Podcasts about what why

This episode explores Yanni Barghouty's work with Cosmic Shielding Corporation (CSC) and their mission to create next-generation radiation shielding solutions for the space industry. Yanni shares his journey from biomedical engineering to space entrepreneurship, discusses the challenges of developing advanced materials for radiation protection, and provides insights into the future of space safety and human spaceflight. OUTLINE: Here's approximate timestamps for the episode. 01:00 What/Why is Cosmic Shielding Corporation/CSC? 07:09 Starting up/Business partner 11:20 Launching/testing 13:25 The ordering process 20:42 Challenges of new technologies and protecting humans 25:00 AI in shielding? 37:33 Challenges of space entrepreneurship 43:10 Open for business 45:35 Wrap up and socials Connect with Cosmic Shielding Corporation: Website: https://cosmicshielding.com/ X: https://x.com/cosmicshielding Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cosmic-shielding-corporation/ Stay connected with us! Use #Astroben across various social media platforms to engage with us! Youtube: www.youtube.com/@astrobenpodcast Website: www.astroben.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrobenpodcast/ X: https://x.com/Gambleonit Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrobenpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astrobenpodcast/

21st April 2024 The Spokesmen Cycling Podcast EPISODE 352: Laura Laker SPONSOR: Tern Bicycles HOST: Carlton Reid GUEST: Laura Laker LINKS: https://www.the-spokesmen.com/ https://www.ternbicycles.com https://twitter.com/CarltonReid https://twitter.com/laura_laker https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/potholes-and-pavements-9781399406468/ Carlton Reid 0:11 Welcome to Episode 352 of the Spokesmen cycling podcast. This show was engineered on Sunday, April 21 2024. David Bernstein 0:28 The Spokesmen cycling roundtable podcast is brought to you by Tern bicycles. The good people at Tern are committed to building bikes that are useful enough to ride every day and dependable enough to carry the people you love. In other words, they make the kind of bikes that they want to ride. Tern has e-bikes for every type of rider. Whether you're commuting, taking your kids to school or even carrying another adult, visit www.ternbicycles.com. That's t e r n bicycles.com to learn more. Carlton Reid 1:04 I'm Carlton Reid and today's show is a chat with like journalist Laura Laker, author of an excellent new book, Potholes and Pavements. This is a travelogue featuring Laura's travels around the UK, writing on some of the best and worst bits of Britain's National Cycle network. From jaw droppingly gorgeous looking ancient military roads in the Highlands of Scotland to dark and dingy urban back streets blocked with barriers. As the books subhead warns, it's a bumpy ride. Um, so you've written a book. Is this your first? Laura Laker 1:46 Yeah, my first my first book, believe it or not, Carlton Reid 1:49 well done. Congratulations. It's a brilliant first book. One of many. I'm sure it'll be one of many. I noticed you've got a an agent. Yeah, you say in the back and thank him. So I'm guessing you're going to be doing more books? Laura Laker 2:00 Yeah, I guess so. I'm not trying to think about it too much. This one was very long in the gestation. I had an idea back in 2017 to do a basically ring around talking to people. I'd listened to the audiobook of John Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie, in which he travels across the US with his big poodle, and talking to people and he says he's most wonderful conversations, which were later question for their veracity, but it's just, it's just a wonderful format. And I love I'd kind of in that trip to America, I rediscovered my love of talking to strangers, which I had as a kid, and I'm kind of lost over the years, I guess, being British, but spending time in the US where everyone is just willing to talk to you and tell you their life story. I rediscovered this just love of cycling, is brilliant for that, you know, just talking to people you're travelling around, you might stop at some lights, or you might pass someone on a path and just get chatting to them. And it's wonderful people have the most amazing stories, I think Carlton Reid 2:59 Well, there's two teachers that you met, hopefully they will read the book. You weren't avoiding them. Laura Laker 3:07 I know Greg and Norton, they were so brilliant. And the most unexpected encounters and I was up in the Cairngorms and travelling alone and feeling a bit like oh, you know, such a beautiful, it's ridiculously beautiful up there. I'm always just astounded by Scotland, and how how it's possible for somewhere to be so beautiful. And the NCN [National Cycle Network] across the Cairngorms is something else, it's really quite remarkable. A lot of its off road, it's this dedicated path. It was an old military road. And the rest is on fairly quiet country roads. And I was pootling along on my big pink ebike, which I did some of my adventures on and I saw these roadies coming up behind me and I thought well that they're going to overtake me in a bit. And sure enough, they did. We said hello. And then I saw them stopped at this bridge and they were looking over and they just had this wonderful kind of whimsy about them this they weren't they were going a long way actually they're going from kind of Aviemore back to Preston where they were at least one of them lived and doing it over a couple of days in sort of training one of them's an Ironman enthusiastic participants, but on the way they were stopping looking over bridges, that sort of waterfalls over rocks and like looking across the landscape and just enjoying the scenery. And that for me is what cycling is about. It's about appreciating the world around us and the people around us and so they said we'll ride with us for a while and as you know ebike your Aberdeen bought a bike mine included, maxes out at 15 and a half miles an hour which these guys were obviously capable of exceeding quite easily. So but they they rode with me for quite some time and we chatted and they were just fantastic. And then yeah, they they stopped for a week and I had to run inside for a week. And then I came out and they'd gone Carlton Reid 4:51 but it's quite a nice way to say goodbye. Are you are you are you taking notes as you're going along? So you wrote their names and what they did. And or you coding stuff. How are you physically? Laura Laker 5:02 Yeah, so I get back at the end of a ride and write stuff down. And I do think it's best that way, especially with travel writing, because you forget so much so quickly. And the big three Cornwall, I think is, you know, in the early parts of the book, when I first started the exploration, further afield, you know, writing stuff down as you experience it, or very soon after is really important because you lose a lot of the detail and the texture of what you're experiencing. And I think it just makes for much richer story that way, but also difficult to do because you're having to memorise and maybe that's why Steinbeck was getting criticised because he wasn't writing No, no. As he was going along, he's remembering it. Well, memories can do. Memory is really interesting, actually. Because we we probably most of us think that our memories are fairly good, or the way that remember things is correct. But actually, it's very, very subjective. And the longer time goes on, the more we forget, or the memory gets warped, or things get introduced that didn't exist, maybe and it's really very, very subjective. I've got I don't know for some things, I've got quite a good short term memory so I can remember to a certain extent, but obviously, as Homer Simpson once said, you know, one thing comes into your brain another thing has to leave it so. Carlton Reid 6:23 That's 100% me though. So this book Potholes and Pavements, a bumpy ride on Britain's National Cycle network, it comes out May the ninth published by Bloomsbur. £16.99. Excellent, excellent book. I read it yesterday and got up early this morning to make sure I finished it before I spoke with you. Now normally when when I talk to people for this podcast, I always get them to send me a photograph so I can do the you know, the socials and the thing that goes on the show notes. What have you with you, oh, an hour and a half to do that. Because I have ridden with you ridden with you on bits of the ride that you are right that you mentioned in your book. So when you mentioned that, you know the cycle superhighway. You make an item was like, I've got that photograph because I was holding my camera photographing you behind me? Laura Laker 7:20 Yeah, with Brian Deegan. Carlton Reid 7:21 There's knowing smiles when I'm reading your books like I was on that ride. Like I know, Laura. Oh, my word. It's also like me on that ride. And when you describe windmills, yes. But the windmills and it's a cute book for me. Also cute because I know lots of these people who you're describing. And I know in the book, it says he didn't want to be described as a hero. But he is a hero. And because it's about the National Cycle network, then clearly that's got to be the guy who not single handedly founded it, but certainly pushed it through with those with those early innovators. So that's John Grimshaw. So he comes in, he's, he's in at least three or four parts of the book, you've clearly gone to speak to him a number of times wonderful. And it's fantastic that he's in there, because he really doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Laura Laker 8:16 Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, he I obviously have to speak to John Grimshaw. Because a lot of people as he points out, and as I tried to convey in the book, a lot of people and probably, you know, uncountable numbers of people were involved in the foundation of and development of the National Cycle network. And then it's maintenance ever since many of whom are working for very little, in fact, nothing, because they loved it. But John really seemed like, talking to people and talking to him, was the driving this real driving force behind it and his kind of self belief and single minded determination, I think was a major driver and he is such a character. I mean, a bit of a Marmite character, I think, but, you know, it seems like you need people to kind of drive things forward. Carlton Reid 9:05 Cos you need somebody like that. He's a visionary. Yeah, you know. I love Malcolm Shepherd. I love Zavier Brice, the people who are in charge now and Malcolm was the guy who came in after after John. But Malcolm wasn't a visionary. Malcolm was an accountant. And when when the organisation any organisation any business gets big, then you very often need somebody else to take over. And there's lots of faction there at the time. You don't go into it in a great detail. That was enormous friction there and there's still enormous amount of bad blood between people. Laura Laker 9:46 Yeah, and it's interesting because Caroline Lovatt. Here's another key figure from fairly early on and still works with John today. On there, they're still building cycle routes under a different organisation, cycle routes and greenways and Um, she says that, you know, for for years, according to her, John kept disappearing from the kind of record of that of the history of the NCN on Wikipedia, she kept putting him back in. And um, yeah, I mean, the story was, and that was a difficult part of it to tell. But it was one that had to be mentioned, I didn't want to go too into it. But obviously, you know, John, leaving Sustrans under fairly strange circumstances, and really against his will, was was part of the story that needed to be told. And it was a different and I spoke to a number of people and nobody really, I think, you know, there were potentially nondisclosure agreements. And so nobody really talks about what exactly happened, which is why I call I mentioned the omerta. Because it really seems like everyone has a slightly different story, or, and I and again, I, you know, it's memory and it was a painful time. And it was a long time ago. And it's quite common, as you say, with new organisations, you've got this big driving force, but then sometimes they're not the person to carry on leading an organisation once the first major thing is done, and, you know, they might not be great with people is, you know, having a skill to start and drive something is not the same as being a sort of manager of people and diplomats. And it's, yeah, it's quite often it's a painful process, certainly not unique, I think. Carlton Reid 11:16 No, it's very common for that kind of thing to happen. However, saying that it's very important to recognise who was that visionary? And I think he lost an awful lot of that. So, so wonderful to see John. central to that. So that's really nice part of the book because I, you know, John, John is a wonderful, wonderful guy, and absolutely, this would not have happened without him. I know, there's lots of other people you know, David Sproxton, all these kind of people were there at the same time, George Ferguson. So So Sproxton was Aardman Animation. So people who know admire animation, George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, at one point, all these individuals were there at the time, but it needed that guiding force that needed that. Just somebody who woulda just said no, and just went ahead and did it. That was that was the ethos of Sustrans in the early days. So that Laura Laker 12:12 Yeah, yeah, because the status quo then as it is, today, is very much stacked against cycling routes happening. And so you kind of need a rebel who's not willing, who's you know, not willing to take no for an answer? Who's going to be able to make things happen? And I think in a way that kind of, I guess, you know, being from a fairly well off upper middle class background, you have the confidence really the education that kind of gives you that confidence and and then the character and self belief to just to drive that forward. Carlton Reid 12:47 Mmm. That you didn't mention not even once Cycling, Touring Club CTC cycling UK. Because the book isn't in all cycling, you are you are laser focused on the National Cycle network. But there was also friction between those two organisations, you know, stranden effect was an upstart organisation, then it got for £42.5 million with Meatloaf handing that over on TV or that kind of stuff. And there was there was an awful lot of friction between still is between strands and and what is today cycling UK. So you haven't got into that at all. What Why didn't you go into that? Is that just because you wanted to just stay laser focused on the cycle network? Laura Laker 13:36 I mean, I mentioned that not everyone felt that Sustrans was being helpful because they felt that cycle route should be delivered by government and charities stepping in. And taking that role almost allows the government to say, well, you know, someone's doing it. Now. We don't need to get involved. But I mentioned the kind of tension between certain types of cyclists. I think I might quote to you, I think I've got you in the references on that. But I mean, I don't know if I just don't know how. I don't know. It's yeah, it's a tricky one. It's how much to include, and you always have to make these decisions, what to include and what not to include, and I guess I just didn't feel like that was a key part of the story at all. There was some thinking at the time around that but and I'm aware that there was tension and I know that Mark Strong for one who gets quite a mention in the book, talked about Sustrans being too successful and not successful enough in that, you know, they were doing this job notionally? No, they were doing a great job for with what they had and who they were and ie not the government and with not very much money but they were doing enough just to allow the government to just say, You know what, well Sustrans is delivering the National Cycle network, tick, job done. Let's get back to the serious business of roads. Carlton Reid 15:01 because there is there is you meant we will get on to the very positive points, you've got like a bunch of what what do you call it in the book where you've got a whole bunch of asks basically? Oh, yeah, the manifesto, the manifesto. There you go. Number one, we'll go through these points. 10 point manifesto. So there's some positive stuff to talk about that. But you don't really mention that there's this that, you know, you're talking about, you know, this should be funded nationally, and there is that struggle, bear with you know, this is a charity, etc, etc. But then you've also got the weakness of you have actually got to at least have British Cycling as well, three competing organisations, going to government and asking for money for various things. And wouldn't it be nicer and more practical and may even get more stuff? If there's only one organisation so there is that there is the absolute fault line running through cycling? That is one of the reasons why it's very easy for the government to not do stuff because they're getting told different things by different organisations and one organisation saying don't back them back us. So there's that kind of friction there. Laura Laker 16:22 I don't know if that's if I see it that way. I mean, Sustrans cycling UK, and British Cycling, and things like livable streets are all part of the walking and cycling Alliance. And I think what that what that's trying to do is to unify the voice, because ultimately they want the same thing. I mean, British cycling's coming at it from a sports point of view. But recognising that its members also need safe roads to cycle on. And that means a whole host of other things, safe protected routes in cities. And that's popular with members. And then cycling UK, originally a touring group, now a charity that lobbies for Safe Routes, safe conditions, and also delivers stuff for government, such as what to fix your ride, and a bunch of other things. And then Sustrans is a National Cycle network and behaviour change programmes. So there are overlaps, but I do think they are distinct. And I don't see I don't see it as I mean, they probably have internal, you know, perspectives on things and perhaps don't always agree with what the other one was doing. But I think I think they tend to present a fairly unified front these days. Carlton Reid 17:30 They're not as bad nowadays. I mean, it's when you get rid of it certainly did not get rid. That's the That's the wrong phrase. When individuals leave organisations, it can change because a new people come in, and you know, those alliances are, that's what you're just used to. But you know, before that alliance was put in place, they were cats and dogs, they were really hating on each other and slagging each other off to government as well. So that's why government was able to go up. This cycling is just mad look, these these, you know, what they, these three cats in a sack just fighting each other. Laura Laker 18:03 And then you saw, I mean, I think I talked about, you know, Malcolm Shepherd, who was the CEO after John Grimshaw. He went to ministers, and he was saying, why aren't we getting the funding we asked for? Or why are we getting taken seriously, I think was the question. And he was told, Well, you don't ask for enough money, basically. So they were thinking and perhaps this kind of historic infighting is also a function of the fact that these were kind of fledgling organisations to an extent for some time, not very much funding. They were run by enthusiasts probably, who all had their own ideas. And of course, let's not forget that there were also the vehicular ISTS who didn't even believe that we needed cycling's of which I think cycling UK early on was one and that might explain why they disagree with Sustrans who were trying to yes, no, there was a whole cohort who stands for that reason, absolutely. 100%. So maybe that, you know, it perhaps is a function of just the whole movement being in its infancy. I mean, it's been going for a good 40 or so years, but I don't know, maybe it was maybe it was just run by enthusiasts for a very long time. And that's why it's taken a while to kind of mature but also I think it was going I mean, our cycling lobby, organisations were kind of leading the way for much longer than a lot of European countries in a nice talk about this in the book in countries like France and in the Netherlands and in Denmark, they all started their calls for National Cycle networks or at least safe routes, thanks to charities and voluntary organisations. And then fairly quickly, were all taken on by the government who saw this as a piece of infrastructure firstly, quite often for leisure, but then they realised people were using these routes for commuting trips, and it was it needed to be part of the infrastructure and was taken up with great enthusiasm and in Sweden as well. By the various local departments and regional governments and delivered quite quickly and at quite a kind of scale. And that hasn't really happened here. And so perhaps those kinds of just the longevity of those cycling groups being so crucial to anything that happens for cycling, has kind of made this whole, I don't know, split more important than it would have otherwise been. Carlton Reid 20:24 Yeah. And like in the Netherlands, the the organization's tried to fight against this, but the government tax cyclists, and cyclists actually paid for the roads. Laura Laker 20:34 They did, that's right. Carlton Reid 20:37 But it's the very fact and this was a cyclist at the time were fighting against, they didn't want to be taxed. In the UK, and the Netherlands, they were taxed. And then cyclists became national infrastructure. And that became critical, as you say, and the fact that you know, there wasn't, there was some national infrastructure, obviously, I've done this the 1930 cycleways project. But the CTC is the British Cycling as of the time fought against all of this, they fought against taxation, they fought against cycle routes. And so there is there is some argument to be made that cyclists have been their own worst enemy. So I know in the book, you're saying, you know, it's just such a no brainer. And it is to back, you know, for want of a better word or phrase active travel. Now, in the book, you've got various people are saying we should call it something different. Laura Laker 21:27 Yeah, Lee Craigie. Carlton Reid 21:27 yeah. Yeah. But, you know, cycling has been difficult, at the same time. And it's like, what's happening in Wales, and in Scotland, is inspiring, possibly, because it's actually coming from above. A lot of it, you know, there's obviously enthusiastic people working on the ground, etc. But a lot of this is coming from government ministers. So that helps. Yeah. And, Laura Laker 21:54 I mean, we have this idea, and I'm sure we're not alone. And this point you just made and the example of the taxing of the cyclists in the Netherlands, which is something I learned during doing the research for the book, I didn't actually know about this, but I, you know, the reason we lost the railways that then became a lot of these greenways was because, you know, we see transport as needing to wash its own face needing to fund itself. And the railways at the time, were losing money for most of the routes. And so that was the reasoning. And, you know, with roads, obviously, drivers are taxed it's not sort of ring fence funding. It's not a road tax, it's, but you know, it is making the Treasury money and cycling has never really done that. And I, I think fundamentally, the way that way of thinking about transport is wrong, because of the benefits, the much wider benefits that transport gives us in terms of, you know, being able to access education and health and social opportunities and for our physical and mental health. And it's, its benefits span far beyond its own kind of silo. But we don't really see it that way. And I'm not really sure actually, if anywhere managers to think of it this way, but I think post pandemic, things like free bus services and in different countries has maybe illustrated that people are starting to think about it differently. But ultimately, I think it's it's a very tricky one. Because like you say, we in a way we weren't, we were own worst enemy in terms of our predecessors in the cycling world. But we were working within philosophy that's that dictated that actually, if you're going to build something, you know, who's making money from it, or, you know, how is the Treasury getting that investment back and not really seeing it as this makes people healthier? Or this gives them opportunities or promotes businesses, local tourism? And all of this? So yeah, I mean, if we'd done it differently, who who knows of cyclists in the UK? So fine, we'll pay a tax. Who knows? We might have an NCN now, but, and even today, it's a little bit of an uncomfortable conversation, isn't it? Because, you know, nobody wants to be taxed. Carlton Reid 24:02 So the book is, it's a polemic in many ways, not not all the way through. But there are definitely bits in there that are strident. And I cannot argue with at all I'm reading it nodding along. And certainly the bits about like the national infrastructure, right, and it's all being spent on roads. And it's it's the so many reasons why that is crazy. Yeah, and why spending even just a fraction of the roads budget on on a national cycle network, you know, genuinely joined up one high quality would bring many more, many more benefits. And then you've got and the irony is, and I did a new story on this is, you have a government minister, who has written the foreword to your book, and he said This is not government minister, a former government minister, a former Transport Minister, Jesse Norman, and then it's like, why don't you do this when you're in power? It's great. You've said it. It's wonderful that you're saying all these things. But you could have done this, you could have pushed for this. And he was also the Financial Secretary of the Treasury. Yeah, he could have released money. Yeah, let me see what he says. But Laura Laker 25:26 it's so difficult, isn't it? And it's, again, it's kind of facing it's the status quo. I mean, it's, I think, maybe important to remember, and I'm not making excuses for anyone. But, you know, he was a junior minister, certainly in his first round is cycling minister. And so he would have had to tow the party line. So I don't know how easy it is for. I mean, he's a very intelligent guy. He cares about cycling. But then he's part of a system, which ultimately, I guess, maintains the status quo doesn't want to upset the applecart. And that's why, in the manifesto, I, you know, I think it's so important that people speak up for these things, because I think until there's an outcry for it, it's very difficult for any one minister, unless we have a cycling Prime Minister, to change all of this. There's a lot of vested interests in maintaining, you know, roads for cars, keeping car manufacturing, going and, you know, taxation on cars is going to be very problematic, because obviously EVs electric vehicles don't pay, you know, drivers with EVs don't pay cortex. So what's gonna happen there? But yeah, I mean, it's difficult, but I think people need to speak up for this kind of thing. We get a lot of kickback pushback from people when there's cycle routes coming. But those are the minority. And one thing I tried to highlight in the book is that most people want this once cycling routes, they they want other options and to drive. And, you know, between two thirds and four fifths of people in representative polls say that they'd support this and many of them, even if it meant taking road space away from motor vehicles. But that's not what politicians listen to. And I think increasingly, politicians are listening to angry people on Twitter. And you know, if Mark Harper's comments about LTNs and 15 minute neighbourhoods is anything to go by, which was straight out of the kind of conspiracy theorists, Twitter playbook, you know, they're listening to the loudest voices. And I think until people say, you know, we actually want choice. We don't want to have to breathe polluted air, we don't want to have our neighbourhoods dominated by motor vehicles. We want our kids to be able to go to school safely. I think it's gonna be difficult for things to change. Carlton Reid 27:45 Hmm. So you have mentioned a variety of routes that are actually pretty good. So yeah, Keswick one is one of them. Laura Laker 27:55 Threlkeld, yes. Carlton Reid 27:58 And that's why I know, I know the route well, as good as now, you know, a cycleway there because that was that was long in gestation. But basically, it's it's it's, it's popular. You know, people say, oh, like, but that's a popular route now, isn't it? Laura Laker 28:15 Yeah, yeah, people drive there. And I mean, that was that was interesting for a number of reasons. I mean, incredibly beautiful. It sort of weaves through Greta gorge, which is just this kind of just this amazing landscape, this sort of rocky river which meanders through this very deep wooded valley. And it's on a former rail line. And it was, which storm was it was it 2015, there was a big storm, which basically crumbled a couple of the bridges with the sheer volume of water that ended up going through this narrow gorge. And then it was out of action for a couple of years. And that was an important, crucial route and a tourist attraction for local businesses. One pub owner apparently offered the local council, I think it was the national parks something like 30 grand out of his own pocket, reopened the route, but it was actually a sort of 2 million pound job. So that wasn't going to go all the way. But you know, this was a really important tourist attraction for people and people drive there because there aren't safe routes to get to and from the ends, so people drive and park and then cycle along it and cycle back. But yeah, it's popular, it's really popular. And they when they put the bridges, the new bridges in Sustrans with various parts of funding, they resurfaced it and there was a big hoo ha about putting tarmac on instead of the gravel that had been there before. But that actually opened up it up to far more people, including people who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters, because any sort of rough surface or uneven ground can tip someone in a wheelchair and it effectively makes these routes unusable. And this is something that I really learned in the book and feel very strongly about now. And there was a big outcry nationally about tarmacking this path because it's in the Lake District and everyone's He has an opinion about the Lake District even if they've just been there once and we all feel like we own it because it's such a beautiful place and I guess rightly so. We all care about it. Carlton Reid 30:07 The Lakers. Laura Laker 30:09 Lakers, my people. Yeah. The people who holidayed in the lakes were known as the Lakers. Yeah, which is brilliant. So yeah, they, you know, they held their ground and they tarmac it and you know, the numbers increased drastically. And this story plays out all over the country, wherever there's a improve surface on a path. Suddenly, it's open to everyone. And this is what this is what cycle rich should be in, in my opinion, it should be open to everyone. Carlton Reid 30:37 Yeah, it's like the cinder path. That's the Sustrans route national cycling group from from Whitby to Scarborough. That was the one that had a load of of people complaining because Cinder path you know, they were going to be tarmacking just parts of it. And lots of people are saying you know but this this this will you know, destroy it or whenever lots of yobs in and it just never got done. And then it's it's impossible for a lot of the year because it's just it gets just too rutted into mud into too horrible. And this is, you know, we discard it would just be so easy. You know, between these two conurbations and small conurbations, if you could ride there on an all year round an all weather path? Laura Laker 31:21 So yeah, I do. I do worry about this, because it's, you know, they say it's an effect gentrification. And you're you're bringing, you know, urban into the countryside yet. There's roads everywhere, and they got tarmac on, and nobody seems to be kicking up a fuss there. What's What's your problem? Yeah, I know. And I think it's just we have this idea about what the cycle routes should be or could be, and we see them as leisure routes quite a lot of the time, we have this kind of set idea about cycling, that it's not, you know, it's not a commuter option, or, but you know, it is, but it goes beyond that. And it is about who can access these parts. And quite often, having an uneven surface will lock a lot of people out. And you know, we're an ageing population in this country. And as we get older, we will all have disabilities, and mobility issues. And it shouldn't be that you know, these paths are any open to a few people. But yeah, it's a difficult one. And we would like to say we've never think twice about it for roads, we've never think about having a road as a dirt path. And I can you know, visually tarmac is not a beautiful thing, but I think if people understood that actually, it's it's not just about the visuals. This is about people and this is what these parts are for they're for people. Carlton Reid 32:34 Well you can make if you want it to be just that colour, you can make the the asphalt you can you can you can dye the asphalt. So it's it's more expensive. But you can you can do all sorts of treatments you can do to make it all weather doesn't have to look, you know, black. Yeah. So anyway, so let's go to another assessment. That's some negative ones. Where they tried to be certain, but then you point out the Polgate one, between Polgate and Glynde, which is almost happened to you by by mistake. Not mistake, but it's certainly a by accident. Yeah. And you're talking about it being just brilliant. So describe that one. Laura Laker 33:11 That's amazing. Yeah. So I was told about this. And then I know someone who lives in Lewis, which is at one end of it. And so we we we met at the station and cycled along this path. And so it's beside the A27, which is a national highways road. And it's right by the sales downs, which is hugely popular with cyclists. And basically, there were so many people cycling on this incredibly terrifying road. It's one of those narrow and winding A roads with huge volumes of traffic. I mean, I went on a walking trip near Louis the other day, and I had to cross it with no crossing and it was it was genuinely terrifying. I can't imagine people cycling on it, because it's, you know, six months. So yeah, anyway, people were being held up in their cars because of people cycling. And so national highways decided it was going to build a path alongside and it's this this was a real eye opener for me because they had done what needs to happen around the country. They had built a path behind the hedge row, which is wide and tarmac and smooze with lots of planting and culverts and bridges over rivers and and they just laid it you know, very little problem. I don't know if they owned the land or perhaps compulsory purchase probably a mixture of I think it was a mixture of both. And so they built this amazing kind of 10 kilometre joyful route, which is just you know, it's just like a road. It's like no stress. You just carry on. There was someone on the mobility scooter the day I was there, a couple of people on bikes, but it was basically hadn't opened yet. And yeah, it was just there. But it's quite funny because at either end, it just stopped because then that's the local councils job to kind of deliver it beyond. But you know, it shows what's possible if you have a national body with the power and the funding, and they have, you know, multi year funding pots which helps plan and deliver this stuff and they just did it, they just sort of swept aside all of the normal problems that I talked about in the book that usually dog these cycle routes. And yeah, it's quite, it was quite marvellous, quite Carlton Reid 35:11 I found it fascinating because one of the things you say is, as we just mentioned there, it, it was an effective bill to get the cyclists off the road. We made enough nuisance of ourselves, that is 1930s to a tee, you know, the transport, you know, built those 500 miles of cycle tracks in the 1930s to Dutch standards laced around the country. Some of them weren't brilliant, but some of them were amazing, you know, 12 foot wide Dutch Dutch level, concrete curbs, you know, perfectly brilliant bits of cycling infrastructure that are now just some of them are white elephants, because they didn't link up to anywhere. But, you know, the government at the time said, Oh, we're doing this for the safety. No, they weren't they were doing it to you know, get cyclists on the road because we're slowing down motorists, but you kind of almost don't care if if if you get a really superlative route behind the hedgerows. Yeah. Okay. It's such a difference. Yeah. That's the difference. It's got to be good. You can't just fob you off with shared route pavement, which is what yeah, the criticism of Sustrans has been is like there's so many shared route pavement. And that's why Sustrans got a bad rap, even though it wasn't their fault. And they were just trying to fill in the gaps. Laura Laker 36:28 That yeah, yeah. And yeah, they just have to use whatever was there, which was quite often a pavement along what would have been a not too busy road in the 70s or 80s. But it's now a sort of thundering highway and being on a pavement with no barrier between you and or no, no sort of space between you and the 60 mile an hour traffic is far from pleasant, and no, no, no parent is going to choose to cycle on that. If they have any other choice, you know, they're going to avoid that like the plague because you know, one little wobble or mistake and then you know, it's horrific there, you know, possible outcomes. But yeah, it's you know, it's, it's fantastic. Because you don't even barely know the roads there. It's just cool. It's just gorgeous. I'd like to go back actually, because it's been a good year, I think since I saw it. At least actually. Maybe Yeah, I think it's at least a year and yeah, let's see how the trees are bedding in and because it was brand new at the time it just been done. But yeah, it is. Ultimately it is possible. And regardless of the motivations it just goes to show what's possible. I liked recently because Andy Streets and his Walking and Cycling Commissioner Adam Tranter he's on my podcast. They announced they're going to deliver the HS2 cycleway alongside in and around HS2 between Coventry and Birmingham. And when they get to Kenilworth, they're basically connecting up to one of their 1930 cycleways into Coventry. So I quite like that, you know, it's sort of linking something that's already there. And Carlton Reid 38:01 yeah, and that's also a John Grimshaw project, wasn't it? That was that was a John Grimshaw. Laura Laker 38:05 Yeah. He cycled the whole thing. Yes. Yes, he's been he's been trying to get that one, you know, for a lot for a long time. And yeah, it does stand alone. No, you need really, you need the HS2, of course, just stand alone without it. Carlton Reid 38:21 It does. Yeah, saying that, it would have absolutely been put in at the same time, that would not have been the difference. So that is point three. So in your 10 Point manifesto, that's basically work together a behind the hedgeroq Act, compulsory purchase orders, all these kinds of things that only government can do. Yeah. needs to be brought in into play. Yeah. And then you you've said and it's very ambitious. But when you think about it's like, yeah, you could do this easily. And that is you know, if if this was done and if money was provided, and compulsory purchase orders were put in like you would do for roads, you can have an unbelievably fantastic truly superlative national cycling in four years. Laura Laker 39:02 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Brian Deegan active travel England reckoned reckoned on this, because, you know, they have such a huge amount of power and to take go to build a cycle, which basically takes three years generally you do you have a year to kind of plan it a year to consult and tweak and then a year to build it. And for that you need multi year funding, because without that, you can't plan anything, basically. And that's why we've ended up bits and bobs of improvements, because it's like, you get the money, you have to spend it pretty much immediately. But yeah, I mean, the amount of funding a body like national highways has would be enough to you know, link these existing routes. Sometimes there are quiet roads, you know, I guess, in the Netherlands, you have through roads and access roads, things like low traffic neighbourhoods, in the countryside. That is a that is a kind of measure that you can do. And some of it it doesn't all have to be Are these sort of high quality pieces of massive engineering cycle routes, either behind the hedge row or on main roads? Some of it can just be tweaking kind of existing infrastructure so that it's not not every road as a through road. But yes, it's some it's amazing. And I kind of did a double take when I heard this. But when we put our mind to something, it's amazing what's possible. Carlton Reid 40:24 And potentially, we will see the fruits of this in Scotland, and Wales, Scotland, Wales are putting in some really ambitious stuff. And Mark Drakeford going, you know, will they backtrack on the 20 mile limit? And will they, you know, reverse a lot of stuff that Lee Waters that all this kind of stuff is potentially up in the air? We don't know yet. Yeah. But Scotland does seem to be, you know, putting their money where their mouth is, you know, that the amount of money that's going in there, per head, dwarfs what we see here in England. So the potentially you've got, you've got like, in five years, you could have something incredible. In Scottish cities in Glasgow. Yeah. You're talking about Glasgow? Laura Laker 41:09 Yeah. And yeah, Glasgow was amazing. I mean, that was the first time I'd been to Glasgow, on that trip. And I was blown away, actually. So they're developing a city wide network of routes, they're lowering in bridges across, they've got this very kind of, I guess, I guess they had this, at the time, they were building roads, they had a very ambitious programme of building like highways. And maybe that's about the culture of the city that when something comes along, when an idea comes along, they kind of embrace it. Whereas Edinburgh has historically been much more conservative. And so when, when highways when sort of urban highways came along the bond level load of those, and now cycling is seen as this big sort of saviour of health and climates and all of these important things, they're going all out on cycle routes, which is fantastic. And yeah, I was really blown away by what they're doing really high quality protected routes with planting alongside, you know, for extreme weather, it's really important to have permeable and green planting on tarmac. And, yeah, and these beautiful bridges and this massive bridge that I saw, and you know, they're really, really ambitious, I think, I've got a piece coming out about Edinburgh in the next week or so. And it talks about the difficulties that Edinburgh has faced very, very different than the city very conservative. But similarly, it's had a huge amount of funding. And I think they're finally getting to the tipping point there where they're starting to deliver real change, you know, hopefully. But yeah, it's, you know, the money's there, I think there's still difficulties with politics. So they've got these active freeways, which would be a kind of National Cycle network for Scotland, these rural routes, you know, the plan is there, or at least the idea is there, but it's not being rolled out yet. So who knows what's going to happen with that, but definitely, the funding and having that long term funding does make it much easier. I'd really love to see Scotland, you know, doing big things. And I think Scotland and Wales have been very, very forward thinking and a lot of things got maybe Scotland particularly, and more consistently than Wales, because as you say, there's a bit of a question mark. Now over Wales, they've, you know, they had the active travel act, they arguably took term coined the phrase active travel with the active travel act about a decade ago. And yeah, but stuff, you know, they have the policy, they had the money, but again, it's very, very slow to change. And I don't know, maybe they maybe if Westminster were a bit more proactive and supportive, it will be easier, who knows, but you're always going to come up against these kinds of difficulties, local politics and stuff, but I think money talks, you know, the money's there for it local investment, which Council isn't going to want public realm improvements, and you know, health. Carlton Reid 43:49 Money is number one, in your manifesto, so it's funded, and okay, we get the money from it. Here's what you say, stop expanding road capacity, and we have delivered a comprehensive network of cycling and walking routes. Hallelujah. Yeah, exactly. It's just like, you know, we've got so many roads, why can't we have more and more and more and more, as we know, it just fills up with traffic if we're gonna have build it and they will come Okay, let's do it for bikes. Now. You know, roads have had eighty years of this, let's have 10 years for for bikes, but walking and . It's just, it's a no brainer. And the LTNs thing kind of like it's so frustrating. Because we're only talking like a few streets. We're not we're not talking. That's when you hear you know, the the shock jocks you'd think is every single road in the country is going to be catered and you're going to hand it to cyclists. That's, that's how it's portrayed. And we're actually you know, maybe maybe a fraction of 1% of roads. really, genuinely is all too Talking about is currently got anyway. Yeah, having safe cycle routes, you know, don't get it get blown up by us people like us journalists, Laura, we're to blame for misrepresenting this. That's that's, that doesn't say good things about our profession, does it? Laura Laker 45:22 No. And I think I think I mean, it speaks to the kind of economics of journalism that, you know, people want eyeballs on stories nowadays because it's that's what makes advertising revenue funding for journalism is fallen off a cliff. And I think this is sort of desperation about the industry at the moment. But, you know, I think it's important to remember that the people shouting against this stuff are a minority, and most people want this stuff or are willing to try it and see, and most of us want quiet, safe streets, we want our kids to be able to play out in safety, we want clean air, we want, you know, peace and quiet. And I think because we haven't seen it, a lot of cases, it's difficult to imagine. But you know, ultimately, these things happen. There's, there's a pushback from a handful of people who are noisy, but I think if we have conversations about, you know, what we could, what we could get from these improvements from these schemes, then it's much positive way of talking about it. Of course, that's not how news works. And I think that's why we need leaders who are willing to sort of look beyond that short period in which a lot of journalists are shouting, and a few people, some of whom have genuine concerns and need to be listened to a shouting and listen to them. But you know, this is something that people want actually, and, you know, the benefits so enormous. Once it's happened, I don't think people would want to go back. Carlton Reid 46:46 Yeah, this is the thing. It's like, a good example is Northumberland Street and Newcastle, which is a pedestrianised street used to be the A1, you know, really the central state through the centre of Newcastle. It's I think, outside of central London, Mayfair on Oxford Street. It's the highest grossing per square foot retail zone in the country, because it was pedestrianised. And it just made it easier. And nobody in their right mind would say, we need to make that the a one again, guys, you know, let's get the cars and buses soaring and you just wouldn't do it. But Newcastle spent the best part of 20 years doing this, it wasn't an overnight thing. We had to spend a long time, a lot of angst getting it done, but nobody would wish it away now. And that's what when we're not getting with all these LTNs and all these cycles, if only if we put them in, nobody would complain about them. Not really not once they see it, it's just if people don't like change. Laura Laker 47:47 yeah, none of us like change just a thing. And it's hard to picture. And I think it's easy to dismiss people's concerns. Because you know, it's normal for us not to want change, it's normal to be concerned about something if you can't picture it. And you're, you know, many of these are genuine worries about businesses, and how will I get from A to B and, and all of this, but yeah, I think what's been lacking in this conversation is just some sort of grown up honesty about, you know, this is going to be a change. But ultimately, it's going to be one that's positive for these reasons. We, you know, we are going to listen, but ultimately, this is a an agenda that most of us support. And we know it's beneficial for these reasons. And I think we've I don't know, I think there's too much government in this country, and in many English speaking countries, kind of almost government by fear of what the Daily Mail might say, in response to this policy. And even the the recent announcement by governments about you know, stopping anti motorist measures was all caps. You know, it was like almost a Daily Mail headline. Carlton Reid 48:52 Yeah, it's quite scary and sad. Yeah. But then, you know, like you say, if you know, for the ones that hold their ground, you know, stuff dies down, people say actually, that actually is much better. So you know, where I'm coming from, I know where you're coming from. And you're saying people want this, but I'm gonna play devil's advocate here and say, Well, no, they don't people want to drive around. And if you're a woman at night, and you describe a lot of the routes, the Sustrans routes, the Nationals, you wouldn't want to go there at night, and probably no matter how much lighting security whatever you put in, you probably would still feel that way. In. Yeah, yeah. On a bicycle, you're not protected. Whereas a car, a woman, a single woman can get into a car can lock the door, can maybe have, you know, dark windscreen even so nobody knows who's in there. You then become this powerful individual who can get around in safety at the end of the day. But bicycles aren't like that, Laura. So you're you're basically making it more insecure for women to go about as independent beings. Laura Laker 50:11 Well, so as a as a woman who cycles on her own at nights that that route from Arnhem to Nijmergen in the in the Netherlands, so I ended up leaving that event and it was dark and cycling home on my own however far it was, it's a good hours ride along these routes, but because you don't have to stop, you actually feel safe. It's only when you have to stop that you start to feel unsafe in my experience. I mean, there's certain routes like along the canal, I live in East London, along the Li River that I have cycled at night, but wouldn't do now. Because you know, that is very isolated. And people have been known to jump out with bushes. But I think for the large part, if they're well designed, and other people are using them, then cycling at night for me isn't a problem. You know, you're moving you're Yeah, I don't Yeah, I very rarely felt in danger of cycling through London at night, for example. I mean, it's been the odd park where I felt a bit sketchy, but I think if you design them, well, not every path is going to feel that way safe at night. But I think in urban places where a lot of people will be cycling to and from at night, it will probably be fine. I mean, you probably feel quite safe. It's about kind of eyes on the streets in a way having people they're with you. Yeah, and I think if a route were well used enough, and don't forget, you know, if you're, if you're, you know, you're not going to necessarily, you're not going to drive home after a night out if you've had a drink. And so you will have to sort of walk a section of your journey. Most likely, if you're in a place like London, you hate taking public transport, maybe you take a taxi, but I feel I don't feel like if I'm on a busy road, walking alone at night that I am safe with those other people around me because I don't feel like people who are driving through again to necessarily stop and help me if something did happen. So I think kind of busy streets can feel unsafe, even though they're very highly populated. And, you know, theoretically, and this kind of, there's been research on this, you know, people who live on quiet streets, no more of their neighbours, this sort of social safety element, and people start looking out for each other. Whereas if you have a traffic dominated environment, it's people tend to turn away from the street. Carlton Reid 52:28 Yeah, I don't disagree. But if it is looking at the motivation of many, many people, I mean, humans are generally lazy. Yeah. They generally want comfort. They want their own things, and they want security, all of those things you have in spades in cars. The downside is, because everybody wants that. And everybody's in a car, it means you don't get anywhere. Unknown Speaker 52:57 Yeah, I don't think that's a whole story. I mean, I think a lot of the time people drive because the alternative is either aren't there don't feel possible, or they don't feel safe. So cycling on the road wouldn't feel safe, you wouldn't even most people wouldn't even consider it. But we've seen I grew up in rural West Somerset, and you had to learn to drive as soon as you turn 17, you would take your test, you buy a car, and you drive everywhere, because the buses mean the buses are even worse. Now. They were okay at the time, but not great. But they just took longer, and you couldn't get everywhere you needed to go my friends as a teenager lived in variable kind of communities. And so you had to drive there was just no other option I would have loved to cycle. And you've seen in London, where we've got a growing network of roots, suddenly, all these people from all walks of life, all kinds of demographics. Laura Laker 53:48 genders, you see a much better one gender split, but also all types of people cycling. And that kind of speaks to the fact that actually, people do want to do this and they may want to convenience but they also want to enjoy their journey. They also want to save money. Cycling can be incredibly convenient, no parking worries, it's so much cheaper you know you don't have to stress of finding a parking space or you know, paying vast amounts of money. I think something like I forget the number who in transport poverty in this country because of cars basically. They spend something like 19% of their income on their car with finance lorry, using facts to convince me that's Carlton Reid 54:36 Anybody can convince with facts, come on. At that juncture, I'd like to go across to my colleague David in America. Take it away, David. David Bernstein 54:45 This podcast is brought to you by Tern Bicycles. Like you, the folks at Tern are always up for a good outdoor adventure by bike—whether that's fishing, camping, or taking a quick detour to hit the trails before picking Unknown Speaker 55:00 up the kids from school. And if you're looking to explore new ground by taking your adventures further into the wild, they've got you covered. The brand new Orox by Tern is an all-season, all-terrain adventure cargo bike that's built around the Bosch Smart System to help you cross even the most ambitious itinerary off your bucket list. It combines the fun of off-road riding in any season with some serious cargo capacity, so you can bring everything you need—wherever you go, whenever you go. Plus, it's certified tough and tested for safety so your adventures are worry-free. With two frame sizes to choose from and a cockpit that's tested to support riders of different sizes, finding an adventure bike that fits you and your everyday needs has never been easier with the Orox. Visit www.ternbicycles.com/orox (that's O-R-O-X) to learn more. Carlton Reid 56:04 Thanks, David. And we are back with Laura Laker the Laker people. And she's the author of potholes and pavements a bumpy ride on Britain's National Cycle network. It's not actually out yet, isn't Laura. It's actually middle middle of the next month, middle of night. Hmm. Yeah. So you having a launch day what you're doing? Laura Laker 56:28 Yeah, I've got some. You've got like, You got speaker a bank and tell us tell us what you're doing? Yeah, so I've got I'm having like a bit of a party for some friends and family. And then I've got a talk in Stanford's in Covent Garden. I'm speaking in Parliament. But I think that's more of a parliamentary event. And I have got an event at Stanfords in Bristol with Xavier Bryce, we're going to discuss the future of the NCN. I've got one I'm speaking in Oxford, at a bookshop. I'm going to be interviewed by Emily Kerr, who's a green Councillor there. I have got a there's a literary festival in Wantage in November. And we're looking at other events as we speak. Carlton Reid 57:16 Excellent. And this is two hundred and .... All right, I'm going to deliver the end of the book. We're talking 264 pages, and then you've got references back. I mean, one of them. Thank you very much. Laura Laker 57:32 Yeah. Carlton Reid 57:34 Thanks. as well. Yes, at the back there, but there's, there's lots in this. So who's gonna be? Who's your audience? Who's gonna be reading this? Who do you think will be reading this? And what might actually could it start something big with with in politics? Can we could we get this like your manifesto? Can it get out there? What do you hope to happen with your book? Laura Laker 58:00 Yeah, well, obviously, I want everyone to read it. I mean, my editor at Bloomsbury was saying, you know, it's probably going to be cycling enthusiasts, people who I guess already, maybe listen to your podcast, my podcast, read our articles about cycling. But I would like to think that you know, these people, these two thirds to four fifths of people who want more cycling people who think, you know, why do I have to drive everywhere? Why aren't there safe cycle routes? Why can't my kids cycle to school, and see that might see this book and think, Oh, this is going to tell that story, this is going to explain it to me. And so I hope that it's going to give people a sense of kind of why we are where we're at, with the history of the NCN and the stories, but also, you know, how wonderful it could be if we had this thing, this network of connected routes, if it were possible for all of these people who say they want to cycle and more who maybe don't even know they want to cycle could do so. And I hope that, you know, my perhaps naive hope is that people will read it and think, you know, this could be such a wonderful thing, why aren't we doing it? And how can we get it to happen and I hope policymakers you know, we've got an election coming up I think this speaks to you know, forget the culture wars. I think this speaks to all sides, you know, of politics, I think, you know, individual freedom and choice is a conservative value, right? Cycling, cycling delivers on that. Carlton Reid 59:26 Cycling is so libertarian is a form of transport I've had many conversations This is freedom. Why is this left wing? Why do people always assume it's just this thing? Laura Laker 59:42 Yeah, it's become a cultural thing. And it's only for I think, you know, certain factions of the right perhaps see this as a wedge issue. And a way of you know, rallying people around them on based on kind of outrage like false outrage really, untruthes. and you You know, in terms of the left, this is, you know, great value for money, the Labour Party is very, very keen on showing they're working and proving to people that they can be trusted with the economy. It delivers on the green agenda, it's so beneficial in terms of cutting carbon emissions, it delivers on health, pretty much every department that we can think of this offers people access to work, you know, so many people who are out of work, especially in rural communities can't even afford to go and find work or stay in a job because the transport is too expensive, or it's too patchy doesn't go in and they needed to go. So there's like barely a thing that this doesn't touch. And I really hope that you know, along with kind of griping, which is, I hope not too much of the book, and the polemic side that this shows actually, you know, this is great for tourism, this is great for our mental health. This can bring us together, you know, it's about in Scotland, I saw that a cycle route can be a linear park, it can be about artwork and community. It can bring people together from different walks of life around a space. And, you know, cycling delivers on these things. And, you know, if we kind of dropped the culture was narrative, which is nonsense. You know, we could see all of these benefits fairly quickly and for very little money, and have a far better country for it. Carlton Reid 1:01:18 Many people would baulk at having Boris Johnson back. And you do mention this in the book of what he and Andrew Gilligan were able to do. Hopefully, it doesn't seem like I want him back. But will it that that is what you need. I mean, you do talk about having a cycling Prime Minister, we had a cycling Prime Minister, we had a Prime Minister who said it was me a golden age for cycling. So we need we need him back. Laura, that we just we need we need Boris back. No, we don't like that back there. Are there other other politicians are available? We just need people to believe in it. And you know, I hope that people read the book and think, actually, this is something we can believe in, but don't need one of the good things about Boris Johnson. Not only did he you know, talk, the talk, walk the talk, all that kind of stuff. But he was right wing. So he could he just instantly takes away that that part of this oversight is a left wing things like well, here's this right wing politician who's pushing for this Andrew Gilligan, Telegraph writer. These are not left wing people in any way, shape, or form. So is that what we need we actually need and then we'd like all politicians to do this, but by the same thing, you need somebody almost on the opposite side to be doing this, they've got more chance of pushing this through. So that's why Boris Johnson did so well, because he was right wing and the Mail isn't gonna, you know, rail against what Boris Johnson was doing. They never did. Laura Laker 1:02:46 They did though. They did. They totally did. I don't think they discriminated against him because he was towards their political leanings. I mean, it's unlikely we're going to have another conservative government, right, when we've got the election coming up, it's going to be Labour by all likelihood. And so they're going to be the ones in power delivering. So I don't know, Carlton Reid 1:03:09 But they backtracked over their green policies. I mean, what hope do we have? Laura Laker 1:03:12 I know I know. I know it's incredibly disappointing. And the thing is this this stuff like the green agenda, more broadly investment in insulating homes, for example, is such great return on investment and if they're thinking about finances and showing they're working insulating homes is just a total no brainer. You know, we all pay far too much for our energy bills. We live in draughty leaky homes. So many houses are mouldy because of the cold walls are damp Yeah, I just think you know, and green technology, huge growth industry. Solar and wind where you know, we're windy little island, but a lot of coastline. Offshore wind is fantastic. Carlton Reid 1:03:55 But in your in the book, you show how national highways basically is an organisation set up to build roads. And once you've done something like that, and that's their raison d'etre. Guess what they're going to build roads. Yeah. So yeah, it's that oil tanker you know having to put the brakes on and change a whole culture so we're not talking about you know, Cuz your manifesto is saying you know, stop funding this and yeah. Laura Laker 1:04:28 Wales did this basically with their no more roads or no more roads and less they increased active travel and public transport policy. They basically have kind of repurpose their national highways body around this agenda, you know, fill in the potholes. We've got a road in a dreadful state and, you know, develop use all their skills and power and funding for active travel. You know, public transport in this country is drastically underfunded. Buses are so important, especially in rural areas, especially people on low incomes, especially for women and Do you know buses are so important? We're really, really not kind of reaping the power the massive power of the bus.? Carlton Reid 1:05:08 Yeah, that's in your book as well, because you're talking about how buses, you know, need to be able to carry bikes. Yeah. And that's, you know, that's a small part of what they could do but the broader transport perspective that's that's so impor

