Podcasts about Transparency

In this episode, Travis sits down with his producer Eric for a candid, unscripted conversation reacting to viral clips and debates around church finances, nonprofit transparency, and leadership accountability. Drawing from his personal experience growing up in a megachurch environment and his perspective as a business owner, Travis breaks down the complex intersection of money, mission, and ethics—highlighting the challenges leaders face when managing large organizations without financial training, and why transparency is essential whether you're running a church, nonprofit, or business. On this episode we talk about: The conflicting messages about money in church culture and how it shapes people's beliefs about wealth The importance of financial transparency in nonprofits, religious organizations, and leadership roles Why lack of financial education can lead to mismanagement—even with good intentions The ethical complexity of pastor salaries and compensation based on value and leadership impact Alternative models for growing communities without massive overhead and multi-million dollar buildings Top 3 Takeaways Transparency builds trust. Whether you're running a church, nonprofit, or business, people deserve clarity on how their contributions are being used. Leadership requires financial competence. Vision alone isn't enough—understanding finances is critical when managing organizations with significant revenue. Compensation should reflect value—but accountability matters. Leaders deserve to be paid for the value they create, but openness and ethical stewardship are essential when others fund that compensation. Notable Quotes "When you're looking for reasons to be less transparent, it's not a good look—especially when people are trusting you with their money." "He built something incredible and deserves to be compensated—but transparency makes that easier to trust." "Money only solves your money problems—but it's easier to solve the rest of your problems when you have money in the bank." Connect with Travis Chappell: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/travischappell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell Other: https://travischappell.com  Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.  Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.  Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: "Does the value of transparency from release of the Epstein files outweigh the risks of spreading unverified accusations?" As new revelations surface — including missing FBI interview summaries tied to allegations involving President Trump — the debate intensifies over what the public deserves to see. With Bill and Hillary Clinton testifying, selective document releases raising eyebrows, and legal scholars warning about the dangers of dumping raw investigative material, Michael examines the tension between transparency and reputational harm. Listen here, then vote! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comPresident Trump took to the podium to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night. His appraisal: we are so back. Transparency is back, and so are affordability, education, homeownership, and more. On this exclusive Roundtable episode, hosts Ryan Williams and Mike Sabo sit down to discuss the merits of Trump's speech, t…

Send a textHalleluiah!!!We celebrate a significant change in the South Carolina real estate landscape with the elimination of broker-to-broker compensation from SCR listing agreements. I highlight the implications of this change for buyer agents, the legal perspectives surrounding fiduciary duties, and the importance of transparency in real estate transactions. The conversation also covers the new forms being introduced, best practices for updating listing agreements, and the broader trends in the real estate industry as more states move away from broker-to-broker compensation. Don't forget to like us and share us!Gary* Gary serves on the South Carolina Real Estate Commission as a Commissioner. The opinions expressed herein are his opinions and are not necessarily the opinions of the SC Real Estate Commission. This podcast is not to be considered legal advice. Please consult an attorney in your area.

