Podcasts about Venn

In this episode, I speak with Chris Carrano, Vice President of Strategic Research at Venn by Two Sigma.Chris has had a rare vantage point in the world of factors — spanning smart beta, long/short hedge funds, and risk modeling — and that experience has shaped a thoughtful view of what factors really are and how they can be practically used.We dive into the philosophy and design behind Venn: why it uses just 18 orthogonalized factors, how it blends Lasso and OLS to reduce overfitting, and why it prioritizes interpretability over complexity.We also tackle messy real-world challenges: how to analyze private markets with sparse data, how to trust synthetic return streams, and where to draw the line when using monthly snapshots that embed structural portfolio shifts.Finally, we explore what it means to make factor results actionable—whether through stress testing, residual interpretation, or portfolio diagnostics.Please enjoy my conversation with Chris Carrano.

Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, co-founder of Fatty15 (code:BIOHACKINGBRITTANY) and a leading researcher in nutrition, returns to unpack the groundbreaking science on C:15—an essential fatty acid your pediatrician probably hasn't told you about.  We explore how C:15 impacts everything from your baby's brain development to your own mental clarity while breastfeeding. We break down the hidden deficiency affecting modern moms, why most baby formulas are missing this crucial nutrient, and how to safely supplement for toddlers and postpartum recovery.  If you're breastfeeding, weaning, or just want smarter tools for your baby's growth and future brain health—this episode is for you. WE TALK ABOUT:  08:00 - What's new in C:15 research and why it matters for infants 12:40 - C:15 in breast milk vs. formula: Growth and cognition 15:20 - Extended breastfeeding and how to protect your brain from depletion 19:00 - How to check if your child's supplements are safe and actually contain what they say 20:30 - Where C:15 comes from and why vegan-friendly options now exist 24:40 - The wild worm study proving C:15 jumpstarts neural development 28:10 - C:15 for behavioral or cognitive issues in children 35:10 - C:15 deficiency, early-onset diseases, and why Gen Z is at risk 42:10 - C:15 milk showdown: Goat, cow, or buffalo 47:30 - The plant milks pediatricians push and why they're nutritionally empty 51:15 - Whole food vs. fortified: Adding C:15 to your diet 54:50 - What's next for C:15 and baby nutrition SPONSORS: CaloCurb (get 10% OFF using my link) is my go-to, 100% plant-based alternative to Ozempic—helping you feel full sooner, snack less, and finally trust your body again without needles, drugs, or yo-yo diets. Join me in Costa Rica for Optimize Her, a 5-night luxury women's retreat in Costa Rica with yoga, healing rituals, and biohacking workshops—only 12 spots available. RESOURCES: Trying to conceive? Join my Baby Steps Course to optimize your fertility with biohacking. Free gift: Download my hormone-balancing, fertility-boosting chocolate recipe. Explore my luxury retreats and wellness events for women. Shop my faves: Check out my Amazon storefront for wellness essentials. Fatty15 website (code:BIOHACKINGBRITTANY) and Instagram LET'S CONNECT: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Shop my favorite health products Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music

Von Juli bis September 2025 gibt es jede zweite Woche eine Ausgabe Sommer-Highlights in unserem beliebten „Mein Lieblingssong“-Espresso-Format. Höre in dieser Bonus-Folge die Höhepunkte aus diesen Folgen:Julia Pauly mit Mayonaise von den Smashing Pumpkins Michael Behrendt mit When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty von XTCDr. Albert Kitzler mit Buleria von Niño RicardoHubert vom Venn mit Wasn't born to follow von The ByrdsHolger Lersch mit Guildo hat euch lieb von Guildo HornHöre deinen Lieblings-Podcast und deine Lieblingsmusik doch einfach auf einem sonoro Musiksystem.Das sonoro MEISTERSTÜCK und viele andere Produkte aus der sonoro Klangschmiede findet ihr hier: sonoro.comHinterlasse gerne eine Bewertung und abonniere unseren Podcast bei deinem Streamingportal der Wahl und verpasse keine Folge. Und wenn du alle Neuigkeiten zum Podcast „Mein Lieblingssong“ mitbekommen möchtest, dann melde dich hier für unseren wöchentlichen Newsletter an: Kostenloser NewsletterHier findest du uns auf Facebook oder Instagram.Geschichten aus den 70ern: Mein Lieblingssong - Album 1 als Hörbuchversion.Gibt es überall, wo es gute Hörbücher gibt.Geschichten aus den 80ern: Mein Lieblingssong - Album 2 als Hörbuchversion.Gibt es überall, wo es gute Hörbücher gibt.Habt ihr Lust auf eine „Mein Lieblingssong“-Tasse oder T-Shirt? Dann schaut mal in unserem Shop vorbei: Hier klicken!Mehr über die beiden Hosts Falk & Ryll sowie alle Podcastfolgen findest Du auf www.meinlieblingssong.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the FINAL nerdstalgia episode of the summer, and it's right in the middle of hot, sticky, sweaty band camp all over the country! Nerd out about Marching Band and 3D printing with your nerd best friends and a former student who became part of the NBF family. The next episode you will hear from your nerd best friends is SEASON 5! Follow and subscribe now to be first in line kicking off new episodes every week. --------------------------The place where Analese and Rob met, where the Venn diagram of all our guests mostly collide, and the place where the special guest was introduced to the podcast hosts circa 2003. Adam Kuns joins the Nerds to talk about the nerdiest of nerdy nerdom, MARCHING BAND.Also in this episode: 3d printing, fantasy football, rooftop theatre, board game organizingBonus content is on Patreon.com/NerdBestFriends.Original Airdate: November 8, 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s podcast, Barry Dolan rocks up with more than an hour’s worth of brand new music from the louder areas of [edit] radio’s Venn diagram. Artist “Track” [Album] [edit] radio podcast 786 – Right Click and Save As to Download The post Podcast 786 | Featuring street grease, Shiner & The Gorge appeared first on .

It's Life in the Fast Lane Time, and we're kicking things off with Tokyo Drift Minute 20 and a newfound respect for Twinkie. After talking about the wares he has for sale, Joe takes a Hostess snack cake quiz. We then check in on Vin Diesel's Instagram and find that he has cooled (way) off since our last check-in. Are we going to be in Sung Kang's next movie? Maybe! (Probably not.) We review the F9 goofs, where quality control is becoming an issue (but no one seems to care about 1989 vs. 1999 like we do). We talk (briefly, spoiler-free) about Zach Cregger's new film Weapons, try to break down the casting Venn diagram of the new dating show "Are You My First?", and talk about the new seasons of Hard Knocks and Quarterback. Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠family@cageclub.me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Michael McGahon, Lane Middleton, Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Christian Larson, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol's Most Wanted” level or above!Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

A veteran was fined $28,000 for stepping into the woods during Nova Scotia's strict wildfire ban. Will states like Oregon or California implement similar restrictions as they face increasing wildfires – and how much pressure are they willing to use to get citizens to comply? Jeff Evely, a retired Master Warrant Officer with 20 years of service, recorded himself breaking the “Stay Out of the Woods” order in Coxheath, Nova Scotia, in protest of the restrictive ban on all hiking and camping until October 15. The video went viral as another example of Canadian government overreach. David Freiheit, known as Viva Frei, is a legal commentator and host of Viva Frei on Rumble, Locals, and YouTube. He co-hosts Viva & Barnes Live on VivaBarnes.Locals.com, discussing legal and political issues. Follow at https://x.com/thevivafrei⠀Jeff Evely is a retired Canadian Armed Forces veteran, serving from 2001 to 2021. He deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, worked with NORAD, and coached boxing and cheerleading. He ran for the People's Party of Canada in 2025. Follow at https://x.com/JeffEvely⠀Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, DVM, MPH, is a veterinary epidemiologist and co-founder of Seraphina Therapeutics. She discovered C15:0 deficiency solutions, improving health in dolphins and humans. Her supplement, fatty15, is Inc. 5000's top-growing. Learn more at https://drdrew.com/fatty15 「 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 」 Find out more about the brands that make this show possible and get special discounts on Dr. Drew's favorite products at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• FATTY15 – The future of essential fatty acids is here! Strengthen your cells against age-related breakdown with Fatty15. Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit Subscription at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/fatty15⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • PALEOVALLEY - "Paleovalley has a wide variety of extraordinary products that are both healthful and delicious,” says Dr. Drew. "I am a huge fan of this brand and know you'll love it too!” Get 15% off your first order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/paleovalley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • VSHREDMD – Formulated by Dr. Drew: The Science of Cellular Health + World-Class Training Programs, Premium Content, and 1-1 Training with Certified V Shred Coaches! More at https://drdrew.com/vshredmd • THE WELLNESS COMPANY - Counteract harmful spike proteins with TWC's Signature Series Spike Support Formula containing nattokinase and selenium. Learn more about TWC's supplements at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twc.health/drew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 「 MEDICAL NOTE 」 Portions of this program may examine countervailing views on important medical issues. Always consult your physician before making any decisions about your health. 「 ABOUT THE SHOW 」 Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kalebnation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Susan Pinsky (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/firstladyoflov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠e⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Blocked and Reported, Katie is joined by Brad Polumbo to discuss Chris Rufo's campaign against New Yorker critic Doreen St. Felix over offensive tweets. Plus, conservative snowflakes and the Venn diagram of maskers and queers. Brad vs EveryoneWhy are so many of the young people I still see wearing masks queer? : r/NoStupidQuestionshttps://x.com/Acyn/status/1956137743727387112https://x.com/KaivanShroff/status/1953586970598240441The Banal Provocation of Sydney Sweeney's Jeans | The New Yorker To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

My new book, Altruismo racional, is now on presale. It is my attempt at presenting a compelling case for a particular strand of "classical EA"[1]: one that emphasizes caring deeply about global health and poverty, a rational approach to giving, the importance of cost-effectiveness, and the

Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson is back on the show, and this time, we're going deep into the science of longevity. In this episode, we unpack the groundbreaking research behind C15:0, the first essential fatty acid discovered in over 90 years, and how it's shifting everything we thought we knew about saturated fats, aging, and living longer well. We also talk about the launch of her new book, The Longevity Nutrient, and why this unassuming molecule might be the key to unlocking healthier aging, better mitochondrial function, deeper sleep, appetite regulation, and even improved dopamine levels. We break down: What C15 is (and why it matters) The difference between lifespan and health span Longevity molecules like rapamycin, metformin, and why C15 may outperform both The longevity regulating pathway and what it means for your future The real story behind saturated fats and how cellular fragility may be the result of decades of dietary misinformation Why you might feel calmer, more satiated, and more energized within weeks of taking C15 If you're a biohacker, wellness lover, or just someone who wants to live better for longer—this episode is a must-listen. Dr. Steph's new book, The Longevity Nutrient Dr. Steph's first episode on EMBody Radio Use code EMILY for a discount on your first order of Fatty15 LMNT is LMNT is a DELICIOUS, science-based electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don't. No sugar. No coloring. No artificial ingredients. No gluten. No fillers. No BS. Head to drinklmnt.com/emdunc to get a FREE variety pack with your purchase! Fitness, health, and holistic wellness for $22/month Interested in a luxury 1:1 online health coaching experience? Look no further than FENIX ATHLETICA, where we fuse science and soul for life-long transformation (inside AND out). For the high-achieving hot girls that want to recover better, support glowier skin, and promote longevity through better cellular health, get 20% off your first order of Mitopure and make wellness easier than ever. Follow me on Instagram Follow EMBody Radio on Instagram  

Zach Hanson was thriving in the world of AI and big tech...until the layoffs came. Two mortgages, a family to support, and no job in sight, he did what few with a white-collar background ever dare: he turned to trapping to survive. In this raw and timely conversation, Zach reveals how losing the comfort of corporate life reconnected him to skills that most of society has forgotten, skills that may be our only hedge in an uncertain future.Travis and Zach explore what it means to be truly self-reliant in a world increasingly propped up by fragile systems. From welding school to wolf trapping, from modern brain rot to the mental health cost of career fragility, this is a conversation about grit, identity, and rediscovering the value of getting your hands dirty. Zach's new book, The Trade Gap, might just be the blueprint for how to stay human in an AI-powered world.Order Here: https://geni.us/the-trade-gaphttps://thetradegap.com/https://www.instagram.com/letmedielearning/______Silvercore Club - https://bit.ly/2RiREb4 Online Training - https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U Other Training & Services - https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU Merchandise - https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9 Blog Page - https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.travSilvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors____Timestamps of Key Moments:00:01:42 – The nostalgic charm of Merits Café and small-town hospitality00:04:50 – Fishing in Idaho and the surprising joy of tenkara rods00:08:00 – Life in Atlanta, Idaho and Travis' transformative trip to the Hansons' cabin00:09:55 – From white collar to off-grid: Zach's journey into trapping and trades00:10:45 – Laid off and out of options: how trapping paid the mortgage00:14:10 – Welding school, starting from zero, and why it matters00:15:30 – How America abandoned trades and built a fragile workforce00:18:45 – The great shift in education: STEM vs. self-reliance00:22:15 – Redefining general education and the modern renaissance person00:26:50 – The Venn diagram of AI and trades: where the winners will be00:30:05 – Brain rot, social media, and the cost of convenience00:34:45 – Travis' AI blunder with GSP and the perils of outsourcing sincerity00:39:00 – Should we disclose when AI helps us? Ethical lines in creativity00:44:20 – The power draw of AI and the trades crisis nobody's ready for00:47:05 – Oklahoma's model for reviving trades in high school00:52:25 – TVM vs. TVE: Why building it yourself will always matter more01:00:55 – What do you really do? Redefining identity outside of job titles01:04:00 – What success looks like when you stop chasing titles01:10:30 – A friend lost to suicide and the mental health cost of obsolescence01:15:15 – The Adobe example: fear of learning something new vs. choosing growth01:17:00 – Why The Trade Gap is ultimately about giving people more options

Smerte.

