Talk with Ted - A Show About Nothing

Manny Ohonme joined me to discuss his journey from Nigeria to North Carolina, with a stop in North Dakota where he played hoops and maximized the value of his college scholarship.

In 2003, after re-visiting the extreme poverty in his homeland, Manny set out on a mission to provide “shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life resulting in the advancement of education and economic opportunities.” Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have distributed over 7.5 million pairs of shoes in 108 countries and over 420 U.S. cities.

We talked about conflict, history, Nigeria, peaceful protest, corporate sponsors and fundraising. Manny shared some sobering stats about shoeless children and described how easy it is for you to help.

Husaya Hama (pictured) joined me for the second hour. I met Husaya on a hiking trail and invited him on the show to discuss his journey from Sudan to Utah (through Washington State). Husaya talked about the struggle to find his identity after his family won a lottery in 1999 allowing them to escape war violence and enter the U.S. - American culture. He tells a story about getting his shoes stepped on and noting that his response (indifference) didn’t sit well with his new “friends” who expected him to feel, and act, more disrespected if he expected to “fit in.” (confusing, right?)  After running with the wrong crowd for a bit, Husaya's back on the right path and is fortunate to call Utah home. He’s a newlywed (9/10/20) and is working on building his family’s future.

Visit Samaritansfeet.org to help.

Hmmm, yesterday while I was talking about censorship the FBLive feed to my radio show stopped working. Maybe it's because I was talking about Antifa and QAnon. If that's what it was, Mark Zuckerberg (the machine) should have listened to the entire show, instead of cutting off the live feed after 30 minutes. He (it) might have learned something that didn't fit the "profile."

Stupid computers! 

Photo by Annie Spratt at Unsplashed

I managed to conjure up Tobias Beckwith’s appearance in Salt Lake City this past week through the Spirit of Radio. It was a pretty simple trick. (1. invite, 2. provide call-in number, 3. answer phone, 4. listen.)

Tobias is an author, consultant, teacher, manager and faculty member at McBride's Magic and Mystery School. We spoke about his book, The Wizard’s Way, which examines commonalities among transformational people and tools for incorporating those characteristics into your own life.

This show is sort of hard to described. We shuffled through a bunch of topics, including the secrets of magic, mirroring, radical responsibility, autosuggestion and re-programming your memory through magic.

(Re-programming someone’s memory to trigger a different emotional response? C’mon Tobias, are we really supposed to believe that’s possible?)

Oh, I almost forgot. We also spoke about techniques to improve your memory and how to overcome limiting beliefs.

Hmmm?

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Local politician Julie Jackson knocked on my door a couple of weeks ago and asked whether I'd place a sign in my front yard supporting her campaign for a position on the Granite School Board. I chatted with her for a few minutes, told her I'd do a little more research, invited her on my podcast and took the sign inside before promising to commit.

The next day I put the sign up.

Yesterday I caught up with Julie again. We talked about local politics, public schools, special education plans, on-line learning, as well as her experiences/perspectives as an educator and mother. (She has four students of her own at home.)

It's that time of year again, and it was real "treat" getting to know Julie.

Knock-knock.

VoteJulieJackson.com

Former executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Management and Budget Kristen Cox joined me yesterday to discuss her life story and experiences in applying the Theory of Constraints to government. She describes the government procurement processes (RFP vs. emergency spending powers) and how our state (Utah) maximized efficiency and effectiveness in an environment of heightened demand and dwindling resources.

Kris is an author (Stop Decorating the Fish) educator (Professor UofU), consultant and founder of The Fulcrum, “a one-of-a-kind community of cutting-edge leaders and practitioners from around the globe that are all going for it.  We share.  We learn.  We support.  We bring out the best in one another.”

We discussed the public’s expectations of government, civil discourse, mandates vs. incentives, traffic, public transportation, the press, manufacturing, pollution, Tesla, recycling and the potential for the rebound effect - cheaper costs resulting in greater consumption.

I start the show talking about the upcoming VP debate here in Salt Lake City and taking a look back at Geraldine Ferraro being called a “witch” before her 1984 debate with VP George Bush.

Wow, time flies!

Seems like 1984 was just yesterday . . . or today for that matter. 

Second Chance 4 Youth CEO Melissa Moss joined me to discuss the Utah based non-profit program founded by Superbowl Champion and Republican nominee for Utah's 4th congressional district Burgess Owens.

