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http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Let's blast off to Disneyland and ride the spinning shooter Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!  Recorded onJune 18, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Let’s head to Tomorrowland in Disneyland to ride Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The Disneyland website describes this attraction by saying: Calling all Space Rangers! Take aim and fire your laser to defeat Zurg during a thrilling space battle. There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill Level describes it as being a Spinning Slow Ride that is Dark and Loud.  Fast Passes are available for this attraction. Before we sign up for Start Command, here are five fast facts about Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. 1. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters officially opened at Disneyland on March 17, 2005.  It replaced the queue area for the short lived Rocket Rods attraction. 2.  Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is a version of a ride that originally opened in Magic Kingdom and has been replicated in every Disney Park Around the world!  It’s also known by many different names including Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Buzz Licghtyear Laser Blast and Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue. 3. The ride vehicles guests ride on in this attraction are called XP-40 space cruisers. 4. Each ride vehicle includes two ‘blasters’ for guests to use to try and hit targets during the ride and a joystick that allows riders to spin the ride vehicle 360 degrees. 5. Shooting the various Z’s throughout the ride give you points but the various shapes that the Z’z are in give you different point values.  Triangles give the least points while circles give you the most! Let’s go see how high we can score on Buzz Light Year Astro Blasters.  After we ride I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we ride Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Disneyland! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Lightyear%27s_Space_Ranger_Spin#Disneyland https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/buzz-lightyear-astro-blasters/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - This episode we visit World Showcase in Epcot to check out the Circle-Vision 360 classic, Reflections of China.   Recorded on March 19, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we visit the China Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase to check out the Circle-VIsion 360 classic Reflections of China. The guide map describes this attraction saying: View the world’s most populous country in this Circle-VIsion 360 film. Since this is a film experience, there are no age or height requirements, nor is there a Thrill Level listed. Before we get a 360 degree view of the Great Wall Of China, here are five fast facts about Reflections of China! 1. Reflections of China is the second Circle-Vision 360 film to play in the China Pavillion.  The first, Wonders of China, opened with EPCOT on October 1, 1982.  The film ran until March 25, 2003.  Reflections of China premiered on May 22, 2003. 2. Reflections of China combines footage from the original film, Wonders of China with brand new footage shot for this film. 3. Reflections of China is housed in a replica of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which was originally constructed near Beijing in the early fifteenth century 4. Reflections of China is directed by Jeff Blythe who directed the original Wonders of China film. 5.  On August 25, 2019, it was announced that Reflections of China would be replaced with a brand new film called Wonderous China.  Due to the global pandemic, this has not yet happened as of this recording in November of 2020.  No word on when or if the replacement will take place. And now let’s experience Reflections of China.  After the audio, I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we visit Reflections of China at Epcot. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflections_of_China https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/reflections-of-china/ http://themickeywiki.com/index.php?title=Reflections_of_China&redirect=no https://www.retrowdw.com/podcast/podcast-episode-48-5-a-chat-with-jeff-blythe-director-of-the-timekeeper/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Hope you are hungry! This episode we head to Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness to experience the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.  Our longest episode yet!  Recorded on January 16, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we head to Pioneer Hall at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground to experience the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue! The Walt Disney World website describes this dinner and show by saying: 'A hilarious, high-spirited hootenanny the whole family will enjoy, accompanied by a finger-lickin’ countrified feast.' There are no age or height requirements and there is no thrill level either. Before we visit with Dolly, Six Bits and the rest of the Pioneer Hall Players, here are five fast facts about the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue! 1. The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue debuted at Fort Wilderness on Sunday, June 30, 1974. 2. Pioneer Hall, where the show takes place is built from 1,283 pine logs from Montana and 70 tons of stones from North Carolina. 3. The first draft of the show was entitled "We're With You, Mother McCree!" and a later version was called "The Whoop-Dee-Doo," which inspired the final title. 4. Though the music in the show remains mostly unchanged since the show opened, in 1979, the song ‘Apple Pie Hoedown’ was replaced by “Strawberry Short Cake Walk” after Strawberry Shortcake replaced Apple Pie on the menu. 5.  A version of the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue played in Tokyo Disneyland from the park open in 1983 until 1995. And now it’s time for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.  After the show I’ll give you my thoughts on this extravaganza!  This is a stereo recording, but to save you from hearing me eat, I did not wear the binaural microphone headphones, I just left the stereo recorder on the table.  You’re welcome.  Here now is the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt Disney World. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/hoop-dee-doo-musical-revue/ https://allears.net/wdw-chronicles-history-of-the-hoop-dee-doo-musical-revue/   Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join Grant as he checks out the Mad Tea Party overlay during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom.  Recorded on August 16, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Halloween is fast approaching so it’s only right we take a spin on a Magic Kingdom attraction that receives a bit of an overlay for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Fantasyland’s Mad Tea Party. The guide map describes this attraction by saying: Spin ‘round and ‘round in a giant teacup. There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill Level correctly labels it a Spinning ride. Mad Tea Party receives an overlay of lights and music during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Because there aren’t many more facts about the overlay than that, here are five fast facts about the ride as a whole. 1. The Mad Tea Party is a Magic Kingdom opening day attraction, opening with the park on October 1, 1971. 2.  The Mad Tea Party features 18 tea cups for guests to ride in. 3. The teacups are divide up on three spinning turntables that rotate clockwise.  Each of these smaller turntables are sitting on one giant turntable that rotates counter clockwise. 4. Keep a close eye on the giant teapot in the center of the attraction.  You may just see the Doormouse from Alice in Wonderland pop out of the top of it.  The teapot and dormouse were added to the attraction when it got its canopy covering in 1973. 5. In 2018, Mad Tea Party received its Not So Scary Overlay which features spooky music and smoke and lighting effects making for a fun experience at night. Let’s go ride Mad Tea Party at Mickey’s Not So Scary!  This is a binaural recording,  so if If you have headphones, put them on now as that is sure to make the spinning extra fun as we check out the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party version of Mad Tea Party at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/mad-tea-party/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Tea_Party#Magic_Kingdom Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Will Grant and John like Soarin' Around the World any better at Epcot?  Tune in and find out.  Recorded on October 27, 2016. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we head to Epcot to ride one of the park’s most popular attractions, Soarin’ Around The World. The guide map describes this attraction saying: Soar high in the sky and feel the wind during a hang-gliding flight around the globe. Guests must be 40” or taller to ride this attraction and FastPass+ is available.  The Thrill Level describes this attraction as being a Slow Ride with Small Drops. Now we did cover Soarin’ Around The World at Disney California Adventure back in episode 29, so here are a few fast facts about the Epcot version of the attraction. 1. Soarin’ Around the World debuted at Epcot on June 17, 2016. 2. Before the new film debuted, Soarin’ at Epcot was closed so they could build a third theater for the attraction to increase capacity.  The ride was closed in January of 2016 and reopened with the Original Soarin’ film on May 27, 2016. 3. The finale of Soarin’ Around the World has guests flyover Epcot!  This ending can only be seen while riding the attraction at Epcot in Walt Disney World. 4. While waiting in line, guests are invited to play Soarin’ Challenge.  An interactive trivia challenge  on big screens in the queue area. 5.  If you listen carefully, your flight number for the ride is flight 5505.  This commemorates the attraction’s original opening day at Epcot, May, 5, 2005. Let’s take off for the skies on Soarin’ Around the World.  Along for the ride is John B. deHaas and after we ride we’ll discuss our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we ride Soarin’ Around the World at Epcot! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/soarin-around-world/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soarin%27#Epcot Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Come along with Grant as he visits Disney's Hollywood Studios and watches the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular! Recorded on May 23, 2017. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Let’s head over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to check out the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!  The guide map describes this attraction saying: Cheer on Indy and Marion as they perform amazing stunts and demonstrate movie-making magic! Since this is a show there are no age or height requirements.  FastPass+ Is available for this show. Before the adventure begins, here are five fast facts about the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! 1. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! was not an opening day attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The show opened a few months after the park opened on August 25, 1989.  2.  Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Was the first Indiana Jones related attraction in any of the Disney Parks. 3.  The show features some of the largest moving sets in history, some weighing 100 tons! 4. The gigantic rolling boulder featured in the show weighs 440 pounds and is 12 feet in diameter!  5. The golden idol featured at the beginning of the show is an exact replica of the Idol used in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Let’s put on our fedora and check out the show.  Afterwards I’ll give you my thoughts on this stunt spectacular.  This is a binaural recording, so if If you have headphones, put them on now as we check out the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/hollywood-studios/indiana-jones-epic-stunt-spectacular/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones_Epic_Stunt_Spectacular! https://allears.net/disney-hollywood-studios/indiana-jones-epic-stunt-spectacular/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Grant and John head to Disney California Adventure to ride and review Toy Story Midway Mania! Who will come away with the high score? Recorded on August 23, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we try our luck at the West Coast Version of Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney California Adventure. The Disneyland Resort website describes this attraction saying: Zip through an exhilarating 4D midway-style game starring Toy Story characters—and blast away! There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and Thrill Level describes the attraction as being Dark and Loud.  FastPass is available for this attraction. Before we head to the midway, here are five fast facts about Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney California Adventure. 1. Toy Story Midway Mania opened at Disney California Adventure on June 17, 2008. 2. It has been reported that it cost an estimated $80 Million dollars to design and build and it was the Walt Disney Company’s first use of industrial ethernet for a ride’s control system. 3. The attraction uses more than 150 computers to control guest’s experiences in the attraction. 4. Because the actual games are software controlled, they can be swapped out.  One such change took place on May 21, 2010 when characters from Toy Story 3 were added to the ride. 5. Music for the queue area was arranged and recorded by Jennifer Hammond at Capital records.   Now let’s go see if we can get the high score on Toy Story Midway Mania.  Along for the ride is my arch nemesis on this attraction, John B. deHaas and after we ride we’ll discuss our thoughts on this ride.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we ride Toy Story Midway Mania! At Disney California Adventure! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/toy-story-mania/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story_Midway_Mania! Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - To celebrate 100 episodes, Suzie and I take a ride on King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland! Recorded on February 7, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Before we start I just wanted to announce that this is the 100th episode of Attraction Checklist!  The show started in June of 2016 and is showing no signs of stopping.  I wanted to take a moment to thank a few people who’ve been instrumental in making the show what it is today.  Big thanks to Justin Hilden who designed the show's incredible logo, Stephen Staver who edits our episodes and makes them sound good, Paul Barrie and the Window to the Magic podcast who inspired the show. And to our regular riders Suzie, Dave Marquez, Tim Hinton and, of course John B. deHaas for knowing to be quiet while recording!  And finally, a big thanks to you, the show’s amazing listeners, for joining us for the ride!  Here’s to 100 more! I know we were just at Disneyland and I know we were just in Fantasyland but this is the 100th episode so I thought a Disneyland, opening day attraction would be in order so we’re going to take a spin on King Arthur Carrousel in Fantasyland at Disneyland. The Disneyland Resort website describes this attraction by saying: Spin around and go up and down to joyous music atop a regal steed at this popular attraction inspired by the Knights of the Round Table. There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and Thrill Level describes it as a Slow, Spinning Ride that is Loud. Before we hop on a horse, here are five fast facts about King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland. 1. King Arthur Carrousel is a Disneyland Opening Day attraction, opening with the park on July 17, 1955 2. King Arthur Carrousel is actually older than Disneyland!  It was built in 1922 and operated at Sunnyside Beach in Toronto, Canada until that park closed.  It was moved to Disneyland in 1954 when the park was under construction. 3. When the Carrousel was moved to Disneyland, it only had three rings of horses and Disney and Arrow Development added another ring of horses to increase guest capacity. 4. The ride features 3,328 shimmering lights to make the ride even more magical at nighttime! 5. Each horse on the Carousel has a name and a complete list of those names is available at City Hall on Main Street.  The lead horse is named Jingles. Let’s go ride King Arthur Carousel.  Along for the ride is Suzie and during our review we discuss the difference between Carrousel with two R’s as it’s spelled for this attraction and Carousel with one R as it’s spelled elsewhere.  The answer is, there’s no difference they are both correct.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as celebrate 100 episodes by riding King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur_Carrousel https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/king-arthur-carrousel/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - This episode we head to Disneyland to ride and review Dumbo the Flying Elephant! Recorded on February 7, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we head to Fantasyland in Disneyland to ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant!  The Disneyland Resort website describes this attraction saying: Soar high in the sky aboard the famous little pachyderm on a fanciful flight for all ages.   There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and Thrill Level describes it as a Slow Spinning Ride. Before we grab out magic feathers, here are five fast facts about Disneyland’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant. 1. Though the ride was installed in Fantasyland on Opening day in July of 1955, Dumbo the Flying Elephant was not ready for flight.  According to the Walt Disney Archives, it opened one month laters on August 16, 1955. 2.  The ride vehicles on the attraction can soar up to 17ft above the ground. 3. According to the Disney Park Blog, when President Harry S. Truman visited the park he refused to ride the attraction because the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party and he was a staunch democrat. 4. In 1983, during the big remodel of Disneyland’s Fantasyland, the attraction was moved from near the Storybookland Canal Boats to it’s currently location, the former home of Skull Rock. 5. The band organ located under the circus tent behind Dumbo the Flying Elephant was built in 1915 Now let’s go Ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant.  Joining me today is Suzie and after we ride we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant at Disneyland! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/dumbo-the-flying-elephant/ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/08/dumbo-the-flying-elephant-celebrates-55th-anniversary/ https://d23.com/this-day/dumbo-the-flying-elephant-attraction-opens-at-disneyland/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbo_the_Flying_Elephant Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - It's time to check out the third of the films that Epcot received in early 2020, Awesome Planet!  Come along with Grant and John as they see this new film and give it a review.  Recorded on January 16, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we head back to Epcot to take in the third of the three new films that debuted at Epcot in 2020, Awesome Planet.  The guide map describes Awesome Planet by saying: On-screen exploration of the realm we call home-showcasing the beauty, diversity and dynamic story of Earth.  There are no height requirements for this attraction and, because it is a film there is no Thrill Level listed. Before we see The Land’s newest attraction, here are five fast facts about Awesome Planet. 1. In March of 2019, it was announced that Awesome Planet would become the new featured film at The Land Pavilion at Epcot. It would be shown in the same theater that Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable had been shown in which has stopped shows in February of 2018.  Though there were some advanced previews, Awesome Planet officially opened on January 17, 2020. 2.  While new footage was shot for Awesome Planet, the film also uses footage from several Disneynature documentaries including Earth, Oceans and Wings of Life.  It also has space sequences designed by Industrial Light and Magic. 3. Awesome Planet is narrated by Modern Family star Ty Burrell. 4.  The score for Awesome Planet was composed by Steven Price. 5. Not only did the theater in The Land receive a new film, it also received some new in-theater effects including lightning, wind, and mist. Let’s go see if Awesome Planet is awesome or not.  Joining me today is John B deHaas and after the film we’ll give you our thoughts on this new attraction. This is a binaural recording, so if If you have headphones, put them on now as we check out Awesome Planet at Epcot. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/the-land-awesome-planet/ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/03/awesome-planet-film-at-epcot-one-of-several-new-on-screen-experiences-coming-to-park/ https://www.micechat.com/248130-now-playing-awesome-planet-at-epcot/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join John B. deHaas and Grant as they visit Disney California Adventure to ride and review Goofy's Sky School!  Recorded on August 23, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Last episode I mentioned the Disney California Adventure attraction Goofy’s Sky School so I figured that’s where we would visit this episode!  The Disneyland website describes this roller coaster by saying: Soar high—and learn to fly the Goofy way—on this coaster-style attraction. Guests must be 42” or taller to ride this attraction and the Thrill Level describes it as being a Thrill Ride with Small Drops and also cautions that it is loud. Before we take off for the clouds, here are five fast facts about Goofy’s Sky School at Disney California Adventure. 1. Before it was Goofy’s Sky School, this attraction was known as Mulholland Madness and it opened on February 8, 2001.  It was closed on October 12, 2010 to undergo its transformation into Goofy’s Sky School. 2.  The attraction re-opened as Goofy’s Sky School on July 1, 2011. 3. This attraction is a wild mouse style roller coaster that was manufactured by coaster maker Mack Rides. 4. The thumbing of this attraction, Goofy teaching guests how to fly is based on the 1940 Disney Short film Goofy’s Glider. 5. The ride takes guests to heights of 55 feet at its highest point and speeds of 27 miles per hour as their cars travel the 1,200 feet of track. Well let’s go take out flying lesson at Goofy’s Sky School.  My co-pilot this episode is John B. deHaas and after we ride we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we ride Goofy’s Sky School at Disney California Adventure! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/goofys-sky-school/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goofy%27s_Sky_School Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Thank you for 5 years of Attraction Checklist!  To kick off Season 5, join Grant as he visits Disney's Animal Kingdom to ride and review Primeval Whirl!  Recorded on October 27, 2016. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we are off to Dinoland U.S.A. in Disney’s Animal Kingdom to ride Primeval Whirl!  The guide map describes this attraction by saying: Spin and slide through curves and drops on this time-machine coaster.  Guests must be 48” tall in order to ride this attraction and FastPass+ is available. The Thrill Level describes this attraction by calling it a Thrill Ride with small drops and spinning. Before we check out those small drops and spinning for ourselves, here are five fast facts about Primeval Whirl and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 1. Primeval Whirl opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on March 31, 2002. 2.  Primeval Whirl was the first roller coaster at Disney’s Animal Kingdom having debuted before the wildly popular Expedition Everest. 3. Primeval While is what is known as a Wild Mouse style roller coaster.  It was purchased by Disney from coaster designer Reverchon Industries. 4.  The literal high point of this attraction is 42.7 Feet tall and cars reach a speed of 29.1 Miles Per Hour as they travel down the 1,377.9 feet of track.  And Since the cars on this attraction spin as they move along the track, guests can experience G-Forces up to 2.5 G’s! 5. In September 2019, Disney announced this attraction would slip in Seasonal Operation meaning it would only open during peak attendance days.  Many have said this signals the attraction might be on the chopping block.  While nothing official has been announced, we’re happy to preserve it a little here on Attraction Checklist if it is on its way towards extinction. Now let’s give Primeval Whirl a spin. After the attraction audio I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording, which will make the spinning extra fun.  If you have headphones, put them on now as we ride Primeval Whirl at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/animal-kingdom/primeval-whirl/  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primeval_Whirl Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join Grant, John and Tim as they ride Star Tours - The Adventures Continue at Disney's Hollywood Studios!  How will they like this new update to a classic attraction? Tune in and see! Recorded on January 14, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we venture back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for more Star Wars fun on Star Tours - The Adventures Continue.  The guide map describes this attraction by saying: Feel the power of the Force during a 3-D, motion simulated space flight.  Guests must be 40” or taller to ride this attraction and Fast Pass+ is available.  The thrill level describes this attraction as having small drops. Before we blast off an a Star Wars adventure, here are five fast facts about Star Tours - The Adventures Continue. 1. Star Tours - The Adventures Continue opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 20, 2011.  It was a complete refresh of the previous attraction, the original Star Tours.  Some of the updates this attraction received included high definition video, Dolby 3D and an improved motion simulator. 2.  While the original ride took place during the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Tours - The Adventures Continue takes place over the entire Star Wars saga.  It now encompasses all the films and the ride is regularly updated to showcase locations from the movies.  In 2015, scenes form The Force Awakens were added.  In 2017, scenes from The Last Jedi and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge were added.  And, most recently at the time of this recording, in 2019, scenes from The Rise of Skywalker was added.  3. All the computer generated effects for the attraction were produced by Industrial Light & Magic, the same company responsible for the the effects in the Star Wars films. 4. The attraction uses music by Star Wars composer John Williams. Some of the music is from the films, other cues are unused pieces that were left our of the films.  The iconic Star Tours logo Chimes heard in the attraction were written by Richard Ellis and were kept from the original Star Tours ride. 5. Star Tours has eighteen different possible ride segments and when combined they allow for 384 completely different ride experiences. Now let’s catch out flight on Star Tours - The Adventures Continue.  With me this time is John B. deHaas and Tim Hinton  and after we ride we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we head to Star Tours - The Adventures Continue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/hollywood-studios/star-tours/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Tours_–_The_Adventures_Continue Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Gateways, a short story reading series from Otherworld Theatre. Our quest is to give science fiction short stories a place to shine through voice. For this special episode, we are reading a piece from Ruari McDonnell who has contributed to the series before. She is one of her favorite stories to have … Continue reading Gateways: “Entanglement” By Ruari McDonnell read by Ansel Burch →