Welcome to Episode 296 of Autism Parenting Secrets. Today I'm joined once again by Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America.  Zen has been on the podcast multiple times over the years, and every conversation has helped parents think more clearly, ask better questions, and step more fully into their role as advocates for their children.  Since we last spoke, Zen has been deeply involved in federal-level advocacy and continues to lead important work around food safety, toxins, and transparency.  The secret this week is…  Demand TOXIN Transparency You'll Discover: Why Chronic, Low-Level Toxin Exposure Is Easy To Miss And Hard To Reverse (4:34) How Nutrient Deficiencies And Toxins Can Drive Depression And Mental Health Decline (8:59) Why Eating Organic Alone Does Not Eliminate Toxic Or Nutrient Risk (21:39) How Repetitive Diets Can Increase Exposure And Create Hidden Imbalances (30:08) Why Testing Is The Only Way To Know What's Really Affecting Your Child (36:13) About Our Guest: Zen Honeycutt is the founding executive director of Moms Across America, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering families with education and action to create healthy communities. She is an international speaker, author of UNSTOPPABLE, and a leading advocate for food safety, toxin transparency, and informed consent. Zen has helped initiate nationwide glyphosate testing, supported legislative efforts, and worked directly with policymakers to address toxins in the food supply. https://www.momsacrossamerica.com References In This Episode: Unstoppable by Zen Honeycutt How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger Dr. Zach Bush, Farmers Footprint Global Healing Supplements, Dr. Edward Group, D.C. Moms Across America Total Transparency Toxin Testing Additional Resources: To learn more about personalized 1:1 support go to www.elevatehowyounavigate.com Take The Quiz: What's YOUR Top Autism Parenting Blindspot? If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Lou Pizzichillo, Lead Pastor of Community Church on Long Island. Community Church launched in January 2020—just ten weeks before the world shut down—then relaunched after 52 weeks online. Now averaging around 1,200 people across Thursday and Sunday services, Community is known as “a church for people who don't go to church.” In a region where skepticism toward organized religion runs deep, Lou and his team are building trust by creating space for honest questions, lived-out faith, and tangible community impact. Is your church serving in a skeptical environment? Are you trying to reach people who already think they know—and don't like—what church is about? Lou shares practical wisdom on posture, transparency, and earning trust one decision at a time. Starting where people really are. // On Long Island, while some residents may identify culturally with faith traditions, most see church as judgmental, hypocritical, or irrelevant to everyday life. Lou quickly realized that the biggest obstacle wasn't apathy—it was reputation. Rather than fighting skepticism, Community Church chose to acknowledge it. The church repeatedly communicates three cultural values: You can belong before you believe. You have permission to be in progress. And there's no pretending. These aren't slogans—they shape how the church operates. Permission to be in progress. // One of the most resonant phrases at Community is “permission to be in progress.” Many people assume that following Jesus requires instant agreement with every doctrine and behavior expectation. Instead, Community encourages people to wrestle honestly with the claims of Christ first. Secondary issues and sanctification come later. This posture doesn't mean watering down truth—it means sequencing it wisely. By focusing on who Jesus says he is, rather than debating every peripheral topic, the church keeps the main thing central. No pretending—and real transparency. // Transparency builds credibility in skeptical contexts. Stories of real life—parenting mistakes, marriage tensions, leadership missteps—often resonate more than polished success stories. At the same time, Lou draws a boundary between “scars and wounds.” He shares what he has processed, not what he is still unraveling. This authenticity signals that faith isn't about perfection but transformation. For many in the congregation, seeing a pastor admit imperfection dismantles years of distrust toward church leaders. Becoming an asset to the community. // Community Church doesn't just talk about loving Babylon—it demonstrates it. Early on, Lou realized trust would not come through marketing but through partnership. Before launch, the church created “12 Days of Christmas,” giving away gifts purchased from local businesses. In year one, stores hesitated to participate; by year seven, businesses were reaching out to collaborate. What began as skepticism has shifted to partnership because trust was earned gradually. Serving instead of competing. // A defining moment came during the annual Argyle Fair, a 30,000-person event held across the street from the church—on a Sunday. Rather than fight the inconvenience, Community canceled services and mobilized volunteers to serve the fair, providing parking and manpower. When the event was rescheduled due to rain, the church canceled services a second week to honor its commitment. Lou describes this as a defining cultural moment: demonstrating that service isn't convenient—it's convictional. Earning trust through inconvenience. // Lou recounts being called to the mayor's office days after launch to address parking concerns. Instead of pushing back, the church chose to rent additional parking space—even when legally unnecessary—to honor neighbors' concerns. In another instance, Community canceled a planned Christmas light show after Village neighbors expressed concern about traffic. Though disappointing internally, the decision earned significant community goodwill. Lou believes canceling the event built more trust than hosting it would have. Posture over persecution. // Lou cautions leaders against defaulting to a persecution narrative when facing resistance. Most pushback, he says, comes from practical concerns—not hostility toward Jesus. By listening humbly and responding thoughtfully, churches can win trust among the large percentage of community members who are neither strongly for nor against them. To learn more about Community Church, visit communitychurch.net or follow @communitychurch.li on social media. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: TouchPoint As your church reaches more people, one of the biggest challenges is making sure no one slips through the cracks along the way.TouchPoint Church Management Software is an all-in-one ecosystem built for churches that want to elevate discipleship by providing clear data, strong engagement tools, and dependable workflows that scale as you grow. TouchPoint is trusted by some of the fastest-growing and largest churches in the country because it helps teams stay aligned, understand who they're reaching, and make confident ministry decisions week after week. If you've been wondering whether your current system can carry your next season of growth, it may be time to explore what TouchPoint can do for you. You can evaluate TouchPoint during a free, no-pressure one-hour demo at TouchPointSoftware.com/demo. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, thanks so much for listening in, tuning in into today’s episode. I’m really looking forward to today’s conversation. We’re talking with a leader leading a prevailing church in frankly a part of the country that is not known for tons of prevailing churches. And so it’s an opportunity for all of us to lean in and to learn.Rich Birch — Super excited to have Lou Pizzichillo with us from Community Church. They’re in Babylon, New York on Long Island. They’re known as a church for people who don’t go to church. They’re big on being real, bringing real questions, struggles, hangups, doubts, disappointments, and failures. Lou, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here today.Lou Pizzichillo — Thanks so much. Yeah, it’s a privilege to be here.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s an honor that you would take some time to be with us today. Why don’t you kind of tell us a bit of the Community story, kind of give us a flavor of the church, help us kind of imagine if we were to arrive this weekend, what what would we experience?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So we have an interesting history. We launched in January of 2020. And so we were open for 10 weeks.Rich Birch — Great time.Lou Pizzichillo — I know it was perfect. And then we closed down for 52 weeks, and we relaunched. But because of that, what’s been really cool is, you know, when you’re launching a church, the launch team is a big deal. And to launch twice, we’ve had really like two two launch teams. And so team culture has always been a real big part of our church.Lou Pizzichillo — But yeah, we like to say that we’re a church for people who don’t go to church. and So we try to keep things pretty casual. We try not to assume that there’s any interest or experience with the people who are showing up on a Sunday. And yeah.Rich Birch — Nice. Give us a sense of, so like size and like your, you know, the ministry style, that sort of thing. Like what would you help us kind of place what the, what the church is like if I was to arrive, arrive on a weekend?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, we’re a pretty contemporary attractional church. We’ve got services on Thursday night and on Sunday morning. So we say the weekend starts on Thursday. Rich Birch — Love it. Lou Pizzichillo — We call Thursday night thurch, which is… Rich Birch — Oh, that’s funny. Thurch. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, it was a joke at first, but then it kind of like, I don’t know, just kind of gained a life of its own.Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — So yeah, so the church over the course of the weekend, right now we’re at about 1,200. And it’s exciting. There are a lot of new people. And things are constantly change changing. Change is that really the only constant for us.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, that’s so good. Well, you’re on Long Island, and I can say as somebody who I ministered for years in New Jersey, I’m from Canada, I I get that people don’t wake up on Long Island on Sunday morning and think, hey, I should go to church today. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, yeah.Rich Birch — You’re serving a community that is is more unchurched than other parts of the country, which is a challenge for planting. So help us understand, you know, help us just kind of get into the mindset or the um perspective of people who are outside of the church. What do they view on, you know, Christianity? Tell us, give us a sense of of kind of what you’ve learned, you know, planting in that kind of context.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So one thing that was really helpful right off the bat was somebody mentioned to me, they were like, you know, I’m not a gym person. And so when a new gym opens up in town, I don’t even really notice it.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And they’re like, I think it’s the same thing for church people.Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — It’s like, if you’re not a church person, then you don’t really notice when churches are doing things. And so that’s like, really, it’s a big reason why we’re so vocal about saying it we’re a church for people who don’t go to church, you know?Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — Um, and yeah, from there, honestly, we found that the biggest obstacle with people here is the existing reputation of church, of what church is like and what church people are like.Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — This church is seen as very judgmental, hypocritical, fake, exclusive, impractical, you know, it’s something you just do to kind of check the boxes and then you go on with your life. I’ve spoken to even a lot of, um, like devout Catholics here who have, have said like, they don’t, they do their church thing because, because it’s what they think that they’re supposed to do, but they’re, what they are doing in church does not translate to everyday life.Lou Pizzichillo — And so church is seen as kind of an impractical thing. And, that’s kind of the starting point for a lot of people who we’re trying to connect with.Rich Birch — Yeah, I’ve heard it said in other contexts, it’s like, not that people don’t know the church. It’s like, it’s what they know that they don’t like.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, yeah.Rich Birch — It’s like, they have a sense of, you know, that that reputation. Are there any, maybe even stories or engagement you know conversations or engagements you’ve had with folks that have kind of brought that reputation to the fore. That obviously has led you to say, hey, we’re going position ourselves as a church where people don’t go into churches. Was there something that kind of influenced that as you were having, you know, even in these early years as you’ve been kind of get the ball rolling?Lou Pizzichillo — A big part of it honestly is a lot of my extended family. Like they’re, most of them are not church people. You know, they have a lot of respect for God. Like most people on Long Island, uh, especially, you know, most kind of nominal Catholics, like they would say they’re Italian or Irish. They say, oh, of course, Jesus is my savior. You know, like they, they know the right things to say, but in terms of what it actually means on a regular basis, it’s like kind of a totally different thing. So, so yeah, I mean, that’s kind of, kind of where we’re starting.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, people have criticisms about the church and they have criticisms of of their experience with the church. How do you discern between criticisms that maybe you either need to be challenged, like, hey, that’s actually just not true, or like, oh, that’s a critique that is actually fair, and we’re going to try to steer in a different direction, ah you know, than that. Help us think about those, you know, when we think about skepticism towards the church.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, I think, honestly, the best thing for us has just been to have a posture of listening.Rich Birch — That’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — Because even even if their claims aren’t valid, a lot of their experiences are. And so, you know, they’re like, there’s somebody who’s been going to the church for a while now, and somebody that was very close to them has like a pretty intense story of church hurt, like real damage. And so to know that he’s walking in with all of this baggage and that there are a lot of other people walking in with that baggage that don’t let you know that they have that baggage… Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — …just kind of giving them the space to, to be hurt and for it to be real. That’s been huge for us just having that kind of posture of humility. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. So that obviously has led to the way you’ve developed either the way you talk about ministry or the values that are underlining, you know, the ministry.Rich Birch — What has been important for helping communicate or articulate to people like, hey, this is a place that you can show up, you know, before you, you know, you’ve kind of bought it all. It’s like, Hey, you there’s a place to explore that sort of thing. Help us think through how do you communicate and then how do those, whether they’re phrases or yeah that sort of thing, how does that translate then into the values of how you actually operate?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So big thing is for us, it’s training the team, like getting those values into the team and helping them to understand what that looks like in a concrete way. So we say, like a lot of churches say, you can belong before you believe. And the the illustration I give almost every single time, I’m like, if somebody walks in with a church, with a shirt that says, I hate God, we are glad that person is here, right? Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — Like we’re not assuming that they are walking in with interest or experience. And they might have a story that’s a lot more complicated than we know. So um so yes, we try to celebrate that.Lou Pizzichillo — When somebody walks in and they’re very open about their beliefs and their views not lining up with us, that’s something that we celebrate, right? Like because these are the people that we want here.Lou Pizzichillo — The other value that’s been really helpful for us is to say that people have permission to be in progress. And that has to do with their actions, the choices that they make, but also the things that they believe. And so you can be on board with some of our beliefs and not be on board with all of our beliefs. And we’re okay with that, right?Lou Pizzichillo — Like rather than just saying, okay, I accept all of it at one time. And now I completely agree that everything in the Bible is true. And, you know, I endorse it. Like we just kind of give people space to say, okay, like let’s maybe let’s start with the claims of Jesus, like right to this guy really rise from the dead. And now let’s look at what he says about things like the Old Testament, you know?Lou Pizzichillo — And so that’s that’s been a huge thing. We go back to that over and over and over again. It started as kind of like a main point in a sermon where I was like, you’ve got permission to be in progress. And so many people repeated it back to me that I was like, okay, this needs to be woven into our culture because it needs to be articulated…Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — …or people just assume, okay, if I’m going to say I believe, I got to say I believe it all. And there’s no room for disagreement.Lou Pizzichillo — And then from there, we say like, you got you can belong before you believe, you got permission to be in progress. And if both of those things are actually true for us as a church, then we can also say like our third value is no pretending.Lou Pizzichillo — Like you don’t have to pretend to be on board with certain things if you’re not there yet. And I think if we create an environment where people can be real and dialogue and be open about the things that they’re, you know, that they disagree with, I think that’s where there’s real hope for ultimately ending in a place of alignment.Rich Birch — Yeah, permission to be in progress to me feels very like a very Jesus value It feels like, oh, that to me, that’s like when I read the New Testament, that feels like the way he oriented himself to the people around him, right? There were clearly people that were like the rich young ruler came to him and was like, you know, asked a pointed question. Jesus gave a clear answer, and he didn’t, you know, Jesus didn’t, even though he said harsh words to or clear words, I would say, all was it always done in an environment of trying to say, hey, we I want you to be a part of this conversation. I’m really trying to be on the same side of the table. How do I bring you along?Rich Birch — Can you, like, let’s double click on permission to be in progress. Talk us through what that looks like. Because I think, I think so many churches draw very strong lines on like, you got to believe these 15 things to be a part here. Even if we wouldn’t explicitly set that say that, it’s like implicit in our cultures.Rich Birch — How does your culture look different when you say, hey, you’ve got permission to be in progress? What would be some of the things that might stand out to us as like, that’s a little bit different than how maybe some other churches handle this?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So we have like we have values, but then we also just have sayings, right? Like it it is too hard for me to define what the most important values are. Like I get too obsessed with the wording and how we’re going to phrase things. And so in our our conference room, we have a big whiteboard and we write down little sayings. We actually write them in permanent marker on the whiteboard, which is wasteful, but at least we have something to reference.Lou Pizzichillo — So when somebody says something and we’re like, hey, that’s a culture thing, it gets written on the board. One of the things that came up that’s really helped us with this idea of permission to be in progress is that the goal is to get people to Jesus and everything else is secondary. Everything else comes after that.Rich Birch — That's good. Yep, that’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — And so I’m not going to like get into it with someone over a secondary issue or really something that’s an issue of sanctification, when we believe sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit, right? Maybe your view on that will change after you understand who Jesus is and begin to follow him.Lou Pizzichillo — And so in a lot of ways, I feel like when we when we get too into the issues, we’re putting the cart before the horse, right? Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — And so we’re trying to bring people to Jesus and show him show them what he’s like. And ah that that has been clarifying when it comes to permission to be in progress.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. And I think in heavily church context, when we kind of assume, oh, basically everyone here has some level of faith, those secondary issues can become like a really big deal. It’s like we spend a lot of time talking about those things.Rich Birch — But when the majority of people we’re interacting with you know, they haven’t, they haven’t really, really wrestled with what they think about Jesus and the difference he can make in this life. And we got to keep that, that really clear. Rich Birch — So no pretending is an interesting value as a communicator. How do you live that out in the way you show transparency? There’s this interesting thing years ago, I had one of the ah preacher that I love or communicator. I just think the world of, you know, he talked about how there’s this tension when we’re, communicating that, you know, we’re we’re trying to be transparent, but up into a point and how, where is that point? And how do we do that in a way that’s not, that brings people along? So ah what what does that look like for you even as a as ah as a leader to say, hey, it’s not my job to pretend. I’m going to just be honest and transparent, authentic to where we are? Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. Well, I mean, I can definitely say that every time I tell a story that has me screwing up, it is it is the thing that people come to tell me about. Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — Like, oh, thank you so much for telling me about you know the way you spoke to your kids… Rich Birch — Yes. Lou Pizzichillo — …or the thing that you said to your wife. Or it is just by far the thing that people love to hear. And that’s been encouraging. Now, I have had people like throw it back at me and that that comes with the territory. But I think that the stories of how that’s been helpful for people um like dramatically outweigh the people that are going to you know weaponize that stuff against you.Lou Pizzichillo — Something else I heard, um I think Brene Brown said this in one of her books. She said she doesn’t share things she hasn’t processed through yet.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And that for me is a really helpful thing. Like If I’m in the middle of something and just in the thick of it, it’s not the time for me to like bring that to the congregation. I think that could be really unhealthy for a lot of reasons.Lou Pizzichillo — So that’s, that’s kind of something that, and it doesn’t mean I can’t share something that just happened. You know sometimes I’ll explain an issue that just happened with my kids. That’s different than something I’m still processing and haven’t resolved yet.Rich Birch — Right. I think she said it’s the difference between scars and wounds, right? You can talk about your scars. That’s like, that’s an area that has, has had some level of healing to it versus an open wound, right? Like this is a part that’s, that’s still gaping.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah.Rich Birch — And, uh, you know, we don’t necessarily want to to share that. And that, you know, uh, that is a change. So I’m, you know, I’m of a certain age, been in this game a long time. And I remember when we first started, when I first started, that generation that came before me, people wanted like the superhuman religious leader. They wanted the like pastor to be, to have their stuff a hundred percent sewed up. Like, don’t tell me that you’re a real human. They didn’t want that.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah.Rich Birch — You know, and that has completely reversed.Rich Birch — People are like, no no, like you said, we, we need to be transparent, open, authentic. People know that we’re not perfect. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. Rich Birch — They know that we don’t have it all together. Lou Pizzichillo — Right.Rich Birch — And when we try to hide that, when we try to, in your language, pretend that actually is repulsive, it pushes them away. Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah.Rich Birch — One of the things that stood out to me just by reputation, kind of seeing your church is it appears that you guys have a conviction around getting out and serving the community, actually making a difference in the community. You know, it strikes me as very ah a very James-approach, faith in action – it’s it should make a difference in our community. What how do talk to me about what that looks like for Community. How does that, even your name, Community, you know, Church, reflects that. Talk talk to talk to me about what that looks like.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, so we’re pretty clear. Like we we tell people we want to be an asset to the community. We want people to be glad we’re here, whether they attend our church or not. And so that started really early. Actually, before we launched, we did this thing called the 12 Days of Christmas where, so our church is in a village, right? So there are a lot of local businesses around us. What we did is during the 12 days leading up to Christmas, we went to shops and we gave away gifts from those shops. There was a different shop every day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. So we planned this out ahead of time. But we would post on social media and be like, Hey, today the, you know, the shop is Bunger surf shop. The first 25 people there are going to get beanies from Bunger surf shop.Lou Pizzichillo — And we paid for them. We sent the, Bunger agreed to hand them out. And people went to go get them. And what was, so it was a win, win, win, really. Like the people who participated got free beanies, the surf shop are like all the different shops in the village. They got people to go, they got traffic to their business, right?Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah.Lou Pizzichillo — Because people went in then bought other stuff. And it helped us communicate that we we say we want something for you, not from you, right? We want to be an asset to the community. And so it helped us communicate that message. And the response to that has been great.Lou Pizzichillo — Now, what’s interesting, if this doesn’t tell you something about the church’s reputation, on year one, before we launched, it was very hard to get 12 shops to agree to do this with us. Like they were like, you’re a church? I’m sorry. No, we’re not doing it.Rich Birch — Forget it. Yeah.Lou Pizzichillo — Now it’s year seven. Right now we’re in the middle of our our seventh year and there are shops lining up to do it. There are shops reaching out to us, asking us to collaborate.Rich Birch — Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — They’re helping to pay for the stuff. So it’s actually in some ways getting a little bit cheaper.Rich Birch — Huh.Lou Pizzichillo — And it’s just cool. It’s shown like this posture of partnership with what’s going on… Rich Birch — Yes. Lou Pizzichillo — …rather than, okay, there are the shops and then there’s the church. Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — And yeah, we actually have a someone on staff now who first heard about the church on year one during the 12 days of Christmas. She started coming to the church. she eventually got baptized and now she’s on staff. And it’s just like, it has been so, so cool.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. That’s what a cool, you know, even just a cool tactic, kind of an expression of that. Is there other ways, other kind of activities like that, that you’re engaged with throughout the year that would could illustrate this idea of being for the community, being an asset to the community? What would be another example of that that that’s happened?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. So there is this fair that happens right across the street from the church. It’s called the Argyle Fair. It’s it’s around a lake. There are about 30,000 people that come to this fair. And the fair is on a Sunday during church.Lou Pizzichillo — The first year that we were here and had services during that Sunday, it was a mess. There were people you know like parking all over the place. It was hard to have services. Traffic was crazy. And we left church and my wife and I walked to the fair and just felt like something didn’t feel right. Like there’s some, here’s something everybody’s doing and we’re fighting against it.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — So we went to the people who ran the fair and we were like, is there any way we can help? Like, is there, what do you guys need? And right away she was like, we need volunteers and we need parking. And as a church, we are uniquely equipped with volunteers and parking. Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo —And so really it was there, like that almost right away, we were like, okay, next year, ah we’re going to be on board with what you’re doing.Rich Birch — Wow. Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — And so we decided to cancel services. And in the weeks leading up to that, we teach about the importance of serving the community. It’s kind of like the grand finale to whatever, you know…Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — …outreach series or message is being given.Rich Birch — Yeah.Lou Pizzichillo — And um yeah, so we teach on that. And then we’re like, hey, you know, two weeks from now, we’re not going to have services. Instead, we’re going to go out instead of staying in here talking about serving, we’re going to go out there and serve. And, you know, we’ve said like… Rich Birch — Love that. Lou Pizzichillo — …yeah, what’s what’s happening out there is not more spiritual than what’s happening in here. It’s a different way to express and grow in our faith. So we did that. And the response has just been unbelievable. Like the community has loved it. The the fair has had the help that they need. The people in our church have loved it. But this year we actually it got rained out on the first week. And so they postponed it to the next week.Rich Birch — Oh, wow.Lou Pizzichillo — And that made it tough for us because now we were like, okay, are we going to cancel church two weeks in a row? Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — And we had a meeting about it and like looked at our values, looked at what we were talking about. We were like, you know what, this is actually an opportunity for us to really double down and say, we’re not doing this out of convenience. We’re doing this because it’s a value. And so I called up the guy who was running the fair and he was like, I get it. If you can’t do it, I get it. And it felt, it was, it was amazing to be able to say on the phone, like, Hey, we’re with you, uh, no matter what. So, uh, so we did and it was, it was awesome.Rich Birch — That’s incredible. Like ah that, again, that what a vivid example, because I think there’s a lot of church leaders, if we’re honest, we’ve been engaged in the conversation that’s literally on the opposite side of that, where we’re like, man, how do we, these people, they’re, you know, they’re cramping our style or whatever. It’s like we naturally default towards that rather than to serve. Rich Birch — Take us back early in the discussions because I think a lot of us have not done a good job in building trust bridges in our communities. And you know trust isn’t built with just you know, one conversation. It takes time, right? It takes, like you said, those those first 12 days of Christmas, you couldn’t get anybody. And now here’s seven years later. We want we want to get to the seven years later part really quickly.Rich Birch — But ah those early conversations, how are you handling yourself, interacting with the like other people, you know, approaching them, having those conversations. What did you learn in the early dialogue that could help us if we’re trying to build, you know, deeper community trust in a place that just is so skeptical of that we’re coming with, just looking to take from our people.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. I mean, you have to be willing to be inconvenienced. I think that’s been a big part of it.Lou Pizzichillo — On week one, so we we launched literally on the first day and launch day was bigger than we thought it was going to be. And on that Monday, I was called to the mayor’s office, the mayor of the village.Lou Pizzichillo — And I was like, okay, thought I was going to go have a conversation. And when I got there, it was the it was him, it was the head of code enforcement and the fire chief all in a room waiting for me Rich Birch — Oh, gosh. Lou Pizzichillo — And they had pictures of cars parked all over the street. And I I realized there, like, there was a real concern about what this church was going to be in the community.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so from there, we’ve just been looking for opportunities to earn trust. The neighbors have made it very clear that they don’t like cars parking on the street. And so we, we began paying for a lot so that we could take the cars off of the street. We don’t have to, they can legally park in the street, but we rent the lot. We told the owner of the property why we’re doing it. And he got on board with what we’re doing. We’re now in a place, kind of a long story, but we now don’t have to pay for that lot.Rich Birch — Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — We also, like the trust has been earned one decision at a time. We were going to do this big thing in the parking lot. We did a parking lot renovation that took the whole summer. After the summer, we were like, hey, in our new parking lot, let’s put on a Christmas show. We’ll run it throughout two weeks in December.Lou Pizzichillo — We had an animator who goes to the church. He like had this great idea for a show. He’s like, we’ll project it on the building. People will drive in. We’ll run it multiple times a night, do it for a few weeks throughout December. We were calling it Christmas in Lights.Lou Pizzichillo — So we put this whole plan together. He’s making the thing. We start advertising it and the village comes to us and they’re like, you’re in violation of the code. You can’t do this. And and they’re giving us all these reasons that I felt like didn’t really hold that much weight, you know.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — But in thinking about it, I do understand the inconvenience it would have been. We just had a major parking lot renovation. There were huge trucks making tons of noise for months. Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And now that’s finally over. And we’re going to ask the village to deal with the traffic of a show happening every single night, you know, for a few weeks in December.Rich Birch — Right Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so I went to the mayor and I was like, hey, ah it’s a new mayor at this point. But I just sat down with her and I was like, hey, listen, if you have concerns about this, I want you to feel the freedom to just come to me and say, this is a lot for the neighbors. Like, what do you think about pulling this in?Lou Pizzichillo —And it was cool. It was an opportunity for the two of us to kind of bond, like there was some trust earned there and we canceled the show. We decided not to do it. And I released a video explaining why we weren’t doing it.Rich Birch — Wow.Lou Pizzichillo — And the amazing thing is that I think canceling the show accomplished more than we would have accomplished if we actually did the show.Rich Birch — Interesting.Lou Pizzichillo — Like it earned, it was so well received when people found out that we weren’t going to do it. They were like, and even the people that attend the church, they were like, I want to be part of a church that supports their community like this.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so it went really well, and it was a lot less work, and so it was it was kind of a win all around. Rich Birch — What did the animators say? I feel but feel bad for that person who started doing that work. Did they understand. Obviously, they’re bummed or concerned.Lou Pizzichillo — He was bummed out, but he’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and so he he totally got it. And he’s on board with what we’re trying to do, and when he knew the reason why, he was totally, totally supportive of it.Rich Birch — Interesting. So where have you seen churches kind of get this wrong as we’ve tried to engage with the community? Maybe a common a pothole that we fall into or a way that we stub our toes, you know, a thing maybe you’ve you’ve you’ve seen that we just, we you know, kind of consistently make the same mistake.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. You know, one of my mentors told me a while ago, he was like, when you’re thinking about the church in the community, he’s like, there’s a small percentage of people that are for you. He said, there’s, there’s also a small percentage of people that are anti-church and they always will be, and you’re not going to change their minds.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And he’s like, but then there’s this large percentage that’s just kind of going to go one way or the other. And he’s like, that’s the percentage that you really have to be intentional about connecting with.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so I think, you know, it is very easy to tell the story like, hey, they don’t want us to do our Christmas show. This is persecution… Rich Birch — Yes. Lou Pizzichillo — …you know, and we got to fight and suffer for the name of Jesus. And ah we’ve just found that that’s not always the case. Rich Birch — Right. Lou Pizzichillo — You know, it’s people that don’t want to be inconvenienced and they may love church, but there’s there’s all this stuff going in the community. Maybe they maybe they have you know other reasons why. So i think I think it’s just the posture.Lou Pizzichillo — Like a lot of, most people, most people aren’t unreasonable. And I think if we give them the chance to really articulate what’s going on, I’ve been surprised at how understandable a lot of the feelings have been, a lot of the resistance to church comes from real stories, real experiences.Rich Birch — Right, right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so, yeah, I think it’s the you know the whole like persecution thing or suffering or that is real and people do really experience that. But a lot of times I think we’re a little too quick to say, oh, this is what that is when really it may not be.Rich Birch — Well, and it it’s, ah in some ways, it’s like a low form of, well, it’s a leadership shortcut for sure to like demonize, to like, oh, there, those people are come out to get us. You know, any leader that’s led before realizes, oh, that’s like a that’s a tool that actually works. People respond to that, but, but we don’t want to do that. Like that isn’t, these are the people we’re trying to love and care. These are people we’re trying to see point towards Jesus. They’re not our enemies.Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. Yeah.Rich Birch — They’re not, you know, they’re, they’re not, they might just not like parking, like you at the end of the day.Lou Pizzichillo — Right. Right.Rich Birch — And so let’s not, let’s not get over-revved, ah you know, on that. And unfortunately there are, I know, you know, way too many churches that have got themselves on the wrong side of this. And it’s very hard to backwards engineer out of that. Once you go down that road of like, we’re going to try to go negative with our community. That just isn’t, it’s just, it’s, it’s very difficult to to step back from that.Rich Birch — If you think about a church leader that’s listening in today and they’re, they’re saying, Hey, They’re thinking we want to do a better job being trusted more locally, trusted by local leaders, trusted by other you know businesses in town, that sort of thing. What would be a couple first steps you think they could take? A couple things where they could start to try to build that kind of trust with the community around them?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. You know, I think I’m a big believer in praying for those opportunities. And also just giving things a second look, you know. When you’re in a situation that may seem like a challenge or something that may seem like it’s getting in the way, to just stop and think, okay, is, is there an opportunity here to build trust with the community?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — Because we, and when we say the community, we’re not just talking about this nebulous, you know, idea of Babylon village. There are people there.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And if those people see this church as trustworthy, they may come here, you know, when their relationships are falling apart or when they’re looking for answers.Rich Birch — Yep.Lou Pizzichillo — Um, and so it’s really just been… We have great people here who have bought into what we’re doing, who have really helped us to see like, this is an opportunity to win with the community. And yeah, you gotta, you have to look outside the box and, and also be willing to, there, there are moments like with Church Has Left the Building—with the fair—and with the Christmas and light show, there are moments where they’ll see, okay, do you really care? Do you really care?Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — Like are how how much will you inconvenience yourself? And I mean, the payoff from that has just been huge, even though it’s been an inconvenience and our giving goes down that week and it throws off the series and we got to restructure the calendar.Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — It has gone, there’s there’s never been a time where we’ve regretted it.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good. And, you know, there’s no doubt one of the things I think we can in our our little world of kind of church leadership, I think we can forget often that people in the communities that we’re serving, they really don’t have any frame of reference for a church of 1,200 people. Like they that that isn’t people’s normal perception of what a church is. Like a church is 25 people or 50 people in a room somewhere super small.Rich Birch — And, and their perception can be, they just don’t, they just don’t have any idea. What is that? What’s that look like? And some of that can skew negative because it’s busy and blah, blah, blah, all those things. And so we’ve, we, we have to take it on ourselves when our church gets to the size that you’re at or larger to try to help them understand and see though this is like really positive for the community and actually point towards that.Lou Pizzichillo — Yes.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good.Lou Pizzichillo — Yes. And, and like along those lines, ah it’s also perceived as a source of power, right? Like if, if there, if you have 1500 people that all believe the same thing and you’re trying to run a village or a community, there is this, this sense of like, okay, well, are they going to be for us or against us? Like, are all these people going to be anti-village?Rich Birch — Right.Lou Pizzichillo — And so there is like that, that instinct to kind of protect from this group of people that make, make things really hard for us. But over time, as they begin to see like all these people are, are behind us, they’re here to support us and they want to make this place better.Rich Birch — Yes.Lou Pizzichillo — It’s, it really is a beautiful thing. And we’re not there yet as a church, but we’re getting there. And, uh, we’ve just seen a lot of, lot of positive signs and, uh, Yeah, think it’s paid off.Rich Birch — So good, Lou. That’s, that’s great. Just as we wrap up today’s conversation, any kind of final words you’d have to, ah you know, to leaders that are listening in thinking about these issues today?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah. I mean, I think I would just say it’s worth it. It's it’s messy. It does make things difficult. It can be inconvenient. And when you have people who don’t go to church coming to church and you give them permission to be in progress, you get a lot of hairy situations. And we have a lot of conversations where we’re trying to figure out which way to go.Rich Birch — Yeah, 100%.Lou Pizzichillo — But it’s in those conversations that we cant kind of stop and remind ourselves like, Hey, we’re, we’re glad that these people are here and we’re glad that these are the problems that we’re having. And, the end of the day, this is what we feel like it’s all about. So.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. I just want to encourage you as you’re leading, you’re doing a great job and and it’s been fun to get a chance to get a little window into what’s going on at Community. Want to encourage you and your your team, just you’re doing the right thing. If people want to track with the church or with you online, where do we want to send them to connect with you guys?Lou Pizzichillo — Yeah, so communitychurch.net is our website. On Instagram, we’re communitychurchli, we’re @communitychurchli, and we try to keep that handle throughout all the platforms. So YouTube, same thing. But yeah, that’s it.Rich Birch — Great. Thanks for for being here today, Lou.Lou Pizzichillo — Thanks for having me, Rich. It’s an honor to be here, and I love what you guys are doing for the church.