Listener Sarah DuMond shares the eulogy she gave for her mother - a woman who embodied the motto, "Take a Tylenol and wear the damn heels." Sarah reflects on navigating life in what she calls, "the sacred Venn diagram of daughter, mother, wife", while planning both a funeral and graduations in the same month. Her tribute captures a remarkable woman who was crowned West Virginia University's Mountaineer Queen, had a self-declared theme song and approached life's challenges with grace and practicality. It's a beautiful portrait of how the women of a certain generation lived with strength, sweetness and an unshakeable sense of what truly mattered - and a reminder that we're all leaving legacies whether we realize it or not. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How dare you? That's the first question KJ asked Ally Carter, whose name is “synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance” (TRUE). Is KJ outraged? Hell no. It's a legit question. Ally's books are so so much fun, with wild action scenes befitting a Bond movie (or a Jason Bourne, OBVIOUSLY) and plots that trot the globe while dancing backwards in high heels and KJ really wants to know—how did Ally give herself permission to just go there? To write the dreamy, wild, sure it could happen but also we don't even care because we're so in it story that scares many of us (especially ex-journo KJ, who wastes far far too much time on such non dramatic questions as “but how would someone with that job pay for health insurance? and “technically, how much snow could that unit make in one night?). Also asked: how did you learn to write action so well? Do you take all kinds of crazy self defense classes? Or dissect movie fight scenes in slo-mo? Are you fun to watch a spy movie with, or terrible?I would have asked her if she used to BE a spy…but then she would have had to kill me.LINKSNational Spy MuseumThe Blonde Who Came In from the ColdThe Most Wonderful Crime of the YearThe Blonde IdentityAlly CarterAlly's rec: Netflix: The ResidenceInstagram @theallycarter The newsletterHey everyone, it's Jenny Nash. This episode happens to feature an Author Accelerator book coach. Author Accelerator is the company I founded more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. If you've been curious about what it takes to become a successful book coach, which is to say, someone who makes money, meaning, and joy out of serving writers, I've just created a bunch of great content to help you learn more. You can access it all by going to bookcoaches.com/waitlist. We'll be enrolling a new cohort of students in our certification program in October, so now's a perfect time to learn more and start making plans for a whole new career.Transcript below!EPISODE 460 - TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHey everyone, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, the company I started more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. In October, we'll be enrolling a new cohort of certification students who will be going through programs in either fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, and learning the editorial, emotional and entrepreneurial skills that you need to be a successful book coach. If you've been curious about book coaching and thinking that it might be something you want to do for your next career move, I'd love to teach you more about it, you can go to bookcoaches.com/waitlist to check out a free training I have—that's bookcoaches.com/waitlist. The training is all about how to make money, meaning and joy out of serving writers. Fall is always a great time to start something new. So if you're feeling called to do this, go check out our training and see if this might be right for you. We'd love to have you join us.Multiple SpeakersIs it recording? Now it's recording. Yay! Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. Try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay. Now, one, two, three.KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, and this is Hashtag AmWriting the weekly podcast about writing all the things—short things, long things, pitches, proposals, fiction, nonfiction. We're the podcast about getting things done. And I'm going to be solo this week because I am interviewing, and I'm so excited to interview one Ally Carter, whose name, I'm stealing this from her bio, because it was such a great line—is synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance. And as someone who's read much of it, I can vouch kids. So Ally's most recent big book that you've probably seen around was The Blonde Identity . Her current book that you're going to want to go straight out and grab is The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold, and her other book that she wrote just for me—because it was like exactly what I needed in a book in that moment and I really appreciate it. I'm glad other people got to read it, but it was really, for me— The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year those are her adult books. She's got a ton of young-adult books, also with heart pounding action and hilarious...wait, heart-pounding romance, hilarious action. I feel those are exchangeable. And even some middle grade if you've got some kids who might be reading in those lines. So Ally does all the things, and we're going to find out how, and immediately be able to do it ourselves. Ha! Ally, thanks for coming.Ally CarterThank you so much for having me, KJ. I appreciate it.KJ Dell'AntoniaWe are super excited.Ally CarterI also wrote The Most Wonderful Crime [The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year] just for me, because it's— that's like, I love a mystery, and I pick them up, and I'm like, this would be great. Where's the romance? And then I love a romance, and I pick it up, and I'm like, where's the mystery? And so that's, that's how Most Wonderful Crime [The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year ] came to be. It is two great genres better together.KJ Dell'AntoniaAlso, it's writers in a—like writers in a mansion, with secrets and surprise identities, and things people can do that no one knows they can do, which is my jam. Yeah, really enjoyed it.Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you for that. Not that I didn't I love The Blonde Identity. My daughter has it right now, and she's super excited, because I can give her The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold, early, because I might have gotten an early copy. So she'll be reading that on the beach next week after she finishes the first one.Ally CarterThat is some good cool mom points right there.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, it is, yeah, and they're rare. But that is a great thing about your—I mean, my daughters are 21 and 19, so they're older, but I would have given the blonde books and The Most Wonderful Crime to, you know, a 16... ?... like, they're not—not that I don't actually give some pretty steamy stuff to my kids, but if you're not somebody who does that, they're steamy, but they're not—anyway...Ally CarterYeah, there are books that, like, grandma and mom and daughter can all read togetherKJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, I was just going to say I would give them to my mom too. Yeah. I mean, they're just super fun. Because sometimes the better test is not “Would I give it to my daughter?” It's “Would I give it to my mom?”Ally CarterYou're exactly right. Agreed, agreed.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo my first question is this: how dare you?! Okay, and now you're like, wait, what?! No, seriously, like, your books are—the plots are so out there, and glorious, and outrageous, and the action scenes are wild, and they're sort of everything you fantasize about in a spy romance novel. And as a former journalist, I spend a lot of time sitting around staring at my plot thinking things like, yes, but how would this person have health insurance? And I feel like you've transcended that. So can you talk to me and all of us about how you've, you know, embraced this world of the wild, glorious, fun, and outrageous in your plotting?Ally CarterYou know, that's a—thank you. First of all, that's a lovely compliment. I really credit it toward, you know, how most things are in my life and my career—it was total accident and sheer dumb luck. So 20 years ago—I realized not long ago—like, literally 20 years ago this spring, I saw it. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. And I was, you know, big dumb kid, didn't know what I was doing, sheer dumb luck, had this amazing idea. And most of all, I had an amazing idea at a time when the YA [young adult] genre was just expanding exponentially—like the shelves of shelf space at Barnes and Noble was getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And so it was a big tent, and there was room for everybody. And so I was lucky in that I got in there. I was especially lucky because I had a brilliant editor named Donna Bray. And Donna could see, like the shift coming—like, she could see Twilight and the, like, the move to paranormal, and the move to, you know, moving away from contemporary fiction to genre fiction. And she was like, we have to get this out fast. And so we crashed it. And so I sold it in, like, April or May of 2005, and then I had to go to copy editing in October, and I had—I had 32 pages.KJ Dell'AntoniaSorry, (laughing)Ally CarterAnd a day job!KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, my goodness!Ally CarterSo I had the summer of absolute deadline. I would come home from my day job, I would eat a fast dinner, and I would write till midnight. But this was also back, like, before we really had smartphones in our pockets all the time—definitely pre, like, social media—and so that's what you did. And I'm like, man, if I did that every day, think about how much writing I would get done today.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterBut because I was so fast, the turnaround there was so fast, I didn't have time to, like, go down a rabbit hole of, well, exactly what type of nylon cord would they use to rappel into such and such—you know, I just got—I made it up, and I got away with it. And so I realized that, you know, I would—I did do a lot of research on actual tradecraft.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterSo the things like the girl—there's a scene where the girls have to go through the boy's garbage. And there's this—you know, there are scenes where they're, you know, planting bugs and those types of things. Those—I watched documentaries, I read a lot of, like, actual decommissioned, sort of old CIA handbooks and things.. The International Spy Museum has a wonderful reference section, and you can actually order...KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, that's cool.Ally CarterOld, like, World War Two training manuals and things. It's really greatKJ Dell'AntoniaI did not know that.Ally CarterSo I did do that. What I did not do was I didn't worry about, like, the brand name of what you might call it. So as a general rule, I tell my readers, like, the more specific something is in the book, the more likely it is I made it up. So when I'm like, well, then she did the one death ski maneuver—and, like, I don't know what the one death ski maneuver is, but they don't either—I made it up. But the actual sort of bones of what the school would teach and how they would teach, it was very accurate.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, it must have come in handy because you have another school in the current book.Ally CarterYeah. And it's—it was a little harder, because it is, you know, it's not for kids, and so it has to have a little bit more of an air of sophistication. And I wanted to base it off of the actual CIA training facility, “The Farm,” which is at Camp Peary—which is in the book, what I couldn't figure out were things like, do they sleep in apartments? Do they have a dorm? Is there a are there barracks? Are there, you know, is there, like, a big cafeteria? Are they?KJ Dell'AntoniaVery few people will know what's real, and they can't tell you, right?Ally CarterThey can't tell me. And so I actually, when I was on tour for The Blonde Identity, I was in D.C., and I did a wonderful event, had hundreds of readers there, and they were like my Gallagher Girls who had grown up and now they all are spies. I mean, they like, literally work for the CIA. They're literally with, you know, "I'm with Homeland Security." You know, several of them were like, I can't actually tell you where I work, but you were very popular there and so, and I actually did a like, show of hands, like, if you can say so, how many of you have been to The Farm and, like, multiple hands went up.KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, wow!Ally CarterAnd I'm like we're talking when this is finished. So I got a little bit, but not very much, you know. And I guess the thing also with “The Farm” is, you know, they bring in, like, their actual undercover operatives to train there, but there are a lot of different groups that also use that facility. So, for example, I think I'm not dreaming this. I think this is true. Like, if you are an ambassador or an ambassador's family, and you and you are going, maybe not like the ambassador to London, but if you're going to, like, you know, someplace that could be a little bit dangerous, they'll send you there for, like, evasive driving training and things like that. So you get a little bit of training. So it's not just spies who train at Camp Peary, it's multiple groups.KJ Dell'AntoniaI have a new life goal now, which is to never need evasive driving training.Ally CarterRight?! And see, I kind of want to learn how to do it. I don't want to need it…KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah no, no but no, it's not to need it. I don't want to need it.Ally CarterI want to know how to do it.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. Well, yeah, you could, you could use it. Yeah, I just—it. I miss—your books inspire the writer in me to remember, like you said, that very few people care what brand of nylon rope you would use to repel, and from there, it's a pretty short step to, you know, whether or not you can really stop a cable car halfway.Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, we're and we're not going to but.. It's just...Ally CarterAnd the way I see it is, if you are the person who knows what brand of rope it is... even if i get the rope right, i could get everything else wrong.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou're either not reading this, or you don't care.Ally CarterYeah. There... This is, this is not for them, probably.KJ Dell'AntoniaOr if it is, it they've they're there, like...Ally CarterThey're there.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's fine.Ally CarterYou either buying in or you're out. And that's fine. And I—and nothing but respect to the people who do know that? Because now, I grew up on a farm, and so I can't read, like, cowboy books, because I'm like, oh gosh, geez Louise, of course, your barn burned down. You put that hay in there way too soon—you are you really baling green hay?KJ Dell'AntoniaThey're literally haying in my field right now.Ally CarterRight. You know, I'm like, seriously, seriously. This is, you know, you're, you're, you're not. You didn't do a semen test on your bull? Like—you know?"KJ Dell'Antonia"You are not milking that cow. I know how you're supposed to hold your hands."Ally CarterExactly!KJ Dell'AntoniaSee I did.Ally CarterYeah, I'm, I'm not, I'm not here for and so I'm, like, this is the same thing. Like spies have no reason be reading me. I have no reason reading the things that I do know about. Because it's, you know, it's, it's just, you're also, it's not exciting to me. And so I'm sure most spies, you know, there's a line in...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah it's not a fantasy.Ally CarterYeah, so…KJ Dell'AntoniaIt can't be a fantasy, because you're too stuck on, you know, the...Ally CarterExactly, and so...KJ Dell'AntoniaThe reality that our hay baling chute is broken, and therefore we will need multiple people tomorrow to go around and pick up each individual bale…Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd put it on a flatbed truck, and drive to the barn, and take each individual bale off the flatbed truck, and then stack them in the barn. Y'all are missing my arm gestures, but Ally knows of which I speak.Ally CarterI know, I know those gestures. You got to buck it up with your knee. It's a whole—it's—it is not easy work. It is very hard work. And so…KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, I'm hoping not to go out there, but I know I will.Ally CarterOh no, you don't want to do that, and you will itch for days.KJ Dell'AntoniaI've done it. I've done it for years and I know I'm going to end up there. It's my birthday tomorrow too.Ally CarterOh no, that's not the…Yeah, so it's the reality. I think it's very easy—also, when reading, as a reader—I hate it when it's very clear that an author has done a ton of research and they're not going to let it go to waste. Yeah. And so there's like, you know, they'll introduce the thing, and then they'll have, like, a paragraph explaining all of the things that they have learned. I'm like, this serves no purpose whatsoever.KJ Dell'AntoniaI also thank my editor for my leaving out the entire history of Prohibition-era alcohol rules between Kansas and Missouri in The Chicken Sisters.Ally CarterYep. See, if you, if you want to write that, the nonfiction is right there, you can— you've got it. So I like to do enough research to inform the story. And, you know, there are definitely things, you know, scenes and lines and wonderful things that have come from the research. But I never do research just so I know, like, what kind of rope it is.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterI—you know, that's that I think then, then, then also, are you doing research, or are you procrastinating?KJ Dell'AntoniaWell...Ally CarterBecause I think most people are just procrastinating.KJ Dell'AntoniaWe all know the answer to that. So how about the action scenes? You write such great action scenes, but I am also not a reader who's like picturing, well, clearly at this point, he's upside down and her hand. You know, that's not how I read anything. I just kind of go (shwoop) through that. So how do you handle writing them? Are you like slowing down action films so you can dissect the movies?Ally CarterNo, I really don't like writing action scenes. They are hard, and it feels like I've done everything, like they're okay. Well, hey, here we are. We're doing that again, but there. They are. They come with the job. And so I think most of all, you just have to remember, sort of the blocking of it. Like, okay, who is where? The other hard thing that that comes and, you know, movies have it so much easier. Like, you don't need a name for the for the six bad guys, that black Willow...KJ Dell'AntoniaRight,, the one on the right, and the one behind... Yeah, yeah, no.Ally CarterAnd so I'm like, Okay, but how is the reader keeping these different so, you know, like, well, one of them has a has glasses, and the other one has a goatee. Okay, well, then from that point forward, I the author just call them glasses...KJ Dell'AntoniaGlasses and goatee. Right.Ally CarterAnd so you have to remember, like, okay, glasses is down. Goatees still at large, you know, or whatever.KJ Dell'AntoniaIs there a special copy editor for that?Ally CarterThey're not special, but that is definitely can fall into a copy editor's purview, especially things like during that fight sequence. Okay, well, it was 100 pages ago, but it was also yesterday that your heroine got shocked. Is she really fighting at full strength? Oh, ouch, you know. So that type of thing, because, again, reader wise, that's, that was, I've, that was the midpoint. I'm to the climax now. But timeline wise, no, that was yesterday.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterAnd so the...KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd probably with some readers, reader wise, that was an hour ago.Ally CarterYeah! So...KJ Dell'AntoniaI mean you know, we're eating this up.Ally CarterExactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo much faster to read than to write.Ally CarterSo you have to think about those types of things. Like I wrote that two months ago, but nope, it's still right there.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterSo that's the kind of thing that, you know, again, you can't really worry about in a first draft. Like, let that. That's future-use problem.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. Now, in contrast to, you know, the wild plotting and the crazy, enjoyable, delicious action, your people feel, you know super, super real. They have, ah, big reasons for being the way that they are, but the feelings feel real. I think that is an amazing um, contrast. Do you start with the, do you start with, like, you know, the person's flaw, or what it would there's some term of art for this which I have forgotten. Or do you start with, I need a person who, or does it vary book by book?Ally CarterThank you. I, you know, it's I spend a lot of time with that.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's why they work.Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, seriously, no one. I mean, The Blonde Identity would maybe be fun if it wasn't also, like, you really want her to figure out who she is, and you really want to know why is this happening, and what is up with and like, you want all that for the character you believe in, in her.Ally CarterAnd that's always I find as much about tone as anything, this particular sub- genre, it can go wacky or kooky really fast, like it's very easy. You know, I like to say that spy movies exist on a spectrum that range from get smart to Zero Dark Thirty.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterAnything along that spectrum is a spy movie. But those could not be more different. And so are we? Are we doing like James Bond, like he's cool and suave, but he also has gadgets, or are we doing like he's, you know, kind of bumbling with gadgets? Or are we doing it's very realistic?KJ Dell'AntoniaWell are we doing Roger Moore James Bond, or are we doing … um…guy who now models for…Ally CarterDaniel Craig?KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you—oy vey—Daniel Craig, which are very different. James Bonds really…Ally CarterVery different James Bonds, because I've heard people the James Bond people talk about the Daniel Craig, James Bond doesn't exist without Jason Bourne.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterThat's who they looked at and so all of these things, you know. And so when I'm trying to figure it out, and I think that's one of the hardest things about genre bending romance, whether you're bending fantasy and romance or horror and romance, or romance and mystery or romance and action, or whatever, you could only really write in the Venn diagram space, where there's overlap. And so I couldn't, you know, the realistic version of this is not something where people are falling in love, like it's, you know, it's too dark. And it's definitely not a comedy, definitely not a comedy. So you're, you have to find the place where, no, they're in real, actual peril. This is really terrible. This is... they really might dieKJ Dell'AntoniaAnd they understand that.Ally CarterAnd they understand that they get that and also, but they still have time to, you know, okay, well, now I'm going to, you know, now we're going to slow dance, you know, you still have to find those times. And the other thing is, you know, you have to figure out just where on the spectrum you want to be and lean into that. Like, if you want to write, like, the kooky, sort of Agent Cody Banks of it all, then you have to do that. But then you have to realize the other parts of the spy kind of world that you can't touch. And so it's—you're just—you're always threading needles. It's, it is a, it is a task of, of absolutely threading needles all the time.KJ Dell'AntoniaI think that, yeah, when it comes to tone, where on the spectrum do you want to be, is like, like maybe one of the greatest questions that I have heard. And it's just one that, you know, I think we all wrestle with.Ally CarterWell, and I've had people that really don't—people who should get it—who don't get it. So, you know, I was in a meeting one time with some Hollywood producers who were looking at some of my stuff, and I said, “Well, tonally, where do you want it to be?” And they were like, “What do you mean?” I said, “Well, do you want it to be like, you know, Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Bourne Identity?” And they said, “Well, those are the same thing.” And I was like…KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, no, no, no!Ally Carter“This meeting is over. Thank you very much”.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterIt's... I don't understand how people don't get that, but to me, I spend 90% of my time worried about it. Oh, I remember now what I was going to say earlier. I got my start—and I'm never going to be, like, a full-time or big-time of this—but I've done some screenwriting. . And so there's a screenwriting podcast [Scriptnotes] by two guys who are very big, very dominant—dominant—screenwriter. One of them did, like, the Charlie's Angels movies and the Aladdin remake and all those. The other one does The Last of Us and a bunch of big, like, HBO shows. And, um, they always talk about "the Want song". So in every Disney musical, the first—the first song—sets up the world. It's "Belle," you know, like, you know, wandering through town. The second song is the "whatever she wants." And so, you know Moana, you know, "See the line where the sky and the sea meet, it calls me"—like, Moana wants to travel. She wants adventure. And so I spend a lot of time, when I'm setting up these characters, thinking about what their "Want song" would be. And so, like, for The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, her "Want song" is, "I want to be Eleanor."KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterYou know she wants to be Eleanor Ashley [from The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year], who is my, like, fake off-brand Agatha Christie, and so that's, that's what you have to think about a lot like, you know, what Alex [from The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold] wants is to sort of be free like she wants, she wants to be enough. She wants to pay her—you know? She has paid her debt for—you know, sort of having been born strong and healthy, where her identical twin has been born very, very sick. And so she, she wants—and she wants to never lay eyes on Michael Kingsley [also from The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold], ever again, who was her, you know, on again, off again, partner, slash love interest. And so that's—you know, that I always start with that, what is their wound? What is the thing that hurt them in the past that they're trying to get over? And what is their want?KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterAnd almost always, what would they realize over the course of the book is that the thing that they want is not the thing that they need.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterAnd so that's, that's an Ally Carter book. That's an Ally Carter character progress.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's it. Now everyone can do it.Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. Oh, but if it were that easy, everyone would do it, right? Um, no, this... this is amazing and delightful. I hope really helpful for people. I got distracted by taking some notes on what you just said. So, people—for me, for the Post-its on my computer, as well as, oh my gosh, so many Post-its, so many Post-its—let's talk just a little bit about the difference between YA [young adult] and adult when you're—fundamentally—I mean, some people sort of switch genres entirely. You were writing very similarly toned books for different audiences. How? How do you think of that evolution?Ally CarterThat's—in a way—yes, I did switch audiences. In another way, they're the exact same readers. And so that's—that's an interesting and weird thing about YA is, about every three years, you have to make all new readers because they have grown up and they've aged out of you. And even if they haven't aged out of you, they have what I call "cooled out of you."KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, yeah.Ally CarterAnd they're like, I liked those books when I was a little kid, and so current me can't possibly like those books, because those are little kid books. And so I was on the phone during the pandemic with my friend Rachel Hawkins and Rachel had written YA for a long time, and then she switched to adult. And I was talking about... do I...? What do I...? I need to sell something. Do I sell another middle grade? Do I sell a YA [young adult]? Like, what do I sell? And she says, you sell an adult. You sell an adult book that appeals to your Gallagher Girl readers. And I, I said, oh, Rachel, I've spent, you know, 15 years building a career in YA, I've got, you know... And she said, your readers aren't there anymore. They are the girls who read you when they were 12, ten years ago, and are 22 now. And I'm like, oh, that's right, they are. They've grown up. And so I—and I had the idea for “the spy twins” and had tried to do it as YA, and then at one point I even tried to do it as middle grade, and I could never make it work. And the problem wasn't, one of the twins wakes up with amnesia and somebody's trying to kill her—that I could pull off. The problem was, how and why is her identical twin on the run? And what does she have? And, like, you know, she...KJ Dell'AntoniaShe needs a longer history than you can have as a teenager.Ally CarterYeah, exactly. Like, is she actually working for the CIA, like, because then again, we get into Agent Cody Banks territory, then it's, you know, well, we've got a super-secret branch of the CIA who recruits kids. I'm like, no, you don't that's stupid. Like so...KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd she's been there since she was 10, and now she's on the lam.Ally CarterExactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou know, and then at age 12, she went rogue.Ally CarterYeah. And then you've got, like, well, no, you know, it's a Parent Trap situation, and one of them was raised by a spy and one of them was raised by ordinary people. I'm like, oh, maybe... I don't know, but, you know, I just couldn't quite make it work. And so I was talking to Rachel, and I said, what am I supposed to do? Just dust off that old spy twin idea, except now, instead of a super-secret organization, she's just on the run from the CIA? And then I was like, wait a second.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell yes!Ally CarterIf she's 30... she can—so every single problem and logic challenge that I had with that premise went away once those characters became 30. And so I just—and it was the easiest writing I've ever done. I feel almost guilty about how easy that book was to write; because I'd been, I'd been working at it and hammering at that idea for so long. And so it was almost like, instead of starting it at the beginning, I started it at the end of the writing process, where you have that one, like, little linchpin thing that you think, oh, but what if I do this? And then the whole plot just...KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterSo I started it there. I started at the...KJ Dell'AntoniaWow!Ally CarterDomino moment. And I'm spoiled, because it'll never be that easy again. But that's, that's how the transition went. And, you know, it's been great because my readers, they're so excited to see me. It's like, they're, I hear from readers all the time, they're like, you know, it feels like you wrote this just for me. I grew up with you, and now you're writing books for me again, and that has been very full circle and very, very fulfilling.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat, that's great. Well, you're writing them for me too. So, love that, and I think for a lot of our listeners—who I really think are going to enjoy this episode.Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo before I let you go, can I ask you what you have read and loved lately?Ally CarterOh, sweet mercy. I have been so underwater, on a—on a book, and it's been the kind of—it's been the kind of deadline and the kind of book... You know how the old adage is so true that you never learn how to write a book—you just learn how to write the book you're writing right now. And so this one has just... and when I get that way, I don't enjoy reading because my inner critic can't turn off. But I will share a show that I loved, and I—they just announced that they're not doing a season two, and I'm heartbroken over it. And that is, on Netflix, there's a Shonda Rhimes show called The Residence, and it's a murder mystery set at the White House. You know, somebody drops dead during a state dinner. And it's got kind of a kooky detective and a wonderful, colorful cast, and it's very, very funny, but it also—it threads that tonal needle, where, like, no, no, there was a murder. This is still serious, but, oh, by the way, I'm going to go look at the body, but first I saw a bird I want to check out, you know. And so it's just—tonally and voice-wise—it does really amazing things. And so if any of your listeners are looking for a really great, like, eight-episode series, it's great. I could not recommend it more—The Residence on Netflix.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat sounds super fun. Well, I am in the midst of The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold. So, you know, I don't normally recommend a book until I know if the writer is going to stick a landing. But I feel quite confident in this one, and have enjoyed—as you can obviously hear from the podcast—the rest of Ally's work. So I am going to just push all of you listeners to, you know, head out there, grab the new one, grab the old one, and have a good time with them.Ally CarterAww, thank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou're welcome. Thanks so much for being here. Oh, should people follow you on social media? Do you do anything fun? Are you...?Ally CarterI do nothing fun. I'm not fun at all. I'm mostly on Instagram; I guess at this point I'm the Ally Carter over there. I have a couple of kind of defunct Facebook pages that I update occasionally. I just updated it for the first time, evidently, in two years. So that was fun. I'm on Threads very seldom. I used to be on Twitter and I still have that account I don't update it very often. Um, but yeah—and of course, my newsletter, like the newsletter is—I think we need to come back. We all need to get back to the newsletter, because it will deliver the news directly to your inbox. And so if you want to make sure you don't miss any like, you know, tour events, which, by the way, I'm coming to Boston on tour in a couple of weeks. So looking forward to that a lot. I think its Lovestruck Books? Is that Boston?KJ Dell'AntoniaProbably yeah.Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's the new romance bookstore there. I've been with Sarina a couple of times, and yeah, it's a great—it is a beautiful store. Like, every detail. Their bathrooms are phenomenal. That's how wonderful this store is. So, very cool. All right, I will link up the newsletter in the show notes, and yeah, about, you know, once every week, I decide to just cancel all the rest of my social media and only do my AmReading email. And then I imagine what my agent would say. And yeah, I don't do it, but...Ally CarterIt's, you know, and I feel like I'm such a broken record, like, oh, you know, go buy my book. Oh, go, you know, I'm going to be here on tour. Oh, this is how you get signed books. But—and I just say over and over and over again—and then inevitably, and this really happened to me one time, I was sitting at the LAX Airport waiting on a flight home, and I got an irate message from a reader that I never come to LA. And I was like, I did an event here last night—like, I was at the Barnes and Noble at The Grove or wherever—last night. And so we said, we—it feels like we are just beating a dead horse letting people know about these things, but it's so easy for things to get lost. And so...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah! Jess tells the story—that's one of my other co-hosts—about, you know, someone who had come up to her, really one of her biggest fans, “Good new book.” And, “I get your idea, I love this, and I love that you wrote, like, knew a lot.” And then she said, “Oh, well, did you enjoy my latest book?” And they're like, “You have a new book?!”Ally CarterIt happens every time. And so, you know, it's—it's just part of the business at this point.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou've got to do it—it's just part of the business. All right. Well, thank you again...Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd as always, listeners until next week keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.Jess LaheyThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perella. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes: Simon Western is joined by Yoko Kunii Aldous - lecturer, coach, hypnotherapist and cultural translator - to explore the deeper roots of this Japanese concept, revealing it to be less a “life purpose formula” and more a way of being-in-the-world.  Yoko reflects on her journey from Japan to the UK and how living between languages and cultures opens up inner landscapes. She shares the real history of Ikigai - not as a productivity hack, but a pre-capitalist way of locating oneself in community and cosmos - and interrogates why the popular Western Venn diagram (“what you love, what you're good at…”) oversimplifies and erases its cultural nuance. Drawing on Japanese concepts, Yoko frames language as a worldview where nature, spirit, and objects are integral to self-understanding. She speaks of spirituality in everyday life - from cherry blossoms to chopsticks - and explains why Ikigai should be seen as fluid, shifting across life stages and relationships, rather than as a fixed endpoint. The conversation explores the tension between individualism and collective responsibility, asking whether one can truly have Ikigai without caring for the village. From embracing imperfection through wabi-sabi, to recognising sacrifice and service as pathways to fulfilment, the episode challenges Western coaching to move beyond self-improvement toward a more relational, ecological, and culturally entangled way of living. Key Reflections: True Ikigai cannot be pinned down or defined - it must be lived Culture shapes not only what we think, but how we feel our way into meaning Japanese aesthetics embrace imperfection (wabi-sabi) as essential to beauty and purpose Spirituality in Japan is woven into the everyday - from teacups to trees Personal meaning and collective wellbeing are not separate projects Every item has a spirit Keywords: Ikigai, cultural insights, coaching, psychology, Japan, Western perspectives, personal development, spirituality, Venn diagram   Brief Bio: Yoko Kunii Aldous is an award-winning university lecturer, coach, and language and culture trainer for the Ministry of Defence. She holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and an MSc in Coaching Psychology, and is a certified coach, hypnotherapist, and yoga instructor. Her background in language and communication informs her work in higher education, cross-cultural training, and personal development coaching. Her latest research explores how the Japanese concept of Ikigai is understood and applied by non-Japanese coaches. Her study critically examines how Ikigai is interpreted and integrated into coaching practices outside Japan, revealing common misconceptions and promoting a more culturally authentic understanding. This work was recognised with the Best Early Career Research Paper award by BPS Division of Coaching Psychology. By integrating Eastern philosophy with Western psychological theory, Yoko offers a coaching approach that is reflective, holistic, and grounded in cultural nuance. She supports individuals and professionals in aligning their core values with purposeful action, towards meaningful and sustainable change.

