Podcasts about tasmanian

The serious, the surprising and the slightly ridiculous - welcome to the Saturday Edition.This week: what earnings season is telling us about consumers and interest rates, a potential breakthrough in melanoma treatment, Australia’s trillion-dollar debt milestone, tobacco tax reform... and the badly stuffed “fox” that turned out to be a Tasmanian tiger.Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson go head-to-head, with Adam Lang picking the winner.Join our free daily newsletter here.Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's National Rural News: ** Early Total Fire bans in the Northern Territory could be a sign of things to come in the southern states, ** A new reports shows the vast majority of productivity gains are happening in country Australia - with calls to start measuring national productivity by location, ** And positive news - at least for now - for Tasmanian potato farmers, as talks resume with the atate's largest processor - Simplot, Plus the latest from the markets and more. Subscribe to the National Rural News podcast: http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachelle's book, The Quick-Start Guide to Your First Property: https://amzn.to/4svhyoHJohn's book, Sort Your Property Out & Build Your Future: https://amzn.to/45l7n9MIn this Q&A, John and Rachelle chat about:

Tasmanian director Shaun Wilson joins Kaz and Tubes to discuss concerns over staffing cuts at Screen Tasmania, arguing the organisation needs the people and industry relationships in place to help attract productions and support the state's growing screen sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

RACT Youth Road Safety Program Manager, Nerida Plumpton, joins Kaz and Tubes after a successful trip to Geneva, where a Tasmanian initiative designed to support learner drivers and their supervisors received international recognition and additional funding.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

More than eleven years after Eden Westbrook’s death, Jason and Amanda are still fighting for answers. In this special crossover episode with Badge of Betrayal, we look at where Eden’s case stands today, the push to have it reopened, the coronial reform process and the involvement of former senior Tasmanian police officer Paul Reynolds. We also return to the police records from the night Eden died — uncovering calls, movements and witness accounts that raise new questions about what was happening in St Helens before and after Eden was found. The question remains: do we really know what happened to Eden that night? Support Our Independent Storytelling on Patreon here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Hart, IGA Tasmania Ambassador, joins Kaz and Tubes to launch the supermarket's Cash or Car promotion, giving shoppers the chance to win $50,000 cash or a $60,000 Toyota EV while supporting local Tasmanian stores and producers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Set directors Lucas Nalder, William Saltmarsh, and Bryce Vincent, join Kaz and Tubes to discuss their new live music event, where emerging Tasmanian bands will battle it out for the chance to perform at Great Escape Festival.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tasmanian Dance Expo co-founders Lockhart Brownlie and Renee Ritchie join Kaz and Tubes to discuss bringing world-class dance experience back to Tasmania, creating pathways, scholarships, and international opportunities for the state's next generation of performers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Barwick family join Kaz and Tubes at North Hobart Oval, sharing stories of Tasmanian state representation, premiership success, and a lifelong connection to football as the Tasmania Devils host their final regular season home double-header.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Cocker, Chief Operating Officer of Hobart Airport, joins Kaz and Tubes to discuss the launch of the airport's Connecting Communities grants program, with $40,000 available to support Tasmanian charities and not-for-profit organisations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HEADLINES: Jetstar to charge new fees for overhead carry-on baggage. An armed man has been arrested at Trump’s golf club in LA. This year's NAPLAN results are in - and one in three Australian students isn't meeting basic literacy and numeracy expectations. A Tasmanian woman who burnt down her own home rather than hand it to her daughter-in-law has avoided jail. Princess Eugenie has welcomed her third baby and first daughter with husband Jack Brooksbank GET IN TOUCHGot a story, news tip-off, feedback or dilemma?Send us a voice note or email us at thequicky@mamamia.com.au SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAY: The Out Loud hosts have handpicked their all-time favourite reads and one subscriber is winning the entire 12-book stack. Subscribe to Mamamia here to be automatically entered. Already a subscriber? Don't sweat it, you're already in. T&Cs apply. CREDITSHost: Charlotte Mortlock Audio Producer: Scott Stronach Group Executive Producer: Charlotte Mortlock, Talissa Bazaz & Georgie Page Check out The Quicky Instagram here and our TikTok here Discover more Mamamia podcasts here Did you know some of our shows are now in video on the Apple Podcast app? Make sure your phone is up to date and check it out here! Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Science communication is a very lovely place with lots of lovely people."This week, The Crafty Pint Podcast heads to Tasmania to catch up with Science Made Beerable. The not-for-profit was launched by Kelsey Picard and Matt Fielding in 2020 as a National Science Week event.In the years since, they've continued to explore the science of beer by inviting different breweries to engage in an annual, always sold-out ExBEERimental Science event. Matt has also joined us a few times to reflect on what's going on in Tasmania as part of our end-of-year roundup series.For this episode, Will was joined by Matt and fellow Science Made Beerable board member Reid Barry to preview this year's event and learn all about their love of science communication.It turned out to be quite a Tasmanian-heavy beer week too: ahead of the main interview, Will and James chatted about the state government's funding for Beer Tasmania. We also covered Warrandyte Brewing's taproom go-ahead, Black Match's slow but steady move towards releasing their first beers and opening a taproom, Felons' commandeering of the Manly Fast Ferry, and King Tide Brewing taking up residence in The Crafty Pint directory.Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 13:31 – Free Samples From Packpal 14:37 – Science Made Beerable Part 1 35:10 – Bintani Brewery Boosters 39:02 – Science Made Beerable Part 2To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney on the heartwarming and heartbreaking reasons humans continue to lovingly tend to their gardens — for healing, beauty and joy.For thousands of years, tending to a garden or a small farm meant human survival. But now, with massive commercial farms, genetically modified crops, refrigerated freight and modern irrigation, we don't need to tend to our own gardens to survive.So why, then, do so many of us still lovingly plant, water and cultivate flowers, fruits and vegetables? Or watch 'lawn porn' to relax?It's a question that Hannah Moloney has asked thousands of gardeners from around the world.Hannah is a permaculture educator, landscape designer and the Tasmanian presenter for ABC TV's Gardening Australia. Gardening is in Hannah's blood, having grown up in a herb nursery run by her green-thumbed father in the Brisbane suburbs.For Hannah, gardening remains a lifeline, a way to bond with her family and a joyful act of protest.Why We Garden is published by Simon & Schuster.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores gardening, hobbies, outdoor activities, mental health, grief gardening, why we like being outdoors, gardening as meditation, the beauty of our gardens, Australian native gardens, vegetable patches, how to grow your own vegetables, fruit trees, family origin stories, losing a parent, pregnancy, motherhood, postpartum depression, gardening for healing, creative inspiration, human history, horticulture, climate change, global warming, food scarcity, food supply, drought, flood, famine, Costa Georgiadis, green thumb, meditation.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Changes to the way weedkiller diquat can be applied to alkaloid poppies from modified, larger drums, has raised concerns for the sector.

In ep 184 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Brigid Lohrey joins Sam and Mark to talk about approaching an Apple News script in a very specific way - bringing it to full conversational, but not too rounded. We explore performances where you're left feeling, "Surely you want more than this?" Are we being told to make everything blander?? We talk about how directors can be really helpful in setting the scene for us, and how nothing moves fast underwater! Plus is it a help or a hinderance if a script is labelled as "corporate"? Our obsessions are West End theatre and summer night attire!Our VO question this week is all about whether you should be upfront about your natural accent if you come from more than one place!Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1Compared to the bustle of spring, it's quiet in the autumn forest; I miss the hoards of gently pulsating sea jellies that cloud the water all summer long and lament the absence of spider crabs that have migrated back to deeper water. Territorial by nature, ballan wrasse remain in residence, patrolling their patch among the kelp. I spot a chunky male, coloured amber to match the scene and greet him with a broad smile that lets a trickle of cold water into my dive mask.Script 2Murder in Paradise: The Unsolved Killings on Australia's East Coast. The NSW north coast has a disturbing history of unsolved murders and disappearances. Have its beaches, roads and rainforests been a killing ground for one or more serial killers? Written for Australian Women's Weekly. A young woman is standing on a road leading to the Pacific Highway, her thumb out, hitching. With her long hair and cut-off jeans she doesn't wait long to be picked up. She is never seen again. This scenario has happened again and again on the north coast of NSW.We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Brigid Lohrey is a Tasmanian actress, who trained in London, and has been acting on stage and screen for over 20 years. She 's in the BBC's Hope Street and HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon. On stage she's played Panto villains and Shakespearean leads up and down the country. As a Voice Actor she started 15 years ago with Audio Drama for Dr Who and the Dark Shadows series, then with audiobooks for the RNIB. Since then she has voiced 80 audiobooks, and has branched into commercials and gaming. She has done radio presenting and commentates medieval jousting and fun dog shows.Resources: Click here for the Wildcard Generator and don't forget to think of an action your character can be doing!About your hosts:With over 40 years representing major international clients such as Google, Emirates and HSBC; Mark Ryes has been trusted to be the voice for some of the world's biggest brands. If your business needs a fresh voice to represent you, then make it Mark's British voice. As a voiceover, TV presenter, podcaster or product demonstrator - Mark makes your brand truly sparkle!Mark's demos & contact details: https://linktr.ee/britishvoiceovermarkElegantly British with an intelligent, warm and seductive voice, Samantha Boffin helps creatives and production companies create great audio that really connects with their audience. BBC-trained and with over 20 years of broadcast experience on both sides of the mic, she's created award-winning promos, narration and commercials for companies all around the globe, including the BBC, Sky, Games Workshop, John Lewis, Audible and Penguin Random House.Samantha's demos & contact details: https://linktr.ee/samanthaboffin

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Tebrukunna  rangers in the states far north east are stepping up their beach patrols, in preparation for the arrival of h5 bird flu.