Reverse biological age with the concept of a secret clock within your body. Imagine it can make you look and feel older or younger than you are. It's like having a magical switch that can change how old your body seems. Believe it or not, our unconscious mind holds a lot of sway over our health and aging process. Hidden emotional traumas play a big role. But here's the exciting part: we have the ability to change how we respond to stress and emotional challenges, effectively hitting the rewind button on aging. It's all about taking control and making small shifts that can lead to big changes in how we look and feel. My Guest: Neuroscience has shown that 95% of our life experiences are shaped by unconscious programs. Dr. Olga Stevko, MD from Russia has created a unique and powerful methodology that allows her to identify and transform unconscious programs which are caused by stressful life events and trauma, including trauma passed down genetically as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. These programs influence how people perceive themselves, others and the world around them and also affect nervous system responses that impact both body and mind. This phenomenon creates a wide variety of physiological, physical, mental, and emotional conditions —from insomnia and anxiety to health issues, premature aging and struggles with communication. Transforming unconscious programs will change how the nervous system reacts to everything that triggers flight, fight and freeze responses, and how people look, think, feel, react, and behave. This methodology is extraordinarily effective to reverse biological age and produces fast, permanent, and life changing results. Questions We Answer in This Episode: ●How unconscious programs are forming, and how they affect the nervous system?[00:011:20]  ●How unconscious programs can accelerate aging? [00:16:30] ●How fast can people experience reversing their biological age after transforming some unconscious programs? [00:23:40] ●What modalities/techniques/tactics can we use in order to slow our aging? [00:28:20] Connect with Dr. Olga: Website: https://www.drolga.com/ On Social: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.olgastevko6537/videosL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-olga-stevko-9a2a169/ Resources: What, What & Why to Exercise for Women 40+ event: https://www.flippingfifty.com/wwwexercise Other Episodes You Might Like: Healing Trauma to Lose Weight: What if it's Not Stress?: https://www.flippingfifty.com/healing/

20th February 2024 The Spokesmen Cycling Podcast EPISODE 346: Monica Garrison SPONSOR: Tern Bicycles HOST: Carlton Reid GUEST: Monica Garrison of Black Girls Do Bike TOPICS: LINKS: https://www.the-spokesmen.com/ https://www.ternbicycles.com https://www.blackgirlsdobike.org https://twitter.com/CarltonReid TRANSCRIPT Carlton Reid 0:13 Welcome to Episode 346 of the spokesmen cycling podcast. This show was engineered on Tuesday 20th of February 2024. David Bernstein 0:29 The Spokesmen cycling roundtable podcast is brought to you by Tern bicycles. The good people at Tern are committed to building bikes that are useful enough to ride every day and dependable enough to carry the people you love. In other words, they make the kind of bikes that they want to ride. Tern has e-bikes for every type of rider. Whether you're commuting, taking your kids to school or even carrying another adult, visit www.ternbicycles.com. That's t e r n bicycles.com to learn more. Carlton Reid 1:03 I'm Carlton Reid and today's episode is a half hour chat with Monica Garrison of Black Girls Do Bike a Pennsylvania nonprofit now in its 11th year of group rides and more for black women and girls. And yeah, I should have checked out the weather map before I asked the first stupid question. Have you been riding today? Monica Garrison 1:28 Oh, no! There's snow everywhere. We had a big storm yesterday. Yeah, yesterday. Carlton Reid 1:35 I should have checked your weather. Okay. So how much of the year can you not cycle in Pittsburgh? Monica Garrison 1:43 Pretty much November to March is pretty snowy and rainy, and cold. So we have a nice big offseason here, though some folks ride through the winter. I'm not one of those people. Carlton Reid 1:57 So you kind of come say March, April, you're kind of really desperate to get out on your bike, that kind of thing. Monica Garrison 2:05 Oh, yeah, the mid March The weather seems to shift and and cyclists return full force and and then we're good. I mean, we get pretty hot in August and July, you know, it's a bit unbearable and humid. So there's some time there where it's not so pleasant to be out on the bike, but pretty much yeah, the rest of the year we're riding. Carlton Reid 2:27 So I really should have checked the weather. Because that was such a stupid question, wasn't it if you're deep in snow, and of course. That's okay. So the rest of the year. tell me about the rest of the year in Pittsburgh. What's it like riding in Pittsburgh? Monica Garrison 2:43 So Pittsburgh is notorious for its hills. It's a very hilly city. So it's not for the faint of heart. Literally. I think over the last 10 years, we've had a really good programme, Bike Pittsburgh is our local Bike Ped organisation. And they've done a really good job of creating infrastructure that connects. So there are large parts of the city that are interconnected for commuters and everyone else on bikes. So that's nice. We have what we call the gap trail here, which is a Great Allegheny Passage. And it starts here in Pittsburgh, and you can ride it all the way to Washington, DC. So a lot of local cyclists put that on their list of things to do in the spring and summer, before it gets too hot. And our we have Port Authority, which is our local bus transportation here. And they made an effort a few years ago to outfit all of the buses with bike racks on the front. So no matter where you're headed, you can take your bike with you Carlton Reid 3:52 Now, we're very jealous. When when we see Americans with, with buses with that on the front, we get very jealous, we've got very few services that will will do that. So I've seen photographs on your, on your website, where it's like the media images where you can get these the photographs you're allowed to use. And there's you and your kids, and there's a bike lane in Pittsburgh. So I can visualise extremely well, the bike lane that you were talking about there, but your kids. So not only are you getting women of colour, and you're getting people just generally onto bikes. You're we'll talk about your chapters in a minute, but you're getting your kids onto bikes. That's something that you wanted to do. That's something that just happened what so how have you managed to get your kids on bikes? Monica Garrison 4:46 I mean, when I was a kid, I loved riding my bike, so I just assumed that they would too. And I you know happened to me correct. But what I did was honestly I started them riding really early like my son and daughter for probably pedaling bikes at the age of four. And so the earlier you get them in, The more consistent you are with them wearing helmets, then it just becomes a part of their life. And so you know, when, when Black Girls Do Bike started, it was a time where I was riding my bike a lot more than I had in the past. And so I just invited them to come along, and they they kind of got bitten by the bug. I will say my, my daughter, my son is probably the one who goes with me the most these days, we'll load up the bikes and drive to like our downtown area and spend a couple hours riding around when the weather's nice. And that's really fun to do. So yeah, it's just a no, no, it's, it's a fun thing to do as a family. Cycling is great for me as a solo sport. But I also like bringing folks along and you know, showing them how fun it can be. Carlton Reid 5:55 So you have all these chapters across I mean, this one is the one that's in London, is that still going? Monica Garrison 6:01 it's still going but we have, we have a leadership vacuum, there we are our leaders who started the group stepped down to do another project. So we're actually looking for someone to kind of step in and, you know, rejuvenate the chapter. Carlton Reid 6:17 Tell me about the chapters in in the US than them and how big did they get? Which are the biggest ones? What's the chapter story? Monica Garrison 6:25 Sure, we have 103 chapters here in the US. So as you can imagine, pretty much every major city here has a chapter every almost every state has has at least one chapter. The smallest chapters are, you know, a few 100 ladies and our largest chapters have anywhere from 1500 to 2000 members. I will honestly say that I we've never gotten 2000 out on a bike at once. But generally our rides are, you know, anywhere from five ladies to maybe 40 to 50 ladies. Carlton Reid 7:04 Is it a kind of Facebook private group organised is that? Is that how you get in touch with everybody? Monica Garrison 7:10 Yeah, I think Facebook's been the easiest way. I mean, we're 10 years into this journey. So Facebook was a lot more robust 10 years ago, but it's still the best way to kind of organise people. And yeah, so each each chapter has its own Facebook, private Facebook group. And then so folks who are interested can go to BlackGirlsDoBike.org and then they can click on chapters, and then they can find the nearest chapter for them. Carlton Reid 7:36 You've got very, very strong, bold graphics. Is that something that was there from the get go? Or is that something that evolved? Did you have members who are graphic artists? How have you managed to be really bold and distinctive? Monica Garrison 7:53 That's a good question. So it was always the intention from the beginning. Or I should say soon after, there'll be an increase. So the plan really wasn't to have chapters and have t shirts and jerseys and all this, these things all came organically as people began to ask for them. But, but once we started to design gear, I yeah, I think, you know, I was a business major. So I have a little bit of insight into, you know, what makes for good advertising. I'm also a photographer, so I'm visually built to, you know, built to appreciate things and design. I do most of the design myself, I usually just have an idea, and then I'll collaborate with artists who can bring it to life. And I just, I There are a couple of reasons, I think, because as a Black woman, I know that, you know, our skin tone, generally looks really nice with bright colours, it's kind of they complement each other. So I never shied away from bright colours and in, you know, variety in that respect, but also in terms of getting the message out, I think, you know, if someone's wearing a shirt, and it's visually appealing, and it catches the attention, then you're more likely to spread your message and have people ask, what's this about? You know, I've never seen this before. So I do think the the visual part of it is a huge part of our success. Carlton Reid 9:20 And I kind of guessed why I kind of surmise that you're a photographer because you've got your credit on some of the photographs. And there's obviously a studio lights going on there. There's some serious photography going on behind the scenes there. That's like some pretty impressive stuff. Monica Garrison 9:36 Thank you. Yeah, I think that's been one of my favourite parts of this process is I've been able to flex my photography and video videography muscles a little bit. And, you know, in terms of like posting on our social media, that's that's it's a nice way for me to be creative and not get too caught up in the day to day things. Carlton Reid 10:01 So before that 2013 You've been going now this is your 11th 11th. Yeah, yeah. So So back, it was 2016 There was an article in bicycling it was by Elly Blue. Elly was the person who had the idea for bikenomics. So that's me and Elly have spoken a lot over the years. So I know who Elly is. But there's, there's a quote in there, which I'd like to quote back to you. I mean, it is 2016. I'm not expecting you to remember this. But I just want you to riff on this really. And that is, so this is a quote and this is from you "know that my journey to riding may be completely different than yours. Know that my experience while riding, and even how I am perceived, while riding will be different to yours." So Monica, clearly I cannot even start to imagine what it must be like for you as a Black woman on a bicycle because it bicyclists famously kind of like we're out there sometimes when we're not the most favourite people have lots and lots of what can I outcasts in many respects, even now. So you kind of take that, and then you take the fact that you're a woman. And then you add on you're Black. So you're, you're really stacking it against yourself here. So so kind of riff on what you said there about how the perception, your perception of you when you're riding is going to be so so? Monica Garrison 11:44 Yeah. Yeah, thanks for kind of breaking that down. It's, so I do remember the quote, now that you read it, it's, it comes back to me, I still believe it to be true. So you have a couple of things. So most women who are women of colour even plus size women, which is a category I fit into, we're not expected to be cyclist, right. No one expects us to pull up on a bike. So you the first thing you overcome is the expectation of from the outside world, like, where did you come from? And what are you doing on the bicycle? And we could also have those internalised things just from our community. When folks say, Well, you know, why, why do you own a bike? Or how'd you get how'd you get into that? So there's expectation. And you mentioned drivers on the road. That's a big thing. For me, I prefer not to ride on the road, I try to ride on the trails as much as possible. But that's just it's a comfort level thing. And I think it varies from city to city and because all cities aren't the same, but you know, as a woman cyclist you have, you might have men catcalling you, drawing attention to you physically when you're on the bike from from a car, as a cyclist of colour. I know some cyclist, I can't speak for all but some cyclists of colour feel less safe on their bikes. Because you know, the person behind the will, could have ill intentions for you. And, you know, an automobile always wins that contest, right? So if someone does want to do your do you harm or at least intimidate you, you know, you could be in a vulnerable, a more vulnerable position if someone doesn't appreciate you being on the road as a cyclist, but then also has a problem with the colour of your skin. So I feel like I feel like most cyclists of colour feel that pressure as well. Carlton Reid 13:46 Sorry, sorry. If you're in a car and you experience racism, you're in a car, you've got locked windows, you can you can kind of hide. But if you're on a bicycle, you can't hide, your skin is out there, you're really like making sure that people know you're there and that must be very vulnerable. Monica Garrison 14:06 It does feel very vulnerable. It's almost like you feel like a sitting duck, right? So if you put yourself in that position, I imagine you want to feel like you are equipped maybe to escape right? So physically, you may want to make sure that you have the strength, the stamina to get out of a tough situation. But yeah, when it comes down to it, as I said, the automobile is always going to win. So if someone does want to do you harm, not a whole lot you can do and that's the scary part, as a cyclist and a cyclist of colour. Carlton Reid 14:46 And then nothing all that I'm going to assume here that that's one of the reasons why you would want to ride in a bunch of women, Black women together because you are not going to you want to get like there's a group of you? You're no longer alone? Monica Garrison 15:03 Yeah, sure, safety in numbers. If you're on the road, and they're, you know, 10, 15 of you, then you're drawing attention in the way of all the cars are going to see me. Right. So safety, but also there's strength in numbers. So if something does happen, then you have folks there who are witnesses to report it. Hopefully, the the fact that there are multiple women, or people will deter someone from doing something, you know, negative. But yeah, certainly that I mean, there are many reasons why riding together is great and there are positives, but I think that's definitely one of them. Carlton Reid 15:40 At this point, we'll cut from Monica to a short ad break. Take it away, David. David Bernstein 15:46 This podcast is brought to you by Tern bicycles. The good people at Tern understand that while a large cargo bike can carry oodles of stuff, many of us prefer something a little more manageable. That's why they've come up with the HSD e-cargobike for folks with big aspirations to go car free, delivered in a compact size, with its rear shock, 280 kilos, and a combined hauling capacity of 180 kilos. The robust new HSD is stable and easy to manoeuvre, even when under load. And with its Bosch eBIKE SYSTEM tested and certified to meet the highest UL standards for electric and fire safety you'll be able to share many worryfree adventures with a loved one whether it's your kiddo or Nan. Visit www.ternbicycles. That's te r n turn bicycles.com to learn more Carlton Reid 16:46 Thanks, David. And we are back with Monica Garrison of Black Girls Do Bike. So tell me about your Sheroes. Who are they? Monica Garrison 16:56 Yes, Sheroes are women across the country who have volunteered their time to organise at least one monthly ride. They moderate the Facebook pages that we talked about earlier. And they keep you know, they keep it exciting. They also are plugged in, I'm plugged into the sheroes. So they let me know what folks are asking for or what things we need as an organisation or even get their opinions on, you know, designs, for instance, for cycling gear. But they're just really enthusiastic women who who our boots on the ground, they're doing the work that keeps the organisation moving forward. And they are really amazing. They're like super fans of Black Girls Do Bike for the most part. And I'm very grateful to have them working on our side. Carlton Reid 17:48 Now, how's the industry been with you? Because famously, the industry is pretty white, is generally male. It's kind of tech bro, but for bikes. So how has the industry? How does the industry perceive you? How is the industry maybe funded? You supported you? How have you done with the industry? Monica Garrison 18:13 Sure. The I think in general, the statement would be that the industry has been very supportive. I was my first like introduction to the cycling community was the National Bike Conference in Washington DC many years ago. And I was really well received there. And then over the years, we've managed to have partnerships with probably Trek Bike was our first like manufacturer that would that partner with us for a couple of years. And they you know, they help support our national meet up one year and we all went to trek headquarters and participate in the Trek 100 we've been partners with REI, who's a big outdoor supplier store here in the US. I don't know if they're overseas, but they've been a really nice strategic partner, not in terms of monetary support, absolutely. But also, you know, behind the scenes, finding out where our pain points are as an organisation and also connecting us with other orgs who are operating in the outdoors for minority groups. And, you know, for other activities like hiking and running and things like that. And then just along the way we we've had a number of other just companies who have stepped up from year to year to support us in different ways. But so yeah, overall, I think it's been amazing. I've been in rooms that I never imagined I would be, you know, answering questions and helping with things like plus sizing for women in merchandise. You know, even even with designing bikes, I've given input with that. Notoriously women have Black women have issues getting cycling helmets that fit over their natural hairstyles. And I've been involved in, you know, some folks who want to change that. So I think overall, it's been great. I've done lots of interviews through the years. And I think our message has, at least within the cycling community, I think our message has gotten out there. I think a lot of people are aware that we exist and know that we need support. Carlton Reid 20:28 So imagine, you know, go back to 2013, when when this first kicked off, and now, have you seen any systemic changes? So you see, have you seen anything like, oh, wow, that's so different to 10 years ago? Or is it this is going to be an uphill struggle? How do you how do you think it's gone up? There's 10 years? And how much of a difference maybe have you made? Monica Garrison 20:52 Yeah, I think we've made really good strides. I think, when you when you show up to a bike event, now versus 10 years ago, there are a lot more women and people of colour at those events. I think I think obviously, we have a long way to go. But I definitely want to acknowledge the progress that we've made. And I hope that Black Girls Do Bike has been central and you know, letting people know of the concerns and issues that face our community, uniquely. But beyond that, I think, the most important thing, if you know, if we're here, 10 years from now, still doing this work, is kind of the pain point has always been having people of colour in the decision decision making chairs, right, working at companies working in the industry, whether it be racing, whether it be you know, even other types of cycling, BMX, all of all the genres of cycling, I think we don't have enough people of colour, who are working in those jobs, who can affect change from the inside. And as always, we'd love to see more bike shops that are owned by people of colour, which is a rare thing here in the US. Carlton Reid 22:09 Monica, it's gonna be a tough one to answer but but why is that? What Why? Why do you have to do what you do? Why Why isn't it just normal for a black person to get out of bicycle? What's what's, what stopped black people from doing this? Monica Garrison 22:27 That's a good one, I think, well, I'll speak for myself, but then I'll go a little bit more broadly into it. So when I was a young person, I didn't, there were no women in my family who rode bikes, I've never seen other than in my adult life, as a young person never saw my mom, you know, just casually get on a bike and ride it. So there's that there is just not a norm in our community. Beyond that, I think you won't really ride regularly, unless you have a bike that you enjoy riding that's comfortable. And to get to that point, you have to spend some money, right to get a bicycle that is, you know, essentially fit to your body and, and is comfortable to ride. And so it could be just a matter of making the investment, there are a lot of sports that black people aren't in because the barrier to entry be economic. And so here in the US, that's, you know, the, there are a lot of black people below the poverty poverty line, who will never be able to enter some of these sports. And, and I think some people are just intimidated to walk into a room where they're the only person that looks like them. Not everyone but but I think that is that can be a characteristic of people of colour, Black people. So you know, if you you may not want to show up to a ride, when you aren't going to know anybody you anticipate it's going to be all white guys who you may or may not have anything in common with, you don't know how competitive the rides gonna be. So there are a lot of unknowns. And I think that alone is enough to keep you from trying something new. So that's kind of where we come in, right? We we are pushing cycling as an activity that everyone can enjoy. But we're also giving you a safe space, for lack of a better word, to to enter into it and to try it and see if you like it. You may try it and not like it never come back. But for some people, they show up they ride and they find that it's you know, enjoyable and they and they continue to come and they discover something new. So we try to get that image intimidation factor out of the equation. Carlton Reid 24:47 trying I'm trying to think if I have know the answer here, but in the Netherlands, where it's a societal norm to ride a bike, Black people ride bikes. Asian people ride bikes, you know, Muslim women in their hijab ride bikes. It's because it's a cultural norm to ride a bike, because you were saying there before about, you know, you didn't see your mom ride a bike. Well, in the Netherlands, all people will see their mom, their Auntie's, their grandmother, the bank managers, everyone on bicycles. So there's no real huge split in, in like a colour thing at all. It's just it's a cultural thing. And so, on the one hand, I'm asking you a question about being Black on a bicycle. But that question could be just as easily have asked of white people, generally, white people generally in the cultures, you know, in Britain, and in America and not in the Netherlands, but where we were out, it's not a cultural norm to be on a bicycle. So that's why people are on bicycles. And there is the colour aspect to it, of course, but it's just generally, people aren't on bikes. At the end of the day, and we are Monica, we are kind of weird. Monica Garrison 26:03 No, you're right, you're right. It's, it's not a cultural norm to ride a bicycle in the United States, maybe with the exception of a few cities. I think, and I've heard this argument made, and I, for now, I agree with it until I hear a better one, which is, and I don't know if this is true in the UK, as well. But here the infrastructure here is built around cars, right? So it's car centric. So there is really a safety concern with being on a bicycle and on a lot of major roads in the US. And secondly, we value as a culture, individualism and we lead tie status to our car. So it's the bicycle is secondary. The funny part is there was a time when bicycles were the main form of transportation here, right, and, and roadways were actually built a many of our fundamental roadways were built so that cyclists could get around and then at some point that that shifted, but I honestly don't think we'll ever move away from that maybe in 100 years, when, you know, cars are self driving, and it's a lot more safe. And, you know, folks, their, their definition of success has changed. But for now, with a car centric society, I think cycling will always be a second class citizen, Carlton Reid 27:29 just to end really, and that there's a quote, another quote, I'm going to pick up from the Elly Blue article again, this is this is Monica by you. And I'd like you to riff on this a bit if you if you can. So, you said the cycling spectrum is a beautiful one. So what do you mean by the cycling spectrum? Monica Garrison 27:46 I mean, the spectrum of personalities, and literally the types of people who ride bikes, I find as a as a general bunch, cyclists are extremely kind, gentle people. And, you know, anyone who appreciates the, you know, the value of getting on a bike and in finding that relaxing, I'm willing to be a friend to that person. But yeah, and even just a cycling in general, there are many types of cycling. So you can kind of there's a phrase here you get in where you fit in. So once you decide that you like riding a bike, there's so many things open to you in terms of the kind of cycling that you do, whether it's long distance like cross country rides or cyclocross, gravel, BMX. You know, there's so many things that you can get into. Carlton Reid 28:40 Monica, it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Can you please tell people where they can? I'm definitely going to plug the fact that you're looking for London people, but just where can people get more information? About Black Girls Do Bike, I'm kind of giving it away back is going to be a bit anyway, just give us the URL? Monica Garrison 29:02 Sure. Blackgirlsdobike.org is the best way to find us. And from there you can link to as it's pretty easy to navigate so you can link to our shops, check out our gear, you can link to our chapter page and see all the cities that we're in. Carlton Reid 29:18 Thanks for listening to Episode 346 of the spokesmen podcast brought to you in association with Tern Bicycles. Shownotes and more can be found at the-spokesmen.com The next episode will be a fireside chat on the Isle of Man with Richard Fletcher. That's out at the weekend. But meanwhile, get out there and ride ...