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - This episode John and I take in the Epcot's new Nighttime Spectacular - Epcot Forever! Filled with nostalgia, will this get a high rating? Tune in and find out! Recorded on January 13, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Let’s head to Walt Disney World’s Epcot tp see the new, temporary, Nighttime Spectacular Epcot Forever.  The guide map describes the show by saying, “Journey through the past, present and future of Epcot at this fireworks spectacular.'  Since this is a show there are no height requirements for it and FastPass+ is available. 1. In September 2018, it was announced that Illuminations: Reflections of Earth would be having its final run at Epcot before a new show debuts in 2020.  It was also announced that a temporary nighttime spectacular called Epcot Forever would bridge the gap between Illuminations and the new show.  Illuminations Reflections of Earth, which we covered on episode 83 of Attraction Checklist, closed forever on September 20, 2019. Epcot Forever debuted the very next night, on Epcot’s anniversary, October 1, 2019. 2.  Epcot Forever features all new arrangements of classic Epcot songs by conductor and composer Don Harper. 3. The score for Epcot Forever which includes classic songs like ‘One Little Spark’, “Living With The Land” and “Veggie Veggie, Fruit Fruit’ was recorded by a full orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, England. 4. Epcot Forever features fireworks, lasers and lights, just as Illuminations did but also adds in what Disney calls ‘special effects’ kites.  Large kites with light up tails that are pulled through the air by jet skis on the World Showcase Lagoon. 5. Epcot Forever is scheduled to have its final performance sometime in 2020. Let’s go experience Epcot Forever.  With me this time is John B. deHaas and after the show we’ll give you our thoughts on it.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we head to Walt Disney World to see Epcot Forever at Epcot! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/epcot/epcot-forever/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcot_Forever Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

Sit down for a Harrow reading with Vasilisa Morozova This episode is not explicit. Written and performed by Elizabeth Wilcox www.dimensiondoorpodcast.com TRANSCRIPT Welcome! Have a seat. Do you mind if I light some incense? [match strikes] Now, what is the question you’ve come to ask the cards? Keep it in your mind. The Harrow shall provide the answer. [cards shuffle] First, select your role. Let me see…Wait. What have you done to my card? It is blank. This is not possible. Who are you? What are you doing?! [scuffling sounds]

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Grant and John head back to Epcot to see the new Circle-Vision 360 film Canada Far and Wide starring Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy. Recorded on January 16, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we venture back to World Showcase in Epcot to check out the new film Canada - Far and Wide.  The guide map says: Explore Canada in an updated edition of the classic Epcot Circle-Vision 360 film. There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and no Thrill Level listed as well. And now, before we experience the new film, here are five fast facts about Canada Far and Wide. 1. On November 17, 2018, it was announced that the Circle-Vision 360 film playing in the Canada Pavilion, called O’Canada, would be updated as part of the major overhaul of Epcot.  Though there were previous in the days before, the film officially debuted on January 17, 2020. 2.  While Martin Short did not reprise his role as narrator for the new film, Disney didn’t search Far and Wide for his replacements! The new film is narrated by Short’s SCTV Castmates, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy! 3. The film features a brand new musical score by Canadian composer Andrew Lockington. 4.  This attractions signature song, Canada (You’re A Lifetime Journey) remains unchanged from the previous version, sung by Canadian Idol winner Eva Avilla. 5. Canada Far and Wide features newly shot 360 degree footage mixed with film from previous versions including the 1982, opening day version. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/canada-far-and-wide/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada:_Far_and_Wide Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

Become a supporter of the show at DiceTowerTheatre.com !Transcript:Welcome to the Intermission for Season 2 of Dawn of Dragons.  Lets take a break to discuss the background of this season and where it came from at the table.  Also answer a few questions about the game itself and offer a few tips and tricks to enhance your own tabletop game. Finally I’ll close with an actual play of the fastest run of the Infamous module S1 - Tomb of Horrors With Colten Janssen who normally plays Skotmir, and JD Rose who you haven’t met her character yet. So I will warn you all before we get to that part at the end of this show, if you ever want to run it as a player you may want to skip it as it does reveal some surprises. I do want to take a moment to shout out to our latest Patrons Daniel Nichols and Corey Phauth for joining our team of supporters that make it possible to put this show out to you.  Every dollar goes into the show’s production and improving its quality so a big thank you to you both. This season as discussed starts with our first game in the city of Ellington.  In our actual game we went from playing that custom game in a day to playing a separate run of the original Ravenloft I-6 module.  I actually converted the original to 5e before Curse of Strahd came out haha go me! But towards the end of conversion as i was doing my victory lap i remembered House of strahd from 2nd edition and i did a quick google to discover Expedition to castle ravenloft which 3rd converts to 5th soooo much easier.   Hahaha so oh well that was fun anyways. Joleen joined us for the run as Ireena actually. I made her a PC just to see what would happen as her story unfolded. We finished it and we went into our dawn of dragons world which as I’ve mentioned before had ALOT of influence from the dragonlance novels. Originally i wanted to do Dragonlance but i kept making things up that flew in the face of the original stories.  Finally decided to just make our own thing for a while.Well when i looped the story back to the first game and they met up with the original party we knew they needed to go get a great artifact.  Well I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out a new freshly purchased 5e Module Out of the Abyss. So Starting in Episode 3 this season that’s when I thought I'd give it a try. Well those familiar with the module can tell i can’t follow instructions well and though without getting into specifics it has much of the backdrop and some of the encounters but really the whole game traditional underdark here has morphed into more of an underworld from greek myth, almost another dimension all together, a statement that that will make more sense as we progress through the rest of the season.>>>>>>>>So now lets answer some recent questions:First one is from our latest patron Corey.  He asked “What point did you all decide to take the Campaign and make it an Audiodrama?” So I was keeping all my notes and as we progressed more players joined or people came back from a break and needed to be caught up with the story.  Well after a while there were so many ties and so much detail spanning the sessions that i was rambling for 45 minutes retelling the story everytime someone would come in. I started to fear messing up so i started a Blog. Well i realized noone but me was realling reading or referring to it so i needed something entertaining they could rely on.  Nothing like going through a story arc and the reveal falls flat because the name revealed the players can’t remember. So i tried something different. Being an old AV geek and actor i thought i could do a session recap as a one person audiodrama with only my voice. That was alot of fun, I may throw it up on our Patron for those curious. So then i was hit up by some old friends that told me i needed to make a full show on it.  One being Asha Hall. Well i looked at my blog entries and realized I had written these in a storybook format. Poor Grammar but storybook format. So i told the team I’m going to do the prologue as the first 3, and grab some of our acting friends to help me flesh out the world. I told myself, if it takes off yay if not well I captured the first part for kicks.And well it did.  As far as I’m concerned, you listening right now is the show’s success. Doesn’t matter if its 10 or 10,000 I’m just glad someone is enjoying our story.>>>>>>So I sometimes get asked some questions around the game itself and some of those tips and tricks that work at our table.  Now I’m in no way the wise old sage of tabletop gaming but these are some of the questions and answers i’ve given recently.  For you to use or not use as you see fit.:How do you keep your players together?The easy answer to this is trust, and building trust doesn’t just happen at the table.  It comes from years of friendship and sharing experiences with each other. SOme good some bad some stressful but all of which had elements of those crucible times in them.  For those that may not be familiar a crucible is that melting pot where you put metals or maybe chemicals and subject them to extremely high temperatures. Many times this is changing them into something different.  Well life and its experiences and those you are with act no differently. You take yourself and another person and put yourselves in a situation of high heat or pressure and you will become a different person and you will both see things differently.  This action itself doesn’t have to be good or bad nor the results either. But you will be changed and what you take with you can effect that. With our table I have been fortunate to be working with some of the closest friends and family and that strengthens the bonds between all players and the game master.  This also opens the game up for scenarios and what would you do that could be uncomfortable with people you don’t know.  Also opens it up to better AHA moments such as the dark spirit of Benedict at the table with Cordelia in episode 8 actually played out like that at the table.  Joleen as a player was genuinely surprised and horrified that she had to attack one of her most trusted allies and family members in that moral dilemma.  For the dungeon master, game master storytellers out there.  How do i speed up combat?  First you need to identify there is a problem with the players.  You don’t have to flip the table and say hey John why are you so slow?!  That doesn’t help build trust. Instead provide the data and look at it together.  Use a stop watch in the first round. Write down how long each person takes before it goes to the next player.   Be open to the realization your 15th level Necromancer fighting the party is the one holding things up. Now look at the times and think of a positive way to present it.I made the observation we all took 5 minutes to decide what we were doing.  So when you frame it that this is supposed to happen in 6 seconds everyone easily agreed there was an issue.  That’s the key, everyone has to agree there’s an issue. Otherwise regardless of what you do they will still stick to much of thier old ways as possible.  Its not wrong its human nature.  Then heres a few tricks.  Let everyone know they have 20 seconds to commit on thier action Fight, dash, cast a spell or dodge.  If they take too long the go to is dodge.  They can ask 2 questions.  This actually helps in the normal narrative as well for large groups.  Roll a standing initiative for the whole session for everything but combat.  Thats the order you ask each person what they are doing. As part of this they can ask you 2 questions about the environment.  Then move to the next person and ask what they are doing.Give everyone a note card to keep with their character.  The only thing on it is those goto actions in combat. Attacking with two weapons at the same time or an attack and disengage combination or whatever.  Helps to see the menu sometimes to know what to order, even when you know its going to be the chicken salad.With Spellcasters have them design a Offensive and Defensive go to spell especially like a cantrip with the rolls required next to it.  Too much time looking things up bam they just attack the closest enemy with Firebolt or cast mage armor on themselves. Also helps players realize the value of preparing a little outside the game or between turns.On that note one of my less experienced players asked me I really want to be a better player what do I need to do.  Well first off noone is ever perfect and if you are you are playing the wrong game. This is a game that shines when you explore the flaws in the characters while celebrating thier successes.But lets hit a few things i suggest to spice things up.Instead of asking the Game Master “what do I see”  better yet turn to a player and ask them even if you don’t know.  Challenge the game master to describe it to the player you put on the spot and see what happens.  Great way to spark roleplay and as you get to know each other brings me to the next point.Stop trying to roll everything yourself.  Your paladin stumbles across a locked door.  He wants to open it. DON’T. Ask the Rogue standing behind you to do it.  Better yet Eldrith Half Moon dost thou believe this door is locked or worse trapped by a nefarious evil-doer?  Can you assit me? Hey DM canEldrith get advantage or a better DC if i help? Many DMs would rule yes.The point is help each other shine.  Players took thier mantles to stand out at something.  Didn’t say good at as some want to be the bard who can’t sing or the slowest Monk in the world.   If thats your table help serve it up to them and hopefully they will return the favor when opportunity arises.  Share in the spotlight. Everyone should have a moment every session. Try to help make it happen. List everyones character names at your side and only refer to their characters.  Make a check next to those that get a moment and try to help the others to as well.And here is one final tip.  Never say you can’t do anything or there is nothing you can do.  Because if all else fails you absolutely can run. Running away to fight another day is one of the oldest story elements ever.  Do it. And come back stronger to finish the job. Sounds like 1000 hollywood movies or bestselling novels. Just needs training montage. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>Now is the final treat. We are ending with a recording of a the fastest run of Tomb of Horrors I have ever had the pleasure of running.  This was done with two randomly generated PCs just for the run and it took about 2 and half hours before they met their end. Gain this may be spoilers to those wishing to run this classic so you have been warned.

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Let's visit the Hundred Acre Wood on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom! Recorded on October 26, 2016. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. I realized it had been many episodes since we’d visited Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom so that’s where we are going this episode! We are off to Fantasyland to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh!  The guide map describes this attraction by saying: Travel through the Hundred Acre Wood in an oversized Hunny Pot.  There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill Level describes it a Slow Ride. Before we get blown away on a blustery day, here are five fast facts about The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 1. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on June 4, 1999. 2.  The attraction replaced the incredibly popular Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride that had been an opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom. Small nods to Mr. Toad are included in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh including a painting in Owl’s house showing Mr. Toad handing a deed over to Winnie the Pooh. 3. The ride vehicles for the attraction are motion enhanced.  This allows for a ‘floating’ sensation the rain scene and the bouncing sensation when Tigger appears. 4. Many Voiceover legends plays parts in this attraction including Jim Cummings as Pooh, Tress MacNeille as Kanga and Paul Winchell as Tigger.  This would be Winchell’s last performance of Tigger before he retired in 1999. 5. In 2010, the attraction was given a brand new queue area that features several interactive elements to occupy guests as they wait.  Included in this is a treehouse play area.  Guests who look closely at the carvings in the tree can spot a Nautilus submarine! A tribute to the classic 2000 Leagues Under The Seas attraction. Now let’s ride The Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh at Magic Kingdom.  After the ride I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we head to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/many-adventures-of-winnie-the-pooh/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Many_Adventures_of_Winnie_the_Pooh_(attraction) https://www.disneylists.com/2016/07/8-facts-secrets-many-adventures-winnie-pooh-disneys-magic-kingdom-park/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

Video games sometimes get a bad rap. People tend to think of them as a lazy hobby, one which begets slothful character. I disagree with that sentiment, and I'd like to tell you why. When I'm done, I'm sure you'll agree that video games are not only skilled pursuits, but active and creative hobbies that can be enjoyed by a wide audience. Feedback: If you're enjoying the podcast, or have a question, concern, or helpful criticism please drop me a line at dovid@clevelandcreativeoutlet.com. Please also share this podcast with your friends! Word of mouth is our biggest source for new listeners, so please share and share alike. Thanks. Transcript: Welcome to What Makes You Happy, the show that explores our hobbies and pastimes and how they delight us. This is episode number #25 and today we’re discussing videogames.   It seems today like videogames have always been around, and that they’ve always been a central part of popular culture. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, did you know that in the 80’s, the video game industry crashed, and almost ended forever? It’s true! Back then, videogames were seen and usually marketed as idle pastimes, not a serious hobby the way they are today. It really was kind of a fad, the way we think of pogs, fidget spinners, or hoverboards. And once that fad was over, the whole industry imploded, putting many game companies into bankruptcy. But along came Nintendo and released the now famous NES. This one console breathed new life into the dying industry. It really took the world by storm, and shocked the detractors when it became the best selling console of all time. Part of its success was probably due their ingenious marketing. Prior to the release of the NES, marketing for games and gaming systems was entirely different in tone, focusing more on families spending an evening together. Nintendo supplanted this with high energy ads that enticed young boys with masculine figures and games themed around defeating villainous foes. While this wasn’t entirely novel, it was a slightly new tack for the industry. In fact, I believe it’s likely they took a page out of comic books and the marketing themes they had used since World War 1.   Since the reemergence of video games as a powerful media force, some people have criticized the focus video games put on masculine themes of war, and violence. And video games are a powerful media. The industry that was once dead and buried (literally by the way, there are areas of landfill heaped with unsold cartridges) rose from the ashes like a phoenix, and today it is world reknown as a huge economic force. Yearly, the video game industry rakes in more cash than all of the movie and music industries COMBINED. The games being produced today have beautiful graphics, immersive storylines, complex game mechanics, and high skill ceilings. Arenas regularly are filled with fans who come to watch professional gamers in ESports, particularly in countries outside the US.   There is one thing I’d like to touch on for a moment that I find interesting - the criticism that I was mentioning before, about the industry putting undo emphasis on war and violence, blaming toxic masculinity generally, ignores the largest economic sector within videogames. Mobile Games. Since the advent of the iPhone, mobile games have taken a strong foothold in video games, and today are more profitable, and more popular than console or PC games. Even the idea that gamers are predominantly male is an outdated idea. The statistics are fairly clear that the tide has turned, and you simply can’t assume that anymore. Today, it seems that gamers represent a pretty good cross section of humanity. Every country, old, young, men, women, everywhere are enjoying video games, and more than ever. Which raises the question. What’s the appeal? To those of you in the audience who are now thinking about skipping this episode altogether, keep listening.  