In the midst of Dark MOFO I caught up with Tasmanian artist Rosie Hasie as she snapped some of the most celebrated photos of the festival.https://www.rosiehastie.comhttps://www.travellingsenorita.com

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Send us Fan MailKyle Zanetto lost close to $400,000 in a single year working eighty-hour weeks. Luke Davies sat $75,000 in overdraft with a maxed-out mortgage and had to sell his house. Both now run successful Tasmanian building companies — and together founded Future Builder to stop other builders repeating their mistakes.The core of the conversation is what sits between a good builder and a profitable building business: markup versus margin, estimating bottlenecks, recovering overheads, and how business structure determines the numbers. As Luke puts it, if someone tells you what your markup should be, they don't know your business.Kyle explains how a 30-point client questionnaire now filters roughly fifty leads down to two, and why that shift — not cost-cutting — is what protects quality.They also walk through Future Builder itself: the asset library, the courses, the Monday masterminds, and Alfie, the AI business companion Luke has been building for nine months that runs a 104-point health check across six business pillars and connects to Xero. The conversation moves into lean methodology on site, burnout and why builders won't ask for help, suicide in the industry, and what each of them would change in the NCC if given one shot.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSHow a builders markup can make or break a business — and the difference between markup and net profitKyle's 30-point client entry questionnaire: open-book negotiated tenders, 30% cash, and turning down 48 of 50 leadsLuke's approach to saying yes to the right job even when the schedule is fullAlfie, the AI business companion: business life stages from start-up to prime, the 104-point health checkLean methodology on the building site — spaghetti maps, rework, and the triple hit to the bottom lineBurnout, self-awareness and hustle culture: the routines to business owners use to keep operating at high loadLEARN MOREFuture Builder: https://www.futurebuilder.co/Zanetto Builders: https://www.zanettobuilders.com.au/Davies Construction: https://www.daviesconstruction.com.au/Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

 Headlines II here - Police Killing of Abderrahim Fakir in Italy  - Labor Party conference analysis & Bob Brown Foundation billboards removed - Sydney rd accessible tram stops - Murujuga Rock Art Event  - "Trial of the Woodside Three" fails Voices 4 Palestine II hereYousef Alreemawi on the importance of poetry recorded at the Green Left Ecosocialism conference in April 2026Song - Country of Light - Ambient Orchestras Telstra Outage Prof. Hussein Dia II hereSwinburne expert on transport discussing the ramifications of the shut down of trains across Victoria with the recent Telstra outage. How is it possible to make our public transport system more resilient and less prey to digital collapse?Maugean Skate Interview Senator Pete Whish-Wilson & Lyndon O'Neil II hereCaught up with the Tasmanian Greens Senator Pete Whish-Wilson and Tasmanian traditional owner Lyndon O'Neil at the screening of the film Love Letter to the Unseen which  follows youth conservationist Spencer Hitchen on his journey of discovery to understand the imminent threats to the endangered Maugean Skate and the intrinsic beauty of a species that exists both in the real world and in the imaginations of its supporters. This is the Week II hereComrade Kevin keeps us on the pulse in his usual satirical styleACF Federal Court case II hereACF have taken the Federal Government to court over the Federal Environment Minister's decision to give Woodside the go ahead to destroy Scotts Reef as part of a new gas hub on the North West Hub up to 2070. The case started on 21st of July. We hear from the ACF's lead lawyer and CEO Adam Bandt outside the Federal Court on Williams St, Melbourne Central.Song - Brooke Taylor - A Thousand KissesAEU Rally II here2nd mass rally held by AEU Victoria as they aim to transform the public education sector for the benefit of students and staff despite the Government's lack of willingness to understand the complexity of the changes that need to take place.Song - Kangaroos With Machine Guns - Jumbled Up World

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

The Tasmanian native was asked about the big news!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Media Watch 2026 Episode 24: A Tasmanian minister whips up discontent on his socials, following an inconvenient question; AI "news" websites publish robotic slop, after pilfering content from real journalists; British media grapple with Nigel Farage's main opponent - a man with a bin on his head.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

This week on Banter Over Whisky, we're joined by Tim Freeman from Western Tiers Distillery to uncover one of the most unique origin stories in Australian whisky.What started as a way to showcase distillery engineering capabilities quickly became a passion project that evolved into one of Tasmania's exciting whisky producers. Tim takes us behind the scenes of building a distillery, crafting triple-distilled single malts, and why Western Tiers has chosen to do things a little differently.

The June CPI report just dropped and inflation fell from 4.2% to 3.5% — the biggest one-month decline in over six years. Wall Street is celebrating. Stocks are ripping. But here's what nobody's talking about: this news is even BETTER for real estate investors than it is for stock owners.In this episode, Sam and Lucas break down exactly what happened this morning, what inflation actually is, what causes it, and why owning real estate is the ultimate cheat code in ANY inflation environment — whether it's rising, falling, or staying flat.You'll learn:What the new inflation numbers actually mean for interest ratesWhy the Fed's next move could reshape the housing marketHow real estate destroyed inflation over the last 5 years (47% vs 19%)The 5 wealth engines that fire HARDER during inflationWhy rents have outpaced wages 2-to-1 for 40 yearsHow your fixed-rate mortgage becomes cheaper to pay off every yearWhy savers lose while asset owners quietly get richPlus: World Cup Cahtter, LeBron's off-season sightings, and the internet's favorite 2,200-pound Tasmanian elephant seal.If you've ever wondered why inflation makes the rich richer while everyone else falls behind — this is the episode that connects every dot.FasterFreedom Capital- www.fasterfreedomcapital.comFREE Flip Training- https://flip.fasterfreedom.com/training

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Seven out of 10 tourists are seeking out agritourism experiences in the state, but locals are increasingly looking for the story behind their food too.

We kick off this episode by celebrating National Fried Chicken Day, even if Bucky the dog's health issues mean he can't partake. We dive straight into "Erin's Tea Time" to spill the drama on an alleged billionaire building a massive, rule breaking house across three bayfront lots on Long Beach Island. To help parents survive the summer, we share two elite neighborhood games: jumping over a spinning Slinky and "Petrina," which involves towing a Barbie behind a bike inside a velcro mitt. We also recount a hilarious interaction where a parent asked Dan to snitch on some unsupervised beach house teenagers.Then, we jump into a massive FIFA segment, starting with our absolute outrage over a French reporter calling Belgian player Jeremy Doku "disgusting" for leaving the tournament to attend the birth of his child. We also discuss streamer IShowSpeed securing a groundbreaking deal to broadcast World Cup matches for free on YouTube. The soccer drama continues as we expose FIFA's "medical" water breaks, which conveniently allowed Fox Sports to sell 832 new commercial slots and make a quarter of a billion dollars. We also shout out "Swimbappe," the goldfish currently holding an 8-6 record for predicting match winners, and we laugh at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones finally being forced by FIFA to use the sun blocking curtains at AT&T Stadium that he has stubbornly refused to use for NFL games. Moving into pop culture and internet trends, we review a viral Reddit thread exposing the grim, minimalist reality of bachelor pads, prompting horrifying flashbacks to living with nine guys in a disgusting college house. We applaud digital illusionist Zach King for declaring a content war against AI by relying on his incredible practical effects. We also break down the Polymarket scandal uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, where the betting site paid creators to post fake $60,000 wins using a deceptive dummy website, leading us into a deep dive on proper ad disclosures and the dark reality of influencers botting their views. Finally, we introduce a new segment called "How Do You Do It?", where we debate the best ways to politely escape a bad garage sale and how to properly apply a glue stick. We revive our "How About We Just Die" segment to discuss a horrifying Texas truck crash that released 24 million honey bees into a neighborhood. For our "New Sport Alert," we highlight the absolute insanity of extreme wheelbarrowing at the Masters of Dirt show in Europe. To wrap things up on a high note in "No Bad, No Sad," we celebrate the triumphant return of Neil the Seal, the massive, lovable Tasmanian seal who brings joy to everyone by aggressively crushing local infrastructure.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