Dive with Lesley and Brad into the intricate world of cults and their underlying psychology. Gain insights into the red flags and concept of bounded choices that hint at cult-like behaviors.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Key red flags to be aware of when entering a group.Traits of cults and steps to take if you're entangled in one.Strategies to ensure your group or business remains cult-free.Tips on selecting trustworthy people to associate with.The significance of visualizing your desired future and planning in reverse.Episode References/Links:Join Our Coaching Team For Seven Days Of Tackling Your Biz StrugglesCambodia Pilates RetreatJoin our email list!Free WebinarDaniella Mestyanek Young's websiteEp 27: Is Your Hustle Now Just a Hassle? (ft. Kareen Walsh)  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.Get your 15% discount for Toe Sox – use coupon code LESLEY15Be It Till You See It Podcast SurveyBe in the know with all the workshops at OPCBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship Join us at our Cambodia Retreat - Oct. 8-13, 2023FREE Ditching Busy WebinarAmy Ledin - Episode 5: "How to take fast action against limiting beliefs" ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  One of the things to like be aware of is they do things in a coercive place, and she called it bounded choice. So you think you have fear, you start you think you have freedom, but really, there's this coercive control. There's this like pressure, like you think you could, like, maybe not come on a Thursday, but then everyone's like, "Why aren't you here?"Lesley Logan 0:12  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:19  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It Interview Recap where my co-host and my friend and I are going to talk about the illuminate (Brad: The what?)Lesley Logan 0:20  Leave it in. The illuminative. I saw that and I was like this is not gonna go out (Brad: Illuminative.) Illuminative? (Brad: Yeah.) You're gonna put that before her name? (Brad: Yeah.) Convo I had with Daniella Mestyanek Young. In our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now. Go back and listen now. And like, I know I said this every week, but fucking go listen to that one.Brad Crowell 0:47  Oh, it's a great episode. Lesley Logan 0:48  She is amazing. And since then, she has been quoted in the, it was it was the Washington Post or The Wall Street Journal. Either one is still like, like badass like, not just like one quote, like, they did a whole profile on her because of like, like, because of the expertise she has in this topic. And so anyways, we're gonna get a little culty here. Well, actually, we're gonna get unculty is what we're gonna do in this episode.Brad Crowell 1:16  So congratulations. You're all cult members now? Lesley Logan 1:20  No, no, we are not a cult. We are a group. We are just a group.Brad Crowell 1:25  I know what it's the opposite of everything that she stands for. We are a group. That's what she stands for. We're just a group. Brad Crowell 1:32  We're just a group. It's a good group.Lesley Logan 1:33  You know, I think we talked about this in the podcast, we're going to do a segment she asked like, before we hit record, like, is Pilates like culty? And I said, oh, it can be (Brad: And you laughed.) I laughed. (Brad: Yeah.) I totally laughed. I said, it can be. It's like a scuff. Like a true scuff, right? And recently, I was traveling somewhere and it like, there are some people that might think that they're like part of a group. But like, if you can't go to another person's thing, because of the group you're in, that's a cult. (Brad: That's a cult.) You should be able to go and explore other groups without offending people in your group anyways,Brad Crowell 2:10  No, in no way shape, or form is one person 100% correct. (Lesley: No.) Literally not possible.Brad Crowell 2:18  I am on a fucking mission when it comes to the Pilates industry. And I'm, you know, I'll I'll probably die trying but I just I want people it's supposed to be fun. It's a fucking workout. And like you're never supposed to stop learning. And you can not agree with someone who could not like something that they do or the way that they do it. That doesn't mean you could only like someone else. Anyways, today is September 21, 2023. And it's World Gratitude Day. And this day aims to remind us of the importance of expressing gestures of thanks and appreciation. (Brad: I'm grateful for the 12 apostles of Pilates.)Lesley Logan 2:57  Hear you now. I actually really like this, because ways you can express gratitude, just like just just maybe like, maybe for maybe for the day, like, just set a reminder, like set a note that when you're procrastinating to just text, anybody in your contacts list. Hey, you know what, thanks for saying that one thing a month ago, I just thought of you. And I really remember when you said that, like, just try for one day to sending random acts of gratitude in your text messages. You have no idea whenever I get those from a friend. (Brad: Yeah.) It's like they always come at the time where you're like,Brad Crowell 3:31  You need them the most. Lesley Logan 3:32  When you're like, why the fuck do I even exist?Lesley Logan 3:36  So anyways, not to be dramatic. But seriously, it's really true. And, you know, and something that I did while I was traveling is I was like, waiting for a door to open. So I was scrolling through stories, which is like something I never do. And there was people who are posting things that are friends of mine or tangentially. And like, instead of responding in their DMs I texted them, my response would be in their DMs. Oh, that's fun. Yeah, because it's way more fun to text back and forth you know I did some voice text messages. Anyway, I could have done it. I could have done it, the DMs but it's complicated. And so I just, I also want people to see in there. I don't want people to scare their text messages. Like, you know, anyways, (inaudible) today. Brad Crowell 4:15  Yeah, I mean, even even if you don't have a specific thing that you're grateful for about them, just texting them and say, hey, I was thinking about you. Yeah, is magic. Yes. You know, so and I really encourage you to make a habit of if somebody pops into your head, tell them and you don't have to tell them what you thought about you can but it could just be like, hey, I was thinking about you hope you're loving life. Lesley Logan 4:41  Did we talk about this on the podcast about Tasha? Brad Crowell 4:43  We, actually we have, a couple weeks ago, Lesley Logan 4:47  Okay, yeah, I'm not kidding. Like me just thinking I just we we made a funny little voice note. I'm like, we're in my dreams. And it was like the thing she needed for that. Brad Crowell 4:57  Yeah, that was uplifting. Yeah. anyways, today's World Gratitude Day so you know, (Lesley: Go be grateful.) Do it. Be fucking grateful. Lesley Logan 5:05  This is your cult leader speaking. (Brad: Be grateful.) It felt like you were doing the as you wish.Brad Crowell 5:19  Yeah, right.Lesley Logan 5:21  We also we literally just wrapped up Agency Mini 9. Wow. Wow. Wow. So much fun. And I am going to have to learn how to like voice to text my computer for at least a week to get my finger.Brad Crowell 5:34  Oh, that's my jam. That's what I do now.Lesley Logan 5:36  I know I just don't think that any of the things understand my words at all. At all. Brad Crowell 5:44  Well, you can blame Siri for that.Lesley Logan 5:46  I don't know, maybe I don't speak English well.Brad Crowell 5:49  I think you're just fine. I think you're just fine.Lesley Logan 5:52  Well, Siri doesn't understand my accent. Anyways, we just wrapped it up. It was phenomenal. It was fucking amazing. It's brilliant. If you're like, Oh, my God, I missed it. You did? And the next one isn't until probably in six months. I don't actually have the dates in front of me. I don't think we've set them. And the truth is we do it twice a year. But we've been constantly only doing once a year. And we're where are we got a big team meeting coming up. So get on the waitlist. And we'll let you know when the next one is, it's profitablepilates.com/mini. And I'll put you on the waitlist for that. Anyways, you guys were amazing. You're awesome. And my only ask is that you take some action this week, take messy action. Take that information, because once you start to take action with it becomes less overwhelming.Brad Crowell 6:34  If you're wondering what Mini is it's a seven day brief snippet of our fitness business coaching program.Lesley Logan 6:41  I thought they were all on the cult. Brad Crowell 6:42  Yeah. No, we're not speaking a language that only cult members know. And it will help you lay the foundation of who you are, what it is that you do what you actually offer, who you're trying to connect with. And then how do you communicate that in a way that attracts those clients to you? And that's the key. You know, once you understand those things, what do you do with it? It's how you put that all out there and the way that you're speaking and the things that you're saying are going to attract the clients that you want to work with. So it's like an amazing week. It's absolutely worth you like exploring that. Whether you've been in business for two months or 20 years. You should do agency mini. So get yourself on the waitlist go to profitablepilates.com/mini.Lesley Logan 7:28  Yeah. And then we're a couple weeks away from getting our passes on the plane. Yeah, going to Cambodia, we'll be there for a while. (Brad: I could not wait) and it's actually gonna be really exciting because they've been making some massive changes to the infrastructure there. (Brad: Yeah, crazy changes.) Part of me is like, I really I'm grateful for the sidewalks it does mean I won't get ran over by tuk-tuk. But also, like there was something cool about like, walking (Brad: Field adventures.) while massive, like, huge buses like just like going by. (Brad: It totally do.) So anyways, we are so excited to be going there. We've got an incredible group, our house is full. If you are like someone who's like makesBrad Crowell 8:10  We're taking one of the two rooms that our manager has. (Lesley: Oh, we are?) Yeah. (Lesley: We moved her out? (Brad: Well, not moved her out. But she sent her kids to her dad's their dad's place.) (Lesley: Oh, that's amazing.) Yeah. Because we needed the rooms. Lesley Logan 8:25  Yeah. Well, that's so cool. So anyways, we'll be there for a few weeks. And if you are wanting to go on the next one, because the reality is, is that unless you really love flying (inaudible) and booking a trip across the world in two weeks, or maybe you live in Thailand, you want to come if you visit LesleyLogan.co/retreat.Brad Crowell 8:43  Very easy to come from Singapore, PS.Lesley Logan 8:44  Yeah, and also like (Brad: Singapore, India, you know, it's all very quick.) Yeah, it's all very, very quick. You can also come from any other place in the world. It's just a little longer. And then November, we'll be I'll be in Chicago, with Erika Quest. So we've got some workshops going on over there. Brad Crowell 9:04   And stay tuned on the Instagrams for that. Lesley Logan 9:06  Yeah, or our email list. So you can do that.Brad Crowell 9:11  Go to opc.me/email. Lesley Logan 9:13  Oh, perfect. Do that. And then we'll on December, we'll be back on our winter tour. We're actually in meetings as we, as this episode drops on what that tour is going to look like and cities and all that. So we should have those details out. And they will be of course announced here, but mostly if you are on that, if you're on the email, Brad Crowell 9:32  Yeah, but it's actually opc.me/emails I got that wrong. It's plural,Lesley Logan 9:36  Plural, plural. This team will get it. Okay. We want to get all into Daniella but firstly, the audience question. Brad Crowell 9:44  We do, we have a question. So this week, we had a question from when you were recently in Poland, and you were there teaching a workshop and it was basically was mostly about Controllogy right. I mean, it was a, it was a classical Pilates conference. Yes, it was you and Karen Frischmann. And then also Jay zoomed in, right. Yes. Jay zoomed in. So fun. Yeah, amazing. Lesley Logan 10:10  It was so fun. I thought he was just gonna like do a Q&A. Because Jimmy Buffett died. I wouldn't had margaritas with a couple girls for like, I don't know, Jimmy Buffett is like, Oh, my God, we must have margaritas. And we had a margarita upstairs. We came downstairs, I jumped into the mat class.Brad Crowell 10:25  Oh, like you do?Lesley Logan 10:27  I was so sore the next day, but I think it actually helped me relax.Brad Crowell 10:32  Well, the question that you got there was, how is it possible that you do all the things that you do and still have a life? How do you balance your work and your life?Lesley Logan 10:41  So I love this question. Shout out to Ivana, she asked, actually, she asked Jay, a really awesome question similar to this. She asked him like, what do you do about the clients who just want you to like, work them out? You know? And so he was on us? And then she was just like a question. Like, I think people have these questions, and they don't ask it. So clearly, people think I have work life balance, and I'm gonna tell you right now, balance is a lie. And when I told so here's just, here's the thing, our yoga teacher, Brad, he told us that balance is the art of not falling over, right? Like in a handstand, or a headstand, the ability to hold that is you maneuver in between, like leaning too much one way and then you correct and then you might overcorrect and things like that. And so what what I try to get people to understand is like, stop striving for balance. Also, what balance is to you on a Monday is very different to what balance to use on Friday. Or if you have kids, maybe there's a different version of balance when they're in school versus when they're at home. And so, so I don't search for balance, I search for making sure my schedule fills my cup, every single day. So I can show up for what the task is at hand. And I tried to make sure it's really hard for us, because there's two of us. And so sometimes when you're working it's different than when I'm working. And sometimes you have a question about work. And I'm like, but I'm not working right now. The answer is this is first, we actually do have a free webinar about how I create a schedule, which also talks about my scheduling tool, but you can just you can enjoy that or just watch that. I think it's called I think it's is it ditchingbusy.com?Brad Crowell 12:25  Yeah, I was just looking that up almost positive. That's what it is. Yeah.Lesley Logan 12:28  So did you ditchingbusy.com. It's a free webinar. It's all my business stuff. But like, it explains how I created a schedule, (Brad: It is. ditchingbusy.com) So it's free, go enjoy. It's how I create a schedule. Yeah. It's also something I teach in Agency Mini, but what every morning has in it are the things that helped me fill my cup, so I can show up for the rest of the day. And I also know the signs that I'm out of balance. And I think that's very important. What are the symptoms that you like? Are you cranky? Do you snap at people? Are you exhausted at the end of the day? What are those signs, so that you can actually look at the next day and see if there's anything you can take off your plate. And ladies, I know you don't like to cancel your friends, like you want to be that person. But you can just say, I'm actually really overwhelmed right now. And there's nothing more I want to do is see you but you don't want to see me right now. Because I'm not going to be the best awesome person. That is way better than us showing up. What Why are you laughing?Brad Crowell 13:24  Just remembering that dinner? (Lesley: What dinner?) The one where we had someone tell us that they just weren't ready to be present in this exact moment. So I'm gonna excuse myself.Lesley Logan 13:37  Yeah, she already called an Uber by the way. I you know, it's part of me and like, it's like,Brad Crowell 13:42  I look preempted, don't show up. And then pleaseLesley Logan 13:45  Try to do it before you get there. Anyways, because like also, it just is so weird. But the reality is you have the more you get to know yourself. And the more you acknowledge like that, when you just say like, I am not imbalanced right now I am out of balance that can take a whole load off and then ask yourself, what are the what what happened to get you here? Are you maybe like when we have a launch going on? You think Agency Mini is balance? No, no. Here's what we do, though. So we can show up. We have our morning routines are on point, we have our food delivered. We do not miss our workouts, but we do not go out to dinner with people. We do notBrad Crowell 14:27  We try to we try to remove everything else that from the entire week if we if we possibly can.Lesley Logan 14:32  Yeah, if we possibly can. We're really clear like the beginning of the week, we can probably have a meeting or two but towards the end of the week. It's an absolute zero, no, nothing other than that. But the week before and the week after we are we're giving ourselves we'll also give ourselves an opportunity to get things ready so we can be so we're sleeping where we're making sure we have time to ourselves. In fact, we take days off. So the point of this is to sum it up too long to read watch the webinar and to stop trying to find balance. And just be honest with yourself. Are you in a season where you're building something up? (Brad: Yeah) If so, what are you going to do to rest and repair and refuel. And if you're in a season of like, hey, everything's flowing smooth, then enjoy that, and let your creativity juices fly, but stop going, oh my God, I've gotta like, every days with the perfect day, this is not the 1950s. And by the way, y'all they were not actually that happy. All the movies make it look, they're so happy. They were having Manhattan's every night, and like not telling each other was going on. SoBrad Crowell 15:32  I think I think the the idea of like, balance with work and life, ultimately, it comes down to the decision you make in and what's going to what, what's too much you'll know, because you're very unhappy, your fried or your you know, all those things. And realizing, you know, when you've crossed that threshold of holy cow, because like, you know, I mean, we are business owners, right? We, we work all day, work all day, every day. But we don't think about it that way. I'm not like if something breaks at 10pm. Guess what I have to fix it, have to, you know, so but, you know, I might take two to 3pm and take a walk, you know, so it's your choice of what you're doing and when you're doing it, and what you need to realize is that you're that's what that balance is is like, hey, you know what, I have a light afternoon, I think I'm gonna take advantage of it. Like last Friday, I went out to lunch with our neighbor. And I mean, I haven't seen him in like six months. So it's weird that we will live next to each other and we never get the chance to go out. But I didn't have any meetings booked, which is abnormal. And I was like, let's take advantage of this and actually take the afternoon. And we went and we just hung out. Right and so sometimes that happens and other times I have to work during the afternoon and that's okay. Brad Crowell 15:54  Yeah. And then just like a quick tip if you are someone who's an overscheduler you see an empty space in your calendar, you're like yes, I can fit that in. Then you to block in like actual like schedule actual rest breaks. You also cannotBrad Crowell 17:12  I had to put lunch directly into my schedule. I don't remember to do if I don't have lunch in my schedule. I forget to eat. Lesley Logan 17:18  I think we did that two years ago. And it was like one of the best things that ever happened for either one of us. Yes, No body books calls. Anyways, there's just different hacks you have to do and then also just because the people around you are hustling like crazy, doesn't mean that you're hustling something different. That reminds me what ended on this Kareen, Episode 53? She was at 53.Brad Crowell 17:39  I'm we're gonna find out.Lesley Logan 17:41  She said might have been 23 but I feel like it's 53 I feel like she wasn't as early as everyone else. My friends, but she saidBrad Crowell 17:51  You were definitely off the mark, 27. (Lesley: 27. 20 was my second guess.) She was early. Episode 27 Kareen Walsh.Lesley Logan 18:00  She said, "Don't let your hustle become a hassle." And I think when she said that, that's kind of like a like a thing. Like if I feel really big, I'm working really hard. If it starts to feel like a hassle, like, oh my God, then I go, okay, what's going on here? Yeah. When did I say yes to these things? I think ladies, we tried to do everything like that, that I, somebody just followed, posted something because like, I don't know which magazine but Paris Hilton was on the cover. And they're like, look, she's like, rock and being a mom and a full-time business owner and this she's got all the things figured out. And I was like, What the fuck? When are we going to stop telling ladies that that's possible? No fucking way Paris Hilton has it all figured out? No offense, Paris. You're awesome. But there's, you have nannies. You have housekeepers. You have chefs, you have cooks, you have someone organizing your sets. The way they wrote the title was a Paris Hilton is like doing it all. And she can because she has a team. So if you are solo, you cannot do it all. You can only do what is possible in the amount of time you have. And the more you take care of yourself, the more you can get things done, period. Okay, now.Brad Crowell 19:11  Let's move on.Lesley Logan 19:13  Send your questions into the pod. We love them.Brad Crowell 19:16  Yeah, ask those questions. Lesley Logan 19:17  We love them.Brad Crowell 19:18  Okay, now let's talk about Daniella Mestyanek Young, a former intelligence officer, renowned scholar on cults and the compelling voice behind the memoir, Uncultured. Her life journey from the confines of a religious sect cult to the frontlines of the US Army is a testament to resilience and the power of transformation. (Lesley: She's a badass.) She's badass. (Lesley: She's an intelligence officer in the military)Brad Crowell 19:43  In her like mid to late 20s. Lesley Logan 20:04  Yes, yeah. Yes. And that's, by the way, (Brad: who is in the field) who is in the field. She was one of the first women allowed in field. And also she ran a virtual Boston Marathon and she won for the military. (Brad: Really?) And like, yes, yes. (Brad: How do you do that?) And she met Obama, and she was one of the few officers like invited. Yeah. Oh, no, no way. Yeah, you gotta listen to the book. You got to do it. We like we have like, this is, by the way. This is badass. Like, like, you know, fucking amazing human being. I listened. I found her on a cult show I listened to and I DM-ed her and she was like, Yeah, sounds so fun. And she like, I was just like, oh my god, I'm getting Daniella on the show. So great. Anyways, um, she's just really honest. And also she had all of that without having a formal education guys. She didn't go to school until high school. So, yeah. (Brad: Oh, I didn't know that.) No, the Children of God don't teach them how to read anything. Yeah, anyways. Okay, you gotta read the book. Warning, it is difficult. They're like, if you there's a trigger on like, the sex abuse that is in there. But it's also so important that we actually know what these places are doing. Because you got to know the science guys, you gotta know the science. So go read the book. So okay, I love so many things. But she she gave advice on what a cult disguise could look like. And of course, she said nobody joins a cult. And that's true.Brad Crowell 21:34  Yeah, that I found. I found really interesting. You know that you don't realize that it is what it is.Lesley Logan 21:41  Well, everyone else say I would never join a cult. (Brad: Right.) Like, okay, (Brad: Well, me neither.) Well, me neither. Of course not. But like, in L.A. there's so many cults. Brad Crowell 21:51  There are so many cults.Lesley Logan 21:52  Oh my god. There's so many cults. Brad Crowell 21:54  Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's a Erawan cult.Lesley Logan 21:58  Shut up. I mean, maybe there's a small one that I don't know who's leading it. But I will say like, there were some books there was there. First of all, NXIVM was notorious for doing their workshops in L.A., there was landmark that everyone in their mother was like trying to get you to come to their graduation, which by the way, was a cult. Sorry, there. But don't sue me. But like there's so many in L.A., obviously, Scientology being the biggest one. (Brad: Right.) Every time we drove by that church, I just like oh, my god, can they see us? Do they have our license plate number? Drive fast. But anyway, she said no one joins a cult, they join a group that is doing something that is feeding their soul. And even there was like yoga classes that were so cultish.Brad Crowell 22:45  I just, I gotta hop in here. I just found a Yelp listing for the top 10 Best religious cults near Los Angeles, California.Lesley Logan 22:58  Oh, my God is (inaudible). Brad Crowell 23:00  No, I mean, but it's funny. They're like, it's it's a lot of churches.Lesley Logan 23:04  Yeah. So but the but people join a place that feeds their soul, they join things that are doing like this. They join things that are like making an impact on the world that aligns with your values. And so she actually said that people listening to this podcast are likely to be people who could end up joining a cult because you are seekers, seekers of information, right. So. So they give you these big missions. And of course, you're a part of it. Now, there are just groups. I like to think that we are just a group. But she said like there are some red flags that you should look into, especially in the recruiting thing. So, we'll kind of get into that in a second. But like, one of the things to like be aware of is they do things in a coercive place, and she called it bounded choice. So you think you have fear, you start you think you have freedom, but really, there's this coercive control. There's this like pressure, like you think you could, like, maybe not come on a Thursday, but then everyone's like, why aren't you here? For example, one of my clients went to this weekend event, and she decided she didn't like it on day two. So she decided to come to my class. And in my call during my class, her phone was texted four times, or four times in an hour going, where are you why didn't you come? Why don't you get on a call with us let's see if we can get you back? It's like, if she can't miss the third day, that she paid for. It is her choice to not be there. If you are like, dragging her back. And there's something weird going on.Brad Crowell 24:35  Yeah, I mean, I just wanted to rip rip down the top the 10 things that she does, like how she considers a cult, defines a call. So, number one, there's a charismatic leader. Number two, there's a single sacred assumption that all of the people assume. Number three, there's a transcendent mission. Number four, there's self-sacrifice required. Five limiting access to the outside world six, unique language meaning like, like we were joking about at the beginning of this episode about Agency Mini. And if you don't know what that means, then you're not in the cult, right? Like that's the unique language. Then the next is an us versus them mentality, then exploitation of the members, high exit cost. Maybe you lose your community, your friends, all that you're ostracized. And then lastly, it. It should eventually shifts into an ends justify the means mentality.Lesley Logan 25:33  Oh, yeah. So here's what's interesting. While I was in Poland, one of the people was talking to they had, they had stopped working with one of the groups, I won't name it in the Pilates world, because they had this like summit where they brought in all of their teachers. And they said, Well, these things are the things that you can teach. But if you want to teach these things, you have to be part of the inner circle, because we have to trust (Brad: There's a fucking inner circle?) She said, she's got a fucking said inner circle, and like, oh, do they not know how to build a cult, you're not supposed to actually say that. That's the quiet part. You don't say out loud.Brad Crowell 26:08  By joke, seriously, like,Lesley Logan 26:12  and someone else we coach was like, I want to do this thing. But like, it's not clear if I can do this thing. And there have been people who've done this thing, and they've been kicked out. And there's other people who didn't do this thing. And they didn't get kicked out nice. And the particular thing that she was doing Brad Crowell 26:23  The reality of kicked out, that's the that's one of the problems. I mean, that's a problem. Lesley Logan 26:27  And I said to her, I said, you're in a cult. Now, it might not feel like one but the fact that you can't provide this thing that is in no way a threat to them. And in fact, all it's doing is propelling the mission that should be theirs forward. That scares me for you. (Brad: Yeah.) And the fact that you're worried that you could be ex like excommunicated ex, is that the right word? (Brad: Yeah, basically) that makes me nervous.Lesley Logan 26:27  That's very religious, but yes, excommunicated.Lesley Logan 26:35  So some people say Pilates is a religion. But at any rate, like it shouldn't, if you have those fears, that can be your own family, by the way, like if there are things you can't say or do or be in your own family, because fear of like them, not speaking to you. That's a little bit culty.Brad Crowell 27:15  Yeah, I mean, we were just in England, and we were with one of our members who married someone from India. Oh, and she is from England. And she's not the same religion. (Lesley: Oh, she's Australian) oh sorry, she's Australian living in England, but she's not the same religion. And his family cut them out. (Lesley: Yeah) that's fucking cult. Lesley Logan 27:39  Yeah. So um, so you're probably wondering how can this be it till you see it, because you are a seeker. And I want to make sure you're armed with the right information so that as you're being until you see it, and as you're getting information out there, you don't end up accidentally in a group that is using you, using your amazingness. And we'll talk more about that in the next week's episode. Because that guest on narcissism is amazing. Anyways, I can keep going, but you should tell us what you loved.Brad Crowell 28:05  Yeah. So I thought this was interesting, in that she had a couple of examples of cult leaders that you would know that I don't remember their names. But she said, I know the mom. Yeah, I know, you know them all. If people are self-proclaiming that they're a guru. Be cautious. Be aware of this. Because they, you know, when someone puts themselves up on this high pedestal, and then tells you, you know, I am the authority, or I am the guru of the thing. Lesley Logan 28:42  I have all the answers here. I'm the one who knows, I'm the closest to right, you know, yeah.Brad Crowell 28:48  Yeah. You know, she said, actually, in fact, coaching can become this. Teachers can become this, you know, anybody that you put in a place of authority, it is, you know, it's she was talking about, like, you could be doing everything right. And then like, somehow it shifts and suddenly it like, becomes a cult and not like a group. Right? So the reality is that if they are out there telling you that they're the only authority that they're the only one or that they know what's right. And they can, they can, they're the only one that can help you like all major warning signs. Yeah, right that you've got somebody who, you know, is totally a narcissist, which we are going to talk about on our next episode, and they are effectively trying to manipulate you. Yeah. Whether they realize they're doing it or not, they're doing it. Right. Whether you realize they're doing it or not, hopefully you can identify that they're doing this. Lesley Logan 29:47  I think after we ended the podcast. So I'm gonna help like, you know, you do sales calls with people. And we're very clear with people like, this might not be the right group for you. And it's not because we don't want to help you. But if we're not the right person, like I've joked on the podcast before like, I'm not a taco not everyone's gonna like me. Sure, that's okay. Because like, there is someone out there who can lead you in all the different things that we do. If it's if I'm not the right one, or it's not the right time. And it's important that people know that. And I think like, I just think it's a little. I know that like, when you're lost, you just want answers. (Brad: Yeah.) But you have to also remember, like you have everything you need inside you. And really just surrounding yourself with people who want to support and guide versus be the hero (Brad: That's key. That's exactly right.) Someone who can guide you from this point to that point. And that doesn't mean once you get to that next point, that they're still your guide, you might pick up a different guide along the way.Brad Crowell 30:44  Yeah. And I think that's the that's like, the language that they're using, the way that they portray themselves the way that they perceive themselves, you might not be able to understand all that right away. But you're exactly right, like the person who wants to be there to support you and your growth, and be a guide along a path that they may have already taken. That's a win. But a person who is like, oh, I can show you how I'm the only person that has been where you are, I know how this works. You need to listen to me. That's a problem. You know, so she actually like what are the things I was talking about the 10 things and the 10 definitions, like how she defines a cult. And she said the second one, which I thought was really interesting, is a single sacred assumption. So all the people in the group have this single sacred assumption. And you can't you better not say the other way, because then everyone's gonna be like, What are you saying? Right, the single sacred assumption. So she was talking about NXIVM and Keith Raniere, and he told all of his NXIVM people, I am the smartest man alive. (Lesley: Oh, yeah.) And everyone fucking believed him. They just went along with it. So as a group, everyone was like, oh, yeah, Keith. Yeah, he's the smartest man alive. He's the smartest man alive. And it just was like, inherently, indoctrinating all these people with this weird decision that he's like, I'm the smartest man alive. So guess what, everything he says they're gonna fucking do. Because why would you defy the smartest man alive? (Lesley: He's so smart.) Right? So you know, that's like, you know, yeah, it's kind of crazy. It's just really fascinating to listen to this conversation. And then, you know, she talks about how, why she didn't become like a life coach, and instead decided to get degrees was because of her experience, being in cults, and seeing how it's very easy for, like life coaches, or coaches or teachers in general, to cross that boundary and become like cult leaders. Lesley Logan 32:55  I also think that like, it's, it's probably not intentional in the beginning.Brad Crowell 33:00  I don't think it starts off intentional, no. Lesley Logan 33:02  In the beginning, because like, I think like, first of all, especially if words of affirmation or your love language, like people are telling you, oh, my God, this helped me and we got this help me and you're like, Oh, my God, if you get this out to everybody, and then like, you keep going. And then at some point, you don't have anyone around you telling me telling you like, no, like, I'll have these ideas. And you guys are very quick to go. I love that idea. Not for now, or actually, like, let's we do that we do this. And not to say that I'm gonna become a cult leader, but I, but like, it's important to have people around you who will like challenge you on your ideas. It doesn't mean I won't fight for them. But it also keeps me from like, just continuing to go as if I'm the only person who knows what the fuck does the right thing to do. Yeah, and then bringing people along with me. And so I don't think people are born going to be a cult leader. But if they can't go that way, becauseBrad Crowell 33:56  Unless you watch the Umbrella Academy, but yes, no. (Lesley: Oh, really? I did not watch that.) You didn't. It's okay. The Umbrella Academy is a sci-fi show where this one of the characters inadvertently becomes a cult leader. And he's like, I love that I'm a cult leader. This is the most amazing thing. It's ridiculous. Lesley Logan 34:12  I watched how to become a cult leader. (Brad: Yeah.) Which is like just like a little satirical, because it's like, obviously it's it's really about like how these people became leaders. And I think it's, I really enjoyed it because in case anybody in your family is in one that can be extremely stressful and it can also take you off your path of like what you're doing on this planet. Because you're you can't snap them out of it like it like you telling them they're in a cult is just going to make them stay. So at any rate, like again, I really wanted to haveBrad Crowell 34:44  I think I think like liberating people from cults is a whole another conversation. Lesley Logan 34:50  Oh, that's a whole another (inaudible).Brad Crowell 34:54  If you're wondering if you're starting a cult right now, chances are unlikely that you are since you have that self-inflection.Lesley Logan 35:01  Go. Yeah, it's like the narcissist thing. Go and look at her top 10 things. Read her book which is so so good.Brad Crowell 35:08  Oh, which is called Uuncultured. Lesley Logan 35:09  Uncultured. Read her book because I also (Brad: Or listen to it.) I really loved how she shared she used the things that she saw in the people of her of the Children of God, when mistakes happen. And she saw it in the face of the men in the military when something happened. She's like, something's wrong here. Like she knew. (Brad: Yeah.) So like, I think that's really good information. And I again, I wanted to have this person on because I, as you listen to this, and you get inspired by people we've had on the podcast, or and you're working on taking the next step in your life. It's so easy for you to end up go going off your path of being it till you see it and being on someone else's path of a cult. So anyway.Brad Crowell 35:52  Yeah, well, let'sLesley Logan 35:57  Let's do the Be It Action. Brad Crowell 35:58  Yeah, hang out real quick. We'll be right back. Brad Crowell 35:59  All right. So finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Daniella Mestyanek Young?Lesley Logan 36:14  What are your favorites? Brad Crowell 36:45  Yeah, so her bold advice was? Imagine yourself like so. Okay, just to clarify she is, I can't remember what she studied, when she went to school. When she went to Harvard. And anyway, I can't remember exactly what the degree she got. But it was something to do with like, sociology and and the study of people. And she said, imagine yourself when you're 80 and ask, how do you start to backwards plan your life so that you can get to that place? And you know, this is like old school advice. I you know, I've heard about this when I was when I was younger, but it's something that you kind of forget about. Yeah. And I like bringing it back and be and like looking at it and saying, well, what does 80 look like for me? Do you want to be surrounded with like, 8000 grandchildren? Do you want to be on a sailboat sailing around the world? Do you want to be retired in Asia? Do you want to, I don't know, whatever. Like my parents' version of this would innocent me guessing. But my dad has always loved the ocean. And my mom loves it, too. And so they've always wanted to be at a house near the water. And they've been planning for it almost their whole life. Like literally, it took them like 20, almost almost 20 years to get a house near the water. They got a house 20 years ago, that was two miles from the water. And 15 years later, or 16 years later, they finally were like, this isn't close enough. And they were the whole time they were there. They are shopping for the right house. Right? So they were thinking about these things decades ago. Right? And so what do they need to do in order to retire near the ocean? They need, clearly a place to live. So they worked backwards from this ultimate dream that they have this vision that they had of themselves when they were retired. And like it continues, right? Like my mom got this. This, she had this idea where they got this house that about three or four years ago now. And it was not in great shape. But my parents love projects like this.  Lesley Logan 38:58  They do. And your sister picked up another project, she got, it's in the blood.Brad Crowell 39:02  Oh, geez. Yeah. Well, my mom's mom is now in her middle 80s. And, you know, there may come a point where she needs like in home care. And so my mom thought, well, what if we took this house that we want to retire in? And we created, like a first floor plan, where we could have like a guest house on the same level as the primary plan before so that, you know, if you're 89, you're not going up and downstairs basically. Right. And so they've been already thinking ahead, planning, maybe we could support you know, grandma, and then someday, that might support them in that same house, right? Yeah. So they're just you know, thinking ahead, working backwards from this ultimate vision that you have for yourself and this takes inflection, time to sit down and actually think through it. Lesley Logan 39:54  Do you want us to go about this also bold advice? (Brad: Tell me.) The way fitness works is like, if you want to be able to pick up your grandkids at 80, you have to be training your body for that now.Brad Crowell 40:07  Yeah. Yeah, like the age of eight. So yeah, you might have already missed the boat. Lesley Logan 40:12  You did. No, I'm kidding. But like, but like, seriously, because Brad Crowell 40:17  I think I started around 32. Lesley Logan 40:18  Yeah. So if you had, like, if you picture yourself in your old age, like, if you do want to go up the stairs, if you want to, like have your beautiful house, like beautiful master bedroom suite with a balcony, whatever, then you have to be able to go up the stairs at 40 without even thinking about it. Yeah, maybe 50 flights of stairs. So that like as we age, like things like decline. But it's really incredible. Because I have seen people in this, you know, age is really just a number because like, I've seen people at 80 who can do things that like, you're like, whoa, that's phenomenal. Like there's a 63 old woman who was like doing this like, crazy deadlift that like Brad Crowell 40:58  200 pounds, 230 pounds? I saw it.Lesley Logan 41:00  There was another woman who was dead lifting as much as you and my dad was, and I was like, okay, I need to step it up if I want to be because I'm 40 she's 23. So like, 23 years older than me. I better get going if I wasn't able to do that at 63. Anyways, I love that advice. Okay, Brad Crowell 41:15  Yeah, well, so if you're stuck and trying to figure out what life could look like for you at 80 Daniella's advice was, go through all your senses. Okay. Focus on your senses. What are you seeing? What are you hearing? What are you smelling? Tasting? Feeling? What is what is that? What is happening around you? And then how can you plan your life backwards from there? She said, that we only have one life to live. We all know this. But she asked, What do you want out of it? And, you know, I don't know. I think it's funny. Like, we have these ambitions and these goals and these things, but like, do we actually sit down and say what do I want out of life? You know, so do that. Do that. Okay. All right. What about you? Lesley Logan 42:08  Well, after that, I don't know. I actually really loved this, she said, in relation to like bold advice or getting advice from others. She said, listen to all of it. And I was like, okay, like when she said that, I'm not gonna lie. Instead, I was like, should you go like, (Brad: Should you what?) listen to all the advice, listen to all the advice, getting advice, like, you know, getting advice from others, she said, listened to all of it. And I was like, Ooh, I disagree on this. But then she said, however, yeah, if it's negative advice, only listen to the people who've done what you're trying to do. Brad Crowell 42:46  Which is like, drop that fucking microphone that is humongous. Like it's such a, that was such a lightbulb moment for me when she said that I was like, Oh, my God. How come? I've never thought about that before?Lesley Logan 42:56  Right? Like, you know, we, we talk like, we have people who want to do on demand memberships. And since we do them, yeah, I say hello. I think it's a great idea. I can absolutely reach those needs. Here are some things you need to keep in mind. And it's not to deter, but it's to actually like, if I could do it all over again, knowing those things, what would I have done differently? And because no one's gonna get it right the first time. You can learn from that. Yeah. And so anyways, I thought that was really, really, really great and Brad Crowell 43:27  Well, I think so. So here's a good example.Lesley Logan 43:30  Well, she had a great example of her own life. (Brad: Oh, go ahead.) Is it okay if I share it? (Brad: Do it.) So she wanted to write a book. And she wanted to write it, like at the book Educated inspired her and she's like, oh, I want to write that. And there's all these naysayers (inaudible)Brad Crowell 43:44  It's an epic book about cults, PS. Educated.Lesley Logan 43:47  It's less about cults and more, it's, it's more about (inaudible)Brad Crowell 43:51  It's the story of a woman's experience where she grew up in what didn't know was a cult. Lesley Logan 43:58  It's a cult of her family. Yeah. Was a family cult. So you know, but, and she is about like, people who are living in rural areas who are not educated. You know? So anyway, she wanted to write that book. And people were like, you can't do that. There's, that's not going to work.Brad Crowell 44:15  Well, no, they said that there's no way you can be Educated, Educated was such a box office hit as far as books go, you know, don't even bother trying.Lesley Logan 44:26  Yeah. And but four years later, she actually did it. And, and it was along the lines of Educated. Yeah, and The Glass Castle. And what's really funny is Roy Vaden, who was on a couple weeks ago, he actually has a really big thing that like you when you're pitching an idea, you actually should pitch it in the vein of comparing to something like say, it's the educated book, but for cults, or like, it's this for about like the American Idol version of this and it's because people can't envision something that's brand new if it's ever happened, they need to hear it how it's like something else. So but If she listened to the people who'd written books, who were like what their advice was so that she could still do what she wanted to do and not like the people around her went, oh my god, you'll never be the number one best selling book on this topic. Right? You know, which was like, Well, how do they know but like, especially when it's your idea and it's baby and this goes back to Nikole Mitchell's episode, like you have to like, be mindful of who you're telling information to, you know? Lesley Logan 45:44  Daniella, you're phenomenal. Congratulations. You are just getting started really on this incredible journey and the impact you're going to make on this planet not as a cult leader, but as a guide on like, how to make sure that we show up as boldly as we can and have the effects we want to have on this planet but without getting involved with a cult. I'm Lesley Logan,Brad Crowell 46:06  I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 46:07  Thank you so much for listening. Make sure you listen to our interview recaps our FYF's and how are you going to use this in your life? Who are you going to send it to? We want to know so tag Daniella, tag the Be It Pod and oh by the way if you don't watch the pod on YouTube, this one is got multiple things going on because shout out to Daniella who can knit without even looking down. (Brad: Oh yeah.) and talk the whole time. Brad Crowell 46:34  Yeah. And look true supporters of the pod watch the YouTube channel. Okay? (Lesley: Just saying.) That is self-sacrifice. (Lesley: Brad!) Just watch the YouTube, though and if you don't watch the YouTube channel then you're out.Lesley Logan 46:45  There's a JK in all of that, you guys. Have a great day and Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell 46:45  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 46:45  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. Brad Crowell 46:45  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 46:45  It is produced, edited by the epic team at Disenyo. Brad Crowell 46:45  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music, and our branding by designer and artist Gianfranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan 46:45  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals and Ximena Velazquez for our transcriptions. Brad Crowell 46:45  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all the content to our website. And finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today we learn and discuss how people and institutions hold their own definition of what real inclusion means. We brought on Bre Gestaldi, an Inclusion Education Consultant & Educator, to break down the “What” + “Why” of what inclusive education REALLY is. Facts + links provided in the episode: Research reasons - No studies conducted since the late 1970s have shown an academic advantage for students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities educated in separate settings (Falvey, 2004): https://iod.unh.edu/sites/default/files/media/InclusiveEd/research_on_inclusive_education.categories_fall_2011.pdf Learn what happens to a childs brain when they are excluded: https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00046  

