Podcasts about Stefani

L'or blanc s'est trouvé une banquière.Après avoir passé 12 ans chez Goldman Sachs, Carole Benaroya quitte les salles de marché en 2012 pour ouvrir une boutique rue du Commerce, et vendre ses premières collections.Aujourd'hui, elle gère Kujten comme une banque d'affaires : 250 employés, 65M€ de chiffre d'affaires en 2024, et plus de 50 boutiques à l'international.Mais le cachemire n'est pas une matière comme les autres.Ceux qui arrivent tard se font servir les restes qui boulochent. Carole et Benjamin sont dans le milieu depuis plus de 20 ans, ce qui leur permet d'obtenir le meilleur cachemire du monde.Dans cet épisode, Carole nous ouvre les portes de ses boutiques et dévoile :Les 3 piliers d'une boutique rentableComment suivre sa data comme ZARALes critères pour ne pas rater son recrutementL'indice de vente, la métrique que personne ne regardeL'enfer des collections tous les 6 mois dans la modeL'or blanc a ses codes, la finance aussi.Carole maîtrise les deux et nous emmène dans les coulisses d'une des plus belles réussites du retail français pour comprendre le business de la mode.Vous pouvez contacter Carole sur Linkedin.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Goldman Sachs la prison dorée00:13:46 : Gérer sa boîte comme une banque d'affaires00:25:38 : "Consumer Fatigue", vers la fin du luxe ?00:38:11 : Les chiffres à connaître avant d'ouvrir un boutique00:53:53 : Travailler la data comme Zara01:01:47 : Marge ou crève01:11:25 : Conquérir l'étranger, le piège de l'international ?01:20:49 : L'enfer des retours gratuit01:27:59 : Comprendre l'or blanc, la guerre du cachemire01:41:19 : L'icône qui ouvre des marchés01:51:01 : Comment parler aux banques ?02:04:05 : La pression des collections02:13:15 : L'origine de KujtenLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #425 - Matthias Dandois - Champion de BMX - La vie freestyle d'un enfant Red Bull[Hors-Série RED BULL] - Christophe Coutal - Moorea Plage - « C'est moi le roi, pas le client » la légende de St-Tropez#405 - Nicolas Santi-Weil - Ami Paris & The Kooples - “Si tu n'arrives pas à en faire un client fais-en un ami”#352 - Juliette Lévy - Oh My Cream ! - Se mesurer aux géants de la beauté, casser les codes des DNVB, et tout rafler#329 - Sophie Lacoste-Dournel - Fusalp - Réveiller la belle endormie#40 - Catherine Painvin - Tartine et Chocolat - entrepreneur depuis 50 ans et toujours à FOND!Nous avons parlé de :Kujten s'invite au cœur du Grand Palais des GlacesLa princesse Madeleine de Suède porte du KujtenLes recommandations de lecture :Delivering Happiness, de Tony HsiehUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Bridge Engineering: Part 3 Settling In For A Long Winter’s Nap. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. We all said our goodnights, then Stefani and I made our way back up the stairs. I closed the door to the basement and motioned for her to wait for a moment. I reached up to a nearby shelf and very carefully removed an old set of sleigh bells, which I silently hung on the doorknob as an early warning system. Stefani whispered, "Someone has been doing some serious planning." I quietly replied, "Yes, someone has. Is it working?" She answered by wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into our first slow, introductory kiss. Our lips separated briefly, we looked silently into each other's eyes for a moment, then our heads instinctively tilted and our lips came back together with a deeper, more confident kiss. One kiss blurred into two, then three, and continued until one was indistinguishable from the next. Our mouths opened wider and wider, yearning to feel the other partner's passion, before our tongues began a frantic dance between her mouth and mine. My hands began exploring the soft curves of her lower back, just above where the satin dress flared outward over her hips, and her long fingers ran through my hair as her hands eagerly pulled me into our hungry kisses. I lost all sense of time as we finally broke the passionate tension that had been building between us over the past months. I hadn't realized how much I missed an emotional and physical connection with a special someone, and I knew she felt the same. Our faces were both flush with passion and gasping for breath when I reluctantly pulled away from our moment. Without saying anything, I gently kissed her one more time, took her hand in mine, and led her toward the loft stairs. Stefani understood my intentions and acknowledged her consent with a beaming smile and by clutching my arm close to her body as we walked up the stairs. As we reached the top of the stairs, I motioned toward my bedroom door where a branch of mistletoe hung in the threshold. Stefani saw it and quickly moved to position herself as a gatekeeper in the doorway, saying, "I'm glad you took my advice." I responded by taking her in my arms and resuming the passionate kissing and interplay of our tongues that had begun downstairs. Stefani draped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine as my hands slid down her back to feel the satin covered swells of her ass. With our continued intimate contact, my cock responded and began to expand downward inside my pant leg, sandwiched against Stefani's pelvis as it grew. In her own expression of arousal, she extended one leg out from the full length slit in her skirt and wrapped it around the back of my thighs, intentionally pressing her skirt covered mound firmly against my restrained tool. Our mouths frantically struggled to find new depths and my hands cupped her ass as she began urgently grinding herself against my cock. The fervor was only broken when we began to lose balance and Stefani returned to standing on both feet. We both took the opportunity to occupy our hands in other ways, hers sliding between us to grasp at my cock and to unsuccessfully pull at my belt, and mine fumbling to release the back closure on her dress. Admitting defeat, we both paused and I moved behind her to take a different approach. My hand brushed her silken curls aside as I placed soft kisses down the side of her neck and slowly loosened a series of clasps on the back of her dress. She uttered soft moans of pleasure as my lips explored her nape then concentrated on areas that drew the most response. As I continued to expose more of her sensual back with the release of each fastener, Stefani crossed one arm over her bosom to hold the dress in place and reached behind herself with the other to caress the engorged flesh straining within the stretched fabric of my slacks. When I finished the last of the clasps, she removed her hand from my cock and used it to push me backward onto the edge of the bed. I sat in rapt attention as she took a couple steps away from me and, with her back turned, stepped out of her heels to reveal neatly manicured toes with nails painted to complement the color of her dress. Now with bare feet, she turned to face me, still holding the dress with one arm crossed over her tits. Her eyes erotically connected with mine as her hands slowly slid the dress downward, seductively unveiling bit by bit of her amazing body. First were her braless tits, pear-shaped handfuls with the slight sag of an early-thirties mother and topped with aroused gumdrop size nipples on proportionately sized areola. With my attentive eyes and childlike smile suggesting approval, the maroon satin curtain continued descending to uncover a slender torso with modestly toned abs and a cute concave belly button. Once her hands reached the top flare of her hips, Stefani released the dress and let gravity pool it at her feet. Her flat stomach and thin waist gave way to supple curves of womanly hips, which then tapered back to meet her long legs. The toned muscles gracefully ebbed and flowed, punctuated by lean knees and petite ankles, all proportionate to the scale of her tall, trim frame. Stefani was a vision, standing before me in nothing but a pair of black satin panties consisting of a small triangle over her sex and thin ribbons of fabric extending outward over subtly visible hip bones. I quickly shed my sport coat and shoes and began opening the buttons down the front of my dress shirt as Stefani did a slow turn and playfully wiggled her amazing heart-shaped ass. I tore my gaze from her body and looked her lustfully in the eyes as she completed her turn, "Wow, you are absolutely incredible!" My shirt was completely unbuttoned and my full-mast erection strained obscenely against the front of my dress pants. I pulled the shirt tails out from under my waistband and started to unbuckle my belt, but Stefani interceded, "Please, let me." I dropped my hands to my sides as she closed the few steps between us and bent forward to kiss me as I sat on the edge of the bed. We shared a few short kisses before she placed her hands on my chest and gently pushed my torso back on the bed. I propped myself on my elbows as she began trailing kisses down the center of my chest and deftly pulled my belt free of its buckle while opening my slacks. By the time her kisses reached my waist, she was on her knees before me and nuzzled her face against my boxer short covered rod and began kissing along its fabric covered length. The eroticism of the sight and the feel of her warm breath would have easily put me over the edge had I not done everything in my power to hold back. Sensing my edging, Stefani relented her touch and curled her slender fingers under the waistband of my slacks and boxers. I lifted my hips to assist while she pulled the waistband toward herself and carefully lifted it over my straining bulge. Her eyes fixated on the vertical tower that sprung upward as soon as it was free of its prison, and continued staring as she pushed the unwanted clothing down my legs. Once she had my pants fully removed, she slowly slid her hands along the top of my legs while she placed a line of kisses up my right inner thigh. She made one last kiss right next to the base of my cock then nuzzled her face against it and cooed soft hums of contentment. Meanwhile, her right hand took a moment to caress my pelvic area before her long, slender fingers encircled my shaft and began to explore its girth and length. After a few moments, Stefani pulled her head away from me enough to visually inspect every detail of my cock as her hand slowly stroked up-and-down and moved it from side-to-side, exploring its network of veiny ridges and large swollen mushroom cap. Her attention resulted in a bead of clear pre-cum pooling on my tip, which she leaned forward and licked away before it dripped downward. With her visual inspection seemingly complete, Stefani continued to slowly stroke my cock while she moved her head downward and used her tongue to caress my loose hanging, neatly shaven balls and then envelope one of the globes fully in her warm mouth. At this point, the previous single bead of pre-cum gave way to a steady stream trailing down the side of my shaft and over the back of her hand. After giving both orbs equal treatment, her tongue followed my trail of precum over the back of her hand and up my throbbing shaft to its source. She looked me deeply in the eyes as she slowly took my engorged head into her mouth and swirled her tongue around its rim. I held the approaching orgasm at bay by brushing her curly locks aside and placing my hands on the sides of her cheeks to gently guide her off my cock. I continued guiding her up to me where she put a leg on each side of my hips to straddle over me. I pulled her face down to mine and kissed her with passionate urgency as her naked chest pressed against mine and my still leaking cock sandwiched between my stomach and hers. As we kissed, she shifted her position upward so her panty covered sex rested on my shaft and then began to slowly rockng her hips, using my cock to work the fabric into her moist folds. My hands instinctively cupped her ass and reinforced her grinding motions. Kissing tapered off as our breathing became heavier and Stefani raised her torso off my chest to find a slightly different position on my cock. We continued to look into each other's eyes as my hands left her ass to explore the alluring tits hanging above me, seductively swaying in time with her motions. I held them for the very first time, massaging and gently squeezing the milky masses while her erect, gumdrop size nipples punctuated my palms. Her heavy breathing was interrupted when my fingers playfully pinched at the swollen nubs, so I took that as encouragement to lift my head and give them some oral stimulation. My mouth covered one, then the other, swirling my tongue and suckling as Stefani increased the speed and force of her hip movements. Realizing the pressure once again building in my balls, I swiftly rolled our semi-conjoined bodies and reversed our positions, with Stefani now on her back and me sliding off the edge of the bed to kneel between her legs. She raised her hips as I grasped and pulled the thin satin ribbons from her hips. They slid toward me and the sodden triangle of fabric reluctantly separated from her wet folds to reveal a small, neatly trimmed patch of hair immediately above glistening and rosy pink gateway petals. They were naturally opened wide to display her well-lubricated inner flesh and partially cloaked love-button. With her panties fully removed, I gently opened her knees and started to lean forward. Stefani understood my intent, bent her legs upward, and opened them widely to allow me full access. Like she had done to me earlier, my lips left a line of kisses up her inner thigh as my nose inhaled her intoxicating scent. Having reached my destination, I gently licked the outer lips on each side of her opening before sucking each into my mouth and giving equal treatment. Stefani's hands had found my head and were offering reassuring encouragement to continue the oral pleasures. My hands also wandered, alternating between holding her hips and kneading her tits as my tongue's attention became more fervent. I moved from her labia to firmly lick the length of her central opening, gently brushing over the top of her clit. Stefani responded by tensing her legs and clenching my hair in her hands. I returned down to cover the core of her sex with my mouth and swirl my tongue around the entrance to her tunnel. Stefani moaned and continued pulling at my hair as I very slowly moved my attention upward. Eventually, my mouth centered over her pearl and the tip of my tongue tenderly circled around it, before firmly pressing against it. She moaned loudly and every muscle in her body tightened as I changed from licking to sucking on her button. I was rewarded with a flood of her cordials and a long series of rhythmic contractions. I gave her outer petals a few more gentle licks and caressed her flat stomach with my hands while she recovered from the height of her pleasure. When she returned to consciousness, she breathlessly whispered, "Come here." and motioned me toward her. I stood from kneeling at the edge of the bed and climbed between her still splayed legs to hold myself over her. Stefani quietly said, "Thank you. You have no idea how amazing that was; how amazing it is to be here with you." as she tenderly wiped her juices from my cheeks and mouth. I responded, "It's been an amazing couple of months. I haven't felt this way about someone since;” I was speaking from my heart without the filter of my head when I realized the inappropriateness of what I was about to say, and adjusted my statement to, "; well, for a very long time." Stefani looked me lovingly in the eyes, cupped my cheek with her hand, and said, "It's okay to talk about her. Julie is still part of you and always should be. I know how much you love her and it means a lot that you would even mention me in the same breath." I leaned down with an appreciative kiss as I held myself over her. One kiss led to another, then to another and another, until our tongues were tangled and our mouths continually joined. We made out with renewed urgency and Stefani reached between our bodies to wrap her hand around my still steely rod. She broke our kissing long enough to beg, "Please, I need you inside me." Our kissing resumed as she guided my cock toward her opening and rubbed its engorged glans up and down her slit several times before removing her hand. Her arms encircled my neck as we kissed and I shifted my hips to seat the tip of my cock firmly against her gateway. Stefani moaned into my mouth when she felt the pressure, and tightened her arms around my neck when the head slowly pushed through her stretched but slippery opening. I cautiously rocked my hips, pausing frequently and allowing her passageway muscles to relax around my rigid cock. She urged me to continue by mumbling into our locked mouths, "More; more; more;” I applied a little more pressure with each motion of my hips and her body slowly welcomed me deeper and deeper. Signaling she wanted more, Stefani wrapped her long legs around me, interlocking her ankles behind my ass and flexing her legs to draw me further inside. With confidence that Stefani was wanting more, I broke our kissing and took her hands in mine, pinning them above her head as I held my body above hers. She seemed excited for me to take control and relaxed her legs while still keeping her ankles interlocked behind me. I began increasing the speed and force of my thrusts, eliciting yelps of pleasure as my cock explored new depths. The bed shook with our quick motions, as did Stefani's curly tresses and motherly tits. The expressions of pleasure on her face were incredibly erotic and I changed to longer, slower strokes to delay my pending orgasm and prolong our pleasure. She understood what I was doing and agreeably pleaded, "Kiss me." I did, and we made love with our mouths while she reinforced my long, slow, intentional pelvic motions with her legs wrapped around me. That tender moment was emblematic of everything we both wanted and needed. There was an unspoken connection between our souls, bridging our broken pasts and forever joining us into the future. Our bodies responded physically to the emotional and spiritual joining. Stefani's by weeping in happiness through a long, rolling orgasm; and mine by releasing eight years' worth of pent-up passion deep into her womb. Completely consumed by the intensity of the experience, Stefani rolled with me as I collapsed beside her on the bed, our legs still intertwined and my cock slowly softening inside her residual contractions. I looked knowingly into her tearful eyes and said softly, but with conviction, "I love you." Stefani pressed her forehead and sniffling nose into my neck and replied, "I love you, too; even more than I thought I did before tonight." We laid silently in each other's arms, exchanging occasional pecks of affection, until my flaccid cock slipped from Stefani's sex followed by a flood of our combined juices. She quickly cupped her hand to her crotch and scurried to the ensuite bathroom. While she was in there, I quickly slipped on my boxer shorts, opened the bedroom door, and stepped out into the loft to check on the girls. The house was silent and the sleigh bells on the basement doorknob appeared undisturbed. Satisfied all was well, I was walking back in the bedroom and was closing the door when Stefani emerged from the bathroom, still naked, and proclaimed in a hushed voice, "David! I've never been so full of cum in my life!" I shrugged my shoulders as I approached her saying, "You're the one that turned me on so much." then pulled her into a passionate embrace and kiss. She returned my kiss then pulled away saying, "I think I would like some more." as she pulled down my boxer shorts and dropped to her knees in one swift motion. She engulfed my limp cock into her warm mouth and massaged it with her tongue until it began to swell. One hand massaged my balls while the other cupped my ass cheek and pulled me into her ministrations. Once I had a hint of rigidity, she began bobbing her head and applying suction to further draw out my length. Working my cock in and out of her mouth, she made sure the sensitive underside of my glans remained in full contact with her tongue. It didn't take long for me to reach a full, raging erection. Sensing that with her mouth, Stefani confirmed with a couple quick strokes of her hand before standing and moving toward the bed. I watched in rapt attention as she climbed onto the center of the bed, positioned herself on her elbows and knees, and seductively wiggled her ass in the air. She looked at me over her shoulder with lust in her eyes and implored, "Take me!" I quickly climbed on the bed and positioned myself behind her. My hands playfully grabbed her hips and pulled her back into me, sandwiching my thickened shaft against her ass. She responded by wiggling her ass, which served to neatly seat my rod between her cheeks. I held her hips with my hands and rocked a few times to slide the underside of my cock against her cheeks. Having played around enough, I shifted backward on my knees and cupped a hand under her sex. I briefly caressed her inflamed and eager mound before dipping two fingers further into her very well lubricated slit. Stefani uttered encouraging moans as my fingers worked in and out of her dripping wet hole. Knowing we were both ready for the main event, I pulled my copiously coated hand from her mound and used it, along with the pre-cum already dripping from my tip, to spread lubrication along the length of my throbbing shaft. Stefani looked back at me as I held her hip with one hand and guided my cock toward her opening with the other. We both gave prolonged moans as our heightened arousal allowed me to penetrate her fully in one long push. Once inside her, she looked back at me and renewed her original request, "Take me!" And so I did. With my hands holding her hips and pulling her back against my pelvis with every stroke, I began lustfully pistoning in and out of her tunnel. She buried her face into the mattress and squealed with delight as I pounded into her roughly, causing her hanging pear-shaped tits to swing violently with my harsh pummeling. After a while, my hands moved to cradle the milky fruits and feel their rippling movements against my palms. As I became winded from the extended punishment I was giving Stefani, I used the supple handfuls to raise her torso toward me and aggressively kiss the nape of her neck as my cock momentarily slowed its assault. Stefani muttered unintelligible encouragements as her tunnel walls pleasured in the slowed movements of my veiny shaft and bulbous head erotically sliding in and out. In the course of my affection, her breathing quickened and became shallower as she ascended toward climax. Knowing she was close, I gave her sensitive nipples a quick squeeze, pushed her torso back down to the mattress, and grabbed her hips to resume my forceful penetrations. My lustful plunging quickly put Stefani over her summit and she emitted long moans of pleasure punctuated only by the impacts of my pelvis against her ass. Her body began quaking and, unable to support herself, crashed forward face down on the bed. My body followed hers downward and pinned her against the mattress as I gave a few more hard thrusts before pushing myself as far into her depths as possible, and releasing volley after volley of cum. Her walls sheathing my cock spasmed through a long drawn-out orgasm, milking every drop of seed from my cock. I held myself over her while our mutual orgasm slowly subsided. Not wanting to smother her with my weight, I rolled off to her side, leaving a strand of cum as my cock slipped from her warmth and dragged across her ass. Still laying on her stomach, Stefani turned her head and motioned me toward her for a series of lovingly soft post-coital kisses. She then repeated her earlier actions of cupping a hand to her crotch and making her way to the bathroom, to which I chuckled and she returned a playfully stern expression and wagging finger. I checked on the girls again while she was in the bathroom and then we both decided we should get a little sleep before they would be up for Christmas morning. Stefani set the alarm on her phone and we drifted off to sleep naked in each other's arms. Wake Up Call. I didn't hear the alarm, but Stefani did and apparently decided to give me a different type of wake-up call. I awoke to the feeling of wet warmth around my morning erection. I looked down to see a mass of dark curly hair slowly moving up and down over my midsection. I reached out and brushed aside her mane to see her looking up at me, the corners of her mouth smiling from around my cock. She briefly pulled it from her mouth and offered a cheery, "Good morning handsome." I replied, "Good morning beautiful." before she returned her attention to pleasuring me. She resumed slowly making oral love to my glans and moved one hand to massage my balls as she worked. After a while, she began to take more of my shaft with each downward motion until my engorged head began flirting with the entrance to her throat. She had no perceivable reflex to the contact and, on the following downstroke, wiggled her head a little to work my crown past the restriction. Once past the threshold, she took my full length, burying her nose firmly into my pelvis. She held herself there for several moments before pulling herself off my cock, then repeating the actions again and again. I had never experienced that feeling before and it didn't take long for me to be overcome by the pleasure. While buried deep in her throat, I urgently warned, "I'm going to cum! I'm going to cum!" Stefani strained to push her head down further and take in every possible millimeter of my cock before purposefully constricting her throat around the head of my cock. My hands grasped at her curly locks as I launched forceful jets of cum directly into her throat. After the first few ejections, she pulled back to remove my crown from her throat and to milk the remaining cum into her mouth with a rhythmic bobbing motion. She looked into my eyes as she swallowed my seed and continued fellating my organ until it softened in her mouth, then simply said, "Merry Christmas, David." Christmas Morning. I had started a fire in the great room fireplace after Stefani's morning gift and was faking blanket-covered sleep on the sofa when I heard little footsteps clamoring up the basement steps and bursting through the sleigh bell alarmed door. The girls scurried across the room in their new pajamas, taking the shortest route to the Christmas presents under the tree, and began eagerly exploring which packages were for whom. I pretended to be waking up and put on a show by pushing the blanket aside, stretching my arms in an exaggerated fashion as I sat upright, and saying, "Merry Christmas, girls!" Just then, I saw Stefani coming down the loft stairs and continuing the ruse by drearily rubbing her eyes and smoothing her disheveled curls. She had apparently gone shopping in my closet and was wearing one of my old t-shirts, which was long enough on her to almost completely cover a pair of my boxer shorts beneath. She echoed, "Merry Christmas everyone!" The girls distractedly replied, "Merry Christmas," as they continued sorting through gifts under the tree. Stefani sat down next to me on the sofa and folded one leg beneath her. After confirming the girls were not looking, I turned my head and gave Stefani a quick peck on the lips before suggesting, "Girls, do you want to pass out all the presents?" They excitedly responded, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and enthusiastically went about checking tags and making stacks of presents where each recipient was seated. I reached over to take Stefani's hand in mine, our fingers interlaced, as we soaked in the holiday atmosphere. During their process, Toni and Lizzie independently delivered a package for either me or Stefani and noticed us holding hands. Interestingly, they both had similar reactions which amounted to hesitating for a moment, then going on about what they were doing as if us holding hands was expected and logical. Once the girls had all the gift bags and wrapped boxes distributed, we took the civilized approach of taking turns, each of us opening a present while the others looked on. Toni and Lizzie each received an assortment of clothes, girly trinkets, and a couple electronic items. Stefani and I were especially moved when the girls exchanged gifts they had personally selected for each other, then embraced in an extended hug. On my next turn opening a gift, I was genuinely touched when I unwrapped a shirt-box size package from Lizzie to find a small ceramic coin dish, hand-painted in red and green with speckles of gold glitter. Also in the box was an impressively detailed color pencil drawing of Lizzie, Toni, Stefani, and me all holding hands and standing on Lizzie's little bridge behind our house. Stefani and I reserved our presents to each other until all the others had been opened and the girls were happily playing with their new toys. We sat on the sofa watching them and shared occasional discreet touches of affection before exchanging our gifts. I'm sure we would have both selected different items had we known the deepening of our relationship that would occur on Christmas Eve, but they were still meaningful in a retrospective way. I opened an absolutely beautiful mechanical wristwatch with an ornately engraved metal band. As I was admiring its craftsmanship, I noticed the side of the clock face was inscribed with intricate script, "Thank you for being on-time. --Stefani" Knowing the deeper significance of those words in Stefani's painful past made my gift to her equally meaningful. I presented her a small box which she opened to reveal a delicate silver pendant necklace containing a marble-size translucent brown gemstone. Her slender fingers picked up a small printed card inside the jewelry box that read, "Legend of Apache Tears -- This gemstone native to Superior, Arizona bears the tears shed by Apache women after loss of their men defending the sacred homelands. For those who possess an Apache Tear, their emotional body will be cleansed of old traumas or wounds and they need not cry again, because the Apache women cried enough for the one who holds the stone." Stefani carefully placed the card back into the jewelry box and closed the case saying, "Thank you, but I think you are my real healer." I replied, "I know you are mine." and gave her a short but meaningful kiss. Our lips pulled away from each other to find the girls sitting on the floor by the Christmas tree, distracted from playing by the sight of us kissing. Stefani was quicker thinking than me and asked the intentionally leading question, "How would the two of you feel about the four of us spending more time together?" To my surprise, Lizzie put her toys aside, walked over to the sofa and gave Stefani a giant hug. She said something to Stefani while they hugged, but I couldn't make out the words. Toni followed Lizzie's lead and came over to give me a hug. Her face buried into my neck, she said with the honest wisdom of a child, "You make my mom happy." Not understanding the full significance of what had just occurred, Toni and Lizzie returned to playing while Stefani and I silently held hands and just enjoyed the moment. My mind drifted to recount the last couple months, and last 24 hours, as the fingers of my free hand idly twisted and twirled a small piece of wrapping paper. While Stefani and I had commonly tragic backgrounds that drew us together, that is not why I loved her. That was simply the key that opened our guarded doors and freed our real selves. I loved her for being the intelligent, quick-witted, caring, compassionate, and cheerful person I had come to know once she let me inside her world. When we were together, especially with Lizzie and Toni, we felt like a real family. There was genuine care and warmth. Lizzie's reaction to hug Stefani earlier surprised me, but it shouldn't have. I did the best I could to raise her, but I was still only one man. She didn't have a mother figure in her life and, looking back over the last couple months, I could see the special bond she was starting to form with Stefani. I vowed to myself right then that I would focus on doing the same with Toni. Her earlier statement of, "You make my mom happy." and the picture she drew of the four of us holding hands, told me she was clearly more astute to the situation than I was aware. My heart yearned for the impromptu family the four of us had started to become and, more importantly, it yearned for Stefani in a way I hadn't felt since Julie. I glanced down at my free hand and observed that my fidgeting fingers had unconsciously produced a little twisted rope circle from the scrap of wrapping paper. In that moment, I realized that my heart knew what it needed. The girls had moved their play downstairs while I was lost in my thoughts, and Stefani and I hadn't said anything in quite some time. She eventually broke the silence, and my distant stare, by asking, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" I responded, "Nothing is wrong. Absolutely nothing." before continuing with conviction, "I know this is going to sound impulsive, but I've never felt more clearly about anything in my life." I lifted my free hand with the little wrapping paper ring and said, "I love you, Stefani. Will you marry me?" She quickly and emphatically answered, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and her eyes filled with tears as I slipped the makeshift giftwrap ring over her finger. She then leapt into my lap, cradled my face with her palms, and passionately kissed me through her weeping. The Idea. We introduced the idea to Lizzie and Toni as we were all playing board games that Christmas afternoon. It would be an understatement to say they were thrilled about being sisters and living in the same house together. Stefani and I hadn't even begun to consider logistics of being a family. Would we live in my house, her house, a new house? Regardless, the girls immediately started planning how they wanted to decorate a shared bedroom. Stefani asked if they might each like their own room, an idea which the girls quickly dismissed. As the girls' planning continued, Stefani discreetly moved her hand under the table and onto my thigh, giving it affectionate caresses and little love squeezes. I gave her a contented smile, then a moment later she interrupted the girls' conversation to ask, "Would the two of you like to sleep in the tent downstairs again tonight?" Of course they said yes, but I think Stefani and I were even more excited than they were. When the evening wound down, we tucked them into bed and headed upstairs to my bedroom. Stefani decided she would like a shower so we gathered towels and toiletries, sharing plenty of kisses and touches as we did. We reluctantly parted and she proceeded into the bathroom. I heard the glass door open and close, then the sounds of splashing water indicating she was in the shower. I gave her about 10-minutes to freshen up before stripping naked and going in to surprise her. I opened the shower door to see her rinsing shampoo from her hair. She continued rinsing without interruption, but acknowledged me by saying, "I was hoping you would come in." My hands explored her body while she attempted to rinsed her hair, my hardened cock occasionally poking and pressing against her as we moved. She gave up rinsing after a few moments and we urgently kissed in each other's arms, our wet naked bodies pressed together and responding to the slippery contact. After some extended foreplay, I turned Stefani away from me and motioned for her to place one foot up on the tiled shower bench, then entered her from behind in that standing position. She steadied herself against the shower walls as I passionately took her in that standing position, my hands alternating between her holding her hips and kneading her soapy tits. Stefani giggled as I eventually pulled out of her and the combined product of our orgasms trailed down the inside of her leg and swirled down the shower drain. We did actually clean ourselves, of course with a lot of shared soaping, rinsing, and drying assistance, before taking our desire to the bed. We made love numerous times that night in various waves of passion, some tender and caring, some urgent and visceral, and all immensely satisfying to our bodies and souls. Announcement. Stefani told her parents about our engagement when they returned from their cruise. They were understandably concerned given the very short timeline of events and urged her to slow things down. They expressed the same to me when Lizzie and I met them for the first time over a family dinner. After eating, her parents took me aside to reinforce their concerns when I began talking somewhat cryptically, "I was perfectly content living day-to-day, just Lizzie and me as our own little family. Sure, I had fantasies about my wife still being alive, or meeting some beautiful woman that would fill that hole in my heart, but I didn't expect that to ever happen and certainly didn't seek it out. Then Lizzie met Toni, and I met a very; guarded; version of Stefani." Her parents gave each other knowing glances at that statement, and her dad offered, "And bitchy." I laughed and put my hands up in the air as if to mockingly plead, "You said it, not me." before I verbally continued, "Let's just say that her; cold; attitude led to us having a conversation and discovering we have some common experiences in our pasts. Anyway, that's when I truly met the real Stefani and began falling in love, not because of our common pasts, but because of the beautiful, intelligent, caring, compassionate, and cheerful person I came to know after she let me in. I didn't understand what was missing from my life until I truly met the real Stefani; and Toni. The four of us complete each other." Her parents' faces visibly softened as I continued, "I completely understand your concerns, and I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to have your blessing. Your daughter is my fantasy, my fairy tale that I thought I would never find. I can wait a little longer." Her mom's eyes filled with tears and her dad held out his hand to shake mine saying, "You have our blessing. I trust the two of you to decide when the time is right." Blending. Stefani and I honored her parent's guidance and spent the next months growing together and falling deeper in love. We had frequent sleepover nights at both my house and hers and were really beginning to function as a family of four. Stefani was very much becoming a mother to Lizzie, and me a father to Toni. At some point that spring, we all knew the time was right. In early June, Stefani's parents and a small gathering of friends looked on as Stefani, Toni, Lizzie, and I stood on the bridge behind our house and officially became a family. It turns out maybe Lizzie was always right about that bridge. It did have a way of healing wounds and making everything right again. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Bridge Engineering: Part 3 Settling In For A Long Winter’s Nap. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. We all said our goodnights, then Stefani and I made our way back up the stairs. I closed the door to the basement and motioned for her to wait for a moment. I reached up to a nearby shelf and very carefully removed an old set of sleigh bells, which I silently hung on the doorknob as an early warning system. Stefani whispered, "Someone has been doing some serious planning." I quietly replied, "Yes, someone has. Is it working?" She answered by wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into our first slow, introductory kiss. Our lips separated briefly, we looked silently into each other's eyes for a moment, then our heads instinctively tilted and our lips came back together with a deeper, more confident kiss. One kiss blurred into two, then three, and continued until one was indistinguishable from the next. Our mouths opened wider and wider, yearning to feel the other partner's passion, before our tongues began a frantic dance between her mouth and mine. My hands began exploring the soft curves of her lower back, just above where the satin dress flared outward over her hips, and her long fingers ran through my hair as her hands eagerly pulled me into our hungry kisses. I lost all sense of time as we finally broke the passionate tension that had been building between us over the past months. I hadn't realized how much I missed an emotional and physical connection with a special someone, and I knew she felt the same. Our faces were both flush with passion and gasping for breath when I reluctantly pulled away from our moment. Without saying anything, I gently kissed her one more time, took her hand in mine, and led her toward the loft stairs. Stefani understood my intentions and acknowledged her consent with a beaming smile and by clutching my arm close to her body as we walked up the stairs. As we reached the top of the stairs, I motioned toward my bedroom door where a branch of mistletoe hung in the threshold. Stefani saw it and quickly moved to position herself as a gatekeeper in the doorway, saying, "I'm glad you took my advice." I responded by taking her in my arms and resuming the passionate kissing and interplay of our tongues that had begun downstairs. Stefani draped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine as my hands slid down her back to feel the satin covered swells of her ass. With our continued intimate contact, my cock responded and began to expand downward inside my pant leg, sandwiched against Stefani's pelvis as it grew. In her own expression of arousal, she extended one leg out from the full length slit in her skirt and wrapped it around the back of my thighs, intentionally pressing her skirt covered mound firmly against my restrained tool. Our mouths frantically struggled to find new depths and my hands cupped her ass as she began urgently grinding herself against my cock. The fervor was only broken when we began to lose balance and Stefani returned to standing on both feet. We both took the opportunity to occupy our hands in other ways, hers sliding between us to grasp at my cock and to unsuccessfully pull at my belt, and mine fumbling to release the back closure on her dress. Admitting defeat, we both paused and I moved behind her to take a different approach. My hand brushed her silken curls aside as I placed soft kisses down the side of her neck and slowly loosened a series of clasps on the back of her dress. She uttered soft moans of pleasure as my lips explored her nape then concentrated on areas that drew the most response. As I continued to expose more of her sensual back with the release of each fastener, Stefani crossed one arm over her bosom to hold the dress in place and reached behind herself with the other to caress the engorged flesh straining within the stretched fabric of my slacks. When I finished the last of the clasps, she removed her hand from my cock and used it to push me backward onto the edge of the bed. I sat in rapt attention as she took a couple steps away from me and, with her back turned, stepped out of her heels to reveal neatly manicured toes with nails painted to complement the color of her dress. Now with bare feet, she turned to face me, still holding the dress with one arm crossed over her tits. Her eyes erotically connected with mine as her hands slowly slid the dress downward, seductively unveiling bit by bit of her amazing body. First were her braless tits, pear-shaped handfuls with the slight sag of an early-thirties mother and topped with aroused gumdrop size nipples on proportionately sized areola. With my attentive eyes and childlike smile suggesting approval, the maroon satin curtain continued descending to uncover a slender torso with modestly toned abs and a cute concave belly button. Once her hands reached the top flare of her hips, Stefani released the dress and let gravity pool it at her feet. Her flat stomach and thin waist gave way to supple curves of womanly hips, which then tapered back to meet her long legs. The toned muscles gracefully ebbed and flowed, punctuated by lean knees and petite ankles, all proportionate to the scale of her tall, trim frame. Stefani was a vision, standing before me in nothing but a pair of black satin panties consisting of a small triangle over her sex and thin ribbons of fabric extending outward over subtly visible hip bones. I quickly shed my sport coat and shoes and began opening the buttons down the front of my dress shirt as Stefani did a slow turn and playfully wiggled her amazing heart-shaped ass. I tore my gaze from her body and looked her lustfully in the eyes as she completed her turn, "Wow, you are absolutely incredible!" My shirt was completely unbuttoned and my full-mast erection strained obscenely against the front of my dress pants. I pulled the shirt tails out from under my waistband and started to unbuckle my belt, but Stefani interceded, "Please, let me." I dropped my hands to my sides as she closed the few steps between us and bent forward to kiss me as I sat on the edge of the bed. We shared a few short kisses before she placed her hands on my chest and gently pushed my torso back on the bed. I propped myself on my elbows as she began trailing kisses down the center of my chest and deftly pulled my belt free of its buckle while opening my slacks. By the time her kisses reached my waist, she was on her knees before me and nuzzled her face against my boxer short covered rod and began kissing along its fabric covered length. The eroticism of the sight and the feel of her warm breath would have easily put me over the edge had I not done everything in my power to hold back. Sensing my edging, Stefani relented her touch and curled her slender fingers under the waistband of my slacks and boxers. I lifted my hips to assist while she pulled the waistband toward herself and carefully lifted it over my straining bulge. Her eyes fixated on the vertical tower that sprung upward as soon as it was free of its prison, and continued staring as she pushed the unwanted clothing down my legs. Once she had my pants fully removed, she slowly slid her hands along the top of my legs while she placed a line of kisses up my right inner thigh. She made one last kiss right next to the base of my cock then nuzzled her face against it and cooed soft hums of contentment. Meanwhile, her right hand took a moment to caress my pelvic area before her long, slender fingers encircled my shaft and began to explore its girth and length. After a few moments, Stefani pulled her head away from me enough to visually inspect every detail of my cock as her hand slowly stroked up-and-down and moved it from side-to-side, exploring its network of veiny ridges and large swollen mushroom cap. Her attention resulted in a bead of clear pre-cum pooling on my tip, which she leaned forward and licked away before it dripped downward. With her visual inspection seemingly complete, Stefani continued to slowly stroke my cock while she moved her head downward and used her tongue to caress my loose hanging, neatly shaven balls and then envelope one of the globes fully in her warm mouth. At this point, the previous single bead of pre-cum gave way to a steady stream trailing down the side of my shaft and over the back of her hand. After giving both orbs equal treatment, her tongue followed my trail of precum over the back of her hand and up my throbbing shaft to its source. She looked me deeply in the eyes as she slowly took my engorged head into her mouth and swirled her tongue around its rim. I held the approaching orgasm at bay by brushing her curly locks aside and placing my hands on the sides of her cheeks to gently guide her off my cock. I continued guiding her up to me where she put a leg on each side of my hips to straddle over me. I pulled her face down to mine and kissed her with passionate urgency as her naked chest pressed against mine and my still leaking cock sandwiched between my stomach and hers. As we kissed, she shifted her position upward so her panty covered sex rested on my shaft and then began to slowly rockng her hips, using my cock to work the fabric into her moist folds. My hands instinctively cupped her ass and reinforced her grinding motions. Kissing tapered off as our breathing became heavier and Stefani raised her torso off my chest to find a slightly different position on my cock. We continued to look into each other's eyes as my hands left her ass to explore the alluring tits hanging above me, seductively swaying in time with her motions. I held them for the very first time, massaging and gently squeezing the milky masses while her erect, gumdrop size nipples punctuated my palms. Her heavy breathing was interrupted when my fingers playfully pinched at the swollen nubs, so I took that as encouragement to lift my head and give them some oral stimulation. My mouth covered one, then the other, swirling my tongue and suckling as Stefani increased the speed and force of her hip movements. Realizing the pressure once again building in my balls, I swiftly rolled our semi-conjoined bodies and reversed our positions, with Stefani now on her back and me sliding off the edge of the bed to kneel between her legs. She raised her hips as I grasped and pulled the thin satin ribbons from her hips. They slid toward me and the sodden triangle of fabric reluctantly separated from her wet folds to reveal a small, neatly trimmed patch of hair immediately above glistening and rosy pink gateway petals. They were naturally opened wide to display her well-lubricated inner flesh and partially cloaked love-button. With her panties fully removed, I gently opened her knees and started to lean forward. Stefani understood my intent, bent her legs upward, and opened them widely to allow me full access. Like she had done to me earlier, my lips left a line of kisses up her inner thigh as my nose inhaled her intoxicating scent. Having reached my destination, I gently licked the outer lips on each side of her opening before sucking each into my mouth and giving equal treatment. Stefani's hands had found my head and were offering reassuring encouragement to continue the oral pleasures. My hands also wandered, alternating between holding her hips and kneading her tits as my tongue's attention became more fervent. I moved from her labia to firmly lick the length of her central opening, gently brushing over the top of her clit. Stefani responded by tensing her legs and clenching my hair in her hands. I returned down to cover the core of her sex with my mouth and swirl my tongue around the entrance to her tunnel. Stefani moaned and continued pulling at my hair as I very slowly moved my attention upward. Eventually, my mouth centered over her pearl and the tip of my tongue tenderly circled around it, before firmly pressing against it. She moaned loudly and every muscle in her body tightened as I changed from licking to sucking on her button. I was rewarded with a flood of her cordials and a long series of rhythmic contractions. I gave her outer petals a few more gentle licks and caressed her flat stomach with my hands while she recovered from the height of her pleasure. When she returned to consciousness, she breathlessly whispered, "Come here." and motioned me toward her. I stood from kneeling at the edge of the bed and climbed between her still splayed legs to hold myself over her. Stefani quietly said, "Thank you. You have no idea how amazing that was; how amazing it is to be here with you." as she tenderly wiped her juices from my cheeks and mouth. I responded, "It's been an amazing couple of months. I haven't felt this way about someone since;” I was speaking from my heart without the filter of my head when I realized the inappropriateness of what I was about to say, and adjusted my statement to, "; well, for a very long time." Stefani looked me lovingly in the eyes, cupped my cheek with her hand, and said, "It's okay to talk about her. Julie is still part of you and always should be. I know how much you love her and it means a lot that you would even mention me in the same breath." I leaned down with an appreciative kiss as I held myself over her. One kiss led to another, then to another and another, until our tongues were tangled and our mouths continually joined. We made out with renewed urgency and Stefani reached between our bodies to wrap her hand around my still steely rod. She broke our kissing long enough to beg, "Please, I need you inside me." Our kissing resumed as she guided my cock toward her opening and rubbed its engorged glans up and down her slit several times before removing her hand. Her arms encircled my neck as we kissed and I shifted my hips to seat the tip of my cock firmly against her gateway. Stefani moaned into my mouth when she felt the pressure, and tightened her arms around my neck when the head slowly pushed through her stretched but slippery opening. I cautiously rocked my hips, pausing frequently and allowing her passageway muscles to relax around my rigid cock. She urged me to continue by mumbling into our locked mouths, "More; more; more;” I applied a little more pressure with each motion of my hips and her body slowly welcomed me deeper and deeper. Signaling she wanted more, Stefani wrapped her long legs around me, interlocking her ankles behind my ass and flexing her legs to draw me further inside. With confidence that Stefani was wanting more, I broke our kissing and took her hands in mine, pinning them above her head as I held my body above hers. She seemed excited for me to take control and relaxed her legs while still keeping her ankles interlocked behind me. I began increasing the speed and force of my thrusts, eliciting yelps of pleasure as my cock explored new depths. The bed shook with our quick motions, as did Stefani's curly tresses and motherly tits. The expressions of pleasure on her face were incredibly erotic and I changed to longer, slower strokes to delay my pending orgasm and prolong our pleasure. She understood what I was doing and agreeably pleaded, "Kiss me." I did, and we made love with our mouths while she reinforced my long, slow, intentional pelvic motions with her legs wrapped around me. That tender moment was emblematic of everything we both wanted and needed. There was an unspoken connection between our souls, bridging our broken pasts and forever joining us into the future. Our bodies responded physically to the emotional and spiritual joining. Stefani's by weeping in happiness through a long, rolling orgasm; and mine by releasing eight years' worth of pent-up passion deep into her womb. Completely consumed by the intensity of the experience, Stefani rolled with me as I collapsed beside her on the bed, our legs still intertwined and my cock slowly softening inside her residual contractions. I looked knowingly into her tearful eyes and said softly, but with conviction, "I love you." Stefani pressed her forehead and sniffling nose into my neck and replied, "I love you, too; even more than I thought I did before tonight." We laid silently in each other's arms, exchanging occasional pecks of affection, until my flaccid cock slipped from Stefani's sex followed by a flood of our combined juices. She quickly cupped her hand to her crotch and scurried to the ensuite bathroom. While she was in there, I quickly slipped on my boxer shorts, opened the bedroom door, and stepped out into the loft to check on the girls. The house was silent and the sleigh bells on the basement doorknob appeared undisturbed. Satisfied all was well, I was walking back in the bedroom and was closing the door when Stefani emerged from the bathroom, still naked, and proclaimed in a hushed voice, "David! I've never been so full of cum in my life!" I shrugged my shoulders as I approached her saying, "You're the one that turned me on so much." then pulled her into a passionate embrace and kiss. She returned my kiss then pulled away saying, "I think I would like some more." as she pulled down my boxer shorts and dropped to her knees in one swift motion. She engulfed my limp cock into her warm mouth and massaged it with her tongue until it began to swell. One hand massaged my balls while the other cupped my ass cheek and pulled me into her ministrations. Once I had a hint of rigidity, she began bobbing her head and applying suction to further draw out my length. Working my cock in and out of her mouth, she made sure the sensitive underside of my glans remained in full contact with her tongue. It didn't take long for me to reach a full, raging erection. Sensing that with her mouth, Stefani confirmed with a couple quick strokes of her hand before standing and moving toward the bed. I watched in rapt attention as she climbed onto the center of the bed, positioned herself on her elbows and knees, and seductively wiggled her ass in the air. She looked at me over her shoulder with lust in her eyes and implored, "Take me!" I quickly climbed on the bed and positioned myself behind her. My hands playfully grabbed her hips and pulled her back into me, sandwiching my thickened shaft against her ass. She responded by wiggling her ass, which served to neatly seat my rod between her cheeks. I held her hips with my hands and rocked a few times to slide the underside of my cock against her cheeks. Having played around enough, I shifted backward on my knees and cupped a hand under her sex. I briefly caressed her inflamed and eager mound before dipping two fingers further into her very well lubricated slit. Stefani uttered encouraging moans as my fingers worked in and out of her dripping wet hole. Knowing we were both ready for the main event, I pulled my copiously coated hand from her mound and used it, along with the pre-cum already dripping from my tip, to spread lubrication along the length of my throbbing shaft. Stefani looked back at me as I held her hip with one hand and guided my cock toward her opening with the other. We both gave prolonged moans as our heightened arousal allowed me to penetrate her fully in one long push. Once inside her, she looked back at me and renewed her original request, "Take me!" And so I did. With my hands holding her hips and pulling her back against my pelvis with every stroke, I began lustfully pistoning in and out of her tunnel. She buried her face into the mattress and squealed with delight as I pounded into her roughly, causing her hanging pear-shaped tits to swing violently with my harsh pummeling. After a while, my hands moved to cradle the milky fruits and feel their rippling movements against my palms. As I became winded from the extended punishment I was giving Stefani, I used the supple handfuls to raise her torso toward me and aggressively kiss the nape of her neck as my cock momentarily slowed its assault. Stefani muttered unintelligible encouragements as her tunnel walls pleasured in the slowed movements of my veiny shaft and bulbous head erotically sliding in and out. In the course of my affection, her breathing quickened and became shallower as she ascended toward climax. Knowing she was close, I gave her sensitive nipples a quick squeeze, pushed her torso back down to the mattress, and grabbed her hips to resume my forceful penetrations. My lustful plunging quickly put Stefani over her summit and she emitted long moans of pleasure punctuated only by the impacts of my pelvis against her ass. Her body began quaking and, unable to support herself, crashed forward face down on the bed. My body followed hers downward and pinned her against the mattress as I gave a few more hard thrusts before pushing myself as far into her depths as possible, and releasing volley after volley of cum. Her walls sheathing my cock spasmed through a long drawn-out orgasm, milking every drop of seed from my cock. I held myself over her while our mutual orgasm slowly subsided. Not wanting to smother her with my weight, I rolled off to her side, leaving a strand of cum as my cock slipped from her warmth and dragged across her ass. Still laying on her stomach, Stefani turned her head and motioned me toward her for a series of lovingly soft post-coital kisses. She then repeated her earlier actions of cupping a hand to her crotch and making her way to the bathroom, to which I chuckled and she returned a playfully stern expression and wagging finger. I checked on the girls again while she was in the bathroom and then we both decided we should get a little sleep before they would be up for Christmas morning. Stefani set the alarm on her phone and we drifted off to sleep naked in each other's arms. Wake Up Call. I didn't hear the alarm, but Stefani did and apparently decided to give me a different type of wake-up call. I awoke to the feeling of wet warmth around my morning erection. I looked down to see a mass of dark curly hair slowly moving up and down over my midsection. I reached out and brushed aside her mane to see her looking up at me, the corners of her mouth smiling from around my cock. She briefly pulled it from her mouth and offered a cheery, "Good morning handsome." I replied, "Good morning beautiful." before she returned her attention to pleasuring me. She resumed slowly making oral love to my glans and moved one hand to massage my balls as she worked. After a while, she began to take more of my shaft with each downward motion until my engorged head began flirting with the entrance to her throat. She had no perceivable reflex to the contact and, on the following downstroke, wiggled her head a little to work my crown past the restriction. Once past the threshold, she took my full length, burying her nose firmly into my pelvis. She held herself there for several moments before pulling herself off my cock, then repeating the actions again and again. I had never experienced that feeling before and it didn't take long for me to be overcome by the pleasure. While buried deep in her throat, I urgently warned, "I'm going to cum! I'm going to cum!" Stefani strained to push her head down further and take in every possible millimeter of my cock before purposefully constricting her throat around the head of my cock. My hands grasped at her curly locks as I launched forceful jets of cum directly into her throat. After the first few ejections, she pulled back to remove my crown from her throat and to milk the remaining cum into her mouth with a rhythmic bobbing motion. She looked into my eyes as she swallowed my seed and continued fellating my organ until it softened in her mouth, then simply said, "Merry Christmas, David." Christmas Morning. I had started a fire in the great room fireplace after Stefani's morning gift and was faking blanket-covered sleep on the sofa when I heard little footsteps clamoring up the basement steps and bursting through the sleigh bell alarmed door. The girls scurried across the room in their new pajamas, taking the shortest route to the Christmas presents under the tree, and began eagerly exploring which packages were for whom. I pretended to be waking up and put on a show by pushing the blanket aside, stretching my arms in an exaggerated fashion as I sat upright, and saying, "Merry Christmas, girls!" Just then, I saw Stefani coming down the loft stairs and continuing the ruse by drearily rubbing her eyes and smoothing her disheveled curls. She had apparently gone shopping in my closet and was wearing one of my old t-shirts, which was long enough on her to almost completely cover a pair of my boxer shorts beneath. She echoed, "Merry Christmas everyone!" The girls distractedly replied, "Merry Christmas," as they continued sorting through gifts under the tree. Stefani sat down next to me on the sofa and folded one leg beneath her. After confirming the girls were not looking, I turned my head and gave Stefani a quick peck on the lips before suggesting, "Girls, do you want to pass out all the presents?" They excitedly responded, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and enthusiastically went about checking tags and making stacks of presents where each recipient was seated. I reached over to take Stefani's hand in mine, our fingers interlaced, as we soaked in the holiday atmosphere. During their process, Toni and Lizzie independently delivered a package for either me or Stefani and noticed us holding hands. Interestingly, they both had similar reactions which amounted to hesitating for a moment, then going on about what they were doing as if us holding hands was expected and logical. Once the girls had all the gift bags and wrapped boxes distributed, we took the civilized approach of taking turns, each of us opening a present while the others looked on. Toni and Lizzie each received an assortment of clothes, girly trinkets, and a couple electronic items. Stefani and I were especially moved when the girls exchanged gifts they had personally selected for each other, then embraced in an extended hug. On my next turn opening a gift, I was genuinely touched when I unwrapped a shirt-box size package from Lizzie to find a small ceramic coin dish, hand-painted in red and green with speckles of gold glitter. Also in the box was an impressively detailed color pencil drawing of Lizzie, Toni, Stefani, and me all holding hands and standing on Lizzie's little bridge behind our house. Stefani and I reserved our presents to each other until all the others had been opened and the girls were happily playing with their new toys. We sat on the sofa watching them and shared occasional discreet touches of affection before exchanging our gifts. I'm sure we would have both selected different items had we known the deepening of our relationship that would occur on Christmas Eve, but they were still meaningful in a retrospective way. I opened an absolutely beautiful mechanical wristwatch with an ornately engraved metal band. As I was admiring its craftsmanship, I noticed the side of the clock face was inscribed with intricate script, "Thank you for being on-time. --Stefani" Knowing the deeper significance of those words in Stefani's painful past made my gift to her equally meaningful. I presented her a small box which she opened to reveal a delicate silver pendant necklace containing a marble-size translucent brown gemstone. Her slender fingers picked up a small printed card inside the jewelry box that read, "Legend of Apache Tears -- This gemstone native to Superior, Arizona bears the tears shed by Apache women after loss of their men defending the sacred homelands. For those who possess an Apache Tear, their emotional body will be cleansed of old traumas or wounds and they need not cry again, because the Apache women cried enough for the one who holds the stone." Stefani carefully placed the card back into the jewelry box and closed the case saying, "Thank you, but I think you are my real healer." I replied, "I know you are mine." and gave her a short but meaningful kiss. Our lips pulled away from each other to find the girls sitting on the floor by the Christmas tree, distracted from playing by the sight of us kissing. Stefani was quicker thinking than me and asked the intentionally leading question, "How would the two of you feel about the four of us spending more time together?" To my surprise, Lizzie put her toys aside, walked over to the sofa and gave Stefani a giant hug. She said something to Stefani while they hugged, but I couldn't make out the words. Toni followed Lizzie's lead and came over to give me a hug. Her face buried into my neck, she said with the honest wisdom of a child, "You make my mom happy." Not understanding the full significance of what had just occurred, Toni and Lizzie returned to playing while Stefani and I silently held hands and just enjoyed the moment. My mind drifted to recount the last couple months, and last 24 hours, as the fingers of my free hand idly twisted and twirled a small piece of wrapping paper. While Stefani and I had commonly tragic backgrounds that drew us together, that is not why I loved her. That was simply the key that opened our guarded doors and freed our real selves. I loved her for being the intelligent, quick-witted, caring, compassionate, and cheerful person I had come to know once she let me inside her world. When we were together, especially with Lizzie and Toni, we felt like a real family. There was genuine care and warmth. Lizzie's reaction to hug Stefani earlier surprised me, but it shouldn't have. I did the best I could to raise her, but I was still only one man. She didn't have a mother figure in her life and, looking back over the last couple months, I could see the special bond she was starting to form with Stefani. I vowed to myself right then that I would focus on doing the same with Toni. Her earlier statement of, "You make my mom happy." and the picture she drew of the four of us holding hands, told me she was clearly more astute to the situation than I was aware. My heart yearned for the impromptu family the four of us had started to become and, more importantly, it yearned for Stefani in a way I hadn't felt since Julie. I glanced down at my free hand and observed that my fidgeting fingers had unconsciously produced a little twisted rope circle from the scrap of wrapping paper. In that moment, I realized that my heart knew what it needed. The girls had moved their play downstairs while I was lost in my thoughts, and Stefani and I hadn't said anything in quite some time. She eventually broke the silence, and my distant stare, by asking, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" I responded, "Nothing is wrong. Absolutely nothing." before continuing with conviction, "I know this is going to sound impulsive, but I've never felt more clearly about anything in my life." I lifted my free hand with the little wrapping paper ring and said, "I love you, Stefani. Will you marry me?" She quickly and emphatically answered, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and her eyes filled with tears as I slipped the makeshift giftwrap ring over her finger. She then leapt into my lap, cradled my face with her palms, and passionately kissed me through her weeping. The Idea. We introduced the idea to Lizzie and Toni as we were all playing board games that Christmas afternoon. It would be an understatement to say they were thrilled about being sisters and living in the same house together. Stefani and I hadn't even begun to consider logistics of being a family. Would we live in my house, her house, a new house? Regardless, the girls immediately started planning how they wanted to decorate a shared bedroom. Stefani asked if they might each like their own room, an idea which the girls quickly dismissed. As the girls' planning continued, Stefani discreetly moved her hand under the table and onto my thigh, giving it affectionate caresses and little love squeezes. I gave her a contented smile, then a moment later she interrupted the girls' conversation to ask, "Would the two of you like to sleep in the tent downstairs again tonight?" Of course they said yes, but I think Stefani and I were even more excited than they were. When the evening wound down, we tucked them into bed and headed upstairs to my bedroom. Stefani decided she would like a shower so we gathered towels and toiletries, sharing plenty of kisses and touches as we did. We reluctantly parted and she proceeded into the bathroom. I heard the glass door open and close, then the sounds of splashing water indicating she was in the shower. I gave her about 10-minutes to freshen up before stripping naked and going in to surprise her. I opened the shower door to see her rinsing shampoo from her hair. She continued rinsing without interruption, but acknowledged me by saying, "I was hoping you would come in." My hands explored her body while she attempted to rinsed her hair, my hardened cock occasionally poking and pressing against her as we moved. She gave up rinsing after a few moments and we urgently kissed in each other's arms, our wet naked bodies pressed together and responding to the slippery contact. After some extended foreplay, I turned Stefani away from me and motioned for her to place one foot up on the tiled shower bench, then entered her from behind in that standing position. She steadied herself against the shower walls as I passionately took her in that standing position, my hands alternating between her holding her hips and kneading her soapy tits. Stefani giggled as I eventually pulled out of her and the combined product of our orgasms trailed down the inside of her leg and swirled down the shower drain. We did actually clean ourselves, of course with a lot of shared soaping, rinsing, and drying assistance, before taking our desire to the bed. We made love numerous times that night in various waves of passion, some tender and caring, some urgent and visceral, and all immensely satisfying to our bodies and souls. Announcement. Stefani told her parents about our engagement when they returned from their cruise. They were understandably concerned given the very short timeline of events and urged her to slow things down. They expressed the same to me when Lizzie and I met them for the first time over a family dinner. After eating, her parents took me aside to reinforce their concerns when I began talking somewhat cryptically, "I was perfectly content living day-to-day, just Lizzie and me as our own little family. Sure, I had fantasies about my wife still being alive, or meeting some beautiful woman that would fill that hole in my heart, but I didn't expect that to ever happen and certainly didn't seek it out. Then Lizzie met Toni, and I met a very; guarded; version of Stefani." Her parents gave each other knowing glances at that statement, and her dad offered, "And bitchy." I laughed and put my hands up in the air as if to mockingly plead, "You said it, not me." before I verbally continued, "Let's just say that her; cold; attitude led to us having a conversation and discovering we have some common experiences in our pasts. Anyway, that's when I truly met the real Stefani and began falling in love, not because of our common pasts, but because of the beautiful, intelligent, caring, compassionate, and cheerful person I came to know after she let me in. I didn't understand what was missing from my life until I truly met the real Stefani; and Toni. The four of us complete each other." Her parents' faces visibly softened as I continued, "I completely understand your concerns, and I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to have your blessing. Your daughter is my fantasy, my fairy tale that I thought I would never find. I can wait a little longer." Her mom's eyes filled with tears and her dad held out his hand to shake mine saying, "You have our blessing. I trust the two of you to decide when the time is right." Blending. Stefani and I honored her parent's guidance and spent the next months growing together and falling deeper in love. We had frequent sleepover nights at both my house and hers and were really beginning to function as a family of four. Stefani was very much becoming a mother to Lizzie, and me a father to Toni. At some point that spring, we all knew the time was right. In early June, Stefani's parents and a small gathering of friends looked on as Stefani, Toni, Lizzie, and I stood on the bridge behind our house and officially became a family. It turns out maybe Lizzie was always right about that bridge. It did have a way of healing wounds and making everything right again. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

