Podcasts about Y2

We leap into the Y2-krazy world of The Disney Channel, for a series of nostalgic and (k)impossible games and challenges. Thank you to the Funniest Girls in the World - Elena Christie, Laurien Stewart and Casey Zipp - for making this episode so magical! A seperate magic from the magic used and owned by Disney corp registered trademark all hail the mouse.Send us your Disney Channel muses and musings to gateleapers@gmail.comSupport our PlayersFollow Elena ChristieFollow Laurien StewartFollow Casey ZippWe are an ad and listener supported podcast, but mainly listener supported. Consider supporting our production over at patreon.com/gateleapers. All supporters get ad-free audio episodes. Premium supporters get video recordings + a bonus monthly episode.Do you have a suggestion for a fandom we've not yet covered? Are you a podcaster, creative or performer who would like to be a guest on our show? Get in touch! gateleapers@gmail.comMusic: BoucheDag by Alexander Nakarada (serpentsoundstudios.com)Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gateleapers-a-fandom-gameshow--5150861/support.

In this episode of Building Texas Business, I discuss John Marvin's transformative leadership journey as CEO and President of Texas State Optical (TSO). Founded in 1936 by the Rogers brothers, TSO evolved into a franchise operation spearheaded by John starting in the 1990s. Hear John's compelling account of reviving the brand, establishing the franchise association, and guiding the innovative physician-owned business model that has empowered young optometrists for decades. With the evolving eyewear landscape, our conversation analyzes consumer behavior shifts and their implications for strategic competition amid growing online retailers. We also explore the importance of supporting TSO's physician member network through mentorship and partnerships, especially given industry consolidation challenges. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS John D Marvin shares the history of Texas State Optical (TSO), founded by the Rogers brothers in 1936, and its growth into a franchise operation. We discuss how John Marvin revitalized TSO in the 1990s and his journey to becoming the president of the company in 2001. The episode explores the challenges and strategies involved in competing with online retailers in the eyewear industry, emphasizing the importance of convenience and well-stocked dispensaries. John describes the shift in optometry ownership trends, with fewer young optometrists interested in private practice, paralleling broader healthcare industry trends. We examine the strategic importance of building a physician member network to support optometrists and the criteria for network inclusion. The episode delves into leadership principles inspired by John C. Maxwell, highlighting the role of influence, trust, and accountability in effective leadership. John reflects on the transformative impact of setbacks, such as being fired, and how these experiences shape one's leadership journey. We explore the importance of forming strategic vendor partnerships and the role of mutual accountability in maintaining long-lasting business relationships. John emphasizes the need to adapt to industry shifts, including the rise of artificial intelligence, while fostering an innovative mindset among optometrists. The episode concludes with a discussion on the significance of understanding and meeting customer needs through effective consumer research, as a universal business strategy. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About Texas State Optical GUESTS John D MarvinAbout John TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode you will meet John Marvin, ceo and President of Texas State Optical. John shares his views on how the fundamentals of leadership boil down to influencing and how having mutual accountability in your business relationships create win situations. John, I want to thank you for taking the time to join me today. It's really been a pleasure to get to know you before we got started here. John: Well, Chris, I appreciate the opportunity to sit down. I always love talking about business. Chris: Well, that's good, that's what we're going to do. So you're the CEO and president of Texas State Optical, or most people know it as TSO. That's right. Tell us a little more detail about what is the company, what does it do and what is it really known for in the market. John: Okay Well, texas State Optical was founded in 1936 by four brothers the Rogers brothers, in Beaumont, texas, and anybody who's been to Beaumont or familiar with Beaumont knows of the impact those four brothers had on that community and then in turn throughout Texas. Two of the brothers were optometrists and they opened pretty traditional optometry practice. And if you'll think about what else was going on in 1936 in Beaumont, it was the oil boom that was just blowing up, and so the one that originally came to Texas from Chicago all four of them were from Chicago called back home and said boys, you need to move down here. We got a big opportunity and they did, and consequently, over the next several years they built a large retail optical chain they called Texas State Optical, and one time in the early 60s it had reached over 300 locations. And one time in the early 60s it had reached over 300 locations and those were in New Mexico, oklahoma, arkansas, louisiana and Texas, and so that went on until, due to some legal issues with the state optometric group, who decided that they didn't want someone in the state running 300 locations, they passed some legislation that limited optometrists to only three locations and so they could subsequently, after a long legal battle had to sell off most of their property, but they kept the core of the business of the optical lab. They kept that and kind of a condition of buying. The practice was that you obligated yourself to continue to purchase items from them. But then in the late 60s the Rogers, having gone through this process of dissolving their ownership in it, decided to turn their attention towards real estate development and at one point they owned 25% of Caesars Palace in Vegas. They just got involved in other things and then consequently in the early 70s they sold the company to a large pharmaceutical company, gd Searle, who then subsequently sold the company in the early 80s to Pearl Vision. Most people are familiar with Pearl Vision, most people are familiar with ProVision and ran that until the late 80s when they sold it to a group of kind of investors who wanted to own it. They didn't really know how to run it than investors. So in I got involved in 1993 doing consumer research for the corporate office. My background at the time I had a company marketing management group and based here in Houston and it was a small marketing management and consumer research group and was doing work in other areas. But picked them up as a client and began to do a lot of consumer study for them and learned about the business. At that time it was somewhat distressed because of the leadership that had taken over from the Pearl Vision taken over from Pearl, and so there was a lot of unrest among the franchisees because at that time TSO was a franchise operation and so I helped them form a franchise association and then kind of on a part-time arrangement took on an executive director position within that while maintaining my consumer study and research stuff. And so that happened until the late nineties, when everyone was planning for the great millennium you know, the 2000 and Y2, right, right. And so we gathered everybody in my conference room over here and how, booty building, and down here in the galleria and they started you know, flip chart sheets, what do we want to accomplish? And blah, blah, blah, and and that the result of that was really, guys, you're not going to get any of this done unless you own it. And so we began to have some discussions about them buying the company, the, the franchisor, and that took about a year to negotiate, and during that process I was asked to come on as the new president and since and then we closed in June of 2001, and since that time I've been the acting and operational by president and CEO of the company, and one of the reasons that it appealed to me was it was the ultimate fixer-upper, because the company had really was kind of loosely held together but had an iconic brand, and so we started opening new locations with Young Optometrist and we're a brand license company. So we knew that the only way we could pick up a new customer, if you would be, if a young OD wanted to open their own practice and then we could help them do that. People that were established at the time and successful weren't interested in converting to a retail trade name, so we did. We opened up about 80 new locations and helped a lot of young ODs live a dream and had put together a whole turnkey system commercial realty contractors the whole nine yards. Chris: That's a fascinating history, you know, to kind of just see it grow so big in the beginning, get broken down and then almost come back together. Yeah with, I guess in 2001 you said, with these individual practice owners or franchisees becoming owners. John: That's, you know, kind of unique, especially for doctors yeah, it was a different approach to it, one of the reasons we can set it as a now. We never incorporated it as a cooperative, we incorporated it as for-profit. We simply chose to run it as a cooperative, which, by its nature of co-op, isn't intended to make money, right? So we could keep the services and the value of what we offer members very high because we priced it at a break-even point, and so it was very appealing to a lot of young ODs who needed that help without any experience knowing what to do. And, of course, we then had a retail trade name that had market appeal. So a lot of them benefited greatly by, as opposed, to, opening up under their own name and unknown in a community. Chris: Yeah, it gives it instant credibility with the brand name right. That's right. What are some of the things I guess that you know since that time in 2001, that you do and your team around you, to kind of help preserve that brand value, to make it marketable and enticing to these doctors. John: Well, part of it is the importance. An optometry practice as a small business has a very defined marketplace of about three radium miles Okay, so one. That's part of that is because there are so many options and the profession is a licensed profession and so there's a little bit of perception by consumers that it's a commodity. In other words, anybody who's got a license will be able to give you a good exam. Consumers at one time back in the 60s and 70s, thought mostly of wherever they got their exams. That's where they purchased their eyewear. Chris: Out of convenience, right Out of convenience. John: That's right. And in the 80s you had a much more proliferation of retail optical chains like LensCrafters and EyeMasters at the time and Pearl Vision, which were creating an awareness among consumers that you know what, I can get my exam in one location and I can buy my eyewear in another location, and so that added to that sense of commodity. And so what we've done is focus on a three mile marketplace. So instead of running one advertising campaign in Houston, we run 50 around each of our locations, and those are largely driven through community involvement, pay-per-click, you know, today pay-per-click In the beginning though, a lot of it was just getting to know your school nurse, getting to know the coaches in the league ball game, and so from a marketing strategy it was always hyper-local standpoint. And so if you go into some neighborhoods, everyone knows the TSO. If you go into an neighborhood where we have no location, maybe not so much, and that was done probably more just from a practical standpoint of cost than it was anything else, because you know Houston and Dallas. Where we're at in San Antonio, they're very expensive media markets and so if you've only got, you know, 20 locations in the DFW market to go in and try to buy television, advertising or something more traditional is prohibited, and so it makes a lot more sense because that's where people live and work. People ask me sometimes how do you go about picking your locations, your real estate stuff? And I said we tend to let Kroger and HEB do that for us. So, wherever they're at, we want to be close because that's a neighborhood. Chris: That's right. You figured they thought there were enough households to support a grocery store. So I like that, you know, uh, you know. There's a lesson there, though, for a business owner, an entrepreneur, in that you don't necessarily have to do all your own organic research if you don't know, aware what's going on, you can, you know, let someone else do some of that and just make sure that their end users look like yours, and that's right. John: They do a tremendous job, both of those companies, at understanding the market before they ever buy land or pour concrete. I'd hate to insult them by not taking advantage of all that good work they do. Chris: They're genius right, they're genius, that's right. You just mentioned, you said 30 different or 50 different marketing campaigns in Houston alone. I mean, how do you go about figuring out you know the right message for the right place? That must take a lot of work. John: Well, not so much I mean because the message in Sugar Land is the same as the message in the Woodlands. I mean people. While we, as as in our profession, try to complicate this, it's pretty simple from a consumer standpoint. They're looking for a place where they can get their eyes checked and buy a pair of glasses. But probably two-thirds of all of our revenue today come from a third-party payer. So that changes kind of the basic consumer behavior dynamic. But by putting out a message that really is focused on that group of people in terms of maximizing the value of those coverage benefits, that becomes real consistent and then it's a matter of just being louder than anybody else. Chris: Sure, while we're on the subject of that consumer and consumer behavior, what are some of the things that you have done over the last 10, 15 years to either combat the online competition, as you mentioned, because people get their eyes examined and they either go online or do something. How are you managing that and what are some of the strategies you found to be successful? John: Well, first of all, consumers are driven, and I think this may be generally true, but certainly our consumers are driven with the priority on convenience, and one of the reasons the online marketing purchase of eyewear is so appealing is its convenience, and oftentimes it's not a price issue as much as it is a convenience issue and assortment and selection. So one of the things that we focus on is to make sure that our retail dispensary that's what we call the retail store aspect of a practice is well inventoried with product and assortment price points, and then the ultimate differentiation is customer service and knowledgeable people, and so if you have selection pricing and knowledgeable people, it's a home run and you don't have to worry about it, because if you can make it convenient for them, then they're not tempted to go online. And because there's a lot of I don't know if you've ever bought a pair of shoes online, but all you need to do is have one bad experience with that and have to turn around, send them back and so forth and so on that people would really prefer to get it locally, where I got my, where they received their exam, and it's kind of hours to lose. So we try to make sure we don't give them a reason to leave. Chris: Yeah Well, it's an interesting analogy with the shoes, because I can relate to that and see that people like to try on shoes but also glasses right. John: What are these going to look? Chris: like, and if you're at a store with a good selection, it's all right there as opposed to ordering one or two online and knowing you're going to be returning something. Advert Hello friends, this is Chris Hanslick, your Building Texas business host. Did you know that Boyer Miller, the producer of this podcast, is a business law firm that works with entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders? Our team of attorneys serve as strategic partners to businesses by providing legal guidance to organizations of all sizes. Get to know the firm at BoyerMillercom, and thanks for listening to the show. That's right, yes, well, that's it. So let's shift now kind of to this physician member network. What do you look for, if anything, as far as qualifying people to come into the brand, and then how do you help, kind of manage and support once they're in the network, if you will, to make sure that you're doing all you can to help them be successful? John: It's an interesting change we're seeing right now, especially in the last five to 10 years, and that is, the number of young optometrists who have an interest in owning their own practice is going away. Chris: It's really an interesting thing. John: One. It's very similar to what's going on in healthcare in general. You know, I was just talking to some people last week and I said you know when was the last time I asked them? I said do you have children? Yes, do you have a pediatrician? Yes, is that pediatrician private practice? Chris: No. John: It's owned by some big organization like Texas Children's, and what you're seeing in healthcare delivery at the provider level is a consolidation of these organizations and the disappearing of private practice, and we're seeing that now in optometry. And another big dynamic is 85% of all optometry graduates today are female, and in the 80s that number was just the opposite. It was very unusual in the 80s and early 90s to see women in optometry school. I mean they certainly didn't represent the majority. And so with that comes different priorities of practice. You know you don't have the hard-charging young guy who wants to go into small-town Texas and really build up a big practice or even a metro area. You have people that are much more interested in part-time, that I want to be able to step aside, raise my family, then maybe come back later, and so there's a whole different culture among the providers now coming in. So our organization as a business model relies on young optometrists wanting to own their own practice, and if that category is declining we've got to come up with some other plan here to maintain Sure. So one the opportunities we have are less. The vetting process is largely a discussion with very successful people. Our board of directors consists of nine doctors and three outside directors, but the nine doctors are all very successful. And so a young person does approach me and we talk, I want them to speak to one of our successful guys, and then their job is to kind of assess and come back to me and say, John, I don't know if she's ready, I don't know if he can do this, or I think this is a home run, let's go. And with their input and my discussion I've been doing it now long enough that I kind of get a feel for it Then we'll say let's go. And really it's a matter of they own everything. It's a matter of us guiding them through the process and then supporting them with just the knowledge they don't have about building a practice afterwards, and then lots of follow-up and hand-holding. Chris: And it's done. I think you said just as, basically a license agreement where they're licensing the name and brand and they get some support as a result of that as well. John: I mean contractually, I'm not obligated to support anything. Contractually I'm not obligated to support anything. All I'm obligated to do is to keep the value of the brand consistent with what they're paying