In today's episode, we'll discuss one of Aesop's fables about the perils of people pleasing. We'll also explore what it looks like to combat this way of living with ownership, due diligence, and the pursuit of truth. Mentioned in this episode: The What Why and Cry (Processing difficult and painful things): https://rb.gy/vujta Appearance and Deception (developing a logical process that can help us discern truth about what we're thinking and feeling): https://rb.gy/8codx Thanks to Linda Billson, Barry Green, Byran Saul, and Ray Kurzweil for supporting the podcast at ⁠www.patreon.com/HannahOnTheKeys⁠ You can also listen and support on ⁠Substack⁠: ⁠https://substack.com/profile/71677199-meant-for-good?r=16oahb&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=web⁠ Music by Hannah Holbrook & Kevin Dailey (⁠www.instagram.com/kipcentral⁠) (⁠www.instagram.com/hannahonthekeys⁠) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/meantforgood/support

Please listen to this whole ep on your own HOW, WHAT & WHY? Be gentle on you, celebrate your small wins & ask yourself what is your why? + please donate to: LWNYC.ORG Little Wanderers NYC Be a good person & always help others when you are able xx Candice

SFC Ronald Watts hosts Director of DOTD, Fires Center of Excellence, COL Jason Tolbert, discussing the Who, What & Why of DOTD and FA Lessons Learned.  

In this episode I dive into WHAT & WHY people are happy! Babies smile on average 400 times a day where as adults smile 20-25 times a day! I dive into the reasons why we're unhappy and HOW to start making changes TODAY to start living a JOY filled life! DM me your thoughts of this episode and what you got from it @ natalieflowers.livefit on IG or email me @ natalie@musclenmindset.com

Topics covered ------------------------ 0:43 - History of EIP-4844 1:30 - How did Terence join the Ethereum space? 2:44 - How did Kasey join the Ethereum space? 4:08 - EIP-4844: What & Why? 5:12 - Ethereum Today 5:36 - The rollup-centric roadmap 6:20 - Past: Everything happens on L1 6:42 - Today with L2 7:18 - Today L2 uses CALLDATA 7:24 - EIP-4844 L2 uses BLOBDATA 7:52 - Why is BLOBDATA a barrier for L2 today? 8:30 - Block vs Blob 10:17 - What is a Blob transaction? 11:30 - Blob transaction end-to-end 13:19 - EIP-4844 on Prysm 13:30 - What happens at every upgrade? 14:42 - Beacon API changes 15:20 - Validator changes 16:19 - Crypto library 16:45 - Block & blobs import 17:44 - Forward syncing 18:05 - Backfilling 18:22 - Prysmctl 18:59 - Devnets histories 19:37 - Where are we today? 20:52 - Q&A 21:18 - Why are we doing KZG trusted setup for 4844? (Terence) 22:00 - Dankrad on KZG Trusted setup & 4844 24:39 - Why Exec devs be excited about SSZ? What's upcoming work on SSZ? 27:00 - Is it correct to assume we are using the minimal SSZ for 4844? 28:00 - Risk of centralization with 4844 29:22 - Safety liveness concern 31:59 - Importance of Multi vary function in 4844 32:30 - Blob slashing for signing 2 blobs 33:44 - No. of blobs in a blob 34:29 - Implementation of SSZ on EL before Dencun upgrade 36:05 - Justin on SSZ at EL 37:05 - Explicit changes on EL & CL with 4844 39:30 - Longitivity of a blob 41:05 - Downsides of no EVM access to blobs 42:00 - How far we are from Full Danksharding? 43:55 - Plans to move from Devnets to Public Testnet 45:18 - Do we see 4844 on Goerli testnet? 46:10 - When 4844 on mainnet? 47:28 - Interaction with cross-layer teams 49:30 - Priority for Ethereum Roadmap 51:07 - Thoughts on the EIP process 52:05 - A message to community Resources: ----------------- Slides - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j0hc8fFy4PuIDiKC79Uv77a2KtrOo9EG78aAqBEl9_s/edit?usp=sharing Proposal - https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-4844 Discussion - https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-4844-shard-blob-transactions/8430 Website - https://www.eip4844.com/ Follow at Twitter --------------------------- Terence @terencechain | Pooja Ranjan @poojaranjan19 4844 sorts ------------------ Something special about EIP-4844 - https://youtu.be/dL9IFt8EZVA What's next in Ethereum after eip4844? - https://youtube.com/shorts/Sv4sKNjn3rE Ethereum devs working cross-team - Kasey - https://youtube.com/shorts/6DCVmNSBADA?feature=share A message to Ethereum community (eip4844) - Terence PEEPanEIP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cwHXAawZxqu0PKKyMzG_3BJV_xZTi1F MEV Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cwHXAawZxqntSgAaYHrV3NjAUMyzk7X Shapella - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cwHXAawZxpok0smGmq-dFGVHQzW84a2 Questions for Guests - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsmujnH_ncIlSEJ23s9jzXAKwfpTGNeJqjREWPloBbkJVQTA/viewform Check out upcoming EIPs in Peep an EIP series at https://github.com/ethereum-cat-herders/PM/projects/2 Contact Ethereum Cat Herders --------------------------------------------------- Discord: https://discord.io/ethereumcatherders Twitter: https://twitter.com/EthCatHerders Medium: https://medium.com/ethereum-cat-herders Website: https://www.ethereumcatherders.com/

This weeks episode is all about the Who, What & Why of Worship. What is worship? Why should we worship? And Who is worthy of our worship? Let's dig in!

What/Why was Eric told to let go of certain people & things?

Krista and Ryan share this week's What & Why, My Unorthodox Life. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations!

Krista and Deidre share this week's What & Why, How to Change Your Mind. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations!

Krista and Blaine shares this week's What & Why, Call My Agent. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista shares this week's What & Why, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista and Ryan share this week's What & Why, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations!

Krista and Jenny share this week's What & Why, The Good Nurse. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista and Maddie share this week's What & Why, All Quiet on the Western Front. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista and Blaine share this week's What & Why, The Empress. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista and Chris share this week's What & Why, Single All The Way. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista and Alyssa share this week's What & Why, Enola Holmes 1 &2. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Krista and Jenny share this week's What & Why, The Wonder. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations! 

Two Devastating Revelations to Warn You Against Ungodliness--1 - The What - Why -14-15--2 - The Who - Why -16-

Two Devastating Revelations to Warn You Against Ungodliness--1 - The What - Why -14-15--2 - The Who - Why -16-

Krista and Isabel share this week's What & Why, Point Break. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations!

Krista and Chris share this week's What & Why, He's Just Not That Into You. Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations!

Krista and Alyssa share this week's What & Why, Love Is Blind.  Curious what else the Queue team is watching? Head over to Netflix and search Queue's Queue for more recommendations!  