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join Grant Baciocco and John B. deHaas as they visit Disney California Adventure and ride and review Jessie's Critter Carousel! Recorded on August 23, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. It’s time to saddle up and head to Disney California Adventure to ride Jessie’s Critter Carousel.  Located in the Pixar Pier section of the park, Jessie’s Critter Carousel is described on the Disneyland Resort website by saying: Saddle up for a whimsical spin on Jessie’s favorite critter pals from her wild west adventures—yee-haw! There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill level describes it as being a Slow spinning ride. And now, before we ride, here are five fast facts about Jessie’s Critter Carousel. 1.  On March 12, 2018, it was announced that King Triton’s Carousel, which we profiled back in episode #39, would receive a complete makeover and become Jessie’s Critter Carousel.  King Triton’s Carousel closed on March 5, 2018 and Jessie’s Critter Carousel opened officially on April 5, 2019. 2.  The attraction features 56 animals to rider on, all inspired by Jessie’s wilderness friends from the “Woody’s Roundup” television show from “Toy Story 2.”  These animals include a turtles, snakes, buzzards and more including a backwards facing skunk! 3. The carousel features six musical tracks including the “Woody’s Roundup Theme” and several other songs from the show within a show from Toy Story 2.  A brand new song, “Jessie Saves The Day” was written specifically for the attraction. 4.  The entrance of the attraction features a fun Toy Story Easter egg.  A larger than life Jessie can be seen lassoing a cactus with a red flower that holds the sign for the Carousel.  In early development for Toy Story 2, Jessie’s character not going to be the doll for we know and love but was actually going to be an anthropomorphic cactus with a red flower! 5. The whimsical mural along a portion of the carousel features a fun Easter egg for Big Thunder Mountain.  A goat with a stick of dynamite in its mouth! Let’s rustle up some fun on Jessie’s Critter Carousel.  Along for the round-up is John B. deHaas and after we ride we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones but them on now as we ride Jessie’s Critter Carousel at Disney California Adventure! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/jessies-critter-carousel/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie%27s_Critter_Carousel https://www.ocregister.com/2019/04/03/kids-race-to-climb-aboard-skunks-snakes-and-buzzards-on-jessies-critter-carousel-at-disney-california-adventure/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

In this episode, Cindy discusses:       How should I react to the Coronavirus?       What you resist persists       What if the consequences of giving into the fear are greater than the consequences of the virus?       What's a small way you can choose to serve?   Key Takeaways:       Acknowledge what you are feeling, and then choose to focus on hope and possibility       Negotiate your mindset. Choose to reach for a better reality       chose to pull together to serve each other from a mindset of abundance and generosity       It's impossible to stay in a state of fear, anger, resentment, etc. While in a state of gratitude   "We've endured much worse in our human experience. And through our worst moments in human history, we've survived by coming together, embracing our fundamental humanity choosing to see gifts in the face of extreme adversity and sharing that light with others. " —  Cindy Watson    CONNECT WITH CINDY: Website: www.womenonpurpose.ca Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/womenonpurposecommunity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenonpurposecoaching/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thecindywatson Show: https://www.womenonpurpose.ca/media/podcast/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/womenonpurpose1 YouTube: http://bit.ly/WomenonPurposeYT Email:  cindy@womenonpurpose.ca  Make an appointment with Cindy: https://calendly.com/cwatson-3/60min TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to this bonus episode of The Art of feminine negotiation boardroom to the bedroom. I felt compelled to share this with you given the current panic around the corona virus pandemic and these are just my thoughts on how to negotiate the coronavirus for yourself. Maybe give you a little extra comfort, or at least a different perspective.  These are tough times for all of us. let me acknowledge that right out of the gate. You've no doubt felt any combination of fear, disappointment, grief, chaos, angsty, maybe even rage over the last few weeks in the wake of the corona virus pandemic. And that's okay. We all have. It's important to acknowledge that and to give voice to it. It's valuable to band together as a community and be able to share without fear of judgment. Give yourself and others permission to feel whatever feelings arise. And I also invite you to make a decision not to stay there. Acknowledge these feelings, by all means, then choose to focus on hope, possibility, the power and resilience of humanity, acts of service and generosity. Those of you who know me know I believe that all of life is a negotiation, and that the most important negotiation to start with is the one with yourself.  So in this challenging time, I invite you to negotiate your mindset. I invite you to choose not to stay in a place of single-minded focus on the virus. What you resist persists. Where your focus goes, energy flows, your thoughts and the meaning you give them create your reality. Why not choose to reach for a better reality? Are you scrambling to find safety in the face of uncertainty? Sure, you're not alone, we're all feeling our way through mounds of information inundating us, some accurate, much not. And as you're bombarded with news around the world and around the clock, it can seem like the crisis is consuming you. The situation seems to be changing so rapidly like walking on quicksand. You're looking for solid ground, I get it. I invite you to consider- what if the way to solid ground is to push past the fear chaos and thanks? What if the consequences of giving into the fear are greater than the consequences of the virus? Something to think about. What if the only way forward is to focus on possibility over problems? Now, I'm not talking about putting your head in the sand. I'm not talking about some Pollyanna pie in the sky avoidance tactic. I get that the impact on the economy is significant. And people are losing their jobs and fearful for their loved ones and feeling isolated and alone in all of this. But what if, instead of retreating in self-preservation mode, we chose to pull together to serve each other from a mindset of abundance and generosity? What if we embodied the best of our humanity? What if instead of hoarding toilet paper, we dropped off rolls to our neighbors? You know, my husband has a portable toilet rental business, and he's offered to drop off rolls of toilet paper to anyone in need. Even though his own supplier is currently sold out, he chooses to believe, to give to serve, even in that small way. What's a small step you can take to serve? I invite you to ask yourself that question. We can control external circumstances. We certainly can't as individuals control the coronavirus. We can control how we choose to react. And it is a choice. Challenges provide opportunities, opportunities to be our best self, to lead to support those in need more than us to care for and about each other.  You know, we've endured much worse in our human experience. And through our worst moments in human history, we've survived by coming together, embracing our fundamental humanity, choosing to see gifts in the face of extreme adversity and sharing that light with others. I heard a beautiful quote today and It's worth sharing. I can't find the source. But here's the quote, between stimulus and response there is space, in that space is our power to choose our response in our response lies, our growth and our freedom. I love that it really resonated with me. So let's take the corona virus pandemic is your current stimulus, you have the space to choose how you'll respond. And there's power in that space, your growth and ultimately your freedom lives in that space and the choices you make there. remind yourself of the things you can be grateful for now, in this moment, breathe that in. Let yourself come to a grounded place. Share from that place from a place of connectedness, peace, optimism, love and light. Feel the freedom in that.  Maybe we need to flip our story to ask better questions, instead of “Why is this happening?” or “What's gonna happen to me and my family?” We could ask how can I best show up and step up? Who can I serve? what lessons can I learn and share? What opportunities are waiting for me to discover them? And how can I be even more healthy? Can you feel the difference in that?  As you juggle the stressors of kids home from school or your work shut down, or not risk a loved one, or cancel travel plans or entertainment or whatever your current blade in the gut is, take a moment to identify where you feel it, find it in your body. at first blush, it might seem like it's all encompassing or generalized. But if you let yourself focus, you'll be able to hone in on a particular spot in your body where you feel the eggs most intensely. Maybe your gut, or solar plexus, or throat or chest or temple or somewhere else for you. When you find it, focus on it. focus on making it smaller. visualize it shrinking down and imagine sending it away, watching it received far into the distance until it's a tiny speck that disappears. Now breathe deeply in for a count of four.  Hold for four, out for a count of four. And while you're breathing focus on something you're grateful for. It's impossible to stay in a state of fear, anger, resentment, etc. While in a state of gratitude. Remind yourself preferably out loud, but in your head if circumstances don't allow otherwise, you are totally responsible for your reactions. And why not choose to react with grace?  The beauty of this mindset shift is that it's never too late to adopt it. No need to beat yourself up. If you haven't been showing up as your best self. You're not alone. We have to love our perfect imperfection as humans. To show grace and compassion to others, we need to first be able to show it to ourselves.  So if you've been scared or angry, that's okay. As per that quote above that I shared if this post is a stimulus, you now have the gift of a space before you respond. Your growth and freedom lies in that response. And the beauty is that the choice is all yours. So whatever you decide, know that I am sending you love and light in these difficult times. And I hope you choose to share a message of love, and light as well in whatever way resonates with you.  I expect this episode may trigger some pushback, share your thoughts. Heck Better yet, share the episode with your friends, spread the word, get people talking about it. If you got some value from this episode, or if it got you thinking, make sure to subscribe to the show if you haven't yet. And feel free to grab the script in our show notes if you want to review this content another way. That's a wrap for this episode.  And until next time, go forth and negotiate your best life so you can stop missing out and start getting more of what you want and deserve, from the boardroom to the bedroom.

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join Grant Baciocco and Suzie as they go down the rabbit hole to ride and review Alice In Wonderland at Disneyland. Recorded on February 7, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Let’s head over to Fantasyland in Disneyland to ride on one of the most popular attractions there, Alice in Wonderland.  The Disneyland website describes this attraction by saying: Take a topsy-turvy trip into the nonsensical world of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland aboard an oversized caterpillar.  There are no height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill Level describes the ride as being a Slow Ride that is Dark and Loud. Before we get lost down a rabbit hole, here are five fast facts about Disneyland’s Alice in Wonderland. 1. An Alice in Wonderland walkthrough was originally planned for  the opening of Disneyland but time and budgets got in the way.  Three years later on June 14, 1958, the ride through Alice in Wonderland attraction opened at Disneyland. 2.  Many people who worked on the Alice in Wonderland film, also worked on the attraction including Ken Anderson, Mary Blair Claude Coats and John Hench. 3. Alice in Wonderland was Disney’s first ever two level ride through attraction with the majority of the action taking place on the ride’s second floor above Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride! 4. Disney Legend Kathryn Beaumont, the original voice for Alice in the film, reprised her role for several incarnations of this attraction. 5. In 2014, the attraction was given a technology update and now features projections of some of the animation from the film and new animation created just for the ride. Now let’s get small with Alice and ride Alice in Wonderland.  Along for the adventure is Suzie and after we ride we’ll give you out thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we ride Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/alice-in-wonderland/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_(Disneyland_attraction) https://d23.com/11-curious-facts-disneylands-alice-in-wonderland/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join Grant Baciocco and John B. deHaas as they head to the France Pavilion in Epcot to watch and review the new Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along. Recorded on January 16, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we head to the France Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase to check out the new Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along.  The Epcot guide map describes this film by saying: Sing Along while enjoying a twist on this tale as old as time.  Since this is a film there are no age or height requirements for the show.  Before we venture to The Beast’s castle, here are five fast facts about the Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along. 1. On November 17, 2018, it was announced at D23 that the Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along would be coming to the France Pavilion in Epcot.  While it had a few soft openings, the film officially debuted at Epcot on January 17, 2020. 2.  The Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along was created by Don Hahn who is the producer of both the animated and live-action Beauty and the Beast films. 3. The Sing-Along is narrated by Angela Lansbury, the voice of Mrs. Potts from the original film and Jessi Corti, the original voice of LeFou in the animated film returned to record new dialog for this film. 4. Not only were some of the original voice actors brought back, some of the animated film’s animators returned to create all new animation for the production. 5. As of this recording, The Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along runs most of the day at the France Pavilion but in the evenings, the Pavilion’s original film, Impressions de France returns to the same screen and runs until parks close. Now let’s check out the new Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along.  Joining me once again is John B. deHaas and after the show we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  And don’t worry, we don’t sing along with the show which is good because this is a binaural recording!  Get your headphones as we head to Epcot for the Beauty And The Beast Sing-Along! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/11/new-nighttime-spectaculars-beauty-the-beast-sing-along-announced-for-epcot/ https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201912/7138/ Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm Geraldine Carroll. The Genitourinary Cancer Symposium hosted by ASCO in San Francisco revealed some significant clinical developments, and here to discuss key takeaways from the meeting is Dr. Karen Knudsen, program chair of the symposium. Dr. Knudsen is the enterprise director of the NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson at Thomas Jefferson University and Executive Vice President of oncology services at Jefferson Health. Dr. Knudsen, welcome to the Daily News Podcast. Dr. Knudsen: Thank you so much for having me. It's really a pleasure to get a chance to discuss all of the things that were revealed at the 2020 ASCO GU. ASCO Daily News: Dr. Knudsen, do you have any conflicts of interest that you'd like to disclose, which are relevant to our conversation? Dr. Knudsen: If I do have conflicts of interest, I don't think they're relevant for the conversation. But I like to disclose them anyway. As the cancer center director, it's something all of us are trying to pay more attention to. So I do have advisory and consultant positions with CellCentric and Genentech. I've had ad hoc advisory board positions in the last two years with Sanofi, Janssen, Novartis, and Celgene, and research support from CellCentric and Celgene. ASCO Daily News: All right, thanks Dr. Knudsen. Well, the Genitourinary Cancer Symposium showcased a lot of interesting presentations and insights on topics across GU malignancies. So what are your key takeaways from the meeting? Dr. Knudsen: So this was really an exciting meeting for us, and the way that we put together the program was aligned to our theme, which is, in pursuit of patient-centered care. And the program committee and steering committee really worked together to try to decide how the 2020 program should come about. And it was to take all of the things that were and are fantastic about ASCO to you and take it even further in a couple of different directions. Dr. Knudsen: One is to incorporate really the latest science, the latest evidence for some of the new agents and new interventions that we're seeing develop for GU malignancies, and also look to the future of things that are coming. The second was an emphasis on multidisciplinary teams, so effective integration of urology, medical oncology, and radiation oncology as related to GU cancers, but also the translational science behind the new findings and seeing those come together. Dr. Knudsen:  And then the last was a focus on quality of life. As we've had all these new interagents and new interventions introduced over the last few years in the GU malignancy field, we felt it was really important for us to ensure that we're addressing impact on quality of life, including but not limited to financial toxicity throughout the meeting. And I think those elements were really achieved by dissection of the program, but also, we've heard just tremendously positive feedback from attendees about that additional incorporation and thoughtfulness within the meeting. Dr. Knudsen: So you know, kind of keeping that in mind, I think that some of the key takeaways are that the pace of our field is really moving quickly with regard to innovative imaging, combinations, especially novel combinations using immunotherapy as a backbone. We heard about new endpoints, PSS2, new biomarkers, and incorporation of targeted agents. So across all of the GU malignancies, there was this feeling that the pace has really accelerated for new opportunities for detection and intervention. Dr. Knudsen:  In order to also really address what some of those new possibilities are, we had something quite different this year. We had the FDA with us in a, quote unquote, meet the regulators session to talk about some of these new technologies, new endpoints. And they actually walked us through a previous example of something that had come to light in the last few years in the GU field, which is incorporating the MSF or metastasis-free survival endpoint into GU malignancy trials. And that was a really important one. Dr. Knudsen: We also had some great reminders about how to ensure that our science and our clinical trials are tending to both statistical and clinical relevance. Fantastic statistical talk from Dr. Sides, who walked us through some of the ways that we can sharpen our focus on ensuring that we're drawing the right conclusions from the trials and the preclinical studies that we cover. Dr. Knudsen: And attendant to the theme of the meeting, we had a really fantastic keynote lecture from Dr. Dave Penson at Vanderbilt on financial toxicity and the impact on quality of life, as well as other endpoints, including patient-related outcomes and the overall outcomes from new interventions. He educated us about coping behaviors that patients engage in that may shift their compliance for cancer care and certainly, as may be related to other adverse events, and really shared with us some striking data about the number of patients that may be depleting their total net worth after a cancer diagnosis. So that part was really a call to arms to have all of us help attend to educating the patient as much as possible about financial ramifications, as well as other ramifications of therapies as they're introduced. So really, fantastic science, moving very quickly, and now we're ready to address some of the other ramifications of the newer interventions that we're introducing. ASCO Daily News: Speaking of new interventions, were there advances reported that would likely support new standards of care moving forward? Dr. Knudsen: There were. I think there-- you know, there were a number of advances that we're going to want to really track carefully over this next year. So advances in imaging were prominently discussed at the meeting-- when to use next generation imaging and taking into account disease state and clinical scenarios. Advances in standard of care are likely to also include-- we heard a lot about this at the meeting-- an increased incorporation of genetics, including both somatic and germline alteration. Dr. Knudsen: Dr. Castro gave us a really fantastic talk about the importance of profiling both somatic and germline alterations in patients, especially patients with advanced disease or who are at risk for aggressive disease, and showed us some compelling data about the limitations and ramifications of only looking at one, either somatic or germline. And that's probably not serving the patient as well as we could-- and gave us some very strong examples, especially with regard to DNA repair mutations, about how to incorporate this and to tailor therapy. Dr. Knudsen: I think that we'll see some changes coming in the future with regard to gene signatures and biomarkers. For example, even just in the prostate space, we heard about a 22 gene signature from Dr. Feng, which may predict who is going to need more aggressive care, as well as from Dr. Klotz with regard to non-coding RNAs and their ability to predict prostate cancer behavior. Dr. Knudsen: So this is actually a really interesting session, because we got into the dynamics of how we actually bring this to a change to [INAUDIBLE] where one of these signatures become standard of care, given the long-term follow-up that's really required to understand how these signatures inform prostate cancer behavior. So there was actually quite some healthy debate on that within the ASCO GU meeting. Dr. Knudsen: More forward thinking to later on was with some discussions with Dr. Beltran on epigenetics and how that may additionally influence our ability to predict behavior. But I think what I would say is probably the third and really interesting advance that we heard about at this meeting was our ability to use liquid biopsy and to have cell-free DNA or circulating tumor DNA inform the mechanisms of resistance that may be emerging in a particular tumor, and how we may treat that patient by anticipating and forwarding resistance. So a lot of really fantastic talks incorporated ctDNA into their discussions. Dr. Wyatt really stands out there in one of his discussions about the limitations of using circulating tumor DNA, but how promising this is with regard to giving concordance with what tumor lesions actually look like. So these are some technologies that are not quite ready yet to be incorporated as standard of care, but it's coming quickly. Dr. Knudsen: The future is really near, and so those are, I'd say, were some of the forward-thinking things that we really discussed, which, of course, complemented the exciting trial data that we saw, things that have been reported out and are likely to give new approvals and new interventions for GU malignancies in the near term. ASCO Daily News: You spoke about the prostate space a few moments ago. So I'm wondering, did any GU fields stand out more than others at this meeting? Dr. Knudsen: You know, I think each of the fields have had significant progress, as evidenced by some of the clinical trials that we heard about. So for example, in the clear cell renal carcinoma space, there was a lot of excitement over Dr. Choueiri's talk looking at a new target. So there was a Phase 1/2 trial for a first in class agent that's targeting a protein called HIF-2 alpha. And utilization of this oral HIF-2 alpha inhibitor and advanced clear cell renal carcinoma. Dr. Knudsen: So in this particular study, this new agent and the idea of targeting HIF-2 alpha actually emanated from what was the basis of the Nobel Prize in this last year with regard to understanding the factors that drive hypoxia and that are so important in this disease. And what was really remarkable about that Phase 1/2 trial is that there were objective responses seen in all of the different risk categories. So of course, the favorable category, but also the intermediate and poor risk category patients benefited from this agent. Dr. Knudsen: And so this is really, I think, one to watch. There's a large Phase 3 trial, as we understand it, on the way for this agent. So you know, clear cell-- that was just one of the things that we talked about. In the bladder cancer space, there was the NEOBLADE study, which is a neoadjuvant chemotherapy study, which was really interesting and was the basis of a lot of discussion as well, because the primary endpoint may not have actually achieved the benefit, which is a path CR. But there was improved PSS and overall survival as well in those patients. So that's also something really for us to watch and gives us new thoughts about what neoadjuvant chemotherapy might look like in bladder cancer. Dr. Knudsen: Another trial I think that was really interesting was the STOMP trial from Dr. Ost. So the primary endpoint for this study was something we don't always think about, which is androgen deprivation therapy free survival. That was really what was being tracked. And this is an interesting trial design. It wasn't designed to actually change practice, but to lay the foundation for a large Phase 3. And really, the question there for which the evidence looks quite interesting is, does metastasis direct to therapy improve this endpoint? Does ADT free survival? So I think that's one that was very forward-thinking type of strategy. Dr. Knudsen: And then not to underserve radiation oncology, because it was also featured very prominently at the meeting, and there were a lot of exciting results in a number of different formats. But the chip trial reported this long-term follow-up of a Phase 3 study looking at conventional versus hyperfractionated high dose radiation therapy in prostate cancer. And this was really a really good news outcome in that type of fractionation strategy appears to continue to be effective in these patients that require long-term follow-up. And certainly, prostate cancer at this stage is that category. So large number of trials that are on the cusp of being practice changing, and I just got a chance to mention a few. But in my view, all of the GU malignancies had these kinds of breakthroughs throughout the meeting that were reported. ASCO Daily News: That sounds very promising. And just finally, are there any other new agents in development or treatment approaches that really caught your attention and looked promising for the future? Dr. Knudsen: Yeah, I think there are. So in the prostate cancer space, there was significant discussion-- And this, I'm sure, will continue into GU ASCO 2021-- about the treatment of oligometastases and that oligometastases are really not the same as low volume disease. And that is going to be increasingly important for us as a field to understand the biology of oligomets. This may cause us to really redefine, as we can now image oligometastases much better with PSMA, attached agents just to redefine the M0 state and reexamine our thoughts about the trials that have happened in the past, or, perhaps, these patients actually were not at the MDR stage. Dr. Knudsen:  So that's one part of the oligometastases story. The other is, what is the impact of treating oligometastases? This is really where I think the field is moving. It's grappling with understanding that, and getting those trials to start to report out, I think, is going to be a really important thing for us to watch. In the muscle invasive bladder space, we talked and heard about the BLASST-1 trial from Dr. Gupta, which I think was also pretty exciting, exciting results with neoadjuvant, nivolumab, which [INAUDIBLE], and there was a report of the PCR in almost half of those patients. Think it was just under half of those patients-- really exciting. Dr. Knudsen: SGFR3 got a lot of discussion as a new target for bladder cancer, and there's a preview of what a Phase 3 trial might look like. But then there are also some studies that were really back to basics. They were incredibly important. So Dr. Plimack from Fox Chase Cancer Center here in Philadelphia gave a spectacular talk on side effect management. And this was for frontline treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Dr. Knudsen: And what she reminded us of is something incredibly important-- that strong side effects management, effective side effects management keeps patients on therapy and keeps them responding longer, and that we should not really undervalue this. It's something that's an important aspect of managing patients with advanced GU malignancies. And so as much as breakthroughs of new targets, new combinations, new ways to treat, new ways to image, but also, back to the patient centricity. Managing-- in this case, managing their side effects is a great way to get a better outcome. So important things to remember. ASCO Daily News: Absolutely. Well, I want to thank you, Dr. Knudsen, for sharing these interesting highlights from the GU Cancer Symposium. Dr. Knudsen: My pleasure. ASCO Daily News: And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. If you're enjoying the content, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. The following represent disclosure information provided by the guest(s) of this podcast: Dr. Karen Knudsen Consulting or Advisory Role:  CellCentric and Genentech. Ad hoc advisory board positions in the last two years with Sanofi, Janssen, Novartis, and Celgene, and research support from CellCentric and Celgene.  

TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm Geraldine Carroll. Joining me today to discuss key takeaways from the ASCO-SITC Immuno-Oncology Symposium in Orlando is the meeting's co-chair, Dr. James Gulley. Dr. Gulley is chief of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute at NIH where he also leads the immunotherapy group. Dr. Gulley, welcome to the Daily News Podcast. Dr. James Gulley: Thank you so much, Geraldine. I'm delighted to be on here with you. ASCO Daily News: Dr. Gulley, do you have any conflicts of interest that you'd like to disclose that are relevant to our conversation? Dr. James Gulley: The National Cancer Institute does have some cooperative research and development agreements with several companies, including Bavarian Nordic and EMD Serono that supply institutional funding for some of the projects that I work with. ASCO Daily News: OK. Well, the 5th and final Immuno-Oncology Symposium, co-sponsored by ASCO, that is dedicated to immunotherapy revealed some significant advances in the field. What are the key scientific takeaways from the meeting? Dr. James Gulley: So Geraldine, this is an amazing meeting. There were 18 oral sessions, and there's so much going on here. I just want to share a few highlights that were my key takeaways. Dr. James Gulley: First story comes about earlier use of immunotherapy may be better. Jen Wargo from MD Anderson gave a really nice talk on neoadjuvant studies in melanoma, really highlighting the fact that this can be a correlative goldmine for addressing the impact of immunotherapy on the tumor microenvironment. In addition, Dr. Sara Tolaney talked about breast cancer and the consistent improvement in pathologic complete response rates with immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone of about 15%. As you know, pathologic complete response rate are a registration pathway for agents. Dr. James Gulley: What was interesting is that this is seen both in PD-L1 positive and PD-L1 negative patients. In addition, both Dr. Jamie Chaft as well as Dr. Ford talked about lung cancer and the use of neoadjuvant immunotherapy studies in lung cancer, showing major pathologic response rates of about 50%-- up to 50%. In a study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the first studies showed nine out of 20 patients having this major pathologic response rate. And this has led to four ongoing phase II slash phase III studies with PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors in the neoadjuvant setting. Dr. James Gulley: Now, in addition to the earlier is better story that we heard, we also heard about that it's not just about T cells. So there was a couple of abstracts of clinical trial data. One of them was by Dr. Christopher Cole from Dr. Annunziata's group at the National Cancer Institute, talking about autologous monocytes with interferon given to patients with ovarian cancer. And they saw some nice, interesting responses in this relatively small phase II study of 18 patients. With two out of 11 patients with a valuable disease having a partial response, and an additional patient that didn't have a valuable disease having a response by CA125 markers. In addition, six out of 11 patients had stable disease. Dr. James Gulley: There was another interesting study or a small randomized phase II study of 88 patients that was presented by Dr. Lindskog talking about monocytic dendritic cell approach with sunitinib versus sunitinib alone in patients with renal cell carcinoma. Now this is still relatively early on in this study to look at overall survival and progression free survival. Survival curves looked similar, although there was a late separation in the curves. Dr. James Gulley: However, the objective response rate in those patients receiving the dendritic cell approach was 42% versus 24%. The complete response rate was 6.7% versus 0%, and the duration of responses was 7.1 months versus 2.9 months, suggesting there may be some activity there. So it's an interesting story to continue to follow up on down the road. Dr. James Gulley: The final take away point is that biomarkers are becoming more sophisticated. There was a great biomarker session, and I just want to highlight some of the contributions from Dr. Larry Fong. He really put it nicely when he said that we started out with simple T cell enumeration, looking in the peripheral blood at things like neutrophil, the lymphocyte ratio. That does make a difference, and you can divide patients up into a higher versus lower and look at the outcomes as well as looking at T cell enumeration within the tumor. Dr. James Gulley: More recently, we've looked at T cell specificity by TCR sequencing. But what we're now able to do is to look at-- not only at T cell specificity, but to couple that with a functional state looking at single cell RNA seq. And this may provide new insights that can really help propel the field forward. ASCO Daily News: Well, you've described some amazing new insights. What were the advances reported at the meeting that are likely to support new standards of care moving forward? Dr. James Gulley: That's a really good question. And I think that what I take away from the meeting is there are a couple of very interesting emerging stories that I'd like to share with you. So first of all, we have the alveolar small part sarcoma story, and this is a very rare malignancy. Less than 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas are alveolar soft part sarcomas. Dr. James Gulley: This is a relatively indolent slow growing disease, but 80% of the patients develop metastasis and it's unresponsive to traditional treatment. Like most sarcomas, this has low tumor mutation burden and it's driven by effusion. So what we are seeing now from emerging data is that it actually has a good response rate to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Dr. James Gulley: There's a study looking at atezolizumab where the response rate is 37.5%. Another study with pembrolizumab and axitinib where six out of 11 patients have had partial response. So these studies that were presented by Dr. Miriam from Dana Farber, I think, really provide an interesting story in what might be emerging. I think with a very rare tumor like this, it is likely that only single arm studies will need to be done to get approval or compendium listening. Dr. James Gulley: There's another interesting emerging story with adoptive cellular therapy and multiple myeloma. And Dr. Garfold had a really nice presentation about B Cell maturation antigen, or BCMA CAR T Cells. So these chimeric antigen receptor T cells are associated with the response rates in multiple myeloma of between 65% and 90%, depending on the studies, and a very good PR or CR rate of 35% to 80%. Dr. James Gulley: There were four studies that were looked at. The one thing that I would point out is that these responses were not as durable as hoped. And so new strategies are emerging to use this earlier on in the disease course in multiple myeloma, and perhaps co-target CD19. Another very interesting target for adaptive cellular therapy CAR T's is mesothelin. And Dr. Adusumilli talked about the use of these mesothelin targeted CAR T's in mesothelioma. Dr. James Gulley: One interesting thing about this is with mesothelioma, for instance, plural mesothelioma, you can just give these CAR T's directly into the pleura and therefore get a higher amount of these cells directly to the tumor than you could if you gave this intravenously. In addition, he showed data that suggested an improved outcome with PD-1 inhibition. And these studies are ongoing. Dr. James Gulley: The final study that I think is very interesting and could change standard of care is a story that is emerging about the ability of doctors to use immunotherapy in patients with solid organ transplants. It turns out that there's been a threefold increase in solid organ transplants since 1988, and cancer is the third most common cause of death in organ transplant recipients. Unfortunately, because of the requirement of the patients to use immune suppression to prevent the rejection of the organ graft, and because the anti PD-1 or anti PD-L1 agents could promote the rejection of the organ transplants, these have been traditionally excluded from clinical trials. Dr. James Gulley: There's now an effort going on combining nivolumab with tacrolimus and prednisone for patients with kidney transplant. The nice thing about this study is that there is a backup of dialysis if there are problems with the organ transplants. So this should allow us to get substantial data in the solid organ transplant setting. This trial is open now and is enrolling patients with melanoma, merkel cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and MSI high colorectal cancer. ASCO Daily News: Dr. Gulley, are there new treatment approaches emerging or agents in development that seem really promising? Dr. James Gulley: So Geraldine, there are some fantastic new approaches and some new agents that I think are worth keeping an eye on. First of all, I want to highlight the really excellent talk given by Dr. McQuaid on the microbiome. There were multiple excellent talks, but I just want to highlight this one talk because it really hit home for me how important the diversity of the microbiome is. Dr. James Gulley: So it turns out that when we have a diverse gut microbiome, we have better outcomes. And actually things that we might think that could improve that, such as taking probiotics, actually narrow the repertoire of the diversity in the microbiome and are associated with worse outcomes. Antibiotics obviously can also decrease that. In another talk, Brian Chu from UPenn showed that the use of antibiotics was associated with decreased overall survival and increased colitis in patients with melanoma that was required steroid. But in Dr. McQuaid's talk, she talked about how we could potentially improve the good microbiome. So it's not just enough for us to have the right bacteria. You really need to also be able to feed them. Dr. James Gulley: And what she showed was that if you had a high fiber diet, you could get fermentation by the bacteria, which would lead to increased short chain fatty acids, which would lead to increased immunity. And the fiber should be from multiple sources. And then also you need to not kill those bacteria with antibiotics if at all possible. Dr. James Gulley: In addition, there was some really interesting data on anti-semapohrin 4D. So semaphorin 4D is associated with myeloid derived suppressor cells with M2 polarized tumor-associated macrophages and with T regulatory cells. An agent, ipnimab targets semaphorin 4D. This allows for increased infiltration of effector cells within the tumor. In addition, there was a clinical trial showing that there was activity in non-small cell lung cancer in combination with avelumab. Dr. James Gulley: Another interesting story was the fact that real world evidence and real world data are going to be playing an increasingly important role in helping us understand issues in medicine in general, but also may be important in immunotherapy. This was highlighted in a session that was looking at real world evidence, not just from big data sets like electronic medical records, but also in a very interesting talk by Dr. Heather Jim from the Moffitt. Wearables or devices like cell phones or smart watches have accelerometers in them, and they can be used to help gather data on the activity of patients and whether they're up and about more. I think we're going to see a lot more of this type of approach in understanding what's going on in between clinic visits for patients, so stay tuned for this approach in the near future. Dr. James Gulley: Finally, we had three excellent keynote speakers. I just want to highlight one of them from-- one aspect of one of them from Dr. Dario Vignali from the University of Pittsburgh. And he talked about several things, including neuropilin-1 and how this may be targeted to help destabilize T regulatory cells within the tumor microenvironment. I would stay tuned for that emerging story from Dr. Vignali's lab. ASCO Daily News: Well, I want to thank you, Dr. Gulley, for sharing these amazing developments in immunotherapy. I look forward to continuing this conversation with you in our next episode, to reflect on the enormous impact that the IO Symposium has had on cancer research, education, and patient care over the past five years. Dr. James Gulley: Thank you so much. ASCO Daily News: Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. If you're enjoying the content, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. The following represents disclosure information provided by the guest(s) of this podcast. Dr. James Gulley The National Cancer Institute has cooperative research and development agreements with several companies, including Bavarian Nordic and EMD Serono that supply institutional funding for some of Dr. James Gulley's projects. 

