Podcasts about Wellesley

In this episode of the Daily Mastermind, host George Wright III is joined by Michael Barbarita, founder of Next Step CFO. They discuss the importance of combining financial strategies with business strategies to drive success. Michael shares insights from his 40 years of experience, including his failures and successes. Key topics include the conversion formula for sales, the critical five numbers for financial clarity, and the seven essential steps to drive 80% of business revenue. Michael emphasizes the importance of adaptability and innovation in today's fast-changing market.01:25 Michael's Journey: Successes and Failures03:21 The Birth of Next Step CFO04:48 Core Business Strategies and Conversion Formula14:25 The Critical Five Numbers for Business Decisions16:53 Adaptability and Innovation in Business25:25 Seven Steps to Drive RevenueYou have GREATNESS inside you. I BELIEVE in You. Let's Make Today the Day You Unleash Your Potential!George Wright IIICEO, The Daily Mastermind | Evolution X_________________________________________________________P.S. Whenever you're ready, here are ways I can help you…Get to know me:1. Subscribe to The Daily Mastermind Podcast- daily inspiration, motivation, education2. Follow me on social media Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | TikTok | Youtube3. Grow Your Authority and Personal Brand with a FREE Interview in a Top Global Magazine HERE.About Michael Barbarita:Michael Barbarita has owned and operated retail, manufacturing, and service companies for over 30 years. One of the retail companies he operated, called “Ski Town USA,” grew from $2.5 million to $8.0 million in less than 5 years. One of the products he manufactured was “Cookies To Scoop Frozen Cookie Dough,” which was featured on the QVC Home Shopping Network and was selected as one of the top 20 products in the State of Massachusetts in 1997. He has sat on the Board of Directors of 5 different companies and was a Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for a large specialty retailer, as well as for all of his previously owned companies. Michael has been involved in the structuring of leveraged buyouts, has experience in owning both commercial and residential investment real estate, exporting and doing business on a global scale, and is an award-winning public speaker and Published Co-author with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.Connect with Michael Barbarita: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextstepcfo/Website: https://www.nextstepcfo.net/Show: Powerful Business Strategies: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... | https://www.powerfulbusinessstrategie...YouTube: / michaelbarbarita

Cars could be returning to a section of Auckland's Queen Street, under a new proposal. Auckland Transport wants to let cars return to the section between Wellesley and Wakefield Street from between 7pm and 7am. Private vehicles were banned from the area in 2022. Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck says it's a sensible proposal, and she explained that the area has been negatively affected by the change. "Last year, the foot traffic was down 36 percent on 2019 in that area - and the spending was down 57 percent." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JoAnne’s Christmas Curse: Part 1 The Merry Misadventures of the Christmas Cursed. Based on a post by Todd 1 72, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. The Curse. JoAnne forced her way brusquely through the dense crowd toward the Thai place on the corner. Lord, she hated holiday shopping; screaming brats, the jarring sounds of ringing bells, the constant fucking "gimme, gimme, gimme" of the damn "charity" workers. As if they weren't really there to guilt you into forking over the goddamn money. And all these fucking people just kept on bumping against her, wrinkling her $2000 black skirt and jacket power suit. Didn't they have somewhere to be, didn't people work anymore? Just as she broke free of the crowd, she half-ran-into and half-plowed-over a diminutive blonde girl in some kind of Christmas outfit, sending packages skittering across the frozen ground and knocking the mini-skirted kid on her ass. Great, what the fuck was a kid doing out in the middle of the day anyway; JoAnne stopped. From the size of her boobs, this was no kid; a midget? Crap, they used something else now, like small person or some shit. The blonde glared at her through her skewed hair while she straightened her tilted elf hat for a second, then caught herself and smiled, although, honestly, it looked a little more like she was gritting her teeth. "Merry Christmas, huh?" JoAnne rolled her eyes and started to walk on. "Hey! Aren't you going to help me get all this shit picked up?" JoAnne looked over her shoulder at the flustered little blonde. "Fuck off, I'm busy" and pushed her way into the Restaurant. Finding her way to her usual seat, as she brushed her short, platinum blonde hair back, she sat and pointed at the waitress who immediately ran to the kitchen to get her order started and get her a damn drink. JoAnne pulled out her blackberry and started to pull up her emails; about 10 seconds later her system froze. Shit. The chair across from her pulled out. Without looking up, JoAnne growled. "I don't need any company, and I need space to work. Fuck off." Even with her cold demeanor, her pale skin, white blonde hair and blue eyes drew more attention than she'd ever wanted. Nothing happened. When she looked up, the tiny honey blonde from outside was leaning back in the chair, staring at her with her arms crossed under her outsized boobs. She looked a like a distinctly adult-oriented version of an elf; long blonde hair, pointy ears, a micro-miniskirt and a huge rack that barely stayed in her costume. Despite the rosy cheeks and turned up nose, though, the twinkle in her eyes looked extremely icy. JoAnne sighed. Oh well, if the little bitch wanted to be a problem, she'd have her thrown out. She started to look around for a waiter, then realized nobody was moving. Nobody at all. Inside or in the vast crowd outside. No sound. Everything was frozen. She looked back at the girl, who slowly arched her left eyebrow in an overly dramatic fashion. "Look Sister, I'd tell you not to do anything stupid, but that would be wasted effort. You can't do anything, you're stuck in that chair until I say otherwise. Elf. Christmas. Magic. Bitch." JoAnne started to protest, but her mouth simply froze as the Elf raised her hand. "Don't bother. This isn't a dream. You didn't fall and hit your head. You haven't even had a drink today yet. And it sure as fuck-all wasn't that nasty bran concoction you had for breakfast. On your salary you eat sawdust for breakfast? Fuck, eat a good breakfast and spend five more minutes on the damn elliptical." She waved her hand and JoAnne found she could speak again. "Look if you want an apology;” The Elf cut her off again "It wouldn't be sincere and you wouldn't learn a god damn thing. Don't bullshit me, Baby, I'm a whole lot older than I look. Besides, I have your file." She leaned back, reached two fingers into her ample cleavage and pulled out an ornate, gilt edged scroll, untied it and began to read over it: "Let's see; JoAnne Steadmann, age 32. No personal relationships. Wow, that sucks. You seem to have a severe case of Greed, brought on by a Self-Centered Nature and a Lack of Human Empathy, which seems to have developed around puberty;” Her voice trailed off as she read more. Then: "Damn!? You're Frigid? No Orgasms? No wonder you're a grade-A Bitch! Hell, I wouldn't wish that on anyone! Got your cherry popped in High School, but didn't enjoy it at all. And you didn't even experiment at Wellesley? Damn that's like the lickety-slit capitol of the world. You missed out on a whole lot of the sweet stuff there, Baby." JoAnne just glared at her. Whatever the hell this was about, the little blonde bitch had no right digging into her personal life. "On the bright side you're not entirely freaked out by this, and that's rarer than you think. Too many people have lost belief in Christmas magic; they can lose it completely when shit like this happens. You're pretty enough in platinum-blonde-career bitch sort of way. And, according to Records Division, you never developed any real sex aversions, so that's good;” Shaking her head, the Elf hastily re-rolled the scroll, tucked it back between her oversized boobs, then leaned forward looking intently into JoAnne's eyes. "I can fix this; but I have to follow the rules. I'm not allowed to just go around helping humanity; free will and all that shit. But I can inflict a Christmas lesson on you because you denied the True Meaning of Christmas. You were rude. To an Elf. Within the Fortnight of Christmas." JoAnne leaned back in shock. "Is this going to be one of those ghosts things? I;” The Elf shook her head "Ghosts wouldn't help you at all." She paused. "God, I love that one, it's a classic but it won't work here. I am giving you the gift of Lust. I am removing most of your inhibitions; the sexual ones anyway and 'cursing' you so that at least once a day until Midnight on Christmas Eve, you're going to find yourself in a situation that ends up in sex of some kind or other. Nothing dangerous, nothing that will destroy your life. You may end up feeling a little used and a bit humiliated, but you'll like it. Besides, a little humility would do you a lot of good, Sunshine." JoAnne felt her anger flare "Nobody uses;” And just as quickly found herself muted as the Elf stood up. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, I've got some fucking Joy to spread by the end of the day. Gimme the panties, you won't be needing them." JoAnne tried to resist, but found herself standing, reaching under her skirt and pulling off her black silk underwear and handing them over. She watched in disgust as the little Elf held them up to her nose and breathed in deeply. The Elf shook her head sadly and looked at JoAnne. "Nothing. Just Fabric softener and soap. You really are Frigid. I'm fixing that right now." She stepped over to JoAnne and reached up under her skirt. JoAnne felt the Elf's very warm hand cup her crotch. The Elf looked her in the eye "Damn. Closed up tighter than a bank vault." She rubbed her palm back and forth for a second. "Ah, there it is!" JoAnne's knees nearly gave out and she almost fell to the ground as she felt something hot surge through her whole body, but the Elf steadied her and guided her back into her seat. As Joanne watched, the Elf licked her fingertips delicately. "Much better." "That was your First Orgasm. It's been sort of stuck in the gate for a damn long time. It was a little weak from the time attenuation, so the next time it will feel better." JoAnne stiffened. "Buh, better?" "More powerful, longer." JoAnne couldn't even imagine that. The Elf continued on without really noticing JoAnne's reaction. "Here's the deal, you get a little something every day, each day gets a little more extreme and a little more intense. I've used this one a lot; it was practically standard in Vicki's day; Queen Victoria. It will be a real experience, but you can handle it. Still, if it gets to be too much, call my name three times; its 'Holly Mistletoe" and I'll pop in to help. If you really need it." Suddenly, with a sound like a balloon popping in reverse, Holly was gone and everything was in motion. The waitress rushed up with her drink; which she drank in one gulp, and her food arrived almost immediately. She managed to catch her breath and tried to act normal, although she just didn't have it in her to bitch at the waitress for being too slow like she usually did. She even caught herself leaving a much larger tip than usual. She must be shaken up. The Tattoo. JoAnne slipped into her desk; the walk back had been weird. She'd been so damn conscious of not wearing any underwear, and she normally never thought about; that. And she felt almost feverishly warm, with everybody bumping into her. She kept wondering if they somehow knew she was panty-less. Worse yet, she guiltily realized she kind of liked the idea. She had practically run by her new red-headed secretary and locked herself in the office. She started to buzz the secretary. With a start she realized she couldn't remember her secretary's name. She had just gotten rid of Samantha, the brunette; JoAnne never kept a secretary very long. She was concerned about secretaries learning too much about her; shuffling them back into the secretarial pool after 6 weeks or two big deals. What was the name of the name of the new one; thin, red hair, pixie cut, pointy nose; Lori? No. Lisa? No. Lil; Lillian. That was it. She punched the intercom on her phone. "Lillian, could you bring me a glass of water please?" A somewhat puzzled, "Yes, Ma'am," came back. Which made sense, after all, JoAnne never asked for anything, she ordered things, and she never, ever said please. Lillian quietly and efficiently brought her the water, then stepped out. As she left JoAnne watched her ass sway under her cream colored skirt. It was awfully perky and cute. JoAnne squeaked. She never, ever thought about things like that. She felt warmth growing between her thighs, more and more intense, like an itch that needed a scratch, but much, much more; personal. She shifted and tried to concentrate on work, but the only emails she had were autoreplies informing her that the recipients would be back after Christmas break. A curious tingling was growing just above her privates. She frantically pulled her skirt up and looked down. All her pubic hair was gone, except for a neatly trimmed patch just above her cunt in the shape of a holly leaf. Even more of a shock, just to the left of it was a tiny incredibly intricate tattoo of a mistletoe ball on crossed candy canes. She could just make out the words "Christmas Magic. Bitch." woven into the mistletoe. Shit. Shit. Shit. How the hell do you explain that to your gynecologist? Maybe it was one of those stick on tattoos, she could just rub it. The second she started rubbing, she knew she'd made a mistake. The feeling shot over her like arcs of electricity; she felt her lips go numb, her legs began to shake and her nipples grew achingly hard; she could make out the tips through the fabric of her blouse. She wanted to stop, she really did, but she couldn't; her fingers were playing with her lips and clit almost instantly. Without stopping, she managed to pull her skirt up around her waist and pull open her jacket and shirt. She couldn't get the fucking bra off, but while she massaged her clit she reached inside the bra and began to pinch and tweak her rock hard nipples. She was so wet that her fingers slipped inside without her even realizing it. First one, then a second. She felt her orgasm hit like a train, then a second, then a third, leaving her gasping, barely able to move in her slowly rotating chair. After a few minutes she rearranged herself into some semblance of order, although her shirt and her jacket were each missing a button. No surprise there. Still, she felt better than could ever remember feeling; relaxed, warm and comfortable. She managed to make it through the next few hours, before she decided to leave. Lillian was watching her curiously; not too surprising since she never left before 5:00. JoAnne heard herself say, "Go ahead and take a couple hours, you probably have some Christmas shopping to do or something." That got a warm smile and a "Thank you". The rest of the evening was normal, although she did finger herself; just a little; in the shower. The Package. The next morning, as JoAnne dressed for work, a number of things became obvious. First off, most of her clothing was missing; not one bra or panty was in the condominium. Even the bra she'd had on yesterday had disappeared from the hamper. There was a card sitting on the kitchen island; from Holly; advising her that she would "get those Manhattan Career Bitch costumes back later" if she still wanted them. All her severe black suits were gone as well; they were replaced with very expensive looking red silk suits of a similar type with slightly shorter skirts and sheer white silk blouses with decidedly more "decisive" necklines. Her shoes had changed too; color and about an inch more heel, although they proved surprisingly comfortable. The morning passed fairly productively; with only a couple of odd glances from Lillian. To be on the safe side, she decided to order lunch in the office, but it was almost two in the afternoon before anything happened. Lillian buzzed: "Miss, there's a bike messenger with a package; he says I can't sign for it." "Send him in." A tall, muscular, dark haired guy with a small, brightly colored box walked in. "Sorry, instructions were explicit, you'll have to sign for it." JoAnne sighed and reached for the box; as soon as she touched it, one end popped open and something fell out onto the desk. A vibrator. An enormous, brightly colored vibrator. And of course it hit right on the on/off button. She and the messenger watched it buzz around in a circle on her desktop for a long second before she grabbed it and fumbled it off. "I, uh, this friend;” "No problem. Short blonde woman; she looked like a joker, all dressed up like an elf. Had a hell of a smirk. I figured it was some kind of practical joke." JoAnne watched his firm ass as he left. Lillian followed her gaze as he walked out. "Just want to bite that and hang on." Instead of admonishing her to be more professional, JoAnne found herself nodding and smiling like an idiot. She suddenly caught herself, then hastily shut the door and retreated to her office. The vibrator stared at her from the center of her desk. It was red and white striped, of course. About 8 inches long, had little gumdrop-like rubber nobs all over it and a bullet like tip of gold metal. She decided to stick it in a desk drawer. Another mistake. As soon as she picked it up, the tingling between her thighs began again, and she couldn't physically put the vibrator down. She reached with her empty hand and clicked the intercom on the phone. "Lillian. Hold my calls." "Yes, Miss." There was something in Lillian's voice, but JoAnne realized she didn't have time to deal with it; the tingling was so intense it was almost painful; and she felt like she was suffocating in her suit; it seemed like her clothes were lined with lead weights. She fumbled her skirt off and opened her blouse and shirt, exposing her tits to the cool office air. Her nipples were standing out like fucking spikes and she could feel wetness between her thighs. Good Lord. Her pussy was absolutely dripping. JoAnne clicked on the vibrator and began to run the tip over her excited nipples. She moaned loudly; it was a damn good thing the office was soundproof. Fuck, that felt amazing. She licked her fingers and got her nipples really wet so they stiffened even more with the cold and the vibrator. Damn, how long could they get? Her breath was coming in short pants as she slumped in the chair, and hooked each leg over a chair arm, spreading herself wide open. "Fah-Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Pinching her nipples with her free hand she ran the vibrator all over her inner thighs, eliciting more hot juice from an already wide open and steaming pussy. When she couldn't wait any longer, she began to run the tip of the vibrator over her pussy lips; she planned to do it for a while, but when the tip hit her swollen clit, she spilled over into orgasm, screaming as quietly as she could. "Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!" As the spasms died away she meant to put the vibrator down and get dressed but her hands seemed to have minds of their own, her free hand spread her pussy lips wide open while she danced the vibrator in and out, just an inch or so; then she plunged it into the gaping hole, screaming loudly as the orgasms exploded through her. Even then, as she pulled the wet shaft out of herself, her hand seemed to slip and the tip slipped down below her cunt, resting against her asshole. The vibrations felt good. Surprisingly good; almost; she felt another orgasm building. This time she did it; she began to frantically rub her clit with her free hand while she gently pushed the tip of the vibrator into her ass. By the time this orgasm settled, she realized had three fingers up her twat and had shoved the vibrator into her ass almost four inches. Still though, she felt in command enough to stop. She switched off the vibrator and shakily dressed herself, thanking God for soundproofing. After she caught her breath, she dropped the vibrator into her purse and clicked the intercom. "Lillian, you, uh, can resume forwarding my calls." "Yes, Miss." Very definitely a smile in her voice. Fuck her, all she could do would be to spread rumors, and if she did she would be back in the secretarial pool without the executive bonus pay. The rest of the day passed quietly and she decided that on her way out she would feel out if Lillian was going to say anything. As she stepped out the door she watched the cute redhead suppress a wicked little smile. "Lillian, I thought it would be a good idea;” Lillian intercepted the thought "...to remind me that secretaries do not discuss their bosses activities with anyone at all. It's in the confidentiality agreement we sign when we get sent up from the pool." At first JoAnne was appalled that Lillian would cut in like that, but she decided to try to be nice; a very different tack for her. "Umm, yeah. I just didn't want any rumors to, you know, start." Lillian smiled mischievously. "I won't say anything to anyone, but maybe next time you might want to completely shut your blinds. And maybe turn off the intercom. Luckily, I was on headset. I don't mind sharing, yesterday sounded great. Today sounded exquisite and looked even better; but if you want privacy;” JoAnne stared at the communication window to the office; it was open nearly a foot. She was sure it had been closed yesterday; and she was the only one with a remote for it. Even the intercom could only be turned on from inside the office. She must have left it on when she; she began to turn bright red, then raced from the office. The Glass Elevator. The next day was Saturday, her only real day off this week; Sunday was a teleconference with Japan from the office, so she had to go in. She stayed burrowed into her bed almost until noon; she just couldn't figure out what to do about the office. If she stayed in her apartment, she might end up masturbating, but at least she would be doing it without an audience. Just the thought of Lillian listening to her and watching her made her feel; uncomfortable, but somehow it didn't feel as bad as it should have, which worried her even more. She finally had to get out of bed to pee; and of course, her pajamas had disappeared overnight. She went to put on a robe at least, but the only thing in the apartment was a red skirt and white shirt combo that looked like they might be made of tissue paper, and a dark red overcoat, a bit too warm for the apartment, but suitable for the snow outside. And of course, red fuck-me shoes. After a moment of irritation she pulled on the skirt and shirt; she might as well have been walking around topless for all the shirt covered her tits, and the skirt was about one centimeter below her ass cheeks. She went over to the refrigerator; not one stick of food. Damn. Her phone battery was dead; she'd apparently forgotten to plug it in. By the time she lifted the receiver on her house phone, she wasn't surprised to find the line dead. She sat down in her easy chair and turned on the TV. She would just wait it out; the phone line would be back soon. Four hours later, with her stomach complaining, and only cooking shows on, she gave up. If she just zipped downstairs, she could grab some food at one of the trendy-take out joints and be back up in fifteen minutes. She looked in the mirror. A class A slut stared back at her; nipples obvious through the shirt, skirt so short it should be illegal. Looked kind of yummy in a way though. She grabbed the bulky wool overcoat and buttoned it completely. Key card. Wallet. She headed out. The internal elevators were out, so she took the glass elevator on the outside of the building; she could see the whole city; the crowds of people looking up at the elevator as it came down. It didn't take long to get her Cuban sandwich and head back. Which was good, the coat was a little warm, even with snowy weather. As she neared the elevator, she heard a familiar voice. "Trying to hide, today?" JoAnne whirled. Holly was perched on a concrete stanchion toying with an oversize Santa hat. JoAnne started to speak, but a wave of Holly's hand cut her off mute. "Take the hat, you'll need it." JoAnne grabbed the hat; and with the same odd reverse pop, Holly simply vanished. JoAnne sprinted for the elevator; this couldn't be good. Get home. Get home. Get; The now familiar tingling almost overwhelmed her, as the elevator door closed. JoAnne jammed the oversize hat on her head and slipped a hand inside the overcoat to push the skirt up and found; nothing. No skirt, no shirt; her clothes had evaporated. She couldn't stop to fight it; she began fingering herself furiously, three fingers slipping into her hole almost instantly. As the elevator crept up, she realized her coat was evaporating like smoke. She felt tears form as the elevator ground to a halt just three floors up; she was fully visible to the crowd. A crazy naked woman, masturbating in an elevator, wearing nothing but a hat! A hat, she was relieved to note, that obscured her hair and face completely. People were stopping to stare; to her horror, she realized she liked it; hell, she loved it! A middle-aged man pulled out a cell phone and snapped her picture as she managed to fit a fourth finger up her gaping pussy. Hot cunt juice flowed over JoAnne’s hand; she began to cum, over, and over; thinking about all those people watching her. At some point, the elevator began to move upward; just in time as an old lady dragged the building's doorman around to see. Snow thickened around the building, obscuring the ascending elevator. It stopped a floor below hers and refused to move further. She grabbed her purse and food and crept up the stairs; the security camera lights were dark; probably thanks to Holly. JoAnne managed to slip into her apartment, although she had had to hide in the stairwell while three people walked by. Once in her apartment, she collapsed on the bed, just in time to hear her email ping on the computer. She almost ignored it, but the timing. The email was from NaughtyList@northpole.org; and it was a video entitled; "Mystery woman puts on Christmas show." With a sinking heart, she opened the file and watched herself masturbating in front of hundreds of men and women, wearing just a Santa hat. According to the file, nearly 500,000 people had watched the video. Half a million people watching her? This time, she was pretty sure it wasn't Elf magic, but either way, she spent the next hour with her new vibrator buried in her pussy, pumping it like a jack hammer. She wasn't sure how many orgasms she had; one helluva lot. She managed to eat her food, then sank into a deep sleep. Video Tele Conference. Sunday morning, JoAnne woke late, and ended up rushing to the office; the red outfits were miraculously back, although she noticed the skirts were shorter. She decided on a businesslike demeanor. Ignore everything with Lillian. Blame it on medication; if she had to. By the time she arrived, a harassed-looking Lillian was already there, clicking cables into position. "Thank god you're here. The main video teleconference is down, so I'd setting up your desk so you can have both slides and video feed. The partners have called three times already. We are good on this end, but Japan is having problems with dual video. They will be able to hear you, but only see the slides and the video, not you. The partners will be listening in on the phone." JoAnne slipped into her chair, just in time to hear the chime of the video teleconference, coming on line. "Mister Nakamura;” her foot kicked a cable and the video feed went dark. She signaled to Lillian while she continued her spiel. Lillian looked under the desk, grabbed some tape and crawled under. After a few mumbled curses from Lillian, the video feed from Japan came back on. JoAnne started to push her chair back, to let Lillian out, but the video flickered again and she felt Lillian pull her back. A few seconds later, Lillian pushed a note into her hand. "Your chair hooked on cables, if you push back, lose whole Video Tele Conference." JoAnne finished her spiel, then turned on the 40 minute auto presentation, and muted her own audio. "Okay, it's on autopilot. And mute." Lillian pushed her head up on JoAnne's thigh and eyed the control critically "Good, it really is on mute. You haven't had a good track record with mute lately, just wanted to check. The chair clipped a wire, I will replace it tomorrow; but don't try to push back right now, or the Video Conference will go down for good, I wouldn't be able to reroute without a whole new set of cables. You seem stressed." JoAnne sighed. "You have no idea." "I can fix that." JoAnne started to respond, but Lillian's meaning became clear as she spread JoAnne's knees apart and began to settle in between them. JoAnne tried to resist, but her thighs seemed to drift even further apart on their own, and she even lifted as Lillian unzipped her skirt and slid it off. JoAnne stopped even trying to resist, just leaning back and letting Lillian's quick and talented tongue slide her up one orgasm after another. Lillian had slid her own clothes off and was fingering herself as she ate JoAnne. Lillian seemed to orgasm in time with her. After a few minutes, JoAnne heard Lillian's fingers pumping in and out of her hot wet tunnel. All too soon, the auto-play pinged and JoAnne had to return to her speech, although Lillian continued tonguing her gently throughout. The response to the presentation was more than good; the order from Japan was at least three times larger than she had anticipated in her best case scenario, so it was no surprise when the partners called her, and told her to come on down to the office. After one more good cum, she untangled herself from the desk, the chair, and Lillian. "Look, I have to go down there;” Lillian smiled cheerfully, but with a wicked edge "It's okay; I have to go to a family thing anyway. At least now it will be easier to put up with. By the way, I love your ‘lawn and landscaping’; and that is the cutest little tattoo; I never heard you like Christmas that much." She gave JoAnne a warm kiss; which tasted of candy canes. As JoAnne Walked out, she could hear Lillian putting things up; and whistling a cheery Christmas tune. The meeting with the partners went particularly well; and Robert, the older brother; commented that he had never seen her more relaxed and in control. That night she fell asleep, wondering what it would be like to return the favor to Lillian; while she used her now-indispensable vibrator on herself. Hard Dictation. The next morning, in the shower, JoAnne realized her little tuft of designer pubic hair hadn't grown out at all; in fact, it looked kind of, well, glittery, like gold glitter along the edges of the naughty holly leaf. All the red clothes were still there, although the skirts seemed even shorter, and there were little emerald holly pins on each lapel. As she picked up her purse, she found a small scroll on top. In shining gilt letters it said: "Sometimes it is better to give, than receive. Be sure to give a Lil' something." JoAnne actually smiled at the blunt hint, as if she hadn't been thinking about Lillian already. She was waking up hornier every damn morning. Still though, the office was mayhem; frantic arrangements to make sure the Japan orders were completed on time, after action reports and a hasty lunch meeting with the partners combined to keep her from even talking to Lillian for more than a second or two, and that about work. Just as she sat down at her desk from the lunch meeting, the intercom buzzed. "Messenger service again, Miss." "Send him in." The same bike messenger walked in, carrying another Holiday package. Even though she knew the package would pop open, she didn't bother to try to stop it. She had a suspicion that if she tried to stop the Elf curse, it would up the ante. He held the box over the desk, and suddenly the bottom flaps dropped open, of their own doing. This time, the packages contents hit the desk with a thud, and didn't move. Some kind of black leather belt contraption, attached to a huge candy-cane striped dildo. She rolled her eyes "My friend is a little;” "Smart ass? Yeah, the little blonde chick, in some kind of Christmas elf get up; kept giggling to herself." "Just like last time" JoAnne presumed. "I'll take your word on that." As he left, JoAnne watched his muscular ass, and puzzled over his words. He'd been there, how often? To vibrators falling out of packages, anyway? After he left, she grinned wickedly; give a Lil' something? She had just the thing. She tucked it into her top drawer. Then cleared the top of her desk off completely. "Lillian? I need you to come in; and take dictation for me." "Yes, Miss Steadmann." Lillian entered. "Your schedule is cleared until tomorrow morning, Miss JoAnne. Both your afternoon appointments just called in and cancelled." JoAnne glanced at the closed office door. Locked, and the blinds were fully closed. She stood up and looked out the office window into the flurries. "Lillian, we need to talk about a performance reward." "Actually, I'm maxed out this year; I was on the CBN team earlier this year. I can't get any more cash awards until next year. JoAnne turned around and backed Lillian up against the desk. "That isn't exactly what I had in mind." Pinning Lillian against the desk, Joanne kissed her hungrily, forcing her tongue into Lillian's mouth. She had Lillian's skirt unzipped and dropped to the floor and her blouse and bra off in seconds. She gently pressed Lillian back until the blonde girl was lying back on the desk, clad in only a mint green thong. JoAnne slid the thong down Lillian's long legs, eyeing Lillian's obviously wet cunt, with its little topping of strawberry blonde hair. Without thinking, she brought the panties to her face and breathed in deeply. They were filled with a musky, heady scent that made her mouth water. She looked right into Lillian's eyes and said, "Aren't you just a horny little thing!" Lillian let her legs fall open. "You have no idea;” "I can fix that." She dropped the thong onto the skirt and slid in between Lillian's creamy thighs, dropping her own skirt and jacket as she did so. She didn't hesitate at all; her mouth closed over Lillian's swollen pink pussy and she began to tongue and suck with abandon. She must have been doing something right, because Lillian's sighs turned to moans; then outright screams of ecstasy. JoAnne also fingered herself to orgasm, and only after Lillian had practically passed out, did she let up. Lillian breathed heavily, "God, that was fucking fantastic!" JoAnne reached into her drawer, and pulled out the strap-on dildo; and slipped the straps on while Lillian watched wide-eyed. "Your reward isn't over; yet." Despite the very thick size of the rubber red and white, spiral–striped cock, Lillian was so wet, it slipped into her easily. JoAnne began to thrust slowly in and out. "You like that?" Lillian breathed in deeply, then brought her legs up around JoAnne’s ass, "Yes. But; you can do it harder if you want." JoAnne thrust deeper and faster. Lillian hissed and grabbed JoAnne's tits, in a tight grip. "God, yes. Harder; please; harder" JoAnne began to really pump hard, Lillian seemed to have no problem taking in the big fake cock. "Fuck. Yeah. Give it to me. Harder. Harder. Harder!" JoAnne began to slam it into her as hard as she could. Lillian began to make a weird keening sound. "Don't fucking stop. Oh fuck. Don't stop. Please don't stop!" Just as JoAnne was sure her legs were going to give out, Lillian's eyes shot open, and she arched her back and screamed incredibly loud. JoAnne felt a huge gush of hot pussy juice squirt around the dildo and drench her. Lillian collapsed so suddenly she slid off the giant dildo. "Holy. Shit." As JoAnne slid the strap-on off, Lillian rolled over onto her stomach obviously trying to marshal the strength to get up. JoAnne eyed her perky ass; particularly the little pink asshole. She was almost ready to reach for the strap-on when the phone rang. Lillian grabbed the phone without getting up. "JoAnne Steadmann's office. Lillian speaking. Uh huh, yes;” As Lillian talked on the phone, JoAnne reached down and parted her ass cheeks. She knew she shouldn't but she just couldn't resist bending over and tonguing the little pink rosebud. Lillian squirmed, but didn't try to get away; in fact she brought her knees up a little to help JoAnne. After she had the little pink asshole dripping with saliva, she continued tonguing while gently inserted her forefinger and began to pump it gently in and out. Lillian was slowly thrusting her ass back on the finger and into her face while talking on the phone. But as soon as she finished the phone call, she came up on all fours and began fucking her ass back against JoAnne's face and finger, grinding until she came. This time when they broke apart, she slid to the other side of the desk, eyeing JoAnne warily, but with a wide smile. "Okay, you're just plain kinky. And something about you just turns my inner slut on full power. Still, we have to stop; you have a meeting in 30 minutes. You'd better wash your face and get dressed." Scowling and smiling at the same time, JoAnne struggled into her clothes as did Lillian. Still, Lillian was absolutely glowing, and walking a little slowly, which made JoAnne smile. The meeting lasted until well after business closing, so Lillian was gone when she went back to get her purse and coat. But the mint green thong was carefully arranged in the middle of JoAnne's desk; with a candy cane sitting on it. To be continued in part 2. Based on a post by Todd 1 72, in 2 parts, for Literotica.