On top of her accomplishments, as mentioned in this episode's title, Randi-Lee Bowslaugh is also a cancer survivor. Randi began experiencing depression as a teenager due to family challenges. While she did have thoughts that could have sent her spiraling down into greater depression and worse, she began writing poetry. She credits putting down her thoughts to helping her advance. Randi-Lee went to college and has forged a quite successful life with a husband, two children, and now a grandchild.   Randi's gay personality shines through this entire episode. You will hear from someone whose life story has presented challenges, but she crashes through everything that has been thrown at her. On top of everything else, by the way, Randi-Lee is an advanced kickboxer so don't mess with her.  Now Randi has published a number of books including that first book of poetry. She has written several nonfiction books as well as several children's fiction books. One of her books has even been published on Audible, and Randi even tells us all how to get that done.   About the Guest: Randi-Lee was born and raised in Ontario, Canada and from a young age, she had a passion for helping others. She attended Niagara College and graduated at the top of her class from Community and Justice Services, after completing her placement at a recovery house for alcohol and drug addictions. Post-graduation she worked at a Native Friendship Centre for two and a half years while pursuing a university education in psychology. Randi-Lee continued working in social services for another four years as an employment counselor until she left to pursue her other passions. Randi-Lee is an author and outspoken advocate for mental health sharing her true story with honesty. From the age of 14, she struggled with depressive thoughts. There were times in her life when she wasn't sure how she would continue. Depression continues to be a battle in her life but she is glad that she continues to live. She has spoken at events that promote wellness and compassionately shares her experiences with her own mental health. In 2021 she started a YouTube channel, Write or Die, Show, to spread awareness about various mental health issues and to end the stigma associated with mental health. Growing up she never felt that she fit in, being the last to understand jokes and confused about many emotions that she saw on others. In 2021 she finally had answers to the questions about herself that had been nagging at her. She was diagnosed with moderate Autism. Another of Randi-Lee's passions is kickboxing, which she has been doing for about 10 years. She was a Canadian National Champion in kickboxing in 2015, competed at the World's kickboxing tournament later that year, and in 2016 competed at the Pan-Am games where she received silver in her division. In 2020 she was chosen as one of the coaches for the Ontario Winter Games where she inspired and coached young athletes. Randi is a mom to two, her youngest child has autism, and grandma to one. Randi encourages and supports her youngest child's entrepreneurial spirit as he follows his dream of being an artist. When she can she incorporates his art into her stories. Published Works: Non-Fiction: Thoughts of a Wanderer A Mother's Truth Embracing Me Fiction A Little Scare     Children's Books: Operation Deck the Halls Diamond the Cat Contact Information: https://linktr.ee/randib Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/randib Link Tree Write or Die Show - YouTube Tik Tok @writeordieshow     About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is an Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe to your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.     Michael Hingson  01:21 Hi there, I'm Mike Hingson. And welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Randi-Lee Bowslaugh is our guest today and she is going to talk about her life and her stories. She has a lot to discuss regarding mental health and other similar things. And we in talking about mental health won't even begin to talk about Washington because Washington DC we're not sure how healthy any of them are down there. They're fun to pick on. Anyway, Mark Twain did it. Will Rogers did it. So why can't we write anyway, Randi, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  01:56 Thanks. I'm glad to be here.   Michael Hingson  01:58 Well, if you would, why don't you start by telling us a little about your life kind of your your younger years and all that and we'll go from there.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  02:08 Alright, well, way back in 1987.   Michael Hingson  02:12 Long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  02:15 Exactly. Well, it feels like that. Right? So I'm in Canada. So it is a galaxy far, far away. Much. So I mean, as a child, as a small child, it was pretty good. Like, was it? But when I was about 14, that is when that's when it happened. That's when I had my first bout with depression. At the time, I didn't know what to call it. Because I mean, I just thought that everybody felt the same way at that age, because why not? It's normal to me. And it wasn't until I became an adult and then looked back and went, Oh, yeah, I was depressed. Okay. So, yeah, that was my first my first time with it. High school was horrible. I skipped most days, which actually now there's a term for that it's not skipping. I mean, it is skipping, but it was school refusal, which I say that because school refusal isn't just the I don't want to go to school, because I just don't want to go to school. School refusal is more to do with, I don't want to go to school because there is an underlying reason. So mine was that I was depressed and knew that going to school made me more depressed. And I didn't have really any friends there. And I just felt very out of place. And it was an awful time. So it wasn't that I wanted to skip just to go hang out with my friends. In fact, most days, it just stayed home. So yeah, I don't know how much more you want me to go into that early childhood time?   Michael Hingson  03:51 Well, whatever you think is necessary? Well, let me ask you this. Sort of an overarching question. Do you have? Or is there any real way to know what caused the whole issue of depression for you?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  04:07 That is a great question, actually. So I can't say for certain, but there was a lot of various factors going on at the time. So my mum and dad had never been together from what I can remember, I used to go to my dad's every other weekend. And he wasn't necessarily a bad dad, but he also wasn't a good dad. So I didn't really feel any real connection with him. And so around that time, I also stopped going to see him. At that point. I was only going there because my sisters lived there as well. But because we have the same dad different moms, me and my sisters, but then when my dad and their mom broke up, I had no reason to see him. So I stopped going. So that was one factor. And then the other couple bigger factors were I mean Well, puberty But my mom's ex husband. So my mom got married after grade eight. So I would have been 13, which is just before I realized I had depression. And he turned out to be a alcoholic. And he was very verbally abusive. And you never knew when you walked in the door, you never knew if you were going to get the good version of him the sober, nice version of him. Or if you were going to get the yelling, screaming, I need to go hide in my room version. And then you layer on top of that. My brother was in and out of jail at the time he my brother was getting into more and more drugs at the time. And so my mom had to focus a lot of her attention on him on what he needed, which as a parent, I'm like, Oh, I get that. Now, as a kid. I was like, What am I am I chopped liver. Now? What's going on here? I didn't understand why all of a sudden, my mom who when I grew up, right, when I was a smaller child, I was very close to my mom. And I'm very close to my mom again, now as an adult. But as a teenager, I thought that I was kind of the Forgotten child, which you know, doesn't help your mental state. And then I just didn't feel like I fit into high school, I felt always a little bit different than everybody else. And I didn't know why. And so all of those different layers, one on top of the other just kind of compiled into, into hating myself.   Michael Hingson  06:43 It was a spiral. It was. So what did you do about all of that? Or how do you deal with that?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  06:50 As a teenager, I definitely had some very bad thoughts very ill conceived notions of what I should do. But I didn't do them. What I did as a teenager, actually, is I wrote poetry. So that was my first coping strategy, it was my thing that kind of got me through being being a teenager. Without that I don't think I would have survived. So there was that I also went to my youth group at church. And that's the only place that I really felt worthy that I felt like I fit in that people didn't look at me like I was a weirdo. And then animals, my pets, pets are such good therapy, things I used to when my stepdad would be yelling and screaming, and I would be hiding my room I would have, I had two cats at the time, diamond and Tigger. And so I take them and I would just go hide in my room with them. That was that was the coping at the time it worked out well. And actually, that's what got me into writing. That's what I turned my first book into is those poems that I wrote,   Michael Hingson  07:56 well, with diamond and tinker, what what did they do? Or how did they help you? I agree with you that pets and animals really do help us a lot in so many different ways. But for you what was what was kind of the personal connection? How did they help,   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  08:12 and they were just, they would cuddle, there were very cuddly kitties. And a purring I loved the purring and they would lay on me and I would pet thumb and just tell them all my secrets because they couldn't tell anybody else. Nobody was listening to their mouth.   Michael Hingson  08:28 And they probably wouldn't tell anybody else anyway.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  08:32 Now, they probably went and so they were my little babies.   Michael Hingson  08:36 So kind of the connection is that they were there. They accepted you for who you were no matter what, which is something that we just don't find with a lot of people. They don't deal with difference very well.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  08:51 It's so true. Yes. So you,   Michael Hingson  08:55 you cuddled with them? And you got you got through it. So when did you eventually graduate from high school? How did that all work out?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  09:02 I graduated when I was 17. Because my mom's rule, and I was skipping classes was I needed to know where you were. So I just stayed home and you couldn't fail anything. So I didn't I passed very poor marks. But I passed. So I graduated then I had applied to colleges and universities. I'd gotten into them, but I just I wasn't emotionally ready to go. At the time. I was still very much depressed, didn't know how I would be able to go far away from home to do that. So I took a year off. I got pregnant, and I met my now husband, and he was like I'm going to college in September. If you go then I'll drive you because we didn't live far from each other. He was like, I'll pick you up. I'll drive you so Okay, cool. So I ended up going to Niagara College after taking a year off and then by the time I started at the college, my baby was Oh Just a year old because he was born at the end of October. College was awesome. College was amazing. I am definitely not in the field anymore that I went to school for. But I loved the experience of college, I was on Student Council, I got the top marks in my classes because I got to pick the classes that interested me, which was all psychology. And it was I met real people like it high school, it felt like people were all like, you tried to find yourself right? In high school, you don't know who you are in a lot of people, I fake it. I feel like at least in my high school. But at college people were more real people were adulting, because they had two adults, I met a lot of the other people that also had kids there, because I connected with the people that had the same sort of life, as I did, right being a parent going into college. So that was amazing. My depression kind of took a backseat during that time, which was awesome. But then I did graduate twice, from two different programs actually went, I did most of my university, I was paying for that out of pocket though. So I ended up not not getting my bachelor's degree, because by the time I came to, I only have like a semester left to whatever, um, I was like, I don't want to work in this field anymore. So I'm gonna not pay for school anymore. It doesn't make sense to waste all my money, stuff I stopped. But I did work as an employment counselor for almost six years between the two places that I worked. But during that time, that's when that's when depression decided to come back. So again, it for me, it was an accumulation of many stressors. So at that time, I mean, social services, at least in Ontario, where I live, we have a very high turnover rate for social services, because it's a really hard job to do. You got people coming in, and you have to listen to all of their, their life troubles and things. And it wasn't that I had an issue doing that. But compiling down onto going home and not knowing how to help my kids. So at that time, my kid was having a lot of issues at school. He was bullied a lot kindergarten through grade one. He was having a lot of meltdowns. So this is, by the time he was in grade three, I was just so drained. I didn't know what to do. We didn't know why he was the way he was at the time. We're trying to find answers. And it was just, it was a lot. And so something had to give. And at that time, I took time off of work, I got a doctor's note, I took time off of work, I went to a therapist, because I had planned I had made a plan of how I was going to drive myself off of a bridge and just not be here anymore. So that was that was good times. We did end up finding out that my child does have autism. So when once he was finally diagnosed, we were able to get him the right help. He is now doing fabulously he is now 15 He's doing fabulously. And therapy worked well for me. Medication worked well for me and I am doing mostly fabulously. To   Michael Hingson  13:16 show you, you yourself if I recall, were diagnosed as having some autism. Is that correct?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  13:23 Yes. So last year, I finally figured out remember how I was saying in high school, I always felt different. But like, you know, people looked at me like I was the weirdo. Turns out I have autism. And once I found that out last year, I'm like, oh my goodness, my whole life makes sense now. And I I only did it because that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to know why I always felt different. Why? When other people got a joke, I had no idea what it was, what the joke was about why other people could be in a situation and show certain emotions. And I'm like, I don't get it. What Why are we all upset right now is doesn't make sense. I just wanted to know why. And so when I got finally got my diagnosis last year, I'm like, everything makes sense.   Michael Hingson  14:08 How did that come about? You weren't looking to be diagnosed as having autism. So how did that oh,   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  14:16 so I was bothering my kid in the one day and you know, parents be like father a kid. So I was doing a weird random dance to bother him. And he looked at me and he goes, Mom, if I have autism, I got it from you. And I go, maybe you did. And I started thinking about all the times when I was when people would say whatever about love, and I go oh, he's just like his mom. It's fine. He's just like his mom. And I'm like, wait a minute, if he is just like his mom, maybe I do have it. And so that's kind of when I was like, oh, you know, let's let's go find out.   Michael Hingson  14:54 There we are. So you you have autism you have a child with autism is that your only child   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  15:00 The only one I birthed I do have a stepdaughter and a grant BB   Michael Hingson  15:04 dare you go? Yes, so Does Grandma spoil granddaughter?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  15:10 It's a grandson grandson. And I spoil him so much. It's part of it is it is so part of the roles and grandmas his favorite, so it's fun.   Michael Hingson  15:22 Well, you gotta if you're gonna be a grandma, you got to spoil grandkids. It's a rule.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  15:27 Oh, yeah. I spoil him so much. We whenever he's over, we are non stop playing toys, always Paw Patrols, you know, God do paparazzi has only two. He loves. He loves ice cream and popsicles. Like he also likes bananas and apples too. So he has a nice combination with the junk food and the good food.   Michael Hingson  15:49 Well, cool. So when did you really start writing professionally or seriously, you You talked earlier about writing your poems into a book. And when did that get published?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  16:01 I published that in 2017. Okay, and that kind of gave me the author itch, and I'm like, this is fine, I want to do it again. So I published my next book in 2018, I did have to take a little bit of time off, because that was around the time that my son was, for lack of a better term going crazy. And I also had been diagnosed with cancer. So that was, you know, I had some stuff to deal with at the time. But since then, since 2020, I have released a whole bunch more books, I got into kids books into some scary stuff. Because before that, it was all about the nonfiction, which I still write, I love my nonfiction. Love mental health, I have to talk about it. But sometimes it's fun to write kids books and scary stuff.   Michael Hingson  16:51 Well, tell me a little bit about some of the discussions of mental health you've, you've put into books. Tell me about some of your fiction, if you would.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  16:59 Sure. So, um, the biggest topic that I talk about is depression, because that is my personal experience. So in like the first book, thoughts of a wanderer that's poetry, and I'm actually going to be revamping that and re releasing it now that I, you know, when you do something, the first time you do, it's never as good as the 20th time you do it. So I'm gonna revamp that book. So it's a good book, but it could be better. I'm gonna be releasing.   Michael Hingson  17:27 But now you also have a lot more understanding of why you wrote what you wrote when you were doing those   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  17:34 poems. Exactly. So I would just, I want to rerelease it, there's kind of some new poems added to it when I get when I do release it. And it's just going to be a nice, fresh, fresh kind of book, fresh eyes on it. And then the other one that I wrote about depression, it's an actual book, it's not poetry. I put poems in Excel of poems. But it's, it's a book and it goes through more the coping strategies that I've learned over the course of of my life, so that other people might be able to pick and choose some of the things that might work for them. And then at the end of that book, there's worksheets people can use. So that correspond which with every chapter of the book, so each chapter talks about something specific. So it might be therapy, it might be writing a letter to yourself, whatever it is, here's a corresponding worksheet that people can use so that you can actually implement things right away. And that was actually my first is my only book right now. But that was my first one I put on Audible, so people can get an audio version of that one, and I'm the one reading it. So it's fun. What's the title of it? embracing me. Okay. And then the other nonfiction that's published right now, it's called a mother's truth. And that's about raising my kid with autism and what it was from conception, like, it starts right when I was pregnant, up until grade six, I think it was. And we're currently living what will become part two, because eventually I'll release the teenage years version. And that one was co authored with my best friend, who her son is very similar. He wasn't diagnosed with autism, but he has very similar issues. And he does have extreme anxiety. So it's both of our stories in that book. And again, worksheets, we love worksheets. There's some in there the things that we learned as we went to a million doctor's appointments, what doctors are asking from us, so those worksheets are in there, so parents can already be prepared for them before the appointment. And then what I'm working on right now is another nonfiction. So this will be my fourth nonfiction coming out. And this one, this one's very emotional. I'm not an emotional person, but this one's about me very emotional. So last year, my brother died from a drug overdose. And so he always as much as he did have an addiction. He always still wanted to help people. And so I'm taking Get some of his story. I don't know all of his story because I'm the little sister. But I'm taking what I do know about historian about addictions, and about coping strategies, and I'm putting it into a book right now I'm on the second draft of it. So it's coming. And hoping that will help other families who are going through kind of something similar. And hopefully, hopefully, maybe they don't have to go through the funeral part of it, but at least they'll have some information ahead of time.   Michael Hingson  20:30 So I'm a little curious, how did you get one of your books? And is it the only one but how did you get your book into audible? How did all that work out? Or did you make that happen?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  20:41 It's actually a pretty easy process, if you're technically savvy, so I had to get some help on that end of things. But you go through ACX is like the audible platform that you upload it all to. And so you can either find your own narrator and there are people on like, Fiverr, or like, on the ACX website, or me, I will do it too, because I love narrating. Anyways, I thought my story I'm going to I'm going to narrate my own book. And I love talking clearly. So I've recorded everything I went through, and I edited out all of the mistakes. And then I sent it to somebody who adjusted the sound volume on it, because it has certain standards that it has to actually meet in order to be able to be uploaded to ACX. And all of that requirements is on the ACX website. So I sent him all of those, he sent them all back to me. With the right qualities, I just put them all in and they all have to be by chapters, you can't just put in one big long thing, if you have chapters that has to be done by chapters. And then it gets uploaded, they approve it. Or they'll come back and say hey, whatever, whatever with my book, because there are those worksheets, you actually get a PDF copy of the worksheets, which was pretty cool as well, I didn't even know that that was something you could get. But they emailed me back and said, Hey, after reviewing your submission, it looks like there's worksheets in your book. Can we have them and they can actually put PDFs as an attachment when somebody buys your, your books? So that's pretty cool.   Michael Hingson  22:18 Cool. Does it cost you to do that?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  22:21 No, as the author, it does not cost you anything to put it up there. Now if you are getting people to narrate it for you, or do the sound quality, that's that's separate, right? Like you would have to pay them.   Michael Hingson  22:32 Charge. That's not an audible charge.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  22:34 No, from an audible standpoint, you are not charged. It's very much like if you publish on Amazon, if you're on the KDP publishing, if you're if you do itself. It doesn't cost you anything up front, they just take a percentage and then they give you your royalty as well.   Michael Hingson  22:51 Cool, because I've talked to a number of people who have thought about doing audiobooks. And I have suggested that they explore audible, but never knew exactly what the process was. So I appreciate you telling us that. And yeah, it took a lot of research. Well, maybe other authors who are listening will find it now more relevant to go ahead and put their books into audible.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  23:12 Yeah, feel free to reach out to me guys. I'm here to tell you what I did.   Michael Hingson  23:17 And your contact information is going to be in the notes. And we'll get to you give me some of that a little bit later on. But tell me about your children's books, if you will.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  23:25 Yeah, so I have a couple of them. My first one was called Diamond, the cat. If you recall, Diamond was my cat. And so she I had her for 19 years before she passed away and I cried and cried and cried uncontrollably. So I wanted to make a kid's book about her and it's for like the younger group because it's the first pages I am a cat. I lay on a mat. So it's all rhyming and cute little pictures. It's all cartoon pictures of diamond. And at the very last page where it says the end, there's a collage of all the real life pictures of diamond. You can see the real life kitty. I love her. And I always used to say a diamond is a girl's best friend. That's my cat was a diamond. And then I also have Wolfie. So what he is, he's going to have multiple books. If my kid will ever finish drawing the pictures. My kid is the illustrator for the workbooks. And so the workbook that's out right now it's called wapis trip to the hospital. And so he is a little stuffed dog that lives in a classroom with kids and he goes home with the kid different kids every week so we can have lots of adventures. And in this adventure, he goes with one of the boys to the hospital to get his tonsils removed. And so when he helps him be very brave during it. And so it's it's not rhyming it's a little bit for a little bit older than the diamond, the cat book and there wouldn't be more of a few books. I have another movie book written, but my kid has not drawn the pictures yet. And then I also have a kid's Christmas book, which was actually the first kid's book that I did. I know it's not Christmas time, but it's called Operation Christmas. And it's about a little girl who can't fall asleep. And so magic has to happen. I don't want to give the whole book away, but magic has to happen. And so Christmas can Santa can still come even though she won't fall asleep. And that was actually based on a real life experience where Santa had to come into my basement. Because my kid will not sleep. And then I have a few I've started a learn to read series for early readers where they draw their own pictures for the book. So they're very simple stories. So it's like this is a cat. And then they would draw a cat. This is a bat and then they would draw the bat. So they get to draw along their own picture with that. The final zero Yep. Yeah, no, go ahead. I was just to see the final series that I have. I've gotten three social stories. And so social stories are for usually used for kids with autism, things that I wish as a parent I had, but my kid was younger. And it's cleaning up your toys, going to the bathroom and conversations. It just teaches a very specific skill in a very in very simplistic terms and step by step.   Michael Hingson  26:28 So you have a diamond book, but you don't have a ticker book.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  26:32 Not yet. But I will. Sure already said that.   Michael Hingson  26:39 We don't want to leave Tigger out.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  26:41 No, no, no, I cannot leave my ticker out. He was he was my first kitty and I he was he was around 18 or 19. Two, but at the time he passed away, I think two   Michael Hingson  26:52 how do you how do you come up with your ideas?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  26:55 Well, the nonfiction is really easy because it's just my life. But the other ones, the nonfiction ones come up with just like random random things in life. So even though the kids books are not they're not necessarily real life, they can't stemmed from real life, right. Like I was saying, the chill the Christmas book was something that happened. Diamond was a cat actually had the first what the book was actually an idea for my aunt, because her son had tonsil surgery before. But the the scary story is, don't have any kind of part of real life, let's say because everything is monsters with me and scary stories. So it's called a little scary. It's a collection of 10 short, scary stories. And we'll be coming out with another one. Eventually, I already have a list of a whole bunch of other scary stories. And those ones just come from like, completely random ideas. Like the one story I was walking down the street was walking my dogs, I have two dogs. And well, now I have three dogs, actually, at the time I had two but now I have three. And so I was walking my three dogs, and I saw this tree. And this tree look like it had like a face in it. And then one of the stories just popped into my head and I wrote a whole short scary story about the about nature and how nature can sometimes do some payback if we don't take care of it.   Michael Hingson  28:27 So when you get ideas, do you just immediately write them down? Or how do you make sure you don't forget them?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  28:34 I usually if I'm at home, I will write them down on my whiteboard if I text them to myself.   Michael Hingson  28:40 So you, you get them down and they'll come out at some point.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  28:45 Exactly, yeah. If I don't write them down, you're right, I will totally forget them. But so in some way, they have to get written down well, whether it's a text and myself are actually written down, you have to get written down.   Michael Hingson  28:58 It is nice that today we have a lot of different technological ways to get information written down. So we don't forget it. I, for example, use my Amazon echo a lot to remind me of things even though I might have something on a calendar. If I'm not right in front of the computer, I want to see the calendar. So I use technology to remind me all over the house, as well as writing down ideas and doing other sorts of things. So yeah, we do live in a wonderful era where it's a lot easier to get ideas down where we can go back and then address them later.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  29:30 Yeah, exactly. It's very nice.   Michael Hingson  29:33 So for you, writing about your life and so on. Well, because you happen to be able to write it does turn out to be fairly easy for you. But this whole concept of mental health and being a person with mental health issues, has a lot of stigmas about it and it's something that we don't understand. How do we start to do Without and how do we change people's perceptions of that?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  30:04 We talk, we talk a lot. That's a really simple answer. But really, it comes down to being able to be open with other people. Because since there is so much stigma around, it often shuts us up. We don't want to talk about it. Because we don't want people to look at us. Like, we're weird. Like, we're crazy, like, we're whatever. But the bottom line is, is where people like anybody else, no matter what your mental health is, whether it's depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, it doesn't matter, you're just, you're just a person who maybe our brain chemistry is a little bit off. Like for me, I take my antidepressants every day, I went off for them, it didn't go so well. So I'm back on them. But that's because my brain chemistry is a little bit off, and I just, I need that extra little help, which is totally fine. But people don't want to talk about it. And my husband put it best to me. So when he found out that I had went off of my antidepressants, because I didn't tell him or the doctor, anything, I just did it. I do not recommend please don't do this. But when he found that out, and my husband is type one diabetic, which means he has an insulin pump. So he says to me, Well, do you want me to stop taking my insulin? No, I don't want you to die. Because exactly, I don't want you to die either. Why would you do that? I was like, oh, sorry, Honey, I love you. So it's, we have to start looking at mental health the same way we look at physical health. And that is that sometimes we need help. And that's okay. Recently, I've been dealing with a lot of chronic pain. And I realized that that has a lot of stigma around it as well. And actually, on Monday, I was just at the pain clinic and I had a complete breakdown with the doctor. And I am not an emotional person. I am not a crier, but I was crying so much in his office, not just because I was in immense pain, but because I was so frustrated about the lack of help around it and the lack of not knowing what's happening. And that all ages kept being told this, Oh, you're too young for this. That's great that I'm too young for this, I'm in my 30s. But I'm still in such pain that I have had to change my life, I can no longer do kickboxing right now I can no longer take my dogs for a 45 minute walk, they're lucky if I can get around two blocks before I have to lay down. And so I was just totally crying in his office and so emotionally spent, that our mental health and our physical health are very much interrelated. And so we need to talk about both of them in the same way and give both of them the same kind of respect as like one in the other.   Michael Hingson  32:57 So I think that you raised some some valid and very good points. The reality is, maybe this is an oversimplification. But talking and dealing with the so called stigma of mental health issues, is, in a lot of ways, not really much different than talking about having or being a person who happens to have a disability. Because it's all about being different. And people not wanting to deal with difference, no matter what we say.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  33:32 That is 100%. What it is, is differences are scary. If you're different. You're scary.   Michael Hingson  33:39 Well, why is that?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  33:41 That's a great question that I don't have a scientific answer for but I'll tell you what, I think on it. So I think it's just because the unknown is very scary. And I actually I just wrote an article for a magazine, I don't think it's published out but about, and this goes back to writing scary stories, but it's very relevant. So about how in a horror movie or in a scary story book, The unknown is what scares you the most when you see the masked killer coming towards you. It's not nearly as scary as when you hear something downstairs and you're like, Oh, what is that? Is that a burglar? Is that just my cat? It's more scary because we don't know. So I think that's the same kind of concept, to a difference to somebody with a disability, whether it be physical, mental, whatever it is, when you don't understand it, and it's different. It's scary because you don't know how to maybe talk to that person. You don't know how to address them. You don't know what it is that you shouldn't be doing. It ultimately my answer to that is ask the person they will tell you. Yeah, I get that a lot with with my kid I'm especially because he's 15 Now, and he can, he can talk, which is great. He's verbal. Sometimes he never shuts up. But sometimes I'll have people and teachers in the school system are kind of the worst for this is that they'll ask me all of these questions, I go great. Let me ask him, they're like, well, can't you just tell us? This is his life? These are his school courses, I'm not just going to give you an answer, I'm going to ask him, he is more than capable of telling you why he hasn't finished homework or why he wants to take one class over a different class, whatever it is, we are capable of speaking for itself. Same with somebody say in a wheelchair, if you don't know, maybe what they need help with. Ask them. So I, I used to have a part time job working in a market and I would just help the farmer sell the fruits and vegetables. And then there was this one guy in a wheelchair, and he would come around every Saturday, he was a very loyal customer. And so the very first time He came, though, I didn't treat him any different as any other customer, because he's not any different. And so I said, Okay, what can I get you? And he told me, I said, Great. Would you like another bag? I said, Yeah, so great. And then he asked, Can you put it on the back of my wheelchair? Yep, I could totally do that for you. Because I'm gonna say we because I'm part of the community of mental health and disability. So whatever, we are very capable of telling you what it is that we need. Now, some disabilities might be more severe. If it's a developmental disability, maybe where they don't have that capacity. And then you might need to talk to the support person that's with them. But I would always talk to the person first, I don't care what their disability is, what age they are, I would talk to that person first. If then you realize that they are not capable of explaining it to you, then the support for they would have a support person with them. And you can ask them, but they're capable.   Michael Hingson  37:10 The extrapolation of what you just said, though, is that we're afraid of the unknown, because it is unknown. And we don't try to make it known. So when we're dealing with mental health, whether we're dealing with disabilities, or whatever, we, as we're growing up, don't get taught to deal with it, to understand it to communicate about it. Yeah. And as adults, we don't talk about it, we don't get it, we don't understand it. And as a result, we just continue to promote the same unknowns that have always been there. I think there are definitely issues with the whole concept of mental health, it is something that we need to address. There are reasons that that people are as they are, we should learn to understand them, we should learn to help with them. Yeah. But we also should be spending a lot more time talking to people, we being all of us should be spending more time talking to people and learning to understand it, which is of course, maybe in part what unstoppable mindset as a podcast is all about. Exactly.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  38:25 And that's the nice thing about technology right now is there are so many different podcasts out there. And a lot of them talk about disabilities or mental health or different things like that. I have a podcast guys, you can listen to it. It's called writer die show mental health. But no, you're totally right. If we're not taught at a young age, and I think I was I was very spoiled at a young age, because of the school that I went to. We had a class for kids with disabilities when they used to be. They don't have as many separate classes anymore in our school district. They try to integrate more now, which hopefully that's working the way that they want it to. I don't know, that's a different story. Anyways, but I was lucky because we had that class there. We also had a class of deaf students. And so when I was younger, I was exposed to all of that from a very early age. And I think like you were saying, if you aren't taught about it at a young age, then you're not going to know about it as an adult. So I was spoiled that way that I got to experience that. And I used to help out in the different classes and play with the kids. They're like they were they were kids, right. So we all played together. So I was spoiled. But maybe that's something that as parents, we can start thinking about more to help our kids with that. And to not single other kids out.   Michael Hingson  39:53 Yeah, that's, of course, part of it is that although a kid might be the A friend or an adult may be different. There's no need to single them out, there is a need or ought to be a need to make sure that they are empowered to be able to contribute and be a part, which may very well mean, as you pointed out with the person who came to your market in the wheelchair, they're going to come in a wheelchair, big deal. You do what's necessary to make it possible for that person to be involved at the store, go around the store, shop like anyone else. And when you say you don't treat them differently, you know, the reality is, in a technical sense, yeah, you did, because you hung the bag on the back of the wheelchair. But the reality is big deal. That's all part of making it an inclusive environment. It's not really treating someone differently. It's being inclusive.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  40:56 Yes, I like the way you put that.   Michael Hingson  41:00 And that's something that we really need to do a lot more of is learn about inclusion. Well, a couple of other things that come to mind. I'm going to Save one for last, even though you mentioned even though you just mentioned it, but tell me about you and kickboxing and all that you you have been very much in the past involved with that.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  41:20 Yes. So I was kickboxing for about 10 years, once I became an adult and my mom couldn't tell me I couldn't anymore. And in 2015, I was the Canadian national champion my division, I was, I've been to the worlds tournament in Ireland. I've also been to the Pan American Games that was in Mexico, where I got to silver. And I just before COVID, I was one of our Ontario coaches at our Ontario winter games with the kids. So I was I've been very involved in it. And I was thinking about taking the roughing course. But right now my body is saying no, it's, it's kind of breaking my heart a little bit. It's been a very difficult road. But no, Kickboxing was amazing. It's such a good outlet. It's such good exercise, everybody should do it if you're capable of doing it.   Michael Hingson  42:21 Tell me a little bit more about what it is exactly and how it works.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  42:25 Um, so kickboxing, it's while you get to hit people with your hands and your feet. So there's there's different styles of kickboxing. So I've been training in Muay Thai, but I competed in kickboxing it. So my Thai is, it's slightly different. The rules are slightly different. There's knees, there's elbows, so I've trained I can do those, but I've never competed with those. So I've competed in both low kick and full contact. There's also another one called leg contact and k one. So the ones that I have fought in with low kick, you can kick anybody from the knees up. So the head is okay, you You never kick anybody in the back. That's not okay. But you can kick anybody from the knees up, there's no No elbows and no knees in that style, but you can kick them or punch them as hard as you want. Where as full contact, which is a little bit of a deceiving name, I feel like so full contact, you have to kick and punch them from the waist up. And you have to kick at least seven times around, which doesn't sound like a lot, but can be a lot depending on your style of fighting. I love kicking, kicking is my favorite part of it. So it wasn't hard for me to hit to kick seven times around. But yeah, you can hit you can kick or push them as hard as you want from the waist up in full contact. When you do k one, that's when you can also do clench, you can do knees, it's more violent, I guess of the styles.   Michael Hingson  43:57 So in in doing that, do you think any of that contributed to the pain you have today?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  44:04 It could be um, we don't know what the pain is being caused by yet. There is rumors of fibromyalgia potentially there is a some osteo arthritis in my spine. So there's no definitive answer yet. I'm still doing tests. But it there's a good chance that you know wear and tear on the body is not doesn't always do good things but I'm just really tired of hearing you're too young for it.   Michael Hingson  44:34 Yeah. My, my wife in well, we got married in 1982. And she pushed her own wheelchair bound. She's been in the chair her whole life. But as we got into the later 1990s It started to be more painful for her. But she kept doing it. She said I need the exercise. I have to push myself and that was the only answer that she would give, she didn't want to go into a power chair or anything. But in 2002, going into 2003, we had moved to California. And up, she went to a doctor saying, Look, this is hurting more and more. And he had what I think is maybe even a better answer for you. In her case, it was her shoulders that were hurting. And he said, Look, your shoulders don't come with a lifetime warranty, and they do wear out. And you know, it does. And it's different for different people. I've told that to other people in chairs since and I've met people in their 20s and 30s, who are experiencing a lot of shoulder pain. And they said, you know, you're absolutely right. That's exactly what's probably happening. And they go off and they look at it. But the reality is, you're too young. Is such a blanket statement that may or may not be relevant at all.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  45:55 Yeah, I like what you say better.   Michael Hingson  45:58 You've also been very active. You've also been very active.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  46:02 Yeah, exactly. So I like I don't have a lifetime warranty.   Michael Hingson  46:08 Yeah, well, that's what her doctor said. And it makes perfect sense. So she actually did translate, transfer over into in graduate to using a power chair. And in the last five years, she's been diagnosed with having some arthritis in her shoulders, and also some rheumatoid arthritis, which is a whole different animal. But the arthritis is there. And it's all because shoulders don't come with a lifetime warranty from God. That's all there is to it.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  46:37 What about great if a body's actually dead, though?   Michael Hingson  46:40 Well, yeah. Always a lot to do.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  46:44 Yeah, I know. But I can still go swimming. So that's good. Summertime, you might,   Michael Hingson  46:51 you might find that there are ways to get it improved, as long as you keep pushing for them to figure out what's really going on.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  46:57 Yes, that's what I'm doing. I have an MRI scheduled for August. And Ontario. We have to wait a bajillion months before we can get one   Michael Hingson  47:06 coming. Well, I think I know what really is going on. And you may not want to hear it. But Tigger is extremely unhappy that diamond got written up and Tigger did not. So Tigger is dealing with you just just keep that in mind.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  47:21 The funniest part of you saying that is that Tigger was the kind of cat that did always give you payback. So when I was because we had him since I was like little, little little, I would chase him around the house because I was, you know, three, four years old. So I chased them around the house and grab them and just love him so much. And give him all the kisses and then at nighttime, I'd go to sleep. And he pounce on me and try to get me because haha, now you're sleeping. So that is actually the kind of personality that he would have to do that   Michael Hingson  47:55 cats can be very strategic, and they can be very patient.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  47:59 Yes. So you know, it made? Maybe you're right. Yep.   Michael Hingson  48:05 Tear is definitely sending you a message. Yeah,   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  48:10 if you want to tell us about   Michael Hingson  48:13 your podcasts. You mentioned that earlier. And I said I was gonna save it. And I wanted to get to it. But tell us about your podcast.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  48:19 So my podcast, it's also on YouTube, if you prefer watching. It is called the right or die show. So right, like you're writing something, not author. And I interview other authors and we talk about mental health.   Michael Hingson  48:35 Tell us about maybe some of your episodes. I'm curious to learn more about it.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  48:38 Sure. Yeah. So I have tons of different episodes. So what I do, at least on the YouTube channel, is I'm on YouTube, you're able to make playlists of them. So I've played listed all of the different mental health discussions into their category. So I've had people on that talk about depression, that's probably the biggest one. So depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar. I've had eating disorders on the show. I've also talked to people about autism, not that it's a mental health disorder, but because it's close to my heart, so people can still come on and talk about that one. But yeah, so just a wide variety of different topics and a wide variety of amazing authors. I love talking to the other self published authors, not that you have to be self published. I've also had other authors that weren't that were with, like actual publishers, or and I say author, but it's really anybody who writes I've even had somebody who's written screenplays come on the show. So he's never written a book, but he wrote screenplays. So anybody who's written anything song writers, I've had some songwriters Come on. So just a lot of fun to talk about it and It's all about personal experience. So everybody on the show is talking from their own personal experience. Because I think in this was my answer about how we ended the stigma, right? We talk about it. So by, I have over 100 episodes now. So by over 100 people talking about their different experiences, and there are different coping strategies, we can open up that line of communication with others that don't understand it, like we're talking about, and try to get them to understand these different things. Get them to understand that you know, somebody with schizophrenia is just a person, that somebody with Bipolar is just a person and kind of shed light on that. And also, I like when they share their coping strategy, because I take little bits from other people and try them out. And hopefully, the audience is taking little bits from everybody and trying it out. Because not every coping strategy works for every person. There's tons of them out there.   Michael Hingson  50:57 How do you find your guests?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  50:59 Um, so when I first started the show, I put out a call to what's that thing or radio guestlist.com? And I put it out there, I got 80 responses, like almost immediately, which was insane to me, because I was like, how am I gonna find gas, and then I didn't really need to look hard. And once you kind of that got going, I've met some really good people that helped. So actually, the publicist that I just signed on with creative edge here, I have a deal with him, I always tell him, Hey, these slots are open, what authors do you have, because he always has very good high quality guests. Come on the show. So it's been really easy now to actually find people, which I was surprised because I thought I was going to have trouble with it.   Michael Hingson  51:47 Everyone has a story to tell. And sometimes it's hard to get people to tell stories. But everyone does have a story to tell them. It's great to be able to have the opportunity to get people to come on and tell their stories. And I'm sure that's what you're encountering as well.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  52:04 Yes, exactly. And most people who have written things, well, most of us authors struggle with self publicity and marketing. Like it's one of the hardest things, and to go on lots of different podcasts to tell different audiences about you. So by interviewing authors, I think that has really helped because first off, they're storytellers, even like I said, Some writers, whatever writers are storytellers, and then they need to market out their product to people. So kind of worked out well.   Michael Hingson  52:36 Right. Well, this has been fun. And I want to thank you very much for being a guest on our podcast. I appreciate it. And I know we we met each other through the same publicists, which is really cool. But tell me how can people get in touch with you if they'd like to reach out if they'd like to learn more about what you're doing? Or ask you questions and connect? How do they do that?   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  53:00 Sure. So my website is rbwriting.ca. I'm also on Facebook at RB writing and then of course my YouTube   Michael Hingson  53:10 the letter R and the letter B.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  53:11 Yes for my name Randi Bowslaugh.   Michael Hingson  53:14 So RBwriting? Yep.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  53:17 and.ca Because I'm in Canada, and then Facebook, I'm on Instagram I'm on Instagram though it's Randy be writing because somebody already had RB so Randi be writing let's Randi with an I and tick tock I am on tick tock at the right or die show.   Michael Hingson  53:35 Cool. So to say your website once more   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  53:40 RBwriting.ca.   Michael Hingson  53:43 Great. Well, I've enjoyed it and learned a lot and I really appreciate you coming on today and talking with us. And I hope that everyone listening appreciates and maybe he has a little bit more understanding about some of the topics that you've discussed.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  54:00 I hope so too and I had so much fun   Michael Hingson  54:02 well and we definitely would love to have you come back as you're getting more books and tell us about the books and let me know when you publish about ticker because I'm sure the pain is gonna go away then.   Randi-Lee Bowslaugh  54:15 I will definitely do that. And you know what, maybe I'll call it even I'll call it about ticker.   Michael Hingson  54:21 Go. Well, thanks very, Randi. And I want to thank all of you wherever you are for listening today. I'd love to hear from you and get your comments so please feel free to email me at Michaelhi at accessibe.com or visit Michael Hingson .com slash podcast where you can visit more episodes although you can get them wherever podcast episodes are available. And as always, I sure would appreciate a five star rating from you to help us we appreciate when you make comments and rate the program and rate podcasts. So please do that. And again, Randi one last time, thank you very much for being here. We really appreciate it very much. You take care   Michael Hingson  55:13 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Krista share's this week's What & Why, Risky Business.

Krista and Jenny share this week's What & Why, Mindhunter. 

Krista, Brookie, & Blaine share this week's What & Why, The Watcher. 

Krista and Maddie  share this week's What & Why, Formula 1: Drive to Survive 

Welcome to What & Why, a new segment on Skip Intro where we tell you what's streaming on Netflix, and why it's worth a watch. Today's What & Why is The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist.