This is Chewing The Cud! Your weekly LGBTQIA+ Chat Show! 

Comedian Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) joins Andy and Matt to talk about his new special Positive Reinforcement, his newsletter, his wife Maris Kreizman's new book of essays, the geek/nerd/dweeb/dork Venn diagram, Nancy Kerrigan and Chris Farley, a new ass-grass fad among chimps, ass/gas/grass bumper stickers, neanderthals eating maggots and rotten meat, how surprisingly warm Uranus is and Tylenol inducing risky behavior.

Finance doesn't have to be scary. In this episode of VRTAC-QM's Manager Minute, Kat Martin, Finance Director at the Oregon Commission for the Blind, joins Carol Pankow to break down the complexities of government finance in vocational rehabilitation. Kat shares her journey from the private sector into VR, the lessons she's learned managing federal and state dollars, and the difference between budget authority and actual revenue (spoiler: it's not as simple as it sounds). From making reports accessible for blind colleagues to explaining why finance people should bepartners—not compliance enforcers—Kat offers practical advice, thoughtful insights, and a healthy dose of humor. Whether you're new to VR, leading a program, or just finance-curious, this episode delivers the wisdom you didn't know you needed—plus a little reality check on what it takes to manage complex funding with heart and clarity.   Listen Here   Full Transcript:   {Music}   Kat: It took me a bit to wrap my head around was the difference between budget and revenue. I like the way my executive director describes it to other directors. You have to be paying attention to what's going on with your budget, not because that's the amount of money you have to spend, particularly with federal funding. That is what you have authority to spend. That doesn't mean you have that revenue to spend. If somebody has helped you out, pay it forward, help the next new person out that got their eyes crossed and looking overwhelmed when they're trying to figure out what in the world is re allotment, let alone carryover and maintenance of effort.   Carol: Oh my gosh.   Intro Voice: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the manager minute. Joining me in the studio today is Kat Martin, finance director at the Oregon Commission for the Blind. So, Kat, how are things going in Oregon?   Kat: They're going well. We're getting started on a lovely summer and a new biennium and trying to close out the old ones. So, you know, busy is always in the finance department.   Carol: Yeah, all the things. Nothing like getting the finance director like turnover of a state year and all that. I know you got a lot of things going on. So as the QM grant is winding down, I thought it would be great to hear from a respected VR finance director, someone who's walk the walk. Kat has been a standout voice in her fiscal management community of practice, sharing advice that's grounded, real, and incredibly helpful. So, Kat, let's dig in. So, Kat, can you tell our listeners a bit about your career journey and how did you land in your current role?   Kat: Sure. Thanks, Carol. I worked in the private sector for the first decade or so of my life and realized after about a decade of that that I really needed work that spoke to my heart. And coming from a family of educators, I was a little too late to go back to school and get my teaching credentials at that point in time. But I decided to pursue mission focused organizations that were helping others. So I worked for about six years for a law firm that represented the disabled and injured individuals before the Social Security Administration and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. And then I went into public education for about 15 years. About five years ago, I left public education and came to work for the Oregon Commission for the blind. And it was my first role in the world of vocational rehabilitation. So it was a new experience for me. I love a good challenge and it's been that for five years.   Carol: That sounds amazing. I always love to hear how people kind of make their long and winding road into VR, because none of us ever usually get here very directly. So I know when you and I chatted before, you have just some great perspective on any role you take. How do you go about building that solid foundation when you start a new role?   Kat:, You know, I came up through the accounting departments, specifically accounts receivable. So I was working with invoicing and collecting bills, and I experienced a lot of success in those jobs, so much so that I was moved into first supervisory and then management positions and eventually the C-suite role. And when I moved into my first CFO position, I worked with an amazing campus president who talked with me about the fact that my focus up to that point in time as the director of accounting for the organization and my prior professional experience, had been very much compliance focused. And that as her new director of finance, she needed me to be more of a fiscal partner to not only herself, but my peers on the leadership team. So, you know, that took me a little bit to figure out, because when you've been doing it for decades, it's easy to be a compliance goon. It's a little more difficult to figure out what being a finance partner looks like. I recognized that particularly when I was starting a new role like the one I did in VR five years ago. It was really important for me to understand who I needed to form relationships with, what the systems were that I was going to be utilizing to complete my work and to manage those that were completing the day in and day out of the accounting work that we were doing. And then also what were the policies, procedures and standards? So when I start a new job, I like lay out my first 100 days and I create myself a little Venn diagram that is all about those three things where at the intersection of that right in the middle, that's the work that I'm going to be doing for the organization planning, organizing, directing and monitoring their finances and the fiscal health of the organization.   Carol: I love that you have that people, systems and processes. I mean, I think that sweet spot in the middle where all of that intersects is really wonderful. You've talked to me before about this whole compliance goon fiscal partner, and I do like that approach. Can you talk a little more about what that really means to you and kind of how that's played out?   Kat: Yeah, it's really about people and about relationships in a vocational rehabilitation agency. We are helper humans and even fiscal employees, accountants, your travel coordinator, your payroll specialist. They need to be helper humans as well, because it's easy to get all wrapped up in the way we have to transact these certain things or the deadlines that the state lays down. If it's an enterprise wide system that you're using and sometimes lose sight of the fact that the people we are serving are actually the employees who are providing the direct service to the blind Oregonians that we serve at the Oregon Commission for the blind. So I have worked very hard to develop that in myself. And the way I've accomplished that is beginning first with the people I'm going to be serving and whether that's my boss, my peers, my employees, that to report directly to me, my employees that report indirectly to me or those other individuals in the larger organization, like the state's chief financial officer and the state's legislative fiscal office, and maybe the procurement office and the Payroll Services Office to make sure that I know what our place is, but also how we can provide the best possible services within that matrix that we operate in to those eventual end users that we're there to serve so that they don't ever have to worry about, am I going to get paid on time? Is my computer going to be working? Those kind of things I tell my staff when we're doing our jobs exceptionally well, nobody knows what we're doing. And then that allows them to focus on the work that they're doing with our clients.   Carol: How long do you think it takes, really, to get settled, especially coming into VR for a finance person? How long do you feel like you know what, I got this, I feel proficient what I'm doing because I think people have this idea that can come in. I was an accountant here or a CPA, or I've done something else. But you come into this program. How long do you feel it takes you to really get a handle on what's going on.   Kat: A full fiscal cycle in the state of Oregon, we operate on a biennium, so that's a full 24 months. I had been with the agency for two years before. I really felt like, oh, now I'm repeating things and there's a lot of repetition in a finance role, regardless of what role it is, there's a lot of repetition. But what makes it complicated in the VR world, in my state, for instance, is we have state fiscal years that end on June 30th, and then you have your federal fiscal year that ends on September 30th. So right there, those two things are out of sync. And then the VR awards in particular, are the most complicated revenue stream I've ever worked with. Braid those in with the general fund that you have to be on top of, which is truly available to you, and you can sometimes lobby for more. But there's a lot of politics and personalities that you have to deal with when you're trying to obtain more general fund for your agency, and then the limited amount of other funding. So I have been working as a finance director since 2009, and I would have to say that these last five years, it has been the most complicated fiscal management for an organization that I've ever touched upon in my career up to this point in time, because of those complexities between the state and the feds in fiscal years that don't align. And we're on a biennium where, you know, the federal awards are one year, and maybe you can get carryover if you do all the things you got to do to meet the requirements around March to get there.   Carol: And you're confirming what the feds say, because David Steele, who's the unit chief for the fiscal unit at RSA, he often says this is the most federally complex grant. And I remember hearing him a long time ago thinking, is it really? But yeah, it really it really is. Proof is in the pudding when you're actually doing that work. So given all of that complexity, how do you implement like strategies or things that you do to help your leadership, like literally be able to interpret and understand because it is like talking to different languages. And how do you get your whole executive team kind of on board with what's happening because you have these realizations and insights. But that isn't always apparent in the VR world, because a lot of people are not they're not math people. They're people people. They're social services people. They don't know about reading a spreadsheet. You just show them these numbers, and their eyes kind of glaze over and they hear you talking, but they don't know what you're saying.   Kat: Yeah. I think the first thing I try to do is keep it short and simple. And that's not to say that these individuals are not intelligent. They are highly intelligent, and they have skills and expertise that I'm incredibly impressed by. But I have different skills and expertise. And if I'm going to provide the information to them that allows them to make informed decisions about not only what we're doing in the present, but for the duration of whatever the fiscal period is that we're in and for the long term. Then I need to present the information in such a way that it's digestible. Now I work for a blind agency, so that means it needs to be accessible. I see a lot of spreadsheets that folks like myself love to create. You know, it's fun to get in there and do the color coding and the formatting and have multiple tabs that support your summary. Conclusions and charts are then the next best thing in the world, right? You can spend a lot of time on that. And yet my director of rehabilitation services can't see any of it, can't read any of it. So what I need to create for her and for the other 20% of the employees at my agency that is usable and digestible is very straightforward spreadsheets that are readable by the assistive technology they use in order to do their jobs. The other thing that I do to try and help the leadership team, and my executive director in particular is I insist upon regular report outs. It's really easy to be just like, yeah, yeah, Kats got it. Budget to actuals are going to be fine. She knows we don't want to leave any general fund on the table at the end of the biennium. She'll let us know how we're doing with match, but she'll take care of all of it. And what I let them know is I report on the money, but I don't decide how it's spent. I know what's in the purse, but the executive director is holding the purse strings and you all are influencing that spend. So by insisting upon regular report outs, I review budget to actual data summary grant reporting, cash reporting on at least a weekly basis. Right now I'm reviewing that more like 2 to 3 times a week, because it's the end of the biennium and startup of a new one, but the management team gets finalized reporting once a month that is based on the accounting close. And not only do we distribute that to them with the highlights, we want to pinpoint in written format, but then I also present on that every month at the leadership team meeting, when we're reviewing other results for the month and other measures that matter to us.   Carol: I think that's really super good advice for our listeners. I've seen it all across the country. I mean, I've seen where sometimes fiscal people, they are calling all the shots. They aren't that partner. They're like, hey, I'm the one that knows you all can't do math. I'm deciding. I'm doing. People are signing for the director. You know, they're sending stuff in. Directors get it? Zero clue. And while that can be a way to operate. Boy, highly not advisable. Because at the end of the day, the director is the one holding the bag. You know, the buck stops with them. If something goes wrong, something happened. They're the one. And those are the ones that end up getting fired or whatever it may be. So I'm always on the new director end of things. Encouraging people to learn as much as they can. And it's just like learning anything. You take one step at a time, one item at a time, one cell on the spreadsheet to gain understanding. You're not going to be instantly an accountant, but you can get to a level understanding where you hear what's happening. So I appreciate that you've had that experience, because I think you always bring so much to any conversation. Having worked in a blind agency, when you're thinking about how am I going to convey information in a way people can read it for one with assistive technology, not make it so fancy that you kind of lose sight really, of what is trying to be conveyed. So I think you really have great advice there and that you're the partner. I mean, you're advising and then the director's deciding. I think that's a really lovely partnership. What have been your biggest surprises and lessons learned in this role?   Kat: Well, first and foremost, it is more complicated than budgets, significantly larger than what I'm dealing with now because of the interplay of federal and state. Some of the surprises that came to me early on were around the timelines and how important it is to create a calendar of key events that not only takes everything going on with your state into consideration, but all those federal timelines, particularly the federal reporting timelines. We now, after five years, talk about the months between October 1st and the end of January as federal reporting season, because between the support we provide to program with some of their program reports that have fiscal elements in them, and then all of the federal financial reports that have to be submitted during that period of time. There's 18 different reports that my grant accountant and I prepare, review, discuss, and then, of course, go over with the program directors before they are ever submitted to our federal funding partners.   Carol: I'm a huge fan of the calendar. I just have to say, I literally we get calls. I had one of the finance directors from one state. He will remain unnamed, but he calls me on April 30th and he's like, please don't tell me a report is due today, and I'm like, uh, yeah, this is gonna be a really bad day. He said, I gotta go, and he, like, hangs up the phone. I'm like, calendar this stuff. You need the calendar. Oh my gosh. Drives me crazy.   Kat: It's important. And I mean, one of the surprises that came to me is I started with the commission in August of 2020, and a couple of days after I arrived, my senior accountant and we have a small shop. At that time I only had one accountant and two accounting technicians. My senior accountant went out on a family leave of absence about two weeks early. So here I was, no VR experience trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I don't even have access to most of the systems. And as it turns out, as the agency security officer, I give everybody else access. But nobody knew how to give me access. So that was an interesting start. And when she came back from her leave, she said to me, so how did that SF 425 report submission going? I'm like, what? SF 425 report submission. So I missed I started my career with the Commission for the blind by missing a federal Financial Report submission.   Carol: Oh my gosh.   Kat: I'm still here. So I guess it wasn't the end of the world that we were late with one report.   Carol: How do you find it so different between like government accounting compared to the other accounting work you've done? I always hear from people that go, government accounting is like nothing else I've ever been exposed to.   Kat: Yeah, it is very different in that having worked in the private sector and the for profit sector for a number of decades, obviously you're looking for efficiencies and effective ways of doing business that drive your bottom line. The profit imperative is just that don't be fooled by what the for profit organizations say they're really about. Making money is what it's all about in the end. But in the public sector and definitely for the government, one of the things that it took me a bit to wrap my head around was the difference between budget and revenue, and I like the way my executive director describes it to other directors that you have to be paying attention to what's going on with your budget, not because that means that's the amount of money you have to spend is because, particularly with federal funding, that is what you have authority to spend. That doesn't mean you have that revenue to spend. So figuring out how to keep track of where am I at, actually, with my approved budget and my limitations on the federal fund and other fund that I operate with? And where am I actually at with cash available to me through my federal grants, was something else that was very new to me, because every place I'd been before budget was budget. You had that to spend, even in higher education, in the public sector. It was like I had that budget to work with for the entire fiscal cycle. Not true here. So you really have to be paying attention to that difference between budget and revenue. I started to say my executive director describes this to other directors. She tries to put it as think about budget as being the line of credit. If you had a credit card in your wallet. Think about it as the line of credit that you could spend up to, but your revenue is actually how much money you actually get paid. So if you have a $50,000 line of credit, but your income for the year is only going to be $25,000, you're going to have a problem when you spend up to that line of credit.   Carol: That is such an awesome point. We have seen lately. There's been some really interesting things with the budget Authority, and this has to do with kind of the reverse, where for whatever reason, you have a federal grant say you get $100 million. But the legislature has said we are only going to give you $90 million of budget authority. And that's cropped up more and more. And so people forget because you've got program income coming in and you've got other kind of sources of these revenues. And the legislature has set this limit. And so you're bumping on it, but your eye is over here. You're looking at well, yeah, but I've got I can match and I can draw these funds. But for whatever reason the legislature hasn't given you enough authority to actually maximize and utilize everything available to you. That is super concerning for folks. And the thing they weren't watching. Really?   Kat: Yeah. And we all know of a state recently that got into difficulties with that. The thing to keep in mind with that too. And we were in a spot where we had to go back to the legislature and ask for an increase in our spending authority, which is even more complicated than going to just the legislative body, because we have a governing board of commissioners. So first we have to go to the commissioners and get approval to take this before the legislature. And there is a lot of months of lead time in order to accomplish those things in the correct order. We needed to do it because we were fortunate enough to receive an additional sum in the Re allotment process last summer, so we were going to be okay with the amount of revenue we were expecting with the existing authority we had to spend. My concern, of course, was we don't got enough money to get through the end of the state fiscal year, let alone the federal fiscal year. So we went after re allotment. Then I didn't have enough authority on the federal side, so we had to get permission from our board of commissioners. Then of course, go through the legislative process to increase our federal fund limitation.   Carol: Well, and that's a whole other probably lesson learned is the whole legislative process and those cycles for the legislature and all of that. That is no small feat to understand. I'm sure your calendaring all of those dates as well.   Kat: I am. Our agency is small enough that not only am I the finance director, I'm also the budget coordinator, so it's helpful to me at the same time. My office is situated a couple hours away from the state capitol where the legislature meets. So for a hearing before Joint Ways and Means, for instance, that maybe is going to last five minutes. It's a four hour round trip, but I go down there for those meetings and I'm ready to answer any questions should they come.   Carol: That's excellent. That's excellent. Now, I know you have been, are particularly like vocal finance director and participate in things. You've done a great job with networking, and I understand you have a bit of a fan club at CSAVR. So what happened there? What's going on with that?   Kat: You know, one of our asks of all of our staff is that they be on camera when we're in virtual meetings, and it's in part because as a blind agency, we are trying to help our clients be prepared for virtual meeting environments as we're helping them launch into the working world. So we need to model those behaviors, right? So I just developed the habit of whenever I'm speaking, even in large group meetings, like the community of practice that you and your team run is that I'll not only come off of mute, but I'll come off of having my camera shuttered so that people can see me talking. I don't know why, but it's become muscle memory, right? Well, as a result of that, because I have a lot to share at times and I want to help others the way I was helped when I first started by fiscal directors with more experience that had been, you know, around the block a couple of times. I like to try and offer up my contact information as well, so people can feel free to reach out and get in touch with me. So when we were at CSAVR the last session, kind of surprisingly, my director and I were walking around and there was a couple of folks that, as we passed, were like, your Kat, right? Your Kat from Oregon blind. And I'm like, I am. And they said, you know how helpful it was. Some of the things that I had berbled out in one of the community of practice meetings and that it had really helped them wrap their head around the topic or the concept or whatever it may be, and also then have conversations with their leadership team and their executive directors, which I was kind of blushing, but I appreciated hearing that what I had done was helpful to others.   Carol: Oh, 100%. We hear it all the time. Whenever you come on and you give some advice and people be like, that really helped me. You know, we've had folks come back the next month and they're like, that really helped me. I was able to talk to our finance people and whatever, you know, any of the things. They were so excited. You've been an immense help. So let me spin that a little different way. Maybe you can help some of our directors. So fiscal folks are coming and going just as quickly as directors and executive leadership. What suggestions would you have for those VR leaders that are hiring fiscal staff? Because sometimes people think they're bringing in somebody and it's going to be the best thing since sliced bread. And then they're like, this didn't work out at all.   Kat: Yeah.   Carol: So I think folks, especially when you're talking to non-math people and such, they don't tend to know. What should they ask?   Kat: Yeah that's a tough one because on paper it is really hard to assess somebody's education and their stated experience in the positions that they've had before. If you're not a finance person and even understanding the difference between accounting and finance, I have to explain to people again that are really intelligent individuals. I mean, they have their master's degree in counseling and rehabilitation. And yet explaining the difference between accounting and finance is something that I do pretty regularly. My first suggestion to directors would be, if you are at all uncomfortable with accessing the written materials that you're receiving in terms of resumes and a well-written cover letter, find somebody in your state that knows a little bit about fiscal and accounting, or rely upon a recruiter. If you're using the state's chief human resource office to help you assess not only the minimum qualifications that you should be asking for when you're going to turn over millions of dollars to an individual who is going to be responsible for planning, organizing, directing, monitoring and reporting on that money, but also in your preferred qualifications. Look for things like foundational knowledge of appropriations and grants. I don't put that as a minimum qualification because I didn't come in with foundational knowledge around appropriations and grants, but I'm eminently teachable. So that's another thing to look for, is, is this somebody that's a lifelong learner? Do they like a good challenge? Are they good with change and do they know how to lead change? I've experienced this quite a bit in the state of Oregon. We have, since I've arrived, adopted two different enterprise wide solutions for payroll and time tracking, contract management and procurement that we didn't really have a choice to adopt these, but the implementations were intended for very large agencies, and we're an agency of 67 employees. So figuring out how to do these things that you're required to use by the larger organization, that you are a part of being the state at your agency to complete the work that you're going to do is somebody that really needs to be a quick learner that's adaptable, and that can lead change because technology is influencing all of our lives and with what's coming with AI, it's going to continue. And these are good things, but it can be tiring if you think you're going to get in the door as a finance director, and it's all going to be business as usual after you've completed that first fiscal cycle. The other things executive directors could look for are somebody that is curious. I think I mentioned flexibility, but adaptability is very important. When I was interviewing for my role, our VR director, who is fully blind, said to me, how are you going to present materials to me so that I am able to access them and read them? And for me, that was like a oh, how exciting, a new opportunity to take my knowledge and present it in such a way that somebody that I've never worked with before, having a visual impairment or blindness, can also use it. So what do I need to do differently to meet their needs? Not expecting them to accept whatever it is I'm pushing out their way and be just like here it is. If you don't get it, well, that's too bad. The last thing I would mention, and this is just because your fiscal director does have a great deal of access, it's important to remain diligent in managing that employee, just like you would any of your other direct reports. I am fully aware of the responsibility that I have for these millions of dollars that our taxpayers dollars, when all is said and done. So you know you don't want to be so trusting of the person that's managing your finances, that you set yourself up for any kind of a situation where maybe a good person does something not so good because they're in a very difficult spot. So that's where even if you don't know, finance, finding somebody in your own professional network that maybe knows a little bit more about this, that even if you ever have a slight inkling, you can say, hey, you know, my finance director told me this. Can we noodle that around just a little bit? Because I want to make sure that it's all okay. Based on your years of experience doing this and your relationship with your finance director.   Carol: That's good advice.   Kat: Yeah. I don't mean to be skeptical. I think it's just realistic to know that when you have access to and the ability to move around millions of dollars, you should be diligent in managing them just like you would anybody else.   Carol: And things have happened across the country in years past, and people have lost jobs and all kinds of things. So it is no joke. That is excellent advice. Do you have any final kind of words of wisdom for our listeners?   Kat: Don't be afraid to admit what you don't know. I mean, early on in my career, as I was being promoted into management positions, I was like, fake it till you make it right and we can all do that. But the further I've progressed and the older I've gotten, I've developed some of that crone wisdom that comes at this decade of your life, which is, boy, there's a whole lot I don't know. And there are people out there that have been doing this for a while. So who do I need to meet? Who do I need to form a relationship with? Who can be my buddy? And then how can I pay that forward? And that would be the other advice is if somebody has helped you out, pay it forward, help the next new person out that got their eyes crossed and looking overwhelmed when they're trying to figure out what in the world is re allotment, let alone carryover and maintenance of effort.   Carol: Oh my gosh. Well Kat, I really appreciate your wisdom and your honesty. You are so direct. I love it for our listeners. If you're a  leader or fiscal staff or share this episode with somebody new in the role, they do not have to do this alone. Thanks so much for joining me today, Kat.   Kat: Thank you Carol.   {Music} Outro Voice: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host ⁠⁠Will Francis⁠⁠ speaks with ⁠⁠Maurice Wheeler⁠⁠, CEO of We Are Family, a specialist agency focused on research, strategy, and creative work for brands that market to children, teens, and families. Maurice shares how his agency helps household-name brands like Nickelodeon, Hasbro, and Moonbug understand rapidly shifting youth trends – from meme culture to Roblox – while staying legally compliant and ethically sound.This episode digs into how marketing to under-18s must balance creativity with a deep understanding of cognitive development, parental expectations, and platform dynamics. Maurice also explains how his agency conducts global research with thousands of children annually and why “marketing without manipulation” is their north star.What You'll Learn:Why audience insight matters more than ever in youth marketingHow to ethically and legally engage under-18sThe importance of cognitive development in content designWhat platforms kids really use – and howWhy screen time post-COVID is evolving againHow to balance messaging across kids, parents, and platformsWhere influencer marketing fits – and where it doesn'tWhy creativity must thrive inside tight guardrailsTop 3 Tips from Maurice:Talk to kids constantly: Research can't be replaced by reports. Direct conversations reveal the truth.Learn the rules: Global youth marketing demands obsessive knowledge of local legal and ethical guidelines.Immerse yourself in their world: Play Roblox, scroll YouTube Shorts, and understand meme culture. You can't market what you don't experience.Timestamps01:00 – How brands stay in touch with kids' realities02:30 – Meme trends, masculinity, and parenting shifts post-COVID05:15 – How brands act on research and insights07:44 – The challenge of ethical creativity in marketing to kids11:30 – Why guardrails make for better creativity13:49 – Breaking down under-18s into real audience cohorts16:38 – Running global research with very young children19:14 – Sharing vs. owning insights: what gets published20:50 – Developmental personas vs. traditional marketing personas23:00 – The Venn diagram of kids, parents, and platforms26:43 – Creating immersive brand experiences in Roblox30:07 – Influencer marketing and where to draw the line32:10 – Marketing ethics in YouTube content for kids34:04 – How Maurice parented with a marketer's mindset36:25 – What metrics really matter in this space39:48 – The rise of co-viewing and why it's good news41:55 – Maurice's early career from Leo Burnett to Disney47:51 – What's changed most in 20+ years of marketing53:39 – AI in research and creativity: risks and realities59:00 – Maurice's 3 must-do tips for youth marketers