SC4Y is dedicated to helping incarcerated youth during their post release phase. 

"SC4Y provides the tools, support, environment and post-incarceration career opportunities to those seeking to be productive citizens. Highlighted throughout this initiative is the recognition of the blessing of being an America, where the concept of second chances is innate and within the core of its DNA."

We need volunteers to serve as mentors and money to help support the program.

Follow the lead of companies like Perry Homes, Hamlet Homes and The Sagamore Institute and donate today!

www.secondchance4youth.org    

My buddy Darren McCarthy and his colleague Gayle Moyers joined me to discuss education/parenting techniques proven to help children learn and grow.

Darren co-founded Sound Foundations for Parenting, a platform connecting parents with innovators from around the world to “teach the why and how of learning and education.” One of the programs that Darren uses is The Learning Ears System created by Gayle Moyers.

Darren and Gayle explain how the system, using music and sound, teaches your brain how to connect the pieces that disrupt your thinking.  “From ADHD to Dyslexia to Spectrum classifications, The Learning Ears® System will teach your brain how to overcome challenges that have been diagnosed as insurmountable.”

“Not only does our auditory system protect us from noises and sounds we do not want to hear, it also provides energy to the brain and body that results in effective processing and thinking necessary for coordination, movement, balance, language and literacy. In order to be a functional learner, an individual must be able to listen and think, read and think, and say what he wants to say in a few words. The ability to accurately read and receive oral language is critical.

We talked about the importance of listening. (ironic, right?)

I start the show discussing the Supreme Court of the United States, Amy Coney Barrett, stare decisis, separation of powers, due process, Dred Scott v. Sanford, the 1858 Lincoln/Douglas debates and a couple of executive orders.

I got home and tuned in to watch the presidential debate, but it was too hard to listen to, so I turned it off to protect myself from noise and sound that I don’t want to hear.

Mike Duhacek joined me this morning from Ontario, Canada.

“In the coldest month of the year, February 2013, one man took a journey of approximately a million steps across Ontario from Windsor to Ottawa, pulling a 125-pound sled with the letters CANCER on it, to raise awareness and funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. When Mike Duhacek lost both of his grandparents to cancer and watched his mother diagnosed with a rare cancer, undergoing a grueling three-year battle, he knew it was time to act and helpmeburycancer was born. Duhacek, who is the newly appointed Canadian Ambassador for Cops for Cancer, has now written a book about his journey.”

Mike spent more than three weeks enduring the elements and testing his physical and mental capacities. This book chronicles the overwhelming support he received from his fellow Canadians along the way, including family, students, politicians, police, first responders and kids willing to empty their piggybanks to support the cause. On day 7 he crossed paths with his mother, who's still alive today - 7 years later. And, when it was over, he was even honored by the Queen.

Take off, eh! 

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' frontman (1981-1991) and Rock 'n' Roll HOFer (2015) Ricky Byrd joined me from Queens to discuss the release of his new album - Sobering Times - which is another “straight up Rock ‘n’ Roll record with a message that speaks to addiction, recovery, hope and a life beyond your wildest dreams.”

On this project, Ricky collaborates with musicians Bob Stander, Jeff Kazee, Steve Holley, Liberty DeVitto, Rich Pagano, Christine (The Beehive Queen) Ohlman and more in supporting the recovery (Rock 'n' Roll) lifestyle.

We spoke about his playing days, early gigs in the Catskills, record deals, benefit concerts and the meaning behind his HOF acceptance speech, including whether it was entirely scripted, or not.

Keep on rockin' Ricky!

Photo credit: Frankie Byrd

Deborah Coviello (The Drop In CEO) dropped in on me this morning.

In her article “Losing Your Way is Part of your Growth Journey . . .” she writes:

“So what is your path that you have started on? Have you come to a place where you don’t recognize yourself or you had well intended goals but at mid-year, you’re not on track? Do you move to a place of disappointment in yourself or do you see it as a positive opportunity to reflect and get back on track; or even better adjust your compass? You have choices and depending upon how you feel about yourself, you can set you up for failure or I like to focus on; your success for the rest of 2020.”

We spoke about corporate responsibility/management, leadership, podcasting, career changes and her family life in Ohio.

I also took the opportunity to ask her for directions.