I once thought this conversation was lost, but a recent computer malfunction caused me to review my archived files and I found it! This conversation goes back to the roots of the podcast as an exploration in dialogue and hearing the perspectives of others. In this case, I wanted to hear from black women about life for them growing up in our suburban town of Worthington, Ohio. Was their experience as welcoming as the experiences I had with my guys, most of us being athletes? (and I'm like Sha'carri, smoke em on and off the track - I graduated with honors too)

Here is the story of how I was at a wedding reception table caught between two different "small talk" situations with strangers. Why is small talk so awkward to navigate? What questions or topics are comfortable and appropriate? How has small talk changed in a post vid-19 world? Let's talk about it - and how finding our passion might make small talk easier.

My wife and I did our first photoshoot for our ice-dyed apparel brand Ohio Drip, and learned a lot in the process including the importance of light from people like Sawyer Hartman and his interview with famous photographer Michael Muller. We also took a photography class at the Columbus Printed Arts Center where we learned how cameras use light to create images. It got me thinking - What even is light? Come with me on a journey from lighting, to photography, to Light as Medicine and Dr. Jacob Lieberman's work, Opticks by Newton, The Allegory of the Cave by Plato, and back to lighting up your own life. 

http://www.thestargarden.co.uk/Newtons-theory-of-light.html

https://www.cmog.org/article/isaac-newton-opticks

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light

The Earliest Surviving Photograph Taken by Nicéphore Niépce: A Process that Never "Caught On"

https://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura

I hop on my new Shure SM7B (Thanks to my wife Kelsey and Family) to recap the origin of Danley and Friends, how it has evolved, and where I see it heading. I've got a new microphone and new focus for 2022. My new mission for Danley and Friends is:

To enrich the minds of others through sharing empowering stories, raw yet thoughtful dialogue, and intriguing ideas with listeners to inspire them to discover their best self.

I discuss my plans for doing so, and leave you with my top two selections from 2021 for answers to my interview ending question - "If you had the ears, eyes, and attention of everyone in the world, and you could deliver a message, what message would you deliver?" - to set the tone moving forward.

Studies have shown that approximately 80% of New Year's resolutions fail. I feel one of the main reasons for many people is because they set goals based other people's ideas. This was my experience. I based my idea of success on what I thought would impress other people. It wasn't until I got clear on what I truly want that I began to make serious progress on my goals. So this year, after a couple of the hardest we've had, my challenge to my friends is to figure out what you want. Clearly define it. My guess is you'll find that once you're clear on your vision, the milestones will follow because the motivation will sustain. More life, more blessings to you!

The holiday season is one filled with gatherings of family and friends. Many of us have expectations of the people around us as the result of years of experiences that have shaped our perspectives. What if we stepped outside those patterns and went into these situations with fresh eyes, and the intent of setting a positive tone? Perhaps we'd get different results, and thus a different experience. In this episode I talk about how to "show up," ways to keep the conversation going by asking questions, and how to divert the conversation away from controversial topics.I also discuss bringing "Fun Catalysts" like games and ideas for interaction. I end touching on how pride can get in the way if we let it, and what Jermaine Cole has to say about it.

After 10 years in Human Resources for large corporations including casket manufacturers, retailers, and auto manufacturers, I have picked up a few tips on negotiating salaries that I think are timely to share. For a while, I operated on the company side of salary negotiations. At 26, I was responsible for compensation at a 2700 person manufacturing facility. I was constantly interfacing with top leaders during personnel decisions, and I learned the intricacies of these decisions. Once I learned how salary negotitations worked, and that they were even possible, I made it a mission to ensure I helped my friends get more from their employers. You're worth it.

■Network

■Know your own value

■Know the demand for the job you want

■Make the employer fall in love

■Understand the needs of the company

■Take time to consider your offer

Research salaries

–Websites

■Salary.com

■Glassdoor.com

■Payscale.com

■Bureau of Labor Statistics

–Context matters

■Geography

■Industry

■Size of Company (Revenue + Population)

■Functional Demand/Societal Trends (i.e. Cyber Security and Coding)

–Career Services

■Data

■Networking

■General Help

■Be open with your range based on facts

■Find an ally (industry or company insider, HR person, etc.)

This week is a message from the heart. I touch on isolation, feeling anxious about the state of affairs, and the expectations of others. I want you to know that I See You and I recognize that you are having a human experience. There is no 1 right way to live life. People have been doing it differently for centuries. The only constant is change. Thus we should set our own expectations for ourselves, and lean on those around us when times get hard.

A reading of one of my new favorite stories for the story-filled holiday season.

Once upon a time, the planet was tyrannized by a giant dragon. The dragon stood taller than the largest cathedral, and it was covered with thick black scales. Its red eyes glowed with hate, and from its terrible jaws flowed an incessant stream of evil-smelling yellowish-green slime. It demanded from humankind a blood-curdling tribute: to satisfy its enormous appetite, ten thousand men and women had to be delivered every evening at the onset of dark to the foot of the mountain where the dragon-tyrant lived. Sometimes the dragon would devour these unfortunate souls upon arrival; sometimes again it would lock them up in the mountain where they would wither away for months or years before eventually being consumed.

Author - Nick Bostrom

https://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html 

https://www.nickbostrom.com/