(Mostly) True Tales of THE COMMITTED

I wasn't sure I would make the trip to be honest. My friend Tom Woods is about to publish the 2000th (!) episode of his super popular podcast, The Tom Woods Show.

If you don't know of Tom, he's a legit rock star in the world of libertarian culture and politics. Which essentially means he's got more than 3 followers, but I digress - and that's an inside joke for people familiar with libertarian culture and politics.

I began following Tom's show around 2013, probably around episode #40 or so. I had known of Tom for many years prior to that while I was far more immersed in libertarian culture and politics than I am now. Many people don't know I was once employed by the John Birch Society as a field coordinator for the state of Minnesota, and I participated in a number of events and rallies supporting Ron Paul when he ran for president in 2008 and 2012.

So that might explain my values and political leanings a wee bit.

Well, Tom and his show helped me get through some dark days, particularly my last year in the military, circa 2015, while I struggled mightily with my conscience and my involvement in what I had grown to believe was a highly immoral activity. I'm referring to war in general here. I know and respect many people who are in the military and take no issue with their own personal decisions. What I'm referring to is my own beliefs and conscientious objections to the practice of war.

Anyway, I was in Vietnam living with my wife Sana earlier this year when Tom announced on his show and newsletter that he was approaching episode #2000 and was throwing a huge party in Orlando, FL to celebrate it. I immediately got a couple of free tickets, hoping against hope Sana would be with me in the U.S. to make the trip. But when I was compelled to return to the U.S. this past summer, sans Sana, I thought I might not make the trip after all.

Who wants to go to a huge party all by himself, right?

But as the date October 16th approached, I couldn't shake the thought. Of course I want to support and congratulate the man who's played a pivotal role in my thinking over the last decade or so, but I've got a child to take care of, I've got a business to run, etc.

Then some serendipitous circumstances occurred which convinced me I should go ahead and make the trip - and I'm really glad I did.

It was a short trip. I arrived in Orlando around 6 pm, for an event that began at 8 pm. And I was out of the hotel the following morning around 9 am. So I didn't exactly get to see the sights of the city. I was there for one purpose and that was it.

The event itself was definitely not the typical podcast episode. For one thing it was over 4 hours long, so I wonder how long the actual podcast will be after editing. Then Tom himself said at the beginning of his speech, "Y'all aren't going to learn a damn thing tonight!" to raucous approval from the audience.

I suppose you could call it a variety show, with a bunch of libertarians who are more libertarian than comedian putting on their comedian pants for an evening and just making the best of it. Which is to say I give them an E for effort.

Each of the segments in the show could have been about half the length and would have been equally as entertaining, but I digress.

The entertainment wasn't the reason I made the trip, nor did it make up even a fraction of the real value of the event.

What made it special was we were celebrating not just an individual who has persevered and stuck it out to make it to 2000 episodes of his show, which is reason to celebrate to be sure, but the huge community of folks who listen to his show, identify with it and gather inner strength by gathering together.

That's the secret sauce of any successful podcast: community. People ask me all the time, "How do you make money with a podcast?" My answer is always the same: "You get people to listen, then you sell stuff to 'em."

Easier said than done.

Getting people to listen to a show

Check out The Easy School of Hard Knocks. easyschool-hardknocks.com

The pain in the lip began during the first year of doctoral studies. It would come and go intermittently, then gradually with more frequency and intensity in pain. Then one day during a symphony rehearsal, the pain seared through her face, going as far as underneath her eye. Her lip was the size of a golf ball; the bruising was extensive.

Beth's days as a trumpet player were effectively over.

https://committedmedia.org/savethe1

-How Rebecca came to know the circumstances in which she was conceived...01:30Feeling targeted by society due to the "rape exception" clause in most abortion laws

-A brief history of abortion law and activism in the United States...05:10Physicians and feminists originally fought to make abortion illegal in the mid-Nineteenth Century

"Rape exception" clause was added in a few states in the late 1960's

5 states still have anti-abortion laws on the books, but are superseded by Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973

Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) never had an abortion as it was denied in Texas courts

"Retroactive death penalty" for the child that Ms. McCorvey bore

-The journey to becoming an internationally-known pro-life advocate...08:05Wanted to be an attorney from the age of 10

Inspired by The Verdict w/ Paul Newman

Loved superhero movies

Notable cases in her early career:

Frozen embryo case in Michigan

Woman sued for breach of contract by not having an abortion

12 year old girl raped by 14 year old brother

Woman raped in a group home

Abortion is used to destroy evidence of rape

Clients found her in the Yellow Pages; not aware of her history and convictions

Terminating parental rights of rapists

-Rebecca's spiritual redemption, and how it affected her self-perception...15:30Became saved at age 15, but fell away after feeling unwelcome by friends at church, as well as learning her history

Got back into the church after a fight w/ her boyfriend while in law school

https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=adoptionandversion=NKJV (Scriptures that speak of adoption): Rom. 8:15, 8:23, 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5

James 1:27 "Pure religion" is to care for the orphans and widows

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+16andversion=NKJV (Ezekiel 16) depiction of a castaway orphan showing God's heart toward what man has rejected

-Spiritual warfare in Rebecca's cases...19:45Objections from opposing counsel similar to vampires shrieking at the sign of a crucifix

-How Rebecca's words are received by those who claim to care for women's rights...26:45"If I don't have the right to life, what right do I have?"

