Podcasts about Waltham

In this episode of The Begin Again Podcast, host Gary Menkes interviews Joshua Bennett-Johnson, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor from Waltham, Boston, MA. Joshuaua shares his harrowing experiences with addiction, including a traumatic childhood marked by fear and anxiety. He also recounts his descent into substance abuse, starting with smoking his first joint at 12 to robbing a bank at 29 to feed his addiction. Joshuaua speaks candidly about his turning point in jail, his recovery journey, and the profound impact his counselor Larry had on his life. Now a counselor himself, Joshuaua helps others navigate their paths to sobriety, emphasizing the importance of love and relatability in treatment. This episode is a powerful testament to the transformative potential of recovery and the unwavering human spirit.

Lisa Yuskavage creates works that affirm the singularity of the medium of painting while challenging conventional understandings of genres and viewership. At once exhibitionist and introspective, her rich cast of characters and their varied attributes are layered within compositions built of both representational and abstract elements, in which color is the primary vehicle of meaning. Yuskavage's work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including Lisa Yuskavage: Wilderness, which was on view at the Aspen Art Museum in 2020 and the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2021. In 2015, The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, presented Lisa Yuskavage: The Brood, a major survey spanning twenty-five years of the artist's work. The show traveled to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis in 2016. Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings just opened at The Morgan Library & Museum and is on view through January 4, 2026.Museum collections which hold works by the artist include the Art Institute of Chicago; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among others. She and Zuckerman discuss changing the world, vulnerability, why make art, using pushback as an opportunity, pushing against resistance, getting rid of self-doubt, and how Art makes you feel less alone!

I have known Skip Vaccarello for more than 12 years. When we first met both Skip and I lived in Northern California. Neither of us seem to remember the event at which we met, but we both discovered that we were people of faith. Over the years we lost touch until early January 2025 when I received a bulk email from Skip and reached out to see if we could get him to come on Unstoppable Mindset. He accepted and today's episode is the result.   Skip has over 40 years of experience leading Silicon Valley high tech companies. One of his first efforts was leading VisiCorp, the creator of the industry's first pc-based spreadsheet VisiCalc. What? You never heard of VisiCalc? Look it up. VisiCalc was one of those products that revolutionized so many endeavors.   In addition to leading and working with many Silicon Valley ventures Skip is a man of faith with a deep belief in Christianity. We talk about Skip's fait journey and why he believes faith makes a big difference in the lives of so many people especially in the high-tech world of Silicon Valley.   We talk a bit about Skip's retirement years and what he would advise anyone when they ask him about retirement. His answer may well surprise you, but his response is spot on and quite thought provoking.   I believe you will find Skip's insights fascinating and well worth the listen.       About the Guest:   Skip offers podcasts on faith and business topics at SkipVaccarello.com, and is a Partner with 1Flourish Capital, a venture firm investing in technology-based start-up companies led by entrepreneurs of character who understand that corporate culture is vital to success. He is also the author of Finding God in Silicon Valley:  Spiritual Journeys in a High-Tech World. From 2005 through 2021, Skip led  Connect Silicon Valley, a non-profit organization offering speaking events featuring high-profile leaders encouraging conversations about faith and life. In addition, he has served on corporate and non-profit boards and speaks at various organizations on leadership and organizational health.   Skip has over 40 years of experience in leadership positions for Silicon Valley technology companies, including VisiCorp, the provider of VisiCalc, the industry's first spreadsheet. In addition, he served as President and CEO of Applied Weather Technology, a global company providing software and services to the maritime industry. His other experience includes CEO of Communications Solutions, Inc., a communications software company; division general manager of 3Com, a networking product and solutions company; and co-founder and CEO of The Saratoga Group, an Internet-based training company. In addition, Skip has served as an executive coach, a merger and acquisition consultant, and for three years, taught a course on Principled Leadership and Ethics as an Adjunct Professor in the MBA program at William Jessup University.   He earned an A.B. with honors in economics from Harvard College and an MBA with honors from the Boston University School of Management. Skip has been married for over 44 years and has two daughters and six grandchildren. Skip and his wife reside in Bristol, NH and have a home in Chapel Hill, NC. Ways to connect Skip:   Website, Skip Vaccarello -- https://skipvaccarello.com/ Podcasts -- https://skipvaccarello.com/podcasts/ Podcasts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@skipvaccarello Podcasts on Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-do-you-want-to-become/id1737471615 LinkedIn -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/skip-vaccarello-50114/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/skipvaccarello Book (Amazon) -- https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Silicon-Valley-Spiritual-Journeys-High-Tech/dp/0996371923/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CYTLPJWTA4EA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XlOGN69ci4cxDNHGjoi-JuD6ISwr4bFCY65xSabhw59got9YrjbPWyBlSgWLjuFi6IlTA5ZOM3PI6YIg7LMkVFA3-yicQ-VXc1rBHHgDi3xyo7FeIiH80ZEm9FOEUglAwOtKx3OhnXkJc3uSq4YGINJzgGTpHsoyAA1-awAGK0-BdSo8l8c9KgO7rkwwqftSaRDi9H2bQjMrgMvEHYQcjq7cHTZn0cthcSjrexplqk4.IyefTEA2Au7cl-nPpjb6_CBqiRn5kgQnZ-eUCT4qJWE&dib_tag=se&keywords=finding+god+in+silicon+valley&qid=1737478219&sprefix=finding+God+in+sil%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today is a fun day for me, because I get to talk with a gentleman who I met many years ago. His name is Skip, Vaccarello and Skip and I we were just trying to remember where we met. It was at some event in San Francisco, and I am now not remembering what it was, but anyway, we met and got to know each other pretty well, and we've talked over the years about faith in God and a variety of things like that. Skip wrote a book entitled finding God in Silicon Valley. We'll have to talk about that. Skip, because Ray Kurzweil keeps talking about the fact that at some point the singularity is going to hit and we're going to marry computer chips in people's brains. I'm not convinced about that. I'm not sure, but Skip, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. Well,   Skip Vaccarello ** 02:16 Michael, it's such a pleasure to be with you, and I'm glad that we were able to make the acquaintance again after many years. Thank you. Thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 02:24 And now you're not in California anymore. You're back in New Hampshire.   Skip Vaccarello ** 02:28 No. Oh, well, I split my time between New Hampshire and North Carolina. Yeah, yeah. So I'm in North Carolina now. We were in I lived in Silicon Valley for 42 years, I think, is what it was, and but we moved grandchildren left, or my daughters and grandchildren left, one to the state of Washington and one to North Carolina. So we decided to go to go to North Carolina. So we live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and and a lake in New Hampshire. What lake? It's called newfound lake. It's close to Lake Winnipesaukee. It's less lesser known than some of those. Yeah, we've had a house there for many years, and love it.   Michael Hingson ** 03:06 I spent time in and around Lake wind and Pesach. That was a lot of fun.   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:10 Oh, yeah, yeah, the lakes are just beautiful, crystal clear water and and it's a real, real nice area. I had   Michael Hingson ** 03:17 a friend who had a summer home on an island out in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee. And I remember that when we first went there, you had to go out to the to the home by boat. And it was so nice, because at night time there was absolutely no sound. It was so quiet. I loved it. Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:35 yeah. In the sky was you probably could see all the stars in the sky too. I would imagine,   Michael Hingson ** 03:39 oh yeah, I'm sure, yeah.   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:43 But beautiful, beautiful place, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 03:46 I'd love to get back there. At some point, we'll have to do that and and go visit it. Well, tell us, tell us a little bit about the early skip, growing up and all that sort of stuff, if you would, sure.   Skip Vaccarello ** 03:57 Well, I grew up in the in the Boston area. You probably, people will probably detect a little bit of my Boston accents, a little bit. So I grew up there. I grew up, grew up just outside of Boston. And where did you grow up? I grew up in Waltham. Was the time in Waltham, okay, grew up in Waltham, and I went to school there. I went to undergraduate school at Harvard and graduate school at Boston University and, and you love, love the area. So that's, anyway, that's where I grew up. I was, we have family of there are four of us. I was the first boy, and pretty involved in sports and, you know, as a reasonable student. But enjoy the area. And it's, it's nice, you know, coming back when I have the chance, you know, going to New Hampshire, I still enjoy the city of Boston. It's a wonderful   Michael Hingson ** 04:42 city. Do you ever go by and visit the Harvard coop?   Skip Vaccarello ** 04:47 Oh yeah, oh yeah. And especially if I'm at a reunion, I'll go there and pick up some paraphernalia, that's for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 04:57 Well, I there was another place in. Are there that I like to go to, because I collect old records, cheapo records, and so I went there to got a lot of vinyl records and and things like that. I'm not sure if it's still around or not. I heard somewhere it wasn't, but then somebody else said it was still around.   Skip Vaccarello ** 05:13 Interesting. Your vinyl records? I mean, there are collectors item now,   Michael Hingson ** 05:16 oh yeah, well, I have a whole bunch here. So they're, they're fun.   Skip Vaccarello ** 05:23 Oh yeah, yeah. Well, I remember collecting some as a kid, but if you have some, you're probably worth a lot of money. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 05:30 I do. I even have a few. I bought duplicates of and they're still sealed. So they're probably worth, they probably are. They're definitely worth something, absolutely well, so you went to Harvard and all that. And then what did you do?   Skip Vaccarello ** 05:44 Well for my career? Yeah, I went, I went to Harvard. I was there in the in the late 60s and early 70s. And your listeners may recall from history that was a time of real turmoil. Oh, yeah, yeah. The war in Vietnam was going on. 1968 was sort of a pivotal year that there was a war in Vietnam. There were racial riots in the city. There was the rise of feminism. You know, drugs were rampant on the college campuses, so I went to school in the midst of that, and I'll have to say it really was not a fun time to be in school, although I made good friends, and we've maintained the friendship for for quite a long time, but, but anyway, so I was there, and when I graduated, I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do. And it was, it was interesting, because there had been a study done of my class at Harvard, and many people, you know, didn't know what to do. Some immediately went on to medical school or law school or something. But then there were a group of us that were, you know, just kind of wandering around and did various things. But anyway, I finally got my my first job. Well, one thing I should say is that I always felt an inclination for business, but business and capitalism at that time was, was kind of on the outs. It was bad words, bad word, bad word. But I kind of I enjoyed business anyway, I took a job. My first job was in a nonprofit organization helping mentally handicapped adults, and I was doing the sort of the business activities. And so I was doing what I want and doing something that I felt was socially useful. And I ended up staying in that that area for around seven years one of them was with a sort of a bigger organization. I ended up being the Assistant Executive Director. Then I was asked to start one, and I refer to her as my very first startup. We had taken over an old school building and renovated it and and began a program for these for the mentally handicapped people. It was a lot of fun to do that. So I did that. And then what happened is we would get contract work to help employ people. And one of the pieces of work we got was from a software companies. This was in 1978 1979 and personal computers were just cut out then. I mean, there are games and nothing much very useful. But anyway, we got a little job to package some games. And some of your listeners may not, may not remember this. Michael, you probably do. But software then on personal computers came on audio cassettes. Hard to believe you'd have to load this cassette into the computer and run it so that. So we, we had the job of kind of packaging these with the manual. And the night is I got to know the founder of the company and one of the founders of the company. He showed something that was in the works, which was a spreadsheet that eventually became known as VisiCalc, the very first spreadsheet in the industry. And then he asked me to join him and the other co founder, who was from the Toronto area, and we moved to Silicon Valley. And during that time I was I was really ready to make a change. Wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I was fascinated with personal computers. So went to Silicon Valley, and it was an amazing place. During the whole personal computer revolution, small industry, traveled around the country, you know, giving out, you know, demonstrating what a spreadsheet could do. And people were fascinated with that we had, I remember one day we had this sort of nerdy kid came into the office. It was Bill Gates. We had about five employees, and the whole industry was really small then, so it's fun to be part of that. And then for from there is sort of the what happens in in Silicon Valley and technology business, visit Corp was a really hot commodity, and then competition came in. They made some mistakes. They bought a company that specialized in network and communications, and I went over as the as the CEO and president of that we eventually spun it out as visit Corp eventually went out of business, but this little company we had, and we were successful and grew it, and in fact, sold that three different times, and, you know, continue to grow the company. And then I left that to have what I'd call my second startup, and this was to do computer based training to try to teach people. Of technical subjects on a computer, and that ended up morphing into one of the first e learning companies. So we did that, and that was that was a lot of fun, eventually sold that I did a little bit of executive coaching and mentoring. And one of the CEOs that I was mentoring asked me to join his organization, which was called applied weather technology. And I should say, I knew, in most cases, I really knew very little about the domain that I was going into, but I think pretty good business sense. So in this case, the company had software and services for the maritime industry, so we would help captains have the safest, most fuel efficient route to take around the world. So it was, it was really an interesting business. So I did that. I said I'd do it for a year. We ended up doing it for four years, and it was exciting and fun to be part of that. And they had a chance to travel around the world. We had offices around the world. So enjoyed that experience. And then then I left and to write the book that you mentioned finding God in Silicon Valley and and so anyway, that's what I ended up leaving that eventually got involved to help start a venture capital firm, a faith based venture capital firm called one flourish capital. So anyway, so that's a little bit of the background. There's a lot more I could talk about that, but that but that kind of gives your audience a little bit of an overview. I hadn't   Michael Hingson ** 11:26 thought about it for a while, but you mentioned the software back in 1979 80 and so on, all being put on audio cassettes. I remember the original Kurzweil Reading Machine for the blind used a Data General Nova three, so a small micro computer, well, kind of more like a mini computer, but it had a cassette recorder in the front of it, and every time you turn the reading machine on, you had to run the cassette to reload the Software, because there was no disk storage or anything available yet, right? And, okay, continue. I'm just saying so it was, it was kind of fun. It didn't take too long, and it and it really did work. I think once or twice there was some sort of a load error, and you had to start it over again. But really that didn't happen very often. It was, it was pretty good. Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 12:22 it was really interesting. I just threw one sort of funny story we had. Remember, we had a product that was returned to us and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. I forget what it was. Was probably one of the games we had, the best selling game, which was called micro chest anyway, decided to just put it into a an audio player. So he put the cassette in, and what we heard was a sermon by, I think it was a Baptist preacher, and so, and it was labeled, I think it was labeled micro chess. So anyway, the duplicator had, had messed it up. And so this, this pastor probably got our little beeps and beeps instead of his instead of his sermon. So it was kind of it was kind of   Michael Hingson ** 13:07 comical. I remember once I took one of the program cassettes and put it in my cassette recorder because I was really curious to to hear what it sounded like. And I had heard military teletypes and so on in the past. And when I heard this, I went, Ah, those teletypes are really slow compared to the code speed on these cassettes. But it was, it was a lot of fun,   Skip Vaccarello ** 13:31 yeah. Well, it's fun for me to be involved in all the changes. Their changes was so rapid in Silicon Valley. So I really appreciated my opportunity to be involved in all of that for the 40 some odd years that I was,   Michael Hingson ** 13:46 well, yeah, and, and it, and it certainly was rewarding. You were pretty successful at it, and it all worked really, really worked out well. And so, you know, can't complain about that. What, what got you into the whole idea of doing more faith based things? Was that going back to childhood? Or how did all that come? Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 14:10 I'll give you maybe a little bit of my my faith and story. So I grew up in a Christian home. We were I was raised as a Catholic, and as I said, when I went to college, though, there was all sorts of turmoil, and many of us rejected all sorts of things, including in faith. So it became and I can't say that I rejected it, but it just didn't. Wasn't very meaningful to me. I didn't think about it, I didn't pray, I didn't read the Bible. But if you were to ask me, I would have called myself a Christian, but certainly wasn't, wasn't practicing any of that. And then I when I was, I'm, this is maybe so that was that went on for about 15 years, or then I remember there was, we had, then children, a couple of children. And I remember I was in a business trip. I was in Paris, and I called home and I asked. My wife, Jackie, I said, Well, what did you do for the weekend? And she said, Well, I went to church. I said, You did what? That wasn't even in our conversation, and I was just so surprised that that's what she did. She said, Yeah, and she found it really helpful. And so anyway, when I came back, I followed her along and went to church. And I also found the messages really, meaningful. And anyway, I started to go, and then I decided this, I have to figure out if this stuff is really true or not. So I spent a fair amount of time, you know, listening to the sermons, but also looking at the evidence for Christian faith. And I became convinced that that Jesus is who He says He is. And so that at that point, I committed my, you know, my life to Him, and it became the most important thing in my life. And really, God, put two things on my heart once I made that and this was mid 80s by 1985 1986 two things on my heart. One was to do the best job I could, to try to live out my faith in business. And the second thing was to help people know who Jesus is. I was convinced that was this sort of the key to life, and so I enjoyed getting involved in in one on one conversations. And anyway, that ended up leading to starting with a group of people, what we eventually called the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast, and now it's called Connect Silicon Valley, feeling that, especially in Silicon Valley, you know, people may not go to go to a church. They may for a variety of reasons, you know, not want to even consider faith. But if there were a speaking event in which there was some celebrity, especially celebrities from the computer industry talking about their business, but also about their faith that might attract people. So that was the sort of the premise with which we started the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast, specifically for people who not were not necessarily your faith, but maybe curious about it. So we had series of great, great speakers. And it grew from, I think our first event was about 150 people, and in the last event, which I and then I the pandemic came, and we had about 1000 people at the at the last event. So it really grew. In fact, the people at there was one, it was at the Santa Clara Convention Center. They said it was the biggest event that they had at that time of the morning would start the event at 730 in the morning. So anyway, that's that was really helpful. And we and we just did that help open up conversations about faith and and it was, is, I think it was pretty successful doing that. So anyway, that was a little bit of of my background. And maybe one thing I didn't say, but I had this sense, you know, as I grew up, my family, we didn't have very much money, and but as I began to achieve some success and some financial success, I realized that it seemed like there was something missing in my life, and and later on, I learned, and I didn't know this at the time, Blaise Pascal called that a God shaped vacuum, or void that's in each one of us, and most people try to fill it with success or money or whatever else. But as Pascal says, and I agree, the only thing that can adequately fill that void is God. And I didn't know it, but that was ended up being, being true for me. I felt that there was that there was something missing, and life wasn't all about, you know, success and finances and and anyway, I'm glad that I took that journey. I'm glad for the people that helped me along in that journey to become a follower of Jesus. I   Michael Hingson ** 18:39 hear you. I know for me, I've, I've always had, I think, a pretty strong faith. My father and I talked a lot about God and religion and so on as I was growing up, and he read things to me, so I was, was pretty used to the whole concept right from the outset and and one of the things that I learned along the way, and I think it fits in fits into what you just said, is, as you said, people try to fill that, that void with so many different things. And the thing we never do is we never listen. And the thing that frustrates me most about prayer is that people are so busy praying to God about what they want that they forget God already knows. The issue is, are we really willing and and are we? Are we ready to take the time to listen, to get the answers?   Skip Vaccarello ** 19:38 And that is such a good point. Michael, I absolutely no, that's the issue. Go ahead. No, as I say, I agree with you that, you know that a lot of us and I do this time to time, I just pray, okay, that's it, but taking the time to then listen, and then, if you really are aware of it, you know, you'll see various things along the way where God is is communicating. Creating with you, either through other people and things that your opportunities, you're presented with, and so on. So it's that whole idea, I think in the Bible, it talks about praying continually, and in my own myself, I kind of have an ongoing, just a dialog in my head. Well, God, what do I do in this situation or or thank him for something I see, or whatever, but, but, yeah, that whole idea of just being aware and listening is a very important one. Yes, very good point. Thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 20:29 Well, and one of the things that we talked a lot about as I was growing up was the fact that, yes, we believe in God, we believe in Jesus and so on. But there are other religions that really, when you analyze them, come essentially to the same place. They're peaceful, they're loving. And unfortunately, we have all too many people who say there's only one religion that works, and that just isn't so either. Well, I I think that there, there there are issues, but the fact is that there are a lot of people who believe in God, and come at it from a different point of view, but still believe in God.   Skip Vaccarello ** 21:10 When I agree, I think that there is there the lot of there's a lot of commonality among all the world religions, and there's a most of them all have a moral code to them. In fact, the Golden Rule, do unto others, as you would have them do unto you, is common to all religions, but at the same time, there are also some real differences. And you know, it's interesting where you know what you said, and many other people say that, that there are many different paths to God. But typically, if you were to ask anyone in any one of those religions, they would say, know that if it's a Muslim, I think that we have the path or Jewish person, right? You know, you know, and so on. And so I would encourage people to, I mean, you may not like this idea, but, you know, I would, I would, I believe that really, I mean, I'm covering this in an upcoming podcast, that that Jesus is, is, is the way. I mean, he's the only, the only one in a in any of these world religions, most, or most world religions, you know, say that, that we have to sort of earn our way. You know, to salvation. Am I a good enough person to earn eternal life? Whereas with Jesus, the other way around, he wants us. He's very, very inclusive and and offers his love and His forgiveness to everyone. And you know, he says, you know, in John 14 six, I am the I Am the Truth or way in the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. So it's a that is an exclusive statement, but it also Christian faith is inclusive anyone who wants to come. It's not, you know, is is ready to come. So we probably don't want to get into that too much. But, no,   Michael Hingson ** 23:01 I don't, not too much. But by the same token, I take it in a little bit different slant. Not I don't I agree with what you said, but I also know that I am goes beyond what we're talking about. God in in Exodus And Moses said, Who do I say? Is Sending me? Says I am, that I am, thou shalt say I am, has sent me to you. And I think we I think a lot of people miss that, and they miss the fact that I am is, is God,   Skip Vaccarello ** 23:33 yeah. However, where is your way? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 23:38 yeah. And I think that that's the thing, and I think that that was what Jesus was saying as well. Because Jesus also said, I am my father. Are One. And all the works that I do, greater works you can do as well. I think we, what we, what we really need to do is to recognize that, in fact, from a mindset standpoint, it's ultimately believing in God. And if you're an atheist, that's fine. Sorry if we're offending you, but that, that's a different story. But I but I do know that that in reality, we all need to recognize that if we listen, if we really work at it. We can be better people than than we probably think we are.   Skip Vaccarello ** 24:24 Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, that that is the you know. The point of it is, is, you know, to be, you know, the, you know, the message of Jesus is one of love. I mean, he loves everyone, and we're called, you know, to love everyone. That that means not just fellow Christians, but no matter what faith you're part of, or whatever you know you may have done or do or whatever. Yeah, we're called to love everyone. You think how different the world would be if we all really acted that way?   Michael Hingson ** 24:53 Gee, wouldn't that be something, especially today, right? And it's absolutely, yeah. Yeah, absolutely crazy. So the prayer breakfast and so on, kind of, I assume, ended when the pandemic began. Well,   Skip Vaccarello ** 25:08 it did for a while, yeah, but there is a group that that's that's restarted it, and we, by the way, we changed the name from Silicon Valley prayer breakfast, and a few years ago, we changed to connect Silicon Valley, and we did that because we really wanted to be open to people. It's not an event just for Christians, but for anybody that was interested in in attending. So it is active, and in fact, it's, it's now had a I'm only minimally involved, and they've made me Chairman Emeritus, but, but there's, there's a new group that's running it, and they've had several different events. So it is, is going on, if any of your listeners are in and around Silicon Valley, it's called Connect Silicon Valley, and I'd encourage them to go. I think they have a speaker that we had earlier. It's coming up in March. I think it's promote. Hawk. Promote is a one of the top venture capitalists in the world. He's with Norwest ventures, and I think he's, he's a speaker at an event that's coming up in a few weeks.   Michael Hingson ** 26:10 I may end up being in San Francisco, but not till May. I'll have to find out when they meet and see if there's a way to get down there. Be kind of fun.   26:17 Yeah, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 26:19 But it's, I think faith in and having beliefs as extremely important to do. And one of the things that I always quote when I am giving speeches is something Jimmy Carter once said, which is, we must adjust to changing times while holding to unwavering principles. And I think that all too often we we miss the principles part.   Skip Vaccarello ** 26:45 Yeah, that's right, I agree, Yep, yeah, absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 26:51 It is something that we need to do. Well, I'm glad that connect Silicon Valley is is still continuing to function. That's really a pretty important thing to do. Well, when did your   Skip Vaccarello ** 27:04 I think it is especially in, you know, in Silicon Valley, which is a pretty secular place, yeah, you know. And I think it's a secular place because, you know, it's, it attracts a lot of people with Type A personalities, people that are feeling very self sufficient. And why do I need, why do I need God? But, but it's been interesting. I really feel that there's a movement of God going on in Silicon Valley, and it has been for a while. And you know, what's kind of motivated us, our vision with Connect Silicon Valley was that if Silicon Valley ever could be known as a place not just of technology and innovation and wealth creation, but a place of God, the world would take notice, and to me, there's lots of evidence that that's beginning to happen.   Michael Hingson ** 27:48 Yeah, well, I think that's true. And sometimes we're not necessarily hearing a loud voice, but the voice is still there, and more and more people are going to get drawn to it, I'm sure.   Skip Vaccarello ** 28:01 Well, I think so. I mean, ultimately, as we said earlier, I think each one of us has a sense of a need for something beyond ourselves, and people might call it a force or a god or whatever else, and, and so I think there is that need and and, and hopefully, I would encourage your listeners, you know, to explore the evidence for faith to, you know, take a risk. And, you know, people might have been turned off by religious people, and I can understand that. But, you know, take look at it. And I would specifically say, Look at what, what Jesus has to say. And take, take the time to look at the evidence, because there's plenty of evidence out there for Christian faith.   Michael Hingson ** 28:41 I participated in a number of programs. It's a Methodist program, but it's ecumenical, called the walk to Emmaus. And have you heard of that? No, I haven't. It's It's actually called a short course in Christianity. It's not intended to convince people what they should believe, but rather it's to develop leadership within the church. Whatever church it doesn't, it doesn't, although it was started by the Methodist. Actually, that's an outgrowth of a Catholic program called crusio, but it's the same thing. And when I was lay director of one of the walks to Emmaus, and we could talk about the history, but walk to Emmaus is basically based on after Jesus was crucified and Rose. That day, there were people walking to a town called Emmaus, and he joined them, and they didn't know who he was, and they talked, and they all went to to Emmaus, and they sat down and they had dinner. And it was a dinner that He revealed Himself to them, and then he disappeared. But the whole idea is, it's a way to bring a little bit more enlightenment to leaders. But one of the things that, as the lay director, I had to do was to give a talk on perseverance and so on. And of course. Thought that has always struck with me, and I think it goes beyond Christianity, Christianity, but Tolstoy once said The biggest problem with Christianity is a lot of people don't practice it. There's truth to that. And what you you know you said earlier that so many people and are not necessarily the best Christians, and there's so much of that we really need to go back to basics and everything that we do.   Skip Vaccarello ** 30:28 Yeah, I think that a lot of people get turned off to faith, or in Christian faith, because they look at the some of the behavior of people who claim to be Christians. And the fact is that every one of us is flawed in some ways, in one way or another. What I like to do is, is look at people who what was their life before they you know, they had Jesus in their life, and what's their life after that? And, and you can often see the difference. But people are we're all. We all make mistakes. We're all imperfect people, and, and, and in faith, the church is not for it's not for perfect people. It's for sinners, people that are imperfect. And that's that's really why, why? You know why Jesus came to us? So to why would you add encourage your listeners to try not to get turned off by some of the behavior of Christians, because some of it is, is certainly not good, but to really look at what Jesus says, and, you know, engage people who who are believers, and I think they admit that what's what's right and what's at fault and so on, the basic principles are the basic principles,   Michael Hingson ** 31:35 and they hold no matter where you come from and what you do. And it's important to really deal with that. Although I'm with Mark Twain, I wonder if God had written man because he was disappointed in the monkeys, but that's another story   31:49 I had heard that crook.   Michael Hingson ** 31:52 So, so you wrote the book finding God in Silicon Valley. When did you write that?   Skip Vaccarello ** 31:56 It was, it was published in 2015   Michael Hingson ** 32:00 Okay, and   Skip Vaccarello ** 32:02 it's been, yeah, it really was an outgrowth of some of the talks people gave at the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast. And I felt that it really the reason for writing. It was to encourage people to to consider faith, because in the book, they'd read about Silicon Valley leaders who in their faith story, how they came to faith, what they went through. Some, you know, some stories were a little bit like mine, where they found the evidence, but others, you know, went through personal tragedy and found faith that way. And then the stories are also about how they're trying to live out their faith, day to day, and whatever, whatever business they're involved with. So they're a variety of people. There are nonprofit leaders, companies, CEOs, venture capitalists and so on. And you know, it's, I think we all like to hear stories, and that was what was attractive about the Silicon Valley prayer breakfast. I know that sometimes when I'm sitting in church on a Sunday morning, and I may not quite remember what the pastor said, but I usually remember the stories that he tells. And so I think stories are an effective way to communicate things. In fact, I'd call Jesus the Greatest storyteller of all time. He told his stories often in parables. And those are things that we, you know, that we that we remember. So yeah, the the book was I what I enjoyed it. I just enjoyed is I just enjoyed sitting down with people and hearing their stories and interviewing them, and I did the best I could to compile those stories. There were 26 of them in the book, and yeah, it's it's available on on Amazon, so I encourage people to to pick it up and take a look. And you can go through with a person you know, or one story, or, you know, that seemed to attract your attention. So it was a, it was quite a, quite a project to undertake, but I'm glad that I did it. And let me just maybe the I'll tell you the way I got the idea is I went back to a Harvard reunion. This might have been in the mid 1990s and there was, they had a little sometimes at these reunions, they have little groups that get together. And there was one that I was as part of a Christian cohort, and even though I wasn't a Christian in college anyway, as part of this group. And we're all, we're given a book called Finding God at Harvard. And you know, although Harvard was founded as a, you know, as a, as a Christian college, it's certainly not thought of that these days. And so the writer Kelly Monroe, and she's now, her name is Kelly Monroe Kohlberg, had put together stories of Harvard graduates in how they came to faith and what they were doing. So I thought was a great book, and I so that's what planted the idea in my mind. I said, well, people don't think of Harvard as a place of of faith. They certainly don't think of Silicon Valley as that. So I had the idea, and this was in the mid 1990s but as I said, it wasn't published until 2015 because I found it was really difficult for me to work full time and write the book. So after I left my last full time position is when I had the time to write the book.   Michael Hingson ** 34:59 Well. Well, and I assume it's been pretty successful.   Skip Vaccarello ** 35:03 That's beyond, I think. So it's, I mean, I get some, you know, to me, successful is, if people have read it and they say, Yeah, you know, and you know, I'm considering faith. And to me, that's, that's the success of it. So it's, anyway, it was a, it was really quite an experience. And and happy to do it. And I'm still in the process. I'm looking at a couple of other books now, maybe following up with and writing.   Michael Hingson ** 35:30 Writing is fun, as you know, I've written, yeah, now three books, and I haven't figured out what to write next, but I'm sure something is going to come along. I haven't written fiction yet, and I haven't really come up with a a hot idea yet, but we'll see. It's kind of fun to think about,   Skip Vaccarello ** 35:50 sure, absolutely,   Michael Hingson ** 35:52 but, but, you know, we we we do what we can, and we keep moving forward, and that's what it's really about. But it is a lot of fun. And meanwhile, I do get to travel and speak, and I'm working with accessibe and helping to make internet websites more usable and inclusive. That's something that VisiCalc never did, was to make an accessible version of the product. But that's okay. That's okay. It took it took Excel and and other products a while before they became accessible, too. So not a problem. We, we, we all grow, which is what it's really about. But so what? What is your Well, let me ask it this way. So you wrote the book. You've retired and so on. What kind of projects do you have coming up, other than thinking about other books?   Skip Vaccarello ** 36:46 Well, a few things you know that I'm doing right now. As I mentioned, I was part of a startup venture capital coming company called one flourish capital, and I'm still a little bit involved, but not as involved as I was there on a second fund. And I was very involved in the first fund, so I spent a little bit of time with that, but I'm more engaged with things like, I love mentoring. I mentor some students, and mentor some entrepreneurs and and enjoy those those opportunities I've and as I said, I'm putting together a series of podcasts, not as active as you are in it, but I did a series last year, and I titled it, who do you want to become, encouraging people to put together a personal strategic plan. You know, when we're involved in business, is often the company does a strategic plan. Of you know, what's our vision, our mission, our values, our goals and so on. And something that I've practiced for many years is putting together a personal strategic plan. So some of that podcast series is just encouraging people to consider doing that, which again, give a clearer direction for where, where you want your life to go, where God wants your life life to go. So anyway, that was a podcast series, and right now I'm in the midst of of putting together series that I'm calling why I believe, exploring the critical questions about Christian faith. And so I'm going around interviewing experts on, you know, some of the tougher questions you know, you've we talked about one earlier, is Jesus the only way? Other questions, you know, what about what about heaven? How? Another question is, how could a loving God, you know, allow innocent people to suffer? So question, questions like that, that that are often stumbling blocks for people. And I know, question answering, questions like that was very helpful for me in my faith journey. So anyway, I'm in the process of of putting that podcast series, which I expect will be ready in April, and if your listeners are are interested, it'll be on, it's on skip, vacarello.com, so that's where you can find the first podcast series. The last name is V, A, C, C, A, R, E, L, L, O. So anyway, it's there. It's also it'll be on Spotify and Apple and YouTube. So anyway, so I'm involved in that, but I should also say that one of the important things that I do is we moved here to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. So I love spending the time, you know, with my grandchildren. And we just traveled out to Spokane, Washington to see the other family and and that's just, that's just so enjoyable. So while I'm actively involved in in doing things like that, I I, you know, love, you know, spending time with the grandchildren, and also I try to stay, you know, physically active. Still play some tennis and golf and pickleball, and, you know, it's so, you know it's and anyway, I'm involved in a lot of different things, and enjoy them. You   Michael Hingson ** 39:53 know, it's interesting. You were talking about the issue of, how could a loving God let any. And suffer. My reaction to that question, and I've heard it a lot, my reaction to that has always been, how could God not it's really an issue of we listen to God, and what did we miss along the way that would have prevented us from suffering, but God gave us free will and free choice.   Skip Vaccarello ** 40:18 That's exactly right. And so that is the crux of the issue. We have free choice. And you know, when some of those choices aren't good ones that we make, and grad doesn't force anything on any of us, and that was probably one of the things he gave us, was that we're free, free to choose, and we can choose bad or we can choose good,   Michael Hingson ** 40:37 yeah. And the question is, it's always the question, do we learn from mistakes that we made? And, you know, I have rejected the concept of failure. I think that failure is such a horrible thing to say. I think that there are things that don't work out. But did we fail that means we can't ever deal with it or do anything about it? Or can we take the time to analyze what didn't work right? And even when we did something and it worked out, could we do it better? That's one of the basic cruxes of live like a guide dog. My latest book, which is all about teaching people how to control fear, and the whole idea is that we don't take nearly enough time at the end of the day, or at some point in the day, to do more introspection and self analysis to understand why whatever happens to us happens to us, and what could we have done to make it have a better outcome, or even a or did we come up with The best outcome possible?   Skip Vaccarello ** 41:41 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I absolutely agree. What did we learn from it? I mean, you would see that time and time again. Some of the most successful people had many failures along the way, and you know, hopefully you're going to learn from that failure, and you're going to try something else, you're going to fail, and you're going to try something else and, and that's, I think that's just what goes on in life   Michael Hingson ** 42:02 well, and that's why I say that it isn't really a failure. It is a mistake, perhaps, right? We didn't intend for it to be a mistake, but, but if it, if it was a mistake, and we acknowledge that, why and what do we do about it? And I think that's one of the important things that so many of us could do a better job of thinking about was, why did this happen? What was I afraid of, or what could I have done differently? And the fact is that if we open our minds to those questions, we'll get the answers, yep, yep, I agree, which is, I think, really important.   Skip Vaccarello ** 42:41 I was listening to, I don't remember the I wish I could remember it, but I was watching something on television the other night, and there was a quote that kind of stuck with me, and it's in the quote we're doing something like this, is it was an encouragement of, I think it was a mother to a son. He said, Don't, don't think of what life has done to you. Think of what life has done for you. What we're talking about is you might have run into some difficulty, some okay, but maybe that's an opportunity to learn from it, and to go on and to do something else and and, you know, I think life, life is like that. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 43:15 you know, people talk to me a lot about the World Trade Center, and don't you have guilt of surviving while other people didn't, right? And and I tell people, no, I don't have any guilt about that, because the fact is, I did survive. Why others did not is is really, in part, possibly an issue of what choices they made. But the bottom line is, it isn't whether I feel guilty or not about surviving because I had no control over the World Trade Center happening. What I do have control over the though is how I deal with it and how I move forward, and that's the choice that I get to make.   Skip Vaccarello ** 43:56 Yeah, very good point,   Michael Hingson ** 43:59 which I think is really important. And someone asked me that just the other day, and then that was in this is the response that I gave, is, the reality is, it's we have no control over a lot of things that that may happen to us, but we do have total control over how we deal with it, no matter what it is, yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 44:19 and you think of it, the, you know, I'm sure, the lives that you've changed, you know, writing about that and talking about that with your speaking appearances, and it was such a tragedy that, you know, the 1000s of what was 1700 or 18, I don't remember the number, the number of people that died in that, and they're all 200 Yeah, 3200. Was all the people that were affected by it. You know, on the other hand, I mean stories like yours came out of that, and you've been an encouragement to many, many other people so that you know, you've, you know, taken advantage of that opportunity, and you've affected the lives of many, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 44:56 tell me more about what you're doing today with mentoring students and so on. More. How do you do that? Or how do they find you? How does that all work?   Skip Vaccarello ** 45:03 Well, I one of the things is I mentioned earlier that there's a whole bunch of things that have gone on in Silicon Valley where I where I really feel that that God is at work. And there was a guy that I got to know that I actually mentored him a little bit, and he founded an organization called scholars of finance. And it started in a and it's not a quote a Christian base, but it's a, it's sort of an ethics based organization. And his idea was to to go to college campuses and encourage people who were in finance, accounting, finance of some sort or another, to look at the ethical side of business. So he put together this thing called scholars of finance, and then they were started on maybe a couple of universities in the Bay Area. I think they now want maybe 70 campuses around the US and and he's so I've had the opportunity to speak at a number of those campuses, some in person, most of them virtually. And the idea is that they have people like me that come and speak and try to, you know, we tell stories, encourage people about, maybe the ethical issues that we ran across and, and how you can kind of navigate some of those issues and, and, and part of that whole program is, if you want to put yourself up to mentoring, you know you can have the opportunity to mentor some students. So I have, and I've had the opportunity, and I have the opportunity to mentor some students and and I really, I really love it. And what are the differences I find? I think that, you know, sometimes there are negative things that people say about college students these days, but one of the things that I find encouraging is that they're really open to to mentoring, to getting advice from an from an older generation. I remember when I was in school was what was the mantra that you don't trust anyone over 30, you know they don't know what they're talking about, but, but I find students these days are really looking for that for that advice and guidance and and so I enjoy when I have those opportunities to speak to people. And I would say also that a lot of these students are incredibly motivated and driven. And it's, it's just, it's interesting to see. It was, I think it was even different than than when I was in when I was in college. But anyway, that's that's kind of a fun thing to do. And then I also have entrepreneurs, people that either find me or, you know, that may be a company that we've invested in, that have an opportunity to help those, those entrepreneurs, with their business plans. And one of the, one of the areas I like to focus on is helping them develop the right culture. I think, to have a successful business, you have a successful business is you need a culture, you know, a positive culture that's encouraging to people. So, you know, I do that. I try to encourage them to start out and build the right culture. You know, in your organization, doesn't mean that business will succeed, you know, but that's one of the things I like to to help entrepreneurs consider as they're building a business. So it's not just about the product. Certainly, you need a product, and you need to market that product, and often you need technology to make a success. But ultimately, it's the people in that organization and how you deal with them, and how you deal with your customers, and how you deal with your vendors and so on that can can help make or break a business. So anyway, those are the the mentoring opportunities that I have, and as I say and do, enjoy   Michael Hingson ** 48:31 them. What are some of the typical questions that students ask that you find to be sort of common among a lot of students?   Skip Vaccarello ** 48:40 Well, they'll, they'll, you know, they'll sometimes ask me about, you know, ethical situations that I've come across. Often, they'll ask, since I've been involved in the in the venture capital business, is, you know, what is it? What is, what does a venture capitalist look like? You know, how can I get, get get funded? And that, that's sort of an ongoing topic of of conversation, and it's in that environment, you know, it certainly changes a lot over time, but that's a that's a common, a common side of it. You know, occasionally there'll be discussions on technology, and I'm not, even though I've been involved in Silicon Valley for a long time, not a technologist, and they're real, usually, typically very far advanced in that, in that side of things. But, you know, get questions on, you know, what's a go to market strategy? How do I, if I have this product, what do I, what do I do with it? And often, you know, just, you know, I get presented a business plan, what do you think about this, and you know, where can I make changes? And sometimes, you know, often they're very well done, but sometimes there might be some, some blind spots, things that they don't, that they don't see. And interestingly enough, and this is not, you know, something that that I push for, but some of the students then they, you know, they pick me up. Ask because they they've seen my bio, and I've had a number of students who were weren't brought up with any faith background, that asked me about faith and what was my story, and in what should I do to consider faith? So I, you know, I find that very interesting, and I'm very happy to answer any questions that they may have. So that's that's enjoyable when those opportunities come.   Michael Hingson ** 50:22 Yeah, it's kind of cool to be able to enter into those discussions and just talk a little bit about faith and what what they're looking for, and what you're looking for and so on. And getting a chance to in a in a non confrontive way, help people understand the value of faith, whatever that may end up being for them, I think is important to do, yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 50:50 and often, you know, I end up, well, I, well, I, you know, I'll offer things if they ask. But I usually what I like to do is just ask lots of questions to them. And I think it's very helpful, you know, where are they coming from? What are they considered? What are their experiences been? You know, especially if it's in the, in the faith environment. And I think it really helps open up conversations, when, when, when you end up not just being there as the, you know, as the advisor that knows everything, because certainly I don't, but it's very helpful, I think, as a method, as a mentor, is to ask lots of questions.   Michael Hingson ** 51:29 I love to have question time when I speak, because I find every so often I'll get a new question. It doesn't happen as often as it used to, but every so often, something new comes along and and or people ask questions in a different way. And what I really love about it is it helps me learn, because it makes me think, and I think that's as important as anything else. And as I tell people when I'm talking about speaking or doing these podcasts, if I'm not learning at least as much as anyone else on the podcast, or when I'm speaking, I'm not doing my job, right, right? Yeah,   Skip Vaccarello ** 52:05 I agree with you. Yeah. I think I learned more. You know, occasionally I'm asked to give a sermon at a church or a speak at a at a public place, and I think that I learned when you're I think I learned more than anything else when I'm when I'm gonna have to prepare for these, these opportunities, isn't it fun? Oh, it is. It certainly is.   Michael Hingson ** 52:26 Well, so you've been retired for a while. What kind of advice would you give to somebody who may be thinking about retiring?   Skip Vaccarello ** 52:34 Good question, you know, and it's funny sometimes people ask me that question, and I think that, well, I'm retired from making money, but I'm still pretty busy doing things. And that would be my encouragement to people, is to, you know, don't, don't just think you're going to go sit on a beach or or whatever else. I mean, I think that that can get boring pretty quickly. But, you know, and if I would say, continue to do what you're doing if you love it, you know. But consider what your maybe your spouse has to say, your children or grandchildren have to say, and and, you know, make sure you spend, spend time with with them. But my encouragement would be just is to keep busy, find activities. If it's in your case, or my case, has been doing some writing or podcasts, or, you know, whatever it is that you're passionate about, just just you have an opportunity now to do it, but also to take time for relationships. And one thing I didn't mention that is one thing I encouraged students to think about, it's really a question of life. Is life is about relationships. And you know, you want to hopefully along the way, people haven't sacrificed relationships. So you see that sometimes in business, where they sacrifice, you know, their family or other relationships for success in business. But you know, when you're retired is a time to eat, to deepen those those relationships, to really spend some time, you know, with with other people, so and and, as I say, to do things that you love. The other thing I'd say is, is to keep moving. You might I had a chance to visit my mom about a few weeks ago. She's in she's in Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, and she's 103 103 and a half. And three and a half and and people ask her, What's your key to longevity? And she says, Just keep moving. And although she's not physically as active, she tries to get up and keep moving. And she's also one that's and always keeps alert. She volunteered she's not, she hasn't, doesn't have the capacity to do that now, but up till about 9998 she was, she had volunteer activities going on. So, you know, stay engaged, keep keep moving, keep doing things and and anyway, that's my encouragement. Don't, you know, don't just think that it's going to be, you know, time at the beach, or certainly not time in front of the. Television, you know, keep moving, if you can, and keep keep mentally stimulated.   Michael Hingson ** 55:06 That's the real key. Is mental stimulation, I think is extremely important. Just I think retirement is, is overrated in terms of what it really or what people think it is. And I think mental stimulation is is an important thing. And when you're stopped working at a job full time, because it's time to not do that anymore, you should have more time to be able to develop the relationships stimulate your brain, keep your brain thinking, and maybe go off and look at doing things in a different direction. That always is a great challenge. Absolutely,   Skip Vaccarello ** 55:40 yeah, absolutely. It's a, it's a very, it's a neat time of life now. I mean, I enjoyed the time that I had while I was working, but, you know, when you retire, you have a little bit more freedom you had before. So, you know, but use it wisely. It's really true with anything we all, we all are given, you know, resources of various sorts, and time is one of the most valuable resources that we have. And you know, we're, you know, invested. Invest it wisely. Because, you know, life is life is short, and as I get older, realize how short life is, so invest that time wisely and and invest in relationships, as I say, is probably the most important   Michael Hingson ** 56:24 thing. Yeah, I think that's extremely crucial, and makes a lot of sense. And you'll meet people and find things that you never knew before, and you continue to learn, which is what it's all about. Yep, absolutely. Well, I want to thank you for spending an hour with us today, and in doing this, we'll have to do it again, and I think it'll be a lot of fun, but I really enjoy you being here and appreciate you taking the time   Skip Vaccarello ** 56:48 Well, Michael, thank you so much. I've enjoyed it. It's fun for us to to reappoint, yeah, yeah. And it's a it's a great conversation, and hopefully listeners will get some benefit from it, but I've enjoyed the time that I've that I've spent with you today again. Thanks. Thank you so much for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 57:06 Well, I hope all of you have enjoyed listening and watching us, and that you'll give us a five star rating wherever you're watching or hearing the podcast. We really appreciate five star ratings a lot. And just your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts about today's episode, please email me. I'm easy to reach. It's Michael H I M, I C, H, A, E, L, H i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S i b, e.com, and if you want to subscribe to the podcast, do it wherever you're listening, or you can always go to Michael hingson, M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, o n.com/podcast, and I, and I hope you'll do that, but also skip for you and all, all people out there who are encountering our episode today, if you know of someone, including yourself, who might want to be or you think ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, I'd love you to reach out to me. We're always looking for more people to have on and talk about various things, and like I said, for me, in part, I get to learn what we do that. So we really appreciate you finding other guests for us. So don't ever hesitate to reach out and let us know if people we ought to interact with. But again, skip. I just want to thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun, and we really appreciate your time.   Skip Vaccarello ** 58:24 Michael, thank you again. Enjoy the rest of the day. Appreciate it.   Michael Hingson ** 58:32 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

361Firm Briefing "Moody's, Markets and 'Triple B' Act" (May 27 2025)Transcript: https://361.pub/TranscriptBriefingMay27Video: https://361.pub/vidMay27The 361Firm Meetup and Briefing on May 27, 2025, covered various updates and introductions. Mark Sanor and others discussed the attendance of new members, including Nelson Stacks from Waltham, Massachusetts, and Fabian Cousteau, a third-generation ocean explorer. The meeting highlighted the upcoming events in San Francisco and Seattle, including visits to Microsoft in Redmond, Valve Gaming in Bellevue, and the Mayor joining us in Seattle. After Stepher Burke's presentation on markets in light of the US Budget negotiations, Moody's ratings change, Olga Loy shared her insights on changes to expect from the "Big Beautiful Bill" including the impact on private equity, venture capital, extension of opportunity zones. The conversation also touched on the challenges and opportunities in the global economy, particularly in the context of AI and energy innovation. The meeting discussed energy policies, highlighting the shift towards oil and gas over renewables despite high production levels. Jeff Zawadsky noted the delay in SMR applications. Anthony Gordon mentioned VISTA Energy's 262% growth last year and future helium mining on the moon. Andrew Fisch emphasized the negligible impact of new U.S. drilling at $60/barrel oil. Sameer Sirdeshpande discussed sustainable hydrocarbon use. The discussion also covered the potential for China to take over Taiwan by 2027 and the impact of the Ukraine war on global politics. Joe Azzaro stressed the importance of fiscal discipline and productivity improvements to address global debt issues. SUMMARY KEYWORDSNMR company, multi-coast, Bitcoin, digital markets, Tate County, TIFF, secondary fund, venture capital, AI, tax plan, opportunity zones, clean energy tax credits, nuclear deduction, energy policy, renewable energy, nuclear power, hydrocarbons, tax incentives, drilling dynamics, natural gas, AI healthcare, longevity, helium mining, global debt, productivity growth, interest rates, inflation, geopolitical tensionsSPEAKERSContributors included Jeff Zawadsky, Sahir Ali (Modi Ventures), Greg Wilder, Kate Lawrence (Bloccelerate), Candice Beaumont, Andrew Fisch, Marc Rosenberg, Anna Cardona, Sameer Sirdeshpande, Marius Kreft, Anthony Gordon, Fabien Cousteau, Maher Nasri, Lara Druyan (SV Data Capital, Palo Alto), Carl Pro, Mark Sanor, Nelson Stacks, Ben Narasin, Joe Azzaro, Olga Loy, Günter Schmittberger, Roger Arjoon, and many others. You can subscribe to various 361 events and content at https://361firm.com/subs. For reference: Web: www.361firm.com/homeOnboard as Investor: https://361.pub/shortdiagOnboard Deals 361: www.361firm.com/onbOnboard as Banker: www.361firm.com/bankersEvents: www.361firm.com/eventsContent: www.youtube.com/361firmWeekly Digests: www.361firm.com/digest

Episode 130 In part 23 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr Fred Ledley. He is a professor of natural & applied science and management at Bentley University in Waltham, MA and director of the center for integration of science and industry. A physician and pediatrician by training, he has performed research in genomics on the faculties of the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute and founded several biotechnology companies focused on gene therapy or personalized medicine. A widely published researcher, his current work focuses on advancing the translation of scientific discoveries for public value by developing synergies between science, medicine, business, and public policy. He has previously participated in the national, NIH-funded program in “Genetics, Religion and Ethics”, part of the ELSI program of the Human Genome project, and a Templeton-funded program “New Visions in Science, Nature and Religion” at US Santa Barbara. He has written a novel, Sputnik's Child, which explores how science and technology became a faith for members of the baby boom generation and the limits of this faith. He plays clarinet in Shpilkes Klezmer Band and has served on the board of the Boston Jewish Music Festival, Jewish Arts Collaborative, and Celebrity Series of Boston. He joined in a Bnai Mitzvah with his wife, Tamara, at age 31, occasionally reads Torah and serves as darshan as a member of Temple Aliyah in Needham MA, and considers music, hiking the forest, and observing solar eclipses to be spiritual experiences. Check out his book, "Sputnik's Child" here - https://amzn.to/4dgiZAD   Sinai and Synapses - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/   Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast   More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/   produced by Zack Jackson music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Senior Research Manager at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, Mars Petcare, Dr. Tammie King answers the question, "What is the importance of understanding the human-animal bond to a successful pet industry?"

In this Vet Times Extra podcast, we're delving into the pivotal role that research plays in building our understanding of the human-animal bond. Dr Tammie King, senior research manager, and Dr Vanessa Ashall, human-animal interaction technical leader, are both experts from the Waltham Petcare Science Institute. SPONSORED The Waltham Petcare Science Institute is Mars Petcare's science centre, where their mission is to improve the lives of pets through science, in support of their purpose of creating a better world for pets. Researchers at Waltham have recently launched the Pets and Wellbeing Study programme, known as PAWS. Working in collaboration with leading global academic institutions and experts, the multi-study PAWS programme will explore the relationships between pets and people and the role pets play in well-being across multiple geographies and demographics. Engaging more than 35,000 pet owners across more than 20 countries, this ambitious research programme aims to deepen our understanding of the mutual benefits of the human-animal bond through robust scientific data. Dr Tammie King is a member of the research leadership team at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute. Her passion lies in improving dog and cat health through evidence-based knowledge. In fact, Dr King holds a PhD in anthrozoology – the study of human-animal interactions – and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in animal behaviour. Vanessa Ashall is technical lead for the PAWS research programme and is central to defining the research strategy. It's Vanessa who holds responsibility for ensuring the portfolio of projects truly demonstrate Waltham's commitment to robust, innovative and impactful research into the human-animal bond. Vanessa is a European veterinary specialist in animal welfare science, ethics and law, a bioethicist, a social scientist and a cross disciplinary HAI researcher.

Hankus Netsky joined "The Shmooze" to talk about his upcoming Morris Hollender 100th birthday concert. In conversation we spoke about how interest in Eastern European Jewish musical traditions has experienced an unprecedented resurgence in recent years and how the melodies that Morris Hollender brought over from his birthplace in a small farming village in the Carpathian Mountains have become a major pillar of that resurgence. An Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, Hollender came to the Boston area from Czechoslovakia in 1967. The program will include little-known melodies that Hollender learned as a child in the Munkacs region of Eastern Czechoslovakia (now Ukraine) and shared generously with Temple Beth Israel members and others during his years in the United States. The concert will take at Temple Beth Israel located at 25 Harvard St, Waltham, MA 02453. Tickets and more information are available at https://tbiwaltham.org/concert/. Episode 389 April 14, 2025 Amherst, MA

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 295 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Some Years Later Knitting in Passing In my Travels KAL News Events On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Some Bunny Loves You Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Some Bunny Loves You Colorway (Yarnable April 2023 colorway) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- cream base with speckles of purple, blue, rust. Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link. Get $5 off with coupon code BostonJen   Belle the Butterfly #3 Pattern: Belle the Butterfly $4 pattern from Theresascrochetshop on Etsy Hook: C Yarn: leftover DK yarn from stash Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: 3rd bobbin done and onto the 4th. This is the batt that never ends! Getting closer but still not done.   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose, Gray Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory. Goal: 6 per week Progress: 19 2 weeks ago & 12 last week (week 7 & 8)- 106 in 8 weeks- avg/13 per week 129 not attached and 48 attached. Current draft is 18 rows and 16 columns- 288 squares. 177 done/ 111 to go- 61% done   Let the Mystery Unravel 2023 Blanket of Calm Pattern: Blanket of Calm by Casapinka (free crochet pattern) Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers- Let the Mystery Unravel subscription + Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in the Forged Iron Colorway Hook: 3.25 mm (D) Ravelry Project Page You can find my Let the Mystery Unravel Unboxing Video on YouTube in this Playlist I started in September 2023- due to finish in August 2024. This month, I finished the squares for the last month's kit.   Let's Get Basted Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Let's Get Basted Colorway (Yarnable November 2024 colorway) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- cream with gray, purple, tan/brown and small blips or orange. Spiral pooling. Progress: about 2 inches away from heel of the first sock.   David... Fold in the cheese socks Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz in the David...Fold in the cheese!!!! colorway (with cream/gray mini skein) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress- almost to heel on the first sock     Brainstorming I was inspired by Jenna(716knit) at the Fiber Witch Festival, had on a marled scrappy shawl that was gorgeous! It got me thinking that I really want to start something with my Legacy Fiber Artz minis from previous year advents. Maybe a Granny Stripe blanket? Or perhaps another Recollections crochet blanket. I made one in the summer of 2022 (check out my Ravelry Project Page). It uses fingering weight yarn held triple and treble crochets. You work each row right to left and cut each time. between each set of clusters you use a main color. Debating using Fibernymph 10g minis from last year's advent for those rows (notes say it used- about 8g per row but that's held triple which might just be too annoying). I'm debating making a smaller blanket that will live on the backseat of my car, draped over. Mostly for the pop of color with my gray interior but I bet the kids would use it when they're back there. I'd also like to make a crocheted granny square tank top for the summer so I could potentially use some of my minis for that. Do you have any ideas for me?   From the Armchair   The Wandering Purl YouTube channel- I have a Gilmore Girls sock sized bag from Bethany and I know lots of you are fans of her, but I didn't realize she had a channel!  Enjoying her content, check it out. White Lotus- Season 3: it was a slow burn of a season with some seriously cringy content but I loved how the finale came together.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Some Years Later I wore my Construction Zone top April 4th.   Construction Zone Pattern: Construction Zone by Heidi Kirrmaier ($7.50 US knitting pattern) Yarn: Tempting Ewe Yarns Luxe Aran (90% Merino/10% Silk) in the Grey Goose Colorway. 2 skeins 340 yards total Needles: US 9 | 5.5 mm Ravelry Project Page   I've been wearing my handknit sweaters as April has been cold and rainy! Aurealis (Ravelry Project Page) Silverlining (Ravelry Project Page) Freewheeler (Ravelry Project Page) Mom's socks   Knitting in Passing   At a recent rehearsal for Kiss Me Kate, my fellow cast member, Janet, told me about this yarn company her friend Katie Aucella owns called Claws Out Yarn- here's a link to her shop. You can also find Claws Out Yarn on YouTube Channel & Instagram   In My Travels Tune in to hear more about my trip to the Fiber Witch Festival in Salem. I loved meeting up with friends, Monique (Windswept Monique on Instagram) who brought me 2 skeins of beautiful wool yarn that she's allergic to, to sell/raffle off for FearLESS Living Fund. I met up with Ryan kollerskrafts and Jenna 716knit and shopped around with them and we grabbed lunch after. It's always a joy to see bag maker and podcast sponsor Jess of Stitched by Jessalu. Into the Whirled- Cris + James who were there selling jewelry which you can find under the shop name westand28. I believe they will be at Maryland Sheep & Wool. Check them out on Instagram too. They had beautiful handdyed silk cordage bracelets with sterling silver. Each color has meaning. I couldn't decide!   Heart pendant (similar to this one). Mom- fine silver (.999) metal clay. Jess also introduced me to Fiber Witch Festival organizers Ana Campos (Circle of Stitches). Emily  (Kitty with a Cupcake). I purchased a progress keeper that's a floppy disk in yellow w/ a rainbow on it. Dragon Hoard Yarn- Myth Fingering in one of her show special colorways- Gardens of Persephone I purchased a project bag (Gardener's Magical Craft Shelf bag) and beautiful sticker with hand drawn art from Dawn Kathryn I had lunch with Ryan and Jenna at Turner's Seafood I visited Circle of Stitches yarn store in Salem. I purchased a mini skein from Cryptic Hollow Fibers, 9 inch circular socks needles from ChiaoGoo. & 2 cute stickers. I was so happy to run into Val (valtherizzle) as I was checking out! I also shopped at Modern Millie's, Re-find (2 pairs of earrings) & Oak & Moss- where I purchased a lemon button fern.   KAL News The Splash Pad Party kicks off soon! It will be our 10th year (even though yes we took last year off). Mark your calendars: June 1- July 31   Events Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD New Hampshire Sheep and Wool:  May 10-11 in Deerfield, NH Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool: May 24 & 25- Cummington, MA   On a Happy Note I found old photos of theater and dance friends which I brought to rehearsal. My friend and I went to Gretchen Rubin's Q&A for her new book Secrets of Adulthood (Amazon Affiliate link). Dan and I went to the Oligo Nation Gala to support our friend John who was receiving an inspiration award. I wore a fun dress from Poshmark and Mom's jewelry. Kris' birthday dinner at a local mexican restaurant. Dad, Jeff and I enjoyed a video chat organized by my cousin Jimmy. Repotting some plants. Hoping they take. Dinner with Megg at Scutari in Hanover, MA I visited Vico Style on Charles St in Boston- found 2 dresses that could work for Kiss Me Kate & 1 just for me. Visited with my Dad, Millie and Garret over the weekend and we decorated for Easter. Rehearsal for Kiss Me Kate is going well!   Quote of the Week   Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one's voice. -Joseph B. Wirthlin   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

About the authorBarbara de la Cuesta has taught English literature and Spanish on the secondary and college levels. She is currently teaching English as a Second Language. She has a Master's Degree in Creative Non Fiction from Lesley College in Massachusetts, 1989.She has published stories in the California Quarterly, the Texas Review, and The New Ohio Review,. Her first novel, The Spanish Teacher, was winner of the Gival Press Fiction Prize in 2007. Rosa, a novel about a Honduran immigrant, was winner of the Driftless Series award from Brain Mill Press, The Mists, set in Central America, and My Name is Henrietta Rose, set in the basements of AA, were published by Finishing Line Press. Her latest works, published this year, are Adams Chair, a novel in verse about the City of Waltham, Massachusetts, site of historic immigration, as well as Life Drawing, a collection of stories about art and artists, published by Austin MacCauly. She has received fiction fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, and, more recently, from The New Jersey Council on the Arts. She has also received a Geraldine Dodge fellowship to the Virginia Center, and to the Millay Colony.For more info on the book click HERE

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 294 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Knitting in Passing In my Travels Events Contest, News & Notes Ask Me Anything On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu Find Stitched by Jessalu at the Fiber Witch Festival Marketplace: April 12-13 in Salem, MA. The Market is 11a-5p Sat & Sunday and market tickets are still available. Pre-purchase or tickets will be available at the door for either day. The 3-5 slot each day is free, so go find Jess and her beautiful bags there!   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Aila's Daisy Socks Yarn: On The Round Nimble Sock (85%/15% SW Merino/Nylon) in the Forage colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 & US 2 Progress: Cast on 60 sts. Worked 1x1 ribbing. Increased up to 64 sts. Switched to US 2 needles for colorwork.  Then decreased back to 60 sts shortly after, a few rows later back to 56 sts. Knit about 2 inches before turning the heels.   How Time Flies Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the How Time Flies Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn- cream base with pink, green. January 2024 Yarnable Colorway: Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: 3rd bobbin done and onto the 4th. This is the batt that never ends!   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose, Gray Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory. Goal: 6 per week Progress: I am still ahead of schedule!   Some Bunny Loves You Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Some Bunny Loves You Colorway (Yarnable April 2023 colorway) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- cream base with speckles of purple, blue, rust. Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link   Inclinations Cowl Inclinations Cowl by Andrea Mowry ($7.00 Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & her website. Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Yarn: 2 skeins of handspun Color A: Fiber Addict Designs 100% Merino in the Wild Plum Colorway- Ravelry link. Color B: Candombe, I think the fiber is from Malabrigo- Ravelry link. My Ravelry Project Page Living in my FearLESS Living Fund bag from Stitched by Jessalu. Bags are still available! Check them out.   Dinosaur T-Rex and Pterodactyl Pattern: Dinosaur T-Rex and Pterodactyl by Anita Suriaa- $5.99 crochet pattern on Ravelry Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Worsted Hook: 2.5 mm Progress: I've made T-Rex head and body.   Brainstorming   T Jaik flower crochet patterns- check them out on Ravelry. They are so realistic I didn't think they were actually crochet photos! Teddy Bear Eyeglasses holder by Tanya Naser-  free crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Eme's Very Hungry Caterpillar Socks   From the Armchair The Crash by Freida McFadden.  Amazon Affiliate Link. Colored Television by Danzy Senna.  Amazon Affiliate Link. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. Amazon Affilitate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing On Wed night before music rehearsal Megg asked me to help her cast on a Love Bug with Bernat Blanket to practice for school. (free crochet pattern on Ravelry). Yarn has a lot of twist, got all tangly and we stayed after to untangle it together while other cast members performed on stage. On the first night of rehearsal one of my cast-mates asked about my knitting and through that conversation we figured out we've worked together before. She was the choreographer when I was in a production of Crazy for You at a local community college when I was in high school. I wore my Aurealis sweater (Ravelry Project Page) one night to music rehearsal and my friend Deana complimented it and I told her I knit it! Laura's sock drawer! How gorgeous is this?   In My Travels Vegas trip for BOSS Reseller Remix & FearLESS Living Fund 2025 Awards We gave away 2 $5,000 scholarships Mom's friend Crystal got a fearless tattoo on her arm. We enjoyed visiting the Sphere to see the Postcards from Earth documentary. We checked out the Bellagio Conservatory for their beautiful display of Easter decor/flowers. Knitting at craps table with Jeff. The manager told me he doesn't see many firsts anymore but I was the first person he'd ever seen knitting in a casino before. He came back a few minutes later asking what I was making- definitely intrigued. It took until the last day- walking through New York New York to find Wizard of Oz slots Mom loved best. It was obviously a bittersweet trip. Ryan Wilson said it best when he said before talking about 2 winners- in some ways this is the most important year because its the first one without Mom and we're still doing it. If you want to see the awards presentation, here's a link to video on my YouTube channel.   Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Megg, Riley and I went in the morning. Riley wore her crocheted flowered top (Ravelry Project Page). I wore my Aurealis (Ravelry Project Page)- finally got good FO photos for my Project Pages. I purchased punch needle coasters for my car cup holders from Gina the Botina We also purchased mini skeins from 2 makers- that I sent home with Riley East Coast Yarn Co Wild Violet Fibers Riley picked out a delicious cinnamon roll from Union Square Donuts that we shared. Megg got some cute crafty projects for her kids for Easter/graduations.   Events   Fiber Marketplace- April 5th at the Union Bluff Hotel in York, Maine (kick off party on the 4th at the Yarn Sellar store) Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD New Hampshire Sheep and Wool:  May 10-11 in Deerfield, NH Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Contest, News & Notes   I heard about GoSadi in Vogue Knitting email. Have you heard of it?   Ask Me Anything Instagram- Knitbakecook- Do you ever have crafting slumps? If so, how do you overcome them? Yes! Sometimes it helps just to lean into that, don't pressure yourself and then lean back in when you get the urge. More often, what works best is to start something new (or pick back up something that is exciting you). Ideally something small like a hat or a toy so you get that dopamine hit of finishing something fun to get those creative juices flowing. Search your Ravelry favorite or queue, browse Instagram or Pinterest and let yourself day dream a little. Creative time should be fun so find the fun and you'll be excited to get back into things. Instagram- ndoyal- When are you coming to the PNW?! I am planning to go to Flock in August. Instagram- nukerklein- Have you been or are you planning to go to VT Sheep & Wool in the fall? This year it's October 4-5 (Dad's birthday- so likely not this year) Check out this vlog from 2024 trip to VT Sheep & Wool. NDoyal- Dates for Splash Pad Sunday June 1 through Thursday July 31st. Would folks be interested if we did Zoom events Sunday 6/1?   On a Happy Note St. Patrick's Day at my cousin's. Emelie "cutting" my hair. Lea made us acrylic pieces with Mom's funeral flowers in them. Keychain, bottle opener and bookmark Riley sleepover- Sample sale (bought matching PJs). Silly pics in the closet before bed. Ushering for Rent at The Company Theatre. Addams Family Musical and Lolita with Megg Dinner with Liz My favorite massage therapist is back at Massage Envy Bike riding with Dan Dinner out at a local Italian place for a friend's birthday. Thrifting and finally watching Kiss Me Kate (movie) with Megg   Quote of the Week One of the pleasures of getting older is that one can get so much nearer to one's own people, and that the dear ones of them become dearer all the time. –Willa Cather   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Episode Summary:In this episode of Undercurrent Stories, host Bob Wells sits  down with Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council and recently selected Conservative candidate for Greater Lincolnshire Mayor. Recorded at the historic George Hotel in Stamford, this insightful conversation delves into Rob's journey into politics, the upcoming mayoral elections, and his vision for the future of Lincolnshire.Key Topics Discussed:✅ Rob's personal background, upbringing, and what led him to politics✅ His experience growing up in Lincolnshire and his deep-rooted family ties to the region✅ The significance of the upcoming mayoral elections on May 1st 2025✅ The benefits of devolution and what it means for Greater Lincolnshire ✅ Key policy areas Rob is passionate about, including education, transport, infrastructure, and economic development✅ The importance of local decision-making versus central government control✅ Strategies for improving transport connectivity, including safer roads and better public transport options✅ The role of education and vocational training in shaping future job opportunities✅ Views on economic growth, business investment, and job creation in Lincolnshire✅ The future of policing, crime prevention, and community safety✅ The role of green energy, sustainability, and the impact of solar farms on agricultural land✅ Encouraging political engagement and how local government can make a real differenceNotable Quotes:“The best policies are those that put people first, whether it's young people, working families, or the elderly.”“Devolution isn't about raising taxes locally—it's about spending government money more effectively for our communities.”“Lincolnshire has a rich industrial and agricultural history, and we need to ensure that the next generation has access to well-paying jobs and strong local businesses.”Resources & Links:Connect with Rob Waltham: Website: RobWaltham.ukFollow Rob on Facebook: Rob Waltham for Greater Lincolnshire MayorLearn more about Undercurrent Stories and explore past episodes: undercurrentstories.comCall to Action:Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe to Undercurrent Stories on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review! If you have any questions or suggestions for future guests, feel free to reach out.Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Mark Buonomo, senior category manager for beer, wine and liquor at Global Partners.Buonomo was a finalist for CSP's 2025 Category Manager of the Year awards. Click here to see the 2025 CMOY winners.The two talked about trends in packaged beverages and alcohol during CSP's Convenience Retailing University (CRU) event in February in Nashville, Tennessee. Global Partners LP, Waltham, Massachusetts, operates 364 convenience stores under brands including Alltown Fresh, Convenience Plus, Fast Freddie's and Honey Farms. 

The Illegal Alien of the Day is awarded to a Ugandan arrested in Waltham for assaulting a pregnant woman. He had been arrested before but was released after they did not honor an ICE Detainer, plus, Police Blotter Fax Friday and The Chump Line. Visit the Howie Carr Radio Network website to access columns, podcasts, and other exclusive content.

Uruguay-born lesbian judge who blocked the ban on transgenders in the military is exposed as a donor to the Democratic Party. In her ruling, she claims there are over thirty genders. Plus, if you are interested in running for office to fight back against entrenched Democrats, there is a meeting in Waltham on Saturday. Visit the Howie Carr Radio Network website to access columns, podcasts, and other exclusive content.

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 293 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsor- The Yarn Sellar. Fiber Marketplace 2025- SATURDAY APRIL 5 , 2025 from 10-3pm at the Union Bluff Hotel 8 Beach Street, York Beach Maine 207-363-1333. Join us for a fun-filled party on Friday, April 4th from 5:30-7:00 Andra Asars (Berroco rep) will be hosting our event. Tickets are on sale in the shop and our online shop. You may win a prize. $25 (only 25 tickets)   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass ($8 US Ravelry Knitting Pattern) Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Ravelry Project Page Size: C Mods: Bottom ribbing- 2x2 instead of 1x1. Ribbing on sleeves is also 2x2   Love Bugs Pattern: Love Bug by Trish Hoskin (free crochet pattern on Ravelry) Hook: C- 2.75 mm Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Worsted & Knit Picks Brava Worsted Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Ebb & Flow Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Ebb & Flow colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: first sock done. I cast on the second.   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: Nearly finished with my 3rd bobbin of fiber   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose, Gray Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory. Goal: 6 per week Crocheted 7 last week.   Aila's Daisy Socks Yarn: On The Round Nimble Sock (85%/15% SW Merino/Nylon) in the Forage colorway Pattern: None (will likely use OMG heel) Needles: US 1.5 & US 2 Ravelry Project Page I cast on 60 sts. Worked 1x1 ribbing and daisy pattern I charted out using US 1.5 needles. Way too tight. In listening to another podcast, I was reminded that going up a needle size may help. Reknit colorwork section with US 2. Too tight. Washed and blocked to be sure AND to see if I liked the fabric with a US 2. I do. Increased up to 64 sts. Used US 2 for colorwork. Then decreased back to 60 sts shortly after, a few rows later back to 56 sts. Knit about 2 inches.   Adrift on an Inland Sea Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Adrift on an Inland Sea Socks colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   From the Armchair The Secret History by Donna Tartt.  Amazon Affiliate Link. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.  Amazon Affiliate Link. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.  Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing Annissa from The Stitch House sat down next to me on train and asked about knitting. It was great catching up with her.   KAL News All Pigskin Grand Prize Winners have been emailed.   Events Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Fiber Marketplace- April 5th at the Union Bluff Hotel in York, Maine (kick off party on the 4th at the Yarn Sellar store) Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Contest, News & Notes   Stitched by Jessalu FearLESS Living Fund Bags have raised $194! You can find the bags here & 30% of the sales go towards the FearLESS Living Fund!   Life in Focus   25 in 2025 List- I've made progress on these items Donate Blood at least 4 times (1 in January) Buy new ski boots- DONE Record 2-5 things I'm grateful for each day before bed (more days than not counts) Read all of Simple Abundance (ideally daily or close to) Get at least 2 massages at Oasis scheduled See 2-5 movies in the theater (Paddington in Peru) Knit 2-5 garments for me (Aurealis & WIP- Monsoonee Sweaters) Finish and enjoy my Christmas Granny Square Blanket Crochet at least 5 toys (1: hedgehog, 2 love bugs) Use my spinning wheel at least once a month (Jan & Feb, March done) Try out 3 new to me podcasts (Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend) Buy a fireproof box and put important papers inside (working with Dan on list of things to put in it)   On a Happy Note A luxurious mani/pedi Dinner with my cousins down in Plymouth. A lovely visit with my grandmother- got her TV working so she could watch the Red Sox again. Pushing outside of my comfort zones in music rehearsals for Kiss Me Kate, but really enjoying the dancing. 2 hours of tap on Sunday! Loved every second. I went to dinner and to see a local production of Rent on Friday evening. My all time favorite show. Season 2 of Silo on Apple TV Paradise on Hulu   Quote of the Week   I cannot think of myself apart from the influence of the two or three greatest friendships of my life, and any account of my own growth must be that of their stimulating and enlightening influence.   –Edith Wharton ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks with Mary Ruiz, center store category manager at Global Partners, Waltham, Massachusetts, which owns the Alltown Fresh convenience-store chain.Ruiz talks about excitement in the category with the influx of new items—and, in this role for just seven months, discusses what has surprised her so far.Ruiz also touches on trends she's watching. “I see in a lot of global cuisines, people going after new flavors, frozen foods,” she said of the grocery category, adding that she wants to bring more innovation to the category.There's also more awareness around healthier and less-processed foods, she said.

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 292 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos are available on my website.    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming Some Years Later Crafty Adventures Knitting in Passing In my Travels KAL News Events On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu . Find Jessalu at NETA Spa in Freeport, Maine from February 28-March 2:  check out the event page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/events/s/netaspa2025/. FearLESS Living Fund bags available now- click here. 30% of sales go to our FearLESS Living Fund.   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Freckled Whimsy 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Freckled Whimsy Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Stranger Things 2 Socks Yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso base (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon) in the Stranger Things 2 Self Striping Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks #2 Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress- nearly to toe of first sock   Ebb & Flow Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Ebb & Flow colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Size: C   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory.   Brainstorming   I'd like to knit a balaclava for skiing Convertible Balaclava by Poppy Shop- available on Ravelry, Etsy & Poppy Shop website for $9.50 Canadian (worsted weight yarn, ribbed below nose) Crayon Balaclava by Mia Filisch- available on Ravelry for free. Calls for Aran weight yarn- 3 sizes. would need to gauge swatch and see if I can adjust for lighter yarn. Stripes Ski Mask by Leisure Arts- available on their website for $5.99. See link on Ravelry as well.   I'm also debating something that goes over ski helmet and maybe a fair isle fingering weight sweater for me!   Some Years Later   Love the set that matches my ski coat. Winter Carnival Hat by Margaret Stauffacher- Ravelry Project Page (DK fair isle) In a Fog Mittens by Allison O'Mahony - Ravelry Project Page Drawn Together cowl by Shana Cohen- Ravelry Project Page   Crafty Adventures Millie and Hattie wanted to get crafty during their birthday sleepover. We bought some supplies at the Dollar Tree & Millie brought a paper bead making kit I gave her for Christmas. Check out Episode 2 of Millie Makes on the Down Cellar Studio Youtube Channel. For fibery crafts, Millie shared some progress on her Dads hat, Hattie practiced treadling on my spinning wheel and Hattie & I made pompoms. I want to turn mine into a garland.   Knitting in Passing I met a lovely listener named Emily in an elevator at work!   In My Travels Last weekend, my brother Jeff and 2 of his kids- Riley and Garret, my friend Megg, her daughter Hattie, son Oisin & Oisin's girlfriend Ginger and I all went skiing at Sunday River in Maine.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Tune in to hear if you won one of our 12 Grand Prizes. I will email winners in about a week, to give you time to tune in.   Events Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days: March 9, 2025 at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA Knit North Yarn Crawl: March 13-16. Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Knit for Food a thon April 5th  http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/page/knitathon/knitathon25.htm  sign up the first weekend in February. Fiber Marketplace- April 5th at the Union Bluff Hotel in York, Maine (kick off party on the 4th at the Yarn Sellar store) Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA. Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   On a Happy Note I took Millie and Hattie to the new Paddington in Peru movie which was really cute. Using Hattie's Shadow Play Book- Wizard of Oz book before bed! Pancakes in the morning! We brought dinner to a friend who has been facing medical challenges (and thankful Dad let us cook at his house when we lost power)! Dinner with my first boss and her partner. They spoiled me rotten and it was so great catching up. Silly braids for skiing! Megg gifted me 3 skeins of alpaca yarn from her trip to the Azores! 50g skeins in white, gray and a peachy/pink! Can't wait to use them. New haircut!   Quote of the Week   Sometimes you are aware when your great moments are happening and sometimes they arise from the past. Perhaps it's the same with people. -JAMES SALTER   ------   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.      

How do you go from burnout to building a thriving pet care business? In this episode, Angela Watts of Pawsitive Dawg Walking shares her journey of navigating personal and professional challenges while scaling her business. She discusses the importance of building a strong management team, creating effective SOPs, and empowering employees to take ownership. Whether you're starting out or scaling up, Angela's insights will inspire you to streamline operations, support your team, and grow with purpose. Main topics: Building a supportive management team Creating effective training programs Developing and refining SOPs Balancing personal and business challenges Scaling sustainably with employee empowerment Main takeaway: "Building a strong management team, empowering employees, and implementing clear SOPs are essential for scaling a pet care business sustainably while maintaining high-quality service.” Scaling your pet care business isn't just about working harder—it's about creating the right foundation for growth. A strong management team, backed by clear and effective systems, allows your business to run smoothly even when you're not there. By empowering your employees with the tools and support they need to succeed, you'll foster a team that's invested in your vision and your clients' happiness. Growth doesn't have to mean chaos—when you focus on the people and processes that matter most, you can scale sustainably while maintaining the high-quality care your clients and their pets deserve. About our guest: Angela Watts is the owner of Pawsitive Dawg Walking, a thriving pet care business based in Waltham, Massachusetts. With over a decade of experience in the pet care industry, Angela has built her company from the ground up, overcoming personal and professional challenges to create a business rooted in compassion, teamwork, and exceptional care. A former special education teacher, Angela brings her teaching expertise to the training and development of her team, ensuring consistent, high-quality service for her clients. Known for her innovative approach to management and her dedication to her community, Angela is passionate about empowering her team and setting a high standard for the pet care industry. When she's not running her business, Angela enjoys spending time with her beloved dog, Okie, and mentoring other pet care professionals to help elevate the industry as a whole. Links: Email: pawsitivedawgwalking@gmail.com https://www.pawsitivedawgwalking.com https://www.facebook.com/PawsitiveDawgWalking/ https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivedawgwalking/ Check out our Starter Packs See all of our discounts! Check out ProTrainings Code: CPR-petsitterconfessional for 10% off

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 291 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Hedgehog Pattern: Hedgehog with a Heart by Marina Chuchkalova Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids worsted acrylic yarn in Chocolate Brown & Soft Gray Hook: C 2.75 mm Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks #2 Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Passed heel on first sock (contrast heel)   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Size: C Progress: Several inches into body   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: Nearly finished with my 3rd bobbin of fiber   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory. Progress: I've done about 14 in 2 weeks.   Same as It Ever Was Hat Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock (Yarnable Box January 2024) in the Dino-Mite colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: aqua, gray and purple. Progress: About 2 inches of straight knitting beyond the crown increases   Brainstorming I think I'm going to keep the Monsoonee Sweater I started before Christmas (Ravelry Project Page). I could absolutely wear that this winter if I finish it soon. Almost to bottom ribbing. sleeves will be quick I'm debating frogging my Waverly Sweater (Ravelry Project Page). Gauge is a bit tight and its not an enjoyable knit. Emelyn's request for socks based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Any ideas for me? Aila still wants colorwork daisy socks that I started but need to rework.   From the Armchair   One Day in December by Josie Silver. Amazon Affiliate Link. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. Amazon Affiliate Link. The Fury by Alex Michaelides. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing Had a lovely fellow knitter say hello on the train, asking if I was going to knit fingers into my project (thinking it was mitts). I told her it was socks, but in general- I agree- knitting fingers is the worst!   KAL News   Thanks for a very successful and fun 11th season! Tune in to see if you're a January Participation Winner or the winner of our 4th Quarter Challenge hosted by Fibernymph Dye Works- Small Gains Challenge (January 2025). Check out this Ravelry Thread for details. Grand Prize winners will be announced in the next episode.   Events Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days: March 9, 2025 at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA Knit North Yarn Crawl: March 13-16. Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Knit for Food a thon April 5th  http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/page/knitathon/knitathon25.htm  sign up the first weekend in February. Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA. Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Life in Focus   25 in 2025 List Donate Blood at least 4 times (1 in January) Go shopping for plants with Dan 4 times in the year (my Christmas gift from him) Buy new ski boots- DONE Go camping- scheduled for summer Kayak 2-5 times- scheduled for summer Do at least 5 walks with others Take 2-5 yoga classes (outside of the house) Do at least 30 lessons in Mondly (had 25 done in 2024)- does not include daily lessons Spend a day at Raffa Life Record 2-5 things I'm grateful for each day before bed (more days than not counts) doing well. pairing with next one Read all of Simple Abundance (ideally daily or close to) (feels similar to artist's way- tapping into your authentic self/creative spirit) Read at least 60 books- all books count (even poetry etc) - 4 to date Get at least 2 massages at Oasis See 2-5 movies in the theater Knit 2-5 garments for me (WIPs- Aurealis & Monsoonee Sweaters) Finish and enjoy my Christmas Granny Square Blanket Crochet at least 5 toys (1 hedgehog) Use my spinning wheel at least once a month (Jan & Feb done) Have a crafty day with Emelie Knit a slouchy hat for myself Try out 3 new to me podcasts Watch White Christmas with Jenny & Kara (bringing the tradition back) Buy a firebox and put important papers inside Create a list of things to pack in case of an evacuation Purge at least 20 items of clothing/accessories/shoes   On a Happy Note Ice skating with friends. Started rehearsals for Kiss Me Kate- tap dancing! GREAT for my brain. Seeing Millie in Pirates of Penzance Hattie's Surprise Wizard of Oz Party Laura surprised me. Funny Girl with Megg Mom's birthday just passed. Difficult day- but we were together and there was a lot of love and support. My friend Kris sent over a very thoughtful gift for me- including a skein of handdyed yarn in a Somewhere over the Rainbow colorway from Cashmere and Coconut.   Quote of the Week To invite a person to your house is to take charge of his happiness as long as he be beneath your roof. –Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.      

THE DEENA KASTOR SPECIAL On the podcast today is the inimitable Deena Kastor–bronze medal legend and women's distance running record-holder. Deena was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, but went to high school in Agoura Hills, California. Deena has opened up about being adopted at birth and how that has impacted her life. Deena has one daughter. At Agoura High School in California, she won three state cross country titles and two state titles in the 3200m. She competed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships all four years. She has said in the past that Cross Country is her true passion.After high school, Deena took her talents to the University of Arkansas; as a Razorback, she was a four-time SEC champion and an eight-time All-American. Deena graduated with two degrees in English/Creative Writing and Journalism.Post collegiately, the ASICS-sponsored runner really took off when she went to Colorado to train with coach Joe Vigil. Most recently, she has been under the guidance of her husband, Andrew, since 2015. Andrew runs the Mammoth Track Club.Deena's resume is monumental and includes the following times: 4:07.82 in the 1500m, 8:42.59 in the 3,000m, 14:51.62 in the 5k, 30:50.32 in the 10k, and 2:19.36 in the marathon. Deena's race achievements could fill a book, but notable highlights include winning the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials;winning the 2007 USA Outdoor 10k race; and winning the 2005 Chicago Marathon and the 2006 London Marathon.Deena's talent stretches beyond land locomotion, as she wrote a New York Times Best seller and 2019 Memoir of the Year, Let Your Mind Run. Tap into the Deena Kastor special.  In today's conversation, Deena walks me through lessons from her successful years at every level in the sport of running. We walk through what it took to accomplish the things she did, how to build belief and confidence, how to handle negative thoughts, what Deena wants her legacy to be, and so much more. This was one of my favorite conversations I've ever had. Don't miss it!Tap into the Deena Kastor Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O W  N O T E S-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For this season's first on-site interview, we're headed to Massachusetts! Travelling to Deep Ellum Bar in Waltham, Jimmy sat down with Max Toste, owner of Deep Ellum, and Jackie Cain, Boston food writer, to talk food and beer in Boston. Learn everything you wanted to know about cask ale, new twists on pozole, and where to look for the best bites in Beantown, all on Beer Sessions Radio!

En el audio de hoy hablaremos de la oferta gastronómica de los Estados Unidos, reflejo de un crisol de culturas que han formado la sociedad norteamericana.  Amigos invitados:  José Gavidia, profesor de college, Charleston, South Carolina. Minuto 1:01:00 Ana Moreno, empresaria, San Diego, California. Minuto: 2:54:30 José Méndez, psiquiatra, Orlando, Florida. Minuto: 3:45:00 Cassandra Dean, solutions engineer, Waltham, Massachussetts. Minuto: 5:21:45 Música:  Born in the USA- Bruce Springteen My Way- Frank Sinatra Cheeseburger in Paradise- Jimmy Buffett I am a Man of Constant Sorrow- Oh Brother BSO Drop Me Off in ew Orleans- Kermit Ruffins and teh BBQ Swingers  Hey Baby Que Paso- Texas Tornados  San Francisco- Scott McKenzie  Conga- Gloria Estefan  American Girl- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers  Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond Massachusetts- Bee Gees Can't Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley  American Pie- Don McLean 

En el audio de hoy hablaremos de la oferta gastronómica de los Estados Unidos, reflejo de un crisol de culturas que han formado la sociedad norteamericana. Amigos invitados: José Gavidia, profesor de college, Charleston, South Carolina. Minuto 1:01:00 Ana Moreno, empresaria, San Diego, California. Minuto: 2:54:30 José Méndez, psiquiatra, Orlando, Florida. Minuto: 3:45:00 Cassandra Dean, solutions engineer, Waltham, Massachussetts. Minuto: 5:21:45 Música: Born in the USA- Bruce Springteen My Way- Frank Sinatra Cheeseburger in Paradise- Jimmy Buffett I am a Man of Constant Sorrow- Oh Brother BSO Drop Me Off in New Orleans- Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers Hey Baby Que Paso- Texas Tornados San Francisco- Scott McKenzie Conga- Gloria Estefan American Girl- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond Massachusetts- Bee Gees Can't Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley American Pie- Don McLean Fe de erratas: 1. La ensalada César aparece en Tijuana, Mexico y se populariza en todo estados unidos 2. La pizza de estilo griego de Boston es de masa gruesa , a veces frita por debajo, con mucho queso e ingredientes.

The leaders of Mexico and Canada have both ordered retaliatory tariffs on American goods, two people are accused of attempted murder in Waltham, and it's a big day for the Iowa Hawkeyes womens basketball team. Stay in "The Loop" with #iHeartRadio.

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 290 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Find full show ntoes with photos on my website: www.downcellarstudio.com    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair In my Travels KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu Next month you can find Stitched by JessaLu bags in her online shop, and in person at NETA Spa in Freeport, Maine from February 28-March 2. NETA Spa is a great midwinter weekend gathering for fiber enthusiasts - check out the event page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/events/s/netaspa2025/   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Freckled Whimsy 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Freckled Whimsy Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Inclinations Cowl Inclinations Cowl by Andrea Mowry ($7.00 Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & her website. Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Yarn: 2 skeins of handspun Color A: Fiber Addict Designs 100% Merino in the Wild Plum Colorway- Ravelry link. Color B: Candombe, I think the fiber is from Malabrigo- Ravelry link. My Ravelry Project Page Living in my FearLESS Living Fund bag from Stitched by Jessalu. She's filling pre-orders from last year first and then will put new listings up for sale so stay tuned.   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Size: C My washed swatch was closer to 17/18 sts over 4 inches instead of the 20 it calls for so I'm knitting a different size to accommodate.   Stranger Things 2 Socks Yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso base (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon) in the Stranger Things 2 Self Striping Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Cast on the morning of Thursday 9/5 for the Pigskin Party using Snack Shack Sponsor yarn. About the colorway- stripes of: orange, hot pink, purple, navy blue, medium blue and red. Progress- first sock is done. Second sock is a few stripes from the heel.   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks #2 Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: Nearly finished with my second bobbin of fiber   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory.   From the Armchair   One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   In My Travels   My 12 year old niece, Millie, joined me to do a little recap of our visit to Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA.   The sample we saw in the Plied booth is called Super Serene- available on Ravelry.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Official Sponsor for Q4: Fibernymph Dye Works- Small Gains Challenge (January 2025). Check out this Ravelry Thread for details. Commentator Mary Klute's report-   It had been very cold lately in North America, even in places that are typically pretty warm in the winter (like Florida getting snow!). This has been no problem for pigskin partiers! The cold weather creates the perfect conditions for cozying up and finishing projects!  In the huddle, there has been lots of discussion about what folks can reasonably finish before the end of the party. There was also an interesting discussion about how many WIPs folks can manage at one time. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of different opinions on that.  Earlier this month, 43 players submitted for points as part of the Wild Card WIP challenge! Head on over to that thread to see pictures of projects that players had let languish or even forgot about--butnow they are finished!   ladida2u finished some beautiful colorwork mittens just in time for some snow:  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/1-25#16 plumunou finished a pair of socks.  She'd abandoned the project because the first sock came out too short in the foot--let's face it, we've all been in this sort of situation--this challenge motivated her to finish the second sock and rip out the toe of the first one to lengthen the foot. Now she has a super cute pair of socks:  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/26-50#34 histoknitter finished a pair of socks that were started in 2007!  Way to go!  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/26-50#37 hikesandbikes finished a fantastic sweater that is made up of mitered squares.  It's amazing!   https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/51-75#58 and speaking of mitred squares, knitternicole finished a blanket!  She planned out how much of the icord border she needed to do each day to finish and got it done during wild card week:  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/51-75#67   Events New England Farm & Fiber Festival: February 2 from 11a-5p at the Cyclorama in Boston Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days: March 9, 2025 at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA Knit North Yarn Crawl: March 13-16. Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Knit for Food a thon April 5th  http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/page/knitathon/knitathon25.htm  sign up the first weekend in February. Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA. Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Contest, News & Notes   Stitched by Jessalu FearLESS Living Fund bags are going out this week and next! 30% going to FearLESS Living Fund. More bags will be listed soon on her website so stay tuned. You can buy the FearLESS Living Fund fabric that Jess designed on Spoonflower. I don't think I shared but Mom opened hers right before Christmas and cried. It was really beautiful. You can find on my Day 24 Vlogmas video- click here to go right to that part of the video. Check out the Millie Makes section on the Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel. Video 1 is up! I've joined Bluesky. I'm Bostonjen1 over there. Come follow-me. Not leaving Instagram, at least not yet, but I'm checking it out.   Thank you to KnittyELF40, Erika, who kindly gifted me her new bundle of patterns- Seasonal Blooms on Ravelry.   Life in Focus   My Word of the Year for 2025: Welcome Verb: to greet hospitably and with courtesy or cordiality Verb: to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of Adjective: giving pleasure: received with gladness or delight especially in response to a need (A welcome addition)   Why I need this word: This year will be a year filled with first after Mom's passing on January 1st. I need to welcome in the new year even when it feels hard, and welcome in whatever emotions come up as I make my way through 2025. I've spent much time in the last few years focused on my mom (and I'm so glad I could do that), but now I'll have free time to welcome in new things. I want to be thoughtful about my time, but also open to welcoming in new things that will bring me joy. My mother made everyone feel welcome and at home whether physically in her home or just with her as a person. I strive to make people feel welcome in my presence too and to use that to continue to strengthen the bonds of friendship and connection. I hope that this will help me keep alive the many relationships that Mom was able to maintain. I am an introvert by nature and love the prospect of staying hour with hours of myself to plot out- but I know that I am happier and more fulfilled when I stay connected with those I love, so this year when I'm tempted to say "no thanks" I will try, when possible, to instead say "we'll come" a variation on welcome.   On a Happy Note About 20 people showed up for one of Garret's hockey games that was nearby! Beautiful show of support and a fun night out. I found the jewelry Mom gave me for Christmas! Surprise surprise, it was in a bag of knitting stuff that was brought home and put down cellar. While I missed auditions as we prepped for the funeral, I got a dancing role in Kiss Me Kate with Meg. The show is the last week of April/first weekend in May. Millie came for a 2 night sleepover during MLK weekend. She made us pancakes! Organizing my mom's things. Eme came over and we look through craft supplies for a new project they want to do. I found a few things for me (mostly scissors and crochet hooks) and I purged some. I put away the Christmas tree and put my new plant stand in place! I love it. Dan was going to order me a plant subscription, but instead we'll go together to a local place a few times a year and try to learn a little more about houseplants. Dinner with my cousins at local Mexican restaurant. I received a beautiful package of watercolor supplies in the mail from Rachel! Thank you so much. I can't wait to dive in. I received many cards and notes from several of you. Thank you!!! Millie, Ryan and I ran into listener, Donna, at Russell's. So lovely to see you! Last weekend Riley came for a sleepover Saturday night. On Sunday, we picked up Aila and checked out one of her favorite antique stores and had a lot of fun browsing. Dan invited my Dad, Tom and Oisin for dinner at The Snug. Megg, Hattie and I went to see Peter Pan in Boston.   Quote of the Week “Departure of a year welcomes so many new memories” ― Munia Khan   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.      

Alan Shapiro was born in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Shapiro has published fourteen poetry collections, including A Dress Rehearsal for the Truth; By and By; Life Pig; Reel to Reel; Night of the Republic, a finalist for the 2013 Griffin Poetry Prize and the National Book Award; and Old War, winner of the Ambassador Book Award.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contestant: Claire Nalven calling from Waltham, Massachusetts

The Supreme Court upholds a ban on TikTok if a sale does not go through, several students are injured in a Waltham bus crash, and Boston wants to make rides to school electric. Stay in "The Loop" with #iHeartRadio.

Join us for an empowering and insightful conversation as Dr. Jennie Berkovich sits down with Dr. Amy Comander, a leading breast oncologist and advocate for patient-centered care. In this episode, Dr. Comander shares her expertise on the latest advancements in breast cancer detection, treatment, and survivorship. Discover how personalized medicine and multidisciplinary care are revolutionizing outcomes for breast cancer patients. Dr. Comander also delves into the critical role of lifestyle medicine—including exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness—in promoting healing and resilience. With her unique perspective as a passionate runner and physician, Dr. Comander draws inspiring parallels between running and the cancer journey, offering hope and practical advice for patients and their families navigating a diagnosis. Whether you're a healthcare professional, patient, or advocate, this episode will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to run the race toward better cancer care. Don't miss it! Dr. Amy Comander specializes in the care of women with breast cancer.  Dr. Comander is Medical Director of the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham, where she also serves as Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received her undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Neuroscience at Harvard University. She received her medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training and Hematology-Oncology fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She is board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology, and she is a Diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. _________________________________________________ Sponsor the JOWMA Podcast! Email digitalcontent@jowma.org Become a JOWMA Member! www.jowma.org Follow us on Instagram! www.instagram.com/JOWMA_org Follow us on Twitter! www.twitter.com/JOWMA_med Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/JOWMAorg Stay up-to-date with JOWMA news! Sign up for the JOWMA newsletter! https://jowma.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9b4e9beb287874f9dc7f80289&id=ea3ef44644&mc_cid=dfb442d2a7&mc_eid=e9eee6e41e

Suzanne Sausville

Duncan Remage-Healey joined Embrace Boston in April 2021 as the Director of Advancement and External Affairs.For nearly two decades, Remage-Healey has held integral roles at nonprofits, concentrating on leadership, management, operations and fundraising in the arts, human services, education, biological research, and public interest sectors. He was most recently the Managing Director at Somerville-based Parenting Journey after working in leadership positions in both operations and advancement at the organization. Prior to that he held leadership positions at Boston Arts Academy and Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston.Remage-Healey holds a bachelor's degree in Government and International Relations and a master's degree in Public Administration from Clark University. He and his wife Sarah live in Waltham with their three daughters.

James Greenblatt, MD, joins Integrative Practitioner Content Specialist Avery St. Onge to discuss how to use integrative and functional medicine strategies to properly wean patients off antidepressants while avoiding withdrawal symptoms. This episode is brought to you by the Integrative Healthcare Symposium. Register for the Symposium and receive 15% off with promo code IP2025PODCAST: https://xpressreg.net/register/ihsy0225/landing.php?sc=IP2025PODCAST Learn more about the event by visiting the Symposium website: www.ihsymposium.com Contact the Integrative Healthcare Symposium team: info@ihsymposium.com Find us at integrativepractitioner.com or e-mail us at IPEditor@divcom.com. Theme music: "Upbeat Party" by Scott Holmes via freemusicarchive.org, "Carefree" by Kevin Mcleod via incompetech.com, and “Relaxing Light Background” by AudioCoffee. About the Expert A pioneer in the field of Functional, Nutritional, & Metabolic Psychiatry, dually board-certified Adult and Child & Adolescent psychiatrist Dr. James M. Greenblatt has been treating patients since 1988. After obtaining his medical degree and completing his psychiatry residency at George Washington University, Dr. Greenblatt completed a fellowship in Child & Adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. He has served as Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MA for nearly 22 years, and is a member of the clinical psychiatry faculty at the Tufts University School of Medicine and the Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine.  Dr. Greenblatt is the author of eight books, including the bestselling Finally Focused and the expert-acclaimed Answers to Anorexia (2021). His newest book, Functional & Integrative Medicine for Antidepressant Withdrawal, is available now.  A nationally and internationally recognized expert, author, and educator, as well as an inductee of the ISOM Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame, Dr. Greenblatt is also the founder of Psychiatry Redefined – an online Continuing Medical Education platform dedicated to the advancement of evidence-based, personalized treatment models for mental illness.

WBZ's Carl Stevens reports. 

Dr Hart has done so much for the sport of gymnastics. She is treats gymnasts from all over the country. Her personal touch having been a gymnast in club and college spurred her on to to helping gymnasts heal and recover from injuries. Dr. Hart also started a non profit and information is below. Fun news....keep your eyes open for her on tv this summer on Ninja Warrior. Gymnastics Medicine Sports Medicine Clinic:  Boston Children's Hospital: The Micheli Center (9 Hope Ave. Waltham, MA) Please call: 781-216-3726 to schedule your appointment If this is an EMERGENCY please go to your local Emergency Department  Sign up for our FREE Grand rounds lectures:  https://gymnasticsmedicine.org/events/  Check out our website: GymnasticsMedicine.org  The Nonprofit Gymnastics Medicine: Education and Research 

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!Rebecca Gavin - Dana-Farber's Vice President of Annual, Planned & Institutional Giving discusses Giving Tuesday & Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & the Jimmy Fund are hoping to raise more than $1 million to conquer cancer this Giving Tuesday!Linda Matchan – Boston Globe correspondent - the writer and editor for Globe Santa which is in its 69th year delivering holiday joy to more than 3 million children in 201 communities across the Commonwealth, answering the letters of children and families and delivering toys, books and games to local children!Kathy Butler, Director of Client Care at Home Instead in Waltham, MA says you can be a Santa to A Senior! It's a program that preads holiday cheer to lonely or financially challenged seniors. Billy Busch - founder of the Busch Family Brewing & Distilling Company, is an heir to the iconic Anheuser-Busch legacy & Author of "Family Reins." It chronicles the journey of the Busch family.Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!

Thursday we meet Linda Sparks from Waltham and her music. Songs include Sanctuary, Lighthouse, Be The Change and Hidden Bloodlines

Chuck Zodda and Mike Armstrong are joined by two amazing veterans who share their stories about serving our country and continuing to serve our disabled veterans. The guys are also joined by a local businessman who does fantastic work with the DAV.Coleman Nee is the National Senior Vice Commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Coleman is a service-connected disabled Marine Corps veteran who served from 1986 to 1994, including deployment in support of Operation Desert Storm. He was appointed by the governor of Massachusetts to serve as the MA Secretary of Veterans' Services from 2011 to 2015, overseeing $100 million in state funding for veterans and dependents, financial aid and programming.Fred Treseler is the CEO and President of TRACS, Inc, a sports marketing and event management based in Waltham. In his 40+ years of leading TRACS, Fred's team has produced events in 90+ cities across the world, including the DAV 5K Boston in partnership with the DAV Massachusetts team.Dan Stack served in the United States Air Force from 1969-1973. Shortly after returning from South East Asia, Dan was hired by DAV in 1974 as National Service Officer. Through his career he was assigned to many locations to include offices in New York, Boson, Cleveland, Ohio, and Providence, RI. Early on in his career when Dan was in Cleveland he was asked to assist in a new study where they studied the effects that Vietnam has on Veterans, especially during the years Dan had served. After about a year of working alongside Dr. John Wilson and the staff at Cleveland State University interviewing a lot of veterans Dr. Wilson came out with the diagnosis of PTSD. The interesting part about that was the VA still didn't recognize the condition. DAV had to legislatively add that not only to the DSM 3 for psychiatric diagnoses but also had to get legislatively activated within VA's compensation rules.

  The Mass Mobility Hub launched a new industry space in Waltham for local tech companies to build more all-electric products. WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers reports. For more, ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio.

Jon Lyons and Chris Scheim are joined by US Olympic Bronze Medal Gymnast and Waltham, MA native Frederick Richard to discuss his journey to the Olympics, his experience in Paris, and how his life has changed since winning his bronze medal.

During the summer before her senior year in Boston College's nursing program,Zoe started having chronic headaches, which were brushed off as anxiety andmigraines. Eventually, her left arm went numb, so doctors thought she could beexperiencing a focal seizure: a seizure that affects only one side of the brain. An MRI led to a brain tumor diagnosis. After surgery in 2017, she was declared cancer-free. Zoe worked at an infusion clinic in Waltham for two years prior to joiningDana-Farber—Chestnut Hill in 2021. After transferring her own healthcare toDana-Farber, however, she learned there is no cure for her cancer. Zoe was enrolled in the Indigo clinical trial and expects to continue taking an oral drug for the remainder of her life to prevent the brain tumor from returning. Zoe, who is currently pursuing her master's degree in healthcare administration,says she often forms emotional bonds with patients and shares her story when it is appropriate and helpful. She's training and fundraising for the Berlin Marathon inGermany in September for the Brain Tumor Charity, an organization based out of the United Kingdom. Oligodendroglioma is a growth of cells that starts in the brain. The growth ofcells, called a tumor, begins in cells called oligodendrocytes. These cells make asubstance that protects nerve cells and helps with the flow of electrical signals in the brain and spinal cord. Oligodendroglioma is most common in adults, but it can happen at any age. Symptoms include seizures, headaches, and weakness or disability in a certain part of the body. Where this happens in the body depends on which parts of the brain are affected by the tumor.

Sean Richards, CPA and Director of YFP Tax, talks about the 10 common tax blunders he saw and how to remedy those mistakes to optimize taxes in the year ahead. Summary July might not seem like the time of year to think about your taxes, but for Sean Richards, CPA and Director of YFP Tax, it's a great time to make projections for the year ahead and remedy any blunders from last year's return.  Reviewing 10 common mistakes he saw made with taxes in 2023, Sean breaks down ways to optimize your tax plan from utilizing HSAs, to adjusting withholdings, to making sure any side-income is planned for appropriately. Sean's biggest piece of advice: planning ahead can help avoid these mistakes and can optimize your tax situation. About Today's Guest Sean Richards, CPA, received his undergraduate degree in Corporate Finance and Accounting, as well as his Master of Accountancy, from Bentley University in Waltham, MA. Sean has been a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 2015 and is currently pursuing his Enrolled Agent certification. Prior to joining the YFP team, Sean was the Senior Treasury Manager at PRA Group, a global debt buyer based in Norfolk, VA. He began his career at American Tower Corporation where, over 10 years, he held several positions in audit, treasury and accounting. As the Director of YFP Tax, Sean focuses on broadening the company's existing tax planning and preparation operations, as well as developing and launching new accounting offerings, including bookkeeping, payroll, and fractional CFO services. Mentioned on the Show YFP Podcast 165: The Power of a Health Savings Account YFP Blog: Why I'm Not Using My Health Savings Account to Pay for Medical Expenses YFP Tax - www.yfptax.com  Your Financial Pharmacist Your Financial Pharmacist on Facebook  Your Financial Pharmacist on Instagram Tim Ulbrich on LinkedIn Sean Richards on LinkedIn YFP Disclaimer YFP Newsletter

Better late than never as we squeeze this episode in between the Derby and the ASG. Will, Andres, and Zach do Patti proud with defense that may be lucky but is definitely sexy. Jarren Duran has the f*ck ‘em shirt (and soon Pottymouth will too) but Vaughn has the f*ck ‘em attitude. Kiké is on the bump trash talking Kyle from Waltham, while Kevin and Whit are on the outs. Wander Franco solidifies his spot on the NCiB no-fly list and there's no coming back. Do you want to own a baseball team?  Keep your eye on the ball… er Ballers and it can happen. You'll have to trust us on our Derby picks since we didn't report out till after, but we keep each other honest.We say, “A plague of escalators,” “I will cross everything that can be crossed, including that bridge,” and “That's a lot of squat.” Fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith, get boosted, and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

Women are an important part of Celtic music. We celebrate their contributions this week on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast # 665. Subscribe now! Charlene Adzima, Telenn Tri, Runa, The BorderCollies, Fialla, Natalie Padilla, Adria Jackson, Bettina Solas, Fig for a Kiss, Keltricity, Louise Bichan, Clare Cunningham, Maggie's Wake GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items for Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2024 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2024 episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now! You can follow our playlist on Spotify to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. It also makes it easier for you to add these artists to your own playlists. You can also check out our Irish & Celtic Music Videos. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 0:06 - Charlene Adzima “Smash the Brisket/Hunter's House/Maids of Mitchelstown” from The Initiation Charlene Adzima: fiddle, vocals 4:27 - WELCOME 5:51 - Telenn Tri “Looking at a Rainbow Through a Dirty Window” from The Cat's Meow Christine Morphett: Harp and fiddle 8:30 - Runa “Until Morning” from When The Light Gets In Shannon Lambert - Ryan: vocals, bodhran 13:03 - The BorderCollies “The Sweetness of Mary  -  Clumsy Lover” from To the Hills and Back Caeri Thompson: vocals Lisa McCann: bodhran, shruti, vocals Suzanne Ramos: fiddle 16:33 - Fialla “Fear A' Bhàta” from Home & Away Katie: Vocals, Guitar, Bodhrán, Irish Stepdancing 21:06 - FEEDBACK 24:50 - Adria Jackson “Eriskay Lullaby” from Troubadour Adria Jackson: harp, vocals 27:20 - Natalie Padilla “Prairie Flax” from Montana Wildflower Natalie Padilla: fiddle 30:56 - Bettina Solas “Lonely Maiden” from Ruminations and Wanderings Bettina Solas: autoharp, vocals 34:16 - Fig for a Kiss “Beare Island” from Wherever You Go Addyson Teal: Vocals, Fiddle 40:23 - THANKS 42:08 - Keltricity “The Plooman” from Live at Terra Firma Radio Laurel Fuson: Accordion, Piano Caroline Yeager: vocals, Violin, Piano 46:41 - Louise Bichan “Arnie's” from The Lost Summer Louise Bichan: fiddle, photography 52:43 - Clare Cunningham “Wind in my sails” from ON MY WAY (AR MO BHEALACH) Clare Cunningham: guitar, vocals 56:37 - CLOSING 57:32 - Maggie's Wake “Shaken & Stirred” from Maggie's Wake Tara Dunphy: tin whistle, flute, fiddle, guitar, banjo and lead vocals Lindsay Schindler: fiddle and vocals 1:00:58 - CREDITS The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/. WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. If you love Celtic music, you are in the right place. We are here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. You can make a musician smile. Just find a way to support the music you love. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their communities on Patreon. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com. If you are a Celtic musician or in a Celtic band, then please submit your band to be played on the podcast. Send an email to follow@bestcelticmusic Plastic Free July. Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single - use plastics? THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! You are amazing. It is because of your generosity that you get to hear so much great Celtic music each and every week. Your kindness pays for our engineer, graphic designer, Celtic Music Magazine editor, promotion of the podcast, and allows me to buy the music I play here. It also pays for my time creating the show each and every week. As a patron, you get ad - free and music - only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, stand - alone stories, you get a private feed to listen to the show or you can listen through the Patreon app.  All that for as little as $1 per episode. A special thanks to our Celtic Legends: Marti Meyers, Brenda, Karen DM Harris, Emma Bartholomew, Dan mcDade, Carol Baril, Miranda Nelson, Nancie Barnett, Kevin Long, Gary R Hook, Lynda MacNeil, Kelly Garrod, Annie Lorkowski, Shawn Cali HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST Go to our Patreon page. Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $25. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month. Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music. You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com. TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We get to know a region through its culture, history, and legends. This fall, I'm taking a group to taste Scottish whisky. We'll visit at least three of the Scottish whisky regions. Taste a variety of whiskeys, then we will do some light hiking through the Scottish countryside. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/ #celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? Please email me. I'd love to see a  picture of what you're doing while listening or of a band that you saw recently. Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic. Steffen Röder emailed a photo from Munich, Germany: “Hi Marc! This St. Paddys I had to be in the hospital in which ill spend the next three weeks due to a chronik pain issue. I was able to sneak in a (light) pint tho and have my banjo with me. I sang some tunes at the nearby lake with noone but some frogs around and enjoyed the moment. I hope you had a good one too!  Greetz from Munich, Rusty!” Gerald Guinn of The Secret Commonwealth emailed a St Pats photo: “Hi Marc! Glad you had good St. Pat's/Birthday!  The Secret Commonwealth did as well. We had shows on all three days of the weekend, culminating with our 31st anniversary St. Pat's show at Cedar Glade Brews, in the "city of our birth", Murfreesboro, TN (see attached pic) Now it's on to finishing up album #5! We hope to have it out in early summer. Best!” Brenda Richardson sent a photo for St Patrick's Day: “I walked with a group from the YMCA in the 5K St Patrick's Day Race in Colorado Springs. We heard some Celtic music along our route!” Michael Maloney emailed a St Patrick's Day photo: “Morning Marc! Happy belated St. Patrick's Day and Birthday! I feel like I'm still recovering. I play solo at Hugh O'Neill's in Malden, and several shows with my bandmates, The Boston Harbor Bhoys (Waltham Sr. Center, Medford's Ford Tavern, Framingham Elks fundraiser, Quincy's Assembly, and Boston's Green Dragon). So many songs, so many memories. I loved playing Hugh O'Neill's, where a table of young people requested The Saw Doctor's "N17" and ran out from their tables on the refrain each time to shout out "and the grass is green!". To the Sr Center in Waltham where the ENTIRE room of 100 people got all the hand - claps right on "Wild Rover" by the 2nd refrain, and the beautiful emotions expressed from our rendition of Danny Boy. To guests at the Framingham elks getting up to do all the dance moves to "The unicorn song", to seeing old fans from the South Shore of Boston that we haven't seen in 4 years requesting "Raglan Road", to jumping around The Green Dragon with my harmonica and tambourine leading hand claps on 'Finnegan's Wake" getting the whole bar clapping together. Agh, it was all so wonderful, went through a range of song styles and eras in the Celtic music catalogue, and it was wonderful connecting with audiences from the 20's up to their 90's, who all appreciated the music and experience in their own ways. It was one for the books! “  

Mark Reed-Edwards: My guest on Confessions of a Marketer today is Ed Evarts—author of The Bravery Trick: Four Ways to Say Hard Things. The book has been praised by scholar Amy Edmonson of Harvard Business School as untangling the behavior of bravery in ways that allow us to move forward. The Bravery Trick (https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Ed-Evarts/dp/1734500441) is available on Amazon. Ed is the founder and president of Excellius Leadership Development, which focuses on helping its clients build awareness of how others experience them in the workplace so they can manage that experience effectively. He's written two other books and is host of the Be Brave at Work podcast. If you're wondering what bravery has to do with marketing, well, everything, really. So be brave and keep listening. I've also known Ed for longer than I'd care to admit, but it's great to have him here. Ed, welcome. Ed Evarts: Thank you, Mark. I think we met when we were toddlers, or at least. Mark Reed-Edwards: Yeah, preschool. Yeah. But anyway, we won't go into that. Could you tell me a bit about your career and what led you to found Excellius? Ed Evarts: So I spent a number of years post college working in retail and worked for a number of local New England retailers, Jordan Marsh, Filene's and Lechmere, who are all gone. I left retailing in 1998 and began working at a records management company called Iron Mountain. I was at Iron Mountain for almost 10 years. I got laid off from Iron Mountain in 2008 and was at a juncture in my life where I really didn't want to work for a company any longer. And so I spent that summer networking and talking with people about how to start your own business, which for somebody who had been employed with others for my whole career, I had no idea how to start my own business and what to focus on. So I did that that summer. And then in the fall of 2008, decided to open up my own practice, which at first I called Evart's Coaching because I wanted people to know who I was and what I was doing. And then two to three years later converted it to Excellius Leadership Development. Mark Reed-Edwards: It's funny how layoffs can have a catalytic effect on your life, not just economically, but sometimes success can come out of the hardest points in your life. Ed Evarts: Well, I have built a new relationship with the person who laid me off at iron mountain. And just to tell that story quickly: my performance review was late and this boss called me and said, "Ed, I'm ready to give you your performance review. Can you come to my office at four o'clock today?" And I said, "Sure." So I was excited to get my performance review. I went into her office and I sat down and she said, "In reality, Ed, I'm not here to give you your performance review. I'm here to let you know that we've made a decision to eliminate your role at the company." So for that day and for a few years following it, it was the worst day of my professional career. And I can say with all honesty, Mark, 16 years later, it was the best day of my professional career because they kicked me out and I had to make some decisions, which I was not anticipating needing to make. And it just opened up a whole slew of opportunities. And I joke, I think today I'd still be at Iron Mountain if I didn't get kicked out. And so to your point, it was you know, a great, great opportunity that at first felt horrible. Mark Reed-Edwards: I have a similar story, which we won't go into, because this is all about you, Ed. So, I'd love you to share the story about your podcast, Be Brave at Work. Ed Evarts: So I would say about five years ago, I had coffee with a colleague that I worked with at Lechmere, I think 20 years previously. And so when I left Lechmere, this person and I did not stay in contact at all. And then when I left Iron Mountain in 2008, we began connecting virtually. And so said hi on LinkedIn and checked in on LinkedIn. And I think about 10 years after that, he said, let's go get a coffee, let's catch up and hear what's going on in our careers. So we met for a cup of coffee at the proverbial Starbucks in Waltham and we were updating each other on our careers. And he told me he was starting a podcast production company. And I said something innocent, like, "Wow, I've always wanted to start a podcast." And he said, "Gee, Ed, what would it be on?" And I said, I really believe without missing a beat, "I think I'd want to talk about being brave at work." And so that wonderful colleague who I met and who sparked this idea of being brave at work is none other than the great Mark Reed-Edwards. Mark Reed-Edwards: No, that's me? Ed Evarts: That's you. Mark Reed-Edwards: That was a really interesting conversation that we had, because it was, quite innocently, it was just a couple of people who hadn't seen each other in 20 something years, just grabbing coffee and updating them. And it shows the value of meeting face to face and just having conversations with no pretext and what can come from that. Out of the conversation rose Be Brave at Work. Ed Evarts: Yeah. And it was a great combination, Mark, between your sincerity and interest in helping me kick off a podcast and making it work, and my commitment and interest in doing it, that led me to host almost 270 conversations with business leaders and professors and many average everyday people on bravery at work that ultimately led me to author the book that you mentioned earlier that came out in May of this year called The Bravery Trick. So all of that started with this innocuous, innocent little cup of coffee at a Starbucks. Mark Reed-Edwards: And was the book something that was kind of percolating as you were producing episode 50, or was it something that when you got through all 270 or whatever it is that you thought out of that, I should be able to get a book. When when did the book start rising up as an idea? Ed Evarts: So I don't know at what podcast the idea started to generate, but I did have one of those moments where I said, "You know, there's a book here. I'm hearing similar theories and philosophies and experiences from real people in the real world." So this isn't stuff I just sat back and created in the, you know, the confines of my office, but in listening to people and their experiences and the regret that they felt not saying something that was hard to say or doing something that was hard to do that I thought could result in a book. I'm a big fan of the number three. And so, as you mentioned I needed a third book in order to satisfy my need to do things in threes, and so this became the recent book. Mark Reed-Edwards: And the book is fascinating. I got it over the weekend. And I'm interested as I page through it, there is a section on Reasons to be Brave. Can you go into that and share a bit about the reasons we should be brave? Ed Evarts: When I wrote the book, Mark, I really wanted to write it in a way that can connect with everyday, average people. I didn't want it to be too professorial or 800 pages, but I wanted it to be kind of a simple, easy to understand, easy to read, overview of ideas and suggestions on how you could be brave at work. And there are an innumerable number of benefits that we lose or don't take advantage of for ourselves by not being brave at work. So for example, in the book, I talk a little bit about spiritual development that by being brave at work and saying something that's hard to say to a colleague or doing something that might be hard to do can actually help you feel better because you get it out of your head and out of your system. It might be something that's stressing you out or making you feel uncomfortable. And if you never do anything about it, it might cause you to make bad decisions. So there's a spiritual development that can happen by saying something to a colleague that can be helpful to them. There's also mental development, right? So, saying something that may be hard to say or doing something that may be hard to do helps build your mental capacity as a leader. We all want to be effective, impactful leaders and yet we can't get there unless we're doing things that help us grow and evolve. And, you know, I love and I mentioned in the book a quote from former first lady Michelle Obama who said, "Through my education, I didn't just develop skills, I didn't just develop my ability to learn, I developed confidence." And so there's this ability mentally to be more confident with what you do and who you are. And then the last benefit is physical development. That there's this whole brain arena that I touch on quickly but don't go into great detail that allows certain things in your brain to work in a way that helps you grow and develop. So it helps you physically be brave at work. It helps you spiritually and it helps you mentally say things respectfully and professionally at all times to a colleague, friend, a next door neighbor, a family member, whoever it might be in ways that help them. Mark Reed-Edwards: But are there things that an organization, a company, can do to encourage bravery? To encourage me as an employee going to my manager with an idea that could help the company. In some cases that dynamic between the employee and the manager is fraught because the employee is afraid to raise his or her hand to make a suggestion because it might get shot down, you know, even though the employee might think it's a great idea. Ed Evarts: You're dead on. And one of the obstacles that currently exists to being brave at work is: does our culture recognize it or honor it? And if I work in an organization where raising my hand and making a suggestion is not well received or is not honored or respected, my likelihood for doing it even if I want to do it is diminished. And so in the book I talked a little bit about the fact that being brave at work is a two way street. I need to have the skills and capabilities to say what I need to say or do what I need to do in a very helpful and respectful way. But I need to know that the other person is going to receive it well. If I wanted to tell you something, Mark, that I think is hard to say, or I'm not sure if you're going to receive it well, but we have a great relationship, you know that I want to help you, I'm motivated to help you, your likelihood for listening and participating in that is significantly more likely than if you're not that way, right? That if I think it's just going to fall on deaf ears and won't make a difference. So the culture we exist in is significant, and ironically, the person you mentioned at the start of the podcast, Amy Edmondson, Is an expert--global expert--on something called psychological safety, which is this arena or culture we create where I can be who I need to be professionally and respectfully. But if I'm at a meeting and I need you to repeat something or I need to make a recommendation that's controversial, I can do it without feeling judged or belittled or get, you know, people getting defensive or argumentative. So the culture we create is super important to ensure people can be brave at work. Mark Reed-Edwards: So, yeah, boy, it's such a big topic in marketing, I think, which is where I've made my living because we're always trying to come up with ideas, be creative or present data that may not be what our superiors want to hear. So I'm going to encourage everybody I know in marketing to pick up this book. So can you share a bit about the Bravery Trick Model? Ed Evarts: I can, but before we go there, Mark, I'm just curious as you talk about individuals who focus on marketing or have a career in marketing, do you believe that all of them have opportunities to be braver, to say something that might be hard to say, or do something that might be hard to do --respectfully and professionally at all times? But I mean, do you think these opportunities exist out there for people who focus on marketing? Mark Reed-Edwards: Oh yeah. And I mean, in my area, it's all about ideas. So when I present a concept, sometimes you're maybe a little hesitant to say, well, here's my real idea. You're trying to gauge what the reception would be for an outlandish idea. And so maybe you go with a safe option. Ed Evarts: Yeah, I am not an expert in marketing, but based on my expertise in bravery, I have to believe that marketing and the activity of marketing, especially this model of idea creation requires bravery constantly, that you constantly... Mark Reed-Edwards: Mm hmm. Ed Evarts: ...have to say, "wow, great idea. This is going to be very interesting or controversial. How do I present it? How do I share it with others? What way can I engage others in respect to adopting this idea or at least considering it, right? How do I make it a candidate for something that we want to do?" Mark Reed-Edwards: It requires bravery to press send on an email campaign. It requires bravery to push a website live after you've totally renovated a website. It requires bravery for me as, you know, someone who makes a living as a writer, sometimes to send a draft to a client. But, but you do those things as a matter of course, maybe you don't even think that it's brave to do that. Ed Evarts: Yeah, I think a lot of times we do things that others think require bravery and we ourselves don't. Or required a ton of bravery that people think were easy to do. So bravery is complex in respect to its existence in the workplace. And again, I hope people find time to purchase the book and think about some ideas. And I want to go back to the question you asked earlier, which was the bravery trick model. So based on the feedback that I heard from the people I interviewed in the podcast, we also did a survey of the marketplace in respect to bravery as it exists in the workplace. My own experiences being a corporate leader for 20 plus years, and my relationship with clients for the last 16 years in all different industries at all different levels. You know, the model is essentially made up of four areas, which is Practice, Presence, Future Focus, and Flexibility. If you practice what it is that you want to say, that you're very present at the meeting, and ensure the person knows that you're all in on what it is that you're talking about, that you focus on the future, you focus on where you're going, not where you've been, and you're flexible with the outcomes and decisions and next steps, your likelihood for being brave at work is increased. Mark Reed-Edwards: The thing that I like about the book is that it's really easy to follow. So as you said, you know, it's not a 400 page treatise on bravery. It's a really approachable, well organized book. So I recommend people go out and get it on Amazon right now. Finally, and maybe this is where marketing and bravery intersect: what's the experience of marketing and launching a book? That took some bravery, I would think, right? Ed Evarts: I don't know if it took bravery. It certainly took diligence but yeah, I mean, you know, bravery again is very hard to define and very hard to understand what again might have been a brave thing for me. You know, there are some people who going to a networking event is bravery for them. It's very hard to walk into a room with people they've never met and interact. And many people don't even do it because of that reason. For me, I could walk in and, next thing, you know, I've got 10 new best friends. So it's a no brainer, but you know, I think it's diligence and persistence. I think all books need to have some type of model or premise that you're operating around that you want to share. Everything I write, Mark is designed to educate and help others. And that's why it's written in the way that it's written. I've been a big fan of business books throughout my career. I've read a million business books, and the ones I remember most, and the ones that I'm most attracted to and go back to, are the ones that are simply written, right? They're written by people for people. And they're, again, they're not this 400 page, you know, encyclopedia type book on whatever topic it is that you're reading. Like you, I hope folks have an opportunity to read it and walk away with one or two ideas that they can integrate into their style that will help them be braver at work. Mark Reed-Edwards: Well, it's great, Ed, and it's great reconnecting with you after a while. I hope the, the book continues to do well, and I wish you luck in the future. Thanks for joining me. Ed Evarts: Thanks, Mark. It's been great chatting with you. Mark Reed-Edwards: We'll see you on the next Confessions of a Marketer.

Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back journalist Susan Zalkind. Susan joined us back in late 2022 to talk about the Hulu documentary series, "Murders Before the Marathon," which she created, wrote, and co-produced. The springboard for that documentary series was actually a book proposal about a triple murder that took place in Waltham mass on 9/11/11 and that horrific crime's eventual connection to the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013.    Susan has spent more than a decade investigating the September 2011 murder of Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken, and her friend Erik Weissman in Waltham, Massachusetts and the connection between the officially still-open homicide case and the Boston Marathon bombing.  Her book The Waltham Murders: One Woman's Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy was published in March 2024. Library Journal hailed the book as “a definitive resource” in a starred review. Publishers Weekly called the book “gripping” and predicted that “readers will be captivated.” A true-crime memoir and the culmination of more than ten years of reporting, The Waltham Murders is an in-depth probe into a dark American underworld by a journalist coming to grips with both personal grief and the collective anguish of a nation in her tireless pursuit of the truth. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.   About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Official Website: https://www.lawabidingbiker.com In this episode, I'm joined by Lurch, and we talk about my 2024 Harley-Davidson Street Glide.  I've had it for a little while now and I have put some miles on it.  I've also done police motors drills on the bike.  I give you my opinion of the bike thus far.  We talk about the things I like about it and even some I don't.  I talk about the parts we've added to the bike and what we plan to add in the future.   SUPPORT US AND SHOP IN THE OFFICIAL LAW ABIDING BIKER STORE Unfortunaley, there is not a lot of after-market parts for the new 2024 Harley-Davidson Street Glide.  So, for now, we've added some Harley-Davidson parts.  These include a 90-degree heavy breather intake, Screamin' Eagle Titanium slip-on mufflers, and a Screamin' Eagle tuner.  We also added a Sundowner seat and a Windsplitter windshield for comfort.  I really enjoy the Harley Audio Powered By Rockford Fosgate Stage II system we installed.   CHECK OUT OUR HUNDREDS OF FREE HELPFUL VIDEOS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND SUBSCRIBE! I did install some aftermarket accessories that I put on all of my touring bikes: Kuryakyn Extended Brake Lever Kuryakyn Shift Linkage Biker Gripper Cell Phone Holder Ciro Drink Holder Biker Bobble Girl  NEW FREE VIDEO RELEASED: This Dealership Sold Me A 2024 Harley & This ALL Happened Sponsor-Ciro 3D CLICK HERE! Innovative products for Harley-Davidson & Goldwing Affordable chrome, lighting, and comfort products Ciro 3D has a passion for design and innovation Sponsor-Butt Buffer CLICK HERE Want to ride longer? Tired of a sore and achy ass? Then fix it with a high-quality Butt Buffer seat cushion? New Patrons: Ben Mira of Bellevue, Ohio Bill Swanton of Waltham, Massachusetts Gary Team If you appreciate the content we put out and want to make sure it keeps on coming your way then become a Patron too! There are benefits and there is no risk. Thanks to the following bikers for supporting us via a flat donation: Chris Cole Onildo Ferreiro of Marathon, Florida Michael Land of Livingston, Texas Bill McCarrier of Butler, Pennsylvania John Collacott of Colorado Springs, Colorado Justine Parnell of Attica, Indiana ________________________________________________________ FURTHER INFORMATION:   Official Website: http://www.LawAbidingBiker.com   Email & Voicemail: http://www.LawAbidingBiker.com/Contact   Podcast Hotline Phone: 509-731-3548 HELP SUPPORT US! JOIN THE BIKER REVOLUTION! #BikerRevolution #LawAbidingBiker

I interview investigative reporter Susan Zalkind on her new book The Waltham Murders: One Woman's Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy.

Best Of BPR 3/04: "The Waltham Murders" & Insert [Paper Towel Discussion] Here