JoAnne’s Christmas Curse: Part 1 The Merry Misadventures of the Christmas Cursed. Based on a post by Todd 1 72, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. The Curse. JoAnne forced her way brusquely through the dense crowd toward the Thai place on the corner. Lord, she hated holiday shopping; screaming brats, the jarring sounds of ringing bells, the constant fucking "gimme, gimme, gimme" of the damn "charity" workers. As if they weren't really there to guilt you into forking over the goddamn money. And all these fucking people just kept on bumping against her, wrinkling her $2000 black skirt and jacket power suit. Didn't they have somewhere to be, didn't people work anymore? Just as she broke free of the crowd, she half-ran-into and half-plowed-over a diminutive blonde girl in some kind of Christmas outfit, sending packages skittering across the frozen ground and knocking the mini-skirted kid on her ass. Great, what the fuck was a kid doing out in the middle of the day anyway; JoAnne stopped. From the size of her boobs, this was no kid; a midget? Crap, they used something else now, like small person or some shit. The blonde glared at her through her skewed hair while she straightened her tilted elf hat for a second, then caught herself and smiled, although, honestly, it looked a little more like she was gritting her teeth. "Merry Christmas, huh?" JoAnne rolled her eyes and started to walk on. "Hey! Aren't you going to help me get all this shit picked up?" JoAnne looked over her shoulder at the flustered little blonde. "Fuck off, I'm busy" and pushed her way into the Restaurant. Finding her way to her usual seat, as she brushed her short, platinum blonde hair back, she sat and pointed at the waitress who immediately ran to the kitchen to get her order started and get her a damn drink. JoAnne pulled out her blackberry and started to pull up her emails; about 10 seconds later her system froze. Shit. The chair across from her pulled out. Without looking up, JoAnne growled. "I don't need any company, and I need space to work. Fuck off." Even with her cold demeanor, her pale skin, white blonde hair and blue eyes drew more attention than she'd ever wanted. Nothing happened. When she looked up, the tiny honey blonde from outside was leaning back in the chair, staring at her with her arms crossed under her outsized boobs. She looked a like a distinctly adult-oriented version of an elf; long blonde hair, pointy ears, a micro-miniskirt and a huge rack that barely stayed in her costume. Despite the rosy cheeks and turned up nose, though, the twinkle in her eyes looked extremely icy. JoAnne sighed. Oh well, if the little bitch wanted to be a problem, she'd have her thrown out. She started to look around for a waiter, then realized nobody was moving. Nobody at all. Inside or in the vast crowd outside. No sound. Everything was frozen. She looked back at the girl, who slowly arched her left eyebrow in an overly dramatic fashion. "Look Sister, I'd tell you not to do anything stupid, but that would be wasted effort. You can't do anything, you're stuck in that chair until I say otherwise. Elf. Christmas. Magic. Bitch." JoAnne started to protest, but her mouth simply froze as the Elf raised her hand. "Don't bother. This isn't a dream. You didn't fall and hit your head. You haven't even had a drink today yet. And it sure as fuck-all wasn't that nasty bran concoction you had for breakfast. On your salary you eat sawdust for breakfast? Fuck, eat a good breakfast and spend five more minutes on the damn elliptical." She waved her hand and JoAnne found she could speak again. "Look if you want an apology;” The Elf cut her off again "It wouldn't be sincere and you wouldn't learn a god damn thing. Don't bullshit me, Baby, I'm a whole lot older than I look. Besides, I have your file." She leaned back, reached two fingers into her ample cleavage and pulled out an ornate, gilt edged scroll, untied it and began to read over it: "Let's see; JoAnne Steadmann, age 32. No personal relationships. Wow, that sucks. You seem to have a severe case of Greed, brought on by a Self-Centered Nature and a Lack of Human Empathy, which seems to have developed around puberty;” Her voice trailed off as she read more. Then: "Damn!? You're Frigid? No Orgasms? No wonder you're a grade-A Bitch! Hell, I wouldn't wish that on anyone! Got your cherry popped in High School, but didn't enjoy it at all. And you didn't even experiment at Wellesley? Damn that's like the lickety-slit capitol of the world. You missed out on a whole lot of the sweet stuff there, Baby." JoAnne just glared at her. Whatever the hell this was about, the little blonde bitch had no right digging into her personal life. "On the bright side you're not entirely freaked out by this, and that's rarer than you think. Too many people have lost belief in Christmas magic; they can lose it completely when shit like this happens. You're pretty enough in platinum-blonde-career bitch sort of way. And, according to Records Division, you never developed any real sex aversions, so that's good;” Shaking her head, the Elf hastily re-rolled the scroll, tucked it back between her oversized boobs, then leaned forward looking intently into JoAnne's eyes. "I can fix this; but I have to follow the rules. I'm not allowed to just go around helping humanity; free will and all that shit. But I can inflict a Christmas lesson on you because you denied the True Meaning of Christmas. You were rude. To an Elf. Within the Fortnight of Christmas." JoAnne leaned back in shock. "Is this going to be one of those ghosts things? I;” The Elf shook her head "Ghosts wouldn't help you at all." She paused. "God, I love that one, it's a classic but it won't work here. I am giving you the gift of Lust. I am removing most of your inhibitions; the sexual ones anyway and 'cursing' you so that at least once a day until Midnight on Christmas Eve, you're going to find yourself in a situation that ends up in sex of some kind or other. Nothing dangerous, nothing that will destroy your life. You may end up feeling a little used and a bit humiliated, but you'll like it. Besides, a little humility would do you a lot of good, Sunshine." JoAnne felt her anger flare "Nobody uses;” And just as quickly found herself muted as the Elf stood up. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, I've got some fucking Joy to spread by the end of the day. Gimme the panties, you won't be needing them." JoAnne tried to resist, but found herself standing, reaching under her skirt and pulling off her black silk underwear and handing them over. She watched in disgust as the little Elf held them up to her nose and breathed in deeply. The Elf shook her head sadly and looked at JoAnne. "Nothing. Just Fabric softener and soap. You really are Frigid. I'm fixing that right now." She stepped over to JoAnne and reached up under her skirt. JoAnne felt the Elf's very warm hand cup her crotch. The Elf looked her in the eye "Damn. Closed up tighter than a bank vault." She rubbed her palm back and forth for a second. "Ah, there it is!" JoAnne's knees nearly gave out and she almost fell to the ground as she felt something hot surge through her whole body, but the Elf steadied her and guided her back into her seat. As Joanne watched, the Elf licked her fingertips delicately. "Much better." "That was your First Orgasm. It's been sort of stuck in the gate for a damn long time. It was a little weak from the time attenuation, so the next time it will feel better." JoAnne stiffened. "Buh, better?" "More powerful, longer." JoAnne couldn't even imagine that. The Elf continued on without really noticing JoAnne's reaction. "Here's the deal, you get a little something every day, each day gets a little more extreme and a little more intense. I've used this one a lot; it was practically standard in Vicki's day; Queen Victoria. It will be a real experience, but you can handle it. Still, if it gets to be too much, call my name three times; its 'Holly Mistletoe" and I'll pop in to help. If you really need it." Suddenly, with a sound like a balloon popping in reverse, Holly was gone and everything was in motion. The waitress rushed up with her drink; which she drank in one gulp, and her food arrived almost immediately. She managed to catch her breath and tried to act normal, although she just didn't have it in her to bitch at the waitress for being too slow like she usually did. She even caught herself leaving a much larger tip than usual. She must be shaken up. The Tattoo. JoAnne slipped into her desk; the walk back had been weird. She'd been so damn conscious of not wearing any underwear, and she normally never thought about; that. And she felt almost feverishly warm, with everybody bumping into her. She kept wondering if they somehow knew she was panty-less. Worse yet, she guiltily realized she kind of liked the idea. She had practically run by her new red-headed secretary and locked herself in the office. She started to buzz the secretary. With a start she realized she couldn't remember her secretary's name. She had just gotten rid of Samantha, the brunette; JoAnne never kept a secretary very long. She was concerned about secretaries learning too much about her; shuffling them back into the secretarial pool after 6 weeks or two big deals. What was the name of the name of the new one; thin, red hair, pixie cut, pointy nose; Lori? No. Lisa? No. Lil; Lillian. That was it. She punched the intercom on her phone. "Lillian, could you bring me a glass of water please?" A somewhat puzzled, "Yes, Ma'am," came back. Which made sense, after all, JoAnne never asked for anything, she ordered things, and she never, ever said please. Lillian quietly and efficiently brought her the water, then stepped out. As she left JoAnne watched her ass sway under her cream colored skirt. It was awfully perky and cute. JoAnne squeaked. She never, ever thought about things like that. She felt warmth growing between her thighs, more and more intense, like an itch that needed a scratch, but much, much more; personal. She shifted and tried to concentrate on work, but the only emails she had were autoreplies informing her that the recipients would be back after Christmas break. A curious tingling was growing just above her privates. She frantically pulled her skirt up and looked down. All her pubic hair was gone, except for a neatly trimmed patch just above her cunt in the shape of a holly leaf. Even more of a shock, just to the left of it was a tiny incredibly intricate tattoo of a mistletoe ball on crossed candy canes. She could just make out the words "Christmas Magic. Bitch." woven into the mistletoe. Shit. Shit. Shit. How the hell do you explain that to your gynecologist? Maybe it was one of those stick on tattoos, she could just rub it. The second she started rubbing, she knew she'd made a mistake. The feeling shot over her like arcs of electricity; she felt her lips go numb, her legs began to shake and her nipples grew achingly hard; she could make out the tips through the fabric of her blouse. She wanted to stop, she really did, but she couldn't; her fingers were playing with her lips and clit almost instantly. Without stopping, she managed to pull her skirt up around her waist and pull open her jacket and shirt. She couldn't get the fucking bra off, but while she massaged her clit she reached inside the bra and began to pinch and tweak her rock hard nipples. She was so wet that her fingers slipped inside without her even realizing it. First one, then a second. She felt her orgasm hit like a train, then a second, then a third, leaving her gasping, barely able to move in her slowly rotating chair. After a few minutes she rearranged herself into some semblance of order, although her shirt and her jacket were each missing a button. No surprise there. Still, she felt better than could ever remember feeling; relaxed, warm and comfortable. She managed to make it through the next few hours, before she decided to leave. Lillian was watching her curiously; not too surprising since she never left before 5:00. JoAnne heard herself say, "Go ahead and take a couple hours, you probably have some Christmas shopping to do or something." That got a warm smile and a "Thank you". The rest of the evening was normal, although she did finger herself; just a little; in the shower. The Package. The next morning, as JoAnne dressed for work, a number of things became obvious. First off, most of her clothing was missing; not one bra or panty was in the condominium. Even the bra she'd had on yesterday had disappeared from the hamper. There was a card sitting on the kitchen island; from Holly; advising her that she would "get those Manhattan Career Bitch costumes back later" if she still wanted them. All her severe black suits were gone as well; they were replaced with very expensive looking red silk suits of a similar type with slightly shorter skirts and sheer white silk blouses with decidedly more "decisive" necklines. Her shoes had changed too; color and about an inch more heel, although they proved surprisingly comfortable. The morning passed fairly productively; with only a couple of odd glances from Lillian. To be on the safe side, she decided to order lunch in the office, but it was almost two in the afternoon before anything happened. Lillian buzzed: "Miss, there's a bike messenger with a package; he says I can't sign for it." "Send him in." A tall, muscular, dark haired guy with a small, brightly colored box walked in. "Sorry, instructions were explicit, you'll have to sign for it." JoAnne sighed and reached for the box; as soon as she touched it, one end popped open and something fell out onto the desk. A vibrator. An enormous, brightly colored vibrator. And of course it hit right on the on/off button. She and the messenger watched it buzz around in a circle on her desktop for a long second before she grabbed it and fumbled it off. "I, uh, this friend;” "No problem. Short blonde woman; she looked like a joker, all dressed up like an elf. Had a hell of a smirk. I figured it was some kind of practical joke." JoAnne watched his firm ass as he left. Lillian followed her gaze as he walked out. "Just want to bite that and hang on." Instead of admonishing her to be more professional, JoAnne found herself nodding and smiling like an idiot. She suddenly caught herself, then hastily shut the door and retreated to her office. The vibrator stared at her from the center of her desk. It was red and white striped, of course. About 8 inches long, had little gumdrop-like rubber nobs all over it and a bullet like tip of gold metal. She decided to stick it in a desk drawer. Another mistake. As soon as she picked it up, the tingling between her thighs began again, and she couldn't physically put the vibrator down. She reached with her empty hand and clicked the intercom on the phone. "Lillian. Hold my calls." "Yes, Miss." There was something in Lillian's voice, but JoAnne realized she didn't have time to deal with it; the tingling was so intense it was almost painful; and she felt like she was suffocating in her suit; it seemed like her clothes were lined with lead weights. She fumbled her skirt off and opened her blouse and shirt, exposing her tits to the cool office air. Her nipples were standing out like fucking spikes and she could feel wetness between her thighs. Good Lord. Her pussy was absolutely dripping. JoAnne clicked on the vibrator and began to run the tip over her excited nipples. She moaned loudly; it was a damn good thing the office was soundproof. Fuck, that felt amazing. She licked her fingers and got her nipples really wet so they stiffened even more with the cold and the vibrator. Damn, how long could they get? Her breath was coming in short pants as she slumped in the chair, and hooked each leg over a chair arm, spreading herself wide open. "Fah-Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Pinching her nipples with her free hand she ran the vibrator all over her inner thighs, eliciting more hot juice from an already wide open and steaming pussy. When she couldn't wait any longer, she began to run the tip of the vibrator over her pussy lips; she planned to do it for a while, but when the tip hit her swollen clit, she spilled over into orgasm, screaming as quietly as she could. "Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!" As the spasms died away she meant to put the vibrator down and get dressed but her hands seemed to have minds of their own, her free hand spread her pussy lips wide open while she danced the vibrator in and out, just an inch or so; then she plunged it into the gaping hole, screaming loudly as the orgasms exploded through her. Even then, as she pulled the wet shaft out of herself, her hand seemed to slip and the tip slipped down below her cunt, resting against her asshole. The vibrations felt good. Surprisingly good; almost; she felt another orgasm building. This time she did it; she began to frantically rub her clit with her free hand while she gently pushed the tip of the vibrator into her ass. By the time this orgasm settled, she realized had three fingers up her twat and had shoved the vibrator into her ass almost four inches. Still though, she felt in command enough to stop. She switched off the vibrator and shakily dressed herself, thanking God for soundproofing. After she caught her breath, she dropped the vibrator into her purse and clicked the intercom. "Lillian, you, uh, can resume forwarding my calls." "Yes, Miss." Very definitely a smile in her voice. Fuck her, all she could do would be to spread rumors, and if she did she would be back in the secretarial pool without the executive bonus pay. The rest of the day passed quietly and she decided that on her way out she would feel out if Lillian was going to say anything. As she stepped out the door she watched the cute redhead suppress a wicked little smile. "Lillian, I thought it would be a good idea;” Lillian intercepted the thought "...to remind me that secretaries do not discuss their bosses activities with anyone at all. It's in the confidentiality agreement we sign when we get sent up from the pool." At first JoAnne was appalled that Lillian would cut in like that, but she decided to try to be nice; a very different tack for her. "Umm, yeah. I just didn't want any rumors to, you know, start." Lillian smiled mischievously. "I won't say anything to anyone, but maybe next time you might want to completely shut your blinds. And maybe turn off the intercom. Luckily, I was on headset. I don't mind sharing, yesterday sounded great. Today sounded exquisite and looked even better; but if you want privacy;” JoAnne stared at the communication window to the office; it was open nearly a foot. She was sure it had been closed yesterday; and she was the only one with a remote for it. Even the intercom could only be turned on from inside the office. She must have left it on when she; she began to turn bright red, then raced from the office. The Glass Elevator. The next day was Saturday, her only real day off this week; Sunday was a teleconference with Japan from the office, so she had to go in. She stayed burrowed into her bed almost until noon; she just couldn't figure out what to do about the office. If she stayed in her apartment, she might end up masturbating, but at least she would be doing it without an audience. Just the thought of Lillian listening to her and watching her made her feel; uncomfortable, but somehow it didn't feel as bad as it should have, which worried her even more. She finally had to get out of bed to pee; and of course, her pajamas had disappeared overnight. She went to put on a robe at least, but the only thing in the apartment was a red skirt and white shirt combo that looked like they might be made of tissue paper, and a dark red overcoat, a bit too warm for the apartment, but suitable for the snow outside. And of course, red fuck-me shoes. After a moment of irritation she pulled on the skirt and shirt; she might as well have been walking around topless for all the shirt covered her tits, and the skirt was about one centimeter below her ass cheeks. She went over to the refrigerator; not one stick of food. Damn. Her phone battery was dead; she'd apparently forgotten to plug it in. By the time she lifted the receiver on her house phone, she wasn't surprised to find the line dead. She sat down in her easy chair and turned on the TV. She would just wait it out; the phone line would be back soon. Four hours later, with her stomach complaining, and only cooking shows on, she gave up. If she just zipped downstairs, she could grab some food at one of the trendy-take out joints and be back up in fifteen minutes. She looked in the mirror. A class A slut stared back at her; nipples obvious through the shirt, skirt so short it should be illegal. Looked kind of yummy in a way though. She grabbed the bulky wool overcoat and buttoned it completely. Key card. Wallet. She headed out. The internal elevators were out, so she took the glass elevator on the outside of the building; she could see the whole city; the crowds of people looking up at the elevator as it came down. It didn't take long to get her Cuban sandwich and head back. Which was good, the coat was a little warm, even with snowy weather. As she neared the elevator, she heard a familiar voice. "Trying to hide, today?" JoAnne whirled. Holly was perched on a concrete stanchion toying with an oversize Santa hat. JoAnne started to speak, but a wave of Holly's hand cut her off mute. "Take the hat, you'll need it." JoAnne grabbed the hat; and with the same odd reverse pop, Holly simply vanished. JoAnne sprinted for the elevator; this couldn't be good. Get home. Get home. Get; The now familiar tingling almost overwhelmed her, as the elevator door closed. JoAnne jammed the oversize hat on her head and slipped a hand inside the overcoat to push the skirt up and found; nothing. No skirt, no shirt; her clothes had evaporated. She couldn't stop to fight it; she began fingering herself furiously, three fingers slipping into her hole almost instantly. As the elevator crept up, she realized her coat was evaporating like smoke. She felt tears form as the elevator ground to a halt just three floors up; she was fully visible to the crowd. A crazy naked woman, masturbating in an elevator, wearing nothing but a hat! A hat, she was relieved to note, that obscured her hair and face completely. People were stopping to stare; to her horror, she realized she liked it; hell, she loved it! A middle-aged man pulled out a cell phone and snapped her picture as she managed to fit a fourth finger up her gaping pussy. Hot cunt juice flowed over JoAnne’s hand; she began to cum, over, and over; thinking about all those people watching her. At some point, the elevator began to move upward; just in time as an old lady dragged the building's doorman around to see. Snow thickened around the building, obscuring the ascending elevator. It stopped a floor below hers and refused to move further. She grabbed her purse and food and crept up the stairs; the security camera lights were dark; probably thanks to Holly. JoAnne managed to slip into her apartment, although she had had to hide in the stairwell while three people walked by. Once in her apartment, she collapsed on the bed, just in time to hear her email ping on the computer. She almost ignored it, but the timing. The email was from NaughtyList@northpole.org; and it was a video entitled; "Mystery woman puts on Christmas show." With a sinking heart, she opened the file and watched herself masturbating in front of hundreds of men and women, wearing just a Santa hat. According to the file, nearly 500,000 people had watched the video. Half a million people watching her? This time, she was pretty sure it wasn't Elf magic, but either way, she spent the next hour with her new vibrator buried in her pussy, pumping it like a jack hammer. She wasn't sure how many orgasms she had; one helluva lot. She managed to eat her food, then sank into a deep sleep. Video Tele Conference. Sunday morning, JoAnne woke late, and ended up rushing to the office; the red outfits were miraculously back, although she noticed the skirts were shorter. She decided on a businesslike demeanor. Ignore everything with Lillian. Blame it on medication; if she had to. By the time she arrived, a harassed-looking Lillian was already there, clicking cables into position. "Thank god you're here. The main video teleconference is down, so I'd setting up your desk so you can have both slides and video feed. The partners have called three times already. We are good on this end, but Japan is having problems with dual video. They will be able to hear you, but only see the slides and the video, not you. The partners will be listening in on the phone." JoAnne slipped into her chair, just in time to hear the chime of the video teleconference, coming on line. "Mister Nakamura;” her foot kicked a cable and the video feed went dark. She signaled to Lillian while she continued her spiel. Lillian looked under the desk, grabbed some tape and crawled under. After a few mumbled curses from Lillian, the video feed from Japan came back on. JoAnne started to push her chair back, to let Lillian out, but the video flickered again and she felt Lillian pull her back. A few seconds later, Lillian pushed a note into her hand. "Your chair hooked on cables, if you push back, lose whole Video Tele Conference." JoAnne finished her spiel, then turned on the 40 minute auto presentation, and muted her own audio. "Okay, it's on autopilot. And mute." Lillian pushed her head up on JoAnne's thigh and eyed the control critically "Good, it really is on mute. You haven't had a good track record with mute lately, just wanted to check. The chair clipped a wire, I will replace it tomorrow; but don't try to push back right now, or the Video Conference will go down for good, I wouldn't be able to reroute without a whole new set of cables. You seem stressed." JoAnne sighed. "You have no idea." "I can fix that." JoAnne started to respond, but Lillian's meaning became clear as she spread JoAnne's knees apart and began to settle in between them. JoAnne tried to resist, but her thighs seemed to drift even further apart on their own, and she even lifted as Lillian unzipped her skirt and slid it off. JoAnne stopped even trying to resist, just leaning back and letting Lillian's quick and talented tongue slide her up one orgasm after another. Lillian had slid her own clothes off and was fingering herself as she ate JoAnne. Lillian seemed to orgasm in time with her. After a few minutes, JoAnne heard Lillian's fingers pumping in and out of her hot wet tunnel. All too soon, the auto-play pinged and JoAnne had to return to her speech, although Lillian continued tonguing her gently throughout. The response to the presentation was more than good; the order from Japan was at least three times larger than she had anticipated in her best case scenario, so it was no surprise when the partners called her, and told her to come on down to the office. After one more good cum, she untangled herself from the desk, the chair, and Lillian. "Look, I have to go down there;” Lillian smiled cheerfully, but with a wicked edge "It's okay; I have to go to a family thing anyway. At least now it will be easier to put up with. By the way, I love your ‘lawn and landscaping’; and that is the cutest little tattoo; I never heard you like Christmas that much." She gave JoAnne a warm kiss; which tasted of candy canes. As JoAnne Walked out, she could hear Lillian putting things up; and whistling a cheery Christmas tune. The meeting with the partners went particularly well; and Robert, the older brother; commented that he had never seen her more relaxed and in control. That night she fell asleep, wondering what it would be like to return the favor to Lillian; while she used her now-indispensable vibrator on herself. Hard Dictation. The next morning, in the shower, JoAnne realized her little tuft of designer pubic hair hadn't grown out at all; in fact, it looked kind of, well, glittery, like gold glitter along the edges of the naughty holly leaf. All the red clothes were still there, although the skirts seemed even shorter, and there were little emerald holly pins on each lapel. As she picked up her purse, she found a small scroll on top. In shining gilt letters it said: "Sometimes it is better to give, than receive. Be sure to give a Lil' something." JoAnne actually smiled at the blunt hint, as if she hadn't been thinking about Lillian already. She was waking up hornier every damn morning. Still though, the office was mayhem; frantic arrangements to make sure the Japan orders were completed on time, after action reports and a hasty lunch meeting with the partners combined to keep her from even talking to Lillian for more than a second or two, and that about work. Just as she sat down at her desk from the lunch meeting, the intercom buzzed. "Messenger service again, Miss." "Send him in." The same bike messenger walked in, carrying another Holiday package. Even though she knew the package would pop open, she didn't bother to try to stop it. She had a suspicion that if she tried to stop the Elf curse, it would up the ante. He held the box over the desk, and suddenly the bottom flaps dropped open, of their own doing. This time, the packages contents hit the desk with a thud, and didn't move. Some kind of black leather belt contraption, attached to a huge candy-cane striped dildo. She rolled her eyes "My friend is a little;” "Smart ass? Yeah, the little blonde chick, in some kind of Christmas elf get up; kept giggling to herself." "Just like last time" JoAnne presumed. "I'll take your word on that." As he left, JoAnne watched his muscular ass, and puzzled over his words. He'd been there, how often? To vibrators falling out of packages, anyway? After he left, she grinned wickedly; give a Lil' something? She had just the thing. She tucked it into her top drawer. Then cleared the top of her desk off completely. "Lillian? I need you to come in; and take dictation for me." "Yes, Miss Steadmann." Lillian entered. "Your schedule is cleared until tomorrow morning, Miss JoAnne. Both your afternoon appointments just called in and cancelled." JoAnne glanced at the closed office door. Locked, and the blinds were fully closed. She stood up and looked out the office window into the flurries. "Lillian, we need to talk about a performance reward." "Actually, I'm maxed out this year; I was on the CBN team earlier this year. I can't get any more cash awards until next year. JoAnne turned around and backed Lillian up against the desk. "That isn't exactly what I had in mind." Pinning Lillian against the desk, Joanne kissed her hungrily, forcing her tongue into Lillian's mouth. She had Lillian's skirt unzipped and dropped to the floor and her blouse and bra off in seconds. She gently pressed Lillian back until the blonde girl was lying back on the desk, clad in only a mint green thong. JoAnne slid the thong down Lillian's long legs, eyeing Lillian's obviously wet cunt, with its little topping of strawberry blonde hair. Without thinking, she brought the panties to her face and breathed in deeply. They were filled with a musky, heady scent that made her mouth water. She looked right into Lillian's eyes and said, "Aren't you just a horny little thing!" Lillian let her legs fall open. "You have no idea;” "I can fix that." She dropped the thong onto the skirt and slid in between Lillian's creamy thighs, dropping her own skirt and jacket as she did so. She didn't hesitate at all; her mouth closed over Lillian's swollen pink pussy and she began to tongue and suck with abandon. She must have been doing something right, because Lillian's sighs turned to moans; then outright screams of ecstasy. JoAnne also fingered herself to orgasm, and only after Lillian had practically passed out, did she let up. Lillian breathed heavily, "God, that was fucking fantastic!" JoAnne reached into her drawer, and pulled out the strap-on dildo; and slipped the straps on while Lillian watched wide-eyed. "Your reward isn't over; yet." Despite the very thick size of the rubber red and white, spiral–striped cock, Lillian was so wet, it slipped into her easily. JoAnne began to thrust slowly in and out. "You like that?" Lillian breathed in deeply, then brought her legs up around JoAnne’s ass, "Yes. But; you can do it harder if you want." JoAnne thrust deeper and faster. Lillian hissed and grabbed JoAnne's tits, in a tight grip. "God, yes. Harder; please; harder" JoAnne began to really pump hard, Lillian seemed to have no problem taking in the big fake cock. "Fuck. Yeah. Give it to me. Harder. Harder. Harder!" JoAnne began to slam it into her as hard as she could. Lillian began to make a weird keening sound. "Don't fucking stop. Oh fuck. Don't stop. Please don't stop!" Just as JoAnne was sure her legs were going to give out, Lillian's eyes shot open, and she arched her back and screamed incredibly loud. JoAnne felt a huge gush of hot pussy juice squirt around the dildo and drench her. Lillian collapsed so suddenly she slid off the giant dildo. "Holy. Shit." As JoAnne slid the strap-on off, Lillian rolled over onto her stomach obviously trying to marshal the strength to get up. JoAnne eyed her perky ass; particularly the little pink asshole. She was almost ready to reach for the strap-on when the phone rang. Lillian grabbed the phone without getting up. "JoAnne Steadmann's office. Lillian speaking. Uh huh, yes;” As Lillian talked on the phone, JoAnne reached down and parted her ass cheeks. She knew she shouldn't but she just couldn't resist bending over and tonguing the little pink rosebud. Lillian squirmed, but didn't try to get away; in fact she brought her knees up a little to help JoAnne. After she had the little pink asshole dripping with saliva, she continued tonguing while gently inserted her forefinger and began to pump it gently in and out. Lillian was slowly thrusting her ass back on the finger and into her face while talking on the phone. But as soon as she finished the phone call, she came up on all fours and began fucking her ass back against JoAnne's face and finger, grinding until she came. This time when they broke apart, she slid to the other side of the desk, eyeing JoAnne warily, but with a wide smile. "Okay, you're just plain kinky. And something about you just turns my inner slut on full power. Still, we have to stop; you have a meeting in 30 minutes. You'd better wash your face and get dressed." Scowling and smiling at the same time, JoAnne struggled into her clothes as did Lillian. Still, Lillian was absolutely glowing, and walking a little slowly, which made JoAnne smile. The meeting lasted until well after business closing, so Lillian was gone when she went back to get her purse and coat. But the mint green thong was carefully arranged in the middle of JoAnne's desk; with a candy cane sitting on it. To be continued in part 2. Based on a post by Todd 1 72, in 2 parts, for Literotica.