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join Grant Baciocco, John B. deHaas and Tim Hinton as they take their first ride on the experience that is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! Recorded on January 14, 2020. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. The moment we have been waiting for is here! It’s time to take off to Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!  The guide map describes this attraction by saying: Find yourself in the middle of a battle between the First Order and Resistance.  The Thrill Level describes this attraction as being Thrill Ride with small drops that is dark and loud.  Guests must be 40” or taller to ride this attraction and, as of this recording, FastPass+ is not available. Now before we ride this long awaited attraction, here are five fast facts about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!  1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was announced at D23 in August of 2015, though it wasn’t given its official name until November 17, 2018.  The attraction officially opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on December 5, 2019. 2.  Executive Creative Director of Imagineering, John Larena, describes the ride as being a 360° attraction meaning that no matter where you look while on the ride, you’ll be completely immersed in the world of Star Wars. 3. The storyline of the attraction places the adventure between the films Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker. 4. Several familiar faces from the Star Wars films can be seen on this attraction including Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren and General Hux.  But guests will also meet Lieutenant Bek who is a character developed just for this attraction.  Bek is voiced by actor James Arnold Taylor who is no stranger to the world of Star Wars having voice doubled for Ewan McGragor’s Obi Wan Kenobi in the Clone Wars TV series. 5. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a combined Motion Simulator and trackless Dark Ride that has a whopping 18 minute duration!  This experience is unlike any theme park ride ever created. Okay, enough talk, let’s ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!  Along for the adventure is John B. deHaas and Tim Hinton.  We are all riding for the first time so after the Ride Audio we’ll give you our initial thoughts moments after experiencing this attraction.  This is  a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now it’s time for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/hollywood-studios/star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Rise_of_the_Resistance Show ©2020 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

On this bonus episode of English with Dane I reflect on the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant, and company.Transcript:Welcome to a bonus episode of English with Dane. This will be a quick one. I didn't know if I should put one out about this, but I decided to because I wanted to share a few thoughts with you guys regarding the events that took place on Sunday…. I guess it's more for me than it is for you. As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi and 5 other people died in a helicopter accident just outside of Los Angeles.As some of you know, I'm a huge, huge, basketball fan. I've been playing basketball since I can remember and I still play to this day. It's a sport that has given me many things. It has shown me the value of competition.. the importance of practice and determination, and as cliche as it sounds, it has taught me that teamwork is the key to success, something which I have applied to every aspect of my life. Basketball has taught me that sometimes you can try your hardest, fight tooth and nail and it just wasn't your day... and that's ok. But I think out of all the things that basketball has given me the most important of all has been friendship. Sounds cliche, but I have incredible friends and teammates, and I've formed deep, lasting connections because of it. Why am I saying all of this? I guess I'm just sad about Kobe and I'm reflecting out loud (en voz alta).. but I think the reason I'm talking about my friends, basketball and stuff.. is because... well...I was reading about something the other day…. Another famous accident that shook the entire world…. And it feels similar to the tragedy that happened on Sunday with Kobe, his daughter Gigi and the rest of the passengers.On February 3rd, 1959, a plane carrying rockstar Buddy Holly, and up and comers Richi Vallens and JP Richardson crashed in Iowa. They tragically lost their lives… and this event came to be known as The Day the Music Died. The world mourned a terrible loss, and people all over felt an immense sense of sadness and unfairness.My brother, the rest of my friends, teammates and I, all grew up watching Kobe Bryant. We watched him compete harder than anyone, we watched him win more than anyone, we watched him dominate, we watched him suffer devastating injuries, we watched him cry out of frustration, we watched him sacrifice - come back and still do the impossible. He came into the NBA in 1997, when I was like, 8 or 9 years old, and quickly became everyone's hero. You had to love him. Even if he was destroying your team. Because he did it in the coolest way. He was like superman because he would do things that nobody else could, and when he performed, you knew that you were watching history. I'm too young to have seen Micheal Jordan in his prime, so Kobe was my reference growing up. I got to see him as a kid, and as an adult, and I don't remember the NBA without him. I realized that in my head I've always connected him to basketball and the NBA in general. To the point where they became synonymous.On Sunday I was leaving a basketball game from the Spanish League with my brother. Estudiantes vs Unicaja.. He had gotten tickets so we walked over and attended. After the game we walked out, and started heading home, talking about the game and checking stuff on our phones… Then my brother suddenly stopped walking, looked up from his phone and told me that Kobe Bryant had died in a plane crash. We couldn't believe it. We didn't want to believe it. We started investigating and talking to our friends from the team in our WhatsApp group… none of us wanted to believe the news. We started investigating to see if another source confirmed what had happened.. Desperate to find out that it was all a

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - John B. deHaas and Grant Baciocco get all emotional as they ride Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind at Disney California Adventure!  Recorded on August 23, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode takes us to Disney California Adventure to ride Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.  The Disneyland Resort website describes this attraction saying: Tap into Riley’s Emotions when you take a sense-sational spin around the whimsical world inside her mind’s Headquarters.  Guests can be any height to ride this attraction and the thrill level describes it as being a spinning ride. Before we get all emotional, here are five fast facts about Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. 1.  Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind opened on June 28, 2019. 2.  The attraction uses the same infrastructure as the Flick’s Fliers attraction we rode back in episode 57.  When Bug’s Land was closed at Disney California Adventure, Flick's Fliers was moved and rethemed to become the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. 3. Each spin on the emotional whirlwind features narration by one of the five emotions featured in the film Inside Out.  On the day the audio for this episode was recorded, I was able to get two of those different narrations, one while waiting in the line, the other while on the attraction.  Both are presented here. 4.  The queue are for the attraction features humorous vacation posters for destinations such as Imagination Land, Personality Island and Cloud Town 5. Figures of the five emotions from the movie surround the attraction.  At one point, the Anger figure was going to shoot real fire from his head.  This idea was, sadly, dropped due to safety concerns. Let’s whirl around Pixar Pier on Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind! I’m happy to say that John B. deHaas is along for the ride and after we go on we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones, put them on now as we ride Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind at Disney California Adventure! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://www.ocregister.com/2019/06/28/review-new-inside-out-ride-that-opened-today-at-disneys-california-adventure-is-perfect-for-little-kids-and-cuddling-couples/ https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/emotional-whirlwind/ Show ©2020Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

In this episode, I revew key points made by Rachel Naomi Remen in her essay, "Helping, Fixing, or Serving?" I consider their application to birth and the importance of viewing all in the birth space as whole. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to today's episode. So today I want to have a conversation about an article that I read years ago that was very influential for me. It was written by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen. She is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine UCSF Medical School and the co-founder and medical director of the Commonwealth Cancer Help program. She's also author of the bestseller Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal. And she wrote an essay several years ago called “Helping, Fixing or Serving?” that has really impacted the way that I think about the work that I do in different arenas in my life, from volunteer work that I've done, to my work as a teacher, as a mother, as a neighbor, friend, and as a doula. So as we talk about it today, I invite you to consider whatever role you're serving in and think about how it applies. I'm going to kind of give a summary of her work through reading meaningful summative quotes and then thinking about how they apply to birth work. So, Rachel Naomi Remen says, “Helping, fixing and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping maybe the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul.” So my thought about how this applies to birth work, is that the term doula was first used in 1969. In an anthropological study conducted by Dana Raphael, and she was talking just about the role of doulas, she said, in most species, it's normal for a female of the same species to be part of childbirth. And she derived the term doula from modern Greek--borrowed it as a word to describe the role of a birth support person that was kind of coming into being more in that time, around 1969. And doula, from the modern Greek, means servant woman or woman who serves. And so this term is a re-appropriation of a modern Greek [word] that includes bondage. The term actually implies bondage, serving, even slavery, but like we talked about in Episode 24, we can turn terms around sometimes, and re-appropriate them for our own usage and re-imbue it with power. And so Raphael's coining of the term doula is used to mean a woman who serves. So I believe that doulas are re-appropriating this term, focusing on the aspects of service. And like Rachel Remen says, “service is the work of the soul,” seeing life as whole. So though service is etymologically tied most to doula work—the word doula implies service—it certainly applies to anyone in the birth space serving the birthgiver: the husband or partner, mothers or friends, nurses, doctors, midwives… This invitation to see life as whole, to truly serve, applies to anyone in the birth space. And both the life of the birthgiver and the life of the soon-to-be-born-baby—and all others in that space—really can be benefited and made whole when they are served in this way. So again, Rachel Remen says, “When we serve, we know that we belong to life. And to that purpose, from the perspective of service, we are connected. All suffering is like my suffering. And all joy is like my joy. The impulse to serve emerges naturally and inevitably from this way of seeing.” And I think that's where birth even comes from. The work that a birthgiver does in giving birth, recognizes the wholeness and the connectedness of life, as we use our own life to bring forth additional life. So going on, Rachel Remen says, “Helping is not a relationship between equals. A helper may see others as weaker than they are, needier than they are. And people often feel this inequality. The danger in helping is that we may inadvertently take away from people more than we ever could get them. We may diminish their self-esteem, their status, worth, integrity or even wholeness.” So I caution anyone in the birth space to really stay away from this mentality of helping—this perspective that puts people on two different playing fields, and the birthgiver on the lower playing field. I'm really cautious in the language that I use. When I talk about my role as a doula, because I've read Rachel Remen’s essay, “Helping, Fixing or Serving?” so many times. I really am careful to never say that I help expectant families. I see the power and the strength and the ability and capability in the birth giver. She is not weak, in need of others’ strength—mine or anyone else’s. She is discovering the full extent of her own strength. And this needs no help. But benefits, surely, as we all do, from service. Rachel Remen says, “When we help, we become aware of our own strength, but when we serve, we don't serve with our strength. We serve with our selves, and we draw from all of our experiences. Our limitations serve, our wounds serve. Even our darkness can serve. My pain is the source of my compassion. My woundedness is the key to my empathy.” Going on, Rachel Remen says, “Serving makes us aware of our wholeness and its power. The wholeness in us serves the wholeness in others and the wholeness in life. The wholeness in you is the same as the wholeness in me. Service is a relationship between equals. Our service strengthens us as well as others. Fixing and helping are draining, and over time, we may burn out, but service is renewing. When we serve, our work itself will renew us. In helping, we may find a sense of satisfaction. In serving, we find a sense of gratitude.” I love this. When we consider the application to birth—seeing life as whole is especially important in the birth room, when sometimes birthgivers are identified by their contraction pattern, or cervical dilation. That does not honor her wholeness. We need, in the birth space, to recognize the wholeness of each person in that space. And as we serve in that space, find renewal and gratitude for the wholeness in the life of all those in that space—and the baby that is soon to enter that space. Another summative quote from Rachel Freeman's essay is, “In fixing, we see others as broken and respond to this perception with our expertise. Fixers trust their own expertise, but may not see the wholeness in another person, or trust the integrity of the life in them. When we serve, we see and trust that wholeness. We respond to it and collaborate with it. And when we see the wholeness in another and we strengthen it, they may be then able to see it for themselves for the first time.” In her essay, Rachel Remen tells the story of an emergency physician who's assisting a woman as she gives birth to a baby. And Remen talks about the moment when this physician really realized the wholeness and life in a newborn baby that he had just assisted with the birth of, and how this moment was a wake-up call to him in his practice. Previously, he'd been very focused on using his expertise in response to situations and felt the thrill and the excitement of that fixing paradigm—of finding a problem, enacting his expertise, and solving the problem. But in this moment when he realized the wholeness of life of this newborn baby, he realized that there was so much more to the work that he was doing. And he previously missed out on so much, and he didn't have a full awareness of the wholeness of those that he was “fixing.” Rachel Remen goes on to say, “Fixing and helping create a distance between people—an experience of difference. We cannot serve at a distance. We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected. That which we are willing to touch. Fixing and helping are strategies to repair life. We serve life, not because it is broken, but because it is holy.” So as a birthgiver, if that is your role, seek those who honor your wholeness, who serve you with proximity, who are willing to touch—physically, emotionally, mentally—to touch you and embrace you and your wholeness. Surround yourself with those who see you as whole and holy and not broken. And Rachel Remen concludes with this moving quote: “Service is not an experience of strength or expertise. Service is an experience of mystery, surrender and awe. Helpers and fixers feel casual. Servers may experience, from time to time, a sense of being used by larger unknown forces. Those who serve have traded a sense of mastery for an experience of mystery, and in doing so, have transformed their work and their lives into practice.” I feel like this is applicable nowhere more than in the work surrounding birth, that we should serve in this space with mystery, surrender and awe. So I encourage you all to check out the show notes for today. I'll have a link to the full essay which I really suggest that you read time and time again. And I hope that you have taken something away from this conversation about helping, fixing and serving. Bye. Did words play an important role in your birth experience? If you’re interested in sharing your  story on the podcast, go to www.birthwords.com. If you’re liking what you hear on the podcast, please leave a review on your podcast app. For more resources about harnessing the power of words to benefit the birth experience, visit birthwords.com. Transcribed by https://otter.ai REFERENCES: Remen, R. N. (1999). Helping, Fixing or Serving?, Shambhala Sun, September. Retrieved from https://www.uc.edu/content/dam/uc/honors/docs/communityengagement/HelpingFixingServing.pdf Oxford English Dictionary (2011). Doula. Retrieved from https://www-oed-com.erl.lib.byu.edu/view/Entry/248791?redirectedFrom=doula#eid#eid

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join me as I head to Disney's Animal Kingdom to see It's Tough To Be A Bug!  Recorded on August 18, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we venture to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to check out It’s Tough To Be A Bug!  The guide map says: Discover what it’s like to be a bug in this 3D film inspired by the Disney/Pixar film, “A Bug’s Life.” And it adds “Some creepy-crawly moments in the dark.”  There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill Level describes it as being dark, scary and loud!  Before we shrink to the size of bugs, here are five fast facts about It’s Tough To Be A Bug at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 1. It’s Tough To Be A Bug is a Disney’s Animal Kingdom opening day attraction, opening with the park on April 22, 1998. 2.  While It’s Tough To Be A Bug is based on the Disney/Pixar film A Bug’s Life, the attraction opened a full 7 months before the film debuted in theaters! 3. The show features an impressive voice cast including Dave Foley as Flick, Cheech Marin as Chili the tarantula, Jason Alexander as Weevil Kneevil and A Bug’s Life co-director Andrew Stanton as the show’s bad guy, the menacing grasshopper Hopper! 4. The Tree of Life Theater that houses It’s Tough To Be A Bug can accommodate up to 430 guests per show. 5. At the time the attraction opened, the audio-animatronic of Hopper the grasshopper was one of the most advanced audio-animatronic figures in the world.  It features and incredible range of motion and even seems to hop into the theater at the start of his appearance. Okay, let’s buzz on over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see It’s Tough To Be A Bug!  After the show I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction and this is  a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now it’s time to find out that It’s Tough To Be A Bug! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/animal-kingdom/its-tough-to-be-a-bug/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Tough_to_Be_a_Bug! https://www.disneydining.com/12-amazing-facts-about-its-tough-to-be-a-bug-in-disneys-animal-kingdom/ Show ©2020Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

The Gift-King A king that is for you. The King that you've been waiting for, you're going to find him here… in a manger?Transcript:Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.Our sermon soundbite today comes from Luke chapter two beginning at verse eight. "And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord, and this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.""But what is the sign that the angels give? That the angel gives to the shepherds? What is the sign by which they will know that this is the King? Verse 12 says, "And this will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths," and that's just normal baby clothing, "And lying in a manger." What?Imagine me telling you that the richest man in the world was coming to Georgetown. So we went down to the square to meet him there and up pulls a 1985 Toyota Camry that's rusted out, the paint is peeling, and out steps this man. Would you believe me? There's this seemingly contradiction, contra-position, this contrast between what I'm saying and what the arrival of this richest man is like, and so it is here the King that you've been waiting for, you're going to find him here in a manger?The point that Luke is making, obviously as we read through the gospel, is that the coming of the promised King, the way he came was absolutely unexciting. Unimpressive. No pump. No circumstance. The baby is born, no complications. There isn't room, anywhere. So why? Why this contrast?Because this is a different type of King. The key is in verse 11 when the angel speaks to the shepherds, he says, "For unto you," notice that, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior. Who is Christ the Lord." Why? Because this King is not like other Kings, people with authority and power in this world. What do they do? They tend to accumulate more power. They tend to accumulate wealth for themselves, especially Caesar Augustus, who we read about in the very first verse of chapter two what is he doing? He's taxing the people so he can conquer and get more power for himself and more money and more riches. But this King is not for himself. This King is for you.He is a King unto you, a King for you. Who although he is rich, became poor. Although he has all, became nothing for us. A King who takes all that he has and will pour it out for you. He is a Gift-King. A Gift-King.Isaiah chapter nine verse six the prophet says it beautifully, "For to us a child is born. To us as son is given. He is a gift. He's been given to us." This is the gift of Christmas, freely given, not owed to those who have been nice instead of naughty, but a free gift given to all of us and received by, especially those that know they're sinners. Those like the shepherds that the angels come to at night.Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the book of Common Prayer. This prayer can be found on page 601. O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Join John B. deHaas and myself as we head to Disneyland to ride Peter Pan's Flight!  Recorded on August 22, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we visit Disneyland to ride one of the most iconic Fantasyland dark rides of all time, Peter Pan’s Flight!  The Disneyland website describes this attraction by saying, “Soar over London aboard an enchanted pirate ship to Never Land with the boy who wouldn’t grow up.”  There are no age or height requirements for this attraction and the thrill level describes it as a Slow Ride that is Dark, Loud and has small drops.  Before we get sprinkled with Pixie Dust, here are 5 fast facts about Peter Pan’s Flight. 1. Peter Pan’s Flight opened at Disneyland on the park’s opening day, July 17, 1955. 2.  Originally the attraction was meant to put the guests in the role of Peter Pan flying through the ride.  Because of this Peter Pan didn’t appear in the original attraction at all. 3. The ride received a major overhaul in 1983 that added many new elements and finally put Peter Pan in the attraction. 4. In 2015, the attraction closed for another major refurbishment and when it reopened, the attraction feature new animatronics and special effects including new projection mapping and fiber optics. 5. The Pirate Ships guests sit in use an OmniMover system to travel through the attraction.  This is the same system as the one used in Haunted Mansion but flipped allowing the pirate ships to fly through the air. Let’s head for the second star on the right and ride Peter Pan’s Flight.  Along for the adventure is John B. deHaas and after the ride we’ll give you our thoughts on this attraction.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we race off to Peter Pan’s Flight at Disneyland! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/peter-pans-flight/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan%27s_Flight Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Start your engines! It's time to race off to Disney's Hollywood Studios to check out Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy.  Recorded on August 16, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode we venture to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to watch Lightening McQueen’s Racing Academy.  The Guidemap describes this attraction by saying: Get pumped for a high-octane experience where you’ll learn what it takes to be a champion from the legendary racer, Lightning McQueen.  Since this is a show, there are no age or height requirements for this attraction.  Before we hear how Lightning McQueen stays in shape, here are five fast facts about Lighting McQueen’s Racing Academy. 1. Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy was announced on the Disney Parks Blog on June 29, 2018 and had its debut performance less than a year later on March 31, 2019. 2.  Prior to hosting Lightning McQueen, the building this attraction is in housed Club Disney an interactive dance party for families which debuted on December 5, 2015. 3. The giant wrap-around screen used in the show is 200 feet long and two stories high! 4. This attraction is, obviously, based on the Disney/Pixar Cars franchise, but an interesting bit of trivia is that elements from each of the three Cars films are featured in the show. 5. The Lightning McQueen animatronic featured in the show is very similar to the ones in Disney California Adventures Radiator Springs Racers.  However this animatronic actually has the ability to completely turn around and face the simulator he’s using. Let’s start our engines and check out Lighting McQueen’s Racing Academy.  After the show I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction and this is a binaural recording so if you have headphones put them on now as we race off to Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://themouselets.com/8-facts-about-illuminations-reflections-of-earth https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/04/dates-announced-for-epcot-nighttime-spectaculars/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IllumiNations:_Reflections_of_Earth Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Let's head to Epcot to bid a fond farewell to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth!  Recorded on August 17, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. It is time for Attraction Checklist to visit EPCOT in Walt Disney World and bid a fond farewell to the nighttime spectacular knows as IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.  Before IllumiNations ended, the guide map described the show by saying: The World Showcase Promenade comes alive nightly with the brilliance and splendor of music, lights, lasers, water fountains and custom pyrotechnics in our signature nighttime spectacular, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.  Since this was a show there were no height or age requirements and FastPass+ was available. Before we gather around the fire one last time, here are 5 fast facts about IllumiNations. 1.  IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth debate at EPCOT in Walt Disney World on September 22, 1999.  This show was a revamped version of the previous IllumiNations shows that was created for the year 2000 Millennium celebration.  When it debuted it was called IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth.  The show proved to be so popular that after the Millennium Celebration ended, the show continued, dropping the 2000 from its official name. 2.  To drive the Millennium Celebration theme home, World Showcase Lagoon was surrounded by 19 torches representing the first 19 centuries of the common era.  At the end of the show, the iconic globe opened and revealed a 20th torch for the 20th century. 3. The show’s signature globe was over 3 stories high and was the world’s first spherical video display system. 4.  The control booth for the show is located above the Mexico Pavilion in World Showcase.  The show uses more than 65 computers scattered around the park on 40 separate locations. 5. On April 9, 2019, the Disney Park Blog announced that after 20 years, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth would close to make way for new shows.  The show had its final performance on September 30, 2019. Now it’s time to blow out the torches one last time.  I’ll give you my thoughts after the show audio.  This is a binaural recording so if you have headphones, put them on now as we enjoy, for the last time, EPCOT’S IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://themouselets.com/8-facts-about-illuminations-reflections-of-earth https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/04/dates-announced-for-epcot-nighttime-spectaculars/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IllumiNations:_Reflections_of_Earth Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - In this episode, John B. deHaas and I head to Disneyland's Toontown to ride and review Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin!  Recorded on August 22, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. It’s time to head to the Toontown section of Disneyland to ride the zany dark-ride, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin!  The Disneyland website describes this attraction by saying, “Steer a runaway taxicab through the wacky streets of Toontown as you follow the adventures of Roger Rabbit.”  There are no age or height requirements and the Thrill Level describes this attraction as being a Spinning Slow Ride that is Dark and Loud.  Fastpass is available for this attraction. Before we head to the Toontown Cab Company, here are five fast facts about Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin at Disneyland! 1. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, an attraction based on the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, opened at Disneyland on January 26, 1994. 2.  Many actors in the film’s voice cast reprised their roles for this attraction.  Most notably, Charles Fleischer as Roger Rabbit and the legendary June Foray as the weasel gang member Wheezy. 3. The queue area for this attraction was one of first totally immersive queue areas in a Disney Park and there are several hidden sight gags throughout.  You can also peer into sections of the attraction while waiting in line giving you a preview of what’s to come.  Also see if you can decipher what each of the personalized license plates in the queue area spell out.  It’s a great way to pass the time. 4. Part dark ride, part spinning teacup, the Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin attraction features 17 Audio-Animatronics and close to 60 animated props. 5. One of the main features of this attraction is that your cab, Lenny, spins!  But in keeping with the film, he doesn’t spin until he hits the DIP poured out by the Weasels.   Now it’s time to ride Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.  Along with me for the ride is John B. deHaas.  On the day we rode we had fast passes so we did not wait through the queue.  Perhaps in a future episode I’ll record some of that audio.  But for now, put on your headphones as this is a binaural recording of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin at Disneyland! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Rabbit%27s_Car_Toon_Spin https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/roger-rabbits-car-toon-spin/ Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

