's just and I have all the equipment I have engineers. It's just a matter of me being able to take the time to practice and to get that done. So it's probably going to be, I'll just use their, one of their people, but yes, yeah, it's coming. It's coming. Well, it's,   Michael Hingson ** 55:29 it's tough. I know when we published last year, live like a guide dog, and the publisher, we did it through a traditional publisher, they worked with dreamscape to create an audio version. And I actually auditioned remotely several authors and chose one. But it is hard to really find someone to read the book the way you want it read, because you know what it's like, and so there is merit to you taking the time to read it. But still, as you said, there are a lot of things going on,   Kay Sparling ** 56:09 yeah, and I have read, you know, certain portions of the book, because some podcasts that I've been on asked me to do that, and I and I practiced and that, it went very well. And of course, when people hear that, they're like, Oh, you're the one that has to do this. You know Caitlin. You can speak her, you know her attitudes and all. And then you also know how to throw all those different accents out there, because there's going to be, like, several, there's Dutch, there's German, there's Scottish, high British and Austrian. I mean, yeah, yeah, Austrians speak different than Germans. Mm, hmm,   Michael Hingson ** 56:53 yeah, it's it's a challenge, but it's still something worth considering, because you're going to bring a dimension to it that no one else really can because you wrote it and you really know what you want them to sound like, Yeah, but it's a it's a process. I and I appreciate that, but you've got lots going on, and you have to have an income. I know for me, we started live like a guide dog my latest book when the pandemic began, because I realized that although I had talked about getting out of the World Trade Center and doing so without exhibiting fear, didn't mean that it wasn't there, but I realized that I had learned to control fear, because I learned a lot that I was able to put to use on the Day of the emergency. And so the result of that was that, in fact, the mindset kicked in and I was able to function, but I never taught anyone how to do that. And so the intent of live like a guide dog was to be a way that people could learn how to control fear and not let fear overwhelm or, as I put it, blind them, but rather use fear as a very powerful tool to help you focus and do the things that you really need to do. But it's a choice. People have to learn that they can make that choice and they can control it, which is kind of what really brought the book to to mind. And the result was that we then, then did it. And so it came out last August as well.   Kay Sparling ** 58:27 Oh, well, if you read my book, you'll see Caitlin developing the same skills you were just talking about. She has to overcome fear all the time, because she's never been in these situations before, and yet she has to survive, you know?   Michael Hingson ** 58:44 Yeah, well, and the reality is that most of us take too many things for granted and don't really learn. But if you learn, for example, if there's an emergency, do you know where to go in the case of an emergency? Do you know how to evacuate, not by reading the signs? Do you know? And that's the difference, the people who know have a mindset that will help them be a lot more likely to be able to survive, because they know what all the options are, and if there's a way to get out, they know what they are, rather than relying on signs, which may or may not even be available to you if you're in a smoke filled environment, for example, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 59:22 yeah, you should know ahead of time. Yeah, you know, I know the state where I work. I I mostly work at home. I'm able to do that, but we do have to go in once a week, and we just changed floors. They've been doing a lot of remodeling, and that was the first thing, you know, the supervisor wanted us to do was walk through all the way for a tornado, fire, etc, and so we did that, you know, and that's smart, because then you're like, you say you're not trying to look at a chart as you're running or whatever,   Michael Hingson ** 59:56 and you may need to do it more than once to make sure you really know it. I know for me. I spent a lot of time walking around the World Trade Center. In fact, I didn't even use my guide dog. I used a cane, because with a cane, I'll find things that the dog would just automatically go around or ignore, like kiosks and other things. But I want to know where all that stuff is, because I want to know what all the shops are down on the first floor. Well, now that that is the case anymore, but it was at the time there was a shopping mall and knowing where everything was, but also knowing where different offices were, knowing who was in which offices, and then knowing the really important things that most people don't know about, like where the Estee Lauder second store was on the 46th floor of tower two. You know, you got to have the important things for wives, and so I learned what that was. Well, it was, it was, those are important things, but you'll learn a lot, and it's real knowledge. Someone, a recent podcast episode that they were on, said something very interesting, and that is that we're always getting information, but information isn't knowing it. Knowledge is really internalizing the information and making it part of our psyche and really getting us to the point where we truly know it and can put it to use. And that is so true. It isn't just getting information. Well, that's great. I know that now, well, no, you don't necessarily know it now, until you internalize it, until you truly make it part of your knowledge. And I think that's something that a lot of people miss. Well, this has been a lot of fun. If people want to reach out to you, is there a way they can do that?   Kay Sparling ** 1:01:40 Yeah, the best thing is my book website, K, Sparling books.com spelled and it would K, a, y, s, p, as in Paul, A, R, L, I N, G, B, O, O, K, s.com.com, okay, and you can email me through there. And all the media that I've been on is in the media section. The editorial reviews are there. There's another thing that my student heats up for me is the website. It's it's really developed. And so lots of information about the book and about me on on there. And one thing I want to mention is, just because of my background and all the all the people that you know, I know, a friend of mine is a composer, and he wrote a song, a theme song, because we do hope that someday we can sell this, you know, yeah, to for movie and, or, you know, Netflix, or something like that. And so he wrote a theme song and theme music. And I just think that's fun. And then I wanted my students saying, saying it. And then, you know, it's with a rock band, but it's, it's very James Bond, the kind of with a little opera, you know, involved too. But, you know, not a lot of authors can say that on their website, they have a theme song for their books.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:16 And where is   Kay Sparling ** 1:03:18 it? It would be under, it's going to be about the author. And there's a nice one of my other students is a graphic artist. She She did a graphic a scene of Caitlin with her ball gown, and she's got her foot up on a stool, and she's putting her pistol in her thigh holster, in I think, you know, it's kind of like a cartoon, and it quotes Caitlin saying, I bet you I'm going to be the only bell at the ball with this accessory pistol. And then right underneath that, that song, you can click it and hear it. We also are on YouTube mission. Thought does have its own YouTube channel, so you can find it there as well.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:05 So well, I want to thank you for being here and for telling us all the stories and especially about mission. I hope people will get it and read it, and I look forward to it coming out in audio at some point. Yes, I'll be lazy and wait for that, I I like to to get books with human readers. You know, I can get the print book and I can play it with a synthetic voice, but I, I really prefer human voices. And I know a lot of people who do AI has not progressed to the point where it really can pull that off.   Kay Sparling ** 1:04:38 Well, no, it cannot. Yeah, I totally agree with you there.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:42 So Well, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. This has been fun. And as some of you know, if you listen to many of these podcasts, we have a rule on the podcast, you can't come on unless you're going to have fun. So we did have fun. We. You have fun? Yeah. See, there you go. I was gonna ask if you had fun. Of course, yes. So thank you all for listening. Love to hear from you. Love to hear what your thoughts are about today's episode. Feel free to email me at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, also, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate it. K, I'll appreciate it. And when this goes up, when you hear it, we really value those ratings and reviews very highly. If you know anyone else who ought to be a guest and KU as well, love to hear from you. Please introduce us. Kay, you'll have to introduce us to Caitlin, but But seriously, we always are looking for more guests. So if anyone knows of anyone who ought to come on and tell a story, we'd love to hear from you. But again, Kay, I want to thank you one last time. This has been great, and we really appreciate you being here.   Kay Sparling ** 1:05:59 Well, thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:04 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Kay Sparling is an international opera and sacred singer. Nowretired, she lives in the Upper Midwest with her feline writingbuddy, the invincible Paducah. When not teaching voice lessonsor writing, Kay enjoys gardening, hiking, adventure travelling, andcooking for family and friends.More information about Kay can be found at: Kay Sparling – AuthorNear the end of the Cold War, Kaitlyn Stewart lands anapprenticeship at the Vienna State Opera. Soon after arriving,she is recruited by the CIA as the only female high profileoperative in Mission: THAW. Both CIA and MI6 are in a raceagainst time to uncover a human trafficking cartel set up byfascist Western politicians who are in business with the EastGermans and KGB. They are exploiting refugees from theformer satellite countries of the USSR. Mission: THAW mustinfiltrate the cartel in order to shut down the trafficking anddestroy the slave labor in East Germany. If the GDR economyfails, the Berlin Wall will come down. Covering as an opera singer, Kaitlyn infiltrates theinner circle of the KGB and neo-Nazis, only to find out that they have a much moredeadly, lucrative plan in the making: blueprints for a dirty bomb. MI6 agent CliveMatthews, who is considered the best secret agent in the free world, skillfully guidesKaitlyn through the crazy maze of the mission. Based on fact.Amazon.com: Mission Thaw: A Kaitlyn Stewart Spy Thriller: 9781779419071: Sparling, Kay: Books

In 1911, the tiny farming town of Tyre, Michigan, was rocked by a string of mysterious deaths in the Sparling family. Over the course of two years, four men from the same household died of sudden, agonizing illnesses. At first, it seemed like a tragedy. Then suspicion. And finally, murder.In this episode, we unravel the haunting story of “The Dying Sparlings”—a tale of poison, scandal, and a courtroom drama that captured the attention of a state. Was it the family doctor? The grieving mother? Or someone else entirely? This 20-minute narrative walks you through one of Michigan's most notorious historical murder cases—and the ripple effects it had across the Thumb.