A unique breed of cattle and pigs is proving very popular for one Tasmanian farming couple marketing the produce.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Joining me is Carmel McGee, a Tasmanian educator and certified lead teacher who has spent much of her career chasing one question: how do we actually create the conditions for curiosity to thrive? Carmel works at Riverside Primary School in Launceston, where she helps build classroom cultures where kids are curious, capable, and courageous. Her thinking has been shaped by some seriously impressive influences, including Project Zero at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and inquiry learning legends Kath Murdoch and Susan Engel. If you've ever wondered how we move students beyond just complying and into genuinely wanting to learn, this episode is for you.We get into why curiosity isn't some lucky personality trait some kids are just born with, and why it's something we can either deliberately nurture or accidentally shut down without even realising it. Carmel doesn't hold back when I ask her what's quietly killing curiosity in schools right now, and her answer about systems measuring answers instead of valuing thinking is going to make you rethink a few things about your own classroom.We also get really practical. What does a curious classroom actually look like? What is the teacher doing, and what are the students doing? Carmel breaks down why curious teachers create curious kids, why modelling "I don't know, let's find out together" matters more than we think, and why something as simple as not rushing to fill silence can completely change how your students engage.And because I couldn't let her go without asking the big stuff, we dig into Carmel's brilliant question: are we measuring what we value, or valuing what we measure? If you've ever felt like the things that matter most in your classroom don't fit neatly into a spreadsheet, you are going to feel so seen by this conversation.What you'll learn:Why curiosity isn't an inherent trait, and how it can be deliberately nurtured or accidentally shut down in the classroomWhat's quietly killing curiosity in schools right now, according to CarmelWhy curious teachers create curious kids, and how modelling "I don't know, let's find out together" shifts classroom cultureThe danger of measuring what's easy to count instead of valuing what actually matters, like curiosity, belonging, and engagementWhy wait time is one of the most underused, free tools available to every teacherPractical, explicit strategies to get more students contributing, including the "sticky note slam" and extended think-pair-shareWhy less than 5% of questions in most classrooms come from students themselves, and how to change thatHow Carmel approaches modelling a curious relationship with AI in the classroom, rather than ignoring it or banning it outrightThe one tiny shift Carmel would want every teacher to make tomorrow to bring curiosity front and centreHave a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:Shop all resourcesJoin The Behaviour ClubMy book! It's Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour BootcampFree guide: 'Chats that Create Change'Connect with me:Follow on Instagram @the.unteachablesCheck out my website

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

A Tasmanian poultry farm has decided to lockdown its operations, following confirmation of two cases of the H5N1 strain of avian flu in seabirds found along Western Australia's south coast last week.

This north west sheep farmers path into the industry has been far from typical.