Summary Curiosity is rarely encouraged at work. In fact, leaders and organisations often actively discourage being inquisitive. This week we explore the benefits of curiosity, and four ways to encourage it in your team. Transcript Welcome to episode 58 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re looking at the benefits of curiosity, and how to encourage it in your team. The word “curiosity” often conjures up negative connotations. If I asked you to tell me a popular saying about curiosity, it would most likely be “curiosity killed the cat”. This fear of being inquisitive translates into our organisations. Surely if people become curious at work they’re going to neglect their day jobs and start venturing into distraction. And won’t this lead to conflict, reduced productivity and a lack of clarity? However, research on curiosity demonstrates that these concerns are unfounded, and that curiosity provides a range of benefits for individuals and organisations. Here’s just a sample of what the research tells us about the benefits of curiosity: Curiosity helps us to become more accurate in our decision making. When we are curious, we seek out more alternatives. This helps us to avoid stereotyping people and selectively choosing information that supports our viewpoint. When people are encouraged to be curious, they share information with others more readily and listen more attentively to their perspectives. This helps us to build empathy and insight. Curiosity actually reduces conflict. It encourages people to consider alternative perspectives and what it would be like to be in the other person’s shoes. For a great summary of the research, check out the Why Curiosity Matters spotlight series in Harvard Business Review. I’ve provided a link in the show notes - https://hbr.org/2018/09/curiosity It appears we’re hardwired as humans to be curious, but our education systems and organisations often don’t reward this natural and helpful drive to explore and discover. However, as leaders, there are simple steps we can take to encourage curiosity amongst our people. Here are four ideas to start with: Encourage questions. I’ve worked with organisations where asking a question is equated with being negative and stepping beyond your role. It was debilitating for the organisation and for the people, taking away initiative and discretionary effort. Make it safe to ask questions. Role model the inquisitive use of questions with your team. Build alternatives. Always go beyond the first and most obvious option to explore other alternatives. So often we stop at option one, when the best idea might be a combination of option two and option three. Provide time for exploration. Curiosity takes time, and that time needs to be pressure-free and self-directed. This podcast is driven by the questions I ask myself, combined with the time to explore the answers. When I was working in management consulting there was very little time to be curious which, ironically, was often what clients valued the most. Pursue learning. Ongoing learning builds the capability of the individual and the capacity of the organisation. Encourage and fund your people to undertake additional learning they’re interested in, even if it isn’t obviously linked to the work. Sometimes the connections people can draw between what they’ve learned and the organisation’s needs will surprise you. So this week I encourage you to invest time in being curious, and allow the same for your people as well. You might be surprised at the benefits that result.

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - The Halloween celebrations continue with a ride on Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark at Disney California Adventure.  Recorded on October 2, 2018. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. Halloween is here and it’s time to take a ride on another attraction that has received a Halloween Overlay! Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark at DisneyCalifornia Adventure.  Located in the Hollywood Land area of the park (for now), Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark is described on the Disneyland website by saying: Join Rocket in his thrilling race to rescue Groot during this daring Halloween adventure!  Guests must be 40” or taller to ride the attraction and FastPass is available.  The Thrill level describes the attraction as being a Thrill Ride with Big Drops that is Dark Loud and Scary. Before we head back in to the Collector’s Fortress, here are five fast facts about Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark. 1.  Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout, the retimed Tower of Terror, opened on May 27, 2017.  In August of 2017, it was abounded that the attraction would have a special Halloween overlay called Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark.  The overlay debuted on September 15, 2017. 2.  Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark is unique in that the ride only switches over to the Halloween Overlay after sunset!  So guests can ride two different versions of the attraction in one day!  Mission Breakout in the morning and Monsters After Dark at night.  It only takes about an hour of downtime to switch between the two.  On October 31st, the attraction features Monsters After Dark all day. 3. The events in Monsters After Dark take place moments after the events seen in the regular ride.  The Guardians of the Galaxy have escaped but Groot got left behind and it’s up to guests to help Rocket find him.  If you need a refresher of the regular ride’s storyline, go back and listen to episode #32 of Attraction Checklist where we covered that ride. 4.  The attraction also receives a new lobby video that is filled with scenes of The Collector’s employees trying to get the creatures who escaped in Mission Breakout back in their cages.  There’s also a brief cameo by the Guardians of the Galaxy character Yondu who appears a a ghost roaming the halls! 5. Monsters After Dark also features a brand new song as you’re riding the attraction.  The tune, called Monsters After Dark, was written by Tyler Bates who scored the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Let’s get set to ride Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark.  After the ride audio, I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction and this is a binaural recording so if you have headphones, put them on now as we ride Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark at Disney California Adventure. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/guardians-galaxy-mission-breakout-after-dark/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_–_Mission:_Breakout! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Bates Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

Summary Chances are that you will suffer from impostor syndrome at some point in your life. In this episode we explore what impostor syndrome is, why it occurs, and nine ways we can avoid feeling like a fraud.   Transcript Welcome to episode 57 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re looking at impostor syndrome - what it is, why it occurs, and nine ways we can avoid feeling like a fraud.   What is impostor syndrome? Put simply, impostor syndrome is the fear of being exposed as a fraud - that we lack the capability necessary for the challenges we face, and are only avoiding being found out through hard work and luck. Bryan Stewart says “The root of impostorism is thinking that people don't see you as you really are. We think people like us for something that isn't real and that they won't like us if they find out who we really are." We’ll look at Stewart’s research later. Importantly, it’s not a disorder. No psychologist is ever going to give you a mental diagnosis of impostor syndrome. Rather it’s a reaction or response that falls in the normal range of human experience. Studies vary, however impostor syndrome is thought to impact 70% of people across their life. That is, the majority of people at some point feel like a fraud. In Stewart’s study 20% of university students felt very strong feelings of impostorism at any one point in time.   How does impostor syndrome work? The researcher Clance outlines what she calls an impostor cycle. The cycle starts with an achievement-based task. It might be a project, assignment or new responsibility. This is followed by feelings of anxiety, worry and doubt. The individual with impostor syndrome then typically takes one of two possible paths. The first is the ‘hard work’ path - this is a period of over-preparation and frantic work. The second potential path is a period of procrastination and avoidance. There’s a sense of relief once the challenge is completed. Those who took the hard work path will then put any positive outcome down to over-preparation rather than ability. Those who took the procrastination path will put any positive outcome is down to luck. In both cases, even a positive outcome and feedback is seen as further evidence of a lack of personal ability, and so the cycle continues.   What’s the impact on the person and performance of impostor syndrome? Well, there’s the anxiety, fear and self-doubt that accompany new challenges and opportunities. And there’s often a reluctance to put your hand up for even greater challenges and opportunities. After all, those challenges heighten the risk of being discovered as a fraud.   So what can you do to avoid impostor syndrome? Here are 9 ideas: Reframe challenges as opportunities to learn and grow rather than as chances to be tested and ‘found out’. Bringing a growth mindset to challenges will help reduce anxiety and increase motivation. Establish an appropriate standard for your work. Perfectionism and impostor syndrome often co-exist. If your work is never good enough in your own eyes, then no wonder you feel like a fraud. Reach outside of the group where you feel a fraud. Research by Bryan Stewart and colleagues has demonstrated that seeking support from within the group where you feel like a fraud is generally negative and reinforces the sense of being a fraud, while reaching outside the group to family, friends and others is generally positive. Reaching outside where you feel like a fraud recalibrates your abilities. Stop comparing yourself to others. It’s tempting to select people at the top of their game as comparison points. Look to them as inspiration rather than as a benchmark of where you should be. After all, everyone’s journey is different, and you will have your own strengths that even your idols lack. Keep a note of all the positive feedback you receive. When you receive positive feedback just say ‘thank you’. Don’t question it, just transfer it to a note or folder where you can review it when you face a future challenge. Name it to tame it. Most people have impostor syndrome at some point. It’s a normal part of human experience, and it’s harmful not helpful. Calling it out for what it is can help you to be proactive in reframing your thoughts and approach. Seek feedback on your approach and performance. Find some trusted people who can give you balanced feedback on your performance. We all need a cheer squad in life, but it needs to be a cheer squad that we trust to provide both positive and constructive feedback. Be kind to yourself. There’s a classic piece of research that demonstrated people are more compliant when administering medication to their dogs than they are at being compliant with their own medication. We’re often not kind and compassionate to ourselves. Give yourself a bit of a break and treat yourself the way you would treat a friend. Celebrate development and progress. We often don’t take the chance to reflect on just how far we’ve come. Ask yourself “What can I do now that I couldn’t do a year ago?”. Write out a list of strengths and achievements from the past year.   Is impostor syndrome something you’ve struggled with? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Contact me via the leadership.today website, and use the connect link.   References Clance, P.R. (1985). The impostor phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success (p. 25). Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers. Richard G. Gardner, Jeffrey S. Bednar, Bryan W. Stewart, James B. Oldroyd, Joseph Moore. “I must have slipped through the cracks somehow”: An examination of coping with perceived impostorism and the role of social support. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2019; 115: 103337 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103337

This week's podcast is a replay of our 2nd December 2018 episode on Optimism and Resilience. We will be back next week with a brand new episode.   Summary This week we explore the links between optimism and resilience, using the example of a terrifying real life hang gliding experience.   Transcript Welcome to episode 21 of the Leadership Today Podcast where each week we address some of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we are looking at optimism and resilience. Have you ever had a travel experience that didn’t quite go to plan. Chris Gursky certainly has. Chris recently travelled from his home in Florida to Switzerland. He was particularly keen to have a tandem hang gliding experience over the picturesque Swiss countryside, so he booked that in for the first day of his holiday. The YouTube video of his first flight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBJA8SlH2w&t=9s) shows an excited Chris and his pilot running towards their take off from high on a mountainside. As soon as they took off though Chris and the pilot realise something has gone horribly wrong - the harness Chris is wearing is not actually clipped on to the hang glider, leaving Chris to hang on for dear life. Chris has one hand on the steering bar and one hand on the pilot for most of the flight, not sure of how long he could hold on. The pilot tries for an early landing, but is unable to control the steering while also trying to hold on to Chris, leaving the hang glider to travel over an even greater drop - some 4,000 feet from the ground. After an excruciating two minutes, the hang glider finally nears the ground travelling around 45 miles per hour, with Chris letting go just before it lands. Chris walked away with a broken wrist from the landing and a torn bicep muscle from holding on so hard. Amazingly, despite the ordeal, Chris said “I will go hang gliding again as I did not get to enjoy my first flight.”   Chris’ story demonstrates the two main elements of resilience - holding on and bouncing back. On the one hand, resilience is about your ability to withstand difficult circumstances - to hold on despite the odds - which Chris literally demonstrated during his hang gliding experience. And resilience is also about your ability to quickly bounce back from setbacks - much like Chris’ desire to go hang gliding again, despite his near death experience.   So much of our experience of life is shaped by the lens through which we view events, rather than the events themselves. Shawn Achor in his book “The Happiness Advantage” says that if researchers knew everything about your situation, they can only predict 10% of your happiness levels. Around 50% of our happiness is determined by a so-called genetic set point, with the remaining 40% being determined by our thoughts and actions which, of course, we can alter.   Our resilience links closely to our level of optimism. Martin Seligman describes this in his book “Learned Optimism”. As the title suggests, Seligman has long argued that optimism can be learned, just as early behavioural experiments with animals demonstrated that helplessness and pessimism can also be learned. Seligman outlines three ways in which optimists and pessimists differ when seeking to explain the causes and impacts of events - personalisation, permanence and pervasiveness - the three P’s.   Let’s look at these three P’s using an example of a setback. Alan is reversing his car into a tight spot in the city when he hears breaking glass and the hiss of a tyre going flat. It turns out he has backed over a glass bottle, badly puncturing a tyre on his car.   Consider the three P’s if Alan took a pessimistic view of this situation: Personalisation - Alan immediately blames himself - he should have noticed the bottle and been more careful while parking the car - it’s all his fault. Permanence - these kinds of things always happen to him - this flat tyre is going to take ages to change and then repair - it’s ruined his whole week. Pervasiveness - now he’s going to be late for the show tonight, which means his girlfriend is going to be unhappy with him - he’ll be grumpy at work all week, and he just can’t be bothered going to the gym in the morning now. What about if Alan took an optimistic view of the same situation: Personalisation - this could have happened to anyone, and whoever left the bottle there was pretty careless - it’s not really Alan’s fault at all Permanence - Alan will be able to change the tyre quickly after the show - it’s a 15 minute job at the most, and doesn’t really impact his evening or week Pervasiveness - it’s just a flat tyre - things in his relationship and at work are going well and the rest of his life is pretty positive - it’s no big deal   You can see how an optimistic mindset would make Alan more resilient, both in the moment with the punctured tyre, but also in bouncing back from a potentially negative situation.    Interestingly, when positive things happen, the thinking styles are reversed. The optimist will be more likely to take credit for the positive outcome, to see it as another sign of things to be grateful for, and will let the positive experience flow into other areas of their life. The pessimist, in contrast, will tend to put the positive outcome down to luck or the efforts of others, limit its impact in time, and see it as a small and contained part of their life.    You can learn to be more optimistic in the moment. Just understanding these differences in thinking styles will make you more aware of your own thought patterns in both positive and negative situations. You can then treat your initial thoughts as opinions rather than facts. For example, if something goes wrong, you might tell yourself “you’re an idiot - you can never get anything right”. Instead of just accepting this negative thought, treat it as an opinion which can be challenged. Is it really your fault? Do you always get things wrong, or are there examples of things you do well? What are some other explanations or ways of viewing the situation? Train yourself to look at alternative explanations rather than just accepting the first negative thought that comes into your head.   There’s also the ‘boring but important’ aspects of a healthy life that help to build resilience and optimism, namely diet, sleep and exercise. Connections with friends and family also matter. As does taking the time to slow down and be grateful for all the positive things in our lives - noting down three new things each day to be grateful for is a simple and effective practice that helps us to focus on the positives in life.   This week, think of Chris Gursky and his terrifying hang gliding flight. By holding on and then quickly deciding to give hang gliding another try, Chris provides a powerful demonstration of resilience in action.   References Martin Seligman - Learned Optimism Shawn Achor - The Happiness Advantage      

