Podcasts about Staffing

It's Thanksgiving Weekend, usually interpreted as a bountiful time of year when we can all sit back and be thankful. But can many who work for the National Park Service feel thankful in the wake of the staff reductions this year?  This year has been hard on the Park Service, what with the loss of roughly a quarter of the full-time workforce and questions around how the agency has long interpreted history.    But the Park Service has long struggled with its operations. Funding and staffing never seem to have met the needs of the Park Service to manage its far-flung collection of more than 400 units. We're going to explore the funding and staffing issue of the agency today with John Garder, the senior director of budget and appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association. 

I'm Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I've spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses.In this episode, I break down a problem I see all the time in our industry: identity drift. When your purpose, priorities, and daily practices stop lining up, the entire business starts to wobble. I walk through the identity compass and show how it helps you get centered again so you can make decisions that actually move the restaurant forward. If you feel pulled in a hundred directions or unsure why your growth has stalled, this conversation will help you refocus on what matters and clear out the noise holding you back.  TakeawaysYour purpose isn't a tagline. It's a compass for every decision.Priorities reveal your real beliefs; budgets and calendars are your true mission statements.What you invest in is what you believe.The real mission statements are lived through repetition.Burnout isn't caused by effort, it's caused by confusion.Alignment gives your effort direction.Start by writing your restaurant's one line purpose.Audit your spending to match your purpose.Add a branch head question for pre-shift lineups.Eliminate one tactic that isn't serving your compass.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Full Comp and AI Toolkit01:55 Understanding Identity Drift in Restaurants05:45 The Identity Compass: Purpose, Priority, and Practice07:34 Practical Steps for Realignment and ImprovementIf you've got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at josh@joshkopel.com and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.

When life forces you to start over, most people freeze.Drew Lutzke built a business. In this powerful episode of The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex, Drew (@andrew_adltalentplug) breaks down how he went from sitting in his mom's garage—unsure of his future—to launching ADL Search & Staffing, a faith-driven recruiting agency now expanding across major U.S. cities. Drew shares how he:

The History  I started my shopify store around the 10th December 2023 after a viral video on TikTok on December 8th. So I integrated with Bookvault and stayed with POD shipping until February 2025. Since February 2025, I've been distributing and fulfilling all orders from my website in my own warehouse. These are the lessons I've learned from the last ten months of running my own website sales and distribution. And yes, I will talk numbers, but I'm making you wait till the end! Please note, I will talk about finances, systems and the occasional legal thing. Absolutely nothing I say is financial, legal or tax advice. You must seek advice from professionals in your own countries and tax territories. I recognise that this model is not for 99% of authors. It's a LOT of work. It's a lot of logistics, a lot of peopling, team building, paperwork and problem solving. This is as far removed from sitting behind a desk and writing 24/7 as you can get.  Do not listen to this with an open heart. Be skeptical, that will keep you on the right track for creating a business you love. But know that I do love this and I am framing these lessons learned from that perspective. Why Direct? I'd always had a transactional website for Sacha Black work but it barely did £20 a month. So I knew the work I was about to scramble to do for Ruby may be for nothing. But I didn't want to be beholden to TikTok the way I'd been beholdened to other sources of income and I knew if I'd gone viral once, I could do it again and that would lead to relying on TikTok. What do I mean why? Two reasons: why should you as an author have a direct store but also why should readers come to you? For you, you can earn more per sale. POD companies integrating with shopify automatically give you more as there are no hidden fees. But when you shift to print runs you more than half the cost of printing each book. Of course you also give yourself a host of other problems like fulfillment and overheads, but you gain a lot more product flexibility and potential meaning you have the opportunity to make bigger profit. BUT and this is a big but, you have to work out what you want your business to look like. That said, there are consequences. I usually write and publish 3 books a year and this year I've dropped to 2 published. Though I will have written a 3rd and a short story by the end of the year. But I wasn't able to get that third one published. Despite that, this is going to be my biggest year ever for income. It already beat last year in 7 months. Which goes to show that you don't have to be rapid releasing anymore to make good money. The fact I've not published three, is a direct consequence of the warehouse and also the increasing team size and the need to train staff. Thankfully due to the Kickstarter, some rights deals an big increase in direct sales of products and merch, I haven't seen a dip in income. Which goes to show that you don't have to be rapid releasing anymore to make good money. There are other benefits like reader loyalty because you're treating them better, you are able to provide higher quality books and with extra goodies and sign all the books for example. And that's really the heart of the mindset shift you need to have and how you should frame thinking about a direct store. Why should a reader bother coming to you when they can get next day shipping for free on Amazon? Can you answer that before you set up your store? For me this looks like three promises: Every book that leaves the warehouse is handsigned by me (I do this in batches and sign for 4-5 hours and get several thousand books signed in one go so it doesn't disturb writing time.) They get extra bonuses for ordering directly like stickers, bookmarks and character art. Last, if they preorder a book in any format I have for sale on the website, it will get shipped BEFORE the public release date. We aim for delivery a couple of weeks prior but it depends on print runs and me hitting deadlines. Things to consider before leaving POD direct and moving to self fulfillment: Where are you going to stock your books? Do you have local warehousing facilities or somewhere you own you can use? Stock requires more space than you think. Because it's not just books you need space for, it's packaging, and space for parcels before collection and space for a computer and printer etc. What is your cash flow like? Do you have the capital that you can risk losing to spend on investing in this? Thanks to great advice from one of my closest author pals, I didn't buy shipping containers for conversion to put on family land which was a circa 40k investment. Instead I rented a warehouse so that I was only risking the cost of one year's rent circa 9k and I'd also be able to up and leave and close everything down if it went wrong. What's your problem solving resiliency like? Solving problems, if it's not your bag, is relentlessly exhausting. Problems arise in all areas of this business, from shipping to label printing to packaging to import and export paperwork, to sourcing products, VAT, pricing, website, delivery issues. Etc. The list is long. Honestly? There's rarely a day without some kind of issue that needs resolving. How does that make you feel? Excited or horrified? Pay attention to those emotions. The only business you should be building is one that brings you joy. Last, is the reality that if you want to fulfill direct yourself you *will* need staff—if you want to continue to write that is. If you think about it, POD direct staff your website for you. They have teams packing the boxes, printing labels and shipping everything for you. So no matter which way you cut it, whether it's you organising staff or your printers, someone has to do the leg work. Mindset shifts eCommerce  Yes I'm an author, but running your own fulfillment from website sales means you also run an eCommerce business. And over and above that, I now run a physical product business because we have merchandise. Those combined make for a very, very different business structure and set of problems compared to the old school models of being an indie author. Traffic Direction First of all and most basic of all. I direct all traffic to my website without exception. My primary links on social media are my website. If people ask where they can buy my books, it's my website. If they say they can't then I'll direct them online to a more well known store.   Schedules are a bitch.  When you're writing in a solo business and uploading your books online, your schedule is essentially your own. When you then bring on a team, they are reliant on you delivering on time to make sure they can do their job. How does that make you feel? Knowing you *have* to deliver for someone else? For a long time I really hated being beholden to deadlines—probably a corporate spill over. But being responsible for a team and needing to deliver for them is very different. I adore my team, I love them and care about them and I *want* to deliver on time for them. This is a total re-framing for me. It's the right kind of pressure and responsibility attached to a deadline. Does that mean my creativity needs to show up on time? Sure, but I find this motivating because it's the right people around me. However, the first book post warehouse opening, we were all still learning and mistakes were made. I delivered one book late. That pushed everything and made a lot of the timelines difficult including getting the printed books delivered on time. For Architecti there were two main problems: a solid 20% of the order arrived damaged by rain. But we'd already sold almost all the initial print run so we couldn't spare 20% and thus didn't have enough stock to cover our preorders. So this caused a lot of anxiety. Under ordering stock is a terrifying prospect. As is over ordering because do you have enough space for it and what if you then don't sell it?  The second mistake was releasing a book without checking the diaries of the warehouse team who happened to be on holiday during the fulfillment process. Which in a bout of shit timing, my mum then got sick in the crucial week. Meaning I had to stop writing and fulfill 1000 preorders single handedly. It was grueling physically, mentally and emotionally doing it on my own. We're never having that cluster fuck again.  So we've produced a heat map style document with everyone's leave, delivery dates, deadlines for me, product ordering dates, prepping dates and fulfillment periods etc. This was an enormous lesson in logistics of both a warehouse and people. Exclusivity Kindle Unlimited works for a reason. It has books exclusive to Amazon, you literally cannot get them anywhere else. Meaning you're forced to get them there. If that worked for Amazon, you can bet you're arse it works for others.  So I stole the idea. I have four novellas /short stories that I publish exclusively on my website. Does that mean a huge risk for loss of visibility and potential sales? Absolutely. No rank, no visibility in the biggest algorithm machine in the world. But it is also one of the key sales tactics I've used to get readers over to me. And boy has it worked. I make sure it's content I know they'll want, I flash the extra books on my reels and videos and then the questions flood in — how do I get those books… Well I'll tell you…! Preorders Preorders are both a gift and a logistical nightmare. How to get them? We ran an enormous campaign for Architecti. Ending up with 1027 paperbacks, 323 hardbacks and 193 ebooks. For a total 1543 preorders on my website. Plus over 1000 ebooks on Amazon. So the total preorders were in excess of 2500 preorders. Firstly you have to ask why should readers preorder direct to you? As mentioned earlier we make three promises: Everything is signed They get extras and goodies including a Roe-Mantics popsocket, series sticker and bookmark and an art print. As well as a Ruby Roe reading tracking and reading order and some stickers. They get the books delivered early (ebook and physical) We promoted the shit out of these three facts and I do believe this is the reason we did so well. That, plus almost two years of pushing direct sales and building reader trust. I won't go into all the marketing we did as this is a podcast about the warehouse. But we pushed HARD. We made a couple of mistakes: We didn't order enough books. We ordered 1000 paperbacks and ended up having to do a second print run because we sold over 1000 and obviously knew we needed stock on hand for general sales — a good problem to have obviously. But if we had ordered a higher quantity from the start we would have had a better price per book and saved ourselves some money and increased profit. That's a tough lesson to learn as we're always having to balance cashflow. The second mistake was packaging. We pride ourselves on making sure the books arrive in pristine condition. The consequence of that is how long it takes to package. The primary damage a book can fall prey to is the rain, or being dropped. We were individually wrapping each book in foam or bubble wrap before putting them inside bookwraps with the goodies to ship. This took me almost two weeks to do for circa a thousand parcels. I spoke to my warehouse neighbour who is a book box subscription company and discovered that they ship 1000 parcels in a couple of days because they uses origami boxes with packing peanuts and a plastic exterior envelope bag for water protection. This results in them working at a significantly faster rate than us. And has led us to get boxes designed and we're in the process of ordering 10k boxes. Customer Communication Customer communication has been an absolute maelstrom. The more products we create, the more complex everything gets. Becca used to be primarily a scheduler for me. Now, she's moved to be a customer services manager. Major issues include: when they preorder a book and put a published book into the same order. This is a means we have to email them to let them know they have two options: either we refund and they order separately or they wait for both their books. This is a huge problem as there are a number of preorders live at any one time and thus a ton of customer communication needed. It has gotten better as we have educated our repeat customers, put messages and labels on the site. But it is an ever present problem. We have decided to commission a coder to write some code for shopify so that we can charge two lots of shipping and split ship. We've also had so many communications about the tariffs. This has been so difficult because we are not the ones charging but we are the first point of call. It is in large part due to the team being incredible that we got through this. Last, I still receive an email for every single order. So I do one additional thing. I make a point to keep an eye on when someone has ordered multiple times in short succession and then send them to the team to refund duplicate postage.  Protecting Writing Time This is so vital. And has been the hardest part of having a warehouse. I definitely feel like I lost 6 months of writing time. It's the reason I barely managed to get Architecti done, and the reason I didn't meet my primary goal of getting ahead of production this year. Staffing means interruptions. But more than that, having the discipline to put my phone on do not disturb or muting team chats while I write. Now that we're up to speed, refining processes and we have SOPs in place, I am finding it easier and easier to not go to the warehouse. We also stopped having the smaller deliveries sent to my house and instead they're going to my team's houses or direct to the warehouse. Regulations and Tariffs  With a physical product business there are so many more regulations and acronyms and pieces of law that you have to deal with. The level of bureaucracy is quite astonishing and has caused a number of headaches. These headaches are not the type of headaches that most authors would want to deal with. You have to choose the poison you want to drink and I genuinely recognise that 99% of authors would not want this headache. The other matter here is that the regulations have required a colossal amount of time spent on them. More time than we anticipated. Something new is always being thrown at us and usually things that we do not have knowledge on. So we're constantly in a state of adapting and learning. This is both wonderful and also a little gruelling.  As there's not many people doing this we don't have many options for checking we're on the right path, so having to trust ourselves that we've done the best we can with the knowledge we have. And also recognise that it's okay to not know everything. Logistics There's been a lot of logistic lessons learned too. Firstly, that shipping providers are a nightmare. They're massive organisations and that means corporate bureaucracy. Lots of being passed between departments and having to wait for responses. You're probably going to need additional app integrations some of which will cost. Just pay for the apps because it will make your life simpler. We have a DPD integration app that makes handling and managing preorders and labels considerably easier. Batch as much as you can: like signing books, preparing freebie packets, cutting foam and pre-building boxes. Batch packaging, in particular for preorders. For example, all the UK paperbacks then all the UK hardbacks etc. It's easier to do the same thing over and over and then task switch than it is to do it higgledy piggledy. Timelines  Understanding the timelines for launches has been quite the challenge. When you're a solo indie you are in charge of your own time. When you have a team, and other people do parts of the publishing process, you're no longer working on your own schedule. Combined with the fact that a huge percentage of my turnover comes from physical book sales. This means we have to do print runs. Instead of loading up to KDP or the POD services and knowing it will be live the next day or a few days later after a proof copy. Print runs take a couple of days to finalise the files (up to several months for international printers) and then 2-3 weeks to print and deliver to the warehouse for UK printers, and several weeks to months for international. We then have to unpack them and check the quality and then I have to sign them. I am pretty fast at signing now and choose to sign in long batches 4-5 hours at a time and usually manage 1-2000 books in that time. The other timelines that need to be considered are how long things take to pack. But I've already talked about that. But it is something that needs to be considered when planning preorder fulfillment. The more preorders we get, the more significant the time it takes, that or we need more people to help pack. The Money This is the bit everyone is interested. All costs are in GBP.  Set up costs for the warehouse were approximately £4-5000. This included the deposit, racking, furniture etc. In total, I've spent 100k on printing this year. However a significant portion of that was on the Kickstarter. So I don't count that in the costs for the warehouse. Those sit at £61,171. We are still holding a huge amount of stock in the warehouse so this spend should start to even out. In December 2023 I started the shop around 10th December, I made just shy of £1700 which I think was mostly due to the viral TikToks. In the month of May 2024 I broke £5000. November 2024 I broke 10k for the first time and in December 2024 I broke 15k. That was the month I knew I needed to take advantage of what I was building. I knew I wanted to do more for readers who were clearly willing to buy direct. In 2024, the website turned over £73.5k. I collected keys for the warehouse of January 31st. It took a couple of weeks to set the warehouse up and then we had print runs delivered around the 17th and started shipping on Feb 20th 2025. That was a £16k month, and the first time my Shopify sales beat my Amazon, only by a couple hundred pounds, but it still beat it. It wasn't lost on me that it was the first month I had taken control of distribution. April eclipsed Amazon at 29k and I've stayed between 15 and 29k a month since — Finally in November 2025, I surpassed 30k. As of 21st November we're standing at 222k for the year. I suspect we will end up with turnover somewhere between 230 and 250k for 2025.  Creating definitive turnover and net profit calculations are difficult. What I can tell you is that between the warehouse, staff for the warehouse, utilities and insurances I spend approximately 18-1900 a month (21-23k per year). Shipping varies between 500 and 1500 a week on average but on preorder weeks it can spike to 8k. The highest month for shipping was 11k. I suspect for the year it will be roughly 45-55k.  So for print costs, staffing, rent and shipping the total is approximately £133,971. I estimate 4-7k on other costs like packaging and freebies. So let's estimate £140k spend for £222k turnover. So I estimate approximately £82,000 in profit - to which I'll then have to pay tax. That's a 36% profit. Not as high as I'd like, but also it's year one and spend is always higher in year one because of set up. I expect that as we move into year two that will grow and my aim is to reach 45% but the ultimate goal will be 50% I'm not sure if this is possible but we will try. We have a lot of stock that we can sell without having to spend out anymore.  In terms of granular costs to give you an idea of profit on the detail level: The cost of each book is loosely £2.20 per paperback for which we charge £10.99 on average. We allow for £1 of that to cover packaging and freebies. Meaning £3.20 of costs. Though this doesn't include a % for warehouse overheads. I don't have any advertising costs. I have bought all customers in from my mailing list, TikTok and Instagram. On average my returning customer rate is 35%. However, in months where I set up a new product preorder, that rate shoots up. For November 2025 it's 56%. Similarly, my average conversion rate is 5.83% conversion rate. What's interesting is that in those early months my conversion rate was 3.18%. This month it's 8.53%. I think this increase is twofold. First, I have a high returning customer rate, this automatically increases the conversion rate as your customers want what you're providing. Second, I think my marketing has gotten better and better. We're providing more books, stories and products that my audience wants and we're also getting better at marketing to market. Cash Flow One of the best things I did was create multiple pots and accounts. For a long time I'd lived under the assumption you could only have one business bank account. That was bad advice from an accountant. I have since left them and now have an excellent accountant. I've also had lots of advice from a dear friend who knows far more about money and systems than me.  Cash flow can either sky rocket or cripple a business. And when you run a physical business the numbers you run with are so much higher that you can easily crush your company. One of my favourite tactics is to create mini pots and split money up. For every preorder we run I create a pot in my bank, like a mini bank and every week I put the amount earned for that preorder product into the pot. If the product requires a print run, I pay for it out of that pot. If we have to buy wholesale merch, I take it from that pot etc. I also set aside money for tax each month. I move both personal tax money and corporation tax money and set it aside in a high interest savings account. The biggest outflows for running a distribution warehouse are staffing, warehouse rent, shipping and print runs.  For Architecti specifically, we had to do two print runs because we under ordered books. Meaning I had to outflow huge amounts of money twice. The print runs totalled £11,630. Plus 11,000 in shipping fees for that month. If I didn't have the money set aside for this, it could easily have pushed me into debt. One of the main things I did to help prevent cashflow issues, is have dozens of pots inside my bank accounts.  Every week the team calculates the income for orders and shipping for each product we have on preorder (there are always usually 2 to 3) and then I transfer that money to individual pots. Meaning I save all the money from preorders right up until launch. I then take the money for the print runs from this pot and for the shipping. What's left is the profit which is taxable so I move the tax money into my tax pot and then keep the rest. This is the safest way I've found for managing cashflow and ensuring I don't spend money that needs to be saved for specific things. I also have an entirely separate account for my shopify. So all print runs are paid for out of the shopify account. All shipping payments go out of that account. All printing for freebies etc comes from that account. It becomes totally self managing and over time it increases. Then if I want to take out chunks of profit, I do and keep the account at 20k. This is the equivalent of the average monthly turnover for the shopify. So should cover all bills or worst case scenarios.  I also have a tax pot where I move money each month. My accountants have a report that generates each month and estimates my tax. I then place my tax in a high interest account and leave it to earn some money before I have to pay it. Next Steps Business infrastructure. I recently visited Author Nation – the Las Vegas conference that was once 20books. There are so many areas for growth and improvement and I realised that I have essentially brut forced my way to the position I'm in. Upsell app Integration with better email upsell marketing system Possibly advertising Branded packaging