The Venn diagram of perfumes "for sex" (which let's be real, is all of them) and perfumes that attract bugs might be a near-circle. However, there are certain fragrances and fragranced products that could be handy on your next camping trip if you want to avoid attracting either.  Also in this ep: A listener question about the smell of summer Sable is looking for a (non-Internet) creator or fabricator Tynan is looking for... a reason Phlur's M&A is making a great case for divorce Why the hell are Victoria's Secret Dream Angels perfumes so expensive on eBay? (Seriously, I'm asking, though.) [What we smell like today: Guerlain Vetiver Fauve, Henry Rose Dave]

The conspiracy theorists were right again. In a shocking report released by RFK, the HHS found at least 28 patients who were likely still alive when organ harvesting began. “Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life, and this is horrifying,” says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Trump admin has launched an investigation into the organ transplant system, promising new policies aimed to protect donors. Dr. Kelly Victory is Chief of Emergency & Disaster Medicine at The Wellness Company. A trauma and emergency specialist with over 30 years of experience, she served as Chief Medical Officer for Fortune 500 companies and is an alumna of Harvard's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative. More at https://x.com/DrKellyVictory Dr. Cate Shanahan is a NY Times bestselling author of Dark Calories and a leader in the No Seed Oil Movement. She focuses on the health impacts of vegetable oils and promotes food as medicine. More at https://x.com/drcateshanahan Dr. Steph Venn-Watson, DVM, MPH, is CEO of Seraphina Therapeutics. A veterinary epidemiologist, she discovered C15:0 deficiencies and developed fatty15 to address chronic diseases. Learn more at https://drdrew.com/fatty15 「 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 」 Find out more about the brands that make this show possible and get special discounts on Dr. Drew's favorite products at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ACTIVE SKIN REPAIR - Repair skin faster with more of the molecule your body creates naturally! Hypochlorous (HOCl) is produced by white blood cells to support healing – and no sting. Get 20% off at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/skinrepair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • FATTY15 – The future of essential fatty acids is here! Strengthen your cells against age-related breakdown with Fatty15. Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit Subscription at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/fatty15⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • PALEOVALLEY - "Paleovalley has a wide variety of extraordinary products that are both healthful and delicious,” says Dr. Drew. "I am a huge fan of this brand and know you'll love it too!” Get 15% off your first order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/paleovalley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • VSHREDMD – Formulated by Dr. Drew: The Science of Cellular Health + World-Class Training Programs, Premium Content, and 1-1 Training with Certified V Shred Coaches! More at https://drdrew.com/vshredmd • THE WELLNESS COMPANY - Counteract harmful spike proteins with TWC's Signature Series Spike Support Formula containing nattokinase and selenium. Learn more about TWC's supplements at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twc.health/drew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 「 MEDICAL NOTE 」 Portions of this program may examine countervailing views on important medical issues. Always consult your physician before making any decisions about your health. 「 ABOUT THE SHOW 」 Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kalebnation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Susan Pinsky (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/firstladyoflov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠e⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I speak with Dina Berrin, a certified intuitive life coach, about her spiritual journey and the various tools she uses, including tarot, numerology, and charms. Dina shares her early experiences with spirituality, the significance of her grandmother's influence, and how she transitioned from a career in fitness to embracing her passion for divination. The discussion delves into the importance of intuition, the role of charms in personal growth, and the power of music and memories in connecting with one's inner self. Dina also highlights the value of consistency in developing intuition and the significance of journaling as a tool for self-discovery. Dina Berrin is a tarot reader, teacher, speaker, and Certified Co-Active Life Coach with over 20 years of experience. Her journey into the world of divination began at a young age, sparked by her grandmother introducing Dina to astrology. This early awareness prompted a lifelong passion for exploring metaphysical disciplines, including tarot, numerology, charm reading, crystals, palmistry, and more. At the heart of Dina's work is her passion as a storyteller. She believes that tarot is the storybook of our lives, the mirror to our soul, and the key to our inner wisdom. Every decision, choice, lesson, and challenge we encounter can be found within the 78 cards of the tarot deck. The cards act as a mirror, allowing us to tap into the wisdom and answers within ourselves and the universe. Dina also believes that when incorporated with other disciplines such as astrology and numerology, tarot becomes part of a Venn diagram, offering a multi-faceted view of our lives and decisions. As a coach, reader, intuitive, and storyteller, Dina uses her innate intuition to help pull back the curtain and connect clients to their "why," reminding them of who they are and offering guidance to finding the answers and solutions they seek. Her approach blends intuition, imagination, and intent, guiding clients to their authentic selves. She understands the challenges of finding one's true path and provides a safe, empowering space for clients to expand, grow, - and become their future selves. Dina is a fierce champion for her clients, guiding them as they navigate life's complexities with clarity, confidence, and courage. She believes the best decisions are made from a place of love, not fear. Living authentically means making choices that reflect our deepest values and truest selves. Through her work, Dina helps clients peel back the layers to uncover what truly matters to them and supports them as they map out a path to their desired future. When she's not working one-on-one with clients, Dina loves to bring her talents to events. Guests are always eager to sit and talk with her, drawn to her welcoming and engaging presence. Whether working privately or at events, Dina prides herself on being approachable, nonjudgmental, and committed to exceptional service. Living in NYC with her husband, three kids, and their adorable puppy, Rocky, Dina balances her professional life with her passions. She is a perpetual student, always eager to explore deeper insights and new perspectives. Her endless curiosity and love for people allow her to shine a unique light on others and lift them up. Find Dina: Website: www.dinaberrin.com YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@dinaberrin5975 IG: https://www.instagram.com/dinaberrin/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-perlmutter-berrin-cpcc-pcc-5b812022/ FB:https://www.facebook.com/DinaBerrinTarot/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I speak with Dina Berrin, a certified intuitive life coach, about her spiritual journey and the various tools she uses, including tarot, numerology, and charms. Dina shares her early experiences with spirituality, the significance of her grandmother's influence, and how she transitioned from a career in fitness to embracing her passion for divination. The discussion delves into the importance of intuition, the role of charms in personal growth, and the power of music and memories in connecting with one's inner self. Dina also highlights the value of consistency in developing intuition and the significance of journaling as a tool for self-discovery. Dina Berrin is a tarot reader, teacher, speaker, and Certified Co-Active Life Coach with over 20 years of experience. Her journey into the world of divination began at a young age, sparked by her grandmother introducing Dina to astrology. This early awareness prompted a lifelong passion for exploring metaphysical disciplines, including tarot, numerology, charm reading, crystals, palmistry, and more. At the heart of Dina's work is her passion as a storyteller. She believes that tarot is the storybook of our lives, the mirror to our soul, and the key to our inner wisdom. Every decision, choice, lesson, and challenge we encounter can be found within the 78 cards of the tarot deck. The cards act as a mirror, allowing us to tap into the wisdom and answers within ourselves and the universe. Dina also believes that when incorporated with other disciplines such as astrology and numerology, tarot becomes part of a Venn diagram, offering a multi-faceted view of our lives and decisions. As a coach, reader, intuitive, and storyteller, Dina uses her innate intuition to help pull back the curtain and connect clients to their "why," reminding them of who they are and offering guidance to finding the answers and solutions they seek. Her approach blends intuition, imagination, and intent, guiding clients to their authentic selves. She understands the challenges of finding one's true path and provides a safe, empowering space for clients to expand, grow, - and become their future selves. Dina is a fierce champion for her clients, guiding them as they navigate life's complexities with clarity, confidence, and courage. She believes the best decisions are made from a place of love, not fear. Living authentically means making choices that reflect our deepest values and truest selves. Through her work, Dina helps clients peel back the layers to uncover what truly matters to them and supports them as they map out a path to their desired future. When she's not working one-on-one with clients, Dina loves to bring her talents to events. Guests are always eager to sit and talk with her, drawn to her welcoming and engaging presence. Whether working privately or at events, Dina prides herself on being approachable, nonjudgmental, and committed to exceptional service. Living in NYC with her husband, three kids, and their adorable puppy, Rocky, Dina balances her professional life with her passions. She is a perpetual student, always eager to explore deeper insights and new perspectives. Her endless curiosity and love for people allow her to shine a unique light on others and lift them up. Find Dina: Website: www.dinaberrin.com YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@dinaberrin5975 IG: https://www.instagram.com/dinaberrin/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-perlmutter-berrin-cpcc-pcc-5b812022/ FB:https://www.facebook.com/DinaBerrinTarot/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Integrating your campaign into your strategic plan isn't just smart—it's essential. In this season wrap-up, The Discovery Group's very own Douglas Nelson offers a deeply practical guide for social profit leaders seeking to align campaigns, strategic planning, and board engagement. Drawing from real organizational challenges, Douglas outlines the six essential functions of exceptional boards during a campaign and shares how to activate them effectively. From centering philanthropy in your plan to avoiding campaign-case detachment and Venn diagram confusion, this episode is a masterclass in bridging purpose and fundraising with clarity.

