Podcasts about when holly

We are so excited to welcome you to the fifty-second episode! BEing is where we are making podcasts come alive through what we call “experiential podcasting”. Each episode we will provide our listeners with new, valuable content through our own experiences that you can then practice, integrate, and learn about to apply in your own life. It is our commitment to offer inspiring, insightful content that awakens your mind, body and spirit as a transformative experience. In this episode Bethany and Erin speak to Holly Guzman, a skilled astrologer and all around awesome human. They dive into: Holly's definition of astrology and why it is a useful tool, The different types of astrology and readings you can receive for different areas of your life, Holly's advice on how to use astrology for your love life, career, life purpose, and self awareness, She provides Bethany and Erin insight into their own charts, plus much more including if you guess Holly's "Big 3" correctly, she is offering a free mini reading! Message us on Instagram if you got it right. More about Holly: Holly Guzman is an astrologer who combines ancient and modern techniques to read into what your natal chart has to say about your greatest potential! Having once been an astrology skeptic, Holly's practice focuses on the ways it can help your practical experience. Especially in areas of deep transformation and regeneration. Holly and her colleague Paige offer natal chart, solar return, and transit readings through Elemental Astrology. Or, if you're new and curious, base introduction consultations and recommendations. When Holly isn't studying astrology she's reading in a hammock, drinking a beer with a friend, or listening to hip-hop and watching her plants grow. Contact Holly: theelementalastrology@gmail.com Book Recommendations from Holly: Beginner-Intermediate: 1. The Stars Within You by Juliana McCarthy 2. Sun Signs by Linda Goodman 3. The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk Intermediate-Advanced: 1. Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas 2. The Book of the Moon by Steven Forrest 3. On the Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar de Carvalho and Luis Ribeiro She also recommends Ephemeris to chart readers and Ptolemy's texts for those who want history. BEing now has it's own Instagram page! All updates will now be posted here: @beingexperientialpod Follow them there! **Where you can follow them beyond here and work with them directly: Erin Prewitt at www.erinprewitt.com and IG @therealerinprewitt Bethany Evans at www.empoweringauthenticity.com and IG @empoweringauthenticity

It's in small town's where the really insidious secrets lie...On this episode we sit down with director Phil Sheerin to talk about his new film 'The Winter Lake' which is on most VOD platforms now.When Holly's dark secret is accidentally uncovered by her new emotionally unstable neighbor Tom, they are pulled into a violent confrontation with her father, who will do anything to keep the secret hidden.It's a seedy little look at the dark secrets that are hidden inside small towns and we talk with Phil about how this story came across his desk, crafting the visual style of the film and so very much more...

When Holly found a water bottle in lost property at school she had no idea of its powers! Find out what happened when she realised it was magic! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Holly reached out to me and suggested we talk about how your style impacts your sales - I knew this would be a great topic to discuss - however, I had no idea how much I was going to resonate with what she was saying. I really hadn't thought about how much of a pause I had actually put on my fashion. I work from home every day - the only time I leave my house is to go to the grocery, I obviously hadn't bought any clothes in months. This was just what I needed to hear and I have a feeling you will feel the same way. Warning, this episode goes on much longer than our Selfish episodes typically do, but I promise you, it is worth every single second! After earning a BFA in fashion design, Holly Katz started working on the business side of fashion in New York City. During almost a decade in garment production, costing and design, she decided to break into the styling industry and attended the School of Style in Manhattan. The focus of her coursework expanded from personal and menswear to fashion and wardrobe styling. Armed with a deep knowledge of how the fashion industry works, and now certified to showcase a client's personal brand, she relocated back to Atlanta to start her own styling business. In this episode, you will learn: ✨The #1 fashion mistake 80% of women are currently making ✨How to use fashion as a tool to get ahead ✨Why fashion frames how people perceive you ✨How to get to the root of your image perception --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/selfishthepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/selfishthepodcast/support

Holly took her last drink on January 4, 2007.  This is her story of living alcohol-free (AF).     Finding Your Better You – Odette’s weekly message.   Odette and Holly met in treatment.  In 2013, they went to Montecatini together to work on their eating disorders.  Odette believed that if she could stop her obsession with food and reach a healthy weight, she would be normal.  However, she didn’t address the emotional reasons behind her eating disorder.  A few years later, she found herself using alcohol as her new coping mechanism.  The behaviors that led to her unhealthy relationship with food mirrored the behaviors of her relationship with alcohol.    Up to 35% of people who abused alcohol also have an eating disorder. This rate is 11 times greater than the general population.    For more information on these statistics, see:  https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/     The stigma for eating disorders is greater than the stigma for alcohol use disorder, so many people struggle in silence.    Odette believes the only way out is through.    Get to the root cause of your addiction.  Be aware of co-occurring addictions.  Don’t run away from your feelings or numb them with a substance.  Find a community.  Get professional help.  When seeking help, be specific.  Find a therapist specializing in addiction, whether it is alcohol, food, drugs, or whatever else.  Get specific.     Don’t feel perpetually stuck in addiction whack-a-mole.  We can do hard things.     [9:14] Odette introduces Holly   Holly took her last drink on January 4, 2007.  Holly is from Montana.  She moved to Southern California over 15 years ago for graduate school.  She currently works for Mental Health Systems as an employment specialist, helping those with behavioral health issues get employment.  On the weekends, she works for a rehab in San Diego as a rehab specialist.  Holly has fun playing games.  Codeword is her latest favorite.  She also enjoys listening to books, music and hanging out with her dog Hannay.   [11:56] Tell me about your history with drinking   Holly started experimenting with alcohol in college.  She grew up in a conservative home.  She was allowed to drink with adults present, but her family was traditional with alcohol use.  Holly didn’t drink in high school.  She was a rule follower.   Her drinking took off when she was 21, when it was legal and escalated after her engagement.  She attended Fuller Theological Seminary, intending to become a Presbyterian minister. She drank heavily every day and hid her drinking.    [13:39] Did you start questioning your drinking habits at that time?   When Holly lived in Montana, she drank like everyone else.  When she moved to California, she would order two drinks at a time and was starting to understand that wasn’t normal.  She needed a drink before she went out and then went home afterward to drink alone.  She isolated and that isolation led to depression.  Alcohol exacerbated the depression.  Toward the end of her drinking, she was put on several psychiatric holds (5150).   [15:17] Were you rationalizing your drinking as something sophisticated?   On paper, Holly was very functional.  She was a straight-A student, on the Dean’s list, she held to part-time jobs.  She aced Hebrew.   [16:40] Did you have a therapist?  Was your therapist able to discern the alcohol issues from the depression issues?   Holly had a therapist and kept drinking.  She hid her drinking from her therapist.  She was annoyed that her therapist occasionally suggested her attending a meeting.   [17:33] Walk me through the progression of your drinking.   Holly noted that two years after moving to California, she couldn’t stop drinking.  She would wake up in the morning and drink to recover from the night before.  She also struggled with an Eating disorder.  Alcohol was the only calories she could keep in her body.  She was physically and mentally depleting.   She had suicidal ideations and felt if she got rid of herself, she would solve the problems she caused others.  She had several suicide attempts due to alcohol, poor nutrition, and depression.    [18:58] How long did that cycle last?   Holly’s drinking continued for two years.  On January 3, her therapist said she didn’t sound right and told her to go immediately to the hospital.  Holly knew she couldn’t drive, so she walked toward the hospital.  She consumed a pint of Vodka, a handful of Xanax and was mugged on the way to the hospital.   She went missing for several hours.  The Pasadena police called her Mom in Montana asking, are you Mom?  They told her Mom they couldn’t find Holly.  When Holly came to, she walked back to her apartment that has search dogs and an ambulance.   She was placed on a 72-hour psych hold, which became a 14-day hold.  She was released early because her Dad came down from Montana to take her to rehab.   [21:02] How many holds did you have?   Holly said, five or six, and she was still in denial.  She was in rehab for 97 days, and it took her until Day 45 to acknowledge she had a bit of a drinking problem.  She admitted to depression and an eating disorder, but not alcohol.    [22:07] What was it about alcohol that made it difficult for you to admit you had a problem?   Holly said that alcohol was such a part of her lifestyle that it seemed normal.  Her view of an alcoholic was a homeless person on the street with a bottle in a brown bag.  She had extreme denial that it was a problem.   [23:08] Tell me more about when you went to rehab?   Holly attended rehab in San Clemente, CA.  It was a 12 Step based program.  She was scared.  Forty-five days into rehab, she begrudgingly got a sponsor.  She was asked, “are you willing to do whatever it takes?”  That temporary sponsor was with her for 7.5 years.  Holly is grateful to her sponsor, her family, and all of the rehab staff who had to put up with her attitude.   On family weekend, her Dad was crying when he told Holly what he saw when he came to put her in rehab.  There were alcohol bottles and diet pills strewn about her apartment.  Nobody knew how bad she was because she only reported the good news, from her grades to her two jobs.  Seeing the pain in her father’s eyes snapped her into awareness.    [27:08] Did you realize your body was withdrawing from alcohol?   Holly said she had no recall of the first several days because she had overdosed.  She later learned that her blood alcohol level was toxically high.  The doctors said it was amazing she pulled through.  Holly believes from her faith that angels were watching over her, and that is why she is still with us.   [28:19] What happened after you left rehab.  How was it adjusting to the real world?   Holly said she did a lot of work but knew she had to take one day at a time.  In early recovery, she leveraged AA, her sponsor, and plenty of therapy.  Holly said connections, connections, connections – that was her saving grace.  She began to lean in on other sobriety tools like the Recovery Elevator podcast.  She returned to grad school and added recovery ministry to her curriculum.  Her heart changed, and there was an ego shift that allowed her to focus on recovery ministry, sharing her recovery tools with others who struggle with addiction.  She still takes it one day at a time, and her recovery isn’t perfect.  Now she can hold space for others.   [31:12] Did your eating disorder progress after you stopped drinking?   Holly said she exchanged one obsession for another.   Her addictive brain focused on alcohol, then alcohol plus food, trauma.  Her recovery has not been a straight line but rather a windy pathway. She realized variety, moderation and balance are essential in her life, but moderation is not an option with alcohol.  She has infinite possibilities without alcohol.    [34:33] How do you handle difficult emotions now?   Holly said she has to reach out to talk to people, or she is in trouble.  If she starts to isolate from family and friends, it’s a red flag.    [37:00] Tell me how you transitioned into the recovery industry?   Holly said after graduating, she felt a pull to help others.  She began helping people in recovery homes and believes her past was a calling for her to hold space for others.    She practices playing the tape through regularly to avoid the insanity of her thoughts.  She knows she is not going to drink, just for today.  She believes in affirmations to rewire her neuropathways.    [45:38] How has your recovery evolved over time?   Holly remains involved in her 12-step program, but her mind has shifted from, I have to, to I get to.  She continues to work with a therapist and connects with other people in recovery.    [49:17] Rapid Fire Round      What would you say to your younger self? Stay in the present, don’t worry about the past. You are loved.      What is a lightbulb moment for you in this journey? Everyone has a past, don’t cast judgment. It’s about what you are doing today.   What do you bring to a party? Diet Coke or Coke Zero with a splash of lemonade.    What are your favorite resources in recovery? Connection, 12-steps, mental health support groups, quit lit, friends, and family.   What parting piece of guidance can you give listeners who are thinking of ditching the booze? Be gentle with yourself and know there are people who want to support you.  No matter what, you have worth, value and you are loved.      You may have to say Adios to booze if …   You finish your whiskey, and you yell at the bartender, “same ice” because you don’t want the marinated ice to go down the drain.     Odette’s weekly challenge:   This journey should make you feel lighter and propel you toward the life you deserve.  Let this be the best experiment in your life, the path back to yourself. Challenges are lessons, not obstacles.  We can fail forward into beautiful things.  You are not alone, together is always better.      Upcoming events, retreats, and courses: Bozeman 2021 (August 18-22, 2021) registration opens March 1! This is our flagship annual retreat held in the pristine forests of Big Sky Country, 10 miles south of Bozeman, Montana. During this 5-day event, you’ll discover how to expand the boundaries of your comfort zone. You can find more information about our events    Affiliate Link for Endourage: For 10% off your first CBD order with Endourage visit this link and use the promo code elevator at checkout.    Affiliate Link for Amazon: Shop via Amazon using this link.   The book, Alcohol is SH!T, is out. Pick up your paperback copy on Amazon here! You can get the Audible version here!     Resources:  Connect with Cafe RE - Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee. Recovery Elevator YouTube - Subscribe here! Sobriety Tracker iTunes      “Recovery Elevator – Without the darkness you would never know the light - I love you guys”