"Si j'avais gagné l'UTMB, HOKA n'existerait peut-être pas."En 2007, Nicolas Mermoud s'effondre dans la descente l'UTMB après avoir mené la majorité de la course.À l'époque, Nike et Adidas dominent le marché mais aucune technologie ne permet de courir vite et en sécurité dans les descentes.Alors avec Jean-Luc Diard, Nicolas mise 300 000 euros pour rivaliser avec les mastodontes. À 42 ans. Avec trois enfants.Aujourd'hui, HOKA fait 2,2 milliards de chiffre d'affaires avec 40% de marge.Cette histoire s'est construite sur un paradoxe qui défie toute logique. L'industrie pensait minimaliste, HOKA arrive avec des semelles géantes qui donnent la sensation de voler.Dans cet épisode fascinant, Nicolas dévoile :Les 3 innovations technologiques qui ont bouleversé une industrie de 80 milliardsComment construire une marque mondiale sans budget marketingPourquoi innover ne suffit jamais pour gagnerLe modèle économique du footwearUne masterclass d'innovation de la part d'un "mountain kid" qui a créé l'iPhone du footwear.Vous pouvez contacter Nicolas sur Linkedin et Instagram.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : De la Haute-Savoie aux pieds de Joe Biden00:10:20 : Entreprendre à 42 ans avec 3 enfants00:20:15 : Le secret des produits qui cartonnent00:30:08 : Le jour 1 de HOKA00:45:05 : Les 3 innovations technologiques de HOKA00:57:34 : La marque comme véhicule de l'innovation01:10:07 : La séparation qui a tout accéléré01:23:11 : Combien ça coûte une paire de runnings ?01:34:08 : Construire une marque mondiale sans budget marketing01:42:39 : La signature HOKA01:56:01 : Comment survivre quand tout le monde copie02:05:51 : Courir ensemble pour parler business02:22:15 : Innover ne suffit pas02:33:09 : Transmettre l'expérience de l'outdoor02:43:09 : La défaite qui a tout lancé03:00:20 : Le bad buzz qui a failli tout tuerLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #496 - Sébastien Kopp - VEJA - Faire du business autrement#495 - Anne-Laure Constanza Gorgé - Toulemonde Bochart - “Je me suis battue dans un seul but : mettre à l'abri mes enfants”#413 - Alexandre Boucheix (Casquette Verte) - Ultra-Traileur - “Je suis jamais le meilleur mais j'adore briller”#309 - Vincent Defrasne - AYAQ - Prendre sa retraite sportive à 33 ans et se lancer dans l'entrepreneuriat écoresponsable#300 - Mathieu Blanchard - Ultratrail et Aventure - Commencer le running à 26 ans et devenir une légende de l'ultratrail#203 - Catherine Poletti - UTMB - Changer l'histoire du sport et du Mont-Blanc#200 - Tristan Vyskoc - Dépasser ses limites, courir à s'en faire péter le cœur#178 - Kilian Jornet - Alpinisme & Ultra-trail - Ne pense pas au résultat, l'objectif c'est de progresser#38 - Vincent Defrasne - De l'Or Olympique à la Fondation Somfy#10 - Sébastien Kopp - VEJA - concurrencer Nike et Adidas avec du Développement DurableNous avons parlé de :Les skis paraboliques de Elan et KneisslUTMB Mont BlancJim WalmsleyLes recommandations de lecture :L'art de la victoire, de Phil KnightBorn to Run, de Christopher McDougallUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Bridge Engineering: Part 2 Why is my mom here? Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. I awoke to the sound of Lizzie's bathroom door opening and closing, and the girls' footsteps moving around her bedroom. I laid there for a minute then reluctantly pulled myself out of bed to splash some water on my face and slip on a pair of flannel lounge pants and a t-shirt. I emerged from my bedroom and looked down in the great room to see the girls standing by the sofa looking at Stefani as she slept. Toni heard me coming down the stairs and asked, "Why is my mom here?" Lizzie followed that with the accurate but impolite assessment, "Her makeup is all smeared." Before I could say anything, Toni shook her mom's shoulder and loudly inquired, "Mom! Mom! Are you ok?!" Stefani stirred, stretched her legs under the blankets, and drowsily answered, "Yes honey, I'm fine. Mom just had a really rough night." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni and Lizzie went into the pantry and started lining up cereal boxes while debating the merits of each selection. By that time, I was also downstairs and gently offered, "Good morning" to Stefani as I went about rekindling the hearth. She moaned as she sat up on the sofa and said, "I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I came here like that last night." "I'm glad you did. I don't know what that was all about, but I was happy to know you were here and safe." She gave a muffled "Thank you." while she hung her head and cradled it in her hands, then mumbled to herself, "I can't believe I thought he would be any different." Toni must have had one ear tuned into our conversation and interjected in an annoyed tone of voice, "Is this about a man?" Lizzie looked at Toni, then at me and matter-of-factly said, "She should go sit on the bridge." It was an unquestionable truth in Lizzie's mind that time sitting on the bridge would fix whatever was bothering Toni's mom. I smiled and said, "Lizzie, I think that is a great idea." She puffed her chest proudly and went about pouring a bowl of cereal. I finished adding logs to the fire and suggested to Stefani, "There's a half-bath by the kitchen, or you're welcome to use my bathroom upstairs if you would like a shower. I'll pull together some fresh clothes for you. When you are ready, I think we should go for a walk;” then in a slightly louder voice added, "away from little eavesdroppers." "You really wouldn't mind if I took a shower?" "Not at all. I'll get you some towels and toiletries." The corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile of gratitude and, for the first time that morning, Stefani looked me directly in the eyes and offered a very heart-felt, "Thank you." She stood up, pulled the hem of her dress down, and followed me up the stairs in her black legging covered feet. At the top of the stairs, I reached in the linen closet and handed her a stack of two bath towels, a hand towel, and a washcloth. My hands then sorted through some of the miscellaneous toiletries stored in the same closet and added a toothbrush, toothpaste, and stick of pre-teen girly deodorant. I apologized as I set the brightly patterned container on top of the towels, "Sorry, you're stuck with this unless you want to use men's deodorant." Returning to our inventory of toiletries, I started checking labels on bottles of Lizzie's 2-in-1 bodywash and shampoo, "Ok, looks like your choices are strawberry, cotton candy, or bubble gum." She chuckled and said, "I think I'll go with strawberry." "Good call." We proceeded into my bedroom where I motioned her toward the ensuite bathroom and said, "Make yourself at home and use whatever you need in there. I'm pretty sure the door locks. To be honest, I've never used it." She surveyed the bedroom and its contents on her way to the bathroom and I walked the opposite direction toward my walk-in closet. "I'll find some clothes while you are in the shower and set them on the corner of the bed." She softly said, "Thank you." while walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. I proceeded to rummage through my closet looking for things that might work. I knew my clothes made for a 6'-3" tall man wouldn't fit her properly, but they were the only option available. My hands methodically moved across the wall rack, sliding each hanger a bit so I could examine the respective article. After a few minutes, I heard the sounds of Stefani turning on the shower, opening the glass shower door, and then water sporadically splashing against the tile and glass enclosure. My mind came to the awareness that there was a completely naked woman in my shower, just on the other side of the door. I couldn't help but think of how her intimate features must look as the steaming spray trickled down her body. Realizing I was standing there inappropriately fantasizing about a woman in a questionable emotional condition, I snapped myself out of it and continued thumbing through hangers to arrive at a pair of heavy flannel lounge pants. They were a much too small Christmas gift from years past, but I figured they would work for Stefani if she rolled the pant legs up a little. A t-shirt and sweatshirt seemed like the obvious choices for her upper half given a lot of women like relaxing in oversized men's clothes anyway. Organizing my selections, I noticed there weren't any undergarments and shrugged it off thinking she would just have to re-use what she had on, or go commando, but then had a last-second thought to grab a pair of boxer shorts. I folded everything neatly, set the items in a pyramiding stack on the corner of the bed, and closed the bedroom door behind me on the way out. About 30-minutes later, the girls were in Lizzie's room and I was sitting in the great room when Stefani padded down the stairs in bare feet wearing the lounge pants and the oversized t-shirt that was slightly moist around the collar from her damp curls. The t-shirt clung a little to her moist torso and gave evidence of her unrestrained tits jiggling under the fabric. She smiled as she reached the main floor and softly said, "Thank you. I really needed that." "You're welcome. Are you hungry?" "Not really, my stomach is still turning a little from last night." she said as she sat next to me on the sofa and folded her legs beneath her. "I'm so sorry for the drama. I wasn't thinking clearly and I'm thoroughly embarrassed I showed up here like that." "Please don't be. Like I said earlier, I'm just happy to know you're safe. You seemed pretty traumatized." Stefani replied, "Traumatized is probably a little strong." before seemingly pausing to consider if she wanted to offer any more information. She exhaled loudly and hesitantly continued, "I've had some; let's call them; rocky roads in my personal life, and last night was just the latest example." I sympathetically offered, "I'm sorry." She shrugged her shoulders and introspectively recapped, "I've worked with him for several years and thought he was a nice guy; and he was until he started drinking. Dinner was enjoyable, but by the time we all got to the dance club he was pretty buzzed and started getting handsy. When I rebuffed his advances, he got belligerent and more forceful." Stefani's eyes were beginning to swell as she recounted the previous evening's events in her head. My own head was filled with questions and concerns, but I sensed she had more to say and didn't want to hinder her in getting it out. "Thankfully, my coworkers saw what was happening and interceded. He took off and that was the end of it." She paused for a moment then tearily continued, "It's not just him. Last night wasn't the first time something like this happened. I seem to be a magnet for jerks and losers. At least this one wasn't married; that I know of." "I'm sorry." She quietly repeated to herself something she had said the previous night, "Why can't I escape it?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity, "You said that last night too. What do you mean you can't escape 'it'?" She answered coldly through her tears, "Alcohol," before pausing for a few quick moments to gather herself and continuing, "It ruined my marriage. It robbed Toni of a father. It turned my coworker into a creep last night. Etc, etc;” I took her hand in mine and said, "I'm sorry. I understand." She abruptly pulled her hand from mine and argued, "I appreciate your compassion, but please don't say you understand." I stood up and said, "I think we should go for a walk outside." I didn't really give her an opportunity to say no and walked to the mudroom to get a jacket. I put mine on, then handed one to Stefani as she followed me. We both slipped on a pair of my fleece lined muck boots. The boots and jacket were both too large for her, but they would suffice. I shouted to the girls that Stefani and I were going on a walk, then we stepped outside. As we strolled away from the house and into the woods, I inquired, "Please tell me about your ex-husband." "Well, we met in college and he was wonderful. I thought he was everything I wanted in life. His drinking wasn't an issue then. I mean we both went to the typical college parties and had too much to drink, but it wasn't a problem. We married the summer after we graduated and started a typical newlywed life." Our boots crunched through fall leaves on the forest floor as Stefani continued, "After we were married, he occasionally went out with friends or old college buddies and came home drunk. Again, it wasn't frequent and wasn't anything concerning." We reached Lizzie's bridge and both sat on the edge dangling our feet over the water below. "Over time, and after Toni came along, his occasional nights out evolved into several times a week and he became defensive whenever I would say anything about it. Eventually, alcoholism; let's call it what it was; completely overtook him. It wasn't just going out with friends anymore. He always had a drink in his hand. Commitments were meaningless to him and he would show up hours late, if at all. Toni's birthday parties, family holidays, dates with me; it didn't matter." "By the time Toni was three, he lost his job, which only gave him an excuse to be drunk all day. I constantly begged him to get help, but that would only agitate him and cause a fight. That continued for about a year until his agitation turned into physical abuse. That was my breaking point and I told him I wanted a divorce." Stefani was now talking through streaming tears and I took her hand in mine as a show of support. "The night I told him, he went out to the bar and never came back. After a couple weeks, I realized he was never coming back and I hired a divorce attorney who, in turn, hired a private investigator to track him down. It took a few months, but they eventually found him in Key West where he could find work as a day laborer on fishing charters and beg enough money and free drinks from tourists to get by. He demanded a healthy ransom to sign the divorce papers but, at that point, I would have paid anything." With that, she fell silent and leaned to rest her head on my shoulder. We sat quietly listening to the gentle breeze in the trees, punctuated occasionally by Stefani's sniffles. After a few minutes of building courage, I sighed and started talking, "I think I told you that Lizzie and I lived in Indiana before moving here, right?" Stefani answered softly with her head still on my shoulder, "Yes." "Well, I grew up there, in a very small town in the southern part of the state. When I was younger, my dad was a functional alcoholic. He was the best heavy equipment mechanic in the area and ran a very successful business, but came home and drank himself to blackout every night." Stefani raised her head to look at me as I continued talking, "He wasn't an angry or abusive drunk, and was never drunk in public. He was just basically an absent parent. He worked all day then came home, sat in front of the television and drank until he passed out." "My mom did everything for us and held the family together until she got sick when I was in 8th grade. The ovarian cancer had already metastasized throughout her abdomen when she was diagnosed, and she was gone a few months later." My hand had held Stefani's while she was talking and now she reciprocated by interlacing her slender fingers with mine. "Even though he didn't show it, my dad loved her deeply and her death sent him into a tailspin. He turned into a full-time drunk and lost everything; the business, the house, the cars. There were many mornings that I would wake up for school and find him passed out in the living room or, worse yet, already starting the new day with a drink in his hand. When I was in high school, it was common for me to get a call from the Sheriff saying he was drunk or passed out somewhere around town. The Sheriff was a family friend and just called me to come get him rather than arresting him. Looking back on it, he was just an enabler by letting him go." Stefani squeezed my hand in hers as I spoke, "I worked odd jobs around town and managed to earn enough money for my dad and I to survive in a tiny apartment above the hardware store. Between poverty status and my good school grades, I managed to get a full scholarship at IU in Bloomington." "I was concerned about how my dad would take me leaving for school, but it turned out I didn't need to worry. His only question was if I would have a job and keep paying the bills. I did and continued doing so even after Julie and I were married." Stefani leaned against me as we sat on the bridge and offered, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You do understand." "Yes, unfortunately I do." She cautiously probed further, "If I may ask, is your dad still around?" I had repressed this part of my past for years and wasn't sure I wanted to dredge up those memories. My head hung and watched the bubbling water below. After several minutes without a response, Stefani squeezed my hand and prompted, "David?" "He's in prison." She dug deeper when she realized I wasn't going to elaborate on my own, "Why?" I continued looking into the moving water and softly said, "Julie and Lizzie were hit by a drunk driver." It took a second to register in her mind, "Oh my God, it was him." "Yes." She took her hand from mine and, instead, wrapped both arms around me in a sympathetic and understanding hug. We sat in each other's arms for quite some time before I said, "We should probably go back inside and see what the girls are doing." Stefani agreed and we slowly made our way back through the woods toward the house. As we walked, I said, "Lizzie doesn't know any of that stuff about her grandfather. I'll tell her someday, but probably not anytime soon." "I understand. Toni was young enough that she doesn't remember her dad and didn't know why he left. I avoided the topic for a long time, but eventually I had to tell her." "Lizzie knows that she and Julie were in a car accident. She just doesn't know the part about my dad." Stefani stopped walking and pulled on my arm for me to stop with her. She pulled me into an embrace and said, "Thank you." I returned her hug, then kept one arm around her back as we finished walking to the house. Stefani, Toni, Lizzie and I spent most of the afternoon playing board games by the fireplace and enjoying the time together. As we did, I found myself becoming attracted to Stefani, both mentally and physically. The cold, guarded person I knew faded away and a new sunny, alluring personality emerged as she smiled and laughed. I stole glances while she wasn't looking, enjoying the simple way she sat with one leg folded beneath her and the other pulled up so she could rest her chin on her knee, the way she twisted curls of hair in her slender fingers when she thought, the way her neatly-painted toes flexed when she reached for the board game pieces, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Later in the evening, Stefani and I collaborated on preparation of an impromptu taco dinner, before we all said our goodbyes. Still in my borrowed clothes as they left, Stefani gave me one more hug and whispered in my ear, "Thank you again for taking me in." before giving me a soft kiss on the cheek. Uniting. Play dates continued frequently for Lizzie and Toni over the following weeks, both at Stefani's house and at mine. However, unlike before, Stefani would invite me to stay and I would do the same when at my house. Sometimes we would simply sit quietly in each other's company working on our laptops. Other times we would chat casually about a wide range of topics, getting to know each other and exploring our commonalities and differences. During one of those discussions, we found ourselves talking about balancing life demands as a single parent; children, work, cooking, cleaning, etc., and how it left very little time for personal interests and pursuits. I joked, "Ha, sharing the work is definitely a strong argument for having a partner!" Stefani looked at me and very seriously asked, "Have you dated since Julie passed?" "I've been on a few dates, but I wouldn't say I've dated. A couple years after we moved here, some of my friends started trying to set me up with people. The ladies were nice enough, but I wasn't ready yet and it just didn't feel right. After a few dates, I decided it was best to just decline their attempts" She probed further, "How long ago was that?" "The last one was maybe 4 years ago." I answered before returning the question, "How about you? Have you dated?" She groaned, "Hmm, my dating history isn't any better than what happened with that guy from my office. I've met a few guys, but they've all turned out to be jerks. I tell you, I'm a magnet for them. One guy that I really liked and went out with for about a month, turned out to be married. The others weren't that much different than the guy from work, and it became obvious on the first dates that they were only looking for sex, not a relationship." "I'm sorry." Neither one of us said anything more on the topic and we moved on to other subjects, but there was an unspoken understanding that we were both exploring the other person's openness to a relationship. Friendsgiving. The week after Thanksgiving, Stefani and I sat on stools at my kitchen island tapping away on our laptop keyboards while Toni and Lizzie played upstairs. I was answering emails, and Stefani was filling out what looked to be a very complicated accounting spreadsheet on her screen. After an hour or so, Stefani sighed and announced, "I need a break from these numbers." She extended her arms straight above her head and arched her back as she stretched. The motion served to thrust her tits outward, stretching the fabric of her thin button-up blouse and revealing the intricate texture of a lace bra beneath. It also caused the bottom of the untucked blouse to rise upward, exposing a flat, toned midriff and cute belly button. Having been caught looking, she just smiled knowingly and asked "How was your Thanksgiving?" "It was good. Lizzie and I went over to George and Linda's house for a 'Friendsgiving'. There were about ten people there, plus a few kids. We stayed for most of the day, then came home and roasted some marshmallows in the fireplace. How was yours?" "It was stereotypical," she replied as she continued in a mock monotonous tone, "We went to my parents' house, ate dinner, and all the men fell asleep watching football while my mom and sisters harassed me to find a husband. You know, all the usual things." I said sarcastically, "Sounds delightful." then asked seriously, "I take it that is a topic of conversation at every family gathering?" "Yes, they think they are being funny about it, joking about how they should set me up with this guy or that guy, but it gets annoying really fast. Especially since I know they really aren't joking. At least I won't have to hear it at Christmas. My parents decided to go on a Caribbean cruise over the holidays, so my sisters are all going to their husbands' sides of their families." I processed that for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you made any other plans? Would you and Toni like to spend Christmas here with us?" Stefani sincerely replied, "I would love that. I know Toni will too." We went on to plan out the details and decided that Stefani would bring their gifts over on Christmas Eve so she didn't have to transport them Christmas morning. That discussion evolved into Stefani bringing some of her family's traditional Italian dishes for dinner, then further into a more formal Christmas Eve dining event. She thought it would be fun for the girls, and I certainly didn't object to the idea of seeing Stefani in a nice dress. Holidays. On the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, Lizzie and I went to the local Rotary Club tree sale. Lizzie carefully inspected every tree on the lot before running back to one of the first trees near the entrance and declaring, "This is it! This is the perfect tree!" The Frazier Fir was a little big and a little expensive for my preference, but I acquiesced and paid the man standing next to me with a perceptive grin on his face. After strapping the tree on top of my Jeep, we climbed in and I asked Lizzie, "Should we see if Toni wants to come help decorate it?" Lizzie bounced in her seat and squealed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Stefani, "Just bought tree. U2 want to decorate tonight?" She replied back almost immediately, "Yes, I'll bring chili." When we got home, I untied the tree in the gravel driveway and did my best to shake out any loose needles. Before taking it in the house, Lizzie and I decided on a location off to the side of the great room fireplace and shifted furniture around to accommodate the tree. I then dug the tree stand and some boxes of decorations out of the basement. After all the preparations were made, I brought the tree inside. Lizzie steadied the empty stand while I placed the base of the tree and held it upright while Lizzie tightened the stand's handscrews to secure it in place. With it tightened as much as Lizzie's little fingers could muster, I crawled under the tree and made little adjustments while Lizzie gave me left or right straightening instructions. When she was satisfied, I gave each of the handscrews a final tightening. We stood together admiring our work and congratulated each other on the job well done before she went get a container of water for the tree. I spent the next couple hours on household tasks that I hadn't accomplished during the week, then decided to get cleaned up a little before Stefani and Toni arrived. I washed up, applied some fresh deodorant and cologne, then changed into a pair of casual khakis and an ugly but festive Christmas sweater. Decorating. Stefani and Toni arrived soon after I changed. Stefani carrying a crockpot of chili and Toni carrying a bag full of accompaniments. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door and unloaded their hands as they shed their coats and shoes. Stefani laughed at my sweater as she slid her coat off her shoulders, "Seriously?" I feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "What?!" With coats hung up and the crock pot plugged in, the four of us found our way over to the unadorned tree and began discussing how to decorate it. I opened the box containing light strands and said, "We have some multi-color lights and some white lights, which should we use ladies?" The two girls discussed it for a moment then answered in unison, "All of them!" I chuckled and started untangling the light strands and stringing them around the tree as Stefani and the girls explored the other boxes of decorations I had brought up from the basement. I couldn't help but admire Stefani as she picked through the boxes and watched me wrap lights around the tree. She was wearing a loose-fitting cream color corded sweater, black leggings, and cream color fuzzy socks that matched her sweater. I'm sure she intended it as a comfortable lounging outfit, but it complimented her long, toned body very well. I finished the last strand of lights and took a seat on the sofa while Toni and Lizzie continued unwrapping ornaments and laying them out on the floor. Stefani had found a tree skirt in one of the boxes and asked, "Should I put it on?" I answered, "Sure. There should be another one somewhere in the boxes if you want to see it, but I think the one you have is the best." She said, "This one is nice." then crawled over to the tree. She unfolded the skirt and reached under the tree while on her hands and knees to pull it around the trunk. Gravity slid the bottom of her oversize sweater above her hips and a few inches up her back as she leaned and stretched to adjust the skirt, presenting a wonderful view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. My gaze was fixed on the sensual, womanly curves that were only slightly veiled by the form-fitting legging fabric. Stefani pulled the skirt edges outward and tried her best to smooth any wrinkles before asking, "How does that look?" Still staring at her ass, I rallied courage to suggestively answer, "It looks incredible." Curious about the overly enthusiastic response, Stefani looked back over her shoulder and saw me looking at her rear, not the tree skirt. She smiled mischievously, subtly wiggled her ass, then spent a couple more minutes unnecessarily straightening imaginary wrinkles in the skirt. The girls were unaware of the adult exchanges and Lizzie innocently asked, "Can we start putting ornaments on now?" I came back to reality and answered, "Sure, go for it!" as Stefani moved to sit next to me on the sofa. The girls formulated a plan for shorter Lizzie to decorate the bottom of the tree, taller Toni to hang ornaments on the middle section, and Stefani and me to get whatever they couldn't reach. Stefani nestled against my side as we watched the girls make trips back and forth between selecting ornaments laid on the floor and choosing the perfect location for each on the tree. Their happiness being together and sharing in the festive atmosphere was infectious, and I sat there feeling emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was very comfortable to have Toni and Stefani there with us. It just felt right. With those thoughts swirling in my head, my hand reached to find Stefani's and our fingers intuitively interlaced. My heart swelled as Stefani snuggled further into me. When the girls had their portions of the tree sufficiently loaded, Stefani and I finished decorating the upper portion and I added the crowning star. We all stood back to admire our work and I flipped the switch for the grand lighting finale. The girls cheered with delight while Stefani and I each put an arm around the other's back and shared a side-hug while appreciating the tree. After sharing a few moments, Stefani moved on to serve dinner while I cleaned up the empty decoration boxes. We all shared conversation over the meal at the dining room table, then played some after-dinner card games. I felt a pang of emptiness when it was time for Stefani and Toni to leave, and really didn't want them to go. That evening I felt a sense of family that I hadn't felt since Julie died. I didn't want to scare Stefani with the heaviness of my thoughts, and understatedly said, "I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope we can all spend more evenings like this together." Stefani wasn't as subtle. As they were putting their coats on and heading out the door, she gave me a goodbye hug with the girls looking on, and whispered in my ear, "I didn't see mistletoe hung anywhere. You should get some." Holiday Break. The week before Christmas was a whirlwind, filled with school holiday activities, Christmas shopping, and end-of-the-year accounting for my business. There wasn't time for play dates, but we did all see each other at the school holiday play and concert. Both girls had parts in the play, Toni as an ice skater and Lizzie tending a chestnut roasting cart. Stefani and I found each other in the crowd of parents entering the auditorium and enjoyed the show side-by-side. I didn't know how she felt about the two of us being friendly in public, so I sat next to her playing the part of a plutonic acquaintance. It was Stefani who reached over and placed her hand on the top of my thigh, which I covered with mine and gave a squeeze of affection. We all went to the downtown sweet shop after the concert where the girls both ate mountainous ice cream sundaes while Stefani and I sipped on decaf coffee. We shared another goodbye hug when we parted ways at the end of the evening. This time it was my turn to whisper in Stefani's ear, "We need to find some time alone." She inhaled sharply and shuddered a little when I discreetly placed a kiss just under her ear. The Big Event. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Lizzie and I made some final preparations for the big event, including retrieval of a formal set of china and crystal stemware packed away in the basement. We washed all the china and stemware before turning our attention to the table by spreading a white linen tablecloth, arranging the china and crystal place settings, and creating a centerpiece with some fir boughs and velvet ribbon. The crowning element was a forest of candles randomly spaced along the center of the table. After finishing, I steered Lizzie up to her room to change clothes before doing a quick final clean of the kitchen and great room, then heading upstairs to freshen up and change. I opted for a slightly casual look with a sport coat and open collar button-down shirt. Lizzie went for an all-out, over-the-top look in a way only a third-grade girl can, with a long lace dress, heels, and an abundance of costume jewelry. I heard gravel crunching under tires as I was complimenting Lizzie on her dress and looked out the window to see Stefani and Toni's car coming to a stop outside. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door. Lizzie with squeals of excitement for Toni, and me with a hug for Stefani. With a long overcoat still on, Stefani said, "Presents and dinner are in the trunk of my car. Would you mind?" "Of course not." I didn't bother putting on a coat and swiftly walked out to retrieve hot trays of food covered in aluminum foil and packed in boxes. Toni held the door open upon my return to the house and I complimented her attire, which was on par with Lizzie's style for the evening. I entered to see Stefani standing in the kitchen wearing a floor-length, deep burgundy satin evening gown. The off-the-shoulder cut drew attention to her lithe neck and sensually exposed collar bones and shoulders, while the deep-V bust line and her pendant necklace pointed directly to the shallow valley between her modest tits. The torso of the dress was neatly fitted to her narrow waist then flared outward over her hips into the pleated A-line gown. It was the perfect dress for her body and she looked absolutely amazing. My admiration grew even more when she shifted position to purposefully reveal a long, toned leg through the full length slit in the side. "You look incredible!" I praised while placing the boxes of food on the kitchen island and making a show of looking at her from head to toe. She feigned a shy, "Aww, thank you." and humbly said, "I wear it once a year for the company holiday party." I turned to make another trip to her car and on the way out the door, I replied, "You should wear it more often. You make that dress look really good." I made several trips schlepping boxes of food and Christmas presents. When I returned and put the last couple boxes on the kitchen counter, Stefani had begun unpacking an assortment of homemade Italian dishes, including chicken piccata, fettucine with clam sauce, an antipasto salad, and an assortment of other side dishes. I exclaimed, "Wow, this looks and smells fantastic!" as I moved to steal a small clam off the top of the fettucine. She swatted my hand and playfully disciplined, "You need to wait, mister!" The girls tasked themselves with lighting the numerous candles on the table as I dimmed the house lights. Meanwhile, Stefani finished plating the last few items and carried them to the table. We dined by the soft glow of candlelight talking about good memories of Christmas, with Stefani and I temporarily ignoring the painful ones from our respective pasts. At one point, as the girls were consumed with a conversation of their own, Stefani commented, "This china is beautiful. You have good tastes." I didn't want to kill the mood, but I also wanted to be honest. "Julie picked it out for our wedding registry. She had an eye for the finer things in life." "Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! I should have known!" "Please, it's okay. I wouldn't have used it if I wasn't ready to talk about it. I figured it was time to dust it off for a special occasion." She meekly asked, "Is this the first time you've used it since?" "Yes." Her beautiful blue eyes looked warmly into mine as her long slender fingers mindlessly twirled a lock of hair above her right ear. She spoke with layers of meaning, "I'm understanding more and more that Julie knew how to choose the finer things." We shared an extended gaze across the table that was only interrupted by Toni asking, "Can we have dessert now?" Stefani and I chuckled and she answered, "Yes, you may." before standing up to clear the table of dirty plates. I offered in my best butler voice, "I will service the table, madam, if you would like to prepare the next course for the Ladies of the Court." The girls thought that was hilarious and started practicing their own stuffy accents, which only intensified as consequences of the sugary tiramisu and cannoli took hold. When we had all finished, I announced in my Lordship voice, "Thank you Ladies, the food was remarkable and so was the company. Shall we retire to the parlor for after-dinner amusements?" The girls looked confused, so Stefani clarified, "He means games." after which they scrambled out of their chairs to explore the cabinet housing our selection of card and board games. Stefani and I cleared the table and generally tidied up the kitchen while the girls debated which games to play. We worked efficiently as a team, sharing a lot of unnecessary and 'accidental' touches as we moved about. The girls finished their game selections and we played several games of 'Chutes 'N Ladders' before moving on to 'Sorry' and, finally, a very long game of 'Monopoly' in which they eventually lost interest and asked if they could go watch a movie in the basement. Stefani started to object, "It's getting late. We should probably be going." before I gestured for the girls to go on downstairs. They didn't wait for Stefani's response and took off down the stairs. She looked at me quizzically as I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. We trailed the girls down the stairs where Stefani silently absorbed what was before her. I had set up two twin beds in front of the downstairs television and created a makeshift tent out of some decorative tree branches, tulle fabric, and twinkle lights. It was a perfect sleepover paradise for two third-grade girls. I put my arm around Stefani and whispered in her ear, "You're right, it is getting late. Maybe you should just spend the night." She put her arm around my back and whispered back, "Umm; sounds nice, but;” as she nodded toward the girls. I responded not to her, but to Lizzie and Toni who were sitting on one of the beds scrolling through movie options on the DVR. "Girls?" When they both raised their heads to look at me, I announced, "We've decided to let you have a sleepover tonight so that we can all be here together for Christmas morning;” They cheered and hugged each other before I continued, "; but there are a couple rules; first, you can watch a movie, then you need to get ready for bed in the bathroom down here and go right to sleep. The pink gift bags on your beds are special Christmas Eve sleepover kits with pajamas, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a few other things." Lizzie and Toni scurried to check out the gift bags, but I interceded, "Wait a minute; the second rule is that you can't come upstairs until 7:00 tomorrow morning;” I said motioning to Stefani and I, "; we need a decent night's sleep. Do you both agree to the rules?" They eagerly shouted in unison, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" "Ok, we'll see you on Christmas morning!" Before we could turn to leave, Toni asked, "Mom, where will you sleep?" I anticipated the question and interceded with a little white lie, "She'll sleep in my bed. I'm going to sleep on the great room sofa so I can make sure you two don't try to sneak upstairs to look at the presents." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni simply said, "Okay, goodnight mom." To be continued in part 3. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Bridge Engineering: Part 2 Why is my mom here? Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. I awoke to the sound of Lizzie's bathroom door opening and closing, and the girls' footsteps moving around her bedroom. I laid there for a minute then reluctantly pulled myself out of bed to splash some water on my face and slip on a pair of flannel lounge pants and a t-shirt. I emerged from my bedroom and looked down in the great room to see the girls standing by the sofa looking at Stefani as she slept. Toni heard me coming down the stairs and asked, "Why is my mom here?" Lizzie followed that with the accurate but impolite assessment, "Her makeup is all smeared." Before I could say anything, Toni shook her mom's shoulder and loudly inquired, "Mom! Mom! Are you ok?!" Stefani stirred, stretched her legs under the blankets, and drowsily answered, "Yes honey, I'm fine. Mom just had a really rough night." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni and Lizzie went into the pantry and started lining up cereal boxes while debating the merits of each selection. By that time, I was also downstairs and gently offered, "Good morning" to Stefani as I went about rekindling the hearth. She moaned as she sat up on the sofa and said, "I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I came here like that last night." "I'm glad you did. I don't know what that was all about, but I was happy to know you were here and safe." She gave a muffled "Thank you." while she hung her head and cradled it in her hands, then mumbled to herself, "I can't believe I thought he would be any different." Toni must have had one ear tuned into our conversation and interjected in an annoyed tone of voice, "Is this about a man?" Lizzie looked at Toni, then at me and matter-of-factly said, "She should go sit on the bridge." It was an unquestionable truth in Lizzie's mind that time sitting on the bridge would fix whatever was bothering Toni's mom. I smiled and said, "Lizzie, I think that is a great idea." She puffed her chest proudly and went about pouring a bowl of cereal. I finished adding logs to the fire and suggested to Stefani, "There's a half-bath by the kitchen, or you're welcome to use my bathroom upstairs if you would like a shower. I'll pull together some fresh clothes for you. When you are ready, I think we should go for a walk;” then in a slightly louder voice added, "away from little eavesdroppers." "You really wouldn't mind if I took a shower?" "Not at all. I'll get you some towels and toiletries." The corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile of gratitude and, for the first time that morning, Stefani looked me directly in the eyes and offered a very heart-felt, "Thank you." She stood up, pulled the hem of her dress down, and followed me up the stairs in her black legging covered feet. At the top of the stairs, I reached in the linen closet and handed her a stack of two bath towels, a hand towel, and a washcloth. My hands then sorted through some of the miscellaneous toiletries stored in the same closet and added a toothbrush, toothpaste, and stick of pre-teen girly deodorant. I apologized as I set the brightly patterned container on top of the towels, "Sorry, you're stuck with this unless you want to use men's deodorant." Returning to our inventory of toiletries, I started checking labels on bottles of Lizzie's 2-in-1 bodywash and shampoo, "Ok, looks like your choices are strawberry, cotton candy, or bubble gum." She chuckled and said, "I think I'll go with strawberry." "Good call." We proceeded into my bedroom where I motioned her toward the ensuite bathroom and said, "Make yourself at home and use whatever you need in there. I'm pretty sure the door locks. To be honest, I've never used it." She surveyed the bedroom and its contents on her way to the bathroom and I walked the opposite direction toward my walk-in closet. "I'll find some clothes while you are in the shower and set them on the corner of the bed." She softly said, "Thank you." while walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. I proceeded to rummage through my closet looking for things that might work. I knew my clothes made for a 6'-3" tall man wouldn't fit her properly, but they were the only option available. My hands methodically moved across the wall rack, sliding each hanger a bit so I could examine the respective article. After a few minutes, I heard the sounds of Stefani turning on the shower, opening the glass shower door, and then water sporadically splashing against the tile and glass enclosure. My mind came to the awareness that there was a completely naked woman in my shower, just on the other side of the door. I couldn't help but think of how her intimate features must look as the steaming spray trickled down her body. Realizing I was standing there inappropriately fantasizing about a woman in a questionable emotional condition, I snapped myself out of it and continued thumbing through hangers to arrive at a pair of heavy flannel lounge pants. They were a much too small Christmas gift from years past, but I figured they would work for Stefani if she rolled the pant legs up a little. A t-shirt and sweatshirt seemed like the obvious choices for her upper half given a lot of women like relaxing in oversized men's clothes anyway. Organizing my selections, I noticed there weren't any undergarments and shrugged it off thinking she would just have to re-use what she had on, or go commando, but then had a last-second thought to grab a pair of boxer shorts. I folded everything neatly, set the items in a pyramiding stack on the corner of the bed, and closed the bedroom door behind me on the way out. About 30-minutes later, the girls were in Lizzie's room and I was sitting in the great room when Stefani padded down the stairs in bare feet wearing the lounge pants and the oversized t-shirt that was slightly moist around the collar from her damp curls. The t-shirt clung a little to her moist torso and gave evidence of her unrestrained tits jiggling under the fabric. She smiled as she reached the main floor and softly said, "Thank you. I really needed that." "You're welcome. Are you hungry?" "Not really, my stomach is still turning a little from last night." she said as she sat next to me on the sofa and folded her legs beneath her. "I'm so sorry for the drama. I wasn't thinking clearly and I'm thoroughly embarrassed I showed up here like that." "Please don't be. Like I said earlier, I'm just happy to know you're safe. You seemed pretty traumatized." Stefani replied, "Traumatized is probably a little strong." before seemingly pausing to consider if she wanted to offer any more information. She exhaled loudly and hesitantly continued, "I've had some; let's call them; rocky roads in my personal life, and last night was just the latest example." I sympathetically offered, "I'm sorry." She shrugged her shoulders and introspectively recapped, "I've worked with him for several years and thought he was a nice guy; and he was until he started drinking. Dinner was enjoyable, but by the time we all got to the dance club he was pretty buzzed and started getting handsy. When I rebuffed his advances, he got belligerent and more forceful." Stefani's eyes were beginning to swell as she recounted the previous evening's events in her head. My own head was filled with questions and concerns, but I sensed she had more to say and didn't want to hinder her in getting it out. "Thankfully, my coworkers saw what was happening and interceded. He took off and that was the end of it." She paused for a moment then tearily continued, "It's not just him. Last night wasn't the first time something like this happened. I seem to be a magnet for jerks and losers. At least this one wasn't married; that I know of." "I'm sorry." She quietly repeated to herself something she had said the previous night, "Why can't I escape it?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity, "You said that last night too. What do you mean you can't escape 'it'?" She answered coldly through her tears, "Alcohol," before pausing for a few quick moments to gather herself and continuing, "It ruined my marriage. It robbed Toni of a father. It turned my coworker into a creep last night. Etc, etc;” I took her hand in mine and said, "I'm sorry. I understand." She abruptly pulled her hand from mine and argued, "I appreciate your compassion, but please don't say you understand." I stood up and said, "I think we should go for a walk outside." I didn't really give her an opportunity to say no and walked to the mudroom to get a jacket. I put mine on, then handed one to Stefani as she followed me. We both slipped on a pair of my fleece lined muck boots. The boots and jacket were both too large for her, but they would suffice. I shouted to the girls that Stefani and I were going on a walk, then we stepped outside. As we strolled away from the house and into the woods, I inquired, "Please tell me about your ex-husband." "Well, we met in college and he was wonderful. I thought he was everything I wanted in life. His drinking wasn't an issue then. I mean we both went to the typical college parties and had too much to drink, but it wasn't a problem. We married the summer after we graduated and started a typical newlywed life." Our boots crunched through fall leaves on the forest floor as Stefani continued, "After we were married, he occasionally went out with friends or old college buddies and came home drunk. Again, it wasn't frequent and wasn't anything concerning." We reached Lizzie's bridge and both sat on the edge dangling our feet over the water below. "Over time, and after Toni came along, his occasional nights out evolved into several times a week and he became defensive whenever I would say anything about it. Eventually, alcoholism; let's call it what it was; completely overtook him. It wasn't just going out with friends anymore. He always had a drink in his hand. Commitments were meaningless to him and he would show up hours late, if at all. Toni's birthday parties, family holidays, dates with me; it didn't matter." "By the time Toni was three, he lost his job, which only gave him an excuse to be drunk all day. I constantly begged him to get help, but that would only agitate him and cause a fight. That continued for about a year until his agitation turned into physical abuse. That was my breaking point and I told him I wanted a divorce." Stefani was now talking through streaming tears and I took her hand in mine as a show of support. "The night I told him, he went out to the bar and never came back. After a couple weeks, I realized he was never coming back and I hired a divorce attorney who, in turn, hired a private investigator to track him down. It took a few months, but they eventually found him in Key West where he could find work as a day laborer on fishing charters and beg enough money and free drinks from tourists to get by. He demanded a healthy ransom to sign the divorce papers but, at that point, I would have paid anything." With that, she fell silent and leaned to rest her head on my shoulder. We sat quietly listening to the gentle breeze in the trees, punctuated occasionally by Stefani's sniffles. After a few minutes of building courage, I sighed and started talking, "I think I told you that Lizzie and I lived in Indiana before moving here, right?" Stefani answered softly with her head still on my shoulder, "Yes." "Well, I grew up there, in a very small town in the southern part of the state. When I was younger, my dad was a functional alcoholic. He was the best heavy equipment mechanic in the area and ran a very successful business, but came home and drank himself to blackout every night." Stefani raised her head to look at me as I continued talking, "He wasn't an angry or abusive drunk, and was never drunk in public. He was just basically an absent parent. He worked all day then came home, sat in front of the television and drank until he passed out." "My mom did everything for us and held the family together until she got sick when I was in 8th grade. The ovarian cancer had already metastasized throughout her abdomen when she was diagnosed, and she was gone a few months later." My hand had held Stefani's while she was talking and now she reciprocated by interlacing her slender fingers with mine. "Even though he didn't show it, my dad loved her deeply and her death sent him into a tailspin. He turned into a full-time drunk and lost everything; the business, the house, the cars. There were many mornings that I would wake up for school and find him passed out in the living room or, worse yet, already starting the new day with a drink in his hand. When I was in high school, it was common for me to get a call from the Sheriff saying he was drunk or passed out somewhere around town. The Sheriff was a family friend and just called me to come get him rather than arresting him. Looking back on it, he was just an enabler by letting him go." Stefani squeezed my hand in hers as I spoke, "I worked odd jobs around town and managed to earn enough money for my dad and I to survive in a tiny apartment above the hardware store. Between poverty status and my good school grades, I managed to get a full scholarship at IU in Bloomington." "I was concerned about how my dad would take me leaving for school, but it turned out I didn't need to worry. His only question was if I would have a job and keep paying the bills. I did and continued doing so even after Julie and I were married." Stefani leaned against me as we sat on the bridge and offered, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You do understand." "Yes, unfortunately I do." She cautiously probed further, "If I may ask, is your dad still around?" I had repressed this part of my past for years and wasn't sure I wanted to dredge up those memories. My head hung and watched the bubbling water below. After several minutes without a response, Stefani squeezed my hand and prompted, "David?" "He's in prison." She dug deeper when she realized I wasn't going to elaborate on my own, "Why?" I continued looking into the moving water and softly said, "Julie and Lizzie were hit by a drunk driver." It took a second to register in her mind, "Oh my God, it was him." "Yes." She took her hand from mine and, instead, wrapped both arms around me in a sympathetic and understanding hug. We sat in each other's arms for quite some time before I said, "We should probably go back inside and see what the girls are doing." Stefani agreed and we slowly made our way back through the woods toward the house. As we walked, I said, "Lizzie doesn't know any of that stuff about her grandfather. I'll tell her someday, but probably not anytime soon." "I understand. Toni was young enough that she doesn't remember her dad and didn't know why he left. I avoided the topic for a long time, but eventually I had to tell her." "Lizzie knows that she and Julie were in a car accident. She just doesn't know the part about my dad." Stefani stopped walking and pulled on my arm for me to stop with her. She pulled me into an embrace and said, "Thank you." I returned her hug, then kept one arm around her back as we finished walking to the house. Stefani, Toni, Lizzie and I spent most of the afternoon playing board games by the fireplace and enjoying the time together. As we did, I found myself becoming attracted to Stefani, both mentally and physically. The cold, guarded person I knew faded away and a new sunny, alluring personality emerged as she smiled and laughed. I stole glances while she wasn't looking, enjoying the simple way she sat with one leg folded beneath her and the other pulled up so she could rest her chin on her knee, the way she twisted curls of hair in her slender fingers when she thought, the way her neatly-painted toes flexed when she reached for the board game pieces, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Later in the evening, Stefani and I collaborated on preparation of an impromptu taco dinner, before we all said our goodbyes. Still in my borrowed clothes as they left, Stefani gave me one more hug and whispered in my ear, "Thank you again for taking me in." before giving me a soft kiss on the cheek. Uniting. Play dates continued frequently for Lizzie and Toni over the following weeks, both at Stefani's house and at mine. However, unlike before, Stefani would invite me to stay and I would do the same when at my house. Sometimes we would simply sit quietly in each other's company working on our laptops. Other times we would chat casually about a wide range of topics, getting to know each other and exploring our commonalities and differences. During one of those discussions, we found ourselves talking about balancing life demands as a single parent; children, work, cooking, cleaning, etc., and how it left very little time for personal interests and pursuits. I joked, "Ha, sharing the work is definitely a strong argument for having a partner!" Stefani looked at me and very seriously asked, "Have you dated since Julie passed?" "I've been on a few dates, but I wouldn't say I've dated. A couple years after we moved here, some of my friends started trying to set me up with people. The ladies were nice enough, but I wasn't ready yet and it just didn't feel right. After a few dates, I decided it was best to just decline their attempts" She probed further, "How long ago was that?" "The last one was maybe 4 years ago." I answered before returning the question, "How about you? Have you dated?" She groaned, "Hmm, my dating history isn't any better than what happened with that guy from my office. I've met a few guys, but they've all turned out to be jerks. I tell you, I'm a magnet for them. One guy that I really liked and went out with for about a month, turned out to be married. The others weren't that much different than the guy from work, and it became obvious on the first dates that they were only looking for sex, not a relationship." "I'm sorry." Neither one of us said anything more on the topic and we moved on to other subjects, but there was an unspoken understanding that we were both exploring the other person's openness to a relationship. Friendsgiving. The week after Thanksgiving, Stefani and I sat on stools at my kitchen island tapping away on our laptop keyboards while Toni and Lizzie played upstairs. I was answering emails, and Stefani was filling out what looked to be a very complicated accounting spreadsheet on her screen. After an hour or so, Stefani sighed and announced, "I need a break from these numbers." She extended her arms straight above her head and arched her back as she stretched. The motion served to thrust her tits outward, stretching the fabric of her thin button-up blouse and revealing the intricate texture of a lace bra beneath. It also caused the bottom of the untucked blouse to rise upward, exposing a flat, toned midriff and cute belly button. Having been caught looking, she just smiled knowingly and asked "How was your Thanksgiving?" "It was good. Lizzie and I went over to George and Linda's house for a 'Friendsgiving'. There were about ten people there, plus a few kids. We stayed for most of the day, then came home and roasted some marshmallows in the fireplace. How was yours?" "It was stereotypical," she replied as she continued in a mock monotonous tone, "We went to my parents' house, ate dinner, and all the men fell asleep watching football while my mom and sisters harassed me to find a husband. You know, all the usual things." I said sarcastically, "Sounds delightful." then asked seriously, "I take it that is a topic of conversation at every family gathering?" "Yes, they think they are being funny about it, joking about how they should set me up with this guy or that guy, but it gets annoying really fast. Especially since I know they really aren't joking. At least I won't have to hear it at Christmas. My parents decided to go on a Caribbean cruise over the holidays, so my sisters are all going to their husbands' sides of their families." I processed that for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you made any other plans? Would you and Toni like to spend Christmas here with us?" Stefani sincerely replied, "I would love that. I know Toni will too." We went on to plan out the details and decided that Stefani would bring their gifts over on Christmas Eve so she didn't have to transport them Christmas morning. That discussion evolved into Stefani bringing some of her family's traditional Italian dishes for dinner, then further into a more formal Christmas Eve dining event. She thought it would be fun for the girls, and I certainly didn't object to the idea of seeing Stefani in a nice dress. Holidays. On the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, Lizzie and I went to the local Rotary Club tree sale. Lizzie carefully inspected every tree on the lot before running back to one of the first trees near the entrance and declaring, "This is it! This is the perfect tree!" The Frazier Fir was a little big and a little expensive for my preference, but I acquiesced and paid the man standing next to me with a perceptive grin on his face. After strapping the tree on top of my Jeep, we climbed in and I asked Lizzie, "Should we see if Toni wants to come help decorate it?" Lizzie bounced in her seat and squealed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Stefani, "Just bought tree. U2 want to decorate tonight?" She replied back almost immediately, "Yes, I'll bring chili." When we got home, I untied the tree in the gravel driveway and did my best to shake out any loose needles. Before taking it in the house, Lizzie and I decided on a location off to the side of the great room fireplace and shifted furniture around to accommodate the tree. I then dug the tree stand and some boxes of decorations out of the basement. After all the preparations were made, I brought the tree inside. Lizzie steadied the empty stand while I placed the base of the tree and held it upright while Lizzie tightened the stand's handscrews to secure it in place. With it tightened as much as Lizzie's little fingers could muster, I crawled under the tree and made little adjustments while Lizzie gave me left or right straightening instructions. When she was satisfied, I gave each of the handscrews a final tightening. We stood together admiring our work and congratulated each other on the job well done before she went get a container of water for the tree. I spent the next couple hours on household tasks that I hadn't accomplished during the week, then decided to get cleaned up a little before Stefani and Toni arrived. I washed up, applied some fresh deodorant and cologne, then changed into a pair of casual khakis and an ugly but festive Christmas sweater. Decorating. Stefani and Toni arrived soon after I changed. Stefani carrying a crockpot of chili and Toni carrying a bag full of accompaniments. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door and unloaded their hands as they shed their coats and shoes. Stefani laughed at my sweater as she slid her coat off her shoulders, "Seriously?" I feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "What?!" With coats hung up and the crock pot plugged in, the four of us found our way over to the unadorned tree and began discussing how to decorate it. I opened the box containing light strands and said, "We have some multi-color lights and some white lights, which should we use ladies?" The two girls discussed it for a moment then answered in unison, "All of them!" I chuckled and started untangling the light strands and stringing them around the tree as Stefani and the girls explored the other boxes of decorations I had brought up from the basement. I couldn't help but admire Stefani as she picked through the boxes and watched me wrap lights around the tree. She was wearing a loose-fitting cream color corded sweater, black leggings, and cream color fuzzy socks that matched her sweater. I'm sure she intended it as a comfortable lounging outfit, but it complimented her long, toned body very well. I finished the last strand of lights and took a seat on the sofa while Toni and Lizzie continued unwrapping ornaments and laying them out on the floor. Stefani had found a tree skirt in one of the boxes and asked, "Should I put it on?" I answered, "Sure. There should be another one somewhere in the boxes if you want to see it, but I think the one you have is the best." She said, "This one is nice." then crawled over to the tree. She unfolded the skirt and reached under the tree while on her hands and knees to pull it around the trunk. Gravity slid the bottom of her oversize sweater above her hips and a few inches up her back as she leaned and stretched to adjust the skirt, presenting a wonderful view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. My gaze was fixed on the sensual, womanly curves that were only slightly veiled by the form-fitting legging fabric. Stefani pulled the skirt edges outward and tried her best to smooth any wrinkles before asking, "How does that look?" Still staring at her ass, I rallied courage to suggestively answer, "It looks incredible." Curious about the overly enthusiastic response, Stefani looked back over her shoulder and saw me looking at her rear, not the tree skirt. She smiled mischievously, subtly wiggled her ass, then spent a couple more minutes unnecessarily straightening imaginary wrinkles in the skirt. The girls were unaware of the adult exchanges and Lizzie innocently asked, "Can we start putting ornaments on now?" I came back to reality and answered, "Sure, go for it!" as Stefani moved to sit next to me on the sofa. The girls formulated a plan for shorter Lizzie to decorate the bottom of the tree, taller Toni to hang ornaments on the middle section, and Stefani and me to get whatever they couldn't reach. Stefani nestled against my side as we watched the girls make trips back and forth between selecting ornaments laid on the floor and choosing the perfect location for each on the tree. Their happiness being together and sharing in the festive atmosphere was infectious, and I sat there feeling emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was very comfortable to have Toni and Stefani there with us. It just felt right. With those thoughts swirling in my head, my hand reached to find Stefani's and our fingers intuitively interlaced. My heart swelled as Stefani snuggled further into me. When the girls had their portions of the tree sufficiently loaded, Stefani and I finished decorating the upper portion and I added the crowning star. We all stood back to admire our work and I flipped the switch for the grand lighting finale. The girls cheered with delight while Stefani and I each put an arm around the other's back and shared a side-hug while appreciating the tree. After sharing a few moments, Stefani moved on to serve dinner while I cleaned up the empty decoration boxes. We all shared conversation over the meal at the dining room table, then played some after-dinner card games. I felt a pang of emptiness when it was time for Stefani and Toni to leave, and really didn't want them to go. That evening I felt a sense of family that I hadn't felt since Julie died. I didn't want to scare Stefani with the heaviness of my thoughts, and understatedly said, "I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope we can all spend more evenings like this together." Stefani wasn't as subtle. As they were putting their coats on and heading out the door, she gave me a goodbye hug with the girls looking on, and whispered in my ear, "I didn't see mistletoe hung anywhere. You should get some." Holiday Break. The week before Christmas was a whirlwind, filled with school holiday activities, Christmas shopping, and end-of-the-year accounting for my business. There wasn't time for play dates, but we did all see each other at the school holiday play and concert. Both girls had parts in the play, Toni as an ice skater and Lizzie tending a chestnut roasting cart. Stefani and I found each other in the crowd of parents entering the auditorium and enjoyed the show side-by-side. I didn't know how she felt about the two of us being friendly in public, so I sat next to her playing the part of a plutonic acquaintance. It was Stefani who reached over and placed her hand on the top of my thigh, which I covered with mine and gave a squeeze of affection. We all went to the downtown sweet shop after the concert where the girls both ate mountainous ice cream sundaes while Stefani and I sipped on decaf coffee. We shared another goodbye hug when we parted ways at the end of the evening. This time it was my turn to whisper in Stefani's ear, "We need to find some time alone." She inhaled sharply and shuddered a little when I discreetly placed a kiss just under her ear. The Big Event. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Lizzie and I made some final preparations for the big event, including retrieval of a formal set of china and crystal stemware packed away in the basement. We washed all the china and stemware before turning our attention to the table by spreading a white linen tablecloth, arranging the china and crystal place settings, and creating a centerpiece with some fir boughs and velvet ribbon. The crowning element was a forest of candles randomly spaced along the center of the table. After finishing, I steered Lizzie up to her room to change clothes before doing a quick final clean of the kitchen and great room, then heading upstairs to freshen up and change. I opted for a slightly casual look with a sport coat and open collar button-down shirt. Lizzie went for an all-out, over-the-top look in a way only a third-grade girl can, with a long lace dress, heels, and an abundance of costume jewelry. I heard gravel crunching under tires as I was complimenting Lizzie on her dress and looked out the window to see Stefani and Toni's car coming to a stop outside. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door. Lizzie with squeals of excitement for Toni, and me with a hug for Stefani. With a long overcoat still on, Stefani said, "Presents and dinner are in the trunk of my car. Would you mind?" "Of course not." I didn't bother putting on a coat and swiftly walked out to retrieve hot trays of food covered in aluminum foil and packed in boxes. Toni held the door open upon my return to the house and I complimented her attire, which was on par with Lizzie's style for the evening. I entered to see Stefani standing in the kitchen wearing a floor-length, deep burgundy satin evening gown. The off-the-shoulder cut drew attention to her lithe neck and sensually exposed collar bones and shoulders, while the deep-V bust line and her pendant necklace pointed directly to the shallow valley between her modest tits. The torso of the dress was neatly fitted to her narrow waist then flared outward over her hips into the pleated A-line gown. It was the perfect dress for her body and she looked absolutely amazing. My admiration grew even more when she shifted position to purposefully reveal a long, toned leg through the full length slit in the side. "You look incredible!" I praised while placing the boxes of food on the kitchen island and making a show of looking at her from head to toe. She feigned a shy, "Aww, thank you." and humbly said, "I wear it once a year for the company holiday party." I turned to make another trip to her car and on the way out the door, I replied, "You should wear it more often. You make that dress look really good." I made several trips schlepping boxes of food and Christmas presents. When I returned and put the last couple boxes on the kitchen counter, Stefani had begun unpacking an assortment of homemade Italian dishes, including chicken piccata, fettucine with clam sauce, an antipasto salad, and an assortment of other side dishes. I exclaimed, "Wow, this looks and smells fantastic!" as I moved to steal a small clam off the top of the fettucine. She swatted my hand and playfully disciplined, "You need to wait, mister!" The girls tasked themselves with lighting the numerous candles on the table as I dimmed the house lights. Meanwhile, Stefani finished plating the last few items and carried them to the table. We dined by the soft glow of candlelight talking about good memories of Christmas, with Stefani and I temporarily ignoring the painful ones from our respective pasts. At one point, as the girls were consumed with a conversation of their own, Stefani commented, "This china is beautiful. You have good tastes." I didn't want to kill the mood, but I also wanted to be honest. "Julie picked it out for our wedding registry. She had an eye for the finer things in life." "Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! I should have known!" "Please, it's okay. I wouldn't have used it if I wasn't ready to talk about it. I figured it was time to dust it off for a special occasion." She meekly asked, "Is this the first time you've used it since?" "Yes." Her beautiful blue eyes looked warmly into mine as her long slender fingers mindlessly twirled a lock of hair above her right ear. She spoke with layers of meaning, "I'm understanding more and more that Julie knew how to choose the finer things." We shared an extended gaze across the table that was only interrupted by Toni asking, "Can we have dessert now?" Stefani and I chuckled and she answered, "Yes, you may." before standing up to clear the table of dirty plates. I offered in my best butler voice, "I will service the table, madam, if you would like to prepare the next course for the Ladies of the Court." The girls thought that was hilarious and started practicing their own stuffy accents, which only intensified as consequences of the sugary tiramisu and cannoli took hold. When we had all finished, I announced in my Lordship voice, "Thank you Ladies, the food was remarkable and so was the company. Shall we retire to the parlor for after-dinner amusements?" The girls looked confused, so Stefani clarified, "He means games." after which they scrambled out of their chairs to explore the cabinet housing our selection of card and board games. Stefani and I cleared the table and generally tidied up the kitchen while the girls debated which games to play. We worked efficiently as a team, sharing a lot of unnecessary and 'accidental' touches as we moved about. The girls finished their game selections and we played several games of 'Chutes 'N Ladders' before moving on to 'Sorry' and, finally, a very long game of 'Monopoly' in which they eventually lost interest and asked if they could go watch a movie in the basement. Stefani started to object, "It's getting late. We should probably be going." before I gestured for the girls to go on downstairs. They didn't wait for Stefani's response and took off down the stairs. She looked at me quizzically as I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. We trailed the girls down the stairs where Stefani silently absorbed what was before her. I had set up two twin beds in front of the downstairs television and created a makeshift tent out of some decorative tree branches, tulle fabric, and twinkle lights. It was a perfect sleepover paradise for two third-grade girls. I put my arm around Stefani and whispered in her ear, "You're right, it is getting late. Maybe you should just spend the night." She put her arm around my back and whispered back, "Umm; sounds nice, but;” as she nodded toward the girls. I responded not to her, but to Lizzie and Toni who were sitting on one of the beds scrolling through movie options on the DVR. "Girls?" When they both raised their heads to look at me, I announced, "We've decided to let you have a sleepover tonight so that we can all be here together for Christmas morning;” They cheered and hugged each other before I continued, "; but there are a couple rules; first, you can watch a movie, then you need to get ready for bed in the bathroom down here and go right to sleep. The pink gift bags on your beds are special Christmas Eve sleepover kits with pajamas, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a few other things." Lizzie and Toni scurried to check out the gift bags, but I interceded, "Wait a minute; the second rule is that you can't come upstairs until 7:00 tomorrow morning;” I said motioning to Stefani and I, "; we need a decent night's sleep. Do you both agree to the rules?" They eagerly shouted in unison, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" "Ok, we'll see you on Christmas morning!" Before we could turn to leave, Toni asked, "Mom, where will you sleep?" I anticipated the question and interceded with a little white lie, "She'll sleep in my bed. I'm going to sleep on the great room sofa so I can make sure you two don't try to sneak upstairs to look at the presents." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni simply said, "Okay, goodnight mom." To be continued in part 3. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Stefani Seek is a twice-divorced woman and mother of 3 who finally learned to love herself without apology in her early 40s, and attracted in the love life of her dreams! Her motto is: "You can always change your mind!" Stefani is the founder & CEO of Seek Love LLC, and the author of two books for women. Her latest book, "Your Love Compass: A Woman's Unconventional Guide to Dating & Relationships," was gifted in the 2025 Emmys and Oscars celebrity swag bags. She is a professional coach for women seeking romantic love, as well as an executive coach to business leaders & professionals, Stefani offers 1-1 coaching services, as well as self-guided courses & group options.Find more from Stefani here:Instagram: stefaniseekcoachLinkedIn: Stefani SeekFacebook: The Love Compass with Stefani SeekFind Karaleigh's new Christmas album on Bandcamp: https://karaleighgarrison.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-in-heavenly-peaceOr on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/7yScXA5fh8GJ9y6RYxv6Hy?si=2nIepN4RT-ypiTFaI4zBrA