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society's annual Festival of Trees is underway in Wellesley. From sparkling holiday trees to model trains, there's a little something for everyone, even down to the hot chocolate and s'mores keeping you warm as you wander through the Garden at Elm Bank! Allison Dush, the Director of Programs and Education at the Society, talks with Nichole about this family-friendly holiday event that serves as the Society's biggest fundraiser of the year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A listener's nightmare 401(k) story sparks a deep dive into how small employers can delay, misuse, or even lose employee retirement contributions before they ever reach the plan custodian. Don and Tom explain the Department of Labor's weak enforcement, why small plans are most vulnerable, and what workers must do to protect themselves. Then the show tackles backdoor Roth timing rules, Social Security “worst-case” planning, the appeal (or lack of) of mid-cap ETFs, and how to unwind a hodgepodge portfolio without triggering massive tax bills. :04 When employers steal 401(k) contributions before depositing them 1:42 The WSJ case: three-year hunt for missing contributions 3:02 Why small employers are the highest-risk group 5:02 DOL enforcement loopholes and the “administratively feasible” dodge 7:04 What to do if your contributions never show up 8:09 Fidelity bonds, audits, and how recovery really works 9:39 Big-company plans vs. small plans 10:36 Inside the Amazon layoff notice fiasco 11:54 Listener question: timing a backdoor Roth in 2026 for the 2025 tax year 13:40 The Form 8606 trap and pro-rata consequences 15:03 Listener question: Should you assume Social Security cuts in your plan? 16:41 Why benefits probably won't be cut—even though the system needs fixing 18:04 Listener question: Should anyone buy a mid-cap ETF? 18:46 Why good portfolios already own plenty of mid-caps 19:36 Listener question: Fixing 20 years of hodgepodge-itis at age 72 21:22 Taxes, capital gains, and the slow cleanup strategy 23:52 Why Wellington and Wellesley don't fit a modern portfolio 25:20 Personal banter: vacations, spending guilt, and sci-fi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when two powerful women—one a psychologist devoted to leadership transformation and the other a CEO who grew up in a family-run business—join forces to rethink what it means to lead? They discover the "Sixth Level" of Leadership! On this episode of On the Brink, Stacy Feiner, PsyD and Rachel Wallis Andreasson, MBA invite us to imagine leadership not as a position of power, but as a practice rooted in purpose, connection and care. The Birth of the Sixth Level Stacy Feiner, a high-performance psychologist and coach, has long focused on helping family and mid-market companies unlock the emotional dynamics that drive sustainable success. Her fascination with human potential began early—her mother introduced her to the groundbreaking Self-in-Relation theory at Wellesley's Stone Center, which challenged male-centered models of psychology and placed women's experiences at the center of understanding human behavior. From that foundation grew The Sixth Level: Capitalize on the Power of Women's Psychology for Sustainable Leadership, co-authored with Rachel Wallis Andreasson, Kathy Overbeke, DBA, and Jack Harris, PhD. The book expands on the belief that women's relational intelligence—empathy, collaboration, and the ethic of care—is not a deviation from leadership excellence but its evolution. From Gas Station to $2 Billion Company Rachel Wallis Andreasson's story grounds those ideas in lived experience. The daughter of a gas-station owner on Route 66, she watched her father grow one small shop into a company now approaching $2 billion in annual sales. He modeled three values that remain central to her leadership: a strong work ethic, genuine care for people, and shared ownership through open communication. "When my dad walked into one of our stores," she recalls, "he didn't just check the numbers—he asked employees for their opinions. And then he used their ideas." Rachel worked for her family business for 24 years, rising to CEO and overseeing more than 1,100 employees. She is most proud of the cultural integration of the largest and most strategic acquisition of the company's history. Rachel builds cultures where people feel seen, heard, and trusted. Her philosophy mirrors her father's wisdom—lead by example, connect with authenticity, and invite others to own the company's success. The Four Core Differentiators of Sixth-Level Leadership At the heart of The Sixth Level are four principles that originate in women's social-psychology and form the basis of transformational leadership: Mutuality — Two-way empathy and shared purpose that align people behind a common vision. Ingenuity — Creative problem-solving that benefits the collective, not just the individual. Justness — Inclusion, accountability and equity built on transparency and trust. Intrinsic Motivation — Leading from within, not for external reward or authority. These are not soft skills—they are strategic capabilities that strengthen performance, retention, and resilience. "Accountability," Feiner explains, "doesn't start at the end of a project. It begins at the beginning, as a promise we make to each other to achieve success together." A Story of Transformation One of the book's most vivid case studies features Lisa, president of a rural Missouri hospital. Stepping into her role during the height of COVID-19, she found a demoralized staff, fragmented teams, and exhausted caregivers. Instead of imposing control, Lisa began by listening. She conducted open "snack-cart sessions" with employees, asking questions, sharing food, and gathering stories. From those conversations came a rallying cry—One Heart, One Team. Lisa modeled the change she wanted to see, shadowing every department, empowering cross-functional collaboration, and celebrating ingenuity at every level. The results were astonishing: record financial performance, unprecedented patient-satisfaction scores, and a palpable sense of unity across the hospital. "Transformation," says Andreasson, "is tangible. When you walk into that hospital today, you feel the caring culture. You feel 'One Heart, One Team.' " Beyond Self-Awareness to Relational Awareness Feiner believes traditional leadership training—often built on male norms—emphasizes self-control and individual performance. The Sixth Level expands that frame to relational awareness: how leaders build trust, reciprocity, and shared accountability. "We've been taught that leadership is about dominance and hierarchy," she says. "But sustainable success comes from mutuality—the capacity to care for others while driving results. Everyone can learn it. It's a human capability." A Model for All Leaders Although the book is rooted in women's social-psychology, both authors stress it is not for women only. Men thrive in Sixth Level environments too. "Command-and-control cultures haven't served anyone," Feiner notes. "When we bring the full picture—empathetic and analytical thinking together—we create workplaces where everyone can flourish." Andreasson agrees: "Culture is the secret weapon. The Sixth Level isn't a theory—it's a roadmap for building engaged teams, inclusive organizations, and caring communities." Rethinking What Leadership Looks Like As I reflected at the end of the conversation, the Sixth Level calls us to re-imagine leadership "not as power, but as purpose, connection, and deep relational intelligence." It's an invitation for all leaders—men and women alike—to claim a model that validates empathy, communication, and community as powerful drivers of performance. Perhaps the truest measure of success is what both Feiner and Andreasson have modeled themselves: leading with heart, lifting others, and proving that when we care for people, performance naturally follows. Connect with me: Website: www.simonassociates.net Email: info@simonassociates.net Learn more about our books here: Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business Women Mean Business: Over 500 Insights from Extraordinary Leaders to Spark Your Success

Divorces come in several stages – physical, financial, legal, and emotional. The latter might be the hardest if ever to achieve. As one reporter learns with a slap in the face.November 1933, opera singer Mary McCormic and Prince Serge Mdivani are officially divorced. But when Mdivani biographer Grace Williams tries to expose the terms of the settlement, Grace faces Mary's wrath.Other people and subjects include:Prince Alexis Mdivani, Princess Barbara Hutton Mdivani, Louise Van Alen – formerly Princess Mdivani, Prince David Mdivani, Mae Murray – formerly Princess Mdivani, Princess Nina Mdivani Huberich, Princess Roussadana “Roussie” Mdivani Sert, Pola Negri – formerly Princess Mdivani, Samuel “Sam” Insull, Michael Luddy, city editor, photographer, William K. Vanderbilt III, Virginia “Birdie” Graham Fair Vanderbilt, William K. Vanderbilt II, Brooke Hart, Northwest Mounty, slap, million dollar lawsuit, Faust opera, taxi, secondhand automobile, United Airlines, Assistance League Tea Room, Cocoanut Grove, Hollywood club, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times building, Liberty Magazine, Pacific Shore Oil Company, pawnshop, Los Angeles, Paris, New York, Omaha, Detroit, Arkansas, Texas, evolution of sources, tracking down information, The Mdivani Saga by David Gigauri, Poor Little Rich Girl by David Heymann, secret unnamed source, “Who Cares” by Serge Mdivani as told to Grace Williams” unpublished manuscript, UCLA, Georgian website, Georgian community, Wikipedia, Joseph Stalin, Harry Sinclair, Teapot Dome Scandal, Washington D.C. social leader, Alabama, British ancestry, Duke of Wellington ancestor, Wellesley ancestor, Clark Gable, “Rhea / Ria” Maria Franklin Prentiss Lucas Langham, Carole Lombard, Gone With The Wind, Joan Crawford, Francois Tone, factual consistency, overplaying connections, 5 Los Angeles Times buildings, Mirror Building, 2 granite castles, Art Deco by Gordon Kaufman, new mid-century in El Segundo, Gutzon Borglum's bronze eagle sculpture, bomb explosion, fire proof, bomb proof, earthquake proof, anti-union, American labor movement, John “J.J.” McNamara, James Barnabas “J.B.” McNamara, Clarence Darrow, Vanderbilt Cup motor racing, Crime of the Century, one of deadliest criminal acts in United States, deadliest crime to go to trial in California, tragedies, humanity, yesterday's news, Will Smith, Chris Rock, 2022 Academy Awards, retrospectives of Mary McCormic slap, Ventura County Star, Tampa Times, Morning Call reprint, Louvre jewel heist, jewel history,…--Extra Notes / Call to Action:Fellow podcasters @WhatsHerNameWhat's Her Name Podcast by Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meiklehttps://whatshernamepodcast.com/https://pod.link/1320638747Goodpods ranks As The Money Burns in Top 8 Indie Documentary PodcastsBest Documentary Podcasts [2025] Top 8 Shows - Goodpods#4 in the Top 100 Indie Documentary Weekly chart#8 in the Top 100 Indie Documentary Monthly chart#15 in the Top 100 Indie History Weekly chart#18 in the Top 100 Indie History Monthly chart#25 in the Top 100 Indie Society & Culture Weekly chartgoodpods.app.link/4PeLmbBvAqbThe Mdivani Saga by David Gigaurihttps://www.amazon.com/Book-9781835740736-David-Gigauri/dp/1835740731https://www.instagram.com/mdivanisaga/The Silver Swan: The Search for Doris Duke by Sally Binghamhttps://www.amazon.com/Silver-Swan-Search-Doris-Duke-ebook/dp/B078X21PDTShare, like, subscribe--Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.Opening Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance BandsSection 1 Music: Organ Grinder's Swing by Jack Payne, Album The Great British Dance BandsSection 2 Music: Umtcha, Umtcha, Da Da Da by The Rhythmic Eight, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20sSection 3 Music: Turkish Towel by The Savoy Havana Band, Album Fascinating RhythmEnd Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands--https://asthemoneyburns.com/X / TW / IG – @asthemoneyburnsX / Twitter – https://x.com/asthemoneyburnsInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/asthemoneyburns/Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/asthemoneyburns/

Today we're going back a few years to talk about the most British man in the world. If you asked AI to design you an English noble, Arthur Wellesley is exactly who you would get back. Which makes you want to hate him. Then he does some stuff that makes you want to hate him more. Then he does some really dope shit and you don't know what to think anymore. So join us in the confusion, and enjoy!

Today on the Brick & Wonder podcast we sat down with custom home builder and industry thought leader Nick Schiffer and James Robb, co-founder of Madera, specialists in hardwood finishes.Recorded at 45 White Oak, an ambitious home Nick has developed and built in Wellesley, Massachusetts, this candid conversation explores how to have challenging conversations with clients, the ups and downs of business ventures that don't yet pencil, and their goal of productizing their practices to create more seamless client experiences.This episode is brought to you by Reilly Architectural, known for their custom windows and doors, and Madera, specialists in handcrafted wood floors and Seamless Wood Design® solutions.

Lifestyle expert, CEO of GRETTA LUXE and breast cancer survivor Gretta Monahan, talked with Sue and Kendra about Boston's FIND THE CAUSE BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION. Their mission is to fund scientific research on the environmental causes of breast cancer and to educate the public on prevention. The Prevention Party KICK OFF is TONIGHT 5-7pm at Gretta Luxe. 97 Central St in Wellesley. The PREVENTION PARTY is October 15th at the Omni Boston Hotel in the Seaport.

Kyle Bray reports.