Put it out there up front, it's disarming

-Changing hearts and minds of influential policymakers...32:26Most prominent are Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Newt Gingrich

Citizens United

"The Gift of Life w/ Gov. Mike Huckabee" film

Personhood org

"Such as a time as this" re: Queen Esther from the Bible

Resources mentioned in this episode:https://savethe1.com (Save the 1 Organization founded by Rebecca)

https://rebeccakiessling.com (Rebecca's personal website)

This episode was sponsored by https://podcastartistry.com (Podcast Artistry). If you're considering starting a podcast, it's a very popular and powerful medium that's just now beginning to pick up steam. Book an explanatory call today and see if it's right for you!

"I've got it made."That phrase means different things to different people. To you and me, it might mean everything is exactly how we want it, and our cares in this life are over.

To others, it means you're in the inner circle of some pretty sordid company.

While Robert Borelli was never officially "made" in the Gambino crime family of New York City, he was pretty well connected in those circles. Ultimately a bad crack habit caused him to fall from grace, and it was "angels with guns", or U.S. warrant officers that finally caught up with him and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Testify against your former associates (some of whom were close friends) in exchange for a reduced prison sentence and enrollment in the witness protection program.

Tough pill to swallow. But it led Robert to question his decisions, and to embrace an intimate relationship with his Maker, Jesus Christ.

Now he shares his story of redemption, both in this podcast, as well as his outstanding book, https://amzn.to/3t4fuoh (The Witness: A Tale of the Life and Death of a Mafia Madman).

Regrets from the past? Of course. Who doesn't have them.

Although he was never officially "made" with the mafia, Robert is "made" fresh by God - for all who are in Christ Jesus are a new creation.

(Click on the time next to each headline to skip directly to that section)

In this conversation w/ Robert Borelli, you'll hear:-What's the reaction "civilians" give when they hear Robert was involved w/ the mafia...04:00-Why it's difficult for Robert to reconcile his past w/ the grace he's received...06:15-Angels with guns, and time to face the music...08:25-Virtues we can learn from the mafia lifestyle...14:15-Why Robert was able to relate to the elderly more than others...18:10-Testifying against former comrades the turning point in Robert's spiritual journey...23:35-What kept Robert from going back to his old lifestyle after embracing Jesus...28:15-We're all sinners in need of grace, even if we haven't committed any atrocities...31:55-And much more...Resources mentioned:-https://robertborelli.com (Robert's website) (get a signed copy of the book from the website)

-https://amzn.to/3t4fuoh (The Witness: A Tale of the Life and Death of a Mafia Madman by Robert Borelli and H. Scott Hunt) (via Amazon, signed copy not available)

The secret is out.

I married up.

In this episode of The Committed, my beautiful wife Sana and I talk shop, have fun, and tell the story behind the name of our business, and the accompanying podcast.

Enjoy!

Related: https://committedmedia.org/why-my-wife-is-my-wife/ (Why My Wife is My Wife)

Many moons ago, around April 2016 to be exact, I was fully immersed in hosting and producing a podcast called Trumpet Dynamics. This show is still (sort of) in existence today, although it is in need of a new host that can give it the TLC it needs and deserves. Click https://committedmedia.org/trumpet-dynamics-podcast-seeks-permanent-host/ (here) if you know someone who might be interested.

I published a new episode once per week. It could have been more than that, but I put multiple interviews on each episode. I wanted to feature people no one had ever heard of, but were still dedicated to the instrument and making it happen in their own way, as well as the "big fish" that are more likely to equate to more downloads.

I figured if it worked for Johnny Carson - have a big name to draw viewers, then have lesser known (but equally as entertaining) talent in the later slots - it could possibly work for me.

And it did. I followed that format for a good six months until I decided to go with 3 episodes per week, each guest having their own episode, even if they were "nobody's" in the trumpet world (their words, not mine).

During the early days when I was featuring multiple guests per episode, I interviewed a guy in Los Angeles who's doing some "Avant Garde" things with music - and coincidentally was featured on Carson's show playing trumpet while solving a Rubik's Cube. The headliner guest was a jazz musician who is very well accomplished in his field, has won a Grammy, has released several albums. He's been around the block.