Rural news and events from Tasmania and the nation.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Tim Foot, CEO of Slingshot Group. With nearly three decades of ministry and leadership experience having worked with thousands of churches, Tim brings deep insight into one of the most critical drivers of church health: your team. In this conversation, we explore what separates stagnant teams from those that create real momentum and how leaders can shift from survival to remarkable impact. Why teams stall out. // After working with thousands of churches, Tim consistently sees the same patterns: unclear expectations, misaligned priorities, lack of structure, and unspoken tension. Many teams are overly task-driven but underdeveloped relationally. Others don't fully understand how their strengths and weaknesses fit together. The danger of “hero-driven leadership.” // When a church relies too heavily on one standout leader to carry the mission it results in what Tim calls “hero-driven leadership.” While it can produce short-term results, it ultimately leads to burnout, unrealistic expectations, and fragile systems. Leaders often fall into this trap because it feels productive, and even rewarding, to be the one with all the answers. But over time, it limits team development and creates dependency instead of shared ownership. From hero to team. // The future of healthy ministry is team-based leadership. Instead of building ministries around individuals, churches must build systems and cultures where teams thrive together. This requires leaders humbly admitting they don't have all the answers and a willingness to slow down in order to build alignment. When leaders shift from being the “hero” to developing others, they unlock far greater long-term impact. The seven “key signatures” of remarkable teams. // Tim introduces a framework of seven core areas that every healthy team must develop: conviction, message, culture, roles, systems, friction, and risk. These “key signatures” work together like elements in music, providing structure that leads to a strong, unified outcome. Conviction anchors the mission (“why we exist”), while message communicates that mission clearly. Culture shapes how people experience the team, and roles define how individuals contribute. Systems enable growth, friction drives improvement, and risk fuels breakthrough. Why friction is actually healthy. // One of the most counterintuitive ideas Tim shares is that healthy teams need friction. Many leaders try to eliminate tension, assuming harmony equals health. But in reality, the absence of friction often means important issues are being avoided. Healthy friction leads to better ideas, stronger alignment, and greater innovation. The key is ensuring it doesn't become personal. When friction turns relationally destructive, it's unhealthy. But when it stays focused on ideas and outcomes, it becomes a powerful driver of growth. A practical tool for leaders. // To help teams take action, Tim points leaders to a free “team awareness assessment.” This tool helps churches evaluate how they're doing across the seven key signatures, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for growth. It's designed to spark meaningful conversations that lead to real change. A final challenge for leaders. // Tim leaves leaders with a simple but powerful reminder: if your mission matters, your team matters more. Churches often focus heavily on the people they're trying to reach, but neglect the health of the people they're leading alongside. Sustainable, mission-moving ministry requires both. To learn more about Tim's book Reaching for Remarkable: The 7 Key Signatures Behind Every Remarkable Team and take the free team assessment, visit reachingforremarkable.com or explore additional resources at slingshotgroup.org. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: TouchPoint As your church reaches more people, one of the biggest challenges is making sure no one slips through the cracks along the way.TouchPoint Church Management Software is an all-in-one ecosystem built for churches that want to elevate discipleship by providing clear data, strong engagement tools, and dependable workflows that scale as you grow. TouchPoint is trusted by some of the fastest-growing and largest churches in the country because it helps teams stay aligned, understand who they're reaching, and make confident ministry decisions week after week. If you've been wondering whether your current system can carry your next season of growth, it may be time to explore what TouchPoint can do for you. You can evaluate TouchPoint during a free, no-pressure one-hour demo at TouchPointSoftware.com/demo. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. Listen, listen, listen, pull in close because today’s conversation, I don’t even know your church, but I know that a large portion of your budget is being spent on the thing we talk about. In fact, lots of churches, it’s like half of their budget. And it’s an even larger portion of the outcome of your ministry. It’s incredibly important what we’re talking about today. And so you do not want to miss this. Rich Birch — And we’ve got an expert that has worked with not tens of, not hundreds of, but literally thousands of of churches like yours and wants to help you take steps forward. Excited to have Tim Foot with us. He has nearly 30 years of experience, which I’m not sure how that’s possible, such a young man, as a leader, pastor, coach, speaker, musician in both Australia and North America, bringing a diverse background to his role as the CEO and president of Slingshot Group. If you’re not aware of who Slingshot Group is, they take the guesswork out of nonprofit and church staffing. He’s recently written a book that I’m excited for you to learn more about. But Tim, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Tim Foot — Rich, it is so glad, it’s so great to be on with you today. I’m excited about this conversation.Rich Birch — So good. I'm I’m excited for it too. Why don’t you kind of give us a bit of the Tim Foot background? Tell us a little bit about about you and kind of give us the how do we end up here in this conversation today?Tim Foot — Yeah, it’s interesting. I often say to people, I had no idea that I’d be on the other side of the world to where I started doing what I’m doing. But this is what happens, Rich, when you say, keep saying yes to God.Tim Foot — Born and raised Tasmanian, worked as a musician and in ministry in Sydney for 10 years after moving from Tasmania, then relocated to Boulder County, Colorado in 2002, been here for 25 years now in ministry at a great church called Lifebridge Christian Church. Built ministry there for 10 years and went bivocationally started working with the Slingshot Group when there was a handful of us doing a handful of staffing and coaching work and then things exploded.Tim Foot — And I really, really hit my sweet spot and saw how God had been preparing me for so many years to work with teams, love teams, love the strategy of teams, love working with people, love the fact that placing the right leader on the right team exponentially moves the mission forward and affects culture in all kinds of ways.Rich Birch — So true.Tim Foot — And so I’ve had all kinds of roles in Slingshot over the years, now get to lead our team of amazing consultants around the US serving so many, and beyond, serving so many ministries and teams move mission forward.Rich Birch — Love it. I’m so glad that, yeah, this is going to a good conversation. You know, one of the things I want to take advantage of is the fact you’re really an expert. You know, you’ve worked with, you and Slingshot have worked with thousands of churches and organizations, and you you really get a chance to see churches at an interesting inflection point.Rich Birch — You know, often when we’re hiring a team member, bringing someone in or trying to develop our teams, you know, we’re thinking about the future and we’re, we’re taking a step back. And like you say, I do think it’s a transformative inflection point that you’re involved in. Rich Birch — So you’re sitting across the table from a lot leaders, and maybe even some leaders who their mission is stalling. Like things aren’t maybe going as well as we would hope. Are yeah there any patterns in that you’re seeing, are there things that you see time and time again in churches that might be holding us back?Tim Foot — Yeah, I immediately thought of a common question we’ll ask teams when we’re brought in when it comes to needing a new person on the team or helping coach leaders. We’re often brought in in crisis moments, moments of transition, but they’re also moments of incredible opportunity.Tim Foot — And we’ll often ask the question, hey, do you want a painkiller or do you want a vitamin? And so often the the team is thinking they want the painkiller, they want the pain to go away. They want to solve the problem, they want to fill the seat, or they want to break through whatever it is they’re struggling with. But honestly, deep down, they need to start a regimen of vitamins to help them get to a healthy place to move the mission forward.Tim Foot — We often will see an unawareness that the wrong people are around the table. Or an unawareness that they need other leaders around the table to help them move forward, whether it be vocational paid leaders or volunteers.Tim Foot — We’ll often see misalignment and a lack of focus on the right things. Communication misfires around why the mission actually matters. We’ll often teams see teams that are task-driven at the expense of relationships.Tim Foot — And then an unawareness of strengths and weaknesses and how they complement each other, how they help move you forward or how they hold you back. Other patterns are a lack of structure to support the work. Elephants in the room, taboo topics, fear around failure that leads to lack of innovation. So many different patterns we’ll see and be able to diagnose and say, hey, we need to have conversation around that because I think uncorking that will help you accelerate the mission.Rich Birch — That’s cool. One of the things I love by reputation that I love about Slingshot is I love that you’re asking those bigger questions that it’s not just like, okay, how do we get to let’s just, let’s get the next hire done and move on.Rich Birch — It’s like, you know, you’re, you’re trying to ask those bigger questions and which I, that which I think, you know compliment to you and your organization that you’re trying to. Because we know when we need the painkillers, but really we need to take some good vitamins over an extended period of time to make our things more healthy for sure. Hmm.Tim Foot — You know, Rich, when we jumped into staffing work almost 20 years ago now, we had to educate the church on the need to have outside advice around staffing. But it was a lot of art and not as much science.Tim Foot — And now we’ve developed so much science around the art with with things like our candidate match tool. When you’re looking for a leader, you have to align around what you actually want in that new leader. So many teams will say, hey, we need this, this, this, this, this, this. And in the end, they’re looking for a purple unicorn. And that’s not going to help.Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And we’ll talk about that as we get deeper in the conversation.Rich Birch — Right. Yes.Tim Foot — But Rich, last time I looked, unicorns are still mythical creatures. Rich Birch — True. Tim Foot — And so working working out what you actually need… Rich Birch — Right. Tim Foot — …and getting an awareness around alignment with who’s around the table may actually change your idea of what you’re looking for. Alignment is so important in getting an awareness of what our strengths and weaknesses are. Are we focused on the right thing? And are we actually moving the mission forward right now or is it stalled out?Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, that’s good. One of your consultants, that remember once I was in a conversation about that very issue and and you know we had really lofty goals for what we were trying to hire. And and they they walked us through that conversation where it was like, okay, well, let’s let’s think about how many of these people are actually out there.Rich Birch — So and you list off hat half a dozen things that we were looking for and you cut back and you think, well, how many people actually work in the church? How many people have worked as long as we want to work and have had experience that we did and have done the stuff that we want to do?Rich Birch — And you literally get down to like, Well, there might be three people, you know, like, you know, and so anyways, that’s, that’s, that’s so true.Tim Foot — And actually… Rich Birch — You… Yeah, go ahead.Tim Foot — …that’s what we’ll often say. There are maybe three to five people when you have all of these filters in place, they can actually fill this role.Rich Birch — That’s true.Tim Foot — And that’s why you need to focus on ministry and you need to let us focus on finding those people.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah, that’s good. That’s great. And yeah, and if there’s three to five and one of them is Jesus, the other is the Holy Spirit. So it’s like, you know, you’re down to just a very few. You… Tim Foot — And Rich, let’s not talk about why many, many teams wouldn’t hire Jesus these days.