Podcast appearances and mentions of Thomas Edison

Our guest this time is Vanessa Womack who now lives in Richmond, VA. Vanessa grew up in Virginia, but moved to New York to attend college. After college she worked in the publishing world at McGraw Hill for five years. Wait until you hear what she sold for them, something that is today a relic, but I am not giving it away.   Vanessa clearly had a bit of the wanderlust bug as she eventually moved to California for jobs, then moved back to New York for a brief time and eventually settled down in Richmond.   In her life she has created and published several courses on DEI and Leadership. Also, she has written several books. She has worked for a number of nonprofit organizations and clearly has a passion for breaking through culture and inclusion barriers to help people realize much about themselves as well as others.     About the Guest:   Vanessa Womack is a facilitator in leadership, governance, DEI, soft skills, and team dynamics. As an experienced course designer, she developed the successful LinkedIn Learning course “Managing A Diverse Team” which launched in 2018 and has accumulated over 100,000 global learners. In addition to the course, Vanessa publishes a monthly newsletter entitled Pass It On, about diversity, leadership, and education on LinkedIn. She wrote the audio course on Listenable, “Practicing DEI Can Improve Organizational Culture”, launched in 2020. She completed a certificate for training from the University of South Florida – MUMA School of Business for DEI in the Workplace.   She has recently taken a contract position of DEI Coordinator for the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, which is part of the Cluster Accelerator for Advanced Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing (APRM) and Activation Capital. The APRM was launched to fast-track the development of a globally competitive essential medicines manufacturing hub across Central Virginia. The DEI Coordinator will be responsible for driving region-wide DEI strategy to support an inclusive culture for life sciences as part of the DEI plan component of the Build Back Better Regional Competition grant award from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA).   Other experiences include being BoardSource Certified Governance Consultant; Lead Faculty-Area Chair in the School of Business at the University of Phoenix former local campus in Richmond, VA; coaching and facilitating career transitioning clients for future jobs and entrepreneurship; public speaker and radio show host, On Track with Vanessa Womack. Earlier in her career, after being an actual marrow donor, she became the local spokesperson in Virginia for the National Marrow Donor Program (now Be the Match) recruiting and promoting the marrow registry in Black communities. She has facilitated community dialogue through Initiatives of Change/Hope in the Cities' presentation, Unpacking 2010 Census: The Realities of Race, Class, and Jurisdiction.   Vanessa earned her undergraduate degree from Baruch College (CUNY) and MBA from Averett University, (Danville, VA). She is a member of Leadership Metro Richmond (LQ 2006) in Richmond, Virginia.   Vanessa has published two multicultural STEM children's books, ‘Bookie and Lil Ray: In the Game' (2021) and ‘Emerald Jones: The Fashion Designer Diva' (2020). She is the author of the novel, ‘Paint the Sky Purple' (2010) and co-author, ‘The Female CEO: Pearls, Power & Passion' (2014).           About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.     Michael Hingson  01:21 Welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset mindset. If I could talk I'd be in wonderful shape. Please forgive me. Today, we get to meet Vanessa Womack, who is a facilitator and leadership, governance, diversity, equity and encourage inclusion and a lot of other kinds of things. And I don't want to give it all away because she's going to be able to tell her story much better than I do. Isn't that usually the way of it? Vanessa, thanks very much for being here. And welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Vanessa Womack  01:50 Well, thanks, Michael, for this opportunity to be here. And now we tried this once but, you know, technical glitches happen. So we're doing it again. Good to see you.   Michael Hingson  02:01 Well, it's good to see you. And yeah, technology happens. And so we do what we do, but glad we're here. So, lots to get to of course, but I'd like to start as usual. Tell me a little bit about you growing up and kind of where you came from, and all that kind of stuff.   Vanessa Womack  02:17 And okay, well, let's see now. I grew up the in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a small city called Danville, Virginia. Where I grew up in a household I was, well, if you look at the, I guess the placement, I am the middle girl or middles girl of three, and I have a brother so and household with mom and dad, pretty typical, and not poor neighborhood. But we had such great values, Christian values, and we were very active in the community, finish high school there. And then started my first year at an HBCU, Tennessee State University. But I became what can I say? Not bored but adventurous and moved to New York City to finish my education at CUNY City University in New York Baruch College, and began my career mostly at corporate New York. My first job in New York was at McGraw Hill publishing company. And after that, I had many other jobs. Say, if you want to ask me about those pretty adventuresome.   Michael Hingson  03:54 Yeah, you've been involved in a lot of different things. Needless to say, well, so you said you started with McGraw Hill. What did you do there?   Vanessa Womack  04:02 I was in the classified not to give my age away. But yes, I am a. We've talked   Michael Hingson  04:09 about this before he asked   Vanessa Womack  04:10 me did I am a boomer. But I started in classified advertising in the early mid 70s, mid 70s, where I did the clippings for some of the magazines like chemical engineering business week. And I did that for a couple of years and then promoted to public affairs where I actually was the editor of the McGraw Hill directory, the worldwide directory, putting that together and even had opportunities to conduct tours in Rockefeller Center. When I was in public affairs, I would do tours for groups that would come in To visit McGraw Hill and the surrounding buildings, take them through the tunnels at Radio City Music Hall. Oh, yes. And one of the groups I remember either educators or students or even some on foreign visitors. There was even a group I hate to say that now I'm not going to hate to say it, but from Russia. So it was exciting to do that. And after that, I was at Saks Fifth Avenue. I even worked at the NFL and water publisher services.   Michael Hingson  05:43 So where you were in New York, did you ever eat at Hurley saloon?   Vanessa Womack  05:50 Yes, I think we talked about that. Yeah, yes. I think I had a drink there.   Michael Hingson  05:57 I'll never, I'll never forget one of the stories that I heard about Hurley's. They leased the Hurley brothers leased the building in the 1890s. And they had 100 year lease. And then when Rockefeller Center was being built, they wanted to buy out Hurley's and her least didn't want to sell. And that's why there's this little four story building on one corner of all of that, but all of the reporters like the NBC reporters who worked in, dealt through Rockefeller Center and BC, would go down there and somehow they connected a phone line and a phone from the newsrooms to a phone behind the bar at Hurley's and so they could be down at the bar and then come A call came in then somebody would get the reporters or whatever, and they get the calls and go to what they needed to do. But they could spend their time in hurleys. Ah, people are creative.   Vanessa Womack  06:56 Yes, yes, we are.   Michael Hingson  06:59 Well, and we talked, and we talked about, of course, talking about classifies I mentioned Conde Nast. And you know, again, another one where it was all about classifieds. And you know, whether it's called classifieds or something else. The fact is that people are still selling advertising today.   Vanessa Womack  07:16 Oh, yes. That's why I say I'm pretty old school, I remember. And there were, and there's old fashioned fax machines, where we were communicate between the McGraw Hill offices, for instance, between New York and Philadelphia. So but, you know, we've come a long way in technology.   Michael Hingson  07:39 Yeah. Now we also have this thing about audiobooks, which course I'm very precious about unlike and I'm glad that most of the major publishers are doing a lot more with that. And it's all electronic. So it's a lot easier to create, and not store so much stuff, because it's now all audio oriented, or even print books are oftentimes electronically oriented as well as print, but I think that there's rightly so a group of people and it's still a very large group that likes to hold a book of their hand and reprint and there's a lot of value to that no matter what someone says a Kindle isn't quite the same as a book.   Vanessa Womack  08:16 That's, that's true, but it's fortunate that we have those options.   Michael Hingson  08:23 Yeah, well and being blind, a Braille device that can have on nonpermanent or refreshable Braille display and you can put a book file on it is still not the same as reading it with paper. But either way, reading is reading and it's still a wonderful thing that we all get to be able to do.   Vanessa Womack  08:42 And I've enjoyed reading ever since I was a young child in elementary school. In fact, one of my I guess, what do you call it nicknames? Was said a bookworm?   Michael Hingson  09:00 That's pretty cool.   Vanessa Womack  09:01 Yes, because I always said I liked. I enjoyed getting lost in the in the novels in the book service read. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  09:10 Yeah. And I still do today. And what did you want to be when you were growing up?   Vanessa Womack  09:16 Well, I wanted to be a court stenographer. Because of the business classes I had in high school. I wanted to be a court stenographer, but at one point, I also want to be an FBI agent. However, I was told either by the teachers that I was not the right color or was also a little girl or female, that I couldn't. I would not be accepted in something like an FBI. So my mother encouraged me to go into business. And I took shorthand all the required business courses in high school and I took shorthand. And I thought, wow, court stenographer would be cool. But then my mom said, No, you need to go to college. So I did continue to take shorthand or practice it for a little while. And I thought was pretty cool. But I went to Tennessee State University for my freshman year and started my, I guess, my curriculum into business management or a bachelor's in Business Administration.   Michael Hingson  10:40 Who influenced you most? Do you think while you're growing up and so on, would it be your mom? Or is there another person who stood out even more?   Vanessa Womack  10:48 I think my mom course might my dad too. But my mom was, she was pretty straightforward. very conscientious about her children being better or being better. And succeeding in life. So she encouraged all of us. And I was very much influenced by her to continue my education. I mean, I was I was smart. But I mean, I didn't know some things came better to me, like writing, which I enjoyed doing. And I enjoyed writing. And I still do I wish I had embarked on writing stories at earlier in life, so. But yes, my mother was a great influencer. And we are also I'm also from a family of faith. So I always have to give, give my God all the glory, and they can for bringing us all so far.   Michael Hingson  12:00 Yep, that's, of course, extremely important to do and makes makes not only a lot of sense, but the reality is God is with us and in us and all around us. And more of us ought to recognize that. But you know, what, what can you do? That's an individual choice.   Vanessa Womack  12:19 Yes. And it's very sustaining. And it gives me and so many who are faithful hope, especially in these such troubling times.   Michael Hingson  12:30 Yeah. And a lot of ways my wife passed away in November. And   Vanessa Womack  12:37 I'm so sorry to hear that, because I remember she was there before going. Yeah, we tried this. Yes. Sorry to hear for sorry, for your loss. Well, her body   Michael Hingson  12:47 was just not keeping up as to 2020 22 went along. And as I tell people, the body doesn't always keep up with the Spirit. But the other side of it is she's still around here. And, and I know if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it. Yeah, you got to keep on the straight and narrow somehow, which is fine.   Vanessa Womack  13:09 And it's important to keep those who have left this are the ones we've loved, near and dear to us, because they are and will always be a part of us.   Michael Hingson  13:19 Well, I'm, as I tell people, you don't move on from 40 years of marriage, but you move forward. And I think the difference is if you talk about moving on, and you're going to leave it behind and forget it. And that is something that I will not allow myself to ever do and shouldn't   Vanessa Womack  13:34 be very good at. I agree.   Michael Hingson  13:37 So what was growing up like in the South for you in terms of how did that affect or have any influence on what you've done and what you do with your life? Was the south an influence for you?   Vanessa Womack  13:51 Well, I had no choice to grow up where I was.   Michael Hingson  13:54 Yet South Korea course.   Vanessa Womack  13:57 I and it was a good childhood. It was full of fun. sene interesting things like being outside now is I don't know if children get out and play like we did growing up. It was so free willing and and we could explore neighborhoods, we could go into the woods and pick blackberries. Bring them home and mom would make blackberry cobbler and we went to an elementary middle and high schools that were very, you know, they welcome in that especially in elementary was segregated and a segregated school but the teachers and the administration were so nurturing and then in middle school, or what we call back then Junior High in your head. Yes.   Michael Hingson  14:55 I always remember that. Oh, school. None at all. All   Vanessa Womack  15:00 Oh, yes, I still have a young mine and but back then it was at the beginning of the integration. And I walked to school. I mean, we had maybe one school bus. It wasn't consistent on throughout the school year, but I walked to school, like all my other classmates from my segregated neighborhood. And, you know, I was a good student. There were some challenges. I remember when Martin Luther King died in a white classmate had some very awful things to say. And that resonated with me. I was like, This is not right. And, but this is how it is. And that was the awful thing about is like, you know, that's just, that was just a word we grew up in. And high school, I excel and became very active with some of the student groups. Even with the marching band, I was didn't play an instrument, I was one of the I guess you call a major nature it Yeah, majorettes. But I was very active. And my friends were black and white and Asian. So you, one becomes, you live in that world, and you say this, this is, this is who I am in this world. But how can I be effective? How can I make change and make a change meant to make friends and understand them and have them understand me, but it's it was, it was a good time. Yet, it was transformative for me in such a way that it prepares me little prepares us for what we have to deal with what was still dealing with, when it comes to, I guess, diversity and being inclusive and accepting one another. When someone asked, I think you would ask me, What makes me qualified to be a Dei, a consultant is that I live the life. It's the Skin I Live In. It's, it's the world in which we live in and having a voice to affect change. It's so critical.   Michael Hingson  17:46 Well, it is and I love so many things about what you just been saying. I am always amazed at my own experiences, and they really coincide with yours. Somebody made some comment when we were much younger, and it stuck with us and sticks with us or somebody observed something where we were taught something, and how, especially as younger people, when we're searching, and we hear something that really sticks with us. We we don't forget it. And it's unfortunate that somebody said something extremely negative about Martin Luther King, but at the same time, I think history has demonstrated the kind of person he was and the character that he had. But it is it is very true that history is history is. And I think it's so important. We don't forget that. You know, I collect old radio shows as a hobby. And I'm fascinated by the people who want to, for example, Ban Amos and Andy from radio collections. And they want to ban one thing or another and they say well, that's not who we are. It is what we were. And there are other parts about it. Like I wrote one of the authorities on Amos and Andy once a email. Because when I was growing up, I actually first listened to a miss an ad on television. I had absolutely no idea that they were black. And one day Amis nanny was no longer around on TV. And it was years later that I found out that they were taken off here because people didn't like the depiction of black people that Amos and Andy represented and while I appreciated that and and understand it, it is still what we were at the time. But then when I learned about that, and I went back and listen to old radio shows, mostly I didn't hear overt references to being black. Oh yes, there were the accents and so on. But I never heard the really overt references. So I emailed this authority, and I said, so I don't hear a lot of references to Amos and Andy on the radio being black. And she wrote back and she said, Well, when the show first started, and they came to New York, and one of the first questions, they asked us where to the dark people live. And she said, there were some references. But by 1937, references to color had completely gone away. And the reality is, it was a show that everyone listened to and love because of the quality of the humor, it had nothing to do, really with race, unless you allowed it to be. And so we really need to keep our history, because it teaches us so much.   Vanessa Womack  20:43 And I couldn't agree with you more, because it is knowing that history, which is critical for us now, if you don't know history, you're doomed to repeat it. But I listened to Amos. I listen to this show on the radio when I was little. And it just it fascinated me to know that there were people, people of color negros, who were actually acting, and I thought that was very significant as a young, very young child to hear that. And then to see, as I was growing up in the 60s, we had black and white television, but to see some of those shows like Julia and some black actors who were on some of the sitcoms and also like, Maddix, gosh, to see actors get involved, it was very important. And then to know how far we've come now, because we, as a black and brown people, we want to we've advanced so much, and we want to we're so capable, we have done so much. And we have been influenced and we've been encouraged to do even more now, which is exciting.   Michael Hingson  22:18 One of my favorite TV shows growing up was room 222. Do you remember that? Well, yes, I do. Yeah, that's never any reference to race on that show. And it was a show again, that that provided good entertainment. If you chose to focus on skin color, then you did, but the reality is that wasn't really any thing that was referenced in the in the show at all.   Vanessa Womack  22:50 Yeah, the focus is on you. Yes, your students then yeah. And relating to each other, helping each other that was that was the that should always should be the focus. And so anyway, it's it's disheartening now to read about books being banned, or talking about wokeness, which is just, you know, I don't want to say silly, but it is ridiculous, athletic. If you take a word like that, and you just make it sound so horrible. If you're not woke, then you must be asleep. You need to know what's going on in the world, you need to be aware and that's really what it's all about being aware of how our society has disenfranchise so many people to the point where they can lead the racism and discrimination continues. And we should be well beyond that as a society as a as a country and not to go backwards but to go forward to and to embrace and each other is who we are. Anyway, I've try not to get on my soapbox, no,   Michael Hingson  24:12 it's okay. And we should I one of my favorite books, and I think we've talked about it before is To Kill a Mockingbird or corpse which really is as dramatic a demonstration of how people were treated simply because of skin color, and the explorations of scout and learning about it. And, and of course, her father, then the movie, Gregory Peck, who did such a powerful job of dealing with that. how anyone could consider banning that book it. It makes me think that most of the people who want to do that are listening to someone and have never read the book and certainly have never processed it.   Vanessa Womack  24:55 Yes, I think those those folks who are a I think are living in fear of just afraid and afraid to knowing the truth.   