Episode Summary Do you know anyone who has a so-called “disability”? How do you know? This week I want you to meet Tiffany Noelle Brown. Tiffany has a PHD, she is a wife and mother, and, by most people's standards, she has a disability as she happens to have a traumatic brain injury. Tiffany will tell you her story of growing up in environments where she sensed she was different, not because of her traumatic brain injury, but due to other things she will discuss. You will hear how she used her observations to carve out a successful career helping others to recognize that difference is not a problem for them or others. Personally, I very much enjoyed her insights. I had a wonderful time talking with Tiffany about various topics not only around disabilities, but also around the idea of being different. I hope you will like our episode and that you will let me know your thoughts. Thanks for listening and I hope you will let me know your thoughts about our episode and the Unstoppable Mindset podcast by emailing me at michaelhi@accessibe.com.   About the Guest:  Dr. TiffanyNoelle Brown, known as docT, is recognized internationally as a catalyst in embedding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI-B) concepts into our everyday lives, with actions everyone can take.  She is described as a master at awakening the unseen, more subtle aspects of inclusion in our awareness, actions, and social structures.  A colleague has dubbed her the Doctor of Inclusion.   She is an innovative, non-judgmental, compassionate leader in the field of DEI-B dedicated to creating impact through her Ah-Ha's-to-Action methodology. She shines as a facilitator, guiding newbies and experts alike in individual and group settings through personalized coaching and speaking engagements. Acknowledging and respecting where clients are at without judgment, she compassionately guides clients in developing their own awareness, understanding, and healing, creating their own toolboxes to expand and support their DEI-B efforts.  Certified in healing methodologies, trauma-informed care, and nurturing parenting, she brings an understanding of the impacts of social factors on mind, body, and spirit, passionate that including you in your inclusion journey is a critical addition to the process.   Even before DEI-B was recognized and valued within the business and personal development worlds, docT has been a pioneer in the research, teaching, and coaching of DEI-B concepts. Her Master's thesis, Doctoral Dissertation, and other published articles and presentations at professional associations focused on issues of inclusion/exclusion in the healthcare system.  Her work has impacted policy and furthered the application of DEI-B concepts within the healthcare and child welfare systems, at the organizational, state, and national levels. Her expertise and unique ability to shift paradigms in a nonjudgmental way have most recently been recognized by the Wisdom Playground, Proximity, and Colorado Foster Parent Association.  Even former students and clients have come back to share how interacting with docT has positively impacted their personal lives and work.   Her personal experiences have given her an even deeper understanding of DEI-B. For example, she attended schools where she was in the religious and racial minority.  She attended a “women's college” and advocated for the rights of students and faculty who identified as LGBT, developing her passion for the importance of allyship.  She is the Mommy to an amazing kiddo, who came into her life through the foster care system. Embedded daily in trauma-informed parenting techniques, Tiffany is an amazing support and role model for her kiddo, helping her navigate issues of race, culture, and family. People are often surprised to find out that she is living with a traumatic brain injury.  This experience provides another lived experience of why and how we can do business differently to capture, engage, and provide platforms for people with neuro- and physical- (dis)abilities to contribute their gifts how and when they can and be fairly paid for their expertise.     It is no surprise that Tiffany's motto is the concept of ‘Ohana, which you can see embedded in her work.  Illustrated by the quote from Lilo and Stitch, “‘Ohana means family.  Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.”  Understanding the word ‘Ohana is Hawaiian, she recognizes the literal translation to mean “family,” but the intention of the word means “community”.  Her Mom, albeit biased, of course, says that even as a little girl, Tiffany has always seen, advocated for, and empowered people that others discriminated against, left out or left behind.  “It is just who she is.”  About the Host:  Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/  https://twitter.com/mhingson  https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links  https://accessibe.com/  https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe  https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!  Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast  If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review  Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes UM Intro/Outro  00:04 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:24 Hi, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset, the podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And it is that today we have as our guest, Tiffany Noelle Brown, who has an interesting story to tell lots of things to talk about. We'll spend a bunch of time today I suspect talking about diversity, inclusion, and we will see what else we come up with. So Tiffany, welcome to unstoppable mindset. Tiffany Noelle Brown  01:57 Thank you, I'm so glad to be here. I'm so privileged to be able to talk with you and really excited for your, for your audience to try to think of, you know, get be included in this conversation even. Michael Hingson  02:16 So, so tell me a little bit about kind of you from the from the beginning, and what what eventually got you into this whole area of diversity and inclusion. Yes. Tiffany Noelle Brown  02:29 So thank you for asking that I am. Even as a little kid, I remember, I was treated differently. And I got a lot more attention. And I wasn't treated differently in a negative way, but in a positive way. And it actually made me really uncomfortable. People would pick me up all the time, they were constantly picking me to be on their teams, that kind of thing. And I could feel the energy and feel the hurt that others were experiencing. Once they say it again. Michael Hingson  03:10 Why was that? What Why were you Why were you different? Tiffany Noelle Brown  03:13 So I'm blond haired, blue eyed, Caucasian, I guess the stereotype and people just thought I was, you know, cute or whatever, I don't know. But they would, you know, constantly, the adults would pick me up no matter what. And I could see the looks on other people's faces. And now I'm recognizing that I have an intuitive quality of being able to sense and feel someone else's emotion and really be in tune with that. And I hadn't developed that at the time, but I could feel it and it made me feel badly and guilty for getting the attention that I was getting. Michael Hingson  04:00 So other other kids weren't getting that same attention. Tiffany Noelle Brown  04:04 Yeah. And I think throughout my life, I was really sensitive to it when it came to my brother as people would on the on the baby. And people would refer to my brother as Tiffany's brother rather than my being Tiffany Noelle Brown  04:21 Chris's sister.  Michael Hingson  04:25 Got it? Well, so you you grew up what No, where did you grow up? Tiffany Noelle Brown  04:31 I grew up in the Washington DC area. And I've been able to have the opportunity to move around in I've lived in most difference categorizations of how our country is Midwest, south, north northeast, Pacific, and now I live in the mountain region. Ah Michael Hingson  04:59 well So you, you grew up. And I appreciate very much that you were, you're sensitive to how people treated you so so tell me a little bit more about what you what you thought about that and how that kind of shaped your life and your direction. Tiffany Noelle Brown  05:16 Very much. So I think, especially looking back on it, having studied, intentionally studied issues of inequality and bias. In my formal studies, looking back on it, I realized that maybe I was coming at it from a different perspective. But I was I was the one that noticed, I guess, my parents told me this, that I was one that noticed when someone was being left out. And the inclusion of different folks just was a part of my life, my best friend growing up was, was a boy. And that was kind of unusual in and of itself. And he had Japanese American and Jewish American Heritage. And that was not anything unusual for me. And so But growing up, even at my wedding, people would point out, oh, my gosh, you have the most multicultural wedding party that we've ever seen. And that, that was that's just who I am, I guess. And it wasn't until I was able to study it. And I found sociology, that I got it.  Michael Hingson  06:48 Well, so you spend a lot of time talking about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, which is, which is interesting. How did you really come to want to focus your life on dealing with those issues? Tiffany Noelle Brown  07:05 I think, even as I was in high school, originally, you have to choose what you want your major to be. And I wanted to be a physician, because that's helping people and I didn't really have a sense of other careers that could do that. And so I was taking, I also was doing health care administration, and it's as my minor, and took a medical sociology class, just as an elective. And oh, my goodness, that one class changed my life. And I didn't even know sociology existed, I'd never heard of it before. And I was like, wow, I don't have to go to med school to do this. With and then this being, I saw a lot of inequalities and was learning more and more about inequalities and bias in the healthcare system, and decided that's the path I wanted to go. And that's where I ended up focusing my graduate work as well. Michael Hingson  08:14 From a standpoint of intellectual pursuits, I mean, that that's certainly understandable. But you've become very emotionally involved. So it goes far beyond just a career path or a learning path. What, what caused you to be I think, so emotionally steeped in doing this? You know what I'm saying? Tiffany Noelle Brown  08:38 Yes, so, I had the intellectual and I came to it from the perspective of for the most part being in the majority of what we typically research as categories. And then I've had experiences where I was in the minority, and that there were characteristics that actually created barriers for me and my loved ones around me. For example, I I was a foster parent and became an adoptive parent to a kiddo who is biracial. And I was already very sensitive to the issues around race and ethnicity and gender. And now I'm living it. I'm not only sensitive and aware as an academic, I'm living it and living not only from an abstract theoretical level of how to, to categorize and understand the experience of someone who is in a minority category in multiple categories that overlap. But I am living trying to help her navigate that. And I'll give you an example. When we went to the airport for the very first time with our kiddo, the person at security, taking our IDs and stuff, kept asking our kiddo who we were to her, he couldn't understand not intentionally, he wasn't intentionally trying to have the situation, because he was trying to protect a kiddo. But he kept asking her who we were to her. And she didn't understand the question. And after a couple, like multiple times of being asked that, I jumped in and said, he's wanting to know what you call us. And then she said, That's my mommy and daddy. And we even went so far as getting a military ID for her earlier than what kids of military folks tend to get them at. Just so we would have some kind of formal identification that demonstrated that she's connected to us. Michael Hingson  11:24 When you explain what he was asking, and she answered him, What was his reaction? Tiffany Noelle Brown  11:37 That's a really great question. I know that there was a pause. And then he was like, okay, and it seemed to me, like he may have been a little bit embarrassed, but was very professional about it. Um, and again, I appreciate anyone who's trying to protect kiddos from trafficking or anything like that. So I think that was the context with which he was asking that question. I was actually more concerned about the reaction my kiddo was having. I was watching her. And because she was really confused, and she was only five at the time. Michael Hingson  12:16 Well, how old is she now? Tiffany Noelle Brown  12:18 She's 12. Now, between Michael Hingson  12:24 the teenage years comeith soon. Tiffany Noelle Brown  12:26 Yeah. And my family and friends have frequently said that situations like that, instead of blowing up that I give someone a different perspective without trying to do it in a way that's embarrassing, or confrontational, I hope is helping to create space for perceiving situations in as as accommodating and understanding as possible. Michael Hingson  13:05 So you, you've become, by definition, very concerned and interested in the concept of inclusion. What's the difference between diversity and inclusion to you? Tiffany Noelle Brown  13:22 To me, measuring diversity is a scientific and theoretical construct of categories. And, and I often try to think about it in terms of with diversity, we're trying to measure and monitor areas where there's intentional and unintentional bias, or overt discrimination. And you have to create categories by which to do that, to be able to show who's not being treated fairly. And then the issue becomes that we start creating this cycle of by measuring it, it becomes more real, because it's an actual concept that's talked about and becomes a self perpetuating cycle of then you are categorizing people in and when your work is really trying to Uncategorized people if that makes sense, so that there is less unfair treatment or different treatment and inclusion to me, I tend to talk about my work in terms of inclusion, inclusion, for me as a strategy and a philosophy. So the philosophy being where we are intentional about trying to understand someone else's perspective, noticing who's being left doubt who's at the table and being silenced, who's not even thought of to be included in the first place? Whose voice is listened to the most? Those are the kinds of things that I tend to engage with. And then there are strategies of inclusions such as even smiling at someone when you see them acknowledging them. Michael Hingson  15:24 Yeah. I think is it's interesting. I don't know how this comment fits directly into the model that you described, but I think it does. I have experienced lots of discussions and participated in meetings about diversity over the years. And one of the things that I generally see is, no matter how much discussion we have about diversity, there is at most lip service paid to discussing the concept of diversity, including people with disabilities. And that is a serious problem. Because diversity, I think, is as I put it, been warped to the point where disabilities don't matter in the whole concept of diversity. I've been to console councils and conversations and meetings, talking about diversity and disability may be mentioned, like once or twice in the course of the day. Why is why is that?  Tiffany Noelle Brown  16:39 I don't know, as far as individuals and how they're interacting,I think. Michael Hingson  16:47 I'm thinking more as a group. Tiffany Noelle Brown  16:49 Yeah, I think society in general, which influences group behavior, is the conversations that tend to happen, and initially were researched are around race and ethnicity and gender. And that's most people's touches with the concept of diversity. I agree with you that there are a lot of other categories where people are left out and not treated in the same way. And I mean, I can give examples, sometimes it's because people assume that it's obvious if it's a disability that's visible. And I can give an you know, an example in my life, people are always really surprised when I tell them that I have a brain injury, which can be classified as a disability. So the broad range of what disability is, and for me, I even have tried doing initiatives trying to break the stereotype of the disc part of disability and shifting it to alternate abilities or, you know, different abilities rather than dis abilities. And that, that shift in and of itself is difficult. And I was lucky enough to, to be able to partner with a former board member of mine, who happens to have cerebral palsy, and people assume all the time that she can't think because she is in a wheelchair in a way that she's not as mobile, and she does have trouble verbally articulating. But that doesn't mean that she can't contribute. And that's one of the things, you know, just an example of trying to break through exactly that idea of how people think of what disability is how people think of what ability is, and diversity. Michael Hingson  19:05 And that's, I think the the crux of the issue. I have seriously disagreed with the concept of different ability or whatever, because the ability isn't different. Maybe the way we manifest it, or the way we cause it to be utilized is different than what most people are used to, for example, yes, person in a wheelchair, uses a wheelchair and doesn't walk. But as you point out ability is what ability is and so however it manifested if you start talking about it as different ability for example. It kind of covers up the real issue. So I'm all for changing the definition of disability and keeping it because I haven't come up with Something else, unless we come up with some whole new word we've morphed, we've totally warped and morphed diversity. And it doesn't tend to be an inclusive term anymore. And I think we need to make sure we don't allow that to happen with the term inclusion. But I think that disability is, is not as bad a thing, if we really say, oh, all that means is that somebody is is different than you. But it doesn't mean less, we can change that. That definition. In the in the educational system, for example, and in the professional world of blindness. Many people have adopted a terminology of your blind or your sight impaired or you're visually impaired or you're visually challenged. They're uncomfortable with blind. But I but I believe that the reality is blindness does not mean a total lack of loss of eyesight. Blindness is a, if you will term that represents anyone whose eyesight has diminished to the point where they have to use alternatives to using their full, normal, not normal, but their full eyesight to be able to accomplish things. And if you have to use alternatives and different tools, then you are using the techniques of what a person who is blind ought to use. And so we've got to get over this idea of blind being a bad term. It's the same concept with disability. Tiffany Noelle Brown  21:48 Yes, I appreciate that so much. And I appreciate you, you pushing back and, and having us really think through even different ability, right? That's not that that may not be the right terminology either. And, obviously, it's not perfect, but like you said, sometimes you want to use disability, and sometimes it doesn't make a fit. So I love that we have this podcast and the folks that are on it, and you out in the world really trying to figure out okay, well, you know, words matter. And going back to what you had asked me before, about why did groups use the categories that they use. And I think part of that has become a save your rear end kind of thing from a legal standpoint, and also checking boxes to demonstrate that, that they are paying attention to the categories that are being given to them. And that that can be harmful, as we've talked about, it can also be beneficial in that maybe there's not a focus on every group, but maybe by focusing on one group that they're focusing on it. My hope is that and I think their original idea would be that that would become part of the culture, that's part of the creation where then it it kind of expands out where more and more people and their their different talents and abilities and quirks and personalities all can create better things. I think the issue is, that was the ideal of what was intended initially by these frameworks. I think it's gotten stuck in that the the more holistic spreading of including more and more people hasn't happened, we've remained stuck in focusing on certain categories. Michael Hingson  24:20 Yeah, and we, we, we tend to like to put people in boxes, we'd like to put everything in boxes. Yes. And the problem is that when we start to do that, no matter who it is, we create limitations that ought not to be there. Yes, you're in a box because you're a woman, you're in a box, for whatever reason, and society has made decisions about you because of the fact that you're in that box. And yes, we are trying to break down the barriers. What I what I tend to see with disabilities is that, even though next to Well, it's hard to say that women are a minority since they're actually more women. But I bet you and I know what they mean in terms of included in power. But next next to women, disabilities as a collective, some is the next size minority down from that. The CDC says that 25% of all people have some sort of disability, and I'm sure that's now been affected by COVID. Oh, yeah. And we're going to start classifying people somewhere along the line, because of how they have been affected by COVID. And some have been very physically affected by COVID. And it is something that we need to deal with, we've got to figure out how to address this issue of stop putting people in so many boxes. Yeah. And recognize that we all have gifts, and we all ought to be able to use our gifts to their fullest extent. Yes. Tiffany Noelle Brown  26:17 Yes, I love that so much. And a couple of, you know, highlights out of what you said is, I actually recently wrote a column and did a Facebook Live, and then I have a different version of it, that I am more than happy to post that, that talks about the different categories that I know that people see me as and how, even as I read off those categories of checkboxes, how does someone perceive of me and create that mental picture of me, as I say those things, and then if I say something that like creates a disjuncture of, oh, that doesn't make sense. That we can start to see Oh, my goodness, like subtly, I didn't realize that I was that I was doing that. Right. And I think what you're talking about in terms of inclusion is exactly what I work on in terms of I see the need for categorization as we talked about the, it can also be very harmful. And for me, I'll go back to kind of what my motto in life is, which is the word ohana. And the word ohana. If anyone has seen Lilo and Stitch they've, they've heard this quote that Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Right? Well, that sounds like a great idea. But how in the world do we do that? In reality, and when you look at the actual intention of the Hawaiian, like, Hawaiian people's understanding of this term, Ohana. In my conversations with some friends that are from Hawaii, they talk about it in terms of community. So I started shifting this quote, to Ohana means community. And community means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Michael Hingson  28:27 Which is the way it should be. Tiffany Noelle Brown  28:30 And I find also that this might be an example that people have said, shifts their perspective on even the word family, in that I consider my family, not only my biological family, the family that I married into, but I also include my kiddos biological family. And there are reasons to have safety measures. In some cases, but that doesn't mean that they're left behind or forgotten. I continue to I have a personal email that I communicate so that I can tell what's safe or not. And I can pass on that information and be the go between. But then there's the safety factor. And there's the realistic of I don't want there the connection between biological family and my kiddo to be completely severed even though in the legal sensitives. Michael Hingson  29:41 And how is she dealing with all that? Tiffany Noelle Brown  29:45 That's shifted over time. Yeah, I'm, I'm much more of I'd rather keep the connection so that there's a relationship there. With the understanding that typically kids that are adopted at some point are curious about their biological family and want to learn about them, I'd rather create an environment where it's safe for my kiddo To learn more, but that there's actually more accurate information and that her biological family trusts my spouse and I, and understands that we are trying to keep that connection so that when, when our kin is old enough, she can make the decision, whether she feels that she could reach out, or even possibly do something in person. And some of that has happened over time. There are some family members that we have been able to engage with in person. And there are some that that we are trying to bring together, for example, there's a camp that we're trying to bring together. The family members that are similar in age to my kiddo together in an environment where all the adults are, like, shaping that, you know, aren't shaping that relationship development, if that makes sense, but it's done in a way that's safe, because there's camp counselors that are trained in trauma and have experienced and in helping develop and nurture those relationships in a camp environment. Michael Hingson  31:43 It's it's a process. I think you've you've verbalized it very well, it clearly is a process. And hopefully, she will appreciate the concept of ohana. And internal internalize it very well going forward when she is older. And of course, as she gets older and becomes more mature, then you're offering the opportunity to make that happen. Tiffany Noelle Brown  32:12 And I'd like to my goal is to, regardless of someone's situation, create environments where that can happen. So that connections are fostered in ways that are positive and don't cause harm to either side. Then I don't even like the idea of taking sides. Yeah, yeah, my own statement. I'm like, reflecting of like, there's not a side here, you know, I want to understand that people in her family have been through a lot of trauma to and have not had the opportunities that I've had, and have had significant barriers which have led to certain traumas, and that's deeply embedded. And I don't want to add another trauma onto that. That Michael Hingson  33:08 That makes sense. I mean, that that is certainly a lofty and ideal goal, and certainly one that makes a lot of sense to do. Sometimes it's hard to be Switzerland, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense to do that. Tiffany Noelle Brown  33:23 Yeah, especially with the dynamic of I am the one in power in this situation, to both sides, you know, and at the same time, as I'm trying to be as fair and open minded and inclusive. My number one priority is the health and safety of my kiddo. Michael Hingson  33:47 So tell me a little bit more about what you do professionally. What, you've graduated from college, you've got a doctorate? No, do you actually did you get an MD as well? Tiffany Noelle Brown  33:59 No, I don't have an MD and it's I love that you're asking that question because people frequently will, because I focus in medicine and people like I consider myself a medical sociologist, even though my current work isn't embedded in health care or well being or specific health stuff as it was when I was faculty at a med school. But people will constantly say you're a doctor, but you're not a doctor doctor. Michael Hingson  34:32 And don't show love it when they do that. Tiffany Noelle Brown  34:34 Yes. And I'm like, I'm a doctor, but I'm not a physician. And that's part of actually identity wise, why I tack the PhD at the end of my name and for a while I was you know, working within doc T PhD specifically because I didn't want there to be a confusion Jim, that I was an MD, even though I was doing a lot within, right? Medical School and hospitals and community health, those kinds of things. Michael Hingson  35:11 So no matter what it is, you got to be a doctor. So what else? So So what do you do now? professionally? Tiffany Noelle Brown  35:20 Yes, so my work has really evolved into doing facilitation related to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. And a lot of that, for me is in relation to not necessarily the policy end of things. But more in the application, the real application of creating more inclusive cultures, and making those institutionalized in policy and inhabit. And one of the things that I'm offering now is to other diversity, equity and inclusion professionals to provide them with support. And not only do I have this, the opportunity within my background to help support someone in that. And I used to be a director of continuous quality improvement, so I bring that aspect. But I'm also a holistic practitioner. So yes, not an MD, but I'm a holistic practitioner, I'm a Reiki Master, and engage in other holistic techniques as well. So I bridge medical, and holistic well being. And so for me, it's not only moving forward, the ideas of depth, depth, diversity, equity, and inclusion and belonging, in practice, but really supporting the people who are doing this work, because the work in and of itself is sometimes traumatizing, and it's exhausting and high burnout. And we, we want to move. I personally, and I believe you do, too, based on what you've said is, we want to move this movement forward, and we can't afford to lose people who are passionate about trying to move the needle for everyone. Michael Hingson  37:24 When you say holistic, tell me a little bit more about that. Yes. Tiffany Noelle Brown  37:29 So that also is I guess, a categorization trying to help people understand some people call it alternative medicine or health care. And again, the labels go with it. So I'm glad you're asking me. For me, it's, I take the social, all of what I know as a sociologist, and include practices of mind, body and spirit, recognizing that those individual processes and and ways of being are very much affected by the social construct, cut social context, by legislation, by societal culture, by organizational policy by one on one interactions. So all of that, is there kind of embedded together. And if you only do one piece, which I think is great that there are so many diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives and professionals and people just volunteering in this realm, that we want to provide the support for them to be able to do that in ways that are positive and not not so reactive. Where we're taking care of each other, including taking care of ourselves. Michael Hingson  39:03 How do you deal with someone you're introduced to or a new person who doesn't necessarily deal with diversity, equity, inclusion and so on? Well, how do you break through some of those barriers? Tiffany Noelle Brown  39:19 I absolutely love that question. Of course, that you can see probably a spark in me right now. And you hear hear the change in my tone of voice. I love love, love teaching intro to sociology with the exception of grading, because I think the grading and assignments are actually what prevent people in this realm of trying to see diverse perspectives and practicing doing that. That that gets in the way of that expansion. But part of what I loved is exactly that. People. You know, my students the majority of the I'm not interested in sociology hadn't heard of it kind of like when I first was introduced, I don't care about it, you know, checking a box to graduate. And I've always seen it and tried. And I still do this today of how can I help someone see things from a different perspective in a way that's non confrontational, and non judgmental, really trying to understand what's going on in their story that leads them to that belief. And with that, a lot of it is really, from in a business or organizational perspective, it's helping teach someone to facilitate a meeting, so that everyone's voice is heard, equitably. And that, even perspectives that you don't believe in, are treated without judgment, and finding ways to still add parts of each of those perspectives. And moving forward. In a, in an interactional perspective, I have developed, like, you know, a bunch of tools, one of which is where I just have a simple printout card, saying, you know, seven things you can do to include someone today. One is smile. One is wave one is, you know, just send someone a quick text, letting them know, you're thinking of them picking up the phone and colons and not for any purpose other than how are you doing what's going on with you, just that creating that connection. And when there's connection, there's, there's a better opportunity for people to be included. And I really work to have people think intentionally about easier ways to be inclusive ways that are more practical that you can add in right away. Yeah. Michael Hingson  42:17 I think we really is with most things, just need to make the effort and do it, whatever it is. And we, we tend to allow our perceptions of limitations be the thing that holds us back the most. Tiffany Noelle Brown  42:36 Yes, and, actually, I'm an example of that, that I hold myself back. And it's just literally been recently that I've been, okay, talking about the personal aspects of my life. That we're, I'm embedded in living in categorizations that are different from the norm, and really even trying to move even trying to move what we're doing to little kids. Yeah. And in the suicide prevention work that I've been a part of the sense of belonging has become a really big concept. And for me, this sense of belonging is is a critical piece. And for someone to have a sense of belonging, someone has to do some kind of action or some kind of connecting. where that person is in a situation to feel belong, like they belong. Michael Hingson  43:53 Yeah, it is a two way street, right? So it is true that people need to be more open to those who they don't necessarily understand or know. But the other side of it is those of us who are in the category of people who want to be known and understood, need to reach out and try to create an environment where people appreciate and understand and will help then create a welcoming environment. And that may be kind of a circular way of doing it. But the bottom line is we're all on this the same earth and need to learn to get along and work together. Yes. Yeah. And that's really the big thing. Tiffany Noelle Brown  44:44 I mean, even looking in our larger geopolitics, all of that sense of identity, sometimes our sense of identity and the US them. dynamic of how we tend to talk about others, creates them as an other and creates that separation. And that obviously, as we're seeing carried out in, in the world and our nation and our communities today, it's it can have, like catastrophic consequences. Michael Hingson  45:24 What do you do in your professional world? To help change that? Tiffany Noelle Brown  45:33 That's a, that's a really great question. I see a lot of what I see the majority of what I do is creating ripples. well beyond any interaction that I'm having of helping people develop the skill sets, and understanding of someone different from them seeking out intentionally seeking out perspectives and cultural activities that are different from them. And that may sound over simplistic. It's, if we're intentional about it, for example, that say, you see some some type of cultural event going on, maybe go to it, and talk with the folks that are attending of why that events, important to them. And culture being a very broad word. Of course, for me that meaning just some kind of difference, right? So seeking out difference, creating connection with people who are different, does start to create comfort with difference over time. I guess, maybe I have that belief. And maybe that's not a fair belief, and too simplistic. But growing up in such a diverse area, being in the DC area, I'm comfortable with difference. And I I intentionally seek out people who are different from me to be intentionally. An example, when I started the nonprofit on your own health, I intentionally put people on the board and invited them people to be on my board who I knew thought differently and had a different experience than I did. Because I wanted them to, to push me and challenged me just like we had a little bit earlier in the conversation about about the word different. And I'm comfortable with that. And sometimes I'm not comfortable with it. But I know it's important. And so I work through my own discomfort. And luckily, we've never had arguments on our board, we had very different perspectives on certain topics. But there was not this Animus. And I, I know, that's not as easy to do in some settings. And I, you know, in my own personal life, that's part of why San Francisco is my favorite place I've ever lived, because I didn't feel like I stood out, not in the sense of what I look like. But there's so much diversity in San Francisco on a whole bunch range of issues, that that's the most comfortable place, I've felt because I didn't feel challenged, I felt that my uniqueness was celebrated and welcomed, and welcomed. Absolutely. And then when I moved to, you know, back to a location that's in categorization, you know, very Caucasian majority of the people have higher education, degrees, and I felt really uncomfortable here again. And even if I fit into those categories, I didn't like that. Michael Hingson  49:43 Well, maybe God is just trying to help you expand your horizons and recognize that it's, it's not the worst thing in the world to be there either. Tiffany Noelle Brown  49:53 Absolutely. It's it's not and I know that I'm here for a reason. And if that reason is, by interacting with me that it helps someone see a different point of view than that's important. And I also feel that is that, especially for people who are in majority categories, or you know, aren't having the same barriers, it's really critical for people in those categories, and people who are in power, especially and have resources in those categories, to, to be able to say, it's important and valuable to support and lift up and include perspectives, and people who are different from us. Michael Hingson  51:04 I think you've given us lots to think about. And I hope that people will go away from this, thinking a little bit different about inclusion than maybe they haven't certainly different about diversity. But I hope that people will take away some things to truly think about and intellectualize in their own lives about how maybe they can start to deal with people who are different than they. And you have, you've certainly worked to help create what we call here the concept of the unstoppable mindset where people believe they can move forward, not only people who are different, but people who may be more in line with what the so called normal person is, recognizing that in reality, we're all more unstoppable if we work together. Tiffany Noelle Brown  52:02 Absolutely. If thank you so much, Michael Hingson  52:05 well, if people want to reach out to you, and learn more about what you do or contact you, for whatever reason, how will they do that? Tiffany Noelle Brown  52:15 The quickest way would be through LinkedIn. And it's the LinkedIn/IN/docT. And if you want to schedule a consultation, and talk about the situation that you're in, and how I might be able to add value to that. That would be through the proximity platform in its prox.io/docT. Michael Hingson  52:47 Do you have any courses or books or other things that people can read? Tiffany Noelle Brown  52:54 Yes, I have some manuals that I've created, I have some tools that you can use right away. And I have a series of workshops that I've created. One specific workshop that I'm in the second phase of, of utilizing is one called repurposing your purpose. And that could be for folks that are getting burned out in their purpose. It could be for folks just starting up initiatives. And, of course, I focus on helping people be able to enact and really ignite the purpose that they are here for to make the world a better place for all. And how Michael Hingson  53:52 do people get access to that? Is that through the prox.io? site? Or? Tiffany Noelle Brown  53:56 Yes, yes, yes, through prox.io. And again, if you want to chat with me or get some of the other downloadable resources, just reach out to me on LinkedIn. Michael Hingson  54:09 Cool. And again, it's prox.io/docT. Yeah. Okay. Well, Tiffany, it has been wonderful to have you here and I've got lots to go think about. You know, every time I do a podcast, I learned things that I get to use in future podcasts and I don't even necessarily know what they are but they come up is as we go forward. So I really enjoy what you have brought to us today. And I hope that everyone has has enjoyed this as much as I have. And we really appreciate you coming on and hopefully we'll do this again. Tiffany Noelle Brown  54:48 Awesome. I so appreciate it. Thank you all for for listening and you know, for Michael, both you and any of your listeners I would love to get your are, you know your thoughts and keep moving my own thinking forward. And you know, this is this is bright. So I would love to connect. Michael Hingson  55:09 Let's do it would love to. And definitely I want to stay in touch. So let us by all means do that. And again to all of you who are out there listening, thanks for doing so please give us a five star rating wherever you are listening to podcasts. And if you would like to comment on this podcast and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to reach out to me you can email me at Michaelhi@accessiBe.com that's Michaelhi M I C H A E L H I at accessibe A C C E S S I B E.com. And you can also go to our website where we have all the podcast information. It's Michaelhingson.com M I C H A E L H I N G S O N.com/podcast. So again, Tiffany and well Brown, thanks for being here. And thank you all for coming and listening to us today. Tiffany Noelle Brown  56:10 Thank you so much. Have a great day. Michael Hingson  56:15 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

In today's episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Forrest Valkai!First up is Christian from the UK who has a hypothetical argument for the existence of a God or a divine being.Next up is John from India, who has found a connection between Anti-Natalism and Anthropodicy and has concluded that the only justification for having children in this imperfect universe is universal salvation.Next is John from TX claims to have scientific, historical, and testimonial evidence for God. When the hosts push for the scientific evidence, the caller continually wants to return to their personal testimony instead.Declan from Australia is calling to ask why atheists don't believe in the Christian God when he's made the caller's life, and apparently everybody's life, better?Alex from CA is a deist who believes that a non-interactive intelligent creator-God can be demonstrated through perceived coincidences? Wouldn't coincidental creation imply that things weren't intelligently designed?Mr. Warlight from AK says Matt is a Gothic Preacher. What & Why?Our final call is Andrew from ME believes the supernatural is a requirement for the first two laws of thermodynamics to be true.