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1279: Today we break down CarEdge's new Dealer Transparency Index shaking up pricing accountability, GM's MobileService+ reboot with lower-cost gas crossovers, and a fresh bump in consumer confidence that could signal steadier showroom traffic ahead.CarEdge just launched a new public report card for dealers—and it's aiming straight at pricing transparency. The AI-powered platform unveiled its Dealer Transparency Index, grading over 4,600 U.S. dealerships on how “real and honest” their pricing practices actually are.The Dealer Transparency Index (DTI) scores dealers on a 100-point scale, translating into A–F grades based on real out-the-door quotes.Scores are built from 40,000+ verified OTD quotes using CarEdge's AI negotiation platform. Dealers can't pay to improve their grade.The formula weighs doc fees (30%), add-ons (30%), dealer markups (30%), and quote data quality (10%).CarEdge lists 4,957 dealers in their search. 2,403 are graded A, 306 are graded F.CEO Zach Shefska clarified the mission: “We're not anti-dealer. We're anti-deception…"GM is retooling its MobileService+ strategy after dealers pushed back on the original $150,000 BrightDrop EV vans. Now, gas-powered crossovers are stepping in to power the next phase of at-home service—and dealers say this version actually pencils.Starting Q2, GM will offer upfitted 2026 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac XT5 models for mobile service.The move follows the cancellation of BrightDrop 600 production and dealer concerns over cost, size and battery range.Upfront costs are expected to be cut by at least half compared to the $150,000 EV van. Dealers can even self-install the service kit in 6–8 hours.The setup allows stores to remove the equipment and resell the vehicle later—far more flexible than the “one-and-done” BrightDrop approach.MobileService+ Director Chris Hornberger said the new models hit the mark: “This, we feel, is the sweet spot, exactly what the dealers are looking for.”Consumer confidence edged higher in February, snapping a January slide as Americans felt slightly better about jobs and the labor market. While optimism is still well below last year's peak, expectations for the months ahead are starting to firm up.The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rose 2.2 points to 91.2, beating economist expectations of 87.The labor market differential improved, with more consumers saying jobs are “plentiful” versus “hard to get.”Today's show is brought to you by ESi-Q. ESi-Q measures employee satisfaction and provides actionable insight Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