Move It or Lose It | Episode 137 Part 2 | Dr. Joshua Katz: Helping disrupt ideas about MS treatmentPart 2 of a great conversation with neurologist, Dr. Joshua Katz about the MS treatments available and the breakthroughs being made.Dr. Joshua Katz graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1992. He is the director of The Elliot Lewis Center in Wellesley for Multiple Sclerosis Care in Wellesley, MA, and specializes in treating patients with multiple sclerosis.Want to learn more about The Elliot Center?

Amber Butchart is in conversation with artist and academic Claire Wellesley-Smith, about their co-curated exhibition The Synthetic Revolution. The show looks at the development of the first polyester fibre made from crude oil by-products in Accrington, which was later branded with the name Terylene. They discuss how this local story became not only global but intergalactic in the post-war decades of the 1950s and 60s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Move It or Lose It | Episode 137 Part 1 | Dr. Joshua Katz: Helping disrupt ideas about MS treatment.Part 1 of a great conversation with neurologist, Dr. Joshua Katz about the MS treatments available and the breakthroughs being made.Dr. Joshua Katz graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1992. He is the director of The Elliot Lewis Center in Wellesley for Multiple Sclerosis Care in Wellesley, MA, and specializes in treating patients with multiple sclerosis.Want to learn more about The Elliot Center?

Our Chairman, Dave Wiliams, was thrilled to have addressed the American Council of the Blind (ACB) at their 64th Annual National Conference & Convention held in Dallas, Texas. On 10 July 2025, Dave delivered the keynote speech at the annual Convention banquet to a sold out audience. He called for greater investmentt in braille as a proven literacy tool that can transform the lives of blind people around the world. He was introduced by ACB Treasurer and Master of Ceremonies, the Reverend Michael Garrett, from Missouri City, Texas. Sponsorship With thanks to Dot Inc. for sponsoring Dave's attendance. Find out more about Dot Pad X and the Raising the Dots Podcast. Dot is proud to have played its part in the Monarch, in partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and HumanWare. Links Related to the Braillists National Braille Press (NBP) Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation Points of Light award 1982, 8 February 2023 Links Related to Braille The International Council on English Braille (ICEB) Links Related to RNIB RNIB, the Royal National Institute of Blind People RNIB Tech Talk Links Related to ACB ACB Media Braille Revival League Links Related to the World Blind Union and European Blind Union World Blind Union (WBU) European Blind Union (EBU) Living Braille, the website of the EBU Braille Working Group Links Related to Running Parkrun UK Couch to 5K (C25K) Abbott World Marathon Majors Full Text of Dave's Speech Good evening ACB President, friends, advocates, everyone here and online. Thank you for your hospitality! I am grateful for your invitation to share in ACB's “Big Dreams and Bold Ideas”, not only this week here in Dallas, but over many decades in many places far beyond your shores. It is a privilege to stand before you tonight, as someone whose life has been profoundly shaped by this movement. Let me begin with a deeply personal truth: for a long time, I resented my blindness. Like many, I struggled to accept blindness as part of my identity. Through you, I learned to think differently, to dream boldly, and to act decisively. That shift in perspective changed everything. It is why I am here tonight—to celebrate what is possible when we embrace who we are and empower others to do the same. Our blindness stories break down barriers and build bridges. They turn isolation into community, fear into action, and doubt into confidence. Together, I believe we can ignite that transformation for countless others. When I talk about blind people, I intend “blind” in the broadest sense. Whether you identify as blind, low vision, vision impaired, we are all valued in this community and our voices carry equal importance. And if you are a sighted person who works to elevate the voices of blind people, we thank you for your solidarity. Before I share how it was you in this movement who taught this northern English lad to feel differently about my blindness, becoming a passionate braille advocate and Six-star World Marathon Majors Finisher, we must extend our gratitude to our friends at Dot, who's support means I can be with you here tonight. I know many of you took the opportunity this week to get your hands on Dot Pad X, a highly versatile multiline braille and tactile display portable enough to be carried in a schoolbag. Dot's technology is disrupting the braille display industry. Using Dot Pad and the Dot Canvas app, I recently supported my sighted 16-year-old son's math revision and got to touch his signature for the first time. Dot and partners are delivering new educational and employment opportunities we could only dream of just a few years ago. Do we have any first timers here? My first ACB Convention was Birmingham, Alabama. Your Birmingham in July is a bit warmer than our Birmingham near my home in England. We simply do not have anything like these blindness conventions in the UK. I jumped in at the deep end with you. 2003 was an eventful year for ACB. General Session ran over into an extra day. As Director of ACB Radio, I was responsible for making sure ACB's membership, and listeners tuned in from offices and homes in countless countries, could hear our coverage. And while we were very well looked after by ACB's Alabama affiliate, the internet connectivity at convention that year was especially problematic and seamed to get even more challenging during the liveliest debates. My purpose then, as it is today, is to empower as many blind people as possible by increasing our access to the information and tools we need to live our best lives. A year before Birmingham, ACB Radio's founder and mentor to many of us decided to move on. I took the call. My predecessor, Jonathan Mosen, would be an impossible act for anyone to follow. But he believed in me. Long before ACB Radio, as a young blind man, I avoided the tools and skills that could have empowered me. I resisted the cane. I dismissed braille. I thought these things marked me as “different” in a way I was not ready to accept. I mistakenly believed specialist skills separated me from sighted people. These days we would say “othering”. I cast those skills aside for a long time. It took me years to recognise that confidence can come from a cane or guide dog, and enjoying bedtime stories with our kids can come from braille. The voices I heard on ACB Radio via my dial-up modem—leaders like Marlaina Lieberg and Paul Edwards—challenged me to rethink what it meant to be blind. They taught me that tools like braille and the white cane do not separate us from society—they connect us to the people and world around us. Their advocacy lifted me up, and I realized I could be part of something bigger. When I took on the role of ACB Radio Director, I was terrified. Could a young man from a small town in the UK really lead an initiative that connected blind people across the globe? But I said yes. Why? Because this movement showed me the power of taking risks. And because I knew that by sharing our stories, we could empower others to do the same. One of my first tasks as ACB Radio Director was to convince Marlaina to host her own talk show. She was so humble and asked me what if nobody listened? What would we even call it? I told her I was sure everyone would listen, and the name of the show would be Marlaina. Like many of you, I miss her lots and think of her often. I also knew Paul Edwards was a natural broadcaster and must have his own show. He teamed up with Brian Charlson, and Tuesday Topics was born. You certainly kept me busy. When I was not producing audio or trying to secure sponsors, my email and phone rang 24/7. If it were not a server in California needing a reboot, it was listeners frustrated they had missed the latest episode of Main Menu, Blind Handyman or Cooking in the Dark, and would I please send it to them? I convinced our tiny team of volunteer software developers to build us a listen again on-demand service, an early form of podcasting. ACB Radio did not just stream content; it brought blind people together online, long before Zoom calls and virtual conventions became the norm. We created opportunities for storytelling, advocacy, and community that spanned continents. From broadcasting ACB conventions to global events like the World Blind Union General Assembly, we ensured that the voices of blind people could be heard. The impact did not stop there. ACB Radio became a launchpad for careers, a platform for innovation, and a catalyst for change. It inspired similar initiatives worldwide. It proved that when blind people lead, we redefine what is possible. That legacy continues today through ACB Media, and its ripple effects are felt in every corner of our community. We will never know how many blind lives this priceless service has transformed. When it was my turn to pass on the ACB Radio baton, it was to join a team working on one of the first mobile screen readers with touch support. Talks, Mobile Speak and Pocket Hal pioneered many of the concepts we now take for granted in VoiceOver on iPhone and Talkback on Android. Following the early success of ACB Radio, blind people in many nations started their own online radio stations. In 2003, the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK launched Europe's first station for the blind community, now known as RNIB Connect Radio. I worked at RNIB for 6 years as their Inclusive Design Ambassador. We partnered with companies like Canon, Netflix, and Sony to advance their accessibility efforts. My ACB Radio experience meant I was also invited to host around 150 episodes of RNIB's flagship technology show, Tech Talk. We were recognised by the UK radio industry and were awarded community station of the year in 2024. As well as interviewing many movers and shakers from the technology world, including accessibility leaders from Microsoft and Google, I had the incredible honour in March 2024 of recording a short interview with legendary singer songwriter Stevie Wonder. As we were introduced, I recalled the awe with which Marlaina had interviewed Ronnie Milsap years earlier. She had taught me that it is ok to feel that child-like excitement even during the moments that define our careers. After shaking Stevie's hand, I asked if he would be willing to share some messages about accessibility and inclusion with our blind brothers and sisters in the UK. I held my breath. He said let us do that now. I began recording. He asked about my recording equipment, and he playfully imitated my English accent. You should hear his Bob Dylan. As we were talking, we were forced to move due to being jostled by the crowd. Before I could grab my cane, Stevie took my arm in his and proceeded to walk us both forward. Hold the phone, I am now being sighted guided by Stevie Wonder? He said, “don't worry Dave, in a moment I'll Walk you into a wall.” My other lasting memory of that moment, in the interview, Stevie said, “I could not have the career I enjoy were it not for braille.” He talked about how he uses braille to write and edit his many songs. And how he has an ambition to publish his catalogue in braille for blind musicians to study. Stevie is not alone. We can all think of high-profile blind people who would link their success to an ability to read braille. Leading journalists, educators, lawyers, politicians holding high office have all relied on braille to get the job done. As for many of you, spreading braille and tactile literacy is a subject close to my heart. Every day I continue to be amazed how combinations of just six little dots fitting neatly under our fingerprints represent every letter of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation, math, music, and other symbols for accessing any subject and any language. Incidentally, six is also the number of big city marathons you must run to complete the classic Abbott World Marathon Majors series. I may have mentioned that somewhere. I will come back to running later. Braille's invention meant for the first time blind people could independently read and author our own stories, find our voices, become educated, and employed, label household items, read our own greetings cards, identify medications, the list goes on. Whether you read braille or not, we can all recognise how deeply linked braille is with the emancipation of blind people. Of the many tactile reading systems developed in the 19th century, and there were many, it is no accident that the system that prevailed was one developed by a young person who knew what we really needed because he was blind. Braille is an early example of that modern disability mantra, “nothing about us without us”. And it is blind people who today, through organisations such as the International Council on English Braille, continue to maintain our code. Blind people around the world have been celebrating two hundred years since braille's invention. I have been communicating braille's value in national broadcast and print media, meeting with hundreds of braille ambassadors at libraries across the UK. On January 4, the Braillists Foundation delivered the UK's first face-to-face World Braille Day Conference. I recognise that in the US, Braillists refers to a braille producer. But in the UK, Braillists often describes any blind person who relies on braille. We formally established the Braillists Foundation in early 2020 to promote braille and tactile literacy. The aims of the Braillists Foundation are: Promote the value of Braille as a proven literacy tool that enriches the lives of blind people. Support efforts to make affordable Braille and tactile reading technologies available to all blind people irrespective of education and employment status. Provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas about the development of future Braille technology. When social distancing forced everyone online, we began offering classes to introduce braille to beginners, supportive reading groups for practicing braille skills, drop-in sessions where readers can get braille questions answered, and masterclasses covering more advanced braille topics. The work of the Braillists Foundation, to spread braille literacy, especially during the pandemic, was recognised by your National Braille Press Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation, a UK Prime Minister's Point of Light Award, and in May this year I was honoured to accept an invitation to a Royal Garden party celebrating learning and skills at Buckingham Palace. You are invited to join the international community celebrating Braille 200 for the rest of this year. The European Blind Union Braille Working Group encourages everyone to share creative experiences celebrating braille. You can do that through their website at LivingBraille.eu. You can follow the hashtag #Braille200 on social media. There's still time to organise your own braille two hundred events. And always you can elevate the voices of braille readers by connecting with ACB's Braille Revival League. And next year, 2026, APH will open the Dot Experience in Louisville to celebrate braille's rich heritage. Braille's profoundly personal connection with written language cannot be underestimated. Braille enabled me to write my proposal of marriage on a braille scrabble board. I waited, heart pounding, while my then girlfriend rummaged in the bag to find letters to compose her answer. She wrote blank e s. Next week we will celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. I was also deeply moved, shortly after I crossed the finish line at the Tokyo Marathon this March, to discover braille featured on the finisher medal. I had run an exceptionally long way to get to that point, and reading that braille for myself, rather than having to ask a sighted person to read it to me, that really did feel like inclusion. Completing the much sought-after Abbott World Marathon Majors series was some journey. Blind since birth with Leber Congenital Amaurosis, I never saw myself as a runner. Seven years ago, I weighed over 220lb and could not run a bath. I had an idea of converting a guide runner into a pilot for my tandem bike gathering dust in my garage. I signed up for the England Athletics' “Find a Guide” database, a bit like your United in Stride. I soon met Steve and, later, Bex, my first real guide runners, who had no interest in piloting my tandem. What started as huffing and puffing to reach a mile turned into weekly runs and a community of support. I hated physical education at school: ill-fitting kit, smelly changing rooms, PE teachers. During those early attempts at something you could not describe as running, I thought about a blind lady I knew with asthma who ran marathons. I was reminded of Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Everest, also interviewed by Marlaina. Just exactly what was my excuse? I decided I was going to get fit and set an example for my son, Arlo. With lots of encouragement, especially from other blind runners sharing their stories, I dragged myself from couch to 5K. While no guide runner seeks recognition for themselves, they really are amazing people. Some blind runners told me how they wanted their guides to appear in results and officially receive a finisher medal at London Marathon. It was the advocacy skills I learned from this movement that enabled me to support that campaign by producing a package for BBC Radio. Our combined efforts changed London Marathon's policy. In my excitement about this small win for guided running, I returned home from the pub one night and went online. Alcohol and the internet are always a winning combination, you know? I found myself filling in a ballot entry form for a place in the New York City Marathon. What was I thinking? I had barely run six miles at this point, and here I was entering a lottery to run 26.2 miles. Not to mention the thousand miles you need to run in months of training. Surely, I would not get a place? I would not need to tell anyone, right? Wrong! “Dear Mr Williams” the email read. “Congratulations, you have a place in the 2019 New York City Marathon”. This had to be a joke. I checked my bank. Oh shoot. New York Road Runners had taken $270. Now I would have to tell my wife. I had nine months to train. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to show my then 10-year-old son that us blind dads could do things. Through the summer, I ran up and down hills in Worcestershire to prepare for the five massive bridges you must cross in the NYC marathon: Verrazano-Narrows, Pulaski, Queensboro, Willis Avenue, and Madison Avenue. I was doing my homework. I even joined a gym. It was a beautiful autumnal morning at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island as we lined up with 53,000 other runners to take on my first marathon. Helicopters hovered overhead and canons blasted as earlier waves set off. Nobody more surprised than me to be a part of it. Sinatra's New York, New York and Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind were on high rotation. New York would be the first of six starts that also included London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and Tokyo: six big city marathons that have come together to make the classic Abbott World Marathon Majors series. These big city marathons are 26.2-mile street parties. The atmosphere is electric. You really feel the heartbeat of a city when the crowds turn out in force. Complete strangers yell your name to encourage you on. Not only do you get to feel like a rockstar, but you run the same course on the same day as the best athletes in the world. 1st Avenue in New York City and Tower Bridge in London are exceptionally loud. The shrill piercing screams of Wellesley's students in the Boston Marathon put me in mind of Beatlemania. I need to channel that energy especially when the running gets tough, as it always does. When the course is hilly and the weather is hot, I can find myself contemplating my life choices. There have been many times when I have gulped down buckets of Gatorade and walked for a while. Ultimately, drawing on that positive energy from all those people willing me on, and the power of the marathon to bring people together, is replenishing. Some of these cities have deeply divided histories. But they come together to support the runners. Your life, your marathon, has the power to bridge division. It is that sense of hope that drives me on through the exhaustion running to the finish line every time. Shout out to Chicago, London and Tokyo who gave me a medal that featured braille. Berlin, Boston and New York City, you can do this too. But it is not over. In 2024 Abbott announced that the Majors series will be extended to include a seventh, eighth and nineth star. Next month I am heading to Sydney for my first marathon in the Southern hemisphere. If you have ever taken a risk, bitten off a little bit too much, felt like an imposter, found yourself winging it, you are among friends. I certainly feel a little bit of that every time I go out for a run or stand up to deliver talks like this one. As blind people we know we must push the boundaries and take a chance. None of us got here by always taking the easy path. While I live thousands of miles away, you and I have a shared history. Some of which is written in People of Vision, ACB's story, a copy of which I have at home. Braille is also part of our shared history. Braille is a tool of liberation. It has empowered generations of blind leaders. Yet, we know that braille literacy is not where it should be. Too many blind children and adults lack access to the tools they need to thrive. This is a call to action for all of us. If we believe in independence, in dignity, in opportunity, then we must invest in braille. We must champion its teaching, ensure its availability, and celebrate its value as the cornerstone of blind empowerment. Let us dream bigger. Today, blind people are excelling in fields once thought inaccessible—technology, arts, business, politics, sports. But there is so much more to achieve. Imagine a world where every blind child has access to quality education, where workplaces are universally inclusive, and where we lead not as exceptions but as examples. Technology is a critical piece of this puzzle. But innovation is not enough. We must advocate for systemic change. We require policies that prioritize accessibility in every industry. We must have blind leaders at the decision-making table, shaping the future of inclusion. And we need allies—sighted people who amplify our voices, speaking with us, not for us. Tonight, I challenge each of you: How will you contribute to this movement? Will you mentor a blind youth, helping them see their potential. Will you advocate for better policies in your community. Or will you share your story, inspiring someone else to embrace their blindness as a source of strength. Whatever it is, do it boldly. Do it with the knowledge that your actions ripple outward, creating change far beyond this room. At the same time, let us not forget the power of collaboration. ACB, RNIB, the Braillists Foundation—together, we are stronger. Let us share strategies, pool resources, and align our goals to create a global network of blind advocates. The challenges we face are too big for any one organisation to tackle alone. But united, there is nothing we cannot achieve. As I stand here tonight, I am reminded of a truth that has guided me throughout my journey: stories change lives. Whether it is a marathon medal, a braille book, or a conversation with a stranger, every story we share chips away at prejudice and builds a more inclusive world. Thank you, ACB, for teaching me to think differently about blindness. Thank you for showing me what is possible when we embrace our identities and lift each other up. Let us keep running—toward inclusion, toward equality, and toward a future where every blind person has the tools and opportunities to live their best life. Let us find each other at the next starting line. Thank you, and good night.

Dr. MARTIN ROSEN is an internationally renowned chiropractor, educator, and author with over four decades of experience in SOT® Chiropractic, Pediatrics, Cranial Adjusting, Chiropractic Philosophy, and Practice Management. A summa cum laude graduate of Life Chiropractic College in 1981, Dr. Rosen has dedicated his career to mastering the art and science of chiropractic and sharing his clinical expertise with practitioners and students around the world. Since 1982, Dr. Rosen has maintained a thriving family-oriented, neurologically based chiropractic practice in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Known for his authentic approach and unwavering commitment to excellence, he has earned a longstanding reputation for outstanding patient-centered care. His deep dedication to advancing chiropractic led him to begin teaching in 1979, and since then, he has educated thousands of chiropractors, healthcare professionals, and students through seminars, online courses, research publications, guest lectures, and hands-on workshops. His influence extends across the chiropractic profession through his roles as, certified SOT® Instructor, Peak Potential Institute co-founder and instructor, a former instructor with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), member of the post-graduate faculty at several chiropractic colleges, consulting member of the Committee for Chiropractic Practice, and editorial board member of the Asian-Pacific Journal of Chiropractic. An accomplished author, Dr. Rosen has written and contributed to numerous texts and publications, including Pediatric Chiropractic Care, The Pediatric SOT® Spinal and Cranial Adjusting Manuals, the Pediatric Participant Guide for SOT®, and multiple chapters on SOT® in the second and third editions of Chiropractic Pediatrics. His work has also been featured in a wide range of articles, podcasts, and published research papers. Together with his wife, Dr. NANCY WATSON, Dr. Rosen co-founded the Peak Potential Institute, offering premier educational programs and tools for chiropractors, healthcare providers, and parents. Their most recent book, 2nd Edition It's All in the Head, brings awareness to early childhood developmental challenges and empowers parents to recognize and respond to potential concerns before they become entrenched. Through books, seminars, interviews, and video-based instruction, Peak Potential Institute offers a comprehensive platform to support healthcare education and elevate pediatric care. As parents of two daughters and partners in both life and work, Drs. Rosen and Watson have combined their 80+ years of clinical, teaching, and parenting experience to deliver a unique perspective that blends science, philosophy, and heart. Their mission is to elevate chiropractic care and educate professionals and families with knowledge, insight, and practical tools for optimal health. Dr. Rosen's info: Website: https://www.drmartinrosen.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/drmartinrosen/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrMartinRosen YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MartyRosenDC Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Visit http://drlaurabrayton.com/podcasts/ for show notes and available downloads. © 2014 - 2025 Dr. Laura Brayton

Send us a text! We love hearing from listeners. If you'd like a response, please include your email. On this episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast, uncover the mystery behind Dr. Samuel Bean's cryptic monument in Wellesley, Ontario, where two of his wives, Henrietta and Susanna, rest in peace. Jennie and Dianne explore the Ordinary Extraordinary life of Samuel, a Civil War veteran and puzzle enthusiast, and the intricate cryptogram headstone that kept visitors guessing for 80 years. What secrets did Samuel hide in the stone, and what message did he want the world to know?View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xW15IiUlEUg?si=UOzm0omaHFywSlrvPurchase tickets for the 36th annual Central City Cemetery Crawl here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gilpin-historical-society-36th-annual-cemetery-crawl-tickets-1435390223799?aff=oddtdtcreatorNeed an Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast tee, hoodie, or mug? Find all our taphophile-fun much here: https://oecemetery.etsy.comResources used to research this episode include: , BirdDog1959. "Cryptic Headstone Puzzles Visitors ." https://ancestrybirddog.wordpress.com/. 12 July 2001. ancestrybirddog.wordpress.com/2021/07/12/cryptic-headstone-puzzles-visitors/. Accessed 20 July 2025., Wellesley Township Heritage & Historical Society . "https://www.wellesleyhistory.org/settlement-patterns-of-wellesley-townshiip.html." https://www.wellesleyhistory.org/. www.wellesleyhistory.org/settlement-patterns-of-wellesley-townshiip.html. Accessed 20 July 2025.Hayden, Martha. "A Grave With A Secret Code." https://www.restless-viking.com/. 30 Jan. 2024. www.restless-viking.com/2024/01/30/a-grave-with-a-secret-code/. Accessed 20 July 2025.Campbell , Tim. "Henrietta Furry Bean ." https://www.findagrave.com/. 15 May 2010. www.findagrave.com/memorial/52428366/henrietta-bean. Accessed 20 July 2025.Barwick, Susan. "Rev Samuel G “Sam” Bean ." https://www.findagrave.com/. 27 Feb. 2013. www.findagrave.com/memorial/105902136/samuel_g-bean. Accessed 20 July 2025.