Michael Hingson  25:09 Yeah, and that fear manifests itself in so many ways. And it is true that there's a lot of fear. And there are so many people who still get away with things. And hopefully one of these days we can see reality kick in, and that the whole issue be addressed. And it isn't just race. The one of the things about unstoppable mindset as a podcast as the tagline says, We're inclusion, diversity in the unexpected meet. I worded that way because diversity has decided not to include disabilities in any way. Whereas inclusion, either you are going to truly be inclusive, or you're not inclusive, and you can't be inclusive. If you don't include disabilities. Well, we're partially inclusive, we don't, we don't pray, we're not prejudices against race. But disabilities, you can't leave out if you're going to be inclusive. And so it's it is a different animal. And it's why I emphasize inclusion first. And the other part about it is societally speaking, technically speaking, and realistically speaking, everyone has a disability. And we've talked about at some on unstoppable mindset, one of the disabilities for most people is your light dependent, you don't do well, if there isn't a light on, and Thomas Edison and creating the light switch has invented a way for you to cover up the disability. But make no mistake, it's there. And in reality, we we all have challenges. I was at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel around the time of the Oscars, and I checked in and my niece nephew and I were there and we dropped our luggage off in room and then we went downstairs, all of a sudden, people started screaming, and I said what's going on? Turns out we had a power failure not only in the hotel, but in the blocks around it. And, of course, some of us said it was all Jimmy Kimmel's fault, because he's the host of the Oscars. This was the day before the Oscars. But but the reality is people didn't know what to do with lighthouse. And just so many people had such a challenge didn't bother me a bit. We all have challenges. And we should recognize that just because some challenges and some people's challenges are different than ours doesn't make them less than us.   Vanessa Womack  27:29 And I agree, and sometimes by instance said, we become so accustomed to things that or the way we live, or we just don't understand how not having a disability or light or being able to maneuver out of a walk without the assistance of crutches or a wheelchair, we, we need to understand that. This is not something that people can not live with. We have to and we have to embrace those who may not be able to do the same things you are or I could do. And that needs to be in that word inclusive that needs to be recognized with organizations who say that yes, we are inclusive. But then you may ask, do you have? Do you provide accessibility on your website? Do you provide accessibility in your stairways in your office environments? And it doesn't always, of course, have to be a physical disability. It could be autism, it could be some other neurodiversity. Yeah, yes. And you don't visibly see that. So some people will just make assumptions that Oh, you're okay. There's nothing wrong with you.   Michael Hingson  29:18 And and then of course, we have the most significantly group of our significant group of people with disabilities at all, and that's politicians, but their disability is self imposed. Oh, they're fun to pick on though.   Vanessa Womack  29:33 Yeah, yeah. Pick on them anytime you want. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  29:37 But I'm an equal opportunity abuser you notice on me? Yes,   Vanessa Womack  29:39 I am. And say that to my to my students on an equal opportunity picker   Michael Hingson  29:43 honor. Many of them were born into it, and they've been losing ground as ever since as Fred Allen, the old radio comedian used to say, but that's true of a lot of people these days, but you know what it is, what do you do? Have you had any real significant event So stand out in your life that have changed you or really have affected you.   Vanessa Womack  30:06 And I always said, besides be becoming a mother, that will do it. Definitely. There was an opportunity. And I had an opportunity I did, I was a bone marrow donor and saved the life of a little girl spin over 30 years ago. And Katrina's her name, or was her name. She had been diagnosed with leukemia. And the National Marrow Donor Program at the time it was called now it's called Be The Match. Yeah, had numerous campaigns, bone marrow recruitment campaigns in the Washington DC area, putting particularly focus on a teenager who a black teenager, little girl Well, young woman who needed a bone marrow transplant, and no one in her family matched and it became a national campaign to save Joanne. So many people came out from churches, community groups, businesses, to just give a tube of blood or to get into registry. And all of that happened during a time where I had just been married for I don't even know if I was married, we were married a couple of years, a few years, and trying to have half a baby. But I submitted that blood sample for just to go in the registry. And lo and behold, a month or two later, I was called to as a preliminary match for another child, somewhere in the United States, went through all the required follow up tests and became the match for Katrina. And that was in 1991. And during the time that I was being prepped for the bone marrow extraction. Katrina was at the at the time, I didn't know but she was on the other side of the country in Washington, Seattle, Washington, the prepped, removing all of her disease, bone marrow, and I was being prepped to have a my bone marrow are harvested. And during the time that I was they were doing tests in a hospital and I guess I have to give it away it was in Reader's Digest. So story and Reader's Digest. One of the blood tests for me came back that I was pregnant. very ill, and I was, and they said, you can't donate narrow because the test says you're positive for pregnancy. And I said, I am not pregnant. And they said, you have to decide. I mean, I I couldn't stop the process because Katrina was already at death's door. So anyway, I said, I am not changing my mind. I'm going to do this. And you can test me again tomorrow morning before the harvest starts. And they tested again, it was negative. So that whole experience of becoming a bone marrow donor and then having the fear Well, I wasn't fearful. I knew I wasn't pregnant. To go through with it. Regardless of that test result to say Katrina's life, and that's what happened, she survived almost 19 years after that donation and miracle of all miracles, she had a little girl which according to you know, medical statistics once you are you go through a bone marrow transplant you you you lose the ability for fertilization, having children, but she did she had a miracle baby that changed my life.   Michael Hingson  34:34 Why? Why is it that being pregnant is a problem? Do you know? Well,   Vanessa Womack  34:42 the actual harvest standing of the marrow at the time and this was the nut through a stem extract stem cells, but it was through the iliac crest crest the lower back. I think harvesting the bone marrow may have impacted the, the the fetus if there had been. So I don't know how but they said it would it would be dangerous and they would not or could not do it if I was pregnant, but I really knew I was not pregnant.   Michael Hingson  35:19 But I gather you're saying that today it's different. And well, today they are you doing stem cells? And so yeah, different. Yeah. So   Vanessa Womack  35:28 I think it'd be different today. The process is dance since that time, and actually was a poster child for the bone marrow procreate?   Michael Hingson  35:40 Well, and you had children since then?   Vanessa Womack  35:42 Yes, I did. There you go. Yes. And they are adult children. Wonderful, wonderful children, one of each.   Michael Hingson  35:51 And they are probably as Mark Twain would say, so surprised at how much you've learned as they grew up.   Vanessa Womack  35:58 Then they might say he probably didn't learn enough.   Michael Hingson  36:01 It's possible to   Vanessa Womack  36:03 Yes. Yeah. They're they're very. They're wonderful adult kids.   Michael Hingson  36:10 That is really great that you have been able to go through that experience. And obviously, it sticks with you. And it certainly takes courage to be a bone marrow, well, transfer person?   Vanessa Womack  36:25 Well, it did, it did. And that was something that happened well over 30 years ago. But I also had a new one, I want to say probably a more recent or relevant experience. And that relates to my current career as a LinkedIn learning instructor, when I did the course managing a diverse team. And to me, that was a professional career highlight.   Michael Hingson  36:58 Tell us about that, if you would, please.   Vanessa Womack  37:01 Sure the the course is managing a diverse team. And it is on the LinkedIn learning platform. It was recorded back in 2017, and released in 2018. Now it is in along with English in nine languages, which is kind of exciting to see so many global learners who respond that they've taken the course on the LinkedIn platform. And as you can imagine managing a diverse team, it talks about how, you know, team management and being inclusive in embracing the team members, given them opportunities to become voices, functional team members, and how to deal with the conflict, too. And how to deal deal with some precede disagreements that might be discriminatory or an ad, and are racists and how do you work with people who might have different opinions, but I think there are some lessons learned in the course that gives the learners the audience some good information and how to deal with certain situations on the team, how to embrace diversity, how to celebrate diversity, and how to deal with culture in, in the in the organization. So it's called Managing a diverse team. And it's been on the platform now for five, almost five years.   Michael Hingson  38:56 So what is your career today? And where do you work? Or do you focus mainly on the LinkedIn course or what?   39:03 Oh, no, that said, I, it's it's great that people did still take the course but professionally, I navigate in the space of leadership, DEIA, or on the leadership side, I do facilitation consulting for boards of directors in that space and roles and responsibilities, helping them understand what that is and how to work strategically with each other and in the governance. area, and then with the DEIA have been operating or doing consulting work in an exciting industry. that is growing and developing in this region of Virginia, Richmond Petersburg region, which is the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. And there are a cluster of businesses and educational institutions and biotech and biosciences organizations that are building that pharma industry here to make medicines more affordable, and to have that production in the United States, as opposed to outside the United States.   Michael Hingson  40:45 So you have your own company, or do you work for another company?   Vanessa Womack  40:49 Yeah, I have, I'm a small independent, I call myself a solopreneur.   Michael Hingson  40:56 There he goes.   Vanessa Womack  40:59 However, over the last two, three years, I've keep telling myself I need to hire someone, indeed, I do. Not to put a ton of spin on that, but   Michael Hingson  41:12 I get it. You do need   Vanessa Womack  41:18 to grow this solopreneur into more of a bonafide small business by hiring at least part time person to help grow the business. And that that is something I will be focusing on in the next several months to the next couple of years, just growing that part of the business to expand the services of whether it's the governance piece or the diversity piece, beyond the pharma manufacturing industry, in the pharma manufacturing industry, the cluster that's growing here in the Richmond Petersburg area, it is very important to in be inclusive in how we grow that industry to include communities of color, black and brown communities, communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in business growth and development. And that is going to be very important to provide that these in companies that are here, and those that come here, we hope to grow the region by bringing in more companies, that those companies would be diverse in their vendors and to create jobs that help these communities for employment, and to become more trained to build pathways into the jobs that would come at it the growth of the pharma manufacturing industry here.   Michael Hingson  43:10 How did you get involved in doing pharma kinds of things specifically?   Vanessa Womack  43:14 Well, let's be clear. I'm not in the menu. Right. Right. Right, however, but   Michael Hingson  43:21 how did you get involved with them as clients specifically? I'm just curious,   Vanessa Womack  43:25 I'll tell you, it was a heck I have to say it was a godson after I was separated from my full time job in 2021 thing, timing is everything. Yeah. It was time for me to start to look at growing my small gig, consulting solopreneur business. So I was putting out resumes responding to opportunities to bring in more income, and was approached or actually selected by this company called activation capital. And I am very grateful for them, because the President CEO of that organization, said, you know, interviewed me and follow up interview and offered me the consulting contract for the DEI a portion to grow that industry in this area. So it's basically a startup with the Alliance for building better medicine to make medicine more affordable and to make medicine here in the United States.   Michael Hingson  44:48 And you've been doing it ever since.   Vanessa Womack  44:51 Yes, it's been about a little over a year about a year that I've been doing the consulting work that I do have I've had other clients, particularly in the governance world, where I have the utmost for year have done some board a we called huddles, meet with the group in Kentucky. So it's nice to have out of state clients. And that was that worked out really well and hope to continue to grow in that aspect too.   Michael Hingson  45:31 Are you going to overtime update the LinkedIn course? Or do you think it won't need it? Or is it pretty evergreen the way it is?   Vanessa Womack  45:39 It's pretty Evergreen. And I say that because LinkedIn, they they own the course. And they can they recently updated it. And as I had mentioned, it's in different languages. So they have translated into so many languages, Spanish, German, Polish, Italian.   Michael Hingson  46:06 And you had to learn all those languages to run right guys. That is a really cool though, that that it's appeared in so many languages. Well, you know, I know that you also are an author. Tell me about that.   Vanessa Womack  46:21 Oh, my gosh, yes. And let's see my first book, my first novel, I should say, is a combination romance novel and a me what do you call it the growing up in your head? So one who is about a young woman who, who left Hall seven state to move to New York and really try to find her career? Sounds like everybody we've been talking. Yeah. So I'll I did use a lot of my imagination, which made the whole process of writing so exciting. Literary license, yes. And that first book is called a paint the sky purple paper, Sky purple. And I had a writing coach at the time. And she said, Vanessa, you're my first writing author client at the time, and I wrote the book and seven months, she said, I can't believe you did seven months. That was only because I had a little more time and I was excited. And every weekend I would keep writing, keep writing. Anyway. That was my first novel, and I'm still trying to write this second one. But I did publish two children's books on stem. The first one is Emerald Jones, the fashion designer diva, and Emerald downs ECERS. The children's books are for grades three, through five for ages eight to 12. To encourage students and teachers to really promote STEM science, technology, engineering, math and steam art in the classroom. The Emerald Jones is about a little girl who wanted to become a fashion designer, but she wants to quit school. However, she was very good in math. And she was encouraged by her principal and teachers not to think about quitting school, but to advance her math skills. And she did. The other one. The other one is bookie, and little array in the game. And bookie and little array are rivals in school. However they find that they have something in common. They both like designing games or wanted to be a computer game designers. So there's the technology, the engineer and the math skills that require that. So they bonded after some rivalry and became well at the end of the book. They become partners in a successful gaming business.   Michael Hingson  49:37 Cool. What's your next book project going to be then?   Vanessa Womack  49:42 Well, I have been toying around with it with a couple of different ideas. I have one that has been sitting in the computer for the last several years, about to two friends who have been friends since early high school, and they have a disagreement. But they come back together in their adult years and doing a very chaotic disaster, so to speak, where one is trapped in a building, and the other one's nearby to help her. And then they go on an adventure, not to give away most of the plot and they are there on an adventure to save not only family members, but save a company from really poisoning. It's its clients and it had to do with a medical procedure or a a invention that goes wrong. And anyway, well, that   Michael Hingson  51:04 well, you'll have to let us know when it comes out so that we can definitely put it up on unstoppable mindset. So what what's next for you? What, what are your plans going forward?   Vanessa Womack  51:15 Well, I I am working on it, as I said to grow, Vanessa Womack, consulting LLC, that is really what I need to do to as we say the business scale up. And there's another I guess I can call it a startup called broaden your board that would match boards, board of directors with people of color, or diverse to be more inclusive, to bring diverse candidates. That would be a good fit for their board to be, I guess, a match, bring the matches to them?   Michael Hingson  52:06 Well, I hope as you go forward, maybe in addition to color, and so on, you can think about disabilities and so on as being an option of of different Oh,   Vanessa Womack  52:16 absolutely. At boards. Absolutely. And when, when we're, when we want to be inclusive, all that would be part of the, you know, the opportunity to find candidates, that would be a good tip for these boards.   Michael Hingson  52:33 Well, that definitely is a cool thing. And it sounds exciting, and I'm anxious to hear more about it as it grows, as well as when that new book comes out, let us know. And we'll, we'll make it well, we'll have to have you back on Savile bind to talk about all that is as we go forward. But it is definitely exciting. And I'm really glad that we were able to, to spend the time and redo this. And I know you have to leave pretty soon. So we'll go ahead and thank you for being here. And for all the things that we had to say any kind of last words of wisdom you want to tell to people before we end this.   Vanessa Womack  53:14 Now, I want to thank you again for the opportunity to be on the broadcast. And for those who have been or those who will be it's a nice conversation to have to talk about the things that are, you know, life changing, or the important things in life to be in encouraging to, to have the opportunity to share different ideas. It is so important to have that connection. So thank you so much. I appreciate it. And when the book does come out, I'll let you know   Michael Hingson  53:53 you should that will be great. How do people reach out to you if they want to maybe engage your services or learn more about what you do?   Vanessa Womack  54:02 Now, there's my website, Vanessa womack.com. Very easy to remember. Can you spell please V A N E S S A W O M A C K.com They are so so the LinkedIn you can always reach out to me at LinkedIn. You can find me at the Vanessa Womack on LinkedIn or look for the course managing a diverse team. I'll also want to put up put a plug there that right now it's free. So if you want to take manage a diverse team, it's free for just a little bit longer. I can't say how much longer but you can go on and search for it and take it   Michael Hingson  54:53 well thank you very much for being here with us and for all the interesting things the fun things that we've had a chance to talk about and definitely you got to come back on again, when you've got books and other things all set to talk about, we would love to have you be back on here with us again, and I want to thank you for listening to us. You can reach out to Vanessa, we would love that. And you can certainly reach out to me, I want to know what you think about our podcast today. Please email me at Michaelhi M I C H A E L H I as accessibe  A C C E S S I B E.com. Or you can visit www dot Michael hingson.com. And click on podcasts and go there and listen to more episodes of unstoppable mindset. Or you can find them wherever you find any kind of podcast. So iTunes and Spotify and I heart and all those other kinds of places. We really appreciate you taking the time and we do want to hear from you. We want to hear your thoughts, your comments on this or any of our podcasts. And of course if you know anyone in Vanessa as well if you know anyone who might be a good guest to come on and stop by and said please let us know. We'd love to hear from you about that. And once more. Vanessa, thanks very much for being here with us today. And let's do it again soon.   Vanessa Womack  56:14 Okay, very good. You take care and everybody else please take care out there.   Michael Hingson  56:24 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