In today's nonprofit sector, transparency isn't just a buzzword—it's a strategic lever for equity, credibility, and access to resources. Amid growing scrutiny, shifting donor expectations, and declining federal funding, nonprofits must find new ways to build trust and demonstrate value.In this timely and essential episode of Nonprofit Nation, I welcome Brittany Hall, Senior Director of Equitable Access at Candid, to discuss how nonprofits can use Candid's Seals of Transparency to strengthen their public profiles, build donor trust, and unlock critical funding—especially for smaller, underfunded, and BIPOC-led organizations. With the launch of the new 2026 Seals, Candid is doubling down on accessibility, shared data standards, and transparency as public infrastructure for the sector.Brittany also shares insights from Candid's recent blog post, Meeting This Moment: Helping Nonprofits That Lost Federal Funding, and explains how Candid is adapting its tools and strategy to support organizations hit hardest by changing funding flows.Whether you're a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or funder, this episode will challenge you to see transparency not as compliance—but as a powerful tool for systemic change.

This week on The Financial Guys Podcast, Mike Lomas, Mike Sperrazza, and Glenn Wiggle kick things off celebrating American gold medal winners who proudly represent the country—contrasting their grit and patriotism with what they see as media-driven negativity and political outrage. The guys dive into the education system and why more parents are turning to homeschooling, the chaos surrounding voter ID and fake IDs in a tech-driven world, and New York's snow shoveling debacle as a case study in government incompetence.They also tackle the Epstein list fallout, growing distrust in federal agencies, questions surrounding Iran and weapons of mass destruction, immigration enforcement, and internal Republican Party divisions heading into the midterms. From border security to inflation messaging, the hosts argue it's time for clarity, accountability, and a serious course correction before voters head back to the polls.(00:02:25) Patriotic American Athletes Triumphing with Gold Medals(00:08:45) Benefit of Homeschooling for Children's Education(00:14:59) Tech advancements fuel increasing sophistication in fake IDs(00:17:20) Efficiency and Planning in Snow Shoveling(00:23:16) Implications of Being on Epstein's List(00:26:31) Manipulation and Intrigue by Intelligence Agencies(00:30:38) Debating Iran's Nuclear Capabilities and Transparency(00:37:55) Enhanced Driver's Licenses for Immigration Control(00:38:51) Republican Party Disunity: MAGA Faction Chaos

In Episode 319 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Jamie Crozier, an entrepreneur who did something most people only dream about. He bought the company he once worked for. Jamie shares his journey from stocking shelves at a dollar store to building his career in industrial sales, eventually acquiring Thunder Bay Hydraulics and expanding through the acquisition of Custom Hydraulics and the founding of Atlas Elite Lifts. His story is a powerful reminder that ownership is not about where you start, but about the moment you decide to bet on yourself and step into uncertainty. This episode dives deep into the realities of acquisition, the emotional weight of taking over a legacy business, and the resilience required to build and scale manufacturing companies in Canada during a time of tariffs, competition, and global uncertainty. Jamie also shares his innovative approach to transparency in service businesses and his vision for building premium, design-driven lift solutions across North America. This is a conversation about risk, responsibility, and the identity shift that happens when you stop working for someone else's future and start building your own.Key Takeaways: Ownership starts as an identity decision before it becomes a legal one.If you are going to be an entrepreneur, you have to get comfortable accepting risk and believing in yourself when everything depends on you.When acquiring a business, build your own relationships with your bank, accountant, and lawyer because those relationships will carry you through the process.Vendor take back financing can make acquisitions possible by aligning the seller with the future success of the business.Trust and personal relationships matter more than numbers because without trust, the deal will not happen or succeed.Buying a competitor requires patience, respect, and confidentiality because pushing too hard can destroy the opportunity.The emotional commitment to ownership begins before the deal closes, and the fear of losing the opportunity can be as powerful as the responsibility itself.Starting a company from nothing is far harder than buying one because you must build reputation, customers, and trust from zero.Transparency with customers during difficult times strengthens relationships and turns challenges into partnerships.Great companies differentiate themselves by solving real customer problems and making the experience easier, clearer, and faster.Check out Thunder Bay Hydraulics and learn more about the incredible work Jamie and his team are doing: https://thunderbayhydraulics.comLearn more about Custom Hydraulics: https://customhydraulics.comExplore Atlas Elite Lifts and their premium automotive lift solutions: https://www.atlaselitelifts.com/You can also connect with Jamie directly at...

