The Point of It All

Mental health is a topic that isn't on the tops of most of our lists to discuss, and suicide prevention is even lower, but that's slowly been changing over the years.  More and more celebrities are talking about their own mental health struggles, and as Monique accurately pointed out the COVID-19 pandemic placed the subject front and center weather we wanted to discuss it or not.  Monique Phifer is a licensed independent social worker, with a supervisor designation.  She also holds a Masters Degree in social work, as well as a  Bachelor's degree in psychology from Youngstown State. Monique runs an LLC called Solutions for the Silent, and her website is www.solutionsforthesilent.com.  She specializes in traditional and Christian counseling.  You can find more contact information for Monique on the podcast's website.  This is suicide prevention week, so if you or someone you know is thinking about harming themselves there are resources for you.  The national suicide prevention hotline is 800-273-8255.  

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and it usually signifies the end of Summer for a lot of us.  It marks the last time we will get together with family and friends around the grill, sharing stories about COVID-19 and all of the other craziness happening in the world!  In this episode Amber I talk about a new Seafood restaurant I tried over the weekend, crunchy water melon, and the insanity that is the new Texas abortion law.  

This is also the episode that I unveil a new segment called "The Point of It All Tech Spot".  Okay, so maybe the name of the segment is a work in progress, but I hope you guys enjoy it.  In this first episode I talk about the Microsoft Surface Duo smart phone and how some owners are down right fanatical when it comes to defending their purchase.  

Be sure to check out the companion blog for the podcast as well.  You'll find links to topics we discussed on the show as well any resources I can think of to add.  Happy Labor Day to you guys and thanks for listening!

I talked about this and many more subjects with a special guest host, Amber Campbell!  I've known Amber for 8 years, and it was great to catch up with her. What started out as an interview about first time home buyers turned into her co-hosting this episode of The Point of It All!  We covered a few topics and it's always great to hear a different perspective on things.  Let me know what you guys think.! How did Amber do as a co-host? Could this be a recurring role....?   

Retirement is coming for all of us (hopefully), so it's never too late to begin planning for that eventuality.  You're going to need some source of income, and with pensions from employers a thing of the past, it's all up to YOU!  In this episode I have a conversation with a newly minted financial planner Jason Breda.  Jason and I met each other at T-Mobile, and he reached out to me to recently to let me know about his career change.  We do a little catching up on old times, then he takes me to school and the basics of planning for my future.  You can reach Jason at his email address here ([email protected]) or at his phone number here (330.417.2268), and we also share his information several times during the podcast.  I hope you guys enjoy this episode, and it was great to catch up with Jason! 

Summer is here and with it comes cook outs and family get togethers, but before that we have some yard work to do.  I spent all day this past Saturday doing just that, and it just about killed me, but I survived long enough to record this podcast!  Yay me!  

The 1619 Project has been getting a bad rap lately, but I'm learning that many people don't even know what it is, so in this podcast I try to explain it's general purpose and why it is important for us to embrace it, regardless of how painful it may be.  The same can be said for Critical Race Theory.  There's an abundance of misinformation out there that only hopes to divide us.  I encourage you to do your own research and decide for yourself the merits of both of these topics.  I believe they're critical (no pun intended) to the healing of our nation, as they seek to address the racial disparities that are still present to this very day.  The first step in this healing process is acknowledgment that all is not right on Main Street.

After constantly binging on carbs every night for the past few weeks, I decided to dig around to see if there was a scientific reason for my cravings, and it turns out there is.  Dopamine. Turns out my body was actually looking for a carb fix, as if I were a junkie looking for drugs.  Okay, maybe that's being a bit dramatic, but listen in to find out where I'm going with this!  Carb addiction is a REAL THING! Six weeks ago I introduced weight lifting into my fitness regimen.  I talk about my progress and struggles along the way.

I've always thought this podcast would be better with a co-host, and I still believe that, so I was tickled pink to have my wife Shannon step in as a co-host in this episode!  She hasn't appeared on the podcast since episode 2 of season 1, so I took some time to catch up and see what she's been up to.  We also talked about Mother's Day, COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy, and why some folks aren't in a hurry to get back to work.  

I hope you guys enjoy it, and I'll catch up with you in two weeks for episode 4! Peace!

Jamie

If you've heard of Robinhood, Gamestop, or Dogecoin, then you probably have at least a passing interest in the stock market.  I interview my brother Eric Thompkins about his success in the stock market, and he tells us how we can emulate his results.

Welcome back for season 2 of The Point of It All!  In this episode I'm going to share with you in detail how I lost 62 pounds and kept it off!  The secret really isn't a secret, but you'll have to listen in to find out!