 Bridge Engineering: Part 1Two broken, single parents find healing.Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected.And so it began. The start of another school year. I pulled my Jeep into the school grounds and took my place in the waiting drop-off lane. Children scurried about the school grounds with crisp back-to-school clothes and brightly colored backpacks not yet soiled and tattered from use. I winced internally as numerous mothers hugged their little ones, sent them into the building, and tearfully departed.My Elizabeth unfastened her seatbelt and eagerly fidgeted on the edge of the seat as we crept forward in line. Upon arrival at the designated unloading zone, Lizzie contorted herself over the center console and gave me a tight, all-consuming hug. "I love you Daddy!" she shouted as a volunteer parent opened the car door. And with that, she was gone in a flash. The volunteer and I just smiled at each other and shrugged our shoulders.In a repeat of years past, I drove away with a feeling of emptiness. Lizzie and I spent every minute of the summer together and I grew accustomed to her as my constant companion. It seemed like just yesterday that I dropped her off for the first day of preschool. Today it's third grade. How fast will the remaining years fly by before she leaves me all alone?I spent the day in a nearby coffee shop distractedly conducting business via email on my laptop. It wasn't rational, but somehow it felt better knowing I was only a couple minutes from the school, and from Lizzie. Time passed excruciatingly slow and I struggled to resist going to the school and being one of 'those' helicopter parents. Well, school ends at 2:50. I held out until 2:15.I was third in the line of vehicles waiting for pick-up and my eyes anxiously scanned the mass of children emerging from the school doors. It wasn't long before I spotted Lizzie joyfully skipping hand-in-hand with a girl I didn't recognize. She was rail thin, had a very lightly tanned skin tone, and towered above Lizzie. That wasn't too surprising since Lizzie took after her very petite mother and also barely made the birthday cutoff for her grade, but this girl was quite a bit taller than the average third grader.The girls zig-zagged as they skipped down the sidewalk with swinging arms and bouncing hair. Lizzie's straight and amber brown, her friend's a loose mass of dark curls. Lizzie spotted my Jeep and pointed it out to her friend. They hugged goodbye with Lizzie's arms around her friend's waist, and her friend's arms around Lizzie's head. I smiled at the height contrast and felt a sense of relief as Lizzie ran toward the Jeep.She climbed in and frantically began telling me everything about her day, a flood of words pouring from her mouth as if a damn holding them back had burst, "My teacher is Mrs. Pierpont and she is really nice and she has red hair. A boy named Alex sits next to me and he has shiny shoes. I had a hot dog for lunch and; and; and;”My heart felt comfort as she sat next to me and I heard the happiness in her voice. I needed her near me and to know that everything was ok.Lizzie had talked non-stop for 10 minutes and was still going as we headed toward home. The small-town streets gave way to a rural two-lane road as we headed out of town, and eventually the tires crunched along the gravel road leading to our house in the woods. It was the tranquil setting that I needed when Lizzie and I moved here 8 years ago."; and I met a new friend. Her name is Toni, well it's really Antonia, but she wants to be called Toni. Kind of like my name is Elizabeth, but you call me Lizzie. She is really nice and really tall. She has a pet frog."I interrupted to ask, "Is that who you were skipping with after school?""Yes, she in my class but she doesn't sit next to me. I met her when we were in line for lunch and we sat together. She brought a salad from home and bought a milk in the lunch line. She just moved here from somewhere else. Can I bring lunch from home tomorrow?"I patted her knee with my hand and said, "Of course, you can sweetie." as we parked in front of the house.It wasn't a large house but was plenty of space for the two of us. There was a great room, kitchen and half bathroom on the main level; two bedroom-bathroom suites and a loft space on the second level; and a semi-finished basement that I had been slowly working on for several years. It had all the modern technology and conveniences but was built with a rustic charm complementing its setting in the woods.We kicked our shoes off in the mudroom and Lizzie discarded her backpack into the coat cubby by the door. Lizzie, or more accurately, I, survived the first day of the school year. Only 179 more to go.Getting In A Rhythm.Lizzie and I settled into the school year rhythm over the next couple weeks and I began to slowly let go of my separation anxiety. Every day, I dropped her off at school, worked from home, then picked her up from school. Evenings were filled with homework, dinner preparation, and some form of relaxing time together. Lizzie particularly enjoyed walking in the woods and making up imaginary games with sticks, leaves, rocks, or other things she would find along the way. The grand finale of her outdoor adventures was always spending some time on a rope swing that I had hung from a tall oak tree. Other nights we might occupy ourselves with board games, cards, or television as the mood struck us. At the end of every night, Lizzie would get ready for bed then we would spend about a half-hour talking and reading a book of her choice before turning off the lights.I also noticed another pattern forming in those first few weeks of school. Lizzie was talking more and more about her new friend, Toni. They waited for each other to arrive in the mornings before going into the school together and would always emerge side-by-side in the afternoons. They were quickly becoming inseparable and I was happy to see her form that kind of relationship. Like me, Lizzie had always been socially reserved with only a few limited friendships.I saw her reserved personality opening up more and more with Toni, so one evening when Lizzie asked if she could invite her to play at our house, I readily agreed. I wrote my name and cell phone number on a note pad before tearing it out and handing it to Lizzie, "Ask her to have her parents call me and we will see if we can setup a time to play."Lizzie squealed and bounced up and down in excitement. She continued bouncing all the way to the mudroom and safely deposited the note in her backpack.Introductions.It was a couple days later, mid-morning on Thursday, that I answered a call from a number I didn't recognize. Thinking it was likely a business call, I answered, "Hello, this is David."A friendly but hesitant female voice replied, "Hi, I'm Stefani, Toni's mom.""Hi Stefani. It's nice to meet you, well, over the phone at least. Lizzie has been so excited to play with Toni!""Yes, I've heard a lot about Lizzie over the last couple weeks. Toni is excited too."I got down to details and asked, "When is Toni available?""Would Saturday afternoon, maybe around 1:00, work for you?""Yes, that would be just fine." Not knowing how many facts about our home life found its way to Toni's parents, I tried to be understanding of the fact that people can be cautious of sending their children, especially girls, to a single father's house. I tentatively asked, "Where would Toni be most comfortable? Lizzie would love for her to come here, or we are happy to meet at Triangle Park. Whatever works best for you."Stefani thought for a brief second, then replied, "Would you be comfortable dropping Lizzie off at our house for a couple hours?"I noticed that she said, "drop her off for a couple hours," which clearly meant I was not invited to stay. However, I didn't think much of it since a dad hanging around during a play date in someone else's house would be awkward at best."Yes, I'm sure Lizzie would enjoy that."Stefani gave me the address, then we exchanged closing words and ended the call. I sat and reflected on the conversation for a few moments. It all seemed very normal. Stefani seemed "normal" and was pleasant enough, though I sensed a business-like tone in her voice. I shrugged it off thinking, "How much can you tell from a 2-minute phone call?"Getting Together.I told Lizzie the news when I picked her up from school. She shrieked with excitement, did a little dance in her seat, and began counting the hours until 1:00 Saturday. She definitely got that over-enjoyment of simple things in life, and the dancing talent, from her mother!Saturday eventually arrived, although much too slowly for Lizzie's liking. After lunch, we hopped into the Jeep and rode into town with Lizzie impatiently fidgeting in the passenger seat the whole way. We pulled onto Depot Street near downtown and Lizzie helped me scan for the mailbox with the correct house number. I saw it from a distance and slowed down so she could have the discovery."There it is! There it is! 2 1 5!" she screamed.I brought the Jeep to a stop in front of a small, well-kept bungalow style home with an impressive display of annual flowers by the front steps. As soon as we stopped, Toni burst out the front door and bounded down the porch steps in a single leap. Likewise, Lizzie unfastened her seatbelt and threw open the door in one fluid motion. They met midway across the yard in a full speed, shrieking embrace.I smiled at their innocent joy as I unbuckled my seatbelt and walked around the Jeep toward the house. As I did, the front door opened and a tall, slender lady stepped out onto the porch in bare feet, wearing fashionably weathered blue jeans and a buff color corded sweater. She appeared to be in her early 30s and looked like the identical, older version of Toni. She was maybe around 5 foot 10, tall and had the same slender build, with addition of modest womanly curves at her hips and chest. Her chiseled facial features and shoulder length dark curls were also a matured version of Toni's.I approached the porch and offered a cheery "Hello! I'm David, nice to meet you."She crossed her arms and somewhat coldly replied, "Hi David," then with a voice inflection that implied more of an assertion than a question said, "Would it be ok for you to pick Lizzie up at 3:00?"I sensed the invisible barrier she was erecting and halted my progress toward the porch."Yes, that would be fine. I'll see you then."As I turned away to walk back to the Jeep, she flatly said, "Please don't be late."I didn't reply to her, but turned my attention to Lizzie and said loudly enough for my demander to hear, "Have fun girls! I'll be back Before 3:00 to pick you up Lizzie."While the lady on the porch didn't introduce herself, the voice matched Stefani's from our phone call a few days ago, and was equally business-like in demeanor. It's difficult to describe. She didn't project a mean or nasty personality that would have made me wary of leaving Lizzie, but she was definitely keeping her distance. The mystery of it piqued my curiosity and made me realize that, as much as Lizzie talked about Toni, she hadn't told me anything about her family.I ran a couple errands around town and returned to Lizzie's house at 2:50, ten minutes early. When I pulled up I saw numerous toys strewn across the front yard and heard playing voices and squeals coming from behind the house. Since I was early, I leisurely wandered the front yard picking up hula-hoops, jump ropes, a bicycle, and a few balls. As I deposited the last couple items into a neat pile next to the driveway, I heard Stefani's voice behind me softly say, "Thank you, you didn't need to do that."I turned to face her as she stood on the porch in the same jeans and sweater she had on earlier, "No worries. I was a little early and didn't want to intrude."With her arms crossed in front of her, Stefani somewhat timidly said, "Thank you for that too; for being early."Just then, the girls came running around the corner of the house screaming, "Spider! Spider! Spider!"I looked at Stefani, smiled and shrugged my shoulders. I corralled Lizzie and said, "It's time to go, is there anything you need to clean up?"Toni answered for her, "No, we just had toys out in the front yard. I'll put them in the garage."The girls pleaded for another play date as they hugged. Stefani simply answered, "We'll see."I gave a quick wave goodbye as Lizzie and I climbed in the Jeep and pulled away.Drop-offs and Pick-ups.Over the next few days, the pattern of school drop-offs and pick-ups with Lizzie and Toni as an inseparable pair continued, and Lizzie begged me relentlessly for another out-of-school play date with Toni. Given Stefani's tepid response at the end of the last play date, I was hesitant to initiate. However, Lizzie's continued insistence eventually wore me down and I made the phone call that Thursday.Stefani answered the phone with a simple, "Hello.""Hi Stefani. This is Lizzie's dad, David. How are you today?"She answered somewhat suspiciously, "I'm fine."After a second of not receiving any more of a response, I stumbled a bit with my words and added, "Uh, Lizzie would really like to get together with Toni again. I; I was just calling to see if you would be open to that."Stefani questioned sharply, "Why are you asking if I'm open to it?"I stumbled some more, "Uh; well; you sounded a little hesitant at the end of the last play date and; and I didn't want to be presumptuous about them getting together again."She coldly answered, "I'm fine with it.""Okay, good. It seems Lizzie and Toni are becoming fast friends."In an ever-so-slightly warmer tone of voice, Stefani asked, "When and where are you thinking?""How about Saturday afternoon again? Wherever you would prefer is fine with us.""Yes, that works. Saturday afternoon at 3:00. How about our house again?"I replied, "Sounds good. We'll see you then." before we exchanged goodbyes. I ended the cell phone call and loudly exhaled my relief that the awkward conversation was over.Building Friendships.The beginning of the second play date went much like the first; screaming girls happy to see each other, a cold reception from Stefani, and a firm directive to be there on-time to pick up Lizzie. It also ended similarly to the first play date. I arrived early, exchanged a few short words with Stefani, and gently guided Lizzie to the Jeep as the girls begged for more time together. This same routine became standard procedure over the next several weeks and a half dozen more play dates.The only change to the pattern occurred after the first few play dates, when Stefani and I began texting each other to make arrangements rather than talking on the phone. The texting suited me just fine as it avoided the awkwardness of our previous telephone conversations.Eventually, Lizzie started asking if Toni could come to our house to play. I avoided the subject as long as possible since I wasn't sure how Stefani would feel about Toni coming to a single father's house or, for that matter, even how much she knew about our family situation. After an especially persuasive appeal from Lizzie one afternoon, I caved and picked up my phone to text Stefani.I wasn't sure how to best approach the question and, after several re-writes, settled on a minimal and factual approach, "Hi Stefani. Lizzie would like to invite Toni over to our house for a play date."A couple hours later my phone buzzed with the simple reply, "Okay. When?"After a few exchanges of date options, we settled on that Thursday after school. Stefani offered to drop her off and I sent her our address.I told Lizzie the plan and she immediately began formulating a list of all the things they would do. The two activities that kept rising to the top were to show Toni her bedroom and play on a bridge that she and I had built over a small creek in the woods.It was a simple bridge made by spanning a couple logs from bank to bank, then covering them with old rough sawn slab wood for a walking surface that was about 6-feet wide. It wasn't much, but it was sufficient to occasionally get my small tractor to the other side of the creek and it was one of Lizzie's favorite spots in the world; running over it, throwing stones into the water, looking for crayfish, watching the squirrels and chipmunks, sliding on the frozen stream in the winter, etc. If the weather was nice, she would sometimes do her homework laying belly down on the bridge with her elbows propping up her upper body.It was also her spot of solace when she was sad or upset. She would sit on the edge swinging her feet below her until the surrounding woods healed whatever was bothering her. Eventually, she would meander her way back to the house in a much better mood than she left.She and I were a lot alike in that respect. It was the very reason I bought the property when we moved here, to get away from life and let nature heal some wounds.Inseparable.Lizzie was positively giddy during the ride home from school on Thursday. She recapped the list of things she had planned to show and do with Toni. I reminded her to be a good host and do the things that Toni wants to do, though I suspected that would easily be worked out between the now inseparable friends.As Lizzie shed her backpack and shoes in the mudroom, she asked, "Can we make chocolate chip cookies before Toni gets here?""Sure, I think we have all the ingredients. Start getting everything out."We had made cookies together enough that Lizzie knew where everything was located. She rushed around pulling ingredients, mixing bowls, and baking sheets out of the pantry. After confirming everything needed was present, Lizzie started measuring ingredients into the mixing bowl. I stood by to lend assistance when needed and occasionally clarify a fractional measurement or the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons.Other than a little incident with the flour, Lizzie did a great job mixing the cookie dough. Together, we spooned balls of dough onto baking sheets and put the first tray into the oven. Lizzie set the timer and I suggested she go clean the flour off her arms and face while they were baking.I cleaned errant flour from the countertop and floor while Lizzie washed up. Just as I finished and began to load the dirty bowls and mixing utensils into the dishwasher, the oven timer chimed and there was a knock at the front door almost simultaneously.Lizzie heard it and ran full speed to the door. I quickly dried my hands and hit the button to silenc