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan⁠⁠In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan and Daria Rudnik discuss the transformative impact of AI on leadership and team dynamics. They explore how AI is reshaping workflows, the importance of building trust and acceptance among team members, and the need for transparency in AI implementation. The conversation dives into the challenges of navigating AI anxiety and resistance, the significance of effective governance, and how leaders can prepare for a future where AI functions as a team member. Daria emphasizes the importance of clarity in communication and the need for ongoing conversations about AI's role in organizations.TakeawaysAI is reshaping how leaders think and define human value.Building self-sufficient teams is crucial in the age of AI.Trust between team members and management is essential for AI acceptance.Transparency about AI's role can alleviate fears.AI should be seen as a collaborator, not a replacement.Ongoing conversations about AI's impact are necessary.Effective governance is key to responsible AI implementation.Leaders must prepare for AI as a team member.Clarity in communication is vital for successful AI integration.AI is not just a tech shift; it's a shift in collaboration.Chapters00:00 The Impact of AI on Leadership and Teams05:06 Understanding AI's Role in Team Dynamics09:56 Building Trust and Acceptance of AI15:04 Navigating AI Anxiety and Resistance19:59 The Importance of Transparency in AI Implementation25:01 Creating Effective AI Governance29:59 Preparing for AI as a Team Member35:05 The Future of Leadership in an AI-Driven WorldDaria Rudnik's Social Media Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariarudnik/Daria Rudnik's Website Link:https://dariarudnik.com/Resources and Links:⁠⁠⁠https://www.hireclout.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podcast.hireclout.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright⁠

What energetic shifts arrive with the Year of the Yang Fire Horse? In this conversation, we explore Chinese astrology cycles, the transition from Snake to Horse energy, and how elemental balance influences relationships, career momentum, health, and global change. Discover the meaning behind fire energy, clashing and harmonious zodiac signs, and how to align with a fast-moving year filled with opportunity, visibility, and transformation.

Buy My Book The Retirement You Didn't See Coming Let's Chat About Your Retirement Plans Book a time for us to talk Episode Description You've worked hard to build your nest egg. Now your adult children are struggling in a brutal housing market, drowning in debt, and navigating unstable careers. You want to help—but how much is too much? Will you enable dependence? Rob them of resilience? And what about your own retirement security? This episode tackles the question every parent wrestles with, but nobody wants to say out loud: should you sacrifice your retirement to help your kids? We explore the competing pressures, the frameworks for thinking it through, and the practical questions that will help you find your answer—without the guilt. Why This Is So Hard This question sits at the intersection of love, money, values, and generational change. You're feeling competing pressures: You want to help - They're entering a harder world: housing costs, debt, unstable jobs You don't want to enable dependence - You want them resilient, not reliant You've earned this money - You delayed gratification for decades. You want to enjoy it The inheritance question looms - IHT planning, fairness, timing—give now or later? Everyone has an opinion. Your friends do it differently. Society sends mixed messages. You're stuck in limbo. Four Frameworks for Thinking This Through Framework 1: Support vs. Rescue Support: House deposit in an impossible market. Health insurance during job transition. Education that opens doors. Rescue: Repeatedly bailing out credit card debt. Funding an unaffordable lifestyle. Solving problems they need to learn to solve. Ask: "Is this help moving them toward independence or keeping them stuck?" Framework 2: Timing—Now vs. Later Give now: They benefit when they need it most (30s-40s). You see the impact. Potential IHT savings. You can guide usage. Wait: Maintain security. Unknown future needs (healthcare, care costs). Flexibility if circumstances change. The truth: Most people never regret helping when they had the means. Many regret waiting too long. Framework 3: Equity vs. Need Equal feels fair. Need-based feels compassionate. One child struggles financially. Another thrives. One chose meaningful but lower-paying work. One has health issues. Both approaches can work. Transparency tends to avoid resentment. Framework 4: The Oxygen Mask Principle Your first obligation: secure your own retirement. If you give away too much and run out, you become their burden anyway. Most adult children don't want that. The question isn't "Can we afford to help?" It's "Can we afford to help without jeopardizing our own security?" Six Practical Questions to Ask Yourself 1. What values do we want to pass on? Independence? Family solidarity? Generosity? Different values = different decisions. 2. What did our parents do, and how do we feel about it? Your experience shapes your instincts—for better or worse. Sometimes we repeat patterns. Sometimes we overcorrect. 3. What do our children actually need vs. want? Have honest conversations. "What are the biggest barriers you're facing?" You might be surprised. 4. What are we comfortable with, emotionally? Forget "should." What can you live with? If helping makes you anxious, that anxiety poisons the gift. 5. What's our plan if they ask for more? Jobs are lost. Relationships end. Health issues arise. Do you have boundaries? Can you say no? 6. How do we communicate this? Clear communication avoids misunderstanding. Tell them your plans. Be honest. Your kids aren't mind readers. The Bottom Line There's no perfect answer. No formula. No rulebook. Some families give generously and strengthen bonds. Some create entitlement. Some don't give at all, and kids thrive. Some kids feel abandoned. It depends on the people, context, values, and communication. The worst thing you can do? Avoid the conversation. With your partner. Your planner. Your children. When money and family mix, silence breeds assumption. Assumption breeds resentment. Give yourself permission to set boundaries. You're not a bad parent if you say no. You're not selfish if you prioritise your security. You're not weak if you help. You're just human, navigating a complicated situation with love. Loving your children and taking care of yourself are not mutually exclusive. Humans vs Retirement - The messy, emotional, human side of retirement.

For decades, financial advisors couldn't share client reviews. A new SEC rule changed that, and now, advisors and clients are better for it. Learn more at https://www.goldstonefinancialgroup.com/ Goldstone Financial Group City: Oakbrook Terrace Address: 18W140 Butterfield Road Website: https://www.goldstonefinancialgroup.com/ Phone: +1 630 620 9300 Email: contactus@goldstonefg.com

Guest: Pontsho Pilane | communications expert, and co-author of Flow Lester Kiewit speaks to author Pontsho Pilane about why women are still made to feel embarrassed and ashamed of having their period, prompting the use of hygiene products that promise to disguise odour and provide “freshness”. A study by the University of Free State found that every sanitary pad and pantyliner tested contained at least two endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), raising concerns about consumer safety, transparency, and long-term exposure Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is a podcast of the CapeTalk breakfast show. This programme is your authentic Cape Town wake-up call. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is informative, enlightening and accessible. The team’s ability to spot & share relevant and unusual stories make the programme inclusive and thought-provoking. Don’t miss the popular World View feature at 7:45am daily. Listen out for #LesterInYourLounge which is an outside broadcast – from the home of a listener in a different part of Cape Town - on the first Wednesday of every month. This show introduces you to interesting Capetonians as well as their favourite communities, habits, local personalities and neighbourhood news. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Good Morning CapeTalk with Lester Kiewit broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/xGkqLbT or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/f9Eeb7i Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk5See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking for daily inspiration?  Get a quote from the top leaders in the industry in your inbox every morning.   Leading a team can feel like a roller coaster. From big climbs and sudden drops, there are moments where you wonder why you got on the ride in the first place. Matt Heller, Founder of Performance Optimist Consulting helps leaders and teams stay focused and performing at their best. Through engaging keynotes, hands-on workshops, and practical coaching, we turn fear into confidence and discomfort into momentum. This means fewer breakdowns and more breakthroughs. If your organization is ready to start building real forward motion, it's time to take action and make better performance and growth your main attraction. Visit performanceoptimist.com/attractionpros for an exclusive offer! Mark Rosenzweig is the Principal and Chief Business Officer of 3dxScenic. After getting his start in park operations and park services at Michigan's Adventure, Mark moved into sales and marketing roles at Zamperla and Ride Entertainment, including leading the SkyCoaster division. In 2020, he joined 3dxScenic in the Cincinnati area, and in December 2023 he became co-owner alongside longtime team member Matt Waldenmeyer. Today, 3dxScenic designs and fabricates themed environments, signage, facades, parade floats, and iconic photo-op pieces for parks and attractions. In this interview, Mark talks about integrity, transparency, and collaboration, stirring imagination, and being an operations nerd. Integrity, transparency, and collaboration “We have three pillars that we believe 150% in. Those are collaboration, integrity, and transparency.” Mark frames these as more than values on a wall. They shape how 3dxScenic sells, scopes, schedules, and delivers work. He explains that integrity and transparency mean being upfront about what's possible, what will be subcontracted, and what the realistic timeline and bandwidth look like, with a focus on avoiding surprises. Collaboration is the lever that makes the work better, whether it's aligning early on how a piece will live in the environment, or leaning on operators and mid-level leaders who will ultimately execute the day-to-day. He also emphasizes these pillars internally. From how ownership communicates with team members to how departments coordinate workflow, he sees consistency between culture and output as a requirement for sustainable growth and repeat partnerships. Stirring imagination “It's not always easy to sell abstract decor to someone that, say, is in finance.” Mark describes scenic work as an abstract product that often requires helping clients visualize ROI differently. A sculpture may not directly sell tickets, but it can become an iconic, repeatable photo moment that drives sharing, tradition, and brand memory. He points to examples like oversized entry pieces and themed elements that communicate what a park experience feels like before a guest ever rides anything. He also walks through how ideas become reality, using projects like Holiday World's Good Gravy as a case study in creative back-and-forth, story building, and delivering pieces that can even turn into merchandise. For Mark, the win is when theming supports the story, creates emotional connection, and provides both guest delight and practical marketing value. Being an operations nerd “I'm an operations nerd at heart.” Mark's early-career curiosity shows up in how he talks about labor, workflow, and execution. He credits his time in park services, ride ops, and other frontline roles with giving him empathy for how systems actually run, and why it matters to learn by doing. That mindset carries into fabrication, where one late step can cascade into multiple downstream delays. The “ops nerd” lens also shows up in the company's recent move into a new 30,000 square foot facility. Mark shares how they let departments help dictate the shop layout, aiming for smoother phase-to-phase movement, fewer bottlenecks, and better long-term scalability as they take on larger and more complex projects.   To learn more about 3dxScenic, visit 3dxscenic.com and find them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can reach Mark directly at markr@3dxscenic.com.   This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our faaaaaantastic team:   Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas   To connect with AttractionPros: AttractionPros.com AttractionPros@gmail.com AttractionPros on Facebook AttractionPros on LinkedIn AttractionPros on Instagram AttractionPros on Twitter (X)