To never give up doesn't mean one will never change her mind. Tenacity and fortuitousness includes the flexibility to evaluate and shift focus if needed. However, many people quit too soon. One of the phrases Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was known best for during World War II was to "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in (or never give up!) except to convictions of honor and good sense." I think he made his point quite clear! But to never give up is easier to profess than to actually apply. Some have defined a state of insanity as repeating the same action over and over obtaining the same result, which is often failure. But failure is usually the result from the lack of careful evaluation along with the refusal to change. Evaluation and flexibility, along with the spirit of never giving up is more likely to produce success. The inspiring message of never give up is one that is very relevant as it applies to relationships, health decisions, business and many additional areas of life. Here, we cover five basic principles to apply. Full article here: https://goalsforyourlife.com/never-give-up/

“Greatness is questioned before it is celebrated and appreciated.” – Darnyelle Jervey Harmon Episode Summary This episode is powered by the  Move to Millions Live (and the Million Dollar Intensives)    What do Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Colonel Sanders, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and you all have in common?  Their greatness that was called into question before it was elevated, celebrated, and appreciated.  I was in the shower last week when the impetus for this week's episode hit my spirit.  Often, we have an idea or project our brilliance out into the world or marketplace, but others mock or downplay it, don't get excited or even attempt to stifle it.  That typically sends us into a tailspin of questioning our own greatness, which creates feelings of inadequacy and even imposter syndrome.  I have certainly had moments when I questioned my greatness, my purpose and my place on the planet. Whenever, I have felt this way, I took specific steps to remind myself that my greatness doesn't need to be validate by anyone but me and my Creator.  If you are currently working towards scaling your business to and beyond the million-dollar mark, these feelings can heighten once you enter into the Millions Messy MiddleTM, where everything is called into question.  In this short but mighty episode, I have one mission and that is to stop you from ever questioning your greatness again. What I know for sure is that the questions you are asking about yourself are impacting your Move to Millions. Grab your pen and paper and listen in now to discover: #1 way to respond when your value, expertise or worth is questioned 5 tips for navigating this period in your life and business The importance of having blinders on as you navigate day to day The importance of a morning routine to navigate these moments in your life and business The role that community and collaboration plays as you continue to level up And so much more   Important Links: MovetoMillionsLive Incredible One Enterprises DrDarnyelle.com  Move to Millions Planner Move To Millions Book  Powerful Quotes from the Episode “The goal is to become more comfortable with your greatness so that it doesn't matter what others think.” “Being liked was the best thing since pockets.” “As I got older, I realized that what other people thought of me was non of my business.” “In order to show up fully and be who God created you to be, you'll need to put on your blinders.”     Want more of Darnyelle? Social Media Links: http://www.instagram.com/darnyellejerveyharmon http://www.facebook.com/darnyellejerveyharmon http://www.twitter.com/darnyellejervey http://www.linkedin.com/in/darnyellejerveyharmon   Subscribe to the Move to Millions Business Podcast: Listen on iTunes Listen on Google Play Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Listen on Pandora   Leave us a review Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you're not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don't want you to miss an episode. I'm adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you're not subscribed there's a good chance you'll miss out on those. Now if you're feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they're also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

In today's "Motivational Minute", leadership expert Jamy Bechler reminds us that even though Thomas Edison was a prolific inventor, he always “failed” more times than he succeeded.  The "Motivational Minute" is part of the Success is a Choice podcast network. It is a quick thought designed to help you inspire yourself and those around you.  - - - -  If you like motivational quotes, excerpts, or thoughts, then you'll want to check out Jamy Bechler's book "The Coach's Bulletin Board" as it has more than 1,000 positive insights to help you (and those around you) get motivated and inspired. Visit JamyBechler.com/BulletinBoardBook. - - - -  Please follow Jamy on Twitter @CoachBechler for positive insights and tips on leadership, success, culture, and teamwork. - - - - - The Success is a Choice podcast network is made possible by TheLeadershipPlaybook.com. Great teams have great teammates and everyone can be a person of influence. Whether you're a coach, athletic director, or athlete, you can benefit from this program and now you can get 25% off the price when you use the coupon code CHOICE at checkout. Build a stronger culture today with better teammates and more positive leaders.  - - - -  Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a quick review on Apple podcasts.  Ratings and reviews are the lifeblood of a podcast. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. Thanks again for listening and remember that “Success is a choice. What choice will you make today?” - - - -  Jamy Bechler is the author of five books including The Captain and The Bus Trip, host of the Success is a Choice Podcast, professional speaker, and trains organizations on creating championship cultures. He previously spent 20 years as a college basketball coach and administrator.  The Leadership Playbook is Bechler's online program that helps athletes become better teammates and more positive leaders while strengthening a team's culture. As a certified John Maxwell leadership coach, Bechler has worked with businesses and teams, including the NBA. Follow him on Twitter at @CoachBechler. To connect with him via email or find out about his services, please contact speaking@CoachBechler.com. You can also subscribe to his insights on success and leadership by clicking here.

The Sri Bros discuss some lifehacks they learned from studying Thomas Edison.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robert Jordan is the CEO of InterimExecs, which matches top executives with companies around the world. Based on research with thousands of leaders and companies, he and co-founder Olivia Wagner wrote Right Leader, Right Time: Discover Your Leadership Style for a Winning Career and Company, and they've launched the FABS Leadership Assessment, a free assessment at RightLeader.com designed to help leaders and organizations perform better. Jordan also authored How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America and help plug publish Start With No, Jim Camp's bestseller on negotiation.    Questions  • Now, we always like to give our guests an opportunity, especially guests that we've been interviewing for the very first time a little bit for you to share in your own words about your journey and how you got to where you are today. • Could you take some time to share with our listeners a little bit about the book Right Leader Right, Time, just some of the core things that the book talks about? • Now, do you believe that there's any examples globally, of a leader who embodies each of the four leadership styles that we would have just looked at the fixer, the artist, the builder, the strategist? • Could you give me one example for each leadership style that our listener could take away, maybe a practical activity that they could do or something that they could do to strengthen them to be a better fixer, a better artist, builder or strategist? • Could you share with us what's the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? • Could you also share with our listeners, maybe one or two books that have had the biggest impact on you? It could be a book that you read a very long time ago, or even one that you read recently? • Could you also share with us what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. • Could you share with our listeners where can they find you online? • Now, before we wrap our episodes up, we always like to ask our guests, do you have a quote or a saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you'll tend to revert to this quote? It kind of helps to get you back on track if for any reason you got derailed?   Highlights   Robert's Journey Robert shared that in some ways, he's your classic entrepreneur. He was in graduate school, but he was not the greatest student and dropped out to start a publishing company and started the first magazine in the world that covered online services and then the internet.  And in the beginning, he made every mistake you could make in business. But eventually, of course, the internet came around, the worldwide web and then he could do no wrong and the business grew very fast to put him on to the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing businesses in the US. So, that was his first company.  And then he kind of fell into a very weird job title. He was an interim CEO for a number of technology companies, mostly early stage and that led to forming an organization called InterimExecs and he gather they're going to get into this because at InterimExecs, they had about 7000 executives show up who wanted to be placed, they're a matchmaker around the world in organizations that need leadership, and fractional or interim executives. And so, from that, they also wrote the book just referred Right Leader, Right Time.   Me: Amazing. So, this book was published in 2022.    Robert stated yes, Right Leader, Right Time just came out.   About the Book – Right Leader, Right Time Me: Could you take some time to share with our listeners a little bit about the book Right Leader, Right Time, just some of the core things that the book talks about? Robert shared that when you've been asked something a long time, you can spot patterns, and with all these 1000s of executive showing up, they spotted a pattern which was not so good and then another pattern that was really good, and the not so good pattern was that the majority of executives were having career experiences, leadership journeys that you would describe as okay, but you wouldn't say they were remarkable. The flip side was that if you just looked at the top 2%, 3%, 4% of executives, they're having exceptional careers and leadership journeys. And in that exceptional group, they saw 4 distinct styles of leadership, leadership style referring to somebody having a system or an approach or a process. And they gave them 4 labels, Fixer, Artist, Builder and Strategist.   Me: So, Fixer, let's start with that one. Tell us a little bit about what are some of the key skills or competencies that you'd have to be considered in the fixer category.   Robert shared that Fixer is the energy, it's the person that has to run into the burning building time after time. So, they're not trying to pigeonhole any one person into one style, they think all leaders, they bring all their capabilities to bear. But fixer energy is this dominant kind of style that needs crisis. And for a fixer-oriented leader, it may take them 6 months, a year, 2 years to solve the client relationship, to fix a broken division.  When that is done, that person needs to move on to a new crisis. Does that give you a picture?   Me: It does. So, this could be applicable to any type of leader in any type of organization?   Robert shared that it could be, what they're saying is that if you have dominant energy around fixer, it is best for you and for the organizations you're with that most of the time - you need crisis, you need a hot mess. And if things are too stable, or going too well, as one of the leaders put it you'll break it just so you can go fix it.   Me: It's almost like you're self-sabotaging because that's how you perform, that's how you're at your best.   Robert stated that you need to be in those roles so if you look in the world today, as he and Yanique was talking, there's a business called FTX, headquarter's in the Bahamas and of the leading Crypto Exchanges, and it went bankrupt a few months ago, and the CEO who was appointed, who is a classic kind of fixer, because there are a million creditors and there's alleged fraud. Well, that executive prior to FTX, he was at Enron, he was correcting Enron, he wasn't the cause of the problems in Enron, but that's his wiring.   Me: So, we have Fixers, those are the ones that are good at solving problems, and they need things to be broken in order to fix it. What about our Artists?   Robert shared that artist is the energy that sees the world as a blank canvas, or a piece of clay to be molded. So, you think about right now a leader like Elon Musk, he is driven by his innovative ability. Historically, you look at someone like Thomas Edison, or Steve Jobs. This is that kind of creative drive coming out. Artist energy though, the way they put it in the book is sometimes it's at that leader's peril. And he's strongly worried with artist energy and he gets that, which is to say you can't stop thinking up ideas, that doesn't mean they're all going to come to fruition, they're all going to be great, they're all going to be operationally terrific, which is why you need a mix of styles around you.   Me: Agreed. It's almost like that book by John Maxwell, How Successful People Think and there is a thinking activity that he does in there that has a different thinking styles. So, you have big picture thinker, focused thinker, creative thinker. And in order for an organization to really function at its best, you need a blended approach in terms of people's thinking style versus just all of your team members thinking in a particular way.   Robert agreed. Absolutely right. And one of the things exceptional leaders do better is they're better at collaboration. All of us talk about it, and he thinks everyone thinks they're good at it, the problem is that if you're not really confident and directed in your own style, it's less likely that you're actually effectively collaborating with everyone else. Because the primary thing they saw in this average of leaders who were having okay career experiences, but not great. The primary flaw was attempting to be all things to all people, it never works but it is the thing that a lot of people do knowingly or unknowingly.   Me: Yeah, that is crazy. So, we looked at the Fixers, the Artists, what about the Builders?   Robert shared that everyone in organization loves to be a builder, they get that. They mean something specific here with builder, which is the energy that can take the small, the nascent product, service, team, client relationships, and take it to market domination. So, you can think of, for example, someone who creates a new technology, and it grows fast, and they have an IPO, that's builder energy. What you tend to see with builder is that when that person has achieved an IPO or has achieved market domination, in many cases, they need to move to a new company, a new division, a new product, new client relationships, because they need the challenge of taking something small and getting to market domination.   Me: All right. And then we have our Strategist. And it's funny, but would you say that most people believe that in order for you to be a great leader, you need to be an excellent strategist because business is all about the strategy and executing that strategy?   Robert shared that it's a good question. And all leaders have to be good at strategy, strategy, he would say with a small s, the leader label strategist, we could have called pilot, conductor, captain, quarterback, it's referring to the kind of energy that excels within large vast or complex organization, the kind of language that strategists leaders use, it's around loyalty, and being mentored and mentoring other people. It's about longevity, typically within one organization, it's being cross trained, it's about gratitude to an organization. And that kind of language, you're just not going to hear that from typical Fixer, Artist or Builder leaders.   Leaders Who Embodies the Four Leadership Styles – Fixer, Artist, Builder and Strategist Me: Now, do you believe that there's any examples globally, of a leader who embodies each of the four leadership styles that we would have just looked at the Fixer, the Artist, the Builder, the Strategist?   Robert stated that that's a good question. So, when we're talking about Fixer, John Ray, who's now the CEO of FTX, has a massive job to clean up FTX, it's a disaster. The founder is now facing all kinds of criminal charges and there's funds missing and that would be fixer energy. And as they said, he had been at Enron before.  An example of Artist, Elon Musk is a good example. If you think about any friend of yours, and they're highly creative on the team, they may be the renegade, they're the rebel. They're not necessarily the most popular, but they're the one that's capable of these discontinuous leaps for companies, and it's absolutely the energy that a stagnant company needs, that's the artist builder.  So, if your listeners are familiar with Sheryl Sandberg, until recently, she was the number two at Facebook now known as Meta. Sheryl Sandberg's, first 7 years at Facebook were phenomenal, she took an organization of a couple 100 employees. Facebook at the time was probably about $100 Million Dollars in revenue. Seven years later, there were 70,000 employees, it was $70 Billion Dollars in revenue, if that's not the standout example of builder leader in the modern world, he doesn't know what is. Sheryl was also a cautionary example of what were one of the points they make in Right Leader Right Time because she ended up staying at Facebook, Meta for 14 years and what happened in the second 7 years, Cambridge analytical scandal, election scandals, the pivot to VR Meta which might not have suited her as well. Taking tonnes of arrows in the back for writing a best-selling book called Lean In. And it's a little cautionary because again, builder energy tends to be focused on market domination and once market domination has been achieved, that leader really kind of needs to move to a new company, new project, new division. So, strategist leader, great example would be Fred Smith. He just retired from Federal Express, FedEx. He was there 51 years and most leaders, we think, it's not like you have to round the basis, you don't have to have tried everything. In the book, they're fond of this phrase, highest and best use. And that is something we all aspire to as leaders to arrive at a point. There's no arriving but kind of a Zen concept of coming to understand your highest and best use.  Fred Smith started FedEx as a paper he wrote while in college, that's pretty innovative, artistic. He's famous, he's been interviewed many times. When he couldn't meet payroll early on, he went to Las Vegas and gambled just to meet payroll and if that's not fixer energy, he doesn't know what is. Builder, of course, to scale an organization like that was amazing. But he really arrived at a place of being one of the best strategist leaders of the modern era.   Me: Okay. So, we have some real-life practical examples that our listeners can definitely envision or even tap into because they're a part of what we know. They've written books, we've seen their history to see what they've done so that they can really identify what the leadership styles are and what are the qualities that they embody.   Examples of Practical Activity To Strengthen Your Leadership Style Me: Now, let's say for example, you want to develop these skills or want to develop in these four areas. Could you give me one example for each leadership style that our listener could take away, maybe a practical activity that they could do or something that they could do to strengthen them to be a better Fixer, a better Artist, Builder or Strategist?   Robert stated that it's a great question and one thing you also touched on earlier, they've launched at rightleader.com, a free 3 minute assessment is called FABS Leadership Assessment for any of your listeners who want to get a little bit of input and they'll get a result after 3 minutes. And they'd also appreciate feedback to asked whether they got it right, how you're labelled. But they'll also get a free summary in terms of descriptions of each of the styles.  So, each one of the 4 is different. And it's not a generic answer. So, for example, fixer energy, it tends to be the someone in organization, they're smart, they're hardworking, and someone around them throws a problem that nobody else could solve. And that's how fixer energy tends to develop. And it is in the best interest of fixers, if they're hooked and they solve that problem that no one else could solve, the best thing they can do is to seek out the next crisis. You have to pick yourself for these things.  Artist energy, they think, and they're going to see how the research goes based on all the FABS Assessments being done, feels to them a little more like a mode that is internal to you that you cannot help. And what that energy needs within an organization is to be surrounded by people who are more operational. As a way of kind of protecting the ability to keep on doing it. Builder is an energy in a way similar to fixer, it's more linear. A fixer tends to only work on one problem, one company, one crisis at a time, or put it this way. If you have a friend and they say they're a great fixer, but they're trying to put out fires at the three companies at a time, that's not a great fixer, that's probably not going to work. The opposite is you have a friend and they're strongly artists energy, very renegade, rebellious, they need multiple canvases to paint on at the same time. It's not an accident that Elon Musk has SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company at the same time. He's also a cautionary example because as he and Yanique are talking, he still has Twitter and Twitter was not his classic playbook, Twitter was a broken or maybe he contributed to making it a broken organization and he's using a playbook there and there's no other fixer on the planet that gets to do what he does. It doesn't tend to work well. But builder energy, what that person needs is to put themselves into situations of maybe not unproven product services, companies technologies, but something that has not yet reached scale, has not reached domination, they need to be in the position of where they're helping the product, the people, the process, the team to grow, their putting system and process in place. And strategist, strategist just needs to be within an organization where cross training and mentorship are going to be those components. So, those are some of the things that people should be aware of, that the overriding thing that they would say is that in observing exceptional leaders, they tend to reject more of what is not for their highest and best use. They reject more of what's not for their highest and best use. And so, it's easy to say, and it's very hard to do, very hard to do. But that's the thing on your career journey is, as you're going along that you become more and more intentional. Your first job, you need the money, you need the direction, your family is looking at you and you can't refuse anything. But what happens over time, as you discover what you like, and what you don't like is you start gravitating in one place or one direction over another, you start making more and more intentional decisions. And decision comes from the Latin word, meaning to kill off. And you have to do that with options that are not right for you, as you got to kill them off. That's very hard because we live in a time of FOMO, the fear of missing out.   Me: Agreed. And, just listening to you speak and explaining that. I've definitely seen my career grow in that way as well, in terms of being more intentional about the jobs that I take, or things that I invest my time into and the ones as you mentioned that don't serve me, I tend to not get involved in, maybe 10-15 years ago, my decision would have been completely different.    Robert agreed. Exactly and hindsight is 2020, it's hard to see at the beginning of your career, it's just easier when you look back. And so, that's the thing to kind of inform where you are now and where you want to go is to look at your journey and not to judge it, just to observe it. No judgement…..just observation.   App, Website or Tool that Robert Absolutely Can't Live Without in His Business When asked about an online resource that he cannot live without in his business, Robert shared that it's an obscure one but he's on the road a lot and he has to send people PDFs and so he uses a TurboPDF app.   Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Robert When asked about books that have had the biggest impact, Robert stated that he'll share two books, one is personal bias, because he was involved with it. Yanique mentioned it, Start With No: The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don't Want You to Know by Jim Camp. It's one of the foundational books on how to be a better negotiator. And they think is something that just stands everybody well, because the foundation of that book is understanding your own mission and purpose. And the clearer you get on that you start getting clear on how it is that you're negotiating with other people and to have a sense of mission and purpose in those negotiations. The other book is more recent, it's a book called The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks. And if you consider first mountain, are the things you do in career that are about money and power and status, fame, whatever. More of the earning your living, as opposed to second mountain, which is when you're going for significance. What is it that you are called to? What are you committed to? He thought that that was pretty powerful.   What Robert is Really Excited About Now! When asked about something that is going on right now that he's really excited about, Robert shared that that's a great question. He has to go back, this assessment has them really energized because they would just love to see what happens as more and more people take it. We are recording this, and it's very new, it just came out and only about 1000 people have taken it so far. So, they're putting forward a lot of ideas here and they may be wrong or right about them, they're going to see as all of the data comes back in how it plays.   Where Can We Find Robert Online Website – InterimExecs.com   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Robert Uses When asked about a quote or saying that he tends to revert to, Robert stated that that's such a good question. “I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm as I spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”  Robert shared that's a recording he heard many years ago, a Minister named Jack Boland and he was quoting his mentor. I can't remember the name of his mentor. But he said that on a number of recordings, and it just hit him between the eyes.  And so, in his spare time he paints, and he actually painted a Canvas at one point with that expression, because it just energizes me.    Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Links ·  Right Leader, Right Time: Discover Your Leadership Style for a Winning Career and Company by Robert Jordan ·  How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America by Robert Jordan ·  Start with No: The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don't Want You to Know by Jim Camp ·  The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks   Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners  Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!   Our Next Webinar – May 16, 2023 at 10:00 am   Register Here  