It's not always the big decisions or key moments that make a difference. In fact, those moments are often set up by a series of incremental events. That's why Pulte Homes Minnesota Division President Jamie Tharp encourages her team to improve by 1% per day. In this download, Jamie shares her path to leadership with Kathy & Dardy, a journey that required grit, determination and strong belief in herself.Connect with Versique

SummaryIn this week's episode of Startup Junkies, host Daniel Koonce sits down with Tyler Flagg, founder and CEO of Flying Company, to discuss his mission to transform private aviation and put Bentonville, Arkansas, on the map as an emerging aviation tech hub.Tyler shares his unique journey from failed child actor to fourteen-year Air Force pilot and squadron commander, and ultimately, tech entrepreneur. After leaving the military, Tyler found himself managing a private business jet and was shocked at the pain points in finding and hiring contract pilots. The process, relying on Facebook posts, word-of-mouth, and reams of paperwork, was inefficient and outdated. Sensing a gap in the market, he created the Flying Company, a streamlined platform that connects pilots and operators, handles credentials, agreements and payments, and even helps operators and pilots save valuable time and money.The conversation dives into the realities of startup life, the surprising lack of digital innovation in aviation, and Tyler's long-term vision: a one-stop career and staffing system for pilots from student certification through retirement. He also touches on his hopes for Bentonville to grow into an aviation tech hub and the value of surrounding yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs.Show Notes(00:00) Introduction(05:10) Building a Marketplace for Aviation(09:54) Addressing Pilot Frustrations: Communication & Payment(14:57) Employing Quiet Professionalism over Ego(17:31) Making Bentonville an Aviation Hub(22:35) Next Steps: Aviation Career Progression Platform(27:31) Closing ThoughtsLinksDaniel KoonceStartup JunkieStartup Junkie YouTubeTyler FlaggFlying Company

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABEDon't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitabilityTransform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into one sleek, digital platform.Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!In this episode, Lucas Underwood and David Roman are joined by Jeremy Hoyle, leadership coach and veteran of the family entertainment industry. Jeremy shares his personal journey from frontline worker to senior executive, emphasizing the importance of investing in your own professional development. The conversation delves into EOS and business fundamentals, with practical advice on leveraging KPIs and accountability to drive growth.00:00 "Work Ethic and Ownership"05:23 Leadership & Business Coaching Journey10:44 "Dependability and Leadership Value"19:37 "Building Layers for Growth"23:39 "Improving Call Conversion Rates"31:02 "Leaders Need Accountability Systems"35:09 "Missed Conversations and Discipline"38:26 Teaching Accountability Through Standards45:05 "Mopping Mishaps and Frustrations"50:12 "Policing Standards and Staffing"56:50 Linchpins vs. Industrial-Era Education01:03:09 "Struggles of Running a Shop"01:03:49 "Sell the Shop"

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of. The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Grapevine Editor-In-Chief Bart Cameron, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: Too Few Physicians In North IcelandIt was reported before the weekend, that the Akureyri hospital in north of Iceland was hardly operational because too few physicians currently work there. Three doctors quit because they were overworked. The situation is also connected to how hospitals and health clinics have been staffed over the past decade or so, which is to hire doctors as  short term contractors, a practice which has turned out not to be strictly legal. Staffing generally is a problem in the Icelandic health care system, and the Reykjavík hospitals have been running in an emergency mode for over a year.Half of Municipalities In Iceland Without Policy Towards Disabled PeopleFifteen years ago, municipalities in Iceland took over responsibility for services to disabled people. Since then, only half of them have even taken up a policy regarding those services. This has in legalistic terms, not been a problem, but just recently Althingi ratified the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which in turn will make some of those lackluster policies regarding disabled persons, illegal.55% of Icelanders Want An Investigation Of The State's Special Prosecutor The office of Special Prosecutor, setup after the 2008 economic collapse, has had tumultuous moments, and now 55% of Icelanders want that particular office, to be investigated. This recalls some parliamentarians interest in investigating the investigation committee that wrote a report for Althingi in 2010, on the reasons for the economic collapse. Investigate the investigation is a perpetual motion machine, of sorts.CEO Of Beloved Hot Dog Stand Shares Questionable Videos On TikTokLocal news outlet Heimildin reported on Bæjarins Bestu CEO having reposted a TikTok video which defends the actions of one Adolf Hitler. The CEO in question said he did not remember reposting the video.North Korea Is A Prosperous Country According To One IcelanderLast week it saw a report on Icelander Kristinn Hannesson, who visited North Korea for the 80th anniversary of that country's communist party. The former socialist------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SHOW SUPPORTSupport the Grapevine's reporting by becoming a member of our High Five Club: https://steadyhq.com/en/rvkgrapevine/You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store: https://shop.grapevine.is------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine's goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland's most read English-language publication. You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it's not sponsored content.www.grapevine.is

Work–Life Integration, Conscious Leadership, and Values-Aligned Staffing are at the heart of this conversation with entrepreneur, Scott Britton. Scott shares how he went from Princeton, Forbes 30 Under 30, and a startup sold to Salesforce to realizing that no amount of achievement could fix the feeling of being reactive, stressed, and out of sync inside his own life. He talks about the moment he began treating his reactions as data instead of flaws, and how that simple shift helped him see the patterns driving his stress and decision-making. Scott walks through his “freedom log” practice that any conscious leader can start using immediately, the difference between emotions and long-running patterns, and how everyday triggers at work can become practical entry points for awareness instead of something to hide or power through. Work stops being separate from inner growth and starts to become one of the most honest places to see what is actually going on inside you. Scott also shares how this path led to his book Conscious Accomplishment and to Conscious Talent, a staffing company that connects talent with companies committed to both professional excellence and inner work. For founders and leaders who feel like they have “outgrown” the company they built, his story offers a grounded look at what it means to bring more of your inner life into how you hire, lead, and shape culture. In this conversation, you'll hear about: The point where external success stopped working for Scott and what he noticed next How he uses the “freedom log” to track triggers and unpack the stories underneath them Why work can be one of the most powerful places for real inner growth Practical ways to bring more authenticity into leadership without blowing up your culture overnight How Conscious Talent supports values-aligned staffing for leaders who care about both results and inner development   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 05:09 Scott Britton's Turning Point and Inner Shift 07:55 How Business Becomes a Spiritual Dojo 17:51 Emotional Awareness Tools for Leaders 18:45 Why Scott Created Conscious Talent 31:30 Values-Aligned Hiring and Modern Leadership   Links Connect with Scott Britton: Scott's book: Conscious Accomplishment Learn more about Scott's Projects: ConsciousTalent.com  https://linktr.ee/scottbritton    Connect with Sarah Lockwood: Visit HiveCast Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn   Connect with The Conscious Entrepreneur: Visit The Conscious Entrepreneur website  Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on LinkedIn Follow The Conscious Entrepreneur on Instagram  Subscribe to The Conscious Entrepreneur on YouTube HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm.  

In this episode, we sit down with returning guest Nick Sinclair, founder and chairman of TOA Global, one of the largest accounting outsourcing companies in the world. Nick shares the unlikely origin story of how a leadership trip to the Philippines revealed the talent  and scalability his own firm desperately needed. This inspired him to build what has now become a powerhouse with more than 4,500 team members serving over 1,100 firms worldwide. His personal “why” behind the business was shaped by watching his parents lose everything when he was young. This drives his mission to ensure more people get the financial advice they need by helping firms leverage the offshoring support they need to deliver high-touch service.Timestamps:00:37 – Introduction to Nick and his background02:46 – How TOA Global began04:10 – Early offshoring lessons and growing pains06:40 – The unexpected demand that revealed a real business07:43 – Nick's personal “why” and decision to scale globally09:12 – Why the Philippines has such strong accounting talent11:25 – Why every accounting firm needs a people plan13:30 – Industry capacity issues and long-term global staffing strategy15:07 – How offshoring perceptions have evolved16:19 – Quality challenges, cultural misunderstandings & outsourcing stigma18:00 – Outsourcing reveals internal firm weaknesses19:16 – Offshoring accelerates local careers20:00 – People are the product in accounting firms22:20 – Human connection as the profession's long-term differentiator23:02 – Why training and quicker competency paths matter25:06 – Building career plans and accelerating development27:39 – Challenges firm owners face when building global teams28:56 – Cultural nuances in leading global teams31:21 – Leadership, flexibility, and knowing your people32:30 – Nick's most memorable career moment34:23 – Book recommendation: Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell35:24 – Where to connect with Nick: LinkedIn Link to full listing: https://poegroupadvisors.com/practice/sc2038/ Firm Highlights:- Young, energetic owner committed to staying 10+ years to run and grow the firm.- Selling 70–100% equity, with plans to offer key employees an ownership stake.- 3+ CPAs on staff and over 20 employees.- High-net-worth clients with strong loyalty and consistent referrals.- 78% of services tied to business clients.

In this powerful conversation, Will and long-time friend Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos dive deep into the most critical challenges facing physical therapy private practice owners today: low reimbursement rates and the crippling staffing and recruitment crisis.Dr. Kostopoulos shares the origin story of HODS, revealing the "ultimatum letter" in 2002 that forced him to pivot from being an "effect" to a "cause" in his own business. The discussion highlights the unsustainable disparity in reimbursement between private practices and large hospital organizations, and how this directly fuels the current struggle for talent and profitability.What You'll Learn:The two major themes causing PT burnout and the industry's "massive exodus."Dr. Kostopoulos' powerful advocacy plan for the APTA to lobby for an exemption of the $$100,000$ H-1B visa fee for physical therapists to solve the immediate staffing shortage.The three ways any private practice can grow their bottom line, and why cutting expenses is the lowest-yield activity.Will's proven, high-yield solution to the staffing and time crisis: Virtual Assistants (VAs).Why Dr. Kostopoulos and his partner sold the physical therapy component of their organization to focus on diagnostic testing and industry education through HADS.A combined final takeaway: The importance of hope, action, and refusing to live in the "zone of maybe."This is an essential listen for any private practice owner looking for actionable strategies to improve profit, gain time, and secure the future of their practice.Send us a textVirtual Rockstars specialize in helping support or replace all non-clinical roles.Learn how a Virtual Rockstar can help scale your physical therapy practice.Subscribe here to our completely free Stress-Free PT Newsletter for your weekly dose of joy.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended last Wednesday, but many federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are still waiting to receive full backpay. The government shutdown left roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers without pay for 43 days, leading many to take on second jobs. Many say the shortages during the government shutdown only amplified current issues caused by a long-term staffing shortage. Lyle Clingman, a retired air traffic controller from Eugene, joins us to share more about the long-term staffing shortage as well as the repercussions air traffic controllers faced during the recent government shutdown.