I put the audio of the clip of this younger fellow on Carson's show on the podcast before I introduced him. I thought it would build up a bit of interest in the actual interview. It wasn't longer than 60 seconds.

And then I put the interview of the jazz cat after this segment.

After I published the episode, the jazz cat protested.

He didn't like that a man of his stature was placed alongside a little twerp playing trumpet while solving a Rubik's Cube on The Tonight Show.

Being younger and less-experienced than I am now, I felt I was in a quandary.The "big name" artist that was supposed to be the main draw to the episode didn't like the artistic license I had taken.

So I called him on the phone and he said he wanted me to take the episode down. He was sure to thank me for the extra exposure I was giving him by being on my podcast.

Yes, the guy is rather pretentious.

So I compromised. I took out the one segment of the Rubik's Cube guy and placed it in the next week's episode, so that Mr. Jazz Trumpet could stand alone. I told the Rubik's Cube guy what I had done, and he was confused and probably a little bit insulted at it.

And I don't blame him. I would have felt the exact same way if I were in his shoes.

My mistake in all this was allowing Mr. Esteemed Jazz Cat to steer my ship. I allowed his stature and the "influence" he had (all in my mind) to affect my decisions.

In the end, no one was happy and I seriously weakened my own brand, as well as that of the show.

If this were to happen today, I wouldn't allow anyone to dictate decisions for my show like that. I would tell Mr. Esteemed Jazz Cat that I reserve the right to make whatever production decisions I wish for my own show, and if he doesn't like it, too bad.

Would he change the format of his album because Wynton Marsalis didn't like it? I doubt it.

I'm always open to feedback and constructive criticism. If a suggestion - be it from a guest or anyone else - makes sense and leads to a better product, I'm all for it. But at the end of the day, those are my decisions, no one else's.

Mr. Jazz Cat was seriously disrespectful to me when he asked me to do that. By not standing my ground and sticking to my principles and artistic decisions, I allowed that disrespect to weaken my brand.

Call it a rookie mistake. Call it whatever you want.

I do hope my experience will perhaps allow someone to not fall into the trap of making decisions on the...

The following is a true story.

This past weekend, Sana and I met some of her coworkers for lunch at the nearby mall. It was amazing hot pot (think boiling soup in front of you while you cook meat and veggies yourself) and all in all a good time.

After I had had my fill, I told Sana (my wife) that I was going to go and find one of the massage chairs they have setup around the mall and relax for a bit.

So I'm walking around the mall, looking for the chairs that you pay to sit in - and while I'm looking for them, I walked right past two separate vendors that were setup in the middle concourse of the mall that were selling massage chairs.

At one of these places, two young people were sitting on chairs, scrolling on their smart phones, oblivious to the multitudes of people walking by their chairs that might want to try out one of their chairs.

At the other, a young man was standing near what you might call the entrance to their booth, but he simply bowed to me (this is Asia) and otherwise ignored me as I walked by.

I finally found a massage chair, put in the money and enjoyed my 12 minutes of rest.

I probably don't need to mention that both of these vendors had zero customers, not even passersby taking one of the massage chairs for a spin. I'm no expert in marketing, but it seems to me that butts in their chairs begets more butts in chairs - which begets sales.

I told Sana about this, and she said that is so typical of Vietnamese businesses. They have the ultimate "if you build it, they will come" mentality when it comes to marketing (or lack thereof) their businesses.

Another example is a new coffee/tea shop down the road from our apartment. They have a nice baby grand piano inside, and they call it "Piano Cafe". It's designed to look a bit upscale, appeal to adults sans small children to have a cup of tea after dinner.

And Sana and I walk by it every night and more often than not, it's completely empty. Again, the people inside are busy filling their minds with the mental circus peanuts one finds on Facebook and Tic Tac. And this is after I've brought my virtuoso pianist friend to visit and play on their piano. No effort was made to book him for a playing gig to attract business. We've seen nothing in the way of using their very nice piano as a means of bringing in business via live music. And Covid isn't really an issue here, so it's not like they're using that as an excuse.

Now contrast this mentality with that of Bill Peck. Bill Peck was given an assignment by his employer to do something, and he did everything it took to accomplish the task. And even when he realized his boss had sent him on a fool's errand, he kept his cool.

He didn't wait for people to come to him to get what he wanted; he went to the people and literally bent reality so that his will came to pass.

Bill Peck was a true go-getter, and I recorded his story and put it on my mobile app for you to listen to. It's under the "audiobooks" tab, and you can access the app (by following the easy instructions to gain access) at this link: https://committedmedia.org/ (committedmedia.org)

My wife Sana and I just watched the biopic of the great Frank Sinatra on Netflix. If you're in the market for a great watch, I highly recommend it.