Holly Thaggard is the founder of Supergoop!, the first and only skincare brand that is 100% dedicated to UV protection. In 2005, Holly’s life and career path completely changed when a good friend of hers was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was at this point, she realized that people weren’t taking sunscreen seriously. Holly realized that it was important for someone to make sunscreen “cool” in order to stop the epidemic of skin cancer. Leaving her career as an elementary school teacher, Holly decided to jump into the very unfamiliar world of SPF. After having a tough start by trying to sell her sunscreen into elementary schools (since that was a market she knew), Holly pivoted to retail and eventually got her product into big retailers like Sephora and Nordstrom after years of building her brand and perfecting her product. Fast forward to today, Supergoop! Is a must-have product by skincare gurus everywhere and is over $40 million in revenue. We’ll chat with Holly about what it takes to disrupt an entire category, how her musical talents helped fund her business when she had very little money, finding the right partners to support your mission, and the lessons she learned as a first-time entrepreneur. In this episode, we’ll talk to Holly about: * How growing up in an entrepreneurial family impacted Holly as an entrepreneur. [2:23]* Why Holly entered education and her experience as an elementary school teacher. [4:58]* How education is still at the core of what Holly does with Supergoop! [7:56]* How Holly’s career took a turn when her teaching contract wasn’t renewed [10:02]* Hear how the idea for Supergoop! came about, when a good friend of Holly’s was diagnosed with skin cancer. [12:14]* Learn about Holly’s love for solving problems using creativity and innovation. [14:38]* When Holly saw this opportunity to educate about sunscreen, she explains the next steps in developing her product. [16:19]* Even with no expertise in this category, Holly started asking the right questions. [18:06]* What Holly’s distribution strategy was for Supergoop!, starting with private schools. [19:41]* Learning about the business of scaling and going from trade shows to big retail. [24:54]* From meeting Roxanne Quimby of Burt’s Bees to getting product on the shelves at Sephora. [30:50]* Holly knew she was onto something when she was contacted by Elon Musk’s team. [37:26]* Holly talks about her fundraising techniques and supporting the growth of her brand. [39:25]* How Holly’s relationships with both Sephora and Nordstrom started with an impromptu trip to San Francisco. [43:19]* Holly emphasizes that it took 16 years to build the reputation Supergoop! has today. [53:09]* The importance of finding the “right” retail partners that will embrace your vision. [54:25]* Holly’s tip for entrepreneurs looking to disrupt an industry: have something unique. [55:55]* Advice for those trying to juggle family life and entrepreneurship: relish the everyday moments with your family. [58:03]Follow Holly:* Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollythaggard/* Supergoop! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supergoop/* Supergoop! Website: https://supergoop.com/Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join the full discussion inside the Women Of Project Management Membership. Listen to part of our conversation on the Women Of Project Management Podcast. If you're new to our community, Women Of Project Management is the only community created to support & amplify the voices of women & women of color in every specialty of the project management industry worldwide. We support women in every stage of their career, learn more at Women Of Project Management. This week I’m sneaking in some extra content that’s good for your soul! We don’t shy away from hard discussions and today is no different. This week, I’m adding a new discussion I had with member, Holly Knolls of The Consult Code and we turned it into an on-demand course inside the Women Of Project Management Membership, ‘Allies In The Workplace: An Honest Conversation.’ This year, racial injustice has been at an all time high and explaining the plight of black women has been …well, Exhausting! But this conversation is a beautiful example of two women, who understand this industry, being open & honest and creating space to discuss race in the workplace and how to be an ally. We swap war stories, giggles, but most of all, we respect each other’s perspectives and have some tough conversations. This year, this community, these conversations have showed me —when we share our experiences, that’s when the real healing begins. About Holly. Holly Knoll has spent over 20 years in the program management industry. After starting her career as a software developer, Holly quickly realized her superpowers resided in bringing people together to solve complex problems and deliver technology solutions. Holly has since implemented complex technology programs and has built PMOs at companies like Accenture, Target, and Sephora. The Consultant Code. In 2015, Holly decided to exit corporate America and start a freelance consulting business, which she scaled to a high six-figure business. She now helps other mid-career women do the same, in 60 days or less, through her digital course The Consultant Code. Work/Life Balance. When Holly is not helping her clients achieve career freedom, she is planning her next international travel adventure, reading spy novels, or concocting a new green smoothie recipe. Listen Up! Listen to part of our conversation at Women Of Project Management Podcast everywhere you listen to podcast. Join. Join the full discussion inside the Women Of Project Management Membership. We Discuss… – The Career Journey Of Holly Knoll & Asya Watkins – Where Are All The Women In The Project Management Industry? – Where Are The Black Women In The Project Management Industry? – The Experience Of Women Of Color In The Project Management Industry – Do You Feel Like You Are Being Muted In Your Career? – Company Culture & Advice For Discrimination In The Workplace – What Is Your Gut Telling You? – Whew! Navigating Career Transitions – Pick & Choose Your Projects – Who Are Your People? – The Comfort Of Community – Advice For Women Of Project Management --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wopm/support

Holly is the Group Publisher and Vice President at Weisner Media Group and runs Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Mountain Living magazines. Holly recognized her love for journalism and media at the young age of 12 and started her own local newspaper! People and their stories have fascinated Holly for as long as she can remember and after graduating from Colorado State University, she began her career in journalism. Holly shares stories of her time working for D magazine in Dallas and how her experience there helped set her up for the next season of her career. When Holly was encouraged during an interview to get into sales alongside her writing, she began working at the Westword in Denver. It wasn't long before Holly found herself in sales management and fell in love with leading people to success through reaching common goals. This opportunity introduced her to media management and after almost 20 years with CH&L and Mountain Living, the rest is history and the future is bright!  Holly shares her path to cultivating Social Capital was full of opportunities to show up, personally and professionally, to do what she said she was going to do, admit failure and be authentic. Holly shares how after having an “awakening” in 2007, in the recession and about to have her second child, she reassessed her values and priorities to avoid resentment and burnout. During this time, she realized the value of empathy for those around her, her own vulnerability and having patience with the process of life. She encourages us to let go of the need to control things and people and to laugh at ourselves more often! Listen to this episode to hear more about Holly’s journey to build Social Capital.    Name: Holly ScottCompany: Mountain Living and Colorado Homes & LifestylesEmail: hscott@chlml.comPhone: 720-236-9292Instagram: @hollypscottFacebook: n/aCompany Website: www.mountainliving.com Email Sarah at sarah@sarahfrancesmcdaniel.comLearn more at www.socialcapitalexpert.com and www.sarahfrancesmcdaniel.com

This is an extra special episode because we’re having one of my amazing Maverick Mastermind members on the show to talk about her experience in feeling stuck in her business and what has helped her have the breakthroughs she’s seen over the last 6 months! When Holly and I connected, she was in a business model that limited how much she could earn, and she wasn’t sure how to grow her list with the right people who would want to buy. Plus, she needed help crafting powerful offers and a marketing plan to build visibility. In 6 months she went from stuck with one limited offer that not many people were seeing, to multiple high paying clients, a successful course launch, a successful podcast launch (so much so it’s now sponsored!), a group coaching program, multiple opt-ins that are growing her list, a brand new social media strategy that’s absolutely cranking, and so much more! Since a lot of you ask how the mastermind works and what my course curriculum teaches, I thought instead of just telling you myself, I would instead have this now firing-on-all-cylinders entrepreneur on to share her experience and paint a picture of what’s really possible for you! www.elizabethhartke.com/podcast/110

It's a dream farm story...Holly and Andy met on a farm, were married on a farm, started a family on a farm and make their living on a farm. When Holly and Andy purchased land in 2013 to begin their dream farm, they realized that the initial focus was going to be rehabilitating the soil. They decided that biodynamic agriculture would be the way they would address their soil building needs, and went on to create a vibrant farm system that nourishes so many in the community. Holly Whitesides, along with husband Andy Bryant, and their two daughters, farm on 35 acres in western NC, where they raise certified Biodynamic and Organic vegetables on about 2 acres of crop land and Animal Welfare Approved pork, chicken, beef and turkey on the rest.  Holly and Andy have been studying and practicing Biodynamic agriculture since 2013 and feel passionate about raising nutritious food for their community. "No matter how small your property is, you can engage with it in a co-creative way...a way that builds relationship and allows you to be a voice for your farm."   In this episode... About Against the Grain Farm What led Holly to embark on the farming journey Why biodynamic? Early challenges, how our values inform our actions Being fully present while working the land Nourishing the local community High-quality, nutrient-dense food is a basic human right What surprised Holly about this work   Resources Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg The No-Till Market Farmer Podcast Jesse with Farmer Jesse Online Biodynamic courses taught by Cory Eichman Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary Earth Legacy Agriculture Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics

When Holly’s twins were born (just over two years ago) she would drive out to Kincaid while simultaneously breast pumping to optimize her time skiing. During her husband’s 24-hour shifts working for the Anchorage Fire Department, she mines the chocolate chips out of the Ghirardelli brownie mix. Holly loves powder, cilantro, cats, Norwegian brown cheese, making the uncomfortable comfortable, and her husband, Rob.