Welcome to episode 305 of Grow Your Law Firm, hosted by Ken Hardison. On today's episode, Ken welcomes Raquel Gomes, Founder and CEO of Stafi, a virtual staffing company revolutionizing how law firms operate. With a background in psychology, corporate America, and technology, Raquel brings a unique perspective to leadership and sustainable growth. Her company was born from her own journey—balancing the demands of a high-powered career with motherhood and the desire for a more fulfilling life. Today, Stafi supports hundreds of law firms across the U.S., providing highly skilled virtual assistants, customized training, and hands-on coaching to help firms scale efficiently without sacrificing quality or well-being. What you'll learn about in this episode: Offshore Staffing for Growth - How virtual teams can cut labor costs and free up marketing budgets - Why effective delegation is key to scaling law firms sustainably Training and Support that Drive Results - Inside Stafi University's 800+ certifications tailored for PI firms - How coaching, KPIs, and emotional support enhance performance and retention Data Security and Confidentiality - How Stafi ensures compliance through advanced vetting, cybersecurity, and monitoring - Building trust with virtual teams through transparency and accountability The Role of AI in Staffing and Operations - Why AI won't replace humans—but will replace humans who don't use AI - How Stafi's coaches ensure proper adoption of firm tools and automation systems 24/7 Intake and the Future of Legal Operations - How Stafi Live helps firms close more leads through empathy-driven communication - Why offshore staffing and AI integration are essential to remain competitive in 2026     Resources: Email:  raquel@getstafi.com Website: getstafi.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raquel-gomesstafi/ Facebook: facebook.com/GetStafi Instagram: instagram.com/getstafi Additional Resources:    https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect https://www.pilmma.org/resources https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind AI for PI Expo:   www.pilmma.org/ai-for-pi-expo

Send us a textSome stories punch through the noise because they're real, a little rough, and full of heart. Adam Bilinski's path runs from a single mom's sacrifice and a grueling work ethic to a flagpole accident that nearly ended his chance to be a dad—then into the high-pressure world of New York tech hiring, where process and people beat buzzwords. Along the way, he learned what actually scales at home: respect for everyone, a clear standard for work, and an attitude that lifts the room without faking optimism.We dig into the moments that shaped him: summer jobs where five minutes late meant go home, the teacher who told him he belonged in New York after watching him negotiate for a busload of classmates, and the career breakthrough that came from obsessing over value rather than volume. Then we connect those lessons to fatherhood. Adam and his wife raise two very different sons with the same core rules—mutual respect, consistent effort, and financial literacy. When culture clashes with values, they choose values, even if it means changing schools.The emotional playbook is as practical as it is kind. Adam calls himself a realist with a good attitude, teaches his kids to notice who adds or drains energy, and lives by the saying " This too will pass." He swapped lectures for listening—do you want me to listen or solve?—and watched trust deepen. Professionally, he explains how Randstad Digital wins with delivery, talent, and repeatable processes, and why integrity outlasts shortcuts in a crowded market. If you're a parent, leader, or both, you'll walk away with simple habits that compound: respect everyone, choose your attitude, save first, serve others, and keep showing up.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more parents and leaders can find us. Your support helps these conversations reach the people who need them most.Support the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!

A spending deal to end the longest government shutdown also keeps some agencies funded through the end of the fiscal year. That includes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is still going through an agency reorganization. Lawmakers have included language that ensures the VA doesn't shed too many employees. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more insight. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it really take to grow a recruiting business to $300M, scale contract staffing revenue, and execute a profitable exit—while keeping your team together? In this high-impact episode of The Elite Recruiter Podcast, host Benjamin Mena sits down with industry veteran Jon Davis, who reveals the exact strategies that turned his firm into one of the most successful staffing organizations in the country. Whether you're running a solo desk or scaling an agency, this episode is your roadmap to recurring revenue, massive valuation, and building a business buyers fight to acquire.

The City of Milwaukee's sexual and reproductive health clinic at Keenan Health Center is temporarily closed due to staffing shortages.

In hour 2, the guys discuss Steelers HC Mike Tomlin answering questions about having concerns on the future of Aaron Rodgers, Bills HC Sean McDermott solidifying his belief behind OC Joe Brady + another edition of the Good, Bad & Ugly! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staffing Challenges and Political Bias: The Gaza Peace Plan and the BBC. Mary Kissel details the challenges facing the State Department and NSC in implementing the Trump administration's urgent Gaza Peace Plan, noting staffing issues are delaying coordination. The plan, featuring an apolitical "Board of Peace," seeks international legitimacy despite the UN's prejudice against Israel. Kissel expresses little surprise regarding the BBC scandal, viewing the deliberate distortion of the President's video remarks as appalling and emblematic of an "embedded bias" against conservatives that is deep and unfixable. 1959 GAZA

Staffing Challenges and Political Bias: The Gaza Peace Plan and the BBC. Mary Kissel details the challenges facing the State Department and NSC in implementing the Trump administration's urgent Gaza Peace Plan, noting staffing issues are delaying coordination. The plan, featuring an apolitical "Board of Peace," seeks international legitimacy despite the UN's prejudice against Israel. Kissel expresses little surprise regarding the BBC scandal, viewing the deliberate distortion of the President's video remarks as appalling and emblematic of an "embedded bias" against conservatives that is deep and unfixable. 1957 GAZA

Founded as Farmer's State Bank in the small town of Arnegard, North Dakota, First International Bank & Trust has grown to serve rural and urban communities across Arizona, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. In this episode, it's all about family as Kathy & Dardy welcome fourth generation family CEO Peter Stenehjem to share how his family has kept banking in their bloodline for over 115 years.Connect with Versique

In this English lesson, you will learn terms that you might see on the IELTS or TOEFL exam. Together, we will watch a news clip that uses some very advanced terms.✅ Speak Better English With Me https://brentspeak.as.me/ Use code Fall15 for 15% off. Click for bonus English: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/usbrent/subscribe

In this episode of Take the Stage, Brad Bialy sits down with Lia Taniguchi to unpack Bullhorn's 2025 Grid Talent Trends Report and explore how data, AI, and human connection are reshaping the candidate experience in staffing and recruiting. About the Guest Lia Taniguchi is the Senior Research Manager at Bullhorn, leading global market research that drives data-informed strategy for the staffing industry. With an MBA from Simmons College and a forthcoming MPH from Boston University, Lia brings a rare mix of analytical depth and human-centered insight to her work. Key Takeaways Only 26% of Gen Z candidates are actively using a recruiter—showing an urgent need for better engagement and support for younger talent. 54% of candidates stopped working with a recruiter due to slow or unclear communication, proving that speed and transparency are now table stakes. 88% of candidates rated their voice agent interview as as good as or better than speaking with a person, signaling growing comfort with AI-driven screening. Overall candidate satisfaction declined across every stage of the recruitment process in the past year, with speed and responsiveness dropping by 20%. Candidates want instant acknowledgment—most expect confirmation within minutes and status updates within one week, mirroring Amazon-style service expectations. Timestamps [00:45] – Introducing the Grid 2025 Talent Trends Report [03:20] – Why Gen Z is least satisfied with recruiters [06:30] – Setting higher expectations in a digital-native world [10:25] – The power of intergenerational mentorship in recruiting [13:40] – Can AI fix the application black hole? [17:10] – What candidates really mean by “speed and communication” [20:15] – Remembering the human impact behind every resume [24:00] – Using AI to give feedback to the “silver medalists” [28:15] – 88% of candidates rate voice agents as good as people [33:20] – Why candidate satisfaction is declining—and how to fix it [37:45] – Secret shopping your own candidate experience [46:20] – Specialization as the new superpower for staffing firms About the Host Brad Bialy is a trusted voice and highly sought-after speaker in the staffing and recruiting industry, known for helping firms grow through integrated marketing, sales, and recruiting strategies. With over 13 years at Haley Marketing and a proven track record guiding hundreds of firms, Brad brings deep expertise and a fresh, actionable perspective to every engagement. He's the host of Take the Stage and InSights, two of the staffing industry's leading podcasts with more than 200,000 downloads. Sponsors and Offers Heard Take the Stage is presented by Haley Marketing. The old way of selling staffing is dead. Let's fix it—with smarter strategies and HUGE DISCOUNTS on modern lead-gen tools: https://bit.ly/Bialy20 Book a 30-minute business and marketing consultation with host, Brad Bialy: https://bit.ly/Bialy30 For 30 years, Benefits in a Card has delivered benefit plans designed specifically for the staffing industry—over 140 unique options with immediate coverage, unique perks like FreeRx, and solutions that reduce turnover while improving ACA compliance. Give your workforce benefits they'll actually use and give your staffing firm a competitive edge. Learn more at https://www.BenefitsInACard.com

Finding staffing contracts in federal agencies is a processIt can seem overwhelming until you know the steps… here's mine. In this training, you'll learn:• How I identified almost 100 'staffing' contracts to pursue in FY2026• How I determine which are the best fit for me• What I do after identifying opportunities that look like a good fit.___________________________________

