Podcasts about thinking

Are you living life or only thinking about it? This spiritual talk explores mindfulness, present-moment awareness, conscious living, inner peace, and the difference between mental analysis and direct experience. Learn how to quiet overthinking, awaken spiritually, reconnect with your true self, and experience life more fully through presence, awareness, and intentional consciousness in every ordinary moment. Stay Connected. Be Inspired. Grow With Us. Receive Rev. Lee's Daily Thought and Agape's weekly newsletter—created to bring greater clarity, peace, spiritual awareness, and practical wisdom into your everyday life. Sign up here: https://www.agapespiritualcenter.com/free-affirmations Help Us Share Healing, Truth, and Transformation When you become a supporting member of Agape Spiritual Center, you are doing more than making a donation. You are helping us create teachings, healing experiences, and a welcoming spiritual community where people can discover their worth, awaken to their power, and transform their lives. Every recurring gift, regardless of the amount, helps us reach more people and expand this work in the world. Join us in making a meaningful difference. Become a supporting member here: https://agapetx.infellowship.com/OnlineGiving/GiveNow/NoAccount/

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4104: Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle explains why every discussion has a superficial level and what it takes to dive beneath it. He shares how building the capacity to go deep and then resurface, like a pearl diver training her lungs, lets you bring back richer ideas for your own personal development and for the people you talk with. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://exilelifestyle.com/surface-tension/ Quotes to ponder: "It's easier to skip across the surface of the water than to break through it." "There's a superficial level to every discussion." "The effort required to traverse this line is minuscule, but substantial enough to seem not worth the attempt to many people." Optimal Living Daily is a daily personal development and self-improvement podcast where we narrate the best self-help articles on minimalism, productivity, and intentional living, read to you by a professional narrator so you can live your best life a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Q&A episode, Travis and producer Eric dive into a thought-provoking discussion inspired by Ryan Holiday's appearance on the Sean Ryan Show. They explore how short-form content has transformed the way we consume information, why outrage often outperforms truth online, and the dangers of forming opinions from contextless clips. Drawing from their own experience as podcast creators, they share practical advice for becoming both a more thoughtful consumer and a more responsible creator in today's attention economy. On this episode we talk about: How the "clip economy" rewards outrage and confirmation bias Why context is essential before forming opinions online The responsibility creators have when clipping long-form conversations How social media algorithms shape the content we consume Why spending more time with long-form content leads to better thinking and deeper understanding Top 3 Takeaways Don't build strong opinions from short clips alone—seek out the full conversation before drawing conclusions. Great creators use short-form content to spark curiosity, not to intentionally misrepresent ideas for clicks. Consuming more long-form content helps improve critical thinking, attention span, and media literacy in a world dominated by short-form media. Notable Quotes "Context matters—almost exclusively, context matters." "You're creating a market incentive for people to lie to you." "Don't allow yourself to formulate an opinion yet." Connect with Travis Chappell:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell/ Other: https://travischappell.com/ A Word from Our Sponsors: - Visit DrinkAG1.com/TMM to get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last.  - Go to Leesa.com for 25% OFF select mattresses (through August 23, 2026) PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code TMM, exclusive for my listeners  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 1023 - It's eight days into training camp. There's less than a week before the Cardinals' preseason opener. Yet, there's six weeks before the Cardinals play their first game of the regular season. In other words, there's time. Time to determine roles. That was the message conveyed by rookie running back Jeremiyah Love on Friday. In his mind, he's proven nothing yet despite the high expectations that come with being the third overall pick. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss what Love had to say in addition to the comments made by Tyler Allgeier the day before. And while nothing has been determined publicly about how Love and Allgeier will be used this season, that doesn't stop Craig and Dani from speculating. Plus, the two give their top takeaways from what was another padded practice earlier in the day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4th hour of the G-Bag Nation: The Expressway: Whatcha' Drinking, Whatcha' Thinking?; GBAG of the DAY; LA Live full 3087 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:09:00 +0000 QdHZqVQa1ZFMKPaILbjzc5uMlRljEFXV sports GBag Nation sports 4th hour of the G-Bag Nation: The Expressway: Whatcha' Drinking, Whatcha' Thinking?; GBAG of the DAY; LA Live GBAG Nation sets the afternoon sports pace for Dallas-Fort Worth with an energetic, roundtable approach that speaks directly to the heart of North Texas. Featuring Gavin Dawson, Super Bowl winning scout Bryan Broaddus, Eric Chiofalo, Zach Wolchuk and Lucious Alexander, the show combines insider-level knowledge, strong debate, and the confident swagger of the Metroplex, plus plenty of laughs and the kind of friendly ribbing you'd expect from a group of best friends. Your drive home is filled with in-depth coverage of the Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks and Stars. GBAG Nation also tracks college football across Texas along with the biggest national sports headlines, translating them through a distinctly local lens. The GBAG Nation has some of the best contacts in DFW. They pull back the curtain and give you information that no one else can. This is where informed analysis meets bold opinion, with humor and camaraderie that keep it fun and real. © 2026 Audacy, Inc. Sports

Life-First Business Architecture: Reclaiming Freedom and Scaling Profitability with Jason WojoIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Jason Wojo, the CEO of Lifeonaire, to examine the severe personal and operational costs that emerge when founders allow business pursuits to override their quality of life. Jason, a veteran entrepreneur, host of The Lifeonaire Show, and author of Business for Life: Build a Profitable Business That Gives You Your Time, Freedom, and Life Back, details how high-achieving leaders frequently fall into the trap of constant hustle and founder burnout. This conversation delivers an intentional blueprint for business owners looking to establish non-negotiable personal boundaries, map their core business architecture, and systematically eliminate administrative friction to build a business that serves their life rather than consuming it.The Life-First Paradigm: Engineering Autonomous Operations and Eliminating Founder BurnoutThe fundamental error made by many scaling entrepreneurs is subscribing to the dangerous myth that sacrificing health, personal passions, and family relationships in the present will eventually yield freedom in some distant future. Jason Wojo explains that unmanaged business ambition acts as a seductive trap, drawing founders into endless operational firefighting while destroying their health and personal fulfillment. Real enterprise success requires an absolute reversal of this paradigm, starting with a life-first mindset where non-negotiable personal commitments—such as dedicated family time or creative hobbies—are scheduled first and treated with the same weight as high-stakes client meetings. Setting these boundaries forces leadership to construct operational guardrails, preventing work from expanding endlessly to fill available time and protecting the executive cognitive capacity required for high-level strategy.Transitioning a founder-dependent company into an autonomous asset demands a disciplined, three-part operational audit centered around business architecture mapping. Business owners must begin by creating a comprehensive visual map of every recurring task, workflow, and responsibility across the entire organization to uncover hidden bottlenecks and unnecessary founder involvement. Once these operational workflows are documented, leadership must systematically apply the "Eliminate, Automate, Delegate" framework—pruning non-essential tasks, utilizing modern software engines to automate repetitive processes, and transferring ownership to capable team members. Removing the founder from daily execution not only frees up valuable time but also strengthens the business's underlying infrastructure, making the enterprise far more resilient and attractive to future acquirers.Ultimately, designing a profitable business that grants true freedom is an ongoing architectural practice rather than a one-time event. Surrounding oneself with peer mastermind communities that prioritize work-life harmony helps leaders maintain accountability and resist the societal pressure to pursue growth for ego alone. By regularly auditing business architecture and protecting personal non-negotiables, executives model healthy operational boundaries for their teams, reducing labor turnover and fostering a sustainable corporate culture. When clear life-first priorities, streamlined operational mapping, and automated delegation systems are synthesized into a single business framework, founders successfully shed operational debt, reclaim their personal freedom, and predictably increase enterprise valuation.About Jason WojoJason Wojo is the CEO of Lifeonaire, host of The Lifeonaire Show, an international speaker, and an expert in life-first business design. Drawing from years of hands-on experience building, scaling, and restructuring companies following severe personal burnout, Jason specializes in helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time and build sustainable wealth. He is the author of Business for Life: Build a Profitable Business That Gives You Your Time, Freedom, and Life Back, providing business owners with practical playbooks to align their corporate growth with personal fulfillment.About LifeonaireLifeonaire is an elite coaching, events, and business advisory firm engineered to help entrepreneurs, real estate investors, and executives build highly profitable businesses without sacrificing their personal lives. The organization specializes in delivering life-vision coaching, business architecture mapping, mastermind retreats, and founder-freedom workshops. Through practical execution frameworks and community support, Lifeonaire enables business owners to eliminate operational bottlenecks, establish strong personal boundaries, and maximize enterprise equity.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeLifeonaire Official Website: lifeonaire.comJason Wojo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonwojoKey Episode HighlightsThe Siren Song of Unchecked Growth: Recognizing how chasing business growth without boundaries damages health, personal relationships, and long-term fulfillment.The Non-Negotiables Scheduling Rule: Establishing untouchable calendar blocks for family, health, and hobbies before mapping out business obligations.Visual Business Architecture Mapping: Documenting every operational process and daily workflow to pinpoint bottlenecks and unnecessary founder involvement.The Eliminate, Automate, Delegate Blueprint: Systematically removing non-essential tasks, leveraging technology, and empowering team members to handle daily fulfillment.Dismantling the "Grind Now, Enjoy Later" Fallacy: Designing a business that delivers immediate freedom and memory dividends rather than waiting for an uncertain retirement.ConclusionThe conversation with Jason Wojo underscores that building a business that grants true freedom requires an intentional alignment of personal vision and systematic operational design. By standardizing internal corporate governance, establishing firm personal boundaries, and systematically delegating daily execution, business leaders can transform an exhausting job into a highly structured, self-sustaining asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4104: Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle explains why every discussion has a superficial level and what it takes to dive beneath it. He shares how building the capacity to go deep and then resurface, like a pearl diver training her lungs, lets you bring back richer ideas for your own personal development and for the people you talk with. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://exilelifestyle.com/surface-tension/ Quotes to ponder: "It's easier to skip across the surface of the water than to break through it." "There's a superficial level to every discussion." "The effort required to traverse this line is minuscule, but substantial enough to seem not worth the attempt to many people." Optimal Living Daily is a daily personal development and self-improvement podcast where we narrate the best self-help articles on minimalism, productivity, and intentional living, read to you by a professional narrator so you can live your best life a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4104: Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle explains why every discussion has a superficial level and what it takes to dive beneath it. He shares how building the capacity to go deep and then resurface, like a pearl diver training her lungs, lets you bring back richer ideas for your own personal development and for the people you talk with. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://exilelifestyle.com/surface-tension/ Quotes to ponder: "It's easier to skip across the surface of the water than to break through it." "There's a superficial level to every discussion." "The effort required to traverse this line is minuscule, but substantial enough to seem not worth the attempt to many people." Optimal Living Daily is a daily personal development and self-improvement podcast where we narrate the best self-help articles on minimalism, productivity, and intentional living, read to you by a professional narrator so you can live your best life a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris revisits the COVID era through the lens of Anthony Fauci's public statements and congressional testimony—including his decision to plead the Fifth. The discussion examines how many evangelical leaders and institutions responded at the time, the frequent use of Romans 13 and “love your neighbor” arguments, and which churches and pastors actually stood firm.Harris shares the key lessons he believes Christians should take from 2020–2021: good theology is only proven under pressure, the importance of thinking independently, and the value of leaders who refuse to bend conviction for social approval. The episode also covers current cultural observations on immigration and the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, the surprising success of country artist Ella Langley, recent Trump administration actions, listener questions, and a clear call to maintain integrity regardless of the cultural winds.00:00 Fauci Clips Montage02:00 Welcome & Why This Still Matters05:50 What Evangelical Leaders Said About Fauci10:00 Lessons from COVID: Theology Meets Reality13:50 Churches That Stayed Open – The Real Heroes18:00 Elites, Platforms & Parachurch Failures21:00 Thinking for Yourself & Finding Courage59:00 Immigration, Nigeria & Western Democracies1:02:30 Ella Langley's Chart Success1:09:00 Trump Administration Updates1:10:30 Listener Questions & Personal Notes1:16:30 Final Takeaways from COVID1:21:00 Closing & ETP CoffeeSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HT2699 - The Creative Life Is a Daily Habit It's almost a cliché to suggest that a creative life is a daily thing. The truth is that it's true. A drop of ink in a gallon of water changes the entire gallon. A drop of creativity in an ordinary day changes the entire day. Does that mean you need to shoot pictures everyday? Might be fun, but for most of us that's impractical. The only thing I know that I can do every day of my life is think about creativity, about photography, about locations, about ideas. Thinking can go with me everywhere, fill a minute here or there, and introduce a drop of creative momentum into every day. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

The Wealth Preservation Architecture: Deferring Capital Gains Tax and Maximizing Exit Equity with Brett SwartsIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Brett Swarts, the Founder and CEO of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, to examine the severe tax liabilities that threaten high-net-worth business exits and real estate transactions. Brett, a leading wealth preservation strategist, commercial real estate expert, and author of Building a Capital Gains Tax Exit Plan, details how traditional tax-deferral mechanisms like the 1031 exchange frequently limit investor flexibility and expose assets to market volatility. This conversation provides a comprehensive, data-backed operational guide for founders, real estate investors, and M&A advisors who want to legally defer 33% to 40% in combined capital gains taxes, retain capital compounding power, and construct flexible, long-term estate planning frameworks using the Deferred Sales Trust (DST).The Asset Preservation Paradigm: Unlocking Compound Growth and Flexible Liquidity Through Deferred Sales TrustsThe primary operational oversight committed by founders and real estate investors during an asset liquidity event is delaying tax-deferral architecture until after a transaction closes. In high-tax jurisdictions where combined federal, state, and depreciation recapture taxes routinely consume 33% to 40% of net profits, selling an appreciated asset without an established exit structure results in an immediate, permanent destruction of capital. While many investors default to a traditional 1031 exchange to defer real estate taxes, this rigid framework forces buyers into strict 45-day identification windows and 180-day closing deadlines, often compelling them to overpay for replacement properties in inflated markets. Implementing an installment sale framework via a Deferred Sales Trust before closing removes these rigid timelines entirely, allowing the full proceeds of a business or real estate sale to be reinvested into diversified stocks, bonds, or new entrepreneurial ventures tax-deferred.Executing a Deferred Sales Trust requires a disciplined structural pivot where the seller transfers ownership of the business or real estate asset to an irrevocable third-party trust in exchange for a customized promissory note. The trust subsequently executes the final transaction with the end buyer, receiving cash proceeds while issuing structured, tax-deferred note payments to the original seller over a multi-year horizon. Because capital gains taxes are triggered only on the principal payments actually received by the seller, the remaining capital inside the trust compounds tax-deferred at its full value. This strategic separation of asset ownership from liquidity streams allows high-net-worth founders to secure predictable passive income, diversify their wealth out of concentrated positions, and maintain strategic influence over investment allocations without incurring immediate tax penalties.Furthermore, leveraging specialized trust structures provides enterprise leaders with critical ancillary benefits, including robust asset protection against future litigation and the systematic reduction of estate tax liabilities. As the global market prepares for unprecedented multi-trillion-dollar wealth transfers driven by retiring business owners, financial advisors, brokers, and CPAs who master advanced capital gains tax-deferral strategies gain a massive competitive advantage. By offering clients viable alternatives to strict 1031 exchanges or immediate tax hits, advisors can unlock trapped equity, preserve multi-generational wealth, and build long-term client retention. When early tax planning, rigorous legal compliance, and flexible trust administration are synthesized into a single exit architecture, business owners eliminate transactional drag, shield their capital, and predictably maximize their enterprise equity.About Brett SwartsBrett Swarts is the Founder and CEO of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, a commercial real estate veteran, an international speaker, and an expert in capital gains tax-deferral frameworks. Drawing from years of hands-on experience facilitating complex real estate transactions and business exits, Brett specializes in helping high-net-worth individuals navigate tax traps and preserve wealth. He is the author of Building a Capital Gains Tax Exit Plan (featuring a foreword by Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington) and host of the Capital Gains Tax Solutions Podcast, dedicated to helping business owners and advisors unlock financial freedom through advanced trust structures.About Capital Gains Tax SolutionsCapital Gains Tax Solutions is an elite corporate tax advisory firm and wealth preservation agency engineered to help real estate investors, business founders, and high-net-worth individuals legally defer capital gains taxes. The company specializes in delivering customized Deferred Sales Trust (DST) frameworks, exit strategy coaching, estate tax planning, and advisor partnership programs. Through structured legal compliance, third-party trust administration, and comprehensive wealth strategy blueprints, Capital Gains Tax Solutions enables sellers across complex asset classes to eliminate tax friction and maximize their net-worth compounding potential.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeCapital Gains Tax Solutions Official Website: capitalgainstaxsolutions.comBrett Swarts on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brett-swartsKey Episode HighlightsThe Pre-Close Timing Rule: Why exit planning must be executed prior to closing a transaction to legally defer capital gains liabilities and protect wealth.Overcoming the 1031 Exchange Bottleneck: Utilizing the Deferred Sales Trust to bypass strict 45-day identification windows and reinvest in non-real estate asset classes.The Installment Sale Mechanics: Deferring 33% to 40% in combined federal and state taxes by selling assets to a trust in exchange for a structured promissory note.Multi-Generational Estate Tax Protection: Shielding large transaction proceeds from estate taxes and creditors while setting up seamless inheritance structures for heirs.The $124 Trillion Advisory Opportunity: Equipping financial advisors, M&A brokers, and CPAs with advanced tax-deferral strategies to win high-net-worth B2B clients.ConclusionThe conversation with Brett Swarts underscores that maximizing the value of a business exit or real estate sale is an intentional architectural process rather than a post-transaction accounting exercise. By standardizing internal exit governance, replacing rigid exchange models with flexible trust structures, and acting well before the deal closes, business leaders can transform a massive tax burden into a highly structured, self-sustaining wealth preservation engine.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Standing atop a 1.7-billion-year-old rock in Wisconsin, geologist Marcia Bjornerud points out the many challenges our planet has weathered, and that its long memory might hold the key to facing climate change today. A conversation about the power of awe, resilience, and "timefulness," this summer read will help put things in perspective.