Are YOU A Sought After Speaker? Holly Porter is an influencer, trailblazer, and innovative entrepreneur and philanthropist.  She connects you for success and leads by example. Holly is an International Speaker who inspires business breakthroughs and personal transformations, helping you formulate a prosperous & sustainable business, using cutting-edge tools. Holly has a gift for working with people. She is a listener and a problem solver and puts her whole heart into her work. Holly gets what it takes to be successful in business and life and can help you achieve success and abundance. She has had nine successful startup companies. Author of twelve books, including eight #1 Best Sellers. Holly has inspired and assisted over a hundred other women in reaching a new level of success; but most importantly, helped them to see what it is they are truly capable of to shine their light to the World and has aroused within them new and profound confidence. When Holly is not working to accomplish success for her clients, she can be found relaxing with family and friends in elite locations from around the globe. Furthermore, you can find her expanding her knowledge through books and conferences, fundraising, and tending to her eight children, nine + grandchildren, and husband, Scott Porter. Holly currently resides in St. George, Utah.   Rotary International, Service Above Self award/Presidents award Chair of the Utah Summers Games Board of Commissioners 5, #1 international best-selling books 11 total) Launched and operated 9 successful start-up companies Prosperity Profilers Podcast Woman-of-the-Year (Chamber of Commerce) 2002 Winter Olympic sponsor Fundraised over 300k Chartered 2 Youth and 2 Young Adult organizations EWN International FEMTOR Award finalist for Business Matchmaker Learn more from Holly Porter at www.HollyPorter.com. Email questions & inquiries to Holly@HollyPorter.com Do you have a Book in You? Let's chat! www.ChatwithHolly.com Please subscribe to our Podcast so we can stay in touch and you can get other great shows sent to you.  

Close The Gap To Prosperity! Holly Porter is an influencer, trailblazer, and innovative entrepreneur and philanthropist.  She connects you for success and leads by example. Holly is an International Speaker who inspires business breakthroughs and personal transformations, helping you formulate a prosperous & sustainable business, using cutting-edge tools. Holly has a gift for working with people. She is a listener and a problem solver and puts her whole heart into her work. Holly gets what it takes to be successful in business and life and can help you achieve success and abundance. She has had nine successful startup companies. Author of twelve books, including eight #1 Best Sellers. Holly has inspired and assisted over a hundred other women in reaching a new level of success; but most importantly, helped them to see what it is they are truly capable of to shine their light to the World and has aroused within them new and profound confidence. When Holly is not working to accomplish success for her clients, she can be found relaxing with family and friends in elite locations from around the globe. Furthermore, you can find her expanding her knowledge through books and conferences, fundraising, and tending to her eight children, nine + grandchildren, and husband, Scott Porter. Holly currently resides in St. George, Utah.   Rotary International, Service Above Self award/Presidents award Chair of the Utah Summers Games Board of Commissioners 5, #1 international best-selling books 11 total) Launched and operated 9 successful start-up companies Prosperity Profilers Podcast Woman-of-the-Year (Chamber of Commerce) 2002 Winter Olympic sponsor Fundraised over 300k Chartered 2 Youth and 2 Young Adult organizations EWN International FEMTOR Award finalist for Business Matchmaker Learn more from Holly Porter at www.HollyPorter.com. Email questions & inquiries to Holly@HollyPorter.com Do you have a Book in You? Let's chat! www.ChatwithHolly.com Please subscribe to our Podcast so we can stay in touch and you can get other great shows sent to you.

How can we lead most effectively in a ministry role? Why is it important to do what you love and embrace your gifting instead of trying to do it all? And how can developing a team help a ministry to grow and thrive? Subscribe to the podcast here This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to make a purchase via one of the links, we will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to support the costs of running the podcast and blog. In this episode, I talk with Holly and our church’s women’s minister, Sandy Flewelling, about how to be an effective, God-centered leader, how to not do ministry on your own, and how we can serve the women in our church’s women’s ministry. Sandy’s Leadership Journey: Sandy says that she fell into leadership. As an introvert, she never intended to be a leader. When she moved back to Maine, she found herself increasingly getting involved in her church’s women’s ministry. She noticed that her heart came alive as she worked with and taught women. After insisting that she wasn’t a leader, she realized that she was rewriting then teaching her church’s Bible studies. She felt the Holy Spirit pressing on her that she could write her own material. Sandy felt like leadership had to look a certain way and required certain skills. She realized that she was a leader when she understood that she didn’t have to be everything.  Sandy’s Mentors Her pastor’s wife saw in and called out gifts that Sandy didn’t see in herself. A women’s ministry co-leader, Karen Reynolds, was supportive and reminded her that she didn’t have to be or do everything on her own.  How Sandy Embraced her Wiring as a Leader: Sandy reminds us to not take at face value that you’ll always be who you are right now.  Sandy’s Advice for Younger Leaders: Focus on what you love. Work in places where you get life and energy. What if you have an idea that isn’t in your skill set for your church? Trust that God will raise up the right person. Building an Effective Women’s Ministry Team Sandy’s role at her church as women’s minister is to teach and shepherd women. She does this through event planning, overseeing women’s Bible studies, prayer groups, and small groups. She sets the vision for how women’s ministry executes the mission of the church as well as representing women to the church leadership team. How Holly and Sandy Worked Together Holly had been involved with other ministries at church, but knew they weren’t her thing. She just wanted to be around Sandy, which works out well because they are a natural fit. After Sandy’s fellow women’s ministry leader stepped down, Sandy asked Holly to help her. Sandy’s gift is teaching and setting the vision + direction. Holly’s gift is executing that vision and having a heart for the women in church. When Holly came into leading the women’s retreat, she felt overwhelmed to make it perfect. Then she realized her job was to mentor those who were supervising each area, i.e. food, registration, decoration. Her job was to set the tone for the retreat so in each meeting, she reviewed the mission and ensure that each woman on her team feel cared for and welcomed. The importance of not doing women’s ministry on your own The biggest advantage of not doing everything on your own is that you get to do what you love. What you love, you do well. Three challenges of working with a team Personalities respond and work together in different ways. This can be stressful, but as a leader, you need others. Here are some tips as you work with a team: Trust others to get things done, even if how they do ministry differs from you. Continually communicate the vision. Trust God to use the outcomes for His glory. Sometimes people have to step out of their roles (family emergency, a move, etc.) so other members of the team will need to be ready to step in. This happens through mentorship, training, and trust. Communication is always a challenge. Here are two tips: Make sure people hear what they’re supposed to execute. Explain how each piece fits within the vision.  What do women need from women’s ministry? Sandy believes that what everyone truly needs is time and opportunity to be intentionally face-to-face with God. But they may not realize what they need, so you need to provide this in ways that will allow it to happen. Sandy and Holly both feel that what women need and want in churches are the following:  Connection with each other. Depth in our relationship with God. A purpose; a place to fit in in God’s kingdom. Mentors, those ahead of us who have Bible knowledge, life wisdom, and a willingness to pour both out. Ways women’s ministry can meet these needs Ultimately, the goal of any women’s ministry is to make a place for people to be who they are, to love what they love, and to come together in a place where they feel comfortable. Depth, connection, and purpose are met in the context of small groups. Bringing together a diversity of ages in small groups helps us connect with others and Jesus. Coming together as the body of Christ is found in a larger event context. How someone can start or strengthen the women’s ministry in their church: Start praying for God to raise us who can partner with you. Don’t be afraid to partner with other Bible-believing churches. Don’t try to do everything. Actually identify the needs of your church. Do the most important things. Make a place where people can encounter the living God. Look around and see what’s already happening. Speak life over this. Encourage and pray for who is already leading well. Pour into women you’re already gathering with. Ask how you can contribute instead of being frustrated by what’s not happening. Sandy’s book recommendation:  Shrink by Tim Suttle Key Quotes from this Episode: “A leader doesn’t have to be everything.” - Sandy  “I don’t have to trust in myself to be able to do this job. I can trust God to empower me to do what’s not in my skill set.” -Sandy “There is no way one person can do it all.” -Holly “Be willing to jump even if you’re scared out of your mind.”- Holly  “What we most need is time and opportunity to be intentionally face-to-face with God because that’s the place where healing, growth, and life happen.” - Sandy  “God is in it for a relationship with you, and He wants to display His glory to other people.” - Holly   “Celebrate what’s small and healthy.” -Holly Connect with Sandy: Website Sandy Flewelling is wildly passionate about helping you find freedom through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Whether speaking before a crowd in a retreat setting or sharing a conversation with one in her cozy office, her desire is to be faithful and true to the God who loves us and changes us with that love. She has been a graphic designer for 25 years and is the owner of TrueBlue Design. But smack dab in the middle of that career she decided she wanted another one, so Sandy attended The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology where she earned her Master's in Counseling. In her spare time, Sandy is a Women's Minister at Church of the Open Door in Hampden, Maine as well as a self-proclaimed toilet paper ninja and unashamed lover of two long-haired felines, Buddy and Bear. Her home is in Maine, where the tender beauty of summer makes the long winters worth enduring.  Stay Connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app. Click here to find all the options where you can find the podcast.  Join our Purposeful Leadership Facebook group! In the Facebook group, we can chat about what you need as a leader, what your challenges are, as well as celebrate the wins. This is a great community to learn and grow together. We want to get to know YOU. Other Podcast Episodes Mentioned: Episode 1: Our Leadership Journeys and What to Expect Episode 10: Finding Your Purpose Episode 19: The Value of Mentoring with Elisa Pulliam Other Ways to Connect with Esther & Holly and the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast: Esther’s Instagram Holly’s Instagram Podcast Instagram Facebook Page Episode Sponsor: Confident Leader Club Today’s show is brought to you by the Confident Leader Club. If you’re a Christian woman leading in ministry or business, and you have a desire for deeper community with other leaders, accountability towards reaching your goals, access to ALL the downloads I’ve created, monthly bonus content including workshops and trainings on specific topics, and much more, I want to invite you to check it out. Visit confidentleaderclub.com to learn more.   This episode was first published on estherlittlefield.com/episode42.