In this Multifamily Mindset episode, Cyndi Maguire interviews Casey Sparling on his real estate journey, mindset, capital raising, and leveraging social media while honoring his late father through Legacy Capital Partners.Join Tyler Deveraux's TIME Method, Goal-Setting Mastermind to help you reach those goals! JOIN HERE!We want your feedback! Take our survey to help us better your listening experience.Check out the Multifamily Mindset store for great tools like the Think Bigger Journal and MFM merchandise.Follow us on Instagram:►Tyler Deveraux (@tyler_deveraux), CEO of Multifamily Mindset & Managing Partner of Multifamily Capital Partners►Dallas Pruitt (@dalpruitt), Founder of LIVE LIFE Mission and Resident Mindset Consultant at the Multifamily Mindset►Cyndi Maguire (@cyndigap), Real Estate Investor & Consultant at the Multifamily Mindset►Kyle Brown, Fulfillment Acquisitions Manager at the Multifamily Mindset►Zach Rucker (@zachrucker), Underwriting Mentor at the Multifamily Mindset

This summer marked the debut of The Oregonian/OregonLive's first long-form serial narrative podcast with Wondery. “Happily Never After” rapidly climbed the charts and left listeners wanting more about the case of Nancy Crampton Brophy, convicted of murdering her husband, a Portland chef. Reporter Zane Sparling, who covers Multnomah County Courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive, held an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit to answer burning questions. For “Beat Check with The Oregonian,” Editor Therese Bottomly welcomed Sparling back to revisit the successful podcast (an excellent diversion for a summer vacation). “Since the 2022 trial, I've spent the past two years interviewing dozens of people about Dan and Nancy, reviewed thousands of pages of police reports, listened in on Nancy's jail calls — and, yes, read through all her novels.,” Sparling said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Everyday Business Problems podcast, Dave Crysler is joined by Walt Sparling from PM Mastery, a comprehensive resource center for project management professionals. Walt, a project management expert, shares his insights on process improvement and efficiency from the perspective of a project manager. The conversation covers the integration of project management in both internal and external process improvements, navigating roadblocks in large organizations, and the importance of effective communication. Walt also discusses his approach to prioritizing opportunities and achieving quick wins to build momentum for continuous improvement. What You'll Discover: How project management principles contribute to process improvement and operational efficiency. The dual focus on internal and external process improvements in project management. Strategies for overcoming roadblocks and fostering collaboration in large organizations. The role of curiosity and continuous questioning in identifying opportunities for improvement. Effective communication techniques for promoting process changes within a team. The balance between using established frameworks and achieving quick wins to drive momentum. Practical tools and methodologies favored by project managers for process improvement. The importance of documenting processes to reduce inefficiencies and resource wastage. Key takeaways on the significance of value-driven changes in process improvement initiatives.

In this 284th episode I welcome Drs. Sparling and Agarwala to the show to discuss the importance of, and evidence for, perioperative hand-offs. We discuss what hand-offs are, what kinds of handoffs occur during the perioperative period, why they matter, how they can cause harm when poorly done, and how implementing good hand-offs can reduce harm. Our Sponsors:* Check out Neurohacker: qualialife.com/ACCRACAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Tom Sparling “I see it now among Gen Zers; there is a passion in my young adults that is as fresh and real as what we were experiencing.”  –Tom Sparling  The second trait of a Healthy Church is "God Exalting Worship". Tom Sparling was a part of the original team that worked with Steve Macchia on Becoming a Healthy Church. Tom joins Steve for a conversation about worship today. In this episode, Tom shares his hope for the younger generation today, advice for the older generation, and encourages everyone that authentic worship comes from a passionate pursuit of God outside of our Sunday morning gatherings. This episode reminds us that God alone is to be the object of our worship.   Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.  

This is part of a new series in honour of the 50th anniversary of Cape Breton University. Wendy Bergfeldt will be joined by 50 people who have helped shape CBU into what it is today. Jane Arnold and Heather Sparling speak about Gaelic scholar Kay MacDonald and Sister Margaret Beaton.

Speaking with Jami Sparling, mindset coach from Authentic Armour in this episode.Jami is a mindset coach and the founder of Authentic Armour, empowering entrepreneurs to unlock their potential through transformative mindset coaching. With a diverse background spanning paramedicine and interior design, Jami's transition from creative entrepreneur to mindset coach was sparked by her profound experiences navigating challenges and discovering the impact of mindset on business success.Drawing from life's twists—from overcoming adversity to embracing personal growth—she shares authentically from the heart. Jami's journey instilled a profound belief in the transformative power of mindset, which she now shares to help others achieve holistic success in life & business.Through Authentic Armour, Jami guides entrepreneurs to cultivate resilience, embrace authenticity, and achieve goals with confidence. Her approach integrates creativity, spirituality, and personal growth, providing powerful tools for clients to thrive in their ventures.Jami is a passionate advocate for living authentically and aligning with purpose. As a podcast guest, speaker, and coach, she shares insights on mindset, entrepreneurship, and personal growth, inspiring listeners to embrace their potential and live purposefully. Join her on a journey of self-discovery and transformation—to embrace your armour, stand tall, and reclaim the life meant for you.Be sure to follow along on Instagram @thebusinessofbeautifulspaces + @thorntondesign to stay up to date on what we're talking about next week. If you love our podcast, please, please, please leave us a review. If you have any questions or topic ideas OR you wish to be a guest email us thebusinessofbeautifulspaces@gmail.com or find us on instagram @thebusinessofbeautifulspacesLaura Thornton is the principle designer of Thornton Design Inc, located in Kleinburg, ON. Since founding the company in 1999, Laura has been committed to creating a new kind of interior design experience for her clients. Thornton Design is an experienced team of creative talents, focused on curating beautiful residential and commercial spaces in the Toronto, Ontario area and beyond. Now sharing all the years of experience with other interior designers to create a world of collaboration and less competition. The Business of Beautiful Spaces I @thebusinessofbeautifulspacesThornton Design I @thorntondesign

It's hard to escape the fentanyl problem in Oregon. The use of fentanyl is evident on the streets of Portland and provides added fuel to Oregon's homelessness crisis. The decriminalization of the drug and others is at the heart of a debate in the Oregon Legislature over Measure 110. The Oregonian/OregonLive recently published two in-depth articles that came at the fentanyl crisis through vastly different lenses. Education reporter Julia Silverman profiled a mother's attempt to see help for her teenage son, who had suffered three overdoses before he died on fentanyl poisoning. Oregon's medical autonomy laws prevented her from forcing him in to treatment. Zane Sparling headed out to Ontario, where the rural town was confronting an addiction and homelessness crisis exacerbated by Oregon's more lenient laws on drug use than neighboring Idaho's. The small city was seeing many of the same problems as Oregon's largest, Portland, hundreds of miles away. Editor Therese Bottomly speaks with Silverman and Sparling about their reporting and possible solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

in which Pushcart-nominated Baltiomore cryptid Dave K and i talk literary gatekeeping, the motives behind writing, and art's tethering to capitalism (at least in the US)... where to find Dave: website - https://okaydavek.com/ insta - @davekisdavek other things referenced: Don't Waste Flares by Dave K - https://www.bruisermag.com/davek_flares Batman: The Golden Streets of Gotham - https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Batman-The-Golden-Streets-of-Gotham Anti-Story: An Anthology of Experimental Fiction by Philip Stevick - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anti-Story/Philip-Stevick/9780029315002 Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marat/Sade The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes - https://writing.upenn.edu/~taransky/Barthes.pdf Last Days by Brian Evenson - https://coffeehousepress.org/products/last-days The Three Sunrises by Edward Mullaney - https://www.publishinggenius.com/catalog/the-three-sunrises-by-edward-mullany/ Raymond Carver - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Carver Paul Auster - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Auster Haruki Murakami - https://www.harukimurakami.com/ Hush up and listen stinky poo butt by Sparling, Ken - https://archive.org/details/hushuplistenstin0000spar/mode/2up