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. That’s a whole other topic. that’s That’s great. Now, you’ve said something once that caught my attention, and it’s in my head has been branded to you. And it’s that most of us were trained on a model, a leadership model that nobody named out loud, that everyone, that we’ve all absorbed.Rich Birch — What is that model? You know, what it look like? And I know when you named this, I started seeing this everywhere I looked. I was like, oh, wow, I can see this in multiple different places in myself and in our organization. What what is this model?Tim Foot — Yeah, I mean, the the model we see is hero-driven leadership. It’s when we rely too much on individuals to actually carry the mission. And I think the cracks have happened.Tim Foot — I mean, we’ve seen it, Rich, you and I are similar ages. I think the cracks are happening generationally. The builders and boomers were wired differently for a different time and culture. And us Gen Xers, we can code switch. I mean, we we see we see that happening all the time. And as we stepped into leadership, the cracks started to appear.Tim Foot — I mean, we see it every week. Another leader burning out, doing stupid things because of too much pressure. Then millennials and Gen Z are now leading in a new way that we need to embrace.Tim Foot — And so I think we’re seeing those cracks around that hero dependence, and we’re starting to see the need more than ever to have a team awareness, a holistic approach, or we’re just going to have leaders continue to burn out.Tim Foot — And we sit we see it around unrealistic hiring expectations, a lack of support for great leaders when they’re hired, a lack of development.Tim Foot — Hero dependence is a terrible staffing and growth strategy and becomes a massive trap when it comes to a number of the key focus areas or patterns we’ve seen that healthy teams focus on and move mission forward.Rich Birch — Yeah. See, this is the thing when you, I heard you say that once and it, it literally, I sat up and I was like, oh man, I’ve seen that in my own, you know, my own hiring. I’ve seen that in the way I’ve talked with, you know, I see the leaders around me. You see these people who they’ve kind of built the entire ministry around themselves and they’ve built, it’s like, it doesn’t work if they don’t, it’s like, they’re such a unique individual. They have to lift it all. Rich Birch — But what makes that model so sticky? Like, why do we keep coming back to that? Why? Even if we know like intellectually in our heads, yeah, that’s not a good idea. It feels like we just keep coming back to this same thing time. In fact, we actually reward it. We’ll be like, wow, isn’t that great? This person’s amazing. And we just kind of keep moving on. Why is that?Tim Foot — It’s the shiny object trap. I mean, that that the the shiny object, aka the the talented leader that we think is going to catapult the ministry. Often we see it in in hiring conversations when a particular organization wants to go after somebody that’s been in at a much bigger organization than them. And often that person, if if they can attract them, will come in with a playbook that isn’t uniquely suited to the organization they’re stepping into. Or there aren’t systems to support that new leader and the growth that’s going to happen. And burnout happens at every level. But but we both know, Rich, busy work makes us feel productive. But is it the right work?Rich Birch — That’s so true.Tim Foot — And and we know that we can be ourselves the shiny object. We we want to it feels good to be the hero. It feels good to be the one that’s solving problems. Rich Birch — Sure.Tim Foot — It feels good to be the one that has all the answers. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And I think that’s one of the biggest threats in healthy leadership today is feeling like you have to have all the answers. Because I think one of the most powerful statements from healthy leaders and healthy teams is, hey, we don’t know what to do next. Because it actually opens up the room for new thought. It opens up the room for collaboration. And it opens up the room for teamwork. Tim Foot — But it’s easier to move quick. It’s easier to move quick and be surrounded by people who agree and play it safe.Rich Birch — So true.Tim Foot — And then down the road, we realized that we weren’t growing in every sense of that word. And the mission was stalled out. We know we often have to slow down, re-strategize, look at who’s around the table, work out how we work together to move faster in the long term. We have to be vulnerable to make a team work. And sometimes it requires us to actually help others win than focus on heroes. Tim Foot — I mean, you think about a winning sports team. It’s not about just one person out there doing all the work. We’ve got to work together as a team. You know, it’s it’s it’s how do we work together and have had have less dependence on that shiny object, those standout leaders or those heroes?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. I love that. I remember years ago, we had a coach come in and as a lead team, and this basically spent a week with us and then, you know, try to help us get better in our leading of our people. And I remember at the end of the week, the leader who we brought in said you answer way too many questions. And I was like what do you mean by that? They’re like, you need to ask more questions and you answer. You’re you’re putting yourself way too much in the middle of all of this and you’re not letting…And I was like, oh that’s a good insight. You know, we’re not raising up other people we’re trying to uh you know make it all about us rather than about our teams. Well, I’d love to talk about your book.Rich Birch — So the title is Reaching for Remarkable: The Seven key signatures behind every Remarkable Team. Let’s start with the word Remarkable. You literally have it twice in your title and subtitle. Why Remarkable? And how does that relate to hero? Because I was like, isn’t that the same thing? Like, isn’t it couldn’t this be reaching for the heroic? So unpack that.Tim Foot — I love that word remarkable. And it’s always been our mission at Slingshot. We build remarkable teams through staffing and coaching because your mission needs a remarkable team to move it forward. Tim Foot — Jesus left us with the most remarkable mission. And but it wasn’t enough. He needed a team to move it forward. And if Jesus needed a team to move it forward, we need to move it forward as a team.Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And so we’ve all got these unique expressions of that remarkable mission. But if that mission matters, your team matters more. Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim Foot — And so when it comes to Remarkable, it’s about the mission. It all comes back to the mission. And we never fully arrive, Rich. We’re always reaching.Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim Foot — We’ve always got to be focusing on the right things, doing the deep work of of of reimagining, reinventing, and re-moving forward to reach for remarkable momentum when it comes to our mission. But we’ve got to focus on the team and the right the right areas to move that mission forward.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. So you actually talk about these, there’s these seven key signatures. Can you take a little bit of time and just unpack those? We won’t be able to get into all of them, but kind of talk us through how does it hang together as kind of a big idea?Tim Foot — Well, give you a little bit of context behind why they’re key signatures. You mentioned it in the intro, in a former life, I was a working musician and I would do solo gigs. It was my tentmaking job to do ministry back in Australia. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — I would work three to five nights a week as a musician. And I always had way more fun working with other musicians in a team setting, because ah a band is essentially a team. And my best experiences, Rich, was when I was on stage with other musicians who were often better than me, but I was leading the band. We all lifted each other. And to achieve remarkable results, there was structure to it.Tim Foot — I mean, you know, there’s structure to music. There’s harmony and there’s rhythm and there’s key signatures. There’s tracks to run on that allow us to have a remarkable output. Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim Foot — And so as I move from that world into team strategy world, team specialist world, building teams world, I realized, hey, there are also tracks to run on as a team to reach for health and reach for remarkable, a remarkable output and remarkable momentum. And so that’s where we came up with these seven key focus areas that we call the seven key signatures behind every remarkable team.Tim Foot — And they’re a pathway, they work together. And I’ll run through them quickly. And then we can unpack what you what you want to unpack with the time that we have left, Rich.Tim Foot — But though, and they’re simple. I mean, these are patterns that I’ve observed over the last 16 years staffing teams, but the last 30 years growing in teams, learning from teams, leading teams. I mean, you and I both grew up in in church, Rich, and I learned a lot of of leadership lessons from being a volunteer on teams in in in my late teens and and early 20s, so much.Rich Birch — Yes, 100%.Tim Foot — But these patterns, this pattern or these key signatures start with number one, conviction. Conviction, which is a shared sense of why you exist and what you’re called to do. It’s the why behind the what. It’s the Simon Sinek. People buy why you do, not what you do. So that’s number one is conviction. Tim Foot — Number two is a message, a compelling and consistent way of communicating what matters most because, Rich, everything communicates. What’s the story our leadership is communicating? What we say, what we don’t say, our actions, our systems and processes. What story is it communicating? That’s number two. Tim Foot — Number three is culture, the values and behaviors that shape the soul of our team. How are people experiencing your ministry organization or your team?Tim Foot — Number four is roles, unique contributions for remarkable impact. Roles that clarify how we work together. Tim Foot — Number five is systems, which is scalable design for remarkable growth. Systems scale our mission. Tim Foot — Number six is friction because healthy friction moves the mission forward. How do we embrace healthy friction for growth? Tim Foot — And then the last one, number seven, and these all build on each other, is risk, which is bold moves that drive remarkable outcomes, initiatives that lead to breakthrough, strategic risk, not blind gamble. So those are the seven.Rich Birch — Love it. And you know friends, i I do think I would highly recommend that you pick up copies of this book. To me, when I when I saw this, to me, this feels like the kind of book that we should read together as a leadership team. Like, hey, let’s pull this together. You know maybe you’re looking for a fall thing to do with your leadership team. This would be a great book for you to pick up and go together. Rich Birch — There’s a couple I would love to tease out a little bit. I’d love you to pull out for us. Help us understand. You differentiate between conviction and message, two different things. I think lots of times we might collapse those into one. Why are they two separate? Help us understand the difference between those two.Tim Foot — Absolutely. Conviction, again, is why we do what we do. Without shared conviction, you won’t move the mission forward. There won’t be a reason behind initiatives. They’ll fall flat. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — There won’t be a reason behind the message you’re communicating. That’s why they’re different. So conviction is what keeps us in on the days we want to quit.Tim Foot — I mean, think about the early church in Acts 4. It’s a great, best example of conviction. Peter declaring in Acts 4:20, we cannot help but speak about what we’ve seen and heard. They didn’t just believe. They acted. It drove every decision.Tim Foot — If the disciples were just compliant, when Jesus ascended, they would have scattered. But because they were convicted, they ah nearly all of them gave their very lives for the mission. Conviction is our North Star. It’s It’s like calling. it’s It’s what keeps you the days, keeps you in it, the days you want to quit. And Rich, we know there’s going to be plenty of days you to quit. Tim Foot — Message, however, is is the story we’re communicating. It’s how we hire, fire, onboard, develop. It’s how we communicate our conviction and our overall mission. And in the book, we list a bunch of traps for each of these seven key signatures. And we can chat about some of the most common traps. But a common trap for for message is assumption. Rich Birch — It’s good.Tim Foot — We assume people understand and care like we understand and care. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And we don’t ask enough questions. I mean, it’s why Jesus’ ministry was full of questions, Rich. Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim Foot — Because he was he was cementing conviction. I mean, Jesus asked the best questions and rarely gave the answers. He lived the answers and he teased the answers out because that’s what led to conviction. That’s why they build upon each other. Tim Foot — You can’t have a story without conviction. You can’t have a message without conviction. And you can’t have a healthy message unless you are asking the right questions to make sure people are hearing and understanding it. Tim Foot — Did you like like did you understand what I just communicated? What did you just hear that I that I said?Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — Why why are why are you so convicted to by our mission?Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — Why are you committed to it? So many great questions.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good.Tim Foot — The book is full of questions too. I’m a I’m a serial question asker. They used to call me “Quiz” when I was a teenager because I asked so many questions.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — And it wasn’t until later that a mentor and co-founder of Slingshot, Stan Endicott—I think you know him, Rich—that he he convinced me that my proclivity for asking so many questions was actually a spiritual gift and not a special need.Rich Birch — Yeah. Tim Foot — Because questions, questions move conversations forward.