Holly Gennaro McClane: portrayed in Die Hard by Bonnie Bedelia, John McClane's estranged wife reflects the conflicts and contradictions facing women at the time the film was made – and even still today. She's a working woman, a mother, and a wife. But there’s no consensus on whether she’s also a damsel in distress, or if she – like so many other conventions that Die Hard challenges – goes beyond your typical 80s action movie female lead. Let us know what you think! Drop us a line at diehardwithapodcast@gmail.com, or visit our site at www.diehardwithapodcast.com   Links How Did This Get Made? mini-sode 199.5 (Paul's recommendation is at 33:29) The Q&A Podcast with Jeb Stuart and Stephen E. de Souza, hosted by Jeff Goldsmith Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History, by James Mottram and David S Cohen John McTiernan: The Rise and Fall of an Action Movie Icon, by Larry Taylor   Source Links Another Angry Woman, Making fists with your toes: Towards a feminist analysis of Die Hard Deep Focus Review, The Definitives: Die Hard Empire Magazine, October 2018 issue, Tower of Terror (p. 98) Mental Floss, 19 Things to Look for the Next Time You Watch Die Hard MovieTime Guru, Die Hard: First Impressions Last Script Secrets, Die Hard analysis The Guardian, Die Hard at 30: how it remains the quintessential American action movie   Guests Reed Fish Ed Grabionowski Sasha Perl-Raver Adam Sternbergh Katie Walsh Scott Wampler   Get In Touch Email Website Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   Full Episode Transcript Welcome to the podcast, pal. My name is Simone Chavoor, and thank you for joining me for Die Hard With a Podcast! The show that examines the best American action movie of all time: Die Hard. Welcome to the fourth episode! A lot has happened Die Hard-wise since the last show. I want to get to everything, so I’m just going to jump in with a big thanks to Paul Scheer and the How Did This Get Made podcast. He recommended the show on one of his mini-sodes, and I’m stoked he likes the show, and took the time to give it a shout out. I’m still not sure how he heard about this show in the first place, but however he came across it, I’m glad he did! Also, a couple of weeks ago I went on a spur-of-the-moment road trip to Los Angeles to see the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s screening of Die Hard, which was followed by a Q&A with both screenwriters, Jeb Stuart and Stephen E de Souza, hosted by Jeff Goldsmith of Backstory Magazine. Now, the entire conversation is available to listen to and there’s a link in the show notes. Aaaand you can hear me at about one hour, twenty five minutes in, because you know I just had to ask a question. Although it was really hard just picking one. Anyway, go listen to the whole thing because it’s absolutely fascinating. I learned so much. I literally sat in the audience with a notebook and pen and took notes like it was for school. One of the funniest things was, this was Jeb and Stephen’s first time being interviewed together, which I could not believe. They talked about the process of writing Die Hard, but also talked about their writing habits in general. I’ll bring up just one tidbit I learned that they shared in the Q&A. So, when you go through Hans’s gang, only two of them survive: Theo, and the pretty French dude who’s trying to run away with an armful of bearer bonds before McClane knocks him out. I’d just never kept track of all the gang members like that before. So, I think, if they’re gonna do a sequel anyway, they should bring Theo back. Just sayin’. Finally, I got two books in the mail the other day that I’m excited to dig into. The first is Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History by James Mottram and David S. Cohen. I had that book on pre-order the moment I found out about it, and it’s a huge tome that covers all of the Die Hard movies in detail, with these pieces put in between the pages – kind of like a pop-up book, but nothing… pops – it has storyboards, sketches, script pages, and my favorite, an envelope of photos taken to use as props in the film. The second is the book John McTiernan: The Rise and Fall of an Action Movie Icon by Larry Taylor. Larry contacted me on Twitter and kindly offered me a copy of the book, and I can’t wait to read it for deeper insight on Die Hard’s director. Okay, a few more pieces of business. You can always contact me and share your thoughts on Die Hard and this podcast by... Email Website Twitter Facebook Instagram There’s also a Patreon for the show – it takes an incredible amount of time to put this together, so any contribution helps me to offset the cost of creating it, and is a real vote of encouragement. Patreon Shout out to our new contributors, Heather and David. Thank you so much! You can also support Die Hard With a Podcast by leaving a review on iTunes. With more starred ratings and written reviews, the show becomes more visible to other potential listeners, so please share the love and let me know what you think! All right. On to our main topic. When we first see Holly Gennaro – or Holly McClane – she’s walking through the Nakatomi Corporation’s Christmas party, which is already in full swing. But she’s completely focused on a stack of papers in her hand as she brushes past her partying coworkers. She has shit to get done. And that’s mostly how I think of Holly. She’s a woman with shit to do. And not Ellis, not Hans, and not even her husband John can distract her from doing what needs to get done. Holly Gennaro, as portrayed in the movie by Bonnie Bedelia, turns out to be the character who most split people’s opinions. There’s no consensus on whether she’s a damsel in distress, or if she – like so many other conventions that Die Hard challenges – goes beyond your typical 80s action movie female lead. She’s characterized as cold… and warm. Strong… but not having an agency. A good wife and mother just doing her best… or a woman trying and failing to have it all. Even I go back and forth on these. As one of the very few women in Die Hard, Holly Gennaro McClane comes to represent changing societal roles that had mostly been left to romantic comedies. Holly’s portrayal as a working woman, a mother, and a wife reveals the conflicts facing women at that time – and the conflicting viewpoints of the culture around her. Let’s start as we did with our examination of John, and go into her character as written in Roderick Thorp’s 1979 novel, Nothing Lasts Forever. She’s a totally different person, I think even more than how John was changed from the page to the screen. Retired former detective Joe Leland – who would later become John McClane – goes out to Los Angeles for Christmas to visit his daughter, not his estranged wife. Stephanie Gennaro – Steffie – is a divorced mother of two and an executive at Klaxon Oil. We see her through her father’s eyes, and it’s not a pretty picture. She’s sleeping with Ellis, and she’s been doing coke. Which I guess you would expect from someone sleeping with Ellis. It’s also reeeally awkward that her dad is putting thought into who his daughter is sleeping with. Also, there’s this: “Leland thought she looked tired. For years she had been five pounds too heavy, and now it looked like ten. With cocaine in her life, he had to be glad to see that she was still eating.” Yikes. The events of the book transpire pretty much as they do in the movie. The employees are held hostage by terrorists – real terrorists in the book, not thieves – and Joe / John gets away and begins taking them down one by one. But when we get to the final showdown with Joe and the terrorist leader Anton Gruber, there’s a big, big difference. Spoiler alert for the book: Steffie goes out the window with Anton. So yeah, the book is kind of a downer. Movie Holly, thankfully, is a much less tragic character. In Jeb Stuart’s draft of the Die Hard script, this is how Holly is introduced. She turns into: That’s the Holly we know. And the Ellis we know, unfortunately. There’s a movie goof I’d like to point out. For all the drama over which last name Holly uses, if you look at the name on her office door, you can see that it’s misspelled. On her door it says “H. M. Gennero” with a second E instead of an A. I just thought that was amusing. Maybe McClane would have been easier to spell… According to Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History, casting for Holly’s role was part of a larger strategy of casting warm actors with a lot of depth to balance out Willis’s tough cop. Casting director Jackie Burch chose Bedelia, a New York stage actor who had won a Golden Globe for playing Shirley Muldowney, the first female hot rod racer in the 1983 movie Heart Like a Wheel. Bruce Willis liked Bedelia being brought on board. “Bruce thought that Bonnie would be wonderful; he had enormous respect for her as an actor, and he was so right!” said director John McTiernan. “She was again completely a working-class lady, but solid and honest as the day is long – and that is who he [McClane] would have as a wife.” We actually don’t know all that much about Holly. Like with John, we meet her without a lot of exposition of her background; we have to pick up the context clues. We don’t know anything about how she met John, how she got her job. It leaves a lot of room for us to speculate – speculate about her history, and therefore what her motivations are in the film. Holly’s roles as a working woman, a mother, and a wife allow us to project our own feelings and beliefs onto her, so I’m actually not surprised that the people I talked to ended up with very different assessments of her. It’s also worth noting that there’s a cultural gap between how she was viewed in 1988 versus today, so we need to constantly ask ourselves, is this what the film is trying to say, or is that what I’m taking away from it? The thing we’re most sure of when it comes to Holly is that she is a powerful, high-ranking working woman inside this large corporation. She works hard, and has been rewarded for her efforts. She’s got a corner office, a secretary of her own, and... [CLIP - DIE HARD - ELLIS - SHOW HIM THE WATCH]   Holly tries to downplay her success to John, since it’s already a sore spot in their marriage. But she’s still wearing that watch, and she doesn’t mask the fact that she has even higher ambitions. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - I HAVE AN EYE ON HIS PRIVATE BATHROOM]   Katie Walsh, film critic for the Tribune News Service and LA Times. KATIE WALSH I think that it’s nice to see Holly in a executive role. I think a lot of times, you have like films like 9 to 5 where the working women are more secretaries, or they start as secretaries and they move up to something better. I think it’s nice to see the way that, she says, “I had an opportunity and and I took it.” And we don’t have to really explain how Holly got there, we just understand that, you know, she’s obviously a valued member of the team, Takagi really likes her, she’s doing a great job. And so I think that it’s kind of nice to see that there’s an effortlessness to her success . And I think that’s a bit of an anomaly, otherwise I think 80s movies were constantly showing how women had to like, struggle and get to that role. In the films of the 80s, we can see the intersection of corporate culture and second-wave feminism play out on screen. Unsurprisingly, it’s a mixed message. We applaud the ambition of women escaping the “pink collar ghetto,” as they call it in Nine to Five. In that 1980 film, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda are secretaries who are held down, underestimated, and harassed at the office – until they kind of by accident take out their boss. After holding him hostage at his home for weeks, he escapes and returns to the office, only to see that while he was gone, the three women made changes that drastically improved the morale and performance of his workers. In 1988’s Working Girl, Melanie Griffith plays Tess McGill, a woman driven to improve herself and grow her career as she works for a coldly calculating executive played by Sigourney Weaver. When her boss is laid up with an injury, Tess takes over her office, her home, her wardrobe, even her boyfriend, and uses them to execute her own business plan. Which is actually pretty creepy if you think about it. But she’s the hero of the story, so her chutzpah gets rewarded when she’s given a job by the executive she had been pitching. In these films, we see likeable women with low-ranking office roles climb the corporate ladder to success, and we applaud them for their determination. But there’s also the reverse. Women who are already high-powered businesspeople are forced to reckon with their desire for a family, and end up taking a step back from the workplace. In 1987’s Baby Boom, Diane Keaton is made the guardian of a baby girl when a distant relative dies. She’s a busy executive – with the biggest shoulder pads there could possibly be, they’re more like helipads instead of shoulder pads – and at first she refuses to take responsibility for this child. But of course, something inside her melts and she bonds with the child and quits her job – something unthinkable at the beginning of the movie – to devote herself to raising this girl… and to creating a nice little business of baby foods, too. Now, the 1983 film Mr Mom focuses more on Michael Keaton’s character learning to deal with being a stay-at-home dad after losing his job, but we also see his wife, played by Teri Garr, return to the workforce. She’s met with immediate success – but in the end, her lecherous boss and her desire to be with her family pushes her to scale back her time at work. In these films, we can’t say that these women are punished for their ambition, but we do get the message that these women are wrong. They’re wrong to focus on their careers, and once they realize what’s really important – raising a family – that’s how they can get their happy ending. Adam Sternbergh, novelist, contributing editor to New York Magazine, and pop culture journalist. ADAM STERNBERGH I think it’s also not a mistake that the movie uses this kind of marital discord around the idea of a husband and wife dealing with the fact that the wife has a powerful career, or a more important career than the husband. That was also very much of that moment in history and it was, you know, around the same time that movies like Mr Mom were coming out. And you know, America, to some extent was at the cineplex was grappling with this idea that women are successful, and they’re in the workforce and traditional roles are changing. And you know there was this idea in the movies that this was this incredibly new and novel thing, this sort of ascendant woman in the workplace, and the men around her are all trying to deal with the fact that, whoa, she’s got responsibility and she’s got a real job. Bonnie Bedelia is a great actor and was sort of perfectly cast in Die Hard, so I think that she has a sort of gravity that I think some of the other sort of similar characters in the other movies don’t have. And I think they handled it well in the movie. You know her relationship with Mr. Takagi is sort of established early on, that she’s this trusted lieutenant of his. So I think even in her smaller role you take her seriously in a way that you never quite manage to take Melanie Griffith seriously in Working Girl. Women in these executive roles are judged for “trying to be a man;” some do try to take on characteristics coded as masculine in order to sort of disguise the fact that they’re a woman. You know, if women are perceived as weak, then she must not display emotion, she must be even tougher than the men around her. Unfortunately this can backfire, as a woman controlling her emotions is often seen not as stoic, but as cold. KATIE WALSH You know, I think it’s interesting, the way they portray the essential conflict of their relationship, which is that she wants a high powered career, and he clearly has an idea about more traditional values in their gender roles and their marriage, taking his name, that sort of thing. But I think Holly has kind of toughened herself to exist in that world. And so she has kind of like, I mean as we see her at the party and stuff, it’s like she has to put on this front a little bit of, I’m tough, I can hang with the boys, nothing bothers me. So she’s a little bit colder and more brittle in a way. And I hate to describe a woman that way, but she does have like a hard shell a little bit throughout the movie. And John is more like nakedly emotional, or at least we see him being more nakedly emotional about the situation. Sasha Perl-Raver, writer, correspondent, and the host of FX’s Movie Download. SASHA PERL-RAVER I have in my head Joan Cusack wearing a power suit with giant shoulder pads and a huge Aquanet bang wave, and Reeboks on top of nude tights. But the working woman of the 80s was somebody who had to have it all, she has a great career, she had a great sex life, she wasn’t afraid to let you know about it. She’s Sigourney Weaver. But not Ripley Sigourney Weaver, she’s Working Girl Sigourney Weaver. She’s a working woman in the 80s. Was a little brash, a little bit ball-busting, and usually had to be taken down a peg. Like it tended to be more of like the villain character than the hero. Like I’m thinking of Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Mannequin. In Mannequin she’s trying to do the corporate takeover and she’s overpowering and she really needs to be one of the people that falls in like a vat of tar at the end. All of those women sort of in the end, it was their drive that ended up being the hubris. SIMONE: Does Die Hard do that with Holly? SASHA: Of course they do that with Holly. She had to come all the way across the country and drag her children and leave her husband? You deserve to be held hostage in Nakatomi Plaza. When we talk about working women of the 1980s, the first thing to come to mind, even before the sexual politics, is the fashion. Maybe the fact we think of the fashion is already gendered because we’re talking about women here, but it’s a powerful image. As we’ve heard, there are iconic pieces that come up over and over again: shoulder pads. Big hair. Bright eyeshadow. Power suits. White sneakers over nude hose. Holly’s look is very much in this vein, but also more sophisticated – just as her character is, compared to those who came before her. According to Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History, costume designer Marilyn Vance conceived Holly’s look to convey professionalism and power, using browns and pinks that complemented Bonnie Bedelia’s hair color and skin tone. A business suit was never an option. “She was a softer character,” says Vance. “But at the same time, she had a very important position, so her clothing, to me, had to be suede and leather and something more sumptuous. And it was the right time of year for that because it was Christmastime.” Vance shopped for Holly’s clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue, then had the studio’s costume department use them for inspiration when creating the character’s wardrobe. “The whole idea was for her to be strong but not tailored,” says Vance. “She’s soft as a person but she still means business.” And let’s not forget the importance of Holly’s Rolex. Given to her as a reward for her hard work, it’s symbolically sacrificed at the end of the film, as John unclasps the band so that Hans loses his grip on her and falls from Nakatomi Tower. The symbolism is pretty heavy-handed. The thing that represents her corporate life must be released so that she can keep her family life. And, you know, her life-life. But at least there’s ambiguity about whether or not she’ll give up her job at the end of the film. Concessions are made: losing the watch, Holly using the last name McClane – and we’ll talk about that more in a minute – but she doesn’t also declare that she’s quitting her job and moving the family back to New York. One more thing about the watch. Jeb Stuart, Die Hard screenwriter, has a nitpick. He says: “Anyone who’s ever owned a Rolex knows that watch isn’t gonna just open. It’s a sealed clasp! I brought that up at a production meeting and everybody looked at me like I was insane.” Now, I’ve never owned a Rolex, but if someone wants to send me one so that I can test this out myself, you are more than welcome to. But more than just looking the part, Holly is a natural in the workplace. She’s a good boss, making sure the work gets done, but also looking out for her employees, whether it’s sending her secretary Ginny off to enjoy the party, or negotiating better treatment for her fellow hostages. Even Hans has to acknowledge that. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HANS - MR TAKAGI CHOSE HIS PEOPLE WELL]   Reed Fish, director and screenwriter. REED FISH Yeah, I think Holly was portrayed pretty sympathetically. I mean, maybe not in the context of the late 80s where it’s like some affront that she’s going to use her maiden name. But you know, she was a good boss, right? She had a pregnant assistant she was always looking out for her. And she was someone who seemed to put her team members above herself, you know she was in a situation, a hostage situation, and she seemed to be looking out for everyone else before her. So it’s pretty sympathetic. Holly’s office is decorated with the trappings of one of her other roles: mother. Images of her children play a pivotal role in the plot of the film, even if they barely appear in the movie themselves. Pictures of her and her kids fill the shelf behind her desk. In frustration, Holly slams one family portrait facedown on the shelf, hiding the only evidence of her marriage to John from Hans. And Hans finds that portrait when reporter Richard Thornberg interviews little Lucy McClane on TV – Holly’s horrified face at seeing the McClane children on camera gives her connection away. For his part, John spends a moment looking at pictures of his kids in his wallet, a reminder of the way things used to be, and how he’d like them to be again. We never actually see Holly with her children. This makes sense narratively, as pretty much the entire movie takes place at her office just as the Christmas party starts. It’s hard to say how Holly is as a mother, but we do get a short scene with her on the phone with her daughter Lucy. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - ON THE PHONE WITH LUCY]   Holly’s tone becomes warm, and she smiles to herself as she talks to her daughter. She’s comforting and reassuring without promising too much – after all, Holly doesn’t even know if John will make it home for Christmas. The ability for Holly to work a demanding job while still having children is a dilemma faced by working women in a way that working fathers never seem to worry about. It also speaks to class and racial divisions, where we must acknowledge that Holly is extremely privileged to even attempt to have it all. Holly relies on her housekeeper Paulina to watch her children while she’s at work. It makes me think about that scene in the awful, awful Sex and the City 2 movie where Charlotte and Miranda complain about how hard motherhood is when they both have full-time help, and they cheers their Cosmo cocktails in honor of the “women without help.” Yeah, thanks Sex in the City 2, thanks for that shoutout from two women having cocktails at a resort in Abu Dhabi. Die Hard of course doesn’t go in depth on this issue, but we get a glimpse of it. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - ON THE PHONE WITH NANNY]   KATIE WALSH I also think it’s interesting to think about her relationship with her nanny. And how upper class working women often rely on women of color and that type of domestic labor in order to both have kids and be in the working world. So there are multiple industries and levels of classes that are going on in the sense of, how do I be a working woman and be a mother and be a wife, and it’s sort of like, one’s gotta go for Holly, and she’s gonna be a mom and she’s gonna be a working woman but she can’t really be a wife. So you see that struggle, and I think at one point she says to the nanny, “What would I do without you?” and it’s such a small moment but it really illustrates that you really can’t be everything to all people at all times in those roles. Die Hard’s emotional arc for its lead character, John, hinges on his relationship with his wife. Now, we know Holly is a good employee and boss. We think she’s probably a pretty good mom; it’s hard to tell but we don’t have anything totally contradicting that. But Holly as a wife – this is where she most obviously can’t have it all. By prioritizing her other two roles, Holly shirks her role as a wife. She leaves John behind, even leaves his name behind. Holly’s use of her maiden name becomes a particular sticking point in the film. [CLIP - DIE HARD - JOHN - YOU DIDN’T MISS MY LAST NAME]   Then again, John doesn’t sound like he was a supportive husband. [CLIP - DIE HARD - JOHN AND ARGYLE - GREAT JOB TURNED INTO A GREAT CAREER]   So, should we be blaming Holly? Is she putting herself and her career first, and dragging the kids along with her? Or is she doing what’s best for her family, and leaving John behind because he’s not going to support her in the way that she needs? ADAM STERNBERGH If you think too much about their marriage, though, it seems quite problematic. Like, she’s moved with the kids across the country and he stayed in New York. The movie doesn’t really explain why he would do that; it quite seems – at least to a modern perspective, it seems quite a dramatic choice for him to just refuse to move with his kids, and be separated from his kids. But again this is the sort of time period between like, on one end, Kramer Versus Kramer, and on the other end Mr. Mom and movies like that, so obviously there was a lot of issues that were being worked out in the movie theaters about men and women and families and who was the head of the house, and how we were going to like work that all out together. One way to get a read on what the movie is trying to say about Holly is to see how she compares to her husband. As the couple fights, whose side do you take? Is she treated more sympathetically, or is he? Opinions are split. Ed Grabianowski, pop culture writer and horror and fantasy author. ED GRABIANOWSKI I think the intent was to make Holly a little less sympathetic because I think in that era, the whole working woman image and the idea of it, a woman who puts her career before family is somehow neglecting her responsibilities or something like that. I guess it depends on how tied you are to the idea of a traditional family. So I think anyone who is is going to find Holly very unsympathetic, and anybody who’s more interested in feminism and equality among men and women is going to find Holly more sympathetic. So overall I find Holly sympathetic, but I definitely understand where John McClane is coming from. And I don’t feel unsympathetic towards him, because I don’t think like, he didn’t set out to do anything bad. He just reacted shittily to a situation that happened to his family, that wasn’t necessarily what he wanted. And that happens to people, you know, like regardless how you feel about family structure in general, like just stuff happens to your family and you’re like, I don’t know how to deal with this and sometimes you fuck it up and you have to go back and fix it. And that’s what John is doing. I guess in that way, it sort of comes out a tie. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - I KNOW WHAT YOUR IDEA OF OUR MARRIAGE IS LIKE]   The fact that we don’t know what John and Holly were like at the beginning of their relationship can leave you wondering how they were even together in the first place. SASHA PERL-RAVER If you say that opposites attract, I get that, but I don’t think that opposites marry and have children and are then suddenly torn asunder by a move across the country, or whatever other things are the reasons that they actually broke up. I think that they – she is too no-nonsense to have been with him for as long as she was. She seems to me a very pragmatic woman who would not have taken his stuff, and they would not have gone to the altar. Unless it was like, a Las Vegas 36-hour situation. They make no sense to me. What do you think? SIMONE: I think they probably got together, they were younger; there was probably some hot chemistry. You know, they’re both attractive and there’s passion; they seem like passionate people. And then they actually get married and have kids and she shifts that passion to the career. And they don’t talk about the reasons for taking this job but I would have to assume, at least she’s telling herself she’s doing it for the sake of her family, that this will help take care of them or something. And just drifts apart from John and they sort of evolve as people on their own. And so when you see them later, they’ve already moved far apart. SASHA: And I always assumed she took the part because she was sick of dealing with this workaholic, New York City police guy who was always off with his trigger finger like at the ready, and she just wanted to have a nice, stable life so she got the job working for the Nakatomi Corporation so she could provide for her family and not have to worry about him. Or maybe! She was always afraid he was going to get himself killed on the job, so she pulled away to protect her heart and had to make sure she didn’t have to live on like a widow’s severance or whatever. What’s that called? SIMONE: It’s not like a pension. Like a benefit? SASHA: Whatever the death benefit would be. Maybe that’s what it is. Maybe she always knew that he was too wild. And she just wanted to make sure – she, she seems very stable. Very stable. It’s true that at first glance, John and Holly seem like opposites. But at their cores, they’re both very determined – and stubborn – people. Scott Wampler, news editor at Birth. Movies. Death., and host of the Trying Times podcast. SCOTT WAMPLER I think it’s complicated, to borrow some terminology from social media. I think that Holly is – I think that they’re both career people, and when you have two people that are that invested in their careers and then they have kids, shit gets complicated. Holly’s thing is that, you know, she got moved out to LA for a job, or she chose to move out to LA for this job. I can’t fault her for that. I also can’t fault John McClane for being mad that she pulled up roots and took the kids out there. I can imagine not being thrilled with that either. So I think it’s sort of a draw in terms of who my sympathies would lie with more. And I also think they’re both a little dickish in their own ways. In this sense, I do believe them as a couple. And I can see what attracted them to one another. You know, on a physical level, and just on a worldview level. You know? REED FISH I think that that whole Holly-John dynamic, but for me it felt like very just unreal? Because it didn’t seem like someone in her position would be with someone like him. And maybe it’s one of those things where their lives were, you know, when they first got together ten years ago their lives were much different, and then her career took off. But like I never really saw what the deal was, why they would ever be together, and why, say, anyone would ever want to be with John McClane romantically whatsoever, at all. ‘Cause clearly he is not someone you’d want to be married to, in my opinion. I feel like the dynamic between Holly and John – there’s good tension there, but I just didn’t find the relationship all that believable. It didn’t seem to me that she would be with him. I really have to do some mental gymnastics to figure out the scenario where those two characters would have gotten together and gotten married and had kids. These unanswered questions about the couple’s past leaves us unsure about their marriage’s future. But there are clear signs that both hope for a reconciliation – they just need to get out of their own ways first. When Holly calls her housekeeper Paulina, she tries to play it cool, but you know she wasn’t intending on using that spare bedroom if John came home. She likewise tries to act disinterested with John himself, not let on how bad she wants him... [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - I HAVE THE SPARE BEDROOM]   … Until, of course, she finally opens up. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - I MISSED YOU]   And John has to blow it by picking a fight with her, right at that moment. But we know that John loves Holly. He spends the entire movie putting his life on the line for her. At the end of the film, we don’t know how their marriage will fare once they get home. But at least for a moment, we get a happy ending. [CLIP - DIE HARD - ARGYLE - RUN INTO EACH OTHER’S ARMS]   John and Holly exit Nakatomi Tower together, holding each other, happy to be safely reunited. When John introduces her to Al Powell, Holly takes a turn. [CLIP - DIE HARD - HOLLY - HOLLY McCLANE]   This one line always ends up at the center of analyses of Holly’s character. What does it mean? Is Holly going to give up her career and go back to being primarily a wife and mother? Is she just in a particularly generous mood because she just escaped with her life? In my personal opinion, I believe that because John introduced her to Al as Holly Gennaro, using her own preferred name, with no hesitation, that she felt it was time to make a concession. And if both John and Holly are willing at long last to make concessions, they have a future together. Well, if we ignore the sequel films, anyway. Another way to try and analyze how Die Hard treats its female lead is to compare it to other action films. So: Is Holly considered a damsel in distress? After our analysis of her character, we can tick off some pros and cons. Let’s say Holly is a damsel in distress. Well, she… Is literally being held hostage. And when the villain finds out her connection to the hero, the villain targets her specifically to cause the hero emotional pain. It can be argued that she has no agency, no ability to make decisions or act pro-actively to save herself: she just sits with the other hostages and waits. Her emotions betray her when she sees her kids on TV. And finally, we do get a peek at her bra by the end of the film. But what does Die Hard do differently? Holly’s not the only hostage, of course. She’s being held with men and other women. The villain first uses another man – Ellis – to try to manipulate our hero; Hans is using whoever he thinks might have a connection to John, regardless of gender. Holly doesn’t act fearful throughout the film – except for the very last bit where’s she’s hanging out of a 40th floor window, which, who could blame her? And finally, maybe she does have agency. Maybe she thought about trying to escape or sabotage the villain’s plan. But it could be that she assessed her options and decided that trying to go along with the villains’ plan would give her the best outcome. We know she’s an incredibly level-headed and pragmatic person. ADAM STERNBERGH And she gets a lot of great moments in the film. The film totally does not discard her or disregard her. She is very strong in her own right and gets to – and is quite instrumental as to how the whole thing plays out too. Which in hindsight might not seem like a big deal, but at the time it also felt like a break from the sort of standard action movie foil, heroine, damsel, exactly. Whether or not Holly is a damsel in distress leads us to our final question of this episode. Is Die Hard a feminist film? Yeah, okay, that even sounded funny to me. I’m gonna go ahead and say “No” here. I think that a film has to be doing more to actively challenge the patriarchy and promote women’s rights and explain women’s issues to be called feminist. But I do think that Die Hard was working a little harder than other films at the time. Die Hard is elevated above all other action films of its time in nearly every aspect: story, acting, the craft of the film. And I think in so doing, it put a little more thought into Holly too. Her character, with all her positive attributes and flaws, achieves a level of humanity that many other films deny their female leads. As we discussed in the last episode, what makes the character of John McClane such a beloved hero is his humanity. It makes sense that his wife would have her own humanity shine through, too. In our next episode, we’re going back to the beginning. We’re going to take an in-depth look at Roderick Thorp’s novel Nothing Lasts Forever to see where the seeds of Die Hard were sown. Thank you to our guests Ed Grabionowski, Sasha Perl-Raver, Scott Wampler, Reed Fish, Adam Sternbergh, and Katie Walsh. Be sure to check the show notes on the website to learn more about them. Thanks again for joining me, and yippee-kai-yay, motherfuckers!