Nonprofits can absolutely finish the year strong—especially when they treat staffing as a strategic tool, not a scramble! In this energizing convo, Katie Warnock, founder and president of Staffing Boutique, maps out practical ways organizations can add capacity right when it matters most. Katie is plainspoken and solution-oriented: for major fundraising events, she recommends planning eight to nine months out and matching roles to real workload. “First of all, if you don't have an events director, get one. If that's not feasible, bring in a seasoned temp events director or an events manager to handle day-to-day logistics.” That approach keeps development leaders focused on relationships and revenue instead of table charts and coat checks!!Katie outlines flexible staffing ramps—lighter hours early, surging near event day, then tight close-out to ensure donations, acknowledgments, and data entry are flawless. She is equally direct on year-end donor support: bring in skilled database professionals familiar with your CRM to process gifts fast and accurately. Volunteers are wonderful, but gift integrity demands pros.Volunteer management gets a reality check. Holiday enthusiasm is great, but sustained help across the calendar—June, August, February—changes outcomes. Katie urges orgs to capture individual contacts from corporate volunteer days and cultivate them directly; today's 22–32 year-olds become tomorrow's major donors and often bring corporate dollars with them.Looking beyond December 31, Katie champions prep projects that set teams up for a calm, effective new year: digitizing archives, standardizing folders and calendars, and documenting processes. She even shares a personal productivity win: embracing AI to tame an overloaded inbox. “Embrace AI… it's here and it's making so many things so much easier.” Finally, she models healthy team norms—blocks of focused work, breaks for movement and sunlight, and clarity on priorities—so coverage feels near 24/7 without burning people out.Bottom line: think earlier, staff smarter, protect data, convert volunteers to champions, and set up systems now so January starts smooth. With the right mix of temps, consultants, and clear processes, your organization can thrive through year end and launch into the new year organized, energized, and ready to grow.Find us Live daily on YouTube!Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits! 12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Fire Dept. Continued – Navy in LF? Duffers Detroit Thin Crust? Bears 5-3? Pete, Jeff, Joe talk local pride, pizza, sports + city banter. Baker Tilly says "comparable" – but OT debate rages.

In this episode of The Distribution, host Brandon Sedloff sits down with Wade Madden, CEO of Olympus Property, for a deep dive into operational excellence and culture-driven leadership in multifamily real estate. Wade shares how his background in risk management and entrepreneurship shaped his disciplined yet people-first approach to scaling Olympus into one of the largest vertically integrated owner-operators in the country. He unpacks how being “operator first” translates into performance, why culture is a true driver of alpha, and how technology and AI are augmenting—not replacing—the human element that powers great property management. They discuss: • How Olympus scaled to 36,000 units and $9B in assets through a people-first operating model • The role of servant leadership and company culture in creating lasting operational alpha • Why bottom-up budgeting and direct feedback from property teams drive better performance • How Olympus integrates AI and technology to empower, not replace, on-site teams • Lessons from partnering with the Ritz-Carlton to elevate customer service across the portfolio • The current state of multifamily fundamentals, supply trends, and the outlook for 2026 Links: Wade on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-madden-73444646/ Olympus Property - https://www.olympusproperty.com/ Brandon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/ Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:40) - Wade's background and career (00:04:07) - Scaling Olympus Property: Operations and growth (00:11:13) - Capital structure and investment strategy (00:16:13) - Operational excellence and team culture (00:28:34) - Staffing challenges in property management (00:29:33) - Vertical integration and control (00:30:17) - The importance of company culture (00:34:19) - Leveraging AI in property management (00:39:57) - Customer service excellence with Ritz-Carlton (00:47:48) - Market trends and future outlook (00:57:55) - Conclusion and contact information

PREVIEW. AI, Corporate Staffing Reduction, and Consumer Liquidity Issues Threatening a Recession. Chris Riegel discusses how while AI contributes to corporate staff reduction (e.g., IBM), financial results from quick service restaurants like Chipotle indicate consumer challenges. Specifically, younger consumers are financially strained, leading to negative results and consumers trading down. This problem with consumer liquidity represents early signs of what could become a nasty recession, though its progression is unknown. Retry

Live from the RTA Connect 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Marc Canton interviews Drew Morrow, a seasoned fleet manager from Cambridge, Massachusetts, who operates a private ambulance fleet. With just one and a half techs to maintain 34 vehicles, Drew is living proof of the technician shortage crisis. But instead of giving in to chaos, he shares how he uses structured calendar blocks and smart prioritization to manage both strategic planning and daily shop operations.This candid conversation dives deep into the balancing act of wrench time vs. leadership, the challenge of telling your fleet's story to executives, and why you need to be your fleet's biggest advocate. Drew also opens up about the emotional toll of trying to do it all, the importance of industry collaboration, and how to make a compelling case for hiring help or replacing aging vehicles.Whether you're running an EMS fleet or a government operation, this episode delivers actionable insights for any fleet leader struggling with time, staffing, or executive buy-in. Key Takeaways:You can't lead strategically if you're buried in the shop.Structured calendar time (like blocking hours in Outlook) helps combat chaos.Telling your story through the lens of risk and mission execution resonates with leadership.You must track KPIs like missed PMs due to poor communication.Early vehicle replacement can reduce wrench time and total cost of ownership.Peer collaboration is critical—even in competitive industries like private EMS. Speakers: Marc Canton – VP of Product & Consulting at RTA: The Fleet Success Company. With decades of fleet experience, Marc helps fleets turn performance data into action and leads RTA's consulting arm to drive meaningful success across operations.Drew Morrow – Fleet Manager for a private ambulance company in Cambridge, MA. With over 25 years in the industry, Drew brings a technician's expertise and a leader's mindset to one of the most mission-critical fleet sectors: EMS.

In this episode the hosts critique a $4.28 million asking price for a Signal Security Franchise business in San Antonio earning ~$773K revenue—arguing it's overpriced, under‑differentiated and risky.Business Listing – https://www.bizbuysell.com/business-opportunity/san-antonio-tx-highly-profitable-security-business-for-sale/2350661/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.

This episode's Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow' Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HEREEpisode Overview: Growing a company from $46,000 to $30 million in six years doesn't happen by accident—it requires vision, grit, and the right team. Our next guest, Beth Lachance, is the CEO and founder of Global Medical Virtual Assistants, where she's revolutionizing administrative support for medical practices nationwide. With 16 years as an entrepreneur and over 22 years of healthcare leadership experience, she brings strategic vision and hands-on execution to building high-performing distributed teams. Driven by a passion for operational excellence and leveraging global talent, Beth shares how GMVA is transforming healthcare staffing through HIPAA-compliant virtual assistants from the Philippines. Join us to discover how her team is helping practices reclaim time, reduce costs, and refocus on patient care. Let's go!Episode Highlights:The Right Team Matters - Finding the right advisors and team members is critical, even when it means parting ways with early supporters.Leadership Evolves with Growth - Different business stages require different leaders; Beth is now bringing on a CFO as GMVA scales.$46K to $30M in Six Years - GMVA's explosive revenue growth demonstrates massive demand for virtual healthcare staffing.Reimagining Healthcare Work - GMVA transforms medical practices through remote administrative support, freeing providers to focus on patients.Tough Decisions Drive Success - Beth learned that moving on from trusted early team members, though painful, unlocks company potential.About our Guest: Beth Lachance is the CEO and founder of Global Medical Virtual Assistants (GMVA), whereshe drives sustainable growth and operational excellence for a company revolutionizingadministrative support for U.S. medical practices. With 16 years as an entrepreneurspecializing in real estate and over 22 years of corporate leadership in Surgical Device,Pharmaceutical, and Specialty Pharmacy industries, Beth blends strategic vision with hands-on execution to build high-performing teams and achieve long-term success.A former Division I gymnast on full scholarship at the University of Florida, Beth earned herBachelor of Science in Health Sciences, a testament to her discipline and goal-drivenleadership.Links Supporting This Episode: Global Medical Virtual Assistants Website: CLICK HEREBeth Lachance LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREGlobal Medical Virtual Assistants LinkedIn: CLICK HEREMike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREMike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HEREVisit our website: CLICK HERESubscribe to newsletter: CLICK HEREGuest nomination form:

In this episode of InSights, Brad Bialy sits down with Shaun Chojnacki to uncover the eight most common—and easily fixable—mistakes holding staffing and recruiting websites back from driving better visibility, engagement, and conversions. About the Guest Shaun Chojnacki is a Senior Marketing Strategist at Haley Marketing, specializing in SEO, paid media, and content strategy. With more than a decade of experience spanning SaaS and eCommerce, Shaun combines data-driven marketing with creative execution to help staffing firms turn their websites into high-performing lead generation engines. Key Takeaways Your website isn't outdated—it's underperforming. If your homepage talks to everyone, it converts no one. Fresh, relevant content is your new SEO currency. Trust signals aren't vanity—they're validation. Small website fixes can create massive marketing wins. Timestamps [00:35] – Why 50 staffing websites revealed the same hidden issues [02:34] – Outdated messaging: confusing visitors and search engines [05:11] – Creating clear client journeys for your ideal audience [07:34] – The power of service pages for SEO and conversions [09:21] – Location pages: how to win local search (and clients) [12:11] – Segmenting your blog for stronger topical authority [16:07] – Building trust through Google Business and external reviews [20:19] – Why weak calls-to-action kill great marketing [22:46] – Footers that actually convert: making the last scroll count [25:42] – Bonus #1: The secret structure behind great headers (H1–H3) [28:47] – Bonus #2: Internal linking—the forgotten SEO goldmine [29:58] – Rapid-fire recap: eight fixes to implement this week About the Host Brad Bialy is a trusted voice and highly sought-after speaker in the staffing and recruiting industry, known for helping firms grow through integrated marketing, sales, and recruiting strategies. With over 13 years at Haley Marketing and a proven track record guiding hundreds of firms, Brad brings deep expertise and a fresh, actionable perspective to every engagement. He's the host of Take the Stage and InSights, two of the staffing industry's leading podcasts with more than 200,000 downloads. Sponsors and Offers Heard InSights is presented by Haley Marketing. The old way of selling staffing is dead. Let's fix it—with smarter strategies and HUGE DISCOUNTS on modern lead gen tools: https://bit.ly/Bialy20 Book a 30-minute business and marketing consultation with host, Brad Bialy: https://bit.ly/Bialy30 This episode is brought to you by MJA & Associates. For over 20 years, they've helped staffing firms save money by securing federal and state tax credits like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). With performance-based pricing, you only pay when you save—no setup costs, just real results. Learn more at mja-associates.com.

