Your Lot and Parcel

Toni has spent more than 27 years as a top sales leader in the Medicare and health insurance fields. She has also conducted “Confused about Medicare “ workshops throughout America. She took the Medicare and You handbook and put it into “people terms” so the average person could understand Medicare.

Whether Toni is consulting with a client in the office or giving a “Confused about Medicare” workshop to hundreds of people, she emphasizes her mottos: “Medicare is NOT Cookie-Cutter” and “What You Don’t Know WILL Hurt You!” Not understanding the rules and guidelines of Medicare can cause you to make costly mistakes that will last a lifetime. Whether you are helping your parents understand Medicare or choosing a plan for yourself, let Toni Says® Medicare office show you how to navigate your way through what has become the Medicare maze!

She is the author of Medicare and You handbook. 

https://tonisays.com/

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

The award-winning author and historian Matthew Restall unpacks Columbus’ enduring cultural and political presence while weaving a new history of the modern world.

During a stay in Galicia, Spain, Restall was startled to encounter a local castle claiming to be Columbus’ true birthplace. Locals insisted that Columbus, an Italian by birth, was born and raised in Galicia under the name of a local lord, Pedro Álvarez de Soutomaior. Thus began an in-depth investigation into the stories swirling around Columbus six centuries after his birth.

In the years since Columbus “sailed the ocean blue in 1492,” his journey and its consequences have gained notoriety across the globe. Scrutinizing nine key myths, Columbus’ “nine lives,” Restall tugs apart our misconceptions about the historical figure of Columbus, his exceptionalism, and his culpability for colonial violence in the Americas.

Born in Genoa to a local cloth weaver, Columbus had an unextraordinary childhood. He left as a young man to pursue a maritime career – which would eventually lead him to the Spanish court of Queen Isabel and King Fernando where he received the lofty title “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” In the years after Columbus’ 1506 death, the mythology surrounding his life blossomed. From contentious debates over the location and possession of his remains to the campaign for his beatification in the 19th century, Columbus loomed large.

He is the author of "The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus."

 https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Lives-Christopher-Columbus/dp/1324086939

Support the show

Celebrating 125 Years:

1900 – 2025

With a history of quality gourmet chocolates for over one hundred years, Gilbert Chocolates has stood the test of time as one of the best chocolate companies in Michigan. Their company history introduces John O. Gilbert, the Chocolatier who began the company in Jackson, Michigan.

Their commitment to the highest level of quality brings you traditional handmade chocolates as well as innovative, creative new chocolate blends with favorite food items. Shop their online chocolate products to have these scrumptious creations delivered to you fresh.

Experience their extensive collection of milk chocolates, dark chocolates, assorted chocolates, truffles, snappers, seasonal chocolates, and unique corporate chocolate gifts. You can buy gourmet chocolates online or at either of their retail store locations, or through their partner distributors.

 https://www.gilbertchocolates.com/

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

Sara started middle school with a target on her back. Her father warned her that some of her classmates were the children of Israeli mobsters that he had exposed. As a journalist for Haaretz Daily, Ran Kislev’s relentless investigations uncovered the world of organized crime, political corruption, and other forces lurking in Israel’s shadow. This frequently put his family in jeopardy, leaving a young Sara to deal with the consequences.

As an adult, Sara struggled to understand her father’s motivations and contradictions: Why provoke dangerous criminals by publishing their names? Why defend an accused Nazi collaborator? And what about his philandering and secret children? Then, on the day of Ran’s funeral, the man who had been his anonymous source introduced himself to Sara, setting her on an unexpected path.

My Father’s Shadow is Sara’s memoir of what transpired before and after she stepped through a door to memory she had long avoided. Now a psychologist and mother herself, she ventures into the shadows of her and her father’s past, revealing a complicated history of trauma, survival, and identity.

She is the author of "My Father’s Shadow: Uncovering the Stories Between the Lines." 

https://myfathersshadow.com/

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

This is not another book about how machines are becoming too smart, or a lecture about how we may lose control. It is the story of how artificial intelligence was born from human longing, grief, and ambition. And it is the story of the humans who are at the forefront of this field, from Hinton to Lovelace, Turing to Altman.

Always the same: Are you scared? Should I be scared?’ We have all heard the stories and had barroom conversations. There is no point in beating around the bush. The conversation about AI can be terrifying. From the far- fetched fantasy of killer robots taking over to the very real threat of mass automation, it seems like AI captured the public imagination overnight.”