We sit down with Preston Caffrey, co-founder and CEO of Bebemos Tequila, to hear how a move from Santa Cruz to San Diego eventually led to the creation of a homegrown tequila brand.Preston shares his journey from more than two decades in the mortgage business to launching We Drink Tequila and partnering with the Gonzalez family in Jalisco to create Bebemos. We get into how the tequila is made, why they chose a joven blend of blanco, reposado and añejo, and the care that goes into everything from harvesting mature agave to small-batch production.We also talk about Bebemos winning a platinum SIP Award, expanding into local restaurants and retailers, and collaborating with the San Diego community on creations like the Tony Gwynn Jr. Margarita. Plus, Preston shares some of his favorite North County spots, including Valentina, Hamburger Hut, Tanner Prime and The Shanty, along with what Bebemos has planned for the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival.Brought to you by the Livin' in San Diego real estate crew. Thinking about making a move in San Diego County? Reach out through the link below.Buying - https://www.livininsandiego.com/buySelling - https://www.livininsandiego.com/sell

Recently Vickie joined co-host Stephanie and her family for a summer trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  In today's episode, both Stephanie and Vickie detail some of the magical experiences of their trip as well as some challenges while visiting the parks during extreme heat.  They share favorite attractions, memorable moments, and practical tips for staying cool, beating the crowds, and making the most of a hot Florida vacation. If you're planning a summer Disney trip or just love hearing Disney stories, this episode is for you! Follow us on all our social media accounts on Facebook and on Twitter at @Mousecapadespod. Thinking about being a guest on our show, or have a question or comment? Contact us anytime via text or phone at 636-373-4497. Have a magical day my friends!

Learning From Experience ~ A great way to learn: experience - a short interview with seminar presenter Jean Moroney. Listen to caller's personal dramas four times each week as Dr. Kenner takes your calls and questions on parenting, romance, love, family, marriage, divorce, hobbies, career, mental health - any personal issue! Call anytime, toll free 877-Dr-Kenner. Visit www.drkenner.com for more information about the show (where you can also download free chapter one of her serious relationships guidebook).

Dr. D'Lauro shares his background including how he first became involved with research at the U.S. Air Force Academy, as well as highlights his work investigating the underrepresentation of females in contemporary concussion consensus statements.PLEASE SHARE, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE! WHATEVER THOSE OTHER PODCASTS AND YOUTUBE CHANNELS ASK YOU TO DO FOR THEM, DO FOR US TOO!Check us out on Youtube, Instagram and Facebook! @concussiontalkThank you!Subscribe and leave a review!Visit https://www.concussiontalk.com/ for more!Follow and subscribe! @concussiontalk on YouTube, Instagram & Facebook 2014 e-book, Detour: https://leanpub.com/detourFollow Lauren on Instagram @lziaksConcussion Talk Podcast discusses traumatic brain injury (TBI) by featuring interviews with experts (physiotherapists, doctors, researchers, athletes, community leaders, etc.) and people who have experienced TBI first-hand.Chronically dives deeper into concussions and brain injury as I team up with Lauren Ziaks; a DPT, ATC, and wealth of knowledge of chronic health conditions post-concussion. Join us as we interview more experts, spread awareness of brain injury and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." Albert Einstein

Dr. Marilee Adams shows you how to ask the questions that drive improvement and innovation. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) How your inner questions shape your decisions and behavior 2) Why brainstorming often falls short–and what to do instead 3) The hidden assumptions that limit your thinking and creativity Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1171 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT MARILEE — Marilee Adams, PhD, award-winning author, is a pioneer in inquiry-based coaching, leadership, and organizational culture. The originator of the Question Thinking methodologies, she is CEO and founder of the Inquiry Institute and a consultant for organizations large and small. Dr. Adams is an affiliate instructor for Weatherhead's Executive Education Program at Case Western Reserve University and for ten years was an adjunct professor in the Key Executive Leadership Program at American University.• Book: Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, Fifth Edition: 14 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Results• Book: The Art of the Question: A Guide to Short-Term Question-Centered Therapy (Wiley Series in Couples and Family Dynamics and Treatment)• Email: marilee.adams@inquiryinstitute.com• Website: InquiryInstitute.com• Tool: Choice map— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Book: How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth by The Moth, Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers, Chenjerai Kumanyika, Padma Lakshmi• Book: The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better by Will Storr— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod• Monarch. Get 50% off your first year with code AWESOME at Monarch.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Travis Chappell joins David Guttman for a deeply personal conversation about growing up in a highly restrictive religious environment, finding the courage to question long-held beliefs, and ultimately forging his own path. Travis shares how leaving behind the only life he'd ever known led him into sales, entrepreneurship, and podcasting—and why independent thinking has been one of the greatest drivers of his personal and financial success. On this episode we talk about: Growing up in a fundamentalist religious community and overcoming groupthink The difficult decision to leave a predetermined career path in ministry How door-to-door sales became the unexpected gateway to entrepreneurship Rebuilding relationships and creating a powerful network from scratch Why questioning assumptions and thinking independently leads to greater freedom and opportunity Top 3 Takeaways The most important decisions in life should come from your own values—not from expectations placed on you by family, institutions, or society. Personal growth often begins by asking difficult questions and being willing to challenge beliefs you've always accepted as truth. Your network, skills, and career can all be rebuilt. Starting over is difficult, but it also creates opportunities to build a life that's authentically yours. Notable Quotes "I am the only person who has to wake up with me every single day." "Accept truth wherever you find it. Truth is never afraid of questioning." "Release yourself from the path other people chose for you and start asking, 'What do I actually want?'" Connect with Travis Chappell: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell/ Other: https://travischappell.com/ A Word from Our Sponsors: - Visit DrinkAG1.com/TMM to get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last.  - Go to Leesa.com for 25% OFF select mattresses (through August 23, 2026) PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code TMM, exclusive for my listeners  - To learn more about Mode Mobile and its investor community, go to https://invest.modemobile.com/travismakesmoney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, the conversation around educational technology centered on one question: How can we get more technology into classrooms? Today, we’re facing a different challenge. It’s time to move beyond debates about screen time and start thinking more intentionally about when technology leads to deeper... The post Beyond Screen Time: The Low Tech Learning Matrix appeared first on Spencer Education.

The Digital Foundation for High-Ticket Contractors: Driving Lead Velocity and Building Unshakeable Authority with Matt DeLongIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Matt DeLong, the CEO of United Foundry, to unpack the digital marketing mechanics required for home builders, high-end remodelers, and trade contractors to command premium market positioning. Matt, a seasoned agency architect and digital marketing pioneer specializing in the home services sector, details how construction and remodeling businesses can break free from unpredictable word-of-mouth cycles. This conversation delivers an intentional operational roadmap for contractors looking to leverage local AI data, build high-converting digital storefronts, dominate regional Google search rankings, and establish long-term pipeline velocity.The Architectural Advantage: Converting Digital Proof into High-Ticket Client PipelinesRelying solely on organic referrals and unpredictable word-of-mouth client acquisition routinely exposes high-ticket home service businesses to dangerous feast-or-famine revenue cycles. Matt DeLong explains that when a custom builder or luxury remodeling firm presents an outdated, amateurish online footprint, it instantly erodes prospective buyer trust and stalls conversion timelines. To capture high-net-worth homeowners, contractors must treat their digital properties as high-converting storefronts, complete with high-resolution project galleries, detailed case studies, and clear calls-to-action. Elevating basic operational touchpoints—such as replacing generic email domains with professional company email addresses—creates immediate psychological alignment between the contractor's online branding and the multi-million dollar physical projects they deliver.To build a sustainable client acquisition engine, home service companies must combine targeted pay-per-click advertising with hyper-local search engine optimization and automated social proof systems. Securing top-of-page visibility through Google Local Service Ads and localized PPC campaigns ensures a steady flow of high-intent search traffic, while active review management on platforms like Google and Houzz validates contractor credibility in real time. Search algorithms heavily favor local businesses with frequent, positive client feedback, making post-project review collection a non-negotiable component of local SEO. By featuring authentic video testimonials, recent project awards, and before-and-after galleries directly across digital ad landing pages, contractors eliminate buyer hesitation and dramatically shorten high-ticket sales cycles.Furthermore, integrating advanced AI tools with publicly accessible property data enables forward-thinking contractors to execute hyper-personalized, targeted community outreach. By utilizing artificial intelligence software to filter regional property records, trade leaders can map out specific target neighborhoods, isolate ideal homeowner demographics, and remove non-relevant corporate properties. This data-backed approach allows contractors to craft personalized messaging that transforms cold geographic outreach into warm, relationship-driven business opportunities. When custom builders synthesize professional digital design, automated review collection, hyper-local paid search, and targeted data mining into a unified marketing architecture, they eliminate pipeline friction, protect profit margins, and predictably scale enterprise value.About Matt DeLongMatt DeLong is the CEO of United Foundry, a prominent digital marketing strategist, speaker, and expert in contractor lead generation ecosystems. Drawing from years of hands-on experience helping home builders, remodelers, and trade contractors scale their regional operations, Matt specializes in building custom digital infrastructures that convert online traffic into high-value clients. He is a TEDx speaker, author of "Learning to Dream Again," and a recognized industry thought leader focused on helping contractors build resilient, data-driven revenue systems.About United FoundryUnited Foundry is an elite digital marketing agency and lead generation consultancy engineered specifically to help home service professionals, remodelers, and custom builders scale their market presence. The agency specializes in delivering custom website design, Google Local Service Ads management, localized SEO architecture, and automated client review acquisition playbooks. Through tailored digital strategies and data-driven marketing campaigns, United Foundry enables contractors across the home services industry to remove customer acquisition bottlenecks, capture high-value projects, and maximize enterprise valuation.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeUnited Foundry Official Website: unitedfoundry.comMatt DeLong on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matt-delongKey Episode HighlightsThe Digital Storefront Standard: Aligning your website's visual quality and user experience with the high-ticket physical projects your company builds.Hyper-Local Data Mining with AI: Utilizing artificial intelligence and public property records to filter target neighborhoods and personalize homeowner outreach.The Review Verification Engine: Leveraging Google reviews and video testimonials to boost local SEO rankings and build instant buyer trust.Targeted Paid Media Acquisition: Combining Google Local Service Ads with geo-targeted PPC campaigns to stabilize pipeline velocity and eliminate revenue swings.Professional Touchpoint Governance: Standardizing branded domain emails and prompt client communication to reinforce credibility across every touchpoint.ConclusionThe conversation with Matt DeLong reinforces that scaling a successful contracting business requires an intentional balance of high-end craftsmanship, digital authority, and data-driven marketing systems. By standardizing internal web design, deploying targeted local ad strategies, and actively collecting customer reviews, contractors can transform an unpredictable referral stream into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate growth engine.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Ever quit on a goal the moment it stopped feeling like a win? This week's episode breaks down why treating progress as pass/fail is the quiet reason so many goals stall out before they get traction.He unpacks the start-stop cycle: new goals always run into friction from commitments you already have, and pass/fail thinking punishes you for that friction instead of accounting for it. Using fitness as the example, Jesse shows how to build momentum differently, going from zero to one, chaining back-to-back reps, hitting a three-time streak, and only then raising the bar. Small wins aren't consolation prizes. They're the mechanism.Next Jesse introduces "bookends": instead of judging a goal week to week, you set a real time horizon and a single checkpoint down the road; like committing to a podcast for 12 months no matter what the download numbers say early on. That container is what lets you actually learn, build relationships, and stumble into upside you couldn't have planned for (Jesse points to finding his own voice as one example).Lastly, Jesse closes on why this matters beyond the goal itself, framing success not around hitting a number, but around impact, using his own book as the example: if it helps even one person, it did its job.00:00 Escape Win Lose Thinking03:04 Celebrate Zero to One06:07 Back to Back and Streaks10:01 Feedback Loops Beat Perfection12:20 Shift Two Bookends15:54 Podcast Bookend Example18:51 Discovering Your Voice20:58 Impact Based Goals23:05 Book Link and Share It24:19 Wrap Up and Next StepsLets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