If we were to draw a Venn diagram of this week's episode, it would include corporate security, business continuity, crisis management, and information security. And it's all based on a chilling scenario - how will you respond if a key employee is detained?   Hello everyone and welcome to Episode 193 of the Resilient Journey Podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group!   This week, we welcome David Fortino, head of Corporate Security and an expert in global resilience and crisis and risk management.   David walks us through what steps organizations should take and their duty of care when an employee is detained. He speaks of the importance of the first 12 to 24 hours of response and how critical it is to have a well-exercised plan in place. David also explains how important it is to understand personal details of the person who is traveling and what electronic devices they have with them.    Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

Az előfizetők (de csak a Belső kör és Közösség csomagok tulajdonosai!) már szombat hajnalban hozzájutnak legfrissebb epizódunk teljes verziójához. A hétfőn publikált, ingyen meghallgatható verzió tíz perccel rövidebb. Itt írtunk arról, hogy tudod meghallgatni a teljes adást. A futball Liam Gallaghere. A XXI. század Czinege Lajosa. Anikó igényei. Orbán unokája. Trump Patriotja. A focista Lamborghinije. Almák matricái, kenyerek cetlijei. Winkler morális pillanata. 00:54 Médiatörténelem: lehet podcastolni Tour de France-bámulás közben. Az Oasis cardiffi visszatérése crowdsource-olva. A Beastie Boys filmje, amit tényleg Adam MCA Yauch rendezett. A futballpályák Liam Gallaghere. Urbán Flórián és Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 05:31 Zlatan XTB-t reklámoz. Különböző balkáni arcberendezések. Vennél használt autót Zlatantól? Bernard Hinault Skodát reklámoz. Amikor Tom Simpson amfetaminokkal és alkohollal teletömve meghalt a biciklin. 10:50 Kvíz 1: Ruszin-Szendi és Dr. Szöszi. Kvíz 2: Honnan tudja Uj Péter, hogy mikor járt le Winkler Róbert halszósza? Kvíz 3: Vállalási tasak. Kvíz 4: Romina és Ronett. 17:13 Ruszin-Szendi Romulusz palotájának részletei. A magyar honvédség lakberendezési hagyományai. Czinege Lajos palotája az Edrődi Sándor utca 18/B-ben. 21:58 Czinege, az érdekes figura. 24:52 Melyik a legszarabb ház Dunakeszin? Mennyibe kerül egy magaságyás? A grillezés Stradivarija. Mikor ástál utoljára emésztőgödröt? 29:49 Bőrgarnitúra, 18 étkezőszék, Nespresso-csészék. Vegyenek már egy rendes Kees van der Westent! Anikó asszony igényei. 34:13 Ez már nem az a Ruszin-Szendi és nem az a Magyar. Várjuk a további feleségek listáit! Megvehették volna a Gellértet is. 37:49 Miért nem tiltja a szerződésük a 390 kilométer per órát? José Antonio Reyes halála. Luc Longley bodyboard-sérülése. 42:07 Az almamatricák és kenyércetlik pokla. 46:51 Hogyan lássunk el fiatalokat minőségi alkohollal? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

דוד שרז היה לוחם ומפקד בסיירת מטכ״ל במשך יותר מעשור, לפני שהשתחרר, למד כלכלה באונ׳ העברית והיה ממייסדי חברת Venn והוביל גם שלל עסקאות נדל״ן ברחבי העולם. אחרי 300 ימי מילואים בשנתיים האחרונות, דוד החליט שנדרש שינוי ושהוא צריך לסייע להביאו. זה מה שהביא אותו ואת שותפיו לדרך לייסד את תנועת ׳אל הדגל׳. הוא הגיע לדבר עם ראם על התנועה והמדינה.   קישור לנותני החסות לפרק: חברת חפשו בגוגל R&D משכנתאות וגיקונומי חברת 2sit שבה תקבלו 25% הנחה על הכסא הראשון שתקנו אם תגידו שהגעתם דרך גיקונומי  האימייל של ראם

¿Es una montaña rusa de emociones realmente una montaña rusa si todas las emociones son negativas? Enterate en el Ep563 de Café Fandango, donde Edu te cuenta sus impresiones finales de Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, y sus impresiones iniciales de Rematch, mientras que arranca el DLC de Sea of Stars y sigue con FM24. Gus por su parte te cuenta sobre las primeras misiones de Halo 2, y cómo el Songs of Conquest es básicamente el Heroes III. Luego de un lanzamiento que nadie va a jugar nunca, entramos a las noticias con algunos anuncios de juegos que se vienen, cancelaciones varias de parte de los despidos de Xbox, un rant de Edu sobre el inexistente remake de FF9, el cierre de la discusión por saber si Dave the Diver es un indie, una actualización sobre la petición europea de Stop Killing Games, y lo más esperado por el sectorcito del diagrama de Venn de jugadores de Call of Duty y fanáticos de Beavis and Butthead. Cerramos con una pregunta Fandango que expone esos claros intentos de vendernos nostalgia pura.

Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!   The first of two Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Steve Morrison of Errant Adventures, an excellent solo actual play podcast which has followed a sci-fi epic through multiple seasons (appropriately called Books) using different systems and more! Steve is also one half of the Ironsworn Guyz podcast along with Matt Risby (a.k.a. The Bad Spot, see previous Perspective Checks episode for more with Matt).   Steve comes on to talk about his experiences with RPGs, writing, and doing a solo podcast, and how that Venn diagram has a lot of overlap, but it took some time to find the right balance. He recently changed up his process and it is really interesting to think about how TTRPGs (solo or otherwise) can really work alongside creative writing to make for better stories than doing either on their own.    I cannot recommend Errant Adventures enough, go give it a listen!   ----more----   Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!   I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)   Where to Follow Rene Plays Games: LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark Rene's Games: MECH | One Last Quest email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com   Music in the Episode: Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Show Notes: Brian Stollery talks about AlphaSense, an information provider that independent consultants and boutique firms are using to gain an edge over those who rely on chat GPT or consumer LLM tools. AlphaSense is built for this kind of work, pulling in verified content such as industry reports, broker research filings, earnings calls, expert calls, news, and internal research and internal content. It layers this with market-leading AI functionality that can read and synthesize all of it to deliver consulting-grade insights at scale. AlphaSense Explained Brian clarifies that AlphaSense is not primarily an expert network like AlphaSights, but rather a market company and enterprise intelligence search engine for the AI generation. It offers the depth and breadth of authoritative data that would be obtained from a legacy research platform with the intuitive user experience of modern AI tools. The value of AlphaSense lies in the deep, authoritative content set that is the foundation of AlphaSense, along with the speed and accuracy of the AI that allows users to quickly surface relevant insights. Brian also talks about the major categories of sources of proprietary information that feed into AlphaSense. The AlphaSense Platform The AlphaSense platform features an index where users can go to different things, such as portfolio monitors, research topics, expert insights, news, risk signals on consumer tech growth investment strategy, events, company documents, and talent job executive movements. The dashboard includes eight or nine widgets that provide a list of seven or eight articles on various topics. These articles are sourced from various sources, such as news articles or interviews with experts. The platform also has over 200,000 free recorded, transcribed expert calls, which are added to the library for analysis by the AI. How AlphaSense Gathers Information The interviewers are usually conducted by-side analysts, corporate users, and experts in respective fields. They work with corporate development teams and head of corporate strategy to conduct these interviews. The platform believes that a rising tide lifts all boats, and every expert call that happens throughout the AlphaSense is published back in the platform to further enhance and grow its library of expert calls from subject matter experts who are currently active in their industry.   AlphaSense Use Cases In management consulting, AlphaSense may not be suitable for calls that would be better suited to AlphaSights where the information is sensitive or should have restricted access.  However, the use case for AlphaSense is for commercial due diligence for private equity, where it allows users to get up to speed for engagement and quickly search across benchmark expert perspectives. This allows them to bolster their expertise within the management consulting space. AlphaSense is an institutional grade content engine that consolidates information from various sources, including expert calls, news, research reports, broker research, and more. It offers over 6000 vetted business and market news sources and trade journals, most of which require paywalls. AlphaSense allows users to bypass these paywalls and provides real-time insights from over 700 partners.   The AlphaSense Dashboard The dashboard includes relevant documents related to executive movements, risk signals, growth, and investment strategies. Users can explore the dashboard by searching for trigger words related to their watchlist of consumer tech companies. The AI can then pull relevant documents, such as expert insights, event transcripts, press releases, and news, to provide valuable insights for business development or due diligence. The Executive Search Function The document search module within AlphaSense allows users to get forensic insights from relevant documents, such as executive search, talent, and hiring practices. The AI can also generate summary responses, which are useful for top-tier consulting use cases. However, the AI may sometimes make a guess or hallucination if an answer is not available. This is why the Big Three and Big Four rely on AlphaSense for their consulting use cases. The AlphaSense Research Tool The AlphaSense generative search tool is a research analyst team in a box. The tool is designed to answer macro business questions, such as market size or pricing trends. Brian checks McKinsey, Bain and BCG's performance in 2025, including their revenue, talent, hiring, and growth areas. The AI agent breaks down these questions into subquestions and finds 3000 documents across the content library. It then extracts documents from expert calls, press releases, investor relations presentations, research reports, and sustainability reports. The AI outputs a summary of the documents. The tool is particularly useful for understanding the performance of consulting firms like McKinsey Bain and BCG. Quality Sources and Quantitative Data AlphaSense provides bullet points on McKinsey, revenue, growth, talent, and hiring, with links to expert calls and other sources of data. The AI outputs are deep linked and cited to the source, ensuring accuracy. For instance, McKinsey Sciences for Growth, a 2025 focus, integrates tech-enabled capabilities and AI. BCG reported $13.5 billion in 2024 revenue, achieving 10% global growth and expanding its workforce to 33,000 employees. AlphaSense also has sentence-level citations, ensuring every sentence is deep linked and cited to its source. AlphaSense uses various models from partners like open AI, sonnet four, and Gemini 2.5, all grounded in high-quality, relevant documents. The tool's intelligence selects the best model based on the use case, whether it's reasoning-based or quantitative or qualitative. The AI is a comprehensive market-leading library of authoritative content that consultants care about. Modes of Research and Meeting Prep for Management Consultants Brian shares the typical use cases for management consultants using generative search platforms. He highlights two modes: think longer and deep research. Brian used generative search to prepare for a meeting with a client at a mid-sized consulting firm, focusing on digital strategy. The AI summarized transcripts, expert calls, earnings calls, and press releases from iHeart, highlighting the company's focus on technology, digitization, and AI-enabled automation as the key to cost savings and digital revenue acceleration. The platform also offers an iPhone app for on-the-go access to insights. The AI analyzed bullet points and planned insights on every section, creating a comprehensive competitive intelligence report. The report includes chatter on core service offerings, engagement models, pricing structures, sector specialization, news partnerships, partnerships, and tech bets.    AlphaSense's Generative Grid Brian talks about using AlphaSense's generative grid, which is a generative AI-powered spreadsheet to aggregate documents and interrogate them. This is useful for tracking executive compensation and performance components for target accounts. The grid allows consulting users to analyze past performance and understand the current climate. Another use case is connecting consulting, transformation, and strategic advisory services to key performance indicators, such as free cash flow, human capital, strategic objectives, or EBITDA. By attaching value drivers directly to performance components, consultants can focus on adjusted EBITDA growth, cost optimization, Target, discover integration execution drive, adjusted ROTC, and revenue growth tied to executive compensation. AlphaSense for Understanding Business Development Brian explains that the use cases and projects of consultants using AlphaSense  vary, but one major use case is business development understanding. It helps in identifying companies' propensity for M&A or divestitures, such as changes in management or new strategic initiatives. AlphaSense also offers a deal scanner for M&A consultants looking at acquisitions or private equity deals across a portfolio of companies or industries. It also provides due diligence services, such as meeting prep, company research, trend analysis, market assessment, client benchmarking, and sentiment analysis. Alpha Sense's Access to Information Providers AlphaSense has access to SEC filings, newspapers, trade journals, investment bank coverage, and reports. AlphaSense also has access to other information providers like CrunchBase, capital, IQ, and Pitch Book. The Venn diagram highlights the overlap of information between AlphaSense and other information providers, such as CrunchBase, Morningstar, and CrunchBase. If a company's revenue or employee count is in CrunchBase, it can be accessed via AlphaSense. Alpha Sense vs. Capital IQ The conversation turns to the differences between AlphaSense and Capital IQ, a financial reporting platform. AlphaSense is an end-to-end intelligence engine that provides access to investment banking reports, but it requires downloading them one by one. It is not possible to search across all content sets at once. Capital IQ, on the other hand, offers valuable structured data, is great for downloading Industry Reports, and is a strategic database of financials and filings. It is also useful for importing statistical or financial models into Excel. AlphaSense, on the other hand, is an end-to-end intelligence engine that provides decision-ready insights across billions of data points. Timestamps: 03:23: Overview of AlphaSense's Content and AI Capabilities  07:27: Detailed Walkthrough of AlphaSense Dashboard 12:38: Exploring Different Categories of Information Sources  16:36: Generative Search and Deep Research Capabilities  26:05: Use Cases for Management Consultants  42:50: Comparison with Other Information Providers  49:22: Pricing and Accessibility Links: Website: https://www.alpha-sense.com/ Recently feature on AlphaSense on CNBC with more insight on our Deep Research differentiation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HJ8Egisg-w If folks want to reach out directly for their own personalized demo: Email: bstollery@alpha-sense.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancity/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Matthew Bannister on Courtney Griffiths, one of the first black lawyers to become a Queen's Counsel. Sara Venn, who turned unloved spaces in Bristol into community gardens growing food for low-income families. Nina Kuscik, the American marathon runner who broke down barriers to women participating in long distance running. Sergeant Mohammed Hussain, one of the last surviving Muslim veterans of the second world war. Producer: Catherine PowellArchive used: BBC News: Courtenay Griffiths, April 2012; BBC Breakfast News: Courtenay Griffiths, April 2012; Hardtalk, BBC Two, Interviewer Tim Sebastian, 12/10/2002; Hardtalk, BBC Two, Interviewer Stephen Sackur, 19/11/2010; The Organic Gardening Podcast: Sara Venn, YouTube Upload, 24/01/2024; BBC Points West: Sara Venn, 27/04/2016; BBC Points West: Sara Venn, 01/05/2014; Nina Kuscik, Northeast Historic Film; BBC London: Mohammad Hussein, 10/11/2022; Southall to Cassino, BBC Two, 02/09/1989; Festival of Remembrance, BBC, 09/11/2024

In this episode of Creatives Grab Coffee, Ben Amos from Innovate Media and Engage Video Marketing shares his journey from high school media teacher to agency owner, coach, and published author. Ben dives deep into the importance of video strategy, explaining how producers can elevate client outcomes by focusing beyond just production. He breaks down his signature seven-part video strategy framework, discusses how to incorporate strategic thinking into sales conversations, and explains how his retainer model works with select clients. Whether you're running a corporate video agency or freelancing, this episode is packed with insights to help you grow your business through smarter, more strategic content.TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Episode Introduction and Guest Welcome03:05 – Ben's transition from teaching to video production06:45 – Launching Engage Video Marketing and the podcast08:30 – The pivotal moment that sparked a strategy-first mindset14:00 – Ben's 7 elements of effective video strategy21:10 – Strategy vs. production vs. management: the Venn diagram27:45 – Why Innovate Media avoids paid ad management34:16 – How to approach B2B vs B2C clients strategically42:51 – What makes a video retainer model actually work59:52 – Coaching and mentorship for video producers1:06:07 – Ben's future goals and closing thoughtsSPONSORS:Canada Film Equipment: www.CanadaFilmEquipment.comAudio Process: www.Audioprocess.ca

We got an email recently looking for advice on how to navigate being married to someone with ADHD when you're experiencing perimenopause. (It was actually hilariously titled “Perimenopause and ADHD Walk Into A Bar…” so stay tuned for a future video on that.) This week on Laugh Lines, we're diving into the chaotic Venn diagram that is living with ADHD and perimenopause — including a full game show with our producer, Sam Allen. Spoiler alert: it's full of brain fog, misplaced purses, hormone-fueled rage, and why I once forgot the word “pothole.” (Not as bad as Penn saying “fish horse” though.)Penn and I also share what it was like being guests on an Oprah, random advice from our listeners, a look into my dating past, and we debate whether the 4pm dance club should be our next business venture. (Grab your corrected Mahjong cards and meet us there!) But seriously, tell us in the comments if you're in. Leave us a message at 323-364-3929 or write the show at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. You can also watch our podcast on YouTube.Watch us on The Oprah PodcastVisit Our ShopJoin Our NewsletterFind us on SubstackFollow us on InstagramFollow us on TikTok Follow us on FacebookLaugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness is an evolution of The Holderness Family Podcast, which began in 2018. Kim and Penn Holderness are award-winning online content creators known for their original music, song parodies, comedy sketches, and weekly podcasts. Their videos have resulted in over two billion views and over nine million followers since 2013. Penn and Kim are also authors of the New York Times Bestselling Book, ADHD Is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD and winners on The Amazing Race (Season 33) on CBS. Laugh Lines is hosted and executive produced by Kim Holderness and Penn Holderness, with original music by Penn Holderness. Laugh Lines is also written and produced by Ann Marie Taepke, and edited and produced by Sam Allen. It is hosted by Acast. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when your dream career at the FBI collides with a health crisis, and ultimately launches you into entrepreneurship?  In this episode of the Nourished CEO Podcast, I sit down with Holly Bertone, a former Chief of Staff in counterintelligence turned holistic health coach and emotional eating specialist. Holly opens up about the raw, emotional journey behind her recent niche pivot. From the heartbreak of a failed launch to the bold creation of her now-successful “Break Emotional Eating Accelerator,” Holly shares how she fused her federal-level pattern analysis skills with a passion for health coaching.  If you've ever faced a business setback or struggled to own your story, this conversation is the reminder you need to keep going. Timeline Summary [2:48] - Holly shares her unique backstory: from the FBI to holistic health coaching [8:30] - The “bomb.com” failed launch that led to a business breakthrough [11:14] - Holly's turning point: “You either get the thing you want or the lesson you need.” [14:43] - How a 10-day insight turned into a profitable and powerful new offer [20:18] - The Venn diagram that helped Holly find her true niche [22:31] - Holly reveals her “big scary secret” and how it changed everything [36:20] - The “See It, Stop It, Shift It” method for overcoming emotional eating [39:23] - Where to find Holly's free Emotional Eating Tactical Blueprint Top Quotes from Holly “You either get the thing you want or you get the lesson that you need to take you to the next step.” “A threat is a threat—whether it's a spy or a cupcake.” “I felt like I was playing in the sandbox, stuck in rules that weren't serving my clients.” “Emotional forensics is what I do—it's pattern analysis meets neuroplasticity.” Links & Resources Connect with Holly on Instagram: @holly.bertone DM her the word Blueprint to receive the Emotional Eating Tactical Blueprint Enjoyed the episode? If Holly's story moved or inspired you, please take a minute to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more amazing coaches and practitioners like you discover the show, and supports me in continuing to bring you conversations that matter. Thanks for tuning in!