This one's getting a little meta, folks. When Holly first agreed to be the new cohost for CXMH (listen to her intro here), she asked if I would be willing to do an episode where she interviewed me about my vision for the show and how it came to be. I was

This one's getting a little meta, folks. When Holly first agreed to be the new cohost for CXMH (listen to her intro here), she asked if I would be willing to do an episode where she interviewed me about my vision for the show and how it came to be. I was caught somewhat off guard, and alternated between 'surely we've already done that' and 'no one would want to listen to that.' I eventually gave in, and that's what you'll hear in this episode.Things we mention in this episode/other resources:- We talk a lot about the beginning few episodes. You can explore older episodes here to find ones that sound interesting to you!- When I was talking about the #ChurchMH chat from 2016, I mentioned other people helping run it but didn't mention the names. I wish I had, because they deserve to be mentioned. The #ChurchMH Twitter Chat was inspired by Jackson Dame (who also made the artwork for the chat) and was run weekly by myself, Jackson, Steve Austin, Aaron J. Smith, Jennifer Neyhart, and Sarah Robinson. They're all still doing awesome things and are 100% worth following.Quotes:- “While we’re fixing big systemic things, the short-term goal has to be ‘how do we change the space people already are and have access to?’ ” (tweet)- “About 80% of the population has struggled with a mental health concern at some point in their life.” (tweet)- “It’s a pretty safe assumption that every person that you encounter has been impacted by mental health in some way.” (tweet)- “We all have mental health. We could all be healthier.” (tweet)- “Unless you’re given permission to talk about [mental health], you don’t.” (tweet)- “We know people turn to faith leaders in times of crises. How can we equip [them] to be better at those conversations and instill in them some trust to then refer if that’s what’s needed?” (tweet)Connect with Robert on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.Connect with Holly on her website or Twitter.Connect more with CXMH on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.Ways to support CXMH:- make a pledge on Patreon and get rewards like an exclusive Facebook group, a mug, sticker, t-shirt, or more!- Do your Amazon shopping through this link- Leave us a rating & review on iTunes or Google Play- Check out our CXMH merchandise to show off your support- Listen to the Cxmhunity Spotify playlist here- Check out other episodes and find your favorites guests on our website.Intro/Outro music for this episode is ‘Fall Down’ by Rivers & Robots.