This is the Steaz comeback story! Hear how the brand founders were brought back into the company to help renew the purpose and passion of the brand, which led to a collaboration with Wild Orchard to launch the first line of Regenerative Organic Certified ® canned teas! We speak with Eric Schnell of Beyond Brands, who was one of the original founders of Steaz, to learn more about the history of Steaz and his vision for the reboot. Then Mike Fransz, Director of Marketing for Nova Naturals, the company that owns and manages the Steaz brand now, shares why they brought the founders back and how it's recharged the whole team and brand. Michael Ham, co-founder of Wild Orchard, then shared the story of the world's first Regenerative Organic Certified ® tea farm and the role they play in this collaboration. We discuss the new product line, the challenges of this innovative and collaborative process, and what's bringing each guest hope for the future of our food system. Enjoy!Takeaways:Steaz was the first certified organic soft drink brand in America.Steaz was also the very first fair trade certified tea.The journey of Steaz began with a passion for tea and health.Reviving Steaz involved bringing back the founders to guide its new direction.The collaboration with Wild Orchard got them access to the world's only Regenerative Organic Certified ® green tea.Wild Orchard was the first USDA organic certified farm in Korea.Regenerative Organic agriculture enhances soil health and product quality.The younger generation is increasingly conscious of health, environment, and where their food comes from.Challenges in R&D delayed the launch of new products.Transparency in the supply chain builds consumer trust.Steaz's 1% for the Planet commitment reflects their dedication to sustainability and regenerative agriculture.Sound bites:“Our five P's, which is what we call the Quintuple Bottom Line Business Value System is rooted in Passion, Purpose, People, Planet, and Prosperity.”“We helped get the first fair trade certified tea estate in Sri Lanka up and running.”“We're evangelists for this regenerative organic certification process, not because it's just the cool next thing, but because it creates really meaningful impact across so many different places around the globe.”“The farm that was regenerative organic had the bees and the birds and the deer running through. It seemed to just attract an ecosystem, like Gaia.”“When we consume foods grown in healthy soil, it's actually syncing everything with our gut microbiome and it improves our overall health.”“At Steaz we call it doing good by brewing good.”"You are what you eat. If the soil is healthy, the plant's going to be healthy and tastier, and then when we eat it, it's going to be better in our body too!”“Everybody loves a comeback story. And this is a great one. One of the best I've seen.”Links:Steaz - https://drinksteaz.com/Steaz on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/steaz---the-healthy-beverage-company/Steaz on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/officialsteazSteaz on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steaz/Steaz on X - https://www.facebook.com/officialsteaz…Eric Schnell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-schnell-b133a425/Beyond Brands - https://beyondbrands.org/Beyond Brands on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbrands/…Mike Fransz on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefransz/Nova Naturals - https://nova-natural.com/Nova Naturals on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/nova-natural/…Michael Ham on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-d-ham/Wild Orchard - https://www.wildorchard.com/Wild Orchard on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wildorchardteas/Wild Orchard on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wildorchardteas/#Wild Orchard on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wildorchardteasWild Orchard on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ21UewP8Yx6ZMlzh8NKe0wWild Orchard on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wildorchardtea…Natural Products Expo West: https://www.expowest.com/en/home.html…Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/…Print Magazine Design Podcasts - https://www.printmag.com/categories/printcast/…Heritage Radio Network - https://heritageradionetwork.org/Heritage Radio Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-radio-network/posts/Heritage Radio Network on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetworkHeritage Radio Network on X - https://x.com/Heritage_RadioHeritage Radio Network on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heritage_radio/Heritage Radio Network on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@heritage_radioChapters:03:00 The Origins of Steaz: A Journey Through Tea09:16 Reviving a Legacy: The Return of Founders18:13 Collaboration for Change: Steaz and Wild Orchard23:48 Understanding Regenerative Organic: A New Standard28:03 The Impact of Healthy Soil on Health and Taste35:00 The Rise of Regenerative Organic Certification37:55 Community and Education in Regenerative Practices41:03 Commitment to the Planet: 1% for the Planet43:00 Challenges in Collaboration and Supply Chain53:55 Hope for the Future of Food SystemsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Our Agile Tales as we continue our conversation with Bjarte Bogsnes, exploring case studies from his latest book, This Is Beyond Budgeting. The book distills nearly three decades of experience challenging traditional budgeting, targets, and control-based management.In this episode, we examine Beyond Budgeting through two case studies: Miles and David Lloyd Clubs.Miles is a Norwegian IT consulting company founded in reaction to command-and-control micromanagement. It operates without budgets and with minimal KPIs, guided by an evergreen financial ambition of maintaining a profit margin above 10%  without cascaded targets or bonus links. Employees enjoy wide autonomy, with transparency as the primary control mechanism: purchases and training costs are posted on the intranet for shared learning.Miles places strong emphasis on recruitment and cultural fit, taking at least ten references and interviewing for beliefs, values, and attitudes. Employees assess technical skills and can veto candidates. The company invests heavily in social cohesion, including spouse-only events, and practices servant leadership, with the CEO retitling himself “Chief Servant Leader.” Bjarte notes that Miles was essentially “born beyond budgeting” and has sustained its principles through growth by consciously resisting bureaucracy, including internal leadership succession.The second case study, David Lloyd Clubs, a high-end UK gym chain with around 300 clubs, represents one of the fastest Beyond Budgeting implementations Bjarte has seen: launched in October 2019 and fully budget-free by January 2021. The model helped the company not only survive COVID-19 but emerge stronger.Key practices included increased club autonomy, strong internal benchmarking, transparency, and local involvement in KPI selection. Central target setting was reduced, with emphasis on relative performance rather than detailed annual targets tied to bonuses.Ownership by private equity firm TDR Capital supported the shift, focusing on leadership and management improvement rather than cost-cutting.Bjarte attributes the speed to strong owner backing, a capable controller leading the effort, and a supportive CEO, while noting that mindset change takes longer than process change. HR played a key role in shifting performance evaluation toward relative measures and maintaining shared club-level bonuses instead of individual incentives.Key topics and timestamps00:00 Welcome01:07 Miles Overview02:47 Transparency Over Budgets04:15 Recruiting and Culture06:05 Servant Leadership06:46 Born Beyond Budgeting10:37 Sustaining Beliefs at Scale12:23 David Lloyd Clubs13:09 Rapid Rollout13:56 Benchmarking and Rhythm17:41 Why It Worked20:53 Relative Performance24:45 Transparency and Learning26:47 HR and Rewards28:15 Results and ConclusionAbout Bjarte BogsnesBjarte Bogsnes is Chairman of the Beyond Budgeting Round Table, a former global finance executive, and a leading thinker in management innovation. He is the author of Implementing Beyond Budgeting and This Is Beyond Budgeting, showing how organizations can replace rigid, calendar-driven systems with models built on trust, transparency, and adaptability — creating companies that are both more responsive and more human.Follow Bjarte at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjarte-bogsnes-41557910/Music: https://www.purple-planet.comVisit us at https://www.ouragiletales.com/about

Dr. Delaney sits down with acclaimed developmental psychologist David Yeager, Ph.D., to discuss his groundbreaking book, 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People. Together, they delve into the transformative power of adopting a mentor mindset to simplify parenting — especially when tackling tech time challenges. Learn why combining high standards with high support is a game-changer, and uncover the key elements of "wise feedback" that make it so impactful, as shown across various studies. This episode offers science-backed communication techniques on topics like respectful versus disrespectful language, validation, cooperative problem-solving, and more. Parents will walk away with practical strategies to approach screen time struggles with confidence and clarity.   Featured Expert David Yeager, PhD   Books The Science of Motivating Young People, by David Yeager Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, by Geoffrey L. Cohen   Research References Yeager, D. et al. Breaking the cycle of mistrust: Wise interventions to provide critical feedback across the racial divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(2), 804–824, 2014.  Dobson, K. et al. A Transparency Statement Improves Community-Police Interactions. Research Square (Research Square), 2022. Yeager, D. et al. A Transparency Statement Transforms Community-Police Interactions. Research Square (Research Square), 2022. Telzer, E. et al. Ventral striatum activation to prosocial rewards predicts longitudinal declines in adolescent risk taking. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 3, 45–52, 2013.   Time Code 00:00 Introduction to the Screenagers Podcast 00:23 Meet David Yeager: Growth Mindset and Mentor Mindset 02:34 The Mentor's Dilemma: Balancing Criticism and Support 04:23 Wise Feedback: The Key to Motivating Youth 10:17 Transparency and Benevolent Intentions 12:45 Understanding Adolescent Motivation: Status and Respect 17:42 The Role of Testosterone in Adolescent Development 20:47 Respectful Communication: The Vegemite Experiment 24:15 Testosterone and Behavior 25:50 Parenting Challenges and Mentor Mindset 27:04 The Science of Nagging 29:25 Effective Communication with Teens 32:45 Collaborative Troubleshooting 34:41 Balancing Screen Time and Life Goals 36:53 The Enforcer vs. Mentor Mindset 41:30 Concluding Thoughts and Resources  

Luxury can be expensive, but it can also be subtle, practical, or deeply personal. Sometimes it's about choice, sometimes restraint, sometimes the way a space or product simply works better for you. Through thoughtful discussion, the episode examines how luxury shows up in appliances and design—through performance, comfort, longevity, and everyday ease—and why it resonates differently for everyone over time This nuanced conversation explores the evolving meaning of luxury through multiple industry perspectives, featuring Devoree Axelrod, General Manager at AJ Madison, alongside industry expert Jill Cohen, Editor-in-Chief, Luxe Interiors + Design. KBIS Podcast Studio Resources: KBIS AJ Madison NKBA LUXE Interiors + Design SubZero, Wolf & Cove SKS | Signature Kitchen Suite Hearth & Home Technologies Kitchen365 Green Forrest Cabinetry Midea Luxury Isn't a Price Point. It's a Performance Standard. At the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2026, leaders from AJ Madison and Luxe Interiors + Design reframing luxury as durability, intentionality, and the ability of design to support how people actually live. The word “luxury” has become one of the most overused—and least defined—terms in the design industry. At KBIS 2026, a live conversation featuring Devoree Axelrod, General Manager of AJ Madison, and Jill Cohen, Editor in Chief of Luxe Interiors + Design, set out to recalibrate its meaning. What emerged was less about price and more about performance, longevity, and intent. For decades, luxury was shorthand for premium brands, higher costs, and visual distinction. Today, that definition is insufficient. The modern homeowner isn't simply buying a product; they're investing in how their home supports their routines, relationships, and future. Luxury, in this context, becomes the elimination of friction. It's the appliance that performs reliably every day. It's the kitchen designed around how a family actually cooks and gathers. It's the confidence that decisions made today will still make sense twenty years from now. Cohen shared findings from Luxe's upcoming national survey of 1,000 leading architects, designers, and builders, confirming that the kitchen remains the single most important area of homeowner investment. More significantly, appliances are often the first and most consequential decisions made in the design process. They establish the spatial, technical, and functional framework around which everything else follows. Axelrod reinforced this from her vantage point inside one of the country's largest appliance retailers. Appliance selection determines infrastructure—electrical loads, ventilation, plumbing, and spatial relationships—making it foundational rather than decorative. When clients prioritize performance and usability first, the rest of the design aligns more effectively, both functionally and financially. The conversation also addressed the persistent myth of the fixed budget. In reality, budgets are fluid, shaped as much by emotion as by arithmetic. Homeowners may begin with a number in mind, but that number evolves as priorities clarify. The role of the designer and appliance advisor becomes essential: helping clients distinguish between what serves their lives and what merely satisfies aspiration. This shift is evident in how kitchens are expanding beyond their traditional boundaries. Secondary prep kitchens, beverage stations, outdoor kitchens, coffee bars, and integrated refrigeration throughout the home reflect a broader redefinition of convenience. These are not excesses for their own sake; they are extensions of daily life, driven by multigenerational living, remote work, and a deeper integration between hospitality and residential design. Perhaps most telling was the reframing of luxury itself. Neither Axelrod nor Cohen defined it by brand name. Instead, luxury was described as ease, time, and permanence. It is waking up and having what you need within reach. It is durability that eliminates the need for replacement. It is thoughtful planning that prevents regret. In this light, luxury is not what something costs. It is what something enables. And increasingly, what it enables is a home that works—quietly, reliably, and seamlessly—in service of the people who live there. Luxury is the measurable outcome of thoughtful design—where performance, longevity, and relevance align to support the way people actually live. Luxury is the removal of friction from daily life. Luxury is durability aligned with intent. Luxury is design that continues to perform long after the purchase is forgotten. Luxury is confidence—in function, longevity, and fit. Luxury is not what you spend. It's what you never have to rethink. The Kitchen as the Primary Investment The kitchen remains the #1 homeowner investment nationwide. Homeowners are willing to exceed budget in the kitchen more than any other space. The kitchen is the most public and social room in the home. It represents identity: “I'm a cook,” “I entertain,” “I host.” Food equals memory; appliances enable those memories. Appliance-First Design Strategy Appliances determine electrical, ventilation, plumbing, and layout requirements. Major appliance decisions must precede cabinetry and finish selections. Early appliance specification prevents costly redesigns. Designers increasingly plan around cooking infrastructure first. Professional appliance advisors play a key role in product education and innovation updates. Budget Realities & Psychology Budgets are rarely fixed; they are often unstated or misunderstood. Clients frequently establish budgets before fully understanding what they want. Designers must define the intersection of “want” and “need.” Stretching budget in the kitchen feels justified because it is essential. Strategic trade-offs are common (invest in cooking, scale back secondary items). Transparency and cost clarity are critical in today's climate. Surprises—especially tariff or pricing shocks—undermine trust. Professional designers protect clients from unrealistic expectations and long-term regret. The Expanding Kitchen Ecosystem Kitchens are no longer singular spaces—they expand throughout the home. Secondary kitchens (sculleries, prep kitchens, butler's pantries) are rising. Beverage centers, bars, and wine storage are increasingly common. Coffee stations and en-suite kitchenettes are viewed as lifestyle enhancements. Outdoor kitchens are now expected in many markets. Refrigeration appears in bathrooms (skincare), offices, and guest suites. Multigenerational living drives multi-kitchen design. Post-COVID entertaining shifted bar culture into the home. Lifestyle-Driven Design Trends Hospitality influences residential expectations. Convenience and personalization outweigh pure status signaling. Aging in place is shaping appliance planning (drawer refrigeration, wall ovens). Durability is increasingly valued over trend-based aesthetics. Remote work drives integrated kitchenettes and beverage access in home offices. Multiple laundry setups reflect modern household logistics. Status vs. Practicality Status still influences resale-driven decisions in some cases. However, emotional connection tends to be with category (cooking, entertaining) rather than brand alone. Longevity and service reliability often justify premium selections. Magazine-driven or editorial glamour exists—but practical function ultimately wins. Role of the Professional Designer Designers provide budget discipline and scope management. They help clients make decisions faster, reducing cost creep. They balance aspiration with feasibility. Professional oversight protects long-term value. Design is positioned not as a privilege, but as a necessity. Market & Cultural Influences COVID permanently shifted how homes are used. Entertaining moved inward; bar and pizza oven sales spiked. Multigenerational living increased spatial complexity. Social media informs but can distort expectations. Consumers increasingly research via reviews and digital channels. Clients are more cautious amid economic and tariff uncertainty. Guiding Principle “Proper planning prevents poor performance.” Early, honest, and intentional planning reduces regret. Design is both a desire business and a service industry. The goal is not excess—it is alignment between space and life.

