Weaver & Loom

Today we take a break from our normally scheduled programming in light of the massacre this weekend in New Zealand where at this point 50 people needlessly lost their lives.

This episode is off beat from the normal style and flow of the podcast... but appropriate considering the circumstances.

If you are hurting and struggling from the aftermath of this event, then this episode may be for you.

If you are wrestling with questions, doubts, anger . . . this episode may be for you.

This episode might be my favorite yet. 

We hear an excerpt from Minkkinen, the famous photographer, share about a bus stop in Helsinki and how it relates to our work and our art.

Ira Glass "stops by" to share about what is required of us to "close the gap" between our taste and our ability.

And I share the REAL reason the tortoise beats the hare... and it isn't the reason you think.

Here are some link from the show...

Arno Rafael Minkkinen: and his speech --> https://petapixel.com/2013/03/13/the-helsinki-bus-station-theory-finding-your-own-vision-in-photography/

Ira Glass on Story telling: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2wLP0izeJE&list=PLE108783228F1E008&index=3     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp_8pwkg_R8&list=PLE108783228F1E008&index=4 warphotography   Thank you for listening and as always . . . If you own your story you will own the future.   You can find Lucas at Lucasskrobot.com  

 

 

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Branden Polk visits today with a deep discussion on hot button topics. We hit on:

• Healthy Psychology
• Identity Politics
• Living as a Victim
• Following the Crowd
• Equity vs. Equality
• Living free of entitlement
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Justice and Reparations
• Words Create your World
• UAE year of Tolerance
• What is and isn't tolerance

You can find Branden in the following places:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandenpolk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brandenthinks

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/branden-s-polk-msw-lgsw-9a047b15/

Website: https://www.arrowheadadvising.com/who-we-are

Thank you for listening, and as always you can find me at: https://www.Lucasskrobot.com and  https://www.instagram.com/lucasskrobot

 

 

 

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Don't help the most people. Help people the most.

In a world where every "like" is counted, and every possible metric metered, it can be ease for our thoughts to be skewed by the number game. 

It can be easy to get caught up in popular opinion and pander to the crowd.  Just because people THINK what you are doing is making an impact doesn't actually MEAN you are making an impact. 

Listen to this episode to hear WHY helping the most people is a bad idea... and what you should do instead.

 

Links:

Guide to smarter global target: https://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/post-2015-consensus/nobel-laureates-guide-smarter-global-targets-2030

Cost Benefit Analysis https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cost-benefit-analysis-would-help-development-goals-by-bjorn-lomborg-2019-01

Truth is the first casualty of global warming: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/climate-change-self-defeating-alarmism-by-bjorn-lomborg-2018-12

Paris Climate Promises-negligible https://www.lomborg.com/press-release-research-reveals-negligible-impact-of-paris-climate-promises

 

You can find and follow me at www.lucasskrobot.com or at www.instagram.com/lucasskrobot 

Thank you for listening.

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Khayra Bundakji, from Azzbda podcast, joins us for the concluding episode sharing her story on anxiety and living with purpose. 

• Living with anxiety
• GeekFest
• Living with (and without) PURPOSE
• Building mstdfr podcast network
• Digital Marketing
• Imposter Syndrome
• Enneagram
• Ikigai

Links Referenced:

• Lucas' fav azzbda episode: https://soundcloud.com/azzbda/ep39
• Khayra's fav episode: https://soundcloud.com/azzbda/ep-034
• True Story Tent Podcast: https://www.truestorytent.org/podcast
• Enneagram - https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/
• Ikigai - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai

 You can find Khayra Bundakji at khayrab.com from the mstdfr network: http://www.mstdfr.com  and founder of the Azzbda podcast.

And you can find me at lucasskrobot.com or on Instagram.com/lucasskrobot

 Thank you for listening.

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Are you in the Podcast Business? Or the Business of Podcasting?

 

Recently I interviewed Khayra Bundakji from the mstdfr network and founder of the Azzbda podcast, on Own the Future podcast, and learned two things: 

• When two podcasters/interviewers sit down it will be a marathon of an episode.
• You should quit the podcast business…

Not the encouraging advice you’d expect to hear in an email newsletter about podcasting.   

Let me explain . . .

During the conversation with Khayra I asked how Azzbda podcast was going, download numbers etc. typical stuff . . .

Khayra graciously revealed they are producing one episode a month, and receive TEN THOUSAND listens each month.  

I was stoked. “10k while only putting out one episode a month. Epic!” I exclaimed.

Khayra was not as enthused, “Yeah . . .” she said, “I mean I feel like we could have so much more.”

*cue the record scratching* Wait what?? Hold the phone.  

 Ten Thousand people show up a month and you’re bummed?!?

 Little did I know my hypocritical judgment was about to become exposed…

For point of reference:

The MEDIAN download of an episode (not mean or average) is 173 download per episode.

For those of us who are foggy on our high school math, the median is middle number of the data set. Of the 660,000+ podcasts and hundreds of millions of episodes, 50% will have less than 173 download and 50% will have more than 173 downloads. 

The MEAN (or average) of an episode is 2000 downloads per episode (after accounting for the top top podcasts and those waaay down at the bottom). [according to Rob Walsh with Libsyn, in a piece from 2016]. These stats may have changed in the last three years—but not by much.