In 2010, a terrifying blaze tore through the high-rise apartments at 200 Wellesley Street East in Toronto, pushing firefighters and resources to their absolute limits. Crews faced intense heat, heavy smoke, and severe challenges with stairwell access and evacuation on upper floors, making it one of the city's most complex high-rise fires. The incident exposed critical gaps in aerial operations, communications, and staging under extreme conditions, forcing a hard look at the realities of high-rise firefighting.The “Fire in the Sky” would go on to shape high-rise firefighting in Toronto forever, leading to significant changes in training, equipment, and operational guidelines. From improved stairwell pressurization and backup air systems to refined accountability and evacuation protocols, the lessons from 200 Wellesley became a turning point for the service and a reminder of the constant need to adapt, prepare, and protect both firefighters and residents in the vertical cities we serve.Connect with Brent Brooks HEREACCESS THE PODCAST LIBRARY & EVERY EPISODE, DEBRIEF & DOCUMENT CLICK HEREPODCAST GIFT - Get your FREE subscription to essential Firefighting publications HERE A big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode.GORE-TEX Professional ClothingMSA The Safety CompanyIDEXFIRE & EVACUATION SERVICE LTD HAIX Footwear - Get offical podcast discount on HAIX HEREXendurance - to hunt performance & endurance 20% off HERE with code ffp20Lyfe Linez -  Get Functional Hydration FUEL for FIREFIGHTERS, Clean no sugar  for daily hydration. 80% of people live dehydratedSend us a textSupport the show***The views expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers. Our partners are not responsible for the content of this episode and does not warrant its accuracy or completeness.*** Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew

1803. July… August… September… Three months in which the Maratha forces are defeated by Arthur Wellesley at Assaye… Hanover becomes the latest victim to Napoleon Bonaparte's forces… And there's another attempted uprising in Ireland. This is episode 47 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months in which the British and their sepoys take another step towards Empire on the Indian subcontinent.[07:08] - Headline developments[20:17] - Michael Rowe on the French invasion of Hanover[39:45] - Ravindra Rathee on the end of the Second Anglo-Maratha War[1:01:00] - Ciaran McDonnell on Emmet's uprising

Today Ashley Rudolph is an executive coach working with high-achieving and executives who are at a “crossroad” as they look GREAT on paper, but tend to exhibit fears and have other problems that effect their confidence and performance. Ashley was not always a coach and, in fact, did not view herself as a coach during most of her career. She grew up in the Bronx in New York City. She attributes her high confidence level to the high bar her parents set for her as well as to the environment where she grew up.   After high school Ashley enrolled in Babson College where she quickly had to learn much about business and working as a team. She will tell us that story. After graduation she secured a job, but was layed off and then went back to Babson to secure her Master's degree.   Ashley began working and quickly rose through the corporate ranks of tech companies. She tells us how, while not really tech savy at first, she pushed herself to learn what she needed to know to work as part of a team and then eventually to lead high tech teams.   In 2023 her high tech employment world took a change which she will describe. Bottom line is that she was laid off from her vice presidential position and after pondering what to do she realized that she had actually been coaching her employees for some time and so she began hirering herself out as an executive coach. We will get the benefit of receiving a number of her insights on leadership, confidence building and how to become better mentally with anything life throughs at us. What Ashley says during our episode time makes a great deal of sense and I believe you will gain a lot from what she has to say. You can reach out to Ashley through the contact information in the show notes for this Unstoppable Mindset episode.     About the Guest:   Ashley Rudolph is an executive coach for high-achieving leaders and executives at a crossroads—those who have built success on paper but are ready to step into something greater. Her work is grounded in a bold belief: true transformation isn't about doing more—it's about leading differently.   A former tech executive, she scaled from IC to VP in just five years, leading $75M+ deals and teams of 250+ at high-growth companies. She knows what it takes to succeed in high-stakes environments—not just in execution, but in the deeper, often invisible work of leadership: making bold decisions, navigating uncertainty, and owning your impact.   Her signature methodology, The Three Dimensions of Transformation, helps leaders unlock their full potential by focusing on: mindset, strategy, and elite execution.   Whether guiding clients through reinvention, leadership evolution, or high-stakes career moves, Ashley helps them break free from outdated success metrics and create momentum that lasts. Her insights have been featured in Inc., U.S. News & World Report, The New York Post, Success Magazine, Apartment Therapy, and more. She also writes The Operator's Edge, a newsletter on the unseen shifts that drive real momentum in leadership and career growth. Because true leadership isn't about following a path. It's about defining your own. Ways to connect with Ashley:   My website which has details about me, my programs, and insights about high achievers in the workplace: www.workwithashleyr.com    My newsletter which gets published every single Monday morning with my expert advice for high achievers on how to succeed in the workplace. newsletter.workwithashleyr.com    My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrudolph/   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 ** 01:20 Well, hello, everyone, wherever you happen to be today, I am Michael Hingson, and you are listening to or watching or both, unstoppable mindset today, our guest is Ashley Rudolph, who is a coach, and I like something Ashley put in her bio that I thought was really interesting, and that is that Ashley's work is grounded in the belief that true transportation is not really about doing more, but rather it's doing things differently. And I want, I'm going to want to learn about that. I think that's fascinating, and I also think it is correct, but we will, we will definitely get to that and talk about that. Ashley approached me a little while ago and said, I'd like to explore coming on your content, your podcast. And I said, Well, sure, except I told her the same thing that I tell everyone who comes on the podcast, there is one hard and fast rule you got to follow, and that is, you got to have fun, or you can't come on the podcast, so you got to have fun. Ashley, just   Ashley Rudolph ** 02:26 reminding you, I'm ready. I am ready. I'm coming into the podcast today with all of my best jokes, all of my best tricks. Oh, good.   Speaker 1 ** 02:35 Well, we want to hear them all. Well, thank you for being here, and it's a pleasure to have you on unstoppable mindset.   Ashley Rudolph ** 02:42 Yes, thank you so much for having me. I was just really taken by your entire background story, and I took a risk and sent you a message. So thank you so much for having me on the podcast.   Speaker 1 ** 02:55 Well, I have always been of the opinion that everyone has stories to tell, and a lot of people just don't believe they do, but that's because they don't think about it. And so what I tell people who say that to me when we talk about them coming on the podcast, my job is to help bring out the stories. Now, you didn't say that, and I'm not surprised, but still, a lot of people say that. And the reality is, I believe everyone is more unstoppable than they think they are, and that they undersell themselves, they underrate what they are and what they can do,   Ashley Rudolph ** 03:28 yeah, and honestly, I 100% agree with you, and that's why, and maybe I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but you triggered a thought. That's why I spend every single one of my first coaching meetings with a client, having them talk me through either their professional history or their wins from the past year. And in those conversations, my feedback is also is always Hey, you're not giving yourself enough credit for the things that you're doing. Like, these are amazing stories, or like, repeating things back to them a little bit differently than they would have phrased it, but that's 100% accurate. We don't sell ourselves enough,   Speaker 1 ** 04:08 even to ourselves. We don't sell ourselves enough, especially to ourselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, tell me a little about kind of the early Ashley growing up and all that, and you know where you came from, and all that sort of stuff,   Ashley Rudolph ** 04:23 yeah. So I grew up in New York. I'm from the Bronx. Oh and yeah, yeah. So, so is my   Michael Hingson ** 04:30 mom   Ashley Rudolph ** 04:31 Aqua? Oh my gosh, I had no idea. So I grew up in the Bronx and grew up with my mom. My dad was around too, and, oh, it's interesting, and I'm sure this will make sense, but I grew up going to Catholic schools from first grade to senior year of high school, and something about me, it was like I was always a very self assured. Determined person, and that carried through all the way through my adulthood. And maybe that comes from me being a New Yorker. Maybe that comes from my mom being a an immigrant. She's from the Caribbean. She's from the Bahamas, and she had a very high bar for what success looked like I don't know where it comes from, but yeah, yeah. So that's a little bit about me growing up and kind of who I was   Speaker 1 ** 05:28 as a kid. So now, where are you living? Now?   Ashley Rudolph ** 05:32 I am in New York again, so I moved back to New York in 2020,   Speaker 1 ** 05:38 okay, wow, just in time for the pandemic. Lucky you?   Ashley Rudolph ** 05:43 Yeah, I actually moved back to New York on election day in 2020 so I missed the early pandemic. But yeah, yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 05:53 I was in New York speaking on March 5, and that night, I got back to the hotel, and my flight was supposed to go out at like, 415 in the afternoon, yeah. And I said, when I started hearing that they were talking about closing down the city, I think I better leave earlier. So I was on a 730 flight out the next day. Oh my gosh,   Ashley Rudolph ** 06:18 wow. So you just made it out and that yeah, and at the time, I was living in Boston, and I actually was went on a vacation with a friend, and we flew back the day before they shut down the airports in Boston. So   Speaker 1 ** 06:36 that was lucky. Yeah, did you live in Boston itself or a suburb?   Ashley Rudolph ** 06:42 Yeah, I lived in Boston for two years, I think, yeah, I lived in the city, yeah. I   Speaker 1 ** 06:50 lived in Winthrop for three years, and commuted across Boston to Cambridge every day,   Ashley Rudolph ** 06:55 yeah, oh, my god, yeah. So I worked in Cambridge and I lived in the West End, right above TD Garden.   Speaker 1 ** 07:03 Oh, okay, yeah, I hear that Durgan Park closed in, in near Faneuil Hall.   Ashley Rudolph ** 07:13 Oh, yeah, well, I have to admit, I didn't go there that much. Was living in Boston.   Speaker 1 ** 07:19 It was a fun place. It was a family style thing, and they had tables for four around the outer edges inside the restaurant. But you couldn't sit at one of those unless you had four people. And the serving staff was trained to be a little bit on the snotty side. And I went in fun. Oh, wait. Oh, absolutely. They made it fun. But I went in and the hostess, there were three of us, and my guide dog at the time, Holland, who was a wonderful, cute golden retriever, and she said, Oh, we're going to put you at one of the tables for four. And I said, Well, okay, we appreciate that. And Holland was under the table. This waitress comes up and she says, you're not supposed to be sitting here. This is a table for four, and there are only three of you. And I said, but they told us we could. No Nobody told you you could sit here. You got to go back over to the big tables. And I said, Look, we have a guide dog under the table, and he's really happy. And they told us we could be here because of the dog. And she's, I don't believe that at all. I'm, I'm gonna go check. I don't believe you. She goes away and she comes back a little bit later. No, you're not supposed to sit here. And I said, Look, lift up the tablecloth and look under the table. I'm not going to fall for that. Just do it. She finally did. And there's Holland staring out with these big brown eyes. And she just melted. She goes away and comes back. And one of the things about Durgan Park is they have big plates of prime rib. And she brought this plate of prime ribs somebody hadn't eaten at all, and she said, can I give this to the dog? And so, you know, normally, I would say no, but we were trying to make peace in our time, so I said, Oh, sure. And she and Holland had a great time. So it was fun.   Ashley Rudolph ** 08:59 Oh, and Holland got prime rib. Holland   Speaker 1 ** 09:03 got prime rib. What a treat. And so did and so did the rest of us, but, but we had to pay for ours. But I missed Durgin Park. It was a fun place to go, but I understand that it is closed, and I don't know whether it's oh, well, oh, that's unfortunate, but Quincy market's a wonderful place to go. It's not a lot of interesting things. So you, so you went through high school. So you went through high school in New York, went in in the Bronx tough neighborhood, and then what did you do? So   Ashley Rudolph ** 09:34 I then went to college. So I went to Babson College, which is, well, it's in Massachusetts, it's in Wellesley, and it's actually right next door to Wellesley College. Yeah, yeah. So I went there and I studied business, and that was basically where I learned how to be successful in the workplace, which is kind. Funny, because I found that over the years, a lot of people will say, you know, I went to college, but by the end of it, maybe I didn't know what my transferable skills were, or I studied something that isn't related to what I was doing or what I did as a professional, and I always felt the opposite, like in freshman year at Babson, they gave us $3,000 to, like, start a company as a as a students. So all of us just had to start this company. We had our business ideas. There was a CEO, a CMO, a CFO. We had like rules assigned. And that was my first experience of what a workplace could be like, although it was with 18 year olds, so maybe not totally reflective, but we had performance reviews, we had a head of HR, we had like, company meetings, so we were doing things within a framework, and they all kind of translated into the workplace, different players. So Babson basically kind of turned me into the business person that I am   Speaker 1 ** 11:09 today. Now, did each person get $3,000 and they started their own company?   Ashley Rudolph ** 11:14 Oh, no. So there were, there were maybe 30 of us, and we started a company with that with $3,000 Okay? Exactly with that investment, it was managed quite tightly. There's not a lot that you can do with $3,000 right? So you can probably guess that a lot of the businesses turned out to be the same. So there was always a T Shirt Company or a company the when the LIVESTRONG wristbands were popular, then we were like, oh, let's customize these wristbands. So yeah, yeah. The the company ideas basically ended up being the same, because there's not that much that you could do with that, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 11:56 yeah, yeah. So much you can do unless you start making a bunch of money,   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:00 yeah, yeah, yeah. And in today's landscape, I guess there's more that you can do with digital products and stuff like that. But yeah, yeah, we, we had to do physical so we were pretty limited, yeah, well, that's   Speaker 1 ** 12:13 okay, but still, if the company is successful, and was it successful? Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:19 we, did turn a profit, and then for all of the businesses that did turn a profit, you had to donate the profits to a local charity. So we did. We donated ours to a local organization. We threw an event in partnership with the organization. It was just, it was nice. So, yeah, oh,   Speaker 1 ** 12:43 cool. So, how, how long did the company last? Essentially, was it all four years?   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:50 It was the first   Speaker 2 ** 12:52 year, just the first year, okay, yeah, okay, yeah, that's still, that's pretty cool.   Ashley Rudolph ** 12:58 Yeah, it is. I have to say that I learned a lot,   Speaker 1 ** 13:02 yeah, well, you're you're kind of forced to or you don't succeed. So I was going to ask you why you felt that you learned how to be successful. But now it's pretty clear, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Ashley Rudolph ** 13:13 So we started there in freshman year, and then sophomore, junior and senior year was kind of more of a deep dive on specific skills. So that you take our accounting classes, finance marketing, if you were into retail, there was like a retail management class at the core classes. So we had, you know, liberal arts courses, so art history, yeah, philosophy, things like that. But yeah, everything was mostly centered around business and cool, yeah, yeah. Well, that's   Speaker 1 ** 13:47 pretty exciting. Did you did you go do any graduate work anywhere?   Ashley Rudolph ** 13:52 It's funny, yes, I did. So I graduated from Babson, and my first job was in a creative agency, and I was doing media buying, and at the time it was 2008 and we were buying ads in school newspapers, which was dying like it was pretty much On on its last leg, and I just had this thought when I was doing it, and that I wasn't inspired by the work, because it wasn't growing, it was going away. And it was clear, yeah, and that. And actually my first job, I got laid off because it was a dying industry, and the team needed to be smaller, and at that point, it's my first job. So it was very devastating to me. I had never gone through anything like that before. So then I decided to go back to school. So I did my masters. I actually. Went back to Babson, but in an international program. So I spent my first semester in France, my second semester in China, and then my final semester at Babson. Ah,   Speaker 1 ** 15:13 so why was the newspaper industry going away? Just because everything was going online?   Ashley Rudolph ** 15:18 Exactly, yeah, things were shifting more digital. Yeah, it's exactly   Speaker 1 ** 15:23 that, so they didn't need as many people selling and doing other things as they did before. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 15:28 yeah, exactly. Or companies were figuring out different ways to reach college students that wasn't dependent on getting in the school newspaper.   15:39 Yeah? Yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 15:42 yeah. So you got your master's degree from Babson, and then what did you   Ashley Rudolph ** 15:47 do? I got my master's degree from Babson, and I'll fast forward a little bit, because what's funny is that after I graduated, I still didn't quite know what I wanted to do, but I figured it out. I ended up going back into marketing. But if you remember, what I described was, in that first job, I wasn't connected to the mission. I wasn't inspired by where the industry was going. So I ended up pivoting into nonprofits. And my first job after graduating from my masters was running digital media, so not physical media, so I shifted into social media and online marketing. Had a nonprofit, right? So I was connected to the mission. I felt like the work that I was doing was for a good cause, and it was an industry that was new and that was growing, and that was ever changing and exciting. So I did that for about three years, so first at a nonprofit, and then at an a charter school network that was in New York and New Jersey at the time, but has since expanded far beyond that. So, yeah, I went into mission driven work, and I went into digital marketing and digital media. And I think what I took away from that chapter of my career was that I want to be in an industry that is ever evolving. So, yeah, so after my experience in the nonprofit and education space, that's when I jumped into tech. So I jumped into tech after that, and spent a decade in the tech industry. And obviously, tech is ever changing. I had access to so many different opportunities. I grew really fast. I started at the first company, the first tech company that I worked for. I was a program manager, and five years later I was a vice president, right? So, like, I was able to seize opportunities and work really hard and get to the level that I wanted to get to I was very ambitious, so I think tech just kind of gave me everything I wanted. Career wise, how   Speaker 1 ** 18:09 did you progress so fast to go from being a program manager to the level of Vice President in what generally would be defined as a pretty short time? Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 18:20 yeah, yeah. So some of it was hard work, and I think the other factor was luck, and the other factor was going after whatever it was that was in front of me. So taking risks. So I would say, with the hard work part, I worked a lot. See when I first, when I started that job, I was actually a Program Manager for Back End Web Development, which was Ruby on Rails, coding a coding language. And then I was also a program manager for data science. I had no experience in either I was not technical. I did not have the technical skills or technical aptitude to do this, but I did have the desire to learn. So my first month at that job, I worked seven days a week. I went to workshops on the weekend. I did coding workshops, I read through all of the documentation. I sat in all of the programs that I was managing. I just dug deep. And I think that first year of immersing myself in everything kind of set the foundation for me.   Speaker 1 ** 19:38 So you made yourself pretty technical by the time it was all said and done,   Ashley Rudolph ** 19:42 yeah, yes, yes, and not on the level of any of my instructors or the students that actually took the programs. But I cared about learning, and I cared about having a certain level of fluency in order to I had to hire instructors for the program so I couldn't fumble my. Words, right? So, yeah, yeah. So I taught myself, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 20:05 you learned. You learned enough. You You weren't trying to be the most technical person, but you learned enough to be able to interact with people and hold your own. Yeah, which, which is the important thing, I think. And for me, I know at one point, I had a job that was phased out when Xerox bought the company and I couldn't find another job. And it wasn't because of a lack of trying, and it wasn't because I didn't have the skills, but rather, as societal norms typically go, the belief is blind people can't work, as opposed to what we really can and can't do. So I eventually started my own company selling computer aided design systems, and for me, as a blind person, of course, I'm not going to sit in front of a CAD computer or even a PC based CAD system, which is what we sold. So I had to learn, however, all about how to operate the system. Learn about PCs. So I learned how to how to build PCs. I learned about CAD so I could actually walk someone through the process of drawing without actually having to do it, so I understand what, exactly what you're saying. Yeah, and it was important to do that. Yeah. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 21:21 it was important, and no one told me to do that, right? And I'm sure that no one told you to do that too, but there was just something in me that knew that I was excited about this work, or I wanted opportunities, and this was the best way that I knew how to go after it. Yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 21:43 Well, and, and it is the way you still have you do have to learn enough to be able to hold your own, but I Yeah, but I think it's also important in learning that that you're also not trying to threaten anyone else. You're just trying to be able to communicate with them   Ashley Rudolph ** 22:00 exactly, exactly, yes,   Speaker 1 ** 22:05 yeah. All too often, people view others as threats when they really shouldn't. But you know,   Speaker 2 ** 22:12 that's Yeah, another story gonna do Yeah, right, right.   Speaker 1 ** 22:16 Well, so for within five years, you became a vice president. What was the tech that y'all were really developing?   Ashley Rudolph ** 22:22 Yeah, great question. So what's interesting about this is that it wasn't so the first company I worked for wasn't a tech company, and that they were building tech it's actually a coding boot camp. So they were teaching people either how to code or how to become a UX designer, or how to become a product manager. So that was the product after a while. And I think long after I left the company, they did develop their own tech. So they developed an online an LMS learning management system, and there was digital content. But when I started, it was really about the boot camp era and teaching people how to code, because there were all these engineering jobs and web development jobs that were available and not enough, not enough talent, not   Speaker 2 ** 23:13 enough talent to go around. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Ashley Rudolph ** 23:17 Which is when you think about today's market and where we're, where we are, that was only 10 years ago, and it's a completely different story. Now, the market is flooded with too many web developers. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 23:29 it is, but I would say, from my standpoint of seeing what they produce in terms of making web content accessible, not nearly enough of them know how to do that, which is another story,   Ashley Rudolph ** 23:41 yeah, yeah, yeah, which is so interesting. And yeah, unacceptable, unfortunate, because there were always teams that were in charge of accessibility at the companies that I worked for, but then having someone be in charge of it, and then properly resourcing the accessibility team is a whole other story. And I think so many companies view it as just oh yeah, I checked the box. My website is accessible. But did you really build with your end users in mind, and the answer is probably no,   Speaker 1 ** 24:23 probably not, yeah, and all too often that ended up being the case. Well, so what did you do after you became vice president?   Ashley Rudolph ** 24:32 Yeah, so that was tough. You said it, and you said, I climbed really fast. And that's true, I did, and because I climbed fast, there were a lot of lessons to learn. So after I became vice president, I really had to own that leadership seat, or that executive leadership seat, and recognize that what had got me there. Here is was not what was going to keep me there. So the thing that I did after I became a vice president was really understanding how to be an effective executive. So that means really understanding the business side, which I already knew I had been doing that I've been thinking about that since college, so that wasn't something that I was concerned about, but the biggest thing was forming executive level relationships and really understanding how to form allies, and understanding that at that level, it's less of I have the right answer, and listen to me, because I'm a vice president and more of a okay. How am I influencing the people around me to listen to my idea, accept my idea, champion and support my idea. And it's not enough to just have something that's right on paper.   Speaker 1 ** 26:06 The others the other side of that, of course, could be that maybe you have an idea that may or may not be the right idea, which also means you need to learn to listen,   Ashley Rudolph ** 26:13 yes, exactly, exactly, and that was absolutely the other side of it. So me coming into things and being like, I understand what needs to happen, and not having all the context either way, right? So, yeah, yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 26:31 but you must have done pretty well at doing all that.   Ashley Rudolph ** 26:34 I figured it out eventually. Yes, I did figure it out eventually, and it wasn't easy, but I was able to grow a team and scale a team, and I was able to move from maybe the business side of running operations to the product and technology side of it, so being able to see two different sides of the coin. And yeah, it did. It did work. Well, I was able to create my own department, which was a product project management office that oversaw all of the work of the entire product and design and technology teams, 250 people. I I'm not sure that I would have thought I was capable of doing something like that, and building something from the ground up, and hiring a team of, I think, 15 people, and leading that department. And, yeah, yeah, and it was great. I did learn a lot. And then 2023 happened. And that was the major turning point in Tech where I think the dominant story shifted from, or at least in education technology, which I think you know something a lot about, but the dominant story shifted from this is great. This is growing. Distance Learning is fueling growth. There's so much opportunity here to it's too big. We need to, you know, do layoffs. We need to find a way to right size the business. There's actually not a lot of growth happening. So 2023 happened, and I ended up getting laid off with my entire department that I built. And that was such a huge lesson, a huge leadership lesson for me, for sure. So I'll pause so that I'm not not talking at you, but hanger, yeah, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 28:46 well, so you got laid off. I've been there. I've had that happen. And, yeah, it isn't fun, but it's like anything else. You may not have been able to control it happening, but no, you are the one who has to deal with it. So you may not have control over it happening, but you always have control over how you deal with what happened.   Ashley Rudolph ** 29:09 Yes, yes,   29:11 yes. And what did you do?   Ashley Rudolph ** 29:14 And that's exactly what was so different about this time. So I will say I had two months notice. I had an amazing leader, such a technology officer. When the decision was made, he said, Okay, we can make this decision, but I have to tell Ashley immediately. So he told me, and it wasn't surprising, right? Because I saw how the business what direction the business was going in. So I can't say I was shocked, but the big question that I had was, Oh, my God, what am I going to do about my team? And I felt such immense responsibility because I had hired many of them I came to. Care about them and their careers and their livelihoods, and, yeah, I just felt responsible for it. So you said it, you said it beautifully, and that it was about what I decided to do. So from that moment, I shifted my focus, maybe, maybe to my own detriment, but whatever, I came out on the upside, but I shifted my focus to my team, and I thought the best thing that I could do in that moment was preparing them for their next chapters without going directly to the team and damaging the trust of the Chief Technology Officer and saying, in two months, we're all going to get laid off. That's also not reflective of the type of leader I wanted to be. So I figured out that, because we were a project management office and because there wasn't a lot of new work at the company, we had downtime. So I implemented a meeting on the calendar, which was a project review, and every single week, someone on my team had the opportunity to present their projects and talk about what they learned, what was challenging for them, and what their successes were, right, some combination of those things, and they all did it, and that was my way of helping to start prepare them for the interview process, because now you know your work, you know what your impact was, and you've gotten my feedback as someone who's a leader, who knows what hiring managers are looking for, you got my feedback on the best ways to present yourself, and they were able to ask questions. There were some people who approached me or the director on my team privately and asked us to review their resumes, because they kind of saw the writings on the wall without me ever having to say it, and I did. And what ended up happening is, at that two month mark, or whenever, when the layoffs did happen, no one on my team was shocked, and there were people who actually within a month after the layoff happened, they had found new jobs because they had that time to prepare and felt confident in their job search and the stories that they were telling about themselves. So I all that to say that I did exactly that. I chose the type of leader that I wanted to be, and the thing that felt important to me was preparing my team for their next chapter,   Michael Hingson ** 32:32 which I would say is the right thing to do,   Ashley Rudolph ** 32:34 yeah, yes, exactly, because it   Speaker 1 ** 32:37 isn't, no matter what a lot of people might think, it isn't about you, it's about the team. It's about you and the rest of the team, because you're all a team,   Ashley Rudolph ** 32:45 yeah? Except Yes, yes. And I very much viewed my team as an extension of myself, an extension of them. I you know, it wasn't just about them doing a job for me, quote, unquote, like that's not the type of leader that I am. We are a team,   Speaker 1 ** 33:04 right? So meanwhile, while you were doing that and helping the team, what were you also doing for you? And   Ashley Rudolph ** 33:12 that's why I said to my detriment, I didn't do a lot of thought. I put no thought into what I wanted to do. Okay? At all. I just And you know what? It's not to my detriment. I think what I needed at that time was a distraction, and this was a really good distraction for me, from sorting through what I wanted to do next, but also in navigating that with my team and supporting them through that, I think the answer became very clear once I was ready to ask my question, I just coached my team. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 33:51 And so you sort of, as you would say, pivoted to being a coach,   Ashley Rudolph ** 33:57 yes, yes. And I want to be clear that this wasn't a decision that was like, you know, that I just fell into coaching, you know, I I made the decision to so I took some time to think about what were the pieces of my work that I really loved when I was a VP at multi, you know, at multiple companies, and the answer was clear, and that I really loved coaching and helping people become better at their work, and I really loved mentorship. And those were the parts of the work that if I could just do that all day, that's what I would want to do. And I was like, Well, I have the I can make a decision to do that all day, every day now, because I'm not doing anything, I just got laid off. So I can choose to do this work. So that's exactly how I ended up being a coach.   Speaker 1 ** 34:58 Well, so you. Ever originally planned on being a coach. So was it that work with your team that really was the sort of pivotal decision for you, that although you never thought you were going to be a coach, that led you to coaching, or was there something else that really helped move you there? There was something else. Okay, yeah, more to the story.   Ashley Rudolph ** 35:21 There is always you're peeling all the layers so, so initially, what I thought I would do, because I was an operations person, I was like, I'll just be an operations consultant. I'll go out on my own, and people will hire me to be their ops person. So let me, you know, run with that as an idea. And I started having conversations with former colleagues. And what was funny in that so many of their conversations were kind of like, oh yeah, I want to support you. And that sounds nice. I understand why you would want to be an operations consultant. But there's something more interesting about you being a coach. Or I want to hire you to be a coach for my team. Or, Hey, you did really amazing things in your career. You should help other people do those things. And that was the theme that people kept telling me, so I finally decided, decided to listen. That's how I landed on coaching. And instead of it being like, oh my god, I'm trying to sell the value of myself as an operations consultant, once I just owned the coach title, people just started saying, okay, yep, Sign me up. Or I'll refer you to someone who needs a coach right now. Or, hey, you coach just one person on my team, and they're great. Here's more. So it just became easy, and it became less of a I'm trying to sell people, and I'm trying to, like, convince them that they need me in this role, it was just easy.   Speaker 1 ** 37:04 So do you think you talked about being ambitious when you were in college and starting that business at Babson and so on? Do you think you've always continued to try to be, if you will, ambitious, or did you sort of shift in terms of mindsets over time?   Ashley Rudolph ** 37:22 Yeah, that's a really good question. I do think I have always been ambitious, and when I visited my mom last year or the year before last for Thanksgiving, I found a fake report card that I wrote myself, that I wrote for myself in fourth grade. And there was a prompt that said, what would you want your teacher to write on your report card at the end of this year? And I wrote, Ashley is excelling at excellence. Well, there you go, fourth grade. So I think it's always been there.   Speaker 1 ** 38:02 So is it, but is it ambition? Is it ambition, or is it being industrious and being being confident? You know?   Ashley Rudolph ** 38:10 Yeah, yeah. Oh, that is such a good question, right? So there was a version of me when I was in the corporate world where I would have just said, yeah, it's ambition, right? Because I'm always motivated to, you know, go after the next level, and that's what's driving me. And now, now that you put that question out there, it is, it is that confidence, because I'm not chasing a thing or the next level right now, in this phase, I'm chasing quote, unquote impact like the thing that drives me is helping people, helping people probably achieve things for themselves that They also didn't think that they could in their careers, and I'm just helping them get there, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 39:06 and that's why I asked the question, because ambition, the way you normally would think of it, yeah, can be construed as being negative, but clearly what you're doing is is different than that. Yeah, you know, at this at the same time for you, now that you're coaching and so on, and you shifted to doing something different, yeah, did you have to let something go to allow you to be open to deciding to be a coach? Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 39:38 and the thing that I had to let go was exactly what you just pointed out. So you are very intuitive. The thing I had to let go was that the traditional construct of what success looks like. So it looks like, okay, I'm a VP, so I next need to be an SVP. And then after that I need to be at the sea level. And no, and I guess there could have always been questions about, was that what I really wanted, or was it just the next level that I was after? Yeah, yeah. And there was that, I think it was just the next level for quite some time, but now, like I said, the thing that I let go of was that and wanting to grasp for what the next level is. And now for me, it looks like, okay, well, I only have so many hours in the day, so I can't coach unlimited people, but I still want to impact many people. So what does that mean? Okay, well, I'm writing a newsletter, and I put out a newsletter every week with my thoughts, and that can reach many more people than I can one to one or podcast. I'm talking to you on this podcast, and maybe me sharing more of my story will inspire someone else, or I'll learn from you and your community, Michael, but yeah, I think the thing, the thing that determines what success looks like for me is my ability to impact   Speaker 1 ** 41:14 and and the result of that is what happens with the people that you're working with, and so you, you do get feedback because of that,   Ashley Rudolph ** 41:25 yes, yes, I do get, I get lots of feedback, and it is, it's transformational feedback. And I think one of the things that I love, and I do this for every client that I work with, is on day one, we established a baseline, which I don't necessarily have to always say that to them like we're establishing the baseline, it's understood. And then in our last session, I put a presentation together, and I talked to them about where they were when we started, and what they wanted for themselves, and over the course of us coaching together, what they were able to accomplish, so what their wins were, and then where they land, and just me taking them on that journey every single or when they work with me, is eye opening, because they don't even see the change as it's happening. And I'm like, Hey, you did this. You're not that person that you walked into this room as on day one, and maybe by the end, you have a new job, or you got promoted, or you feel more confident and assured in your role. But whatever it is, you've changed, and you should be proud of yourself for that.   Speaker 1 ** 42:43 Yeah, yeah. And it's, I am sure, pretty cool when you get to point that out to people and they realize it, they realize how far they've come.   Ashley Rudolph ** 42:55 Yeah, yeah, it is. It's, it's really awesome to be able to share that with people and to also be on the journey with them, and when they think that maybe they're not ready to do something just gently reminding them that they are. And sometimes I think about what, you know, what managers have done for me, because I've, I had the privilege of working with really great managers some in my career, and yeah, they did that to me, and that that's how I was able to accomplish the things that I did. So yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 43:34 well, it's great that you're able to carry those lessons forward and help other people. That's pretty cool.   Ashley Rudolph ** 43:38 Yeah, yeah. And honestly, I hope that my clients can do the same. So if there are things that they learn in coaching, any frameworks or things like that, if they're able to help people, then that's great. And the cycle continues, you know? So, yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 43:57 You know, a question that comes to mind is that when we talk about leadership, there are certainly times that leaders face uncertainty, especially when there are transitions going on and you've experienced a lot of transitions. What would you say is the unconventional truth about leadership in times of change and transition?   Ashley Rudolph ** 44:20 Yeah, yeah. So I think the thing that I see the most is that in times of transition, especially if it's a transition that maybe you have no control over, right? You're not choosing to leave your job, for example, the the inclination is to over control, right, and try to assert control over the situation in any way that you can, and in more cases than not, that backfires to some degree. So the thing that I try to focus on with my clients is getting to a point where you accept the fact that what is happening is happening. I'm kind of like my layoff, right? I didn't fight the decision or try to change the decision. I just had to accept it for what it was. And then the thing that we focus on is now that we know the thing is happening, whatever the transition or change is, it doesn't have to be as extreme as a layoff, but now that we know that it's happening, what can you control and what can you focus on? And that's what we need to spend our time on. And it can be anything, you know, sometimes people are put on performance improvement plan, and you kind of just if, if this is a situation where you're like, Oh yeah, I could see where this came from, and I wish that I was not in this situation. Okay, well, you kind of have to accept that you are, and what can you do about it now, it's really, yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 45:58 what's the hardest lesson you've learned about leadership and being a leader, not just being an executive, but coaching people.   Ashley Rudolph ** 46:10 Yeah, and I get this all the time as a coach too. It's it's in me, but the lesson that I've learned is I don't have to know everything. That's   Michael Hingson ** 46:21 a hard lesson. To learn, isn't   Ashley Rudolph ** 46:25 it? It is, especially when you feel like as a leader, like people are relying on you, or you think they are, they're relying on you to know the answers or to know what to do next, or as a coach, they're relying on you to ask the right questions or to guide them in the right direction, right? And sometimes you just don't know, and that's okay, and it's also okay to say that. And I was just going to say that, yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. It took me a long time to get comfortable with that, but now, now I am more comfortable with it, for sure. Do you feel like you struggled with that too? Or Yeah?   Speaker 1 ** 47:06 Well, I have, but I was blessed early on, when I was a student teacher in getting my secondary teaching credential, I was a student teacher in an algebra one class in high school, and one of the students came in one day, and he asked a question in the course of the day, and it should have been a question I knew the answer to, but I didn't. But when I when I realized I didn't, I also, and I guess this is my makeup, thought to myself, but I can't blow smoke about it, so I just said, you know, I don't know the answer, but I'm going to look it up and I will bring you the answer tomorrow. Is that okay? And he said, Yeah. And my master teacher after class cornered me, and he said, That was absolutely the best thing you could do, because if you try to psych out these kids and fake them out, they're going to see through you, and you're never going to get their trust. Yeah, and of course, he was absolutely right. So I did the right thing, but I also learned the value of doing the right thing. And Mr. Redman, my master teacher, certainly put it in perspective. And I think that's so important. We don't have to necessarily have all the right answers. And even if we do have the right answer, the question is, Is it our job to just say the right answer or try to guide people to get to the right answer?   Ashley Rudolph ** 48:41 Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's another leadership lesson, right? It's and it's so much more powerful when people do get to the answers themselves, yeah. And I think that kind of helps with them being less dependent on coming to you for the answers moving forward, right? If they're able to go on that path of discovery   Speaker 1 ** 49:04 well, and if they are able to do that and you encouraged it, they're going to sense it, and when they get the right answer, they're going to be as high as a kite, and they're going to come and tell you that they did it. So, yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 49:15 exactly. Yeah, yeah. What a good feeling.   Speaker 1 ** 49:19 Yeah, it is, what do you do? Or what are your thoughts about somebody who just comes to you and says, I'm stuck?   Ashley Rudolph ** 49:27 Ooh, that happens all the time. Michael, it happens all the time. And I'll tell you, there's two things. So if someone says I'm stuck, they either don't have the confidence to pursue the thing that they know they want to do, but they're just saying they're stuck, which is it is being stuck, right? If you can't take action, then you're stuck. But sometimes they frame that as I don't know where what I want to do or where I want to go, and then I ask. Couple of questions, and it's like, oh, well, you actually do know what you want to do and where you want to go. You just don't have the confidence yet to pursue that path. So part of the time, it's a confidence issue, or the other time, the thing that they're grappling with, or the other cases, what they're grappling with is, I haven't connected with like my values or the things that motivate me or my strengths even right? So maybe they're the ambitious person who was compelled to just chase the next level and the next level and the next level, but now they're asking, Is this really important to me, or do I really want this? As I spoke to another coach, and she ended up leaving what she thought was a dream job at Google, because every day she was kind of like, I still want to be here, and it wasn't her dream job, and she left to become a coach. So it's either one of those two things, most times, for the clients that I work with, and I ask a lot of questions, so I get to the answers, or I help them get to the answers by asking them the right questions. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 51:14 and that's the issue. And sometimes you may not know the right question right off the bat, but by the same token, you can search for it by asking other questions.   Ashley Rudolph ** 51:23 Exactly, exactly, exactly, yeah, yeah, that's it.   Speaker 1 ** 51:27 So what is, what is a transformation of a client that you experienced and kind of what really shifted, that changed everything to them, something that just really gave you chills, and was an AHA kind of thing. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 51:44 there are. There's so many one, okay, so one that I want to share is and basically the client went from, this isn't the job for me. I don't like the role I'm in. I don't think I can be successful, and I don't think my work is valued here. And I would say, over the course of eight months, she went from that to getting one of few perfect performance reviews in the company like it's a company that doesn't give a perfect performance review, right? So, right, going from that and being like, I need to find a new job. I've got to get out to I am excelling at this job, and it wasn't just anyone that gave her the perfect performance review. It was one of the co founders of the company. So like, top person is saying, Yeah, this is great. You're doing amazing work. There is value, and I think you're incredible. So in that transformation, the thing that she had to connect to, or reconnect to, was her values and understanding what are the things that she enjoys about her work and what are the things that she really didn't enjoy, and understanding the why behind that, and then the other two things for her, or developing her confidence, which sounds very fluffy, because it's like, How do you help someone do that? And I help people do that by helping them feel really good about their work product. So with her, with her, what we ended up doing was focusing on helping her prepare for some presentations. Me giving her feedback on her decks, or her talking to me about how she wanted to prepare for a meeting and the points that she wanted to make, and me helping her, you know, craft really compelling talking points, and having that feedback loop with me of being like, Okay, here's how the meeting went, and this was the feedback I got, and also being like, Oh, wow, the meeting went really well. And like feeling her confidence build over time by helping her get better at her work, and gradually over time, it just built to that amazing end point for her. But that's that's a transformation for me that will always stick out, because I just remember that first meeting and me just being like, okay, you know this, this might end up being a journey where we help her find a role that is better suited for her. And, you know, just kind of thinking about that, and it just didn't end up being that at all.   Speaker 1 ** 54:35 Well, the other thing that, in one way or another, probably plays into some of that is the people her bosses, the people who she worked for, probably sensed that something was going on, yeah, and she had to be honest enough to to deal with that. But as she progressed, they had to sense the improvement, and that. Had to help a lot.   Ashley Rudolph ** 55:01 Yes, for sure. And I think maybe there is confusion from her boss and in him thinking that she was ready to take on the work that he knew that she could take on, but she didn't quite feel ready yet. Yeah, so there was something she had to sort through, and she finally, not finally, that wasn't a lot of time at all, but she got there, and yeah, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 55:26 And I'll bet they were better. I'll bet they were better communicators with each other by the time it was all said and done, too   Ashley Rudolph ** 55:31 Exactly, yes, yeah, yeah. They developed a shorthand, you know? And, yeah, yep.   Speaker 1 ** 55:39 So there are a lot of leaders who look great on paper, but when it really comes down to it, they just aren't really doing all that they ought to be doing. They feel restless or whatever. What's the real reason that they need to deal with to find momentum and move forward?   Ashley Rudolph ** 55:58 Yeah, so I'm going to take a I'm going to take a different approach to answering this question. And because of the people that I work with, again, they're high achievers. Yeah, right. And sometimes I see that what happens is maybe people have described them as restless, or people have said, Why aren't you happy? You have this amazing career, you should be happy. And I think, like that projection, they end up taking that on and feeling guilty about the fact that they want more. But at the core of it, when I talk to them or get to the level of, you know, Hey, what is happening here? What's causing this sense of restlessness? Surprisingly, the answer is, yeah, I have this great job or this great title, but I feel like I could be doing so much more. So it's an impact. It's an impact thing that is driving the people that I work with. So what we end up doing is trying to figure out, to some degree, like I have no control over what happens at work, so I don't want to pretend that I do, but if it is an impact question, then what we get to the core of is, okay, well, how do you increase your impact? And that's what I work with them on?   Speaker 1 ** 57:24 Well, here's a question. So I have been in sales for a long time, and of course, as far as I'm concerned, I still am being a public speaker. I sell more life and philosophy than anything else. But one thing a lot of people face is rejection. A lot that was redundant, but a lot of people face rejection. How do you get people to understand that rejection isn't a bad thing, and that it actually is a sign of success more often than not? And I agree with it. And you had given me this question, I think it's a great question and relevant to answer.   Ashley Rudolph ** 57:58 Yeah, so I just try to flip the thinking. So I make it less about the person rejecting you, or you receiving a rejection. And to me, if you get rejected, it's a signal that you try, and that's what we focus on, right? So if you're not getting rejected and you're in the same place that you were, it's probably an indication that you're not trying, or you're not taking big enough swings, or you're not pushing yourself. So, yeah, I just try to help my clients. You know, think about the fact that, hey, you got rejected because you tried and you put yourself out there, and that's great. And then the other thing I like to think about with rejection is really just like rejection is someone placing a bet, and if you know about bets, you know that they're not 100% right, and sometimes the person just decided they weren't going to place their bet on you. And it's not that you're not capable, or it's not that it wasn't a great idea, maybe it wasn't the right time, maybe whatever, you don't know what the why is, but it's just a bet, and someone could take a different bet, and it can be on you, or you can bet on yourself even, right? So once you start to think about rejection as just the choice that someone made on a day, and that person isn't all people, and they're certainly not representative of, you know, the person who could decide to take a chance on you and your idea or your initiative, then I think the rejection stings a lot less.   Speaker 1 ** 59:31 Yeah, one of the expressions I've heard regularly is the selling really begins. And I and I think whether it's selling a product or whatever you're doing, but the selling really begins when the objections begin or the rejection. Yeah, and I think there's, there's so much truth to that one of the things, one of the things that I used to do when I was selling products, is I would play a game with myself. Is this person. Going to give me a new objection or a new reason for rejection that I haven't heard before, and I always loved it when somebody came up with something that truly I hadn't heard before, and that was absolutely relevant to bring up, because then it's my job to go off and deal with that, but it was fun to put my own mindset in that sort of framework, because it's all about it's it's not me, unless I really am screwing up, it's other things. And no matter whether it's me screwing up or not, it's my job to figure out how to deal with whatever the other person has on their mind. Yeah, and when the new things come up, those are so much fun to deal with. And I even praised people, you know, I've never heard that one before. That's really good. Let's talk about it.   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:00:50 So great, yeah, yeah. They were probably like, oh, okay, wow. Well, yeah, let's talk about it, yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:00 But I didn't show fear, and didn't need to, because I I went into a learning mode. I want to learn what's on their mind and what's going on,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:01:09 yeah, and that's what it's about. It's about understanding what's important to the other person, or understanding their concerns. And I think if you come at it like you did, from a place of really wanting to understand them and find common ground, then sometimes you can even shift the rejection right often.   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:27 If you do it right often you can. Yeah, you can. You can reverse it, because most rejections and objections are really based on perception and not necessarily reality   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:01:41 at all? Yes, exactly yes, yes, which is   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:45 important? Well, if you could go back and talk to a younger version of yourself, what moment would you choose and who? What would you say that they should learn? Oh,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:01:54 this is so this is such a   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:57 great fun question. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:02:03 if I could go back, I would probably tell myself that you you don't necessarily have to run away to find the things that you're looking for in your career, right? And I think in life too. Sometimes you think, Oh, I just have to move to a different city, or I just have to buy a new outfit, or I just have to, I have to, I have to, I have to change this thing. And sometimes you just don't have to. Sometimes you can have a conversation about thing that you want or the thing that you're not getting. So if this is a boss right, talking about the thing that you want or that you're not getting, and coming up with a solution together, and I think for quite some time, I was too afraid to do that, and if I wasn't getting what I needed or what I wanted, I just thought the best thing to do was to find it elsewhere, and I would just go back and tell myself to ask for what I wanted first, and then get the information and then leave if I had to. But leaving doesn't have to be the default.   Speaker 1 ** 1:03:21 Yeah. Cool. Well, Ashley, this has been a lot of fun. We've been doing this an hour. Can you believe   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:03:29 it? We have, we have the time flew by. Fun. Yeah, I could have kept going.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:36 Well, then we'll just have to do another one. Yeah,   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:03:39 we do. It, I will always come back. You are amazing. Michael,   Speaker 1 ** 1:03:43 well, this has been fun, and maybe one of the things that you could do to help spread the word about what you do and so on is do your own podcast.   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:03:50 Yes, something else to think about, yeah, yeah, that's a great idea. And then if I do then I will invite you on there. I'd   Speaker 1 ** 1:04:00 love it, I'll come absolutely well. I want to thank you again, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching today. This has been very enjoyable and a lot of fun, and I appreciate you taking the time to be with us. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at Michael H i@accessibe.com so accessibi is spelled A, C, C, E, S, S i, B, E, so Michael M, I C H, A, E, L, H i@accessibe.com or go to our podcast page, www, dot Michael hingson.com/podcast and Michael hingson is m, I C H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s o n.com/podcast, love to hear from you, and certainly I hope that whenever you're listening or watching, give us a five star rating. We value your reviews, and we really want to know that we're doing good by you, so please give us good reviews, and if you have thoughts or things that you want us to know about, don't hesitate to reach out. It. And for all of you, and Ashley, including you, if you know of other people who ought to be guests on our podcast, it's so much fun to meet more people from those who have been on before. But for anyone, if you know someone who ought to be a guest, please let me know. Reach out, and we will honor your interest and we will bring them on, because I think everyone has, as I told Ashley earlier, stories to tell. So hope that you will do that and that we'll get to see you on our next episode. And again, Ashley, I just want to thank you for being here. This has been so much fun. All   Ashley Rudolph ** 1:05:37 right, thank you, Michael.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:05:42 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.

Goodfellas meets Savages meets Catch Me If You Can in this true tale of high-stakes smuggling from pot's outlaw years. Richard Stratton was the unlikeliest of kingpins. A clean-cut Wellesley boy who entered outlaw culture on a trip to Mexico, he saw his search for a joint morph into a thrill-filled dope run, smuggling two kilos across the border in his car door. He became a member of the Hippie Mafia, traveling the world to keep America high, living the underground life while embracing the hippie credo, rejecting hard drugs in favor of marijuana and hashish. With cameos by Whitey Bulger and Norman Mailer, Smuggler's Blues tells Stratton's adventure while centering on his last years as he travels from New York to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley to source and smuggle high-grade hash in the midst of civil war, from the Caribbean to the backwoods of Maine, and from the Chelsea Hotel to the Plaza as his fortunes rise and fall. All the while he is being pursued by his nemesis, a philosophical DEA agent who respects him for his good business practices. A true-crime story that sounds like fiction, Smuggler's Blues is a psychedelic road trip through international drug smuggling, the hippie underground, and the war on weed. As Big Marijuana emerges, it brings to vivid life an important chapter in pot's cultural history.https://amzn.to/3TMQu4xBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

In This Episode:Host Bruce Richard sits down with seasoned family law attorney Jonathan P. Fields to explore how the concept of fairness in divorce often requires more than a 50/50 split. Together, they discuss:When and why “equal” doesn't always mean “fair” in asset divisionThe impact of trusts, inheritances, and premarital assetsConduct-based arguments in high-conflict divorcesCreative strategies for navigating inequitable circumstancesThe evolving influence of the Alimony Reform Act on property division Featured Guest:Jonathan P. Fields is a founding partner of Fields & Dennis LLP in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where he focuses on complex family law matters including divorce, asset division, and alimony. A recognized voice in the field, Jonathan frequently presents at MCLE and other legal education forums, offering practical guidance on equitable distribution, financial strategies in divorce, and ethical advocacy.With more than 30 years of experience and a passion for exploring the human side of legal conflict, Jonathan brings both analytical rigor and thoughtful perspective to this often-contentious area of practice. Links and Resources:MCLE Online PassFields & Dennis LLP – Official WebsiteIdentifying & Proving When 50/50 Isn't FairM.G.L. Chapter 208, Section 34 – Division of PropertyAlimony Reform Act of 2011 Important Note:Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing high-quality, practical continuing legal education for the legal community. As part of its educational mission, MCLE presents a wide range of viewpoints and instructional content intended solely for educational purposes.The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by individual participants in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of MCLE, its Board of Trustees, staff, or affiliated institutions. Inclusion of any material or commentary does not constitute an endorsement of any position on any issue by MCLE.For questions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@mcle.org.  Connect with us on socials!Instagram: mcle.newenglandLinkedIn: Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE│New England)X (Formerly Twitter): MCLENewEnglandBluesky: mclenewengland.bsky.socialFacebook: MCLE New England

About Michael Barbarita:Michael Barbarita has owned and operated retail, manufacturing, and service companies for over 30 years. One of the retail companies he operated, called “Ski Town USA,” grew from $2.5 million to $8.0 million in less than 5 years. One of the products he manufactured was “Cookies To Scoop Frozen Cookie Dough,” which was featured on the QVC Home Shopping Network and was selected as one of the top 20 products in the State of Massachusetts in 1997. He has sat on the Board of Directors of 5 different companies and was a Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for a large specialty retailer, as well as for all of his previously owned companies. Michael has been involved in the structuring of leveraged buyouts, has experience in owning both commercial and residential investment real estate, exporting and doing business on a global scale, and is an award-winning public speaker and Published Co-author with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In this episode, Dean Newlund and Michael Barbarita discuss:Strategic business and financial leadershipMarketing psychology and customer engagementSmall business growth strategiesSales conversion frameworksCash flow and profitability planning Key Takeaways:The Conversion Formula—Captivate, Fascinate, Educate, Offer—provides a repeatable framework for connecting with prospects emotionally and logically, dramatically improving sales effectiveness when followed in the correct order.Implementing a risk reversal strategy like the “Ski Guarantee” not only eliminated customer hesitation but led to a 25% increase in sales with less than 0.2% product returns, proving that customer trust can be more profitable than tight control.Email drip campaigns that align with the buyer's journey and apply the conversion formula to industry-specific pain points can significantly shorten the time it takes for prospects to move from awareness to purchase.A truly strategic CFO brings more than financial oversight—they integrate differentiated, actionable strategies that competitors overlook, bridging the gap between financial clarity and business innovation. "95% of business strategies used today are identical to the competition, and quite frankly, by virtue of that, they don't work.” — Michael Barbarita Connect with Michael Barbarita:  Website: https://www.nextstepcfo.net/Show: Powerful Business Strategies: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/powerful-business-strategies/id1757160951 | https://www.powerfulbusinessstrategies.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbarbarita/   See Dean's TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I Connect with Dean:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkwWebsite: https://www.mfileadership.com/The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlundFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.comPhone: 1-800-926-7370 Show notes by Podcastologist: Hanz Jimuel AlvarezAudio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

(Jun 13, 2025) NY's Governor testified in front of Congress about immigration policies; NY-21's Stefanik is supporting a northern border bill; St. Lawrence County hosted an open house to show the community all the ways the government serves them this spring, with few attendees; Emily Russell takes us on a trail run on Wellesley Island; Elizabethtown concerts this weekend feature an oddball instrument combo: the saxophone and clarinet; and, NoCo communities are out and proud this Pride Month. We'll get a preview of events in Potsdam, Plattsburgh, Lake George and beyond.