With Josh Tomolak, Vice President of Independent Advisor Services, Diamond Consultants Louis Diamond and Josh Tomolak unpack today's IBD vs. RIA landscape, explaining what has changed, where each model excels, and how to determine which path best supports the business you want to build. In Summary The independent wealth management landscape has changed dramatically, making the decision between an independent broker dealer (IBD) and an RIA more nuanced than ever before. Louis Diamond welcomes Diamond Consultants' Vice President of Independent Advisor Services, Josh Tomolak, for a practical discussion of how the independent space has evolved, what truly differentiates the IBD and RIA models today, and how advisors can evaluate which path best aligns with the business they want to build. The Storyline Not long ago, the decision to become independent was relatively straightforward. Advisors either remained with a traditional firm or pursued independence through one of a limited number of models. Today, the conversation is far more complex. Independent broker dealers have significantly expanded their capabilities, offering stronger technology, larger transition packages, greater flexibility, and even pathways to RIA ownership. At the same time, the RIA ecosystem has matured into a sophisticated marketplace supported by multiple custodians, outsourced service providers, institutional capital, and enterprise platforms that rival many of the industry's largest firms. As these developments have unfolded, the traditional distinctions between an IBD and an RIA have become less obvious. Advisors evaluating their options are no longer simply asking whether they should become independent—they're asking which model best supports the clients they serve, the business they envision, and the lifestyle they want to create. In this Industry Update, Louis and Josh unpack the realities behind the IBD vs. RIA decision. They discuss where the two models overlap, where meaningful differences still exist, and why factors like service, technology, economics, operational responsibility, enterprise value, and long-term optionality often matter more than labels alone. Whether you're considering changing independent firms, launching your own RIA, or simply want a better understanding of how the independent landscape has evolved, this conversation provides an objective framework for evaluating today's choices—and preparing for tomorrow's opportunities. Topics Covered Independent Broker Dealer (IBD) vs. RIA models The evolution of supportive independence Technology investments across the independent space Transition support and advisor mobility Capital solutions and recruiting economics Business formation and enterprise value Launching an independent RIA Multi-custodial platforms and open architecture Minority investments and succession planning Future trends shaping advisor independence > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors Why are already-independent advisors reconsidering their current model? (5:27) Josh explains why service, technology, economics, and growing optionality are causing advisors to reevaluate their existing affiliations. How have independent broker dealers and RIAs become more alike? (19:28) Louis and Josh discuss the growing convergence between the two models and why the distinction is becoming less obvious than many advisors assume. What really separates an IBD from an RIA? (25:04) A practical discussion of autonomy, compliance, flexibility, custody, economics, and advisor experience. What misconceptions keep advisors from launching an RIA? (36:29) Josh outlines the “Four Pillars” of launching an RIA and explains where advisors tend to either overestimate or underestimate the operational realities. Which advisors thrive most in each model? (33:12) The conversation explores why there isn't a universally “better” model—only one that's better aligned with an advisor's goals. What trends are quietly reshaping independence? (42:13) Minority investments, enterprise value, business formation, and changing revenue models may have an even greater impact than advisors realize today. Key Takeaways Independence has evolved from a destination into an ongoing strategic decision. Independent broker dealers have significantly improved technology, transition support, economics, and flexibility. The RIA ecosystem has matured into a highly sophisticated marketplace with broad outsourcing and support options. Choosing between an IBD and an RIA should begin with long-term business objectives—not industry perceptions. Building a valuable business depends more on business structure and scalability than simply growing assets. Advisors considering independence should evaluate models with an open mind rather than relying on outdated assumptions. The next decade will likely bring continued convergence between independent business models. https://youtu.be/jHDVso2TsmQ Quotable Moments “The question is no longer, ‘Do I want to go independent?' The question is, ‘What kind of independence makes the most sense for my clients, business, and goals?'” “Business formation is far more important than assets under management.” “The way you build your business will ultimately determine how valuable that business becomes.” “Everything in an RIA is going to cost you either your time or your money.” FAQs Is there still a meaningful difference between an IBD and an RIA? Yes. While the two models increasingly overlap, they differ in areas such as flexibility, compliance structure, operational responsibility, economics, and control. Why are more independent advisors changing firms today? Improved technology, stronger transition support, evolving economics, and better service models are prompting many advisors to reassess whether their current platform still fits their business. Is launching an RIA easier than it used to be? Yes. Supportive independence, outsourced service providers, and improved custodial resources have significantly reduced many of the historical barriers. Does every entrepreneurial advisor belong in the RIA model? No. The best fit depends on an advisor's appetite for ownership, customization, operational responsibility, and long-term vision. What matters more: assets under management or how the business is built? Josh argues that scalable business formation often has a greater impact on enterprise value than AUM alone. What's the biggest mistake advisors make when evaluating independence? Starting with assumptions instead of objectives. The most effective due diligence begins by defining the business you're trying to build, then identifying the model best suited to support it. Yes. While the two models increasingly overlap, they differ in areas such as flexibility, compliance structure, operational responsibility, economics, and control. Improved technology, stronger transition support, evolving economics, and better service models are prompting many advisors to reassess whether their current platform still fits their business. Yes. Supportive independence, outsourced service providers, and improved custodial resources have significantly reduced many of the historical barriers. No. The best fit depends on an advisor's appetite for ownership, customization, operational responsibility, and long-term vision. Josh argues that scalable business formation often has a greater impact on enterprise value than AUM alone. Starting with assumptions instead of objectives. The most effective due diligence begins by defining the business you're trying to build, then identifying the model best suited to support it. Related Resources IBD vs. RIA Comparison Guide IBD vs. RIA Revisited: Two Independent Pathways for Advisors to Consider NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… IBD vs. RIA: A Special Industry Update on Independence A conversation with Louis Diamond and Josh Tomolak, Vice President of Independent Advisor Services at Diamond Consultants.      Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is IBD vs. RIA: A Special Industry Update on Independence. It’s a conversation with Josh Tomolak, our Vice President of Independent Advisor Services. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: For a long time, going independent would suggest the destination. Today, it’s often the beginning of a different conversation. As the independent space has matured, advisors have more choices than ever before. Broker-dealers have expanded their capabilities. The RIA ecosystem has become increasingly sophisticated. Capital is more readily available and support models now exist that would’ve been difficult to imagine a decade ago. The result is that many advisors who are already independent are taking a fresh look at whether their current affiliation still aligns with what they’re trying to build. My guest is Josh Tomolak, Vice President of Independent Advisor Services here at Diamond Consultants and our resident expert on independence. Josh spends his days helping advisors evaluate independence in all its forms from independent broker dealers, the fully independent RIAs and everything in between. And his knowledge is critical because the distinction between these models is often blurred. Many broker dealers now offer pathways to greater autonomy while supported independence has made RIA ownership more accessible than ever before. So the question is no longer simply, “Do I want to go independent?” The question is, “What kind of independence makes the most sense for client, business, and goals?” Josh shares what he’s seeing across the landscape, the misconceptions that continue to shape advisor thinking and the factors that matter most when evaluating the next chapter of an independent business. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get to it. Josh, thanks for joining me today. Joshua Tomolak: Thanks for having me, Louis. It’s a real privilege to have come. This is a full circle moment for me going from being a student of your podcast, to working alongside you, to being a guest. So I appreciate you having me. Louis Diamond: Amazing. I’m excited for this one too, because you have a fresh and in the weeds perspective that a lot of our guests simply don’t have. So why don’t you start off, you spend your time helping advisors evaluate independence every day. So working with advisors who are already independent, for the most part. And to me, it feels like the independent space has really evolved dramatically over the last decade. I mean, this podcast is really the epicenter of that to prove that out, but give us a little background on your past roles in the space and then we can get into what you’re seeing right now. Joshua Tomolak: Yeah, I’d be happy to. So I took a very non-traditional path into wealth management. I spent a decade as a deep sea Navy diver, and upon completing my service there, I ended up working for TD Ameritrade. And in my role there, I spent about six years doing nothing but helping financial advisors explore the RIA space, whether that was to join or partner with an RIA, sell to an RIA, or in most cases, launch their own RIA. And one of the things that I ultimately came to terms with is it’s just not the right model for everybody. While I’m a huge advocate for it, we would often lose business to the major broker-dealers of the world. And at the time, I really didn’t understand why. In the last six years at Diamond Consultants has been a very interesting purview into what a lot of the broker-dealers have done and are doing to make themselves more RIA-ish and be very compelling to the right advisor. Louis Diamond: Perfect framing. Your background is incredibly germane to the folks you work with. So let’s start off with the softball here. What are you seeing right now? Joshua Tomolak: It’s not so different than the rest of the industry, the wirehouses, the regional firms, things of that nature, that if you took 10 firms, they’re all likely to go different directions, even if they were identical practices. That could be… A third would go from an independent broker-dealer to another independent broker-dealer. Certainly the supported RIA space is growing every day and has created a lot of very fun and unique solutions for advisors, very customized and curated. And then I think there’s still a lot of really great sophisticated teams and individual contributors that are making the decision to go hyper entrepreneurial and launch their own individual RIA. So the movement’s really all over the board from my perspective. Louis Diamond: It does feel like it’s no longer independence is an alternative option or it’s on the fringes. It’s very front and center whether for breakaways, which is a big topic on our podcast, but in general, the infrastructure has become much, much more sophisticated today than ever before. Advisors have way more tools in their toolbox to serve clients, whether in the private markets or through technology. And it’s no longer that if an advisor’s independent, they’re in the minor leagues where they don’t have the same ability to serve clients like they did if they’re at a big bank or a private bank or a wirehouse. Do you agree? Joshua Tomolak: I absolutely agree. And I’m reminded of a question I got one time from a great team that I worked with in New York. They asked me, “Are there really more options than ever before? Because all we see is one firm selling to another.” And I think that’s a really great point. There’s far less broker dealers on the street than there were even five years ago. But for every Commonwealth, for example, that sells to an LPL, up pops three or four really cool private equity-backed, sophisticated RIA platform firms that are built to service their own unique advisor base. Louis Diamond: I think that’s right. Sitting on the sidelines, sitting on top of everything going on in the industry, I feel like capital is always an interesting topic forever. If an advisor wanted to move within the independent world or break away from a big firm to go independent, the only way to get capital was to go to an independent broker dealer. So we still see that, but I feel like today between all these minority acquisition opportunities, we’re seeing firms acquire practices at time of transition, which is somewhat new. There’s debt solutions, recruiting deals are way up for firms that are paying forgivable loans. RIAs now would, in some cases, will pay a forgivable note. What are you seeing there as far as the availability of capital and just deals in general? Joshua Tomolak: It’s a great question and I didn’t want to take the low-hanging fruit, but capital’s been a huge innovation, I guess, in the last five years I’d say. Just to give you rough quotes, please don’t hold me to it, but traditional transition broker-dealer deals were five years ago, 40 to 60% of Trailing Twelve revenue today are somewhere between 90 and 120%, sometimes north of that for the right team. That’s really meaningful money for the team that is thinking about foregoing a wirehouse deal, for example. I’d also say a lot of these firms are getting hyper-creative in how they solve for capital. The minority investment piece that you mentioned is very interesting. We’re seeing a lot of privatized forgivable notes in the RIA space where third-party or private lenders are basically lending the money and the RIA is making the payments on that forgivable note as long as the advisor is affiliated with them. So there’s been a recognition among the RIA space to get away from the, “Oh, they just took a check” type of mantra, and to say, “Look, I understand there are capital needs. These people are taking a risk. We need to solve for that.” So we’ve seen a lot of that in the marketplace. Louis Diamond: Very interesting. I think another thing financially, and then we’ll keep the train moving, that I know I’ve seen, and maybe you can weigh in if you’ve seen the same, is the cost to an advisor or a business owner to join an independent BD or to join an RIA has come way down, probably in part because of Schwab going to zero on trading. That’s been a catalyst. But it feels like we used to say independent BDs were expensive relative to the RIA world. And in some cases, they certainly could be. And if you’re at scale, maybe you can pick up a point or two being in the RIA world versus a BD. But when you have some of these BDs that have a basis point admin fee or no admin fee at a certain size and the payouts I feel like are similar, maybe have gone up a little bit, but it’s more so like the administrator fees, the platform fees, the program fees. Anyone who’s not in that world, it’s like, “What are you talking about?” But basically the way that these broker-dealers make money, it seems like there’s been a pretty big differential in the exchange of value where advisors now get more services, better technology, get more money to join them and get it at a lower cost. Do you agree? Joshua Tomolak: I absolutely agree. I think that maybe that’s one of the larger changes that we’ve seen, and it’s probably one of the benefits from a lot of the industry consolidation on that independent broker-dealer side. The economies of scale of these folks have allowed them to increase their tech spend, increase their service capacities all while offering it to the advisors at a cheaper price. And when I was at TD Ameritrade, one of the biggest pitches was the idea of a 100% payout and you control the fixed expenses, your technology compliance, et cetera. But what’s changed is that broker-dealers are pretty darn comparable on the expenses. All of those admin fees and things you mentioned will still exist, but they’re on a much smaller scale. And I think the question a lot of advisors are asking is, “Am I getting congruent value from my broker-dealer for what I pay for?” And while that answer might’ve been no a couple years ago, today the answer is more often yes. Louis Diamond: Yeah, I would agree. A lot of times we work with advisors who are starting an RIA or affiliating with an RIA or going to a BD and they see how big the deals are in the independent BD world and the payouts are really high and the fees are relatively low. And honestly, it is a hard decision or calculus to make, like, “How does it make sense for me to turn down this extremely lucrative deal when my ongoing economics are going to be somewhat similar in the BD world versus in the RIA space?” I think it’s just an interesting dynamic and we’ll get more into that distinction. One of the stars of the show right here is we’ve seen a ton of advisor movement across the industry. Our annual advisor transition report said that in 2025, over 11,000 experienced advisors changed firms, which is a large number. A lot of those numbers are within the independent world. So advisors who are 1099 through a BD or through an RIA transitioning to another platform or organization or starting an RIA. So why do you think we’re seeing so many advisors reconsider their current firm or their platform or their broker-dealer today than in years past? Joshua Tomolak: It’s a jarring number. 11,000 is definitely a significant amount of advisor movements. To me, it comes down to a few things, but I will say that it’s almost always a conglomeration of pushes and pulls. Pushes being inherent frustrations with your status quo, pulls being the new sexy, shiny things that you see in the marketplace that could be really impactful for your business. To me, it typically comes down to one of three things, at least on the push front, that drives advisors to movement. Service being number one, technology being number two, and economics being number three. And if we were just going to unpack those, I think service being, “Can you call somebody that knows your business, that knows your name? Are you getting the correct answers? Are you being pushed through a phone tree? And even if you’re not doing it, is it taking up a meaningful amount of time of your staff’s free time?” On the technology front, there’s very significant tech spends happening in the industry right now. I think Raymond James and LPL reported, for example, they spent 500 million in 2025 on a tech spend. So advisors are going to the places that are making their life easier. People are looking for a mechanism to really scale their business without having to add staff and a lot of expenses to the bottom line. And technology is just the fastest, most efficient way to do that most times. And then economics, certainly a lot of advisors and teams have built phenomenal businesses and they’ve made a great living without really stressing out about the economics. And they eventually get to a point in their business where what they were giving up as a million dollar producer is far different than what they’re giving up as a $4 million producer. And back to the congruent value, it perhaps stops to make as much sense. Louis Diamond: Well said. I always say when the cost-to-value ratio is out of whack, that’s when advisors sit up and take notice. And not to name names of firms, but there definitely are firms that are more expensive. And even if you look at how much a wirehouse or a Ed Jones advisor paid their firm, it’s like, “What got me here is not necessarily what’s going to get me there.” And while the name on the business card, the resources were incredibly impactful, and I’m so grateful for what my firm, my broker-dealer did for me when I was just starting or when I was smaller. Now the business is bigger, I rely upon different resources or I don’t need the firm as much. So I’d rather plow the cost savings either into income for myself or invest it in areas that are most germane to my business. And it’s usually when that kind of light bulb moment goes off, that’s one of the major pushes that cause advisors to evaluate other options. So I agree with you, those are the major push factors, but then what are the pull factors? What are the major advancements or changes across the independent space that’s causing advisors to say, “Hey, okay, I might have some frustrations, but at the same time, I also need to find something that’s more than marginally better than the firm I’m at. Otherwise, why am I going to go through the hassle, take the risk, et cetera? So what are some of the pull factors that advisors are latching onto today? Joshua Tomolak: Sure. And I might say with one final push factor, there’s a straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back when you’ve been told for however many years that this change or that change is coming down the pipeline and it never happens. And it translates well into the pull factors is do they do what they say they’re going to do? The talking points really for the pull factors are exactly the same. So the counterpoint to service is perhaps having a direct relationship with the chief compliance officer at a firm or having a dedicated service representative that knows their stuff inside and out and can get you the answer even if they don’t know it off the top of their head. Having the technology to rebalance a household in two clicks instead of two hours. In economics, I think it’s really a transparency of economics. We’ve both worked with some really significant firms that have looked at their P&Ls and said, “where the heck is the money going?” And we’ve looked at the same P&Ls and said, “I have no idea,” because it’s so convoluted. People are happy to pay for good service, good technology, good products, but they just want to know where the money’s coming from. So I think it’s a yin and yang. The same things that they’re the push are often the pull. Louis Diamond: Definitely. I’ll give you a couple other from my perspective. I’ll say first specific to the independent BD world, and then we’ll dive into the RIA, I think it’s a little bit different. But I think some other will say innovations or changes that are causing advisors to really perk up and listen and really make the case to themselves that life will be better at this new organization than the status quo or staying put. We’ve seen major advancements in transition support, whether it’s being able to do a transition without a shred of paper, being able to… I mean, we’ve seen some independent advisors move their entire book within two weeks, which never would’ve happened before. So the firms that I’d say are playing offense, the larger firms that are winning, they have insane headcount around transitions and are always investing in technology, whether now on the AI front or in general. And we’ve seen transitions, they’re never easy. So that’s not a comment to say it’s easy, but a lot of the friction, a lot of the manual work has been taken away, which is massive. You definitely mentioned the significant technology spend. I mean, just the innovations going on across the industry. There’s definitely some firms that are laggards on technology and others that are light years ahead, whether because their tech is more integrated or they’ve built out their platform to be more, we’ll say modular, to plug in different third-party softwares where an advisor can really customize and create their own tech stack. I think there’s been some changes on compliance. It used to be if you’re at an independent BD, you had to be the OSJ by yourself or you had to roll up under an OSJ. But now most BDs offer home office supervision, so a big friction or pain point is taken away. And then I’ll give you a bridge to talk about what we’re seeing on the RIA side. But we’ve also seen, I would say, a real blurring of the lines between what you would traditionally think of as an independent broker dealer versus what was an RIA. So whether it’s an internal pathway where it’s like, “Start off on our independent BD platform, get the big deal, get the support, but then you can ditch that and just use this as a custodian or you can sell the business to us when you want to retire and convert to W2.” So in that vein, transitioning internally to an RIA, give me the same points like, “What are the major advancements or changes you’re seeing on the RIA side today?” Joshua Tomolak: I love that you said that because it’s been one of the most interesting changes to watch. Independent broker dealers becoming more like RIAs, and to your point, being more flexible, having more optionality, a more curated experience in some cases. And in many cases becoming closer to independent broker dealers with some of these massive shops that we’ve seen be created over the last five years that now have hundreds, if not thousands of advisors. To your question on the internal RIA slide as we sometimes call it, this really didn’t exist many places a few years ago. And I think it’s been created as both originally a retention tool in many places for the advisors that were with a major independent broker dealer and they ultimately wanted to have their own ADV and their own RIA. And the firm didn’t want to lose all the assets to an independent custodian so they gave them the green light to… And it’s ultimately became a sales tool in many cases. Just to use a couple of examples across the industry, I mean, Raymond James has Raymond James Custody Services, which has attracted a lot of really sophisticated teams. I know Wells Fargo Finance done something similar and even the counterparts over at Cetera and Osaic are trying to do the same thing. So it’s a recognition in my view that we want to keep the best talent possible. And if these folks are ultimately going to go RIA anyway, it’s less about the money and more about the flexibility and control that it offers them. So what can we do to keep those folks on board? And rightfully so, a lot of senior management of these firms have said, “Let’s not lose these teams. It’s going to be a lower margin business for us, but at the rate that they’re growing, it’s going to pay off in the long run.” Louis Diamond: Well said. RIAs are now more mainstream. And some of these RIAs, they’re either resembling independent BDs or I would even go so far to say the valuations that are even publicly available on some RIAs is definitely having people take notice. I mean, Cerity Partners recently raised capital at an over $8 billion reported valuation. Crescent was well over a billion. Firms like Mariner, Creative Planning, Mercer, Wealth Enhancement Group, and there’s many that I’m missing, are all worth a couple billion dollars or more and growing. Do you think that’s had an impact on the legitimacy or the staying power of the RIA model? Joshua Tomolak: Oh, absolutely. There’s no doubt about it. I mean, those groups that you mentioned and many more are winning some of the biggest teams on the street. I mean, if you pull up a run-of-the-mill advisor hub article, for example, you’ll see as many of those RIAs win significant businesses as you will their broker-dealer counterparts, partially in my opinion, due to the massive valuations these firms are fetching. And it’s much more of a partnership in the sense that joining a Crescent or a Wealth Enhancement Group, as you mentioned, you’re a part of a boutique group of maybe a couple of hundred very sophisticated high-producing advisors all playing under the same banner, all rowing in the same direction, and that creates substantial growth. Louis Diamond: Exactly right. I think two other things to me that’s driving the legitimacy or the growth of the RIA segment, there’s so many different outsourcing solutions that