Okay… back to Khayra. They have 10k per episode. Sure, it isn’t in the millions, or hundreds of thousand, BUT it is in the top 5% of all 660k+ podcasts in existence. 

 On the graph you can see how Azzbda, the blue triangle, is performing better than 95% of all podcast! That better than 627,000 of the 660,000+ podcast—globally.

 From my perspective, as a relatively new podcaster still in the days of small beginnings, I would be OUT OF MY MIND to have 10k listeners per episode.

 The truth, however, reveals I’m a hypocrite. Because I look and my above median downloads per-episode, and I’m discouraged.

 If I am honest, I’d be discouraged if I was getting 10k, 100k, or a million downloads per episode.

 Why? Because there is always more, there is always another level of success to achieve.

 So . . . Am I even qualified to be writing this email to you? What might I say to benefit you in your journey?

 As I pondered all this . . . I came to a point of revelation, a point of truth in the form of a question:

Why are you podcasting? Are you in the podcast business? OR . . . the business of podcasting?

 Are you in the podcast business? Are you doing it for the numbers? The following? The masses? The “money”?

 Hustling for another subscriber, the shout out, download . . . never stratified and always craving more?

OR

 Are you in the business of podcasting? Are you satisfied with the one? The individual you touched with your words? 

What if you ONLY impact 173 lives. Would you continue? Would you continue to share your stories, truth, laughter, and tears with your world? 

Is your message/story/perspective so important, so costly, so worth it you would show up even if only SEVENTEEN people listened?

As Kharya says, “Podcasting will save the world.” It happens one person at a time.

 Kharya is in the business of podcasting. She believes in her work and her message. She would keep showing up even she only changed one life through her work.

 It is easy to get caught-up and blinded with the numbers. That can happen with ten, or ten million followers.  But, we MUST NOT miss the beauty of intimately impacting the ONE person listening. The ONE person caring about your work.

 If you don’t believe your work is worth it if you only touch one life . . . then you should ask yourself if you are giving yourself to something you truly believe in? Or are you chasing an illusion of fame and significance?

If you find yourself in the podcast business, yearning for the attention of the world . . . quit. 

Instead . . . Join the business of podcasting . . .

 . . . the business of putting you work/yourself out there

 . . . the business of taking the time to saying something meaningful

. . . but the business of seeing and saying something to the ONE.

 . . . Because your work, your voice, your story is worth it—even if only one listens. 

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Khayra Bundakji, from Azzbda podcast, joins us to dissect pretty complex social issues including:

• Simplicity of Communication Strategy
• Importance of being Human (Marketing and Sales)
• Third Cultured Kids
• Loose vs Strong ties
• Clean Break ups
• Why “Life Coaches” are big
• Three questions humanity is asking
• Walking through anxiety & depression

Links Referenced:

• Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace - https://amzn.to/2E1eRWh
• Seth Godin’s Bootstrapper’s Bible - https://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/8.01.bootstrappersbible-1.pdf
• GUILTY https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guilty_2018 – 
• Brag by Peggy Clouse - https://amzn.to/2DxrdEd
• Malcom Gladwell – Tipping Point - https://amzn.to/2DxrdEd

 You can find at Khayra Bundakji ( khayrab.com )from the mstdfr network ( http://www.mstdfr.com ) and founder of the Azzbda podcast.

And you can find me at lucasskrobot.com or on Instagram @lucasskrobot

 Thank you for listening.

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We all have friends and enemies. 

Those who fight for us, and further our journey--and those who oppose us and seek to destroy us.

Today we discover our true friends, and the real enemy. 

As Sun Tzu wrote in the Art of War - “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

The enemy is lurking, seeking to destroy you... and it is closer to each one of us than we'd like to believe.

Thank you for listening.

You can find me on Instagram, linkedin, and of course www.lucasskrobot.com

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George (AKA Sparkie) join us today and unleashes a tidal wave of knowledge, wisdom, challenges, and inspiration.

• You will learn simple strategies for adding value.
• How to nurture your network to create wealth.
• The mindset needed to not merely survive but THRIVE in marriage.
• What force is more powerful than charisma.

And MORE... Truly I want to past a transcript of the entire episode here because it is that rich.

Please find and follow Sparkie here: Instagram

And the book we mentioned about character: Stephen Covey's book: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Thank you for listening.

You can find me on Instagram, linkedin, and of course www.lucasskrobot.com

 

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There is one question you must answer to succeed in life, business, mental health, relationship . . . ANYTHING.

You must ask, and answer, WHY you exist.

Why do you exist as a company, brand, individual, family, relationship, father, mother, son, daughter, branding, marketing, sales . . . why.

The story, the narrative you tell yourself starting with why you do what you do will drives all your actions, whether you know it or not.

Join as I layout my journey of re-examining my WHY for 2019.

Here are some of the books mentioned:

The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni 

Start with Why, by Simon Sinek 

Thank you for listening.

You can find me on Instagram, linkedin, or the www.lucasskrobot.com . . . just please don't follow me around town (that would be called stalking).

***Link to the books are affiliate links***

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