On this episode of The Beginner Photography Podcast, host Raymond Hadfield interviews fashion and lifestyle photographer Amanda Thomas. They discuss Amanda's journey into photography, her use of unconventional lighting techniques, and the importance of emotional engagement in photography. Amanda also shares tips on collaboration and preparation for shoots, drawing from her experience with editorial and fashion shoots. Additionally, she talks about starting with just one light and using it creatively to achieve unique and beautiful results. The episode also includes Amanda's perspective on the value of experimentation in photography and the importance of building relationships in the industry.Amanda Thomas is a photographer and visual artist who was inspired to pursue her passion from a young age. As a teenager, she went with her father to a photographer's studio to get his promo shots done, and was captivated by the electric atmosphere of the studio and the tools of the trade. This was the moment that changed her life, and she knew she wanted to explore the potential of the medium. She has since gone on to pursue a career in photography and visual art, creating stunning and captivating works of art.Big Ideas With Timestamps:00:03:03 Light is magical and transformative.00:10:00 Capture light to create art.00:18:26 Client approval is key.00:22:06 Expect the unexpected.00:25:19 Be flexible and prepared.00:34:45 Persist with lighting skills.00:41:16 Experiment with lighting to find style.00:48:59 Mentally and emotionally prepare.00:53:17 Collaborate for success.00:54:54 Shoot more to get better.Resources:Fashion and Lifestyle Photographer Amanda Thomas's websiteFollow Amanda On InstagramJoin The Beginner Photography Podcast Facebook CommunitySign up for your free CloudSpot account to deliver beautiful images galleries todayFree Lightroom Presets!www.AutoToAmazing.com Connect with the Beginner Photography Podcast! Email me at BeginnerPhotographyPodcast@gmail.com Send in your Photo Questions to get answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/ Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Many Americans were shocked after learning that classified Pentagon documents were leaked on Discord, an online platform used primarily for video game users to connect. Furthermore, when the leaker was revealed to be 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, an Airman First Class in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, the American public had even more questions. How did a young, low-ranking soldier have access to classified government information, and why did he expose U.S. intelligence information to potential adversaries when he is actively defending the country? On the Rundown, House Oversight & Accountability Committee Chairman, Congressman James Comer (R-KY), explains why he believes this leak may have taken place and how the occurrence reflects a "huge cyber security crisis" happening within the Pentagon. Later, he discusses what he hopes to learn from the House Oversight Committee's upcoming hearing on President Biden's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and what other investigations the committee plans to prioritize in the coming months. People may know Thomas Edison as the great inventor who perfected the incandescent light bulb and created revolutionary machines like the phonograph and the movie camera. However, there is another story to be told: the origins of Thomas Alva Edison as a boy before he would become an esteemed scientist and inventor. FOX News Contributor Raymond Arroyo joins the Rundown to discuss how he tells that story in his new book, The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison. He explains how Edison's mother encouraged his learning and curiosity, what inspired him to first start inventing, and his philosophy of viewing failure as an important part of the invention process. Plus, commentary by Fox & Friends co-host and host of The Brian Kilmeade Show, Brian Kilmeade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Americans were shocked after learning that classified Pentagon documents were leaked on Discord, an online platform used primarily for video game users to connect. Furthermore, when the leaker was revealed to be 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, an Airman First Class in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, the American public had even more questions. How did a young, low-ranking soldier have access to classified government information, and why did he expose U.S. intelligence information to potential adversaries when he is actively defending the country? On the Rundown, House Oversight & Accountability Committee Chairman, Congressman James Comer (R-KY), explains why he believes this leak may have taken place and how the occurrence reflects a "huge cyber security crisis" happening within the Pentagon. Later, he discusses what he hopes to learn from the House Oversight Committee's upcoming hearing on President Biden's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and what other investigations the committee plans to prioritize in the coming months. People may know Thomas Edison as the great inventor who perfected the incandescent light bulb and created revolutionary machines like the phonograph and the movie camera. However, there is another story to be told: the origins of Thomas Alva Edison as a boy before he would become an esteemed scientist and inventor. FOX News Contributor Raymond Arroyo joins the Rundown to discuss how he tells that story in his new book, The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison. He explains how Edison's mother encouraged his learning and curiosity, what inspired him to first start inventing, and his philosophy of viewing failure as an important part of the invention process. Plus, commentary by Fox & Friends co-host and host of The Brian Kilmeade Show, Brian Kilmeade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edison giao cho cậu trai Nikola Tesla một thử thách không tưởng, “thiết kế 24 mẫu máy để khắc phục tính bất ổn của nguồn điện DC” với “khoản thưởng trị giá 50.000 đô”. Tesla bằng sự thiên tài của mình đã hoàn thành công việc đó, để rồi nhận ra khoản thưởng đáng ra mình phải được nhận chỉ là một “trò đùa kiểu Mỹ”. 59 năm sau, nhà phát minh thiên tài ấy qua đời trong cô đơn và nợ nần, bất chấp việc có cho mình hơn 300 sáng chế khác nhau. Vậy có thật Thomas Edison là kẻ ăn cắp và đẩy cuộc đời của Tesla vào vực sâu? ______________ Tập 2 của cuốn sách "Người trong muôn nghề: Ngành kinh tế có gì?" đã ra mắt, tìm hiểu tại đây: ⁠⁠https://shope.ee/7UjJCLv9dc⁠⁠ Ghé Nhà sách Spiderum trên SHOPEE ngay thôi các bạn ơi: ⁠⁠https://shorten.asia/RFfT4NVT⁠⁠ ______________ Cùng Spiderum hóng các cuộc hội thoại thú vị, nhiều kiến thức bổ ích trên kênh Talk Sâu tại đây nhé: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3JxF9RM⁠⁠ ______________ Bài viết: Edison, Tesla và cú Scam 50k đô Được viết bởi: MinhHD Link bài viết: https://spiderum.com/bai-dang/Edison-Tesla-va-cu-Scam-50k-do-3eMoHpLaj4Z2 ______________ Giọng đọc: Pinkdot Editor: Khang --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spiderum/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spiderum/support

“We're Momming Today” with Raymond Arroyo, New York Times best-selling author and Fox News contributor, about his 12th and newest book, “The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison.” While the children's book is very much about Edison's brilliance and greatest inventions, it's also about the power of a great teacher: his mother, Nancy, who leaned into her son's talents and stood by him when, yes, he was kicked out of school and burned down the family house. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wouldn't it be interesting if both Abraham Lincoln and William Shakespeare didn't know how to read or write until they were 16? Well, it's not true, so don't go spreading it around. We could get sued! Other discussion topics may include: - A game that literally came out of the bathroom - The legend of former U.S. President Bill Hank Harry - As the NBA playoffs get going, who's your favorite team? The Bull Illinois Chicago Bull Team? - Dumb band names, such as "The Beatles" - Growing beards, fighting bulls, marrying your sister, and other very manly things --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/goingterribly/message

Inventor Louis Le Prince was the first person to create a motion picture, but before he got a chance to exhibit his camera he mysteriously disappeared in 1890. No one has ever solved the case and theories range from suicide to an assassination by rivals such as Thomas Edison.  Enjoy our first ever Minisode!  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/astudyofstrange Theme Music by Matt Glass https://www.glassbrain.com/ Instagram: @astudyofstrange Website: www.astudyofstrange.com Hosted by Michael May Email stories, comments, or ideas to astudyofstrange@gmail.com ©2022 Convergent Content, LLC   --------------   Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAiYFEHI9o8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigxF7bx84M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTlXaqG4VyE https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702108701603#:~:text=On%20September%2016%2C%201890%20Louis,by%20his%20family%20or%20friends. https://harpers.org/archive/2022/04/who-killed-louis-le-prince-on-the-forgotten-father-of-film/ https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/louis-le-prince-created-the-first-ever-moving-pictures/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/louis-le-prince-shot-the-worlds-first-motion-picture-and-then-disappeared-forever-was-it-murder

Historiquement Vôtre réunit trois personnages qui sont au courant : Thomas Edison, le plus célèbre des inventeurs qui avait la lumière à tous les étages, qui a imaginé, et déposé le brevet - aux côtés de 1000 autres - de l'ampoule électrique à filament notamment, et a fait passer du courant, en continu, dedans. Puis un mathématicien et philosophe au courant des avancées sur l'électricité : André-Marie Ampère à l'origine du mot “courant” qui a laissé, sans le savoir, son nom à la mesure de l'intensité : l'ampère. Et les membres d'un groupe de rock mythique aussi électriques que leurs guitares, qui n'ont pas choisi entre courant alternatif et courant continu : AC/DC.

Stéphane Bern, entouré de ses chroniqueurs historiquement drôles et parfaitement informés, s'amuse avec l'Histoire – la grande, la petite, la moyenne… - et retrace les destins extraordinaires de personnalités qui n'auraient jamais pu se croiser, pour deux heures où le savoir et l'humour avancent main dans la main. Aujourd'hui, Thomas Edison.

  Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ” —Thomas Edison Check out John Lee Dumas' award winning Podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire on your favorite podcast directory. For world class free courses and resources to help you on your Entrepreneurial journey visit EOFire.com

"Think and Grow Rich" is a self-help book by Napoleon Hill published in 1937 and is widely considered one of the most influential books on personal development and success ever written.Become a member here:https://www.patreon.com/MoonshotsThe book is based on the idea that success comes to those who think positively, persistently, and creatively. Hill interviewed over 500 successful people, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison, and analyzed their success stories to identify common themes and principles that anyone can apply to achieve success in their own life.The book covers many topics, including goal-setting, visualization, self-discipline, and the power of the subconscious mind. It also emphasizes the importance of cultivating a positive attitude and surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals.One of the book's key takeaways is that one's intelligence or talent does not solely determine success but rather one's mindset and habits. Hill argues that anyone can succeed if they adopt the right attitude and consistently act towards their goals.The book has been a bestseller for decades, with over 100 million copies sold worldwide. It has been credited with inspiring countless people to succeed personally and professionally, and its principles continue to be widely studied and applied today. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, I will be sharing an article written by Dick Kazan on the life difficulties of Thomas Edison. It was published in Kazan Today on August 2, 2011.  The teaching tip that is offered by Kazan on Edison's life is Edison didn't let a lack of money, lack of formal education, deafness or the failure of an invention stop him. He persevered. Might perseverance make a difference in your life? One more attempt to get a job or a promotion? One more attempt to start a business or close a deal? How about another bold pursuit of your dreams? I am your host, Marci Nettles. I have had a lifetime of opportunities where I had the choice to Breakdown or Breakthrough. It is my hope this Podcast may become your light in the darkness, as you listen to the stories of people I consider “heroes.” Each one had a point where they too had to choose to either Breakdown or Breakthrough! Thank you for listening! For a copy of the article shared in this episode, go to Find Marci at  

Host Doug Still explores The Edison Banyan in this month's This Old Tree. Why did Thomas Edison plant a banyan tree sapling at his winter residence in 1926? You guessed it, there was an experiment involved. Native to India, it is now a massive, beloved tree at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida. While this isn't an “escape from the lab” story, it is sort of a “took over the lab” story! Debbie Hughes, the Horticultural Director, explains what happened. Also, we dig into the mythology of fig trees - specifically “strangler” figs - and their critical ecological and cultural importance with rainforest ecologist and author Mike Shanahan. https://thisoldtree.buzzsprout.com/

In this edition of Channeling History, we discuss the lives and death of three atheists, David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, Thomas Edison and Karl Marx, the author of the Communist Manifesto. We ask each of them what it was like when they passed and how they were judged of their atheist views.  Please tell your friends about our show.

In this episode from last Friday, Mother Miriam reads an article by EWTN's Raymond Arroyo about the education of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb and many other devices, and takes listener calls early.To help keep this and other programs on the air, please donate: https://give.lifesitenews.com/sustainlife?utm_source=mml_032423You can tune in daily at 10 am EST/7 am PST on our Facebook Page: http://FB.com/mothermiriamliveSubscribe to Mother Miriam Live at: http://bit.ly/submml Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raymond Arroyo chats about his latest series, "Turnabout Tales" and the first book, "The Unexpected Light of Thomas Edison". Bill D'Agostino, Senior Research Analyst for the Media research Center looks at media bias. Gail Buckley shares the Bible verse of the week.