for it. But I realized that if they're not successful, my brand value suffers. So we do all that we can to support them and help them be successful. Chris: So let's talk a little bit about your internal team. I mean, you've got a team I think you said 12, that's kind of help support you, that support these members. What have you found to be successful as you've gone through maybe trials and tribulations of hiring the right people, making sure you've got the right people in the right seat to kind of support the business and the brand? John: You know, that's a great question, because I, up until about 2015, I took a whole different approach to personnel than I did 2015 and on, and it was like I learned something, and that is I put together a group of really knowledgeable people in terms of their expertise in certain areas, but the quality that I had not paid attention to prior to that was they also had to be connectors. They had to be the kind of people that could say hey, chris, I know somebody you ought to talk to. And so because when a non-doctor walks into a doctor's office, even with the responsibility of helping, they carry a different level of credibility with that doctor than if a doctor told them something. If we go in and say, hey, listen, you need to be open Saturdays, because there's a lot of business on Saturdays, I don't want to do it. But if a doctor tells them, oh man, you got to be open Saturday, they'll listen to it. But if a doctor tells them, oh man, you've got to be open Saturday, they'll listen to it. And so our guys who are in the field, they do tactical training and support for staff, but when a doctor is facing an issue that they know the answer to, they in turn, seek out other leadership in the doctor community to say would you mind giving so-and-so a call Because I think you could help them get through whatever issue they're dealing with. And so that quality and frankly it's, you know it requires someone who doesn't have much of an ego. Sure, because you know I say this all the time like my old friend Ronald Reagan used to say, there's no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit. Chris: Yeah. John: And so we take that approach, and ours isn't about trying to get a bunch of credit. Ours is about trying to lift up this organization and get these guys successful, and if we're simply a facilitator in information to how to do that, we don't have to be the initial provider of that information. Even if we know it, it comes much better from a colleague, and so that's one of the things that we put a lot of emphasis on is helping the network, help each other. Chris: So you know you were very quick to say 2015. Have you seen a dramatic improvement in the performance of the overall business since making that change and kind of focusing on the connector quality as being an additional important quality in the people you bring on? John: Very much so, because what Texas State Optical was in the beginning was a doctor-owned organization and doctors working with other doctors to help them grow a network and large business. We're trying to replicate that from the standpoint of, especially as the business, the structure we use I mentioned earlier as a cooperative. It requires doctor leadership to be active and engaged in running their own company, their owners of the company, and so, while I have certainly an important role in that, the more doctors that engage in the leadership of the organization, the better it is overall. And since we took that intentional effort in 2015, a couple of things too. We had a kind of an evolution of membership. I mean, we had a lot of our older doctors retire and sell practices, and then we had a whole influx of young doctors, and so we ended up in 2015 with an organization that was significantly different demographically, both age and gender. That was significantly different demographically, both age and gender. But we thought they need mentorship among the leadership in the organization, and so we worked at creating that for them, and it impacts not just clinical I mean, there's also that aspect of it they're learning clinically from friends but operationally, and so it made a big difference Very good. Chris: I know that you have supply agreements with certain labs and other things. Let's talk about some of the things that you found to be successful in maintaining, I guess, forming those kind of key strategic relationships for the business, and maybe some of the things you do to make sure that you foster and keep them strong of the things you do to make sure that you foster and keep them strong. John: Well, in the vendor-doctor community there is a kind of an assumption made by both sides, and one is the doctor assumes that the vendor's got more money than they know how to spend or what they've got all this money to spend, and the vendor assumes the doctor's not going to follow through on all the promises they make. So that's kind of where we start at the table, and so I think it's important and what we've worked at bringing to our relationships is mutual accountability, and we have found our vendor partners to be extremely invested in our success, but at the same time they've got a business to run as well, and so our success with them and that dynamic of that exchange or relationship cannot be at the vendor's expense. It's gotta be the classic cliche win type of thing, but you only get win if you have mutual accountability. And so in every agreement we have, here's what the vendor commits to and here's what the doctor community commits to. And then we have business reviews where we sit down and say here's where we're dropping the ball or here's where you're dropping the ball, and we hold that accountability does a long goes a long way to not only making the relationship productive but also building trust and longevity into those partnerships, because if you're making money with a partner, you don't want it to stop, right, you know? And that goes both ways If you're a doctor making money with a partner, you don't want it to stop, and if money with a partner, you don't want it to stop, and if you're a partner, you don't want to stop. So I found that type of mutual accountability and the willingness to be held accountable is critical to those relationships Very good. Chris: So you know. Talk a little bit about leadership. You've been running this organization for a long time now. How would you describe your leadership style and how do you think that's evolved over time? John: well, I would. I don't know if I've ever been asked to describe it, but I would say it's Maxwellian. Okay, and that means John C Maxwell, who is an author, has written a number of books on leadership and, in my opinion, probably is the most the best leadership author. I'm biased, of course, but I think he is. Forbes Magazine said that a few years ago, but basically his definition of leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less. It's just influence. And an example of that is if you walk into a room of people, you're naturally going to notice someone who's exercising influence on others, and it isn't an authoritarian way, it's in a trust and credibility way. And so if you're influencing, you're leading. If you're not, it doesn no matter what title you have. So an example is my when I explained how we use doctors to help influence other doctors. So that's a level of influence that doesn't come because I require somebody to do something. It it occurs because you're able to influence others to to make a difference. So I would. I'm a big believer in that. I'll plug his book. There are 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. It's a classic, and so that's like a Bible. It's my business Bible in terms of leadership style. Chris: I was going to use that word because others and it's fair to plug books, because sometimes I ask people what's a book you would recommend. We hear a lot of good to great from people Sure, jim Collins. But what I love what you said if you're influencing, you're leading, because I say a lot of times a true leader leads without a title. John: Right, you're actually doing things without the title to demonstrate leadership, which is what you're talking about Exactly, and if you do have the title and can influence, it's a home run. It's a home run, yeah. Chris: So you've learned that through lots of trials and tribulations. I think we all learn through mistakes or setbacks Anything you could share with the listeners about a decision made that didn't go the way you thought but you learned from it and that learning kind of catapulted you made you better because of it. Setback, failure whatever word you want to describe Anything you could you care to share in that realm. John: Sure the. So I came to Houston. I was born and raised in Western Kansas and I was in Wichita born and raised in western Kansas, and I was in Wichita, kansas, in 1989, excuse me, in the late 80s, 84, 89 era and I was working for a large ophthalmology practice up there as a marketing administrator and in that role I attended a lot of national meetings in ophthalmology and during that meeting I met an owner of a large Houston ophthalmology and during that meeting I met an owner of a large Houston ophthalmology group who ended up offering me a job and I came to Texas. Due to some marketing challenges we were facing at that practice, I was introduced to Texas State Optical while I was at that practice and then left after about four years, left that practice and went to a consumer research firm here in Stafford and quickly turned around and went to Texas State Optical to see if they would like to buy some insurance I'm not insurance, buy some research and they did so. I ended up doing this large project for them but also ended up doing a ton of work for HLMP. During the time they were prepared to try to go to battle with Enron and this was like early nineties, right, and so everything was going well. And then I get fired from the research thing. Now I moved my family down from Kansas. I've been in the state about five and a half years and I get fired. I've been in the state about five and a half years and I get fired. And that was a big you know. Anytime you've been fired, that kind of devastates you Right, it shakes you up. Chris: Yeah, it does. John: But had that not happened, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing Right, and so I have learned, and what pulled me through that is faith, Faith in God and faith in myself is faith, faith in God and faith in myself, and I felt like I can do, kind of what. There was a part of it, chris, that was liberating, because that was like, instead of thinking now what am I going to do, I was thinking now what am I going to do. I mean, it was a whole different frame of attitude and that subsequently ended up leading to the position I have today, through working with franchisees at Texas State Optical and so forth. Chris: That's a great story. Thank you for sharing. You bet A lot of people don't want to talk about, especially if they've been fired for something. But to your point on that, these other opportunities would have never presented themselves right, because you likely stayed in the comfort of the job and seeing where that takes you. You know there's so much that can come. John: Actually, I'd gone to that research firm. The owner of it had brought me there with the promise implied I mean not implied, but it wasn't in writing but the idea was that I would take over that firm at some point and it turned out that didn't work out Well you know a lot of what you, I think, describe. Chris: The undertone to that is the mindset you had in the wake of that setback. You know you didn't let it take you down. You're like like you said what am I going to go? Do I got all these opportunities and go? Explore and figure it out. John: So I had about 30 days before the next house payment came, so that you were acting quick, got to be decisive man. Chris: You can't be stewing on decisions forever, for sure, well, that and so you know that leadership, you know is forged and helped you get to where you are today. You know, when you, when you think about applying that mindset and that leadership kind of style, how does it help you kind of navigate the ups and downs of the economic cycles that we've experienced over the last 20 plus years? John: Well, you know, first of all is to understand which of these cycles are cyclical. That's a little redundant, but I mean, what is it we're going through that's cyclical. That you can. You know, business loves a stable and predictable environment. Right Now, the reality is it's ups and downs. But if it's ups and downs within a certain range of up and down, it's stable right, and you can prepare for it Certain tolerances right, yeah certain tolerances. What we've seen, not only in the economy and that's a whole different issue but what we've seen in the profession itself and the consolidation of private practice by private equity that's come into the marketplace, is we're seeing disruption like we haven't seen before. And I was talking to one of our board members doctor board members about it and we were just, you know, he was pointing out all of the things that are kind of out without from under excuse me, out of our control, and as we were talking about it, I had this thought and I told him. I said it's a great time to be alive and that because we're the ones that get to go through this, and in many ways I believe that our profession is going through a transformation that will take probably a 20 year period of time. But 40 years from now, optometry, I don't think, will look anything like it does today, and it's always bumpy to be in the middle of that turbulent transformation. The 80s were very steady, the 90s were pretty steady. It was in starting about 2010, 2000, that things started rapidly changing and then the acceleration with just technology and everything else is just gone, and then you've got now the whole world of artificial intelligence coming into play and it's. I consider it exciting, invigorating, challenging, but I mean what's? The alternative is to be bored right. Chris: Well, if you don't adopt and if you're not using it, you die use it you die, that's right. So I mean, you know, kind of it's a great segue to what are some of the things you do to kind of foster that maybe innovative mindset of how you're going to embrace the technological changes and use them in the business model to further the brand and the business. John: So I there's very little I can do without the support of the doctor, owner, community right. And sometimes there's a lot of indecision, because when you're not sure what to do, you're scared of doing the wrong thing. Chris: Sure, Well, it seems like you got a lot of opinions that out there too, right? John: You got a lot of them, and so what I have to do is to influence them through other people and through information, to get them to a point of being open enough to consider ideas that they might consider kind of sacrilege in some case. For instance, what is real common in most optometry practices today is what's called an autorefractor. It's a machine that people go through and it gives you a prescription, and the prescription is used by the doctor to zero in on where your visual acuity is right. Well, when that first came out, optometrists thought that was the end of the profession. Here's a machine that'll do what I'm doing. Optometrists thought that was the end of the profession. Here's a machine that'll do what I'm doing. And so there's a fear oftentimes of innovation. Right, that you have to assure people that there's a way to use this to our benefit, and that's what we're going through with artificial intelligence right now. One group is scared to death. It's going to replace them. The other group is glad they're old enough, they're probably not going to have to go through with it. And then you're looking for those people who say, hey, how can we utilize this to really to our benefit? Yeah, and once people feel that's safe enough to kind of try. Then the people realize that the fear is misplaced. Chris: So true, right, but it takes education, information and influence, as you said, to get people to get there so that they can adopt it One of the things that I teach my team to say. John: I mean to believe, and I say it all the time is we believe in everybody's right to make a bad decision. So if someone listens to us and they choose not to do what we're recommending and we know it's a good decision what we're recommending and they choose not to, it's their right. You know, I mean everybody's right to waste their own money. So that kind of patience is necessary with a group like ours. In many ways it's like working with a volunteer organization. Chris: Yeah, well, lots of challenges there, I'm sure. Well, john, this has been a great conversation. I really appreciate you sharing everything I want to ask you, I guess, going back to your days, you know, I guess growing up in Kansas what was your first job? John: A drugstore Rexall drugstore and I grew up in a town of 2000 people and my dad was the family physician of the community and so of course in a town like that in western Kansas the doctor and the pharmacist are close relationship. And so I got my first job at a drugstore, working a soda fountain, delivering prescriptions, restocking things. Like that had a blast and that really I learned a lot in that, not just like everybody learns a lot from their first job, but understanding. I was intrigued by Rexall. I don't know how familiar you are with Rexall, but Rexall was a national organization that gave private ownership of drugstores the purchasing power of a large corporate chain, and so my employer was the pharmacist. He owned the drug store and he stood up in the stand in the dais every day counting pills and chatting with people. So that was my first job. Chris: Very good. Well, you've been in Texas now since what the late? John: 80s. Chris: So do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue Barbecue? Okay. John: Barbecue Very good. My waistline prefers barbecue. Chris: And last thing if you could take a 30-day sabbatical, where would you go and what would you do? I don't know, Probably nuts. John: I just I've got to be engaged and I mean I don't have to be. I'm not select. I love business and I love the challenge it has. So I'm not I don't. You said earlier in our discussion about you were describing about the law firm. When I was doing consumer research, I did some healthcare work 12 Oaks Hospital was a client and so but I would tell people, is I specialize in a process, not an industry, because the process is the same and I would say that's what I really love about business, because when you boil it down to what I do and what you do and others that run businesses, it's the same process. It's understanding your customer and then directing how your services or products benefit that customer and communicating and the whole marketing scheme of promotion, price, product and place applies to every industry. And so I'd probably do something if I had 30 days. Like I said, I'd go nuts. Chris: Well, but I think what you just said there in the end is you have great insight and learning for business owners and entrepreneurs out there. You're trying to find their way. It's it is figure out what the consumer that you're catering to really wants and then deliver that as efficient as best you can that's why you know my, when I first got into consumer research, I thought this is like cheating. John: I mean you're actually going out and saying what do you want? They tell you, and then you give it to them. I mean it's like, it's amazing. Chris: Yeah, right, so well, this has been great, John. Thanks again for taking the time. You bet I really appreciate your invitation. Special Guest: John D Marvin.