 Bridge Engineering: Part 1Two broken, single parents find healing.Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected.And so it began. The start of another school year. I pulled my Jeep into the school grounds and took my place in the waiting drop-off lane. Children scurried about the school grounds with crisp back-to-school clothes and brightly colored backpacks not yet soiled and tattered from use. I winced internally as numerous mothers hugged their little ones, sent them into the building, and tearfully departed.My Elizabeth unfastened her seatbelt and eagerly fidgeted on the edge of the seat as we crept forward in line. Upon arrival at the designated unloading zone, Lizzie contorted herself over the center console and gave me a tight, all-consuming hug. "I love you Daddy!" she shouted as a volunteer parent opened the car door. And with that, she was gone in a flash. The volunteer and I just smiled at each other and shrugged our shoulders.In a repeat of years past, I drove away with a feeling of emptiness. Lizzie and I spent every minute of the summer together and I grew accustomed to her as my constant companion. It seemed like just yesterday that I dropped her off for the first day of preschool. Today it's third grade. How fast will the remaining years fly by before she leaves me all alone?I spent the day in a nearby coffee shop distractedly conducting business via email on my laptop. It wasn't rational, but somehow it felt better knowing I was only a couple minutes from the school, and from Lizzie. Time passed excruciatingly slow and I struggled to resist going to the school and being one of 'those' helicopter parents. Well, school ends at 2:50. I held out until 2:15.I was third in the line of vehicles waiting for pick-up and my eyes anxiously scanned the mass of children emerging from the school doors. It wasn't long before I spotted Lizzie joyfully skipping hand-in-hand with a girl I didn't recognize. She was rail thin, had a very lightly tanned skin tone, and towered above Lizzie. That wasn't too surprising since Lizzie took after her very petite mother and also barely made the birthday cutoff for her grade, but this girl was quite a bit taller than the average third grader.The girls zig-zagged as they skipped down the sidewalk with swinging arms and bouncing hair. Lizzie's straight and amber brown, her friend's a loose mass of dark curls. Lizzie spotted my Jeep and pointed it out to her friend. They hugged goodbye with Lizzie's arms around her friend's waist, and her friend's arms around Lizzie's head. I smiled at the height contrast and felt a sense of relief as Lizzie ran toward the Jeep.She climbed in and frantically began telling me everything about her day, a flood of words pouring from her mouth as if a damn holding them back had burst, "My teacher is Mrs. Pierpont and she is really nice and she has red hair. A boy named Alex sits next to me and he has shiny shoes. I had a hot dog for lunch and; and; and;”My heart felt comfort as she sat next to me and I heard the happiness in her voice. I needed her near me and to know that everything was ok.Lizzie had talked non-stop for 10 minutes and was still going as we headed toward home. The small-town streets gave way to a rural two-lane road as we headed out of town, and eventually the tires crunched along the gravel road leading to our house in the woods. It was the tranquil setting that I needed when Lizzie and I moved here 8 years ago."; and I met a new friend. Her name is Toni, well it's really Antonia, but she wants to be called Toni. Kind of like my name is Elizabeth, but you call me Lizzie. She is really nice and really tall. She has a pet frog."I interrupted to ask, "Is that who you were skipping with after school?""Yes, she in my class but she doesn't sit next to me. I met her when we were in line for lunch and we sat together. She brought a salad from home and bought a milk in the lunch line. She just moved here from somewhere else. Can I bring lunch from home tomorrow?"I patted her knee with my hand and said, "Of course, you can sweetie." as we parked in front of the house.It wasn't a large house but was plenty of space for the two of us. There was a great room, kitchen and half bathroom on the main level; two bedroom-bathroom suites and a loft space on the second level; and a semi-finished basement that I had been slowly working on for several years. It had all the modern technology and conveniences but was built with a rustic charm complementing its setting in the woods.We kicked our shoes off in the mudroom and Lizzie discarded her backpack into the coat cubby by the door. Lizzie, or more accurately, I, survived the first day of the school year. Only 179 more to go.Getting In A Rhythm.Lizzie and I settled into the school year rhythm over the next couple weeks and I began to slowly let go of my separation anxiety. Every day, I dropped her off at school, worked from home, then picked her up from school. Evenings were filled with homework, dinner preparation, and some form of relaxing time together. Lizzie particularly enjoyed walking in the woods and making up imaginary games with sticks, leaves, rocks, or other things she would find along the way. The grand finale of her outdoor adventures was always spending some time on a rope swing that I had hung from a tall oak tree. Other nights we might occupy ourselves with board games, cards, or television as the mood struck us. At the end of every night, Lizzie would get ready for bed then we would spend about a half-hour talking and reading a book of her choice before turning off the lights.I also noticed another pattern forming in those first few weeks of school. Lizzie was talking more and more about her new friend, Toni. They waited for each other to arrive in the mornings before going into the school together and would always emerge side-by-side in the afternoons. They were quickly becoming inseparable and I was happy to see her form that kind of relationship. Like me, Lizzie had always been socially reserved with only a few limited friendships.I saw her reserved personality opening up more and more with Toni, so one evening when Lizzie asked if she could invite her to play at our house, I readily agreed. I wrote my name and cell phone number on a note pad before tearing it out and handing it to Lizzie, "Ask her to have her parents call me and we will see if we can setup a time to play."Lizzie squealed and bounced up and down in excitement. She continued bouncing all the way to the mudroom and safely deposited the note in her backpack.Introductions.It was a couple days later, mid-morning on Thursday, that I answered a call from a number I didn't recognize. Thinking it was likely a business call, I answered, "Hello, this is David."A friendly but hesitant female voice replied, "Hi, I'm Stefani, Toni's mom.""Hi Stefani. It's nice to meet you, well, over the phone at least. Lizzie has been so excited to play with Toni!""Yes, I've heard a lot about Lizzie over the last couple weeks. Toni is excited too."I got down to details and asked, "When is Toni available?""Would Saturday afternoon, maybe around 1:00, work for you?""Yes, that would be just fine." Not knowing how many facts about our home life found its way to Toni's parents, I tried to be understanding of the fact that people can be cautious of sending their children, especially girls, to a single father's house. I tentatively asked, "Where would Toni be most comfortable? Lizzie would love for her to come here, or we are happy to meet at Triangle Park. Whatever works best for you."Stefani thought for a brief second, then replied, "Would you be comfortable dropping Lizzie off at our house for a couple hours?"I noticed that she said, "drop her off for a couple hours," which clearly meant I was not invited to stay. However, I didn't think much of it since a dad hanging around during a play date in someone else's house would be awkward at best."Yes, I'm sure Lizzie would enjoy that."Stefani gave me the address, then we exchanged closing words and ended the call. I sat and reflected on the conversation for a few moments. It all seemed very normal. Stefani seemed "normal" and was pleasant enough, though I sensed a business-like tone in her voice. I shrugged it off thinking, "How much can you tell from a 2-minute phone call?"Getting Together.I told Lizzie the news when I picked her up from school. She shrieked with excitement, did a little dance in her seat, and began counting the hours until 1:00 Saturday. She definitely got that over-enjoyment of simple things in life, and the dancing talent, from her mother!Saturday eventually arrived, although much too slowly for Lizzie's liking. After lunch, we hopped into the Jeep and rode into town with Lizzie impatiently fidgeting in the passenger seat the whole way. We pulled onto Depot Street near downtown and Lizzie helped me scan for the mailbox with the correct house number. I saw it from a distance and slowed down so she could have the discovery."There it is! There it is! 2 1 5!" she screamed.I brought the Jeep to a stop in front of a small, well-kept bungalow style home with an impressive display of annual flowers by the front steps. As soon as we stopped, Toni burst out the front door and bounded down the porch steps in a single leap. Likewise, Lizzie unfastened her seatbelt and threw open the door in one fluid motion. They met midway across the yard in a full speed, shrieking embrace.I smiled at their innocent joy as I unbuckled my seatbelt and walked around the Jeep toward the house. As I did, the front door opened and a tall, slender lady stepped out onto the porch in bare feet, wearing fashionably weathered blue jeans and a buff color corded sweater. She appeared to be in her early 30s and looked like the identical, older version of Toni. She was maybe around 5 foot 10, tall and had the same slender build, with addition of modest womanly curves at her hips and chest. Her chiseled facial features and shoulder length dark curls were also a matured version of Toni's.I approached the porch and offered a cheery "Hello! I'm David, nice to meet you."She crossed her arms and somewhat coldly replied, "Hi David," then with a voice inflection that implied more of an assertion than a question said, "Would it be ok for you to pick Lizzie up at 3:00?"I sensed the invisible barrier she was erecting and halted my progress toward the porch."Yes, that would be fine. I'll see you then."As I turned away to walk back to the Jeep, she flatly said, "Please don't be late."I didn't reply to her, but turned my attention to Lizzie and said loudly enough for my demander to hear, "Have fun girls! I'll be back Before 3:00 to pick you up Lizzie."While the lady on the porch didn't introduce herself, the voice matched Stefani's from our phone call a few days ago, and was equally business-like in demeanor. It's difficult to describe. She didn't project a mean or nasty personality that would have made me wary of leaving Lizzie, but she was definitely keeping her distance. The mystery of it piqued my curiosity and made me realize that, as much as Lizzie talked about Toni, she hadn't told me anything about her family.I ran a couple errands around town and returned to Lizzie's house at 2:50, ten minutes early. When I pulled up I saw numerous toys strewn across the front yard and heard playing voices and squeals coming from behind the house. Since I was early, I leisurely wandered the front yard picking up hula-hoops, jump ropes, a bicycle, and a few balls. As I deposited the last couple items into a neat pile next to the driveway, I heard Stefani's voice behind me softly say, "Thank you, you didn't need to do that."I turned to face her as she stood on the porch in the same jeans and sweater she had on earlier, "No worries. I was a little early and didn't want to intrude."With her arms crossed in front of her, Stefani somewhat timidly said, "Thank you for that too; for being early."Just then, the girls came running around the corner of the house screaming, "Spider! Spider! Spider!"I looked at Stefani, smiled and shrugged my shoulders. I corralled Lizzie and said, "It's time to go, is there anything you need to clean up?"Toni answered for her, "No, we just had toys out in the front yard. I'll put them in the garage."The girls pleaded for another play date as they hugged. Stefani simply answered, "We'll see."I gave a quick wave goodbye as Lizzie and I climbed in the Jeep and pulled away.Drop-offs and Pick-ups.Over the next few days, the pattern of school drop-offs and pick-ups with Lizzie and Toni as an inseparable pair continued, and Lizzie begged me relentlessly for another out-of-school play date with Toni. Given Stefani's tepid response at the end of the last play date, I was hesitant to initiate. However, Lizzie's continued insistence eventually wore me down and I made the phone call that Thursday.Stefani answered the phone with a simple, "Hello.""Hi Stefani. This is Lizzie's dad, David. How are you today?"She answered somewhat suspiciously, "I'm fine."After a second of not receiving any more of a response, I stumbled a bit with my words and added, "Uh, Lizzie would really like to get together with Toni again. I; I was just calling to see if you would be open to that."Stefani questioned sharply, "Why are you asking if I'm open to it?"I stumbled some more, "Uh; well; you sounded a little hesitant at the end of the last play date and; and I didn't want to be presumptuous about them getting together again."She coldly answered, "I'm fine with it.""Okay, good. It seems Lizzie and Toni are becoming fast friends."In an ever-so-slightly warmer tone of voice, Stefani asked, "When and where are you thinking?""How about Saturday afternoon again? Wherever you would prefer is fine with us.""Yes, that works. Saturday afternoon at 3:00. How about our house again?"I replied, "Sounds good. We'll see you then." before we exchanged goodbyes. I ended the cell phone call and loudly exhaled my relief that the awkward conversation was over.Building Friendships.The beginning of the second play date went much like the first; screaming girls happy to see each other, a cold reception from Stefani, and a firm directive to be there on-time to pick up Lizzie. It also ended similarly to the first play date. I arrived early, exchanged a few short words with Stefani, and gently guided Lizzie to the Jeep as the girls begged for more time together. This same routine became standard procedure over the next several weeks and a half dozen more play dates.The only change to the pattern occurred after the first few play dates, when Stefani and I began texting each other to make arrangements rather than talking on the phone. The texting suited me just fine as it avoided the awkwardness of our previous telephone conversations.Eventually, Lizzie started asking if Toni could come to our house to play. I avoided the subject as long as possible since I wasn't sure how Stefani would feel about Toni coming to a single father's house or, for that matter, even how much she knew about our family situation. After an especially persuasive appeal from Lizzie one afternoon, I caved and picked up my phone to text Stefani.I wasn't sure how to best approach the question and, after several re-writes, settled on a minimal and factual approach, "Hi Stefani. Lizzie would like to invite Toni over to our house for a play date."A couple hours later my phone buzzed with the simple reply, "Okay. When?"After a few exchanges of date options, we settled on that Thursday after school. Stefani offered to drop her off and I sent her our address.I told Lizzie the plan and she immediately began formulating a list of all the things they would do. The two activities that kept rising to the top were to show Toni her bedroom and play on a bridge that she and I had built over a small creek in the woods.It was a simple bridge made by spanning a couple logs from bank to bank, then covering them with old rough sawn slab wood for a walking surface that was about 6-feet wide. It wasn't much, but it was sufficient to occasionally get my small tractor to the other side of the creek and it was one of Lizzie's favorite spots in the world; running over it, throwing stones into the water, looking for crayfish, watching the squirrels and chipmunks, sliding on the frozen stream in the winter, etc. If the weather was nice, she would sometimes do her homework laying belly down on the bridge with her elbows propping up her upper body.It was also her spot of solace when she was sad or upset. She would sit on the edge swinging her feet below her until the surrounding woods healed whatever was bothering her. Eventually, she would meander her way back to the house in a much better mood than she left.She and I were a lot alike in that respect. It was the very reason I bought the property when we moved here, to get away from life and let nature heal some wounds.Inseparable.Lizzie was positively giddy during the ride home from school on Thursday. She recapped the list of things she had planned to show and do with Toni. I reminded her to be a good host and do the things that Toni wants to do, though I suspected that would easily be worked out between the now inseparable friends.As Lizzie shed her backpack and shoes in the mudroom, she asked, "Can we make chocolate chip cookies before Toni gets here?""Sure, I think we have all the ingredients. Start getting everything out."We had made cookies together enough that Lizzie knew where everything was located. She rushed around pulling ingredients, mixing bowls, and baking sheets out of the pantry. After confirming everything needed was present, Lizzie started measuring ingredients into the mixing bowl. I stood by to lend assistance when needed and occasionally clarify a fractional measurement or the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons.Other than a little incident with the flour, Lizzie did a great job mixing the cookie dough. Together, we spooned balls of dough onto baking sheets and put the first tray into the oven. Lizzie set the timer and I suggested she go clean the flour off her arms and face while they were baking.I cleaned errant flour from the countertop and floor while Lizzie washed up. Just as I finished and began to load the dirty bowls and mixing utensils into the dishwasher, the oven timer chimed and there was a knock at the front door almost simultaneously.Lizzie heard it and ran full speed to the door. I quickly dried my hands and hit the button to silenc