Throughout history, pioneers have blazed trails for new ways of life.  Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea headed out west, Thomas Edison lit up our lives, and Rosa Parks showed everyone that it doesn't matter where you sit on the bus.  Today's show subject is one of the pioneers of the entertainment world and changed the template of TV forever, Jerry Springer.  Love him or hate him, Jerry Springer was must see TV back in the late 90's and early 2000's.  Kids rushed home from school to tune in to the latest hair-pulling, clothes-ripping fistfight as parents everywhere cringed once they realized what their kids were watching.  With Jerry's past primarily in law and politics, how did the former Mayor of Cincinnati become one of the most hated men on TV?  Did he know the impact he would have on society as a whole?  Would you try to get Jerry Beads if you went to a taping of the show?  We'll dive into all this and more in the Jerry Springer episode of AHC Podcast.       Intro Music Credits: Liborio Conti VLOG Background Music While Talking | Background Music For Vlogs While Talking | No Copyright https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6gtRAjAa2I         Citations: Ap. (1982, May 25). Ohio candidate tells of paying for prostitute. The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/25/us/ohio-candidate-tells-of-paying-for-prostitute.html Knight, C. (2018, June 15). Jerry Springer in the news: How the prostitution scandal broke. The Enquirer. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/06/02/jerry-springer-news-how-prostitution-scandal-broke/366721001/ Longworth, J. (2018, October 23). The Jerry Springer effect. Triad Today. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from http://triadtoday.com/2018/10/the-jerry-springer-effect/ Plotz, D. (1998, March 22). Jerry Springer. Slate Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/1998/03/jerry_springer.html Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, March 14). Jerry Springer. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Springer Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, March 22). Jerry Springer (talk show). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Springer_(talk_show)

Have you ever given up on a relationship, career/business, or lifestyle choice and then later regretted it? Would you like to have more power in your life to persist and accomplish the things you truly desire? If you answered “yes,” your solution is to catch your second wind.  William James, the esteemed psychologist, coined the term “second wind” to describe how you can persist through obstacles and tap into a deeper layer of energy and motivation to achieve your goals. Runners catch their second wind after running for a period of time. They are able to enter into the mindset called “Flow,” in which they lose track of time, worries, and even their very body—feeling joyous and uplifted in the process. Here are some ways you can access the power of your second wind: *Cultivate a Fruitful State of Mind.  Adopt a mindset of positive expectancy (“things will work out just fine”), gratitude (“I am thankful”), and meaning (“I have a purpose”). When you do this, you will be able to push through barriers easier to reach your goals.  *Practice Kaizen.  Kaizen is a Japanese term that means “continuous improvement.” Every day strive to make small improvements.  If you want to get in shape, you may start by working out only 15 minutes, and then gradually increase your time and frequency as you feel the pleasure and gains of your workout.  *Participate in Persistent Contagion. Moods and mindsets can be contagious. Study and learn from successful “Second Winders” who have overcome great obstacles in life. J.K. Rowling was a single welfare mom when she wrote Harry Potter and became one of the wealthiest authors of all time.  Thomas Edison, famed inventor, “failed” thousands of times in his quest for the ideal light bulb filament, but he never saw failure. He said he learned many ways that wouldn't work so he could find the way that would. *Have a Strong Back, Soft Front. Another term from the East, this means that you will have resilience (strong back) when you face problems, but you will also have compassion for self and others (soft front).  In this way, you are balanced and firm when circumstances go against you, while maintaining your sense of love and humanity along the way. *Take a Second Wind Inventory. In a pad, tablet, or notebook, write down the times when you got a second wind. Although you wanted to quit, you didn't give up on a relationship, business/career/educational, or lifestyle decision. By not giving up, you experienced something wonderful and beneficial. Also, for the next two weeks, push your comfort zone a bit to get to your second wind. Maintain that yoga position or fast a little longer, make that uncomfortable call you need to make, do less of the bad habit (excessive social media use) that drains your energy. Record how you feel and your results—you will find that Second Wind becomes more natural and ingrained in you the more you do it. In the end, you will realize an important truth: The wind is always blowing. It's up to you to flow with the wind—instead of trying to fight against it. Be like a kite who is taken up by the wind—soaring majestically into the skies as you actualize your dreams of love, joy, success, contribution, and legacy. CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR LIVE EVENT TICKETS TO “THE LOVE MASQUERADE ON APRIL 6THshorturl.at/pFOQ2

The Dead Talk Too: Mediumship Trevor grills Missy about her mediumship abilities with some tough questions. She explains how you can tap into your abilities as well whether or not you are in tune with your psychic senses or not. Learn how Thomas Edison was a major roll in communicating with the non living, and what famous clairvoyant had a knack for predicting the future! Make sure to subscribe and share to keep us busy with more creepy episodes! Email: Rogueshollowparanormal@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedeadtalktoo/message

Thomas Edison is one of the greatest inventors, and greatest Americans, in history. But the modern U.S. education system could never create a person as brilliant as Edison. EWTN's Raymond Arroyo, author of a new book about Edison, explains how he is an icon of homeschooling's superiority, then reacts to recent statements from Pope Francis on transgenderism and priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church. Plus, Charlie talks to retired General Athony Tata about the danger of a Russia/China alliance, and whether America's aggressive anti-Russia posture makes sense in the first place.Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas Edison has gone down in history as one of our greatest inventors. But toward the end of his life he created one last invention that if it worked, would have changed the world forever. That was when Edison built a device that he hoped could help him talk to ghosts. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theconspiratorspodcast Notes https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristintablang/2019/10/25/thomas-edison-bc-forbes-mystery-spirit-phone/?sh=19fcd629addb https://weirdnj.com/stories/unexplained-phenomena/thomas-edisons-spirit-phone/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/602456/thomas-edison-nikola-tesla-spirit-phone https://www.amazon.com/Edison-vs-Tesla-Battle-Invention/dp/1510718761 https://www.sciencealert.com/edison-s-last-breath-lives-in-a-test-tube-in-the-henry-ford-museum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homer becomes obsessed with Thomas Edison and tries to become an inventor. Predictably his inventions are awful and no one in their right mind would buy them... or accept them as gifts. [Synopsis at 9:47]

When you listen you're engaged. Thomas Edison said we have 2 ears and 1 mouth so we listen twice as much as we speak. By becoming a great listener you're not just more effective but you're improving your ability to influence other people as well. Don't wait for your turn to talk, actually listen to the words coming from the other person's mouth. Focus on being Interested, not interesting. Own your power with this Success Tip.

As we move through life's seasons, there comes the point when it is time to move to the next chapter. That's why I consider it a blessing to bring Matt to the show, whose work helping others with their military transition is instrumental in supporting others.Support is so desperately needed when one can feel disconnected from their sense of purpose, identity, and belonging.D. Matt Scherer, a retired Air Force public affairs supervisor, works with military professionals in transition.  He formed the Military Transition Roundtable with another veteran to assist veterans in transition through a MasterMind approach.The MasterMind concept dates back to meetings where executives like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Charles Schwab would form these groups to address the issues they faced with their businesses.Pulling together like-minded business leaders, these MasterMind groups allow everyone to share their issues and get insight from others.Today, the Military Transition Roundtable conducts six meetings to accommodate military professionals from the Far East to Europe.More on the MTR - https://lnkd.in/eV4uEu3YVisit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTERRead my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com

Os Estados Unidos é o país que concentra mais megacorporações no mundo: de 2000, cerca de 590 estão lá. Na posição número 100º, está a Coca-Cola: uma marca que é muitas vezes considerada como a segunda bandeira do país.   Fundada em 1892 como uma bebida tônica para dar mais energia, rapidamente ganhou os paladares de pessoas influentes em todo mundo: o autor estadunidense Ernest Hemingway era conhecido por bebe-la regularmente, tal como o inventor Thomas Edison, que possuía uma grande quantidade de refrigerantes no seu laboratório.    Entretanto, a bebida também ganhava críticos: o líder indiano Mahatma Gandhi incentivava seus seguidores a boicotar a bebida por causa de seu papel na exploração do trabalho infantil e das práticas comerciais desonestas.    Em 1904, o chefe do Departamento de Agricultura dos Estados Unidos, o Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, falou sobre isso que:   "A Coca-Cola é uma das fraudes mais flagrantes na história da alimentação e das bebidas. É um veneno insidioso e lento, que inevitavelmente irá minar a saúde do usuário. Eu me recuso a permitir que meus filhos usem isso".    Apenas 12 anos depois da Coca ser fundada, outro tônico surgiu, a Pepsi, inicialmente apenas para combater a indigestão.   Mais tarde, ela firmou-se como a principal concorrente da Coca, representando os valores de consumidores mais ousados e jovens, diferentes dos valores tradicionais da coca.    Ambas as marcas espalharam por todos os continentes do mundo e foram parar até mesmo nas mãos de soldados nos campos da 2º guerra mundial.   Quase 100 anos depois da fundação da Coca e da Pepsi, as duas empresas possuíam as mesmas fórmulas químicas que tinham desde o século 20.   Entretanto, no ano de 1985, tudo isso iria mudar, em uma ação que alguns historiadores consideram como o “erro de marketing do século”.   Durante 79 dias, a Coca-Cola foi alvo de intensos protestos, em um episódio que envolveu tráfico internacional de bebidas, psicologia de massas, Guerra Fria e até mesmo Fidel Castro e Michael Jackson.  ____________________   Se curte o conteúdo do Geo, agradecemos quem contribuir com nossa campanha mensal no:   Picpay: https://picpay.me/geopizza   Apoia.se: https://apoia.se/geopizza ou Patreon: https://patreon.com/geopizza  Confira a Geostore, nossa loja do Geopizza 