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yep. Yeah, it’s true. It’s so good. And yeah, as I’ve shifted into full-time coaching, I have found, yeah, like that the the skill of asking a good question, it’s like, you know, I think the best moments I have with the people I’m working with are when we’re, I’m asking questions and they’re discovering, they’re tripping on to their own answers that maybe are a little different even than I would have. But just asking good questions, super important.Rich Birch — Okay. Another one that stood out to me of the, and again, friends, you’re going read all this. Obviously we can’t cover this in just, you know, half an hour conversation. But talk to me about friction, healthy friction. Tim Foot — Yeah. Rich Birch — So I literally have said as an executive pastor, my job was to remove friction from the organization. And so when you say, oh, you lots of us are trying to remove it. I was like, ouch, that’s me.Rich Birch — Because I think that’s, ah you know, I would I want to find places where we’re stuck and say, how do we get those unstuck and push this thing forward? So talk to me about why I’m wrong about friction.Tim Foot — I was there too, Rich. I was absolutely there. But when I get to number six, when we’re speaking on this or teaching on this, I will often say, hey number six is a wait, what? Tim Foot — I thought this was the sign of an unhealthy team. I used to think that. I used to think that the harmonious teams were the healthy ones, that when I walked into a context where there was all harmony with the team, that it was there was healthy, the absence of friction was healthy. But it’s not. It’s a sign of unhealth. Tim Foot — And I’m talking, there’s two kinds of friction, healthy and unhealthy. I’m talking about healthy friction. I mean, you think about a car and how the rubber meets the road, causes friction, moves the car forward. If you don’t have friction in your team, your mission isn’t going on anywhere.Tim Foot — It’s interesting, Zippia workplace survey found out that 76% of employees in the workplace avoid conflict, which is a real problem because healthy friction sharpens and aims teams, while avoiding conflict leads to complacency and stagnation.Tim Foot — Teams where members are passionately embracing friction will not only push through and forward to great results, they’ll attract and retain, which is really important, they’re going attract and retain top leaders. It’s where the mission truly comes alive and evolves to all it can be. Good leaders, rich, know to allow it. They know not to control it, but closely monitor it.Tim Foot — We get to decide if the tension or friction we allow is healthy or unhealthy. We call this the loaded gun of the seven key signatures, because when this gun goes off, it either breaks through a door or a wall that you needed to break through, or somebody gets hurt. And good leaders know how to monitor that and help it break through and not damage other leaders.Rich Birch — Yeah, let’s double click on that. Help me understand. So yeah, I’m going with you. I can see what you’re saying. You know, healthy friction, you know, unhealthy friction, good friction, bad friction. So give me an example. Rich Birch — You walk into it, you’re working with a ah church and there’s some telltale signs of, friction that’s that’s negative, that’s actually pulling the organization back, that’s that could be potentially hurting, or maybe has gone too far, or what’s, I’m not sure the best way to say that. Versus, hey, no, here’s some here’s some good friction that’s actually some good heat here that’s pushing the tires forward. Help us, what does that look like?Tim Foot — When when it becomes personal, Rich, that’s always the way you know it’s trending towards unhealthy. We’ll get to it in a minute, but we’ve got a team assessment on our website now around these seven key signatures, and we talk about unhealthy, inconsistent, functional, remarkable.Tim Foot — Most most teams live in that functional space. If you’re below unhealthy, it’s trending toxic, and that’s when you need ah that’s when you need the 4Sight group and Jenni Catron to come I mean, do some some deep, deep culture work. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — I’m all about our ecosystem. I know you are too, Rich. It’s like when you need the deeper work, then you need the specialist. Rich Birch — Sure, sure.Tim Foot — But right now you’ve got the general practitioner. Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, yeah.Tim Foot — But but when it gets when it gets personal, you know that that’s unhealthy friction. Rich Birch — That’s good. Right.Tim Foot — And let’s go back to um the the harmony piece. Because that’s one of the traps when it comes to friction. it’s It’s the harmony trap. And it’s like it’s you wanting there to be you know violins and and and and birds singing and for everybody to be loving each other. That’s also a sign that there is unhealthy friction. Rich Birch — Right. Tim Foot — Because there’s things lurking that have been pushed down below the surface that are going to come out sideways that if you had just dealt with it straight away, it actually could have become momentum for your mission. It’s the unspoken influences trap. it’s the It’s the elephants in the room.Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — It’s what everybody’s thinking about, but nobody’s talking about. That’s going to that that’s gonna be insidious and it’s going to chip away at the health of your team. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Tim Foot — And it’s gonna become unhealthy friction. And so that’s a great question to ask. And that’s in the book too. What’s every thinking about, nobody’s talking about? Because that’s what we need to engage.Tim Foot — Now, if we think that’s going to lead to unhealthy friction, let’s have the the conversations outside of the meeting. So that when we get to the conversations inside of the meeting, we can engage this as healthy friction that will actually address the topic and will move us forward rather than becoming personal and eroding relationships.Rich Birch — That’s good. Yeah, that question, what’s everybody thinking about that nobody’s talking about? That’s powerful. And I can see, yeah, that even even the organizations I’ve led, you can see where there’s seasons where we try to push away that friction. nd that can be just super negative. And it’s like this, we’re all just in la-la land. We’re all just, you know, can see that for sure. Tim Foot —Yeah.Rich Birch — So you wrote this book, you put this resource together. help me understand how you’re hoping it will help our, our churches. You know, I’m picture, I’m a church of a thousand people. Maybe I’m the executive pastor. I’ve got a team of 12 to 15 people on my team. And how how could, how could this be a helpful resource for us?Tim Foot — Well, this I believe this is the most important work we need to be doing, Rich, because if your mission matters, your team matters more. So often we get so focused on the people we’re serving that we forget the people we’re serving with.Tim Foot — And if we’re stalling out mission, mission-wise, then we’re not moving forward. And that’s not and we’re not being obedient to God’s call. And so what I’m hoping is, I mean, personally, our kingdom first principle at Slingshot is to leave teams better than than the way we found them. And the last thing we want to do is place great leaders on unhealthy teams.Tim Foot — So what we’re hoping is that teams are going to focus around these seven alignment areas and start to move mission forward, attract great leaders, retain great leaders. When we place, I mean, I you and I have both had healthy long-term ministries at churches, and it is a massive blessing when you, if God wills it, and you stay somewhere long term. I want other people to experience that. And that happens when the right leaders are placed on the right team.Tim Foot — So what I’m hoping churches do is they take our team awareness assessment on on our website, reachingforremarkable.com, which is attached to slingshotgroup.org. And they get a sense of, okay, where what where might we need attention in these seven key areas? Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good.Tim Foot — Because it heat maps, it gives you percentages, you can take it as a team. And then to start the real important conversations.Tim Foot — I mean, I’ve been in rooms with this work, Rich, where you start to see teams have conversation around alignment and and teams that were that were stale or leaders that were burnt out start to get a glimmer of hope. Rich Birch — Yeah. That’s good.Tim Foot — That, oh, if we start to have these conversations around these areas, if we walk this pathway, if we focus in these areas where we’re struggling right now, we’re going to start to see results.Tim Foot — I mean, I even think about the key signature of systems. You know, it’s systems that scale remarkable growth. If we’re not building systems to to accommodate the growth that we keep praying for, God’s not going to bring the increase. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s true. Tim Foot — Because God isn’t going to bring growth if it’s going to hurt us. We have to be building the right kind of systems to support our teams and leaders so that the growth can come. It’s a stewardship issue. Rich Birch — Yes, yep.Tim Foot — So what I’m hoping happens in churches all over the place is that they start to focus on these key signatures and see mission momentum results that moves them forward as an organization.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. Why don’t you tell us, you’ve mentioned it, but tell us a little bit more about the team awareness assessment. Give us like a bit of a, you know, you’ve kind of given us an overview there. Give us a little bit more why we should take that test and give us that URL again that we can send people to.Tim Foot — It’s reachingforremarkable.com and it’s it’s literally 10 minutes or less. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And it’s free as a leader. You can jump in and take it or you can sign up and and take it as a team. And it gives you obviously the team percentage on each of these key signatures. but also your own results. And when we’ve worked with real high-performing teams, it’s fascinating to watch these great leaders compare their individual percentage on each of these key signatures with their entire team and just to see alignment start to happen and the right conversations to happen.Tim Foot — Because we want to be able to focus in on where alignment is needed most. It may be real simple, Rich. Most teams live in that functional space. Rich Birch — Sure. Tim Foot — Functional’s fine.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — But it’s not going to get remarkable results. Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — And our mission is too important. We have to focus on team alignment to move it forward.Rich Birch — Yeah. It’s so good. Yeah. I was talking to a a leader recently of a very large church and they were saying, you know, I just feel like, I feel like we got a go Pro. And what he was saying is exactly what you’re saying is like, Hey, we we’re we’re fine. We’re functioning.Tim Foot — Right. Right.Rich Birch — But man, we want to go remarkable. We want to go from just just because we can do this thing week in, week out in their case, have thousands of people show up, tens of thousands of people show up. But it’s like, that’s not enough. We got it. But the mission’s too important. We’re trying to reach people. How do we go remarkable? Which to me, I think picking up a copies of these books as a team would be a great first step. Rich Birch — Where do people, where can people pick this up? Where can they get your book if they’re looking for that? I’m assuming Amazon, but is there anywhere else we want to send them?Tim Foot — No, Amazon’s a place to go. Rich Birch — Yeah, that is the bookseller apparently.Tim Foot — I mean, it’s we know these days where wherever where everybody’s going, Amazon’s the way. And I would just add to Rich that as a leader, you want to know. This is information you want to have.Rich Birch — Yes.Tim Foot — We’ve talked so much about self-awareness. And if we’re in leadership, we need to show up to our team self-awareness. So many profiles. Rich Birch — Yep.Tim Foot — We don’t talk enough about team awareness. You need to know as a leader if you’re moving your mission forward or where you might be stalling out because it’s too important. And these seven things, as I said earlier, Rich, they’re not they’re not rocket science. Tim Foot — I mean, I like to I like to couch it this way: Conviction shapes the heart. Message shapes the voice. Culture shapes the atmosphere. Role shape contribution. Systems shape sustainability. Friction shapes growth. Risk shapes the future. And that’s why I hope you’ll dig into this with us. Rich Birch — Love it. Tim Foot — Because we want to see the kingdom move forward and we want to see churches full of healthy teams that not only great leaders want to come and be part of, great volunteers want to be a part of and help move this forward.Rich Birch — That’s so good. Well, I think that’s a great place to end it. I was like, man, that’s, I’m like, I want to preach. Amen, brother. That’s fantastic. If people were, so we’ll send them to Amazon. We’ll put a link in the show notes for that. If people want to track with you or with Slingshot, where do we want to send them online to connect as well?Tim Foot — Slingshotgroup.org is our company website. And there’s a bunch of great stories there. There’s places that you can engage. We would love you to be in our ecosystem. And yeah, you can jump over there to reachingforremarkable.com. And we would love to come alongside you and help you continue to move forward in the unique ways that God has called you to.Rich Birch — Well, Tim, it’s great to see you. Tim Foot — You too.Rich Birch — We were just remarking before, we had dinner together there a couple months ago. That was fun, but it was fun to put the recording on today and connect a little bit. Appreciate you, brother. Thanks so much for being here today.Tim Foot — Thanks for having me, Rich.