Journalists with The Public's Radio, a station serving Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, spent two years investigating teen labor in the local seafood processing industry. Their investigation, supported by FRONTLINE's Local Journalism initiative, reveals flaws in systems designed to protect migrant teens, who've arrived at the U.S. southern border in unprecedented numbers in recent years. The investigative team interviewed migrant teens and their families, and uncovered that the U.S. Department of Labor was investigating at least two New Bedford, MA, seafood processors, as well as a Rhode Island staffing agency, for possible child labor, overtime pay, and anti-retaliation violations. In this episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, reporters Nadine Sebai and Nina Sparling from The Public's Radio join FRONTLINE editor-in-chief and executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath to discuss their findings. Sebai and Sparling say they sought to illustrate the complexities of what happens to underage migrants after they arrive on the nation's southern border — especially the challenges they face.  Sebai says, "We've all seen... the waves of kids migrating to the border, unaccompanied minors coming to the border. But they actually end up somewhere in the U.S.” For more, read and listen to The Public Radio's investigation “Underage and Unprotected,” supported by FRONTLINE's Local Journalism Initiative. Want to be notified every time a new podcast episode drops? Sign up for The FRONTLINE Dispatch newsletter.

Ready to get spooked? We're bringing you a chilling conversation with the Candle Lighters, Fremont's community beacon since 1969. Trisha and Jeff the brains behind this non-profit, share their journey from being a small fundraising group for a new YMCA building to an organization that's 100 strong. We delve into the spirit behind their operations and their unique approach to community donations. Prepare for an eye-opening journey behind the scenes of a beloved community organization. Get set to step into the mind of Jeff, a graphic artist, cartoonist, and an integral part of the Candle Lighters. His creativity adds a spark to the organization, and he shares his experiences working there and his role as a Cartoonist in Residence at the Charles Schultz Museum. Hear Trisha talk about thrilling volunteer opportunities and their ghostly haunted house project. She lets us in on how they balance fun and safety, creating immersive experiences for visitors while fostering a sense of community among volunteers.Hold onto your seats as we take you through the eerie details of creating the Candle Lighters' haunted house, the longest running haunt in California. Trisha and Jeff reveal their creative process - from inventive props to chilling effects and animatronics - all designed to give visitors a unique, hair-raising experience every year. They also share the joy of their annual Halloween event, a family-friendly affair that has become a tradition in the Fremont area. This is a conversation filled with heart, tradition, and a whole lot of spookiness, not to be missed!Learn more about the Ghost House here. AirBnB - How I Built This The following local partners make this podcast possible: Milk and Honey Cafe at 34265 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CABilly Roys Burgers at 3909 Thornton Ave, Fremont, CAPretrocelli Homes on Niles Blvd in downtown Niles. Ohlone College Flea Market on Ohlone College Campus If you are interested in supporting the podcast, please reach out to us at thefremontpodcast@gmail.com, or you can contact us here. Check out our new podcast focused on Niles CA called the Cast of Niles. You can find episodes on almost any podcast platform. You can also find it here. Also, Petrocelli Homes has been a key sponsor for the Fremont Podcast almost from the beginning. If you are looking for help or advice about buying or selling a home, or if you are looking for a realtor, get in touch with Petrocelli Homes on Niles Blvd in Niles. Intro and Outro voiceovers made by Gary Williams. Check out garywilliams.org.This episode was edited by Andrew C. Scheduling and background was done by Sara S. Rachel Pray is our print editor for our newsletter. Mark Emmons provides additional reporting and content. Music was found and licensed through Soundstripe.com. Music Content ID GSWH7LBEVM5XRNUD This is a Muggins Media Podcast.

Jeff Sparling, President of Shakespeare Mills Inc. joins 980CFPL's Mike Stubbs to talk about what it is like to be looking to fill open positions right now. Help Wanted signs can be seen all over London and surrounding areas, but what is it like for the companies that are currently hiring? Sparling tries to explain what it's like.

Loneliness drives your behaviours. We can want sexual connection so much that loneliness can make you and I take potentially unsafe risks in the hope to feel any kind of connection. You and I – indeed, the community – need to have a conversation about this so we live our lives as gay and queer men without putting ourselves at risk of HIV and STIs. I've found the perfect guest to join us for this episode. Dr Shayna Skakoon-Sparling works within our community to help you make better decisions for your sexual health and wellbeing. Come and join me and Dr Shayna now on this episode of Connection over Coffee with The Loneliness Guy, and let's get you making less risky decisions when you're feeling lonely. Grab a coffee in your favourite mug and join us now. About Dr Shayna Skakoon-Sparling: Professionally, Dr Shayna (she/her/elle) is an applied social psychologist and an incoming assistant professor in the psychology department at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Her research explores the importance of social connection and how seeking social connection and intimacy can impact sexual health decision making among sexual minority men. For example, some of her work has examined how having sources of social support can buffer guys against the negative impact of sexual minority stress. Some of her other work looks at how trying to cope with loneliness can lead folks to agree to sex that isn't particularly fulfilling and that can put their health at risk – she's currently working on a set of SSHRC-funded studies to explore this more deeply and to look at ways to help guys cope more effectively with loneliness. FOLLOW DR SHAYNA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayna-skakoon-sparling-71282587 Twitter: @Shaynagram Links: Join us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oZ3sgfiuhvE Have Phil's guidance through your loneliness: https://www.thelonelinessguy.com/myservices Website: https://www.thelonelinessguy.com Join the mailing list: https://www.thelonelinessguy.com/subscribe Contact Phil: connect@thelonelinessguy.com Sounds recorded with permission at Prefab Eatery, Wellington: www.pre-fab.co.nz

Emmett Sparling is a travel photographer and videographer, capturing engaging stories from his adventures around the world. In this episode of our Living A Creative Life series, you'll get insight into Emmett's creative process and career. He speaks about building careers with his peers, pushing boundaries, and translating photography into print at Opus.

This episode Aaron Sparling, a veteran of the Portland Police Bureau, discusses his work on the 2018 murder case of Daniel Brophy. Daniel was killed by his wife, Nancy Crampton-Brophy, at the Oregon Culinary Institute where he worked as an instructor. Nancy – who published an online essay called “How to Murder Your Husband” – left a trail of digital evidence in her browser history that Sparling was able to use to help prove her guilt and secure her conviction for homicide in May of 2022. This case involved a lot of digital evidence, from CCTV video footage to online searches for ghost guns, so with that let's hear from Aaron about this complex case.