Thomas Edison's long list of inventions touched every layer of our lives - from the lightbulb and electric industry, to movies, TV and music. In many cases, he was motivated by his own profound deafness - a condition that medical experts still debate. www.ohiomysteries.comfeedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio www.facebook.com/ohiomysteries Music: Anything, by Tyrone Hornbuckle. Find more at https://www.facebook.com/tyrone.hornbuckle Additional music: Audionautix- The Great Unknown. The Great Phospher- Daniel Birch. Also: Home, by Whitesand - https://youtu.be/ZEZDlyetasc​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Stacy Wells. Stacy has worked throughout her adult life to promote diversity and equity especially concerning addressing race issues in America. Among other accomplishments, she is the co-creator and facilitator of Write On Race to Be Right on Race, (WOR). Want to know more, I hope you will listen to this episode.   Clearly, Stacy's teaching and communications skills appear for us. She is a good and engaging storyteller both about her personal life as well as the work she continues to do. During this episode, I had the opportunity to steer our conversation a bit away from race to a discussion concerning the concept of disabilities and how diversity has left out so many in America and throughout the world. Stacy, in addition to teaching and telling stories, shows that she has a curious mind that is willing to absorb new ideas and concepts.   This interview was the most fun I think for both Stacy and me. I hope you enjoy it as well.     About the Guest: Stacy Wells is a person-centered educator and equity thought leader with a variety of professional experiences, including DEI leadership in the public and private sector; public school teacher and district wide administrator; higher education faculty, and consultant. Her areas of specialty include leadership development and coaching embedded in cultural competence, organizational alignment with DEI strategies, community development to advance racial justice, curriculum writing, and teacher preparation. She is the co-creator and facilitator of WRITE On RACE To Be RIGHT On RACE (WOR) Community Engagement series and co-author of the WRITE on RACE to be RIGHT on RACE: Resource Journaling Guide. Stacy is currently the Director of Communications for Mankato Area Public Schools. She earned her B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Drake University, and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction and education policy from the University of St. Thomas. Stacy currently resides with her family in Minneapolis, MN. She began her professional career working in broadcast production and occasionally appearing on-air. Her interest in working with young people begin while she was employed at the local public television station. Stacy was a part of creating and airing a new teen centered talk show entitled, “Don't Believe the Hype.” This was an opportunity for young people to get television production training and mentorship as well as share their opinions about current events. This experience was part of the reason she decided to transition her career into education. She taught elementary and middle school in Minneapolis Public Schools for 5 years. Although she left the classroom, she decided to stay in education by moving into teacher preparation and was an adjunct professor at several twin cities area colleges and universities. Her focus was and continues to be, helping educators learn to meet the needs of all students. Of particular importance is creating better educational experiences for Black children, which is where Minnesota and the nation continues to see the biggest gap. Her professional career also includes leading diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice work for school districts and other organizations as well as her consulting work across the state and nationally.   As a consultant Stacy has worked with several organizations to advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Paramount to this is the WRITE on RACE effort. Participants are challenged to critically journal about race and the impact it has on their lives. History and current events are used to consider the challenging dynamics of race, racism, white privilege, and white supremacy. The structure helps participants to be in relationship across race, practicing how to talk about the issues that we often try to avoid. There are currently WOR cohorts being created across Minnesota.   All the most important things about Stacy are from the loving upbringing her parents provided her and her four older brothers. Stacy believes family is very important. Her mother bravely fought cancer for three years before passing away in August of 2018. Her life and death continue to have a very profound impact on Stacy.       About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:20 Well, Hi, and welcome to unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Mike hingson. So wherever you are, thanks for being here. And thanks for listening to us. Or watching us if you're observing it on YouTube. Today, we get to talk to Stacy Wells. And Stacy has a lot of experience in the Diversity Equity and Inclusion world and is the CO creator and very involved in a process called right on race to be right on race. The first right is with a W and the second one is right is an ri ght. We're going to learn about that. So I'm not going to give much away or talk about it because I think it'll be more fun for Stacey to do that. least that's the plan. Right, Stacy? That's all right. So welcome to unstoppable mindset. How are you?   Stacy Wells  02:08 Thank you so much, Michael. I'm doing well. Yeah, thank you. Great.   Michael Hingson  02:11 Well, let's start like, as I always like to do tell me a little about your growing up and some of that kind of stuff. So let's start at the beginning as they say,   Stacy Wells  02:22 yes. So born and raised in Minneapolis. On the south side, some people will know that reference. I, my parents had five children, four boys, and then a girl. And they told me the story so many times of how when my mom was pregnant, the the fifth and final time that the doctor said it's probably going to be a girl and she did not believe it. And so whenever my dad did, he was like, Yes, this is this is it, and they would go shopping and he'd put in girls clothes, or you know, at that time, it was all about like pink and yellow for girls. And my mom would promptly take it out of the basket and put in, you know, boy sorts of things because she was like, I don't believe it. It's not gonna happen, I don't believe. And then there was. So really just sort of a, I guess, fun, normal upbringing. Often, I tried to hang out with my brothers. And they were like, no, go away. Not because they didn't love me, but because, you know, they were boys. And they were doing what they thought were boy things and there's, you know, between myself and my brother, who's the closest there's about two and a half years, but for him he he was still big brother. And so that was I was just always a little sister. So   Michael Hingson  03:44 you had four brothers to protect you.   Stacy Wells  03:47 Exactly. Yes. And that they did and still do.   Michael Hingson  03:52 They still do.   Stacy Wells  03:54 You know, even when I didn't want them to write. But yeah, it was funny. It's funny because I actually have a lot of had a lot of boys growing up in my family. So my mom was an only child. And then my dad didn't have any sisters. He had five brothers. And there was only one other girl like a girl cousin in that family. And so I just there was so many boys all the time that whenever you know I was with, say my grandpa, my dad's father. It was very special because he was always dealing with boys from his sons to his other to his grandsons. And then he finally got a granddaughter. So that was that was exciting for him.   Michael Hingson  04:40 But he knew to spoil   Stacy Wells  04:42 Exactly, yes. So yeah, I went to college in Atlanta to Spelman College, which is an HBCU. It's an all female college. I went there for a year and then I decided to transfer to Drake University which is an Iowa and And   Michael Hingson  05:00 then where you were when were you at Drake?   Stacy Wells  05:03 I was at Drake from Oh, goodness, let me let me thank you. So I graduated from high school in 86. And so I was at Spelman 8687. And then Drake 87 to 90,   Michael Hingson  05:16 I worked on a project for the National Federation of the Blind in starting in 1976. But in 1977, as part of it, I spent several months at the Iowa Commission for the Blind. And I remember there was some sort of parade that went down the street and a lot of it was related to Drake University. So I'm, I know about Drake. Okay.   Stacy Wells  05:39 You know, if it was in the spring, and in April, it was maybe related to Drake Relays. That was a big twin. It was, yep. So it's still every year they have the relays. And in the Midwest, I think it's one of the only places that has a big track and field event that rivals like the Penn relays or something. But it draws people from around the country, but particularly in the Upper Midwest, to the relays every year in April. So it's always a good time for students on campus, but also for guests. So   Michael Hingson  06:10 yeah, well, I very much enjoyed the the parade that morning was around 10 o'clock or so I was staying in a hotel on Fourth Street. And all of a sudden, I heard a band outside. So I went downstairs and learned that what was going on and just stood there and watched it for about a half hour 45 minutes until it was over. But it was a lot of fun.   Stacy Wells  06:34 Oh, yeah. Yep. Gotta love afraid.   Michael Hingson  06:38 Oh, absolutely. So for you growing up, what's your favorite childhood memory, you must have lots of fond memories, and maybe that aren't so much with Big Brothers, but nevertheless.   Stacy Wells  06:51 So you know, one of my I have two really fond memories. So one is it's really simple. I just, we just grew up in a house of music. So not not like anyone playing and I played instruments, but but my, my mom really liked music. So we all did. And so she would, you know, play albums at that time. And we might be in the backyard or sitting we lived on a corner. And so we had steps on the side of the house, technically, and then of course, the front. And we use the side door more often, which came in into the kitchen. And then like you went to the left and to the kitchen into the right into like a formal dining room. So anyways, we would maybe sit on the side steps more more than we would the front. But you could hear the music outside. And so just kind of sitting out there watching the neighbors go past and if my dad was maybe outside doing some yard work, or if we were, you know, if they were cooking in the backyard, people, you know, my parents were really established in the neighborhood. And so they just knew everybody in it. At that time, people lived in that neighborhood for a long time and really got to know one another. So it was just fun to say hi to people and people would stop by and see what was happening. And especially in this not in the winter. But in the summer in the in the spring. It was just a kind of I think for the spring it kind of marked sort of the summer ritual of just being outside and kind of hanging out. But the other thing is that I really remember fondly I mentioned my my grandpa's already my dad's father. And every weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, he would either pick me up or my parents would drop me off and I'd spend the entire day at his house. And part of that time he might be he loved westerns and he loves baseball. So he might be watching a baseball game or watching a Western or reading a restaurant Western. And I'd be sitting at this I so vividly remember this sitting at a desk and pretending that I was doing something right. So we had like notepads and staples and tape and all this. And I would just be I could sit at that desk for hours and write and doodle and just kind of be there. But before and then his friend because my grandmother did my my grandfather's so and my father from Oklahoma. And when my grandfather moved to Minnesota to take a job at General Mills, my grandmother was like, I'm not moving to Minnesota, she had no interest whatsoever. So she stayed in Oklahoma. And he moved up here and his sons eventually followed him for school. And but anyways, a friend of his would, she'd come by and she'd make sugar cookies were sort of her specialty. So sometimes I help her with that. Or sometimes she just bring them by. But before our time together was done. We'd always stop by the store and I would get a new Barbie something so it could be a girl. It could be some doll clothes. It could be a Barbie house. You know, it just depended on the weekend and so I had all the Barbie stuff as you can imagine. But that was just you know, it's such a fond memory. I'm not not so much because of we, because we went in and bought the Barbie stuff, but because I just had that time with him every almost every weekend unless we were on vacation or he was busy. And so I also got to meet other relatives, they would come by and see him. And so I got to know my family and just a different way, I think. So those are a couple of things that I just remember so fondly, and they all really kind of revolve around family, right? And just spending that time. So I don't, you know, I don't know, if you spent a lot of time with, you know, either grandparents or, you know, if you have siblings, if you have those kinds of memories about growing up, but it was just like so carefree when I think about it.   Michael Hingson  10:46 Some of those memories, not so much with grandparents. But I had a brother and my parents and so on, of course, here's the real burning question. Did your grandfather convinced you to like Westerns or baseball?   Stacy Wells  10:58 Oh, well, you know, kind of baseball because we would also, he also liked to go to the games occasionally. And so I would I kind of liked going to the games, I'm pretty sure that now in hindsight, that was just because of the the caramel corn. Yeah, but you know, I got to learn the game a little bit. And the usually if we went to a game, it was with maybe a couple of my brothers or a couple of my cousins or something. So just kind of hanging out with them. Westerns not as much as much, no, and my dad like them too. But you know, what I did get another thing I got from him was just the joy of reading, because well into his you know, he died when he was 80. I think 86. He, he would read every day. And so I mean, I read a lot at home, but I'd always bring a book with me over there or might just read something he had like, the Farmers Almanac and I was just like, so curious about this Farmers Almanac. And so just the joy of reading, or like casual reading, I think that some of that was probably instilled with but because of the time that I spent with him,   Michael Hingson  12:08 well, that, you know, reading is extremely important. And I very much value reading, I do a lot of listening. But I also read books in braille. And there's a difference between those two techniques, because Braille is really like you're reading, whereas we both can listen to audiobooks, which, in a sense, is a little bit less of a dimension, because you're viewing it through the interpretation of the narrator, but still, just having access to a lot of books is extremely important. Yes, and valuing what, what people say, exactly. And the reality is, whether it's fiction or nonfiction, because a lot of writers of fiction are really trying to put their life experiences into the fiction that they write. And there are so many incredible fiction writers that, that do some things that we should value too. But both fiction and nonfiction are important.   Stacy Wells  13:12 I think that that fiction piece, you know, sort of that ability to escape to another world, right? is really important. But I think about there's just so much wonderful children's literature that's out. Yes. Right. Just not only the illustrations, but the storytelling and the creativity that is in them. I I have a daughter who's now 18 But that was one of our favorite things was in my my mom did this with my siblings and myself was going to the library at least once a week. And then also buying books, but just to even look at the, you know, picture books and read them and just kind of then create an another story off of what we read in a book. So yeah, that was that's always fun.   Michael Hingson  14:05 So when you went to college, what did you major in?   Stacy Wells  14:08 So when I went to Spelman, I majored in English. And you know, it was so I applied to a few schools in Spelman and Drake word schools that I applied to and gotten accepted to. But one of the reasons that I chose Spelman honestly was less about the major but about the experience to be at historically black college and university and honestly to be in a all girl Women's Environment. So for me, those two things were really they turned out to be very critical to who I am as a person now even though I was only there for a year. It was just so affirming and empowering. And I met some really wonderful people. So my major there was English, but ultimately I really wanted to major in communications broadcast journalism. And so that's how I ended up at Drake. I did transfer after that first year and end up at Drake. And, you know, sometimes in hindsight, I'm like, Oh, maybe I should have stayed at Spelman, but I can't undo that. So I'm glad for the I'm really grateful for the experience. But Drake was great, too. I met there two of my very best friends to this day, and had a really fun and fun time and a great education. So I can't say that I love living in Iowa, but it was okay. And it wasn't as difficult for me as it was some for some because it was the Midwest again. And so I was more familiar with it than some people that came to that campus. So But Drake is a great school so Spelman, so I feel honored to be alumni of both. And then I did my masters work here in the Twin Cities at the University of St. Thomas. So   Michael Hingson  15:55 moved around well, is was Drake, a better school or a school with a more established broadcast journalism program? Was that the reason?   Stacy Wells  16:05 Yeah, they have a College of Journalism. And so I was able to really, you know, still take some other courses, because of liberal arts, but really focus on that broadcast journalism piece and do some internships, and then a radio studio, I was a DJ for a semester. That's pretty cool. And a late night show that did more kind of like slow music, and that was really fun, and was able to work on some studio productions, and all of those sorts of things. So got some really great experiences being there.   Michael Hingson  16:40 So what did you do after you graduated them from Drake? And then did you go straight into masters?   Stacy Wells  16:47 I didn't, I went to work. I worked at a television studio here in the Twin Cities, our local PBS station. And I worked on a program called Newton's apple, if you're familiar with that, it's a science program, mostly for young people. And so I was doing more production sorts of things. But every once in a while, they needed some on screen talent, and in particular, folks color and so I would do some of the onscreen things just to be like an extra in an experiment, or do some things like that, which was was kind of fun, too. And did that for a few years. And then I did. So that was more truly, you know, broadcast journalism. And then I did some things in marketing and promotion. All of which I enjoyed. But what I realized is one, that, you know, I just I really enjoy school and learning. And so I wanted to pursue an advanced degree. And when I looked at what that would be for related to communications, technically, there really isn't anything I could have done, you know, maybe something in marketing, like an MBA, I didn't really have any interest in that. I'm a really purpose driven sort of person, I realized. And so I want the work that I do to have a greater impact bigger than me, and it's not about me being you know, sort of famous or the center of attention, I just really want to make the world a better place and sort of leave an imprint in that way. And so, I did some research and kind of looked around. And another thing I was always interested in was teaching just because I really enjoy young people. One of the other things I did when I was at the Public TV station was working on a new program with young people specifically. And so I think that that really got me excited about teaching and so that's the direction I went to next I was accepted into a program for an alternative teaching license. And then I finished my master's after that, so I got my teaching license and taught for five years and then kind of started into my down the path of my career of education and diversity inclusion and equity work and in have come full circle to be working back and communications but within a K 12 system. So kind of, you know, putting those things together and I still do a lot of diversity, equity and inclusion work as a consultant. So I feel like I you know, have been able to kind of finesse a lot of my experience. And you know, I guess my education into doing some professional work that I enjoy.   Michael Hingson  19:31 It's fun when you can bring your experiences back in and fit into what you're doing. So you get to not be a round peg in a square hole. You either change the shape of the hole or the change the shape of the peg, but you make it work.   Stacy Wells  19:44 Exactly. And you know, I just what I found is that I'm not and for, for better or for worse, especially as I get older. I'm not really afraid to learn something new and kind of try something different, maybe even a little bit of reinvent In short of myself, like, I feel like that's just growth. And as long as it's logical, and it sort of builds on what I already know, then I'm like, Well, why not? So I'm willing to, I'm pretty good with like transition and change. And so I'm willing to try out new things. And I know for some people, that's really scary. And it can be a little scary. But I, I feel like if I don't, then I might always wonder why, you know, what about? So I take sort of calculated risks, I guess, still?   Michael Hingson  20:35 Well, how did you get to the point of doing right on race to be right on race? Where did that come from? I'd love to learn more about the whole program and what that's all about.   Stacy Wells  20:45 Yeah. Well, so I, that I do that work with a colleague, a partner. And we had just met, when I was working at one of the school districts leading the equity work there, someone had connected us, for me to come out and speak to a group that he was facilitating. And so we be became friends and, you know, discovered that a lot of the work that we did was very similar. And we had similar sort of passions around doing the work and complementary styles. And so we started doing that work together, kind of consulting work going, in particular to school districts. And so at the time, he was actually in Mankato. His name was bukata. Hayes, and living there and working there. And I was in the Twin Cities. But we would do a lot of work out in, you know, more rural or outstate, Minnesota, but also in the cities. So after doing several, a couple of years in several different facilitation sessions with businesses and schools, we were thinking about, you know, what, are we really having an impact in doing sort of one off types of farming, maybe even coming back two or three times? Like, what? Where are we making the changes that we really hope to, and we didn't think that we were while we thought we were doing good work, it wasn't sort of moving the needle, so to speak. And we sometimes did this work with another gentleman, Reggie. And so the three of us had been talking about some different sort of innovative things that we could do. And this idea of using a journal to help people sort of process their, their thoughts, in this case around race was kind of was germinated really, in some conversations the two of them have had had, and then they brought me in, and we started talking about what that could look like. And, you know, how would we shape that? Then they eventually, Reggie, the third person, he had to step away because of his some other work he was doing, but we kept doing it. And so what what happened was, we decided we were going to put this together. And we decided it was going to be a two year process. So we were asking people to really commit, we opened it up to the entire community of Mankato, so anyone who wanted to come there was no cost or anything. And we were going to gather quarterly. And in between those quarters, we were going to send them information, what we called prompts for them to take a look at and to, in their journal respond to them. We had some questions that they could respond to, or they could just kind of write or draw or whatever they needed to do, to process what they were seeing, reading, experiencing. And then when we came together, every quarter, they would be more prepared to have deeper, more meaningful conversations and sort of build relationships, to have greater understanding about, you know, basically, some of the issues that we have around the disparities that we have that are related. In this case, we were talking specifically about race, and much of our audience was white people. And that's okay, because there's, you know, we didn't say that that's what it needs to be. But that's just what it turned out to be. And if we think about the work that we have to do around, you know, cultural competency, it really is everyone's work. And it's going to be most effective if we all come together. And so for two years, we had probably 75 people or so turn up every quarter to have these conversations. And I think on our listserv, we had maybe upwards of 250 300 people that were receiving our prompts every two weeks. And so we just went through, we started talking about sort of the impact of race and yes, it's a social construct and it's it's very much made up, but it has real impacts every day on people's lives and livelihood. And then we kind of drew a line through race and criminal justice, race and education, race in health and wellness, race in housing and income. And then at the end, at the end of the, the effort, we asked them to come up with solutions for their community like so you've learned all these sort of historical things and some present day things. You've examined some data, you've heard some from some experts at our quarterly sessions, we'd invite in some experts to talk about it. Whatever topic we were on, and then we said, so what does this mean for you know, not only you but your community? Are there things that you would like to see changed? And how would you go about doing that, you know, you've got people here from the business sector, or from education, from health, from health care, how would you all come together to solve some of these issues in your community, and be prepared in case anything happened, which, you know, things are likely to happen. And so this started in 2016. And we went through 2018. And it was a great process. People really, really committed and they enjoyed it, it was a journey. We had tears, and we had celebrations, and we have people angry, and we have people happy. And butt off. You know, I think we really tried to challenge people and push them but care for them at the same time. We did, you know, sort of a lot of research as we went. And because it was just the two of us, we were able to be nimble enough to say, you know, I think we need to maybe change this a little bit, maybe we're sending out too much information or not enough, or something happened today, right in the news, and in or this week, and we need to make sure we talk about that with this group. And so we were able to keep it sort of current. And then when it was all said and done, we kind of sat back for like six months. And we were like, wow, we learned so much about ourselves and about the process and about this work that. And we have a useful process that we really believe in that we we want to we decided to write a book about it. And that's where the book came from was after. So it's, it's a bit of a reflection of the entire process. But it's also sort of a workbook that anyone can use on their own or with a group perhaps, and we've had other groups use it, we've done this process with other groups, other organizations. But you know, it's really, it was really a just, it was like a labor of love. Like we really believe in this process. And we want people we want some people to have a tool, right? There's a lot of people doing this work. And there's a lot of ways to go about it. And we don't think we're the only way we think the work that we are doing can complement many other things. And so we just want it to be accessible to people and for people to kind of continue learning so that we can make some changes in this world that we live in. You know, and we talk specifically about race, because that was our experience. But we've also thought about how how it's someone from other communities, like other intersecting things, take the same process with their expertise and use it to help people grow in learning about other areas of cultural diversity. So   Michael Hingson  28:34 that, of course, is a question that that logically comes up. And of course, for me personally, it involves the whole issue of disabilities. We hear constantly when people talk about diversity, equity in education, we hear about race, we hear about gender, we hear about sexual orientation. And we incredibly, very rarely ever hear about disabilities. And that's especially amazing since the disabilities community or the community of persons with disabilities is the largest community in the country by far. Yet it is the current part of the community in the world that is least included and involved. How do we change that?   