Jay of the Dead and Mister Watson return for Episode 184 with another Horror Movie Weekly Feature Review drawn from their current 2005 to 2015 selection era. This time, Jay brings the Australian backwoods Horror film, Dying Breed (2009), to the table, leading to a discussion about Tasmanian tiger folklore, Ozploitation cinema, After Dark Horror... Read more » The post Horror Movie Weekly Ep. 184: Dying Breed (2009) appeared first on Horror Movie Weekly.

Ben and Ione are fresh off Ben's Tasmanian tour — and they have opinions. They break down their first encounter with actual Tasmanian devils (terrifying, zombie-like, cannot be explained), rave about Woolworths Flu Shot (a six-piece punk band from Hobart who just might be the best new band in Australia), and dissect the Butthole Surfers documentary The Whole Truth and Nothing But — asking the bigger question: is transgressive art always rooted in personal trauma?Plus: Richard Pryor's bisexuality and what it meant to be that openly queer as a Black performer in the 70s, Phoebe Bridgers' no-phones tour as a stroke of marketing genius, and a full decode of the Charli XCX Music Fashion Film album cover — what does choosing John Cale, Martin Scorsese, and Marc Jacobs actually say about where she's headed?Also: Ione reveals the four fictional characters she most identifies with (one of them is Woodstock from Peanuts), and Ben has early intel on Folk Bitch Trio, the Australian band about to blow up internationally.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