Join our Email List: https://eternaldurdles.kit.com/b3d4a4dc9bWizards of the Coast has changed how tournament results are published — and it's a bigger deal than it sounds.By limiting public decklists to Top 8 results in many events, WotC has significantly reduced the amount of competitive data available to players. No more full Top 16 or Top 32 breakdowns for smaller events. Less information. Less transparency.But what does that actually mean for competitive Magic?In this episode, Zac and Cyrus break down:• Why limiting data won't stop “netdecking”• How reduced information can homogenize formats• The impact on Legacy, Vintage, and Eternal formats• Whether this helps or hurts innovation• What this says about Wizards' current design philosophyCompetitive formats thrive on information. When you restrict the data, you change how players adapt, brew, and prepare. The question is: does this make formats healthier… or just more opaque?Let us know in the comments:Does less data create more creativity — or just more confusion?If you enjoy deep dives into Legacy, Vintage, and Eternal format trends, subscribe and check out our Patreon for extended analysis.

Veteran Italian officer Andrea Boggiatto, who now serves in Colorado pulls back the curtain on how culture, tools, and law shape policing on both sides of the Atlantic. From 400‑person academy classes and national public order units to mid-sized U.S. agencies built on names and faces, he walks us through the structural DNA that drives training, tactics, and trust.We get specific about the moments that decide outcomes: radio traffic under stress, the tempo of dialogue, and the rungs between words and force. In Italy, many officers carry a baton and a sidearm but lack tasers, OC spray, and even consistent access to ballistic vests. That narrowed toolkit pushes decisions toward sharper edges. Contrast that with American emphasis on layered force options and “act like you've been there” comms—habits that slow the clock when seconds matter. He admits he had to rewire instinct, shifting from “one, two, ten” to a steadier climb where patience is a trained skill, not just a personality trait.The legal terrain might be the starkest divide. He unpacks a Milan shooting involving a realistic replica and the intense scrutiny that followed, then lays out why Italian civilians face steep barriers to gun ownership and self-defense. Even victims who protect their families can be pulled into years of litigation. It's a sobering counterpoint to the U.S. “home as castle” mindset and a reminder that legitimacy rests as much on courts as on streets. Through it all runs a simple idea: the badge is an amplifier. Good character, sound training, and clear policy make better outcomes; weak links get louder, faster.If you care about practical reform—recruiting for temperament, building scenario-based judgment, tightening radio discipline, and giving officers lawful, effective options between baton and bullet—this conversation offers grounded, field-tested insight. Listen, share with a friend who has strong opinions about European vs. American policing, and leave a review with the one change you'd export across the Atlantic.send us a message! twocopsonedonut@yahoo.comPeregrine.io: Turn your worst detectives into Sherlock Holmes, head to Peregrine.io tell them Two Cops One Donut sent you or direct message me and I'll get you directly connected and skip the salesmen.Support the showPlease see our Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TwoCopsOneDonut Join our Discord!! https://discord.gg/BdjeTEAc *Send us a message! twocopsonedonut@yahoo.com

Join Uri Lee — intuitive channel, certified hypnotherapist, ceremonialist, and creator of Vortex Breathwork™ — as she shares how multi‑dimensional healing, past life regression, and subconscious reprogramming affect your experience of the world, your reactions to current events, and your ability to create the life and timeline you want. Uri delves into how frequency, ancestral connection, and inner emotional energy shape our reality, why focusing too much on external chaos drains your power, and how exploring your past lives and inner world can help you release fear, guilt, and old conditioning to expand consciousness and personal empowerment.

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner examine the shifting reporting metrics at AT&T and T-Mobile, and why these optics don't alter the underlying fundamentals. 00:00 Episode intro 00:24 AT&T's improved disclosures 02:00 The analytics are still on target 03:10 T-Mobile shifts to account-level churn reporting 06:13 Transparency in the wireless industry 07:40 T-Mobile's free line issue 08:57 Listener shout-outs and appreciation 09:21 Episode wrap-upTags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, disclosures, AT&T, T-Mobile, churn, Verizon, ARPU, free lines, Q4, Q1

We're continuing our visit with Kim Rogers, a woman on a quest  to faithfully serve God. She talks about a ministry that she felt led to start called Transparency- “Walk Worthy.” She's a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary.

This video explores subconscious programming, belief systems, and energetic healing—focusing on how deeply rooted patterns shape emotions, health, relationships, and life outcomes. Through sacred geometry, energetic activations, and consciousness-based tools, this session invites you to release outdated programs, reconnect with inner balance, and step into a more peaceful, empowered way of living aligned with love, joy, and personal transformation.

This video explores subconscious programming, belief systems, and energetic healing—focusing on how deeply rooted patterns shape emotions, health, relationships, and life outcomes. Through sacred geometry, energetic activations, and consciousness-based tools, this session invites you to release outdated programs, reconnect with inner balance, and step into a more peaceful, empowered way of living aligned with love, joy, and personal transformation.

Feb 20, 2026: AI is already deciding who gets hired, promoted, and fired — and there are almost no rules governing how it does any of that. In this episode, I'm building those rules. I call them the Five Laws of AI in the Workplace, constructed in the spirit of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics — rigorous enough to pressure-test, honest enough to admit where they fall short. We cover the Law of Transparency — why 30 million job applicants in 2024 were evaluated by algorithms they never knew existed. The Law of Human Primacy — why a human rubber-stamping an AI decision isn't the same as a human making one. The Law of Honest Attribution — why AI washing is one of the most underreported forms of corporate dishonesty happening right now. The Law of True Cost Accounting — why the real costs of workforce cuts don't disappear, they just move to taxpayers and communities. And the Law of Reversibility — the full Klarna story, and why 31% of companies that made AI-driven layoffs ended up worse off than if they'd never done it.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdf

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdf

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdf

The State is coming for your life, your wallet, and your reputation. Today on Wake Up America, Austin Petersen breaks down the horrifying reality of Canada's "Medical Assistance in Dying" (MAID) program. We're going deep on the case of Kiano Vafaeian, a 26-year-old blind man with type 1 diabetes whose "seasonal depression" was treated with a lethal injection rather than a winter coat and a light box.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway examines the controversy surrounding AI-generated romance novels after a New York Times report revealed one author producing hundreds of titles and earning six figures. He also looks at AI's growing presence in cultural institutions, new legal pressure from UK publishers, and data suggesting piracy remains a major threat to the book market. Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

Send a textCarnival 2026 sparked big conversations — and Omari Ashby is not holding back.In this powerful and deeply cultural breakdown, Omari Ashby joins us to unpack the moments that defined the season: the Calypso Monarch controversy, the Helon broadcast incident, Road March debates, commentary competence, Panorama pride, and the evolving spirit of Juve and mas.We discuss:• The semifinal and final judging questions• Transparency, censorship, and protecting the art form• Why Terry's Monarch performance was untouchable• Voice vs. Machel — and what Road March really represents• The commercialization of mas and rising fete prices• The importance of steelpan and youth continuity• Juve energy, generational shifts, and “phone vs. frenzy”• Why Carnival is bigger than politics — and always rights itselfOmari brings history, honesty, and perspective — reminding us that Carnival isn't just wine and bacchanal. It's rebellion. It's identity. It's legacy.If you care about culture, this conversation matters.Click the link in my bio for the full episode.#coriesheppardpodcast #OmariAshby #Carnival2025 #Calypso #RoadMarch #Panorama #TrinidadCarnival

Laura Eisenhower exposes hidden agendas behind stargates, Mars colonies, and false timelines. Breakaway civilizations, DNA suppression, and soul hijacking are real—and your body holds the key to ascension. It's time to awaken and reclaim your sovereignty. 03:48 Breakaway Civilizations & Secret Space Programs 08:12 Earth Grid Hijack & Soul Entrapment 13:00 Mars Colonies and the Fall of the Feminine 17:45 Frequency Wars & Targeted Individuals 23:20 Luciferian Cults & Timeline Manipulation 28:33 DNA Activation & Divine Blueprint 34:16 Natural Stargates vs Artificial Portals 39:30 Awakening Humanity's Power 44:10 Final Words on Sovereignty You Asked, We Listened – Special Webinar with Laura Eisenhower: Register Now