James Rojas reports. 

Health experts say increased capacity has to be met with safe staffing, after the Government announced 140 additional beds at hospitals across the country yesterday. Finn Blackwell has more.

Two industry experts break down the complete oil and gas M&A due diligence process from both buyer and broker perspectives. Kyle Dubiel from Eagle Mountain and Bryce Winters from Dudley Land Company walk through everything from pre-bid VDR evaluation to post-close integration, sharing real-world insights on team mobilization, defect identification, and timeline management.What You'll LearnHow to structure and scope due diligence teams for maximum efficiencyThe critical importance of allocated value schedules in PSA negotiationsWhy most defects come from material contracts, not title issuesBest practices for VDR organization and early deal evaluationHow to balance diligence speed with thoroughness under tight deadlinesTime Stamps00:55 - Episode Intro02:23 - The Phases of Due Diligence04:15 - Understanding the Due Diligence Process09:10 - Evaluating Assets and Marketed Deals31:21 - Budgeting and Diligence Timeline31:46 - Allocation of Value in Bidding34:49 - Financing and Bank Allocated Value Schedules36:45 - Organizing Due Diligence Workflow40:58 - Handling Title Defects and Material Contracts42:44 - Defect Thresholds and Deductibles47:10 - Importance of Consents and Preferences49:53 - Due Diligence Workbooks and Team Structure59:44 - Post-Close Organizational Efforts01:03:40 - Final Thoughts and Best PracticesSnippets from the Episode“Due diligence is the Taco Bell of land work. It's great when you go into it, but by the time you're done, you say you'll never do that again."— Brent Broussard"The bulk of our defects are found in consents and contracts. That's where almost everything comes from."— Bryce Winters"You're trying to do something in 30 days that it took a company years to put together."— Brent Broussard"Communication is key. If you can do that with whoever you're working with, you're gonna set yourself up for success."— Kyle Dubiel"The greatest thing about giving your team a heads up is that they think for free—you're not paying 'em on the clock."— Brent BroussardKey TakeawaysEarly Communication Prevents Timeline DisastersMaterial Contracts Drive Most Modern Title DefectsAllocated Value Schedules Determine Team StructureVDR Quality Signals Asset Management CompetencyDefect Thresholds Require Strategic Portfolio ThinkingPost-Close Organization Maximizes Diligence InvestmentClear Objectives Lists Keep Teams FocusedHelp us improve our podcast! Share your thoughts in our quick survey.⁠⁠ResourcesNeed Help With A Project? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Dudley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Help with Staffing? Connect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Staffing ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Streamline Your Title Process with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dudley Select Title⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Dudley Land Co. On⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Have Questions? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More From Our GuestsKyle Dubiel - Vice President of BD, Land & Legal at Eagle Mountain Energy PartnersEagle Mountain Energy Partners websiteConnect with Kyle on LinkedInBryce Winters - Land Director - Western US, Dudley Land CompanyConnect with Bryce on LinkedInMore from Our HostsConnect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brent⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on LinkedInConnect with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Khalil ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on LinkedInConnect With UsReady to protect your land projects with integrated legal and title support? Our Dudley Select Title division works seamlessly with experienced oil and gas counsel to keep your deals on track and defensible. Contact us to learn how our complete energy partnership approach includes the legal expertise that matters when stakes are high.

Is your career site delivering the conversion you need? Dalia's plug-and-play tech turns any employer career site into a high-performance candidate conversion engine — no replatforming required, live in days.Visit dalia.co to learn more. AND by jobcase, Jobcase is an online community where workers of all kinds – like hourly employees, tradespeople and healthcare technicians – access jobs, make connections, and support each other in any aspect of their work life.Visit jobcase.com/hire and tap into their 120 million strong  job seeker network First up… HiringBranch, a soft skills and communication assessment platform, announced today at the Gartner® HR Symposium/Xpo™ conference, the launch of its Job Skills Screener. The new product empowers enterprise hiring teams to screen everyone, miss no one, and improve candidate quality at the top of the hiring funnel. https://hrtechfeed.com/hiringbranch-launches-a-conversational-skills-screener-to-replace-resume-scanning/ BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — VeroSkills – the AI hiring platform focused on solving the $1 trillion blue-collar labor shortage crisis – today announced the close of a $5.3 million funding round led by Yonder Ventures, along with Circadian Ventures and Motivate Ventures, with participation from other investors. https://hrtechfeed.com/blue-collar-staffing-platform-lands-5-3-million/ UKG, a leading global AI platform unifying HR, pay, and workforce management, today announced the launch of UKG Ventures, a strategic investment arm focused on the next generation of worktech disruptors for the enterprise.  https://hrtechfeed.com/ukg-launches-venture-fund/  ADP® announced that it has acquired Pequity, an innovative compensation management software provider founded in 2019. This acquisition will broaden the tools ADP offers to support the complex compensation planning needs of its mid-size, enterprise and multinational clients. https://hrtechfeed.com/adp-acquires-compensation-management-tool/ HiBob, the company behind Bob, the people management platform just announced the launch of In Good Company, a global community for people-first leaders reimagining how work should work for everyone.To learn more, visit community.hibob.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're excited to bring you the latest episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, where host Luke Carignan sits down with Jennifer Law, CHRO of Vail Health, for a truly heartfelt conversation about the realities—and rewards—of working in healthcare HR nestled in the picturesque mountains of Colorado.Here's what you'll find inside this episode:Life & Work in “Paradise” Jen kicks off by sharing what it's really like working in Vail, Colorado—beyond the stunning views and outdoor perks. From the logistical challenges of living in a remote, resort-driven community to the high cost of living and housing shortages, Jen sheds light on unique factors shaping the Vail Health employment experience.Staffing & Recruitment: The Outdoor Draw With Vail Health recruiting for roles ranging from clinical to environmental services, Jen explains why lifestyle fit—and a genuine love of the outdoors—can make or break retention. She also discusses the impact of the local housing market and how creative approaches are needed to attract and retain talent in such a unique location.Culture, Community & Real Retention Jen and Luke dig deep on what it really takes to keep employees engaged beyond salary. Vail Health's secret? Building authentic community. From book clubs to run clubs, they focus on fostering relationships that help new arrivals find their circle outside of work—for both well-being and improved retention.Lessons on Burnout & Well-being Burnout isn't just about workload. It's often about what's missing, not just what's excessive. Jen talks mental health, building authentic support systems, and the value in nontraditional “benefits” like flexibility and peer connection.Building Great Places to Work, on Purpose Jen's guiding principle is all about intentionality: communities, programs, and leadership development that let people bring their best to work. Her passion for HR shines in her belief that work should be a good environment—where anyone can grow, connect, and truly enjoy what they do.A Few Gems for Your Week:"People are people. You know this area, you know the community." — On how local knowledge often outweighs industry experience“Everyone should have to work in hospitality at some point.” — Spot-on advice for empathy and service"We're intentional about building authentic connections—engagement doesn't have to be expensive!"If you've ever been curious about life and HR work in a mountain community, or you're seeking inspiration for employee engagement that actually works, you won't want to miss this conversation.Stay tuned for our next episode…and don't forget to register for the ASHHRA conference in Savannah this May!From Our Sponsors...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZNStreamline HR Compliance with oneBADGEhealthcareSimplify screening, credentialing, and compliance for healthcare HR. oneBADGEhealthcare from ISB Global offers a tailored solution to keep your workforce compliant and efficient. Built for healthcare leaders, it's your all-in-one compliance tool.Get Started here - https://isbglobalservices.com/onebadgeunitedstates/ashhra/ Support the show

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday issued a ground delay for flights departing to DFW International Airport due to staffing issues. Flights bound for DFW had an average delay of 18 minutes. A spokesman for DFW Airport said, “The FAA implements air traffic management programs based on its capacity for safe operations. As always, we encourage travelers to check their flight status with their airline.” In other news, kids today already use or have access to artificial intelligence tools. That's according to Pat Yongpradit, chief academic officer for Code.org, a nonprofit promoting computer science education. What matters, he says, is teaching children how to use AI properly and he is worried schools are falling behind in this regard; the economic impact of automobile and personal loans is larger in Texas than any other state, according to new data; nd the University Interscholastic League isn't ready to add any new sports, and Monday it signaled that it is content for now with the 14 sports that it sanctions. During the UIL's legislative council meeting, the state's governing body for public school athletics denied, rejected or took no action on proposals to add pickleball, boys volleyball, lacrosse and ice hockey as UIL-sanctioned sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(October 27,2025)Amy King and Neil Saavedra join Bill for Handel on the News. US and China agree ‘framework' for trade deal ahead of Xi-Trump meeting. Government shutdown updates: Senate to reconvene on Monday amid funding stalemate. Staffing issues trigger temporary ground stop at LAX. Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1. Louvre jewel heist latest; suspects arrested near Paris.

The All local, Monday, October 27th

Episode: 00290 Released on October 27, 2025 Description: In this episode of the Research Remix deep dive, Jason Elder and Jamie Roush tackle one of the biggest issues facing law enforcement agencies today: the police staffing crisis. Drawing from recent research by Wilson and Gramme (2024), Jamie reframes the conversation from simply hiring more officers to rethinking workload-based approaches and smarter deployment. Jamie discusses how analysts can play a crucial role in addressing staffing challenges through data-driven workload analysis, understanding calls for service, and calculating net annual work hours to ensure resources meet community demand. From integrating CAD and GIS data to considering new technologies like AI reporting tools and chatbots, this episode explores actionable strategies to make policing more efficient, equitable, and sustainable. Whether you're an analyst, commander, or researcher, this conversation provides a roadmap to move beyond “do more with less” toward a smarter, systems-based understanding of workforce planning.