Stacy Wells  29:22 Yeah, I think that's a great question. And you know, this is for me, I just want to share an example about how even though you can be doing this work, you you are always learning so I was working for the Department of Human Services for a couple of years and the administration that I worked in community sports included behavioral health, and it had Disability Services, deaf and hard of hearing. A couple of other areas, and I realized we were planning like a quarterly meeting for employees. So you know, like something On and we had a part of one of the divisions included folks that represented indigenous populations. And there was someone who was willing to do some kind of ceremonial drumming. And I was like, Oh, that would be wonderful, you know, but then I was like, Oh, if someone is, you know, I was like, Are we being inclusive? Because we have deaf and hard of hearing and a lot of people, not only did they serve the people of Minnesota that were a part of that, but they, many of the people on staff were identified themselves having that as a different disability. And so I was like, Well, no, that, you know, like, maybe we shouldn't do that, because they won't be able to hear it. And so I went, and I asked, because how else do I know? And in one of the people I talked to, it's like, well, no, we can see it's fine to do it, we can still feel it. And actually, particularly if it's, you know, drums, percussion, we can feel that. So yeah, that's fine. And so just the assumption that I made, right, and what I realized is that, because I didn't have anyone in, in my kind of close circle that was deaf or hard of hearing, it's not something that came front of mind all the time. And I'm thinking that I'm trying to be inclusive, right? I'm thinking about what are when I'm preparing a document, especially, that's going to be shared, if it's accessible, and all those other sorts of things. But that isn't, that was an area that was sort of a blind spot for me, right. And so even though I've been doing this work a really long time, I was like, Oh, I've got to learn more about this, and I need to be more mindful about it. But also, to your point, I feel like it's just an area that people for whatever reasons, sort of overlook. And I think what we need to remind people is one, I mean, you know, there are, obviously visible disabilities, but there's a lot of invisible ones. And we should just be, we need to always be mindful of it. Because even if we don't know, we can't see it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. And if we're not finding ways to make sure that we are being inclusive of that as well, then we're really leaving out a whole swath of people. And of course, like many other things, disability is one of those is, is a part of the intersectionality, right? So there's just layers for people. And I just remember, you know, for example, at the height of COVID, the disability community, it was like, Hey, we are being disproportionately affected by COVID, and no one is talking about it, you're talking about elderly people, you might be talking about it by race, all those things are really important, but it's important for us as well. And so I think we just have to keep sort of making it a part of the conversation. And again, like many things, it's it's often the people that are part of that community that are doing sort of the most, they are the ones that have to always seem to bring it up in I would like that to change. I mean, of course, they're going to advocate for themselves. But I want other people to advocate for them. In case they're not there at the table so that we can say, we need to make sure that we're getting that information, we see it happen somewhat in K 12. A bit more because of you know, special ed, but I think it we we tend to lose it. If people don't feel like they know anyone that has a disability. And it just isn't something that comes to mind. So we just we have to keep, we have to make sure that we keep asking about it and are curious about it and make it as important as any other area of diversity that we're talking   Michael Hingson  33:56 about. It comes up some, but there's still so many challenges. So for example, dealing with blindness, we see all the time in the educational system. People say, Well, you don't need Braille anymore, because books are recorded, or you can listen to them on computers. And so the result is that today less than 10% of all people who can read Braille. And of course, the the downside of that is they don't learn to spell they don't learn to write, they grow up functionally illiterate, and the educational system to a very large degree supports that. Yeah, they don't think through that. The reality is that Braille is the means of reading and writing that blind people should use. Now I also in addition to that would point out that blindness from the definition that I use is not just total lack of eyesight, but if you get to the point where your eyesight is diminished to the level where you can't use your eyes to accomplish everything and you have to use alternatives. You want to be learning the techniques and the technologies that blind people use, including totally blind people, because it's the only way you're going to be as effective. If you can read large print, or you can use magnifiers to read or closed circuit televisions, it's great, except your reading speed will be slow. And you won't be able to read for long periods of time without getting headaches. Whereas a person who learns Braille and who is encouraged to learn to use and read Braille. In addition, if they have eyesight to learning, the ability to read print as they can, they'll be a much more efficient and much better reader color all along the line. And I've heard so many people growing up who said I'm on partial that as I've got some eyesight, and they wouldn't let me learn braille. And I didn't know any better. And I grew up not being able to read nearly as well as I could. So the educational system has a lot of growing to do. And we've got to recognize that Braille is a true alternative to print. And I'm on a little bit of a soapbox here, but I'm also doing it to try to educate people to the fact that the reality is what you think about blindness, blind people or anyone with disabilities is not necessarily all there is to it. And it's important to go further.   Stacy Wells  36:25 Yeah, I'm so glad that you mentioned that about Braille, because I didn't realize that people were saying that, that it didn't need to be taught or that it or that people didn't need to learn anymore. And I think that that's, that's ridiculous. Because I mean, to me, I kind of equate it to another language. First of all, and but I have noticed that you don't see things in Braille all the time, right. And I feel like when I was growing up, it was much more common to see it. Now that I there often places where I don't see it at all. And I would imagine, obviously, like you're saying, if people aren't learning it, then people aren't creating it, right? It just sort of fades away. And that's not okay.   Michael Hingson  37:09 It's so much easier to produce it today than it used to be. There's so much in an electronic format. And I hear what you're saying about viewing it as another language, I can see you doing that. But see, I don't view it as another language because it is it is the it's, it's a true alternative to reading print, so is print another language. You know, I got to look at it the same way. The reality is Braille is another way of representing the same things that you see through reading. And I see through reading braille, because as we know, c does not necessarily mean with the eyes except for like dependent bigots who think that the only way to see is with eyes, fun to pick up. And, you know, it's it's an also another way of saying as I love to do on some of the podcasts, everyone in this world has a disability, most of you are light dependent, you don't do well in the dark, it doesn't mean that it isn't a disability. And we should really recognize that we all have challenges and we have gifts. Braille really isn't another language. It's another method of representing the same stuff that you get by reading.   Stacy Wells  38:19 Okay, that's interesting. So it's not necessarily a way of communicating, it's a way of receiving information. Well, it   Michael Hingson  38:25 is a way of communicating as well. I take notes in Braille, I might pass braille to other blind people who do read Braille. It's a true way of communicating every bit as much as you using a pen or pencil and paper. And then the other part about it is of course, we all in theory should learn to use keyboards and communicate through computers. But a computer and you typing on a keyboard isn't a different language, it's a different way of doing the same thing.   Stacy Wells  38:55 Okay, okay. And so there's a an actual, is there an actual machine that you use to create the Braille? Let your,   Michael Hingson  39:06 there's several ways to do it. There are several ways there are machines that do it. I can create a file on a computer and transmitted to a machine that will then provide it as a representation in Braille. So the thing is that you really just have to look at Braille as a true alternative, not substitute or substitution. It's a true alternative to print. It's another way of doing the same thing. And the reality is good Braille readers will read every bit as good as most good print readers because we learn to do it. Sure. Well, that's   Stacy Wells  39:44 interesting. See, I love learning new things. So I think one, two, back to your question about how do we sort of how do we, you know, make the conversation about disability bigger is that we just have the conversation right? If you Have someone like yourself to talk to and ask questions and you're obviously willing to answer the questions and like inform. That's how we learn more and become more mindful. And we just don't do that enough. Sometimes we're afraid to ask the questions or we don't know anyone, or, you know, you don't want to engage in the conversation. But that's, that's a really simple but very important way of, because once you hear and learn about these things, you can't really like, not think about them or pay attention to them, I don't think, I think then starts to really, you think about it, and it should inform your, you know, change your behavior or inform decisions that you make moving forward. So I appreciate you sharing that with me.   Michael Hingson  40:44 It is it's a true way of another way of doing the same thing that that you do. I think that the reason Personally, I believe that the biggest reason that disabilities aren't included is we're taught to fear them. We're taught to fear disabilities, oh, my gosh, you could, you could become our I could become a disabled person tomorrow. And we, we grew up with things like the Bible that truly have not represented disabilities well, but more important, in general. We teach our children to fear, real difference, and disabilities are one of the biggest differences that we tend to really teach children to be afraid of. I mean, look at race race was certainly feared. And it still is, in so many quarters. It's, it's a process, it's slowly evolving. But disabilities is nowhere near there. And you're right. It's all about the conversation. And we need to just become more proactive, including in the conversation.   Stacy Wells  41:54 Right, exactly. Yeah, that's so true. I feel like um, and I the other thing, and you couldn't and I guess I'd be curious about your opinion about this, too, is that sometimes there's this tendency, especially if it's a, you know, a more visual disability to the first tendency is that people feel this sort of pity for someone, right, without knowing anything about what's happening. And it's, and I think that's part of fear, and and that's why people don't say anything, or they like try to avoid it. It's like, Oh, I'm so sorry for them. I know, right? Something bad happened to them, right? Like, well, how do you know,   Michael Hingson  42:32 it's what it is, it is what we're taught. For many years, the Gallup polling organization and surveying people's fears, said that blindness was one of the top five fears in the country, not even persons with disabilities. But blindness. Because sighted children grow up believing eyesight, it's the only game in town, and they carry that forward. And it's not like I said, The problem for all of you is that your light dependent, so your eyesight is great until there's a power failure unless you happen to be or where there's a flashlight, or you can turn your iPhone on, or your your cell phone in general and have a flashlight. But the bottom line is you still need to turn on that technology to get light without light, you don't function very well. And so why should it be different for you than for me, and we just haven't gotten to the point of truly evolving the conversation to recognize that we all have challenges. We all have gifts, and we can all use different kinds of technologies to accomplish the tasks.   Stacy Wells  43:39 Yeah, that's great. Well, I mean, I think about people who turn 40 something and they all of a sudden need like reading glasses, right? And for some people, that is a big transition, it's like, oh, my gosh, I need reading glasses.   Michael Hingson  43:54 Like or more important, they fear turning 40 Yes. And then a lot of them turn 40. And discover wasn't a big deal after all, or 50. All right. So it's it's an interesting world, we live in a dichotomy of a lot of different kinds of attitudes.   Stacy Wells  44:12 It is, yeah, we have. I mean, you know, in some ways, we have a lot of work to do around it, but it doesn't have to be you know, it could if we can have conversations with people and be open to learning, then it doesn't have to be hard. It can be uncomfortable, but it should lead to a better place. Right?   Michael Hingson  44:35 Oh, sure. Well, for you with right on race being right on race, did you hold more community engagements and so on after 2018? I would have thought that certainly with the whole thing with the George Floyd situation so on that was an opportunistic time for real discussion.   Stacy Wells  44:55 Yeah, we did. You know, it's been really well received. It's been used in a couple of the book itself has been used in a couple of graduate classes. And we've we haven't been able to get anyone to do another two year engagement. But we've done things like three months or six months. So we've done with a lot of with some nonprofits, and some higher ed organizations, we've done it with a couple of for profit. During COVID, we did a special COVID Obviously online session for I think it was six or eight weeks where we talk specifically about some of the issues around COVID. And we are currently working with the Minnesota Humanity Center to do a statewide, statewide project in kind of form outstate metro areas. And so we've done one of those, which is in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and then we are going to be starting another one this fall. And then there's two more, so it's gonna be you know, it'll be a few years, but those efforts are lasting about six to eight months, too. So, again, you know, it's really more about helping, just providing another way for people to have these conversations with one another. build community. And I think one of the things you mentioned, George Floyd, and one of the things that I think that revealed, among so many things, is that in Minnesota, in particular, we have some real challenges and a state that, you know, in some ways, considers itself very liberal and, you know, sore wood, kind of, above the fray, we really aren't, we're having the same issues in Minnesota, and sometimes worse than they are in any other place in the nation. And so, for people that weren't aware, for a number of reasons, it really made some people stop in and think about what they didn't know about what was happening. And, and so, you know, not only our work, but others work really, in Minnesota was very important and vital. And some of that work continues and some of it has waned, unfortunately. But it was, you know, an opportunity for some people to realize, okay, maybe Minnesota is not this utopia. Of course, it's not right. But like, oh, yeah, okay, so disappointing.   Michael Hingson  47:19 Yeah, right.   Stacy Wells  47:21 I'm living comfortable. And I didn't know these things are happening, but they certainly are happening. And so yes, it's been really a helpful tool. And we have enjoyed meeting lots of people and helping them to engage in these conversations using the process, and just happy that they're having the conversation. But again, there's much work to be done in many needs to be involved in that. So   Michael Hingson  47:47 well, being A Prairie Home Companion fan, I have to ask, have you started a program yet? And Lake Wobegon?   Stacy Wells  47:53 We have not. Well, we should probably look at that.   Michael Hingson  47:57 You should I would think that you, you could get them to think they're pretty closed in a lot of ways. But you could get them to think and grow. That might be interesting. I might be Yeah. Ice fishing. Yeah. Exactly. over some hot dish over Yeah. Right. You know, go to the fist home, and the church can sponsor many things. That's right. So for you, you're, you're doing a lot, what's something you're not good at? Just to ask, just to be spiteful, and   Stacy Wells  48:35 a lot of things you know. So one of the things and this is this is kind of joking and thinking about like engaging with people. I'm not good at like, hiding my emotions and like holding my face. Like if I'm really curious about something or I don't like it, I have an immediate reaction. So actually, having to wear a mask all the time during COVID was probably good for me because I was able to react without people necessarily know and if you know me, well, then you can, even when I'm trying to hide it, you can you know that I'm thinking something or I'm reacting to something. But that's, that's just something kind of silly, but, you know, I mean, I think there's just so much I am a really curious person, and I like to learn things. I wish that I had skills like around carpentry, I would love to be able to create something with my hands in that way. I'm I, there's I would love to learn another language. I try to learn French and I know a little bit of Spanish, but I guess I haven't committed myself enough other than taking some classes in college. So I would love to do that. I think. Yeah, there's just there's a lot of things that I could learn or do better. You know, I think we can always just be better people. I I tried to be a really good person, but I tried to be to learn every day about, you know, I, this conversation with you about blindness has really already got me thinking and so I, you know, I'm always like, okay, there's always something that we can do better. And I don't think of that as a negative thing, I just think that we grow and change all the time as people and so, you know, we shouldn't get stuck and we should always be willing to improve ourselves in in most of the time, but they're in smaller ways not necessarily in big life changing ways. So, you know, I can I could find a number of things that I'm not very good at, that's not a problem for me, because, you know, we're always our worst critics.   Michael Hingson  50:47 Well, so during COVID, did you win more poker hands, because you had to wear a mask?   Stacy Wells  50:53 I did. I want to learn how to see. We, you know, our school district was plagued with those school board meetings that were, you know, had people showing up throwing around conspiracy theories and accusations, we had all of it taping us and appearing our district appearing on Fox News a couple of times. And so I'm a member of the cabinet, which is the leadership team and we we have to sit kind of not in front where the school board sits, we're kind of off to the side all together. And when some of the people will come to the front to speak and make accusations and sometimes personal, having a mask on allowed me to say a lot of things under my breath. That would not have been appropriate. If I didn't have it on, but it allowed me to stay in the meeting. And be able to, I won't say tolerate but be able to sit there, do my duty. Without like, losing my my mind and like, responding right in, in time to some of the things that they were saying. So a mask was a good thing. For a lot of reasons.   Michael Hingson  52:10 I understand the fairly well, i i play cards not often anymore, but I learned to try to kind of keep my face straight when I was was playing. But I understand exactly what you're saying. And certainly with a mask. It makes it it would make it a lot easier. No question.   Stacy Wells  52:30 Right? Yes. Just then you have to learn how to like use your eyes, right? Because they're very, you know, full of expression to sometimes. What kind of what did you play? Did you play poker? Or did you   Michael Hingson  52:41 um, poker a little bit and then my parents my in laws played a game called Liverpool, which is kind of a, I think of rummy oriented game. Okay, fun. We always said that my mother in law cheats, because she usually one. We always said she cheats. She didn't really but it was so much fun to tease her because she, she was just good at it. It was it was a lot of fun. Well, you work with a consulting group called lug love and struggle. Tell me more about that, if you would.   Stacy Wells  53:13 Yeah. So, you know, again, this is all related to the right, Andre. So we started all that before we formed the company. But then we realized that once we were going to write the book, and then use the format in other places, hopefully at the time, we were hope hopeful around that, then we decided to come up with the the actual company, or LLC so that we could do some of that work, as you know, formal consultants, because people would be asking for that. But the name love and struggle comes from my colleagues, Father, actually, he was a part of a lot of the work in the Milwaukee area, when he was a young man, and part of the struggle, and it's really sort of speaking to the fact that, you know, doing at that time, really what was more about, like kind of the Black Power movement. It was that there is going to be struggle to try to get some equality, but that, you know, it comes from a love for all people, especially your own people, but other people as well, and how important it was to always kind of keep that balance and keep that in mind in order to to make some strides with the work that they were trying to do. And so it still seems appropriate at this time. In many ways that you know, it's really about how do we, in general for the most part, the things that we're talking about when we talk about race and racism is not about any one individual person. I mean, we see some of that occasionally, that's not the biggest concern. It's really more about the systemic and institutional racism. So, you know, like, this work is not about dividing people, it's really about coming together. And so we're going to struggle through some things, but we're going to do it with some love. So that hopefully, when we get out on the other side, we're going to be whole. And, and so that's kind of the approach that we take, like, you know, when we work with groups, people, we are not trying to, again, we want them to be uncomfortable for that growth, but we're not trying to tear anyone down, we want them to, to be effective and to you know, be a part of making this world just a better place. So that's really kind of where it comes from, and speaks to the approach that we try to have, when we do the work that we do.   Michael Hingson  55:51 You think that there are a lot more efforts to kind of tear down that sort of a concept and not promote love as much as we should? I mean, when we look at all the stuff going on in politics, and everything else, it seems like there's a lot of places where love and trust and such are under attack, it does seem   Stacy Wells  56:09 like it right, even sometimes from the religious space were like, wait a minute, I thought religion and in, you know, for some people, Jesus, or whoever their their sort of their god or savior is like that's supposed to be about loving and caring for people. And sometimes it's used in a different sort of way. But, you know, I'm sure that they wouldn't say that that's what they're doing. But that's sure how it feels when you hear them talk and see the actions that they take. And, you know, we just don't, that's really unfortunate, because we don't have time for that. Because, you know, whether it is race, or gender, or disability, or a whole host of you know, we have, there's no shortage of things that we could be talking about. What people generally need is just more, we all just kind of need more, sort of caring for and some grace, right? Because it's hard out here for people, most people, almost everyone I would venture to say, is struggling about something and having a hard time and you just don't know what people are experiencing. And so, you know, you're asking them maybe to do one more thing, or to learn something, or to undo some beliefs and values that they were taught as young people and it can feel really hard and scary, and they're fearful. And so if you can do that without, you know, being mean, and feeling like people have to hate one another, then I think it's just so much more effective and healthy. But I yeah, there's a lot happening right now that feels really horrible and ugly, and hurtful. So   Michael Hingson  57:52 either there is and it's it's so unfortunate, I think you you really raise some good points about that. And we really need to work harder at stopping the hate stopping promoting the hate. And as you said, churches made then people at churches may say that's not what we're doing, although it feels like that's what they're doing. And if it feels like that's what they're doing, then they need to listen and recognize maybe that is in fact what they're doing. Or enough people feel that way that the messaging is all wrong.   Stacy Wells  58:24 Exactly. Right. Because it doesn't, you know, it's sort of that intent versus impact thing. If, if that's the feedback that you're getting, and that's how people are feeling, then that's important, because that's what that's the lasting impression on them. So you might want to reevaluate what you're doing, if you really care, if that's really not what you're trying to do. And I'm not convinced that that's not what they're trying to do sometimes. But, you know, that's what they'll they most won't admit that. But I but I also feel like there's more people that will admit that nowadays for, you know, a number of reasons there's sort of a new, embolden pneus around being hateful. And it's, to me, that feels very scary, because it's like, okay, well, then what, what, what happens next, right. And so, and I try not to really live and think that way, but I also am not. I also try to be realistic, too. So,   Michael Hingson  59:21 and that's fair. And that is certainly something that we have to do. You know, I was just thinking about the conversation we had and the whole idea of having conversations about disabilities. And if I were to sum up part of what we need to do in one sentence, it would be we have to get people to understand that since we're changing words and definitions all the time, disability has to stop meaning not able or a lack of ability because it has nothing to do with a lack of ability. So there's a thought to think about but we've got to really, you know, move forward   Stacy Wells  1:00:01 What do you think about the term? I've heard this used? You know, people will try out different terminology or or names but differently abled is what I've heard people try to use some time. Do you feel like that's more appropriate or   Michael Hingson  1:00:14 low? I think it's absolutely a gross term. How am I differently abled? The abilities? Right? Yeah, the, the ability is the same. Again, it gets back to using different techniques to do the same thing. But women oftentimes do things using a different way or a different technology than men. Left handed people do things in a different way than right handed people do. But we don't call them differently abled. The fact is that we've got to stop dancing around the fear. And the reality is, disability doesn't mean a lack of ability. All it means is, we may do things in a different way. And again, I think it's important that we all recognize that everyone has a disability, I still stick with the light dependence idea, because the fact is, you don't do well without light, which means Thomas Edison came along and gave you a light bulb, so that you could see in the dark, but until then it was a lot harder. And now technology makes that even easier, doesn't change the fact that that's still what's going on. So the disability for you is as real as the disability for me, except that yours gets covered up because there's a whole lot more technology, because there's a whole lot more of all y'all than there are of Me, does. It doesn't change, though, the fact. And so we've got to stop trying to make up terms that really don't help the problem at all. Yeah, and   Stacy Wells  1:01:45 better to be more specific about what we're talking about write?   Michael Hingson  1:01:49 Well, and the fact is that again, it goes back to everyone and so we really need to be just learned to be more inclusive. Yeah, what's what's one thing you'd like people to remember about you?   Stacy Wells  1:02:00 Oh, you know, I, there's a saying I don't remember who says it. And maybe there's a number of I've read it in a number of different ways. But that notion about people will remember how you made them feel like not what you said to them, but how you made them feel. And so I try to really kind of live in that way I want. I don't even pretend that everyone is always going to like me, but I don't ever, ever want anyone to sort of engage with me, or encounter me in in feel like I treated them badly. Right? Or was even dismissive of them, even if it's brief, just trying to be respectful of people and kind. And so I think that's what I like to always leave people with, even if whether it's a short sort of encounter or, you know, a longer more established, you know, relationship, whether it be around work or whatever. I just think that that's really important. And more than anything, is we just again, I mean, I feel like I've said this a few times, but it really is how we take care of one another. And so I'm a bit of an empath. And so I want other people to be happy, especially if I care about them. But just in general, and I, I am, I like to feel good. And so I want other people, however, they need to feel good. I tried to be a part of that rather than being creating more chaos or problems or stress for them. So   Michael Hingson  1:03:39 cool. I think that's as good as it gets. Well, if people want to reach out to you or learn more about you, or any of the programs that you're dealing with, how do they do that?   Stacy Wells  1:03:51 You know, probably the best I mean, I am on social media. So I'm on Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter for the time being. But probably the best way is to reach me by email. And we could probably share that out some way. But it's pretty simple. It's Swellmn like the abbreviation for Minnesota. So swellmn@gmail.com. That's probably the best way but otherwise on social media as well.   Michael Hingson  1:04:23 And where's the book available?   Stacy Wells  1:04:25 The Oh, so we do have a website? Or if you just Google right on race to be right on race or Google love and struggle, can purchase the book right online   Michael Hingson  1:04:38 and then publish it or did you have a publisher do it or what? Yeah, we   Stacy Wells  1:04:42 did self published it. So we put it all together. And we did it in about probably about three months. We kind of took all of the information we had compiled for the effort and then we wrote some intro pieces updated some things wrote a closure, put it all together and self published through a very small printing press in Minnesota here and put it online.   Michael Hingson  1:05:11 So you should available electro