For June, we really wanted to bring you something queer. Like gay queer. And I believe we've done that, but also, as a fun bonus, it turns out we've brought you something weird queer as well. So this episode -- and this movie -- lives in that cozy, perfect, Venn-diagram-intersection of good queer things.  We talked about Yorgos Lanthimos's gorgeous dark/etc. comedy, The Favourite. To make an otherwise unsettling Pride month better. But still kind of unsettling. But, like, unsettling in a cool way. Happy Pride.

There is absolutely no connection between the Goons and the Simpsons so what on earth is this special bonus episode all about? Well, my very good friends Ian and Michael over at the Lord Of Adders Black podcast - celebrating all things Blackadder - joined me to share our love for The Simpsons and talk through our favourite episodes! (Their podcast is really good - find it here: https://shows.acast.com/lord-of-adders-black )Great comedy is great comedy and while it's fair to say that few people could describe most post-2000 Simpsons content as 'great comedy' the stuff that came before remains sublime. I'm not sure what a Venn diagram of Goon Show fans and Simpsons fans would look like but hopefully it's more or less a circle. So indulge me for this special bonus episode with Michael & Ian where I get a rare chance to gush about comedy from the 1990s!

We're joined by relatively new but very experienced player Zoe Cameron as she shares great advice for new and existing players alike. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the venue and their drinks (0 mins 10 secs) They set up this episode's interview with Zoe Cameron (3 mins 30 secs) Interview with Zoe Cameron The interview with Zoe kicks off who has only been playing since early 2024 but has got massively into the game and some of her thoughts on the game (5 mins 5 secs) They get into a discussion around the Venn diagram between strategic play, tactical play and relationship play (10 mins) Lizard brain contemplations (15 mins) They talk about their drinks for the interview and DBN After Dark (18 mins 20 mins) Zoe has some great advice for new players (22 mins 45 secs) They discuss the connections created from the game and the "free jazz of social dynamics" (25 mins 30 secs) She discusses the importance of vulnerability whether you're a new or experienced player (31 mins 20 secs) Zoe and Ken share a story - you can also hear Ken's original discussion on our previous episode (37 mins 30 secs) Zoe says she's coming to the Cane Toad Classic, with Ken showing her the Toadiest Toad trophy (40 mins 45 secs) She talks about different  geographic playing styles (43 mins 30 secs) After Ken asks about Zoe's best game she discusses getting the best sense of flow in a game (51 mins 30 secs) She talks about an upcoming Melbourne tournament she's organising for 17-19 October 2025 (59 mins) Zoe gives a shout out to tournament organisers before they start wrapping up the interview (1 hr 5  mins) The guys chat about the interview (1 hr 7 mins) Gavin acknowledges he probably needs to try giving Discord a go again (1 hr 11 mins) Cane Toad Classic - it's happening! They talk about the tournament the weekend of 30-31 August at Meeple and Mug in Brisbane's West End, the social and formal structure for games (1 hr 13 mins) Ken talks about the trophies, including the infamous Toadiest Toad award (1 hr 18 mins) They talk about the upcoming Sydney Cup on 21-22 June (1 hr 21 mins) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 23 mins) Venue: The Prince Consort, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Pepperjack Malbec Ken: Young Henry's Newtowner Pale Ale Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of C15, a newly recognized essential fatty acid, and its implications for longevity and health. Our guest, a leading expert in the field, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson shares her insights into the discovery and significance of C15, drawing connections between human health and findings from dolphin studies. Website - https://fatty15.com/JILLCARNAHAN  Key Discussions: ① The Discovery of C15:

Step right up, folks! The Astral Sea's ablaze! Lae'zel is rebelling against the lich queen Vlaakith. Can the Astral Circus, a rogue band of circus performing secret agents, throw their lot in with the rebels without becoming cannon fodder? Find out! This is the Astral Circus, a Spelljammer Actual Play. System: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Spelljammer CAST:  ➜GM: Jason (he/him) https://probablyokgames.carrd.co/ ➜ Jay Africa (he/him)  https://jayafrica.carrd.co/- Brutus Bartholomew Bux (he/him) Giff Monk, Way of the Shadow ➜ Dion Simmons (he/him)- Gralen Longstamp (he/him) Gnome Cleric, Grave Domain ➜ Sam (they/she) https://redpandroid.carrd.co/- Jaden Sapphire (he/him) Astral Elf Druid, Circle of the Stars ➜ Pooja (none) https://forgottensaves.carrd.co- Ezthe Perah (they/them) Chthonic Tiefling Sorcerer, Martial Sorcery ◇ Visit https://happyjacks.org//astralcircus for a full list of this campaign's videos and podcasts. ◇ Follow Happy Jacks RPG on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or hang out with other tabletop roleplaying fans in our Discord community! ◇ Subscribe to our other podcast feeds! We have a weekly tabletop RPG talk show based on topics sent in from fans around the world, and a great collection of One-Shots if you prefer bite sized adventures. ◇ You can watch us on Youtube or Twitch! ◇ Keep us independent by becoming a Patreon! Our fantastic supporters let us play and say what we want instead of catering to companies for ad or sponsorship money. They are HEROES! https://patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2025 Happy Jacks RPG Network https://happyjacks.org/

Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk is back to talk about Apple TV+'s Murderbot, and whether the books do a better job of exploring questions of gender and essential humanity without Alexander Skarsgard's Ken-doll crotch confusing matters. Should YOU give it a watch? We went Around The Dial with Overcompensating, Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, and Leverage: Redemption's third season before Anne offered another variation on the Utahn theme with a Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Canon Presentation. Kelli Giddish won, Tom Hardy lost, and we all tried to survive the process of Venn-diagramming premiere and finale casting in Game Time. Hack into your governor modules and join us! GUESTS