I've always been a fan of Sinatra, even though he was before my time, and this documentary revealed a lot about his personality, principles, convictions, (sometimes a lack thereof).

One thing that stuck out to me is that Sinatra always maintained control over his environment. He disdained rock and roll music, particularly the circus peanut fluff that was played on the radio (How much is that doggy in the window type of...stuff).

Even when he realized it was inevitable that rock and roll wasn't going anywhere, he embraced it in a way in which he had control. Like when he signed Elvis Presley to his record label in Elvis' early days, the two of them appeared on a PR announcement in which he and Elvis sang a ballad together. Even with the teenyboppers screaming each time Elvis moved his mouth (must have made Sinatra either jealous or nostalgic), it was an environment created and controlled by Sinatra.

Sinatra created the set list for each concert he performed, not to mention each album he recorded. The criteria he used to create these set lists? What he was feeling, what he thought his audience needed to hear in that moment.

He truly understood the principle of music being a language that communicates thoughts, feelings, emotions that can't be expressed through words. Although words were of course an element of the experience as the lyrics were essential to the whole experience, the experience as a whole was music. Not a speech, not a movie, not a lecture, not even a radio broadcast (or the modern day equivalent thereof).

While he used those mediums, particularly movies, to remain in the public eye as long as possible, his first love as an entertainer was singing. A big reason for this is that it was on stage, or in the recording studio that he had complete control over what was communicated. Again, via those precious set lists, oftentimes scribbled down on a sheet of paper mere hours before the show.

The documentary put me in mind of the modern media landscape. A big part of what makes podcasting, for example, so attractive is that it gives literally anyone with an internet connection and halfway decent microphone a platform to say what is important to them.

But how true is that?

In the cancel culture in which we exist, people are being deplatformed, lives and reputations are being ruined because of an opinion shared that doesn't fit on the 3x5 card of allowable opinion created and moderated by the people who run these huge tech giants.

Is it freedom, or an illusion of freedom when Apple can take down your podcast because your views aren't aligned w/ what is acceptable in Polite Society?

I'm not saying this because Apple is guilty of doing so. They do deplatform people, but it's for reasons that in my view are legit. But can the same be said for Facebook and Twitter? Depends on who you ask. And how long will it be before Apple goes the way of Twitter when it comes to shutting down accounts for vague reasons such as "violating community standards"?

For my money, I'd rather maintain as much control over what I publish as possible. It's why I've partnered w/ people like Troy Broussard and Ben Settle who have created the Learnistic mobile app platform I've been pestering you about.

While I'm happy to use Apple and Spotify to get as much awareness as possible, at the end of the day, I'm not going to put my livelihood at the mercy of Emily in Paris (another Netflix show I've been dragged into) who decides my views are all of a sudden offensive to a politically-favored sector of society.

Take me seriously, or think I'm a conspiracy nut job. Makes no difference to me. I'm just calling it like I see it.

CTA: mobile app

This past week, my colleague Jim Lambie sent me a Voxer message about a podcast recording he had just done.

Like anyone beginning something brand new like a podcast - especially one that was already going like the musicpreneur.com podcast - Jim is still a bit unsure of himself and was a little bit hesitant in evaluating how it went.

I don't remember exactly what he said, but it was words to the effect of, "I'm not sure what you'll think of this one, James, but there it is...." Something like that...

I replied to him, "Man, it doesn't matter what I think of it. I'm not the one trying to make money as a musician. You're doing this show to scratch your own itch. You're on a path of discovering what it takes to make that goal happen."

Again, not a verbatim quote, but it was words to that effect.

The big concept I was explaining to Jim is that he's on a journey of discovery, and he's taking the listeners along on the journey with him. In so doing, he'll become the de facto leader of a tribe of musicians who are looking for ways to make their bones playing their axe.

Most important, he's establishing a narrative, which is what all content creators are - or should be - endeavoring to do with each piece of content they click the "publish" button on, be it an album, a podcast, a blog post, a Clubhouse session, whatever the case may be.

The narrative Jim creates and weaves throughout the Musicpreneur show will be different from the narrative someone else would use. It really depends on one's experiences, how long they've been doing whatever it is they're doing, personality type, a whole host of factors.

But the important thing is there's a narrative that's being followed. When this happens, you become one that people want to follow, rather than the voice of one crying in the wilderness, begging for reviews on iTunes.

There's a whole lot more to be said on that, but rather than bore you to tears, I'll simply say if you're interested in following Jim Lambie's journey to the proverbial pot o' gold while playing music, you really should subscribe to the show.

Here's the link to do so. http://musicpreneur.com (musicpreneur.com)