Brevo vient d'atteindre le milliard de valorisation.Pourtant personne ne le sait.Polytechnicien aussi discret que brillant, fils de 2 psychanalystes, Armand Thiberge est un pokémon rare dans l'écosystème tech et entrepreneurial français. L'annonce d'un deal colossal de 500 millions d'euros était l'occasion parfaite pour (enfin) l'inviter sur GDIY.L'histoire de Brevo commence en Inde où Armand s'installe pour un stage à la fin de ses études.Lassé en moins de 2 semaines, il quitte son stage, s'associe avec un Indien et crée une agence web. Mais son âme d'ingénieur bouillonne et le pousse très vite à abandonner le modèle d'agence pour construire un vrai produit.Il lance d'abord un outil d'e-mailing, puis élargit ses services au SMS marketing, développe un CRM et devient l'un des premiers à intégrer de l'IA partout dans la gestion de la relation client.En 15 ans, son SaaS — appelé “MailIn” puis “Sendinblue” et maintenant “Brevo” — atteint 200 millions d'euros d'ARR (revenus annuels) et devient un outil indispensable pour des dizaines de milliers d'entreprises, en France, en Europe et aux US.Dans cet épisode nous revenons sur :Les étapes de croissance de Brevo — de la création à New Delhi en 2007 à l'entrée dans le cercle restreint des licornes tech françaises.Comment opérer une croissance saine et rentable sans se brûler les ailesSon plan pour atteindre 1 milliard de revenus annuelsPourquoi Armand est l'un des rares entrepreneurs à soutenir la Taxe ZucmanUn entrepreneur sous-côté, surdoué et aux mille idées qui rappelle qu'avancer sans faire de vagues est aussi une bonne manière d'atteindre les sommets.Vous pouvez contacter Armand sur LinkedIn.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Monter sa première entreprise en Inde sans aucune expérience00:17:06 : Comment gérer de grosses différences culturelles00:27:33 : “Aujourd'hui les meilleurs développeurs du monde sont en Inde”00:37:09 : La mine d'or sous-exploitée des clients fidèles00:47:34 : La magie du bouche-à-oreille00:56:14 : Ce défi qui menace tous les SaaS01:07:34 : Refuser 10 millions à 33 ans01:19:14 : Pourquoi il faut absolument des géants européens dans la tech01:27:29 : Le plan de Brevo pour atteindre 1 milliard de revenus01:37:15 : “On a appris dès le début à faire de la croissance rentable”01:47:06 : La méga opération à 500 millions qui fait de Brevo une licorne02:01:54 : Être l'un des seuls entrepreneurs français à soutenir la taxe Zucman02:17:47 : Le combat d'Armand sur le front Ukrainien02:28:53 : “Il faut être plus humble sur ce qu'on va réussir à faire avec l'IA”02:38:27 : Le vrai défi du 21e siècle02:45:55 : Il n'y a pas de plafond, fonceLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #279 - Thibaud Elzière - eFounders - Startups, Web3, Voile Solaire et Maisons de luxe : quand la curiosité n'a plus de limites#1 - Simon Dawlat - Batch - Comment lever 10 millions et se faire blacklister par Apple#487 - VO - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business, and AI: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again#480 - Octave Klaba - OVH Cloud - La guerre du Cloud commence#226 - Fabien Pinckaers - Odoo - L'antithèse de la start-up nationNous avons parlé de :BrevoLe principe de régressionProtonLe principe de l'acqui-hiringAnduril, la start-up star de la défense américaineIronflow BatteriesLes recommandations de lecture :The World is Flat - Thomas L. FriedmanLe chercheur d'or - J. M. Gustave Le ClézioUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Big up à Fabrice Pelosi, soutien incontournable de GDIY depuis l'épisode 1, qui a participé à rendre cet épisode possible.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

"Fusse che fusse la volta bona" diceva l'indimenticato Nino Manfredi in un ironico sketch televisivo rimasto nella memoria collettiva. E se non è un déjà-vu, poco ci manca. La Valdastico Nord torna a far parlare di sé e lo fa con tutta l'enfasi del caso: il neo presidente veneto Alberto Stefani e il governatore trentino Maurizio Fugatti si sono ritrovati a Trento per ribadire, senza esitazioni, che l'autostrada si farà.

The Ringmaster James T. Harris welcomes Stefani Buhajla to the center ring to speak on how America isn't just unsafe - it's being sabotaged by the very people sworn to protect it. For the James T. Harris daily written breakdown and deeper analysis, subscribe to my Clarity Report at: https://clarityreport.beehiiv.com

Lady Gaga, under her real name Stefani Germanotta, phoned into a local talkback radio station in Melbourne (posing as “Stefani from Richmond”) and pretended to be a fan … reviewing her own concert!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Il faut réagir et vite.La thèse de Laurent Alexandre est simple mais inquiétante : nos systèmes éducatifs et politiques sont — pour l'instant — incapables de s'adapter à la révolution technologique sans précédent qu'est l'IA.Depuis que les Large Language Model ont tous dépassé les 150 de QI, la donne a radicalement changé.L'homme, pour la première fois depuis son apparition, n'est plus l'espèce la plus intelligente de la planète Terre.Et les investissements colossaux des géants de la tech dans l'IA ne font que creuser le fossé qui nous sépare désormais de la machine.Qui dit nouveau paradigme dit nouveau livre : Laurent et et son co-auteur Olivier Babeau considèrent qu'en dehors des 20 écoles les plus prestigieuses du monde, il n'est plus utile de faire des études.Et que “le vrai capital aujourd'hui, c'est l'action”.Autrement dit : l'élite sera constituée de ceux qui s'approprient l'IA le plus tôt (dès la maternelle) et l'utilisent le plus intensément. Et non de ceux qui font 10 ans d'études supérieures.Pour son 3ème passage sur GDIY, Laurent — comme à son habitude — n'épargne rien ni personne :Pourquoi l'IA amplifie à grande échelle les inégalités intellectuelles — et comment y remédierComment se créer son propre I-AristotePourquoi il faut limoger tous les ministres et hauts fonctionnaires qui ne comprennent pas l'IAComment l'espérance de vie peut doubler d'ici 2030.Un épisode crucial pour ne pas être dépassé et savoir comment être du côté des gagnants dans cette révolutionVous pouvez contacter Laurent sur X et le suivre sur ses autres réseaux : Instagram et Linkedin.“Ne faites plus d'études : Apprendre autrement à l'ère de l'IA” est disponible dans toutes les bonnes librairies ou juste ici : https://amzn.to/4ahLYEBTIMELINE:00:00:00 : Le fossé social créé par la révolution technologique00:12:32 : Pourquoi le niveau général des politiques sur l'IA est désastreux ?00:20:06 : Bien prompter et minimiser les hallucinations des modèles00:25:49 : “Le monde de l'IA n'est pas fait pour les feignasses”00:36:46 : Le plus gros amplificateur d'inégalités de l'histoire00:43:04 : Fournir une IA tuteur personnalisée à chaque enfant00:53:41 : Les LLM ont-ils vraiment des biais cognitifs ?01:03:16 : 1 vs 2900 milliards : l'écart abyssal des investissements entre les US et l'Europe01:14:36 : Que valent les livres écrits en intégralité par des IA ?01:20:39 : L'ère des premiers robots plombiers01:27:45 : Les 4 grands conseils de Laurent et Olivier01:35:33 : Comment aider nos enfants à bien s'approprier les outils01:44:20 : Pourquoi les écoles du supérieur sont de moins en moins sélectives ?02:01:28 : La théorie de “l'internet mort”Les anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #327 - Laurent Alexandre - Auteur - ChatGPT & IA : “Dans 6 mois, il sera trop tard pour s'y intéresser”#165 - Laurent Alexandre - Doctissimo - La nécessité d'affirmer ses idées#487 - VO - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business, and AI: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again#500 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - How to master humanity's most powerful invention#501 - Delphine Horvilleur - Rabbin, Écrivaine - Dialoguer quand tout nous divise#506 - Matthieu Ricard - Moine bouddhiste - Se libérer du chaos extérieur sans se couper du monde#450 - Karim Beguir - InstaDeep - L'IA Générale ? C'est pour 2025#397 - Yann Le Cun - Chief AI Scientist chez Meta - l'Intelligence Artificielle Générale ne viendra pas de Chat GPTNous avons parlé de :Olivier Babeau, le co-auteur de LaurentIntroduction à la pensée de Teilhard de ChardinLa théorie de l'internet mortLes recommandations de lecture :La Dette sociale de la France : 1974 - 2024 - Nicolas DufourcqNe faites plus d'études : Apprendre autrement à l'ère de l'IA - Laurent Alexandre et Olivier BabeauL'identité de la France - Fernand BraudelGrammaire des civilisations - Fernand BraudelChat GPT va nous rendre immortel - Laurent AlexandreUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Matthieu Ricard est né à 21 ans.C'est en 1967, à Darjeeling, que Matthieu trouve la direction de son existence qu'il décrit comme une naissance.Pourtant, rien ne le destinait à autre chose qu'une brillante carrière scientifique.Fils de philosophe, élevé parmi artistes et penseurs, il étudie la biologie moléculaire et rejoint l'Institut Pasteur, où il travaille aux côtés de François Jacob, prix Nobel de médecine 1965.Mais un film bouleverse sa trajectoire.Matthieu quitte tout pour poser son sac en Inde, où il rencontre celui qui deviendra son premier maître spirituel.Convaincu d'avoir trouvé « la plus haute représentation de la perfection humaine », Matthieu Ricard passera des années à faire l'aller-retour entre l'Inde et l'Institut Pasteur, pour comprendre comment connecter science et spiritualité.À 27 ans, après avoir fini sa thèse, Matthieu décide de prendre un aller simple pour l'Himalaya.C'est dans les montagnes du Népal qu'il réalisera une retraite en solitaire de cinq ans.Aujourd'hui, Matthieu Ricard continue de se consacrer à la traduction de textes bouddhistes et à la photographie. Il est également l'interprète du Dalaï-Lama et a fondé l'association Karuna-Shechen pour partager ses enseignements.Dans cet épisode, on parle de :Comment identifier ses pensées parasites ?Se libérer du chaos extérieur sans se couper du mondeCe que la méditation change vraiment dans le cerveauPourquoi l'altruisme est bien plus pragmatique qu'on ne le penseLe rôle des algorithmes dans nos émotions et nos penséesUn épisode lumineux et ancré dans le réel, qui explore les méthodes pour entraîner son esprit, et comprendre les bases de la philosophie bouddhiste, avec un invité que nous attendions sur GDIY depuis 7 ans.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Naître à l'âge de 21 ans00:18:15 : Renoncer à ses addictions00:29:56 : Moine bouddhiste, ça veut dire quoi ?00:40:14 : Notre esprit, allié ou ennemi ?00:51:21 : Les médias montrent le pire, jamais la réalité01:03:23 : Faut-il être égoïste pour réussir ?01:16:42 : Quand la science rencontre le Dalaï-Lama01:24:25 : Entraîner sa bienveillance01:33:50 : Être seul sans se sentir seul01:41:24 : La leçon éternelle du Dalaï-Lama01:51:47 : Chanter sa mortLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #479 - Nikola Karabatic - Champion de Handball - 22 titres sur 23 : la légende du sport françaisNous avons parlé de :Documentaire “Le message des Tibétains” (1966), de Arnaud DesjardinsSuivre les infos du monde avec la BBC World ServiceHannah Arendt et la banalité du malLes recommandations de lecture :Lumière, rire du ciel, de Yahne Le ToumelinLa Fabrique du crétin digital, Michel DesmurgetCarnets d'un moine errant, de Matthieu RicardLa Part d'ange en nous, de Steven PinkerLumière, de Matthieu RicardAu cœur de la compassion, de Dilgo KhyentséUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

What really scales a modern brand: product or performance? From Marketingland 2025, Ari Murray sits down with growth powerhouse Stefani O'Sullivan (STAUD, Savage X Fenty, Moda Operandi, Chanel) for a deep dive into how today's most resilient brands actually grow. Stefani breaks down the truth behind two very different paths: Product-led growth (STAUD, RHODE, category disruptors) and Marketing-led growth (DTC engines powered by paid media). They unpack: > The real tradeoffs between product-first and performance-first models > How product intuition, merchandising, and customer feedback shape long-term equity > When to expand into CTV, OOH, retail media, and how to know it's actually working > Why consistency matters, but context matters more Whether you're leading a growth team, scaling your first brand, or rethinking how product and performance should truly work together, this conversation will challenge your assumptions…and reveal why the smartest path to scale might not be the one you expect. CallRail is the lead engagement platform built for marketers who need clean attribution, smarter insights, and zero missed leads. From AI-powered call tracking and conversation intelligence to a 24/7 AI voice agent, CallRail helps teams maximize every inbound touchpoint and convert more leads into customers. Visit https://www.callrail.com/proveit?utm_campaign=q4_2025_marketing_millennials_podcast&utm_medium=thirdparty_advertising&utm_source=marketingmillennials to check it out.  Follow Ari: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arimurray/ Follow Stefani: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaniosullivan/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: https://themarketingmillennials.com/ Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: https://workweek.com/

L'ex sindaco di Treviso si è fermato al 28,88%, mentre il rivale del centrodestra Stefani è stato eletto con il 64,39% dei voti.  "Dopo 15 anni di scivolamento - ha detto Manildo - torniamo a crescere. Abbiamo piantato il chiodo decisamente più in alto. Ora in consiglio regionale dobbiamo valorizzare questo capitale umano e politico"

Si sono concluse con un trionfo della Lega nella coalizione di governo e la vittoria di Alberto Stefani alle regionali. 9 i consiglieri eletti nel vicentino, La Lega si conferma primo partito grazie a traino di Luca Zaia, crescono in percentuale anche Fratelli d'Italia e Pd. Exploit dello scledense Carlo Cunegato.

Astensionismo da record e una schiacciante vittoria del governatore uscente Luca Zaia. Che cosa è successo in queste elezioni regionali in Veneto? E che cosa ci dobbiamo aspettare dal nuovo presidente? Domande alle quali ha risposto Giovanni Diamanti.

Le parcours de Mingpo Cai est un bug dans la matrice. Originaire de l'une des régions les plus pauvres de Chine, il côtoie aujourd'hui les sommets de la finance mondiale. Son fonds d'investissement Cathay Capital gère plus de 5 milliards d'euros d'actifs et compte la moitié des sociétés du CAC 40 parmi ses partenaires. Alors que le monde est plongé dans une instabilité inédite, Mingpo les aide à construire des ponts avec la Chine, les États-Unis et le reste du globe. Dans cet épisode rocambolesque et fascinant Mingpo dévoile : Pourquoi il vient de lever 1 milliard consacré à l'IAComment différencier le cerveau, le cœur et la main et les utiliser à bon escientLes forces de la Chine et de son modèle “speed and scale”Son plan pour industrialiser la France avec des technologies du monde entierComment il maintient la performance moyenne de Cathay au dessus de 10%/anDécouvrez un homme brillant qui considère que la seule vraie réussite est celle qui est utile au monde entier. Une parole rare, et extrêmement lucide pour mieux comprendre les enjeux qui flottent actuellement au-dessus de nos têtes. Vous pouvez contacter Cathay Capital directement sur leur site web.Un coucou particulier à Valentine qui nous a aidé à rendre cet épisode possible.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Grandir dans la campagne chinoise, sans électricité00:13:05 : “Si je suis utile à ce pays, il me laissera ma chance”00:22:40 : Mettre ses études en pause pour saisir l'opportunité d'une vie00:29:59 : Respecter ses concurrents et ne jamais chercher à les détruire00:45:07 : Les intérêts composés de la vie00:53:29 : “Si tu réussis sans résoudre de problème, quelle est ton utilité ?”01:03:28 : La mission de Cathay Capital01:20:05 : Les paradoxes du peuple chinois01:28:11 : Industrialiser la France avec les technologies du monde entier01:39:39 : Comment changer le regard des Européens sur la Chine01:50:29 : Construire des ponts entre les pays pour accélérer l'innovation01:57:43 : L'attachement de Mingpo avec la France02:05:45 : 1 milliard pour investir massivement dans l'IA02:16:02 : Les 3 cultures qui ont forgé l'identité de Mingpo02:27:49 : Être heureux c'est un choixLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #502 - Thomas Sammut - Préparateur Mental - Faut-il forcément souffrir pour réussir ?#433 - Pascal Rigo - Boulanger - Vendre ses boulangeries 100 millions et devenir le patron de la food de StarbucksNous avons parlé de :Cathay CapitalGroupe SEBL'acquisition de Supor par SEB en 2006Thierry de La Tour d'ArtaiseLe principe des intérêts composésDenis Barrier, cofondateur de Cathay Capital aux côtés de MingpoLe partenariat AfricInvest x CathayArtefactNablaLes recommandations de lecture :L'homme qui plantait des arbres - Jean GionoL'Alchimiste - Paulo CoelhoUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Phil Stefani, Founder and CEO of Phil Stefani Signature Restaurants, joins Bob Sirott to talk about his history of owning restaurants and how he got his start. He also shared details about his project with the Vatican and working on this project with chef Art Smith.