In this mind-blowing episode, you'll get to discover how a Navy dolphin program accidentally cracked open an exciting breakthrough in human health and longevity. I sit down with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist whose fascinating path led her from caring for military dolphins to identifying a completely overlooked fatty acid—C15:0—that's now being recognized as the first essential fatty acid discovered in over 90 years. If you’ve ever been confused about dairy fat, the nuances of saturated fats, or how to truly fuel your body for lasting vitality, this conversation will clear it all up—and give you real, actionable ways to start leveraging this cutting-edge science right away. Full show notes: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/c15 Episode Sponsors: Peluva: Experience the freedom of natural movement with Peluva, the zero-drop minimalist shoe that combines a barefoot feel with just the right cushioning for everyday life, fitness, and beyond. Try them risk-free at Peluva.com and use code BEN for 15% off your first pair—let your feet be feet! SuperTeeth: SuperTeeth is one of the first oral care brands that creates products that safely remineralize teeth without the need for fluoride. Visit GetSuperTeeth.com and use code BENGREENFIELD for 15% off. BIOptimizers MassZymes: MassZymes is a powerful, best-in-class enzyme supplement that improves digestion, reduces gas and bloating, and provides relief from constipation. Go to bioptimizers.com/ben and use code BEN10 for 10% off your order. Jaspr: Breathe air so clean you can smell the difference with the Jaspr commercial-grade air purifier. Visit Jaspr.co/ben and use code BEN for 10% off. MOSH: MOSH's signature blend offers a plant-based, high-protein bar that is a great source of vitamin D and an excellent source of vitamin B12. Head to moshlife.com/BEN to save 20% off, plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant-Based Trial Pack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Melissa sits down with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, founder of Fatty15, to explore the keys to longevity, the importance of essential nutrients, and how to live a vibrant, purpose-driven life. Stephanie shares the fascinating story of how she accidentally discovered C15:0—the first essential fatty acid identified in over 90 years—through her groundbreaking work with Navy dolphins. Together, they dive into the science behind Fatty15, its powerful benefits (especially for those avoiding dairy), and how optimizing this nutrient can help restore our healthspan and give us more time and energy for the things we love most. The conversation goes beyond supplements, touching on the importance of letting go of rigid wellness labels, embracing moderation, and making healthy living more accessible and sustainable. Stephanie also unpacks why many common supplements—like gummies—may not be as effective as we think, and shares insights from her new book, The Longevity Nutrient, which simplifies complex science into actionable, everyday tools. If you're curious about cutting-edge health discoveries or looking to create a fuller, longer life without the overwhelm, this episode is a must-listen.You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/MWH15 and using code MWH15 at checkout.Follow us on Instagram at @melissawoodtepperberg and @melissawoodhealthLimited Time Offer: Use code movewithheart when you sign up for a monthly membership to get your first month FREE on melissawoodhealth.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lesley Logan and transformational coach Kevin Carton dive into how science and spirituality work together to help you live a more aligned and vibrant life. They explore why your heart holds the key to uncovering your true purpose, how small shifts in awareness can create major transformations, and how gratitude can rewire your reality. Get ready to feel inspired to take your next bold step forward. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co.And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Why your soul's purpose is as unique as your thumbprint.How to connect science and spirituality to create your dream life.The importance of curiosity when you feel unclear about your goals.The Double Slit Experiment and why observation shapes reality.How writing a present-tense vision statement can accelerate your growth.The four levels of consciousness and how to shift from victim to creator.How gratitude operates at three powerful levels to rewire your brain and life.Episode References/Links:Kevin Carton Website - https://www.kevincarton.comKevin Carton Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kevinfcartonScience and Spirituality Podcast - https://beitpod.com/scienceandspiritualitypodMetacognition Meditation - https://beitpod.com/metacognitionmeditationDr. Quantum Double Slit Experiment - https://youtu.be/NvzSLByrw4QBig Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - https://a.co/d/dMYmp4yMan's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl - https://a.co/d/6PEUoagGuest Bio:As an inspirational speaker, teacher, and transformational life coach certified by the Brave Thinking Institute, Kevin Carton empowers people to discover and live their soul's purpose. With over a decade of experience, Kevin has helped hundreds of people breakthrough limitations, rewire their subconscious mind and trust themselves more deeply, so they can take the bold steps to turn their dream into a reality. He has spoken on stages in front of thousands of people sharing his “old soul” wisdom, which led to him being described as a young Bob Proctor. He shares weekly insights alongside his brother Chris Carton on their podcast, Science & Spirituality, which has over 1.3 million downloads and listeners in 113 countries around the world. When he's not serving others in his coaching business, Kevin loves going on date nights with his wife / soulmate Vivianne, snowboarding in the mountains in the winter, and spending time with his cat Autumn in their home near Denver, Colorado. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/ Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Kevin Carton 0:00  I personally believe that we all have a soul's purpose as unique as our thumbprint. We all have a unique thumbprint that we can identify ourselves across the eight plus billion people, completely unique. I also believe that we all have a unique purpose in life, and that we're here to fulfill it. Lesley Logan 0:14  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:56  Okay, Be It babe. We are gonna have a little bit of science, a little bit of spirituality, and yes, they go together. And holy moly, am I blown away. One of, it's just I have things that I want to put on repeat. There's things I want to go research. There's a meditation I'm going to go do, like, this, I'm fired up. And I have to say today, before this interview happened, I had call after call. Meeting after meeting. Demand after demand. I was like, oh, I gotta put my podcasting hat on, and I'm gonna tell you right now. I'm so glad I did, because my whole perspective of what I'm here to do has changed in like a moment, in an instant, and I believe that that's what's gonna happen for you in this podcast. So here is our guest, Kevin Carton. Lesley Logan 1:35  All right, Be It babe. This is gonna be so fun, because I've already been chatting with our guest before I hit record here, and it's just so fun. It's an easy conversation, and someone who really cares about who you are and how you operate in this world. And so Kevin Carton, can you tell everyone who you are and what you rock at? Kevin Carton 1:50  I'd be happy to. First off, thank you for having me on your podcast. I'm thrilled to be here. And I love your show. Clearly, love your audience because of the focus of your show. So I'm excited to share. So, myself, as you shared, I'm Kevin Carton. I'm a transformational life coach, and I like to call myself as well, a spiritual teacher, although my technical certification is as a transformational life coach, but I help people in living their dreams. It's really as simple as that, but there's so much more depth than that goes to because I really like to take the spiritual approach, or the soul's approach, the perspective of being a soul in this human experience. And so it's a different approach than, like, just trying to create something new in your life. But I go into the deeper depths of like, why? Well, why? Why do you want whatever it is that you want, and what is that going to give you? What are you giving to the world for that? And ultimately, I love to focus on our soul's purpose. I personally believe that we all have a soul's purpose as unique as our thumbprint. We all have a unique thumbprint that we can identify ourselves across the eight plus billion people, completely unique. I also believe that we all have a unique purpose in life, and that we're here to fulfill it.Lesley Logan 2:55  I so believe that. I think what a lot of people who listen to this show are all kind of figuring out, like, what is my purpose? I think that they can get overwhelmed by that question. They can feel like, you have to know an answer, and you're, you feel ashamed if you don't know an answer. Simon Sinek's like, it starts with why. And I remember coaching people like, I don't know, I just don't feel the pain and and they're being told like, your why should make you cry. And it's like, should it, though? Is it that emotional? How do we get past it? So I guess I have two questions I want to go with. One, how do you become a transformational life coach? Can anyone just say that they are? And two, what is a soul's purpose? How do we figure that out? These are two big questions, I think.Kevin Carton 3:30  They are. I mean, I've been doing this for a while, so I can answer both of those, actually, quite briefly. First, how I, you know, anyone becomes a transformational life coach? There's many different routes, and there are many different perspectives on what you can or the training you go through to actually call yourself a transformational life coach, or a life coach in general. The path I don't recommend, and this is not the path I took, is taking an online certification that costs $250. There are those that are out there and could be helpful in terms of a coaching modality like you can learn some skills, but I believe, if you're calling yourself a transformational life coach, that there is some deeper depth that you've carved out in your own life, your own experience, that you can give to others and share with others, but in a more reliable way, that it's not just happenstance or your own experience, but there are certain principles that you follow, that you share those principles, and if someone works with those principles, then it could work for them too. Because, at heart, I'm actually a scientist. That's like the beginning of my story. I first chose my career path, at first, was to begin my doctorate in pharmacy. Long story short, I did not end up continuing to get my doctorate, because three and a half years in or so, I started to work in the industry as an intern, and I hated it. I felt like my soul was being crushed. Because, honestly, I really went into that career path because I want to help people, and when I saw that what we were doing really wasn't really helping, it was more of just masking symptoms, not really a treating the underlying cause, I felt like there was no purpose for me there anymore. So it was a very big, I call it my quarter life crisis, but that ultimately led me to needing help myself. So it was many different ways this came about that I won't get into, different, like, synchronicities happening in my life, but I stumbled upon a mentor who has been my mentor since. So for over 10 years now, I've been working with this woman, and she's a transformational life coach. Her name is Mary Morrissey, but I sought her help because I was in such a deep, dark place in my life, like dipping in and out of depression, feeling so lost that I needed guidance, I needed support. So from that journey, and it was within like one year, from working with her, investing and coaching with her, that I started to uncover what really was here for me and my purpose and what I really wanted to do to help people, like, truly. And for how much her work helped me, I felt so inspired that I wanted to do the same. So kind of a story of turning your mess into your message, right? So that's what guided me toward this path of being a transformational life coach. And I'm also really grateful and thrilled that my mentor actually runs a whole institute that I believe is actually like, one of the world's best in terms of training life coaches, so. Lesley Logan 6:07  I love that you brought that up about what you don't recommend people do as a path. And also you went into, like, how long you went through, and you're obviously still working with her, and then also to then train, because my industry is also not really regulated, and I don't think the life coaching industry is also like, there's not like a third party, exactly, and I do think that there are reasons why some statewide or tests should be done, because I just think that anyone can call themselves some of these things, and if they're really passionate, that they can hoodwink people. And so I actually don't bring on a ton of life coaches onto this podcast, because I want to make sure that there's a way that I can vet them and research them, and I can look into what they say they're trained in. And I saw yours, and I was like, oh, this is legitimate, and this person actually practices what they preach. So it's the same thing. When people are like, oh, I want a Pilates instructor over here. I'm like, here's the deal. There's not really, like, a one directory you can go to and anyone can actually call themselves a Pilates instructor. They don't even have to take a course. They can watch it on Instagram. They can watch my YouTube videos. It's all there. They can buy the equipment. They can insure the studio. They can insure a studio, and never, ever have to show a certification of any kind. So, so it's really important that people know that there is valid ways, and I really appreciate you sharing that. Okay, so I also resonate because I went to college for like, a reason, and I was like, I'm gonna do this thing. And I remember sitting on an airplane, very vividly, and I remember going, I don't even see myself doing that anymore. And I felt like, oh my God, I'm in college. I'm paying all this money. I can't just also quit. So what am I gonna do? What is my thing that I'm gonna do? And so it's really overwhelming when you're in your early 20s and you have all this pressure, because it costs so much to start to even shift. So I think it's really incredible that you had the crisis and you found the shift. So is that how you found your soul's purpose? Is like, what? And then can we all find ours?Kevin Carton 7:55  Absolutely. Yeah, so it's actually, it's a great bridge into that, that second question to answer that, as I mentioned, I believe it's also a brief, can be a brief answer, pretty straightforward, that our soul's purpose is really what our heart calls for the most. That's what I believe our purpose is. Because, you know, purpose has this definition or this paradigm around it, that it has to be something that involves contributing to the world or contributing in some way that's like a career, a work, a job, whatever it is, like we're doing something. I personally believe our purpose here is actually to live the most alive life that we possibly can. And as you know, as I mentioned just before, I'm a scientist, I take the scientific perspective, and this, I know is going to go really wide out for people, but I really believe it's, it's helpful that if you look back into, like, the creation of this whole universe, our entire life and existence, and all that we know the scientific perspective is that it was The Big Bang, right? Even that, in the spiritual perspective, it pretty much, any major religion, speaks about there was this like moment that creation just began, right, from like one point, like one God, right? It's a common denominator of that, common thought. But it's the same thing with with the scientific perspective, was one infinite, it has to be small point of matter that scientists have discovered that's was the beginning of our universe, sounds like one energy, one life, one source, one one something, right? And boom, it blew apart. And then ever since then, for 13 plus billion years, it's becoming more and more complex and evolving to greater and greater experiences of itself that we call life. We are part of life. We're alive. We have breath. We didn't do anything to deserve the breath in our lungs or the heartbeat in our chest. It's a gift that we're given. And so I personally believe that our purpose here for any different way you can cut it up, is that we're here to become more alive, more aware, more happy, more joyful, more loving, and then fill in the blank. And it just happens to be sometimes that our work involves that.Lesley Logan 9:59  Mm. I like that you said that it, we often think that the purpose I have to do is with things for others, like you mentioned, it's more important that, like, we are living our lives. And I think that that's true. I think that the people that we're attracted to, there's this magnet around them because they're living their life. And we're like, looking at that. We're like, that sparkly, shiny, you know, it looks like the grass looks greener over there. And it might be because they're actually just living their life. And a lot of us get so consumed with, well, if I do X for me, what are other people gonna think? And I think, is that like the sole purpose, like kryptonite is like thinking, what other people are gonna think about the thing we're doing for ourselves to live. Kevin Carton 10:35  Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. There's a lot of paradigms that have to be shifted in our current society and current culture of humanity that it's too much focused on, like, oh, what are other people going to think, that we shut down our own aliveness? And ultimately, I don't believe that that's the purpose of life itself, anyway. And so it's flawed in some way. I don't think it's entirely negative to have some idea and concern of what other people are going to think, because we are all connected. There is, again, I believe this one life source energy, we call it different labels and names, but it's within everyone, too. So we want to care about others as well, but not too much. There's a fine line. There's a middle path of that. Lesley Logan 11:14  Yeah, I think you're right, because a narcissist would not think about anyone ever. So that's one extreme, and then someone else would be like, trying to people-please on the other extreme, and that's never gonna work. And so there is a place in the middle where it's like a temp check of is what I'm doing gonna be good in this world and, and is it my purpose? Is it from me or am I doing this for others?Kevin Carton 11:34  Exactly. Spot on. Yeah, that's why I started with that. Like, what is purpose to me? It's us, our own individual selves, becoming more alive. But again, yeah, it does connect with others. We don't want to, like, step on others in, in pursuing our purpose, because then what's the point? Lesley Logan 11:49  Right. Because we want to, I to me, I'm like, how do I bring people in? How do I bring them along? How do we include all of them and none of it is easy, and I think that that's the hard part, right? Doing the work to transform your life isn't, isn't easy, it's not a checkbox. Kevin Carton 12:07  Not at all. Lesley Logan 12:08  Okay, so you are, you bring science and, to spirituality. I found that very fascinating, because I feel like there's several different types of spirituality, and that they're so woo. We're on a different universe, and I can't really go there. I'm a one woo kind of girl, so I like my crystals, like my meditation. I definitely use some Palo Santo. But like, you know, we're, we gotta, we gotta stay on this planet, too. How did you combine the two? Because I feel like, I think it's cool that they live together. I just didn't realize that there was a Venn diagram where they overlapped. Kevin Carton 12:38  Well, very much so. In fact, honestly, some of the points in teaching principles I share, it's often like one and the same that the science and the spirituality, they say the exact same thing. It's just for how it's been in our society and humanity for so long. It's just been so separate. But now it really sparked my interest when I started to study quantum physics, because spiritual teachers for ages, millennia, would teach about if you believe, I mean, it's literally about your podcast, be it til you see it, right? Another way of saying it, if you believe it, then you can achieve it. In essence, you have it in your mind. It's possible in life. And there's a way in which you can create that. The scientific perspective of that now in quantum physics, have you ever heard of or seen the double slit experiment?Lesley Logan 13:22  No, I don't think so, but I'm excited to learn. Kevin Carton 13:25  I'd highly recommend checking it out. And there's a great YouTube video that describes it in very simple terms, because it's quite in depth. I haven't even understood it to the degree of the quantum physicist and how they studied it, because it's still mind boggling. But there's a great YouTube video by Dr Quantum on YouTube and literally, just type in Dr. Quantum Double Slit Experiment, you'll find it's a five minute video. You should understand really, really great. But the basic idea of it is that the scientists, they believe that you know for the longest time, the perspective on our universe is that it's material, meaning that it's energy that we can interact with, we can measure. It's very solid, like, literally the computer where I'm using to record this, or my desk, like, it's very solid. We can touch it, right? So all of these different things are just made up of electrons, protons and neutrons, all put together in just different formations. That's the periodic table as we know it. It's literally every element that we know that makes up the visible universe. However, if you break it up enough and take electrons, or photons, which is the tiny, tiny bit, it's the negative charge in an atom of any, any atom in the world or in the universe, take that electron, if you fire it into these like slits, in essence, like these two slits in this like metal sheet, then it creates, like a pattern on the back wall, like, where those electrons, like, went through those slits. So that's the basic idea that they, they looked at that because when you have solid pieces of matter and you shoot them through those two slits, it creates that reflection on the back of two slits of bands, right? Because solid matter went through it. But, if it's a wave of potential or wave of energy, let's say that those double slits were in water. If there was just a wave, like a ripple effect of water that goes through those two slits, it creates a very different result on the measuring wall, because the waves go through the slits, but then there's then two waves that come out of it, and they interact with each other, and they cause what's called an interference pattern. So I know I'm getting quite detailed, but it's important. So the craziest thing happened though, that what they thought would happen with electrons is that they would show up as the physical matter, that it was like the two bands, the two slits, right? It did not. It showed up as an interference pattern, meaning that the electron, which we have thought of for so long as just so material, so real, it's actually just potential in energy, meaning that literally everything that makes up the universe of electrons, also protons, neutrons, they are actually going in and out of states of existence. So the whole point being, why I'm sharing this, and this is what really sparked for me. This is way back 2014 when I actually first found this video and learned about the double slit experiment and the science behind this. It said the because the additional, one, final additional piece they added to this experiment was that the scientists took a measuring device to see which slit or how those electrons went through those double slits to make the interference pattern. Because they're like, what's going on? We think these things are solid pieces of matter, and when they put the measuring device there, the electrons went back to becoming actual matter. So it was inescapable, the conclusion, which was that the act of observing, in essence, being consciously aware, focusing on whatever it is that you're focusing on, makes it real. And if you're not focusing on it, in other words, you're not measuring that electron. It behaves like potential, like there's not solid.Lesley Logan 16:56  Oh, my God, that's so crazy. That's so, that is so crazy, because it's like we always hear that what you can track is what you would attract, what you measure is what grows. That's insane. Kevin Carton 17:06  This is why. Lesley Logan 17:07  That's really crazy. That is the woo with the science like that all. Kevin Carton 17:10  Exactly. Let me share one final thing, because I know I, I'm like, very well, self-aware, and I'm like, I shared a lot more, like, technical terms and all, but. Lesley Logan 17:18  We're gonna transcribe this whole thing and let people Google. Yeah. Kevin Carton 17:21  Okay, yeah, please. That video is so helpful because I even noticed I find some difficulty explaining it as clearly as possible. But here's my favorite quote from Einstein. Albert. Einstein even said this. This is, I think, a couple of decades before this Double Slit Experiment actually came out. So this is just a theory at the time, but now it's proven. He was just walking with a friend one night, and he's famous for saying, I wonder if we're not looking at the moon right now, if we're facing away from it, is the moon actually there right now? Is it actually in existence? It's like the classic philosophical saying, or the question, like, if a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it, does it actually make a sound? And to this point, you know, this Double Slit Experiment is basically proving that, actually, no, it's not there until you view it, your consciousness is focused on it. And I'll end this off by saying, just to make it even more tangible and actionable to someone listening, the reason I bring this up is so powerful as of an example, is that we could use that in an everyday basis, with our life, with a dream, a vision, what we would love to create, even if we have no idea how it's going to happen, where there's no circumstance around us that shows evidence as if possible. It is possible because you can see it in your mind. It's the ability to focus, to concentrate, to dream up anything that you would love. And honestly, I think that's exactly what you mean in this whole podcast, this topic of the whole title, and the theme of this podcast is Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 18:45  Yeah, okay. I love this because I actually just heard of someone doing a manifestation where they went into the future and they saw what they wanted to happen, and they believed that it happened, and then they came back to the past, and all these different things were happening that would make them doubt what they saw in the future. But they stuck with no, we believe that. We saw that. It's going to come to an existence, and it happened, right, which feels a little magical. But also I believe that, because I've there are times when I've been so clear on what I want that it actually happens. And so where I think people get stuck is they don't know what they want. Kevin Carton 19:19  Agreed. Yes. Lesley Logan 19:22  Like, they can't actually be specific about what it is that they want. And I find when I goal set 10 years ago, 15 years ago, I could be very specific about what I wanted. And now, as I get older, and I was like, I've achieved a lot of things and different stuff, sometimes it's hard to know what you want and then believe that, oh, I want that. But is that exactly what I want? Like, we start to doubt ourselves. So like, how do you help people who have no idea what to want?Kevin Carton 19:50  It's a great question, and I appreciate your, just, transparency in your own experience now, because it's not a linear process. If you've achieved certain dreams and goals in your life already, doesn't mean that there's not going to be some challenge in discovering or achieving next, right? But my go to principle or tool for that in discovery is to get curious. The reason why I say that is because I personally believe that our true heart's desire, our true dream, our true purpose, whatever you want to call it, it is given to us by life itself, by this power you can call God, source, spirit, the universe, this energy, this life force, whatever you want to call it, we're alive. And so I believe we're given visions, given dreams. In fact, another great teacher and life coach, Les Brown, if you ever heard of him, he often says this in his speeches, that we're given dreams and it's up to us to accept and actually, first off, actually become aware of what those dreams are that are given to us, but then to actually accept and be bold and courageous to go for it. So the first tool I offer, usually, is just curiosity, because it's more of a listening in, rather than trying to figure out what is your purpose, so that it's more of a conversation, a dialog and exploration, rather than trying to make it happen or write it out and decide, because then it gets too intellectual. It's not connected to your heart. And that's really where the true desires come from. It's not in the mind, it's in the, it's in the body, it's in the heart. Lesley Logan 21:14  Yeah, yeah. Oh, I love that. I love what you quoted Les Brown, because have you read the book Big Magic?Kevin Carton 21:21  No, I haven't, but I'm familiar with it. Lesley Logan 21:23  Okay, a great book, and it's, I think, really great for the creatives who listen. Because I coach a lot of people on their business, and they're like, okay, I started to get this going, and now we're gonna do this. And I'm like, so here's the thing, you can, you can do whatever you want, but I'm gonna tell you what I know is that if you test what is making you happy in your livelihood right now, before it's ready, you will have to make decisions that they're going to be compressed or pressured, because you need to make the money before it's ready, right? And so the Big Magic book by Elizabeth Gilbert, the idea is she actually did not quit teaching, even when she sold Eat, Pray, Love. When she sold the movie, she still was teaching in a college. She did not quit teaching, that consistent income, until she knew that her creativity on its own could fund the life that she had without putting pressures. Because a lot of times people go, okay, I'm gonna make my art may be my paycheck, but then you start to change the art so that it's what sells versus what's in your heart, right? And so when you are talking about being curious and figuring out what that is, it's, it's kind of like there's a patience to it, and we can't, we can't put that pressure on it too soon before it's ready. But she also talks about, in that book, is that ideas want to be born, and they come to you, and if you don't act on them, they will go to someone else, and that's why two people across the planet can come up with the same idea at the same time and work on it, and one person takes their time and quits, and then it's like, I had that idea, yeah, but it left (inaudible). Kevin Carton 22:52  Exactly. Lesley Logan 22:52  Yeah. It wanted to be born. Okay, so you're just full of so much knowledge and something that really attracted me when I was looking at what you talk about a lot, you have a couple things that I'm wondering, if you want to, if you have time, which one you want to talk about more, the power of a clear vision, or the four levels of consciousness. Which one is on your heart to share? Kevin Carton 22:53  Oh, I mean, both are equally powerful, right?Lesley Logan 23:08  Depends on how quick you are. Kevin Carton 23:16  Yeah, no, let's get to both, actually, because the first is very straightforward, very easy to just piggyback off of everything we've already talked about. A vision in my definition of it, and working with it with my clients, is a vision statement that's a written out version of the life you'd love to live that is detailed, specific, clear, with emotion and just big. You know, what you would really love, not limited by current circumstance. And when you write it out in that way, and I mean present tense, not I will, or I'm going to, I am, and fill in the blank, you know, I'm so grateful, I'm so happy, I'm so proud and and I have this business. I've written this book because once we get clear and we actually write it out, it becomes more of a declaration, then for us to become, you know, it's a great tool to actually being it until you see it, because as we write out our dreams, we then can come back to it again and again. Because how often, you know, life goes on and we have responsibilities and other things going on in life that take our attention away, and then we forget about the big dream, and it's a month later, it's like, wait a minute, I was really on fire for that for a few days or a week, what happened to it? The tool of the vision statement, is really powerful to just to recheck in. So that's my brief blurb about it, and it's incredible.Lesley Logan 24:29  I love that, and I agree on the I am statements, I think that they're extremely powerful. And I think the more we say them out loud and hear ourselves say them out loud, that's really powerful, too. And I think you have to say it several times, because it changes the more you say it. That's really great. I also like your interpretation of like, how to write down your vision statement. I think that that's really fun. That's going to be a homework assignment for me. Kevin Carton 24:51  Yeah, try it out. It's fun. Lesley Logan 24:52  Okay. The other one was the four levels of consciousness. What's, what are those?Kevin Carton 24:56  So, four levels. First is that it's all in the perspective of how is life showing up for me, or how am I experiencing life? So the first and lowest level of consciousness, which is victimhood, is life is happening to me. I'm at effect and I blame others. I blame the economy, I blame the government, I blame my ex, I blame my parents, I blame all except for myself. It's like life is happening to me, and I'm not the problem everything else is, and it's such a low state of consciousness because we're not actually connected with the truth that we have the power within to determine what meaning we take on for our life or what circumstance mean to us. Yeah, that's well studied in psychology. That's not just like some fun thing to say. It's actually well researched, supported in many peer-reviewed journals, that our perception creates the meaning that we experience in life. It's not the actual event. One great, quick book to dive deeper into that topic, Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Incredibly powerful, so moving, and his story, you know, is, just for anyone who has not read it or heard of it, he was a refugee from Nazi Germany. He was in a concentration camp. He survived. But there was one moment he had which basically created the rest of his work for the rest of his life. One moment where basically, they, he was in such terrible conditions that the one last thing he had, which was like a gold wedding band, which the Nazis just didn't take away at that time, until, like they found it months later, they finally demanded that from him. His first instinct was like to hate them, to get angry. But he found this place within himself, which was a pause between the actual circumstance and then his response and his choice of how he was going to place meaning on that exact circumstance, probably the most difficult thing that anyone can face, right? And that place, actually, that place he found within himself created his whole work, which is called the logos therapy. And so it's, dig in, well study that. Again, it's our own choice. So it's a choice to stay in victimhood, which ultimately will just diminish our life over time, which no one wants, obviously, deep down. So at the first level of consciousness, we want to move out of. To bridge to the second level of consciousness, it's simple, we take responsibility for how we respond, for our own thoughts, our own actions, our own words. And once you take responsibility, you increase your consciousness to the awareness, or that phase of awareness called the, that life is happening by me. And now you're not just sitting on the sidelines. You're engaged. You recognize that your thoughts, your actions, have meaning and create differences in the world, and so you start to create what you want. However, that is still in a degree limited, because we're still only focused on our own personal self. And it comes back to the point we mentioned earlier, that, you know, we're living in this world with eight plus billion other humans and many, many other life forms on this planet. So it's not just for one of us. It's really for all. What we're doing is in benefit for all as well. And that moves us up to the third level of consciousness, which is life is happening through me. It's not by me anymore, but now, life is happening through me, meaning I have a part to play in this grand play called life, because I'm alive, and so I don't have just a separateness between me and the other person or me and that flower or me and the sun. It's all one life happening, and it's this, again, a symphony. And so as we step into that kind of flow, it literally becomes like a flow, like a river. And so things start to work out more easily when we recognize that we're connected with this source of energy, life, power that we can tap into. And then magic starts to happen, because the move from the by me phase to the through me phase of life is we let go of control, which is a difficult one.Lesley Logan 28:47  Yeah, I'm a teacher who studies the art of control, that's a Pilates (inaudible) actually was called contrology. Yes, it's called the art of control. It's a study of control, right? And so every Pilates instructor, or people often who are like, attracted to Pilates is like, this perfectionist, like, control, like, type A person. And the hilariousness is, is that the more I studied the way that Joe Pilates intended it was about curiosity and just figuring out, like, what can I do, what is possible? So it's really funny, because I came into it like, Oh, I gotta get perfect at it, and then I'm perfect and I got it. And then the more I did it, the more I realize, oh, actually, every day is a different day in my body. And yes, I need to control my body, but I need to let go of what the controlling the scenario that's happening today, because my body is different today than tomorrow, right? Kevin Carton 29:30  Yeah, yeah, my word shifts which it's, it's spot on, I'm thrilled you gave that example, because that's so profound and probably helpful for someone listening, who's into Pilates, right? Because it is, it seems like a lot about control, but I think would you, basically, what I picked up from your, what your words were, is that, yes, it's about controlling, like your body, but it's more about the responsibility about your body. Of like, yes, I'm taking responsibility of my actions in that, but it's letting go of control of like, yeah, what's going on in the day? Maybe my body feels different than from yesterday to today. So that's where you let go of control, but the responsibility piece is there as well. That's how I see it. Lesley Logan 30:07  I love this. This is great. I feel like we can do Pilates and consciousness workshops. Kevin Carton 30:13  Nice. That would be awesome. Lesley Logan 30:17  Amazing, amazing. Okay, and so is there one more level? Like after. Kevin Carton 30:21  Yeah, this one's a fun one, because it's more of experiences that you can have. I personally don't make this as like a goal or an aspiration to live in this phase of awareness. I set my goal to live in the third phase of awareness, the through me phase. But the fourth and final phase of awareness is as me, where life is now happening, as me, where there's actually no separation between me and this entirety of the universe. This is the mystic experience that most people speak about, like mystics, gurus, sages, messiahs, that there's this oneness and there's this deep knowing. And I like to say it's an experience, because most people don't want to set that as like a life goal. That's more of like those who want to, like, become a monk and renounce all worldly desires. And funny enough, for two weeks of my life, I actually had that desire, but I let it go pretty quickly.Lesley Logan 31:10  You know, you can, there are places in Asia where you can go be a monk for like, three weeks or four weeks or whatever. Kevin Carton 31:17  I did not know that.Lesley Logan 31:18  And then, people, yes. So I know people who, like, once a year, spend a month as a monk, and I think that that's incredible. I couldn't do it. I think would depend on the type of, well, first of all, I'm a female and not, so often, not an option. But a lot of monks only eat once a day, right? It's a whole thing. So there is a way to experience it without having to do it forever. Kevin Carton 31:36  Yeah, 100%. Yeah. Just to, qualifier what it is even that has me experience, right, again, it's that oneness. But as I mentioned, I like to call these portals that we go through in terms of awareness, like from, just a recap, victimhood to that by me phase is we take responsibility. That's the portal we go through. Then from the by me phase to the through me phase, we let go of control. And then this final phase that we go through, the portal we go through is completely dissolving separateness, and that's why it's more of an experience to have, not really like a, for most of us, it could be some that they would want to attain that fully and completely in their life and live that. But most people have those experiences, like in deep meditation, in connection with nature, potentially even in certain exercises, like, when you're really in touch with your body, there's this oneness, not only with yourself, but with all, with all life. But the funny thing is, the most common experience of the as me phase is through orgasm between two human beings.Lesley Logan 32:33  Really? So people can experience it, yeah, they can experience it now. Kevin Carton 32:38  Yeah, 100% yeah. It's actually, in some ways, common, right? We just don't often think of it as this spiritual experience, because, at least, like, sex and that whole topic has just gotten quite muddied in a way, you know, like, just not in as pure, and I'm putting in air quotes because, not anything of like, you know, what I might say is, like, pure or anything, but who's to have that definition? But it is the most common experience in as me phase. Lesley Logan 33:02  Cool. So I guess my only question on this is, is it possible to, like, get to the by me, maybe into the through me, and then all of a sudden you're back at the to me, because I feel like there can be days where you're just like, oh my God, and then you're reacting, and then you're blaming and then you're like, who, what the hell is this person? I don't know this person. And then you have to, like, go back, and so maybe the quicker you get to getting back to the by me and through me is the key. Kevin Carton 33:27  That's the goal. Yeah, it's not about perfection, because we're human, so we're flawed, we're not going to be perfect. And there's a law of the universe called the Law of Rhythm. We all work with it and know it and experience it every single day, with the night and the day, like the light and the darkness that we experience. It's the round of our breath, the inhale, the exhale. There's that rhythm, the ebb and the flow of the tides of the ocean, right? It's within all things, the same thing with our consciousness. It's, I believe, naive to think that we're going to stay in one phase of awareness constantly for the rest of our life. Almost impossible. I'm not saying it's impossible, because I believe anything's possible, but more likely, we're just going to go through rhythms and times where we're more connected, more aware, and then we fall asleep, just like we need rest, you know, in a given day, like we fall asleep, so we need that in consciousness as well. Lesley Logan 34:14  Oh, Kevin, I could talk to you all day. This is so fascinating. I really, I didn't even know that you could have science and spirituality in the same, like, I really am blown away and excited. We're gonna take, we're gonna take a brief break and then find out how people can find you, follow you, work with you. Lesley Logan 34:28  All right, Kevin, where do you hang out? Where can people stalk you in the best way?Kevin Carton 34:33  Sure, the two places I hang out the most. My website is kevincarton.com it's a kind of a hub for, like, different resources I have, as well as the main place I hang out, my podcast with my brother. I'm very blessed to say I've been running this podcast with my brother for five and a half years. He's my co-host and my closest friend. He's my older brother. He's a year and a half older than me. We created it. It's called Science and Spirituality, which you can find anywhere.Lesley Logan 34:58  Oh, I'm gonna download it now, this is going to be exciting. You're gonna be on my ears more. You have an amazing gift for our peeps, and you have some Be It Action Items for us. So can you give us all the good stuff?Kevin Carton 35:09  Yeah, I'd be happy to and thank you for the ability to share this with your audience, too. So I have a meditation called the metacognition meditation. Metacognition is just a technical psychological term, or psychology term for this tool of noticing what you're noticing. It's the most profound tool I, spiritual tool, I've ever come across to help you connect with who you really are as a spiritual being having this human experience. And, to connect it with our conversation, I really believe it's a great tool to help yourself listen in and get curious for what your purpose is, what your true desires are, when you actually get in touch with who you really are. So it's a 23 minute guided meditation. Might sound a bit long for those who may not be a regular meditator, but it's a guided meditation. So I'd have beautiful music behind there, and I guide you through every step of the way. And it's really powerful. So it's completely free. And, obviously, there's a link in the show notes that Lesley and her team puts there.Lesley Logan 36:05  Oh yeah, it's gonna be there. And also, 23 minutes is less than 2% of your day, everyone, just less than 2% and it's really important to move your body, yes, but also it's important to be with your body. And some days we can't move. And so sitting still and listening to this, and even if you don't sit still, I think that probably that's something to notice. Oh, I can't wait. I'm excited. Brad's gonna be excited, too. He let's see him not tap his foot for 23 minutes. We'll see how that goes. Okay, Be It Action Items, bold, executable, intrinsic or target steps people can take to be it till they see it. What do you have for us? Kevin Carton 36:39  Yes. So my main tool I use, which actually is a kind of a piggyback off of this whole conversation too, clearly, as you could tell, I often come back to just the source of all life as an inspirational like jumping off point of the foundation. So I personally use gratitude as a practice for being it until I see it in a couple of different levels. But the first and foremost, pretty obvious level, is just gratitude for what's going on in life right now, to focus on the positive, the good things you have in your life right now, to build this solid foundation of loving or enjoying your aspects of your life to a great degree so you can attract more of that. And then the second level of gratitude to connect to, which I believe comes from that connection with our higher power, is a gratitude for being alive today and the opportunity that we have to even dream of what we would love to be in the future. And then once we have that clarity and gratitude for even just the possibility, then the third level of gratitude of actually being grateful for what we say we want or who we say we want to be now, as if it's already ours. And as speaking of science, I always love the science to this. Scientific studies prove now that if we just imagine vividly enough something we would love to experience, or who we would love to be, our brains neurons light up in the exact same way as if we were actually experiencing said thing. This is actually you look this up pro golfers, and it's becoming more popular in pro football, but golfing, it's been around for decades as a very strong practice, but now just supported by a lot of scientific research. So I recommend that as a practice, because it works with our physiology very well, and it stimulates what now is called neuroplasticity. A lot of people might know that. So, gratitude is the key to work with there. Lesley Logan 38:24  Who knew? I mean, that is so cool. You know, like, my favorite things to remember about gratitude is, like, gratitude and judgment can't live in the same space. And so as a practice, whenever I'm feeling judgmental of myself for an experience or whatever, I like, to take a moment and I'm like, okay, hold on. I'm grateful for this right now. And also you can feel that judgment disappear. And sometimes it's like, one of the easiest ways to then, to me, to take another set, to look at, like, what is going on, so that I'm not a victim and the thing, so, what a cool tool. We've had over 500 episodes, and I'm not sure that gratitude was used in that way, or at all, in a Be It Action Item. So, thank you for blowing our minds. I think you're just so awesome. Kevin Carton 39:03  You're welcome. Thank you. Lesley Logan 39:04  You're so wonderful. This is a saver, for sure. There's so many different little avenues I want to dig into more. So I can't wait to hear what our listeners' takeaways were. So please, you guys, tag Kevin, tag the Be It Pod, share this with a friend who needs it. Share it with a friend who you feel like is kind of sticking in that, that victimhood thing, it's hard. They don't, they might not listen to all of your suggestions. So maybe they can listen to Kevin tell them, and they could be blown away as much as I am. And you know what to do. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 39:33  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 40:16  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 40:21  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 40:25  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 40:32  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 40:35  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Eve Maler returns to Identity at the Center for her seventh episode, bringing her signature insight and humor to a deep conversation about the state of digital identity. Jeff and Jim explore the gap between lagging IAM programs and next-gen technologies with Eve, who dives into her research on non-human identities, the power of identity services as products, and how martech and adtech intersect with customer IAM. Plus, get a preview of her EIC talk and the latest on Identi-Squabble, the identity game show set for Identiverse. Don't miss this packed and playful discussion!Timestamps:00:00 - Assume breach, assume tracking02:03 - Jim's IAM theory and gap analysis10:00 - Identi-Squabble game show preview13:00 - Eve joins, talks SXSW experience18:00 - Non-traditional Venn diagrams & stakeholder models22:00 - Personhood credentials and digital death27:00 - MarTech, AdTech, and the identity connection35:00 - Consent is dead: what it means for IAM47:00 - Treating identity as a product50:00 - Identity's role in organizational silos53:00 - Identity Security: what is it really?59:00 - Is “identity” big enough to hold all these qualifiers?01:00:00 - Lighter note: would you rather meet past or future self?Connect with Eve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evemaler/Venn Factory: https://www.vennfactory.com/Conference Discounts!Identiverse 2025 - Use code IDV25-IDAC25 for 25% off: https://identiverse.com/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comKeywords:Eve Maler, IAM, Identity at the Center, Identiverse, Identisquabble, Martech, Adtech, Personhood Credentials, Identity Security, Consent Management, Non-Human Identity, Identity as Product, Digital Identity, Venn Factory, Identity Governance, IAM Strategy, South by Southwest Identity, Privacy by Design