have popped up, whether it’s more of a… We’ll say a bundled or a package outsourcing solution through firms like Dynasty and Sanctuary. LPL has done a ton with having a shared services outsourcing model. So you have those. But you also have, I mean, probably 10 different firms I could think of that can be an outsourced chief compliance officer. You have tons of marketing agencies that specialize in helping RIAs. You have all these FinTechs popping up to support the RIA space. Really, it’s like anything and everything can be outsourced now. And even the big Wall Street banks like UBS, Merrill, et cetera, they’re attempting to sell and distribute product into the RIA space. Venture funds, private equity funds, anyone you talk to is trying to get a piece of the RIA space, which means there’s more product and platform availability than ever before. And I think it’s massive because one, it’s a catalyst for teams who say, “I love everything about the RIA world. I just don’t want to do it on my own,” or, “I don’t know where to start.” But also it means that they can look their clients in the eye and say, “Hey, not only do I have the same stuff that I had for you at XYZ firm, I can actually do more for you.” And even if you look at what the custodians are doing on the lending side now, Schwab owning a bank is massive and being able to facilitate mortgages, securities-backed loans, things that didn’t really exist in the past. I think it’s a very exciting time for advisors either that are independent or are considering the independent space because you have all these choices and it’s really like, “Choose your own adventure. Give me your top five things you want.” I’m sure it exists and we can find it and make it happen. And I don’t think we’d have the same confidence in that statement 5, 7, 10 years ago. Joshua Tomolak: I couldn’t agree more. That’s such a huge development is the marketplace of third party vendors in any kind of capitalism environment. There’s problems that people encounter and there’s really smart people that are trying to make a lot of money that go to market to solve them. And we’ve seen a ton of that over the last few years. Louis Diamond: Exactly right. Yeah, it’s like also… If an advisor looks around and says, “Hey, this is what I want,” and it doesn’t exist, oftentimes that’s a light bulb moment to be like, “Okay, I’ll go build it. I’ll do it on my own.” Whether it was Stewart Partners when they launched a number of years ago or Hightower, Dynasty, et cetera. They were all started by people that said, “Hey, I see a big gap in the ecosystem. Let’s create a business and raise capital to go solve it and then deliver this service to other like-minded advisors or business owners.” Honestly, it’s a treat to be able to watch all this happen in real time. We probably should have laid the groundwork with this next question, but I think it’s an important one. What’s the difference between a independent broker-dealer and an RIA? Really basic foundational. It sounds like the lines are blurred. There’s probably a lot of similarities. Advisors are successful in both. It’s not like one’s better than the other. How would you explain the differences, if a client of ours asked, “What’s the difference between an independent broker-dealer and IBD versus an RIA”? Joshua Tomolak: Get into the core of it. Again, the lines are blurred, and I’ll stay very high level on the strategic differences, but I like to use this example. I drive a Toyota Tundra. Really like the truck, gets me from A to B. Now, if I were getting to a point where I wanted a new vehicle, if I were to go get another Toyota Tundra because I really like a lot of aspects of it, but I want the one with the bigger screen and the bigger tires and the power seats, and I have rolled down windows because I have a fear of drowning. But if I want a lot of the bells and whistles, but I want to keep the foundation, that’s what I align to a independent broker-dealer to independent broker-dealer. You like the foundation of everything all under one roof. You like a lot of the resources, but you have some meaningful frustrations and you want to see if another provider in the market can solve for those or you can upgrade. If I instead, Louis, decided that I wanted a sports car or a Jeep Wrangler or something, I would be looking at a different category altogether. That’s how I articulate the platform space. They provide the same services and support in many cases that an independent broker-dealer does, think of marketing and a tech stack and regulatory oversight and a fellowship in a community, but they’re built on an RIA TC registered chassis. They’re typically far more customized so you can shop the street to get a lot more of the things that you like, though you are walking away from maybe some of the things that you’ve liked in the independent broker-dealer model. So I guess that’s the highest level I might explain it, just a little bit more minutia in any broker-dealer is going to be a FINRA registered, FINRA member broker-dealer. So they’re subject to the FINRA rules, which basically means it’s the compliance interpretation of those rules that they have to follow. So LPL’s rules may be slightly different than Cetera’s than Ameriprise’s because it’s based on their interpretations of the rules. In the RIA space, everybody really operates on the fiduciary standard. So it’s just a different lens that from a compliance standpoint, business is looked at. And a lot of people would make the argument that it’s just easier to get things done when you’re looking at something from that lens. I might’ve gone too compliance nerd on you there, but I’d be curious what you think some of the major differences are. Louis Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s right. I mean, it sounds like if you’re in the RIA world in some capacity that you as the advisor or business owner are going to have a little bit more control and autonomy and flexibility. One, do you think that’s true? And what are the reasons why that is? Is it platform? Is it strictly just compliance is easier? What are the different ways that an RIA would have more or less flexibility than someone who’s with an independent BD? Joshua Tomolak: Yeah, I think it’s overwhelmingly true, but it certainly depends on your business. Within most RIA platforms, you’re going to be one of a couple dozen, maybe a couple hundred, where you’re going to have people within that firm that really know your business. So the experience in getting things done is much less about, “Can I do this,” or, “Can I not do this?” And it’s, “Louis, I understand you asked for this. We’re going to run into these issues, but let’s figure out how to get to yes.” So it’s far more curated by people that are not operating on black and white rules and can actually figure out how to get to yes for your business. The other thing I would say is that most significant RIA platforms have multiple custodial options. So many times you’ll see as few as two or as many as five. So if an advisor or a team is trying to bring on a new piece of business or do something creative, that might be something they can use a different custodial relationship to accomplish. It might be something that Goldman Sachs does really well but is in its infancy at Fidelity, or it might be international business that’s approved on Pershing’s platform but not Schwab’s platform. So the RIA partner that you’re with can really look at those custodians agnostically and say, “What’s the best home for this business? What’s the best way to get this done for Louis?” There’s a couple examples of where I see the flexibility in practice. Louis Diamond: Yeah, I think one more too would be the concept of being able to shop the street. I’ve heard it described as becoming a buy-side advocate for your clients versus being a professional seller. So meaning, if I’m affiliated with an RIA or I’m operating my own RIA, there’s no selling away like there is at a wirehouse or at certain BDs. So if I have a client who’s trying to get a $10 million loan for a new building that they’re breaking ground on, if I’m at UBS, Merrill, Morgan Stanley, captive to a BD, I can go to my firm and say, “Hey, this $10 million loan, here it is. What are the terms? What are the rates? Will you take on this business?” And the firm will say, “Yes. No. Yes, here are the terms. Here’s the caveats, et cetera.” But it’s a very closed market process and an advisor has to live and die by what their firm says. Versus in the RIA world, it’s, “Okay, I have relationships with nine different banks and I can go to these different banks and private credit funds and whoever and really create either an option process for my client or really just help them in a fully agnostic open way.” And we see the same thing when it comes to alternative investments. No one at a wirehouse, let’s say, is complaining that they don’t have enough alts that they can offer clients. Those firms have done an amazing job with really boiling the ocean and having tons and tons of options for private investments, hedge funds, et cetera. But if you’re in the RIA world, you can take it to the next level and say, “Hey, this $3 million startup company that my friend is starting, I’m going to help them raise capital,” or, “My client wants to get a syndicate of investors together to have a direct investment into a qualified opportunity zone fund that they’re starting. Let’s do it when we can advise on it.” So it really expands what an advisor is able to do on behalf of clients. Like to me, that’s the most interesting or exciting part of the RIA model. You can get some of that within the BD world, but to me, when an advisor’s business becomes more sophisticated as far as what their end client’s needs are, it tends to translate better to the RIA world than the BD world. Not to say there aren’t ultra-high net worth focused advisors at BDs, but because of that additional flexibility, autonomy, customization, et cetera, that speaks more RIA. So again, absolutely not down at all on the independent BDs because I think there’s a massive home for them. Josh, let me turn it back to you. I’m rambling now. Give me the pitch for an independent BD. What are the things that are misperceptions that people have? What are the advantages that an independent broker dealer like an LPL or a RayJ or a Cetera have over RIAs or over other models in general? Joshua Tomolak: Absolutely. And I’d say I’ve learned more over the last six years from some of your ramblings than most people learn in an MBA course, so keep doing what you’re doing. But it’s funny being in this position now, having spent so much time sort of selling against the IBD model within TD Ameritrade, but what I’ve learned is it’s a good home for everybody. And a lot of times the advisors that they’re entrepreneurial enough where they like having their name on the door, but they’re not so entrepreneurial where they want to build everything out themselves, that’s where the independent broker dealers absolutely kill it. Their economics have gotten to a point where they’re really competitive. They offer transition capital that isn’t even going to be comparable in the RIA space unless you’re selling a minority share of your business. And you mentioned LPL, or we could really list all of the major ones, there’s not a department that they don’t have. It could be as nuance as finding 403(b) payroll slots or it could be as mainstream as fixed income or setting up events. There are all kinds of really neat departments that these all under one roof independent broker dealers have invested in. And a lot of times they make an effort to make you very much aware of all of the support because most people don’t use it. So I would say for the advisors that are looking to get their improved Toyota Tundra, then you can get probably 70 or 80% of what you want within the independent broker-dealer world. And you can also keep 20 or 30% of the stuff, maybe more that you really liked at your previous firm. So I think that’s where it really shines. I sometimes call it an incremental change rather than a transformational change. But for many advisors, incremental is really good enough if you get to keep the familiarity of how you’ve been doing business for the last 20-some years, but you’re able to get net improvement on the things that were really bothering you. Louis Diamond: Well said. Something that I’ve seen that’s been… I guess this could be either pro or con depending upon the advisor, but with some broker dealers, letting an advisor co-brand with them or really having a real consumer-facing brand, whether it’s, “I’m a franchise owner with Ameriprise,” or, “I’m independent through Raymond James,” or, “Running my own practice through Wells Fargo FiNet,” or, “I’m independent with Northwestern Mutual.” There’s definitely some brand cache or brand familiarity with some of those firms that may or may not be the same if you’re in the RIA world. So I would agree there’s a lot to like about the independent BD world and there’s a fit for people that is absolutely better with independent BDs than on the RIA side. Even if some people would say RIA is better, we’re cleaner, I wouldn’t say that. To me, it’s all about what an advisor’s goals are and then matching that up with what these firms do. And there’s never a perfect option. I jokingly say, “If there was a perfect firm, we wouldn’t be in business.” Every firm has their advantages or disadvantages. And depending upon where an advisor’s coming from, their style of business, their pain points, that’ll match up really well with on firm or one type of firm or one model than the other. Let’s pivot a little bit to the RIA world. A lot of your comments have been more about advisors affiliating or joining RIAs, this whole supportive version of independence concept. But what about advisors who want to go and start their own RIA? Either they’re leaving a captive firm and taking the entrepreneurial route and starting their own firm, or they’re leaving an independent BD to go start their own RIA. What do you see as some of the biggest misconceptions that advisors have about that move? Joshua Tomolak: That’s probably my favorite topic because there are the most misconceptions I think in this space. Louis Diamond: I’d agree. Joshua Tomolak: And I would say there’s 9 out of 10 conversations that I have with advisors and teams, they start off with the launching an RIA in mind or at least RIA curious and they want to understand what’s out there. And probably less than half the time do these folks end up actually launching their own RIA, which is okay because the ones that do are massively successful and they know they’re dang sure that’s exactly what they want to do. I think it gets a little bit romanticized sometimes that they’ll say, “Oh, I’ll just give Schwab a call,” or, “I’ll just give the custodian a call,” as if they were shopping independent broker dealers. That’s fine. You can do that and they will help you, but there’s quite a bit more to think about. And it’s not, in my opinion, the same as evaluating independent broker dealers. If it’s all right, I was taught the four pillars of the RIA model. I can go through that with you really quickly. So the way to think about the RIA space is in four pieces. And shout out to a friend, Eli Suarez, that taught me this years ago. The first pillar… Thinking of four pillars on a bar stool, if you will. The first one being administration. And this is your compliance, this is setting up your ADV, your LLC, all of your business formation documents. The second piece being technology, what do you actually want to use? Because the benefits of the broker-dealer world and the supported independent world is they’ve already built it for you. They’ve already paid for it and scraped their knees building it. In this case, you have to. And for some people, that’s really exciting to source financial planning software and portfolio management software and your CRM and tax software, et cetera. For some people, it just sounds like a huge headache. The third pillar being custodians. I have them third because you want to make sure that the right custodian can integrate properly with the technology that you’ve sourced that you’re passionate about. And then ultimately transition. What does a transition really look like? What are my legal and regulatory requirements? How does this work? What are the timelines? Things of that nature. So I guess I would say in closing that if those four things are things that you really want to own, then you’re in a really good position to consider an RIA launch. What do you think, Louis? Louis Diamond: I think that’s a great framework to break it down. Not just be like, “Okay, I can tolerate that,” or, “My team can do it,” but I think you have to be pretty excited about rolling up your sleeves and customizing and doing it yourself because in our experience, there’s a nominal differential between the economics of running your own RIA versus affiliating with an RIA or going to an independent BD. All the extra work and responsibility, you’re not really going to make it up, at least on the front end, on a higher net payout. So it has to be more about what the model means to you and having a vision that you don’t think anyone else can accomplish other than yourself. And looking at that crazy ever-expanding Michael Kitces’ FinTech map and there’s 500 different logos on it and being like, “Yes, that’s what I want. I want to go through this. I want to pick the seven pieces of my tech stack that work for me,” rather than getting, “Here’s the tech stack, take a demo, you like it, you don’t like it, take it or leave it.” To me, the two biggest misconceptions people have about the RIA world is one, “I’m going to have to be a full-time chief compliance officer,” and just that compliance is this boogeyman, this terrible, scary thing. In some ways it is. But the reality is most, especially startup RIAs will fully outsource compliance to a firm or they’ll hire a compliance consultant or firms that are big enough even will hire a CCO or repurpose someone on their team to be CCO. But compliance is much more streamlined and simpler than BD compliance. And ultimately, it’s compliance that’s being built for your business rather than compliance that’s being built for a publicly traded multinational company that supports 20,000 financial advisors. So I think compliance is always a big misconception. It’s definitely what a lot of firms will pry upon when they’re saying like, “Oh, you’re going to own all the legal and regulatory requirements. You could, but it’s definitely not a requirement.” And then I think another one is folks sometimes underestimate and overestimate the operational burden and how much work it is to start an RIA. Sometimes people just… They’re perfect for the RIA world, that’s their goal, but they get stopped in their tracks. They don’t really know what to do. But what we’ve seen, we said it earlier with so many different outsourcing solutions and different service providers that have popped up, if you have the fire in your belly to go build something, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it by yourself. I mean, that’s what firms like ours do. The custodians are very helpful. On the flip side though, I have seen advisors chasing payouts say, “Hey, I’m just going to go start an RIA because I want to make another 1 to 3%,” or whatever it comes to and they drastically underestimate what it really takes to build a successful firm. Joshua Tomolak: Exactly right. I think that’s my favorite one, Louis, overestimating and estimating the operational burden there is you could have the same conversation with two teams and it can go the completely different direction. Louis Diamond: Josh, let’s wrap here. I got one more question for you that I think is an exciting one, but give me three key trends or storylines that most people don’t know about or aren’t talking about that you’re passionate about or that you’re sharing with advisors or counseling today. Joshua Tomolak: Sure. This is the free advice portion. And I’ll tell you what, Louis, if it’s all right with you, I’ll give you two and I would love to hear one from you as well. The first one I’ve seen in both the independent broker-dealer and RIA space is the minority investor concept. A lot of folks will talk about the idea of taking chips off a table and starting to partially monetize your business. I think that’s all important, but what I’ve found is that a lot of advisors really want their partner, whether it’s an RIA broker dealer to help them grow. And that could be with M&A opportunities, that could be with traditional recruitment of advisors, that could be building a business plan. But the minority investment part really helps accelerate that for a lot of businesses because all of a sudden, not only are you cashing out a small part of your business, but you’ve just created an ally with the parent entity, it is now much more likely to help you grow in that capacity because they’re insulated from it and they profit when you profit. So I think it’s easy to be shortsighted and say, “Well, my equity’s going to keep growing. Why would I sell you a piece of this?” But I counsel folks often to really think about what that long-term strategic partnership is and making somebody a real equity partner rather than just a vendor that provides you with technology and regulatory coverage. The other one I’d say is that… And this one’s really important to me, that business formation is far more important than your assets under management. Said a different way, the way you build your business is going to make your business far more valuable than the number of dollars underneath your name. And what I mean by that is, just to use an example, a sophisticated, well-built, centralized, scalable and repeatable business, whether it’s an RIA with a broker-dealer that is going to fetch a far higher M&A multiple than a OSJ that’s five times the size that just has a bunch of 1099 independent advisors underneath the umbrella. What we’ve seen in the M&A space is that if you’re going to shell out 50, 60, $80 million for somebody’s business, you want to know that you have this business for the long term. So I would certainly counsel people that have been around maybe far longer than me to take a look at how you’re building this and put together a business plan on what those next 10 years should look like and not necessarily fall into the trap where your only revenue source is the override that you receive from a firm and then you in turn pay to the advisors on your team. Louis Diamond: Well said. I really like that line. We’d probably do a whole episode on what are the tips and tricks for building a business with the end in mind? Like the Covey quote, “Begin with the end in mind.” Transitions are like… They’re a bear. I mean, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. Advisors, when they hear transition, if you ask them, “Don’t think about it, give me your reaction.” “Terrible, risky, a lot of work. I’ll never do it again. My friend did it and it was terrible. What if my clients don’t come?” It’s all these negative emotions. And in many cases, I don’t blame an advisor because it is a big act. But to me, if someone is weighing making a transition, whether a wholesale business model change going from being an employee to being independent, going from being an advisor at an independent BD to starting an RIA, or even going independent BD to independent BD, it’s an opportunity if you rise to the occasion to build with this next act with intentionality. So whether it’s restructuring compensation for your team, converting people from 1099 to W2, putting in place new workflows, changing how investments, instead of it being each individual advisor doing investments to more of a centralized model, cleaning up workflows, really investing in data, investing in AI. It’s something that I think, again, we can have a whole episode on it, but I think it’s a great one. Build the business the right way. And obviously, businesses that are larger, theoretically, sell for more, but we’ve certainly seen businesses that are half the size of a larger one sell for a similar amount or more because they did all the right things and the larger one did the things that really turn off a buyer or detract from a valuation. Let me give you one more and tell me if you agree, but I think we’re in this moment when Altruist, the upstart, a new kid on the block custodian, they launched a basically tokenization of cash in a way to automatically agentically source or sort cash to the highest yielding money market. And you’re like, “This is fricking wonky. Louis, why are you telling us this?” I think this is an important one just to keep a watchful eye on. I have no idea how this is going to shake out, but really the biggest way that independent BDs or even custodians like Schwab and Fidelity really make money, it’s not on their overrides from practices or the admin fee or the custody fee. It’s really on net interest margin. So how much the broker-dealer or the firm is making on client cash and brokerage accounts relative to what they’re paying out the client. It’s essentially like free margin to these firms. And this concept, I think, has massive potential for disruption for the business model. Again, I don’t know what it’s going to look like, whether it means platform fees that are instituted at all these firms, whether it means certain models would be more beneficial than others, whether it means nothing’s going to change, which is probably the right answer given this industry. But it’s something to keep a watchful eye on just if your firm institutes a new platform fee or there’s a fundamental way in which your firm can no longer make money. How are they going to make it up? Are they now going to be uncompetitive? They’re not going to have as much scale or profits to invest in the platform. Is it going to cause even more consolidation in the industry? So to me, that’s the one pretty under the radar, pretty wonky storyline that I don’t think enough people are talking about, but has the biggest possibility for disruption across their space than anything I’ve seen in a while. Joshua Tomolak: Sure. That’s the whole iceberg. Not a lot of people are talking about it. It’s not poking out of the ocean, but it’s going to be continuously brought up. I think it’s a question that a lot of advisors are going to have to ask these firms. And at the end of the day, the firms aren’t the bad guys. They have to make money too to provide a quality product. So where the money comes from matters. Louis Diamond: Exactly. Josh, this has been awesome. I learned a lot talking with you and just having your objective consulting hat on what I think are really the differences between IBD and RIA and some of the key trends and storylines to watch has been instrumental. I’ll also give a plug that on our website and we’ll link to it in the show notes, we have a really helpful one-page reference guide going through the differences between independent BDs or IBDs and RIAs. So feel free to click on it. We’ll make sure it gets in your inbox. Josh, thanks again for joining us today. Joshua Tomolak: Yeah, thanks for having me, Louis. It was a pleasure. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty, and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibilities seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I stay or Should I Go? is a book written with you in mind. It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook. IBD vs. RIA: A Special Industry Update on Independence A conversation with Louis Diamond and Josh Tomolak, Vice President of Independent Advisor Services at Diamond Consultants.      Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is IBD vs. RIA: A Special Industry Update on Independence. It’s a conversation with Josh Tomolak, our Vice President of Independent Advisor Services. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: For a long time, going independent would suggest the destination. Today, it’s often the beginning of a different conversation. As the independent space has matured, advisors have more choices than ever before. Broker-dealers have expanded their capabilities. The RIA ecosystem has become increasingly sophisticated. Capital is more readily available and support models now exist that would’ve been difficult to imagine a decade ago. The result is that many advisors who are already independent are taking a fresh look at whether their current affiliation still aligns with what they’re trying to build. My guest is Josh Tomolak, Vice President of Independent Advisor Services here at Diamond Consultants and our resident expert on independence. Josh spends his days helping advisors evaluate independence in all its forms from independent broker dealers, the fully independent RIAs and everything in between. And his knowledge is critical because the distinction between these models is often blurred. Many broker dealers now offer pathways to greater autonomy while supported independence has made RIA ownership more accessible than ever before. So the question is no longer simply, “Do I want to go independent?” The question is, “What kind of independence makes the most sense for client, business, and go