The Murder of Daniel Brophy:On Saturday June 2, 2018, students at the Oregon Culinary Institute (OCI) arrived at class that morning to find their instructor, sixty-three-year-old Daniel Brophy, dead from gunshot wounds to the back and chest. With more than fifty years' experience in the culinary field, Brophy was a popular chef and instructor and, while detectives couldn't rule out a disgruntled student, no one could imagine his killer was a member of the OCI community.Thank you to the incredible David White for research assistance!ReferencesCourt TV. 2022. OR v. Crampton-Brophy: Romance Novelist Murder Trial. June 15. Accessed March 8, 2023. https://www.courttv.com/news/or-v-crampton-brophy-romance-novelist-murder-trial/.Flynn, Meagan. 2018. "Novelist who wrote about 'How to Murder Your Husband' charged with murdering her husband." Washington Post, September 12.Green, Aimee. 2019. Details of murder case against romance writer should become public in 2 weeks, judge rules. April 5. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/04/details-of-murder-case-against-romance-writer-should-become-public-in-2-weeks-judge-rules.html.Karimi, Faith. 2022. "This romance novelist is on trial in her husband's killing. It's like a plot twist from one of her books." CNN Wire, April 7.Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon. 2019. Gun parts bought online at center of Oregon romance novelist's suspected spouse slaying. April 4. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/04/gun-parts-bought-online-at-center-of-oregon-romance-novelists-suspected-spouse-slaying.html.—. 2018. "Romance novelist suspected of slaying husband." Longview Daily News, September 7: B2.—. 2020. No coronavirus ‘guest house' for Oregon romance writer charged with murdering husband, judge rules. April 10. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/no-coronavirus-guest-house-for-oregon-romance-writer-charged-with-murdering-husband-judge-rules.html.NBC News. 2022. Dateline. Television, New York, NY: NBC News.O'Rourke, Ciara. 2019. A Beloved Culinary Instructor Was Murdered. What Happened Next Was Stranger Than Fiction. May 31. Accessed March 10, 2023. https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2019/05/a-beloved-culinary-instructor-was-murdered-what-happened-next-was-stranger-than-fiction.Paul, Maria Luisa. 2022. "'How to Murder Your Husband' writer sentenced to life for." Washington Post, June 14.Sparling, Zane. 2022. Love vs. money: Lawyers make final arguments in Oregon romance writer's murder trial. May 22. Accessed March 12, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/05/love-vs-money-lawyers-make-final-arguments-in-oregon-romance-writers-murder-trial.html.—. 2022. Oregon romance novelist grilled on amnesia claim, missing gun barrel on crucial day in her murder trial. May 18. Accessed 2023 12, 2022. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/05/oregon-romance-novelist-grilled-on-amnesia-claim-missing-gun-barrel-on-crucial-day-in-her-murder-trial.html.—. 2022. Spotlight shines on Oregon romance novelist accused of killing chef husband. May 23. Accessed March 8, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/05/spotlight-shines-on-oregon-romance-novelist-accused-of-killing-chef-husband-who-is-nancy-crampton-brophy.html.Voorhees, Carolyn. 2018. Former students, friends mourn loss of Oregon Culinary Institute chef killed in shooting. June 3. Accessed March 8, 2023. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2018/06/former_students_friends_mourn.html.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Letitia Berbaum was joined in the podcast studio by Jonathan Sparling, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Private College 529 Brand. Jonathan has over a decade of higher education related experience. Through his work, Jonathan has counseled students and families on college planning, savings, financing and general financial education.  He has developed content and curriculum for industry partners and advised on best practices for engaging students in educational content. He thrives on supporting individual consumers reach their higher education objectives while also consulting industry partners on effective strategies to support their customers.  In this episode Letitia and Jonathan discuss the nuances and benefits of 529 plans.   In this episode learn more about: -What a 529 Plan consists of as a Tax Advantage College Savings Plan -How a 529 Plan can be created -What the benefits are of a 529 Plan and why parents often choose to create one -Why saving early and often can add up efficiently -Top tips for strategizing education-focused savings plans   Learn more about Jonathan Sparling and Private College 529 Brand by visiting: https://www.collegewell.com/private-college-529-plan/   *** The Zandbergen Report, where wealth strategies and investment wisdom collide, is led by host Bart Zandbergen. The show is also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Store, Podbean and Spotify. Interested in being a guest on The Zandbergen Report? Email podcast@bartzandbergen.com. Learn more about Bart by visiting www.BartZandbergen.com *** NO OFFER OR SOLICITATION: The contents of this podcast episode: (i) do not constitute an offer of securities or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities, and (ii) may not be relied upon in making an investment decision related to any investment offering Axxcess Wealth Management, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Axxcess does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. Opinions are our current opinions and are subject to change without notice. Prices, quotes, rates are subject to change without notice. Generally, investments are NOT FDIC INSURED, NOT BANK GUARANTEED and MAY LOSE VALUE. Axxcess and its advisors do not provide tax advice. Representatives have general knowledge of tax. Consult your tax professional.    

The Dans sit down with WPSL Commissioner, Rich Sparling. Sparling discusses his background in the sport, what he does in his role, and what we can expect in 2023 from the largest women's league in the country.

#6: In this episode, Veronica sits down with Michelle Sparling to chat about her story of being a 1st generation immigrant in the US - the initial culture shock, growing up on a military base in Seoul, and how it shaped her into the person she is today. In honor of dry January, Michelle gives us her best tips on sobriety, we discuss establishing a better relationship with alcohol, and how to take control of your health. Michelle has been living solo in DC for almost a year after moving from her hometown and moving on from a very serious breakup. We discuss how to reinvent yourself after a breakup and how to be comfortable being alone.  Follow Michelle on Tiktok and Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle.sparling https://www.instagram.com/michisaur Follow Martinis + Bikinis - https://instagram.com/martinisandbikinispod?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=  https://www.tiktok.com/@martinisandbikinispod?_t=8YNTcnU5OkE&_r=1  Follow Veronica - https://instagram.com/veronicadroulia?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=  https://www.tiktok.com/@veronicadroulia?_t=8YNTyHkgKza&_r=1  Shop XENDURANCE using code TINISANDTIKINIS at checkout for 15% OFF: https://xendurance.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/martinisandbikinispod/support

This is the season 1 finale! Three terminal cancer patients, including two who have already passed away, discuss their views on death and living while dying. It's not as depressing as it may sound but this is not a conversation for everyone. Featuring: Molly Marco- brain cancer, Ilene Kaminsky- breast cancer, and Doug Sparling - Prostate Cancer There are musical interludes in this episode which are selections from Rudy's funeral playlist. You can hear all the songs in their entireties on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ZonCClXanYzLjz1JAZFDl?si=6720b21e358a47cd

My good pal Malcolm Sparling, who is British, explains what the Royal Family means to the British people. As am American, I wanted to understand from the British perspective and Malcolm does a brilliant job of explaining it. CHEERS!

Malcolm Sparling's brother, Stewart was diagnoised with ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease. Malcolm shares how humor and laughter got Stewart and him through the slow and debilitating disease of ALS. 

Frontman and guitarist in Hippies and Cowboys. Check out their new single "Hard Times" now streaming everywhere.

As you've seen, Season 3 is dedicated to my father, Mike Jacox, who passed away late in 2021. I Love and miss you, Dad.Today, we sit down with Coach Greg Sparling, the head coach of the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks! Coach Spar and I met 25 years ago while playing QB at Central Washington University. Coach spent 24 years at CWU before joining the Nanooks.   In his first year, Alaska only managed five wins, ending the season 5-22, 2-18 GNAC, and missing out on the GNAC Championships for the third consecutive year. In 2019-20, however, the Nanooks turned things around under Sparling as he led Alaska back to the postseason for the first time since 2015-16 with a record of 12-18, 10-10 GNAC, and an appearance in the 2019-20 GNAC Championships as the final seed. Today, we talked to Greg Sparling, the dad. We talked a ton about Basketball, as you can imagine, but you will also learn about one of his sons, who is an excellent Rodeo athlete!   For any parent whose kid plays sports, this is a must-listen as you will receive great advice from a collegiate coach! During our lightning round, we give some love to Coach Burns, who was also at CWU and is now an assistant at Boise State. We talk about the power of communicating and showing your emotions through vulnerability. Coach reminds us that we must slow down, enjoy our time with our kids, and set the example in the crowd when watching our kids play sports.   He shares that we must be role models as they always watch us.To learn more about Coach, you can go to https://alaskananooks.com/sports/mens-basketball.

Featured in this week's episode of The Productive Designer, host Crystal Collinson chats with the Principal Designer and Creative Director of BryCo. Interiors, Jami Sparling.Jami officially turned her lifelong passion for interior design and decorating into a career when she founded BryCo. Interiors in 2019, leaving an 11 year career as a Paramedic, behind. Jami now operates BryCo Interiors alongside her husband Brad, and offers full-Service Interior Design & Decorating in London, ON and surrounding areas. BryCo. Interiors is a heart-centered business with a focus on relationship building.Prioritizing client relationships is essential.Deep dive into what interests you.Social Media is an essential tool in growing a business but authenticity plays a significant role in connecting to real people.Consistency in learning and growing are keys to scaling your business to the next level. You have to have a bigger vision of your business than yourself.Build a brand that encourages people to connect to support. Show authenticity, not just focusing on algorithms and marketing.Show you're vulnerable and that you are a real human behind your projects. Real things connect to real people.So, join Crystal and Jamie as they chat about her journey on building her heart-centered interior design business.Then “Do something today that your future self will thank you for” and listen this episode to gain insight on how consistency & authenticity can help you grow your interior design businessIf you enjoyed the episode, show your support by buying me a coffee buymeacoffee.com/TPDpodcastHow to reach Jamie:Website: brycointeriors.netInstagram: @bryco.interiorsRecommended podcasts:Resilient by DesignAFT ConstructionThe lifestyled companyResources mentioned:Coaching: bryco.coaching

This week we're bringing you a talk by the amazing Ashley Sparling filled with career advice for those looking to get into the game industry. Ashley is a veteran of the industry having worked at studios like Ubisoft and others and now running his own company, K9. Make sure to learn more about Ashley at the links below. Ashley Saprling's Artstation: ArtStation - Ashley Sparling Instagram: @ashleysparling K9 DIGITAL: 3D character art | K9 Digital | United Kingdom Learn more about Vertex School: https://www.vertexschool.com/ Want to learn skills for creative tech jobs in games, film, XR and the Metaverse? Apply for your spot in our upcoming Game Arts Program here: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-arts-program

Welcome to the Pinkleton Pull-Aside Podcast. On this podcast, let's step aside from our busy lives to have fun, fascinating life giving conversation with inspiring authors, pastors, sports personalities and other influencers, leaders and followers. Sit back, grab some coffee, or head down the road and let's get the good and the gold from today's guest. Our host is Jeff Pinkleton, Executive Director of the Gathering of the Miami Valley, where their mission is to connect men to men, and men to God. You can reach Jeff at GatheringMiamiValley.org or find him on Facebook at The Gathering of the Miami Valley.

In this episode, I had the opportunity to have a candid conversation about mindset, boundaries, and processes with the talented and ever-resilient designer Jami Sparling. About Jami Sparling Jami Sparling is the Principal Designer and Creative Director of BryCo. Interiors She officially turned her lifelong passion for interior design and decorating into a career when she founded BryCo. Interiors in 2019, leaving an 11-year career as a Paramedic, behind. Jami now operates BryCo Interiors alongside her husband Brad, and offers Full-Service Interior Design & Decorating in London and surrounding areas. Since starting, she quickly realized the benefit of having a team… thanks to reading many business books! They now have a team of 5, a 3000 sq ft warehouse with a design studio, and even a moving van. BryCo. Interiors is a heart-centered business with a focus on relationship building. They value investing in their growth, both personally and professionally so they can offer their best selves to the people they connect with. With an emphasis on mental health, Jami has created a positive work environment and company culture where everyone is working within their individual strengths so they truly love what they do. This mindset pours into all of the projects they commit to. Although Jami is the visionary, her husband Brad is their integrator and he keeps everything running like a well-oiled machine. With their systems and processes in place, mixed with their creativity and kind communication, they are dedicated to delivering a great client experience every step of the way. From the very beginning of the episode, our conversation is very open and honest as Jami shares her life and career journey, along with her experience of overcoming PTSD, her life as a single mom, and a determined career woman. I absolutely loved hearing her thoughts on learning to say NO to people, because as Jami says "when you say yes to one thing you're ultimately saying no to something else" because it really isn't feasible to say yes to everything. Jami also shares how she runs her business and how she is dedicated to working only with "kind clients" as this ensures a more enjoyable working experience not only for herself but also for the clients as there will ultimately be less friction. I connected with Jami when she took my Power of Process course the very first time I offered it, since then she's been an active member of our open design community and then took the chance to include me further in her business journey by joining my inner circle coaching membership, Designers Room. Jami shares how Power of Process and Designers Room have been instrumental in helping her make concise decisions in her business. She went from offering all sorts of services to refining it down to 1 core offering and successfully growing her business. (This is music to my ears!) Dive into the entire episode because you won't want to miss one second of this one. Get to know who you are. Figure out who you are as a person and that will completely change your life. Jami Sparling  You can find Jami on Instagram @Bryco.Interiors and on her website at brycointeriors.net

Happy Thursday, Everyone! Welcome to season five, episode seven of "Chatting with the Constantins." We have a special episode for you today. Destiny and John Constantin sit down and chat with USA Today Bestselling Author Amy Sparling. Texas author discusses her inspiration behind her young adult sweet romance novels. In addition, Amy shares her journey of becoming a full-time writer and her latest projects. Thank you for joining, and we hope you enjoy this episode! Go check out our updated website. Destiny has updated the website with spring graphics, a new blog post, and a spring-themed crossword puzzle. Also, if you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please send us an email through our website or a direct Twitter message. Amy Sparling's Biography: Amy Sparling is the USA Today bestselling author of books for teens and the teens at heart. She lives on the coast of Texas with her family, her spoiled rotten pets, and a huge pile of books. Her favorite things are coffee, glitter, book boyfriends, and Netflix binges. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmySparling Twitter: https://twitter.com/theamysparling Website: https://www.amysparling.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writeamysparling/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5841781.Amy_Sparling Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Sparling/e/B008383KQC%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Our Website: www.constantinsbooks.com. Podcast Page: https://constantinspodcast.wixsite.com/cwtcpodcast1 Support Us: https://anchor.fm/cwtcpodcast1/support Pandora Link : https://pandora.app.link/4WmtyA6yAob Destiny's CHW Author Site: https://coffeehousewriters.com/author/destiny-constantin/ Destiny's Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Constantin/e/B08QW84ZHN?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1619256834&sr=8-1 Don't forget to follow us on social media! Twitter @cwtcpodcast1 Instagram @cwtcpodcast1 Destiny's Twitter @WriterDestiny Destiny's Instagram @WriterDestiny94 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/constantin.books --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chasingstoriespodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chasingstoriespodcast/support

4/6/22: Lance chats w/ retiring head Bengal trainer Paul Sparling.

Emmett Sparling is an award-winning director, photographer and videographer. As a teenager, he left a burgeoning career in fashion photography to backpack across the world. Over the course of his journey, he began to gain momentum on Instagram as a travel photographer and shot more and more short films. In this episode, Emmett reflects on lessons learned from years on the road shooting, a rule that increased his creative performance and offers a glimpse into what exciting new projects are next up.▷ Full show notes on https://ptl.fm/podcastI hope you learned something out of that episode! Now go crush it out there and remember to be nice with our planet - we only got one!Please, SHARE this episode AND leave a 5* rating on Apple / Spotify - It means a lot, THANK YOU!▷ Get Free Access to Pierre's bi-monthly TOP 5 email with inspiration, books, tips, gear and more - Join the tribe: https://pierretlambert.com/top5▷ Twitter: https://twitter.com/pierretlambert▷ YouTube: https://youtube.com/pierretlambert101▷ Instagram: https://instagram.com/pierretlambert

The ALL ME® Podcast High Risk Supplements: The Death of a Soldier  – Leanne Sparling Most of us have walked into a vitamin store, health food store or even the local grocery and have walked the isle where Dietary Supplements are on the shelfs.   What most people don't realize is that the Dietary Supplement industry as a whole does have a lack of regulation.  As a result of this lack of regulation many people have gotten sick or have even died as a result of illegal drugs and banned substances found in these products. In this interview we talk with Leanne Sparling who like most Mom's out there didn't think that it was a big deal that her son had been using a product that he had purchased at a national dietary supplement chain.  In fact, she thought to herself, of course is has to be okay if my kid could walk into the store and purchase it over the counter. Leanne has a heartbreaking story that she is going to share in this podcast and it's a story about how her son Michael, who was just graduated from boot camp, had a heart attack as a result of a product he was taking.  She will share with us that her son was using a product manufactured by USP Labs, in Dallas, TX.  At the time this product was one of the hottest products on the market. Pronounced “Jacked” or “Jack 3D” Jacked had an ingredient in the product called DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine) which according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is an amphetamine derivative that has been marketed in sports performance and weight loss products, many of which are sold as dietary supplements. DMAA is not a dietary ingredient, and DMAA-containing products marketed as dietary supplements are illegal and their marketing violates the law. For more information on DMAA please visit: Today, Leanne and her family continue to share Michael's tragic stories in hopes that no other family will have to go through what they went through.  Her advice to parents when it comes to dietary supplements is to do your research and take products that are 3rd Party Certified by NSF Certified for Sport.  You can find more information about them by visiting their website: Thank you for tuning in and using some of the resources below to help keep you and your family safe. RESOURCES: Leanne Sparling Shares Her Story:  Need help finding a Nutrition Expert? Follow Us: Twitter:  @theTHF Instagram:  @theTHF Facebook: Taylor Hooton Foundation #ALLMEPEDFREE Contact Us:  Email:  Phone: 214-449-1990 ALL ME Assembly Programs:  

Heather Sparling was Isla's professor at Cape Breton University. Her research interests include Cape Breton dance traditions, Gaelic song in Nova Scotia, and the revitalisation of the Gaelic language through music. In this episode, she tells us about the history of stepdance, which features on four tracks of Isla's album The Castalia. Find Isla's music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.

Sammy and Jon sit down with Ellensburg Native Coleman Sparling, for a great interview diving into his career in basketball. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eric-sorensen/message

We are joined by the hilarious GF of the Show, Justina Sparling! Justina joins Jason today, but this time for an interview! She talks with Jason about growing up in Texas and doing church plays, performing when she was a teen, why Who's Line Is It Anyway is just about her favorite thing, how she got into improv...and how she recently got out of improv. It's an interesting discussion about taking a comedy break when it doesn't feel right or fun anymore. Twitter: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrJokes Instagram: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics Facebook: @ThereItIsPod Subscribe to our comedy newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/e22defd4dee2/thereitis

How did an English song of love and loss vanish completely, only to pop up in a remote part of the Appalachian mountains as one of their many "love songs"? In tracing its story we come across the colourful characters who played a part in bringing it to the wider world. We cross the water in the cramped steerage quarters of a transatlantic sailing ship, and fly back over the ocean on the wings of a little bird to find an older song that may have been its source. MusicThe first verse of Pretty Saro is based on a version collected in North Carolina by Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles.The mountain dulcimer version was kindly recorded for this podcast by Chris Nelson, you can hear Chris being interviewed on the podcast here.I've based the singing of Pretty Sarah (1911) collected by John Lomax on the singing of Cas Wallin, recorded in 1982 for the Alan Lomax archive.The Streams of Bunclody (first verse only) is the more well known tune, recorded by Luke Kelly and by Emmet Spiceland.The tune introducing Patrick Kennedy is The Boys of Wexford.The full version of The Streams of Bunclody, embedded into The Banks of the Boro is based on a version recorded by the Wexford traditional singer Aileen Lambert. I'm a big fan, and her version is as far away as possible from being "a maudlin lay"!ReferencesAn account of Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles' travels in the Appelachians, including extracts from Sharp's journal, can be found here: https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/sharp.htm From: Cohane, Mary Ellen, and Kenneth S. Goldstein. “Folksongs and the Ethnography of Singing in Patrick Kennedy's The Banks of the Boro.” The Journal of American Folklore 109, no. 434 (1996): 425–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/541184.Maud Karpeles' own account of her visit to the Appalachians in 1950: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4521358Maud Karpeles' journals from her visit to Appalachia 1950: https://www.vwml.org/archives-catalogue/MK Some Ballads of North Carolina, by John Lomax: https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lomax/lomax.html A copy of The Banks of the Boro by Patrick Kennedy can be found here: https://archive.org/details/banksboroachron01kenngoogThe Maid of Bunclody http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/search/?query=+2806+b.9%28206%29The Streams of Bunclody in Halliday Sparling's Irish Minstrelsy. Irish minstrelsy. Being a selection of Irish songs, lyrics, and ballads : Sparling, H. Halliday (Henry Halliday) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Bundclody on the Mainly Norfolk website. https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/themaidfrombunclody.htmlAcknowledgementsHuge thanks to my family for putting up with my endless research and singing over Christmas and New Year, especially Steven Shaw who has the patience of a saint.Thank you as always to Maddy and Rose-Ellen at Stones Barn, who helped me to find my voice again. 

NRS/CRPS/ORPS competitor Grant Sparling joins the podcast to talk about shooting the PRS Rimfire Regional and Finale matches in the US.  We chat about the differences and similarities.   Tune in to hear his perspective and experience.The Rimfire Nation Podcast is proudly presented by Tesro.ca

In this episode, Brian Sparling talks to Nick Day about the payroll innovations, payroll technologies and payroll trends that are having the greatest global impacts on the world of payroll today, including OnDemand Pay.

In this episode, Brian Sparling talks to Nick Day about the payroll innovations, payroll technologies and payroll trends that are having the greatest global impacts on the world of payroll today, including OnDemand Pay.

On this episode of Why Watch That:Our reviews (so far) at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, including:Petite MamanFollowing a girl's journey to her mother's childhood home, French auteur Céline Sciamma's latest is a tender tale of intergenerational connection.Céline Sciamma's TIFF '19 selection Portrait of a Lady on Fire garnered international acclaim for its sumptuous rendering of queer female desire and the overwhelming power of both truly looking and truly being seen. Sciamma's follow-up brings the writer-director's exquisite craft and acute insights into longing to bear on a tale of childhood grief and wonder.After her grandmother dies, Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) is taken to her mother's childhood home. While her parents go about cleaning out the house, Nelly explores the surrounding woods. She encounters Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), a girl exactly Nelly's age and to whom she bears a striking resemblance. The pair become fast friends, constructing a hut together, sharing lunches, and talking over the life transitions both are in the midst of. (Marion is only days away from going to hospital for an operation.) Incrementally, the girls' eerie similarities yield revelations that merge events of the past with those of the present.Working once again with cinematographer Claire Mathon and production designer Lionel Brison, Sciamma gently ushers us into a series of hushed, crepuscular spaces where the spectral meets the everyday and time seems to fold in on itself. Drawing lovely, subtle performances from her young stars, Sciamma allows us to see the world through Nelly and Marion's eyes. The result is a film of tremendous tenderness and sombre beauty that, like all of Sciamma's films, celebrates the spectrum of feminine connection. -DIANA SANCHEZSPECIAL PRESENTATIONSFrance, 2021French70 minutesDirectorCéline SciammaCastJoséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne, Margo AbascalScreenplayCéline SciammaMothering SundayOlivia Colman and Colin Firth star in this deeply affecting adaptation of Graham Swift's bittersweet novel about secret love in post-WWI England.Featuring captivating performances from up-and-coming talents Odessa Young (TIFF '18's Assassination Nation) and Josh O'Connor (The Crown), and Oscar-winning veterans Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, and Glenda Jackson, this exquisite adaptation of Booker Prize–winning author Graham Swift's eponymous novella transports us to Britain's inter-war years for a story of grief, responsibility, and hidden love.Jane (Young) works as a maid for the Nivens (Colman and Firth), an aging home counties couple who, like so many other families, lost their sons on the battlefields of the First World War. Jane is having a secret affair with Paul (O'Connor), son of the Nivens' neighbours, the Sheringhams. Paul is the only member of his peer group to return from the front, a status that has left him with a powerful dose of survivor's guilt and a weighty sense of duty to his family, who expects him to pursue a legal career and marry a woman of his station — which is to say, not the likes of Jane.On Mothering Sunday, her day off, Jane trysts with Paul at his house while his parents are away. There is a sense of quiet idyll to their stolen hours of lovemaking and Jane's gentle exploration of this world of wealth and prestige. Yet a double shadow hangs over this precious day, arising from the horrors of the recent past and the disappointments and sacrifices looming in the pair's future.Scripted by Alice Birch (TIFF '16 world premiere Lady Macbeth) and directed by Eva Husson (TIFF '18's Girls of the Sun), Mothering Sunday draws us into Jane and Paul's rendezvous, vividly evoking both its sensuous peaks and sobering undercurrents before zooming ahead into a future time when all this can be placed in perspective. -DIANA SANCHEZSPECIAL PRESENTATIONSUnited Kingdom, 2021English104 minutesDirectorEva HussonCastOdessa Young, Josh O'Connor, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Glenda Jackson, Patsy Ferran, Emma D'ArcyScreenplayAlice BirchThe StarlingMelissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd and Kevin Kline star in Theodore Melfi's bittersweet tale of a couple working their way toward the other side of grief.Melissa McCarthy has long proved she can play both wild comedy and heartbreaking drama. Working again with her St. Vincent director Theodore Melfi and buoyed by a superb supporting cast, she soars in a complex role that draws upon her impeccable timing and emotional instincts.Lilly (McCarthy) is always the one who holds it together when things go south for her family. A year has passed since she and her husband Jack (Chris O'Dowd) lost their infant daughter. Grief got the better of Jack, who's now recovering in a psychiatric clinic. Lilly holds down her job at the grocery store, keeps up the family's expansive rural property, and faithfully makes the weekly two-hour journey to visit her husband.Concerned that Lilly isn't tending to her own grieving process, a counsellor at Jack's clinic suggests that she see a local therapist, Larry (Kevin Kline, also appearing in Festival selection The Good House). The counsellor neglects to mention that Larry long ago gave up psychology to become a veterinarian — a practice that will prove germane when a dive-bombing starling begins wreaking havoc in Lilly's garden.The intricacies of Matt Harris's sensitive, canny screenplay allow us to observe the ways that every act of love — whether toward a spouse, a client, or an insistent bird — requires both generosity and boundary setting. Lilly can't bear the notion of being a quitter, but without some self-care, all her efforts to care for others could come to naught.Helmed with rich insight into the healing process by Melfi (Academy Award– nominated for Hidden Figures), The Starling lights upon a rare balance of levity and gravity, mischief and tenderness. -CAMERON BAILEYSPECIAL PRESENTATIONSUnited States of America, 2021English103 minutesDirectorTheodore MelfiCastMelissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Timothy Olyphant, Skyler Gisondo, Daveed Diggs, Laura Harrier, Rosalind Chao, Loretta Devine, Kevin KlineScreenplayMatt HarrisPublicistNetflixThe Electrical Life of Louis Wain An eccentric artist (Benedict Cumberbatch) introduces Victorian London to the delights of cats, in Will Sharpe's enlightening biopic.From Ancient Egypt to TikTok, cats have accompanied humans on life's journey. But who made the creatures cute? The Electrical Life of Louis Wain tells the story of the Victorian-era artist whose widely published drawings of anthropomorphized cats transformed them from mysterious to irresistible. In a dazzling, career-best performance, Benedict Cumberbatch plays one of Britain's most influential eccentrics as a flurry of wild ideas and prodigious artistic output.Louis Wain (Cumberbatch, also at the Festival in The Power of the Dog) brims with creativity, even as his life in the 1880s oscillates between the delightful and the dizzying. To support his widowed mother and five younger sisters, the academy-trained artist sells drawings of animals from the country fair. His skilled and speedy portraiture impresses, but his often stormy view of the world and those in it keeps him from engaging much with society. That is, until he hires a kind, curious governess for his youngest sisters, Emily Richardson (Claire Foy), who illuminates his life in a way even he'd never imagined. Love blooms across the class divide — albeit to the chagrin of Louis's stern sister Caroline (Andrea Riseborough), second oldest and second in command.Writer-director Will Sharpe (television's Flowers, whose co-star Olivia Colman narrates here) uses dynamic visual technique and colourfully shifting mood to convey Louis's complicated mind, fickle wealth, momentous love, and consuming grief. Cumberbatch's transcendent performance stands at the centre of an impressive cast that includes Toby Jones and Adeel Akhtar (also at the Festival in Ali & Ava). Alive with imagination in every scene, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain shows just how we came to live in a cat's world. Meow. -DESCRIPTION COURTESY OF TIFFGALA PRESENTATIONSUnited Kingdom, 2021English111 minutesDirectorWill SharpeCastBenedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby JonesScreenplaySimon Stephenson, Will SharpePublicistAmazon StudiosAll My Puny SorrowsMichael McGowan's touching adaptation of Miriam Toews' beloved novel about two sisters boasts a fine cast led by Alison Pill and Sarah Gadon.Michael McGowan's moving adaptation of Miriam Toews' beloved novel All My Puny Sorrows is propelled by nuanced direction, an affecting script, and a truly stellar, fearless cast. The story revolves around the women of the Von Riesen clan: writer Yoli (Alison Pill), who's tormented by self-doubt and is going through a tough, protracted divorce; her sister Elf (Sarah Gadon), a well-known concert pianist whose bouts with depression threaten to consume her; their steadfast mother Lottie (Mare Winningham); their no-nonsense aunt Tina (Mimi Kuzyk); and Yoli's precocious daughter Nora (Amybeth McNulty).The family are no strangers to sorrow. They left the Mennonite community after their patriarch (Donal Logue) unexpectedly killed himself. (It's not said explicitly, but the film suggests his church played a key role in his decision.) How the Von Riesens, especially Yoli and Elf, confront — and fail to confront — tragedy and trauma is the central focus of the film. The sisters' wisecracking banter and acute awareness of each other's foibles indicates a profound love and mutual dependency, but as Yoli struggles to understand Elf and protect her from her demons, the women's fundamental differences come to the fore.Oscillating powerfully between extremes of joy and sadness, All My Puny Sorrows is also one of the most erudite, literary films you will see this year. Much of the close relationship between Yoli and Elf is based on their love of books (stretching from Philip Larkin to D.H. Lawrence), reflecting their intellectual curiosity and capacity for life — which only makes the film all the more heartbreaking, and its ultimate embrace of life so touching. -STEVE GRAVESTOCKSPECIAL PRESENTATIONSCanada, 2021English103 minutesDirectorMichael McGowanCastAlison Pill, Sarah Gadon, Mare Winningham, Amybeth McNulty, Donal LogueScreenplayMichael McGowanEncounterA decorated Marine (Riz Ahmed) goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an inhuman threat, in the latest from director Michael Pearce.Suspenseful, wildly imaginative, and eerily resonant, British director Michael Pearce's follow-up to his TIFF '17 Platform competitor Beast catapults us into a world where every encounter could lead to peril. Featuring an adrenalized lead performance from Riz Ahmed, this is a thriller for the age of cultural division and seemingly endless existential threat.A decorated marine, Malik Khan (Ahmed) is trained to identify risk. But what if the risk appears totally ordinary? Malik sees bugs. Evil bugs. Alien bugs that seem to be seizing control of people, one after another. Malik can't convince the world to sound the alarm, but he can at least protect his two young sons from global parasitic invasion — which might involve kidnapping them from the home of Malik's estranged wife.Written with Joe Barton (TIFF '17 world premiere The Ritual), Pearce's leap into large-scale filmmaking, with its nod to genre classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, brilliantly fuses dazzling spectacle with character-driven drama. Encounter's visuals are by turns gorgeous and shocking. Its atmosphere of American heartland creepiness is both familiar and unnerving.Yet the film ultimately rests on its performances. Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is masterful in a supporting role that prompts us to reconsider everything we've seen, while Ahmed cements his reputation as one of the most compelling actors working today. Whether playfully joshing with his boys, confronting far-right extremists, or defending himself against a human-insect hybrid, Ahmed imbues Malik's every gesture with magnetism and mystery, leading up to a showdown that blurs the cosmic with the cognitive. -CAMERON BAILEYSPECIAL PRESENTATIONSUnited Kingdom, United States of America, 2021English108 minutesDirectorMichael PearceCastRiz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Rory CochraneScreenplayJoe Barton, Michael PearcePublicistAmazon StudiosThe GuiltyJake Gyllenhaal stars in Antoine Fuqua's thriller set over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch centre.Versatile action auteur Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, screening at the Festival as part of TIFF Rewind) reunites with his Southpaw star Jake Gyllenhaal in this riveting film about an emergency responder's desperate race to save a distressed caller. Unfolding in real time within the confines of a frenetic 911 dispatch centre, Fuqua's The Guilty delivers on its high-concept premise, channelled through another powerhouse performance from Gyllenhaal.As a wildfire rages towards Los Angeles, embittered police officer Joe Bayler (Gyllenhaal) winds down a chaotic but tedious shift answering emergency calls — a punitive demotion he received ahead of an imminent disciplinary hearing. His ennui is soon interrupted by a cryptic call from a woman (Riley Keough) who appears to be attempting to call her child, but is in fact discreetly reporting her own abduction. Working with the meagre clues she is able to provide, Joe throws all his skill and intuition towards ensuring her safety, but as the severity of the crime comes to light, Joe's own psychological state begins to fray and he is forced to reconcile with demons of his own.Every tense moment plays out on Gyllenhaal's face, as he spars with a dynamic ensemble of voices in his headset, including those of Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, and Paul Dano. Building off a script from True Detective creator-writer Nic Pizzolatto, Fuqua and cinematographer Maz Makhani crosscut the white-knuckle drama with a montage of monitors broadcasting the apocalyptic inferno outside; a surreal, but all too familiar reflection of our mad world. -CAMERON BAILEYSPECIAL PRESENTATIONSUnited States of America, 2021English90 minutesDirectorAntoine FuquaCastJake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Eli Goree, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, David Castañeda, Paul Dano, Peter SarsgaardScreenplayNic PizzolattoPublicistNetflixLakewood​​Naomi Watts stars in Phillip Noyce's nerve-rattling thriller about a mother struggling to rescue her son from a school shooter.Amy Carr (Naomi Watts) is out for what should have been a restorative morning run when a friend calls with terrifying news: the local high school attended by Noah, her teenage son, has been besieged by an active shooter. Deep within a network of forest paths surrounding her home, miles from town and nearly overwhelmed by panic, Amy refuses to succumb to hopelessness. With her smartphone as her sole means of intervention, she will draw upon every resource she can think of to ensure that her son survives the attack.Helmed by veteran director Phillip Noyce (Rabbit-Proof Fence, Dead Calm) and written by Chris Sparling, Lakewood plunges us headlong into a desperate scenario unfolding in real time. The film echoes Sparling's acclaimed screenplay for Buried, a selection at TIFF 2010, in the sense that most of it unfolds as a one-person show, with Amy navigating the situation remotely. Yet Noyce's film also functions as a tribute to the power of a community working together in the face of calamity, as Amy enlists the assistance of an auto-body shop manager, a 911 operator, a rideshare driver, and one of her co-workers at the Marion County Division of Taxation to help her take matters into her own hands.It is rare to encounter a thriller like Lakewood, at once high-concept and heartfelt, exhilarating and poignant. It is also a showcase for Watts, who masterfully conveys a captivating fusion of impromptu heroism and maternal devotion. -DESCRIPTION COURTESY OF TIFFGALA PRESENTATIONSCanada, 2021English84 minutesDirectorPhillip NoyceCastNaomi WattsScreenplayChris Sparling See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's always way fun to have a guest who is also a fan of the show. This week's guest is definitely a member of the tribe. We chatted up pre-interview about some of his favorite IFH podcast episodes like Ed Burns and Joe Carnahan and I knew front hen on we were on for a treat. My guest today is award-winning writer, director, and producer, Chris Sparling.Chris has written some of Hollywood's most original and fascinating screenplays like Buried, Greenland, Mercy, Down A Dark Hall, Reincarnate (featuring Leonardo DiCaprio), The Sea of Trees with Matthew McConaughey, etc.One of his latest films, Greenland, which premiered in 2020 started streaming on Amazon prime this February.The disaster thriller film starring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin follows a family who must fight for survival as planet-destroying comet races to Earth. Butler's family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster as the planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary.Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet's fragments, the Garrity's experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.With its reception and regardless of the COVID 19 Pandemic, the film grossed $52.3 million at the Box Office and was announced that the sequel, Greenland: Migration is already in the works. The continuation of the story will center around the Garritys' journey across a frozen European wasteland to find a new home. STX has already acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the film at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival for the sequel with a $65 million budget.Chris's path to becoming a renowned Hollywood blockbuster writer begun on the actor's path. He was inspired to take up writing after the 1997 hit psychological drama film, Goodwill Hunting which was directed by Gus Van Sant and starred Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and others.He left Los Angeles on a home (Rhodes Island) bound to recalibrate and focus on completing college and writing because it was a challenge juggling that and acting auditions. After completing college, Sparling returned to Los Angeles. With no connections or leads, he returned to Rhodes Island with the plan to make a movie of one of the many scripts he had written by then. Though he had no formal film production experience at this point, Sparling wrote, directed, and produced An Uzi at the Alamo which is about a young writer in search of his identity, pledges to his dysfunctional family that he will commit suicide on his 25th birthday. As the fateful day approaches, he stumbles upon love and a new sense of self. Fearing family humiliation if he backs out of his pledge, he prepares for his last birthday with the feigned support of his family.Of course, the film did not do well, but this is when things became interesting for Chris's writing career. He dusted up and sent out about one hundred specs to studios, managers, producers, literally anyone he could contact. He received back, only three responses and one of which was from a manager who became his manager and still is till this day. That was his first open door.When I saw the trailer for Chris's 2010 film, Buried, and the success of it, as an independent filmmaker, I was in awe and slightly jealous of how easy (cost, and production-wise), revolutionary the film is. Buried is a brilliantly twisted suspense and original screenplay that is a nightmare for claustrophobes. Sparling found mainstream success when his feature-length screenplay Buried was purchased by producer Peter Safran starring Ryan Reynolds.Ryan plays Paul, an Iraq-based American civilian truck drive. After an attack by a group of Iraqis, he Wakes up groggy in pitch darkness, to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter, flask, flashlight, knife, glowsticks, pen, pencil, and a mobile phone.It's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. He is left to rely on his cell phone to contact the outside world. But the outside world proves not to be very helpful at finding a man buried in a box in the middle of the Iraqi desert. Paul must rely on his best resource--himself.The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was sold to Lionsgate Films. Buried was shown at several major European and North American film festivals. It was nominated for and won a plethora of European films awards because it was produced in Barcelona by Barcelona-based Versus Entertainment, in association with The Safran Company and Dark Trick Films.Some of the awards included the Goya Award, for Best Original Screenplay, a Gaudi Award in the same category, and the best European feature film of the year award at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival in September 2010. This $2 million budget indie film made a gross splash of $21.3 million worldwide. Sparling had an immediate success from Buried; between the script going out in March of 2009 and the movie premiering at Sundance in 2010, and he suddenly needed an agent, an attorney, and everything legit in between. Intrusion, Sparling's latest film will be streaming on Netflix in just one week (September 22, 2021), starring Freida Pinto and Logan Marshall-Green. It is about a husband and wife who move to a small town. A deadly home invasion leaves the wife traumatized and suspicious that those around her might not be who they seem. Even though it was self-defense, it was still a homicide. However, it turns out that the home invasion was not a one-off, and there are many other missing person cases in which the invaders may be involved. Meera falls into a rabbit hole as she takes it upon herself to find out the truth.Enjoy my entertaining conversation with Chris Sparling.