*This episode contains profanity and may not be suited for children under age 13  Charly Stoever has worn many hats—undocumented immigrant, stockbroker, money coach, and global adventurer. In this raw and inspiring conversation, they unpack how a childhood shaped by financial uncertainty led to a life of intentional wealth-building.From a full ride to Wellesley to living on Peace Corps stipends, Charly eventually found their money “aha moment” in a simple stock market chart—leading to a career in finance and a mission to help LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and neurodivergent high earners build passive income.We talk identity, financial trauma, wellness, and why pet-sitting your way through 36 countries might just be a genius wealth strategy. Charley's  advice is as bold as it is practical: “If you can fully fund happy hour, you can fully fund your 401k.”This episode is a blueprint for building wealth on your own terms—especially if you've never had a safety net.Visit prenups.com/sugardaddy to learn more about fair prenups that help couples plan for a healthy financial relationship.Watch this episode in video form on YouTubeTo apply to be a guest on the showYou can email us at: thesugardaddypodcast@gmail.comBe sure to connect with us on socials @thesugardaddypodcast we are most active on InstagramLearn more about Brandon and schedule a free 30-minute introductory call with him Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review.

Veja o vídeo em expresso.pt/podcasts/45-graus Paulo Gama Mota é biólogo, doutorado pela Universidade de Coimbra, professor associado do Departamento de Ciências da Vida da FCTUC e investigador do CIBIO. Investiga o comportamento animal e a compreensão das suas causas evolutivas, incluindo a comunicação animal e selecção sexual. É docente em áreas relacionadas com a evolução e a evolução do comportamento. Mantém um grande interesse pela comunicação de ciência, tendo sido diretor de vários museus e responsável pelo projeto e diretor do Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra (2006-2015). _______________ Índice: (0:00) Introdução (7:33) Somos mais competitivos ou cooperativos? Debate Rousseau vs Hobbes | A importância da evolução cultural na espécie humana (Cultura nos chimpanzés). Burke and Wills expedition na Austrália (24:46) Porque somos uma espécie tão cooperativa? | Altruísmo genético (Seleção de parentesco vs altruísmo recíproco | Robert Axelrod e como a teoria dos jogos explica a cooperação | Tarefa de selecção de Wason | Seleção de grupo (41:34) Seleção de grupo cultural. Rob Boyd & Pete Richerson | Taxonomia de valores humanos (50:17) De onde vem a Religião? | Livro The Rise of Christianity, de Rodney Stark | Países com maior capital social (58:44): Como se consegue estudar a evolução cultural? | A roda só foi inventada uma vez | Estudo Joseph Heinrich (1:15:57) Porque gostamos de picante? (1:21:26) De onde vêm as variações que permitem a evolução cultural funcionar? (1:26:06) Porque os chimpanzés não fazem perguntas? | O bonobo Kanzi | Teoria da mente (1:35:53) Até que ponto a evolução cultural ajuda a explicar a História humana? (1:42:23) O eterno debate nature vs nurture | Wellesley effect nos ciclos menstruais das raparigas (1:56:09) Mitos da Biologia Evolutiva | A mutação do leite | Inteligência: genes vs cultura (2:12:11) Já parámos de evoluir por seleção natural? | Exemplo da lactase _______________ Bilhetes para o 45 Graus ao vivo Curso de Pensamento Crítico. Vouchers: curso completo (VER10COMPL), online apenas (VER10ONLINE) Workshop Argumentar com LógicaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Ali is joined by Deane Juhan, renowned author of 'Job's Body: A Handbook for Bodywork.' Deane shares his experiences from the Esalen Institute and his transformative work with Dr. Milton Trager. The discussion delves into somatic intelligence, the phenomenon, necessity and benefits of touch. Deane also shares personal anecdotes from his journey, emphasizing the importance of sensual awareness, pleasure to help us re-pattern detriment habits, and the interplay between sensory motor and emotional intelligence. This episode is a treasure trove of insight on bodywork, a holistic approach to somatic health and living our lives as bodies.FOR MORE ALI MEZEY:ALI - WebsiteALI - LinkTreeFOR MORE DEANE JUHAN:www.jobsbody.comDeanejuhan@gmail.com BIO:1971-1974: Studying for my Ph.D. in English Lit.1974: Esalen Institute radically changed the course and purpose of my life. On the Esalen Massage Crew for 15 years. During that time I met Dr. Milton Trager, saw his work and became one of his first students. HIs mentoring was another transformational experience. From student I went on to become a certified practitioner and finally instructor1978-1987: Wrote "Job's Body: A Handbook for Bodywork"Spent the last 40 years teaching Dr. Trager's work, my material from Job's Body, developing classes for innovative views of functional anatomy, sensory-motor nervous system and thee physiology of touch. I believe that the disembodied nature of our cultural heritage is one of the most serious threats to our survival.DEANE'S BOOKS: OTHER RESOURCES, LINKS AND INSPIRATIONS: Esalen Institute  The Body Has a Mind of Its Own by Sandra & Matthew BlakesleeHarlow's Monkeys - Harlow's Studies on Dependency in MonkeysWilliam Blake and his poem, London wherein he writes the term Mind Forged ManaclesRolfer/ing - A "Rolfer" is a practitioner who performs Rolfing, a hands-on bodywork method developed by Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1950s. Rolfing aims to improve body structure, posture, and movement by addressing the connective tissues, known as fascia, that permeate the body. Rolfers work with the fascia to realign the body and address patterns of tension and restriction that can impact health and well-being. Dr. Milton TragerThe Milton System of Mental Gymnastics refers informally to the Trager Approach, specifically the movement component developed by Dr. Milton Trager, called Mentastics - short for mental gymnastics.What Is It? Mentastics are gentle, mindful movements designed to retrain the nervous system through positive sensory experience. These movements are not exercises in the traditional fitness sense - they are subtle, intuitive, and exploratory. The goal is to create a feeling of lightness, ease, and freedom in the body, often through very simple gestures done with full awareness and intention.Bob Brown, Soma School of Massage - has long since closed but was one of the most formative experiences in Ali's professional development. She attended in 1980 and became a certified professional massage therapist at 19 years old while taking what is now called a "gap year" between Barnard and Wellesley. 45 years later, Ali still offers part-time her Propriomassage® she has developed over the decades. Although evolved, refined and mastered since those pivotal weeks with Bob in his Oakland Hills house where he certified thousands of massage therapists, the fundamental structure of Ali's technique is still what she learned there. Ozone Injections - if you have suffered from any injuries you have not been able to resolve, or just want to improve your health in. variety of ways, make a B-line to Dr Nancy Doreo in Ojai, California. She will change your body and life as she did Ali's. Gil Hedley - About, Live with Gil, The Nerve TourThe Body is a Gift with Gil Hedley: A Reverential Journey into the Human BodyTanya Diamond - Love, Pleasure and AI[From time to time, a word or phrase goes wonky. Please forgive my wandering wifi.]

This week's Despatch offers a sharp warning to the Conservative Party from inside the tent. Former Tory candidate William Wellesley argues that the answer to Reform UK's rise isn't mimicry — it's honesty. In a measured but damning critique, Wellesley calls out decades of spin, soundbites and shallow promises from across the political spectrum — and urges the Tories to break the cycle. Only by confronting hard truths, he argues, can the party survive and serve.Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Westminster. Go to capx.co to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Conversation with Jocelyn begins at about 30 mins Stand Up is a daily podcast that I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 700 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more Buy Purposeful Warrior Learn More about Jocelyn   Jocelyn Benson is a transformational leader who never backs down from big fights. From her early years investigating extremist groups, to making Michigan's motor vehicle department a national model for government efficiency, Jocelyn has defied preconceived notions of what is possible in public service. A fearless advocate for Michigan, Jocelyn will bring accountability, people-driven solutions and a progressive vision for Michigan's future to make our state the best place to be a kid, raise a kid, stay, and call home. The daughter of two special education teachers and raised in a working-class family, her parents instilled the values of hard work, opportunity, and serving others. She took those values with her when, as a student at Wellesley College, she was the first college student ever to be elected to the governing body for the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts. After college, Jocelyn went to Alabama to investigate undercover domestic terrorist cells that had emerged following the Oklahoma City bombing, then to the United Kingdom where she studied the international links of modern, white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements, and finally to Detroit, where she continued her commitment of service and civil rights through a clerkship with the Honorable Damon J. Keith.  At 35 she was appointed dean of Wayne State University Law School, making her the youngest woman to lead an accredited law school in American history. As Dean she raised significant funds to ensure all students could pay for their education, lowered costs by freezing tuition and expanding scholarships, and built a team rooted in honesty, integrity, and service of people. As a result Wayne Law became one of the country's leading law schools. When Jocelyn became Secretary of State in 2019, she got to work on day 1 to make life easier for every Michigander. Under her leadership, operations at the Secretary of State's Office drastically improved, and the department went from having some of the longest wait times in the country to a model for state services. She eliminated wait times, created over 150 self-service stations to serve Michiganders in every corner of the state, all while implementing initiatives to make Michigan's elections the most secure and accessible in the nation. And, in the face of threats to both herself and her colleagues, Jocelyn oversaw two of the highest turnout and most transparent elections in the state's history. Jocelyn knows firsthand that the government only works well if it works for the people. Join us Monday's and Thursday's at 8EST for our Bi Weekly Happy Hour Hangout's !  Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube  Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll  Follow and Support Pete Coe Buy Ava's Art  Hire DJ Monzyk to build your website or help you with Marketing Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift

Over the next two months (give or take) I'd like to do something different. The Cul de Sac is a novel I've been working on for the last six or so years and I've come to realize that there is no better place to share it than right here, where we all adore strange little towns, quirky neighbors and demonic infestation. So let's head to Woodland Hills, a fictional town just a hop skip and a jump from Wellesley. After suffering a harrowing break in, Mae is desperate to leave her apartment in the city. Her husband, Tom, is dead set on a fixer-upper in a snobby little New England town just outside of Boston. The neighbors are fabulously quirky, the house has potential, and Mae is too traumatized to pay attention to the red flags lining their path to the cul de sac. Told several chapters at a time, the story begins right here May 13th.

We are happy to welcome Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Schultz to Diverse Thinking Different Learning this week. Dr. Schultz is a clinical neuropsychologist and lecturer at Harvard Medical School with nearly four decades of experience working with children and young adults with learning and behavioral challenges. A former special education teacher and author of Nowhere to Hide, he has held academic positions at several universities, directed multiple clinics, and maintained a private practice in Wellesley, MA for over three decades. He holds degrees from Ohio State and Boston College and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Schultz joins us today to talk about stress - not your everyday kind of frustrations, but the kind that keeps kids awake at night and makes school feel unbearable. Dr. Schultz discusses the significant impact of stress on children's learning and behavior, revealing the difference between tolerable stress, which is manageable, and toxic stress, which can disrupt a child's ability to think and learn effectively. We explore how toxic stress can alter brain function, leaving children in a constant state of alert and fear, making everyday tasks like schoolwork feel overwhelming. As we dig into the science behind stress, Dr. Schultz offers some great insights into how to help kids build confidence and resilience, highlighting the importance of framing challenges in a way that helps kids see their own strengths and capabilities. He also discusses how well-meaning encouragement (such as “I know you can do this!”) can backfire by actually adding pressure, and with real-life examples, including strategies for parents and educators, we reveal how small changes in approach (such as helping kids break tasks into manageable pieces or allowing time for a quick break) can lead to a more productive and less stressful learning environment. This episode of the show offers strategies that can help children overcome stress and set them up for long-term success, both in and out of the classroom.   Show Notes: [2:37] - Dr. Schultz explains that stress is a natural response that helps protect us from perceived danger, though it's evolved. [4:36] - Stress varies between individuals, with toxic stress being long-term and damaging to mental health. [7:07] - Learn how stress impacts learning and how well-meaning encouragement can backfire by increasing pressure on struggling kids. [10:58] - Parents and teachers need practical strategies to support kids experiencing stress. [11:28] - Dr. Schultz discusses how kids' reactions to tasks depend on their belief in success. [14:59] - Rating task difficulty and ability helps kids assess challenges and match them with their capabilities. [16:41] - To recap, Dr. Schultz explains that matching task difficulty and confidence helps kids manage stress and build self-esteem via success. [19:23] - When students feel overwhelmed, breaking tasks into smaller parts can help reset their confidence and mindset. [21:54] - Success enhances brain chemistry, while failure creates a negative mindset that can heighten stress. [23:53] - Dr. Schultz gives an example of coaches using video feedback to correct errors. [25:47] - Dr. Schultz argues that a student's readiness and willingness to complete a task depend on timing and emotional state. [28:31] - Increased pressure on teachers and difficult curricula contribute to stress in both students and educators. [31:06] - Meditation in schools improves behavior and academics, offering students an important time to relax. [33:07] - Dr. Schultz points out that engaging kids in creating their own relaxation strategies helps them more effectively manage stress. Links and Related Resources: Episode 8: Mindfulness with Dr. Kathleen Carroll-Wray Episode 28: Why We Need to Celebrate and Continue to Build Our Kids' Resilience Episode 54: Managing Family Stress and Anxiety with Dr. Stephanie Mihalas Jerome J. Schultz - Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It   Connect with Us: Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Register for Our Self-Paced Mini Courses: Support for Parents Who Have Children with ADHD, Anxiety, or Dyslexia    Connect with Jerome Schultz, PhD: Dr. Schultz on Understood Dr. Schultz on LinkedIn  

Show Notes: Steven Chao, a US-born second-generation college student, shares his experiences growing up in South Carolina and feeling overwhelmed upon arriving at Harvard in 1988. He found solace in joining the Collegium Musicum, a classical musical singing group at Harvard, which helped him find his footing and connect with people from his class.  From Biochem to Game Design to Consulting Steven majored in biochemistry, which expanded his social circle and helped him find happiness. Steven's parents were both PhDs and pushed him into the MD PhD program. However, he faced challenges in medical school and research, leading to questions about his path and the decision to pursue a career in computer gaming. Steven talks about his experience working in the sound and asset acquisition field at Activision in LA. He initially had a great time there but ultimately decided that it wasn't the long-term solution for him. He returned to his PhD program and he pinned his hopes on becoming a doctor. During the last half of the MD program, Steven realized that he didn't want to be a researcher or go into medicine. He found an opportunity to explore other careers beyond medicine or research through a sub-intern at McKinsey.  The McKinsey Years Steven joined McKinsey full-time in 2001 and worked in the Boston office. The bulk of his work was in the payer and provider space, mainly health insurance and hospital systems. He spent about four and a half years at McKinsey, starting from scratch with no business background, which proved difficult. Steven's PhD focused on biology, not analytical skills, but rather gene genetic rearrangement and plasmids, and he felt lost at the beginning of McKinsey. At the same time, he also participated in the mini MBA program in Austria.  Despite meeting great friends at McKinsey, his work was hit or miss. Steven talks about a few of the McKinsey projects he worked on and how a pharma project with Jeff Elton piqued his interest in returning to biopharma. He later worked with Kim Packard, who was his first and best mentor at McKinsey. Steven was late to promotion and advancement, and in 2004, when his wife became pregnant, he gave up his job and started considering what he would do next. Boutique Consulting, Life Sciences, and Biotech Companies In 2004, Steven joined a small consulting group at an investment bank called Leering Swan, which focused on life sciences and biotech companies. This was a better fit for Steven, who had always wanted to leverage his love for science. He joined the firm and was assigned to a project in Parkinson's disease. The experience was mind-blowing, as he interviewed world experts in this space. He was hooked within a week and found the career to be a good fit for him. The combination of his love for science and medicine, without needing to do research or have a career in clinical practice, was perfect, as he loved learning about different aspects of medicine, and the variety and diversity of the day-to-day work.   Founding ClearView Steven left Leering Swan with two other people in 2008 to co-found ClearView. ClearView was born of the same concept as Leering Swan, but focused on life sciences, biotech, pharma, private equity clients, diagnostics companies, and strategic consulting. Steven's primary hat was recruiting, and he continued to love every second of doing so. ClearView Healthcare Partners is now a well-known, private consulting firm with several 100 employees. The company has a growing presence in London, India, San Francisco, New York, and Boston.  Family Life and a Love of Musicals On the personal side, Steven has a family of four children, three girls and a boy. They also have two in college and two still in high school. The oldest is a sophomore at Harvard. Music has always been a significant part of their family. They have a love for Broadway musical theater, and they have spent a lot of time attending performances. Their youngest son is doing a local production of Hadestown in Wellesley, and their oldest is performing at the Agassi theater in a production of 9-5, the film with Dolly Parton, which has themes of female empowerment.     Timestamps: 04:50: Transition to Medical School and Early Career Challenges  13:14: Joining McKinsey and Early Consulting Experience  23:20: Discovering a Passion for Biopharma Consulting 30:04: Founding ClearView Healthcare Partners  37:27: Personal Life and Family  Featured Non-profit: Hi. This is Steve Chao, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the Merriemack Repertory Theater. My wife and I love live theater. The MRT is a fantastic organization that puts on plays and musicals every year, serving a wide catchment area in and around Lowell, Massachusetts. I was actually introduced to the MRT via a fellow class of 92 Carrie Suzawa, married named Michael. And you can learn more about the work of the MRT through the website, mrt.org. And for now, here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.  To learn more about their work, visit: https:mrt.org.   

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comGreat power competition has gotten old for President Donald Trump—never one for a fair fight. He's looking for a little great power collusion instead, dividing the world with his best buds, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. This kind of thing isn't new, though, Stacie Goddard, a professor at Wellesley, tells us, in fact it's the 1800s on repeat. Well, look how that turned out… World War I, anybody?BTW, check out her terrific article on this in Foreign Affairs magazine.Welcome to the Concert of EuropeThe post-Napoleon partyA taxonomy of aspirational GermansRetvrnStrong men, weak worldGovernment by MafiaWhat becomes of the “middle powers”?The era of aging dictatorsThe long breakdownEmpire without ickinessTurns out might does, in fact, make rightThe Rise and Fall of Great-Power CompetitionThe Concert of EuropeSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Massachusetts Horticultural Society's third annual Tulip Mania is open to the public for limited time. For more, ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio.

In this special Boston Marathon episode, we sit down right after the race with Dennis Lavoie—a remarkable runner from Maine living with Usher Syndrome Type 2, which causes both profound hearing loss and legal blindness. Just six years after taking up running, Dennis has completed all six World Marathon Majors, earning the prestigious Six Star Medal. He may be the first person in his para category (both blind and deaf) to achieve this milestone.This year, Dennis's regular guide was sidelined last minute, and our chance partnership was formed. We share stories from a history-filled weekend, including a pre-race dinner with my mentor Mark Bauman (Boston Marathon streak world record holder and this year's official starter), and lining up with the competitive para athletes division right behind the elite women. We even had the chance to encourage running legends like Des Linden, Sarah Hall, and Paula Radcliffe.Boston's course is legendary, and the crowds carried us from Hopkinton through Wellesley's “scream tunnel” and up the infamous Newton hills. Despite a hip flexor injury, Dennis finished strong—qualifying again for next year.We also discuss the tough Boston qualification process, the rarity of the Six Star Medal, and the power of community and tradition on marathon day.Learn more about Dennis's story: [Bangor Daily News article]1Support and learn about para athletes: Team With a VisionSee photos and read more: Running Anthropologist Blog: www.Runninganthropologist.com

in this essential podcast episode, we sit down with the brilliant Coach Kristyn Smith for the ULTIMATE audio guide to the Boston Marathon course!