The Home Upgrades That Cost Sellers Thousands and Your questions answered!

Episode 308 - Silence of the Senses What if the noise around us is keeping us from hearing the voice of God within us? In this episode, the friars begin a new series on holy silence, starting with the silence of the senses. They reflect on how our eyes, ears, taste, touch, and even smell are gifts from God, ways we encounter beauty, creation, and one another, but also how easily these senses can become overwhelmed, distracted, or pulled out of order. This conversation is not about rejecting the world or shutting everything off. It is about learning custody of the senses: allowing the Holy Spirit to bring stillness, freedom, and right order to the ways we see, hear, taste, touch, and receive the world around us. The friars invite us to consider where our senses may need healing, discipline, or purification, not so we can love less, but so we can love more deeply and become more available to God. Join us as we learn to quiet the noise, receive the gift of our senses rightly, and make more room for the silence where God speaks. The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

July 28th, 2026 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X Listen to past episodes on The Ticket’s Website And follow The Ticket Top 10 on Apple, Spotify or Amazon MusicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—the set of episodes I personally return to the most when I'm stuck and need something true to lean on. This one with Ryan Holiday is high on that list. I've gone back to it multiple times this year alone. Ryan is a legend—author, media strategist, New York Times bestselling writer, and the person who brought Stoic philosophy into popular culture for a generation of creatives and entrepreneurs. This conversation is from 2017, before he'd fully hit the stride we know him for now. He'd already published something like six books in five years. He was already a force. And yet you can hear, in this episode, exactly where his work was headed. What stands out isn't just marketing tactics. It's framing. Good marketing isn't only writing good copy or taking a nice product photo. It's making work that starts a discussion. It's asking better questions before you begin. And it's using your own mindset—perception, action, will—to keep going when the creative path gets hard. Those tools were spot on then. They're truer now. Nobody cares what you're thinking about doing. Talk about your ideas after you've started them and then show people what you've done. Summer School: Ryan Holiday on Stoicism, Marketing, and Creating Work That Lasts Ryan dropped out of college at 19 to work with Robert Greene, became director of marketing at American Apparel, and later built Brass Check, advising clients like Google, Tim Ferriss, and Tony Robbins. Then he did something that looked, on paper, like career suicide: he wrote Trust Me, I'm Lying—a book about how marketers, companies, and politicians manufacture and manipulate attention online. Instead of burning his marketing career down, it opened writing as a profession. He began identifying as a writer first—keeping a hand in marketing so he wouldn't only comment from the sidelines. That tension runs through the whole episode: how information spreads, what it means to compete for attention, and how to build work that doesn't disappear after the launch week. At the center is Perennial Seller—the art of making and marketing work that lasts. Not the fidget-spinner hit. Not the trend piece. The Original Pantry Cafe that never closes. The book that sells more copies year after year because it solves a real problem. The boot that gets better the longer you wear it. If you're a creator, entrepreneur, or leader trying to make something that matters—and survive the noise long enough for it to land—this episode is still one of the sharpest in the archive. What You'll Hear in This Episode Why Ryan left New York for a cattle ranch outside Austin—and how distance, physical work, and humility made him better at the cerebral work How Trust Me, I'm Lying mapped the attention economy years before "fake news" became a daily phrase Why modern marketing is less about perfect product shots and more about starting conversations A practical crash course in Stoicism: perception, action, and will Ego vs. confidence—and how to market without marketing to yourself Austin Kleon's line: you can't be the noun without doing the verb What makes a perennial seller—and why industries obsess over "new" while most of their money comes from what lasts The "other 50%": craft gets you in the door; packaging, positioning, relationships, and community finish the race Two questions before every project: Who is this for? What does this do for them? Three Stoic Disciplines for Creatives Ryan's version of Stoicism is deliberately practical. Not academic debate—the art of living. Philosophy for the role you're already in: photographer, founder, writer, leader. He walks through three disciplines: 1. Perception How do you look at the situation? Someone is rude. Your company is in trouble. Your work isn't getting seen. Do you decide it's unfair, impossible, purely negative—or do you look for what you can actually use? The Stoics' move: there's no inherent good or bad—there's how we look at things. We don't control most of what happens to us. We do control the last crucial part: what we tell ourselves it means. Marcus Aurelius did that work through writing—Meditations as a private practice of catching your own mind in the act. 2. Action Seeing differently isn't enough. What do you do with the information? Ryan's favorite cut: Casey Neistat telling someone pitching a business idea, essentially—don't tell me the idea. Tell me when you've started it, then show me what you've made. Thinking about running a marathon doesn't count. Starting does. This is the discipline that kills the fantasy. Ideas are cheap. Execution is the only proof. 3. Will How do you handle the moments when life kicks your ass and you can't reverse them? Ryan tells the Edison story: factory on fire, son shell-shocked, Edison telling him to get his mother—she'll never see a fire like this again. Even what you can't control can still transform you. Hardship is often the filter that keeps everyone who doesn't want it as badly as you do from finishing. If it were easy, there'd be more amateurs—and less value. Perennial Seller (and the Other 50%) The face-palm insight behind Perennial Seller: the New York Times bestseller list doesn't track perennial sellers—yet a huge share of publishing income comes from books that came out years or decades ago. Industry attention chases "new." Durable value often lives elsewhere. Ryan's frame for durable work is almost annoyingly clear: This is a blank that does blank for blank. Who is it for—really? Not "everyone" or "smart people." Actual humans. Where they live. What they do. What does it do for them? His editor's line: it's not what a book is—it's what a book does. Then comes Chase's "other 50%," which Ryan amplifies: making the thing is a marathon. Finishing it doesn't mean you've won. There's a second marathon waiting—marketing, packaging, relationships, platform, the bridge from your desk into someone else's life. "If you build it, they will come" has killed a lot of great work. You're not just competing with peers who launched this week. You're competing with time-tested work that already lives on Netflix, in bookstores, in cultural memory. Title, cover, logo, copy, collaborators—these aren't afterthoughts. They're part of the creative expression. Books have covers because people judge them. Your work does too. And if you're already hunting for shortcuts before you've started? That's a signal. Principles over formulas. The shortcuts get exploited the moment they work for everyone. Timecodes So You Can Jump Around 00:00 – Welcome and why this episode is part of Summer School 04:52 – Ryan Holiday joins; life on a ranch outside Austin 09:14 – From renegade marketer to writer: Trust Me, I'm Lying and how attention spreads 15:05 – Why marketing today means starting a discussion 16:58 – Stoicism as a practical art of living 21:54 – Discipline one: perception 25:34 – Discipline two: action (start it, then show it) 28:47 – Discipline three: will (Edison's fire and transforming hardship) 31:36 – Ego vs. confidence; marketing without marketing to yourself 37:01 – Fall in love with the verb, not the noun 40:14 – Perennial Seller: the art of making work that lasts 47:08 – "This is a blank that does blank for blank" 51:07 – Habits of people who make great work (editors, collaborators, objectivity) 54:47 – The other 50%: craft plus packaging, relationships, and community 01:04:35 – Frameworks: Who is this for? What does this do? 01:19:05 – Daily Stoic, memento mori, and closing thoughts Why This Conversation Still Matters In 2017, Ryan was already describing an attention landscape where your best work competes with cats, outrage, porn, fake news, and infinite other options in the feed. That landscape didn't calm down. It accelerated. What still cuts through is the opposite of trend-chasing: work built on timeless problems, principles that survive platform changes, and the humility to keep doing the verb while everyone else celebrates the noun. When I'm stuck—when the world feels noisy and my own next project feels either too precious or too thin—I come back to this episode for the same reminders: Control how you see it. Take action. Let the hard parts transform you. Ask who it's for and what it does. Don't confuse finishing the making with finishing the work. Fall in love with the craft more than the identity. And don't wait until you feel safe to do the honest version of the thing. That's why it's Summer School material. The platforms changed. The books multiplied. The stakes got louder. The questions held. Keep Going Deeper If this conversation resonates: Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts The Obstacle Is the Way Ego Is the Enemy Trust Me, I'm Lying Daily Stoic: dailystoic.com Ryan online: ryanholiday.net Follow Ryan: Website | X/Twitter | Facebook Questions to Reflect On Am I still stuck in "thinking about" the project—or have I started something I can show? Where am I treating a hard situation as a verdict, instead of as information I can act on? Am I marketing to an audience—or marketing to myself? Have I fallen in love with the noun (author, founder, photographer) more than the verb? If I had to fill in "This is a ___ that does ___ for ___," could I do it clearly—today? Where have I finished the making and abandoned the second marathon: positioning, packaging, relationships, community? Am I building on timeless problems—or on platforms and tactics that may not survive the next cycle? The Core Idea Work that lasts isn't the work that wins the news cycle. It's the work that keeps solving something real for someone specific—long after the launch adrenaline fades. Ryan's invitation in this conversation is both simple and demanding: sharpen your perception, take action before you announce, let difficulty refine you, kill the ego that wants applause without evidence, and build for durability instead of novelty. If there's one lesson worth carrying forward from this Summer School session, it's this: Make something that starts a conversation—and lasts long enough to deserve one.