266: If you struggle with anemia, leaky gut, low red blood cells, high LDL cholesterol, brain fog, fatigue—or if you bruise easily—this episode is for you. There's a special fat that's been shown to support all of these issues. It's called C15:0, and it's the first essential fatty acid discovered in over 90 years! Stephanie joins me today for an eye-opening conversation about this unique fat—an odd-chain saturated fatty acid that's changing the game. She breaks down the difference between odd-chain and even-chain saturated fats and clears up the common misconception that all saturated fats are bad news. (Spoiler: they're not.) We also dive into how C15:0 could benefit pregnant mothers and developing babies, and why there's growing interest in adding it to infant formula. So, what foods actually contain C15:0? Are there any that block its absorption? And why are so many of us deficient in it to begin with? If you're curious whether you're lacking this essential fat, good news—there are tests for that. And within just 3 to 6 months of supplementing with Fatty15 (a C15:0 supplement), people are reporting some incredible results. We definitely get a little nerdy in this episode—and I loved every minute of it! Fatty15 | Get 15% off when you use code: DIGEST Topics Discussed: The essential fatty acid we're missing The difference between short, medium, and odd-chain fatty acids What C15:0 is and where to find it Why Americans are so deficient in it Connections to anemia, leaky gut, and aging Why pregnant and nursing moms need C15:0 The potential of adding it to infant formula Sponsored By: Fatty15 | Get 15% off when you use code: DIGEST at fatty15.com/digest Manukora | Head to MANUKORA.com/DIGEST to get $70 off the Starter Kit LMNT | Get your FREE sample pack with any LMNT purchase at drinklmnt.com/DIGEST Our Place | Go to fromourplace.com and use code DIGEST for 10% Ollie | https://www.myollie.com/digest/ & enter code DIGEST to get 60% off your first box. As always, if you have any questions for the show please email us at digestthispod@gmail.com.  And if you like this show, please share it, rate it, review it and subscribe to it on your favorite podcast app.  Show Links:  Check out Fatty15 scientific studies: https://www.discoverc15.com/  Check Out Bethany: Bethany's Instagram: @lilsipper YouTube Bethany's Website Discounts & My Favorite Products My Digestive Support Protein Powder Gut Reset Book  Get my Newsletters (Friday Finds)

Take Our Podcast Listener Survey!Have you ever wondered what the key to healthy aging might be? In this fascinating episode, we explore the groundbreaking discovery of C15:0 - the first new essential nutrient in over 90 years - with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, author of "The Longevity Nutrient: The Unexpected Fat That Holds the Key to Healthy Aging." Discover how this unique saturated fat may help combat inflammation, stabilize cells, prevent iron overload, and even support brain health.You can find Stephanie at: Website | peer-reviewed C15:0 science | LinkedIn | Episode TranscriptIf you LOVED this episode, you'll also love the conversations we had with Matthew Park, Ph.D. about how aging immune systems affect cancer risk.Check out our offerings & partners: Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the WheelVisit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount CodesJoin journalist Danielle Elliot as she explores why ADHD diagnoses are surging among women in the limited-series investigative podcast, "Climbing the Walls." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For nearly a century, scientists believed we had discovered ALL of the essential fatty acids the human body needs. But what if they were wrong? Stephanie Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist and longevity researcher, joins Dave to reveal a groundbreaking discovery—a newly identified essential fatty acid, C15, that may hold the key to healthier aging and even longer lifespans. Originally uncovered in an unlikely place—U.S. Navy dolphins that were outliving their wild counterparts by decades—this forgotten fat is now shaking up the scientific community. So why hasn't anyone told you about it?? Decades of misguided dietary advice stripped this crucial nutrient from our food system, leaving an entire generation unknowingly deficient. Even worse, pregnant women have been some of the MOST hurt from this cruel change to our modern diet. Now, cutting-edge research is proving that C15 plays a critical role in cellular stability, mitochondrial function, and total mental health. What You'll Learn in This Episode: • The first new essential fatty acid discovered in nearly 100 years—and why it matters • How dolphins led to one of the BIGGEST breakthroughs in human nutrition • Why the removal of C15 from our diets is accelerating aging • The surprising connection between C15 and mental health • How this “missing” fat could outperform some of the biggest longevity drugs today! • What foods naturally contain C15—and should you supplement it? *** Get 15$ off Fatty15 at www.fatty15.com with code: DAVE *** SPONSORS Puori | Visit https://puori.com/dave and use code DAVE for 20% off.Calroy | Head to https://calroy.com/dave for an exclusive discount. Resources: • Dave Asprey's New Book - Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated/ • Fatty15 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fatty15/ • Fatty15 Website: www.fatty15.com • 2025 Biohacking Conference: https://biohackingconference.com/2025 • Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com • Dave Asprey's Website: https://daveasprey.com • Dave Asprey's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/daveasprey • Upgrade Collective – Join The Human Upgrade Podcast Live: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com • Own an Upgrade Labs: https://ownanupgradelabs.com • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com • 40 Years of Zen – Neurofeedback Training for Advanced Cognitive Enhancement: https://40yearsofzen.com Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 00:34 – Meet Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson 00:46 – Discovering C15 in Navy Dolphins 01:58 – Challenges and Skepticism 04:21 – Scientific Validation and Research 06:59 – C15's Impact on Human Health 27:43 – Big Data, AI, and Longevity Research 36:08 – C15 as a Longevity Nutrient 42:14 – The Navy's Role in Fatty 15 43:03 – Epigenetic Aging and Lifespan 44:51 – Nutritional Guidelines and C15 Deficiency 50:41 – Mental Health and Endocannabinoids 51:33 – Dairy, Fats, and Nutrition History 56:38 – Fatty 15 in Skincare and Supplements 01:03:58 – Regulatory Changes in Nutrition 01:11:26 – Gender Differences in Fatty Acids See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the key to aging well had been hiding in plain sight—inside our cells, our food, and even… dolphins? That's exactly what Stephanie Venn-Watson, DVM, a veterinary epidemiologist, discovered while studying dolphins in the U.S. Navy's marine mammal program. She found that some dolphins were aging significantly slower than others, leading to the discovery of C15:0—a newly recognized essential fatty acid that supports cellular health, fights inflammation, and may even slow the aging process. In this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, we dive into: How studying dolphins led to the discovery of C15:0 as the first essential fatty acid found in 90 years. Why a deficiency in this nutrient could be accelerating aging and chronic disease. How C15:0 strengthens cell membranes, reduces inflammation, and promotes longevity. The connection between diet, metabolic health, and optimal aging. What you can do to ensure you're getting enough of this essential fatty acid. This groundbreaking discovery could change how we think about nutrition and longevity. View Show Notes From This Episode Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman Sign Up for Dr. Hyman's Weekly Longevity Journal This episode is brought to you by PaleoValley, Timeline Nutrition, LMNT, BON CHARGE, and Big Bold Health.  Get nutrient-dense, whole foods. Head to paleovalley.com/hyman for 15% off your first purchase. Support essential mitochondrial health and save 10% on Mitopure. Visit timeline.com/drhyman to get 10% off today. Get a free LMNT Sample Pack with any order—just head to drinklmnt.com/hyman. Order BON CHARGE's Max Red Light Therapy device today and get 15% off. Visit boncharge.com and use code DRMARK for 15% off.  Try Big Bold Health's HTB Rejuvenate and get 25% off by going to bigboldhealth.com and use code DRMARK25 at checkout.

#815: Join us as we sit down with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson – CEO of Fatty15, & a seasoned veterinary epidemiologist & public health scientist, who previously served at the World Health Organization & U.S. Navy. After years of research dedicated to improving human & animal health, Dr. Stephanie made groundbreaking discoveries in longevity. In this episode, Dr. Stephanie shares how lifestyle choices & genetic influences can greatly impact lifespan, essential habits to incorporate into your daily routine, the critical role of C15, & what the future holds for longevity!   To Watch the Show click HERE   To Watch Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson's previous episode click HERE   For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM   To connect with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson click HERE   To connect with Lauryn Bosstick click HERE   To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE   Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE   Get your burning questions featured on the show! Leave the Him & Her Show a voicemail at +1 (512) 537-7194.   This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential   Head to the HIM & HER Show ShopMy page HERE and LTK page HERE to find all of Michael and Lauryn's favorite products mentioned on their latest episodes.   Visit fatty15.com/SKINNY or use code SKINNY for 15% off your first purchase of Fatty15 and learn more about Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson's book, The Longevity Nutrient. Nerd out on all the C15:0 science at DiscoverC15.com.   Visit istandwithmypack.org to support I Stand With My Pack's (ISWMP) mission by donating or adopting. Every contribution helps!   This episode is sponsored by Netflix - Running Point   Running Point, now streaming only on Netflix.   This episode is sponsored by Jenni Kayne   Find your forever pieces @jennikayne and get 15% off with promo code SKINNY15 at jennikayne.com/SKINNY15! #jennikaynepartner   This episode is sponsored by Wildgrain   For a limited time, Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off the first box - PLUS free Croissants in every box - when you go to Wildgrain.com/SKINNY to start your subscription.   This episode is sponsored by Squarespace   Go to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com/SKINNY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.   This episode is sponsored by Smalls Cat Food    For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com and use code SKINNY.    This episode is sponsored by Momentous   Go to livemomentous.com/skinny and try it today at 20% off with code SKINNY, and start living on purpose.   Produced by Dear Media