We are back! It has been a considerably long gap between episodes, July 2021 to May 2022. During this time the Podcast was placed on the back burner priority list due to other areas I was focusing on; however, in recent days a new direction has been developing and the podcast will be a key area of it. Discussing Conviction, its importance and how to develop it. As always, focusing on keeping the podcast deliberate and concise, I focus on giving you the What Why and How of this topic. Develop conviction:- Spend time determining what you stand for and what you would die for. - Become intentional about determining the lines you are and are not willing to cross for very reasons. - Practice making decisions daily in the arbitrary, from selecting coffee to holding our boundaries with those closest to us. As always if you like what we are doing, like, comment, subscribe and share.Website: https://www.heroesveritas.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heroesveritasEmail: info@heroesveritas.com

In this episode, Carly interviews the one and only Danny Cole – in person! Danny is the mastermind and artist behind Creature World, a first of its kind NFT project that is pushing the boundaries of NFTs artistically and creatively. Creature World captured the attention of big names in the NFT space from day one: from GaryVee, to Kevin Rose, to, even, Shaquille O'Neal. And at 22 years old, Danny's not close to done. What were some of the transformative experiences that shaped him into the artist he is today? From getting his start in high school – where he managed to get himself a job art directing at Coachella – to the biggest lessons he's learned so far in life, this 2 hour conversation covers it all! Enjoy :). ------ SUBSCRIBE TO OVERPRICED JPEGs on YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgwYifaFPX3_FJe7MMWfmAg

In this episode, AAPT President, Rob Tillman, talks about leadership and diversity in physical therapy. Today, Rob talks about being a leader, effective delegating, and the problem of bad advice by industry leaders. How Does Rob balance his life? Hear about Rob's journey to where he is today, advocating for diversity, and the shortfalls of the industry, all on today's episode of The Healthy, Wealthy & Smart Podcast.   Key Takeaways “You can't get anybody stronger by giving them opioids. You can't correct biomechanics by having somebody on muscle relaxers.” “Change doesn't happen overnight. Attitudes can happen overnight. Mindsets take a little bit longer to change.” “Competency burns down barriers.” “The key thing in business is to manage as many variables as you possibly can.” “Not only do we not have diversity when we're looking at the body types we have to work with, we're not having systemic diversity at all in medicine.” “You can treat everybody fair, but it's impossible to treat everybody the same.” “The outcome is when you get them back to doing what they want to do in their lives.” “The best leader shows people how to do it.” “There's a difference between believing in something and living something.”   More about Rob Tillman Rob Tillman is the president of Ortho Rehab & Specialty Centers. In 1986, he received his degree in physical therapy from the University of Missouri. Rob immediately saw the need to attain a level of clinical competence that would allow him to effectively address the complex needs of his patient population. With this in mind, he enrolled in a post graduate residency training program with the Sorlandets Institute which later became known as the Ola Grimsby Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy and American Academy of Physical Therapy. Rob attained the highest level of clinical certification available in the field of orthopedic rehabilitation. Since then, he has received international recognition for his research on the lumbo pelvic system and has written benchmark works on the thoracic and cervical regions, as well. Rob has presented at several national and international conferences on a wide range of healthcare-related topics. He is also a recognized authority in the arena of sports medicine, having been credited with the rehabilitation design and training programs for many professional athletes and organizations including professional baseball, a Superbowl MVP quarterback, an NBA championship-winning power forward and a four-time golf world long drive champion.   Suggested Keywords Healthy, Wealthy, Smart, Healthcare, Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, AAPT, APTA, Priorities, Education, Diversity, Leadership, Advocacy,   To learn more, follow Rob at: Call the office: 501-975-4040 Website:          https://www.pt-orthorehab.com AAPT:             https://www.aaptnet.org LinkedIn:         Rob Tillman Facebook:       Rob Tillman   Subscribe to Healthy, Wealthy & Smart: Website:                      https://podcast.healthywealthysmart.com Apple Podcasts:          https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healthy-wealthy-smart/id532717264 Spotify:                        https://open.spotify.com/show/6ELmKwE4mSZXBB8TiQvp73 SoundCloud:               https://soundcloud.com/healthywealthysmart Stitcher:                       https://www.stitcher.com/show/healthy-wealthy-smart iHeart Radio:               https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-healthy-wealthy-smart-27628927   Read the Full Transcript Here:  00:00 Hello, this is Jenna cantor. I am here with the ROB Tillman who is currently the president of a PT and also is in charge of the ortho rehab and specialty centers. He is just a top physical therapist in the profession. We got I had the major pleasure of meeting him in person for the first time at the APTA 100 years Gala. Was it 100 years? It was, yeah, yeah, we were all dressed up, I got to freak him out with my excited energy, because I was so excited to be meeting you, Rob. And I, by luck convinced you to come on this fun ride and do this interview with me on healthy, wealthy and smart. Thank you so much for agreeing to come on. My pleasure. It same. It absolutely is just wonderful. So um, I would love to just start with if people could learn more about how you got to these leadership positions, start from wherever you feel comfortable. But I would love to hear how you got to now. I mean, you're heading these things. Of course, I mean, so many things. So please share.   01:10 Well, to be honest with you, I I didn't really seek to be president or leader of anything. I just really wanted to I went to physical therapy school and I wanted to do sports medicine. So I learned that while I was trying to do sports medicine and orthopedics most patients have that come to an outpatient physical therapy clinic have neck or back pain. So I decided to go ahead and learn something about how to deal with neck and back pain. So I did a residency with a group called Restore Landis Institute, which is now the older Grimsby Institute for four years and did a residency and passed by competencies and became what's called a level two manual therapist by the Norwegian standards. And I think it's still the highest level of competency, internationally recognized in orthopedic manual therapy, started teaching courses, and orthopedic manual therapy after I gained my level of competency and start working with the group was held South back then it was the world's largest healthcare Corporation geographically. And I started troubleshooting clinical operations, and learned how to do the administrative things. And then next thing you know, I'm a vice president. And then I'm a senior vice president, and then they have their accounting scandal. And then, so I started my own company about 18 years ago. And all the while while I'm doing my, my, my core competencies and working, you know, to make a living and moving up in the in the company I was with. I'm at a group called the American Academy of physical therapy that was established about 30 years ago. And   02:54 it was in 1989. Yeah,   02:57 it was it was a black folks that had concerns about access to physical therapy, school and quality care in the black community. And I learned about them through who is now my best friend, Leon Anderson, the third, his dad, Leon Anderson, Jr. is the founding president of the American Academy of physical therapy. And I just really started teaching what I had learned to the group and expose them to the specialty of manual therapy, and I just kind of hung around and enjoyed myself with them because that's the first time I really experienced unconditional love, professionally, in physical therapy, because they just made me feel welcome. A lady who's deceased now named Diane Ellsbury. I call her my PT mom. She'd says, Hey, Rob, baby, how you doing? And just hug me and just what do you need anything? Are you taking care of yourself? You're not working too hard. Are you just like an auntie type thing. And then I became more involved in the operations and joined a committee called the innovative services committee. And innovative services was that's exactly what it does. It does cool and innovative things like create programs, we established a navigation program for mentorship for for our young folks coming through an advocacy wing that was concerned about practice acts and access to care and licensure issues and things like that. In the process, I somehow got appointed to the Arkansas State Board of physical therapy. So that's how I ended up wearing these hats. And while I'm on the board and Arkansas State Board of physical therapy beginning about 1617 years ago, I'm currently still on the board. And it's it's rewarding. It's rewarding. It's a lot of work, but it's rewarding, and I'd rather be at the table than not be at the table for a lot of the things that are going on because our profession continues to evolve. The physical therapy profession continues to evolve. And as an E involves then we have to be able to apply the clinical concepts that we are. In general learning in physical therapy school. State practice acts can hinder your ability to perform the things that you've learned if you're not careful. So we really have to make sure that all of the practice extra current and access to physical therapy is available because we are the most green profession. In healthcare. It's all hands on care and exercise. You can't get anybody stronger by giving them opioids. Okay, you can't correct biomechanics by, you know, having somebody on muscle relaxers, you know, it's kind of hard to strengthen somebody while on muscle relaxers also, by the way, but as we're looking at all these things that I'm doing at the same time, it's just when people ask me to do something, I don't want to be the person that's complaining about things not being done appropriately. I want to be the person that's kind of like a catalyst, or at least an advocate or participant in moving things forward and making things better. And sometimes you don't get paid for. Okay, but but, but that's why I love the Academy because it's the service academy. It's, you know, it's a place to come and serve and love the people that you're with and be loved, have a positive attitude and move some things forward.   06:21 I think sometimes people get caught up into looking at the AAPT or the APTA as something that needs to serve them. The APTA is also a giant service group. If we look at it appropriately, and as we come together, and share concepts and ideas, the current leadership of the APTA has done a lot better on sitting down and really trying hard to understand the challenges of the black community, just so my my hat's off to past president, Sharon Dunn, and also the current president, Roger Ver, and, and Justin Moore, the CEO, and Carmen Elliott, who's vice president over Dei, I think that they're really putting their best foot forward on working towards things. I think that we all have to be patient, and monitoring the progress as we do blend initiatives and work together on things. Because change doesn't happen overnight. attitudes can happen overnight, mindsets take a little bit longer to change as far as our train of thought. But behavior patterns take a lot longer than that, and coordinating behavior with other groups and other people take even longer. So I've learned to be a bit more patients in my practice, and my working with folks. And I've also learned that not everybody that doesn't understand the EI or the hardships that other groups are having. They're not all necessarily opposed to other folks doing well, or what somebody would call a racist or something like that. They just don't get it. And sometimes people want to get it. And those are the ones that we have to engage in conversation with and share ideas and have our thick skin on, to work together on things and not be so easily offended because we've all got pasts. I try not to be so easily offended and angered by things. But also, I have still pretty good intolerance of people that are in denial about other people's hardships. That's a little bit tough to be in full denial about other people's hardships. And there's current legislation that's going through several states that actually don't want America to tell America's full story. Because some people aren't comfortable with hearing about America's past and some of the impressive things that have taken place in this nation. But while we're deleting some truths that need to be spoken about America's past, we're deleting the chance for especially when in this case, black people to tell our kids and society in general, the challenges that we've had, and the reality of how we got to where we are and what we need to do collectively about. So that's another thing that's happening in today's society, but I do believe in general things are moving forward. As far as being president of the Academy, I never wanted to be president of the Academy. I wanted to be the guy that shared the cool clinical stuff. And just got to hang out with people that were just loving folks. I became chair of the innovative service committee. When BV Clemens retired, one of our founding presidents. He was later President second president of the Academy. And when he retired and took a step back, I took over the innovative services committee. And then I was asked to run for the director position, which the innovative services committee reported reports through the director director's position. It's now under the director, our current director, Renee crater Dr. Crater, great lady. Man few years ago, they asked me if I would consider being president of the Academy. Are you sure you want to do that? But my skill set on big A former officer in a large company and my background and all the things that I've been working on and still doing, including being on boards and things like that fit the skill set that was needed for the president at that time. And again, I'm humbled and honored to serve as the president of the Academy. I've done it for the last three and a half years, I can't wait to get the next crew of people trained up and ready to take over as we're pushing forward on things. But right now, it still currently fits my skill set and and and I hope that the academy is satisfied with my leadership and innovation and my quirky ways of dealing with things but it certainly has been my pleasure still serve as president of the Academy.   10:46 I'm so everything you shared, i Nobody sees me. But I have this very excited smile, listening and everything. And I love hearing things. In your own words, you are a very, very humble individual and the amount of service you have provided to the physical therapy profession at large. Thank you.   11:06 So it's my pleasure. It's my pleasure. It really is. It doesn't even seem like work.   11:12 Right? And and that shows anyone who works with you, like I've known you for a blink of an eye. I mean, it's been, gosh, half a year now. Yeah. But like it from for you are so kind you know how to like enter a room, whether it's on email, or text or whatever, in the friendliest way. You are. So I find you to be so approachable. And very, as a leader, it's still no denying what your position is. I just really think you are really, you said, I love what you bring to the table. Love it, just enjoy very much. Yeah, from the from the amount of time I've known you. How do you handle things with being what doing what you're doing? And I've never asked you this before. And that life balance, you know, people talk about work life balance. How do you do that? From what I've seen, you have specific times, you're like, I am not replying back, which is great. Could you talk about that a little bit more where you kind of set boundaries and stuff. So that way, you're able to handle everything and not overwhelm yourself.   12:20 Sometimes I My wife's a surgeon, she's a breast cancer surgeon, the Chief Chief of breast cancer at the University Hospital here. She's comfortable multitasking and doing a bunch of stuff. I really want to make sure I'm a perfectionist and whatever I put my hands on. So if my attention is split, if my attention is split, I know that I'm not going to do the thing that I'm working on, as well as I could. So I do one thing at a time. I do one thing at a time. When I'm in clinical notes. Sometimes I can reply to a text sometimes I can't. But I want to make sure when I fix a problem, that problem that has my undivided attention, my total undivided attention and I'm giving it my best that I possibly can. As I'm trying to resolve the issues that I have in front of me. I love that I feel   13:15 like it's a very attainable way to approach life rather than just going just one thing at a time. Do that. Good. All right. I love that. I've actually even been doing that this week. Not even purposely because you said but now I'm going to be like Rob said this I'm inspired. I've been doing that this week where I I had it upon me to finish up the project we're working on together and I was like nope, let's hone in and now like it's at a really good spot you know now and then I moved on to it. I've already moved on to other things because again,   13:47 that's it's because even in relationships if I know I'm doing the best I can with that relationship even if it goes awry. At least I know for sure I did the best I could with it. Oh I love that. I love that so much that way you don't have any regrets. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it   14:03 makes me think of what that tattoo that that tattoo where it says no regrets but regrets is spelled in properly regards because I love that I kind of want I'm not into tattoos but if I got one it'd be either Disney or that. I love that so much. So now as when you are a leader of a as a leader of a PT how is that different from being a leader at a clinic? Like a clinic owner? How is that different?   14:38 I'll say it's the same it's just the objectives are different. Objectives are different. Okay. Now when when you're dealing with a clinical situation it to me if you're doing it the right way you're focused on your outcomes. Yeah. I'm not in a silo to where you know the orthopedic surgeons are upstairs and they own my my practice you They're gonna send me patients regardless of company, you know, so we're outcome oriented. And we get the things that are a little bit tougher than the guys that have the automatic referral that own their own PT practice. I've learned that competency, burns down barriers. You know, people don't care if your margin, if you know what you're doing and they got back pain, they're going to come and see you. That's true, that's true. But key thing in the key thing in business is to manage as many variables as you possibly can. Because they're variables that you can't manage. So being timely looking professional, okay, incompetent, having the tools that you need to get people better. I mean, how many PTSD see that, that work for a group that owns the practice that doesn't even have the tools to get the outcomes that they need, and they're working with the only resistive equipment they have is exercise to me. You know, you have to have what you need. And I'm our chief proponent of physical therapists independent practice, but I'm also a huge proponent of us owning our own businesses. And not working for groups that own you.   16:14 Yeah, we do. Uh, you know, I really see and feel what you're saying there, I have my own practice. And there's a lot to be said, because we all shine in a different way. We're all doing evidence based, but when we're able to come through as a as the autonomous decision maker that we've been trained to be, we can really help those patients, we can be a best service. I truly do believe that.   16:40 Yeah, I think so. But, you know, by the same token, we have to go the next step, and do what's defined by the way that the APTA is going, and the different academies and specialization. Oh, yeah, I've heard somebody give the worst advice at a three state meeting once and I'm not going to get the states because it might tip it off, it will. But this guy stood up and said, to the students, when you graduate, don't worry about training anymore. You already know enough, you know, you know, everything you need to know, to really make it. And I sit there. And then I asked the question, I said, Well, I think that the APTA is going towards specialization. So how does this fit in with that, but I know darn good. And well, after serving a four year residency in orthopedic manual therapy, that I'm a far better and more competent clinician. Also, you know, even being a co author and co author in some textbooks and defending my my thesis internationally at the First and Second World Congress on low back pain. It helped me to learn more, always active clinician, because I've learned more. And I have a more diverse patient population, because I'm a specialist in orthopedic manual therapy that's paid his dues. And and I believe we get superior outcomes when you go through residency training. Of any comment. Yeah, of any kind. So that was the absolute worst advice I've ever heard anybody give some young kids right out of school.   18:10 I think there's been a lot of advice out there that can be off, but I definitely think that's really, it's off. I'm thinking you got me thinking of I grew up as a ballerina. And ballet is impossible to perfect, however, that every ballerina is trying to perfect it what we're doing with our lines or bodies, you know, it's definitely out of the anatomical positions. And when you first start out like that, you learn all the dance steps, you learn all that, does that mean? I'm done? No. I'm always taking class, I'm always working to get better. And I learned so much from my life as a ballerina, I was pretty intensively in it at one point for a good portion of my life. And I learned the importance of always learning, always practicing and having to be passionate about it. Because if I wasn't passionate about it, I wouldn't be showing up and putting in my best. So having that background and then going into physical therapy as my new profession. Definitely was in line the idea of, of course, I'm always going to be learning Absolutely. What Why would that would make me the worst person to work with if I was start in one year of Tottenham?   19:22 No, I'm haunted by what he said. But it motivated me to teach something different to people in that. Yeah. With me, because I hear somebody saying something in full. He said it in full sincerity. He really didn't think anybody need to learn anymore. Yeah, but that's terrible. So let me go and teach people why they need to learn more. Yeah. Because especially when you're minority or a woman, you had better have it together. If you're out there on your own, you have better have a superior product because you're not in that good old boy network. Well, you're an outsider, also, if you better do it better.   19:56 Yeah, it's yes. And also If we're going off that you're going off with the research at the time that you learned it, we did not do diverse bodies, we do not have diverse bodies in research, we are massively lacking that, you know. So we need to be open and ready and seeking and creating more of that information to learn from to better serve.   20:20 I'm glad you're saying that because not only do we not have diversity, when we're looking at the body types that we have to work with, we're not having systemic diversity at all in medicine, because different people, the guy named D'Amato wrote a book a long time ago called Eat right for your blood type. And he talked about how different types of blood types have different types of foods that they can metabolize, and using their systems and have it not function in a fashion that's detrimental to the person. And lo and behold, different people can eat different things and perform differently. I'm gonna type O blood time, I need dense protein. Some people that are more of a type A blood type may not need as much dense protein, they may be able to make it by carb loading and eating pastas and things like that. If I eat a bunch of pasta before I go into an athletic endeavor, I'm going to suffer versus somebody else may be able to metabolize that and move forward with it. So everybody's different. And I think we're just now getting to the point to where we're paying respect to the difference in the different physiologic physiologies that different people have. And it just so happens that certain physiologies are grouped together in different ethnicities. Yeah, and because of because of that, because of that, then we have we have an evolving ability to specialize care to specific individuals. Yes. When When, when it's all mainly designed for just one certain group, or one certain physiology. Mm hmm. Body Type one certain athletic performance level?   21:59 Yeah, no different different, different, different, different levels of stress and anxiety, depending on what your background is. The stress and anxiety, someone gets the food, the blood type, that all affects healing. Yes. And it can definitely take away from the exercises they're doing.   22:18 Or give you a specific example of that, I'll give you some with COVID. With COVID. They're finding the people that get most sick from COVID have low vitamin D levels. Okay? Now, black people can't synthesize vitamin D, vitamin D is actually more of a hormone than it is a vitamin. Okay. And when you're exposed to sunlight, your body synthesizes its own vitamin D, which is a vital hormone for the basic function of your system, in your in your body. Okay? Well, black people can't synthesize as well, because we have more melanin in our skin. And the melanin reflects the sunlight. And so we have to have an increased exposure to sunlight to have the appropriate vitamin D level. Well, everybody was told to stay home for first three or four months during COVID. And lo and behold, black folks died at a higher rate than everybody else did. Okay, sky like, wet, your black folks have a more problem with high blood pressure, isn't it, and we eat the same thing that everybody else eats. But just so happens that affects us differently. And it may be because certain ethnic groups can't metabolize that metabolize the same foods the same way that other folks can. And so I think as we look at those things, and be more specific with it, we can teach through the whys. We're talking about, you know, masking up and what to do to not get COVID. But we're not telling people in specific you need to have this number of these nutrition nutrients every day. Okay, to where your system is more healthy. And your hydration level needs to be exactly this. I think that we could have done a far better job and still can have telling people what they need to have in their systems to be healthy.   24:07 And on that note, we'll take a quick break to hear from our sponsor and be right back. When it comes to boosting your clinics, online visibility, reputation and increasing referrals, net Health's Digital Marketing Solutions has the tools you need to beat the competition. They know you want your clinic to get found get chosen and definitely get those five star reviews on Google. Net Health is a fun new offer if you sign up and complete a marketing audit to learn how digital marketing solutions can help your clinic when they will buy lunch for your office. If you're already using Net Health private practice EMR, be sure to ask about its new integration. Head over to net health.com forward slash li tz y to sign up for your complimentary marketing audit.   24:50 I agree. I absolutely agree. And for me, I I haven't even gone into the nutrition stuff in massive detail with my patients and now you're opening up another door I've actually been getting into cognitive behavioral therapy, right now learning about that not to become a therapist, not at all. But to better compliment how I communicate with people who could do well with it or watch out for trigger words, all that kind of sensitivities. Because the individuals I find my patients really do open up to me a lot. They have been through or going through some of the most jaw dropping things in their lives. And yes, that affects their healing. So I need to make sure I'm not triggering them. By my, the way I speak, if anything, complimenting a journey of healing, as we are working towards a healthier, healthier movement, decrease pain in their life. So yeah, yeah, I definitely get it from from where I've been with the anxiety stuff. Yeah,   25:51 you're dealing with people in their complexity. Journey, people that deal with people in the same with patient care. Now, let's go back to them. You know, zoom out zoom. And you've heard me say that, Oh,   26:01 I love that. Yeah.   26:02 So the deal is, okay, let the we've zoomed in so tightly, let's zoom out so that we can see everything again. And now let's zoom back in. Because, you know, you can teach a kid how to hit a baseball, and he can hit every type of baseball pitch at every speed. But what if he gets hit in the ribcage? Oh, you don't want to get hit the ribcage again? Right? So is that going to alter his ability to perform? Well, if he's so afraid of getting hitting and hurting, then it may be in the back of his mind that he's gonna have problems. So you know, it can alter his performance. So yeah, but the mental aspect of performance of any time. You know, my daughter suffers from anxiety disorder. And and it's hard. But we have to work through it. Because, you know, let's let's be sympathetic to us. But we need to be more patient with some folks and see what we can do to integrate them into a functional position in society. You can treat everybody fair. But it's impossible to treat everybody the same. Ah,   27:06 amen. Amen. All right, I'm going to switch completely into another because it just popped into my head. And I was like, oh, I want to ask regarding leadership. I was talking with another business owner, she's actually new to owning her own private practice. And, and then there's another person who's much more seasoned with his pride, like, yeah. And he said, I'm working on delegating more. And further, and I cringe, because we like to really Oh, that is that's it? How could you talk about your journey with delegation, because as you get, you know, the more of the leader, the higher leadership position, you do have to delegate more. How do you do you know, like,   27:51 Well, yeah, yeah, but here's what needs to happen is you've defined your clinical product, okay? You have to replicate that product, either you have to do it or somebody has to be able to produce the same clinical product that you produce. And it just so happens with mine. It's it's specific care in orthopedics with a high level of differential assessment of Neurophysiology histology and Arthur kinematics, and the appropriate prescription of hands on care and exercise from that. So if somebody comes to work for me, especially in the main office, they're not going to have their own patient load for six months. Until they go through the readings. And they they learn the basic clinical practice for dealing with an upper cervical problem, a lower cervical problem, ribcage issue. Problem with a hyper lordotic spine, a problem with a hyper mobile spine, problem with pelvic issue, be it internally, as far as pelvic floor issues, or biomechanically, when the sacred tubers and sick response ligaments are a little bit loose, and they can't withstand the normal loading. But they should be able to, they have to be able to do all those differentials in there to be a predictable application based upon that assessment and diagnosis, to where we're replicating the outcomes that we need to replicate with patients that present with those pathologies. And that takes time. So now let's go back to the guy that says that the students don't need to learn anymore. Well, they're going to get their lunch eat. All right. There are guys out there that then and ladies that have been doing this forever, that have the highest level of competencies, that'll run them out of business. If the playing field is indeed level, and there's access to the same level of referrals, and getting a good outcome doesn't mean that a person comes and says, Well, I hurt when I'm riding a bike for a long period of time. Well, why don't you take a walking instead? Now that's not an outcome. The outcome is when you get them back to doing what they want to do in their lives. Yes, that's it not modifying their life but getting them back to doing what they want to do so that they can maintain the quality of life that they desire, not telling them that well, if it hurts to bend forward, quit bending forward. No, that's not. That's not an outcome. Right? Right. modification.   30:09 Yeah, yeah. And it's so interesting you say that, because always learning, I have my practice where I'm 100% virtual. And that happened from the pandemic, I was not expecting that, and my performers love it for access everything. And it got me very into, you know, I'm not going to go into the details of what I do. But regarding outcome measures, I literally, that's what we very intensely focus on what they ultimately want to do not just like, oh, I have no shoulder pain, you know, they want to know if they can do this arm movement. And when they dance, you know, every time can they do that without having to worry about it. And then we get them there. And that is why I have a massive increase in satisfaction, because we are fully getting them to that to that their specific goals. I love them for   31:01 that. I'm very, very slow to accept praise for anything that I might do. Because the patient's the one that's got to do most of the work at the end. In the very end, and you're really is only as good as your last patient. You're only as good as your outcomes. Say that you are, yeah, doesn't matter how much you walk around talking about how great you are and how smart you are, if the patient didn't get better than you fail?   31:23 Well, because it's not about us. It's not about us,   31:26 it's about them, it's about getting them better, you know, and that is the most rewarding thing. You know, like, it's, it's,   31:35 I've built my company, we've got five facilities now. But it's one patient at a time, one outcome at a time. And most of the patients that we get come by word of mouth. Nice. Yeah. So you just get after it and handle your business and maintain and be a good steward of the opportunities that come to you. And take care of people the way that you'd want to be taking care of yourself. But back to the point of leadership. Yes. Your best, the best leader shows people how to do it, instead of trying to do   32:05 Yeah, and that's a skill. That is a skill. Oh, well,   32:11 the funny thing about it is I've always gone to church, and I've you know, I've always gone to church, and different people have different ideas of spirituality and religion. But there's a difference between believing in something. And living something. Yeah. Okay. There's a big difference in believing something and living something. And I go to church now, the preachers, my brother in law, and I was kind of skeptical because my sister in law married this guy, and he's preaching, I was like, you know, just because you got to church doesn't mean I'm gonna be hanging out at church on time. That's such a good guy. He's such a good guy, and he lives it. So now I went from saying that to actually being a part of the service every Sunday and doing devotion at the start of service. So you know, if somebody sees you living something sincerely, and not saying one thing, and then doing another and behaving in a way that's totally outside of what's your professing in a crowd, and I think that's a lot. That's, that's what a lot of people away from spiritual base. Community, is, people are observing what people are saying. And then they're observing that person's application of what they're saying. And seeing if it adds up. And a lot of times that, yeah, you know, a lot of times does, yeah, and I think that's led to a whole lot of skepticism and a lot of our religious organizations. Yeah,   33:35 yeah. Actions do speak louder than words they do. It's just like, exercises,   33:41 exercises. Think about it. Think about it, you know, you know, the only Torah or Qur'an or Bible that people see in public are the behaviors of those people that profess those religions a lot of times, hmm. So, you know, are we living testimony to the Torah, or the Quran or the Bible? Are we are we living testimony to because if we were as diverse as we are with religious beliefs, if it's obvious that we're living, right, you know, everybody, I think would get along a whole whole lot better if the Pharisees were zeroed out. Yeah,   34:19 yeah. But that's where that's where you you jump in for this leadership and for all this volunteer work, because you want to start being the change you want to see in the world and be rather than just being an outsider. Like, let's take action for this change, which I so appreciate that about you.   34:35 Well, I just I'm slow to accept it. But if I do, I'm all in. Yeah, yeah. If I do, I'm all in. Yeah. It's It's It's humbling to be asked to serve in a leadership role of any form of any form, to be called upon to serve because that means somebody thinks enough of you to ask you to think about doing something and being an agent of change or or a vessel of service. Yeah, and that's what I always think about my wife gets a lot of a lot of requests to serve as well. And so we're very understanding of one another's roles. When we're asked to do things that might eat away from our our family time.   35:16 Yeah. Yeah. Kind of hard. Yeah,   35:19 it's rewarding. It's rewarding. I love that.   35:23 Thank you so much for coming on. I know this can inspire so many people. Just when you speak if you ever are at an event and you see Do not be afraid to approach Him, He is the nicest human. Like, go say hi. Ask questions, everything like you're like, Oh, God, no, I'm gonna get   35:42 this better than others.   35:44 Well, yes, you are still human. Of course, of course. But you're very good at communicating that you're like, Hey, you said that with me. You're like, now's not the time. Let's connect another so we did, which was incredible. So yeah, it definitely just a great leader to know to learn from and just, you're just good people. So just thank you for being you.   36:05 Thank you. Thank you for having me. Yes. Turned out to be the way that you wanted it to be this time.   36:09 Oh, my gosh, this is all every time. I feel lucky.   36:13 We'll do it again, if we need to. Oh, my God, I   36:15 would love to. And then, um, how if people want to reach out and connect with you? What is the best way if somebody wants to reach uncle? Oh, I want to I want to ask them a question.   36:25 Well, they can call the main office here in Little Rock 501-975-4040 Or you can look us up on our website at ortho rehab comm and leave a message there, somebody will check it.   36:41 Wonderful.   36:42 Thank you so much. And also don't forget about the American Academy of physical therapy. If people are curious about that. It's a wonderful service based organization designed to deal with healthcare disparities in the face of black community, but we're trying to help everybody, but our leg laser focus for us is to work with the black community and then try to help everybody else as we can.   37:03 I love it. Thank you.

How great leaders inspire us with their WHY.Why we make decisions from feelings.What WHY will get you out of burnout?I share my WHY for the work I do.Simon Sinek https://bit.ly/3tlM7zO.Viktor Frankl https://amzn.to/3C2L4Zt.