In this episode, we sit down with Christine de Wendel—an entrepreneurial powerhouse with deep e-commerce roots and now leading the charge in hospitality payments. Christine shares how she helped build two “unicorn” European tech companies, then returned to the U.S. to launch sunday, a QR-code pay-at-table solution for restaurants and hospitality venues. Sunday is designed to make paying at restaurants frictionless: guests scan a QR code on their table, view their bill, tip, split and pay—all within ~10 seconds. It's built for the hospitality world—from family-run restaurants to multi-site brands, across multiple countries. sundayThe company is POS-agnostic: it integrates with many different point-of-sale systems so that restaurants don't have to overhaul everything just to adopt the tech. Faster table turns: By reducing the time guests wait for the check, restaurants can turn more tables and increase potential revenue.Improved guest experience: Guests don't have to flag down a server or wait for the bill—tech handles it.Increased tips (in certain markets): Sunday has seen high adoption of the payment flow and the technology resonates especially where tipping is standard.Christine described how one of her co-founders (restaurant operator) put a QR code for payment on tables during the pandemic, connected it to the POS system, and realized this thing worked—waiters were freeing up time, guests were paying faster, the whole experience changed. That “lightbulb” moment is what led them to scale it into sunday.Selling to restaurants: Even though the consumer experience is compelling, convincing restaurant operators to adopt new tech is harder than one might expect. The operations side often resists change. Fragmented POS market: In the U.S. especially, there are many different POS systems. Sunday's strategy is to integrate with many of them rather than require a full replacement.Scaling fast: Christine shared how her previous experience in Europe scaling e-commerce helped prepare her for rapid growth at sunday. But even so, founding a startup is a “roller coaster”—emotionally and operationally. International differences: Tipping culture, guest expectations, and restaurant norms vary a lot between Europe and North America—and Sunday adapts accordingly.Christine's vision is that in the near-future, one won't even need to ask for the check—paying at restaurants will be as seamless as other digital experiences (like ride-hailing, mobile payments, etc.). Sunday aims to set that standard. Vendor partnerships with strong leadership matter: The story behind a vendor (founders, background, vision) can signal how well they'll support you or scale.Staffing & training matter: As you evaluate new tools, remember that the human element—servers, training, process change—is as crucial as the tech.Christine's background transitioning from European e-commerce to hospitality tech in the U.S. gives a unique international / ops-oriented perspective.Her strategy of “built by restaurateurs for restaurateurs” resonates especially for independent restaurant groups and alliance-type organizations (like yours).Her emphasis on speed, simplicity, guest experience and operator economics aligns with some of your core operational values (e.g., service standards, table turns, consistent guest experience).Check out sunday's website and map the restaurants using it (you'll see how it's deployed).If you're a restaurant operator (or advising restaurants), ask: Could this reduce our table wait time for check? How would that affect our service model and team training?On the vendor-alliance side: Think about how you evaluate payments or tech vendors—this conversation provides a good set of questions for vendor selection (integration, speed, ROI, team support).

Send us a textA great career means little if you're not here to enjoy it. This conversation with KellyMitchell's president, Blaise Bussell, cuts through the noise to what matters most: leading at home, protecting your health, and building a life your kids will remember. Blaise opens up about the values forged in childhood by a gritty mom and a humble coach-dad, the joy and nerves of raising a 13-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, and the choice to put family first—even when work says otherwise. From car-ride questions that spark real talks to celebrating his daughter's faith decision on her terms, the small moments become the story.Then comes the jolt: a heart attack with 98% blockage that arrived without a dramatic warning, just jaw pain, nausea, and a stubborn belief it was stress. Blaise walks us through the late-night symptoms, the “go straight to the hospital” call, fast-placed stents, and the quieter recovery that followed. He traded max-effort workouts for sustainable strength, dialed in medication, and learned to live in a safer training zone. The most important lesson may surprise you: LP(a), a hereditary lipoprotein rarely included in standard cholesterol tests. If heart disease runs in your family, you need to ask for it. Fit doesn't mean safe when your genes stack the deck.We also get practical about priorities. Blaise shares a simple framework—faith, me, we, family, work—that helps him make cleaner decisions, from delaying projects to catch a child's tournament to protecting date nights and bedtime rituals. On the career side, he explains how aligning with a company's culture and protecting your personal brand can turn hard pivots into new momentum, and he offers a look at how KellyMitchell blends IT staffing with solutions to serve innovative enterprises.If you're a parent who wants more presence, better health, and resilient leadership at home and at work, this one's for you. Listen, share with a friend who needs the LP(a) nudge, and tell us the one habit you'll change this week. If the conversation helps, please follow, rate, and leave a review—it helps more families find the show.Support the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!

In this episode of the Dental Boardroom Podcast, host Wes Read, CPA and financial advisor at Practice CFO, and an AI co-host unpack the ADA Health Policy Institute's Q3 2025 “State of the Dental Economy” report. The data paints a complex picture of a dental sector stuck in an uneasy holding pattern where rising costs, flat reimbursements, and persistent staffing shortages are squeezing practices nationwide.Despite modest growth in consumer dental spending, many practices report being less busy than before, caught between financial pressure and patient affordability challenges. The discussion dives deep into the fiscal squeeze, workforce struggles (especially hygienists), and the strategic choices dental practices are making to adapt.Key Points :1. Confidence Levels: Stabilized but Still CautiousDentists' confidence in their own practices (67.5%) remains higher than confidence in the U.S. economy (33.4%).Optimism has eroded throughout 2025 despite a slight Q3 bounce.Top concerns: tariffs, political unrest, and global uncertainty.2. The “Fiscal Squeeze” ExplainedCore problem: costs (supplies, labor, operations) are rising much faster than insurance reimbursements.Two-thirds (65.8%) of dentists raised fees in 2025 by an average of 6.7% just to maintain margins.This has worsened patient affordability and fueled a perception of dentistry as “discretionary,” reducing patient visits.3. Spending vs. Busyness ParadoxConsumer dental spending is up 10% (inflation-adjusted) since pre-pandemic levels.Yet, the number of dentists reporting they're “not busy enough” jumped from 25% to 35% in Q3 2025.Average patient wait times hit a three-year low (12 days), showing ample capacity and lower demand intensity.4. Staffing & Hiring ChallengesHiring in dental practices remains flat, but recruitment demand is high.Hygienists are the most difficult position to fill; 90% of dentists report it's very hard.Only 43% of those recruiting for hygienists successfully filled the role.One-fifth of hygienist positions remained open 6+ months, hurting production and patient flow.5. Strategic Responses by PracticesMany dentists are investing in software (41%) to improve efficiency and adding staff (47%) where possible.Some are dropping low-paying PPO plans to regain control over pricing and profitability.Practices are focusing on what they can control: internal efficiency, cost management, and workforce adaptation.6. The Big Picture: A Sector in a Holding PatternThe dental economy isn't collapsing, but it's not growing fast either.The balance between rising costs, stagnant reimbursement, and patient affordability remains fragile.The future may depend on technology adoption, workforce development, and new care delivery models to break the stagnation.#DentalEconomy #DentalIndustryTrends #FiscalSqueeze #Dentistry2025 #DentalPracticeManagement #HygienistShortage #DentalCareCosts #ADAReport #WesRead #DentalBoardroomPodcast #DentalBusiness #DentistryInsights

Minnesota is working to stabilize its nursing home workforce, which has long struggled with high turnover, especially in rural communities. MinnPost state government reporter Matthew Blake published a series looking into the state's plan to revitalize the nursing home industry. His reporting looks at the retainment of employees, the complicated financial situations of nursing homes and labor standards. Blake joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share what he learned.

Nurses Out Loud with Jodi O'Malley MSN, RN – Unsafe staffing puts patients and nurses at risk — and now, hospitals face real consequences. Beginning in 2026, the Joint Commission's new National Performance Goals require proof of adequate, competent nurse staffing. Facilities that fail to meet safe staffing standards could lose their accreditation and Medicare funding, signaling a major shift toward healthcare accountability...

William Vanderbloemen is the founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, one of the leading executive search firms serving churches, nonprofits, schools, and values-based businesses. A former pastor and now a trusted advisor to mission-driven organizations, William has helped over 3,000 clients find leadership talent that aligns both in competence and character. He's also a Forbes contributor and the author of Work How You're Wired, Be the Unicorn, and Next: Pastoral Succession That Works. On this episode we talk about: How polishing his grandmother's silver as a kid sparked his entrepreneurial streak Lessons learned from ministry leadership that translated into building a multimillion-dollar faith-based search firm The moment he left job security to launch a business from scratch — in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis Why pursuing your deeper mission matters more than any financial metric The role of relationships, purpose, and wiring in long-term success How understanding your natural strengths can transform your leadership, career, and team dynamics Top 3 Takeaways You'll never have perfect clarity before you start—take the first step and let the next one reveal itself. Success looks different when you're doing work aligned with your unique wiring and purpose. No relationship is accidental—treat every connection as an opportunity to serve and grow. Notable Quotes “Work how you're wired. Everyone has unique lanes that make them better at what they do.” “If you wait until it's clean to take the first step, you've already missed your chance.” “You can do good and do good business at the same time.” Connect with William Vanderbloemen: Website: vanderbloemen.com ✖️✖️✖️✖️