My Guests today are Lewis, Caitlin, and Angie Sparling as we discuss the story of father and Husband Stewart Sparling and The Treble One Trust The Treble One Trust was named after the collar number of MND suffer, Police Sergeant Stewart Sparling and represents One life, One chance to live it, One day at a time. The charity was formed by Stewart as there is little or no funding for specialist equipment to help sufferers in the latter stages of the disease.Whilst Stewart appreciated the help he received from professional organizations, full funding for equipment was not always awarded. Stewart experienced the positive effect this specialist equipment had on his quality of life and in turn, his mission in life became helping others with MND before the disease eventually took his life.The trust is ran by volunteers and 100% of all profits go back into the trust and then on to improving the life of late stage MND sufferers.Get notified of each episode as soon as they come out by clicking HEREFollow the podcast onFacebook&InstagramA big thanks to the support of our partners for being part of the FFP familyWilliam Wood WatchesBlue Light CardIf you have taken value from any of our episodes and would like to support the future growth of The Firefighters Podcast then you can do so by clicking HEREYou can learn more about and donate to The Treble One Trust by clicking HERE

For over 20 years, Vickie Winkler has served HEART as its Founder and Executive Director. In 2020, she strongly felt God's leading to begin a process of transition to find her replacement in 2021. In this podcast, Vickie invites Pastor Phil Sparling, who serves as both HEART's U.S. Board Chairman and Vickie's personal pastor from Auburn, CA. Sparling was invited by Vickie to visit Kenya and spend time with the Kenyan staff to help them prepare and navigate through a huge change that will take HEART from a founder-lead ministry to a board-lead ministry. Sparling's topic, “HEART Ministry in the Midst of Unprecedented Times,” is a conversation that includes many personal reflections, as well as clips from Pastor Phil's transition training workshop at HEART Lodge in Nairobi in April 2021. In his experience with previous boards, Sparling has helped provide leadership to various ministry transitions over the years. He brings a wealth of knowledge and sees transition significantly influenced by dynamics of individual commitment to Leadership, Mission, and Benefits, or some variation of all three. Good listening with lots of wisdom to impart! https://africaheart.com/

Jamie's a Canadian from Calgary who worked his butt off to chase the pro cycling dream. He made it to Europe and raced professionally there but with the option to do another year he decided the life wasn't for him and walked away from pro cycling to return to Squamish, BC where we both call home. Now, when it's pouring rain, 2 degrees out and we're both looking out the window, I'm dreading a 6 hour day training on the bike, soaked and freezing in the valley while Jamie is licking his chops, getting the tire chains on the Tacoma to head higher up the mountain where we both know it's nuking fresh powder. We both live for the epic days. The days that start before sunrise and finish with a headlamp. When you're totally buckled and just dying to get back to the trail head, fall into your car and B-Line to the local watering hole for Beers and Burritos. In any proper mountain town (not the rich touristy ski towns), as long as you're dressed to show you just had an epic one out in the mountains, locals excuse the smell and as you drink and feed from the fountain of youth, the stories start flowing. Here's some of those stories. To follow myself and more content go to jackburkecycling.com or follow me on Instagram jackflash66

Forensic Lunch! Live with Ryan Benson talking about Unfurl, Jessica Hyde and Aaron Sparling talking about Memory forensics

Former missionary, Phillies chaplain and founder of Torch FC (previously The Bux-Mont Torch) Rich Sparling joins the program in-studio. Sparling shares about this coming Saturday's tryouts (comprised primarily of college-age students as well as select high school and premier level players) and the ministry overall--at its core, sharing the gospel through sports. Details on the ministry (including providing a host home from mid-May through early July to players joining the team from out of town) available at www.torchsportsministry.org. Several highlights from recent interviews with authors Eric Thurman (Thrive In Retirement), Gil Mertz (Forgive Your Way To Freedom), and Sarah C. Williams (Fully Human: Nine Months With Cerian) were re-aired in conjunction with giveaways of each author's book.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.