What would you do if you learned that you were losing your eyesight? That was a question today's guest had to confront fairly early in his life. As you will hear, it took Sheldon Lewis many years to fully grasp the fact that his life was changing in a way over which he had no control. Even so, as you will discover he did continue to live life as he lost his vision. You will get to discover how today, Sheldon has turned what many would call “the end of the road” into a fascinating and successful career. Sheldon today helps not-for-profit organizations become more inclusive and how he uses accessiBe's accessWidget to help websites become available to persons who happen to be blind or who have other disabilities. Some directories do not show full show notes. For the complete transcription please visit https://michaelhingson.com/podcast About my Guest: Sheldon Lewis is an experienced Sales Director and Partnership Maker. With 40+ years as a business executive, he has had several exits, managed cross-functional teams, consulted on SaaS tools, and expanded businesses globally all whilst being diagnosed with the rare disease Choroideremia as a child which has rendered him to lose his eyesight throughout his life. Sheldon's business travels have taken him from Eastern Europe's to South Africa to the Middle East and China where he took 40 trips and got to know the airports and the people very well. Sheldon's extensive background in the Textile industry has helped him through life in his various corporate functions and the constant trait of adaptiveness has given him the courage to find practical tools to navigate the daily challenges that come along without being blind. Today, Sheldon works as a Non-Profit Partnership Manager at accessiBe fostering strong relationships across the disability community and advocating for a more inclusive web. Outside of business, Sheldon is a passionate car enthusiast, biker, skier, sailboat skipper and walker - Sheldon has now turned his physical fitness to the indoors and outdoor walking on flat surfaces for safety reasons. About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:23 Well, hello, again, this is Michael Hanson, and we appreciate you coming wherever you may be at the moment. Thanks for dropping into unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. And we have I think another fun episode, we have a person to talk with a person who I've gotten to know over the past year, and who has become very much involved in some of the accessibility initiatives in the world. He works for accessiBe. His name is Sheldon Lewis. And he works with a lot of nonprofit organizations. And I'm sure he'll talk some about that as we go forward. But Sheldon has an interesting story to tell to demonstrate why he, like so many people is and can be unstoppable Sheldon, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Sheldon Lewis  02:08 Hey, I'm glad to be here. Mike. Nice to see you today.   Michael Hingson  02:12 Glad you're here will tell me a little bit about your your life you have not been blind all your life.   Sheldon Lewis  02:17 No, I was lucky in that I was born with sight. But I have a slow acting degenerative eye condition called Kreuter Rivia. And this has reduced my vision by about five to 7% a year. And I was night blind by the time I was nine and 10 years old. And but I lost most of the rest of my site in the last 15 years. So unlucky, I had Satan for most of my life.   Michael Hingson  02:50 So you know, just to pick on you a little bit, I don't know whether that's luck or not, you know, there, there are a lot of people who have eyesight and look what they've done with the world. I think that it's a different point of view, needless to say. But I also I think that that having eyesight certainly gave you the ability to learn how, if you will, a lot of people see the world and now you get to look at how people see the world another way. And what do you think? Do you think that one one way is really worse than the other way? Or what do you think about not having eyesight as opposed to having eyesight?   Sheldon Lewis  03:30 You know, it's a funny thing that you asked that question. Because all my life, I said, Would I rather have another kind of disability? And the answer is no, I wouldn't. And I'm perfectly comfortable with losing my sight because that's what no one is going to happen all of my life. So I've adapted along the way. And I'm okay with it. It's not the best situation, I'd rather have sight. But that's my life.   Michael Hingson  04:01 Yeah, I mean, you You were born with it. And you you don't have that sense as you used to. But at the same time, what you have learned to do is to accomplish tasks in different ways than when you're able to see I assume that you've you've done that.   Sheldon Lewis  04:21 What I haven't learned to do yet is drive blind.   Michael Hingson  04:26 Why is that?   Sheldon Lewis  04:29 The technology is not there yet.   Michael Hingson  04:31 Exactly right. There are there there are examples of people driving the the National Federation of the Blind back in 2011 conducted a a demonstration of a car that a blind person could drive it was a standard ford escape but they put some additional technologies on it to give a driver the information necessary to be able to drive in this case around The Daytona motor speedway. Sounds good to me. And yeah, it's not ready for for primetime and for street driving yet, but the concept was proven. If you haven't seen it, go watch the video. It's at www dot blinded driver challenge.org. Blind Driver Challenge not org. It's It's fascinating. The reality is, and I think you're touching on it. Blindness isn't really the problem with most things that we have to deal with it as is it?   Sheldon Lewis  05:29 No, it's just a challenge. And the challenge is to overcome the challenge, so that you can keep on living and doing what you want to be able to do.   Michael Hingson  05:41 What is the biggest challenge that you find in the world being a person who happens to be blind?   Sheldon Lewis  05:49 Oh, the biggest challenge, I guess, is around accessibility, and doing things as a couple with my wife. Those are the two big challenges. I think. If I accessibility, I mean, how to use websites, how to walk around on the street, how to maneuver without getting hurt, and things like that.   Michael Hingson  06:20 So in overcoming those challenges, what would you like to see occur that that maybe hasn't really happened yet?   Sheldon Lewis  06:31 Well, I wish that more companies would adopt accessibility to their websites, there are many technical software's that aren't accessible at all. And those really prevented me from using those tools in my work life. As far as getting around outside, if there was a technology that was like those new glasses that are available from Google, but also combined with a GPS that could, you know, guide me and tell me, this is coming up stated left, oh, and I would let them know what store I want to go to. And it would guide me right there all in one, and then be able to go into the store and do my business by myself. That would be really ideal.   Michael Hingson  07:31 Of course, today, you can do that to a large degree using let's say an iPhone, because you can use some of the map programs, blind square and other apps on that. And accomplish those same things. Although there is an advantage to being able to wear glasses. The problem is that, at this point in the world, we haven't really seen a pair of glasses developed that will have a long enough battery charge to be able to person to work all day and accomplish the things that they want to do much less than having the other interpretive information that you want   Sheldon Lewis  08:06 to have. Yep, it will be great when it comes I don't believe we're far away. 5g will help that I guess. And I think battery will happen sooner or later. Even if I have to wear a battery pack on in my in my pocket or something with a wire attached to the glass. That would still be okay.   Michael Hingson  08:26 So, as you are growing up and losing some eyesight, you went to school I assume.   Sheldon Lewis  08:33 I went to school or went to University in Philadelphia. I live in Montreal.   Michael Hingson  08:39 What drove What did you graduate with? What   Sheldon Lewis  08:42 graduated with a textile management and marketing degree?   Michael Hingson  08:47 What took you there? What Why did you get that degree?   Sheldon Lewis  08:50 We had a family business, and it was in textiles. And I had always wanted to be in that family business. From the day I was diagnosed. I turned to my mother and said, How am I going to be in the family business if if I'm blind? And and that was the last time we discussed that? What did she say? She just cried. It was very difficult for her. Very, very difficult.   Michael Hingson  09:20 So how was your family dealing with blindness as you grew up?   Sheldon Lewis  09:24 Um, to be honest, they didn't help me very much. It was too tough a conversation for my mother to have. My father was, you know, a great father. But he didn't or couldn't talk about this blindness thing. And so I went about it by myself and never even told anybody that I was going to be blind until I had to stop driving. And that's when it all came up.   Michael Hingson  09:57 When did you stop driving? I stopped After you've stopped driving yourself that is, that's right.   Sheldon Lewis  10:03 I stopped driving myself when I was 30. I love driving, it was fantastic was my passion. And I still remember it very well.   Michael Hingson  10:13 All right, how old are you now?   Sheldon Lewis  10:15 Have 60 going to be 64? Okay,   Michael Hingson  10:18 so you have not driven for more than half your life? That's right. Okay, so you got a degree in the in textile management? And then what did you do?   Sheldon Lewis  10:30 I went to the family business, and then drove myself around, I opened up some factories, I traveled a lot to Europe, Eastern Europe, all over the world, Africa, and North America, of course. And then it became a little bit more difficult to, to manage that part of my life, because I couldn't drive anymore at night. And, you know, this is in my mid 20s. And going through tunnels was tricky. Because I don't really have to follow the lines on the roads, or the lights from the cars in front of me. And if there weren't any cars, it was a big problem. So I really had to give it up sooner than I did in here. After that, after that, I managed to, luckily stopped managing certain facilities that were outside of Montreal, and I started using the public transit system to get around and vote. Yeah, go ahead and kept on in the textile business until three, four years ago.   Michael Hingson  11:43 So you continued in the business, you were in the family business all that time? Yes. So did you essentially assume the responsibilities of the business?   Sheldon Lewis  11:54 I did. So as to the company. And it was, it was it was strange, because I had to keep on changing my abilities, and what I could actually perform as the President, as my eyesight went down,   Michael Hingson  12:12 how did your your family respond to that? Well,   Sheldon Lewis  12:20 I have my immediate family, which is my wife and kids, right? Well, they Yeah, it was, it was difficult for my wife, to see me lose my sight. My kids knew that I couldn't see at a very, very young age. So it kind of just was a natural thing for them. And they saw it happen. And we just dealt with it as a family. But between my wife and I, it was it was difficult at times.   Michael Hingson  12:50 How about your parents, they must have been seeing this change occur? And then you took over the business? Were they still around? How did they react to all of that?   Sheldon Lewis  13:00 Yeah, my mother passed away a long, long time ago. So she didn't actually see me go through this part of my life. My father, I worked with him up until the business closed in 2018. But again, we didn't talk too much about the blindness. He saw it happening. He didn't approach me with it very many times. And that's the way it was.   Michael Hingson  13:31 Yeah. And you just you moved on. So what did what was his job, as the business progressed, when you were president and so on?   Sheldon Lewis  13:39 He was chairman. We had, we had divisions in different countries. So he took on the management role in two of those divisions, I took the management role in the other ones, and I did all the buying. So it was it was tough to do the buying, as you can imagine, because when you can't see what you're buying, you have to rely on other people to to judge for you. And there's all kinds of trust issues that come with that performance issues. And, you know, they just didn't have the same ideas about what I wanted to target businesses as I did. So that was there were difficult times around that.   Michael Hingson  14:21 But you perceived what you needed to do and you pursued your dream.   Sheldon Lewis  14:27 I did. I tried my best, and I never let it get the better of me.   Michael Hingson  14:32 How come the business closed?   Sheldon Lewis  14:35 You know, circumstances changed a lot. It was it, the world became very focused on a huge selection of product, which meant a very large investment. And unless you had a very good distribution that work your a good portion or too much of a portion of those products didn't sell enough. So We ended up, you know, having to take financial losses based on that scenario. And we just couldn't blast that out. Yeah. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  15:09 Yeah, the whole market, in a lot of ways has changed. Companies have come along like Amazon and so on that, that do the things that they do. And of course, they even make products now, but still, they they come along, and that that changes the whole landscape. And is that a bad thing? Well, depends on, on who you are. But for you, but for you was just a change that the company could really continue to deal with, I   Sheldon Lewis  15:37 gather. That's it.   Michael Hingson  15:40 And so you went on. So when did you become totally blind?   Sheldon Lewis  15:45 I still see light. Everything is at fault, though. And I have no central vision. So my brain up until about five years ago, kept on saying to mice to itself, I could still see. And it was great, because I had this little cocoon of vision, that that allowed me to pretend that I wasn't blind. And only only in the last five years of, I've had to tell myself don't challenge you really are blind now. And you better get used to being going.   Michael Hingson  16:23 What did you do to prepare for that?   Sheldon Lewis  16:26 That's a very good question. I didn't want to prepare until I had. And unfortunately, the first thing I had to adopt was using a white cane. And I didn't do it until it was too late. And that's still quite late. After which point, I knew that I broke it because I wasn't using a cane. I knew that. So I started using it. And it was very difficult to, to, not to master, but to overcome the fears of of learning how to use it. And but, you know, I could still see more than I could later on. So my first experience with the white cane was less, less deep. Then, as time went along, that it needed, that it needed to be my skill set to improve as time next. I'm happy now I could walk anywhere in the city. And my biggest problem is when I get into a construction zone, or if I get lost, and if I get lost, I hope someone is around to help me and I don't, I'm not shy about asking for help. And at a construction zone in Montreal anyways. The there's always a construction guy on the live constructions that went anyways, there's always a guy who comes over to take me by arm and help me around the construction. So   Michael Hingson  18:04 yeah, there's a lot of construction on the world isn't there? A lot. It happens. We all we all get some of those kinds of things. And, you know, there are a lot of sighted people who get trapped in those things, too. But yeah, but we we do have our adventures in those kinds of environments. So you must have faced a lot of fear, when When did fear kind of really become an integral part of you having to deal with all this? Or were you? Were you fearful at the beginning? I mean, you learned at nine years old that you were going to be losing eyesight and so on. Was that a fearful time? How does fear enter into your life,   Sheldon Lewis  18:48 it was a very fearful time I went to the first time it became a problem for me, I went to summer camp. And, of course, activities take place after dark. And as dark as darkness came along, it was a problem I get, I get really scared. I didn't know that I should ask anybody for help. So I didn't. And basically, I went back to the cabin as early as I could. And so that I wouldn't have to bump into trees and trip over roots. That was a very scary time. Other times when it was scary was, you know, if I were driving, like I said before, and ended up in a tunnel, or a place where there were no lights on the roads. That wasn't very, very, very much fun either. Took a lot of guts. But I think what took more guts was learning how to use the white cane and becoming familiar with how good it would be for me, and not worrying about what people thought and Just go around, finding ways to make it work, adapt to the circumstances get more training every time my vision went down a little bit. And so that was my first taste of fear. After I quit driving, and after a young age, later on, it became way it really can't see right now, I better get ZoomText. Okay, so how do I learn to navigate my computer. And that wasn't so wasn't so simple, but it wasn't too hard. But the fear of thinking about it, and worrying that I wouldn't be able to do it, stop me from trying to do it at an earlier point in my life. And I had to wait until I had no choice. So that that was okay, once I figured out I had no choice I just went for. And when I went up went past, being able to use ZoomText, I had to use JAWS. And yeah, I just rolled into jaws, and that was no problem, continued to get more training around food preparation. So fear stopped being a big part of my life. But it's still when I have to do something new. It's a little bit fearsome.   Michael Hingson  21:25 Tell people what Jaws is. For those who don't know,   Sheldon Lewis  21:28 Jarvis is a screen reader. That's quite remarkable. It was developed in the early 90s. And it's gotten pretty good at at this point, and then helps me navigate through websites. So if a website is properly coded, jaws can interact with all the links and fields and forms and buttons properly. But if the website isn't coded, then Jaws doesn't know, by using my tab key and my arrow key that those fields are there. And that's what inaccessible website is, my screen reader doesn't pick it up. And so I don't know what's there.   Michael Hingson  22:08 So to drill down on that a little bit more just to help. Jaws is a software package that can be loaded on Windows computers, primarily. And what it does is it verbalizes, whatever comes across the screen, but it is limited to alphanumeric textual information, it doesn't do graphic information. Because graphics requires a lot more interpretation, which is another whole story. But Jaws verbal as is what comes along, so long as it can actually understand it. Which is really what Sheldon is getting to, which is that there are limitations. And we'll, we'll get into that. But you but you use JAWS. And you know your story very much parallels, the stories of so many people who lose eyesight sometime later in life or after birth. And the one thing that we usually encounter in hearing these stories is that there weren't agencies or people around to really start to teach you that it's okay to be blind, that blindness isn't really the end of the world. And you had to eventually break a leg to decide that it would be ye but useful for you and practical to use a white cane and then eventually accept it. And there's so many stories like that. But the reality is blindness isn't the problem. And it's kind of we have sort of worked around it. But the real issue is what people think about blindness, if you had have people who you could have gone to or who learned about you, and then could come and help you and say, you know, you're gonna lose your eyesight, but it's not the end of the world. And the thing to do is to start to learn these techniques now. Because the longer you take to decide to do that, the harder it will be because you won't have the eyesight that you have today. And you never got that opportunity, which is unfortunate, because you might have discovered a lot earlier, the advantages of learning blindness techniques to use while you're losing your eyesight.   Sheldon Lewis  24:28 Well, I have to correct you slightly, because I had the opportunity. My rehab center in Montreal was always there. I've been going there for 40 years. The problem was that because we never talked about it at home. And nobody ever said to me, you could do that which you should said Michael, and you could help yourself get trained at an earlier point, stuff like that. And because I was a little fearful of actually being a blind person and having to learn all these new things and a new way of working with life and lifestyle? I didn't want to do it until I absolutely absolutely had to. How much   Michael Hingson  25:11 was the agency there? In Montreal? I don't want to use the word pushing. But how? How involved? Were they are? Were they kind of just saying, well, you're going to have to make the choice to do it. We can't force you. How, how pushy, were they, if you will?   Sheldon Lewis  25:31 Well, they were very positive in offering me any of the services I wanted. And they kindly introduced all the possible services to me, based on my circumstances at that time period. Again, I didn't go to a social worker there. So no one said to me, Sheldon, you'll be better off learning it now then, at a later point, and I figured I knew better for myself. So I only wants to learn it when I needed to. And so that was a small mistake on my part, perhaps. But looking backwards, it suited me fine. Except for the legwork. I was, I was okay with how I approached it.   Michael Hingson  26:15 We interviewed on unstoppable mindset, some time ago, a lawyer who lost his eyesight as he grew older. And he decided that he wouldn't be able to drive anymore and had to recognize that he was blind, after he totaled his second car in a year. Right. And, you know, so there are there are things that happen. It is a it is a story. It is a it is a constant story. And the problem is that in dealing with blindness, if there aren't a lot of role models, and if there aren't agencies that can learn to couch it in a way that you can understand up, you're going to do exactly what you did. Well, okay, but but you're here now. And you have moved on from a life of total eyesight to a life mostly of have no eyesight at all. And you sound like you're accepting that pretty well.   Sheldon Lewis  27:16 Yes. So, yeah, go ahead. That's okay. For me.   Michael Hingson  27:22 Good. So, so you lost your eyesight, you broke your leg, you learn to use a cane, you now move around Montreal and, and, and all those kinds of things. You closed the business in 2018, then what?   Sheldon Lewis  27:37 Then I had to figure out what I wanted to do. And I had always wanted to be involved in somehow helping the community. And I wasn't sure what that meant, or how to get involved in it. Because I've never done anything like that before. I was very busy with work. And so I started looking around, how am I going to approach business and accessibility at the same time. And that's when I discovered the accessiBe and their websites, or websites, because all the other websites I had looked at in this journey of what am I going to do now. We're basically an inaccessible and give me problems navigating. And when I got to accessiBe's website, the their website was navigable. And that's about this incredible. That's that's how I met accessiBe. And at the same time, I started to get involved with the community here in Montreal. I joined the philanthropy committee at the local rehab center started doing some committee work and fundraising. I got myself on the city accessibility advisory committee that last year and I've tried hard to to integrate into this community and and create a new path for myself.   Michael Hingson  29:13 wondering did you discover accessiBe?   Sheldon Lewis  29:17 I think I discovered them in 2019. And when it when I discovered them, I was so excited. I called the number on the screen and the CEO picked up and it's like, wow, we hit it off right away. And I got to know the other partners in the company as well over time and I felt very good and comfortable around them and their technology.   Michael Hingson  29:50 So you discovered it and you call the number and well so So what have you done with accessiBe Over the past three years, did you just start to use it and learn about it or what?   Sheldon Lewis  30:05 No, at first I went, and I tried to sell the technology. I thought it was a great offer. And I wanted to share it with everybody that I could. And I found that to be a little bit more difficult than I thought. I've never done a cold call sales kind of job before. And I'd never sold technology before. And then I wasn't hitting on a lot of people who wanted accessibility for their websites that that was the really strange thing. Is that not any Pete? Nobody was contacting wanted accessibility for the site's why? They said, It's too expensive. It's too long. I don't need it. I don't have clients for it. And I'm not interested. And what is accessibility, many of them asked me, I don't even know what that is. So I gave that up. And after six months, it was too harsh. And I wasn't getting enough results. I started looking into other technologies ran into the same problems with the disability, and using those platforms to build a business around or, you know, something for myself to do. And then very luckily, accessiBe called me not too long ago, last April or March, and said that they were starting a new initiative called the nonprofit partnership program. And they wanted to know if I wanted to join as a person working for them. And I said, Well, what would I be doing? They told me, Well, I think you might like this job. It's it's all about contacting a nonprofit organizations that provide services to the disabled, and offering our technology at no charge amongst other community driven initiatives. And I said, Wow, you mean I can, I can meet all these wonderful people talk about accessibility, give them a solution, and help all their clients who need more web more websites to be accessible with their accessibility needs. I meant, that's, it took me five minutes to decide that I was in and ready to do this job.   Michael Hingson  32:29 So yeah, go ahead. Sorry,   Sheldon Lewis  32:31 since then, I've really enjoyed my my eye opening experience, learn a whole bunch of new technologies that I had to start using to do the job. And there are a lot of great people.   Michael Hingson  32:47 So how has that been different than going out and selling the actual product to paying customers? Why are you more successful doing this?   Sheldon Lewis  32:59 That's a good question. The people are more receptive. They know they need accessibility. They even feel that as it is, you know, an organization providing services to the disabled, their website should be accessible. So they're unboard almost immediately. And then I don't have to do too much convincing. Whereas, you know, commercial customers, it was a lot of convincing and and including why they should be accepted.   Michael Hingson  33:35 Do you think yet the landscape the mindset is changing? And that may be more commercial organizations profit making companies are recognizing the need for accessibility? Or do you think society is there yet?   Sheldon Lewis  33:52 That's another good question. I think that the black lives matter, matter, whole thing, plus COVID have really wait raise the awareness levels of everyone, to many different plates of different people. And so I think that people are more open to what it says ability means now and trying to become accessible and do the right thing, way more than compared to before. So yes, I think the commercial world has changed. And not only that, I think they're also realizing that as the population gets older, there's I think about 20% of people have one or two disabilities, and that that might be one of their clients. And on top of that, if they help those clients use their websites, those clients might become loyal customers too. So I think all this information is starting to sink in, and people are more receptive and open to it now.   Michael Hingson  34:56 So what kind of new technologies have you learned over the past Several months,   Sheldon Lewis  35:02 I've had to learn how to use Zoom. That's been a good challenge. I learned how to use PowerPoint, just last week to do a presentation, I learned how to use Excel in a much deeper way. So that's been good. And, and the best part is that I've just growing comfortable with doing all the different parts of my job, and this new technology. Whereas six months ago, and eight months ago, when I started this job, I was very nervous about the technology and using it. You know, a perfect example is, when I go to a Zoom meeting, the when I after I admit the person to the meeting, the software tells me that the persons left the waiting room. So at first, I thought, oh, no, I lost a customer. Oh, no, you know what, I was panicking at everything. And it took me about 1010 tries to start to realize that no, I didn't lose anybody, because they were going to come automatically to the meeting after that. After though that's the meeting room. So that was, you know, a good experience. Don't feel very comfortable. I noticed scheduling my own meetings. I've learned how to use Calendly. It's good.   Michael Hingson  36:29 What are some of the other major sales tools that you've had to learn to be able to reach out to people deal with letters deal with contact databases and so on? What do you use?   Sheldon Lewis  36:41 Yeah, I use LinkedIn a lot. LinkedIn, I find it's become more accessible. In the past year and a half. I don't have as much trouble as I did two years ago. I do a lot of marketing on LinkedIn. And I like it. I use it on my phone, of course, had to learn how to use my phone as well as a blind person. Thank goodness, the the iPhones came along with VoiceOver when they did, because it was exactly at the time when I could no longer use a cell phone. And I was trying to figure out what I was going to do in business if I couldn't use a cell phone. And then there was lucky me. And there you are, yeah, I use Twitter. Sometimes not to my utter, I can use Facebook, but I don't really like it. So I think those are the technologies of using.   Michael Hingson  37:37 What are some of your real successes since you have began this journey? And are working with nonprofits? What are some of the the really exciting opportunities that came along? Where you've been able to truly assist? Since that's what you wanted to do?   Sheldon Lewis  37:56 Yes. That's a very good question. I think that the first answer is that I'm helping all these people get to be accessible, and overcome their own challenges of how to attain accessibility for the websites. Everybody finds it very difficult to take the time to spend the money is wrong, limited budgets. So I think the the first best part of my experience with this is helping people become successful.   Michael Hingson  38:33 Can you give us a story of one place where you had to take people through the journey, and then they came out the other end and found that what you were doing was a good thing?   Sheldon Lewis  38:46 Yes, I met with Community Living Hamilton, and they could not afford accessibility. And after telling me why, you know, too much takes too long. They don't have enough people resources. They, I took them on a tour of the software demonstration for them. They were blown away. They couldn't believe how good the software was, and how accessible it be a website seemed to them and, and they said, Okay, I'm ready to sign up. I just have to speak with my executive director, and everybody on the team on board. And everybody in the organization came back and said they loved it. And they were ready to go forward with it. So that's a good feeling. And, and I know I've helped a whole bunch of people gain access to their website at the same time.   Michael Hingson  39:49 How many organizations do you think over the past several months you've been able to meet within and get to make their websites more accessible?   Sheldon Lewis  40:01 by saying that I've personally gotten to about the 50, Mark, or 60, Mark, but I've been in touch with about 125 clients right now. And but it's funny, not all organizations want to go down the path of accessibility, even if we're willing to provide it to them for free. They never see why. They just don't come back.   Michael Hingson  40:31 And you don't know whether they've gone elsewhere or   Sheldon Lewis  40:35 what? Oh, this one, this one organization told me they went somewhere that their web developer told that they should go to, uh huh. But no one else is, has told me why they're not taking it, since   Michael Hingson  40:51 they don't make them just accessible for blind people do they   Sheldon Lewis  40:55 know they're accessible, if they do a good job, on their website accessibility initiative, they can address the needs of all the different disability groups that are out there. That's why I love accessiBe especially because it addresses all of the disability groups needs that are out there, and brings up the general level of accessibility for any site. And it's a great thing.   Michael Hingson  41:27 What would you say to anyone who is listening to this, and who wants to learn more about accessibility, nonprofit or profit making?   Sheldon Lewis  41:40 Well, there's a lot of information on the internet, obviously, they can go to accessiBe's website, they can get in touch with me any time, I'll be an impartial counselor for them to tell them about what accessibility is, how they can get it, the different possibilities that are out there for them to use. And then there's lots of resources. So we just, we just want more and more people to become accessible on their websites as quickly as possible. That's our goal mission. And it says to be actually to make all websites accessible by the year 2025.   Michael Hingson  42:23 ambitious goal,   Sheldon Lewis  42:24 ambitious, still 500,000 new websites every month, or, or something like that worldwide, that's, that's a huge number. So a scalable solution, like accessiBe is great for that, because you don't need to spend 10 or 15 weeks coding a website that spend, you know, between five and 30,000, or $50,000, making that website accessible, and then having to keep it accessible afterwards, is another job in itself. That accessiBe tackles very handily.   Michael Hingson  43:03 You have taken an incredible journey in your life, certainly one that you didn't expect to have to take or that you thought you would take, but you've taken it. And you've come out the other side and done pretty well. What would you say to anyone who's listening to this? Who happens to be losing their eyesight? Or who has not been given any kind of training about dealing with blindness? Or for that matter? Any any person who is encountering the fact that they're becoming a person with a disability? What kind of advice would you give them?   Sheldon Lewis  43:43 Well, when you have a disability, you can't do things at the same pace. You used to be able to do them before, especially if the disability grows on you, you're slowly becoming less speedy. And the best thing is, is if you can recognize that, and slow down so that you can do more for yourself, be aware, have more, not hurt yourself at the same time. Recognize the challenge, try and adapt to it. Adapting is a big skill that that takes a long time to recognize you need to have because all you have to do when you have a disability. And this is not true for everybody. But you have to try and find another way to to do the same thing. So someone loses the use of their legs, for example. And they used to go shopping everywhere when they used to be able to walk and then suddenly they have to use a wheelchair or crutches or something like that. They have to have to figure out a way with help or without help to be able to do the same thing so that their life doesn't get ruined. And, and, and they can keep on doing things that the worst part of my vision for myself was when I used to wonder, could I overcome my challenges? So that didn't, so that I didn't, you know, just get down by by losing my sight. And I haven't, I've lived up to my own expectations, my own wishes, by keeping on being able to do things, even if it's a new way.   Michael Hingson  45:30 If people want to reach out and get in touch with you, how can they do that?   Sheldon Lewis  45:35 Well, they can reach me on my telephone, which is a toll free number at 855-561-4297. Or they can reach me by email at Sheldon S H E L D O N L E @ A C C E S S I B E .com and I'll be happy to speak with anybody about accessibility issues.   Michael Hingson  46:14 That is great. Well, Sheldon, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day, your busy day to visit with us here on unstoppable mindset and I think it's pretty clear that you've demonstrated your ability to continue to be unstoppable. For any of you listening feel free to reach out to Sheldon again email is Sheldon L E at accessiBe A C C E S S I B  like Baker E .com And if you would like to reach out and comment to me about this podcast, we hope you'll do so you can reach me at Michael H I M I C H A E L  at accessibe.com Visit our podcast page www.MichaelHingson,com/podcast. love to hear your thoughts. If you'd like to be a guest on our podcast, please reach out. And also I asked you when you listen to us, please. Wherever you listen to podcasts, give us a five Star rating. We'd appreciate good ratings from you. It helps us and it helps other people understand what we're doing. And the world really can be inclusive for everyone. If we allow our mindsets to let us be unstoppable and move forward, Sheldon again. Thanks very much. And thank   Sheldon Lewis  47:41 you very much, Michael. It's been a pleasure talking with you today. I really enjoyed myself.   Michael Hingson  47:46 Well, thank you. I did as well. And we hope that you'll you and everyone else will come back again next week for another edition of unstoppable mindset, the podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Thanks again.   UM Intro/Outro  48:05 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Why is understanding baby you important in knowing who you are today?  How do you go back to discover your family roots?  What are the behavioral traits we learn about ourselves during this period? Today's podcast episode will dive into the How, What & Why to give you insight and takeaways on these topics that you can apply to your life now. I hope you enjoy this episode. Sending love and light,                                                                                            Rosanna Are you ready to get started on creating your own life story and legacy to leave behind for your family and generations to come?  Order our very own legacy keepsake book: https://www.mymagnusopus.com/shop   For more information on this topic, email me at: hi@mymagnusopus.com  To join our email list go to: www.mymagnusopus.com and sign up on our home page Connect on Instagram: @mymagnusopus Join the My Magnus Opus Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/208893414558662 Check out our monthly blog: https://www.mymagnusopus.com/blog    

Episode 14 of The Good, The Dan, The Florida man! Ryan tells us about that time he got over his fear of flying for maybe 10 seconds. Silly Question: Would you rather have finger sized legs or leg sized fingers? Ryan's Ridiculous History: Nakam: The Jewish Avengers Dan's LGBT-Q for the Straights: Who are some straight icons/role models? How would you define pride? How do you show your support during pride? What/Why are truck nuts?? ----Pod Team---- The Good: @Youth Pastor Ryan The Dan: @Daniel Spencer The Florida Man: @Ben Brainard ----Links---- Website: https://www.gdfmpodcast.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GDFMpodcast Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/gdfmpodcast Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/gdfmpodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gdfmpodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gdfmpodcast --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gdfmpodcast/support

Welcome to The Fully Lived Life podcast! A podcast for those who are longing to pursue the full life and want to break free from anything that holds them back. Listen in as two friends - a psychologist, Dr. Merry, and a life coach, Gillian - talk about life, love, and purpose - with wisdom, humor, andt ransparency - through the lens of science, psychology, and life experiences. We open this episode with the quote “ We are all just walking each other home”. By Ram Dass. This phrase landed very deeply on both of us and we trust that you will allow time to just sit with it and let it soak in. What: Why do we struggle to pursue what we want? For both Merry and Gillian, it boils down to feeling selfish or self-centered when we put our own needs as a priority. What is preventing you? So what: So where does that come from? What is preventing you from pursuing what you want? Do you know what you want? Merry and Gillian both agree that this comes up as a roadblock for many clients. Have you buried your wants? If you ask a child what they want they can quickly answer but what happens to the adult us to make us feel so stuck with this question. We unpack for each Enneagram number what holds them back from what they want- listen in and see what resonates with you even if you do not know your Enneagram number. Now what: Merry shares some powerful quotes from Brene Brown's book “Braving the Wilderness”. How do we belong to ourselves and what matters to us and connects us to our wants? We love that “true belonging is both brave and sacred”. Therapeutic Exercise: Dr. Merry shares an exercise right from Brene Brown's book - “write yourself a permission slip”. Permit yourself to give yourself something that you want. Coaching Exercise: Gillian shares a coaching exercise:Write, draw, paint, create a time in your life where you showed up both brave and true to yourself. Don't leave out any details because you are creating a trail map for the next time you have to brave the wilderness! Links: Dr. Merry's book: https://amzn.to/2rCrJyI Dr. Merry's videos: https://bit.ly/377eFR0 Dr. Merry's website: https://drmerry.com Dr. Lin & Associates: http://drlinandassociates.com Gillian's Website: https://gillianmcshane.com Jen Hatmaker's book: https://amzn.to/2Z6QcKf Brene Brown's book: https://amzn.to/35n9ZZE

Who?Ollie Scott, Junior Eldstål, Ian McKenzie and Nicole Arbour.What/Why?Our first professionally filmed episode with our first internet sensation. And what a women she is! Nicole, known for being as intelligent as she is funny, takes us through how and why she has managed to break the Internet... every time.Nicole isn't scared to speak about what she believes in and we absolutely loved having her on.Don't listen to this one if you're easily offended Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who?Ollie Scott, Ian McKenzie and Martin Lucas.What/Why?Martin talks to us about habits, hypnotherapy, the common mistakes we make with self help, IQ vs EQ, anxiety and Martin's Dr. Pepper rule... What's the worst that can happen? Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Bill, Bob, and Uncle Jay discuss our Horrorween survival, our week off, and other nonsense like how Rick Grimes is going to die. Then Satan brings the News: another Time Machine adaptation, Gladiator 2:What Why?, Boba Fett film is on dead, Hulk is in the stars, Daredevil Season 3 ratings are down, Ewan McGregor is joining the DC Cinematic Universe, Guardians 3 is on hold again, and Better Call Saul speculation. Game time: A Hyperthetical Card: Moon Fight CHATGAME: #ZombieRock Meanwhile, we saw stuff: House of Cards returns, Hunter Killer was good, Bohemian Rhapsody is a mixed bag for Uncle Jay, who also attempts an abridged spoiler-freeish Bad Times at the El Royale. To wrap it all up we answeran E-mail about Last dying word and we do a Hyperthetical reprise on the way out. This is The Wicked Theory Podcast, and for that, we apologize. But thanks for listening! Hear us every Monday wherever good podcasts are given away for free or LISTEN LIVE every Saturday at 7 pm eastern until … whenever! (On desktop just go to http://Mixlr.com/wicked-theory  or download the FREE Mixlr app and search for us! Join the chatroom and click the “FOLLOW” button for reminders when the show goes live!) Support our humble endeavors for as little as just $1 a month with other reward tiers available! http://patreon.com/wickedtheory Follow the guys on twitter: Bill (@WickedTheory)  Dom (@Dom_Torre)  Bob (@BobWTPC)  Ed (@EdwardOHareTBD)  Jay (@UncleJaysThing) and Provisional Remote Assistant Producer @AgentPalmer Still bored? Check out WickedTheory.com and visit our YouTube Channel and join our FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/500230130359994/