Holly Porter is an influencer, trailblazer, and innovative entrepreneur and philanthropist. She connects you for success and leads by example. Holly is an International Speaker who inspires business breakthroughs and personal transformations, helping you formulate a prosperous & sustainable business, using cutting-edge tools.

Holly gets what it takes to be successful in business and life and can help YOU achieve success and abundance.

Holly has a gift for working with people. She is a listener and a problem solver, and puts her whole heart into her work.
When Holly is not working to accomplish success for her clients, she can be found relaxing with family and friends in elite locations from around the globe. Furthermore, you can find her expanding her knowledge through books and conferences, fundraising, and tending to her eight children, seven grandchildren, and husband, Scott Porter. Holly currently resides in St. George, Utah.
Important topicsHow she brings harmony into her lifeDiscovering what self-care isHow she realised self-care is non-negotiableHer experience as she’s showing up as her best selfThings she does to design her dayHow she finds balanceThe secret that gives impact to her day"Clearing clutter daily" philosophyFiguring out the best productive timeStepping powerfully and saying "no" more oftenQuotes"I was present but I wasn't present.""If you don't do it right, you'll get an opportunity again."Connect with Holly:Website - hollyporter.comEmail - holly@hollyporter.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/HOLLYANNPORTERBusiness Facebook - https://business.facebook.com/theimagedesignersLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyporterTwitter - https://twitter.com/HOLLYShapsYouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/HollyPorterYoutubePinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/hairsalon1
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hollys_hapsOther links and resources:Life Reset Quiz - http://liferesetquiz.com/DianeHalfman.com - http://www.dianehalfman.com/

Holly Porter is an influencer, trailblazer, and innovative entrepreneur and philanthropist. She connects you for success and leads by example. Holly is an International Speaker who inspires business breakthroughs and personal transformations, helping you formulate a prosperous & sustainable business, using cutting-edge tools.

Holly gets what it takes to be successful in business and life and can help YOU achieve success and abundance.

Holly has a gift for working with people. She is a listener and a problem solver, and puts her whole heart into her work.
When Holly is not working to accomplish success for her clients, she can be found relaxing with family and friends in elite locations from around the globe. Furthermore, you can find her expanding her knowledge through books and conferences, fundraising, and tending to her eight children, seven grandchildren, and husband, Scott Porter. Holly currently resides in St. George, Utah.
Important topicsHow she brings harmony into her lifeDiscovering what self-care isHow she realised self-care is non-negotiableHer experience as she’s showing up as her best selfThings she does to design her dayHow she finds balanceThe secret that gives impact to her day"Clearing clutter daily" philosophyFiguring out the best productive timeStepping powerfully and saying "no" more oftenQuotes"I was present but I wasn't present.""If you don't do it right, you'll get an opportunity again."Connect with Holly:Website - hollyporter.comEmail - holly@hollyporter.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/HOLLYANNPORTERBusiness Facebook - https://business.facebook.com/theimagedesignersLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyporterTwitter - https://twitter.com/HOLLYShapsYouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/HollyPorterYoutubePinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/hairsalon1
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hollys_hapsOther links and resources:Life Reset Quiz - http://liferesetquiz.com/DianeHalfman.com - http://www.dianehalfman.com/

Holly Bertone has an amazing and beautiful story to share. First of all, she is both a breast cancer and Hashimoto’s survivor. She is Founder of Pink Fortitude and the Author of Thriving in the Workforce with Autoimmune Disease, which is also an Amazon Bestseller. Holly has been through so much and had to drastically shift the way she works because of her illnesses. As someone with an autoimmune disease, she is all too familiar with what it was like dealing with coworkers and bosses who simply did not believe you’re sick. Find out more about Holly and her journey on today’s episode.   Key Insights & Aha Moments: *People with autoimmune disease, especially in the workplace, are silently suffering from this. *Holly started her blog as a side hobby while she was diagnosed with breast cancer. *How did Holly first get started along this path? *Holly was 39 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then she was also diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease. *Holly really could not do it all. She had to take a step back from her job in order to recover properly. *The universe gives you signs. *What is Holly up to now? *Holly transitioned to a different job and they were not supportive at all over her Hashimoto’s ‘flare ups.’ *Holly felt like a failure. She had to give up on her life’s work and she felt like she let herself and her family down. *When Holly was going through this, she found out there were very few resources for people who have autoimmune disease in the workplace. *How many people are silently suffering everyday just because people don’t believe their illness is real? *What has the response been like as the result of the work, and the book, Holly has done? *If you’re having health challenges, put a financial/career/life plan together. Really think hard to come up with a game plan and work with what you got. *Don’t be afraid to look at your options. There’s a lot more out there than you think. *What advice does Holly have for those just starting out? *Holly had to completely shift how she worked on a daily basis after she was diagnosed with cancer. She couldn’t ‘charge’ at the problems anymore with the energy that she had.   Mentioned in This Episode: MichelleMcGlade.com Pinkfortitude.com Pinkfortitude.com/book-table  

https://hollyporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Holly-time-podcast-audio.m4a   Listen to these great Time Management tips by Holly Porter! Holly Porter is the CEO of Your Prosperity Profiler. Holly is an International Speaker who inspires business breakthroughs and personal transformations. Holly uses her knowledge to give her clients the tools they need to gain and sustain success. With over thirty years operating as an entrepreneur, Holly is a certified coach, licensed makeup artist, instructor, holistic practitioner, and trained public speaker. Holly is all about the relationships with others. Her work with personality profiles and color analysis shows customers their inner beauty, and generates self-confidence. Her unique gift of listening and problem solving is what makes her stand out from many others. Author of six books, including four #1 International Best Sellers. Holly has inspired and assisted over seventy other women in reaching a new level of success. Holly”s published books are titled: The 40/40 Rules: Wisdom From 40 Women Over 40, The 30/30 Rules : What I wished I knew in my 20’s by 30 Women in their 30’s, Peeking behing the Scenes: a deliberate path to success, Goal For It: Thirty Paths to Imagine more Success, and her newest, Inbox Outbox Unbox Nobox: Four Steps to Delete Your Box Thinking. When Holly is not working to accomplish million dollar makeovers for her clients, she can be found relaxing with family and friends in elite locations from around the globe. Furthermore, you can find her expanding her knowledge through books and conferences, fundraising, and tending to her eight children, seven grandchildren, and husband, Scott Porter. Holly currently resides in St. George, Utah. Learn more from Holly Porter at www.HollyPorter.com. Email questions & inquiries to Holly@HollyPorter.com https://youtu.be/FTic4nBsVoA

  Holly grew up in the small town of Dripping Springs, Texas, where she was blessed to live in the country. During many summer days she spent racing her horse bareback, then finding a great shade tree and taking a nap on the back of her horse. Whenever Holly wasn’t riding her horses, or competing in Horse Shows, she was found with pen and paper in hand, writing out the romantic love stories of the wild west. Holly’s love for writing began from the moment she knew how to put words on paper, and she hasn’t stopped since. Having found true love in her own life, Romance has always been a passion for her. When Holly moved to San Antonio to be closer to her husband’s family, she had the unique opportunity to work in an old building that was close to the Alamo. This location actually had basements and underground tunnels connecting the buildings. The exciting history of Texas and the Alamo and being able to work in a historic building dating back to the 1800’s inspired Holly to write about the Texas Revolution, and has evolved into a series all about Texas becoming the great State it is. Today, Holly finds herself quite content at home nestled in a small community just south of San Antonio, with her husband and two children. On the family’s 80 acre ranch, surrounded by cattle during the day and the howling of coyotes by night, Holly has endless inspiration for her writing. Her first book, Texas Conquest, is out now.