In this episode of the New Jersey Business Podcast, Paul and Vanessa sit down with Eric Samson, founder of Group8A, to pull back the curtain on how marketing agencies really operate. Hiring an ad agency can either accelerate your growth or quietly drain your budget. Most business owners don't realize how agencies get paid, where misalignment begins, or how incentives can impact performance. In this conversation, Eric breaks down what every business owner needs to understand before signing a contract. Having been on the client side himself and experienced agency misalignment firsthand, Eric built his agency differently. Today, he shares the insights most entrepreneurs wish they had before spending on ads.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Non-monogamy isn't just more love. It's more feelings, more conversations, and sometimes… a lot more processing.In this episode, I'm sitting down with Candace Sogren, lawyer, former CEO, emotional intelligence facilitator, mom, and author of Poly Agony. She's been ethically non-monogamous for over 20 years, raising a child in community, building non-traditional family structures, and living this life fully out loud.And we're not talking about the cute, Instagram version of polyamory.We're talking about the mistakes. The broken agreements. The repair conversations. The parenting realities. And what it actually takes to make this sustainable.We get into:→ The most common mistakes couples make when opening→ Why repair matters more than perfection→ Raising kids in open relationships without shame→ Transparency vs. disclosure (especially with children)→ Introducing partners in healthy, grounded ways→ The emotional labor of loving more than one personCandace also shares a powerful story about advocating for non-traditional families after being denied custody of children because of her polyamorous identity.This episode is for you if you're opening a relationship, parenting while poly, or just trying to build something that actually fits your heart.Send a textFLOW Nitric Oxide BoosterFLOW brings blood where you want it to go — your brain, your heart, and your pleasure zones. Try your first bottle of FLOW FREE — just pay shipping. Experience the results yourself and cancel anytime. We're confident FLOW will reignite your spark! Support the show

207. Invisible Divides in the Workplace (with Ivonne Furneaux)   In this episode of The Visibility Factor podcast, Susan's guest is Ivonne Furneaux. She is a keynote speaker, workplace strategist and founder of emPower Up Consulting, where she helps organizations lead through change and close the invisible gaps that undermine trust, engagement and performance. With more than 20 years of experience inside complex, global organizations—including Target, UnitedHealth Group, WeightWatchers, OfficeMax and Anywhere Real Estate—Ivonne has led enterprise communications, employee experience, culture, change and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion during periods of transformation, uncertainty and growth. Grounded in both lived experience and formal training, Ivonne brings a human-centered approach to culture and communication. Using her proprietary “Ghost Gaps” concept and 4I Framework, she equips leaders and employees alike with actionable strategies to build more connected, engaged workplaces and careers. Ivonne Furneaux has a diverse background in corporate communications and DEI. The concept of 'ghost gaps' highlights invisible divides in the workplace. Workplace identity significantly impacts employee engagement and experience. Visibility in the workplace is crucial for connection and engagement. Organizational culture is shaped by the actions of all employees, not just leadership. The 4I framework can help organizations address ghost gaps effectively. Earning buy-in for change requires appealing to both hearts and minds. Sponsorship is more impactful than mentorship for career advancement. Transparency in communication builds trust within organizations. Investing in employees at all levels fosters loyalty and engagement. The book that Ivonne recommends is Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven Article that Ivonne wrote: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/invisible-workplace-divides-sabotaging-employee-ivonne-furneaux-qhkhc Follow Ivonne on social media: Website: https://ivonnefurneaux.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivonnefurneaux/ YouTube: @IvonneFurneaux  Instagram: @ivonneinreallife Link to Order Your Journey to Visibility Workbook Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast!    Check out my website to order my book and view the  videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book and Your Journey to Visibility Workbook. As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com. You can also find me on social media everywhere –Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!          If you liked The Visibility Factor Podcast, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!       

Buck Sexton sits down with Lydia Moynihan of the New York Post for a wide-ranging conversation on the biggest stories dominating headlines. They break down the latest Epstein file fallout, media overreach, and the frenzy surrounding the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case, questioning why wall-to-wall coverage continues despite few new developments. Buck and Lydia also dive into the SAVE Act, election integrity and the broader debate over transparency, accountability, and political narratives. Never miss a moment from Buck by subscribing to the Buck Sexton Show Podcast on IHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts! Connect with Buck Sexton:Facebook – / bucksexton X – @bucksexton Instagram – @bucksexton TikTok - @BuckSexton YouTube - @BuckSexton Website – https://www.bucksexton.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! In this episode, Bruce Mayhew, corporate trainer, keynote speaker, executive coach, and author, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, communication skills, and trust building for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. You'll learn why traditional command-and-control leadership no longer works in today's plants — and how curiosity-driven leadership, authentic communication, and continuous improvement help manufacturing leaders close the skills gap, strengthen employee engagement, and drive real team performance. Bruce breaks down how everyday leadership behaviors directly impact culture, safety, accountability, and results — especially as manufacturing organizations face labor shortages, workforce challenges, and generational shifts on the shop floor. This conversation connects soft skills with operational excellence, showing leaders how to move from reaction to intention, from blame to curiosity, and from siloed management to connected leadership. 01:30 – As generational shifts place millennials in leadership roles, it can create tension between siloed leadership and collaborative, flatter manufacturing cultures. 03:49–Purpose and meaning drive effective leadership, stronger relationships, and healthier workplace culture. 06:12–Disconnects between executives and the shop floor weaken teamwork and long-term manufacturing performance. 07:19–Self-awareness and emotional intelligence enable leaders to adapt communication styles across manufacturing teams. 08:58–Respect on the shop floor comes from meeting people where they are, not talking down to them. 09:44–High performance in manufacturing is unlocked through meaningful conversations rather than top-down directives. 16:27–Transparency grows when leaders listen first and elevate frontline voices. 18:33-  Shared pride in quality and reputation strengthens team identity and manufacturing excellence. 20:15–Curiosity-driven leadership replaces blame-focused problem solving with appreciative inquiry. 23:31–Positive exploration increases engagement by empowering teams instead of punishing them. 25:09 - Accountability works best when leaders replace interrogation with curiosity-based performance conversations. Connect with Bruce Mayhew Visit his website Find him on LinkedIn Following him on Instagram @bruce.mayhew

SummaryIn this episode of The Straight Shift, The Car Chick® discusses the intricacies of car leasing, particularly focusing on what to do at the end of a lease. She shares a real-life example of helping a client navigate lease end options, emphasizing the importance of understanding positive equity and the often-misleading information from leasing companies. The conversation covers the impact of market dynamics on leasing, the importance of transparency when dealing with dealerships, and practical steps for maximizing equity at lease end. The episode aims to empower listeners with knowledge to make informed decisions about their leased vehicles.TakeawaysLeasing companies do not disclose positive equity options.Market value can exceed the residual value, creating equity.Pandemic changes have altered how leases are handled.Transparency with dealers can lead to better offers.Documenting your car's condition is crucial for negotiations.Researching market value helps in understanding equity.Bidding wars among dealers can maximize your return.Resources CarBuyingCourse.comTheCarChick.comYou can view a full list of resources and episode transcripts here. Connect with LeeAnn: Website Instagram Facebook YouTube Work with LeeAnn: Course: The No BS Guide to Buying a Car Car Buying Service Copyright ©2024 Women's Automotive Solutions Inc., dba The Car Chick. All rights reserved.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

The affidavit submitted by attorney Bradley J. Edwards in the Southern District of Florida lays out a detailed argument for why the U.S. government should be compelled to produce documents related to the federal handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Edwards, representing Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2, explains that the requested records are essential to proving that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) by secretly negotiating and finalizing Epstein's 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement without notifying the victims. He asserts that internal DOJ communications, emails, memoranda, and investigative records would show what prosecutors knew, when they knew it, and how deliberate their decision was to exclude victims from the process despite clear statutory obligations.Edwards further argues that the government's resistance to producing these materials undermines transparency and prevents the court from fully evaluating the extent of the misconduct. He emphasizes that the victims cannot meaningfully litigate their CVRA claims without access to evidence exclusively in the government's possession, particularly records documenting decision-making within the U.S. Attorney's Office and DOJ headquarters. The affidavit frames the document production not as a fishing expedition, but as a narrowly tailored request necessary to expose how Epstein was granted extraordinary leniency, how victims were intentionally misled, and how federal officials acted with impunity while shielding both Epstein and themselves from accountability.to contact me:bobbycacpucci@protonmail.comsource:gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.265.1_1.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

“There is a special level of comfort and communication that happens between educators of color and students of color, and I have been privileged to experience that in every single space of my career.” Ms. Tymia MorganELA / IB Teacher, Teacher Mentor“I'm proud of the way that I've been able to show up and be authentic and genuine in front of my students.”Tymia Morgan brings 20 years of lived experience to the classroom as an IB English teacher, department lead, and mentor in Kansas City, Missouri. Raised in a family of educators (#shoutout to her mom's 42-year career in education), Tymia's path was shaped by strong Black teachers and a deep belief in representation. She shares how Black educators create spaces of trust, cultural understanding, and guidance that extend far beyond academics, helping students feel seen, safe, and capable.“I really am excited for the community to really own education again, to make it more than just a school thing, to make it a home thing, to make it a church thing, to make it a community center thing.”During our conversation, Tymia reflects on the realities of burnout, protecting one's peace, and navigating systems that don't always value Black women's labor. She offers powerful stories of student joy, honest insights on mentoring with respect and transparency, and a vision for education rooted in community. Grounded in love, authenticity, and care, Tymia's legacy is a reminder that showing up fully, with heart and honesty, is transformative for students and educators alike.

Truth Be Told with Booker Scott – Political spectacle drowns out the hard work of governing as leaders trade answers for performances. Transparency fades, victims are sidelined, and economic realities are reduced to campaign slogans. From immigration and education to alliances abroad, competence is tested daily. Accountability, evidence, and civic responsibility must replace theater before trust erodes further...

In this episode, we break down the growing controversy after lawmakers pushed to release names from the Epstein documents, sparking backlash and raising concerns about innocent people being caught in the crossfire. The debate over transparency, accountability, and political grandstanding is heating up as reactions pour in from both sides.Meanwhile, the political drama doesn't stop there. Marco Rubio delivers a strong message to global allies and the media, while Democrats struggle to find their footing ahead of the midterms. AOC faces tough questions on national security and economic policy, leading to viral moments critics are calling a “word salad.”We also cover:- MTG, Massie, and the Epstein fight inside Congress- Media and social media reactions- Climate politics and foreign policy clashes- Newsom, Whitmer, and the Democratic rebrand strategy- Growing tensions inside conservative media circles- The latest Candace Owens controversySUPPORT OUR SPONSORS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW!Get smarter heart and joint support this February at https://www.Healthycell.com/CHICKS with code CHICKS20—no pile of pills needed.Get delicious Masa Chips at https://MasaChips.com/CHICKS. Use code CHICKS for 25% off first order—or grab Masa at Sprouts nationwide!Start the new year right with a skincare upgrade from Bon Charge. Visit https://BonCharge.com/Chicks and use code CHICKS for 15% off sitewide. Fast-track healthy eating with Marley Spoon—45% OFF + free shipping at https://MarleySpoon.com/offer/Chicks Schedule your FREE risk review from Bulwark Capital at https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comSubscribe and stay tuned for new episodes every weekday!Follow us here for more daily clips, updates, and commentary:YoutubeFacebookInstagramTikTokXLocalsMore InfoWebsite