(00:00) Intro (03:12) Scoppia un nuovo caso che coinvolge il Garante della Privacy (07:22) Il confronto tra Stefani e Manildo per le elezioni in Veneto (18:21) Le 5 storie mitologiche della settimana Firma la proposta di legge di iniziativa popolare per chiedere una legge sul voto fuorisede: ⁠⁠https://shor.by/zQ5D⁠⁠

In today's episode, I'm sharing my milestones in Austin over the past several months. I share what it was like to give my second TEDx talk and step onto the DisruptHR stage. Both experiences pushed me, stretched me, and reminded me why I do this work.Then, I'm joined by Stefani Matott, the Special Needs Ministry Lead at Red Rocks Church in Austin. We dive into her heart for creating inclusive spaces, the realities individuals with disabilities face, and how churches can move from awareness to true belonging.It's an episode about purpose, community, and what it means to show up, on a stage and in people's lives.Stefani has a passion for removing social and physical barriers so that people of all abilities can know God, live on purpose, and go change the world! It was a joy to discuss all things church, disability, and inclusion for everyone.Check out Red Rocks Church in Austin at: https://www.redrockschurch.com/austin/Contact me at www.travisdavis.net Send us a textTEDx Talk, Disrupt HR Talk

Monica Guerzoni parla dello «stupore» espresso dalla presidenza della Repubblica per le parole del capogruppo di FdI, che aveva chiesto al Colle di smentire di far parte di un complotto anti-Meloni, come scritto da «La Verità». Marta Serafini commenta il via libera delle Nazioni Unite al piano di pace di Donald Trump. Marco Bonet presenta il voto del 23 e 24 ottobre, che chiude i 15 anni da presidente di Luca Zaia (ma lui non sparirà).I link di corriere.it:Bignami: «Piano del Quirinale contro Meloni?». La nota del Colle: «Stupore, sconfina nel ridicolo». E Fazzolari: «FdI e Chigi leali»Il via libera dell'Onu alla risoluzione su GazaElezioni regionali in Veneto, primi scontri in tv tra Stefani e Manildo: botta e risposta su Europa e legittima difesa

On le surnomme “le Picasso de la pâtisserie”.Dès ses 9 ans Pierre Hermé savait qu'il deviendrait pâtissier.Il grandit en Alsace, dans le laboratoire de la boulangerie familiale où il apprend les bases du métier aux cotés de son père.Mais très vite Pierre aspire à plus.Il renonce à reprendre l'entreprise créée par son arrière grand-père et rejoint la capitale pour intégrer la maison Lenôtre.Il y apprend l'excellence, la précision du geste et découvre un art très différent de celui qu'il connait.D'abord pâtissier privé pour le ministre de la Défense, Pierre réalise vite qu'il a besoin de plus d'espace pour s'exprimer : il veut être libre de créer, avoir son univers, ses produits et sa propre maison.L'empire Pierre Hermé né avec l'ouverture de la première boutique à Tokyo en 1998.Aujourd'hui le groupe en compte 95 sur 4 continents.Une marque internationale pionnière de la haute-pâtisserie, qui a construit sa renommée autour d'un produit star : les macarons — écoulés par dizaines de millions chaque année.Dans cet épisode Pierre livre les clés de sa réussite :Où trouver l'inspiration pour créer jusqu'à 200 nouvelles recettes par anPourquoi il faut être obsédé par les détailsLes grands principes de la pâtisserieComment maintenir la qualité quand on produit à grande échelleBienvenue dans l'univers d'un chef visionnaire avant tout guidé — avec succès — par ses goûts, ses intuitions et ses envies.Vous pouvez suivre Pierre sur Linkedin et consulter la page Welcome To The Jungle pour rentrer en contact avec la maisonTIMELINE:00:00:00 : De la première boutique à un empire de 95 points de vente00:12:51 : Quitter sa famille à 14 ans pour découvrir l'excellence de l'école Lenôtre00:22:16 : Comment s'assurer de la qualité délivrée à l'autre bout du monde00:30:10 : Créer 200 nouvelles recettes par an00:39:03 : Être le pâtissier privé d'un ministre00:49:15 : Pierre et son obsession pour le café01:02:01 : Le lancement d'une offre de boulangerie Pierre Hermé01:09:08 : Le savoir-faire unique des pâtissiers français01:14:27 : « Je ne m'occupe que des produits, le business ne m'intéresse pas »01:25:18 : Le pionnier de la haute-pâtisserie01:34:57 : Où trouver l'inspiration pour innover sans cesse01:43:16 : Pourquoi les trompe-l'œil sont autant à la mode ?01:50:16 : La pâtisserie végétale sans beurre, sans œufs, sans lait et sans crème02:00:11 : « J'aime ce que je fais, donc je n'ai pas du tout l'intention d'arrêter »02:11:52 : Un secret pour tous les pâtissiersLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #464 - Nina Métayer - Cheffe Pâtissière - “Je ne peux pas travailler pour autre chose que l'excellence”#33 - Nicolas Paciello - Pâtissier - Viser les étoiles pour réussir à en ramener 2 !#250 - Chef Alain Ducasse - Faire de sa cuisine un apprentissage, une passion et une marque mondiale#433 - Pascal Rigo - Boulanger - Vendre ses boulangeries 100 millions et devenir le patron de la food de Starbucks#342 - Thierry Marx - De la cité à la cuisine étoilée : l'extraction sociale d'un titan#449 - Sarah Poniatowski - Maison Sarah Lavoine - Remettre le beau au centre de sa vie : comment réinventer son intérieurNous avons parlé de :L'ouverture de la 1ère boutique de Pierre à TokyoLenôtre, école des arts culinairesCafé Pierre Hermé Beaupassage (Paris 7)Le salon de thé Pierre Hermé de la Mamounia (Marrakech)Hippolyte CourtyLes machines à café Victoria ArduinoÉric Vincent, CEO de Pierre Hermé ParisLes recommandations de lecture :Le dictionnaire amoureux de la pâtisserie – Pierre HerméLa pâtisserie végétale – Pierre HerméTout Robuchon – Joël RobuchonSIMPLE – Yotam OttolenghiUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

What if you could build a seven-figure business that supports your faith, family, and freedom—without relying on social media? Today's guest is Stefani Gass, Christian business coach, best-selling author, and host of the Online Business for Christian Women podcast. Stefani has built a thriving, seven-figure business through podcasting as her primary growth strategy—and she's sharing exactly how she did it.We unpack what it means to create a life-first business, how to build structure and systems that serve your values, and why podcasting might just be the most sustainable way to grow online today. Stefani opens up about her journey from corporate America to faith-based entrepreneurship, how she works only 20 hours a week, and why her success started with surrender.If you're ready to grow with purpose—and finally stop hustling for likes—this episode will give you the clarity, courage, and strategy to do it your way.Today you'll hear:02:30 – What a life-first business means to Stefani (and how she keeps her priorities in order)04:59 – How she structures her 20-hour workweek with theme days and Fridays off06:52 – The makeup of her team and how she built it to support her goals10:37 – The first hire she recommends for every business owner (and why documenting is key)11:22 – How Stefani discovered podcasting through faith and divine timing13:46 – Why she walked away from social media—and what happened next15:01 – How her podcast went from zero to a seven-figure business in under two years16:56 – The truth about “too much competition” in podcasting (and why most people quit)18:36 – Her step-by-step podcast growth strategy: titles, SEO, and art that converts21:48 – How she turns listeners into clients through genuine connection and email nurture23:26 – Why downloads don't equal revenue (and the real metric that matters)25:20 – What she wishes she'd known before recording her first episode26:26 – The power of micro-niches and keeping content simple and specific27:30 – Favorite podcasts she's loving (and how she avoids content overwhelm)28:23 – How to join Stefani's free Profitable Podcast Bootcamp for Crush the Rush listeners CONNECT WITH STEFANIE:Website: stefaniegass.comInstagram: @stefaniegassJoin the Profitable Podcast Bootcamp FOR FREE with code HOLLY: https://stefaniegass.thrivecart.com/eg-profitable-podcast-bootcamp/?coupon=HOLLY 

Entreprendre c'est jouer avec les règles.Maxime Aiach a décidé de les modeler.Fondateur d'Acadomia, Shiva et aujourd'hui Nos Aimés, il a bâti un empire de plusieurs milliers d'agences et créé plus de deux millions d'emplois en France, sans jamais vraiment embaucher.À la fin des années 90, le soutien scolaire et le ménage se faisaient "au noir", illégalement.Mais Maxime a compris qu'en organisant ces métiers de l'ombre, il pouvait transformer une économie parallèle en moteur légal.Trente ans plus tard, il continue à pousser le modèle plus loin.De l'éducation à l'aide aux personnes âgées, son groupe touche toutes les générations.Dans cet épisode, on parle de :Pourquoi la France reste un cas à part dans l'économie des services,Comment l'IA bouleverse l'éducation,Comment créer de la valeur quand le produit, c'est l'humain.Un épisode important pour l'économie invisible devenue vitale.Vous pouvez contacter Maxime sur Linkedin.Avec le code DOIT, vous bénéficiez de l'inscription et des frais d'adhésion offerts dans une agence Acadomia ou Shiva.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : L'illusion de liberté qui appauvrit la société00:13:16 : Transformer un vide juridique en modèle économique00:25:29 : Comment faire évoluer les lois ?00:36:43 : Le modèle français qui rapporte de l'argent à l'État00:46:50 : Combien ça coûte un cours de soutien ?00:53:52 : L'avantage que les plateformes en ligne n'ont pas01:07:58 : Allier robustesse et agilité01:19:09 : Construire un modèle économique fondé sur la confiance01:28:11 : Accompagner les enfants à grandir, pas seulement réussir01:42:18 : Le vrai problème de l'Éducation nationale01:57:17 : Préparer la France qui vieillit02:08:46 : Le secret pour fidéliser dans les métiers difficiles02:23:53 : Se développer, c'est avant tout une histoire de relation02:30:30 : Être coté en bourse : l'enfer ?02:40:16 : Réussir, un combat culturel ?02:48:32 : Les 4 piliers de Maxime pour entreprendreLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #327 - Laurent Alexandre - Auteur - ChatGPT & IA : “Dans 6 mois, il sera trop tard pour s'y intéresser”#302 - Thierry Pick - Clinitex - Les secrets de management d'un laveur de carreaux#165 - Laurent Alexandre - Doctissimo - La nécessité d'affirmer ses idées#66 - Cyril Chiche - Lydia : le futur Paypal est Français, et il s'appelle LydiaNous avons parlé de :L'épisode de The Diary Of a CEO avec Matthew McConaugheyLa campagne des 20 ans de ShivaLes recommandations de lecture :Ne faites plus d'études : Apprendre autrement à l'ère de l'IA - Laurent AlexandreGagnez plus, c'est maintenant ! - Pierre GattazBelle du Seigneur - Albert CohenLe Comte de Monte-Cristo - Alexandre DumasUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

It has returned … and so have we! More than just a legal event, the General Counsel Conference East empowers today's legal leaders for growth, innovation, and excellence. Designed specifically for general counsel, legal executives, and industry professionals, the GCC East is the premier gathering that offers unique opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development.  With a description like that, combined with the fact that we've been there since year one of our launch, how could Legal Speak not be there doing live episodes.  This year, the conference moved to the beautiful Midtown Hilton in New York, a place we're quite familiar with, as it's been home to Legal Week for decades. In this episode, host Patrick Smith sat down with Stefani Schwartz, a Managing Partner at the Hatfield Schwartz Law Group   Host: Patrick Smith Guest: Stefani Schwartz Producer: Charles Garnar

Do you ever feel like you have to be "right" in order to feel safe? Or that if you could just figure out the answer, the relationship, or the next step, then the anxiety and shame would finally go away? If so, you're not alone. Many women stuck in co-dependency and complex shame cling to certainty as a way to feel secure—but often it only leaves us more exhausted, more disconnected, and further from ourselves. In this episode of Stronger in the Difficult Places, I sit down with Stefani Ruper - Oxford-trained philosopher, former Harvard researcher, and author of the forthcoming book The Certainty Cure. Stefani shares why releasing certainty and embracing curiosity can transform the way we see ourselves, our relationships, and our healing journey. We talk about: • Why certainty addiction keeps women stuck in cycles of co-dependency and shame • How uncertainty fuels personal growth and builds resilience • What curiosity looks like in daily life (even in arguments or moments of shame) • How to stay grounded when everything feels uncertain • Practical ways to release the need to be right and rediscover who you are If you're ready to stop chasing control and start healing by embracing the unknown, this conversation will give you hope and practical steps forward.   Connect with Stefani Ruper: • Instagram: @stefani.ruper • Facebook: facebook.com/stefani.ruper • X: @stefaniruper • Substack: stefaniruper.substack.com   Resources & Next Steps: Join the Stronger Woman Collective waitlist: here Connect with me on Instagram @drzoeshaw for daily encouragement. Subscribe to my newsletter for more conversations on healing, boundaries, and healthy love.   Buy my book Stronger In The Difficult Places: here   Free Downloads: Download the Steps to Healing from Complex Shame™ PDF: here Get the First Chapter of Stronger in the Difficult Places: here   If this episode spoke to you, please share it with a friend and leave a review. Your reviews help more women untangle shame, break free from co-dependency, and discover the strength to live with curiosity.

En tant que préparateur mental, Thomas Sammut a contribué à 200 podiums internationaux, des dizaines de médailles olympiques et de nombreux records du monde.Des résultats hors norme avec un postulat simple : plus un sportif est heureux plus il est performant.Dans un monde où pour beaucoup le succès est fatalement accompagné d'énormes sacrifices, de souffrances et de pressions, la vision de Thomas détonne.Un contre-pied abrupt que les fédérations fuient depuis 20 ans.Mais les résultats parlent et les sportifs — eux — sont convaincus.Après avoir mené Florent Manaudou à ses titres olympiques, le Stade Brestois sur le podium de la Ligue 1 et des dizaines de dirigeants vers une performance saine, Thomas prend sous son aile Léon Marchand en 2019, alors qu'il traverse la pire période de sa jeune carrière.À ses côtés, Léon retrouve le plaisir de nager et marque l'histoire des Jeux olympiques en décrochant 4 médailles d'or en 2024 à Paris.Dans cet épisode, Thomas révèle comment :Faire sauter toutes vos barrières mentalesApprendre à rebondir 10 fois plus fort/vite après un échecMettre en place des routines pour avancer même dans les mauvais joursAvoir un temps d'avance sur l'adversitéUn échange surprenant mais rassurant pour tous ceux qui veulent atteindre leur plein potentiel.Vous pouvez suivre Thomas sur Linkedin et Instagram.Contactez Mental Formation de la part de Génération Do It Yourself, vous serez bien accueillis.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Contribuer à 150 médailles internationales00:13:12 : Avoir un temps d'avance sur l'adversité00:22:12 : Le rapport dichotomique à l'autorité00:29:21 : Se concentrer sur l'essentiel pour performer00:40:39 : Le podium olympique de Florent Manaudou, à 3 centièmes00:51:57 : Trouver le bon moteur pour chaque personne01:00:56 : La botte secrète de Léon Marchand01:08:27 : Accepter les échecs et travailler sa capacité de rebond01:14:53 : 1 % de stars pour 99 % de sportifs détruits01:22:49 : Comment donner le même cap à toute une équipe01:32:06 : “J'aide les gens à transcender ce qu'il y a d'unique en eux”01:40:10 : Surpasser son propre conditionnement mental01:50:31 : Pas besoin de souffrir pour réussir02:08:31 : Les routines pour se sentir bien02:16:09 : 2 rencontres qui ont changé la vie de Thomas02:24:23 : “95 % des sportifs sous-estiment leur potentiel”02:32:03 : Avancer malgré ceux qui refusent le changementLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #182 - Anaëlle Malherbe - INSEP - La préparation mentale pour exceller#479 - Nikola Karabatic - Champion de Handball - 22 titres sur 23 : la légende du sport français#300 - Mathieu Blanchard - Ultratraileur - Commencer le running à 26 ans et devenir une légende de l'ultratrailNous avons parlé de :Les deux cousins en finale du Master 1000 de ShanghaïL'Institut Français de la Programmation Neuro-LinguistiqueNotre documentaire “13 jours pour remettre en question tout ce qu'on savait sur l'entrepreneuriat”Thomas CovilleRomain Barnier, ancien manager du Cercle des Nageurs de MarseilleCapite CorpusLe site web de ThomasLes recommandations de lecture :Les 25 règles d'or de la préparation mentale - Thomas SammutPouvoir Illimité - Anthony RobbinsLe grand (r)éveil - Guillaume CorpardUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Dans un monde où plus personne ne s'écoute, elle bâtit des ponts.Étudiante en médecine, journaliste au Proche-Orient, et finalement rabbin, Delphine Horvilleur multiplie les vies.Dans sa famille, c'est devenu une blague : "Alors, qu'est-ce que tu vas devenir ensuite ?"Mais derrière ce parcours atypique, Delphine travaille depuis plus de vingt ans à réintroduire le dialogue là où il n'y a plus que du bruit.Elle parle d'un judaïsme ouvert, "libéral", de la nécessité d'écouter l'autre, et de cette liberté intérieure qu'on ne trouve qu'en acceptant de ne pas tout comprendre.Dans cet épisode passionnant, rassurant, nous avons parlé sans détour de :Être l'une des seules femmes rabbins en FrancePourquoi nous n'arrivons plus à nous parler, même dans nos propres famillesComment accompagner la mort au quotidienL'antisémitisme aujourd'huiDelphine ne cherche pas à convaincre, mais à comprendre.Un épisode essentiel pour quiconque cherche à comprendre notre époque et retrouver le goût du discernement sans s'enfermer dans une lecture binaire du monde.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Laisser la place au doute00:09:48 : Quand la nuance devient un risque00:20:13 : La vérité est-elle encore possible ?00:32:43 : Le pouvoir caché des mots00:43:12 : Dire merde à la mort00:50:53 : Faire son deuil, une expression qui ne veut rien dire01:01:18 : La religion avait-elle prédit l'intelligence artificielle ?01:15:20 : Ce que l'IA ne saura jamais faire : oublier01:23:00 : Les mots ont toujours un double fond01:31:33 : Nous aurons tous plusieurs vies01:40:56 : Juifs & Israéliens : pourquoi l'amalgame est-il si fréquent ?01:49:51 : La haine la plus vieille du monde02:08:54 : Quels leaders la jeunesse écoute-elle ?02:18:08 : Comprendre ce qui se trouve entre les lignes02:27:12 : La forme la plus rare d'intelligence02:36:20 : Le courage commence par le discernementLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #497 - Grégoire Gambatto - Ctrl+G - Dissoudre ses peurs, faire les choix difficiles et vivre son plein potentiel#476 - Yannick Alléno - Chef, Groupe Alléno - Du bistrot à l'empire gastronomique aux 17 étoiles#450 - Karim Beguir - InstaDeep - L'IA Générale ? C'est pour 2025#261 - Caroline Vigneaux - Humoriste et réalisatrice - Changer de vie : passer de la plaidoirie au stand-up#181 - Olivier Goy - La vie, la maladie, le dépassement : memento moriNous avons parlé de :Sermon prononcé par Delphine Horvilleur le soir de Yom KippourLe TalmudL'assassinat d'Yitzhak Rabin en 1995Les accords d'OsloL'émouvant hommage de Luis Enrique à sa défunte filleAttentat devant une synagogue à ManchesterLes recommandations de lecture :Le TalmudVivre avec nos morts : Petit traité de consolation - Delphine HorvilleurBelle du Seigneur - Albert CohenÔ vous, frères humains - Albert CohenComment ça va pas ? - Delphine HorvilleurLa vie devant soi - Émile Ajar / Romain GaryUn grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Retrouvez l'épisode en version française ici : https://www.gdiy.fr/podcast/reid-hoffman-vf/“There is no if. There is only when.”That's how Reid Hoffman answers when asked whether AI will revolutionize business, help govern nations, or cure cancer.And he's earned the right to say it. In the six months between his first appearance on GDIY and this one, we've witnessed some of the biggest breakthroughs in AI history.But those same six months have also deepened the rift between the U.S. and Europe.While most of Silicon Valley's leaders are bowing to President Trump's politics of fear, Reid remains one of the few willing to challenge it — defending freedom of speech in its purest form, not the version sanctioned by power.After co-founding PayPal and LinkedIn, he went on to serve on the boards of dozens of companies including OpenAI until 2023, and Microsoft, where he still sits today.He also advises several governments seeking to understand how AI can be deployed responsibly across society — and even in governance itself.In this episode, Reid shares how to unlock AI's full potential, and how he personally uses it every day : to write, to think, and to challenge his own ideas.A brilliant, grounded mind — far from the radical “tech bros” — driven not by hype, but by a genuine belief in progress.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : “AI is a fantastic enablement of human connection”00:10:05 : Reid's best hacks for daily uses of AI00:20:13 : How to help governments deploy AI in society00:31:24 : What Trump's fear-based government is changing in the US00:49:48 : The vibe-coding revolution and why you should pay attention01:01:53 : Curing cancers with AI?01:06:55 : Why everybody should use AI, even retired people01:13:23 : Start a company with $0 in 2025: what would Reid do01:20:14 : Amazon, Microsoft, Google: who's winning the AI race01:28:17 : “Don't be anxious. Be aware and keep pushing.”We referred to previous GDIY episodes : #452 - VO - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - L'humanité 2.0 : Homo technicus plus qu'Homo sapiens#452 - VF - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - “We are more Homo technicus than Homo sapiens”#487 - VF - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business et IA : rien ne sera jamais plus comme avant#487 - VO - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business, and AI: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again#426 - Thomas Clozel - Owkin - Comment casser Big Pharma grâce à l'IA#473 - VO - Brian Chesky - Airbnb - « We're just getting started »#473 - VF - Brian Chesky - Airbnb - « Après 17 ans, nous ne sommes qu'au début de notre histoire »A few recent episodes in English : #437 - James Dyson - Dyson - “Failure is more exciting than success”#431 - Sean Rad - Tinder - How the swipe fever took over the world#475 - VO - Shane Parrish - Farnam Street - Clear Thinking: The Decision-Making ExpertWe spoke about :Possible Podcast - Reid HoffmanEleven Labs7 magic products of GoogleManas AIThe Lafayette FellowshipSquarespaceOpenAI Jobs PlatformReading Recommendations :Superagency - Reid HoffmanThe Emperor of All Maladies - Siddhartha MukherjeeA Brief History of Intelligence - Max BennettThe Road Less Traveled - Scott PeckCheck out Reid's YouTube channel and his podcast Possible.You can also follow Reid on LinkedIn (of course) and on Instagram.Interested in sponsoring Generation Do It Yourself or proposing a partnership ? Contact my label Orso Media through this form.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Check out the episode in its original version here : https://www.gdiy.fr/podcast/reid-hoffman-vo/“Il n'y a pas de si. Il n'y a que des quand.”C'est ce que Reid Hoffman répond quand on lui demande si le fonctionnement des entreprises va profondément être révolutionné par l'IA, si elle pourra aider à gouverner un pays ou même si elle permettra de soigner les cancers.Et pour cause, les 6 mois qui séparent le premier épisode GDIY avec Reid et celui-ci, ont été le théâtre de percées historiques de l'IA.Mais ces 6 mois ont également marqué une fracture de plus en plus importante entre les États-Unis et l'Europe.Alors qu'une bonne partie des patrons de la tech américaine courbent un à un l'échine devant Donald Trump, Reid fait partie de ceux qui osent remettre en cause la politique de la peur et se battent pour la liberté d'expression, quitte à devenir persona non grata des figures de la tech.Après avoir cofondé Paypal puis LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman est devenu administrateur de dizaines d'entreprises dont OpenAI jusqu'en 2023 et Microsoft où il siège toujours.Il conseille aussi différents gouvernements — dont la France — qui le sollicitent pour comprendre comment mieux déployer l'IA dans la société et s'en servir pour gouverner.Dans cet épisode il donne ses meilleurs conseils et clés ultra concrètes pour utiliser le plein potentiel de l'IA et dévoile son utilisation quotidienne : pour écrire, pour penser, pour critiquer ses propres idées.Un homme brillant et mesuré, loin des “techs bros” radicaux, qui œuvre avant tout pour contribuer au progrès de l'humanité.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : « L'IA améliore grandement la connexion humaine. »00:10:05 : Les meilleurs hacks de Reid pour l'IA au quotidien00:20:13 : Comment aider les États à déployer l'IA dans la société00:31:24 : Ce que la politique de la peur de Trump change aux États-Unis00:49:48 : La révolution du “vibe coding” et pourquoi tout le monde doit s'y intéresser01:01:53 : Guérir les cancers grâce à l'IA ?01:06:55 : Pourquoi tout le monde devrait utiliser l'IA, même les retraités01:13:23 : Lancer une boîte avec 0 € en 2025 : ce que ferait Reid01:20:14 : Amazon, Microsoft, Google : qui surfe le mieux sur la vague de l'IA01:28:17 : « Ne sois pas anxieux. Sois lucide, et continue d'avancer. »Les anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #452 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - L'humanité 2.0 : Homo technicus plus qu'Homo sapiens#452 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal - “We are more Homo technicus than Homo sapiens”#487 - VF - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business et IA : rien ne sera jamais plus comme avant#487 - VO - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business, and AI: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again#426 - Thomas Clozel - Owkin - Comment casser Big Pharma grâce à l'IA#473 - VO - Brian Chesky - Airbnb - « We're just getting started »#473 - VF - Brian Chesky - Airbnb - « Après 17 ans, nous ne sommes qu'au début de notre histoire »Nous avons parlé de :Possible Podcast - Reid HoffmanEleven LabsLes 7 produits de Google qui ont plus d'un milliard d'utilisateurs par jourManas AI, la startup cofondée par Reid Hoffman pour accélérer la création de traitements contre le cancerThe Lafayette FellowshipSquarespaceOpenAI Jobs PlatformLes recommandations de lecture :Superagency - Reid HoffmanThe Emperor of All Maladies - Siddhartha MukherjeeA Brief History of Intelligence - Max BennettThe Road Less Traveled - Scott PeckJetez un oeil à la chaine YouTube de Reid et au podcast “Possible”.Vous pouvez aussi suivre Reid sur Linkedin (évidemment) et sur Instagram.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Hello! Did you know that Sutton Foster & Hugh Jackman made their red carpet debut? Did you know that JoJo Siwa & Chris Hughes made their red carpet debut? (Do you know the purpose of a red carpet debut? It's stupider than you think!) Plus, our thoughts once again on celebrity Halloween photoshoots, Lily Allen's new album and the latest Skarsgård child on the #nepo scene: Kolbjörn! Plus, our neighbor Fisher Stevens is moving, Cruz Beckham finally released music (yay!), Apple Martin is singing (boo!) and Chris Martin is reportedly (unreliable reports!) dating Sophie Turner. Camila Mendes is engaged, Carly Rae Jepsen is married and we still don't know if Rita is bald. Someone please call in and tell us. Call 619.WHO.THEM to leave questions, comments & concerns, and we may play your call on a future episode. Support us and get a ton of bonus content over on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/WhoWeekly⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For your planner to work, you have to look at it. Mystie Winckler talks with Convivial Circle community manager Stefani Mons about the habit of reviewing your planner daily, weekly, and at intervals.Stefani explains how:Daily reviews keep perspective accurate and help reframe negativityWeekly reviews highlight what went well before looking at what needs to changeInterval reviews (every 6–12 weeks) give time to evaluate routines, homeschooling, and habits without overhauling everything too soonThey also discuss how reviewing helps avoid planner perfectionism, why it's important to reframe lies as truth, and how community crowdsourcing provides fresh insights and reminders.This conversation shows why small, regular reviews keep plans realistic and cheerful—without going off the rails.

"Wax and Full Circles" is the quiet story of a couple navigating life where one of them is a werewolf. Content warnings: Death, animal death, grief Copyright © 2025 khōréō magazine. Story by Stefani Cox, edited by Isabella Kestermann. Audio edition read by Xperience J, with production by Lian Xia Rose and casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Subscribe to khōréō at Weightless Books or on Patreon. Visit khoreomag.com for more stories and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @KhoreoMag for the latest news and updates. Music: This Too Shall Pass by Scott Buckley https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported CC BY 3.0

Welcome to the first episode of "Third Way in Practice." Today, Mark is joined by Stefani and Fabs as they explore the common misconceptions people have of the third way.