On todays episode, Brenda speaks with Marcia Dawood. Marcia is a passionate advocate for positive change in empowering and educating everyone on how to invest. Her book "Do Good While Doing Well – Invest For Change, Reap Financial Rewards and Increase Your Happiness", is due out in September 2024 and this episode provides previews to our listeners.  Brenda and Marcia speak about Purpose: Doing Good While Doing Well. How Marcia lives her purpose is as an author, host of the podcast The Angel Next Door, Chair Emeritus of (ACA)Angel Capital Association, the global professional society for angel investors, and on the board of Stella, a non-profit that supports female entrepreneurs. She is also a Venture partner at Mindshift Capital, and she currently serves on the SEC Securities and Exchange Commission's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee.  You can find out more about Marcia at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciadawood/ marcia@marciadawood.com Watch her Tedx Talk here Order her Book here Interview with Catherine Gray host of She Angels Series- Invest in Her: You can subscribe to Next Act Advisors at https://nextactadvisors.com/product/subscriptions/ and be sure to use the special discount code "sandbox25" for friends of The Founder's Sandbox for 25% off your subscription.   Transcript: 00:04 We're standing on the edge of something big. We're going to make some changes. Hi, I'm pleased to announce something very special to me, a new subscription-based service through Next Act Advisors that allows members exclusive access to personal industry insights and bespoke 00:32 corporate governance knowledge. This comes in the form of blogs, personal book recommendations, and early access to the founder's sandbox podcast episodes before they released to the public. If you want more white glove information on building your startup with information like what was in today's episode, sign up with the link in the show notes to enjoy being a special member of Next Act Advisors. 01:01 As a thank you to Founders Sandbox listeners, you can use code SANDBOX25 at checkout to enjoy 25% off your membership costs. Thank you. 01:18 So welcome back to the Founder's Sandbox. I am Brenda McCabe, host of this monthly podcast now in its third season. This monthly podcast that reaches entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs and business owners who learn about building resilience, scalable and sustainable businesses with great corporate governance. I want to assist entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in building those scalable, well-governed and resilient businesses. And by way of 01:47 inviting guests to the podcast who are themselves founders, business owners, corporate directors, investors, and professional service providers who also share my mission, which is using the power of the private enterprise, be that small meeting at large to create change for a better world. Through storytelling with my guests on topics that are going to include resilience, purpose-driven, and sustainable growth, 02:16 My goal through this podcast is to provide a fun sandbox environment where we can equip one startup founder at a time to build a better world through great corporate governance. I'm absolutely delighted today. My guest is Marsha Dalwood. She's joining the podcast. She checks a lot of boxes, but she's today joining as a passionate advocate for positive change by empowering and educating 02:45 everyone on how to invest. So when I met Marcia back in February through one of our events with Ty So Kow, she had launched or was speaking about launching her book that's coming out on September 10th, Do Good While Doing Well, Invest for Change, Reap Financial Rewards, and Increase Your Happiness. I couldn't help but ask her to be a guest because she also has 03:14 passion or a mission, and that is for positive change. And one of many things she's done is authoring this book, which we'll get into a sneak preview of the contents of this book before its launch on September 10th, 2024. I like to choose a title with my guests that are around purpose or sustainability or resilience. And we chose a title for this episode 03:43 which is purpose, do good while doing well. So thank you today for joining me, Marcia. So happy to have you here in the Founder Sandbox. Oh, I'm so happy to be here. Excellent. So, you know, our paths crossed, I mentioned it earlier at the Thai SoCal chapter, the Indus Entrepreneurs SoCal chapter, where you spoke recently on some of the data coming out 04:13 the Angel Capital Association, as well as your role with the SEC. Before I get into my first question, I did want to give my listeners your entire background, your biography. It's very impressive and very extensive. You live your purpose as a multifaceted professional, your author of the book that I just mentioned, Do Good While Doing Well. 04:43 You are also a host of a podcast, The Angel Next Door. You are chair emeritus of Angel Capital Association, ACA. It's a global professional society for angel investors. And you're on the board of Stella, a nonprofit that supports female entrepreneurs. You're also a venture partner at MindShift Capital, and you currently serve on the SEC. 05:10 Securities and Exchange Commission's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. So thank you for bringing your expertise here into this podcast today. Well, thank you for having me. So can you share for my listeners some of the highlights you walked us through in February while distinguishing the role of an angel investor, a range of fund groups versus VC? 05:37 I mean, some of the trends you're seeing in the markets. Sure. Well, to put it very basically, an angel investor is somebody who writes checks out of their own checkbook. A venture capitalist will pool funds from other people, so they're using other people's money. And therefore, they're held to certain standards, and they're held to certain financial returns that their investors are expecting. 06:06 So angels, while we also of course would love and expect a financial return, we invest in the things that we really care about and are very passionate about. And we don't necessarily have the same time horizons and the same guidelines that venture capitalists do, which makes us a little bit more plausible for being immutable for being able to do certain things and invest in the way that we want to. So, 06:34 Over the last two years, especially maybe even going on two and a half now, the market has been very challenging for entrepreneurs to fundraise at any stage. The market has been very challenging for exits and liquidity. So angel investing or investing in early stage private companies means that you're investing in a company that is not. 07:01 publicly traded on the stock market, like you would see a stock like Apple or something like that. Got it. In order for the investor to have any type of liquidity, there has to be an event. Either the company is sold, or in rare instances, the company would go onto a public stock market, or an IPO, as we call it. So in those particular instances, when there is liquidity, then that money can in a way 07:30 can oftentimes be put back into the startup scene, the entrepreneurial ecosystem, as we call it. And a lot of times, investors will take any money that they do get as a gain from a previous investment and put it into other startup companies so that that capital can keep flowing. That's kind of the whole idea behind as people are getting returns. So that's really the biggest difference between an angel investor and a venture capitalist. 08:00 But right now it's been challenging for everyone because of this lack of liquidity that we've been seeing in the marketplace for the last two and a half years. Now we do think that there's been some talk that that market is gonna start to open up a little bit more. We will see more M&A activity. And if that's the case, then hopefully we will start to see more liquidity and then there will be more capital for investing. And 08:26 as an asset class, right? Angel investing. And with your role as chair emeritus and while you were also chair of ACA, what spurred you to write about angel investing, right? Is this the culmination of your years of experience? Walk my listeners through what made you take the time to actually write a book, do good while doing well. 08:52 Yeah, I think it was out of frustration more than anything. I would talk to people, even neighbors, friends, people I would meet at an event. And I would say, yeah, I'm an angel investor. I help early stage companies. And they were like, wow, that seems really interesting. And I would say, well, you could be an angel investor too. And they would be like, me? I could be an angel investor? I thought that was only for the rich and well-connected. 09:22 that isn't something I could do. I don't know anything about that. I don't have a degree in finance. I don't really think that's for me. So it wasn't that they didn't want to do it. They really just didn't believe that it was something that they were able to do in a way, either from a wealth or income standpoint or from a knowledge standpoint. So I thought, wait a minute, I think there's an awareness problem here because we have all these amazing entrepreneurs. They're building incredible innovations that the world needs. 09:52 But they're really struggling. I mean, struggling with fundraising. And it's one of the hardest things that they end up doing. And it's like a full-time job on top of the full-time job of them trying to build this company. So wait a minute, how can we fix this problem? Well, we could fix the problem if more people got involved and became investors, but that seems daunting. 10:17 So I thought, well, how can I help people realize that that doesn't really have to be quite so daunting? And you can kind of nowadays because of a lot of the regulatory changes that have happened in the last eight to 10 years, you can maybe step your way into it and really start to learn with basically putting less money at risk and you're gaining knowledge at the same time. You can also be a mentor to startup companies. That's become very popular and needed in the last several years. 10:46 All of these things that people don't really know about, that was what I was trying to do, demystify it. Right. And if you had to provide a sneak preview on the gut of your book, what would that be? Set takeaway. And who should be your target audience? Is it just the, is it actually entrepreneurs or is it those people that are just kind of wanting to become more informed around the asset class? Yeah, great question. 11:16 So I wrote the book for people who want to make a difference, but they just don't know how one person alone can do that. Okay. I think you feel that charity is a great way to give back, which of course it is, but they have no idea that this asset class also exists in a way that you can give back and potentially get a financial return at the same time. So that's really who I wrote the book for. As far as a sneak peek as to what's in the book, it is a Y2 book. 11:45 about angel investing. So I saw that there were several books out there and some of them are really amazing on how to angel invest. And most, if not all of them, have the words angel investing in the title. I thought to myself, wait a minute, if somebody really wants to learn about this, but they don't even know that it exists or that it's accessible to them, why would they ever pick up a book on how to be an angel investor? Because this has never even crossed their radar. So how can I attract them? 12:14 to think about things in a different way, to think about how they might use some of their capital in a different way. And when I say capital, I don't just mean money. It can be their human capital, their time. They could be helping an entrepreneur through mentorship. How can they start to look at the resources that they have in order to help grow innovative companies? How can they think about that differently so that they will want to then go and help either people in their local community and in their local area? 12:44 or maybe even startups nationwide or globally. I did watch your TEDx talk and I really do like how you have positioned the asset class or why is angel investing important if you want to make a difference versus charitable giving. And in your TEDx talk that will be in the show notes, you illustrated that extremely well. 13:13 That's very unique. Yes, thank you. And I really want people to donate to charity, help charities, that's fantastic. But we've put such a burden on them and they don't have the resources. They don't have the ability to actually take some of these innovations forward. We need those for-profit companies too. And when you look at the amount of charitable giving that happens in the U.S. annually, it's about 475. 13:41 billion, which is a lot of money. And that's wonderful. But that is equivalent to only about 1% of the value of the US stock market. So when we put things into perspective, it's really not doing any of these nonprofits of good service to say that we're going to put the burden all on you. And what is the size currently of the asset class as angel investing per ACA? Well, pretty much, if you look at the SEC data, 14:10 The most recent data has around $30 billion is where the angel asset class kind of lands. And then from there, we can look at that as far as there's angel groups, there's angel funds, and then there are individual angels. I tend to be a pretty big proponent and fan of angel funds. It allows somebody to put in a certain amount of money and nowadays it does not have to be 14:39 a quarter of a million dollars or any crazy big amount, they could put in a couple thousand dollars and get access to a diversified portfolio, which would allow them to spread their risk and not necessarily put all their eggs in one basket, as you would say. Right, right. Let's kind of switch gears here. While not entirely leaving your experience behind from ACA, you're currently, so you, 15:09 are you've had many women leadership roles, right? Now, whether you got there as a woman, I don't believe so, but what you've had many women leadership roles, most recent, well, maybe the most, I think, relevant for this podcast is you are currently an advisor to the SEC's... 15:34 Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. Now getting there, and it really ties in well with corporate governance and how to do things, well informed with data so as to provide our regulatory structures or financial or legal with guidance and you're representing the small business world. Are you the only woman on the advisory committee? Talk to me through some of the women leadership roles you have had and 16:04 how you've obtained them and how you are opening opportunities for other women leaders. Yeah. So I have been on the investment committee of several funds. Okay. We were specifically focused on helping to get capital to female founders. If you look at the data over the last several years, although in angel world, it is improving in the venture capital world. And when you for the bigger dollars that companies really need to scale. 16:34 The statistics show it's been, you know, two to 3% of the funding goes to women and the rest goes to male led companies. So I've really been trying to help change that. And one of the ways to change that is to get the check writers or the people making the decisions about where the money goes to be more diverse. So to me, it was important to serve on some of these different investment committees for various funds, help with angel groups. 17:03 member of Golden Seeds, which invests only in women-led companies. I'm also a venture partner for MindShift Capital, where we invest in women-led companies globally. So those were things that were important to me. At the Angel Capital Association, I also started with a couple of my peers. We started a group called Growing Women's Capital. It's a peer group within the Angel Capital Association, where we help bring focus and attention to the female founders who are fundraising at the time. 17:33 And so those were all things that were important to me. As far as getting to be able to participate on the SEC's advisory committee, that's been great. And it is an extremely diverse committee, which I absolutely love. There's really representation there from men, women, racial disabilities, I mean, everything so that every group, I feel has a voice at the table because we're trying to represent 18:03 small businesses across the country. And that doesn't necessarily always mean startups, startups are scale businesses that people would want to invest in. But we also have people on the committee who are representing your Main Street businesses as well, coffee shops, things like that. Excellent. And the, can you talk a little bit about Stella? It's also. 18:30 a nonprofit group in which you've been involved, I think, since its inception. I have definitely been a champion and a supporter for Stella since its inception. I've only been on the board for a very short period of time. But the organization is really wonderful. They have done a lot as far as entrepreneurial education for women. They have an archive on their website of different. 18:58 different educational materials. They have an accelerator. They're always promoting ways that more female founders can get in front of investors. So they're doing some really good work over there. Can you get into a bit what is your role on the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee? How often do you guys meet? What is the agenda? And what is the term? Because this is just one of many. 19:28 advisory committees under the auspices of the SEC? I'm just fascinated on what is the actual governance around that. Sure. So it's a four-year term, and I'm one year in as of now. We meet quarterly, usually in person at the offices in Washington, DC. Sometimes we meet virtually. It just kind of depends on the situation, but usually we meet in person. Meetings are all recorded. 19:56 and broadcast live over the SEC's website. So anyone who wanted to go back and watch any of the meetings, or if you wanted to watch any of the future meetings live, that is absolutely doable. They're always listed on sec.gov, the website. So the role is really for us to be able to help the commission get a better sense of what's happening, kind of boots on the ground. 20:26 So each of us has a little bit of a different angle for how we represent small businesses. I of course come with the angel investing lens. There's another person on the committee who has a debt crowdfunding platform that he founded. And that's a very interesting perspective since that's something that's kind of newer to the state of how entrepreneurs can fundraise. So we're all. 20:54 trying to have basically a conversation about some of the challenges that entrepreneurs face when it comes to fundraising. And one of the things that we tackled quite heavily, at least for the first few meetings that I was involved in was the accredited investor definition. Got it. As it stands right now, to be an accredited investor means you have to have a certain level of wealth or income, $200,000 by yourself, 300,000 with a partner. 21:23 or a million dollars in net worth minus your home. And there was talk or has been talk that that could be indexed or changed or raised. And we did some rough calculations at the Angel Capital Association. There were also calculations done, then I don't remember the exact numbers, but you could go even go back and watch our meeting on sec.gov and you'd be able to see that, but it would eliminate. 21:47 a lot of the people who were already angel investors. And we only have about 300,000 angel investors in the country. And remember, there's about 330 million of us here that live in the US. So, there's a lot of opportunity, let's just say that. And if we started to eliminate the ability for people to participate based on an income or wealth level, that would be challenging. And it would make fundraising for entrepreneurs even that much harder. 22:14 So what we suggested in one of the, and you can actually see the recommendation that we made on the SEC's website, but we made a recommendation to say, hey, how about we don't actually focus so much on income and wealth and we focus more on education. And we'd like to see there be an education component that would allow for more people to be able to participate in this asset class. And the Angel Capital Association has put in 22:43 And I think there were some others as well who have put in some proposals to say, hey, we could help with this. So that's kind of where we are right now. Right. And as emeritus chair of the ACA, can you talk about some of the innovations that have come out recently? You've talked about angel funds. I'd like you to talk. You've talked a little bit now about credit investor and the definition of your work at the SEC. 23:13 But the recent publication, I'm a member of ACA, attended the annual summit this year. I found the work that you've done on the actual convertible note form for the angel investment is fascinating. Can you talk a little bit more about that? Sure. So there are documents that were put out by the National Venture Capital Association years ago 23:42 companies who want to fundraise to use those documents for a priced round. Of course, that would be for actual equity, you're selling shares of your company, that kind of thing. And those are great. And very, very helpful to entrepreneurs, because I think in some cases, it can save them a lot of time and money in legal costs. However, there wasn't really anything out there that could be used for convertible notes. 24:09 Safes, yes, there is a kind of a standard safe note that people view and that has also saved entrepreneurs time and money, but the Angel Capital Association was interested in putting something out that was like that, but in the convertible note form that was more, quote unquote standard or something that, at least a starting point for entrepreneurs so they didn't have to start from scratch or have to go to an attorney and have them draw up all kinds of paperwork. So yeah, and that's available on the ACA's website. 24:40 So this which gears back to one of your other facets. You are associate producer of a film called Show Her the Money. I first heard of it through, I guess meeting in February and the Thai SoCal chapter on September 19th will be actually screening this film. 25:09 in conjunction with a global competition for women led company. So I'm, when I, um, learned that you would join me as a guest, um, of the podcast, I was delighted to get kind of a scoop also about show her the money, how you got involved as associate producer and what can we expect? Yeah, it turned out to be a tremendous film. 25:35 Catherine Gray and Kai Dickens, who put it all together, Kai Dickens, the director, it was Catherine Gray's idea, have really done a tremendous job of showcasing through storytelling the problem and bringing more awareness to this problem. So Catherine Gray and I met after somebody saw my TED Talk and saw hers and said, hey, do you guys know you're talking about almost exactly the same thing? 26:02 know each other. And this was at the time right before the film came out that Katherine was still looking for a few investors. And so I myself and a couple other angels that I know we, we kind of helped fill that round up so that she could move the move the film forward. And we've been on a 50 city tour that's now turning into probably close to 100 cities. Katherine's been such a trooper. She has really gone to a lot. 26:30 a lot of the screenings. I've gone to several, but it's a lot to kind of go city to city almost, I mean, there's nowadays, there's a showing almost every day in different places around the country. So there, we try to have at least someone from the film or an associate producer there at each of the screenings, but it's really been fun to showcase it. 26:54 We always have a panel afterward and we get questions from the audience. We let the audience kind of, you know, give their comments and what they're thinking about it. And the, I mean, the feedback has just been tremendous. And will there be a sequel? That's a good question. There's a lot of talk about a lot of different types of things, so you never know. Right, excellent. So you heard it here on the Founder's Sandbox. Marsha Dawood is actually. 27:22 Associate producer of a film, Show Her the Money. The Thai SoCal chapter will be screening the film on September 19th at Noah House here in Hollywood, Los Angeles, so very exciting. Well, Marcia, I like to have a part of my podcast where my listeners can learn about how to contact you. They will be, you have many touch points, but what would you... 27:51 suggest as some of the best ways to get in contact with you? Well, I would just say go to my website, which is simply marshadalwood.com. You can learn about all kinds of things. I have lots of free resources there. Currently, you can even download a free chapter of the book as a preview. Oh, to do that, they can do that. And of course, I have everything, I linked everything on there, including the TEDx talk in Charlotte. I did do a rap battle. I don't 28:20 Did you do a rap battle? I did a rap battle called Angel Investor versus Venture Capitalist. Because I was watching YouTube with my step sons one day and we saw a rap battle between Snow White and Elsa. I thought, well, that's clever. And that's a cute way to like kind of get a message across. 28:44 maybe I could do a rap battle about an angel investor versus a venture capitalist just so that people would kind of have a better understanding of what the differences are. So one day I just sat there, this was before chat GPT, and kind of wrote it out, you know, like what it would be. And, and of course, I'm cracking myself up the whole time. And because I was like, Oh, that's funny, you know, how can we make that, you know, more clever? So anyway, 29:13 I debuted it at one of the ACA summits a couple of years ago, but that's all I can say to you. Excellent. So in the show notes, you will have access to the TED Talk, the order online of Marsha Doudwood's new book, and you have your podcast, the Angel Next Door podcast. And who do you invite there? Well, I saw a need about three years ago. That's when I started it. 29:42 that there really wasn't anybody talking about how do you become an angel? Or how would you help a company with either mentoring or helping them with investing? There's a lot of podcasts out there about entrepreneurship, lots of things about pitching, raising money, how did you build your business? And they were great, I like all of them. But I was really seeing a need for how can we showcase this, an angel. 30:08 that can be anybody, it can be your next door neighbor. So that's kind of how the title came about. And on the podcast, I have people who are angel investors who are just telling their story about why and how they became an angel investor, how they learned about it. But from there, it's kind of spun into other things. I've had four Congress people on talking about small business in their community and why it's important and what they're doing in Congress in order to help to... 30:38 spur economic development. I've also had two of the SEC commissioners on, which is fun to go through what they're thinking about and the changes that could potentially also help entrepreneurs. And then I've had several people come on who were experts in areas like equity crowdfunding, debt crowdfunding, revenue-based financing. 31:00 And then of course, one of the things that angels always wanna know about are tax benefits, even though taxes sometimes seems like a boring topic, taxes are something that everybody really needs to know about and there are several tax advantages that angels can partake in, but many are not known. Exactly. Excellent. So before we finish, I actually go back to 31:29 the founder sandbox and kind of the three cornerstones that I am working on as my mission and building resilient, purpose-driven and scalable companies. So I always like to ask my guests and not one guest has the same definition or I guess the meaning to each of these terms. So I'd like each of you to tell me what does resilience mean to you, Marsha? 31:56 So when I think of resilience, it makes me think of how hard it is for an entrepreneur to build a company, just anyone to build a company. So resilience is that tenacity that you need in order to keep going on the hard days and the days that you just wanna throw your hands up in the air and say, why am I doing this? So that is really so important because building a company is such a... 32:22 hard work and it's so much harder than I think anybody ever realizes when they go into it. And I've talked to so many entrepreneurs who've said, oh my gosh, this is like, this is way, way, way harder than I thought it was going to be. But it also takes a village. So that resiliency needs to have a community around it. And so that's why I really am such a proponent of angel investing because we really can form that community and help build the resilience with the entrepreneur. Thank you. Purpose driven. 32:51 I think you have a purpose, right? Which is educating on the asset class and how to become an investor. So what is purpose driven for you? Well, I think that goes back to do good while doing well. I mean, I wasn't necessarily going to title my book that. It was the title of my TEDx talk. However, I went through... 33:16 as you do as an author, you go through many, many, many iterations of what the title is gonna be, because it's one of the most important things. And I did several focus groups where I gave people options about titles and do good while doing well, kept coming back and people were like, that resonates with me. So then I just think, purpose driven, that's what people really, that was the thing that really, it just stuck with them. And so, 33:45 I think aligning your values with your money, with your goals, you know, all of those things are a great way to be purpose driven. To make a difference. Right. Sustainable growth. What's the meaning for you sustainable? So sustainable means like long term, we need to be able to do something that's hard and be able to. 34:12 continue to do it. And if we come up against roadblocks, how do we pivot? We tell entrepreneurs all the time, it's okay to pivot. It's okay if you come up against something in your company and you're like, wait a minute, this doesn't fit or it doesn't work and maybe I need to change something, that's okay. I mean, everything that happened in 2020 with COVID. Oh my goodness. Lots of pivoting, right? So to me. 34:37 sustainable growth is like, how can we do that? How can we be in the right mindset so that no matter what happens, we can keep going and we can keep building what we really wanna see in the world. Very nice, thank you. Last and final question, Marcia. Did you have fun today in the sandbox? Oh, love playing in the sandbox. And had I known that you were also a rapper, I would have had a question in there, but thank you for sharing the fun side. 35:07 angel investing, right? So to my listeners, if you like this episode with Marsha Dawood, sign up for the monthly release of founders, business owners, corporate directors, and professional services go-to podcast to learn about how to build resilient, purpose-driven, and scalable companies while doing good. Thank you very much for joining me and Marsha Dawood signing off for today. Thank you.  

Este podcast lo hacemos gracias a BP y os voy a hacer una pregunta… ¿Sabes que es un BIP? No, no un VIP, con V, sino un BIP, con B, que es una BEPE IMPORTANT PERSON. Y te voy a contar algo que te va a interesar: ¿Quieres ganar un viaje para cuatro personas para ir a Abu Dabi y disfrutar del final de esta apasionante temporada de la máxima categoría? ¡Yo sí! Toma nota: Del 17 de junio al 2 de septiembre, BP va a sortear experiencias únicas para todos los amantes del motor. Y por cada 30 LITROS DE CARBURANTE que repostes tienes una opción…. ¡o dos si eliges repostar BP Ultimate con tecnología Active! ¿Te imaginas a ti y a tus tres mejores amigos en pleno circuito viendo a los mejores pilotos del Mundo y a los mejores coches? Y en Abu Dabi. Pues aún hay más, porque BP también regala 4.500 cupones de carburante de hasta 100 euros, y entre todos los participantes, una experiencia motera VIP, esta vez con V de Valencia… ¡ir a la final de más competido Campeonato del Mundo en Cheste, en Valencia! ¡Si tengo suerte, nos vemos en una de las dos finales!… y seremos Bip… y Vip… con B y con V. Toda la información aquí: https://bepear.es/ Y ahora, lee esta nota de prensa de la dirección de Citroën: “Tras diversas negociaciones mantenidas a lo largo de este año entre Citroën y Peugeot finalmente no se ha llegado a un acuerdo y se cancelan los contactos. Citroën mantiene su independencia y autonomía como marca. París, 1975”. Este es un vídeo de “Historia Ficción” lo hago a petición popular de muchos amantes de la marca francesa, convencidos de que le hubiese ido mejor sin Peugeot y sin PSA… Para entender todo bien, veamos cómo era la situación de Citroën en ese momento.Tras superar la quiebra de 1934 gracias a la entrada de Michelin en el accionariado de la empresa, a finales de los 60 y en los primerísimos 70, Citroën iba viento en popa y a toda vela. En 1967 compra Maserati y en 1970 lanza el que podría ser el “coupé perfecto”, el SM, un deportivo con alma de Citroën, suspensión hidroneumática incluida, pero corazón de Maserati en su motor V6. Había un problema más muy serio: La gama. Comenzaba con el veterano 2CV y sus derivados, que comparados con el R4 resultaban escasos de potencia y elasticidad, mientras el tope de gama, el DS era un coche caro de fabricar… y por tanto caro de vender. Y el SM era aún más caro. Y entre esos dos extremos… la nada. Citroën se encontraba en muy malas condiciones financieras y entabló negociaciones con otra marca francesa, mucho más tradicional, pero de saneada economía. En la realidad, Peugeot llega a un acuerdo en 1975 y remata finalmente la compra en 1976. Pero impone sus condiciones. Pero a partir de ese momento Peugeot se hace no solo con el control económico de la marca, sino también con el control técnico, fruto del cual nacen los primeros Citroën con base Peugeot, el LNA y el VISA… que no eran más que el Samba y el 104 con ligeros retoques. Y ahnora, nos vamos a un “universo paralelo” en el cuál Citroën busca el apoyo de Michelín y de otros inversores en bolsa y consigue mantener su autonomía… Si Citroën hubiese seguido su propio camino el VISA tal y como lo conocemos, nunca hubiese visto la luz. Pero sí el proyecto Y2 que era estéticamente parecido al VISA, pero más ancho y equipado con motor bóxer derivados de los motores del 2CV y del GS. Una Citroën independiente no hubiese necesitado motores ya existentes, sino que habría desarrollado sus propios motores. Para este modelo básico hubiésemos visto motores bóxer de 2 cilindros con árboles en culata, 4 válvulas y refrigeración líquida. Con una Citroën completamente independiente, el BX quizás no hubiese nacido… o habría nacido de otra manera. En este caso me refiero al Citroën GS o GSA GTi Turbo… o 16 válvulas, solución esta que utilizó Alfa Romeo en sus motores bóxer con muy buen resultado. En este universo paralelo el tope de gama GS o GSA no sería el X2 o el X3, sino el “Turbo” … apuesto más por el turbo. El XM, uno de los últimos verdadero Citroën… llevó el motor V6 PRV fruto de los acuerdos entre Peugeot, Renault y Volvo… Pero, volvemos a la ficción, una Citroën independiente seguramente hubiese diseñado su propio motor V6. Y con la buena relación que mantuvo con el grupo Fiat, seguramente estaría más inspirado en el magnífico V6 Alfa denominado “Busso”, el mejor V6 del momento. Creo que estamos todos de acuerdo en que uno de los sellos de la marca Citroën ha sido su suspensión hidroneumática. Y, si volvemos a la realidad, desapareció con el C5, bastante feo por cierto, en 2017. El máximo desarrollo de este sistema fue la “Hidractiva” del XM en la que ya había una cierta gestión electrónica y el Xantia Activa, que no se inclinaba nada y que probé y me impresionó… ¡que eficacia, que motricidad!

Tracklist: 01. World View - Nazca Lines 02. Outrage VS Nomine - Infinite Self 03. Fada - Controlled Freedom (Polska Remix) 04. Outrage vs Nomine - Trespass 05. Pod x Tamen - Ino 06. Type - Sprinter 07. Park Shadow - Microsleep 08. Holsten - Stallion 09. Forest Drive West - Neptune 10. Section X Surface - Derelict 11. Loxy & Resound - Vibranium 12. Deadly Silence - Sleep Paralysis 13. Blood Trust - RLLR 24 14. Deadly Silence - Who Wants It 15. Mad Vibes - Waterfall 16. Universal Project & Loxy - Torment 17. Levitation - Inexplicable 18. Tim Reaper & Dwarde - Mendoza 19. Rumbleton - Just A Dream 20. Spikey Tee - Fuckry 21. Rumbleton - The Final Comedown 22. Øval - Tiny Flames 23. DJ FOX & ZEBEDEE - THANKS AND PRAISE 24. Subjects - Listen 25. Levitation - Time 26. Deadly Silence & Y2 - Eater Of Worlds 27. John Rolodex - Zing Sing rmx 28. ?? - Secret Relays 29. Theory - Rebel Alliance I was invited by Danger Chamber Digital's honcho Y2 to do a mix for their weekend long takeover that aired on The Underground Lair radio station last weekend. This mix is comprised of HEAVY vibes, techstep, classic dnb, modern jungle, drumfunk, amen rich jungle tracks, and so much more. Just about 01:55:00 long. Enjoy the journey! ▶️ Danger Chamber on Bandcamp: https://1dangerchamberdigital.bandcamp.com/music ▶️ The Underground Lair Radio https://www.theundergroundlair.fr/ ▶️ Mizeyesis Links: https://linktr.ee/Mizeyesis

Seamos claros: El Citroën VISA no es un coche bonito… desde luego Opron ha diseñado cosas mejores. Pero tiene su encanto. Y, sobre todo, una historia turbulenta: Primero iba a ser un Fiat 127 reconvertido a Citroën; después una nueva variante sobre parte de la plataforma del 2CV; posteriormente, con la marca en ruinas, se canceló el proyecto; y, ¡por fin! renació sobre la base del Peugeot 104… Fue el primer Citroën de la era PSA. Y dio lugar a eficientes versiones deportivas, a una furgoneta mítica, la C15… ¡e incluso a un Grupo B! El VISA fue un coche que nació para suceder a un mito, que tuvo éxito en competición, tuvo acreditadas versiones deportivas y fue la base para una de las furgonetas más míticas. Y su historia es de esas que parecen escritas por un guionista de “Hollywood” después de tomarse unas copas. A finales de los 60 y primeros 70, Citroën lo estaba pasando financieramente muy mal. Su gama era un poco caótica con el 2CV y sus derivados en un extremo y en el otro el precioso DS que, pese a su modernidad, ya acusaba el paso del tiempo. Los intentos de sustituir al 2CV no tuvieron verdadero éxito porque, en el fondo, eran más de lo mismo. El Citroën Dyane no dejaba de ser un 2CV modernizado y el Citroën C8, Dynam o Ami, nombre rescatado ahora por la marca, más que un 2CV modernizado era un 2CV “disfrazado” … pero más de lo mismo. Por esas fechas Citroën tenía acuerdos con Fiat y pensaron “atajar” partiendo de un modelo que era toda una garantía: El exitoso Fiat, en España, Seat 127. Y así en 1968 nace el proyecto RA de Citroën pequeño. Aparte de dinero, que no sobraba, se perdieron 3 años en ese fracasado proyecto. Pero por más que lo intentaron los ingenieros de Citroën conseguir que un 127 pudiese pasar por un Citroën era… “Misión imposible”. Así que tiraron ese proyecto a la basura y arrancaron con otro propio de la casa. Al proyecto RA de coche pequeño le sucede el Y2, propio de la marca y ya con la premisa de que puedan usarse en ese coche los motores bóxer de 2 y 4 cilindros provenientes de los 2CV y derivados y de los GS. Esos prototipos ya prefiguran una estética parecida a la del VISA y un bastidor más entroncado con lo que se esperaba de un Citroën de la época… pero en 1974 llega la bancarrota, Citroën está en la ruina y este proyecto se cierra y cae en el olvido… ¿Seguro? Pues no. Y ya os digo que esta historia es muy retorcida. Porque, aunque el grupo PSA, que es Peugeot S.A. salva a Citroën el proyecto TA se hace realidad muchos años después, en 1980, en Rumania, donde se lanza el Citroën Olcit, o Axel para mercado de exportación, con motores Citroën bóxer de 2 y 4 cilindros, mayor anchura que el VISA y suspensiones diferentes… ¿Por qué este coche no lo fabricó la “nueva” Citroën dentro de PSA? Por un motivo muy sencillo: Economía de escala. De esa forma el sucesor del 2CV y derivados no será un modelo diseñado por Citroën para Citroën sino… un simple Peugeot 104. Porque el VISA utilizó del 104 no solo la plataforma, es decir, chasis y suspensiones, sino también los motores de 4 cilindros. Y es que los ingenieros de Citroën sí consiguieron meter el bicilíndrico refrigerado por aire del 2CV en el vano del VISA, pero el motor del GS no cabía… En el Salón del automóvil de París de 1978 se presenta el VISA. Los periodistas de la época alaban su capacidad interior y su practicidad, pero destacan, literalmente, una línea poco agraciada. Y es que el VISA nunca ha sido bonito, pero el primero es menos bonito que el segundo… lo habitual es casi al revés. Pero cuando la prensa lo prueba habla muy bien del comportamiento, del espacio interior, algunos incluso alaban ese salpicadero con mandos tipos “satélite” que Citroën luego usaría en los GSA. Y se alaba la economía de consumo de los motores bicilíndricos y las prestaciones de los 4 cilindros cuya versión básica era un 1.124 cm3 de 50 CV, un tiro comparado con los 35 CV del bicilíndrico. Nace una versión Super con motor 1.2 litros y 64 CV, pero está claro que el problema no son los motores, sino la estética, que no acaba de convencer. Hay que buscar una solución. Nace el VISA II, para mi gusto y para el de todos los que he preguntado claramente más bonito que el VISA I… aunque en esto puede tener mucho que ver que este frontal es el que se utilizó para la “eterna” C15 y, quizás por eso, lo apreciamos más. Y en el caso de los españoles, con más motivo, porque en España solo se fabricó, en Vigo, el VISA II, nunca el I. En todo caso Heuliez hizo un buen trabajo, pero es que además la gama crece y llegan las versiones “deportivas” … sí, sí, deportivas. Y no una o dos. Primero aparece el GT de 1.360 cm3 y 80 CV y luego el Crono de 93 CV. Y en 1985 llega la joya de la corona, el VISA GTi con motor de 105 CV. Los ingenieros de la marca no se complicaron mucho la vida y no se limitaron a poner el motor de 1.580 cm3 y 105 CV en el VISA… ¡pusieron el motor, embrague, cambio y suspensiones del 205 GTi! Tal cual. Hubo que ampliar las aletas delanteras, porque el eje delantero era más ancho. Posteriormente el GTi pasó, como en el caso del 205 del que recientemente hemos hecho un vídeo de sus versiones deportivas, de 105 a 115 CV… pero nunca llegó la versión de 130 CV, que se reservó para el 205 y que creo que le hubiese sentado muy bien al VISA. Citroën ha sido una marca que siempre ha apostado por la competición con sus turismos. Ni ha hecho prototipos ni ha participado en F1, pero es una de las marcas de automóviles con más Campeonatos del Mundo en su haber: Nada menos que 16. En 1983 nace el Citroën VISA 1000 pistas, un coche muy ligero, con motor de 1.360 cm3 y 112 CV que crecen a 1.440 cm3 y 140 CV y que tuvo mucho éxito en rallyes de tierra. Incluso en un momento dado Citroën se asoció a Lotus para hacer un VISA de Grupo B sobre la base de Spirit y con un motor Lotus 2.2 litros y turbo. Esta idea se canceló en beneficio del horrible Citroën BX 4TC… mira que me gusta Citroën y el BX, pero este coche, con ese morro es horrible… cuesta creer que el VISA Grupo B con motor central no fuese mejor. Hemos dedicado un video en exclusiva a la C15, titulado “Citroën C15, ¡es trending topic!” y luego otro en comparativa con la Express y la Trans titulado “CITROÉN C15, RENAULT Express y SEAT Trans: ¿Cuál es mejor?” Pero en un video sobre el VISA no puede faltar su derivado que mayor éxito le ha dado a la marca y que, todavía hoy, se siguen viendo muchas en vida activa… ¡hay que cuidar a la C15! Y te digo una cosa: Se han vendido tantas C15 como VISA. Conclusión: Lo dicho, el VISA nunca se ha convertido en cisne. ¿Un fracaso? Para nada. Citroën vendió a lo largo de la vida del modelo nada menos que 1,2 millones de unidades… solo del VISA. Y de la C15, como ya os he anticipado, nada menos que… casi otros 1.2 millones. Si tenemos en cuenta sus versiones deportivas y que fue uno de los modelos clave y que salvo a la marca, el VISA es un coche importante en la historia de la marca.

Today is new music Monday with Singer,Songwriter and Guitar player Evan Stanley of the Rock n Roll band Amber Wild. Great conversation with Evan on all things Rock including - learning guitar, songwriting, grinding it out in the Los Angeles club scene and of course his father Paul Stanley. Amber Wild have 2 amazing songs out right now on all the streaming platform's so go check them out right away. Support new Rock n Roll people and help spread the word. Thanks for tuning in every Monday. My tour dates can be found at deandelray.com including the Hollywood Bowl show May 3rd 2024. https://www.deandelray.com/tourdates  Patreon bonus episodes https://www.deandelray.com/patreon  Sponsored by Standard and Strange my favoruite clothing store in America. Get 10% off this week on Y2 leather Jackets with the code DDR10 https://standardandstrange.com/collections/y2-leather     

Kurt & Tyler dive deep on the transformation of the Houston Texans — a team that defied expectations, rising from the bottom of the barrel to emerge as true contenders. They dissect Stroud's incredible Rookie year and Y2 outlook. They also discuss the strategic move that sent shockwaves across the league — how the Stefon Diggs trade became the catalyst for the Texans' Super Bowl run + much more.

Well it's that time of the year again when I sit down with 2 of my very good friends comedian Kevin Christy and Los Angeles Watch Works genius Beau Goorey to talk all about the new watches that have been released at Watches and Wonders. We have another great human sitting in with us this year Mr Ahmet Zappa and he has a very cool watch to share with us. This episode was recorded at Ahmet's Rocktails studio and you can see full video on my YouTube Channel. Other than Beau we are in no means experts on watches we are just some friends spreading our love of watches. Have a great week my friends. This episode is brought to you by https://standardandstrange.com/ get 10% of a brand new Y2 leather jacket for a very short time by using the code DDR10  

Today, we changed formats of the show and brought on a very special guest! What will happen in your Y2?

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Healthier Hens Y1 update including challenges so far and a call for funding, published by lukasj10 on October 18, 2022 on The Effective Altruism Forum. Key points Our mission and approach remain largely unchanged Our organizational capacity is growing We spent most of our Y1 budget on staff, research and travel We have made slight, pilot country-informed adjustments to our strategy We will ramp up our program work in Y2 We are finding it rather difficult to fundraise, Y2 budget ($230k) is still not fully covered Healthier Hens (HH) received funding from Charity Entrepreneurship, EA Funds and individual donors until now. We need more funding to keep investigating promising dietary interventions to improve the welfare of cage-free hens and engaging cage-free egg farming stakeholders to adopt these interventions. You can donate here. Our mission and approach Our mission remains to improve the welfare of egg-laying hens kept commercially cage-free. To achieve that, we are investigating promising dietary interventions to reduce the incidence of bone health issues to mitigate hen pain and suffering and engaging cage-free egg farming stakeholders (including farmers, feed mills and regulators) to implement these interventions. Please read our introductory and 6M update posts to learn more about the background of HH. Capacity, staff and organizational growth We used Y1 to grow in capacity. The corresponding activities involved setting up an advisory board – including African farmed animal welfare (FAW) movement, animal welfare and keel bone damage experts – joining an international FAW association focused on egg-laying hen welfare, visiting egg farms and feed producers in Kenya, and running initial animal welfare workshops. This has permitted us to be well aware of ongoing cage-free campaigns and existing hen welfare interventions, learn what practical obstacles the industry faces, and what knowledge/capacity gaps must be addressed to facilitate our program work in improving hen welfare. After choosing our pilot country of operations, our main task was to hire a full-time Country Manager to facilitate our efforts on the ground. Our team has also seen two Research Interns joining our efforts to build knowledge capacity on how hen nutrition relates to welfare issues we are seeing on farms. Looking forward, we will recruit Data Collection and Operation Interns in Kenya, remote Research Interns and a hen welfare/nutrition specialist during Y2, which should bring the total of paid HH staff up to 8. We had a total operational budget of $159k for Y1. Its break-down can be seen below. The majority of our funds were used for Co-founder and staff salaries, research (feed trial in Switzerland) and travel expenses (mainly related to, initially, country scoping and on-the-ground Kenya activities). Y2 will see more of our budget accounting for non Co-founder staff expenses and program expenses. The total estimated Y2 budget is currently at $230k, with $50k raised so far. Strategic updates Our country selection process took a significant part of Y1 to carry out (read more about it here). We are building up knowledge and networks within the local cage-free egg production and feed manufacturing industries via co-founder country visits and the work led by our Country Manager. The need to build reputation and establish actively connected networks within the different communities became apparent as a necessity to initiate pilot work. This is why we are ramping up the farmer training portion of our work while the other research activities are ongoing. The workshops enable us to achieve the following goals in our target counties: Gauge farmer welfare awareness and identify gaps crucial for ensuring hen bone development, health and integrity. Build relationships with the county level Veterinary Dir...

What a week. 3 high schoolers (Gary Martin, Connor Burns, Rheinhardt Harrison) went sub-4 in the mile in the same week with 2 in the same race! We had 2 men go sub 8 in the same steeple for the first time since 2012, we had some 400m hurdle madness from Sydney McLaughlin and Karsten Warholm for every different reasons, a Scot beat all the Ethiopians at the 10,000m champs, and right before this podcast recorded major twitter drama broke out between Sha'Carri Richardson and Rae Edwards. Plus the NCAA Track and Field Championships are this week. Train Smarter This Summer: Our summer training has helped high schoolers, sub 4-minute milers, and anyone passionate about running get faster. Check it out today. FREE with Supporters Club membership https://www.letsrun.com/coaching Join the Supporters Club to get all the LetsRun.com content and a 2nd podcast every week (and this podcast when it immediately drops), plus save 20% on Running Shoes and get a Free Summer Training Plan. https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe?from=public Start - 3 high school sub 4s in a week 9:29 400m hurdles craziness - Sydney McLaughlin's doesn't count, Karsten Warholm has an ice bag on his hamstring before race is over 25:04 Men's steeple in Rabat was amazing. We get 2 sub 8's in the 1st race since 2012 / Jager not running Rome / The "British" model not followed in Rabat 36:07 Ethiopian 10,000m Women's Trials - Eilish McColgan wins, Y2 and Almaz Ayana don't make teams 44:04 Jon shows his hatred for Scottish and Welsh people and Americans 46:46 Men's 10,000m talk 56:08 NCAAs start Wednesday- Mini Preview- Nico Young and Katelyn Tuohy going for NCAA titles #1 66:50 Raes Take and Sha'Carri Richardson go to war- drug accusations and more End AIRWAAV® ENDURANCE Performance Mouthpiece is here! (Sponsor) The AIRWAAV® ENDURANCE Performance Mouthpiece is here! Airwaav is a relatively new training tool that launched late in 2020 after nearly 16 years of research. Now they have the ENDURANCE model that provides a more snug fit, keeping the mouthpiece in place for endurance athletes who relax their jaw during long-distance workouts or races. The AIRWAAV performance mouthpiece fits along your bottom teeth and directs your tongue down and forward creating the “optimal airway opening” resulting in: Increased airway opening by up to 25% resulting in an immediate 28.5% respiratory rate reduction during a steady-state run Increased endurance — by reducing respiratory rate by 20%, resulting in less lactic acid production Faster recovery times — by reducing cortisol build-up by up to 50% LetsRun listeners can save 10% with the code "LR10" Dig into the science and put AIRWAAV to the test. Click here to try it out. Contact us: Email podcast@letsrun.com or call 1-844-LETSRUN Join our Supporters Club and take your running fandom to the highest level. Get all the LetsRun.com content, a second podcast every week, savings on running shoes, and a lot more. https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe Check out the LetsRun.com store. https://shop.letsrun.com/ We've got the softest running shirts in the business. Thanks for listening. Please rate us on itunes and spread the word with a friend. There is a reason we're the #1 podcast dedicated to Olympic level running. Support LetsRun.com's Track Talk by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/letsrun

Iona Jackson is Head of Research at Edurio, managing a team of survey experts and data analysts through projects relating to stakeholder feedback in schools. New Edurio research reveals half of children feel stressed and a quarter feel lonely. Edurio has published their latest research examining pupil wellbeing, support systems in school and how pupils feel about school. The study drew on responses from 45,000 children of which 15,000 were from primary. Children feel progressively less well as the move through primary school – 76% in year 1 feel well but this drops by 17 percentage points in Y6 when 59% report feeling well. Children feel more stressed in Y6 (36%) than in Y1 (22%) More primary aged children feel overworked in Y2 and Y3 than at any other time during primary school. The research shows that the transition to secondary school has a negative impact on children's wellbeing and the drop is greater than at other times during school. Children's overall wellbeing drops from 59% feeling well in Y6 to 46% in Y7. More students often feel stressed – rising from 36% in Y6 to 43% in Y7 More children report not sleeping well in Y7 (30%) than in Y6 (28%)   A survey of 45,000 school-aged children conducted by Edurio reveals that less than half (47 per cent) of pupils reported that they had been feeling well in the period leading up to the survey. A similar number (46 per cent) often felt stressed. Added to this, a quarter (24 per cent) of pupils admitted feeling lonely. This is much higher than a previous study by the Office for National Statistics in 2018 which found 11 per cent of 10-15 year olds felt lonely. It suggests that the pandemic has had a significant impact on pupils. The research, which was conducted during the summer term, found that pupils in the latter stages of their schooling fared worst for overall wellness, sleep and overwork. A third (31 per cent) of pupils in their final year of GCSEs reported feeling well; four in 10 (41 per cent) slept badly; two-thirds (66 per cent) felt overworked and over half (63 per cent) of year 11 pupils felt stressed.  The research found significant differences in wellbeing between girls and boys, with girls reporting lower wellbeing scores. More than half (55 per cent) of girls feel quite or very often stressed compared to just a third (36 per cent) of boys. Almost half (48 per cent) of girls feel frequently overworked compared to just over a third (38 per cent) of boys. Furthermore, less girls (43 per cent) felt well than boys (54 per cent) and less girls (40 per cent) slept well than boys (47 per cent). Interestingly, the research points to a correlation between pupil wellbeing and a school's Ofsted rating. Pupils at schools judged ‘outstanding' have consistently higher stress levels, problems sleeping and feel overworked: Almost half of pupils (49 per cent) have felt stressed lately compared to 44 per cent at ‘good' schools and 45 per cent at ‘requires improvement (RI)' schools. Under half (41 per cent) reported having good sleep compared to 44 per cent at ‘good' schools and 45 per cent at RI schools. Just under half (46 per cent) feel overworked compared to 42 per cent at 'good' schools and 44 per cent at RI schools. Edurio found that 71 per cent of students feel safe in class. However, eight per cent reported feeling unsafe in class which means, in an average-sized class, two to three pupils feel unsafe. Furthermore, when there is an issue, less than half (41 per cent) feel they have an adult at school whom they can trust and talk to. Similarly, just over a third (37 per cent) feel that they would rarely or never have an adult at school that they can trust and talk to. So, who do pupils turn to when they feel sad or worried? Almost half (48 per cent) choose to speak to their parents, 41 per cent to their classmates and just 29 per cent choose to speak to teachers. Most concerning is that less than a quarter (15 per cent) do...

New Edurio research reveals half of children feel stressed and a quarter feel lonely. Edurio has published their latest research examining pupil wellbeing, support systems in school and how pupils feel about school. The study drew on responses from 45,000 children of which 15,000 were from primary. Children feel progressively less well as the move through primary school – 76% in year 1 feel well but this drops by 17 percentage points in Y6 when 59% report feeling well. Children feel more stressed in Y6 (36%) than in Y1 (22%) More primary aged children feel overworked in Y2 and Y3 than at any other time during primary school. The research shows that the transition to secondary school has a negative impact on children's wellbeing and the drop is greater than at other times during school. Children's overall wellbeing drops from 59% feeling well in Y6 to 46% in Y7. More students often feel stressed - rising from 36% in Y6 to 43% in Y7 More children report not sleeping well in Y7 (30%) than in Y6 (28%) Mark Taylor chats to Iona Jackson co-author of the Edurio report about her findings. Full details can be found at: https://home.edurio.com/pupil-learning-experience-and-wellbeing-report (https://home.edurio.com/pupil-learning-experience-and-wellbeing-report) To keep up to date with all the work by National Association for Primary Education please visit: https://nape.org.uk/ (https://nape.org.uk/)

Today I sit down and talk all things Rock n Roll with Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet. This man has been delivering a strong dose of Stoner Rock for most of his lifetime.  Monster Magnet has a fantastic new covers record out called A Better Dystopia featuring some incredible deep tracks from some of the kings of proto-metal. Tune in and enjoy this great episode brought to you by Standard and Strange.  Use the link to sign up and win a Y2 leather jacket for free. https://standardandstrange.com/pages/deandelray 

Q&A 快問快答企劃

After a busy couple of weeks, the guys are back with a vintage 2HLB episode. They recap their networking and interviewing experience at both the @kinkycurlycoilyfestatx and the @theprerollatx. They also give y'all some wild stories and opinions on the latest happenings, both local and nationwide. Press Play on our latest offering. ⁣ ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Songs Featured in this episode:⁣⁣ ⁣ ⁣J Soulja - "Stunt" ⁣ Nez Tha Villain - "Gorilla Business" ⁣ Kydd Jones, Y2 & Haris Qureshi - "Native Tongue" ⁣ EC MAYNE x Deezie Brown - "Crucifix Was The Name They Gave Me"⁣ Dolo Jink - "Straight Up" ⁣ Premo Rice, Southside Gauxst - "Outstanding"⁣ Dexter Wansel - "Theme from the Planets"⁣ ⁣ ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Thank you for listening subscribe to our YouTube Channel!⁣ ⁣ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5O7USm8rPVNXwIhrj1j3jg

YS 2.10 te pratiprasava-heyāḥ sūkṣmāḥ Diese subtilen Spannungen können an der Quelle überwunden werden. Y2 2.11 dhyāna heyāḥ tad-vṛttayaḥ Die Versenkung (Dhyana) auf das zu Überwindende löst diese Spannungen im Bewusstseins auf

#每日一經濟學人 #Linda老師商用英文班 #職場英文 #英文學習 #線上課程

Bu haftanın gollü geçmesi beklenen maçları. Hangi takımlar evinde, hangileri deplasmanda favori. İYX, İY1, İY2, İY0.5üst, İY1.5üst, 2.5üst, 3.5üst, KGVar, 1'den 1, 2'den 2 ve hangi devre daha çok gol olur tahminleri… Görüş ve önerileriniz için: https://twitter.com/barisgrckr

Bu haftanın gollü geçmesi beklenen maçları. Hangi takımlar evinde, hangileri deplasmanda favori. İYX, İY1, İY2, İY0.5üst, İY1.5üst, 2.5üst, 3.5üst, KGVar, 1'den 1, 2'den 2 ve hangi devre daha çok gol olur tahminleri… Görüş ve önerileriniz için: https://twitter.com/barisgrckr

Bu haftanın gollü geçmesi beklenen maçları. Hangi takımlar evinde, hangileri deplasmanda favori. İYX, İY1, İY2, İY0.5üst, İY1.5üst, 2.5üst, 3.5üst, KGVar, 1'den 1, 2'den 2 ve hangi devre daha çok gol olur tahminleri… Görüş ve önerileriniz için: https://twitter.com/barisgrckr

Bu haftanın gollü geçmesi beklenen maçları. Hangi takımlar evinde, hangileri deplasmanda favori. İYX, İY1, İY2, İY0.5üst, İY1.5üst, 2.5üst, 3.5üst, KGVar, 1'den 1, 2'den 2 ve hangi devre daha çok gol olur tahminleri… Görüş ve önerileriniz için: https://twitter.com/barisgrckr

毅宇未來教育基金會的共同創辦人 Cynthia 說自己是一個規矩很多的媽媽，卻也在成為母親的過程當中，慢慢接納自己的不完美，找到一個自己舒適的方式去調整生活。 而，在美國長大並且擁有會計背景的Cynthia，又是如何一腳踩進教育產業，開始在台灣深耕推廣多元教育，並進而從蒙特梭利作為出發點？ 今天這集節目聊： 當人生前半段的目標不是下半輩子要的，怎麼走過徬徨期？ 台灣蒙特梭利教育的現況與挑戰 什麼是蒙特梭利的「宇宙教育」？ 在家實踐蒙特梭利遇到「困難」怎麼辦？怎麼走過育兒「低潮期」？ 斜槓角色其實可以有不一樣的意義， 更好的預備我們走到下階段 關於Cynthia： 25 歲的我，很怕小孩，生活沒有小孩也很 OK。35 歲的我，成為兩個孩子的媽媽，我的生活重新開始。 育兒是個五味雜陳，百感交集的過程。它帶我體驗無條件的愛，同時也帶我面對內心的黑暗面。從中我誤打誤撞的認識了蒙特梭利以及其它不謀而合的生活哲學….我與我的先生創辦了 Y2 而練習當個說故事人，我開始了「意在育兒 mind4parenting」分享為人妻子、女兒與母親的種種體會。 ------------------ 在這邊找到我：

Bu haftanın gollü geçmesi beklenen maçları. Hangi takımlar evinde, hangileri deplasmanda favori. Ayrıca bu hafta ilk kez başka bir model üzerinden İYX, İY1, İY2, İY0.5üst, İY1.5üst, 2.5üst, 3.5üst, KGVar, 1'den 1, 2'den 2 ve hangi devre daha çok gol olur tahminleri… Görüş ve önerileriniz için: https://twitter.com/barisgrckr

Saliva Sally, Gorilla Glue Girl, Sick Substitute, Y2 interview --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Enjoy Episode 3! Topics: Tekashi 69 Dave East Threesome Fight Kanye's Sunday Service Boondocks to HBO Max Marvin Gaye III's Music Video AB's Sexual Assault Allegations Jalen Ramsey Trade Request Eli Manning Benched KD's Warrior's Comments Ed Buck Arrested and Charged Music: ShaunSolo x J Soulja - "Feelin It" Sango - "Me de Amor" Y2 - "How Sway"

In this Episode, I chat with Sarah Pay. She is a Mother of 3 boys, a yoga instructor, and a fitness coach. She shares her story of how she has been able to juggle teaching classes all over Charlotte and still finds time to do what is most important to her..spend time with her Family. Give her a listen and check out her HandStand Workshop on September 14, 2019 at Y2!  @SarahPayFitness Subscribe, Review, Share the Podcast and Follow Me- @RomanTheEmpire

A quake hits, a fire rages, a mudslide blocks off a main thoroughfare. Who do residents depend on when disaster hits their community? A large amount of trust is placed in city leaders based on a ULCT/Y2 Analytics survey. ULCT's Cameron Diehl speaks with Y2's Kyrene Gibb about resident's expectations when there's a community call for help.

Episode 42 of Let's Remember Some Cards! A Magic: The Gathering podcast about the cards, sets, and stories that make Magic the game we love. This week, we talk about a weird bunch of cards - Magic’s red “chaos” rares. These cards can make games pretty wild...but which ones are fun? Which ones ruin games? Are there any that you should be throwing into your commander decks? Come and help us find out. Cards we discuss: Impulsive Maneuvers Capricious Efreet Warp World Confusion in the Ranks Grip of Chaos Risky Move Chaos Warp Tyrant of Discord Elkin Lair Possibility Storm Thieves’ Auction Haphazard Bombardment Whims of the Fates Wild Evocation Goblin Game Scrambleverse The “Monty Hall Problem”: https://www.montyhallproblem.com/ Chaos is a Ladder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRS8a8HjqFs Whims of the Fates Odds for 2 players: Player X has piles X1 X2 X!; Player Y has piles Y1 Y2 Y!; where 1 and 2 are empty piles. 44% chance no permanents are chosen: (X1 Y1), (X1 Y2), (X2 Y1), (X2 Y2) 22% chance only Player X loses all permaments: (X! Y1), (X! Y2) 22% chance only Player Y loses all permaments: (X1 Y!), (X2 Y!) 11% chance the board is wiped: (X! Y!) Whims of the Fates Odds for 4 players: Player X has piles X1 X2 X!; Player Y has piles Y1 Y2 Y!; Player Z has piles Z1 Z2 Z!, player Q has piles Q1 Q2 Q!; where 1 and 2 are empty piles. 20% chance no permanents are chosen 40% chance one player loses all permanents 30% chance two players lose all permanents 10% chance three players lose all permanents 1% chance everyone loses all permanents Intro Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/TRG_Banks/This_train_doesnt_stop_at_Rugby/This_train_doesnt_stop_at_Rugby Outro Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Andersen/Swimming/Sunday_Morning_Sun

Reinvesting dividends! It sounds boring.   Just wait ‘till you see the compounding cash flow numbers on this strategy, you'll understand why it's the only reason Ryan cares about dividend paying stocks at all.   Are you looking for an investment workhorse that will build a nest egg for your future? Pick up a good habit and put 10% of your earnings into this long term strategy.   Key Takeaways [2:55] Ryan starts off by sharing his personal minimum criteria: a stock that pays a minimum of 4% and has raised its dividend every year for at least 10 years.   [5:35] As an example we'll use AT&T whose stock trades at about 40$ a share.   Let's buy a hypothetical 300$ worth at a 6% dividend a year for a measly 18$ a year.   [7:08] AT&T have raised their dividend for at least 10 years: let's posit a 10% annual raise. Y1 — 6% Y2 — 6.6% Y3 — 7.3% Y4 — 8% Y5 — 8.8% Y6 — 9.8% Over 10 years these numbers become really interesting.   [9:03] The next step is the dividend reinvestment plan: Y1 — 10 shares at 6% reinvested Y2 — 10.5 shares at 6.6% reinvested Y3 — 11 shares at 7.3% reinvested Y4 — 12 shares at 8% reinvested Y5 — You see where Ryan is going with this...   [11:35] There is a double compounding effect over time which means that at some point when you stop reinvesting, you still have cash flow, and you still own the underlying stock which means you can sell it, borrow against it, etc.   You liked this content? Comment, subscribe and share!

GFN at Activism Today Activism Today is a week of events exploring Activism in 2019; the Tactics, Discussions, Aims and Mediums through which Activism happens Today. Groningen Feminist Network is a group of people, inclusive of all genders, sexualities, backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities and opinions with the belief in common that equality is the ideal to strive for. This podcast was recorded at Activism Today on the 9th of May 2019 at Y2.

Podcasters Assemble as Nic is joined by Y2, Paul and Theo from The B***ocks Report and Simon Isbel from Simon Says to once again discuss Avengers Endgame for the second part of the saga. Join the new and improved Facebook Group - The Official After Dark Podcast Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/1059369490816183 Mail us disafterdark@gmail.com https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/AfterDarkNetwork/ for merchandise or www.patreon.com/disafterdark if you want to support Dis and Universal After Dark and get access to exclusive shows you cannot get anywhere else :-) Check out some of the other shows on The After Dark Podcast Network like Universal After Dark, Everybody's Got One, Bif! Pow! Bam!, Morlando, Sixth Year Seniors, Time Limit Draw, Pencil Neck Geeks, Discover DLP - A Disneyland Paris Podcast, Pop After Dark, The Customer is Always Weird, Breaking Bo****cks and Half and Half Scarves. We have podcasts about Theme Parks, Movies, Pop Culture, Comic Books, Orlando, Wrestling, US College Sports, Football and Comedy. Something for everyone!

Latest episode of Pencil Neck Geek's where Y2 and Soap talk Wrestling Figures, AJ Styles views of gay people, the awful Raw from this week and the new tag team Money Talks. And that's only the beginning.....

Y2 and Soapdish talk about NXT Takeover War Games, Survivor Series and the following Raw as well as, well Dookie

Y2 and Soapdish discuss what they have been enjoying over the last few months whilst Dis After Dark continues it's summer break. New episodes of DaD from 5th September

Your 8th best Pop Culture Podcast (TM) is back for It's Gonna Be May with a dissection of the newest Fox/Marvel film, Deadpool 2. Did we like it? Well, only one way to find out. Also, ignore the opening talk, we will do Solo on the next episode. This is Y2 and Soap's, heavy spoiler, review. Listen after you have seen it, or if you are wise, haven't seen it.  Please listen to our other shows, Dis After Dark and Universal After Dark and subscribe

Your 8th best Pop Culture Podcast (TM) is back for April Lavigne with an exclusive early review of this years biggest movie, Avengers Infinity War. This is Y2 and Soap's, minor spoiler, review but we have also put in an ad break/musical interlude before discussing major spoilers. Please listen to our other shows, Dis After Dark and Universal After Dark and subscribe

Your 8th best Pop Culture Podcast (TM) is back for April Lavigne with not one but TWO EPISODES. This is Y2 and Soap's,  review of Wrestlemania 34. Spoilers ahoy!

Your 8th best Pop Culture Podcast (TM) is back for Marky March with not one but TWO EPISODES. This is Y2 and Soap's, minor spoiler, review of Stephen Spielberg's Ready Player One which we got to see early

Y2 and Soap talk Black Panther and the current Awards season

Soap and Y2 look back at the films of 2017

He's the new GM of Monday Night RAW, and he's on TIJ! Kurt Angle is telling it straight when it comes to his shoot fight with Eddie Guerrero one night in the WWE lockerroom, his shoot match with Brock Lesnar in Fargo, ND, and what he was really spraying outta that infamous milk truck in his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Kurt's also got the story behind his original WWE departure, his subsequent return, and his induction into the Hall of Fame. Plus, hear his take on Dana White, the UFC, and why you've never seen him compete in the octagon.

Episode 40: The Dark Below - Pt. 1 Welcome to Season 2 of Destiny Ghost Stories! This week we're not talking Rise of Iron... well, not directly. We know, we know, it's the new hotness, but it's also not even close to finished and there's still so much we don't know. So, as we kick off Y2 of DGS, we're going to be looking back at a lot of the important content that lead us to Rise of Iron and how they really set the stage for what we're experiencing now. It's going to be a big build up and we'll definitely be talking RoI along the way as we explore all the divergent story threads. To kick it all off, we're starting with the first Destiny expansion, The Dark Below. There is a lot in TDB that had major repercussions for the world of Destiny and many that are still ongoing in the current story. So join us as we explore some of the Guardian's first encounters with both the Hive and the Fallen, the first real clashes between the Hive and the Fallen themselves, more of Eris's craziness, more of Toland's awesomeness, the differences between pre and post Taken King quests, questions that never got answered, some that did, and a whole lot more. Contact Us:  Web: DestinyGhostStories.com Twitter: @dghoststories Email: destinyghoststories@gmail.com Facebook: /DGhostStories Instagram: @DGhostStories   Great Resources: The Ishtar Collective Destiny Timeline r/DestinyLore r/DestinyTheGame

New Desolute and Spektar Armor sets, Chroma for armor and weapons, some Year 1 Legendaries getting upgraded to Y2 (and some Y1 exotics as well). Sterling Treasure is causing some controversy and HUD opacity settings inbound. DestinyTheShow.com

Bedtime Stories - Allah Sends The Prophet Nuh (pbuh) Y2 by Safar Publications - Narrated by Mawlānā Kamal Uddin Khan

Bedtime Stories - Prophet Nuh (pbuh) Y2 by Safar Publications - Narrated by Mawlānā Kamal Uddin Khan

Titre : Nouvelles moscovites (4e éd.) / J. Tourguéneff Auteur : Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevič (1818-1883) Éditeur : J. Hetzel (Paris) Date d'édition : 1880 Contributeur : Mérimée, Prosper (1803-1870). Traducteur Format : 1 vol. (336 p.) ; in-18 Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, 8-Y2-11163

Titre : Douze femmes, par Paul Féval Auteur : Féval, Paul (1816-1887) Éditeur : E. Dentu (Paris) Date d'édition : 1878 Format : In-18, I-444 p. Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, 8-Y2-1383

Titre : La ville noire / par George Sand Auteur : Sand, George (1804-1876) Éditeur : Michel-Lévy frères (Paris) Date d'édition : 1861 Format : 1 vol. (259 p.) ; in-18 Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, Y2-65310

Titre : Nouvelles et seules véritables aventures de Tom Pouce, imitées de l'anglais par P.-J. Stahl, vignettes par Bertall Auteur : Hetzel, Pierre-Jules (1814-1886) Éditeur : J. Hetzel (Paris) Date d'édition : 1844 Format : In-16, 168 p., fig., frontisp. Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Réserve des livres rares, Y2-69697

Titre : L'Amour impossible, chronique parisienne, par Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly,... Auteur : Barbey d'Aurevilly, Jules (1808-1889) Éditeur : impr. de E.-B. Delanchy (Paris) Date d'édition : 1841 Format : In-8° , 288 p. Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Réserve des livres rares, Y2-16097

1.Capone-N-Noreaga: T.O.N.Y2.Ill Al Skratch - Where My Homiez3.The Lox - Fuck You4.Camp Lo - Luchini5.The Notorious B.I.G. - Warning6.The Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa7.Fugees - Vocab (Hip Hop Remix)8.Lil Kim - Queen Bitch9.Kris Kross - Live And Die For Hip Hop ft Da Brat, Jd & Aaliyah10.Pharcyde - Passin Me By (Video Remix)11.Nas - The World Is Yours12.Jadakiss - We Gonna Make It13.Smiff-N-Wessun - Sound Bwoy Burriel14.DMX - We Don't Give A Fuck ft Jadakiss & Styles P15.Rampage - Wild For The Night ft Busta Rhymes16.Craig Mack - Flava In Ya Ear (Easy Mo Bee Remix)17.Craig Mack - Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)18.Junior Mafia - Players Anthem19.Ras Kass - Ghetto Fabulous ft Dr Dre20.Drag-On - Spit These Bars21.Redman - Tonight's Da Nite22.Fat Joe - John Blaze ft Big Punisher, Nas, Raekwon23.Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph24.Raekwon - Ice Cream ft Ghostface Killah, Method Man25.Keith Murray - The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World26.Noreaga - N.O.R.E.27.2Pac - Me Against The World28.Da Brat - Give It To You (Remix)29.A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again30.Crooklyn Dodgers - Crooklyn Dodgers31.Crooklyn Dodgers - Return Of Crooklyn Dodgers32.Masta Ace - Born To Roll (Jeep Ass Nigguh Remix)33.A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhime34.Da Bush Babees - We Run Things35.Da Bush Babees - The Love Song ft Mos Def36.Shyheim - Shit Iz Real37.A+ - All I See38.Lost Boyz - Renee39.Lost Boyz - Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Venz40.Lost Boyz - Lifestyle of The Rich and The Shameless41.Lost Boyz - Music Makes Me High42.The Notorious B.I.G. - Machine Gun Funk43.Redman - It's Like That (My Big Brother)44.Lords Of The Underground - Tic Toc45.Das Efx - Kaugh In Da Ak (Remix)46.Ol Dirty Baster - Brooklyn Zoo47.Mobb Deep - Give Up The Goods48.Mobb Deep - Survival Of The Fittest49.Outkast - ATLiens50.Naughty By Nature - It's On51.Naughty By Nature - Craziest52.Pete Rock @ C.L. Smooth - T.R.O.Y.53.Nice And Smooth - Hip Hop Junkies

Nonignorable nonresponse is a common problem in bivariate or multivariate data. Here a selection model for bivariate normal distributed data (Y1 ; Y2) is proposed. The missingness of Y2 is supposed to depend on its own values. The model for missingness describes the probability of nonresponse in dependency of Y2 itself and it is chosen nonparametrically to allow exible patterns. We try to get a reasonable estimate for the expectation and especially for the variance of Y2 . Estimation is done by data augmentation and computation by common sampling methods.

Die LQYLWUR Selektion ermöglicht es aus kombinatorischen Nukleinsäurebibliotheken Oligonukleotidsequenzen zu identifizieren, die verschiedenste Zielmoleküle mit hoher Affinität und Spezifität binden können. Dadurch haben sich Aptamere zu einer potenten Alternative zu den in der Diagnose, Therapie und als Forschungsreagentien etablierten Antikörper entwickelt. Mit Hilfe der SELEX-Technologie (6ystematic (volution of /igands by (;ponential Enrichment) ist es in dieser Arbeit gelungen, 2' amino-stabilisierte RNA-Aptamere gegen das Neuropeptid Y und ein ausgewähltes, funktionell relevantes Prionproteinepitop zu generieren. Die Anreicherung funktioneller Sequenzen erfolgte durch einen affinitätschromatographischen Prozess. Zudem sollten bereits vorliegende RNA-Aptamere, die gegen das rekombinante Prionprotein in früheren Arbeiten selektiert wurden, charakterisiert werden. Das Neuropeptid Y (NPY), bestehend aus 36 Aminosäuren, gehört zur Familie der pankreatischen Polypeptide und ist bei der Steuerung einer Vielzahl physiologischer und pathophysiologischer Prozesse von Bedeutung. Es wird angenommen, daß durch selektive Bindung unterschiedlicher NPY-Konformationen an die einzelnen GProtein gekoppelten NPY-Rezeptorsubtypen (Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5 und Y6) unterschiedliche Signale vermittelt werden können. Dieses differentielle Bindungsverhalten von NPY an seine Rezeptorsubtypen ist bisher unvollständig verstanden. Die in dieser Arbeit generierten Anti-NPY-Aptamere binden ihr Zielmolekül -NPY- mit einer Affinität von 370 nM und sind durch eine hohe Spezifität innerhalb der pankreatischen Polypeptidfamilie charakterisiert. Die Bindungsregion des Aptamers an den C-Terminus des Neuropeptid Y wurde durch Kartierungs-Experimente mit NPY-Analoga LQ YLWUR bestimmt. Die NPY-Analoga stellen sowohl verschiedene Untereinheiten von NPY, als auch Modifikationen des Peptides, die zu Rezeptorsubtypspezifitäten führen, dar. Durch Punktmutationen im C-terminalem NPY-Bereich konnte u.a. gezeigt werden, daß die Aminosäure Arginin an Position 33 für die Komplexbildung von NPY und Aptamer essentiell ist. In den Bindungsstudien in Gegenwart selektiver Agonisten zeigte sich, daß die Bindungseigenschaften von NPY am Y2 Rezeptor weitgehend mit denen an das Aptamer übereinstimmen. Die Kompetition des Aptamers mit den Rezeptoren um 3H-NPY wurde an Zellen, die die Rezeptoren NPY-Y1, NPY-Y2, bzw. NPY-Y5 exprimieren, untersucht. Das Aptamer verdrängte NPY mit besonders hoher Affinität am Y2 Rezeptor im Vergleich zur Verdrängung am Y1- bzw. Y5-Rezeptor. Die Anti-NPY-Aptamere weisen ein Bindungsverhalten am NPY vergleichbar zum Y2-Rezeptor auf und stellen damit ein wertvolles Werkzeug zur selektiven Charakterisierung der Interaktion zwischen NPY und seinen Rezeptoren dar. Von entscheidender Bedeutung für die Pathogenese der übertragbaren spongiformen Enzephalopathien ist die infektiöse Form des Prionproteins (PrPSc). Es wird angenommen, daß PrPC durch einen posttranslationalen Prozeß in PrPSc konvertiert werden kann. Trotz identischer Primärstruktur unterscheiden sich die beiden Prionproteinisoformen (PrPC und PrPSc) grundlegend in ihren biochemischen und biophysikalischen Eigenschaften. Die in früheren Arbeiten selektierten Prionprotein-Aptamere sollten im Hinblick auf ihr diagnostisches Potential charakterisiert werden. Erste strukturelle Untersuchungen führten zu der Annahme, daß die RNA-Aptamere ein G-Quartett als stabilisierendes Sekundärstrukturmotiv ausbilden können. Sowohl Kartierungsstudien mit unterschiedlichen Prionproteinpetiden als auch Bindungsstudien mit N-terminal trunkiertem PrPSc zeigten, daß der N-Terminus für die Bindung der Aptamere essentiell ist. In Gelshiftexperimenten mit verschiedenen Hirnhomogenaten konnte die spezifische Bindung der Aptamere an authentisches PrP gezeigt werden. Aufgrund der fehlenden PrPSc-Isoformspezifität der untersuchten Aptamere ist eine diagnostische Anwendung kaum denkbar. Die Bindung der Aptamere in der pKsensitiven, N-terminalen Prionproteindomäne läßt eine Anwendung in Kombination mit Proteinase K-Verdau in Analogie zu den derzeit benutzten BSE-Testverfahren nicht zu. Im letzten Teil der Arbeit sollten RNA-Aptamere gegen einen für die Konversion wichtigen Bereich des Prionproteins (AS 90-129) generiert werden. Es konnte gezeigt werden, daß die in einer vorgeschalteten Prionpeptidselektion (AS 90-129) identifizierten Aptamere in der Lage sind, ihr Zielmolekül im Gesamtkontext des Prionproteins zu erkennen. In funktionellen Studien in persistent Prion-infizierten Neuroblastomzellen wurde eine statistisch signifikante und spezifische Reduktion der Akkumulation von GHQRYR synthetisiertem PrPSc zu hochmolekularen Aggregaten in Gegenwart einer ausgewählten Aptamersequenz beobachtet. Im Verlauf der Pathogenese von spongiformen Enzephalopathien korreliert die PrPSc- Aggregatbildung mit Infektiosität und Neurodegeneration. Damit bieten die selektierten Aptamere möglicherweise eine Ausgangsbasis um Therapeutika zu entwickeln, die den Verlauf der Prionerkrankungen beeinflussen.