In this episode, Parag from WebGility shares what he's observed in the profitability differences between six, seven, and eight-figure e-commerce sellers. Other than that, Parag also dives into SKU level economics, overlooked fees, and the best channels to expand to, to maximize profits. Accounting is one of the most boring things about e-commerce.  But it remains to be one of the most important parts of running an e-commerce business.  Because if you are only keeping an eye on your top-line revenue, you might be overlooking an important aspect of your profitability.  That's why in today's episode I'm joined by Parag Mamnani, the CEO of Webgility, where we talk about the most overlooked factors that affect profitability and what the biggest differences are between 6, and 8 figure sellers.  Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to seller profitability tiers 00:29 - WebGility's role in e-commerce bookkeeping 04:28 - Differences between WebGility and competitors 07:15 - Real-time SKU level data and AI integration 09:33 - Lessons from scaling from six to eight figures 11:02 - Emerging profitable channels beyond Amazon 13:22 - Channel expansion and complexity management 16:42 - Impact of AI and brand differentiation 18:28 - Transparency and competition on Amazon 21:38 - Revenue size and scaling challenges 24:32 - Thresholds for business sophistication 28:47 - Granular expense analysis for profitability 32:36 - WebGility's SKU-level reporting and support 34:51 - The importance of accountability in financial data 35:32 - Ideal customer profile for WebGility Resources WebGility - https://www.webgility.com Quiet Light Brokerage - https://quietlight.com The Exitpreneur - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Exitpreneur Want to hear more about Parag or Webgility? You can learn more about Parag through his linkedin page here, and through his company Webgility.  As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

The New Author Benchmark: Navigating Market Demand, Ethical AI, and Literary Authority with Wiebke TaschIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Wiebke Tasch, the Founder and CEO of Digital Authors, to examine the shifting economics of book publishing and personal authority in an AI-dominated digital landscape. Wiebke, a leading publishing strategist and book marketing pioneer, details how the initial deluge of unvetted, automated AI manuscripts is triggering widespread audience fatigue, opening a prime market window for genuine, human-driven non-fiction. This conversation provides a comprehensive, data-driven manual for founders, consultants, and industry experts who want to validate their literary concepts through empirical market research, maintain ethical writing standards, and leverage published authorship to dramatically shorten B2B sales cycles.The Modern Publishing Architecture: Market Analysis, Authentic Voice, and Multi-Channel Authority GenerationThe rapid influx of automated AI book generators has flooded self-publishing platforms with generic, formulaic content, causing savvy modern readers and B2B buyers to actively filter out superficial text in search of authentic human expertise. Wiebke Tasch explains that while AI tools can assist with basic structural editing and grammar optimization, using automated text generators to write a complete manuscript severely damages an author's professional brand and erodes buyer trust. True market differentiation is achieved when a founder conducts rigorous upfront data analysis—evaluating real search volume and audience demand before putting pen to paper—to ensure their book fills a proven market gap. By pairing empirical topic validation with a disciplined morning writing habit, experts can translate their authentic lived experience into a high-impact manuscript that commands immediate authority.Positioning a non-fiction book as a strategic business asset requires an intentional shift away from chasing vanity bestseller metrics toward engineering a long-term client acquisition engine. Rather than viewing publication as a single, isolated product launch, successful executives utilize their book as a premium business card that warms up cold prospects, justifies elevated service fees, and validates their core operational frameworks. When a well-crafted book is integrated into backend lead-generation sequences, it handles the heavy lifting of prospect education, turning distant leads into high-intent inbound inquiries. This literary foundation serves as a permanent media asset that continues to yield high-tier speaking engagements, executive consulting contracts, and media coverage long after its initial release.Furthermore, sustaining long-term market dominance demands that authors combine their published works with proactive, high-trust media distribution strategies like targeted podcast guesting. Participating as a guest on relevant, vetted podcasts allows an author to speak directly to target audiences, shortening the trust building process and introducing their book to pre-sold listeners. Rather than relying on generic, mass-pitching outreach tools, published experts must seek out high-alignment shows that match their specific authority level and professional niche. When rigorous market research, authentic storytelling, ethical AI editing, and strategic podcast guesting are synthesized into a single corporate playbook, an enterprise successfully removes customer acquisition friction, builds absolute market credibility, and predictably multiplies its brand equity.About Wiebke TaschWiebke Tasch is the Founder and CEO of Digital Authors, a prominent publishing strategist, and an expert in non-fiction book marketing and authority positioning. Drawing from an extensive background in digital media, author coaching, and market trend analysis, Wiebke specializes in helping founders, executives, and subject matter experts write, publish, and scale impactful books. She is a recognized thought leader focused on helping authors navigate the evolving publishing landscape, avoid AI content traps, and leverage published books to grow their core enterprises.About Digital AuthorsDigital Authors is an elite publishing consulting agency and author advisory firm engineered to help business leaders, consultants, and experts write and publish high-converting non-fiction books. The company specializes in delivering data-driven market validation audits, manuscript structuring frameworks, ethical AI-editing playbooks, and strategic launch marketing systems. Through tailored 30-to-45-minute market analysis sessions and comprehensive publishing support, Digital Authors enables executives to remove writing bottlenecks, build authentic brand authority, and maximize enterprise valuation.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeDigital Authors Official Website: digital-authors.comWiebke Tasch on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wiebke-taschKey Episode HighlightsThe Post-AI Publishing Shift: Why reader fatigue with automated "AI slop" is creating an unprecedented market opportunity for authentic, expert-driven non-fiction.Empirical Market Idea Validation: Utilizing software data audits and keyword analysis to verify reader demand before writing a single manuscript page.Ethical AI Editing Frameworks: Leveraging tools like Grammarly and Claude strictly for structural polishing while preserving authentic human voice.The Book as a B2B Sales Engine: Utilizing published authorship to shorten sales cycles, justify premium service pricing, and convert cold prospects into warm inbound leads.The Morning Writing Ritual: Implementing simple, intention-driven morning writing sessions to eliminate writer's block and build consistent manuscript momentum.ConclusionThe conversation with Wiebke Tasch underscores that building lasting authority through authorship requires an intentional balance of empirical market research, authentic human perspective, and strategic media distribution. By standardizing internal content workflows, validating literary demand before writing, and leveraging published works to fuel ongoing podcast outreach, business leaders can transform their specialized knowledge into a highly structured, self-sustaining brand asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

What is half of thirteen? Stop. Answer it. Don't think ahead, just answer. You said 6.5. I know you did, because everyone does. Nobody chose to answer that question. Your brain solved it before you decided whether you even wanted to play along. That's the power of a question: whoever hears it cannot stop themselves from answering. Ask a person something and their mind starts working on it right away, whether they wanted to or not.  If you gave that answer on a math test, it would get ‌marked as correct. Give that same answer on a test of innovation, and you're average, because that's where everyone stops. Push beyond the obvious answer, and that's what puts you top of the class. Here's the version of the question that changes everything: How many ways could you answer "what is half of thirteen?" Sit with that for a second, because the honest reaction most people have is mild panic. There's the obvious one. Then what? Split the number down the middle and you get a 1 and a 3. Split the word into syllables and you get "thir" and "teen." Every one of those is a real answer. None of them occurred to you the first time, because the first time, your brain wasn't looking for options. It was looking for an answer to the question. I've run this exercise for years in my Innovation Boot Camp and the Innovation Essentials Workshop. One professor who uses my book in their class now opens every semester of her course with it. The class brainstorms as many answers to the question as possible. The record so far is thirty two different ways to answer that one question. And remember, asked the first way, that same question only gives you one answer. This isn't just a classroom trick. Researchers have measured this exact mental muscle since the 1960s, asking people how many uses they could find for a brick. Some people list four. Some list forty. The gap between those two people has nothing to do with intelligence. It's whether their mind treats the first answer as the end of the search or the beginning of one. Practice Exercise: Take one recurring question: a decision at work, a plan for the weekend, even "what should I make for dinner." Before you settle for the obvious answer, ask "how many ways could I answer this?" and write down at least ten. Not ten good ones, just ten. See where the eleventh one takes you. This part 1 of a three-part series on how to use questions as the skill behind better thinking, better ideas, and better innovation. Next week, we get into what actually separates an average question from a great one.   

Victor V. Gurbo is a roots revivalist singer-songwriter whose work blends folk, blues, and Americana into a sound that feels both timeless and contemporary. Backed by a four-piece band, he delivers original songs anchored in storytelling and driven by raw, rhythmic energy. His music draws inspiration from the canon of American song and poetry while maintaining a distinct, contemporary voice. Whether performing in intimate venues or on larger stages, Gurbo brings an unfiltered intensity to his work. With a deep respect for tradition and a forward-looking approach, he continues to carve out a unique space within today's Americana landscape.

Join our crew as they dish out the latest news and rumors. Be sure to stay in the know and up to date on all things Disney and much more!  Follow us on all our social media accounts on Facebook and on Twitter at @Mousecapadespod. Thinking about being a guest on our show, or have a question or comment? Contact us anytime via text or phone at 636-373-4497. Have a magical day! 

What should be the role for Javier? In last night's relief appearance for the 'Stros: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 0 BB. DECISONS to make for Espada & GM Dana Brown, Astros fans!!

Every day, Christians encounter ideas through conversations, entertainment, social media, education, and the surrounding culture. Some ideas are true, while others are misleading. Many false ideas are especially dangerous because they initially sound reasonable and persuasive. For more from Contending for the Word Q&A, please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-qa/