Podcast #1 of an Inspiration as an Empowered Life Introduction by Holly Porter This is the first Launch podcast outlining the purpose and desire of what it is all about. Holly Porter is the Image Master and Founder of Image Designers, LLC. She leads her clients through their million dollar makeover...both personal and business. Holly is an International Speaker who inspires business breakthroughs and personal transformations. Holly’s interior design success proves her expertise in color analysis, image design, and personality profiling. Holly uses her knowledge to give her clients the tools they need to gain and sustain success. With over thirty years operating as an entrepreneur, Holly is a certified coach, licensed makeup artist, instructor, hypnotist, and trained public speaker. Her work with personality profiles and color analysis shows customers their inner beauty, and generates self-confidence. Her unique gift of listening and problem solving is what makes her stand out from many others. Holly states, “Helping clients with total image makeovers is my passion. I love watching my clients transform from invisible to invincible.” Publishing her first book in 2017, Holly has inspired and assisted forty other women in reaching a new level of success; but most importantly, helped them to see what it is they are truly capable of, and has aroused within them a new and profound confidence. This published book is titled: The 40/40 Rules: Wisdom From 40 Women Over 40. You can click here to find out more about this project. When Holly is not working to accomplish million dollar makeovers for her clients, she can be found relaxing with family and friends in elite locations from around the globe. Furthermore, you can find her expanding her knowledge through books and conferences, fundraising, and tending to her eight children, six grandchildren, and husband, Scott Porter. Holly currently resides in St. George, Utah

Book Clips  All I Want Forever by Clare Lydon    Synopsis  Everyone says they’re meant to be - but is that enough?    Tori & Holly are engaged, but living 5,000 miles apart: Tori in San Francisco, Holly in London. When Holly flies out to San Francisco for a visit, the pair are forced to examine their relationship and ask themselves: is being together forever what they both really want?  If you’re a fan of contemporary romance with humour and heart, it’s time to jump on board the Tori & Holly train as they work out their fate with no shortage of twists and turns. Is their destiny written in the stars?   You can find this novel on Amazon.com | on Amazon.co.uk | on Amazon.ca      Visit www.TheLesbianTalkShow.com/Reading for more information on sending us your reading for Book Clips

If you like what we do then buy us a Ko-Fi All I Want Forever by Clare Lydon Book Clips Welcome to Book Clips, the mini podcast where authors and narrators give you a taste of a book with a short snippet. Synopsis How much would you give for your forever? Tori & Holly are engaged, but living 5,000 miles apart: Tori in San Francisco, Holly in London. When Holly flies out for a visit, the pair are forced to examine their relationship and ask themselves: is being together forever what they both really want? If you’re a fan of contemporary romance with humour and heart, it’s time to jump on board the Tori & Holly train as they work out their fate with no shortage of twists and turns. Is their destiny written in the stars? Buy All I Want Forever today and get swept away in a lesbian romance you won’t want to end! Get it on Amazon (global link) Get it on Apple If you click these link and buy within 24 hours then we get a small commission that helps with running this channel

Holly Rigsby is a Lifestyle Design Coach for Moms over at HollyJoiRigsby.com. Over the past 11 years Holly has coached over 29,500 women to become the best version of themselves through her programs and products.  Holly also has two sons, Tyler and Alexander, who inspire her to live in joy (JOI) everyday.    In this interview, Holly openly and bravely shares how she has found herself at different times in her life unable to find the joy she knew she wanted.  Holly has always worked in service to others – as a teacher, a personal trainer, an online fitness expert to moms, and a mom.  Serving others is extremely rewarding, but it can come at the expense of creating joy for one’s self at times.    When Holly looks back at her boldest moves in life – to leave her first husband when her son was still very young, to change careers, to make a dramatic shift in her business, she can identify that she makes a move when she is searching for a new level of joy.  This is the inspiration for her most recent professional move, the launching of her Lifestyle Design Coaching programs and creation of her new Everyday Joi community.    Listen in to hear Holly share: How she has become a sought after leader, even though she never identified as one Why leaving her first husband was an imperative step in finding true joy in all areas of her life How she built a powerful online community for women to “walk side-by-side, encouraging each other” to reach their goals How the traumatic loss of her sister inspired her to make a bold professional change Why the pursuit and acknowledgment of Everyday Joi is essential   Links Mentioned: Holly’s Website: http://hollyjoirigsby.com/ Holly on Facebook  

On this episode of House Flip Masters Holly is joined by guest Aaron Hendon. Aaron shares his secrets on finding selecting a realtor to be on your team or to work with you on your investments. Aaron is a Seattle realtor, real estate investor, author, educator, and speaker. Aaron is also the managing partner of Christine and Company, a Seattle magazine awarded 5-star real estate agency winning team the past five years, he is also this years individual rising star in Seattle real estate winner.  Being a New York native Aaron finds that hustle is engrained in him that he uses to his advantage. Aaron graduated from art school and found himself waiting tables, and shortly after opening a bakery that he owned and operated for 9 years until he sold it. Aaron quotes author Daniel Pink saying that ‘to sell is human,’ as a business owner Aaron got into the sales business which ultimately lead him to real estate.  Aaron is an advocate for education, teaching first time homebuyer classes, he wants people to be knowledgeable about the other side of real estate so that they are empowered to make better choices in their real estate decision. Aaron is in the process of writing a second book to help people learn about the real estate process and what happens on the other side of the equation.  Holly asks Aaron when selecting a real estate agent what numbers do people normally focus on and what numbers should they focus on instead? Aaron says that people pick their realtor based on the number of units a realtor has sold or signs on homes being sold; a higher volume of units sold equates to a better agent. From the realtor’s perspective it looks great that they have sold a lot of houses but the number of homes sold does not tell you about the person’s performance or how much better they are than the next realtor. Aaron asks Holly what she looks for when she’s looking to buy a property - to maximize the bottom line in the shortest time possible. Aaron recognizes that this is important to a lot of flippers or investors and says that no one asks him how much over listing price he averages compared to the local market average; a question that you should be asking when selecting an agent. Aaron averages about 5% more than the local market average. When Holly asks how he does it Aaron says it’s all in his marketing plan, the way they set the price of the house, and not taking every listing. Any agent will take your home and price it at what you want, but not Aaron, if your home is not valued at what you want to list it at he will not take the listing because it is not going to sell. Holly reminds listeners that a lot of time when a home is being sold, that home often has more value to the people that lived in it than what it is worth on the market. These people raised their children in  these homes, made memories, upgraded the flooring 10 years ago - these sellers are often offended or get their feelings hurt when they cannot get the price that they feel that they deserve. As a flipper Holly reminds her realtor that her feelings will not be hurt by the price the home is listed at or what needs to be fixed because she is in the business of making money and getting in and out of the flip quickly.  When you select a realtor you need to have someone who is going to price aggressively and not overprice the home. You can get over your price when you have 4 or 5 bidders, but if you price too high people will not continue to look higher than what the home is originally priced at. To sell your home you need to be proactive and have a strategic plan in place to get the most people in and seeing the home to have a better outcome. Holly and Aaron talk pricing strategy saying that you want a realtor that has come to you with the data; the market value and the trends of the homes selling in your area; they need to have the evidence because any realtor can say that they know the neighborhood but its they don’t have the ev

On this episode of House Flip Masters Holly is joined by guest Valerie Clark. Valerie has escaped the rat race through investing in real estate. Valerie is based in Southern California where she does most of her real estate deals.  Before Valerie got into real estate she worked in marketing for 20 years and when it was over she decided that she wanted to be self employed and knew she wanted to get into real estate - when she got into real estate she knew that she wanted to stay in and that’s where she finds herself today. Valerie says that real estate had always been a passion of hers and she’s glad she got out of the rat race and now employs herself.  When asked about her first deal Valerie says that she started very early by purchasing in her hometown of Hermosa Beach, California. Valerie recalls that this lot was a dump that it had an ocean view - she even recounts that she had buyers remorse after purchasing this home. Eventually when Valerie was done living there she split that lot on paper and hired an architect and made plans for 2 units and then she sold the plans.  Around 2000, Valerie was no longer working in marketing and was looking for real estate full time when she came across a building in Long Beach that she liked. When the property was in escrow Valerie again for buyers remorse and admits that she was nervous and scared of the deal and ended up giving away two-thirds of the deal. Valerie says that she doesn’t feel bad about giving any of it away because she knew that she was partnering up with two people who knew what they were doing. The three decided that if after a year things weren’t working out that they would sell the property and go their separate ways and that’s exactly what happened - Valerie walked away from that deal with a $100,000 check. When she inquired about the woman who cut her the check she learned that the person who bought the property from her and the two other partners was making much more money than her $100,00 check Valerie decided that’s what she wanted to get into condo investing. Valerie decided to start research condo investing so that she could start investing in them - after that she bought 2 properties that had 16 units each in Long Beach.  After working with condos Valerie dabbled in house flipping until those deals disappeared from the market where she was flipping in. Valerie says that she became desperate for a deal because of the way that the market was going and she said she was bleeding to death looking for a piece of property that would help to pay her bills.  Holly asks Valerie to share what happened when things were not working out for her in Long Beach and Orange County areas before she decided to move to Central California. While Valerie really liked the Long Beach area she had a friend who was a parole officer who mentioned to her that the parole office was looking for housing for parolees - this did not interest Valerie at all, but when her friend told her that the government would pay for this housing she started to think differently about the opportunity being presented to her. Valerie ended up buying a house in Long Beach that qualified for the parameters of the parolees where they could and could not live - she bought the home and fixed it up, as well as furnish it. She recounts that before she could even finish fixing up the home she had 6 people waiting with cash in hand wanting a place to stay. Valerie really got into this area of real estate and continued to buy houses to continue to house parolees, but eventually she ran out of money. When this happened she went to a hard money lender to refinance her house so that she could get another property. When Holly asks how Valerie felt about having parolees as tenants, Valerie says that the people staying at her homes were very respectful and she doesn’t regret doing these deals. After 7 years of housing felons Valerie mentions that she did sell one of her properties to Holly and Ho

We really enjoy getting to talk to the Survivor contestants, and we have learned that some great insights can also be gained by talking with their family members too. When Holly introduced us to her husband, Charlie, we could tell right away that he was quite a character in his own right. That, plus the fact that he came out to meet her for the family visit, suggested that he might be able to offer a deeper perspective on what it means to take part in the Survivor adventure. For the full "Charlie Experience", we recommend watching the video on a big screen, but we have also included an audio only version for our podcast subscribers. We hope you enjoy this special feature interview. If you are not a subscriber to the Survivor Fans Podcast, you can click the Listen Now button on the webpage and the interview will download and play on your computer. If you enjoyed this interview, check out our others here: SFP Audio Interviews SFP Videos Survivor Fans Podcast Homepage   Links for Today's Show Survivor Nicaragua at Survivor Fever Survivor Links News Archive at Sir Linksalot Contact Info: Voicemail: 206-350-1547 Email: joannandstacyshow@gmail.com Survivor Fans Podcast P.O. Box 2811 Orangevale, CA 95662 Enjoy, Jo Ann and Stacy