Podcasts about what to do next

Most men think their relationship problems come from anger, communication issues, or simply choosing the wrong partner. So they tell themselves: "I just need to work on my reactions." "I need to find someone who understands me." "I'm trying my best." But underneath those struggles is often a much deeper story. A story that quietly whispers: "There's something wrong with me." "I'm too broken to be loved." "I'll never be enough." And every time conflict appears… every time someone they love expresses disappointment… that story takes over. In this episode, David sits down with John to explore the powerful transformation that unfolded through his coaching journey—from self-sabotage, emotional reactivity, and shame to self-worth, connection, and presence. John shares how, despite appearing capable and successful on the outside, intimate relationships repeatedly exposed a painful belief he carried for years: That he was fundamentally unlovable. He explains how even small moments of criticism or conflict would trigger overwhelming emotional reactions. Defensiveness. Anger. People-pleasing. Withdrawal. Self-sabotage. Not because he wanted to hurt the people he loved. But because every challenge in a relationship seemed to confirm the story that something was wrong with him. And eventually, that story began damaging the very relationships he cared about most. The hardest part? He didn't know how to stop it. When his partner finally asked him to leave, he found himself at a breaking point. Desperate. Heartbroken. Terrified of losing everything. That moment became the beginning of a completely different path. In this conversation, David and John explore how low self-worth shapes relationships, why emotional reactions often mask deeper wounds, and what begins to change when men stop fighting themselves and start building trust from within. John also shares the profound impact this work has had on his marriage, his relationship with his children, and his journey toward becoming the father and partner he always wanted to be. This isn't a conversation about becoming perfect. It's about discovering that healing doesn't come from fixing yourself. It comes from letting go of the belief that you were broken in the first place. If you've ever felt unlovable, struggled with emotional reactivity, sabotaged relationships you deeply cared about, or wondered whether lasting change is truly possible—this episode may show you what can happen when you finally begin to believe that you are enough.   RELATE:   

Why do men shut down — and what does it silently cost them in love, connection, and life? In this episode, I sit down with therapist Eli Weinstein to unpack the emotional avoidance pattern that's quietly destroying relationships — especially after kids arrive. We go deep on why men are conditioned to bottle emotions instead of expressing them, how resentment in marriage builds in silence, and the specific moment most couples disconnect without even realising it. Eli shares the brutal truth about the "honesty paradox" — why women ask for emotional openness in men, then punish them when they get it. We also dig into why therapy for men can sometimes make things worse when it's used as a shield instead of a tool for real change. If you're feeling distant from your partner, stuck in cycles of conflict, or you've noticed that having kids changed something you can't name — this conversation is for you. Eli Weinstein, LCSW, is the therapist bringing heart and humor back to mental health. A loving husband and proudly goofy dad of two, Eli is based in Las Vegas and runs a thriving practice serving clients across New York, Nevada, and beyond through his global coaching work. Known for his straight-talking, relatable style, he's the creator of ELIvation and host of The Dude Therapist podcast, where he dives into the messy, beautiful mix of relationships, parenting, and emotional growth. An international speaker and sought-after guest, Eli has been featured on over 250 podcasts and major media outlets including The Kelly Clarkson Show, Psychology Today, and leading relationship and parenting platforms. His debut book, From I Do to We Do: Navigating Marriage Through Parenting Years (Wiley, 2026), helps couples stay connected when life gets loud. Eli's mission is simple: make therapy-level wisdom feel human, hopeful, and real.   Key Topics: ⭐ Why Couples Fight ⭐ The Art Of Repair ⭐ Emotional Safety ⭐ Modern Masculinity ⭐ Unmet Relationship Needs ⭐ Taking Feedback Well ⭐ Deep Listening Skills ⭐ The Power Of Vulnerability ⭐ Being Fully Present ⭐ Rebuilding Connection   Connect With David - The Authentic Man: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe    Connect With Eli Weinstein :  Eli Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliweinstein_lcsw/ Eli Website:https://www.eliweinsteinlcsw.com/ Podcast: https://linktr.ee/dudetherapist   emotional avoidance men ,  resentment in marriage ,  avoidant attachment men ,  resentment in relationships ,  avoidant attachment style ,  relationship communication ,  emotional unavailability men , the authentic man podcast  therapy for men , marriage advice, avoidant attachment, men and emotions, men emotional shutdown, male emotional avoidance, marriage conflict resolution, intimacy after baby, men mental health, emotional distance in marriage emotional suppression men, men shutting down in relationships, why men don't talk, men bottling emotions, healthy masculinity relationships, relationship coach for men, men's podcast relationships, men vulnerability, men in their 40s relationships, authentic masculinity, 30s men, 40s men   RELATE:   

Dating isn't dying.  It's already dead — and most men are still swiping like it's 2019.  The rules have changed. Women are building emotional intimacy in community, AI is about to disrupt matchmaking entirely, and a whole generation of men are sleepwalking into relational extinction. If you're still leading with your job title and hoping chemistry does the heavy lifting, you're already behind. In this solo episode, I break down the 5 predictions that are reshaping how men and women connect — and more importantly, the 3 skills that separate the men who'll thrive from the ones who'll get left behind. This isn't red-pill panic or blue-pill wishful thinking. It's an honest look at where we're headed and what you need to do about it. If you've ever felt like the ground is shifting beneath your feet — like the old playbook doesn't work anymore — this episode is your wake-up call. Tags:   relationship advice, emotional intelligence, relationship psychology, dating advice for men, men emotional intelligence, modern masculinity, relationship podcast, the authentic man podcast, why men are single, emotional mastery, men relationship skills, relational bravery, dating advice, relationships, personal growth, emotionally immature, self improvement, dating predictions, relationship future, relationship apocalypse, AI relationships men, men dating future, david chambers, inner child work, shadow work, mother wound, men emotional development, modern dating crisis, masculine growth, 30s men, 40s men   RELATE:   

Most men were never taught how to navigate conflict — so they either blow up or shut down. This episode introduces the concept of attunement — the act of bringing fierce, loving presence to exactly what's there — and explains why conflict, when handled skillfully, is actually the front door to deeper intimacy, not a sign something is broken. We get into the "cosmic irony" of relationships: how your best intentions can still cause real pain in your partner, and why that doesn't make you a bad person. You'll learn how to translate accusations into the underlying longing behind them, how to receive criticism without becoming defensive, and why the person with the most awareness should always go first in repair. This is practical, psychologically grounded relationship advice for men who want more connection, less conflict, and the tools to actually build something real. James 'Fish' Gill is a heart coach, transformational facilitator and author of How To Fall In Love With Humanity.  Since 2008, he has transformed relational conflicts involving individuals, couples, communities and businesses. Fish has presented at conferences nationally and internationally. His unique method of conscious communication and relationship repair has gained a broad reach in 16 countries, and he has trained over 40 therapists globally in his radically compassionate approach.   Key Topics: ⭐ Conflict & Repair ⭐ Compassionate Communication ⭐ Emotional Attunement ⭐ Father Wounds & Masculinity ⭐ Unmet Needs In Relationships ⭐ Receiving Criticism ⭐ Deep Listening ⭐ Vulnerability & Connection ⭐ Presence In Relationships ⭐ Healing Relationship Ruptures   Connect With David - The Authentic Man: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe    Connect With James Gill:  James Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james_fish_gill/ James Website: https://www.leadbyheart.com/about   RELATE:   

Why Your Thyroid Is the "Check Engine Light" Your thyroid is the check engine light, not the engine. With Hashimoto's, the real story is happening in your gut, your immune system, and your stress physiology, often years before your thyroid shows it. If you have Hashimoto's and you're only chasing your thyroid numbers, you're missing the bigger question: why is your immune system attacking your thyroid in the first place? In this episode of the Medical Disruptor, I break down what Hashimoto's actually is, what the standard "replace the hormone" approach misses, and why your low-functioning thyroid is often a check engine light for something deeper, including gut health, gluten, infections, chronic stress, and toxins. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD, and I help humans go from medically gaslit to medically empowered. We'll cover leaky gut and the gluten-to-TPO connection, the gut microbiome's role in converting T4 to T3, infections like EBV and H. pylori, how chronic stress and cortisol affect your thyroid, endocrine-disrupting toxins, and the smartest next steps to take before you reach for supplements. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Feeling "normal but not okay"? Grab my free guide to track your symptoms, spot your patterns, and get taken seriously https://freechapter.lpages.co/normal-but-not-okay-handout/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandrehttps://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandrehttps://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:28 - Where Standard Treatment Falls Short 04:47 - The Gut, Gluten & Leaky Gut Connection 08:31 - Infections, Stress & Toxins 11:37 - What To Do Next: 5 Smart Steps 13:39 - Supplements That Actually Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A raw conversation about men's mental health and male suicide. Ten years ago George Bell was making plans to take his own life, and nobody around him knew. In this episode he tells David Chambers how the code of masculinity convinced him that struggling made him weak, why he was willing to trade his life to protect his idea of being a man, and how the intervention of two women saved him. On male suicide, mental health awareness, loneliness, male friendship and what it really means to be a man. George Bell is a speaker, author, and advocate for men's mental health and modern masculinity. Drawing from his own experience overcoming severe mental health struggles, including suicidal thoughts, George has dedicated his work to helping men build deeper connections, develop emotional resilience, and challenge harmful stereotypes around masculinity. Through his writing, speaking engagements, and research, he explores topics such as male identity, loneliness, mental health, relationships, and the impact of culture and technology on men's wellbeing. His mission is to create spaces where men can speak openly, seek support, and lead healthier, more connected lives.   Key Topics: ⭐ George Bell's Journey From Suicidal Thoughts To Purpose And Advocacy ⭐ The Hidden Crisis Of Men Suffering In Silence Despite Being Surrounded By Loved Ones ⭐ Why Shame, Masculinity, And Fear Stop Men From Asking For Help ⭐ Loneliness, Emotional Isolation, And The Missing Depth In Male Friendships ⭐ Creating Safe Spaces For Men To Open Up And Have Honest Conversations ⭐ The Myth Of Male Self-Sufficiency And Our Need For Human Connection ⭐ How Social Media, Algorithms, And The Online World Exploit Men's Insecurities ⭐ The Core Wound Of "Not Being Good Enough" Driving Male Struggle And Behaviour ⭐ Nature Versus Nurture: How Society Shapes Modern Masculinity ⭐ Raising Boys In A Divided World While Teaching Emotional Awareness And Resilience ⭐ Why Men Often Turn To Anger, Addiction, Or Extremism Instead Of Processing Pain ⭐ Building Stronger Communities, Brotherhood, And Support Networks For Men In Modern Life   Connect With David - The Authentic Man:   ➡️ Join the Waitlist — Relate https://forms.gle/2AXhmyNweasETaso7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe  Connect with George Bell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgeybell/ Book: https://tr.ee/BkOgHc7ptc   RELATE:   

Here's a description in the same style and structure as your example: Most men think confidence comes from fixing themselves. So they tell themselves: "I just need to work harder." "I need to become more successful." "I need to get my life together before I date again." But eventually, they realise the real problem isn't a lack of confidence. It's the story they've been telling themselves. The self-doubt. The overthinking. The constant need for validation. The belief that they're somehow not enough. In this episode, David sits down with Paul, a father of four and business development manager, to explore the emotional patterns that quietly shaped his relationships, self-worth, and identity for decades. After the breakdown of a 12-year relationship and nearly a decade of marriage, Paul found himself questioning everything. His value. His attractiveness. His masculinity. His ability to connect with others. He became trapped in a cycle of overthinking, self-criticism, and emotional paralysis. Every interaction was analysed. Every mistake was magnified. Every insecurity felt like proof that something was wrong with him. What makes this conversation powerful is the honesty behind it. How deeply he internalised criticism. How much of his self-worth depended on external validation. How years of overthinking kept him disconnected from himself and others. Rather than becoming bitter after divorce, Paul chose a different path. He confronted uncomfortable truths. Examined the stories he had built his identity around. And learned how to stop measuring his worth through other people's approval. David and Paul explore: self-worth and validation in men overthinking and anxiety people-pleasing tendencies divorce and rebuilding identity masculinity beyond alpha-male culture dating after separation boundary setting and emotional resilience meditation, breathwork, and nervous system regulation learning to trust yourself This isn't about becoming a different person. It's about letting go of the stories that keep you stuck — and discovering who you are when you stop trying to earn your worth from everyone around you.   RELATE:   

Most men think being great in bed comes down to technique. Justin Patrick Pierce learned the hard way it doesn't — after years in the pickup artist scene dating 13 women at once, he discovered the real foundations had nothing to do with performance. What actually makes a man a great lover? Conflict management — and nobody ever teaches you this. In this episode, Justin unpacks why communication in relationships is the skill that determines whether passion runs hot or dies quietly. He met his wife Londin Angel Winters sixteen years ago, and together they've built a practice around sacred sex, emotional intimacy, and the kind of honest conflict that actually deepens desire rather than killing it. We get into why couples lose attraction (hint: it starts with resentment in relationships), how to heal resentment before it calcifies, and why staying present through discomfort is what separates men who keep the spark alive from men who watch their relationships go room temperature. Justin Patrick Pierce has spent sixteen years in an intimate laboratory: his own marriage to Londin Angel Winters. Developing, testing, and refining a body of work on sacred sexuality and spiritual intimacy. He is not a therapist. He is not a theorist. He is a practitioner who teaches what he lives, and who lives what he teaches. His approach is nondual at its root: beneath the dance of Alpha and Omega, there is one consciousness knowing itself through the polarity of two. Understanding this changes everything about how you meet your partner, your desire, and yourself. Key Topics:  ⭐ Pickup Culture vs Real Intimacy⭐ The Power Of Feeling Seen⭐ Why Couples Lose Passion⭐ Conflict Without Losing Attraction⭐ Presence In Relationships⭐ Ego vs Vulnerability⭐ Sacred Sex & Emotional Intimacy⭐ Keeping The Spark Alive

With a unique ability to think like a man and feel like a woman, Elizabeth Anneka's on a mission to help men connect deeply and meaningfully with women. As a touch connoisseur, she translates the subtle, subjective, and seemingly ever-changing desires of women into a tangible, specific system for men to follow. Elizabeth helps her clients look for specific cues in a woman's body, teaching them how to truly understand and respond to their partner's needs. Elizabeth empowers men to become incredible lovers and reach Sex God Status within 6 months, leading to happier, healthier relationships…and a lot of happy ladies! ;) With 1:1 packages and group programs available, visit www.howtotouchwomen.com to dive into a world of exceptional intimacy today.   Key Topics: ⭐ Touch, Flirtation, And Intimacy As Learnable Arts ⭐ "The Bullseye Of The Body" And Why Men Rush The Center ⭐ Anticipation Versus Certainty In Sexual Dynamics ⭐ Reading A Woman's Breath As A Compass For Turn-On ⭐ Why Women Close When Men Move Too Fast ⭐ Flirting As "A Pamphlet" Of Your Energy And Life Force ⭐ Confidence Built Through Courage, Risk, And Self-Regard ⭐ The Difference Between Embodied Flirting And "Game" ⭐ Men Living In Their Heads Instead Of Their Bodies ⭐ Emotional Attunement As The Missing Layer Of Seduction ⭐ "A Woman Who Opens Herself To Sex" Versus Sex Alone ⭐ Presence, Playfulness, And The Power Of Responsive Touch Connect With David - The Authentic Man:   ➡️ Join the Waitlist — Relate https://forms.gle/2AXhmyNweasETaso7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe  Connect with Elizabeth Anneka: Website: https://www.howtotouchwomen.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingsoftouch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethanneka8   ____________   RELATE:   

Most men think they keep sabotaging relationships because they're afraid of commitment. So they tell themselves: "I just haven't met the right person." "I'm better on my own." "I'm just not built for relationships." But deep down, something never fully settles. Because every time intimacy deepens… every time someone truly gets close… something inside them starts pulling away. Not because they don't care. But because closeness starts to feel emotionally overwhelming. In this episode, David sits down with Reuben Christian to unpack the deeper reality behind avoidant attachment, emotional withdrawal, and the painful cycle so many men silently repeat in relationships. Reuben shares how he spent years believing he was "broken" when it came to love. On the surface, he looked confident, social, successful, and deeply connected to people. But inside intimate relationships… he constantly felt trapped between wanting love and wanting escape. He explains how emotional intensity would trigger panic, overthinking, distancing, fault-finding, and eventually withdrawal—even in relationships that were loving and healthy. And the hardest part? He didn't understand why it kept happening. So like many men, he tried to think his way out of it. Books. Podcasts. Therapy. Relationship advice. But nothing fully changed the deeper pattern underneath. Because what looked like "commitment issues"… was actually a nervous system trying to protect him from emotional pain. In this conversation, David and Reuben explore how avoidant attachment develops, why men disconnect when relationships become emotionally real, and what actually begins to shift when men stop seeing themselves as broken. This isn't a conversation about becoming perfect in relationships. It's about learning how to stay present instead of disappearing when love becomes vulnerable.

Alessandro Frosali is a men's coach dedicated to helping men grow out of boy-like behaviours and step into mature masculinity. His work focuses on the everyday struggles men face in relationships, especially the cycle of criticism and defensiveness that slowly erodes respect between partners. Through coaching, retreats, and his Better Husband Academy, Alessandro teaches men how to take responsibility, handle emotional conflict, and become the kind of partner their wife can trust and respect. His approach blends practical psychology, rites of passage concepts, and honest conversations about what modern men were never taught about relationships. Alessandro believes many men want to be great husbands but were never shown how. His mission is to give men the tools, structure, and accountability to become the husbands, fathers, and leaders their families need.  Key Topics: ⭐ The "Boy Behavior" Versus Manhood In Relationships ⭐ Why Men Blame Instead Of Taking Responsibility ⭐ Confusing Identity ("I Am A Man") With Behavior ⭐ Seeing Your Partner As A Mirror, Not The Enemy ⭐ Defensiveness As Protection From Shame And "Not Enough" ⭐ Why Women Lose Attraction When They Have To Mother You ⭐ Sex As Release vs Sex As Emotional Connection ⭐ How Avoiding Hard Conversations Kills Intimacy ⭐ Women Calling Men Forward (And Why It Feels Like Attack) ⭐ Listening To What's Under The Words ("The Thing Beneath The Thing") Connect With David - The Authentic Man:   ➡️ Join the Waitlist — Relate https://forms.gle/2AXhmyNweasETaso7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe    Connect with Alessandro Frosali   Website: www.alessandrofrosali.com   ___________   RELATE:   

Most men believe relationship problems happen because they don't know what to say. So when she's upset… when conflict starts… when emotions rise… they do what they've always done. They freeze. She's standing right in front of them. They can hear every word. They want to respond. But their chest tightens. Their mind starts racing. And suddenly the words disappear. Then later—when the moment is gone—they know exactly what they should have said. And that's where the deeper frustration begins. Because it doesn't feel like a communication problem. It feels like something inside you keeps taking over. In this episode, David breaks down why so many men shut down emotionally in relationships—and why it has far less to do with communication than most men realize. What looks like silence on the surface is often something much deeper underneath: A nervous system that interprets emotional closeness as danger. He explains why men withdraw, overthink, become "nice," avoid conflict, and slowly disappear inside their own relationships—without fully understanding why they're doing it. And the hardest part? Most men think they can think their way out of it. But the very thinking they rely on… is often the thing keeping them stuck. Instead of trying to find the perfect words, David reveals why the real work is learning how to stay present when emotion enters the room. Because until you can remain with discomfort— you will keep abandoning yourself, and the people you love.

Dr Sula is a Health Psychologist, qualified psychotherapist, EMDR and CBT practitioner, and Mindfulness teacher with experience within her own private practice and within the NHS. She has two doctoral qualifications - a research PhD in Psychological Medicine at Kings College London, and a practitioner psychologist Doctoral Qualification with the British Psychological Society as a Health Psychologist. She is chartered with the British Psychological Society and accredited and regulated by the Health Care & Professionals Council (HCPC).  ​ Prior to working within her own practice, she was able to develop and hone her skillset within a busy NHS Primary Care service, helping a wide range of clients. During this time, she developed and lead the Long Term Conditions care pathway, developing specialised treatment protocols and processes for patients with health conditions.   ​ Now, she works with clients and oversees the running of Mind Body Blossom Clinic, focusing on helping women to reclaim their wellness from the chronic stress, illness & trauma via evidence-based bio-psychosocial support, aimed at connecting your mind and your body.  Key Topics: ⭐ The Mind-Body Connection As A Foundation Of Health And Healing   ⭐ From "It's All In Your Head" To Integrated Understanding   ⭐ Intraceptive Awareness And The Ability To Feel The Body   ⭐ "Brains On Sticks" — When Men Lose Contact With Their Bodies   ⭐ Emotional Awareness As A Skill That Must Be Learned   ⭐ Purpose, Meaning, And Their Impact On Longevity   ⭐ Stress As More Than One Thing: Stressors, Responses, And Reactions   ⭐ Allostatic Load And The Hidden Cost Of Chronic Stress   ⭐ Why Compassion Can Feel "Icky" And Unsafe   ⭐ Avoidance As A Learned Nervous System Strategy   ⭐ Social Connection As A Biological Buffer Against Stress   ⭐ Values, Identity, And Designing A Meaningful Life   Connect With David - The Authentic Man:   ➡️ Join the Waitlist — Relate https://forms.gle/2AXhmyNweasETaso7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe  Connect with Dr Sula Windgassen: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_health_psychologist_/ Website: https://www.healthpsychologist.co.uk/ Book: https://www.healthpsychologist.co.uk/itsallinyourbody    ___________ RELATE:   

Many men think they're failing in dating because they're not attractive enough, confident enough, or saying the right things—but what if the real reason is something far more uncomfortable? You see her. You feel the pull. You want to go over… and then something hits. Your chest tightens. Your mind starts racing. You hesitate. Overthink. And before you know it—you do nothing. Later, you replay it. You tell yourself you missed your chance. Again. And the worst part? You start believing it means something about you… that you're not good enough, not confident enough, not the kind of man women choose. But in this episode, David breaks down what's really happening—and it's not what you think. Fear of rejection isn't about women. It's about what you believe rejection means about you. He reveals how this fear quietly controls your behavior—stopping you from approaching, holding you back from expressing yourself, and trapping you in a loop of avoidance, overthinking, and self-doubt. And the real cost? Loneliness. Isolation. Missed opportunities. Years of your life slipping by while you stay stuck. Instead of chasing confidence hacks or trying to "get it right," David explains why the real work is deeper—emotional, psychological, and identity-based. Because until you change how you relate to rejection, nothing changes.

Inside the Vercel Breach: Highlighting OAuth Token Risk  In a special edition of Cybersecurity Today, host Jim Love and guest Jamie Blasco (CTO, Nudge Security) discuss Vercel, a major developer hosting platform, and a breach tied to OAuth grants and shadow AI. Reporting shared by Contrast Security's David Lindner describes how a Context AI employee downloaded Roblox AutoFarm scripts, got infected with an info stealer, and attackers harvested credentials, compromised Context AI, then used an over-permissioned OAuth token from a Vercel employee who had signed up to Context AI with an enterprise account and clicked "allow all," with Vercel working with Mandiant on a breach allegedly being sold for $2 million. The episode emphasizes that MFA may not mitigate OAuth abuse, urges admin-managed consent, continuous inventory and auditing of OAuth grants, and better visibility into risky third-party app access across Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Cybersecurity Today would like to thank Meter for their support in bringing you this podcast. Meter delivers a complete networking stack, wired, wireless and cellular in one integrated solution that's built for performance and scale.  You can find them at Meter.com/cst 00:00 Special Edition Intro 00:14 Sponsor Message Meter 00:33 Supply Chain Hack Setup 01:16 Breach Seen In Wild 02:36 Meet Jamie Blasko 02:56 Who Is Vercel 04:34 How The Breach Happened 05:58 Context AI And Shadow IT 07:58 OAuth Controls And Audits 09:11 Impact And Open Questions 11:24 Why MFA Falls Short 12:22 Where To Get Help 14:07 Host Takeaways OAuth Risk 14:53 What To Do Next 16:06 Wrap Up And Feedback 16:42 Sponsor Close Meter 17:24 Final Sign Off          

Nemanja supports men and women in stepping into their power, embodying theirpurpose, and expressing their unique essence with confidence and clarity. Since his youth, he has been deeply engaged in personal development, exploringthe dynamics of masculine and feminine energy, martial arts, dance, tantra,shamanism, psychology, yoga, meditation, and traditional earth practices. By integrating these disciplines, he has developed a holistic coaching approach thattransforms both mind and body. Over the past 25+ years of teaching, he has led more than 1,000 workshops andinspired over 100,000 people worldwide.His mission is simple: to help individuals break free from limitations, fully embracelife, and create a legacy of love and purpose for future generations.   Key Topics: ⭐ The "Nice Guy" Versus The Good Man Distinction ⭐ Why Men Struggle To Say "No" In Relationships And Life ⭐ People-Pleasing As A Strategy To Avoid Rejection ⭐ Speaking Truth Even At The Risk Of Standing Alone ⭐ The Loss Of Agency In Modern Men's Lives ⭐ Emotional Disconnection And The Inability To Track Inner States ⭐ "I'm Tired Of Wearing A Mask" — The Collapse Of False Identity ⭐ Anger As Suppressed Power Finally Surfacing ⭐ Holding The Line When Everything Pulls You Back ⭐ Brotherhood, Support, And Men Showing Up For Each Other ⭐ Familiar Hell Over Unfamiliar Heaven In Relationships ⭐ When Personal Growth Disrupts The Entire System Around You   Connect With David - The Authentic Man:   ➡️ Join the Waitlist — Relate https://forms.gle/2AXhmyNweasETaso7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe  Connect with Nemanja Soreno   Website: https://www.nemanjasonero.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nemanja.sonero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nemanja_sonero/   RELATE:   

Block Just Cut 4,000 Jobs. WiseTech Cut 2,000. Here's What To Do Next.Last week was a wake-up call for anyone working in fintech and tech in Australia.Block — the company behind Square, Cash App, and Afterpay — cut more than 4,000 employees. That's nearly half the company, down from over 10,000 to just under 6,000. The stock surged 24% on the same day. Afterpay is still headquartered in Sydney, and Australian staff have been directly affected.The same week, WiseTech Global announced 2,000 job cuts over two years — 29% of their workforce. CBA quietly cut 300 roles, mostly in technology. All three cited AI as the driver.In this video, Dexter Cousins breaks down what actually happened and gives you three practical steps to take today if you've been affected or think you might be next.Chapters00:00 Navigating Job Loss in FinTech01:39 How Your Experience Is In Greater Demand Than Ever03:02 Avoid Three BIG Mistakes03:49 Career Balance Sheet05:03 Identifying Opportunities05:45 GTM Strategy — Quick Wins07:09 Building Momentum and NetworkingCareer Balance Sheet - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hLJJQl2B_h1u00G46sNxlhGNRXXZlCv6/viewPart 1 - https://tieronepeople.com/2025/11/14/find-fintech-jobs/Part 2 -https://tieronepeople.com/2026/01/12/professional-networks-job-hunting/Part 3 - https://tieronepeople.com/2026/02/16/professional-brand-first-principles/Send a textContact: info@tieronepeople.comConnect on with Dexter Cousins on Linkedin Hire Exceptional Fintech Talent Subscribe on LinkedIn

Deconstruct the Fears Holding You Back    Welcome back for a very special episode! We're celebrating the release of Michelle Weger's book, Don't Snooze Your Dreams. Michelle and I have been working together for 7 years now, and I've seen her do some really hard things. I'm so proud of her for writing this book and sharing how she reframes fear to accomplish her dreams and helping you all do the same.   Michelle Weger is an accomplished entrepreneur, speaker, and now #1 International Best Selling author. As the founder of Venture Creative Collective, Michelle helps small businesses thrive with innovative automation and web development solutions. Living with narcolepsy, Michelle has transformed personal challenges into powerful lessons, inspiring countless individuals to pursue their dreams despite obstacles.  Consequences of Advocacy  As someone with an invisible disability, Michelle discusses how she's grown in her advocacy. She's faced a lot of tough pushback and consequences because her service dog is "too big," or people don't believe she's a service dog and don't believe Michelle even has a disability. After seeing how her mother, friends, and colleagues stood up for her, Michelle realized if she stood up for herself now, she would also be helping others.  Only Two Types of Fear  In her book, Michelle identifies only two types of fear we all suffer from. We have a social fear, which, boiled down, is the fear of embarrassment, and physical fear, which is fear of something that could actually kill or harm us. The metaphors she uses in the book are brilliant in reframing how you feel about fear. Keep your ears open for when we talk about the paper dinosaur and the terrorist in our heads.  Fear and adversity are ever present throughout our lives and our careers. Whether we're facing a promotion at work or an autoimmune disease diagnosis, we will always be battling our paper dinosaurs and terrorists in our heads. Listen in to hear about Michelle's DREAM method, which anyone can use to overcome whatever obstacles they're facing in life and achieve their dreams.    What's In This Episode Facing adversity for a non-apparent disability like narcolepsy  Role models help bolster advocacy for yourself and, eventually others  Metaphors for fears holding us back from our dreams  Tactics for doing hard things  DREAM method for overcoming fears and achieving dreams   What To Do Next   Visit lisalarter.com/e168 for all resources from this episode.

Life has a way of surprising us, sometimes in ways we least expect. For over 13 years, I found comfort and stability in a job that provided financial security and a sense of routine. But deep down, I had a feeling that it was time to move on and create space for something new. I didn't act on this feeling, and as the universe often does, it made the decision for me. Losing my job was a shock, but it also presented an incredible opportunity to follow my true passions.In the past month since leaving my job, I've experienced a whirlwind of emotions—sadness, uncertainty, excitement, and hope. The transition wasn't easy, but it pushed me to make decisions I had been procrastinating on for far too long. One of the biggest steps I've taken is organizing an event called Muve Fest 2024. It's going to be a day filled with activities that nourish the body, mind, and soul—everything from yoga, fitness, and stretching to sound baths and meditation. We've also invited local vendors to showcase their products, including my own Muve Life Activewear line.Muve Fest 2024 will be held at the community center in my hometown of Mitchell, Ontario. It's an event designed to bring people together, inspire movement, and foster a sense of community. I encourage everyone to grab their tickets on www.muvelife.com, bring their friends and family, and join us for a day of fun and self-discovery.This experience has reinforced the importance of having faith in the journey of life. Sometimes, we resist change because we're afraid of the unknown. But I've learned that letting go of what's familiar can open doors to new and exciting possibilities. It's a leap of faith, but it's worth it. My podcast and Muve Life Activewear are my passions, and I'm excited to devote more time and energy to them.I hope my story inspires you to trust the process and follow your heart, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. Remember, sometimes the universe has a way of guiding us to where we need to be. Embrace the journey, have faith, and keep moving forward.CONNECT WITH MICHELLE  Website: www.themichellewolfe.com Podcast @themuveforwardpodcast Host @themichellewolfe Muve Life @muvelife Activewear www.muvelife.com 15% discount code for Podcast listeners  “MUVEFORWARD"

Thomas Griffiths owns Tomaskas Ltd, an animal lighting and husbandry consultancy out of the UK. In this episode, we discuss the ban on halogen & other incandescent heat lamps in the USA. Thomas explains what the ban means for the reptile industry moving forward, how to fight the ban, and also the science behind why we need to use incandescent bulbs for our animals. Thomas also discusses the European ban on T5 fluorescent tubes and some new exciting technology in the UVB lamp space. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/205-heat-bulb-ban/ SHOW SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude here: www.thebiodude.com  @TheBioDudeJoshHalter  Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/  @ZooMed  CUSTOM REPTILE HABITATS: https://www.animalsathome.ca/crh JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathome LINKS FROM THE EPISODE: https://tomaskas.co.uk/ https://tomaskas.co.uk/dont-let-them-take-your-heat-bulbs/ https://www.instagram.com/thetomaskas/ Reptile Lighting FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReptileLighting/permalink/3222394354561805 We Discuss: 0:00 Coming Up The Bio Dude + Zoo Med 3:06 Welcome Thomas - What Is Going On? 12:51 The Halogen Ban 15:51 What is a Black Body Radiator? How Heat Lamps Work 26:18 Accidental Mismarketking - Heat Projectors 34:50 NERD Video - What they got wrong 43:18 NERD Video - What they got right 44:50 125W+ Is the Current Exception 46:02 The Zoo Med Labs Letter Leak 51:05 How To Fight The Halogen Ban 1:03:20 The Fluorescent Lamp Ban 1:05:44 New Exo Terra Bulbs 1:11:50 How Do UVB Fluorescent Tubes Function? 1:18:11 Understanding the Fluorescent Ban 1:30:18 What To Do Next? 1:35:52 Closing Thoughts

This is why you don't need to upload Etsy listings every day... if you're doing this right! In this episode, I break down the truth about uploading listings every day and why it isn't helping your shop. Follow these steps instead to launch your Etsy shop on the first page of search results!

We debuting a new segment that we're calling "Love At First Site" where we dive into an ecommerce business that we love and share what we like about it and how we would go even further to improve. We have no relationships with these sites, usually we find them in the course of our day to day lives online. In this episode we kick it off with windowcleaner.com. Let's do this! Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dropshipbreakthru.com/call⁠⁠ - Ready to start your high ticket dropshipping journey with Ben and Jon's guidance and help? Jump on a free call with one of our team members today to learn what that looks like. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dropshipbreakthru.com/shopify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Get a $1 trial on Shopify and start having a play around. The best way to learn is by doing. Get familiar with the platform by being inside of it. Sponsors ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DropshipBreakthru.com/Clearsale⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  — Add this app to your business and never worry about fraud  chargebacks again. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DropshipBreakthru.com/Shopify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — The only Ecommerce platform we recommend. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DropshipBreakthru.com/Grasshopper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Get an 800 number for your business from Grasshopper ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DropshipBreakthru.com/Rewind⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Automatically back up your Shopify store data ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DropshipBreakthru.com/PrimedMind⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Get coached by the #1 Mindset Coach in the world, Elliot Roe Timestamps This how you do a niche site (00:00:00) Serving small businesses in the window cleaning niche (00:02:11) The use of product bundles to increase average order value (00:05:30) Marketing strategies for product bundles (00:06:19) Product videos and their impact on customer engagement (00:09:46) Teaching resources and potential for additional courses (00:13:19) Customer loyalty strategies and community building (00:14:23) Geeking out about websites (00:16:58) SEO perspective (00:18:00) Content presentation and user experience (00:20:05) SEO and usability challenges (00:21:03) Potential business activities and content creation (00:25:11) Opportunities in content creation and licensing (00:26:48) Inspiration and What To Do Next (00:27:21) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dropship-podcast/message

In this episode: courage from community, what to do next, overwhelm, finding community, and the evolution of FI. Live from the EconoMe Conference in Cincinati Ohio, Brad is joined by Jordan "Doc G" Grumet and a room full of passionate members of our community to discuss finding the courage to take action in your FI journey. While we understand money can be a north-star for many early in your venture towards FI, what happens once money is no longer the root of your goals? Where do you shift your focus to next? Well, sometimes finding answers to these questions is a little easier when you have help from some of your friends. Listen along as Jordan, Brad and our community speculate on their ideas for what their next steps are. Doc G: Website: earnandinvest.com Podcast: The Earn and Invest Podcast Timestamps: 0:41 - Introduction 1:41 - Courage From Community 7:40 - Roger and What To Do Next? 20:31 - Allison and Finding Community 30:15 - What/Where is the Overwhelm 34:49 - The Evolution of FI/Being The Change You Want To See 41:11 - Reconciling With Social Responsibilities 44:34 - Charitable Giving 47:21 - Interacting Outside of The Community 51:55 - Conclusion Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Retire Often FI Freedom Retreat Mr Money Mustache CampFI FinCon "Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life" by Bill Perkins Josh Overmeyer EconoMe Alan Donegan Find Your Local ChooseFI Group Effective Giving for the FI Community | Rebecca Herbst & Jack Lewars | ChooseFI Ep 483 Subscribe to The FI Weekly! More Helpful Links and FI Resources: Top 10 Recommended Travel Rewards Credit Cards Empower: Free Dashboard to Track Your Finances CIT Bank Platinum Savings Account M1 Finance: Commission-Free Investing, 1-click rebalancing CashFreely: Maximize Your Cash Back Rewards Travel Freely: Track all your rewards cards and points Emergency Binder: For Your Family's Essential Info (code ‘CHOOSEFI' for 20% off) Student Loan Planner: Custom Consult (with $100 Discount) Get a cheaper phone plan with Mint Mobile

Purchased services is often the most overlooked expense in healthcare yet offers opportunities for cost savings. Brian Bartel shares his best practices for effective contract management, with Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction  Brian explains the unique challenges of purchased services, why a centralized contract repository is the first step to successful purchased services management, and why hospitals should never allow contracts to auto-renew. He also explains why ‘'red flags'' aren't always necessarily malicious and why it's vital to question the line-item details of your purchased services invoices.    Show Topics   Purchased services present a unique challenge in healthcare #1 tip: Create a centralized contract repository Review your contracts on a minimum annual basis Don't assume all red flags are malicious The hidden cost savings in your line-item details Be inquisitive, be patient, be strategic – and build relationships 06:35 Purchased services present a unique challenge in healthcare Brian explained the difference between supplies and purchased services.  ‘'…When you're talking about supplies, it's pretty easy. You've got a specific item number, you've got your power set, your requisitions, everything is very orderly. So things are coming in, you can track it, you've got the data behind it, there's a contract with that line item pricing. And then when you get confirmations back, usually people are using some form of EDI, which makes it relatively easy, and you can track that. Item A is item A, item B is item B. Purchased services is different because it typically is not on a PO. Again, I've worked places where it is, but that comes with its own challenges. It's very department specific, so you've got usually a department manager or leader that's kind of running that point with it. We don't have as much interaction on the supply chain side of this either. Communication is usually kind of sparse between supply chain and a purchased service provider as compared to a typical supply vendor. And again, the data is just, it's more difficult. When you start looking at how things are being invoiced because there's no PO line, it gets very challenging to try to figure out, "Okay, what's actually happening with this spend?" Typically, an invoice will come in, the department manager signs off on it, it gets paid, and that's it. So a lot of opportunity there.''   08:30 #1 tip: Create a centralized contract repository  Brian said a centralized contract repository was the essential first step to successful purchased services management.  ‘'I think that at square one, I think the biggest thing you can do is if your organization or your hospital, your ASC, your clinic, whatever it is, if you don't have a centralized contract repository, that's step one. Again, stepping into certain roles in my past, you've got contracts that might be down in admin. You've got department managers that have signature execution authority and they've got them in their files, and then you realize three years later that there's been this contract that nobody's really paying attention to because it's just a paper copy. Really I think that that's the biggest thing for me is getting your hands around it. Number one, you've just got to have that centralized repository. Again, that doesn't mean that you need to use software. Software obviously makes things easier. I'm a big proponent of that. But again, even just saying, "All right, nobody can sign contracts except for," whether it be your CEO, your CFO. "Send all these down and we're going to put them in a file cabinet." At least then you can go and try to find where those contractual documents are.''   10:07 Review your contracts on a minimum annual basis Brian said it's important not to let contracts auto-renew.  ‘'It's always good to have that check-in annually, even if it's just pulling the contract, making sure when does this contract terminate? That's the other thing about automated systems through contract software is that you can set those flags. “Hey, something's coming up 180 days later.” Again, with things that are just auto-renewing, that's an issue too. If you miss that window to terminate something that you do want to go out to bid for, or maybe it's a contract that you don't need anymore. And I've seen, you've probably seen it too, 180 day out clause, some of these things. So if you miss that, that's going to be a problem. As far as reviewing, it depends too on the type of service. Some of them are much more important, and so having a quarterly business review or a semiannual business review is important, and that gives the vendor time to come and showcase what it is that they're doing too, because at the end of the day, sometimes these people are coming in, they're doing great work, but nobody really knows except for that department or specific area that they're there too. So giving that face time opportunity for the vendor, especially on those critical contracts, is important as well.''   12:21 Don't assume all red flags are malicious Brian said reaching out to the vendor is important if you notice an invoice discrepancy.  ‘'I think that that's where you've got to have a little finesse, again, realizing that some of these contracts, there's a lot of relationships built in. Again, if you've got somebody that's on site providing this, odds are they built those relationships. So I always take the approach when I notice that something's not going well on my side, if I notice an invoice discrepancy or something, it's an automatic red flag, but don't assume that it's malicious, right? So the first thing that I recommend is definitely reaching out to the vendor, the supplier, the individual, whoever it is that's your point of contact and just have that conversation. Say, "Hey, we noticed that there's a deficiency here," or, "We have a question about this invoice," and give them a chance. Because again, remember, on their side, I think it's probably maybe not quite as complex as it is on ours, but I know that just the conversations that I've had with suppliers in the past is that there are mistakes made when they're sending out invoices on a monthly basis or whatever it is. Again, give them that opportunity to rectify, at least bring it to their attention, and don't assume a malicious intent, even though that's probably from a supply chain standpoint, something that we might tend to do a little bit too much, right?''   14:22 The hidden cost savings in your line-item details Brian said a detailed review of purchased services invoices can uncover significant cost savings opportunities.  ‘'At the end of the day, we're paying for whatever it is that we've signed up contractually for. And so having that actual invoice in front of you will tell you a lot of different things. Number one, you get the contract. Number two, you get the invoice. And then you start going through, does this make sense? Are things lining up? And I found some just very easy wins, things that they've been charging for, like an EVS vendor that was charging for restroom service, thousands of dollars a year, nobody knew what it was, and all they were doing is just bringing in little scent pads and not even going into the restrooms. But that was a line item that nobody had really questioned before. And so by seeing that actual invoice, again, now you're not just seeing it as X amount, now you can actually go in and see what it is that they're invoicing for. Again, correlating back to the supply chain side, we know that. We know each individual widget, case, box, each, but until you see that invoice a lot of times, if you're looking at it from a GL perspective or an expense, you don't see that line item necessarily all the way down to that detail. So it just tells you a lot. And again, maybe I'm just a nerd, but I like doing that. I like pulling those occasionally and just making sure, do the sniff test. Does this seem like everything that it should be? And then ask those questions. And again, you learn through that too. Some of the services that we have, it's like, "Oh, I didn't know that that was included." So again, that goes back to the communication with the vendor or supplier, give them opportunity to explain what it is that they're invoicing as well.''   19:05 Be inquisitive, be patient, be strategic - and build relationships  Brian said building relationships is vital in leadership.  ‘'I think the biggest thing is just like I mentioned before, be inquisitive, have patience, and be strategic. A lot of the things that we would like to get done, whether it's supply chain or in our personal lives, it takes a while. So build those relationships, know what you want to do and know that it will take time. Rome wasn't built in a day. And so when you have those opportunities come up, if you're strategic about it, that door opens a little bit, you've got all your ducks in a row, then you can walk through and say, "Hey, I've got a solution to try to fix this, because I've been working on it in the background." So I wish that there was more that I could say than that, but I know personally that's what it is. Be inquisitive, be patient, be strategic, and build those relationships. Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Brian Bartel on LinkedIn    Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    From critical care to materials management, Brian's journey in healthcare: ‘'No day is the same. Hopefully we can bring efficiencies and streamline processes to avoid some of these chaotic fires that pop up, but again, every day brings this new challenge.''   A straightforward definition of purchased services: ‘'I just keep it simple. Is it a service that we're purchasing and that's usually typically some sort of a purchase or a contract or an outsource of some service that we're taking advantage of.''   The benefits of a mentor in effective contract management: ‘'If you would've just stuck me in purchased services when I left the critical care access hospital, I would've had no idea, but I had a mentor, I had somebody that was teaching me that. So rely on those people and ask those questions. Ask the department managers, your GPO. Again, I know that there are pros and cons of GPOs, but that's a great place to look too.''   What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.  

Brett Curry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/) talks to Jeremy Horowitz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhorowitz1/) about the current state of eCommerce.__Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!__Chapters: (00:00) Intro(01:58) The State of eCommerce(12:39) Constructing a Healthy P&L(22:48) Would We Buy This Business? (38:38) The Importance of Focusing on Core Customers(43:29) LVMH: The Ultimate Luxury Company(48:44) Outro__Links: Jeremy Horowitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhorowitz1/ Let's Buy A Biz!: https://www.letsbuyabiz.xyz/ __Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ __Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Bryan Porter and more. __Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 266 with Cody Wittick - Influencer Marketing and How To Create a Creative Flywheel in 2024Episode 263 with Anthony Mink - Cut Your CPA in Half by Asking Better QuestionsEpisode 260 with Preston Rutherford - Lessons From Chubbies with Co-Founder Preston RutherfordEpisode 243 with Jacques Spitzer - Achieving Exit Velocity with YouTube AdsEpisode 228 with Jeremy Horowitz - The State of eCommerce, The Economy, and What To Do Next

Brett Curry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/) talks to Jeff Cohen from Amazon (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreycohen/) about amazon ads news and trends. __Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!__Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (07:54) Vertical Video for Sponsored Brand Video(15:43) Amazon's Facebook Integration (19:27) Prime Video Ads and Sponsored TV(31:33) Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) (39:22) AI's Role In Amazon Advertising (42:15) The Importance of Your Feedback(43:46) Outro __Links: Jeff Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreycohen/ __Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ __Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Bryan Porter and more. __Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 266 with Cody Wittick - Influencer Marketing and How To Create a Creative Flywheel in 2024Episode 263 with Anthony Mink - Cut Your CPA in Half by Asking Better QuestionsEpisode 260 with Preston Rutherford - Lessons From Chubbies with Co-Founder Preston RutherfordEpisode 243 with Jacques Spitzer - Achieving Exit Velocity with YouTube AdsEpisode 228 with Jeremy Horowitz - The State of eCommerce, The Economy, and What To Do Next

Brett Curry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/) talks to Brayn Porter (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbryanporter/) about how to build a brand on Amazon. __Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!__Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction(04:11) Simple Modern's Founding Story(17:42) Demand Capture and Paid Ads(24:40) Building A Brand On Amazon(40:40) Transitioning To a 1P Seller on Amazon(46:23) Outro__Links: Kyle Fraughton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbryanporter/ Simple Modern: https://www.simplemodern.com/ __Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ __Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, and more. __Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 266 with Cody Wittick - Influencer Marketing and How To Create a Creative Flywheel in 2024Episode 263 with Anthony Mink - Cut Your CPA in Half by Asking Better QuestionsEpisode 260 with Preston Rutherford - Lessons From Chubbies with Co-Founder Preston RutherfordEpisode 243 with Jacques Spitzer - Achieving Exit Velocity with YouTube AdsEpisode 228 with Jeremy Horowitz - The State of eCommerce, The Economy, and What To Do Next

Brett Curry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/) talks about the parallels between parenting and running a business. __Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!__Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (03:12) Lesson 1 - Where All Making It Up As We Go(06:58) Lesson 2 - You're Never Really Ready(09:19) Lesson 3 - Listen and Communicate Clearly In Multiple Ways(12:17) Lesson 4 - Admit When You're Wrong(14:39) Lesson 5 - You Might Want A Coach(19:39) Lesson 6 - Be All In(22:52) Outro __Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ __Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, and more. __Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 266 with Cody Wittick - Influencer Marketing and How To Create a Creative Flywheel in 2024Episode 263 with Anthony Mink - Cut Your CPA in Half by Asking Better QuestionsEpisode 260 with Preston Rutherford - Lessons From Chubbies with Co-Founder Preston RutherfordEpisode 243 with Jacques Spitzer - Achieving Exit Velocity with YouTube AdsEpisode 228 with Jeremy Horowitz - The State of eCommerce, The Economy, and What To Do Next

Brett Curry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/) talks to Kyle Fraughton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylefraughton/) about ambassador programs and the power of UGC. __Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!__Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (02:40) Kyle's Background (03:53) Authentic - The Word of the Year(05:55) Is UGC Dead? (10:51) The Digital Age Version of Word of Mouth(13:32) Strategies To Facilitate Word of Mouth(15:26) What Does A Good Ambassador Program Do?(16:16) Influencer Program vs. Ambassador Program(26:08) How To Set Up An Ambassador Program(34:50) Ambassadors and Ads(38:41) More About Get Roster(43:06) Outro__Links: Kyle Fraughton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylefraughton/ Roster: https://www.getroster.com/__Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ __Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, and more. __Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 266 with Cody Wittick - Influencer Marketing and How To Create a Creative Flywheel in 2024Episode 263 with Anthony Mink - Cut Your CPA in Half by Asking Better QuestionsEpisode 260 with Preston Rutherford - Lessons From Chubbies with Co-Founder Preston RutherfordEpisode 243 with Jacques Spitzer - Achieving Exit Velocity with YouTube AdsEpisode 228 with Jeremy Horowitz - The State of eCommerce, The Economy, and What To Do Next

2024 has been described as a financial ‘'make or break'' year in healthcare. SpendMend Research Supervisor Zachary Markham explains to Jim Cagliostro why time and data are money for hospitals.     Episode Introduction  Zach explains why the lack of timely, accurate data can delay recovery of credits, and why most hospitals only have 50% visibility into their spend and accounts payable processes. He also shares why duplicate payments and credit on spend are the top two methods for recovery of costs, and highlights how uncovering dark data saved SpendMend clients $413 million in 2023.   Show Topics   Data analysis identifies duplicate payments Timely data is vital to maximize cost savings The significant cost savings potential hidden in dark data 3 challenges to gathering hospital data Positivity and communication skills are essential in leadership     02:18 Data analysis identifies duplicate payments  Zach provided a ‘'birds eye view'' of data analysis. ‘'So, when we initially get a client's data in, a hospital's data, we jump right on that data and we go ahead, we search account numbers and vendor contact information for each. So, if it's a larger healthcare system, we'll search for each entity within that healthcare system. We'll search for account numbers for all those, as well as the contact information for vendors. And then, for duplicate payments, that's a large revenue stream for us. So, that starts in the data scrub team. They scrub down the data and identify some good potential duplicate payments. And a duplicate payment is just an invoice that was paid twice for one reason or another. And once the data scrub team is done with that, they'll pass it off to us and we'll go into our client's imaging systems, where they store their invoices and we will pull those invoices and pass it back over to the data scrub team for validation. And I guess the third one here would be just various invoice pull requests for other departments, including the tax team, purchased services, as well as med device, just to name a few. And then, the last one I'll cover here just for the bird's eye view, PHIQ, which is protected health information. So, we've talked about data and it's extremely important to obviously protect our client's data, but it's equally, if not more important, to protect the patient's data as well.''   05:24: Timely data is vital to maximize cost savings Zach said hospitals sometimes don't obtain credits for years if price discrepancies aren't found quickly.   ‘'I'll give you an example from my time as a pricing analyst. So, as a pricing analyst, we would review data price discrepancies that were about one to two years old from present from what they were currently paying, the hospitals were paying. So, we'd go through identify, "You're paying this vendor $20 for this item, when you should be paying $10 for that item," just as an example. And we would get that and working one to two years behind them. I guess the quicker that we would finish our review and then turn that back into the client, they'd be able to mend the price that they're paying, get it back to the contracted or agreed upon price. And also, collect the credits that were outstanding for the time that they were overpaying. So, I guess the sooner you can identify that you're paying at a higher rate than the contracted price for items, the sooner that you can correct it and get credits from the vendors.''   07:44: The significant cost savings potential hidden in dark data Zach said hospitals only have 50% visibility into their spend and accounts payable processes.  ‘'Dark data is information that is hidden or not visible to a hospital for a variety of reasons. But it comes down to them not having the time, resources, or insights to uncover their own data blind spots. And I like to think of this kind of as a puzzle. So, when a hospital or healthcare system hands over their data to us, they're giving us basically a half put-together puzzle, and it's our job to put together the missing pieces or the other 50%. They only have approximately 50% visibility into their spend and accounts payables processes, and this dark data is essential to uncover, so our clients have a full set of data to make and implement decisions. And then what I always like to say is time and data are money. And then, as far as what hospitals can do about it... So, like I mentioned previously, hospitals are rarely equipped on their own to uncover their own dark data. Again, due to lack of time and resources. And that's where we step in as SpendMend to provide unique services that we do. All of our time and resources are used to uncover hospital's dark data through various tools and good old-fashioned investigating, I guess you could say. And in the past year alone, we've actually delivered $413 million back to our clients. ‘'   14:23 3 challenges to gathering hospital data  Zach said access to imaging systems, inadequate software, and losing data can all be obstacles to accurate data analysis.  ‘'Typically, when we get a new client, and again, this will be a rough number, we get probably 80% or so of those clients, we get imaging system access, which is vital to what we do. Then we're able to pull the documents that we need to support our claims. And not only that, but going back to the data, validate the data. That's imaging systems. And I'll break this down into three main categories. So, some healthcare systems or hospitals haven't invested in proper software to store their invoices or any. So, some hospitals don't have electronic imaging systems, so they're old school, storing their invoices on site within file cabinets. And that's tough for us to get to, unless we go on site. So, it's a lot less efficient that way…..And I guess number two there would be kind of the same category here. Some hospitals haven't invested in proper software to store their invoices. So, kind of like the first one, they use electronic folders within their system to store invoices, which in my experience with these sorts of clients, it's very difficult to locate invoices. And a lot of times it's not well-organized. It's timely to search for invoices, and a lot of them just straight up aren't uploaded, aren't imaged in these folders….And then, an issue that I've seen more recently regarding imaging systems, are hospitals upgrading their imaging systems and financial systems and leaving the old one behind. So, in essence, we're losing and they're losing the data that they've collected previously, and just starting fresh. ‘'   21:26 Positivity and communication skills are essential in leadership Zach said skillful listening is also vital to successful communication in leadership.    ‘'Well, I'm very blessed to be where I am within the company as the research supervisor. Anything that I accomplish or get praised for is not mine. It's God who gets the glory. He has blessed me tremendously through my life, but especially here at SpendMend in the past almost seven years. And then, I guess going over to the leadership advice, positivity is essential as well as communication, and then a subcategory of communication would be skillful listening.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Zachary Markham on LinkedIn    Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    Zach's career journey to Research Supervisor at SpendMend: ‘'I started with the company about seven years ago and I moved through a few different departments…. One being pricing analyst, another being a data scrub technician….. And learning the ins and outs of other departments within the company really set me up or at least paired with my education.'' How SpendMend helps to identify and maximize cost savings using healthcare analytics: ‘'…. our healthcare systems are just …trying to stay basically afloat at this point.... They don't have the time, the money, the resources to really dig in like, all right, what did we do last week? What did we do a month ago? So, that's where we step in and help the clients along.'' SpendMend cost savings directly impact the quality of patient care: ‘''….. that's money directly pumped back into the American health system, which can be reinvested by or reutilized by the hospitals for nursing, if you want to bring on more nurses, staffing specialists, or robotics for surgeries, or whatnot. So, really, we're indirectly, directly affecting patient care and the quality of that patient care, which is what all this work really boils back down to.'' The top two recovery methods for SpendMend clients: ‘'From my perspective, it would have to be duplicate payments and credits open on statements.‘' What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.

Brett Curry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/) talks to Sean Frank (http://twitter.com/SeanEcom/) about what it takes to win as a DTC brand in 2024. __Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!__Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction (01:18) The Operators Podcast (06:30) Ridge's Background(09:38) What To Expect For DTC Brands In 2024(16:08) What Does It Take To Win In 2024(25:13) What Channels Is Sean Most Excited For In 2024(30:15) How To Grow Profitably (38:52) Expanding Your Product Line(43:44) Outro__Links: Sean Frank: http://twitter.com/SeanEcom/ Ridge: https://ridge.com/ The Operators Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/operators/id1684446059__Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ __Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, and more. __Other episodes you might enjoy: Episode 266 with Cody Wittick - Influencer Marketing and How To Create a Creative Flywheel in 2024Episode 263 with Anthony Mink - Cut Your CPA in Half by Asking Better QuestionsEpisode 260 with Preston Rutherford - Lessons From Chubbies with Co-Founder Preston RutherfordEpisode 243 with Jacques Spitzer - Achieving Exit Velocity with YouTube AdsEpisode 228 with Jeremy Horowitz - The State of eCommerce, The Economy, and What To Do Next

If you're in a sticky position or at a crossroads in your business where you're wondering what to do next, this episode is for you.Today, we're chatting with Emily McIntyre about simplifying the decision and steps around fixing, closing, or selling your business. If you're in this position – take a deep breath and know that you're in good company that has supportive solutions to help you move forward.In this episode, you'll learn:Emily's big business failure and the Fix, Close, Sell systemMindset is everything when things are hardThings get to be easier, let it be simpleThe simple Fix, Close, Sell decision-making metricsA few different ways to fix your businessYou're the only one who can decide what to do with your businessClosing your business: with debt and without debtWhat you need to know about selling your businessEmily McIntyre is a life alchemist and serial coffee CEO based in Kansas City. She helps struggling entrepreneurs reach clarity on her podcast, Fix, Close, Sell, and spends a lot of time on coffee farms in Ethiopia and Peru!Resources from this episodeLAST CALL for the Mindfuckery Workshop!Join me and other incredible women for the February 2024 Mindfuckery Workshop (Feb 26 - Mar 1) where you'll learn how to shift your thoughts in the moment instead of them running you off your path. Register for this powerful, 5-day workshop here, but hurry because registration closes this weekend and classes start on Monday.Book a FREE 45-min Clarity Session with me HERE.Get clarity on whether to Fix, Close, or Sell your business with Emily's NEW 2-week email series.Connect with Emily McIntyreInstagram: @mcintyrewritesPodcast: Fix, Close, SellWebsite: fixclosesell.com and emilymcintyre.comConnect with LauraAuraFacebook: @thatlauraauraTikTok:  @thatlauraauraInstagram: @thatlauraauraWebsite: LauraAura.comSupport the showTHANK YOU, GUTSY TRIBE!We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. If you haven't yet, drop us one below! Your review might even get highlighted within one of our gutsy love posts or on our website.https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

After labor, the supply chain is healthcare's biggest expense. Randy Subramany, Director of Supply Chain at New York Presbyterian Hospital, shares insights into 2024 trends and innovations with Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction  Randy explains why there's more to his role than ‘'bandages and gauzes'', why people are the most important element of the ‘'three-legged supply chain barstool,'' and highlights why patient care, decision-making and retaining talent are the top supply chain challenges. He also explains why it takes an eco-system to keep people healthy and how tapping into the power of technology can improve slim hospital margins.    Show Topics   A day in the life of a Hospital Supply Chain Director Caring for patients with complex health needs Challenges in retaining and growing talent  The impact of digital transformation on healthcare Utilizing technology to promote a sustainable economy Supply chain management: improving margins Leadership tip: Going to the Gemba     02:26 A day in the life of a Hospital Supply Chain Director Randy explained the far-reaching impact of the role and his team.    ‘'People think about supplies in a hospital, I'm sure the basics, whether it's through a TV show or just walking through a hospital, you'll see the fundamentals, you'll see gloves, you'll see gowns, you'll see all the different forms of PPE, people think bandages and gauzes, but let's move beyond that now because that's some of the basic things. As a supply chain director, my team is also responsible for pacemakers, for skin tissue that we purchase for a patient that has a severe burn and needs to have emergency surgery, for all of the accessories used in robotic surgeries as well, for grafts and stents and meshes that are used throughout all different sorts of vascular cases. And to give everyone those numbers, to give a number, my team, on a daily basis, is managing 15 to 20,000 case-dependent, unique supplies. To take you through my day, fundamentally, I have 135 wonderful human beings who are responsible for all elements of supply reordering, replenishment, distribution, logistics, triaging, back orders, and really, anything disposable, and some reusable, but mostly disposable that's used on a patient is touching a member of our team. So as I'm sure you can imagine, as I'm sure anyone who's familiar with the hospital can imagine, as I'm sure anyone who's not familiar with the hospital can imagine, the role itself, it's quite impactful.''   08:52 Caring for patients with complex healthcare needs Randy said that caring for patients with complicated illnesses was the primary challenge.  ‘'But I think the primary challenge that we have, that we will have as an academic institution, is we're seeing patients with the most complicated illnesses and diseases that require, although state-of-the-art and groundbreaking, the most complicated treatments and the most complicated processes and procedures to care successfully for these patients. Of course, fundamentally, in a hospital setting, you're never going to be 100% ever. You're never going to cure anyone 100%. Sometimes care is more important than the cure itself. But putting that aside, I think we're what they call a tertiary coronary academic medical center, which means that we encounter the sickest patients in the world that come to us. So I think the first challenge is we are caring for humans who have very complicated illnesses and diseases.''   11:43 Challenges in retaining and growing talent  Randy said he expects to lose up to 40% of his experienced team members in the next five years.  ‘'From my direct lens internally, I think the main challenge is retaining talent and growing the talent. I say that from two lenses, I'll say that from the lens of 30 to 40% of my team members are within five years of retirement, 30 to 40% are within the first five years of their career. I think there's a gap. And we're noticing, universally, putting aside the supply chain industry, that talent is leaving the work environment or leaving the market because it's time for people to live on to their golden years and pursue other adventures. But for me, it's like how do I bridge the gap with that talent in X number of years from now where the majority of our workforce or my team will be relatively, it's wrong to say inexperienced, but will not have the same levels of experience as those who just have that anecdotal information of they know that this unit uses this supply. It's not something you directly can teach, it's just something that people learn.''   17:08 The impact of digital transformation on healthcare  Randy said moving to cloud-based systems will be vital for effective supply chain management. ‘'Why is that? I think it's because we think of, historically, ERP systems as transactional systems, systems that you use to order, sometimes to manage inventory, but as we move to the cloud, there is going to be this recognition. Cloud-based systems are built as well to be more of analytical tools that can offer forecasting services, that can truly offer inventory management visibility that get into a lot of those key metrics and KPIs that supply chain leaders such as myself look for. In the current ERP systems, at least the primary ones used in healthcare, like Infor, Oracle, and Workday, the non-cloud based systems I can tell you from firsthand experience, aren't there yet. And I'm not by any means saying anything negative about the products, they serve a key function of getting supply orders to our vendor partners and getting supplies in our doors. But moving towards cloud-based systems, which I think will be the centerpiece of this digital transformation for hospitals, is of the utmost of importance for supply chain leaders.''   24:17 Utilizing technology to promote a sustainable economy  Randy explained how a sustainable approach can also help to create a healthier society.  ‘'The last trend I'll say it's really around what we term the circular economy or the sustainable economy. I think when we think of... In the world of disposable supply, it's hard to kind of connect that to being sustainable because disposable, you associate with using once and then throwing away…. but the trend of using technology to accomplish the key tenets of forecasting more accurately to ensuring that what we have on the shelf is exactly what we need….creates a more sustainable environment because we're not over-ordering and we're not producing waste. One of the key things in healthcare we're focused on from a patient safety perspective, of course, is ensuring that an expired supply is not used on a patient for care. Having technology as an enabler helps us to track expiration dates as an example, and by doing so, we'd be better able to make better decisions about what we order, about what our warehouses, whether it's our own, whether it's our distributor, what's being stored in the right quantities, which in the end creates a more sustainable environment for everyone. Of course, we have a lot of great vendor partners who are working on state-of-the-art packaging techniques that utilize recyclable materials. But just to bring in full circle, these trends of utilizing your talent and creating an environment, digital supply chain, one that incorporates elements of artificial intelligence and big data can not only just drive us towards being more sustainable, but in the end, it makes people healthier….. having a healthier world just creates a better place for everyone. … it takes an ecosystem, and it takes a lot of external parties as well to help us get there, but these trends are essential to keeping people healthy.''   31:50 Supply chain management: improving margins  Randy explained the importance of what hospitals buy and why they buy it  ‘'….when you look at the expense bucket, you have staffing, which is the primary expense, you have the best talent. Hard bucket to touch. The second-biggest bucket though is the supplies and all the efforts that a supply chain management team is involved in. And what I would say is how... Of course, by no means am I advocating for buying the cheapest stuff to reduce the margins, that's not the investment way to think about it. But I think one thing I will say is thinking of a supply chain team as an investment is the right approach to help build bigger margins. Now I say that from the lens of, coming back to my example of spine surgery, sure, we may buy a spine implant at a greater cost, could it yield a better outcome for our patient that reduces their chance of readmissions, which... And I'm not trying to get into the insurance world, which hospitals then get reimbursed less at a basic level if a patient's readmitted. So there are factors that tie to that strategic thought process that requires so many different parties from the revenue cycle, from finance, from clinical care, to be involved and from the billing and coding, all of that ties into the supply chain. So I think thinking about supply chain from that operational lens as an investment, it's like, "What do we actually buy. And why are we buying it?" And of course, economies of scale come into play. If you can standardize, and you know this, Jim, if you can have your physician and clinical teams on board with utilizing as much stuff from one supplier or one vendor over another, it naturally will just yield the economies of scale and reduced rates. ‘'   35:47: Leadership tip: Going to the Gemba  Randy said going to the source and engaging with people is a pillar of success.  ‘'So what I would say is a lesson I try to embody and carry every day, it's centered around this theme of going to the source. So when I say that, and I mean, like literally or geographically, if there's an issue on a unit and a hospital, going to the unit, engaging with my team who's there to maybe help resolve supply chain need, engaging with the clinical team, again, as human beings, are there to help care for a human. But also, when in critical emergencies, as humans, we can't help but feel you have a variety of different emotions that go into the care of caring for others. So I would say as leadership lessons is going to the source and engaging with people. I think fundamentally it's working with people, that is the pillar of my success, or I dare to say, my success is being able to work with others. And when there's a moment to praise someone, when an opportunity arises to improve something, going to that source. My source just so happens to be a clinical unit in a hospital. And you know what? Going to the source, it's more often than not gratifying because then you really get to see, hey, my team orders this product, here's how it's used to help make life better for this person who's receiving care. So I think Toyota coined it as going to the Gemba, so I'll leave our listeners with go to the Gemba.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Randy Subramany on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    A focus on the ‘'three-legged bar stool'' of people, processes, and tools: ‘'People is the most important bucket of what the supply chain does here.''   Why decision-making in patient care can be a challenge: ‘'….we need to have the right people per se at the metaphorical table or the virtual table to make those decisions. But getting everyone to one direction is not always easy.''   Supply chain is at a tipping point: ‘'But I think we're approaching this tipping point in supply chain, specifically in the healthcare and even in the hospital sector where innovation and technology as an enabler is going to come to the forefront.''   The impact of AI on payment systems and profit margins: ‘'Many operate at less than 3% (margin). So when you think of being able to pay your partners, your suppliers or vendors quicker, but to get a greater discount, it just directly connects to the bottom line.''   Successful change management incorporates listening to feedback: ‘'….allowing the team to be heard with their feedback, even if their feedback upfront is resistance, finding some layers of compromise. … team members are rational and they will understand why the new process, one that uses technology more, will make things more efficient. And they realized that the process became 30% shorter per se, approximately 30% shorter, minutes-wise, which gave them time back to assist with other responsibilities that were directed to patient care.'' What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.  

Healthcare is in a time of radical and rapid change. Alan Weiss explains to Lisa Miller why coaching is a sign of strength and how all healthcare leaders can benefit from it in an ‘'age of great transition.''   Episode Introduction  Alan explains why the best time to start something is always now, and how the most successful people in every field of life engage a coach to help them achieve their goals. He also explains why there are only ‘'new realities'', rather than a ‘'new normal'', why innovation has to come from the frontline, and shares his predictions for the healthcare sector in 2024.    Show Topics   ‘'If you want to start something, do it'' There are only ‘'new realities,'' not a ‘'new normal'' Coaching is a sign of strength Private sector versus healthcare: one key difference Innovation has to come from the front line The top three skills for successful leadership  Healthcare predictions for 2024      02:58 ‘'If you want to start something, do it'' Alan said the key to success is resilience and agility, not waiting for all the information you need.  ‘'Well, if you want to start something, do it. Because nobody has all the information they need before they begin. I've been consulting for 35 years with Fortune 500 companies, and then, as you said, with consultants and entrepreneurs around the world. And I've never started with all the information I'd like to have. And even the information you start with that seemed perfectly helpful, turns out to be either untrue or it shifts or some new development occurs. So the first thing is if you want to start, just start, and have the confidence in yourself that you can be light on your feet and adjust to the times. The second thing is that even if you think you have a long-term project, you still have to start today. And so I've written 60 some odd books and they're in 15 languages. But I've never said to myself, "Well, I'm going to create a book next year. I have a publishing contract and I have a deadline." If I get a publishing contract and the deadline, I start writing the book now. And so there's no time like now. And there's no time like the present, is the old hackney phrase, but the fact is it's true. And the fact is the key isn't having everything you need to start, the key is resilience and agility as you move forward.''   05:46 There are only ‘'new realities,'' not a ‘'new normal'' Alan said today's leaders need coaching to make clear discriminations in an age of great transition.  ‘'….. There's no return to normal. There's no new normal. What you have are new realities. And the new realities are going to change every day. We're in an age now of great transition. We invent things more rapidly than we can intelligently use them. Nobody really knows about ChatGPT. There are some people lined up out there behind Chicken Little waiting for the sky to fall. We're all going to be eliminated by AI. And of course that's ludicrous. But we do have to understand what's effective for us or what isn't, so what leaders have to do is decide. And this requires discrimination. It requires a clarity of purpose. What is appropriate for their organizations and what is not? For example, I'm on a computer right now with you. And I probably use 20% of this max capability, 20%, but to 100% effectiveness. The other 80%, I don't care. My iPhone here can edit movies, for God's sake. I'm not ever going to edit a movie. But I am going to take pictures. So we have to decide as leaders, what is best for our organization? What's best for us? And that's no easy job. And that's why people need coaching. And they don't need technical coaching. They're not going to delve into the innards of a computer or code. What they need is coaching about their profession and about their own capacities so that they can make these clear discriminations about what is best for them personally and what's not.''   08:42 Coaching is a sign of strength  Alan said people who reject coaching are generally fearful of appearing vulnerable or in need of help.  ‘'The best people in the world, the best athletes, the best entertainers, the best business people, the best academicians, you name it, all have had coaches or multiple coaches. Marshall Goldsmith and I wrote a book together called Life Storming, and he very graciously said he is the best executive coach in the world and I'm the best entrepreneurial coach in the world. So I readily agreed to that. That's fine. But the fact is, between us, we've observed a hell of a lot. And the fact is that people who reject coaching are generally fearful. They don't want to be vulnerable. They don't want to be seen as needing help, and so they get worse and worse because they don't get help. They breathe their own exhaust. That's the volition part. But people who do see coaching as making them stronger and stronger, get better and better. And so I think while the medical community has come a long way from the time when doctors were Gods and nurses for example couldn't talk to them, while they've come a long way, I still wouldn't nominate them as being on the leading edge of innovation and accepting coaching and being light on their feet.''   14:03 Private sector versus healthcare: a key difference Alan explained why the medical sector can learn a lot from the private sector about customer service.  ‘'This is the difference between medical and the private sector, last night we flew home from LA. Well, it was one 30 in the afternoon, but we got in here at night in Boston. And we fly JetBlue. JetBlue has superb service. They have these nice little pods in first class. We love it. In the waiting area, about 30 minutes before boarding, a JetBlue employee says, "Look, folks. I'm sorry to say..." And I'm thinking, oh my God, a delay. "I'm sorry to say we've learned that this plane's internet is working properly. It landed and they told us that. So why don't you download anything you need now while you're here, because we have free wifi, so you'll have it on the plane."  Now, normally you get in the plane, the wifi doesn't work. You say, oh God. What'd they do to it? But that's how you handle people. You tell them, we know we have a problem. Let us try at least to ameliorate some of the effects of it. Nobody comes out in a doctor's office, any kind of specialist's office and says, "Listen, your wait time is 42 minutes." They don't do that. If you're on the phone, if you're on a damn phone line waiting for talk to somebody at AT&T, they'll at least tell you you're number six in line, or whatever it is. But this is still the godlike thing with doctors. So they've got to overcome that.''   17:57 Innovation has to come from the frontline Alan said the only way for leaders to understand what's happening in their business is to find out for themselves.  ‘'Well, recently the new head of Uber decided he would take a car out and be an Uber driver for a couple of nights. And he was in San Francisco and he got a fare to go over to Oakley. He crossed the Bay Bridge. And the Bay Bridge is a disaster, and it took him an hour and a half to get back. And he realized that his drivers, who were not allowed to pick up in Oakland, just deliver people there, couldn't make much money that way. They wouldn't take fairs to Oakland. So he changed the rates for them. But he had to find that out by doing this himself. I was on a Delta flight once in first class, and the guy across the aisle from me had three flight attendants helping him out. Now, normally there were two flight attendants in all of first class. So I call went over and I said, "This guy's an executive on Delta, right?" So he's the CEO. I said, "Really?" I said, "So what's going on?" He said, "Well, he's wonderful. He flies Delta to see how the service is." I said, "Give me a break. If he wants to see other service is, you're got to be sitting in the back, and you got to be incognito. Do you know his schedule?" They said, "Oh, yeah, they tell us what he's coming on board." So that's worthless. Absolutely worthless. He was treated like a king. He doesn't know anything about Delta service. ….And I think that innovation comes from the front line. You have to have people interfacing people.''   21:01 The top three skills for successful leadership Alan explained why making hard decisions, a sense of humor, and exceptional communication skills are vital for leaders.  ‘'Well, you can read forever about leadership skills and traits and needs. And if you go on LinkedIn, you find all these bizarre charts. I mean, if a leader consulted the chart, the leader wouldn't be able to lead. The leader would be spending all day looking at the chart. So here's what I've found. I have found that you have to be willing to make hard decisions. You need to fire people. You need to say, "We're not doing this." You need to say, "This isn't working, and so despite our investment, we're going to end it." You need to make the hard decisions, because nobody else is. The second thing is you need a very pronounced sense of humor. Because humor relieves stress, and it helps keep things in perspective. And with rare, rare conditions only, nothing that's going on is going to mean the failure or success of the business. And so you need to keep things in perspective and don't panic. You can't become Chicken Little and say the sky has fallen. And the third thing is you need superb communication skills in writing and orally, and therefore, you need a very, very excellent vocabulary. You need to be well-read. Too many people can confine themselves to their fields. The world is too integrated right now. The world is too reliant on a variety of factors. And so you cannot just sink yourself, drill down into your specialty. You have to know what else is going on.''   25:05 Alan's healthcare predictions for 2024 Alan shared his top three predictions for the sector in the next 12 months.  ‘'I'd say that you're going to find more and more reliance on different kinds of people and different kinds of interventions. People going to storefront clinics, people going to nurse practitioners, people talking to their pharmacists, people going on telehealth, and so forth. That's going to spread and spread because it's easier, it's somewhat less expensive, and so forth. So we're going to see a lot more of that. I mean, that's a great opportunity. But the problem with that is you have more and more variety and chance for bad results. I mean, not every pharmacist, for example, has been schooled in how to deal with somebody on a patient kind of a basis. They can give recommendations about things. That's one. I think the second thing is that there is a lot of skepticism about healthcare right now because of Covid and because of the combination of medical disagreement and political disagreement that went into Covid, people are not as faithful. They don't have the same faith in the medical establishment that they used to. They think that some of that was guesswork, and they think that some of it was unnecessary. Some of the advised restrictions were too great, both by physicians and by politicians…,And so I think the medical community has lost some respect that might take a while to regain.  And I think finally, we're going to have to see changes in the bureaucracy of the system. In other words, I have seldom talked to any doctor, either one of my doctors or a doctor I was dealing with for other reasons, who has not complained about the reimbursement system. Who has not complained about the paperwork system. Who has not complained about spending more time on filling out forms than meeting with patients. We're smart enough to change that.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Alan Weiss on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    How healthcare is changing radically, and for the better. ‘'And so you have this wide variety of options today, as opposed to quote-unquote the old days when I was young, either a doctor came to your house for about $6 and with his black bag. There were no hers then. It was his black bag.'' Why the medical community needs to accept coaching. ‘'I think that the medical community hasn't accepted coaching as it should. I think that's changing. But I think it needs to change a lot faster because the medical profession is changing a lot faster.'' The place of doctors may be usurped: ‘'Doctors better watch it. Because of what we talked about a few minutes ago, there are others who are going to use their practices, and they're going to find themselves in tough straits.'' Innovation has to be looked at in terms of risk and reward. ‘'There's no decision that we make that's an important decision that doesn't have risks that we have to take care of and manage. But William Penn said once, "No cross, no crown." So if you're willing to take prudent risk, you're likely to get a good return.'' Why healthcare has to deliver the care that patients are paying for: ‘'I'm not a doctor, but I will tell you that I think we have to be careful that the system is providing the kind of healthcare that we deserve and that we're paying for, and not frustrating people who are in the system from providing it.'' What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.

The pandemic changed the face of healthcare as we knew it. Expert marketing strategist Lisa Larter explains why every hospital leader needs to rethink their view of thought leadership to Lisa Miller.    Episode Introduction  Lisa explains why thought leadership is essential in the era of Doctor Google, why different is better than better, and the importance of an online presence for healthcare leaders. She also highlights the 3 R's of reviews, referrals and reputation, the importance of truth telling, and why every thought leadership strategy should begin with the end in mind.     Show Topics   Reimagining healthcare thought leadership  All of us have the same Doctor – Doctor Google Every healthcare leader needs their own brand Focus on your patients, not your peers Reputation is the driver behind success Effectively responding to patient reviews  Managing patient expectations is key to thought leadership Begin with the end in mind     03:25 Reimagining healthcare thought leadership  Lisa said thought leadership is a vital part of patient care ‘'So when a hospital commits to thought leadership, not only is it a great tool for people to find when they're searching for information, but it's also a great tool to use as part of their patient care strategy. So if I'm someone who is recently diagnosed with let's say cancer, or diabetes, or a heart condition, it doesn't matter what it is, if a hospital has done a great job at creating thought leadership, they should have an area that they can direct me to that educates me on what to expect, that reassures me, that informs me, that really answers my most common questions and prepares me for the journey that I'm about to go on. Too often, I think people go to a doctor and they get some type of a diagnosis, and then they go home and they try to figure things out on their own. And I think that hospitals that are really, really committed to thought leadership are doing it so that one, people can find the information. But two, they can prescribe the information as part of their patient care strategy.''   12:03 All of us have the same Doctor – Doctor Google Lisa explained why an online presence is essential to prevent misinformation.  ‘'The first line of defense for all of us is Google. And before we've even seen a doctor, we're asking Dr. Google to tell us what's going on. And so if you understand anything about SEO, you understand that when somebody types a query into Google, you need to match the query in order to show up on the first, second, third page of Google. And if you're not creating thought leadership, then there's no way for your expertise, your thought leadership as a doctor to show up there. What might be happening is a mommy blogger who is passionate about a particular ailment because she had it or her mom had it, has been blogging about this thing. And she shows up there, because she's written more about it than an actual expert who is highly skilled and trained on the same topic. And so what happens is we go down these rabbit holes of reading information, and we don't know what is misinformation and what is legitimate information. ….so you can find whatever it is you're looking for, but that doesn't mean what you're reading is scientifically backed and/or was put together by a professional that really knows what they're talking about. And so I think Dr. Google is a scary thing, but it's the default.'' Today's healthcare systems and hospitals, especially in rural communities, are slower than ever to service patients in need. And so when you're sitting at home and you're not feeling well, and you have to wait weeks or months to get in to see a specialist, what do you do? You talk to Dr. Google.''    15:24 Every healthcare leader needs their own brand  Lisa said healthcare leaders need to make it easy for prospective patients to find them.  ‘'…. when Covid hit, a bunch of doctors, national, local, rural were thrown into the spotlight, because people were looking for information. They wanted to understand what was happening in the world. And that is not something that we've seen as much of before in our lifetime. And so I think what happened during that time is there was a bit of a shift, where we now look to doctors, clinicians to be their own subject matter experts. And we look at their personal brands as a consumer. And so a doctor may work for a healthcare system or a hospital, the same one for their entire life, or they may change, but what doesn't change is their body of work and their knowledge. And so I look at doctors and clinicians like experts of their own standing. And if they don't put their own platform out there, and show you who they are, and what they're about, and what their areas of expertise are, then it makes it hard for you to choose them…….And so if you want to control the impression that people have of you, you need to make it easy for them to find the information and find the story that you want them to know. And I think too many people are behaving like they used to behave before the internet, and they're assuming that the patients are just going to come.''   23:58 Focus on your patients not your peers  Lisa said building a brand should be focused on patients.  ‘'It's hard to get started. And you know why it's scary for so many of them? It's because they're concerned with what their peers are going to think instead of what their patients are going to think. They want it to be all academic, and scientifically backed, and perfect, and that's not what the patient is looking for. And so when you are building this body of work, you're not building it for peer review journals, you're building it for patients. So you want to talk in layman's terms, you want to talk in language that makes it easy for your patients to understand who you are and what you do. That's not to say that you can't write academic pieces that are a bit more scientific and fancier in nature. But I think you have to think about who the audience is that you are creating this thought leadership for. And you're not necessarily creating it for your peers. You're creating it for your patients.''    29:09 Reputation is the driver behind success Lisa explained why referrals, reviews and reputation are essential to building a brand.  ‘'….your reputation is really the driver of whether people want... I mean, why do some doctors have month long, multi-month long wait lists for people to get in to see them, and other doctors you can get in tomorrow? It's because some doctors have such stellar reputations for doing what they do, that people will wait forever to see them. And  so how do you build a stellar reputation? First of all, you need to do good work. Second of all, you create a body of work. Third, you want to ensure that when people are referring you, that you have the recommendations that support the work that you do.''   30:44 Effectively responding to patient reviews Lisa said responding to positive and negative reviews builds trust and credibility.  ‘'…. if somebody writes a nice review, get in there and respond, and thank them for the review. And if somebody writes not so nice a review, get in there and acknowledge that you would like to have a conversation with them. If it's positive, get in there and have the dialogue. Thank them, acknowledge it. Go all out. If it's not, try to take them offline. Try to get them to call the office, try to get them to call you. Try to leave a comment that says, "This is not the experience that we want you to have. Could you please call our office so that we can try to fix this for you?" You want to do whatever you can to protect your reputation. We all know there are people out there that are going to write really, really bad reviews. It's going to happen. And sometimes, you're deserving of the review, and a lot of times you're not deserving of the review. And so the best that you can do when you don't have a good review is at least acknowledge it and offer to have a conversation with the person. But if you show up regularly and you respond to reviews, and people see you showing up regularly and responding to reviews, it creates more of a sense of trust and credibility that you really are who people say you are, because you just keep showing up. You show up in the review space, you show up in your thought leadership, you show up online on your website, you show up on social media. It makes you a real person, and that makes you way more attractive.''   34:36 Managing patient expectations is key to thought leadership Lisa explained why honesty can help to build patient relationships and trust.  ‘'Sometimes, a patient's experience is not going to be positive because that's the protocol. There are some treatments, there are some X-rays, there are some things that you have to do when you're sick that are nasty, they're not nice, they're not fun. And if somebody is writing about that because they had a terrible experience, but it didn't matter what they did, that experience wasn't going to be positive, then you have an opportunity to get in front of that and manage expectations upfront, because now you know what some of the trigger points are. And you can actually say to somebody, "This is going to suck. This is going to be uncomfortable. This is going to be painful. You are not going to like us when this is done. Here are some techniques or tactics or things that you can do to make this easier. And I think sometimes, we're afraid to tell the truth. We're afraid to tell somebody this is not going to be a pleasant experience. And then because they didn't know it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience, you end up on the other side of it writing a review, and you're upset about the unpleasant experience, where if somebody had told you upfront, "I hate to tell you, but a colonoscopy isn't fun," if somebody actually let upfront what to expect, then maybe you wouldn't be so upset with the procedure or upset with what you experienced.''   37:35 Begin with the end in mind Lisa said getting clear on your personal brand provides a starting point for thought leadership.  ‘'I think if I could steal from Stephen Covey, begin with the end in mind. Think about who you're trying to be and what you want to be known for from a thought leadership perspective, when you begin with the end in mind and you get clear on how you want your personal brand to be and what you want your thought leadership to look like, you have a starting point. But most healthcare practitioners are not marketing experts, and so I would recommend that you work with somebody like myself who is good at developing a marketing strategy. One of the things that we do with a lot of our clients is we help them to create a strategic marketing roadmap, and we help them to actually get the ideas out of their head and create a plan that is both strategic and tactical so that they know what to do next. It's never going to happen on its own. And I would say that one of the things that is the most challenging about creating your own thought leadership is you are so close to what you know, that you often don't know what it is that other people don't know. And so you're like a fish in water. You don't actually realize some of the simple things that you know that are highly valuable to other people, because you think everyone already knows it. So I would encourage anyone who is listening who wants to really think about thought leadership, to have some type of an advisor to help them on the journey. And then if you're listening and you're an executive in healthcare and you're thinking about, "How do I do this for the hospital?" You really need an overarching strategy. And I would start with one department, one aspect, and build it out as a pilot. And then I would look at how you can build that out throughout the whole organization.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Lisa Larter on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    Leverage the thought leadership of your team: ‘'If you're proud of your doctors and clinicians, and you believe they do good work, then bring that to the forefront. It's a powerful way for you to improve your patient experience, to build confidence, to make your practitioners all feel like their thought leadership matters.''    Physicians need to take their reputation into their own hands, but how can they achieve that? ‘'Some clinicians and physicians are going to be really comfortable public speaking. They're going to get on TV, they're going to show up on Twitter spaces and have debates about this, that, and the other thing. But other doctors, maybe they're going to be better at just recording short videos, or maybe recording podcasts, or maybe writing content.''   Why different is better than better: ‘'…if you're just doing the same old and you're not thinking differently about your thought leadership in the healthcare industry, you are going to fall behind.''   Putting a piece of paper on a pile: Why publishing online is essential to promote your personal brand. ‘'Every time you publish something online, it doesn't matter what it is. Think of it as you're putting a piece of paper on a pile. And every single time you add something to the internet, you're adding another piece of paper to that pile. Your personal brand stands on top of that pile. So the bigger the pile you have, the more visible and easily sought out you become. The person who's got 1,000 pages in the pile, it's a lot easier to find them than the person that's got two.'' What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.

As hospitals continue to face rising costs in 2024, David Hewitt, Snr VP of Sales at SpendMend, highlights the importance of recovery audits, and the SpendMend difference, with Managing Director Lisa Miller.   Episode Introduction  David explains why SpendMend carries out audits every 90 days, and how the company's deep expertise delivers results within three weeks. He also outlines the importance of recognizing patterns and trends in data, how a snow accumulator saved tens of thousands of dollars for one hospital, and why every CFO should care about recovery audits.    Show Topics   Why recovery audits are vital for hospitals Insight and visibility: the SpendMend advantage SpendMend: Deep expertise and results within three weeks A recovery audit case study: snow accumulators Why every hospital CFO should care about recovery audits Understanding the patterns in your data      02:17 Why recovery audits are vital for hospitals David said SpendMend offers insight and visibility, carrying out audits every 90 days, versus every other year.  ‘'Time is our biggest thief, right. And it doesn't matter what industry you're in, what sector you're in, you're always going to have financial leakage. And the best way I can describe it is, you take a cookie, and you break that cookie in half, you have two very large profits, but if you take that cookie year over year and break it over the same broken process and clean those up at the end of the year, those crumbs, that's a significant amount of money. …We audit process, not people. Okay, we're talking one 1/10th of 1%, so 99.99% of the time, the process is done. But anytime you have human interaction and technology or a handshake in your procure-to-pay process, there's always a likelihood for financial leakage, right. And in healthcare…it's very unique. It's niche. SpendMend offers insight and visibility. In healthcare, they've done kind of recovery audits every other year or every third year, where at SpendMend, we do it every 90 days. We kind of stay on a continuous basis. I used to play sports, and when I was a freshman I wasn't very good with my left hand. So I used to watch film or I used to work on getting my left hand strong. Well, I can assure you, as I progressed my senior year, I didn't have to watch that same film. There are other things I needed to work on or other things that I saw, and that's the real value of doing a recovery audit, of having that third party or that best practice and that safety net's more real time so then we can kind of fix it concurrently than retrospectively.''   07:23 Insight and visibility: the SpendMend advantage   David said it's not what you find in a recovery audit, it's why.  ‘'The biggest advantage that I like to call at SpendMend is our insight and visibility. And what I mean by that, anyone can tell you what they found and how they found it's the why they found it should matter most. Educating upstream or downstream because 9 times out of 10, everything falls on APs lap, but they're not the single source of truth. You have to go back to what was harboring that control gap to actually implement process improvement. And we provide you with that education. We're not just giving you the dollars and cents, we understand cash is king and we're really good at that, but it's more so understanding what was harboring that control gap. To give you that go forward business intelligence, 'cause you have to understand what happened in the past to give you that education going forward, and that's the real difference at SpendMend. We're going to provide you value, not just substance, and we actually back that up. So when we come into engagement, there is no bait and switch. Our team is there from start to finish, starting with our audit manager and audit supervisor, but more importantly, we provide a vice president of strategic accounts. And why that's important to you is their job to be your eyes and ears outside your four walls 'cause I can assure you the same pain points that you're having other institutions are having. Right now, everyone's going to the cloud, whether it's Lawson or Workday. We understand the nuances in the patterns and trends and the blind spots and that conversion. So having that voice or single source of truth internally to help you navigate that, that's the real value of SpendMend. The dollars are nice, but there's so much more that comes out of it and it's the insight and visibility and understanding how we put data together, because we are matching payments to contracts and that's the value.''   12:08 SpendMend: Deep expertise and results within three weeks  David said SpendMend's expertise means audit plans are built from the outset, with rapid results.   ‘'There are only so many suppliers in the healthcare, right. So when we show up, we're going to have a relationship with probably 98% of your supplier base. We understand what suppliers suppress credits, apply credits, offer credits, write off credits, we understand their invoice cadence, their sequences. One of the things that's unique about Lawson is, if an invoice number can only be 14 characters and a lot of people read left to right, so if they're going to truncate, truncate from right to left, not left to because the computer's reading right to left other than we read left to right. So there's this unique nuances difference of these ERPs, but we understand what those tendencies are, what those blind spots are, and that's why when we show up, a lot of our competitors need clients' data to build your audit plan. Our audit plan's already built when we show up, we're backing it into it. We're just using your data to validate our assumptions because I can assure you, we understand where to look and where to find some of those blind spots. And it's because our ability to provide more than just the dollars and cents, we're not looking at your data mechanically, we're looking at it strategically, putting all the pieces together, connecting the right dots between different departments to give you a different view. Once we've received the data in less than three weeks, we're going to start to see results. We can churn data very, very quickly, but again, we don't need your data to get started. We need your data to validate where we already have your audit plan already set. So that's what makes us different is why we can kind of onboard very quickly and we don't need any on the job training.''   17:16 A recovery audit case study: snow accumulators David explained how digging into details resulted in significant savings for a New York based client.  ‘'When you get into, what sets us apart too is since we take data down to its rawest format, as I said before, many times you see new opportunities. So this one was a client in New York. They had a unique request. They asked us to look at their maintenance agreement and they wanted to really dig into their snow removal and their salt. So as we were going through, again, we have all of the data right, so we had to get the contracts. Some of it was PO, some of it was non-PO, so we had to normalize it and get on it. And there was a clause in there that they would pay a snow accumulator based off of the amount of snow within their county, right. So we saw that, we went through it and we started to do it, it was like, we understand last year, because I lived in kind of the area, so I kind of had a leg up on knowing that it didn't snow that much, but over the past three years, what they were doing to calculate their accumulator, they were taking the entire state of New York, not just the county, and using that as a multiplier, okay. And they couldn't believe the significance. And it wasn't just about the trucks plowing the snow, it was also the salt, okay? Which the salt was very, very expensive. It was a huge savings because there was just a small clause and it wasn't for the entire state, it was just for that county right. And while we were doing that, they had all these facilities and they started to acquire other physical locations outside of the state of New York. They had a facility in Charleston, South Carolina that they were charging snow removal and it hadn't snowed there in three years.''   23:59 Why every hospital CFO should care about recovery audits  David explained why working with SpendMend isn't only about the recovery audit.   ‘'So again, going back to the misperception of recovery audit, there are so many more departments that actually touches this is the ecosystem that runs the hospital, your entire procure to pay process, right. There's so many other things that can come out it. Again, when you start talking about utilization of variation, that's when the CFO quirks up. But that is a byproduct of recovery audit. That's what I always tell you, at the end of the day, we're all looking at the same subset of data, we're just looking at it through a different lens. I'm looking at it retrospectively. You're looking at it prospectively. There's real value of getting both sides of the coin of looking at that contract, and that's why the CFO should care, because the best way I can put it's right now we're coming into January. What does that mean? Everyone's wanting to go to the gym, everyone's going to want to lose weight, everyone want to get in shape. So you do your research and you go to a fitness coach, okay. "Fitness coach, I want to get in shape." Okay. He's going to give you an entire program how to get in shape. He's not just going to give you an arm workout. The analogy is we're not just here to give you a recovery audit. We're here to give you the entire, because the data's coming for pharmacy, it's coming for purchase services, it's coming for recovery audit, it's coming for our medical device. It all comes together. It's all the same data, but we've just viewed it very siloed. Now that spend has branched out and acquired these companies, we can give you the entire program. ..That's why CFOs should care because this isn't procuring one-time credits. This is putting a plan in place and ensuring your entire house is cleaned up and we have the data to do it. That's why I'm so excited about our trajectory at SpendMend, because we're not recovery audit anymore. We are that fitness coach to give you that program for financial fitness.''   27:02 Understanding the patterns in your data David explained how the patterns and trends in data, empower SpendMend's strategic approach.  ‘'This is actually something I'm very passionate about because at the end of the day, knowledge is key, but knowledge without insight isn't much of an advantage. And what I mean by that is when we show up, we're not going to show up with hypotheticals, right. We're going to show up with your data, and that's why there's so much value of putting both sides of the coin together. We're going to use the pattern and trends in your data to make those recommendations going forward. It's not just benchmarking, right. There's so much more strategic that comes out of that, but you have to get down to that line out of detail, and there's value in that. But putting those together, that's the real value of doing the entire program, of not just looking at it, of showing up, "Hey, this is hypothetical based off of a hospital in your area, you should be paying this," or... It's none of that. There's so much more to that. So now we can use real life examples to arm you with that education. And the best way I can put it, we're not just going to empower you with this information, we're actually going to guide you along the way. ….It's connecting not only the dots, it's the right dots between departments because you have different behaviors, different initiatives, different goals going into 2024, but how we can put that to bring it back to the CFO, that's the real power to impact multiple different departments other than just AP.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with David Hewitt on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    Ripping off the bandaid: Carrying out recovery audits every 90 days: ‘'…if you're paying a recovery audit firm to find the same stuff over and over, what's the real value? Again, we're just providing substance, not value…..Once we rip off the bandaid, give you that clean bill of health every 90 days, we should see your financial leakages curve go down.'' The importance of analytics at SpendMend: ‘'Since we take data down to its rawest format for our clients, we can look at it through a different lens and many times you see new opportunities. That's what brings us into the purchased services. We're all looking at the same subset of data, we're just looking at it through a different lens. But that's the real value of SpendMend, having that person that can take that data and drive incremental revenue or different revenue streams by not having to go back to the well on multiple different times.'' Getting to the details, the SpendMend difference: ‘'In the beginning, cash is king. We understand that the hospitals need it, so do suppliers. So they've gotten very creative of how they're suppressing these credits or offering these rebates or putting these fuel charges or all of these miscellaneous charges onto an invoice. Until you actually go through that line of detail.'' Providing value over substance for CFOs: ‘'There are lots of unique things that we do at SpendMend, because again, we need to continually provide value other than just substance. It's not about the overpayments and the duplicate payments, it's about the things that they don't have visibility into. It's matching, is the price negotiated the price that you paid?''   What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.

End of life care is a topic rarely discussed in healthcare. In a sensitive and candid conversation, critical care nurse Seung Eli Oh, RN, MSN, CCRN, explores what it means to die well, with Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction  Seung explores the need for more medical training on end of life care, and why quality of life should be considered in patient treatment decisions. He also encourages all families and patients to have timely conversations about their wishes, discusses the importance of dignity in death, and welcomes the return of spiritual care for terminally ill patients.  Show Topics   The current state of end of life care in America A gap in understanding between doctors and patients Enabling meaningful conversations around quality of life Dignity in death and dying well Spiritual care and the end of life journey Serving as a model of leadership      4:04 The current state of end of life care in America Seung said doctors require more training on end of life care conversations.  ‘'….there are some interesting books out there that really talk about how health care in the modern age has become more and more secular. So it's gone away from kind of the clergymen who used to have this conversation of end of life. Sure. You know, your primary doctor was probably the only doctor in your village who came and came to your home. So these conversations we're having in your house. But now it's all happening in the hospital. And it's happening away from faith communities. So it's much more secular now. And it's all done by doctors, which there really isn't that much training, to be honest. Most doctors that I talk to tell me pretty honestly that there really is no training in med school, if at all. You might get 1 class, you know, at most about palliative care, goals of care conversation. And I see that pretty realistically on the floor when we do have the situation when patients are dying and there are goals of care conversations about changing code status. A lot of these residents have no idea how to handle these conversations, and they kind of freeze up, and they're not giving the patients really enough data. I've seen, like, the shifts towards palliative care. I think that's really good. I think there's more of that happening. But I don't think it's happening fast enough, and those conversations are still way behind. And I think the doctors are still very undertrained in terms of having goals of care conversation because it really is an art more than the science.''   06:38 A gap in understanding between doctors and patients Seung said doctors must have honest conversations with families around patient survival.  ‘'But I think we also have a cultural issue here in America….. American medicine is reluctant to be paternalistic. They really don't want to tell patients and their family how things should be done. They try to just give them data, and then the family gets to decide. But sometimes that doesn't always work. We live in the age of Google, and every patient and their families think they can Google everything and find out the information. But I find that even with patients who are highly educated, that when it comes to medical decisions, it's very difficult. And when it comes to their family, it's even more difficult. There are many more emotions that come into play. And I think a typical example might be a family member who's an engineer. If the doctor were to tell them you have 10% chance of survival, he sees the 10% much differently than the medical personnel who sees 10% as well. That's basically an impossibility. But as someone who works with computers, he might actually think 10% is not so bad, so we should keep trying.''    08:00 Enabling meaningful conversations around quality of life  Seung explained the difficulty of discussing quality of life with families and patients.  ‘'… I think a lot of conversations are happening in less than probably 5 minutes, and there's not enough time. And sometimes there's a really good family meeting, and we do have good conversations, and there is a full discussion. But a lot of times in emergency, sometimes it's a 5 minute conversation, and patients just want everything done. The family just wants everything done because they feel guilty. They want everything for their family. Without a full understanding of what does this mean for quality of life? What does it mean how this patient will die? And I think I've had one really good conversation where I try to tell the patient, you know, if you were to be intubated and go to ICU, this might mean that you never wake up. This might be a final time with your family. Versus if you were to go comfort care, you might have the last few hours with your family. You might be able to converse with them and tell them what's on your mind. I think those things are really meaningful in life that are not always talked about during, goals and care conversations.''   11:10 Dignity in death and dying well  Seung explained the difficulties in having timely conversations around death.  ‘'…Ideally, a patient would be surrounded by their loved ones, their family members, their grandchildren, just all around the bed and just holding their hands, Sometimes singing together, I've seen that. And I think that's such a meaningful way to spend your last breath and having your loved ones hold your hand. Now in the code blue situation when you're really sick, that's not always going happen. We try to get family in the room, but it's often a traumatic experience. I think that's not always the way we want to go. We really have to be realistic and say, if our chance of survival isn't that high, how is it that I want to go? Do I envision me going in the ICU bed with a nurse putting lines at me…..how much unnecessary suffering are we causing? You know, we promise to do no harm in medicine in nursing as well. ….There's a lot of futility, when these patients are so sick.''   13:57 Spiritual care in the end of life journey Seung said he has seen a rise in the need for spiritual support in terminally ill patients.  ‘'I think spiritual care is a huge part of that. I think medicine and science has moved away from the spiritual aspect of things. And now we're starting to see a little bit of that come back. Even though it's not as religious now, there's still a movement towards people who want a spiritual atmosphere,…. when we took the spiritual out of the goals of care conversation, end of life conversations, I think that's made it very sterile or very secular. And now that some of the spiritual things are coming back into conversation, that makes it easier for families to talk about. …. How would they want to be remembered? How would they want to spend the last hour together with their family members? Those are really good things to think about and talk about it. ….that's really important and helpful.''   18:18 Serving as a model of leadership  Seung said a focus on serving others helps to enhance patient care.  ‘'… the best leaders I've seen in health care are the ones who really model servant leadership. I've had many managers who their description of their job was to really serve the team, serve other nurses, so that they can better provide care for their patients. I thought it was really empowering to say, you know, I'm going to serve the team rather than just be the boss. I think that's something I always think about as just being a leader and even outside of my job. How can I serve and do what is best for the other people? …that's such a great example of leadership.''     Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Seung Eli Oh on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend      You'll also hear:    Seung's career history and experience as a rapid response nurse: ‘'… most of my nursing career has been critical care, rapid response. … you see a pattern of just the way we handle goals of care conversations and end of life care.'' Healthcare providers must be capable of approaching end of life conversations more appropriately. ‘'… it's almost like we've compartmentalized that to say, oh, well, that's .. an end of life issue. We're going to pass you on to the palliative care team…but death is something that every family has to deal with at some point.'' The need to be honest with patients and families: ‘'I think often doctors are too reluctant to tell (families) like it is and really paint an honest picture of what the chances are. …I do a lot of CPR with my job, but CPR is only effective 10% of the time.'' Helping families prepare for end of life conversations at an early stage. ‘'…. that's a difficult conversation, but it's something I really encourage family members to have.''   What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.

Hospitals are under continued pressure to reduce costs and deliver better care. CoFounders of Rebate Insight, Tony Garcia and Jonas Langvad, explain the benefits of rebate management to Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction    Tony & Jonas explain why 100% of rebates go straight to the bottom line, share the 3 Ms of rebate management, and highlight how Rebate Insight's SaaS solution is increasing hospital rebates by 26% or more. They also explain how ‘'dark data'' blurs visibility into rebate management and celebrate being part of SpendMend.    Show Topics   Rebate management should be a priority in healthcare Manual processes make it difficult to track rebates The 3 M's of rebate management Dark data and the pain points of rebate management Benefits of Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) The value of SpendMend     02:29 Rebate management should be a priority in healthcare Tony said in times of financial pressure, rebates go straight to the bottom line to boost margins.  ‘'I think I'll start a little bit at the high level, to get to the 10,000-foot level for hospitals. The financial performance of a hospital is always important, and I think we've had a few interesting years in the past here, coming out of, first of all, covid introduced a lot of additional costs for hospitals, labor shortages, and product shortages for sure that spiked prices. Then after that, we've seen a great deal of inflation and products increasing dramatically in price, so that's really impacted hospitals in a big way. I think right now, just the financial situation, everyone's looking to see what can be done to reduce cost, stay competitive. When it comes to rebates, rebate management, it's historically been one of those areas that maybe hasn't been looked at that closely because it is a little bit of a complex area to manage. I think what ends up happening is when you think about, if hospitals are looking for areas to save money in, to reduce costs, they can have different initiatives. On the revenue side, if you end up increasing revenue by let's say a few million, only about 2% to 4% of that ends up going to the bottom line, because that's usually the margin of a hospital. It's very low-margin on the revenue side. However, if you're able to increase rebates on the cost side, 100% of that is going to go to the bottom line. You have a huge upside potential if you're able to manage rebates well and increase those rebates.''   05:53 Manual processes make it difficult to track rebates Jonas explained the benefits of automation in rebate management.  ‘'I come with 25 years of healthcare experience. I've been a director at a health system in Southern California, and this is how this was all created. It was so difficult to track rebates, and the benefit of tracking them and knowing what is owed and what the vendor should be paying you and if you're going to meet your market share was so important and critical, but it was just too hard because the process has always been manual. Historically to this day, we've had many discussions with very large IDNs, some of the largest IDNs in the nation, and also on the lower end with smaller hospitals, and they all have the same issue. They're all using a manual process. They all have teams of staff that do different things, so it's always been difficult to track rebates. I think now, historically, we created this software that automates that process, where you're not having to go to a spreadsheet every other day, where it's giving you notifications in real time. You're always aware of what's going on in your contracts, where your market share, where your spend is, and just giving you a lot of insight into rebates and making sure that the vendors are paying you out, paying you on time, and also that you're meeting their commitment through the agreement as well. It really helps the materials team handle all that.''   08:02 The 3 M's of rebate management Tony explained the importance of monitoring, managing, and maximizing and how Rebate Insight helps hospitals to achieve all three.   ‘'Looking at this product and taking all the different information that you receive, we found that by monitoring, managing, and maximizing ... those are our three M's. Those really, if you were to see the demo or if you were to see the dashboard, it really kicks in, and you're able to ... under the whole monitoring is monitoring what your health system's doing. How are you handling every contract that goes into Rebate Insight, giving you at a high level all the information you need, and then going into the managing piece where it's more detailed specific to each agreement. Then going into the maximizing, where you're able to go in and if it is fifteen days, five days before your quarter ends or your annual commitment ends and you have to make a decision, you're able to do this all through the software, in real time, in a point-click SaaS product. You're able to effectively go into this product and make decisions or see where you currently stand, all in real time.''   11:11 Dark data and the pain points of rebate management Tony said hospitals share many common pain points. ‘'Some of the common pain points are we don't know what is owed to us. We don't have any expertise and rebate insight. We work kind of siloed. We don't know what AP is receiving. Checks are going everywhere. We're receiving credit memos that people are not aware of. There's just a lot of that what I say is like dark data out there, and no visibility for the health system as a whole. One thing we found while we were creating this is how many people are involved and how many people should be in the process of rebate tracking that are not, just because you have someone like the director negotiating agreements, putting rebates in place, but you have, on the other side, AP that is receiving the checks, or maybe the vendors are bringing the checks to the director. Just a lot of mismanagement of also where checks are. A lot of times checks are lost, so there's nothing really that connects everybody. That's what's so great about Rebate Insight. It's all built in that platform where AP has a module, where directors can have access to that dashboard, and then the materials team has access as well.''   13:56 4 Benefits of Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) Jonas said Rebate Insight can help to support renegotiating contract terms with suppliers.  ‘'Really, I think when we think about value is we think about it almost in different buckets, right? We think about I should say it goes under financial leakage, is you make sure you receive what you're owed. That's a big piece. Second is if you can speed up the actual payment, receive it earlier, then you can gain some value from having that cash on hand. Then third, what we think about is if you can maximize your existing agreements, you have opportunities at a given time throughout the year where you might be able to go to a higher tier because you're so close. You spend a little bit more money to get a bigger benefit. Then finally, when you have a tool like this ... and I think Tony can speak to this as well ... is you get that visibility into all your agreements. That enables you to just have discussion with suppliers and vendors and say, "Why don't we renegotiate our terms? Give me a little bit higher rebate," which when you can track it, that's a huge benefit for the health system and you're going to see that financial return.''   19:22 The value of SpendMend Tony and Jonas agreed that being with SpendMend feels more like a partnership.   ‘'At first, there's always a little hesitation of selling your creation, right, but the value that SpendMend brings to the table with their 30 years experience in the health system, it has just been so great for at least speaking for myself, and I know Jonas will talk a little bit of this as well. I mean, when you really partner with ... and that's what it really feels like. It doesn't feel like, "Hey, you got bought out and that's it." No, it really feels like we partnered with SpendMend, and it just really opens up a lot of doors for us. Again, with that experience, being able to go to certain leaders in the organization and able to have a sales team, a marketing team, is huge. Those all have been great benefits, and super excited and really almost privileged to have that opportunity.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Tony Garcia on LinkedIn Connect with Jonas Langvad on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    Understanding rebates: ‘'For those not familiar with rebates, right, it's basically a supplier that offers you an incentive on a contract. If you buy X number of products, they'll give you let's say 5% back on a rebate. Usually there's some criteria tied to it, but that's sort of the starting point there.''  The benefits of Rebate Insight's SaaS tool: ‘'… we're seeing how systems that are using Rebate Insight increase their rebates by 26% or more by using the tool.'' How Rebate Insight transforms rebate management: ‘'It's subscription-based, cloud-based, which makes it very easy to sign up for, implement. There are no expensive servers …it pulls together all the data from different sources… It really gives you that real-time view of this is where you stand today. You can monitor all your rebates, all your contracts this way, all your compliance.‘' Rebate Insight tracks trends and tiers for hospitals: ‘'Rebate Insight tracks your trends. You could go back and look at the quarter and say, "Wow, my trend for last quarter was tier two, but we're still signed on tier one. Oh, this quarter is tier two as well. The vendors don't tell you that. The vendors rarely come back and say, "Hey, you've been achieving tier two, go ahead and click on it because now your price is dropping 20%."   What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.

WARNING: This episode contains discussions on sensitive mental health topics that include depression, anxiety, and suicide among youth.   Children aged 2-5 have the same rate of impairing mental health disorders as older children and adults. Dr Helen Eggar explains the work of Little Otter in addressing this growing crisis with Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction  Helen explains Little Otter's approach to mental healthcare for children, why mental health treatment hasn't improved in ten years, and why it's hard being a parent in America. She also describes how tantrums can be a ‘'mental health fever'', emphasizes the need for a family focus in mental healthcare, and explains how telehealth provides access to care when 71% of counties don't have a child psychiatrist.  Show Topics   Mental health has deteriorated since the pandemic 50% of mental health disorders start before the age of 14 Acknowledge the distressing impact of the mental health crisis A family focus improves mental health outcomes Tantrums aren't just behavioral issues  The vital role of telemedicine in childhood mental health High quality work always wins out      10:25 Mental health has deteriorated since the pandemic Helen explained how a mental health crisis impacts the whole family.  ‘'What I say about the child mental health crisis is that we were in a child mental health crisis before the pandemic, but it was made much worse by the pandemic and the stress of the pandemic. We've seen significant elevation in particularly anxiety, but also depression in kids. But this report, this white paper that I referenced that we produced was based on over 11,000 families coming to seek care at Little Otter. And when families come, they complete what we call the child and family mental health checkup, which I created. And the idea is we do checkups for height and weight and other variables, but we don't have a way to check up on our child's mental health or our family's mental health, so when families come in, they complete this survey and they immediately get a report back. And the assessment looks at child mental health with separate developmentally appropriate sections for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school age, and middle schoolers. Then we assess parent mental health, then we assess what we call family mental health, which is stress and the relationship between the parent and partner and the co-parenting relationship. That's what we see all together. We think at Little Otter that we don't just have a child mental health crisis, we have a parent mental health crisis. In our data, over half of the parents met clinical criteria for anxiety disorder and 1/3rd met criteria for depression.   13:27 50% of mental health disorders start before the age of 14  Helen said children are affected by their environment and we cannot silo family members in treatment.  ‘'Because children are impacted by their environment, by their relationships. Another example, of course, is with younger children whose parents are depressed. We know so much about postpartum depression and the impact it has on the mom. And it has a huge impact on the child's mental health. And it really impacts the quality of the parent-child relationship. Those are just two examples where we think to address this crisis where we have to innovate is not to silo the members of the family, carve them off and send them to different people, but there has to be an approach that's thinking at the family level. And I truly think that is our first big innovation at Little Otter. And the second one is to say young children are suffering at the same rates as teens. Teens, it's super important, absolutely critically important to meet the mental health needs of children. But again, if we're going to make a dent in this crisis, we have to start as early as possible. 50% of adult mental health disorders start before the age of 14, but we put most of our effort and our dollars into older children and into adults, and we're not focusing on where we can make a difference with early intervention and prevention. I'm so passionate about that, both where the industry should be focusing, but also educating parents so that they know the signs so they can advocate for what their children need and what they need.''   15:30 Acknowledging the distressing impact of the mental health crisis Helen said a cohesive, connected and relationship-based approach is essential in mental health care.  ‘'I think one thing is that older children show up in emergency rooms with suicidal ideation at higher rates. And those are very expensive interventions, so I think that's one thing. Although the average age in our families, our kids we take care of for suicidal ideation is 10 years old. And we need to know that the second leading cause of death for children 10 to 14 is suicide. Again, it's not something that only happens to teenagers. I also think that it's somewhat more straightforward to provide mental health care to teenagers. And so at Little Otter, it's not just that we see young children, we hire therapists who are experts in early childhood mental health. It's its own area of specialization. And I think that many of the principles of our family mental health approach are embedded in the infant early childhood mental health field because you're never thinking about a three-year-old separate from the parents, you're with the child and with the parents. And so I personally think that approach should be applied across the lifespan. If you have a spouse who's depressed, it's impacting you in a huge way. And if you could be a part of that treatment to help understand and support your partner, I think treatments would be more effective. We're really trying to bring that more cohesive and connected and relationship-based approach to all of mental health.''   20:24 A family focus improves mental health outcomes Helen said improving the mental health of children has a major impact of parental mental health too. ‘'It does. And I can tell you a very cool thing, which is in our outcome data, taking a cohort of over 200 kids who did treatment, 71% after 12 weeks went from the clinical to the nonclinical range. They had great impact. But we saw these were parents who we were not providing direct care for, we were just working with them in our Little Otter approach, that of the parents who had clinically significant anxiety at the start of their kids' treatment, 67% were no longer in the clinical range. And for parents who had clinically significant depression at the start of treatment, 71% were no longer in the clinical range. Even just providing mental health care for children with this family focus, with this engagement with the parents with the acknowledgement of the impact on the whole family, we had a major impact on parent mental health, so we got us two for the price of one. And because we very rigorously have a measurement-based approach and track outcomes using the checkup but also other measures, we're able to demonstrate that our care, even when it's just focusing on the child, impacts and improves the mental health of parents and the mental health of the whole family.''   25:46 Tantrums aren't just behavioral issues Helen explained that daily aggressive tantrums can indicate signs of a deeper problem.  ‘'But I'll give you a good example from my work that I think brings it home, because it can seem abstract. Think about temper tantrums. Kids two to five have temper tantrums. In fact, 75% of two and three year olds will have had at least one tantrum last week. And it goes down a bit at four and five. And the thing about that is that is developmentally appropriate because young children are learning the capacity to manage their emotions, their big feelings, to manage behaviors when they have big feelings. And they're not that good at it, and sometimes they just melt down. However, in my research I found that children who have tantrums nearly every day and who hit, bite, kick, or break something during a tantrum, those children are eight times more likely than children who don't do that to having an impairing mental health disorder. But here's the critical thing. People think about tantrums as a behavior problem. It's as much connected to emotions. Children who have these aggressive frequent tantrums are at much higher rates of having an anxiety disorder, of having depression as well as ADHD or a behavior problem. That's why I call daily aggressive tantrums a mental health fever. It's a generalized sign that something might not be right. It doesn't tell you what it is. You have to go and have an evaluation and look more deeply. But to me, that's a useful knowledge that we can share with parents, right?...To say, "Here it is. It's developmentally typical. But actually, this is not developmentally typical, and let's look a little bit more deeply at it."   32:31 The vital role of telemedicine in childhood mental health  Helen said telehealth is on the only way to provide wider access to mental healthcare for children.  ‘'I think it's a big question, can you do telemedicine in early childhood mental health? And the answer is yes. Again, science has shown that we can do that, and we're obviously doing it at Little Otter. And that is so important. We are experts in delivering telehealth to young children. You don't just plop a kid in front of a computer and expect them to talk like we're talking. You put the computer on the floor, we use the whiteboards, we have toys. We're very skilled at making it an engaging experience. But I think it's critical to understand that it is the only way we are going to address the access problem. United States, 71% of the counties in the United States do not have one child psychiatrist. There are states in the upper Midwest who have zero child psychiatrists. Yes, we have to encourage more people to go in the field, et cetera. But that is not going to be the solution. We have to be able to bring our skills to families where they are, meaning in their home. And this is critically important when you think about the need for specialization. Perhaps you're in an area that has some child mental health services but don't have specialized early childhood services. But at Little Otter, because we're 100% virtual, we can bring that expertise in. It could be early childhood mental health, but it also could be expertise in evidence-based treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder. It's not just the early childhood. The mental health care that works is evidence-based care, not just random care. And parents, I think, need to seek that high quality care.''   38:12 High quality work always wins out  Helen said having a vision and being clear on your values and principles helps to succeed in the long-term.  ‘'…my experience has been, in the end, doing high quality work wins out. I'd say that was true in terms of the beginning of my scientific career when people doubted things. But if you do good science and you have the data to show it, you will be able to convince people. And so I think having just a very clear focus on what your values are and what are the key principles that you are focusing on I think really helps build for the longterm. And I think that's the other thing. I think when we create new things, it takes a long time. And so I think it's very important not just as a leader, but for inspiring the people who work with us to have five-year plans, to think through, okay, I want to be here. And how am I going to get there? And then to support people as they go through that. I think being able to have a vision for something that doesn't exist and then be able to translate that and share that with others is one of the most amazing experiences that I've had the privilege of seeing that when you do that collaboratively... All of science, all of clinical work, this is collaborative work; doesn't just come down to one person. But if you can create those collaborative teams with vision, you can make a huge difference. And I had that in my academic career, and now I'm having the privilege of having that experience in the digital health realm.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Dr Helen Egger on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    A passion for mental health in children from birth to 6 years: Helen explains the motivation to launch Little Otter: ‘'…the earlier that we intervene, the better the outcome is for the kids.'' No change in a decade - the urgent need to address the mental health crisis: ‘'We have a white paper that we just produced called Breaking the Silence: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Young Children that I wrote. And in it, I look at the rates from when I started my career in the early, mid-2000s to now, 50% of children who need mental health services, only 50% get mental health services. That number was the same in 2013 as it is in 2023.'' Mental health's elephant in the room: ‘'The elephant in the room is something that's the crisis of mental health as a whole, which is really how mental health is funded and the lack of parity of coverage for mental health care compared to coverage for other medical disorders.'' Why it's hard being a parent in America: ‘'We have not built a society that really focuses on maximizing the support for the youngest Americans or their parents so that …the typical parent is facing a lot of stresses that are going to impact their ability to support their children's mental health.'' The impact of the first five years lasts a lifetime: ‘'We know from brain science is that the period from birth to age five is where the architecture of the brain is really set down… What children experience in their relationships and their environments and what challenges they face at the mental health level, if those are not addressed, that is actually going to impact for a lifetime that child's mental health….''  What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.  

Clinical research has been around for over 300 years. Todd Nicklas explains why it still isn't perfect but still offers benefits for patients and healthcare providers to Jim Cagliostro.    Episode Introduction  Todd explains the history of clinical research through Paul Offit's You Bet Your Life, asks the big question of ‘'replacement or supplement'', and explains why patients are always their own biggest advocates. He also explains the need for monitoring the ‘'gray line'', and why the key focus in all clinical trials is failing early.   Show Topics   Clinical research isn't always the answer for patients  Supplement or replace? The big question for balance Handling complexities in replacing medication  The high cost of getting drugs to market  Focus on failing early  Patient benefits: a case study with Camzyos Teamwork helps the growth process   03:35 Clinical research isn't always the answer for patients  Todd highlighted the importance of a balanced view in clinical research, highlighting ‘'You Bet Your Life'' by Paul Offit.  ‘'So I kind of wanted to start out with that sometimes it is the answer, clinical research for a patient, or sometimes it's not the answer.. I appreciate reading a book by Paul Offit called You Bet Your Life. And ..he went through the past few hundred years in some of the early medical interventions in development and when they were very early starting off, the first blood transfusions that were tried or first types of anesthesia. And when he would dive into those stories, I mean, Jim, there were dangerous approaches. We look back today, really wild, crazy ideas or people died or people had maimed arms and legs from radiology exposure and such, but it leads us to where we are today with radiology procedures and blood donation and transfusions and anesthesia. Just a few examples. He did a few others…So his approach was, there's a point, and maybe we'll get to this later, where you can kind of know where the risks are worked out, but you can't just write it off and throw the baby out with the bath water. There might be something still good here that we need to learn. And so sometimes it could be the answer like, look where anesthesia and blood donation is today. But sometimes it's not the answer. You can look back for the past few hundred years and health authority figures or people at various companies thought that lobotomies were a good idea or sterilizing the mentally ill or bloodletting. You can look at some of these things that today we'd say, yeah, they were dangerous or inappropriate or not what they were intending to. So people can be wrong and people can be right. And so you have to understand that balance first and foremost. I kind of wanted to stress that upfront.''   06:01 Supplement or replace? The big question for balance Todd explained why this question is essential to balance in patient trials.  ‘'But I think the two questions you have to ask when you're trying to balance it is first, does the present, shall I say medication or intervention, does it supplement what is presently trying to treat or help my disease or does it replace the present? And the reason I wanted to lead with that or categorize that is because when I was a research nurse for many years in the hospital, you're working with sometimes doctors that really love the research that you're doing and are an investigator with that research. Some doctors could care less and tell you to go away and say, "Don't bother me. Really, you're going to bother me with this research?" Some doctors might have no clue because they're not even connected with your hospital system. And so how do you interact with doctors A, B, and C that I just gave as examples because you're going to have to approach them differently? I think that's probably self-evident. So you have to say, "Well, listen, it's meant to supplement and here's how it could work already with the present medical regimen that these patients are getting or it's meant to replace the treatment and this is why and this is how you should manage them." So I guess first, does it supplement the present treatment? This is I guess a question that research has to answer: how does the present treatment alone that they're already on affect a certain lab level or a MRI scan or a vital sign that might be concerned about your blood pressure or what have you, versus how much does it affect that measurable point with the two together or the research medication or intervention? We get a lot of time to dive into that, but I just want to leave that hanging out there to think about that.''   10:08 Handling complexities in replacing medication  Todd emphasized the need for clarity with patients, hospitals and in documentation in ‘'replacement'' trials.  ‘'When you're intending to replace the present treatment, well, then the doctors will say, "Well, wait a minute. When does that happen? Is there a washout period? What's the half-life of the drug that they're presently taking and the one that you want them to take in the research study? How quickly can it come on board and give a therapeutic benefit?" These questions, like I said before with the previous point, you need to be very careful in how you convey that to the patient, to the doctors, to the nurse practitioners, how it's in the documentation. Things can get forgotten, as you know. So it has to be clear in the documentation as well. You and I worked with LVADs, which are the heart pump devices. Could it replace their heart failure meds across the board? Maybe. If they have a really great response, maybe you can get rid of a good bit of them. And then the doctor would say, "Well, when would that occur? And how do we do that in the hospital?" So there are tough questions to ask and you might say... Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention this to you with the supplement. These studies are often with supplements, placebo controlled. Well, how do I handle... If I'm not supposed to know if they're on placebo or not, but it could supplement and have some impact, what do I watch for? What blood levels do I keep an eye on? But with replacement, that doesn't typically happen because they need a therapy, they need to be treated for something. So you have to either be getting the old medication or the research medication. It's not as much. So I wanted to mention that real briefly too, but that is another point I wanted to get across.''   15:10 The high cost of getting drugs to market  ‘'Jim, let's say you have a compound, an asset, a drug for your company, and it looks like it could affect a therapeutic area or a disease process that could pull in two million in sales and another avenue that might pull in two billion in sales. Some people might be more led to the two billion regardless of everything else. So I respect that. However, you have to keep in mind, so I've acknowledged that there is some negative approaches to things that are not good and can be shady, but at the same time, research, if you're not in the space, it takes so much money to get a drug approved in the United States with the FDA because the FDA is very careful with understanding all the components that need to be in place and the data that needs to be understood to say this medication should be on the market….. the typical cost to develop a drug is $2 billion on average. And the average time it takes from saying, "Here's our asset in preclinical," which is kind of working with animals and such, to the time it gets approved is about 13 and a half or 14 years.''   19:34 Focus on failing early Todd said that failing early would save costs further down the line.  ‘'Because the big focus today, and I think I might've mentioned the last podcast, is to fail early. So what a lot of companies like to do is to do a lot of high throughput, testing thousands of different compounds and various disease processes and targets in the body to understand where they might fail down the road, and there's amazing technology to figure that out, so they can hopefully pick the right one to go down that rabbit hole, shall we say, and hopefully get an approval because we know-it's such a big investment. And, oh, I didn't say this, but I think a compound, once it first gets found to get FDA approved through all the phase ones, twos and threes, it's like 5% or 10%, something really low. Even if things sound really appealing, the amount of drugs that actually get approved after all these things, we talked $2 billion, 13 and a half years, is still pretty small. Because the FDA is trying to be careful, they want to make sure something's safe and effective, that's the big thing. And it is great that we have both of those things that are important. You don't want something that's just one of those things, I mean safe but not effective, or effective but not safe. I mean both of those don't sound appealing to the modern consumer.''   31:35 Patient benefits: a case study with Camzyos Todd provided an example of how individuals can benefit from research.  ‘'This is probably six, seven years ago now. I did a study with what's now Camzyos, or mavacamten, a BMS drug, and it helps patients that have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, apologies if I used this last time, but I don't think I did, where it is an overdevelopment of the muscles of the heart to the point that it's typically pushing into the left ventricular outflow tract, which is the exiting tunnel, shall we say, out to the aorta, which goes to the rest of your body and provides blood to the rest of your body. So the muscle as it pushes into that area, it makes the opening smaller and smaller so less blood can go out to the rest of your body to provide blood to your tissues and organs. And at the point that we were doing the study, the only fixes or treatment were either surgery to cut down that muscle or beta blockers and things to reduce the blood pressure that maybe reduces pressure in that area, but those are difficult to really target long-term or even midterm. It does affect the small muscle fibers and you actually see a reduction in that muscle area. So the reason I say this is because I had a patient that did this and it was a very involved, I think it was early Phase 1b or 2a, pretty early on study where he had to come in weekly for 12 weeks and do echoes and MRIs and a lot of blood work. And some of the visits I remember with him, he was in his 20s, were maybe three, four or five hours long, very busy visits for sure. So the question is, I mean, he's a young kid, does he want to have this burden on his life to do all this? He had a good relationship with the physicians there that saw him, and I think that he really thought this could help him prevent downstream problems or give him a few years before that muscle was impacting enough that he might need surgery or what have you. So it was certainly his decision and it was inconvenient, like I said, those visits and such. But he had good results and I was able to, I believe it was actually open label, so I kind of got to see how things were going from his echoes and data and such. But even within the first week or two, we saw really impressive results from him.''   36:41 Teamwork helps the growth process Todd said delegation prevents people from working in silos.  ‘'And I think that what I'm getting at is good delegation is not a negative thing and it doesn't reflect like you don't know what you're doing. I think we as human beings feel like, "Oh, I'm delegating so I clearly don't want to learn that, or I'm not good enough versus someone else." But no, what I found is, and especially now in larger pharmaceutical companies where there's a lot of team members, it's really beneficial to say, "Hey, you're really good at X, you're really good at Y. I should know them a little bit, and I do, and I oversee that, whatever, but I'm not going to jump in. I'm going to let you do it. Can you get back to me in a certain timeframe? Can you help me with this? Can you help me with that?"' It's very beneficial because not only do you kind of know the lines in the sand where people are working and not working, you're respecting your skillset and theirs, and you're working together as a team rather than like, I'm in my own silo. I'm not going to look both ways. I am my own person. I found that to be really, really helpful, and you can learn a lot at the same time. It really helps you learn a lot more than just saying, "I'll do my own thing." I mean, yeah, you might be baptized by fire and learn it kind of, but you might learn it a wrong way, actually. So I think that's probably what I would say and what I've really appreciated in my growth process.''   Connect with Lisa Miller on LinkedIn Connect with Jim Cagliostro on LinkedIn Connect with Todd Nicklas on LinkedIn Check out VIE Healthcare and SpendMend    You'll also hear:    The longevity of clinical research, starting with James Lind in 1747. ‘'We can't avoid research. We've been using the clinical research approach for the past 300 or so years….and then there were some studies that you can go back to even in the 1500s, that people would try various things to see what worked better than others.''   Patients don't live in a health vacuum: ‘'…..every patient you have is not going to be in a vacuum and have one disease and have nothing else. They're going to be 80 years old, they're going to have 10 other medications they're taking or four other disease processes that are going on. You need to know what's on board, what's working, what's not working.''   Why the patient is the biggest advocate: ‘'..the thing I really appreciated most was telling the patients the nitty-gritty and really driving home the educational points because then they are there with doctors B and C that might not know or want to be involved in the study and they can say, "Wait, wait, hold up. Don't do this. Or maybe talk to Todd first because this might affect that."    Monitoring the ‘'gray line'' in patient trials: ‘'Because some cancer patients do very early phase one and twos because they have to because of the development process or because of their cancer diagnosis or what have you, you might have to do early on. But are we past that line? Are we not? And what might that line look like? And that's why consent forms nowadays are extremely long because patients have to read all the safety data.''   What To Do Next:   Subscribe to The Economics of Healthcare and receive a special report on 15 Effective Cost Savings Strategies.   There are three ways to work with VIE Healthcare:   Benchmark a vendor contract – either an existing contract or a new agreement. We can support your team with their cost savings initiatives to add resources and expertise. We set a bold cost savings goal and work together to achieve it.  VIE can perform a cost savings opportunity assessment. We dig deep into all of your spend and uncover unique areas of cost savings.  If you are interested in learning more, the quickest way to get your questions answered is to speak with Lisa Miller at lmiller@spendmend.com or directly at 732-319-5700.  

Are you overwhelmed and stuck in freeze mode? Are you overthinking the shit out of stuff and saying some really craptastic things to yourself?You have an idea, you have a vision, you have a passion. There's something calling you, something pulling you and it gets really exciting, but then you realize how big this is and how many pieces of the puzzle there are to put together and your body fucking shuts down. Sounds familiar?What I see happen is that it's not your idea that overwhelms you, it's not your idea that feels impossible, it's the clarity on what to do next that's missing, the focus on the bigness of it, and the need to have every single detail figured out before you do anything.So, in this week's Powerback® episode we're talking about figuring out what in the hell to do next, so you're no longer stopping yourself from doing what you want and creating something new.We'll go through:Focusing on the bigness of itNeeding to have everything figured outWavering and indecision7 simple steps to create the clarity you need to move forwardResources from this episodeIf you are interested in learning about what coaching looks like with me reach out and Book a Discovery Call.Catch up on the Powerback® Episode 161: Are you stuck in this mental cycle?Learn all about Realign - my course to help you undo the shoulds, reclaim yourself, and get realigned back with yourself and your business that's going to run again this summer.1:1 Coaching with LauraAura – My mission is to help you align and simplify so you feel confident, trust your intuition, and expand in ways that make you feel alive. I combine energy work with grounded, practical action, and together we'll acknowledge the limiting beliefs and habits that may be holding you back while leaning into who you truly are and how you work most efficiently.Connect with LauraAuraTikTok:  @thatlauraauraInstagram: @thatlauraauraWebsite: LauraAura.comSupport the showTHANK YOU, GUTSY TRIBE!We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. If you haven't yet, drop us one below! Your review might even get highlighted within one of our gutsy love posts or on our website.https://podcasts.apple.com/ar/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

Believe it or not there is more to life after you get saved. Watch this video and discover WHAT TO DO NEXT to Crush it as a Christian.

When was the last time that you asked yourself, what do I actually want?I would imagine that on a day-to-day you are in a routine, you have boxes to check, and you have expectations to fill. I would imagine a whole bunch of people need things from you. If you don't take action, you're not gonna be able to grow your business. Every single day there is stuff, and unless you get off that hamster wheel of doing, this cycle of perpetually making shit happen. What ends up happening is that months or sometimes years go by and you sit and find yourself thinking, I don't even know what I really want. I have no idea what makes me happy anymore and I don't know what to do next. The good news is that's shiftable, and this week's Powerback® episode is going to be your wake-up call so you can get back in touch with who you are and what you actually want in the first place.We're going to walk through:Powerback® 158 Worksheet to reconnect with what you wantResources from this episodeYou can grab the simple Powerback® 158 Worksheet I prepared to help you rediscover what you want here. Join the Gutsy Collective - The Gutsy Collective is a community of energetically driven female entrepreneurs + visionaries who desire meaningful growth – mentally, physically, and energetically. Join us online or in person for monthly mentorship to reignite your fire and get the answers you seek.Alignment Sessions: get fast + clear answers –  Sometimes, you simply need a fresh set of eyes and clear direction on what step to take next. Alignment Sessions are 90-min individual coaching sessions designed to help you realign your energy and get a clear action plan so you can save time and start growing.1:1 Coaching with LauraAura – My mission is to help you align and simplify so you feel confident, trust your intuition, and expand in ways that make you feel alive. I combine energy work with grounded, practical action, and together we'll acknowledge the limiting beliefs and habits that may be holding you back while leaning into who you truly are and how you work most efficiently.Connect with LauraAuraTikTok:  @thatlauraauraInstagram: @thatlauraauraWebsite: LauraAura.comSupport the showTHANK YOU, GUTSY TRIBE!We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. If you haven't yet, drop us one below! Your review might even get highlighted within one of our gutsy love posts or on our website.https://podcasts.apple.com/ar/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

Some of my FAVORITE days are days I get to have a conversation with Jeff Henderson! His new book What To Do Next is perfect for anyone who is in the middle of a transition or is thinking about a transition, whether it's a job, a move to a new city, or any kind of transition (so basically, this book is perfect for EVERYBODY). GAH, he's just the best! Here's the link to Kevin Queen's sermon we talked about: What Does It Mean To Have A ‘Calling' On Your Life? | Cross Point Church . . . . It's not too late to be a Chase the Funner! Sign up HERE as we read through Chase the Fun together. . . . . Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests! #thatsoundsfunpodcast . . . . . Thank you to our partners! BetterHelp Online Therapy: Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/thatsoundsfun. Everlywell: Everlywell is offering a special discount of 20% off an at-home lab test at everlywell.com/thatsoundsfun. Nutrafol: You can grow thicker, healthier hair AND support our show by going to Nutrafol.com and entering the promo code TSF to save $15 OFF your first month's subscription -- this is their best offer ANYWHERE and it is only available to US customers for a limited time. GiveDirectly: Visit GiveDirectly.org/soundsfun and your donation will be matched up to $500.

There's an African proverb that pairs well with John 14:6 where Jesus proclaims Himself "the way, the truth, and the life." It goes like this: "We make the road by walking." What comes to the fore in both of these statements is the thought that life is not necessarily stretching out in front of us well-paved and easily discernible, but that life is an active endeavor requiring learning, maturing, and adapting. Jesus emphasizes His nearness to us in the process, but the implication is to step forward confidently even while the unknown confronts us with every step we take. We don't have to know where we'll be exactly twenty years down the road, but only where we are now and what we'll do next. This week, we talk to two people who have learned to navigate their callings in the now and the next. Jeff Henderson is a pastor and businessman who talks about the thumbprints of God that mark our lives, giving us clues to living out our purpose. Jonathan Evans is the son of Dr. Tony and Lois Evans. With numerous efforts to become an NFL player thwarted, Jonathan reshifted his expectations and began to see how God was getting him to his dream—just not exactly in the way he thought. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: John Maxwell Upcoming interview: Tayla Lynn John 14:6 NIV   Jeff Henderson  The For Company COVID Atlanta Braves Chick-Fil-A Peter Drucker  John Maxwell  Maxwell Leadership Truett Cathy www.jeffhenderson.com What To Do Next   Jonathan Evans  Dr. Tony and Lois Evans Dallas Cowboys  Mavericks San Diego Chargers Tennessee Titans Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Your Time Is Now: Get What God Has Given You Book of Joshua  Deuteronomy 34 NIV www.jonathanblakeevans.com   Interview Quotes: “The path to your dream job often leads through your day job. So God's thumbprints on you, the way He's created you, God's thumbprints on you are clues about His plans for you. And so I think the purpose of our lives is a lot closer than we might think.” - Jeff Henderson “You don't know what door God will open up if you're faithful in the small things. So be faithful in the small things. Be faithful where you are, because God's paying attention.” - Jeff Henderson "I think it breaks God's heart that so many of His sons and daughters go to work and they're mistreated. Everyone deserves to be led well because they are a son or daughter of God." - Jeff Henderson “If I'm in a difficult situation, I'm trying to change that prayer to, ‘God, I want to get out of this. But if you choose to leave me here, help me to learn the lesson that you're trying to get me to learn right now. What is the lesson in this season of suffering that you're trying to teach me that a season of comfort would not?'" - Jeff Henderson  “I'm excited to be selected to be on the team and be out running plays that He's calling.“ - Jonathan Evans “I got called back by the Cowboys to be the chaplain. It wasn't until I was obedient that I got the call to come back to the NFL.” - Jonathan Evans “I've been cut, I've been traded, I've been hurt. I've been not wanted. I've been rejected. I've experienced all those things, which makes me even better as God's player, as the chaplain for the Cowboys.” - Jonathan Evans  “Jesus got everything done in thirty-three years, and He didn't run anywhere. He walked.” - Jonathan Evans “I believe everyone has a calling on their life. And a lot of times we're looking at the barriers, looking at the problem, looking at the loss, looking at the grief, looking at the pain as the reasons why we're not called to go forward instead of the catalyst that shoots us off into the calling that God has for us.” - Jonathan Evans “I think that people must realize that your faith, your calling, your purpose, your destiny is unique to you, and it's on you to connect with God so that you can find you.” - Jonathan Evans “Whenever you're looking at your own insufficiencies to determine whether you can go do what God keeps begging you to do, then you know that you're saying, “You know what? I'd rather be comfortable than be called.” And that's how you know.” - Jonathan Evans ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What's Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website