Ralph welcomes Andy Shallal of Busboys and Poets to discuss his new memoir, “A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets.” Then, Ralph speaks to business consultant and activist Bennett Freeman about why Big Business isn't standing up to the Trump Administration.Andy Shallal is an activist, artist and social entrepreneur. Mr. Shallal is the founder and proprietor of Busboys and Poets restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area, which feature prominent speakers, poets and authors and provide a venue for social and political activism. He is also co-founder of The Peace Cafe and a member of the board of trustees for The Institute for Policy Studies. He is the author of the new book A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets.I've called Andy Shallal “democracy's restaurateur”, and he really fits the bill.Ralph NaderActivism is the best antidote to depression. It's really hard to be able to sit back—and especially now with social media and everything else that's right at your fingertips, to be able to watch the little babies being snipered and their limbs being chopped up. And it just feels so, so horrific. And the only way you can really be able to make sense of it—if there's any way to make sense of it—is to continue to fight for a better world.Andy ShallalSince, of course, October 7th opened up a whole new thing for activists and really exposed in a very stark way the myth of “Western civilization,” the idea of how obvious the lies and the deceit that's been happening, and the power of the military industrial complex that we've been warned about over the years I think [a new understanding is] taking shape right now, and we're starting to understand it more and more. And as I think we are trying to free Gaza and free Palestine, at the same time I think Gaza and Palestine are freeing us to be able to understand our system better.Andy ShallalOne of the things that I find is necessary for movements to be sustained is to have joy. You've got to have opportunities for joy. You got to have opportunities for people to actually have fun together, really feel like they're part of a community. Because a lot of times, the work we do isn't—well, it's soul-sucking work, you know, and you need to have those opportunities to be able to refuel and re-energize.Andy ShallalBennett Freeman is principal of Bennett Freeman Associates, where he advises multinational corporations, international institutions, and NGOs on policy and strategy related to human rights and labour rights. Mr. Freeman was founding chair of the advisory board for Global Witness (an investigative, campaigning organisation that challenges the power of climate-wrecking companies). He was also founding trustee of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, co-founder of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, and co-founder of the Global Network Initiative. He served on the governing board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, as well as the board of Oxfam America. Mr. Freeman was the lead author of “Shared Space Under Pressure: Business Support for Civic Freedoms and Human Rights Defenders.”[Ralph,] you correctly characterize the silence and obeisance of much of corporate America (not least the tech CEOs) so far this year. I would use another pair of words as well to characterize their stance, which I think during the campaign last year in 2024 was: complacency, [and] I think the complacency now has become complicity in a dramatic, historic, democratic backsliding in the United States with the erosion of rule of law and our constitutional democracy.Bennett FreemanAt the end of the day, I'm much more interested in democratic governance based on rule of law and fair elections than I am in what corporate America has to say. But they have a stake now. And I think that those of us who have tried to promote corporate responsibility (and in Ralph's case and many others, to impose corporate accountability) have to continue this work. And we've got to engage corporate America without illusions, but with still aspirations to try to get them back to support—in a nonpartisan or bipartisan way—the fundamentals of what our country is supposed to be about.Bennett FreemanNews 10/10/25* Two polls came out this past week which reveal key data points about Americans' views on Israel. First, a Washington Post poll of American Jews, published October 6th and covering September 2-9th, shows that 61% say Israel has committed “war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.” This nearly two-thirds majority should put the lie to the canard that American Jews monolithically support Israel's actions in Gaza. They don't. Furthermore, 39% say Israel has committed “Genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.” Some contend these numbers might be higher if the question was worded slightly differently, for example asking in the present tense whether Israel is committing genocide, rather than in the past tense. Regardless, while this result is slightly less than a majority, it certainly proves that a substantial share of American Jews do believe that Isreal is guilty of the crime of genocide. Astute politicians should take note.* Another survey that shrewd pols should consider is the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project (IMEU) poll released October 3rd. In this poll, 43% of respondents identified “U.S. foreign policy and relations with Israel” as an issue that will play a role in their 2026 Democratic primary vote. As for more ambitious Democrats, 71% said they would be more likely to vote for “A candidate for president who voted to withhold weapons to Israel,” compared to just 10% who said the same about “A candidate who voted against withholding weapons to Israel.” The numbers are cut and dried.* Last week, CBS confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu “directly approved military operations on two vessels,” in the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid to Gaza. According to this report, Netanyahu ordered Israeli forces to “[launch] drones from a submarine and [drop] incendiary devices onto the boats that were moored outside the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said.” As this report notes, “Under international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict, the use of incendiary weapons against a civilian population or civilian objects is prohibited in all circumstances.” Put simply, this attack amounted to a war crime. In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla wrote “Confirmation of Israeli involvement…simply lay[s] bare a pattern of arrogance and impunity so grotesque that it cannot escape eventual reckoning.” The flotilla was intercepted off the coast of Gaza last week and over 400 activists were detained in Israeli custody. Many have alleged mistreatment, with Turkish activist Ersin Çelik claiming guards “dragged [Greta Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.”* Unfortunately, this is the last news critical of Israel we can expect to see from CBS for a long time. On October 6th, CNN reported that Paramount will officially acquire The Free Press for $150 million and appoint its founder, Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News. This position was created specifically for Weiss. According to Paramount, in this role, Weiss will “shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news.” In an interview with Democracy Now!, journalist David Klion of the Nation and Jewish Currents, said Weiss, “has presented herself as a champion of free speech…But in reality, she has a 20-year history of suppressing speech that she finds objectionable, especially when it's speech championing the rights of Palestinians and criticizing the state of Israel.”* Meanwhile in Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum called for the immediate repatriation of the six Mexican nationals among the Gaza aid flotilla participants following their detention by Israeli forces, per Mexico News Daily. Following a speech by the Mexican president, the foreign ministry wrote that Mexican Embassy officials had gone to Ashdod, where the activists were being held, to “directly verify the conditions on the ground, request consular access, and ensure that … [the] safety and integrity [of the Mexicans] is respected, in accordance with applicable international law.” Notably, President Trump has made no such moves to publicly demand the return of, or even lawful treatment of, the Americans on board these vessels. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to Sheinbaum's stunning 78% approval in a recent El País poll, which shows her not just overwhelmingly popular among her own party's base but even among those registered to competing parties. According to this poll, 73% of PAN members, 72% of PRI members, 70% of MC members, and 59% of voters with no party preference approve of her performance in office. These numbers are frankly unimaginable in America, but so are the achievements Sheinbaum has delivered in her short time in power.* Turning to Congress, Representatives Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal and Jared Huffman have authored a letter expressing “grave concerns,” regarding President Trump's executive order designating “Antifa” as a Domestic Terrorist Organization, calling for the order and accompanying memorandum, known as NSPM-7 to be “immediately rescinded,” according to the related press release. In the letter, the members warn “the sweeping language and broad authority in these directives pose serious constitutional, statutory, and civil liberties risks, especially if used to target political dissent, protest, or ideological speech.” The members also note that the memo “characterizes ‘anti-capitalism' as a hallmark of violent behavior without explaining the term…[allowing] officials to potentially treat Americans as domestic terrorists for something as routine as organizing a local boycott or operating an employee-owned business.” Perhaps most critically, they write “These actions are illegal, and…We stand ready to take legislative action should you fail,” to rescind the order.* In St. Louis, former Congresswoman Cori Bush is running to take back her seat. Bush, who came to prominence as an activist during the 2014 Ferguson protests and eventually primaried 10-term incumbent Congressman Lacy Clay, was ousted in a close 2024 primary by prosecutor Wesley Bell. According to POLITICO, Bell received $8 million dollars from AIPAC during that campaign; the pro-Israel PAC had identified Bush, along with former Congressman Jamaal Bowman, as key targets because of their pro-Palestine positions.* Of course, for the time being, Congressional deadlock is keeping the federal government in a shutdown. One symptom of this shutdown surfaced in Los Angeles this week, when dozens of flights into and out of Hollywood Burbank Airport were delayed or canceled because its air traffic control tower was temporarily unstaffed, the LA Times reports. Staffing shortages also caused delays at Newark Liberty International Airport, Denver International Airport and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. This report added that the Federal Aviation Administration “warned of more disruption at airports due to staff shortages as a result of the government shutdown.” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a joint press conference with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, “We need to bring this shutdown to a close, so that the [FAA] and the committed aviation safety professionals can put this distraction behind us and completely focus on their vital work…We do not have the luxury of time.”* More troubling signs are emerging in the economy as well. For months now, analysts have warned that the U.S. is not just on the brink of a recession, but rather already in one – it is just being masked by the massive speculative bubble of AI. Back in August, Axios reported that “excitement over artificial intelligence…is clouding recessionary signals in more cyclical corners of the market,” citing longer lengths of unemployment and slower hiring. Now, the AI bubble is reaching epic proportions. According to the Financial Times, “AI spending by companies now accounts for a 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year,” while the Financial Post reports AI companies have accounted for 80 per cent of the gains in U.S. stocks so far in 2025. Given the market's reliance on AI speculation, the economic damage if that bubble bursts whilst the economy is on such unstable footing could be catastrophic.* Finally, for some good news, a new California law is aiming to regulate the noise level of advertisements on streaming services. The Guardian reports the new legislation, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, “forces the powerful streaming platforms to comply with existing regulations that have barred television broadcasters from bombarding the eardrums of viewers with overly loud commercials since 2010.” According to this story, the bill was sponsored by State Senator Tom Umberg, whose newborn child was consistently awoken by overloud ads. As the Guardian notes, “Since so many of the streaming platforms are based in California, the new state bill could set a national standard and lower volumes across the country.” Rest assured industry will strike back at this law somehow, but it remains to be seen how they will argue for their right to blast ads at consumers at outrageous volumes.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Episode 688: Neal and Toby recap the staffing shortage that is stifling air traffic control causing flight delays across the US. Then, renewable energy surpassed coal for the first time as a source of electricity. Also, the WNBA just tipped-off its Finals, but everyone is still thinking about the conflict with its leadership. Meanwhile, Neal shares his favorite numbers on Cristiano Ronaldo, Carrie Bradshaw, and if he actually has 150 friends in his social circle.  Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn Ads and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Check out https://www.linkedIn.com/mbd for more. Get your MBD live show tickets here! https://www.tinyurl.com/MBD-HOLIDAY  Join us for October trivia night! https://mbd-trivianight-oct2025.splashthat.com/  Vote for MBD in the Signal Awards!  Best Daily Podcast: http://bit.ly/3W4e5ik  Best Commute Podcast: https://bit.ly/4pxZidv Best Business Podcast: https://bit.ly/3IE7lEP  Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.swap.fm/l/mbd-note⁠⁠⁠  Watch Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wednesday on the News Hour, former FBI Director James Comey is arraigned in federal court for allegedly lying to Congress, a case many see as President Trump's attempt to seek political retribution. Staffing shortages caused by the government shutdown disrupt air travel across the country. Plus, Palestinians in Gaza mark two years of war. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy