Adding Context

Given recent decisions and tumult surrounding the US Supreme Court, I wanted to dive into the well again with Dr. Stephen Wermiel. We revisited previous topics we had spoken about and how they had played out. Then we discussed his thoughts regarding the current chaos embroiling the court and its sitting justices. Other hot topics were SCOTUS leaks, potential reforms, and the consequences of all the fallout.

Joe Hannan is a writer, journalist, and consultant hunting for the next story to tell or lesson to learn. He's also a husband, father, and martial artist.

As a writer, he wakes up and tries to write better than he did the day before. Journalistically, you’ll find him asking questions and writing stories about health, medicine, cybersecurity, social undercurrents, and how human beings develop. As a consultant, he takes all that he learns along the way and funnels it into peak performance, helping people and organizations operate at their highest levels.

Martial arts are his playground for embodying and training these lessons and principles, specifically Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, in which he is a black belt.

Here you can find Joe's BJJ meditations podcast, Instagram, and Substack

Brandon Foss grew up in the northeastern part of the U.S and is a man of experiences. He left home at 18 and has been living and learning. We spoke about his early upbringing and how that directed him as an adult. Branson is also a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We spoke about how his journey through the martial art has transformed him from who he was about 8 years ago to the man he is now.

Jess Zafarris is many things. An author, a lover of words, an editor, and so much more. She recently released “Words from Hell,” a book on the origins of words. Written with a blend of fact and snark, it is highly improbable for you to finish it without laughing and coming away with a new respect for both our more common and more obscure words. We covered a spectrum of words from the subdued words like shenanigans to the more colorful words, which I won’t mention here, and how their usage varies around the world. 

You can find her on all the socials through here.

Scott Beuerlein went from working for Delta Airlines to turning his hobby and passion into a new career as the Manager of Botanical Outreach and a hortoculturist at the Cincinnati Zoo. He did something many hope they can, to live by the adage, “If you find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” We spoke about his adoration for all things botany, his love of the environment, and how we can both help the planet while making it more pleasing to the eye. 

You see his labor of love all around the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, read his writings and rants at hortmag.com, gardenrant.com, and scottbeuerlein.com.

Karen Simmons CEO/Founder of Autism Today Foundation, author of several books including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs. She has been on a mission crossing three decades in advancing awareness and strategies for individuals that are neurodiverse and/or on the Autism spectrum. We spoke about what drove her into becoming an advocate (being the mother of an autistic child) and how she continually adapts to the changes in her mission. 

She partnered with Lindsey Duncan to develop natural supplements for nuerodiverse people. If you want to see more of what she has accomplished and what she is working on currently, please visit her site or  autismtoday.com and of course neuronutritionals.com. 

Jordan Waggoner is a just a guy from rural Minnesota, with a little bit of property and some horses. He, to his surprise, accidently gathered nearly half a million followers on TikTok. His content of choice? Pretty much everything. Science? Check. Random stories? Check. History? Check. He just puts his thoughts out to the world and the people like it. 

Please check out his content and his website, https://linktr.ee/off_jawaggon.

We are back! Our apologies for the extended hiatus. We return with a “2-fer.” This episode I spoke to Jean Dvorak and Vivian Scavo, two women I have known for many years. Two women who are true educators. Two women who helped me try to grasp the current state of education. Given headlines across the nation of hyperbolic nonsense and cringe worthy anti-intellectualism, I wanted to talk to people who actually are in the classroom. As the episode title says, we nicked the tip of the iceberg.

This episode’s guest is DeTravis Bethea. Detravius is an old friend, we both “took the scenic route” after high school. He is an attorney, business coach, public speaker, entrepreneur, educator, and more these days. DeTravius moved to my hometown in 8th grade, after moving 5 times during his K-8th years! He is living proof people are more than their class rank or GPA in school. He shows that with personal drive, you can become what you envision in your mind. His vast experiences and career changes have given him insight that he shares with others. If you are in need of an attorney or some advice on how to start a business the right way, you can reach him at TheBethea.com

Debbie Peterson’s story reads like some dark noir script from the ’30s. Full of intrigue, shady backroom deals, and death, possibly murder?! Debbie is, like me, a wearer of many hats. Of her many ventures in life, she is a mother, a 2X Best Selling Author, a well-established entrepreneur, an orator, an atypical politician, an educator, and just a pleasant person to chat with! Check out her link tree for all her socials, books, podcast, and more! linktr.ee/DebbiePeterson.com