Thinking about starting a podcast? Start here.Today Jaci and Chelsey pull back the curtain on what podcasting is really like, how it's evolved, and everything they've learned over the years. They share what things were like before joining the Dear Media network and hiring editors–plus whether you even need an editor at all. They discuss how to keep a podcast sustainable when you're doing it solo and avoid burnout. They also answer hard questions like where does the revenue come from and why they are so picky about sponsors. !!! TIMECODES !!!CATCH UP: 0:08PODCASTING: 19:37// WHAT WE ARE WEARING/MENTIONING // https://shopmy.us/shop/whatwesaidpodcast SHOP OUR MERCH: https://shop.dearmedia.com/collections/what-we-said !!! FOLLOW US !!!INSTA: @WHATWESAID, @JACIMARIESMITH, @CHELSEYJADECURTISTIKTOK: @CHELSEYJADECURTIS, @JACIMARIESMITHYOUTUBE: WATCH WHAT WE SAID, CHELSEY JADE, JACI MARIE// SPONSORS //Dunkin': Head to Dunkin' today and find your favorite Refresher!Lululemon: Go to lululemon.com right now. New styles drop all the time and the colors go fast, so don't wait. And if something doesn't work for you, free returns, always. Ritual: Save 25% on your first month at Ritual.com/WHATWESAID. Honest: Shop Honest on Amazon, Walmart and Target. Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.Rocket Money: Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at rocketmoney.com/WHATWESAID. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A "woke" movie has riled the Right Wing! We talk about "The Odyssey" and much more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Here’s what Jesus didn’t say – “Only a select few, super spiritual will hear my voice.” No, he said, “My sheep listen to my voice.” Jesus calls himself our Good Shepherd. What does that mean? In ancient Israel, a shepherd wasn’t just the owner of sheep – a shepherd was the one who lived with the sheep. His entire life was dedicated to his sheep. He slept near them at night. He protected them from danger. He led them to green pastures to eat and water to drink. The shepherd of this day knew each one of sheep individually. He knew which one was stubborn. He knew which one was prone to wander. He knew which one would lollygag and get lost. He also knew the dillydallyer that would inevitably get stuck in a ditch somewhere. A shepherd wasn’t like a cattle rancher driving a herd from behind. A shepherd led from the front and the sheep followed him. My friends, THAT’S OUR JESUS. He could have called himself anything. He could have called himself the General of the Army of followers. He could have called himself King. He could have given himself a crown of immeasurable value. But instead, he chose to be a shepherd to his sheep. To lovingly stay close. Shepherds in Jesus’ day would often bring their sheep into a communal sheep pen at night. Several flocks would be together in one place with one gatekeeper watching over them. The next morning multiple shepherds would come to collect their sheep. There weren’t separate sections. They weren’t color coded. The shepherd simply called his sheep. And his sheep got up and followed him. The others didn’t move. Can you imagine the noise? Hundreds of sheep. Multiple shepherds calling out. Yet somehow each sheep knew which voice belonged to the one they trusted. They knew because they had heard it thousands of times before. They learned their shepherd’s tone, their shepherd’s call, their shepherd’s character. Their shepherd wasn’t a stranger to them – the other voices were. A shepherd would continaully speak to his flock while leading them. He wanted his sheep to know his voice so if they wandered, they would return. A study was once done testing a flock of sheep to see how they recognized their own shepherd above anyone else trying to lead them. Thinking perhaps it was the scent of their clothes or their appearance, they dressed another man in the shepherd’s clothing and had him call to the flock of sheep. They would not listen. But their own shepherd, in completely different clothing could call out, and all the sheep would come running to his side. There was one thing they recognized – one thing they followed – HIS VOICE. Jesus doesn’t say his sheep will always make the right decisions. Sheep are generally rather ignorant and they continually get themselves into perdicaments where only their shepherd can rescue them. But what matters is his sheep know his voice. They know when he calls. They know when he directs. But I know the question we all have – DO I REALLY HEAR GOD’S VOICE? Am I good enough to know when it’s him guiding me? The sheep has no qualification here. The sheep just naturally know. The work is of the shepherd. The sheep simply listen. And isn’t that our problem – sometimes we’re simply not listening. We live in a world that is so busy and loud that we can’t hear our shepherd. We’re so quick to turn to anyone and anything that might give us immediate answers. We’ll turn on a podcast, we’ll call a friend, we’ll look for a sign, we’ll seek anything for a little guidance, but we won’t get still. We won’t get quiet. We won’t just sit with our shepherd and be close. So we miss it. Can we hear him – YES. We are sheep and the one thing we have the ability to do is hear our Shepherd. We don’t have the ability to figure things out on our own. We don’t have the ability to navigate our own way. We don’t have the ability to fix or change things. But we have the ability to listen and hear the voice that guides us. But we often don’t because we’re won’t … We won’t be still. We won’t be quiet. We won’t wait for his voice. Here’s what we often do – “God please speak to me. Tell me what to do.” While God is saying, “Would you please just spend time with me?” When an audiable voice becomes more important than a close relationship, we’ve missed the point. The sheep weren’t just wanting the voice of their shepherd to make them feel more confident. The sheep wanted the closeness of their shepherd because it was their way of life! What if instead of asking God to speak to us, we begin by saying “God, I just want to draw near to you.” The goal isn’t to get better at hearing voices. The goal is to spend so much time with Jesus that you become familiar with him. When you’re familiar with him, you’ll know his ways. You’ll know his rhythm. And when he speaks, you will KNOW it’s him. Relationship produces recognition. Ask anyone who truly receives the promptings of the Lord and his clear directions and I guarantee you they have a RELATIONSHIP build from a foundation of TIME spent with God. When you spend time with the Shepherd, you become familiar with his voice and you won’t be fooled by other voices – including your own. Relationship changes our ability to recognize Him. Our Good Shepherd says in John 10:5, “My sheep will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” And that’s our problem. We’ve spent too much time with strange voices. We’ve wandered off into flocks we don’t belong in with shepherds who are not our own. So we’ve gotten confused. The voice of the world is no longer a stranger to us – it’s so familiar that we don’t run from it. Social media is loud. Our own voice of fear and shame and comparison has been listened to so often that it’s just normal for us to do the stupid stuff our own mind comes up with. We’ve crowded out the voice of our shepherd and that’s why we’re confused. So what do you do? TURN OFF THE NOISE. GET BACK TO YOUR SHEPHERD. Where do you find your shepherd? Verse 4 tells us, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” HE’S AHEAD OF YOU. Look forward. Don’t look back. Don’t wander in circles. He is in front of you, making a way, clearing the path for you. Wherever you’re walking today, Jesus has already been there. This isn’t about asking Jesus to hurry up and catch up with you – this is about looking up and seeing where he is in front of you. What if today we changed our prayers a bit. What if today we prayed, “Jesus, where are you already going? I simply want to follow you.” It’s never about the sheep charting their own way. Sheep aren’t bucketlist destination diving out there. They’re following where the shepherd leads and finding the most perfect green pastures along the way to enjoy. The shepherd was already going great places, the sheep simply had to follow. I assure you, Jesus, your Good Shepherd, is going to better places than you have ever imagined. His plans are higher, better and bigger than anything your human/slash/sheep mind could ever dream up. If you will just follow him, you’ll get to experience the most beautiful things this life has to offer. Jesus, where are you already going? I simply want to follow you. Are you already going over here to this new job opportunity – I want to follow you. If you have something else in mind, then Jesus I don’t want to wander off into fields of my own. I want to stay close to you. I’ve decided I’m just following Jesus. His voice is heard when I stay close. His voice is heard when I am still and quiet. When I stay close, I don’t have to wake up every morning worrying if the voice I’m hearing is my shepherd. If I’m close, then I know. But if I’ve been scrolling all night, watching countless videos, reading the posts of strangers, then I am confused. I’ve drawn close to strangers and their voices may be calling me. Girl, get yourself back to Jesus. Stay close to him. That is truly your answer. Shut out everything else. The sheep don’t follow because they understand everything. They follow because they trust the One who is speaking. We tend to put all the pressure on ourselves. What if I miss him? What if I make the wrong decision? What if I’m just making this up? All while Jesus is saying, “I’m a shepherd. This is what I do!” He knows how to lead sheep. He isn’t intimidated by stubborn sheep. He isn’t surprised by wandering sheep. He isn’t confused by lost sheep. That’s His specialty. The pressure isn’t on the sheep to become brilliant navigators. The pressure is off because we have a brilliant Shepherd. The shepherd is speaking to you. He’s calling you to just go where he goes. Decide now you simply want to follow your Shepherd. Friend, perhaps you’ve made hearing God’s voice far more complicated than Jesus ever intended. He didn’t say His sheep would have extraordinary wisdom. He didn’t say His sheep would never wander. He didn’t say His sheep would always make the right decisions. He simply said His sheep know His voice. If you’ve wandered, come back. If you’ve grown confused, come back. If you’ve filled your mind with stranger’s voices, come back. He’s not disappointed that you’re returning. He’s a Shepherd. This is what He does. He goes before you. He calls your name. He lovingly leads. And all He’s asking of you today is what sheep have always done—simply follow. Jesus, where are You already going? I simply want to follow You. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Beau Martonik sits down with Gregg Farrell of Tactacam, who's spent almost 15 years in the outdoor industry, a decade of it at First Lite before landing at Tactacam. Gregg walks through why he treats trail camera data almost like a science experiment before he ever locks in on one specific buck, why a big buck photo doesn't always mean a huntable deer, and why a $59 wind sensor might be a smarter buy than another camera. They also cover cold fronts, moon phase, battery life, and what's new in the Reveal 4.0 camera launching next month. 00:00:00 — Intro 00:01:43 — Gregg's Wisconsin whitetail roots and a decade at First Lite 00:06:33 — Breaking into the outdoor industry as a generalist 00:12:37 — Chasing whitetail “Mecca” and going whitetail crazy out west 00:16:59 — Why a trail camera is a tool, not a replacement for woodsmanship 00:20:38 — Data as “365-day hunting” and time-blocking family vs. hunting 00:36:07 — Thinking like a scientist: broad trends before one specific buck 00:49:59 — Cold fronts, pre-rut timing, and late-season food strategy 00:55:01 — Reveal app analytics, moon phase, and the hit list 01:02:29 — Battery life: instant vs. hybrid settings, lithiums vs. packs 01:14:01 — What's new in Reveal 4.0 01:27:47 — The new wind sensor and wrap-up Enter the Deer Camp Giveway! - ⁠⁠https://eastmeetswesthunt.com/pages/deer-camp-giveaway⁠⁠ Gregg's IG - https://www.instagram.com/gregg_farrell/ Reveal's IG - https://www.instagram.com/revealcellcam/ Tactacam website - https://www.tactacam.com/ Instagram:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@eastmeetswesthunt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@beau.martonik⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠East Meets West Outdoors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shop Hunting Gear and Apparel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eastmeetswesthunt.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: Beau Martonik - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQJon93sYfu9HUMKpCMps3w⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Partner Discounts and Affiliate Links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eastmeetswesthunt.com/partners⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Poncho Outdoors - Poncho Outdoors makes tough, sharp-looking, no-BS apparel for hardworking outdoorsmen who put in the time year-round. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ponchooutdoors.com/EASTMEETSWEST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to save $10 and free shipping Amazon Influencer Page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/beau.martonik⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're a woman leader looking to grow your career, build executive presence, increase your visibility at work, or develop your leadership skills, this episode is for you. I'm sharing four strategies my executive coaching clients are using right now to create career opportunities, establish thought leadership, strengthen their personal brand, and advance their careers—even in today's challenging environment. It's easy to find things that AREN'T working right now. And, to be fair, a lot of things truly are not working right now. However, navigating the world with a "nothing is working, why bother trying" attitude is going to harm you far more than help you. One of my most important jobs with my executive coaching clients is to help them determine and tap into what IS working. Right now, a number of my clients are exploring big questions like, "How do you find your power when it's easy to find evidence that power is systematically being taken away at every turn?" and "How do you maintain hope when you have so much evidence that people are deeply struggling right now?" As they dig into these questions, my clients are taking action and seeing results! In a sea of “everything is horrible and broken” voices, here are a few things my clients are doing that ARE working: Thinking and strategizing at a level above their current title Investing in their learning and growth for their long-term career trajectory Establishing their voice and expertise Creating visibility opportunities outside their current roles and teams You're not wrong that it's TOUGH out there right now. And… you still have the power to be seen, create opportunities, and open doors for yourself. In this episode, I'll share what's actually working, the real-life results my clients are getting, and what you can do today to feel a stronger sense of power and hope.  Links Mentioned: Early Bird Enrollment is open for my Aligned Leadership Incubator! Save $500 if you apply by July 31st: saradean.com/aligned Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Closing the Valuation Gap: Eliminating Founder Dependency and Engineering Autonomous Revenue Engines with Muriel TouatiIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Muriel Touati, the Founder and CEO of Exit 3D Studio and author of The Valuation Gap, to examine the systemic operational flaws that trap service-based founders in relentless daily execution. Muriel, an international business growth strategist and enterprise exit advisor, details how B2B agencies and professional service firms routinely cap their own equity and valuation multiples by relying on founder-driven sales, unwritten processes, and word-of-mouth client acquisition. This conversation delivers an essential strategic playbook for business owners looking to build predictable inbound lead pipelines, successfully delegate high-ticket sales closing, and transform an exhausting job into a highly scalable, autonomous corporate asset.The Asset Autonomous Paradigm: Systematizing Sales Delegation and Closing the Service Valuation GapThe fundamental constraint capping the valuation of most service-based companies is "founder dependency"—a condition where revenue generation, client retention, and daily fulfillment rely entirely on the personal network and physical hustle of the owner. When a founder remains the sole sales closer and primary problem-solver, the business operates with severe structural fragility, causing prospective buyers and private equity groups to heavily discount the firm's exit multiple. True enterprise value is unlocked when an owner systematically audits their daily involvement, identifies single points of failure, and implements standardized operating procedures (SOPs) that allow non-founder team members to run critical sales and delivery functions independently.Transitioning away from founder-led sales requires a disciplined, step-by-step framework for recruiting, onboarding, and handholding a dedicated sales closer until they consistently match or exceed the founder's conversion performance. Many business owners make the critical error of completely stepping away from the sales process too early, mistaking delegation for total abandonment without providing proper training. To build a predictable revenue engine, founders must join live sales calls alongside new closers, provide detailed post-call debriefs, and gradually transition deal ownership only after the representative demonstrates complete mastery of the company's sales playbook. Pairing this hands-on sales onboarding with an inbound content strategy that invites prospects into the brand's narrative—rather than relying on cold outreach or unpredictable referrals—ensures a steady stream of pre-sold, warm leads ready for the sales team to convert.Ultimately, preparing a service business for a lucrative exit requires closing "the valuation gap" long before an owner actively seeks a buyer or liquidity event. Because professional service firms lack traditional tangible assets, buyers evaluate the business based entirely on intangible strength: operational process maturity, team autonomy, client concentration metrics, and repeatable customer acquisition systems. Conducting routine "exit drills"—where the founder intentionally steps away for extended periods to test operational resilience—exposes hidden dependencies and allows leadership to refine backend workflows before entering negotiations. When an enterprise synthesizes predictable inbound lead generation, documented SOPs, and an autonomous sales infrastructure into a unified corporate architecture, it eliminates founder friction, maximizes profit margins, and secures premium market valuation.About Muriel TouatiMuriel Touati is the Founder and CEO of Exit 3D Studio, an international growth strategist, and the author of The Valuation Gap. Drawing from an extensive background building and scaling digital marketing enterprises and guiding B2B acquisitions across global markets, Muriel specializes in helping service business owners eliminate founder dependency. She is a dedicated exit strategy advisor focused on helping founders build predictable revenue engines, delegate high-stakes sales closing, and maximize enterprise equity.About Exit 3D StudioExit 3D Studio is an elite business growth and exit-readiness advisory firm engineered to help B2B service companies scale sustainably and increase market valuation. The firm specializes in delivering comprehensive founder-dependency audits, inbound sales pipeline engineering, sales team onboarding playbooks, and strategic SOP documentation frameworks. Through tailored growth blueprints and resources like The Valuation Gap, Exit 3D Studio enables professional service providers to remove operational scaling debt, build autonomous sales infrastructures, and execute high-value exit strategies.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeExit 3D Studio Official Website: exit3dstudio.comMuriel Touati on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/murieltouatiKey Episode HighlightsThe Founder Dependency Audit: Testing organizational vulnerability by taking extended breaks to identify which operational and sales functions break down without the owner.The Sales Closer Handholding Protocol: Implementing a step-by-step shadowing and debrief framework to safely delegate sales closing without risking conversion rates.Inbound Relationship Architecture: Transitioning away from cold outreach to publish narrative-driven content that attracts pre-sold, high-intent B2B prospects.Standardizing Intangible Assets: Documenting recurring operational workflows into clear SOPs to build enterprise value in service-based companies.Closing the Valuation Gap: Preparing for a business exit years in advance by diversifying revenue streams, eliminating key-person risk, and proving predictable growth.ConclusionThe conversation with Muriel Touati underscores that building a business capable of running without its founder is an intentional, step-by-step architecture rather than an unreachable ideal. By standardizing internal corporate governance, building a hands-on sales delegation pipeline, and focusing on the intangible assets that drive buyer demand, business leaders can transform an exhausting daily operation into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Get AudioBooks for Free Best Self-improvement Motivation Discipline Your Thinking | Motivational Speech Master your thoughts and unlock lasting success with this powerful motivational speech. Build mental discipline, stay focused, and transform your life today. ⁠We Need Your Love & Support ❤️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 3 Audiobooks Free -