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - During Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom, Pirates of the Caribbean gets a few Halloween touches!  In this episode, Grant rides the attraction to see what surprises lie in store!  Recorded on August 16, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. As we head into the Halloween season, I thought it’d be fun to take a ride through one of the attractions at Walt Disney World that receives a few Halloween elements during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.  This episode we ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Here are five fast fact about Magic Kingdom’s Pirates of the Caribbean during Mickey’s Not SO Scary Halloween Party. 1.  Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a special, separately ticketed event that takes place on select nights at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. 2.  For the 2018 Mickey’s Not So Scary season, a new twist was added to Pirates of the Carribbean in the form of live actors dressed as pirates who were sprinkled thoroughout the attraction  3. Originally in 2018, the live actors told the story of searching for a pirate named ‘Gunpowder Pete.’  For the 2019 season, when this audio was recorded, though there were live actors throughout the ride, it seems that the Gunpowder Pete storyline has been dropped. 4.  The live actors on the attraction are open to interaction from guests which makes each ride experience pretty unique. 5. Beginning in 2019 during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, guests were given chocolate doubloons as goodies as they exited the attraction. Now lets head to Mickey’s Not So Scary at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World to ride the special Halloween version of Pirates of the Carribbean.  I have included a bit of the live pirate actors in the queue area before we board our boat, so you’ll hear that first.  After the attraction audio, I’ll give you my thoughts on this experience and this is a binaural recording so if you have headphones, put them on now as we visit the special Halloween version of Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ SOURCES:https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/07/new-fireworks-enhanced-attractions-and-more-highlight-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-at-magic-kingdom-park/ Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

This week's podcast is a replay of our 14th October 2018 episode on Leadership First Impressions   Research demonstrates that 90% of the initial impression we form about people is based on two factors - warmth and competence. It also turns out these two factors are difficult to combine. So how do we demonstrate both warmth and competence as leaders?    TRANSCRIPT Welcome to episode fourteen of the Leadership Today podcast. Each week we provide practical advice to address some of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we are looking at leadership first impressions. It turns out that 90% of the initial impression we form about a person is around two things - their warmth and their competence. In other words - do I connect with you, and do you know what you’re doing? It’s important to note that warmth isn’t primarily about being liked - it’s about making a real connection. That you are a real human being that people can relate to on an emotional level. Competence is about knowing what you’re doing. That you are a leader who is skilled and capable - someone others can respect. These factors produce two stereotypes of leaders that perhaps you can identify with: The first is the competent but cold leader - they’re all business, great at what they do, but they just seem to struggle to connect with people. People respect them, but they may not put in an extra effort for them. Then there’s the warm and friendly but not-so-competent leader - they are great at bringing people around them, but those people gradually drift away when they figure out the leader isn’t up to the task. These stereotypes assume that competence and warmth sit at opposite ends of a spectrum. That a leader can only be all about results, or all about people, but not both. And many leaders assume that this is indeed the case. So if they’re forced to choose between the two, it’s perhaps not surprising that many leaders go for the “respected but not connected” version of competence without warmth. That flows into how they communicate and interact with people. Indeed, they have to guard their image of competence, so letting people into who they are as a human being is a risk - and a risk they see as not worth taking. How does that come across to others? People who take on this competent but cold combination often try to present themselves as an expert. And there’s no shortage of experts - LinkedIn has nearly 6 million people who list themselves as experts in various fields. In fact, LinkedIn lists so many people with “keynote speaker” in their title, that to give each of them just five gigs a year would require there to be over 3,000 keynote speeches every single day. Some people really latch on to the need to lead with their expertise. The good news is that you can combine the two - it is possible to be seen as both warm and competent. The research suggests that it is tricky, but also possible. And the research also suggests that you should lead with warmth. That making a connection with people matters, and provides a foundation to then demonstrate your competence. I worked alongside a leader who embodied exactly this combination. He was a lovely guy to work with, but also filled you with confidence that he knew exactly what he was doing. He was incredibly calm in a crisis - his body language and tone of voice even made him seem relaxed. Even when things were going horribly wrong, he was interested in others’ views, and keen to resolve the issue. He didn’t just remain calm himself, but he helped others to calm down. This allowed people to focus on the problem and work towards a positive outcome. They weren’t worried about the leader and his response - they trusted him, they felt connected to him, and they knew he valued maintaining and building connections with his team, even when they made a mistake. As Amy Cuddy and her fellow researchers put it - “Before people decide what they think of your message, they decide what they think of you.” So here are some ideas of how you can combine both warmth and competence in the way that you present. Be yourself. Be a real human being that turns up to work with strengths, weaknesses, interests and concerns. Don’t try to be perfect, but do try to become better. Be interested in others. Take the time to understand where they are coming from - their interests, even their hopes and dreams. Let people into your head. Share your thoughts and emotions. Sometimes the calm person can appear as if they don’t care enough. Sometimes trying to be friendly can appear flighty. Don’t let people have to guess where you’re coming from and what’s driving your behaviour - let them into your head. Be prepared to present your capabilities with confidence. Try to capture in one or two sentences what you bring and what makes you unique. Then think about how you present that authentic image of you to others. And lastly - get feedback. Ask people about how approachable you are, and what you might do to improve this. Ask for feedback about what makes you appear more and less competent. I hope you find these ideas helpful as you continue to improve the way you lead. As always, if you’re interested in the research, the references are listed in the transcript at our website - leadership.today And thanks again for those who have taken the time to rate, review and share the podcast with others. It’s great to hear your feedback and to see the hundreds of people who are downloading the podcast each week. We’ll see you next week.   Research used for this episode: A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: Competence and warmth respectively follow from perceived status and competition. Fiske, Susan T; Cuddy, Amy J C; Glick, Peter; Xu, Jun.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; Washington Vol. 82, Iss. 6,  (Jun 2002): 878-902. Connect, Then Lead. To exert influence, you must balance competence with warmth. by Amy J.C. Cuddy, Matthew Kohut, and John Neffing. Harvard Business Review July–August 2013.      

Summary Entrance interviews beat exit interviews any day of the week. In this Leadership Today podcast we cover some questions to draw on the experiences and observations of new starters to improve our organisations.   Transcript Welcome to episode 56 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re looking at the power of entrance interviews - drawing on the experiences and observations of new starters to improve our organisations. Last week we explored ways to improve exit interviews. However, it’s important not just to focus on those leaving our organisation - after all, they’ve already decided to move on. We need to also capitalise on those who are newer to our organisation and the fresh perspectives they bring. Think back to the last time you joined a new organisation. In those first few weeks you were hyper aware of what was different or unusual about the organisation - the positives, the negatives, and the just plain weird. The security access seems really tight, but people hold the door open for others all the time. People make an effort to introduce themselves and make others feel welcome. Meetings always start 10 minutes late. Most people setup their laptop and work on emails during meetings. There’s a buzz of excitement around the office. Or, it’s like a dentist waiting room in here - all I can hear is typing. Wouldn’t it be great to capitalise on these unique perspectives as people join your organisation? Like exit interviews, entrance interviews are a great opportunity to learn. But they’re even better than exit interviews because you can still course correct. You might even pick up some frustrations and reduce unwanted staff turnover along the way. I suggest undertaking entrance interviews at two points in time - 30 days and 90 days after joining. 30 days gives enough time to process what’s unique about the organisation before becoming fully entrenched. And 90 days provides additional time to experience some things for the first time. I think the two-up manager, the leader two levels above the person, is in a great position to undertake these interviews. It helps that leader to remain close to the experience of new people, while also building relationships and connections. They’re also a step further away from the day-to-day which may bring a different perspective to the discussion. The person’s direct manager could also be well suited to undertake the entrance interview. It’s important to frame the entrance interview as not being a test. You’re not putting the individual on trial here, and there aren’t right or wrong answers. This is genuinely an exercise to learn from their experiences and fresh perspective, and to make the organisation an even better place to work. Here are some questions I suggest for the entrance interview: What is unusual about this organisation? Here we’re trying to get at the unique attributes, both positive and negative. What’s exciting about working here? These are the aspects that could motivate and engage our people. What’s frustrating about working here? This allows us to identify potential impediments to performance. What surprised you about the role? Surprises aren’t always bad, so we want to draw out both the positive and the negative. How would you describe the culture? What does it feel like to work here? Listen carefully to the words used and the extent to which they align with your desired culture. What does it take to succeed here? What is rewarded? You might be surprised at what people see. You might think hard work is rewarded, but the new person sees friendships and connections as the way to get ahead. I think entrance interviews are a fantastic learning opportunity for leaders and organisations. They signal your interest in listening and improvement. Why not trial an entrance interview this week and let me know how you go. As a reminder, I’ve recently launched my three week Boost Your Assertiveness course. I’m offering the course to podcast listeners for 30% off. Check the show notes for the link - https://leadership-today.teachable.com/p/boost-your-assertiveness/?product_id=1340666&coupon_code=30OFFPODCAST

Summary Exit interviews often stink. They end up being overly positive or overly negative. This week we explore seven ways to radically improve your exit interviews.   Transcript Welcome to episode 55 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re looking at seven ways to radically improve exit interviews. Exit interviews are one of those things that vary in popularity and application. Some organisations use them every time someone leaves. Other organisations may have been burned in the past or not seen the value. The idea is great - let’s find out from people who are leaving the organisation why they’re leaving and what we can do to make the place better for the people who still work here. We can do that using a structured interview just before they depart to whatever exciting opportunity comes next in their career. In application though, the interviews tend to either be really positive or really negative. As a colleague of mine once wisely noted, you’re never more popular or better at your job than on your last day. We tend, rightly, to celebrate those who have contributed to our organisations on the day they are finishing up. We bring together a summary of their achievements, list all the great things we love about them, and talk about how much they will be missed. Friends come to the person and question how the place will ever be the same without them. All of that primes the person to say positive things in their exit interview. It turns into a “it’s not you, it’s me” conversation. The exit interview may well highlight lots of positives about the organisation, but probably understates the challenges and areas for improvement. On the other hand you have people leaving the organisation where something has gone wrong. They may be angry or frustrated. The exit interview for them is a way to be heard. In those exit interviews the tone is more “it’s not me, it’s you - and, by the way, I’ve set the stationery room alight”. Those exit interviews end up highlighting a shopping list of problems and complaints, often more about that person than the organisation. Whichever way the exit interview goes, there’s a risk that what we are hearing is not accurate. It seems like a missed opportunity to improve. If only we could source more honest feedback. Well, help has arrived. Here are seven tips for dramatically improving your exit interviews. 1. Never on the last day. It’s best to conduct your exit interview as close to the time when the person tells you that they are leaving. At that point their thinking is usually clear. They will be ready to provide honest answers about why they’ve chosen to move on. 2. Split the conversation into two. During the first discussion you can focus on the reasons for leaving. It’s helpful to schedule a second conversation that’s focused on improvements. That provides the person with more time to think about suggestions for improvement rather than putting them on the spot. 3. Balance the discussion. We can tend to dive into the negatives or try to pull out too many positives. Balance the conversations with questions such as: * What aspects of the role have you enjoyed the most? * What aspects of the role have you enjoyed the least? 4. Focus improvements on the role. This focus on the role helps people to be more open about improvements without feeling like they’re being overly critical about their experiences. You could ask: * What could be improved about the role for the next person to fill the position? 5. Explore missed opportunities. Discuss the areas where the organisation failed to draw the best out of the person: * Are there particular skills or abilities you have that could have been used more effectively? * How long did you intend to stay versus what you actually stayed for? * What will be different in the next role that your present position hasn’t been able to provide? 6. Perform a clarity check. Clarity of purpose and role is critical to success, and the following questions can help with that: * What was your experience of the role and its responsibilities? Was it what you expected? * How clear were the goals and accountabilities associated with your role? * Was the induction and training provided sufficient for you to perform the role? How could it be improved? 7. Keep the door open. If the person’s departure is genuinely a loss to the organisation, why not leave open the opportunity of them returning one day. You might ask: * Would you work for us again in the future? Why or why not? Applying these tips will help you to get the best out your exit interviews, while also making the process more positive for you and the person leaving. Keeping all of that in mind, wouldn’t it be great if we could gain some of the benefits of an exit interview earlier in the process? Next week we’re exploring entrance interviews - drawing on the experiences and observations of those who are newer to our organisations. As you might know I’ve recently launched my three week Boost Your Assertiveness course. I’m offering the course to podcast listeners for 30% off, taking the course cost down from $149 US to the weirdly precise $104.30 . Check the show notes for the link - https://leadership-today.teachable.com/p/boost-your-assertiveness/?product_id=1340666&coupon_code=30OFFPODCAST Have a great week.

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - By request, let's fly away to the Sunshine Pavilion and experience Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room!  We'll learn a little about this iconic attraction and then hear the whole show! Afterwards, Grant will give his thoughts on The Enchanted Tiki Room!  Recorded on August 17, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. This episode, by special request from Nicholas Floyd, we head to Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World to bask in the wonder that is Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room!  Located in Adventureland, the guide map describes this attraction by saying Watch tropical birds and colorful flowers come to life.  There are no age or height requirements for this show and because it is a show, there isn’t a Thrill Level listed. Before we fly off to the tropical hideaway, here are five fast facts about Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. 1. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was Magic Kingdom, opening day attraction, opening with the park on October 1, 1971. 2.  The attraction was an exact copy of the attraction found at Disneyland albeit with a different pre-show and a slightly different name.  When the Tiki Room opened in Walt Disney World it was called Tropical Serenade.  It would jkeep this name for many years, eventually being renamed The Enchanted Tiki Room. 3. In September of 1997, The Enchanted Tiki Room was closed to make way an overhaul and the addition of new show elements for a new attraction called The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management).  This new version of the attraction was much maligned by fans of the original mostly because of the addition of audio animatronics of Iago from Aladdin and Zazu from The Lion King as well as more modern music. 4. In January of 2011, a fire broke out in the attic of the attraction, seriously damaging one of the Iago audio animatronics. 5. The attraction re-opened in August of 2011 and the Under New Management elements were stripped away and the show was restored to it original form, save for a few edits in the music to tighten up the show’s running time. Let’s head off to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room for a Tropical Serenade.  After the attraction audio, I’ll give you my thoughts on this attraction and this is a binaural recording, so if you have headphones, put them on now as we check out Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom! The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

Summary How are your listening skills? This week we’re looking at five tips to level up your listening.   Transcript Welcome to episode 54 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re looking at five tips to level up your listening. Have you ever had that experience of talking to someone, only to notice that they’re not really paying attention? How are your listening skills? What’s the balance like between your speaking and listening? Listening is an essential part of effective leadership. Listening underpins core skills such as influencing and assertiveness. If we want to influence someone we need to know where we are influencing them from, not just where we want to influence them to. To do that effectively, we need to really listen to what they’re saying and how they’re saying it. We need to listen to the content and also the emotion. So, rather than just give you some tips about listening, I’m going to test your listening skills through this podcast. During the podcast I’m going to ask you to complete a pretty simple addition of some numbers. Just keep track of the total as the podcast continues. And keep the number in your head - you’re not allowed to take notes. Okay, so we’re going to start with 1,000. It’s helpful to think about the common levels of listening. The first level is ignoring. To be fair, you could argue that this isn't really a level of listening. It's almost like actively not listening. Smart phones are great for this - if you've ever tried to have a conversation with someone while they play with their phone, you'll know exactly what I mean. +10. So you should have a total of 1,010, and that’s my last hint. The next level of listening is pretending. Here I'm trying to give the impression that I'm listening while I'm really not listening. I might nod my head occasionally, say 'mmm-hmmm', but people pick up really quickly when we're just pretending to listen. +1000 The next level up is selective listening. This is better than the previous two levels of listening, but still isn't great. Here we're listening to the other person, but just to elements of what they're saying. Maybe we're just hearing the parts we agree with, or we're listening out for things to disagree with. Either way, there's a whole lot of other information that we're missing out on when we listen selectively. +30 The fourth level of listening is listening to respond. Here my listening is attuned to opportunities to turn the conversation back to my interests. Or I'm listening to argue back, so am only really hearing part of what you're saying. I'm not asking questions unless they will help me to respond. +1000 The fifth and final level is listening to understand. Here my objective is to really understand your perspective. I'm asking open questions and confirming my understanding. I'm not worrying so much about the next question, but am making sure I'm concentrating on what you're saying. I'm listening not just to the words, but for the emotions behind the words. I'm keeping the conversation focused on you. +50 So we want to move our listening up these levels in order to have assertive and influential conversations. Our attention spans can often work against this. If you've ever listened to a podcast or audio book on double speed you will know exactly what I mean. +1000. Our brains can comfortably process verbal information coming at us at double speed. Which means, when someone is talking normal speed, it's tempting for us to try to divert some of our attention to other things. What should I have for dinner tonight? What meeting do I have coming up next? But we are actually not great at multi-tasking, and anything else we're thinking about will take us away from the task of listening to understand. +10 Okay - that’s all the numbers. What total did you end up with? Did you get 4,500? If so, unfortunately that’s not the correct answer. The correct answer is 4,100, but lots of people end up with 4,500 as their brains try to simplify the task and round up to the nearest 500. If you chose to perform the calculation through this podcast, you probably didn’t end up listening very well or calculating very well. It’s exactly the same when we’re distracted during every day conversations. Trying to think about something else while you’re also trying to listen means you’re probably not doing either very well. It’s far better to have a 10 minute conversation where you’re 100% listening than a 20 minute conversation where you’re 50% listening. Here are five simple tips to try out this week: 1. Paraphrase what you’ve heard back to the person. That demonstrates you’re really listening and also quickly uncovers any misunderstandings. 2. If you’re in a meeting, take notes. Note taking is a great way to maintain focus and summarise themes. 3. Don’t just listen to the facts, but also listen for emotion. How do you think the person is feeling? 4. Don’t worry about what’s next. Be comfortable formulating your next question once they’ve finished what they’re saying, rather than part way through. 5. Watch your body language. Make sure you’re facing the person and making eye contact. Nod occasionally to demonstrate your interest. Hopefully today’s podcast encourages you to pay attention to your listening in the coming week. If you liked today’s content, the levels of listening were drawn from my new Boost Your Assertiveness online course. You can find a link to the course via the leadership.today website or in the show notes. I hope you found the content helpful and I look forward to speaking with you next week.