Comment exister autrement que par son nom de famille quand on est le petit-fils de Gérard Mulliez ?Après ses études, Alexandre Mulliez passe 10 ans entre deux mondes : d'un côté l'empire familial Auchan dans lequel il fait ses gammes et de l'autre les start-up qu'il crée.Mais dès le début sa vision détonne : il s'occupe des gens, des clients, des collaborateurs et n'hésite pas à s'opposer aux dirigeants et à leurs enjeux d'EBITDA et d'évolution de parts de marché.Après un an à la tête d'Auchan France avec son bras droit Fabien Lazare, le comité de direction les évince.Le duo se met donc en quête d'un projet dans lequel ils pourraient jeter toutes leurs forces pour les 40 prochaines années et se tourne vers une passion commune : le sport.Faute d'écurie de F2 disponible, ils mettent la main sur le Football Club de Versailles qui évolue en championnat national et perd 7,5 millions d'euros par saison à ce moment-là.Dès le premier jour ils décident de tout documenter, tout filmer, tout montrer, sans exception.Lancée en septembre 2025, la série “Le Club” crée un engouement historique autour du FC Versailles. On entre dans l'intimité du vestiaire mais on découvre aussi — et surtout — les défaites, les problèmes de financement, le combat quotidien pour le maintien en division nationale. C'est la quintessence du "build in public".Un échange passionnant et sincère avec un homme bien plus radical qu'on ne pourrait l'imaginer et dont l'énergie semble inépuisable.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : “J'avais le cul entre deux chaises pendant 10 ans”00:14:42 : Chercher (et trouver) le meilleur moyen d'avoir de l'impact00:29:11 : Le conditionnement à l'entrepreneuriat dans la famille Mulliez00:45:13 : La technique pour retourner n'importe quelle entreprise en un an01:03:30 : “Caissiers, magasiniers ou cadres : il faut que chacun puisse utiliser tout son potentiel”01:13:41 : Comment sélectionner la meilleure équipe01:23:27 : Trouver son bras droit pour la vie01:29:32 : Le rachat express du FC Versailles01:38:11 : Assumer son ambition et choisir de TOUT montrer01:46:27 : “En leader, mon rôle c'est d'être au service des gens”02:00:45 : Comment bien gérer un club de foot professionnel02:12:16 : Ces 90 minutes irrationnelles où tout s'arrête02:23:51 : 40 ans pour gagner la Ligue des champions02:35:30 : “50% de ce que je suis aujourd'hui, je le dois à mon grand-père”02:48:46 : Le poids d'être un petit-fils MulliezLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #127 - Paul Lê - La Belle Vie - De la résilience, de l'honnêteté et du travail pour réussir big time#380 - Paul Lê - La Belle Vie - Le Son Gokû de la FoodTech qui rachète Frichti#234 - Amandine Merle Julia - Plum Living - Pimper IKEA pour proposer un design d'intérieur accessible à tous#483 - Carlos Ghosn - Out of the box : masterclass business de l'évadé du siècle#386 - Patrice Haddad - 40 ans de prod, 15 ans de foot : de Première Heure au Red Star#488 - Valentin Kretz - L'Agence (immobilier de luxe) - Le vrai business des Kretz derrière la série Netflix#312 - Thierry Reboul - Directeur exécutif de Paris 2024 - Orchestrer l'événement du siècle : récit d'un créatif rebelle#485 - Tibo InShape - YouTubeur - Le Syndrome du personnage principal#155 - Nicolas Chartier - Aramisauto - Apprendre à être un leader#344 - Robert Plomin - Psychologue & Généticien - Et s'il était possible de prédire vos atouts dès votre naissance ?Nous avons parlé de :Hartô, la première société d'AlexandreOres Collective, l'agence de pub qu'Alexandre a montée en 2012Koober, application de résumés de livresUnion nationale des footballeurs professionnelsREMORAMakiPeopleLe rachat du Red Star par 777 PartnersEdmond Tahar, l'avocat d'AlexandreLa série “Le Club” qui plonge dans les coulisses du FC VersaillesLe film “L'enfer du dimanche”Le modèle GembaRegis MedinaLes recommandations de lecture :Humanité: Une histoire optimiste - Rutger BregmanLearning to Scale - Régis MédinaLa boulangerie Lean - Juan Antonio Tena, Emi Castro et Roberto PrioloLa stratégie Lean - Michael Ballé, Daniel Jones, Jacques Chaize, Orest FiumeRaise the BarThe Lean Turnaround Action Guide - Art ByrneSe libérer du connu - Jiddu KrishnamurtiJe rouille - Robin WatineVous pouvez contacter Alexandre sur LinkedIn ou Instagram. Regardez la série “Le Club” pour plonger dans les coulisses du FC Versailles.Un grand MERCI à nos sponsors : SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doitQonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 Brevo: brevo.com/doit eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k Payfit: payfit.com Club Med : clubmed.frCuure : https://cuure.com/product-onelyVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Send us a textLeanne Butkovic and Angie Boylan, who comprise the rhythm section of the New York-based indie rock trio Freezing Cold, join Al to discuss No Doubt's 1995 breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom. Leanne and Angie each talk about how the album was formative for them, why they still enjoy it and why being a fan of the band—and of Gwen Stefani in particular—is sometimes challenging. They also talk about Freezing Cold's latest album, Treasure Pool, and their collaborative songwriting process.You can follow Angie on Instagram at @angie_boylan. Freezing Cold also has an account on Instagram: @freezingcoldband.Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. The first four episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA's subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.1:38 Leanne and Angie join the show2:04 Al talks about his preconceptions about Tragic Kingdom3:43 Angie details how she became obsessed with Tragic Kingdom and No Doubt when she was 127:46 Leanne recalls her first concert and her early music listening experiences10:58 Leanne identifies the elements of No Doubt's sound and image that she found so appealing14:14 Angie talks about Gwen Stefani as a fashion icon15:18 Leanne discusses the complicated nature of being a Gwen Stefani fan20:43 Angie talks about the more politically progressive side of No Doubt23:03 Leanne and Angie have felt betrayed by Stefani at times25:10 Al got over his preconceptions27:31 No Doubt demonstrate their versatility on Tragic Kingdom30:49 Leanne talks about Gwen Stefani as a lyricist32:00 Angie, Leanne and Al discuss how Adrian Young and Gwen Stefani thrived as relatively inexperienced musicians36:13 Angie and Leanne cite some of their favorite tracks from the album39:39 Angie notes the one track that she skips40:27 Leanne thinks No Doubt may have benefited from Interscope needing Tragic Kingdom to be a hit 41:48 Leanne shares her reactions to the album's final two tracks45:34 Leanne and Angie enjoyed No Doubt's 2024 reunion performance at Coachella47:08 Leanne explains how she joined Freezing Cold48:52 Leanne discusses how Freezing Cold typically write songs50:40 “The Day” is an outlier on Treasure Pool55:20 Angie talks about how she and Jeff Cunningham have simplified their songwriting for Freezing Cold57:03 Angie explains how she became the touring and studio drummer for Sleater-Kinney58:26 Leanne discusses some of Marissa Paternoster's contributions to Freezing Cold1:00:12 Angie and Leanne talk about Freezing Cold's upcoming plansOutro music is from “Eclipse” by Freezing Cold.Support the show

Il déclare n'avoir jamais voulu être designer.Il déclare aussi que ce métier peut vouloir dire tout et son contraire.Pourtant il a été élu designer de l'année 2024 et fait partie des rares créateurs français exposés au MoMA, au Centre Pompidou ou encore au Musée des Arts Décoratifs.Mais c'est surtout avec un objet, la Vasque Olympique de Paris 2024, que Mathieu Lehanneur a touché des millions de personnes à travers le monde.Il raconte dans cet épisode l'envers d'un projet classé secret, guidé uniquement par l'intuition, et ce moment suspendu où sa vasque s'est envolée pour la première fois, offrant une émotion à des millions de personnes.Mathieu revient sur :L'importance de comprendre les objets qui nous entourent et l'impact qu'ils peuvent avoir sur le mondePourquoi le plan B n'est pas une optionL'avant - après Paris 2024Plongez dans l'univers d'un créatif sans limites pour comprendre le monde et les objets qui nous entourent.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Prendre goût au travail00:12:52 : Comprendre les objets, c'est comprendre le monde00:21:57 : Le design est d'abord une question de sensations00:30:23 : Comment Ikea a changé notre rapport aux objets00:40:33 : Apprendre à vendre avant de savoir créer00:47:19 : L'art de convaincre00:54:55 : L'ambition vaut plus qu'un budget01:09:31 : Peut-on refuser les Jeux Olympiques ?01:15:33 : L'importance de se construire un double imaginaire01:24:35 : Le pire ennemi de la créativité01:36:56 : Créer pour toucher et transmettre des émotions01:44:35 : Le public choisit ce qui restera des JO de Paris 202401:57:44 : La vraie fonction d'un objet inutile02:07:12 : La réalité sur l'avant - après Paris 202402:18:13 : L'objet parfait existe-t-il ?02:31:26 : Comment aiguiser son œil artistique et sa créativitéLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #312 - Thierry Reboul - Directeur exécutif de Paris 2024 - Orchestrer l'événement du siècle : récit d'un créatif rebelleNous avons parlé de :Hôtel du Palais de BiarritzQu'est-ce que le surréalisme ?Greg LeMond au Tour de France 1989THX 1138 - Le premier filmLe cœur de l'église de Saint-Hilaire par Matthieu LehanneurLe design de la flèche de Notre-Dame de ParisLa Chambre claire, de Roland BarthesLes recommandations de lecture :Manifestes du surréalisme, de André BretonLa Chambre claire, de Roland BarthesVous pouvez contacter Mathieu sur Instagram.Un grand MERCI à nos sponsors : - SquareSpace : squarespace.com/doit- Qonto: https://qonto.com/r/2i7tk9 - Brevo: brevo.com/doit - eToro: https://bit.ly/3GTSh0k - Payfit: payfit.com - Club Med : clubmed.frVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

“Il est temps d'accepter que les Américains ont déjà mis 7 buts à l'Europe”Le retard de l'Europe face aux grandes puissances tech — c'est-à-dire les États-Unis et la Chine — n'est plus un scoop, comme Grégoire le précise d'entrée de jeu.Après la vente de son agence Germinal en 2022, Grégoire débarque à San Francisco et découvre l'ampleur des dégâts. L'écart informationnel est tel que ce qui se murmure dans les cafés de la Silicon Valley met 6 à 12 mois pour traverser l'Atlantique.Plus de doute, l'ancien roi de LinkedIn est au bon endroit. Comme un poisson dans l'eau dans l'écosystème entrepreneurial le plus radical du monde, immergé dans l'ambition sans limite des entreprises de la "vallée".Avec son entreprise Ctrl+G, qui vend des données aux plus grands laboratoires d'IA du monde, il vise la licorne et n'a pas peur, comme à son habitude, de le crier haut et fort.5 ans après son premier passage, Grégoire revient sur GDIY et se livre sur :Son addiction à LinkedIn — qui a failli le détruireComment s'astreindre à une discipline de fer pour avoir une vie plus facilePourquoi la Silicon Valley a tant d'avance sur le reste du monde, et ce qu'il faut faire pour y remédierSa technique ultime pour dissoudre ses peurs une bonne fois pour toutesBienvenue dans la tête d'un entrepreneur radical qui refuse de s'imposer - et qu'on lui impose - toute forme de limite.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Pourquoi l'IA agit encore comme un enfant de 5 ans ?00:18:46 : Les 3 étapes pour s'intégrer dans la Silicon Valley00:28:12 : Ce secret sur San Francisco que tout le monde ignore00:41:45 : Taxe Zucman, fuite des capitaux et dégradation du service public00:57:11 : Le roi déchu de LinkedIn01:10:55 : Dissoudre ses peurs pour démultiplier son ambition01:21:50 : Choix difficiles, vie facile01:36:37 : Les 2 techniques pour devenir “fonctionnel”01:48:18 : Le prix exorbitant de la flemme01:56:52 : Comment avancer même dans les jours sans02:02:11 : 9am to 9pm, le rythme de travail minimum de la Silicon Valley02:12:17 : La chute de l'Europe au classement des puissances technologiques02:23:47 : Ce qu'il faut absolument prendre en compte pour repenser l'éducation02:31:51 : Bâtir une licorne même si on ne sort pas d'une grande école02:40:24 : L'angoisse de la boîte mail vide02:48:31 : “Ma zone de génie c'est de faire de la provoc”03:01:26 : Arrêter de l'imaginer et enfin vivre son potentielLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #161 - Grégoire Gambatto - Germinal - La victoire ou la mort#487 - VF - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business et IA : rien ne sera jamais plus comme avant#487 - VO - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business, and AI: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again#429 - Nicolas Dessaigne - Y Combinator - Le berceau des futurs géants de la tech#491 - Dylan Fournier - Arcads.ai - Les acteurs artificiels qui révolutionnent le monde de la pub#345 - Pierre Entremont - Frst Capital - Faire de Paris le hotspot des startups du monde#98 - Pierre-Edouard Stérin - Founder Smartbox, Otium Capital - Gagner des millions pour tout céder à 50 ans#284 - Pierre-Édouard Stérin - Otium Capital - Milliardaire et saint dans une même vie#494 - Amélie Guicheney - Gaya Bikes - Décoller sur un marché où tout le monde coule#206 - Nicolas Hennion - Libérez la bête - Développement personnel radical#366 - Nicolas Hennion - Libérez la bête - Le retour de l'explorateur perché du développement personnel radical#419 - Raphaël Gaillard - Psychiatre, Académicien - “Notre cerveau ne se supporte plus”#320 - Michael Horvath - Strava - You are what you do every day#62 - Olivier Goy - CEO October - Comment faire fortune en prêtant de l'argent#181 - Olivier Goy - La vie, la maladie, le dépassement : memento mori#210 - David Gurlé - Symphony - Apprendre aux côtés de Bill GatesNous avons parlé de :Le concept de singularité de l'IAOnly DustLovableOvni CapitalArticle “Germinal : la grosse tête”Épisode du podcast Ovni avec Bilal ZuberiLes invinciblesL'article sur l'“Alpha School”, au Texas, qui remplace les profs par des IALe Bootstrap ClubLes recommandations de lecture :Die with Zero - Bill PerkinsVous pouvez contacter Grégoire sur Linkedin, et vous abonner à son compte X et à sa chaîne Youtube.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Learn how to connect faster, build trust effortlessly, and turn conversations into contracts with confidence and authenticity as told by Stefani Havel.

Cet épisode est probablement le plus insolite de l'histoire de GDIY.Ces 2 heures, enregistrées au coeur de la forêt amazonienne, ne sont pourtant qu'une partie de l'aventure incroyable que nous avons vécu au Brésil.Nous sommes allés voir s'il était possible de réussir sans être obsédé par l'argent et en respectant vraiment l'environnement.Nous avons trouvé des réponses, que nous avons réunies dans notre nouveau film "13 jours pour remettre en question tout ce qu'on savait sur l'entrepreneuriat" disponible dès maintenant sur ma chaîne YouTube @mattstefani.C'est l'un des entrepreneurs les plus inspirants et lucides qu'on ait reçus sur GDIY.Après son premier passage en 2017 (épisode #11), Sébastien Kopp arrive avec des résultats bluffants, et le tout en autofinancement.En 2024, VEJA atteint 250 millions d'euros de chiffre d'affaires, emploie 600 personnes et travaille avec plus de 2500 familles productrices de caoutchouc bio au Brésil.La vision est claire, et radicale : concurrencer les géants de la basket, concevoir des chaussures sans plastique, suffisamment confortables pour courir un marathon… sans détruire la forêt.Après 20 ans de recherche et développement et de travail avec les communautés locales pour trouver un modèle économique viable, le pari est tenu.Sébastien choisit de “faire grandir plutôt que grossir” son entreprise pour rester fidèle à sa mission et esquiver un à un les pièges de l'hypercroissance.Et devinez quoi : ça marche.Petit à petit, VEJA grignote des parts de marché à Nike, Adidas et consorts, avec une stratégie radicale :0 budget pub, 0 budget marketing, 0 égérieUne vraie attention aux écosystèmesDes horaires et un environnement de travail décents dans les usines, loin des 80h/semaine devenues classiques dans certaines zones du mondeUne rémunération juste pour les partenaires locauxAux antiopdes du greenwashing, Sébastien remet du bon sens dans chaque décision – logistique, matériaux, rythme de croissance – avec un modèle économique qui inspire et qui prouve qu'on peut faire autrement.Il ne s'agit pas de sacrifices pour l'écologie, mais d'une réinvention pragmatique de l'entrepreneuriat. Et c'est probablement ce qui fera la différence dans les années à venir.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : “On ne veut pas grossir mais grandir”00:18:39 : Courir des marathons en VEJA00:25:02 : L'hyper-croissance réduit la confiance00:36:16 : La méthode Hermès00:43:51 : Comment protéger la forêt en restant économiquement viable00:55:03 : Jouer dans les règles du capitalisme01:01:58 : Verser 20 000 euros de prime à ses employés01:11:27 : Le vrai problème de l'avion que ne comprennent pas les activistes01:18:16 : Faire ressusciter ses baskets01:28:46 : Le modèle économique : anatomie du coût d'une chaussure01:41:59 : Mettre du bon sens dans la logistique et l'entrepreneuriat01:53:13 : Les conditions de travail dans les usines02:02:48 : “Les moyens préfigurent la fin”02:23:50 : Point culture et le conseil de SébastienLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #11 - Sébastien Kopp - VEJA 2/2 - Réussir dans la mode en préservant le monde#420 - Stanislas Niox-Chateau - Doctolib : derrière la plus grosse marque de la French Tech#472 - Jean-Marc Jancovici - The Shift Project, Carbone4 - L'Europe est dans la seringue : ce qui doit changer dans les 10 prochaines années#380 - Paul Lê - La Belle Vie - Le Son Gokû de la FoodTech qui rachète Frichti#405 - Nicolas Santi-Weil - Ami Paris & The Kooples - “Si tu n'arrives pas à en faire un client fais-en un ami”#413 - Alexandre Boucheix (Casquette Verte) - Ultra-Traileur - “Je suis jamais le meilleur mais j'adore briller”#178 - Kilian Jornet - Alpinisme & Ultra-trail - Ne pense pas au résultat, l'objectif c'est de progresser#213 - Adrien Roose - Cowboy - Toucher le fond et se remettre en selleNous avons parlé de :VEJAAcre (Brésil)François-Ghislain MorillionChico Mendes, le seringueiro qui défendait la forêtAnalyse CO2 VEJACordonnerie VEJASimon Sinek chez Diary of a CEOFairtradeLa production et l'organisation VEJA détailléeAcquired : RolexBaron NoirRone feat Alain DamasioThe Edge of DemocracyLes recommandations de lecture :La Horde du ContreventLa Horde du Contrevent (BD)L'art de la victoireRouge BrésilVous pouvez contacter Sébastien sur Linkedin et Instagram.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

En 2006, personne n'achète sur internet.Mais Anne-Laure Constanza a une conviction.Elle lance la toute première marque française de prêt-à-porter créée et développée en ligne : Envie de Fraise.À une époque où Squarespace ou Shopify n'existent pas encore, elle construit tout de zéro.En quelques années, Envie de Fraise habille des millions de femmes enceintes en France et dans le monde, de Carla Bruni à Nathalie Portman.Malgré une entreprise rentable avec 20 millions de chiffre d'affaires en 2017, elle décide de vendre pour prendre soin de se ses enfants et sécuriser leur vie et leur avenir.Anne-Laure reprend la maison Toulemonde Bochart en 2023.La marque réalise 5,7 millions de chiffre d'affaires avec aucune présence en ligne.Sa première décision : lancer le digital.En deux ans, la marque a doublé son chiffre d'affaires, tout en restant rentable.Dans cet épisode, Anne-Laure nous livre les dessous d'une stratégie de digitalisation bien rodée, fondée sur la qualité des produits et de l'expérience client.TIMELINE:00:00:00 Le secret pour transformer une idée en succès00:11:24 Partir en Chine à 23 ans pour faire rayonner la France00:17:51 L'échec visionnaire du “Made by Chinese” en France00:24:02 La grossesse qui a révolutionné l'e-commerce00:34:30 La pub audacieuse avec Carla Bruni qui a fait exploser la marque00:44:16 Renoncer au rêve américain pour ses enfants00:52:07 Comment digitaliser un groupe centenaire00:59:10 Entreprendre pour ses enfants01:06:53 Lâcher prise pour trouver l'équilibre01:14:32 L'aventure qui a changé la vie de son fils01:24:46 Comment doubler le CA d'une marque iconique01:34:35 Pourquoi il faut savoir abandonner très vite01:44:54 Défiler à Rio, son prochain challenge01:55:31 Fuir le dév-perso pour une philosophie pratiqueLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #4 - Bruno Lévêque - Le codeur fou qui a lancé Prestashop !#483 - Carlos Ghosn - Out of the box : masterclass business de l'évadé du siècle#488 - Valentin Kretz - Le vrai business des Kretz derrière la série Netflix#485 - Tibo InShape - Le Syndrome du personnage principalNous avons parlé de :Le site officiel de Toulemonde Bochart“Alors Carla, envie de fraises ou pas ?”Le documentaire d'Oscar et Arthur au KilimandjaroDécouvrir le Raid AmazonesBridgewater - le fonds d'investissement de Ray DalioLes recommandations de lecture :Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera - Alain PeyrefittePenser contre soi-même - Nathan DeversLa force majeure - Clément RossetVous pouvez contacter Anne-Laure Constanza sur LinkedIn.J'ai négocié pour vous un code promo "DOIT" valable sur le site de Toulemonde Bochart : 10% pour les 20 premiers puis 5%.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Healthy Eating at Home: What Works, What Doesn't, and What Tastes Good: Nutritionist Stef Sassos Good Housekeeping Good Better Best Interview Series, The Not Old Better Show In this episode, Paul sit's down with Stefani Sassos, Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Nutrition and Fitness Lab, to find out what really goes into those beautifully packaged, chef-prepared meals. We cover everything—taste, nutrition, expiration dates, and how to make smart, satisfying food choices that actually work for your lifestyle, especially if you're 60 and up. Stefani is a registered dietitian, personal trainer, and mom who lives in the real world. She knows what it's like to feed a family on a weeknight, and she's tested more than 50 different meal services—not just for health, but for flavor and usability. Her insights will help you sort the fads from the facts, and her practical tips will save you time, money, and frustration. We talk about why trust matters, what really makes a healthy meal satisfying, and how aging adults can use today's tech-savvy food solutions to support longevity, energy, and wellness—without getting overwhelmed. If you've ever stood at your fridge wondering what's still good, or tried to decode the tiny print on a meal label, this episode is for you. Tune in and discover the tools to eat well, age strong, and feel good doing it. Check it out 

Merci à notre partenaire Red Bull d'avoir rendu cette série d'épisodes possible, et de nous donner des ailes pour aller toujours plus loin.Dans cette série spéciale, nous mettons en lumière des personnalités phares du secteur des CHR (cafés, hôtels, restaurants) et de la fête en France.Pour cette série spéciale comme pour tous les épisodes de GDIY, notre équipe garde toujours la main sur la ligne éditoriale et le choix des invités.Nous espérons que ces épisodes vous plairont autant qu'à nous.Créer un festival, c'est comme partir à la guerre.En dix ans, Sarah Renard est passée de serveuse à co-fondatrice du festival Madame Loyal et Sonora.Elle découvre cet univers en 2015, derrière le bar du Rituel, fondé par Guillaume et Geoffrey, mais ne cache pas son ambition de vouloir travailler avec eux.Ils se sont associés et ont alors lancé leur festival en autofinancement.Le projet s'est rapidement développé dans plusieurs villes de France, jusqu'à atteindre les 8 millions d'euros par an. Transformant la "teuf" en une expérience immersive et rentable.Mais derrière les scènes flamboyantes et les ambiances électro se cache une obsession du détail et une organisation militaire.Dans cet épisode, elle nous livre les clés de sa réussite :L'art de bien choisir ses partenaires.Comment le Covid a rendu les festivals mainstream.Quand dire stop pour éviter une catastrophe financière.Comment gérer les imprévus, fidèle au “show must go on”.Les métiers de l'ombre : quand les techniciens deviennent artistes.Sarah, une entrepreneure bulldozer, nous rappelle que derrière les paillettes et les basses, le succès se construit avec passion, méthode et une capacité à apprendre constamment.Le business des évènements et des festivals livré en cours magistral dans ce nouvel épisode.Vous êtes dans le business du hors domicile, gérant d'établissement(s) (bars, clubs, restaurants, vente à emporter) ou bien organisateur de festival ?N'hésitez pas à remplir vos coordonnées en cliquant sur le lien suivant : https://www.gdiy.fr/red-bull/Les 100 premiers inscrits pourront bénéficier d'un pack de gratuités de la part Red Bull.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Mélanger fête foraine et festival électronique en un seul événement00:10:55 : Comment Sarah est passée de serveuse à fondatrice de festival00:19:55 : Le pire ennemi des festivals00:25:13 : La recette pour financer un festival00:35:13 : Pourquoi le public accepte de payer plus cher qu'avant00:47:44 : Pourquoi la sécurité coûte des dizaines de milliers d'euros00:58:34 : Le plus gros cachet artistique01:05:58 : Les métiers de l'ombre : quand les techniciens deviennent artistes01:15:34 : Sonora : la rave techno tout confort01:26:58 : Comment gérer les artistes et les bénévoles01:38:47 : Combien ça gagne un festival ?01:47:55 : Les leçons d'une croissance fulguranteLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : [Hors-Série Red Bull] - Aurélien Antonini - Bonjour/Bonsoir - Boîtes de nuits, clubs, comment se lancer et durer dans le monde de la nuit[Hors-Série Red Bull] - Yoann Le Nevé - Hellfest Festival - Créer le Disneyland du métal sans vendre son âme au diableLes précédents épisodes dans la série Red Bull : [Hors-Série Red Bull] - Christophe Coutal - Moorea Plage - « C'est moi le roi, pas le client » la légende de St-Tropez[Hors-Série Red Bull] - Yoann Le Nevé - Hellfest Festival - Créer le Disneyland du métal sans vendre son âme au diable[Hors-Série Red Bull] - Luc Reversade - La Folie Douce - "On est les seuls à avoir un chef étoilé qui fait danser sur les tables à 2500m d'altitude”[Hors-Série Red Bull] - Aurélien Antonini - Bonjour/Bonsoir - Boîtes de nuits, clubs, comment se lancer et durer dans le monde de la nuitNous avons parlé de :Site officiel de Madame LoyalSolidaysLa scène brûlée du TomorrowlandSite officiel du HellfestWe Love GreenRose Festival de Bigflo & OliShlømo set au festival Sonora de BordeauxLes recommandations de lecture : L'âme du monde - Frédéric LenoirVous pouvez contacter Sarah sur Linkedin.J'ai finalement réussi à négocier : le code GDIY20 vous permettra de bénéficier de 20€ de réduction sur votre place au festival Sonora du 18 octobre.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Que vous ayez déjà une idée ou non, L'étincelle permet de structurer un projet entrepreneurial en 6 semaines.Nous lançons la 4ème promo le 15 octobre prochain en LIVE. Rejoignez nous : https://linkly.link/2FZ16C'est l'un des seuls succès industriels de ces dernières années en France.Ses vélos cargos ont déjà parcouru plus de 12 millions de kilomètres.Pourtant quand Amélie Guicheney lance Gaya Bikes en janvier 2021, elle est dos au mur. Elle vient d'être licenciée d'Evaneos, dont elle était membre du comité exécutif.Amélie se donne alors 9 mois pour trouver une équipe et des fonds sans quoi elle retournera vers le salariat.Les 400 premiers vélos-cargos sont livrés 18 mois plus tard et en à peine 4 ans, Gaya inonde les centres-villes.Dès sa première année complète la marque réalise 5 millions d'euros de ventes.Dans une période où les acteurs de l'industrie tombent un à un (VanMoof, Cowboy, Angell …), Gaya est un ovni.Dans cet épisode, Amélie lève le voile sur :Les pièges de l'industrie — dans lesquels beaucoup sont tombésComment appliquer une culture de l'itération dans un business industrielPourquoi la pré-commande a changé le cours de l'histoire de GayaLever des fonds quand on ne connait personneBienvenue dans une saga industrielle passionnante menée par une femme résiliante, humble et visionnaire.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Passer du salariat à l'entrepreneuriat en plein covid0:15:26 : La fin des marques 100% digitales0:28:9 : Comment se relever d'un licenciement0:39:1 : 9 mois pour trouver une idée, une équipe et des fonds00:50:23 : Les 3 promesses des vélos Gaya01:02:21 : Éviter les pièges de l'industrie du vélo01:12:04 : Se faire voler son tout premier prototype01:24:27 : La magie de la pré-commande01:35:51 : La recette pour avoir une marque désirable01:41:56 : “j'ai clôturé une levée de 5 millions, 2 semaines après mon accouchement”01:53:59 : Comment financer une startup industrielle01:59:34 : La culture tech appliquée à un business industriel02:11:19 : Innover 2 fois plus vite que ses concurrents02:18:38 : Comment bien préparer son internationalisation02:27:28 : “la peur de manquer de cash m'empêchait de dormir”02:34:21 : Les opportunités naissent des rencontresLes anciens épisodes de GDIY mentionnés : #77 - William Hauvette - Asphalte - Le meilleur moyen de savoir ce que tes clients veulent, c'est de leur demander#105 - Caroline Pailloux - Ignition Program - Tout plaquer sans projet, finir par recruter les talents des startups#465 - Franck Bonfils - Manger Juste, Go Nuts - Exploser du jour au lendemain après 15 ans à la dèche#361 - Gilles Henry - La poussette YOYO & Bastille Cycles - Le génie des objets pliants#290 - Gary Anssens - Alltricks - On ne choisit pas ses accidents, mais on peut choisir ce qu'on en fait#456 - Alexandre Prot - Qonto - Bousculer l'écosystème bancaire et s'imposer en référence européenne#3 - Ilan Abehassera - Cofondateur Willo#291 - Laurène Altmayer - Tikino - Divertir et éduquer nos enfants sans écran#483 - Carlos Ghosn - Out of the box : masterclass business de l'évadé du siècle#74 - Romain Raffard - CEO Bergamotte - Génération Do It Yourself#489 - Emmanuel Faber - Danone, ISSB - Sauver la planète : pourquoi l'industrie est le problème et la solution#281 - Véra Kempf - Casser les verrous et faire entrer le e-commerce dans le monde de l'artNous avons parlé de :DNVBGaya BikesEvaneosLe showroom Gaya Bikes à ParisQontoGroupe MobiviaOcéan rouge vs océan bleuLa reprise de Angell par le groupe RebirthVia ID, le premier fonds qui a investi dans GayaJulien Chaudeurge, fondateur de BabyzenLes recommandations de lecture :Le Voyage d'Hector: Ou la recherche du bonheur - François LelordThe Road Less Travelled - Scott PeckVous pouvez contacter Amélie sur Linkedin et suivre Gaya sur Instagram.Avec le code “DOIT” vous aurez une réduction de 100€ sur l'achat d'un vélo Gaya.Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In episode 1923, Jack and guest co-host Blake Wexler are joined by co-host of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know and Ridiculous History, Ben Bowlin, to discuss… R.I.P. CDC, Gwen Stefani And Blake Shelton Remaking The Wizard Of Oz Isn’t Going Over Well With Anyone and more! ‘Total implosion’: How Trump firing of CDC chief Monarez sparked an exodus Monarez would not cross ‘red lines’ before she was fired, confidant says Tough to swallow: The Trump administration’s approach to food safety gets even worse Contemporary ‘Wizard Of Oz’ Series ‘Dorothy’ In Works At Prime Video From Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton & Creator Gina Matthews Gwen Stefani Praised a Tucker Carlson Interview and Now People Think She's MAGA LISTEN: In Your Arms by Shift K3YSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.