Guest Dr. Melissa Hughes is a keynote speaker, author, and Human Potential Alchemist who helps people understand how the brain works so they can work, lead, and live better. With a doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction and decades of experience translating neuroscience into practical strategies, Melissa has become a trusted voice for organizations looking to improve leadership, communication, performance, and culture. She is the creator of the Cognitive Blueprint™, a neuroscience-based assessment that reveals how your brain naturally processes information, makes decisions, solves problems, and responds under pressure. Rather than labeling who you are, it helps you understand how your brain works so you can communicate more effectively, lead with greater intention, and perform at your best. Melissa is also the creator of Wired for Success, an online learning experience that combines neuroscience, live coaching, and practical tools to help participants build better habits, strengthen resilience, improve decision-making, and create lasting personal and professional change. Whether she's on stage, writing, or developing new learning experiences, Melissa's mission is simple: make neuroscience personal, practical, and powerful. Summary Melissa Hughes returns to the microphone to discuss her new Cognitive Blueprint, a neuroscience-based assessment designed to help people understand how their brains naturally think and behave—especially under pressure. Rather than categorizing personalities, the Cognitive Blueprint identifies "neuro efficiency patterns," or the thinking strategies our brains default to when stress and cortisol push us into survival mode. Melissa explains that these patterns develop over time through repeated experiences, learning, and reinforcement, making them adaptable rather than fixed. Drawing on her own tendency to generate endless ideas without always finishing projects, Melissa illustrates how recognizing our default thinking patterns allows us to interrupt unproductive habits before they take over. She describes how increased self-awareness re-engages the brain's prefrontal cortex, enabling better decision-making, planning, and collaboration. Jeff and Melissa explore how understanding these cognitive patterns can improve teamwork, leadership, communication, and even personal relationships. They also discuss the implications for education, arguing that schools often ignore the neuroscience of learning by expecting students to perform their best while under significant stress. Melissa contends that curiosity is one of the most powerful ways to build new neural pathways throughout life, helping people move beyond automatic thinking and develop greater cognitive flexibility. The conversation concludes with a broader discussion of happiness, success, and gratitude. Melissa challenges the traditional formula that hard work leads to success and then happiness, arguing instead that cultivating happiness first creates the neurological conditions that allow people to work harder, perform better, and ultimately achieve greater success. A key takeaway Our brains automatically fall back on well-established thinking patterns when we're under pressure, but those patterns are not permanent. By understanding how our brains naturally operate and approaching challenges with curiosity, we can interrupt unhelpful defaults, think more effectively, and work better with others. References / Links www.melissahughes.rocks Subscribe to receive Neuro Nugget The Cognitive Blueprint™ Wired For Success

What does it take to turn a childhood tradition into a platform with 1.5 billion views, without losing what made it real in the first place? In this episode of Winners Find A Way, Coach Trent M. Clark sits down with Michael and Matthew Gardiner, known as the Gardiner Brothers, five-time World Champion Irish dancers, global content creators, keynote speakers, and performers. Michael and Matthew were born in Denver to Irish parents and raised in Galway, Ireland, where their parents put them into Irish dancing to keep their culture alive. That decision became a full career: the brothers went on to become principal dancers with Riverdance, touring the world as lead performers. When the pandemic shut down live shows, they made a choice that changed everything. They started filming themselves dancing to unexpected music, from Michael Jackson to Eminem, and posted it online. That decision grew into a platform with over 9 million followers and 1.5 billion views, and eventually into their touring production, Unleashed, and a keynote and speaking business built around innovation and creativity. What stands out in this conversation is the system behind the art. Michael and Matthew break down their framework, "acting on beat, thinking offbeat": onbeat is your structure (your product, your goals, your process), and offbeat is the creative edge that turns good into great. Both brothers also hold degrees, Michael in architecture and Matthew in civil engineering, and they explain how that technical training shaped the systems now running their business. The conversation also moves into a topic every leader needs to think about right now: discernment, and why real, in-person experience is becoming more valuable as AI reshapes what audiences see online. This episode is a reminder that winners are not people who never face setbacks. Winners are the ones who learn, adjust, lead, and find a way. In This Episode, We Discuss: How a pandemic pause turned into a platform with 9+ million followers and 1.5 billion views The "acting on beat, thinking offbeat" system for building innovation into any business How Michael's architecture degree and Matthew's civil engineering degree shaped the systems behind Gardiner Brothers What it means to be a disruptor by combining things that "don't make sense" together Why discernment and real, in-person experience matter more as AI content grows Growing up as children of Irish immigrants in Denver, and what community and culture taught them about connection Key Takeaways ✨ Systems and creativity have to work together Michael and Matthew's "onbeat, offbeat" framework shows that structure alone will not make you innovative, and creativity alone will not scale. You need both, working in relationship with each other. ✨ Your background is never wasted An architecture degree and a civil engineering degree do not sound like tools for building a global content business. But Michael and Matthew show how that training gave them the systems thinking behind everything they do now. ✨ Discernment is a leadership skill, not just a talent As AI blurs the line between real and fake, knowing the difference between quality and mediocrity, or truth and noise, is becoming one of the most valuable things a leader can teach their team. ✨ Disruption comes from combining what doesn't seem to fit Irish dance and Smooth Criminal should not work together. That is exactly why it did. Innovation often starts by putting two things next to each other that nobody expected. Resources Mentioned Leading Winning Teams by Trent M. Clark: https://leadingwinningteams.trent-clark.com/bookrecording79 Connect with Michael & Matthew Gardiner Website: https://www.gardinerbrothers.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardinerbrothers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gardinerbrothers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardinerbrothers/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gardinerbrothers LinkedIn (Matthew): https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-gardiner-gardiner-brothers-6b2320296/ LinkedIn (Michael): https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gardiner-gardiner-brothers-54897b1ba/ LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/gardiner-brothers Connect with Trent M. Clark Trent M. Clark is the CEO of Leadershipity, President of EOS Michigan, global speaker, former Major League Baseball coach, and author of Leading Winning Teams. Website: https://www.trentmclark.com/ Leadershipity: https://www.leadershipity.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leadershipity LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrentMClark Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trentmclark/ Book: Leading Winning Teams — https://leadingwinningteams.trent-clark.com/bookrecording79 Listen & Subscribe Listen to Winners Find A Way every week on YouTube and all major podcast platforms for conversations with leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers who know what it means to overcome adversity and keep finding a way.  

Jia Jiang explains his four-step framework for making discipline and success easier.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The problem with hard discipline 2) How to make your goals feel easy and enjoyable 3) Two handy tips to defeat procrastinationSubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1170 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT JIA — Jia Jiang is an award-winning speaker, entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of Rejection Proof. As a keynote speaker, Jiang has spoken at corporate and industry events and in front of 400,000+ live audiences. His TED talk has millions of views and is ranked in the top 1% among all TED talks. Jiang is also the owner of Rejection Therapy, which helps people overcome their fear of rejection and develop mental resilience. His work has been featured in Time, CNN, Today, Business Insider, The Guardian, Wired, and more.• Book: Easy Discipline: An Unconventional Way to Achieve Ambitious Things• TED Talk: What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection | Jia Jiang | TED• Video series: 100 Days of Rejection Therapy• Substack: Easy Ambition— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Book: How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie• Book: Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz• Book: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath• YouTube: Caroline Girvan• Game: Slay the Spire II• Past episode: 016: Going for No with Andrea Waltz• Past episode: 1167: Mastering the Three Elements of Charisma with Olivia Fox Cabane— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod• Monarch. Get 50% off your first year with code AWESOME at Monarch.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Myth of Slow Healing Why Rapid Recovery Is Possible Featuring Dr. David Burns and Kevin Cornelius, LMFT Many people believe emotional healing takes months—or even years. Therapists are often trained to expect gradual progress, and patients may assume lasting change requires prolonged struggle. But what if that assumption is wrong? In this episode, Dr. David Burns challenges one of the most deeply entrenched beliefs in mental health: the idea that meaningful psychological recovery must happen slowly. Drawing from his recent Psychology Today article, The Myth of Slow Healing, Dr. Burns explains why rapid emotional change is not only possible—it may actually reflect how the human brain naturally works. Through powerful clinical stories, personal reflections, and decades of research, Dr. Burns describes how depression, anxiety, panic, shame, and hopelessness can sometimes disappear in a matter of minutes when people discover and challenge the distorted thoughts driving their suffering. What Inspired This Article? Dr. Burns begins by sharing a formative experience from his psychiatric residency in Philadelphia. As a young psychiatrist, he noticed something troubling: psychotherapy often seemed to continue indefinitely, yet measurable recovery was rarely discussed. Therapists relied heavily on intuition, but almost no one was systematically measuring whether patients were actually improving. A walk through Fairmount Park sparked an insight that would transform his career. Thinking about professional basketball players improving through constant feedback—seeing whether the ball goes through the hoop—he wondered: How can therapists improve if they never measure whether their sessions are helping? This question led him to become one of the earliest advocates for routine outcome measurement in psychotherapy, eventually helping shape the development of TEAM-CBT's session-by-session assessment system. The Importance of Measurement Dr. Burns discusses his early use of the Beck Depression Inventory and the surprising lessons it taught him. Again and again, he discovered that his assumptions about how patients felt were often wrong: Some patients appeared severely depressed but reported relatively mild symptoms. Others seemed cheerful and functional while scoring in the severe range. These experiences reinforced an important lesson: Therapists need data, not guesses. By measuring depression, anxiety, empathy, and therapeutic effectiveness during every session, therapists can receive the feedback necessary to improve their work and help patients more effectively. The Caveman Effect: Why the Brain Can Change Instantly One of the episode's most memorable concepts is what Dr. Burns calls the "Caveman Effect." Borrowing an illustration from neuroscientist Mark Noble, he describes a prehistoric human hearing a twig snap behind him at dusk. The caveman immediately thinks: "A tiger is behind me!" Instantly, fear surges. Then he turns around and discovers the sound came from his wife stepping on a branch. In that moment, his fear vanishes. Not gradually. Not over six months. Instantly. Dr. Burns argues that this illustrates a fundamental principle: Thoughts create emotions. When a frightening thought is believed, anxiety emerges. When that thought is no longer believed, anxiety disappears. This process can happen in seconds. Three Levels of "Shortness" Dr. Burns describes three different ways emotional healing can occur rapidly. 1. Therapy Can Be Brief Many patients experience dramatic improvements within a single two-hour session. Rather than expecting treatment to continue indefinitely, Dr. Burns often approaches therapy with the goal of achieving complete symptom remission as quickly as possible. 2. Breakthroughs Often Happen in Minutes Even within a session, the most important change frequently occurs during a short window—sometimes only a few minutes long. Once therapists identify the specific distorted thoughts maintaining the problem and apply an effective intervention, major shifts can happen quickly. 3. The Moment of Enlightenment The most dramatic change often occurs in a matter of seconds. This is the moment when someone suddenly sees: Their negative belief isn't true. They've been deceiving themselves. A different perspective is possible. When this realization occurs, emotions can shift almost instantly. Dr. Burns compares this experience to the caveman discovering there was never a tiger at all. Why People Resist the Idea of Rapid Recovery If rapid healing is possible, why do so many people reject the concept? Dr. Burns identifies several reasons: For Patients Many people have spent years struggling with depression or anxiety. The idea that change could happen quickly may sound unrealistic or even fraudulent. After repeated disappointments, hope itself can feel dangerous. For Therapists Rapid recovery also challenges many traditional assumptions about psychotherapy. It raises uncomfortable questions: Why aren't outcomes being measured? Why do some treatments continue for years without substantial change? What happens to a therapist's business model when patients recover quickly? Dr. Burns and Kevin discuss how financial incentives can sometimes unintentionally reinforce longer treatments, even when faster recovery may be possible. The Story of Terry: Ten Years of Panic Gone in One Session One of the episode's most powerful moments is Dr. Burns' retelling of Terry's story. Terry suffered from: Severe depression Crippling panic attacks Nearly ten years of unsuccessful treatment Her symptoms were extreme, with depression and anxiety scores among the highest Dr. Burns had ever seen. The key breakthrough came when he identified the specific thought driving her panic: "I'm about to have a heart attack." Using an experimental technique, Dr. Burns intentionally helped Terry induce panic symptoms in session. Then he challenged her catastrophic belief through direct experience. If she were truly having a heart attack: Could she jog in place? Could she exercise vigorously? Could she do jumping jacks? As Terry performed increasingly strenuous activity, she suddenly realized the absurdity of her belief. Then came the breakthrough moment. She laughed. The fear disappeared. And a decade of panic ended. The episode emphasizes that it was not the jumping jacks themselves that created recovery. It was the moment she stopped believing the distorted thought. Why Thoughts Matter Dr. Burns revisits three core principles of cognitive therapy: Principle 1 Your emotions result from your thoughts—not directly from events. Principle 2 The thoughts creating depression and anxiety are typically distorted. Common distortions include: All-or-nothing thinking Fortune telling Emotional reasoning Mind reading Self-blame Principle 3 The moment you stop believing a distorted thought, your emotions will change. This principle remains central to TEAM-CBT and forms the foundation for many rapid recoveries. Beyond Cognition: The Role of Motivation Later in the discussion, Dr. Burns explains that distorted thoughts are only part of the story. Another critical factor is motivation. People often have powerful reasons for holding onto painful feelings. Depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, and shame frequently reflect important personal values. For example: Perfectionism may reflect high standards. Guilt may reflect a strong conscience. Anxiety may reflect caring deeply about others. Rather than arguing patients out of their symptoms, TEAM-CBT often begins by exploring what those symptoms reveal about the person's strengths and values. Benny's Story: The Power of Acceptance To illustrate this paradoxical approach, Dr. Burns shares the story of Benny. Benny was: Suicidal Violent Deeply depressed Involved in gangs, drugs, and crime Rather than confronting Benny's hopelessness, Dr. Burns did something unexpected. He explored all the advantages of believing: "I'm a hopeless case." Together they listed the benefits: Status Power Money Protection Identity For the first time, Benny felt understood rather than judged. Then his defenses collapsed. He revealed a lifetime of hidden pain, including witnessing his grandfather's suicide and struggling with illiteracy. The story illustrates a central paradox of TEAM-CBT: People often change only after they feel completely accepted exactly as they are. What Dr. Burns Has Learned About Human Nature After decades of witnessing rapid recovery, Dr. Burns says one conclusion feels increasingly clear: Thoughts create emotions. Yet he also emphasizes a deeper question: Why do some people generate so many painful thoughts in the first place? His answer increasingly involves: Core values Motivation Human meaning Personal strengths that become exaggerated Understanding both cognition and motivation has become essential to creating lasting change. Key Takeaways Emotional healing does not require months or years. The brain is capable of extraordinarily rapid change. Thoughts—not events themselves—create emotions. Distorted thoughts fuel depression and anxiety. When distorted thoughts lose their credibility, emotions often change immediately. Measurement and feedback are critical to effective therapy. Motivation and personal values play a major role in emotional suffering. Acceptance often creates more change than persuasion. Recovery can happen much faster than most people realize. Resources Mentioned Feeling Good by David D. Burns Intensive Therapy at Feeling Good Institute The Psychology Today article: The Myth of Slow Healing The video demonstration of Terry's panic attack treatment Coming Next Episode Dr. Burns and Kevin continue the conversation with a fascinating discussion of: "Grandma's Snake Phobia: The Real Cause of Her Anxiety" You'll learn about the Hidden Emotion Model and discover why the apparent cause of anxiety is sometimes very different from the true cause. We'd Love Your Feedback Your feedback helps shape future episodes. Please take a moment to complete the brief listener survey linked here. It takes less than two minutes and provides invaluable guidance for improving the podcast and helping more people learn these powerful tools for recovery. Contact Information Kevin Cornelius, LMFT is a Level 5 Certified Master TEAM-CBT Therapist and Trainer and the Clinical Director of Feeling Good Institute--Silicon Valley. He specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship problems and insomnia. You can reach Kevin at kevin@feelinggoodinstitute.com and visit his website at www.tools4change.me. You can reach Dr. Burns at david@feelinggood.com. Feeling down in these turbulent times? Take a ride on our Feeling Great app. Feeling Great feels wonderful! You owe it to yourself to feel GREAT! Give the Greatest Gifts of ALL--Love and Happiness!

Men, Sir InQ has a message for you: your hard d*ck may be trying to ruin your life.

One client reclaimed 15% of their lapsing donors and added $200,000 by year-end. No new campaigns. No bigger team. Just a stewardship system running quietly in the background. Rachel Bearbower built it.As founder of the Nonprofit Automation Agency, Rachel has helped clients climb from 35% to 50% donor retention in a single year, recover nearly $20,000 in lapsed gifts in 90 days, and hand 20+ hours a month back to overstretched teams — all without losing the human touch.

“Exceeding great and precious promises.” — 2 Peter 1:4 If you would know experimentally the preciousness of the promises, and enjoy them in your own heart, meditate much upon them. There are promises which are like grapes in the wine-press; if you will tread them the juice will flow. Thinking over the hallowed words will […]