Summary In today’s episode, we outline the ten best podcasts for leaders in 2019.   Transcript Welcome to episode 53 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. As leaders, podcasts offer a tempting solution to continuing our professional development and keeping in touch with broader trends. We can simply pull on the headphones and learn about almost anything. But with over 700,000 active podcasts, it can be hard for a leader to know where to start. Fortunately I’ve done the heavy lifting for you, with today’s episode outlining the ten best podcasts for leaders in 2019. It’s important to note that these are the ten best podcasts for leaders - they’re not the ten best podcasts about leadership. Instead, they provide a broad range of perspectives, topics and approaches. You’re unlikely to love them all - there’s clearly an element of preferences around style and content. But if you pick up one or two new podcasts then hopefully this episode has served its purpose. And, for the pedantic, I’m actually going to list 14 podcasts - there were a few ties along the way. I have links to all of the podcasts in the show notes. So, for dramatic effect, I’m going to start at number 10 and work my way up. As leaders it’s important to challenge our perspectives and broaden our thinking, which brings me to number 10. 10 - Akimbo by Seth Godin https://www.akimbo.me Seth Godin is one of the most popular and successful authors and bloggers of our time, producing content at a frenetic pace. It’s a little hard to tie his Akimbo podcast down, but he’s bound to challenge your thinking and bring new perspectives to the way you lead. There’s a solid 15% of what he says that I tend to either disagree with or think he has gotten completely wrong. And there’s a solid 15% that makes me think about the world in a completely new way, so that seems like a fair trade off. Episodes vary dramatically in length from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. Teamwork, engagement and culture are rich topics to explore and it’s helpful to have a seasoned expert to guide the way. And who better to that than Patrick Lencioni at number 9. 9 - At The Table with Patrick Lencioni https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-the-table-with-patrick-lencioni/id1474171732 Patrick is a well known author of books including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The podcast is setup as a chat between Pat and a few of his work colleagues. The format is pretty casual and relatively new, so they’re still bedding down the style a little bit. Episodes are around 30 to 40 minutes. People are diverse and difficult to understand, but having deep insight into what motivates and drives others is a key part of leadership. That’s where podcast number 8 comes in handy. 8 - Hidden Brain from NPR. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain Hosted by Shankar Vedantam, this podcast is a gem which combines science and storytelling to uncover the often subtle forces that drive our behaviour. Always thought provoking and really well produced. Episodes range from 25 minutes up to an hour. Setting up workplaces that are engaging and motivating is what leaders do to achieve results, and that’s the focus of podcast number 7. 7 - WorkLife with Adam Grant from TED. https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife As an organisational psychologist, Adam’s podcast focuses on motivation and meaning at work. He’s a university professor and the author of several books, including cowriting the excellent Option B with Sheryl Sandberg. Get your thumb ready to skip past the adverts, but otherwise it’s well worth adding to your list. Episodes are released in seasons and are around 30 to 45 minutes. We operate within a broader economic and historical landscape, and our number 6 podcast combines both. 6 - 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - BBC World Service https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04b1g3c To be honest, history and economics were two subjects I wasn’t great at, but Tim Harford combines the two brilliantly. Each week he explores an aspect of our modern economy by focusing on an invention or discovery that changed the path of business and human life. Episodes come in around 10 minutes. How do you get the best out of your day? That’s where number 5 comes in. 5 - How I Work - Amantha Imber https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast/ If you enjoy listening to me each week, then why not add another Australian psychologist to your podcast playlist. Amantha’s podcast is typically interview based, with some shorter tip-based episodes. The focus is on personal productivity - how successful people from a range of backgrounds get the most out of their day. That ranges from musicians to entrepreneurs and even a magician. Interview episodes are around 50 minutes and come out weekly. Economics doesn’t have to be boring, as the two podcasts at number 4 demonstrate. 4 - Planet Money - NPR AND Freakonomics https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money http://freakonomics.com/ Planet Money is one of the podcasts I enjoy the most. A really interesting take on economics presented in an engaging way. The show has fantastic hosts and a great format. Freakonomics builds off the success of the book by the same name. Again, an interesting take on economics. It can be a bit hit and miss, so it’s worth working through the enormous back catalogue to pick out topics of interest. Either are great ways to build your confidence as a leader around economic trends. Planet Money is around 20 minutes, and Freakonomics is around 40 minutes to an hour. Maybe you need some practical leadership tips. Our two podcasts that tied at number 3 can help you there. 3 - Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast AND Lead to Win with Michael Hyatt https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/ https://michaelhyatt.com/leadtowin/ Craig Groeschel is a prominent leadership speaker who is also the founder of a large multi-site church in the US. He presents really practical content that’s equally applicable in business and not for profit settings. If you’re after practical leadership advice, the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast is hard to beat. Another one to check out is Lead to Win. Again, some great practical content, although a little heavy on the self-promotion at times. Both are around 25 minutes. Keeping up to date with the latest news can be hard, particularly if you want to take a broader view. The two podcasts at number 2 are designed to do exactly that. 2 - The Inquiry - BBC World Service AND Economist Radio - Economist https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p029399x https://www.economist.com/podcasts/ When it comes to taking a global perspective, it’s hard to beat the BBC and the Economist. The Inquiry is topical and comes out weekly, whereas Economist Radio comes out on weekdays and covers several stories. As leaders it’s challenging to step out of our own organisations and take a truly global context. Either podcast will help you to do that. It’s fantastic to learn from the experiences of people who have grown successful organisations, which brings us to number one - which is, again, a tie. 1 - How I Built This with Guy Raz AND Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this https://mastersofscale.com/ You should give both of these podcasts a go. How I Built This provides fascinating background to entrepreneurs and their journeys to build successful businesses. The episode with James Dyson is a great place to start. My only complaint is that they do throw in quite a few reruns into your podcast feed without marking them up as reruns. Masters of Scale is incredibly well produced, drawing together interesting guests into well formulated stories around a theme. Episodes range from about 40 minutes to an hour. So, as you’re likely to hear on each of the podcasts I’ve recommended, why not help others to find this podcast by providing a rating and review. It does help us to creep up the charts which in turn helps others to find us. And finally, a couple of pieces of news from Leadership Today. We have just launched the Midweek Motivate. If you already subscribe to the Leadership Today podcast it’s a bonus episode that will turn up in your feed every Wednesday. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, why not just click on the subscribe button now. The goal is to provide one practical tip that you can apply right away to help get over that midweek leadership slump. And our Boost Your Assertiveness three week online course is live. Go to leadership.today to check out a free preview of the first two days of content.

http://www.attractionchecklist.com - Guest host Stephen Staver fills in for Grant and sets up our trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios to see For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration! After the show, Grant Baciocco and John B. deHaas discuss their thoughts about this attraction.  Recorded on March 20, 2019. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Attraction Checklist. I’m Stephen Staver sitting in for Grant Baciocco. This episode, we head to For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration At Disney’s Hollywood Studios.   The show is based on Disney’s 2013 animated film Frozen, with songs and stories from the film.   The DisneyWorld website says You’ll melt for this heartwarming celebration of Frozen with a flurry of stories, songs and special guests. Audience participation is encouraged, and Fastpass+ is avilable for this attraction.   Now before we Let it Go, here are 5 Fast Facts about the show. The show originally premiered at the Premiere Theater in the Streets of America section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the 2014 Frozen Summer Fun on July 5, 2014.  Versions of the show were also performed in Disney California Adventure, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The show in Disneyland Paris offered separate French and English language presentations. The show in Disney California Adventure was located in the Sunset Showcase Theater which previously hosted the Muppet*Vision 3D theater, and now hosts Mickey’s PhilharMagic.  The show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios takes place in Echo Lake, replacing the American Idol Experience which ran from February 14, 2009 to August 30, 2014 Now let’s head on over and join Elsa and Ana and the rest of the Frozen cast.   After the show, Grant and John B deHaas will give you their thoughts on the show. And this is a binaural recording, so if you have headphones, put them on now, as we experience For the First Time In Forever, A frozen sing-along celebration, At Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The attraction audio recorded for this episode is available exclusively to the Saturday Morning Media Patron Patron.  Support the show and get fun Bonus content over at http://www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia Episode edited by Stephen Staver FOLLOW US http://www.facebook.com/attractionchecklist  http://www.facebook.com/saturdaymorningmedia  http://www.twitter.com/SaturdayMMedia  https://plus.google.com/+Saturdaymorningmedia  https://www.linkedin.com/company/saturday-morning-media http://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayMorningMedia?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW GRANT http://www.MrGrant.comhttp://www.twitter.com/toasterboy  https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/ Show ©2019 Saturday Morning Media/Grant Baciocco

SUMMARY This week we’re looking at research that demonstrates faking extraversion as a way to boost well-being. Seriously - what’s all that about? And what might it mean for leaders?   TRANSCRIPT Welcome to episode 52 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re looking at research that demonstrates faking extraversion as a way to boost well-being. There is a well established link between the personality trait of extraversion and positive affect. That is, the more extraverted someone is, the greater their positive feelings and broader well-being. Now, I’ll just pause there to allow time for our introverted half of the audience click on unsubscribe. But as the cigarette company funded Hans Eysenck demonstrated, extraverts are more likely to smoke and over eat, so it’s not all smooth sailing on the other side of the fence. I’ll pause there to allow time for the remainder of my audience to also click on unsubscribe. Okay - so our personality preferences all come with benefits and draw backs. But exploring the potential benefits of acting more extraverted on well-being is a legitimate area of study. Well, as of August 2019, the initial results are in. The researchers from the University of California proposed that behaving in an extraverted way should provide a short-term boost in well-being. How did they get people to act more introverted and extraverted? Well, they actually had each person do both. Participants were split into two groups, with half instructed to behave like an extravert for a week, then as an introvert for a week, with the other half doing the opposite. The participants completed various assessments along the way. In the extraverted week participants were asked to act as talkative, assertive and spontaneous as they could. In the introverted week they were asked to act as deliberate, quiet and reserved as they could. During the extraverted week, people saw a significant increase in well-being. This included higher ratings of positive affect, connectedness and flow. The researchers also found that asking people to behave in an introverted way decreased well-being. These findings are similar to other research quoted in the study where people commuting to work on trains and buses were asked to either speak with a stranger or remain silent. Those who spoke with strangers saw a boost to their positive feelings, while those who remained silent didn’t. But what makes the difference? Was it being talkative, being assertive, or being spontaneous? And do I really need to act outside my personality preference to get the well-being benefits linked to extraversion? After reading the study, I think these behavioural changes are all possible without working outside of our personality preference. You can be more assertive while still being introverted. It’s a behaviour. You can make a greater effort to connect with other people while still being introverted. Again, it’s a behaviour. And you can choose to be more spontaneous and adventurous while still being introverted. I believe it’s better to think of these as generally beneficial activities and ways of interacting, rather than attempts to change our personalities. I think one of the key takeaways from this research for leaders is the importance of building connections with others. That, independent of our personality preference for introversion or extraversion, we all need other people and we all want to belong. One of the leadership styles I explore with groups is what I call Connecting. This isn’t just about connecting directly with individuals you lead, it’s also about helping those you lead to make connections with others across the organisation. This helps to provide support while also boosting a sense of belonging, just like those people on the bus or train taking the time to talk with a stranger. As leaders, we can boost well-being and performance by using a Connecting leadership style. The other key takeaway is helping people to boost their assertiveness - being able to explore other’s perspectives while also presenting my own views and opinions clearly and confidently. If you want to learn more about that, you can check out episode 6 on Assertiveness, and you can also keep an eye out for my online Boost Your Assertiveness course which I’m currently trialing prior to a September launch. But as a leader, I can encourage people to share their views, and also take the time to listen to alternative views. We can boost the assertiveness in our organisations, not just in our people. If you’re interested in exploring the benefits of introversion, I recommend Susan Cain’s excellent book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. She also has a great TED talk which I’ve linked to in the show notes. There are benefits from talking less and listening more. I think it’s entirely possible to work on our listening at the same time as we work on building connections and assertiveness. Unlike extraversion and introversion, they’re not opposite ends of a scale. Now, I came across the research on extraversion and well-being via the excellent British Psychological Society Research Digest. I highly recommend checking that out and I’ve provided a link in the show notes.   REFERENCES Susan Cain TED talk - The Power of Introverts. https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts?language=en Susan Cain - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153 British Psychological Society Research Digest - https://digest.bps.org.uk/ Margolis, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019, August 1). Experimental Manipulation of Extraverted and Introverted Behavior and Its Effects on Well-Being. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000668

Summary Confidence is a key part of leadership effectiveness. It’s much easier to follow a confident leader than one who appears to doubt themselves. But what is confidence, and how can we develop it? Transcript Welcome to episode 51 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we’re exploring confidence in action. Confidence is a key part of leadership effectiveness. It’s much easier to follow a confident leader than one who appears to doubt themselves. But what is confidence, and how can we develop it? First a thought - yes, it is possible to be overly confident and to overestimate our abilities. Check out episode 49 on accurate self-assessment for ways to avoid that.  Self-confidence is underpinned by two concepts: Self-esteem - this is the belief that you have an inherent value. Furthermore, it’s a belief that this value isn’t based on what you do or offer others, rather it’s something that all human beings share. You might also think of self-esteem as self-worth or self-respect. How can you have self-confidence unless you believe you are of value? Self-efficacy - this is the belief that you have capacity to influence events in your own life. It’s a sense of control - that you’re not just a victim of your circumstances, but have the ability to shape the world around you. That no matter what cards are dealt to you, you still have choice and influence. Self-efficacy is necessary for self-confidence. How can you have self-confidence if you don’t think you can impact your circumstances? You may have noticed that both self-esteem and self-efficacy are grounded in beliefs. They are both about how we think about ourselves and the world. They’re not primarily about feelings, although they will absolutely impact the way we feel. And they’re not primarily about action, although they will absolutely impact the way we act. Self-confidence is a little different. It is grounded in thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Self-confidence is the belief that you can face day to day challenges. It’s a level of trust in your abilities, capacities and judgements. You can think confidently. You can feel confident. And you can act confidently. Importantly, you can take confident action even when you don’t feel confident. And taking confident action can help you to feel more confident. So what holds us back from thinking, feeling and acting confidently: Spotlight effect - this is the misguided belief that everyone is watching and judging what we’re doing all the time. It’s easy to feel like we’re always the centre of attention in our world, but that’s probably not the case. More likely is that people are thinking about themselves more than they’re thinking about you. So the fear and anxiety of feeling like we’re in the spotlight can hold us back - it’s a harmful belief that we can reduce once we’re aware of it. Catastrophic thinking - this can lead us to overestimate the potential downside and underestimate the potential benefits of taking action. We can all benefit from taking a more optimistic view. Thinking we need to feel confident before taking action - confidence is, in large part, about taking action even when we don’t feel confident. Try measuring your confidence on the actions you take rather than the feelings you experience. Perfectionism - the need to get things perfect the first time can hold us back because, let’s face it, it’s never going to be perfect the first time, or the second time, or any other time. Instead, set goals around trying new things and improvement rather than perfection. Confidence is often about what I describe as flight time. Just like when you’re learning to fly a plane, the number of hours of experience matter when it comes to boosting your confidence. Keep putting yourself in situations that expand your capabilities, that stretch you into new territories, and that encourage you to take action. Because, over time, you’ll find out for yourself that your actions can shape your thoughts and beliefs, and ultimately change the way you feel. The pathway to feeling confident is through taking confident action. If you want to explore more of the themes in this episode further, I suggest checking out two other episodes where we explore growth mindset. That’s episode 9, “Why following your passion isn’t enough”, and episode 42, “The power of ‘I don’t know’”.

Where Will You Flee for Safety? In a tumultuous world, where do we find safety? Transcript: Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.orgOur sermon soundbite today comes from Isaiah chapter 28:14-16.Isaiah confronts the leadership of Jerusalem, who have made a covenant with Egypt, and he strongly exhorts them to instead find their safety on the foundation, the stone that God has laid for them. Starting at verse 14, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem, because you have said, 'We have made a covenant with death and with Sheol, we have an agreement. When the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not come to us. For we have made lies a refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.' Therefore, thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone. A tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not be in haste.'"How does this apply to us? I think we live in tempestuous times. We live in a time where there's a lot that's changing. There's a lot of, I sense, fear and anxiety. Would you agree with me on that? There's just a lot of fear and anxiety.We need to ask the question, where will we go? Where will we flee for safety? What is it that people are fearing? I talk to people all the time. I know people fear illness. Death. Loss of power. The American empire is beginning to collapse. There seems to be a diminishing of the church in our culture. The family is disintegrating. The Amazon forest is burning and that's only one of many environmental disasters.There seems more and more, just a pressure for people to forsake the way of Jesus. This can create fear and anxiety. As a church, brothers and sisters, where will flee for safety? Will we ally ourselves with spiritual Egypt? Will we covenant with death? Will we flee to those old patterns of living in order to find safety? What does that look like? What am I talking about?It could be a sin like alcoholism or drugs or sex addiction. It could be reactionary. Reactionary politics, looking for a political figure to save us. It could look like reactionary religion, even. Tribalism. It could look like giving up Jesus Christ entirely.These covenants are covenants with death, and they lead to destruction. Isaiah gives us a better way. He asks us, will you flee to Jesus? He is the foundation of the city that God is building. The crucified and risen Christ is the one place in this world of change, where we can find the unchangeable, immovable God. The one that builds his house on the rock will never be moved.I'd like to end. I'd like to end first with a personal story and then, I'd like to read Psalm 46, that we chanted. In my soul, I've been deeply disturbed this last week, at just various things happening in the world. I felt that anxiety. It's amazing when I go to the scripture a lot of times, that I'm preparing to preach, how often that scripture is perfect for where I'm at in my life. God is in control!In all of the fear and anxiety, I asked myself, where do I flee for safety in all of this? The Holy Spirit prompted me. He said, "Look, go back. Get in touch again with your first love, Jesus. He is the cornerstone. Forget about all this stuff that's happening for a moment and turn your eyes on Jesus. Read the gospels, read his words, fall in love again with God revealed through Jesus. He is the refuge where you're safe.”Psalm 46. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. The Holy habitation of the most high. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter. He utters his voice. The earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress."Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find the Collect for Peace on page 23."O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom. Defend us, your humble servants in all assaults of our enemies, that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."