What happens when we break down communication barriers—especially for those who are speech-delayed or don't use words to speak? In this powerful episode, I'm joined by Dr. Sheryl Rosin, Speech-Language Pathologist, researcher, and passionate advocate for neurodivergent individuals. We explore how to unlock communication using a strengths-based, person-centered approach that empowers individuals across the spectrum. From augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to the importance of presuming competence, Dr. Rosin shares transformative insights for parents, professionals, and anyone who believes every voice deserves to be heard.About Dr. RosinSheryl Rosin Ph.D.,CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and Certified Autism Specialist with 28 years of experience in the field. Dr. Rosin has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to evidence-based practices in assessment and intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She has been published in both national and international research journals related to ASD assessment and intervention practices. She is the founder, owner and executive director of Palm Beach Speech & OT Specialists and Play Pals Early Learning Program for preschoolers in West Palm Beach, Florida and Boston Speech & OT Specialists in Wellesley, Massachusettes. Dr. Rosin serves as adjunct professors at: 1) University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and 2) Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She is a supervisor and master trainer for The Play Project, an evidence based early intervention program for children with autism. She is also the Founder and President of Star Foundation - a 501(c)3 supporting children with autism and other related disorders living in underserved and low-resourced areas of the world. She has developed an international autism program within the Caribbean and is the Founder and Consulting Director of The St. Kitts Spectrum Services Centre in St.Kitts, the first Autism assessment and intervention clinic in the Eastern Caribbean. Dr.Rosin is the winner of the 2016 Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Clinician of the Year Award and the 2017 Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.About TheresaA wife and a mother to two children and grandmother, Theresa Alexander Inman is a Parenting Coach, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and Infant Toddler Development Specialist. She was introduced to the field of behavior analysis in 2007 after working in many capacities in the juvenile justice system.Her goal is to improve the lives of children and families by helping them strategize child develop skills to prevent or reduce the effects of possible delays while having fun! She also served as a panelist on the first annual Autism World Summit.Theresa is also an author, having published ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠“Pathways to Early Communication”⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in 2022.Connect with Theresa today!• Instagram | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theresa Inman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• LinkedIn | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theresa Inman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• BabyBoomer.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theresa Inman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parenting with Confidence⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tiktok | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@parentcoachtheresa• Spotify via Anchor.fm | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parenting with Confidence ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: https://www.theresaalexanderinman.com/About Parenting on the SpectrumRaising autistic children comes with unique joys, challenges, and learning moments. Join host Theresa as she explores the diverse experiences of parenting kids on the spectrum. Each episode features expert insights, real-life stories, and practical strategies to help you navigate this journey with understanding, compassion, and strength. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or ally, this podcast is your go-to resource for fostering connection and celebrating neurodiversity. Please share, comment, rate, and download! Be blissful! Theresa

We're not sure what Mona Lisa had to smile about but you can't have a Julia Roberts's movie without her flashing one. But, did this movie leave the boys smiling?  Links You can rate and review us in these places (and more, probably) Does This Still Work? - TV Podcast https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/does-this-still-work-1088105 ‎Does This Still Work? on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/does-this-still-work/id1492570867 Creator Accountability Network creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. Wellesley's Most Famous Grad https://www.newspapers.com/image/442927347/?match=1&terms=%27Wellesley%20College%27 College Boys and Girls https://www.newspapers.com/image/232213459/?match=1&terms=women%20surpassing%20men%20in%20college  

‘If ever a book of history was blessed with contemporary relevance, this one is', writes Andrew O'Hagan of Helen Castor's The Eagle and the Hart (Allen Lane). ‘The dumbfounding, delusional, narcissistic King Richard; the white-knuckle ride of Henry IV, dogged all the way by notions of illegitimacy. I feel these men could have been ripped from today's headlines.' Castor, whose 2010 book She-Wolves was adapted for television by the BBC, discussed Richard and Henry with Mary Wellesley, author of Hidden Hands: Lives of Manuscripts and their Makers and co-presenter of the medieval strand of the LRB's Close Readings​ podcast series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wondering what to do for Valentine's Day for all those special Valentines in your life? Bootie and Bossy to the rescue with a recipe for FIVE POUNDS of our Aunt Annie's homemade fudge, also known as “Overseas Fudge” because it will withstand a military transport plane. And that's our Aunt Annie, rocking the yellow pantsuit in the ‘70s—how could it not be good when it comes from her?! The well-spattered recipe from 1968 is fool-proof and delicious, and even if you eat one pound yourself, you'll still have four pounds left to send to everyone else.But there's more to the story here, as we discovered when we read Lee Edwards Benning's Oh Fudge! A Celebration of America's Favorite Candy with Nearly 300 Mouth-Watering, Fully Tested Recipes. While fudge began as an accidental discovery (as its name suggests), it was Emelyn Battersby Hartridge, a freshman at Vassar in 1888, who began the trend of fundraising through fudge-making at women's colleges. Soon the women at Smith and Wellesley had their own recipes that they whipped up over a gas lamp after lights out at 10:00 PM. They even wrote songs about it:We love the sight of the fudge-pan bright,We love the sight of the spoon,And better by far than the light of the starIs the gas, now outshining the moon.Then gather around with whispers profoundFor the bell has rung ten at night,With the transom shut, at our very last cutWe'll sing to the fudge-pan bright . . . --Lee Edwards Benning, Oh Fudge! A Celebration of America's Favorite Candy (New York: Henry Holt), p. 9.Who says that they did not know how to party back then? And fudge-making is still fun now, just like our Aunt Annie, who is also a master of many crafts, including pet portraits! So sing the song to the fudge-pan bright and whip up some chocolate magic—the Cocoa bean is, after all, from the genus Theobroma, Greek for “Food for the Gods.” Then send it off to all your Valentines—they will definitely feel the love!

Rick goes off on technology sounding like he was born about 100 years later than he should have. Then Liz has an update to the update about the sledding hill shutdown in Wellesley, MA and Evan isn't interested in the justification. And, two weeks into Evan's quest to lose 30 pounds, he only has 30 pounds to go! Keep it up champ!In the second half, we learn about a kid who turns down an offer for his prized baseball card from the Pittsburgh Pirates. That offer was valued at more than a million dollars. However, this kid is taking the card to auction for a huge haul and then will donate ALL OF IT to the California wildfire victims.Please support out sponsors!Winslow Design, winslowdesign.net Royal Pizza, royalpizzamedfield.com

In this first Q&A podcast of 2025, Paul, Daryl, and Chris discuss several listener questions and expand on Paul's rebuttal of Big ERN's recent criticisms of diversifying with small-cap value. 0:00 – Introduction 0:29  – Responding to Big ERN's critique 2:11 –  Small-cap value lumpsum vs. dollar-cost averaging 6:38 –  Daryl's take on SCV's premium persistence 8:46 –  Chris' take on SCV's premium persistence 15:50 –  Paul highlights the random timing of SCV vs. S&P500 returns 19:50 -- Are there good alternatives to Vanguard's Wellesley fund? 26:18 -- Does 2 Funds for Life mean no SCV in retirement? 29:35 -- Why not let Buffet manage our money in BRK.B? 33:52 -- What portfolio to get a 3.6% safe withdrawal rate in retirement? 38:53 -- Which accounts do we tap for our annual spending needs? 49:39 -- Why doesn't the Portfolio Configurator include REITs and emerging markets? 54:52 -- When will the Best-in-Class ETF recommendations be updated? These tables were referenced- Table G-1b - Fine Tuning Table: S&P 500 vs US SCV Equity Portfolio - Out-Performance Tell-Tale_Charts 2 Funds for Life PDF 2 Funds for Life on Amazon

Considering how prevalent the topic of AI has become in business, leisure, and education, it was only a matter of time before college students would choose to focus on its study. Amy and Mike invited college dean Jennifer Stephan to explore what you need to know about artificial intelligence as an undergraduate major. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What do students study when they major in AI? What are some focus areas within an AI degree? Is an AI major a replacement or improvement over a CS major? Are there non-technical pathways to contribute to AI? What majors besides AI and CS can prepare you for a career in AI? What important questions should students interested in studying AI be able to answer? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Jennifer Stephan has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Jennifer is currently the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts in 2016, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College's Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer applications each year. Jennifer also is the founder of Lantern College Counseling, a robust college counseling practice where she regularly employs insights from her experiences leading in higher education to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications. Jennifer specializes in STEM, computer science, engineering, undecided and transfer students She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). Jennifer first appeared on our podcast in episode 541 to discuss NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS and in episode 559 for a Test Prep Profile. Find Jennifer at jennifer@lanterncollege.com or https://www.lanterncollegecounseling.com. LINKS Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an Undergraduate Major: What You Need to Know Navigating the Competitive Landscape of Computer Science Admissions: An Expert's Approach — Lantern College Counseling RELATED EPISODES STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME COMPARING MOST POPULAR AND MOST LUCRATIVE COLLEGE MAJORS CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.  

Felice Gaer, esteemed Director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, was an internationally respected human rights advocate who dedicated more than four decades to championing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enforcing international commitments to prevent severe human rights violations globally. On November 9, Felice passed away after a prolonged battle with metastatic breast cancer. In honor of her legacy, we revisit her insightful conversation on People of the Pod, recorded last year during Women's History Month and on International Women's Day. As we remember and celebrate Felice's profound contributions, we share this interview once more. May her memory continue to be a blessing. __ Music credits: Drops of Melting Snow (after Holst, Abroad as I was walking) by Axletree is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. Learn more about Felice Gaer: Felice Gaer, Legendary Human Rights Champion Who Inspired Generations of Global Advocates, Dies at 78 Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: with Hen Mazzig, Einat Admony, and more. People of the Pod:  What the Election Results Mean for Israel and the Jewish People The Jewish Vote in Pennsylvania: What You Need to Know Sinwar Eliminated: What Does This Mean for the 101 Hostages Still Held by Hamas? Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. __ Transcript of Conversation with Felice Gaer: Manya Brachear Pashman:   This past weekend, AJC lost a phenomenal colleague. Felice Gaer, the director of American Jewish Committee's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, was an internationally renowned human rights expert who, for more than four decades, brought life and practical significance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international commitments, to prevent grave human rights abuses around the world.  She died on November 9, following a lengthy battle with metastatic breast cancer. I had the honor of interviewing Felice last year during Women's History Month and on International Women's Day.  We bring you that interview now, as we remember Felice. May her memory be for a blessing.  _ Felice is with us now to discuss today's human rights challenges and the challenges she has faced as a woman in the Human Rights world.  Felice, welcome to People of the Pod.  Felice Gaer:   Thank you, Manya. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So let's start with the beginning. Can you share with our listeners a little about your upbringing, and how Jewish values shaped what you do today? Felice Gaer:   Well, I had a fairly ordinary upbringing in a suburb of New York City that had a fairly high percentage of Jews living in it–Teaneck, New Jersey. I was shaped by all the usual things in a Jewish home. First of all, the holidays. Secondly, the values, Jewish values, and awareness, a profound awareness of Jewish history, the history of annihilation, expulsion, discrimination, violence. But also the Jewish values of universality, respect for all human life, equality before the law, sense of realism, sense that you can change your life by what you do, and the choices that you make. These are all core Jewish values. And I guess I always have found the three part expression by Rabbi Hillel to sum up the approach I've always taken to human rights and most other things in life. He said, If I'm not for myself, who will be, and if I'm only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? So that's a sense of Jewish particularism, Jewish universalism, and realism, as well. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You went to Wellesley, class of 1968, it's an all-women's college. Was there a strong Jewish presence on campus there at a time? And did that part of your identity even play a role in your college experience?  Felice Gaer :  Well, I left, as I said, a town that had a fairly sizable Jewish population. And I went to Wellesley and I felt like I was in another world. And so even as long ago as 1964-65, that era, I actually reached out to Hillel and participated in very minor activities that took place, usually a Friday night dinner, or something like that. But it really didn't play a role except by making me recognize that I was a member of a very small minority. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Here on this podcast, we've talked a lot about the movement to free Soviet Jewry. As you pursued graduate work at Columbia, and also during your undergrad days at Wellesley, were you involved in that movement at all? Felice Gaer:   Well, I had great interest in Russian studies, and in my years at Wellesley, the Soviet Union movement was at a very nascent stage. And I remember arguments with the Soviet Ambassador coming to the campus and our specialist on Russian history, arguing about whether this concern about the treatment of Soviet Jews was a valid concern.  The professor, who happened to have been Jewish, by the way, argued that Jews in the Soviet Union were treated badly, but so was everybody else in the Soviet Union. And it really wasn't something that one needed to focus on especially. As I left Wellesley and went to Columbia, where I studied political science and was at the Russian Institute, now the Harriman Institute, I found that the treatment of Soviet Jews was different in many ways, and the capacity to do something about it was serious.  We knew people who had relatives, we knew people who wanted to leave. The whole Soviet Union movement was focused around the desire to leave the country–not to change it–that was an explicit decision of Jewish leaders around the world, and in the Soviet Union itself. And so the desire to leave was something you could realize, document the cases, bring the names forward, and engage American officials in a way that the Jewish community had never done before with cases and examples demanding that every place you went, every negotiation that took place, was accompanied by lists of names and cases, whose plight will be brought to the attention of the authorities. And that really mobilized people, including people like me.  I also worked to focus on the agenda of internal change in the Soviet Union. And that meant also looking at other human rights issues. Why and how freedom of religion or belief was suppressed in this militantly atheist state, why and how freedom of expression, freedom of association, and just about every other right, was really severely limited. And what the international standards were at that time. After I left Columbia, that was around the time that the famous manifesto from Andrei Sakharov, the world famous physicist, Nobel Prize winner, was made public. It was around the time that other kinds of dissident materials were becoming better known about life inside the Soviet Union post-Khrushchev. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So you left Colombia with a master's degree, the Cold War ends, and you take a job at the Ford Foundation that has you traveling all around Eastern Europe, looking to end human rights abuses, assessing the challenges that face that region. I want to ask you about the treatment of women, and what you witnessed about the mistreatment of women in these regions. And does that tend to be a common denominator around the world when you assess human rights abuses? Felice Gaer:   Well, there's no question that the treatment of women is different than the treatment of men. And it's true all over the world. But when I traveled in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the height of those years, height of the Cold War, and so forth, the issues of women's rights actually weren't one of the top issues on the agenda because the Soviet Union and East European countries appeared to be doing more for women than the Western countries.  They had them in governance. They had them in the parliament. They purported to support equality for women. It took some years for Soviet feminists, dissidents, to find a voice and to begin to point out all the ways in which they were treated in the same condescending, patriarchal style as elsewhere. But in those years, that was not a big issue in the air.  It was unusual for me, a 20-something year old woman from the United States to be traveling around Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, meeting with high officials and others, and on behalf of the Ford Foundation, trying to develop programming that would involve people to people contacts, that would involve developing programs where there was common expertise, like management training, and things of that sort. And I was really an odd, odd duck in that situation, and I felt it. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I mentioned in my introduction, the Beijing World Conference on Women, can you reflect a little on what had a lasting impact there? Felice Gaer:   Well, the Beijing World Conference on Women was the largest, and remains the largest conference that the United Nations has ever organized. There were over 35,000 women there, about 17,000 at the intergovernmental conference. I was on the US delegation there.  The simple statement that women's rights are human rights may seem hackneyed today. But when that was affirmed in the 1995 Beijing Outcome Document, it was a major political and conceptual breakthrough. It was largely focused on getting the UN to accept that the rights of women were actually international human rights and that they weren't something different. They weren't private, or outside the reach of investigators and human rights bodies. It was an inclusive statement, and it was a mind altering statement in the women's rights movement.  It not only reaffirmed that women's rights are human rights, but it went further in addressing the problems facing women in the language of human rights.  The earlier world conferences on women talked about equality, but they didn't identify violations of those rights. They didn't demand accountability of those rights. And they said absolutely nothing about creating mechanisms by which you could monitor, review, and hold people accountable, which is the rights paradigm. Beijing changed all that. It was a violations approach that was quite different from anything that existed before that. Manya Brachear Pashman :  Did anything get forgotten? We talked about what had a lasting impact, but what seems to have been forgotten or have fallen to the wayside? Felice Gaer:   Oh, I think it's just the opposite. I think the things that were in the Beijing conference have become Fuller and addressed in greater detail and are more commonly part of what goes on in the international discourse on women's rights and the status of women in public life. And certainly at the international level that's the case.  I'll give you just one example, the Convention Against Torture. I mean, when I became a member of the committee, the 10 person committee, I was the only woman. The committee really had, in 11 years, it had maybe said, four or five things about the treatment of women. And the way that torture, ill treatment, inhuman, degrading treatment may affect women.  It looked at the world through the eyes of male prisoners in detention. And it didn't look at the world through the eyes of women who suffer private violence, gender based violence, that is that the state looks away from and ignores and therefore sanctions, and to a certain extent endorses.  And it didn't identify the kinds of things that affect women, including women who are imprisoned, and why and where in many parts of the world. What one does in terms of education or dress or behavior may lead you into a situation where you're being abused, either in a prison or outside of prison. These are issues that are now part of the regular review, for example, at the Committee Against Torture, issues of of trafficking, issues of gender based violence, the Sharia law, the hudud punishments of whipping and stoning, are part of the concern of the committee, which they weren't before. Manya Brachear Pashman:   In other words, having that woman's perspective, having your perspective on that committee was really important and really changed and broadened the discussion. Felice Gaer:   Absolutely. When I first joined the committee, the first session I was at, we had a review of China. And so I very politely asked a question about the violence and coercion associated with the population policy in China, as you know, forced abortions and things of that sort. This was a question that had come up before the women's convention, the CEDAW, and I thought it was only appropriate that it also come up in the Committee Against Torture.  In our discussion afterwards, the very stern chairman of the committee, a former constable, said to me, ‘You know, this might be of interest to you, Ms. Gaer, but this has nothing to do with the mandate of this committee.' I explained to him why it did, in some detail. And when I finished pointing out all of those elements–including the fact that the people carried out these practices on the basis of state policy–when I finished, there was a silence.  And the most senior person in the room, who had been involved in these issues for decades, said, ‘I'm quite certain we can accommodate Ms. Gaer's concerns in the conclusions,' and they did.  That's the kind of thing that happens when you look at issues from a different perspective and raise them. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You talked about being an odd duck in your 20s, as a woman traveling around Eastern Europe, trying to address these challenges. I'm curious if that woman in her 20s would have been able to stand up to this committee like that, and give that thorough an explanation? Or did it take some years of experience, of witnessing these issues, perhaps being ignored?  Felice Gaer:  Well, I think as we go through life, you learn new things. And I learned new things along the way. I learned about the universal norms, I learned about how to apply them, how they had been applied, and how they hadn't been applied. And in that process, developed what I would say is a sharper way of looking at these issues.  But the Bosnian conflict in particular, made the issue of gender based violence against women, especially in war, but not only in war, into a mainstream issue, and helped propel these issues, both inside the United Nations and outside, the awareness changed.  I remember asking the International Red Cross representatives in Croatia, just across the border from Bosnia, if they had encountered any victims of gender based violence or rape, and they said, ‘No.' And I said, ‘Did you ask them about these concerns?' And they sort of looked down and looked embarrassed, looked at each other and looked back at me and said, ‘Oh.' There were no words. There were no understandings of looking at the world this way. And that has changed. That has changed dramatically today. I mean, if you look at the situation in Ukraine, the amount of gender based violence that has been documented is horrifying, just horrifying, but it's been documented. Manya Brachear Pashman   So is the world of human rights advocacy male-dominated, female-dominated, is it fairly balanced these days? And has that balance made the difference in what you're talking about? Felice Gaer:   You know, I wrote an article in 1988, the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, about why women's rights weren't being addressed. And one of the points I drew attention to was the fact that the heads of almost all the major organizations at the time were all male. And that it wasn't seen as a concern. A lot of that has changed. There's really a real variety of perspectives now that are brought to bear. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So we've talked a lot about the importance of [a] woman's perspective. Does a Jewish perspective matter as well? Felice Gaer:   Oh, on every issue on every issue and, you know, I worked a great deal on freedom of religion and belief, as an issue. That's a core issue of AJC, and it's a fundamental rights issue. And it struck me as surprising that with all the attention to freedom of religion, the concern about antisemitic acts was not being documented by mainstream human rights organizations. And it wasn't being documented by the UN experts on freedom of religion or belief either. I drew this to the attention of Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, who was recently ending his term as Special Rapporteur on Freedom of religion or belief. And he was really very struck by this. And he went, and he did a little bit of research. And he found out that since computerized records had been prepared at the United Nations, that there had been no attention, no attention at all, to cases of alleged antisemitic incidents. And he began a project to record the kinds of problems that existed and to identify what could be done about it. We helped him in the sense that we organized a couple of colloquia, we brought people from all over the world together to talk about the dimensions of the problem and the documentation that they did, and the proposals that they had for addressing it. And he, as you may recall, wrote a brilliant report in 2019, setting out the problems of global antisemitism. And he followed that up in 2022, before leaving his position with what he called an action plan for combating anti semitism, which has concrete specific suggestions for all countries around the world as to what they can do to help combat antisemitism and antisemitic acts, including and to some extent, starting with adopting the working definition on antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, but also activities in in the area of education, training, training of law enforcement officials, documentation and public action. It's a real contribution to the international discourse and to understanding that freedom of religion or belief belongs to everyone. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And do you believe that Dr. Shaheed's report is being absorbed, comprehended by those that need to hear it that need to understand it? Felice Gaer   I've been delighted to see the way that the European Union has engaged with Dr. Shaheed and his report has developed standards and expectations for all 27 member states, and that other countries and other parts of the world have done the same. So yeah, I do think they're engaging with it. I hope there'll be a lot more because the problem has only grown. Manya Brachear Pashman:   On the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, JBI issued a report that sounded the alarm on the widespread violations committed against Ukrainians, you mentioned the amount of gender based violence Since that has taken place, and the other just catastrophic consequences of this war. Felice, you've been on the front row of Eastern European affairs and human rights advocacy in that region. From your perspective, and I know this is a big question: How did this war happen? Felice Gaer:   I'll just start by saying: it didn't start in 2022. And if you have to look at what happened, the events of 2014, to understand the events of 2022. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, or even during the breakup, there was a period where the 15th constituent Union republics of the Soviet Union developed a greater national awareness, really, and some of them had been independent as some of them hadn't been, but they developed a much greater awareness. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the 15 countries, including Russia, as one of the 15, became independent entities. And aside from having more members in the United Nations and the Council of Europe and places like that, it led to much more robust activity, in terms of respecting human rights and other areas of endeavor in each of those countries.  The situation in Russia, with a head of state who has been there, with one exception, a couple of years, for 20 years, has seen an angry desire to reestablish an empire. That's the only thing you can say really about it.  If they can't dominate by having a pro-Russian group in charge in the country, then there have been invasions, there have been Russian forces, Russia-aligned forces sent to the different countries. So whether it's Georgia, or Moldova, or Ukraine, we've seen this pattern.  And unfortunately, what happened in 2022, is the most egregious and I would say, blatant such example. In 2014, the Russians argued that it was local Russian speaking, little green men who were conducting hostilities in these places, or it was local people who wanted to realign with Russia, who were demanding changes, and so forth. But in the 2022 events, Russia's forces invaded, wearing Russian insignia and making it quite clear that this was a matter of state policy that they were pursuing, and that they weren't going to give up.  And it's led to the tragic developments that we've all seen inside the country, and the horrific violence, the terrible, widespread human rights violations. And in war, we know that human rights violations are usually the worst.  And so the one good spot on the horizon: the degree to which these abuses have been documented, it's unprecedented to have so much documentation so early in a conflict like this, which someday may lead to redress and accountability for those who perpetrated it. But right now, in the middle of these events, it's just a horror. Manya Brachear Pashman:   What other human rights situations do we need to be taking more seriously now? And where has there been significant progress? Felice Gaer:   Well, I'll talk about the problem spots if I may for a minute. Everyone points to North Korea as the situation without parallel, that's what a UN Commission of Inquiry said, without parallel in the world. The situation in Iran? Well, you just need to watch what's happened to the protesters, the women and others who have protested over 500 people in the streets have died because of this. 15,000 people imprisoned, and Iran's prisons are known for ill treatment and torture.  The situation in Afghanistan is atrocious. The activities of the Taliban, which they were known for in the 1990s are being brought back. They are normalizing discrimination, they are engaged in probably the most hardline gender discrimination we've seen anywhere where women can't work outside the home, girls can't be educated, political participation is denied. The constitution has been thrown out. All kinds of things. The latest is women can't go to parks, they can't go to university, and they can't work for NGOs. This continues. It's a major crisis.  Well, there are other countries, from Belarus, to Sudan to Uzbekistan, and China, that we could also talk about at great length, lots of problems in the world, and not enough effort to expose them, address them and try to ameliorate them. Manya Brachear Pashman   So what do we do about that? What can our listeners do about that, when we hear this kind of grim report? Felice Gaer:   Work harder. Pay attention when you hear about rights issues. Support rights organizations. Take up cases. Seek redress. Be concerned about the victims. All these things need to be done. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I don't know how you maintain your composure and your cool, Felice, because you have faced so much in terms of challenges and push back. So thank you so much for all you have done for women, for the Jewish people, and for the world at large. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Felice Gaer:   Thank you, Manya.

**Come to our first ever live show! In Boston, on Friday, September 13th. Tickets are available now!**Welcome to Conventions Week! From time to time this election year, we're going to do some special series that highlight the rhythm of an election cycle. This week, as the Democrats are meeting in Chicago, we are looking at conventions, which are very strange affairs! Today, an episode from the archives about a legendary DNC moment.///It's August 23rd. On this day in 1964, Mississippi activist Fannie Lou Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention about her efforts to be recognized as part of the MS delegation. President Lyndon B Johnson, sensing that Hamer's speech was getting attention, scheduled impromptu remarks.Jody and Niki are joined by Kellie Carter Jackson of Wellesley to talk about Hamer's remarks, legacy, and whether dramatic showdowns like this are even possible at modern conventions.This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod

Hosts Jo Firestone & Manolo Moreno play listener-created games with callers!Games played: Verbal Worble submitted by Maeve Story from St. Louis, Missouri, Lovin' Spoonfuls submitted by Tice Rust from Reston, Virginia, and The Sports Doctor submitted by Braden Cahill from Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaCallers: Sairah from Los Angeles, California; Sean from Edina, Minnesota; Vicky from Wellesley, Massachusetts; Samantha from San Jose, California; Andrea & Michael from Newark, New Jersey; Christopher from Colorado Springs, ColoradoManolo's comic book, Supportive #1, is available at moslo.xyz