Part one of this quarter's edition of Unearthed! includes animals, artwork, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, potpourri. Research: Abdallah, Hannah. “Analysis of charred food in pot reveals that prehistoric Europeans had surprisingly complex cuisines.” EurekAlert. 3/4/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117763 Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111595 Anderson, Sonja. “Does This Skeleton Found Beneath a Dutch Church Belong to D’Artagnan, the Man Who Inspired ‘The Three Musketeers’?” Smithsonian. 3/27/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/ Anderson, Sonja. “Historians Thought This Rare Renaissance Portrait by One of the First Famous Female Artists Was Lost to History—Until It Surfaced in North Carolina.” 2/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-thought-this-rare-renaissance-portrait-by-one-of-the-first-famous-female-artists-was-lost-to-history-until-it-surfaced-in-north-carolina-180988120/ Anderson, Sonja. “Hundreds of Ancient Roman Blade Sharpeners Emerge From a Riverbank in England, Revealing the Ruins of a 2,000-Year-Old Whetstone Factory.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-ancient-roman-blade-sharpeners-emerge-from-a-riverbank-in-england-revealing-the-ruins-of-a-2000-year-old-whetstone-factory-180988016/ Anderson, Sonja. “The Italian Government Just Paid Nearly $35 Million for a Rare Caravaggio Portrait—One of the Most Expensive Artworks It’s Ever Acquired.” Smithsonian. 3/16/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/ Arnold, Paul. “Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient medical texts.” Phys.org. 2/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poop-medicine-roman-vial-chemistry.html Arnold, Paul. “Scents of the afterlife: Identifying embalming recipes by 'sniffing' the air around Egyptian mummies.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scents-afterlife-embalming-recipes-sniffing.html#google_vignette Bacon, Jordan. “English history’s biggest march is a myth – King Harold sailed to the Battle of Hastings.” EurekAlert. 3/20/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120082 Bastola, Kunjal. “A Groundskeeper Noticed a Sinkhole on a Golf Course. It Turned Out to Be a Wine Cellar Full of Empty Bottles, Untouched for More Than 100 Years.” Smithsonian. 3/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-groundskeeper-noticed-a-sinkhole-on-a-golf-course-it-turned-out-to-be-a-wine-cellar-full-of-empty-bottles-untouched-for-more-than-100-years-180988379/ Bastola, Kunjal. “A Little Boy’s Library Book Was Due in 1989. Thirty-Six Years Later, He Realized His Parents Had Never Returned It.” Smithsonian. 1/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-little-boys-library-book-was-due-in-1989-thirty-six-years-later-he-realized-his-parents-had-never-returned-it-180988046/ Baum, Stephanie. “Ancient parrot DNA reveals sophisticated, long-distance animal trade network pre-dating the Inca Empire.” 3/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-parrot-dna-reveals-sophisticated.html Baum, Stephanie. “From the Late Bronze Age to today, the Old Irish Goat carries 3,000 years of Irish history.” 2/26/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-late-bronze-age-today-irish.html Benzine, Vittoria. “What Did Pompeii Smell Like? A New Study Analyzes Its Ancient Incense.” Artnet. 3/31/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pompeii-ritual-incense-study-2760240 Brooks, James. “Danish warship sunk by Nelson’s British fleet discovered after 225 years.” Associated Press. 4/2/2026. https://apnews.com/article/denmark-archaeologists-warship-nelson-copenhagen-dannebroge-lynetteholm-4519533d9e774a490f6020e893634e09 Carvajal, Guillermo. “Archaeologists achieve a historic milestone by dating French cave paintings with carbon-14 for the first time.” 3/10/2025. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/03/archaeologists-achieve-a-historic-milestone-by-dating-french-cave-paintings-with-carbon-14-for-the-first-time/ Clayworth, Liv. “Bird poop powered the rise of the Chincha Kingdom, archaeologists find.” EurekAlert. 2/11/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115214 “Lost page of the Archimedes Palimpsest identified in Blois, central France.” Phys.org. 3/9/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lost-page-archimedes-palimpsest-blois.html Ehrlich, Claudia. “Signs on Stone Age objects: Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years.” EurekAlert. 2/23/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117179 Ferrer, Isabel. “Is d’Artagnan lying beneath a church in Maastricht? DNA will determine if remains found are those of the famous musketeer.” El Pais. 3/25/2025. https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-25/is-dartagnan-lying-beneath-a-church-in-maastricht-dna-will-determine-if-remains-found-are-that-of-the-famous-musketeer.html?outputType=amp Gebauer, Kathryn. “Groundbreaking discovery reveals Africa’s oldest cremation pyre and complex ritual practices.” EurekAlert. 1/1/2016. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111191 Harley, Sadie. “Iron Age dental plaque reveals Scythians consumed milk from horses and ruminants.” Phys.org. 1/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-iron-age-dental-plaque-reveals.html He, Ye. “Singapore’s first ancient shipwreck reveals record cargo of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain.” EurekAlert. 2/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116512 Johansen, Rikke Tørnsø. “Archaeologists reveal a medieval super ship: "It's the World’s largest cog".” Vikingeskibs Museet. 12/22/2025. https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/news/archaeologists-reveal-a-medieval-super-ship-its-the-worlds-largest-cog Kasal, Krystal. “Hannibal's famous war elephants: Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hannibal-famous-war-elephants-bone.html Kasal, Krystal. “Oldest known sewn hide and other artifacts from Oregon caves shed light on early clothing in harsh climates.” Phys.org. 2/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-oldest-sewn-artifacts-oregon-caves.html Killgrove, Kristina. “Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smell.” 1/29/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/romans-used-human-feces-as-medicine-1-900-years-ago-and-used-thyme-to-mask-the-smell Killgrove, Kristina. “Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary.” LiveScience. 3/3/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stone-age-woman-was-buried-like-a-man-revealing-flexible-gender-roles-7-000-years-ago-in-hungary Koc University. “Earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and single-needle knitting discovered in Bronze Age Anatolia.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-earliest-evidence-indigo-dyed-textiles.html Kuta, Sarah. “Did Neanderthals Use Birch Bark Tar as an Antibiotic to Treat Wounds and Infections?” Smithsonian. 3/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-use-birch-bark-tar-as-an-antibiotic-to-treat-wounds-and-infections-180988393/ Kuta, Sarah. “Ostrich Eggshells Suggest Our Ancestors May Have Understood Basic Geometry 60,000 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 3/9/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-intricately-decorated-ostrich-eggshells-suggest-our-ancestors-may-have-understood-basic-geometry-60000-years-ago-180988315/ Kuta, Sarah. “Ötzi the Iceman May Have Carried a Cancer-Causing Strain of HPV, a Common Virus Still Plaguing Humans Today.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/otzi-the-iceman-may-have-carried-a-cancer-causing-strain-of-hpv-a-common-virus-still-plaguing-humans-today-180988024/ Kuta, Sarah. “Shipwreck Timbers Appeared on a Beach After a Storm. They Had Been Buried Beneath the Sand Since the 17th Century.” Smithsonian. 3/2/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-timbers-appeared-on-a-beach-after-a-storm-they-had-been-buried-beneath-the-sand-since-the-17th-century-180988260/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Salvador Dalí’s Largest Work Snapped Up by Florida Museum.” Artnet. 3/27/2026. https://news.artnet.com/market/salvador-dali-largest-work-bonhams-sale-2749246 Lock, Lisa. “Ancient DNA finds 15,800-year-old dogs in Anatolia, buried like humans.” Phys.org. 3/28/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-dna-year-dogs-anatolia.html Lock, Lisa. “Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study.” Phys.org. 2/21/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-men-genghis-khan.html Lucibella, Michael. “Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe.” EurekAlert. 1/26/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113140 Luscombe, Richard. “Mass grave in Jordan sheds new light on world’s earliest recorded pandemic.” The Guardian. 1/31/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/31/plague-of-justinian-pandemic net. “Did King Harold Sail to Hastings? New Study Sparks Debate Among Historians.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/did-king-harold-sail-to-hastings-new-study-sparks-debate-among-historians/ net. “Viking-Age Woman Buried with Her Dog in Norway.” 3/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/viking-age-woman-buried-with-her-dog-in-norway/ Newcastle University Press Office. “5,300-year-old ‘bow drill’ rewrites story of ancient Egyptian tools.” 2/9/2026. https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2026/02/ancientegyptiandrillbit/ Noraz, R., Chauvey, L., Wagner, S. et al. Ancient DNA reveals 4000 years of grapevine diversity, viticulture and clonal propagation in France. Nat Commun 17, 2494 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70166-z Nordin, Gunilla. “World’s oldest arrow poison – 60,000-year-old traces reveal early advanced hunting techniques.” 1/7/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111624 Parco Archaeologico de Ercolano. “Archaeology: New precious decorations discovered at Villa Sora in the Herculaneum Park.” 2/5/2026. https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/archaeology-new-precious-decorations-discovered-at-villa-sora-in-the-herculaneum-park/?lang=en Paul, Andrew. “Hiker finds 3,000-year-old bull sculpture in Spain.” Popular Science. 3/17/2026. https://www.popsci.com/science/hiker-finds-bronze-age-bull-spain/ Potter, Lisa. “A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113056 “Digital scans unveil new love notes and sketches on ancient Pompeii wall.” 1/19/2026. https://www.reuters.com/science/digital-scans-unveil-new-love-notes-sketches-ancient-pompeii-wall-2026-01-19/ Richard L. Rosencrance et al. ,Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations. Sci. Adv. 12, eaec2916(2026).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aec2916 Ruse, Amy. “Tasmanian tiger lives on in Arnhem Land rock art.” EurekAlert. 3/30/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121955 Ruse, Amy. “World’s oldest rock art holds clues to early human migration to Australia.” EurekAlert. 1/21/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112900 Siehoff, Jonas. “Hygienic conditions in Pompeii's early baths were poor.” 1/12/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112403 Taçon, P. S. C., A.Jalandoni, S. K.May, J.Nganjmirra, and C.Mungulda. 2026. “The Devil Is in the Detail: Tasmanian Devil and Tasmanian Tiger Paintings From Awunbarna and Injalak Hill, Northern Territory, Australia.” Archaeology in Oceania. https://doi.org/10.1002/arco.70024 The History Blog. “$40 estate sale find by early African-American silversmith sells for $24,000.” 2/4/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75294 The History Blog. “43,000 ostraca found at one site shed light on social history of Egypt.” 5/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75609 The History Blog. “British Museum acquires Tudor Heart.” 2/10/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75343 The History Blog. “Exceptional Roman cargo shipwreck found in Lake Neuchâtel.” 3/29/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75705 The History Blog. “Extraordinary find: 10th c. bronze wheel cross matches mold found 43 years ago.” 1/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75220 The History Blog. “Previously unknown Hans Baldung Grien portrait emerges after 500 years in the sitter’s family.” 1/17/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75161 The History Blog. “Roman wooden writing tablets from Belgium deciphered.” 1/22/2206. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75207 Thomas, Laura. “A century-old Stonehenge mystery may finally be solved.” Science Daily. 1/27/2026. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127010208.htm Thorsberg, Christian. “The National Gallery of Art Acquires 17th-Century Masterpiece by Baroque Painter Artemisia Gentileschi.” Smithsonian. 2/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-acquired-17th-century-masterpiece-by-baroque-painter-artemisia-gentileschi-180988147/ Thorsberg, Christian. “This Luxury Steamer Disappeared on a Stormy Night in 1872. Nearly 150 Years Later to the Day, It Was Found at the Bottom of Lake Michigan.” Smithsonian. 2/18/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-luxury-steamer-disappeared-on-a-stormy-night-in-1872-nearly-150-years-to-the-day-it-was-found-in-the-bottom-of-lake-michigan-180988204/ Unibo Magazine. “Humanity’s oldest geometries, engraved on ostrich eggs.” https://magazine.unibo.it/en/articles/humanitys-oldest-geometries-engraved-on-ostrich-eggs University of Tübingen. “Earliest hand-held wooden tools found in Greece date back 430,000 years.” Phys.org. 1/1/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-earliest-held-wooden-tools-greece.html Villotte, S., T.Szeniczey, S.Kacki, and A.Anders. 2026. “Fixed and Fluid: The Two Faces of Gender Roles—A Combined Study of Activity Patterns and Burial Practices in the European Neolithic.” American Journal of Biological Anthropology189, no. 2: e70217. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70217. Whiddington, Richard. “3,300-Year-Old Papyrus Reveals How Ancient Egyptians Fixed Drawing Mistakes.” ArtNet. 3/9/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-egyptian-papyrus-white-out-fluid-2752125 Whiddington, Richard. “Long-Lost Archimedes Text Resurfaces in French Museum.” Artnet. 3/11/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lost-page-of-archimedes-palimpsest-found-2753005 Whiddington, Richard. “Lost Parthenon Piece Unearthed From Lord Elgin’s Shipwreck.” ArtNet. 3/19/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/parthenon-fragment-lord-elgin-shipwreck-2755894 Zeilsgtra, Andrew. “Breathing in the past: How museums can use biomolecular archaeology to bring ancient scents to life.” EurekAlert. 2/5/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114918 Zinin, Andrew. “600-year-old pinot noir grape found in medieval French toilet.” Phys.org. 3/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-year-pinot-noir-grape-medieval.html#google_vignette See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part one of this quarter's edition of Unearthed! features updates, medical things, books and letters, oldest known things, and smells. Research: Abdallah, Hannah. “Analysis of charred food in pot reveals that prehistoric Europeans had surprisingly complex cuisines.” EurekAlert. 3/4/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117763 Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111595 Anderson, Sonja. “Does This Skeleton Found Beneath a Dutch Church Belong to D’Artagnan, the Man Who Inspired ‘The Three Musketeers’?” Smithsonian. 3/27/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-skeleton-found-beneath-the-floor-of-a-dutch-church-may-belong-to-dartagnan-the-fourth-musketeer-180988448/ Anderson, Sonja. “Historians Thought This Rare Renaissance Portrait by One of the First Famous Female Artists Was Lost to History—Until It Surfaced in North Carolina.” 2/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-thought-this-rare-renaissance-portrait-by-one-of-the-first-famous-female-artists-was-lost-to-history-until-it-surfaced-in-north-carolina-180988120/ Anderson, Sonja. “Hundreds of Ancient Roman Blade Sharpeners Emerge From a Riverbank in England, Revealing the Ruins of a 2,000-Year-Old Whetstone Factory.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-ancient-roman-blade-sharpeners-emerge-from-a-riverbank-in-england-revealing-the-ruins-of-a-2000-year-old-whetstone-factory-180988016/ Anderson, Sonja. “The Italian Government Just Paid Nearly $35 Million for a Rare Caravaggio Portrait—One of the Most Expensive Artworks It’s Ever Acquired.” Smithsonian. 3/16/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/ Arnold, Paul. “Poop as medicine? A Roman vial's chemistry backs up ancient medical texts.” Phys.org. 2/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-poop-medicine-roman-vial-chemistry.html Arnold, Paul. “Scents of the afterlife: Identifying embalming recipes by 'sniffing' the air around Egyptian mummies.” Phys.org. 2/5/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scents-afterlife-embalming-recipes-sniffing.html#google_vignette Bacon, Jordan. “English history’s biggest march is a myth – King Harold sailed to the Battle of Hastings.” EurekAlert. 3/20/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120082 Bastola, Kunjal. “A Groundskeeper Noticed a Sinkhole on a Golf Course. It Turned Out to Be a Wine Cellar Full of Empty Bottles, Untouched for More Than 100 Years.” Smithsonian. 3/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-groundskeeper-noticed-a-sinkhole-on-a-golf-course-it-turned-out-to-be-a-wine-cellar-full-of-empty-bottles-untouched-for-more-than-100-years-180988379/ Bastola, Kunjal. “A Little Boy’s Library Book Was Due in 1989. Thirty-Six Years Later, He Realized His Parents Had Never Returned It.” Smithsonian. 1/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-little-boys-library-book-was-due-in-1989-thirty-six-years-later-he-realized-his-parents-had-never-returned-it-180988046/ Baum, Stephanie. “Ancient parrot DNA reveals sophisticated, long-distance animal trade network pre-dating the Inca Empire.” 3/10/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-parrot-dna-reveals-sophisticated.html Baum, Stephanie. “From the Late Bronze Age to today, the Old Irish Goat carries 3,000 years of Irish history.” 2/26/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-late-bronze-age-today-irish.html Benzine, Vittoria. “What Did Pompeii Smell Like? A New Study Analyzes Its Ancient Incense.” Artnet. 3/31/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pompeii-ritual-incense-study-2760240 Brooks, James. “Danish warship sunk by Nelson’s British fleet discovered after 225 years.” Associated Press. 4/2/2026. https://apnews.com/article/denmark-archaeologists-warship-nelson-copenhagen-dannebroge-lynetteholm-4519533d9e774a490f6020e893634e09 Carvajal, Guillermo. “Archaeologists achieve a historic milestone by dating French cave paintings with carbon-14 for the first time.” 3/10/2025. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/03/archaeologists-achieve-a-historic-milestone-by-dating-french-cave-paintings-with-carbon-14-for-the-first-time/ Clayworth, Liv. “Bird poop powered the rise of the Chincha Kingdom, archaeologists find.” EurekAlert. 2/11/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115214 “Lost page of the Archimedes Palimpsest identified in Blois, central France.” Phys.org. 3/9/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lost-page-archimedes-palimpsest-blois.html Ehrlich, Claudia. “Signs on Stone Age objects: Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years.” EurekAlert. 2/23/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117179 Ferrer, Isabel. “Is d’Artagnan lying beneath a church in Maastricht? 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