This week we interview Neil Baldwin, an author whose critically acclaimed biographies include examinations of William Carlos Williams, Man Ray, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. His current biography, Martha Graham: […]

You've probably heard that famous inventor Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. But do you know that he wasn't the first? Have you heard about all the scientists and inventers who made light bulbs before him? And how much do you know about Edison himself? Get ready to learn all about the invention of the light bulb and Thomas Edison's life! Want to read the transcript? Find it on our website here: Things You Thought You Knew About History Intro Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ben-johnson/cant-stop-chasing-you License code: XCACCAAHQ6JVJUJP

Ryan speaks with William D. Cohan about his new book Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon, the link between Marcus Aurelius and the “imperial CEO” of General Electric Jack Welch, the legacy of Thomas Edison and GE, the egos of powerful CEOs, and more.William D. Cohan is a business writer and former investigative reporter. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Duke University, and Columbia University Journalism and Business schools. Prior to his career as a writer, he worked on Wall street in mergers and acquisitions banker, having spent spent six years at Lazard Frères in New York, then Merrill Lynch, and later at JP Morgan Chase. His books include House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street, Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short, and The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

Trey talks to New York Times bestselling author William Cohan about GE's history, including founder Thomas Edison, Jack Welch's controversial career & successes, Warren Buffett's investment on GE, and much more!William Cohan's latest book, titled "Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon," chronicles the incredible history of General Electric, which was often the largest and most esteemed company in the world over its 130-year existence.IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:0:00 - Intro07:31 - The origin story of GE, starting with founder Thomas Edison with backing from JP Morgan.11:19 - Why Charlie Coffin might be the best CEO of all time.23:54 - The dark side of Jack Welch and his career at GE, as well as the many successes.56:37 - How Jeff could have saved the company by listening to Bill Gross and Jim Grant.59:55 The debate on whether Jack handed his successor, Jeff Immelt, a “royal flush” or an open grenade. 63:49 - Warren Buffett's bet on the company.63:15 - Why the company has now been deconstructed into 3 separate entities.67:18 - The many cycles that repeated over its 130 year history.Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.BOOKS AND RESOURCESVisit William Cohan website.Check out Power Failure book.Check out GE website.Trey Lockerbie's Twitter.William Cohan's Twitter.NEW TO THE SHOW?Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs.Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool.Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services.Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets.Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. P.S The Investor's Podcast Network is excited to launch a subreddit devoted to our fans in discussing financial markets, stock picks, questions for our hosts, and much more! Join our subreddit r/TheInvestorsPodcast today! SPONSORS Talk to your clients about Desjardins Responsible Investment today and support what's right for society and what's good for business.Take stock of your finances and investing strategy with Betterment.If your business has five or more employees and managed to survive Covid you could be eligible to receive a payroll tax rebate of up to twenty-six thousand dollars per employee. Find out if your business qualifies with Innovation Refunds.Let an expert do your taxes from start to finish so you can relax with TurboTax.Enjoy a hardware wallet designed for your whole Bitcoin journey with Blockstream Jade. Use coupon code Fundamentals to get 10% off.Get an overall better student loan experience with College Ave. Plus, get a chance to win a $1,000 college scholarship. No purchase is required.Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors.HELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! It takes less than 30 seconds, and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

February 22, 2023: Thomas Edison and the Inventioneering Mentorship Legacy

For Black History Month, we're dropping a classic episode into the feed as a bonus every few days... African American inventor and draftsman Lewis Latimer's parents self-emancipated to give their children the opportunities afforded to those born into freedom. A Chelsea native, Latimer's career took him from the Navy, to a patent law firm, to the prestigious circle of Thomas Edison's pioneers. Original show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/120/

Stan is immediately sidetracked by Junior over pronunciation, Grab Bag, Thomas Edison is discussed before the big parade in his honor in Fort Myers, Open Phones, a game of Stan's What's on the List is played and prizes are given, Fluffer, emails, a classic call from Billy is played back, Stan's News, and more...

There is perhaps no building block of the electricity grid more fundamental, ubiquitous, and overlooked than the humble circuit breaker. Every electronic device that is attached to the grid runs through a circuit breaker, a device that automatically shuts off current in the case of a fault or surge.Currently, though they have become extremely reliable, circuit breakers still rely on technology that was patented by Thomas Edison. They operate purely through electromechanical forces, with no digital control.My guest today, Ryan Kennedy, is the first person to develop, patent, pass UL testing with, and commercialize a digital circuit breaker. It is solid state — that is, it has no moving parts — and current is controlled entirely through semiconductors.In addition to being faster and safer than electromechanical equivalents, each digital circuit breaker contains within it its own firmware and software, which can be programmed to emulate, and thereby replace, any number of other software-driven devices like demand management systems, load controllers, meters, and surge protectors.Kennedy's company, Atom Power, is currently focused on the electric-vehicle charging market, offering smart load balancing and management from a centralized circuit board, replacing the need for complicated hardware and software in the EV chargers themselves.But the ultimate applications for a digital circuit breaker are endless. Everywhere they are attached, a grid becomes a smart grid and appliances become smart appliances. If even a substantial fraction of today's circuit breakers could be replaced with digital equivalents, it would bring unprecedented visibility and control to millions of distributed energy devices, enabling all sorts of sophisticated demand management.I was extremely geeked to talk to Kennedy about the basics of circuit breakers, their application to EV charging, and the many possibilities that lie beyond. Get full access to Volts at www.volts.wtf/subscribe

My guest is John Lanman, a consumer products CEO/General Manager who cut his teeth in Marketing roles with well-known names like Thermos, Blyth Candle/Fragrances, and progressed to GM or CEO of Oriental Trading Co and Precious Moments. John and I both served as Board Members, and here John shares his thoughts on the importance of balancing growth initiatives within the context of resource constraints. 3:03 – The “forest versus the trees. As a CEO of a midsized business, you have to manage the forest. You cannot just get excited about your two or three favorite big, beautiful trees because that doesn't make the forest.” 5:03 – “To fuel a midsized business, to get it to the next level or the next inflection point – it's really never just one thing. It's a lot of little things you got to sort of line up… it is a multitude of non-sexy, smaller things…that in aggregate add up to significant overall growth for a company” 11:18 – “I've been amazed just listening a lot as a new leader. Most of the ideas for success within a company are within the walls of the company. It's just a matter of creating an environment amongst people that allows those ideas and thoughts to rise to the surface and sometimes you have to tease them out.” 12:27 – that's “how you captured the hearts and minds of the people that you are listening to, because now you're using their ideas.” 17:37 – “the reality is that execution is what carries the day… “ 18:32 – Thomas Edison quote “Vision without Execution is Hallucination.” 20:18 – “The most difficult thing (in) smaller P&L businesses… (is the) resource constraint. For example, they were behind in digital commerce, e commerce and they were way too legacy in traditional wholesale bricks and mortar selling, and they were very good at that. But as that world shrinks… we've had to move and evolve an organization and that involves people and skill sets and moving people around retraining, finding new people for very specific roles that didn't exist in the company before and I'd say that's probably the most difficult is getting the people and skill sets aligned with the challenges facing a business.” 24:27 – “Half the battle is getting your employees to trust you that you're a credible leader, and that only comes through talking to them, constantly listening to them.” 29:34 – “The rate at which change is occurring, the speed of change is increasing every year, every month… I think the next five or 10 years are going to be more exciting and more in need of seasoned leadership than the last five or 10 years.” 

In this week's episode of Let's Get Civical, Lizzie and Arden examine the mastermind behind modern electricity, Thomas Edison! Join them as they learn about his rise to fame, the many inventions he created, and how an elephant named Topsy deserves justice.  Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @letsgetcivical, @lizzie_the_rock_stewart, and @ardenjulianna. Or visit us at letsgetcivical.com for all the exciting updates! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 The topic of letting go is universal across all business and family and relationships. Have you ever heard the rope metaphor in parenting? We use this with our kids. "Hey son, I'm giving you a rope. In the beginning, it's very short so I can pull you back in quick. As you take responsibility and ownership and make good decisions, I will give you more rope or trust. When you make poor decisions that put yourself or others in harm, I take away some rope. When you blame others and shirk responsibility, I take away some rope. My goal is to eventually give you the rope so you can pull me whenever you need me." As I just read this, I get a little emotional as my oldest son is 18 now and is close to getting his rope. This concept of the rope has helped us raise our kids and I fully believe it helps with our employees as well. In "You Must Let Go of Your Control", I shared the breakthroughs that allowed me to emotionally let go of perfectionism and control. It was a therapy session for me. I have a follow-up episode to further help you breakthrough your deep, dark emotional control over your business.  I solo cleaned for 16 years. I was my business and my business was me.  If I got a new customer or made one happy, it made me feel great and raised my confidence. If I lost a customer or broke something, I took it personally. I was an emotional yo-yo at times. Can you relate? My business rises and falls on my effort, performance, and abilities. Therefore, I needed to control every aspect of my business. I also profited over 85% from the revenue my business created, so obviously more control equaled more money! Do you see the danger in the solo mindset that I had? I believe this is a cause for many solos struggling with perfectionism. At this time in our entrepreneurial journey, I couldn't conceive of a company where others would clean and I'd manage or even step away. Why not? Here's my therapy session, part 2. I used to work for GE, which was at the time one of the 5 most admired companies in the world with over 300,000 global employees. Thomas Edison wasn't running the business. He was dead. Yet his creation outlasted his life. I worked for an entity (GE) and earned an income based on my contribution to that entity. If GE had a bad year, I didn't get upset as I was just a small piece in a large machine.  But I also knew that if I messed up, I'd be out! GE had a high-performance culture and my mess up would impact my contribution to the entity. I did, in fact, mess up and was fired in 2005. I've already covered that story. GE's culture created a need to do perfect because I was fearful of making a negative contribution and losing my job. I was unable to trust others and preferred to do every aspect of the engineering job myself as only I could do it right. I brought this into solo cleaning in 2005 and it remained until last year.Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website

On today's episode of the mini podcast Dan and Northernlion talks about the the San Diego Zoo. Thank you for dialing in, I hope you enjoy.   https://www.Twitch.tv/Northernlion https://www.Twitch.tv/DanGheesling https://www.Discord.gg/DanGheesling https://www.YouTube.com/DanGheesling https://www.Twitter.com/DanGheesling https://www.Instagram.com/DanGheesling https://www.Linktr.ee/DanGheesling

On this episode of Our American Stories, few people are aware that John Moses Browning—a tall, modest man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West-- invented the mechanism used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns introduced in World War I which dominated air and land battles in World War II. Nathan Gorenstein (author of The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World) is here to tell the story of this little-known American legend whose impact on history ranks with that of the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 19th century moving images were everywhere. Illusionists cast tricks using mirrors and shadows, whilst flick books, magic lanterns and Zoopraxiscopes unveiled the hidden mysteries of motion to a wide-eyed audience. By the later part of the century, new advancements in photography had made the dream of motion pictures reachable for a few genius inventors, who toiled away in dingy workshops, setting fire to volatile chemicals as they cranked the handles of their machines, hoping to capture moments in