He is the author of "Artificially Intelligent: The Very Human Story of AI."

 https://www.amazon.ae/Artificially-Intelligent-Very-Human-Story/dp/1487567677

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

Carole King’s extraordinary career has defined American popular music for more than half a century. Born in New York City in 1942, she shaped the soundtrack of 1960s teen culture with such songs as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” one of many Brill Building classics she wrote with her first husband, Gerry Goffin. She was a leading figure in the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, with dozens of Billboards Hot 100 hits and music awards—her 1971 album Tapestry won a record four Grammys. Yet she struggled to reconcile her fame with her roles as a wife and mother and retreated to the backwoods of Idaho, only to emerge in recent years as a political activist and the subject of the Tony-winning Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

She places King’s life in historical and cultural context, revealing details of her humble beginnings in Jewish Brooklyn, the roots of her musical genius, her four marriages, and her anguish about public life. Drawing on numerous interviews as well as historical and contemporary sources, this book brings to life King’s professional accomplishments, her personal challenges, and her lasting contributions to the great American songbook.

Jane Eisner is the author of "Carole King: She Made the Earth Move."

 https://www.amazon.com/Carole-King-Earth-Jewish-Lives/dp/0300259468

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

Did you know about 80% of employees will become parents at some point in their careers, but many do not feel supported? A third do not even think they will return to work after parental leave. And of those who do, many leave within a year. Regardless of the path they choose, one thing is clear: A lot of parents feel that starting a family has at least temporarily derailed their career.

Therefore, companies need most: resilience, empathy, focus, crisis management, and a long-view perspective. Their book invites leaders to reimagine working parents not as a liability but as an untapped competitive edge. Written for executives and managers, The Parenthood Advantage explores how companies can build cultures that value parents—and thrive because of it. But the book also serves as a roadmap for parents and soon to be parents—male and female—who want to know how best to prepare for leave and how to transition back to the workplace smoothly. Some of the actionable insights for parents include:

Set expectations early: Initiate a conversation with your manager three to four months before leave starts. That allows time to plan coverage, discuss communication preferences (clean break vs. lightly looped in), and begin a dialogue that makes the transition smoother on both sides.

Know your company’s policy around parental leave: And do not assume your manager does. Not all HR departments prioritize equipping managers with this information. Share with them what you learn.

Schedule a resolute “returnship” conversation: Get it on the calendar before you leave so that it can take place a couple of weeks prior to coming back. This is a chance to check in on projects and ask for any flexibility you may need (like adjusted days or hours).

 https://booklife.com/project/the-parenthood-advantage-102115

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

Him and his wife live on a picturesque 150 acres at the base of Cardigan Mountain in New Hampshire. In the winter, he often skis to his cabin office to introspectively write.

He teaches how to persuade parents, children, and audiences of all sizes and to disagree without anger. Rhetoric lets us make choices together without wanting to kill each other. It inoculates us from evil manipulation. And it makes everything (advertising, movies, the persuasive wildlife in our backyard) endlessly interesting.

Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been evaluated for more than three thousand years.

The book has been published in eighteen languages and has four editions with more than 700,000 copies in print; at one point it ranked among the top ten books assigned at Harvard. A simpler guide is How to Argue with a Cat: A Human's Guide to Persuasion. Just for fun, he authored a novel, The Prophet Joan. And his latest book is Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion.

He is the author of “Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion.”

 https://www.jayheinrichs.com/

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

She collaborates with parents whose children have autism. She is a Yale University trained scientist, medical strategist, and autism parent. She knew something was wrong with her daughter. She just had this intuition. Her daughter was developing but there was just something not right. She had a nagging feeling and everyone kept telling her to ignore it and that everything was fine, but she ignored herself and that is what she gets really mad about.

She got an autism diagnosis, and it was devastating. She was upset with her daughter. But she was really upset at herself because she did not listen to herself. She started going from doctor to doctor to try to see how she could get healthier, but those doctors would just say “Ooh that’s just autism.” And it was like they were back before the diagnosis when she said something was wrong and people told her not to worry. She was determined not to make that mistake again!

So, she came up to speed on the autism research literature, put together a top-notch healthcare team that included a Functional Medicine specialist, and listened to her intuition. Her daughter is thriving, and they are having so much family fun. They are doing the things she dreamed about.

Since then, doctors started asking her to teach other parents what she knew about autism and that led to her website, her book, and collaborating one-on-one with parents in over eighteen countries. She teaches parents the innovative science of autism research so that they can make the best decisions for their child. Plus, then they can have extraordinary family fun they always wanted with their children.

She is the author of “The Lyons Report 2020: Autism and Functional Medicine Doctors.” 

https://awetism.net/

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show

Doug Fifer is a retired Alaskan police officer who specialized in crime scene analysis, deviant sexual crimes, hostage negotiations, and various special assignments throughout his twenty-five-year career. As a highly decorated investigator, Doug has negotiated with serial killers, solved homicides, and worked on real-life cases that will shock you to the core.

This is not your run-of-the-mill true crime; it is straight from the source, an author-led journey into how far some will go to achieve their sexually freakish desires. You have never read a book like this one; it is a cringeworthy reality check on humanity. You might think you can manage the truth, but this police officer’s truth is as savage as it gets.

When asked about the stressors of being a police officer, Doug replied, “Humor plays a key role in keeping your sanity, not just in law enforcement but life in general.” His writing certainly reflects this philosophy, as Doug believes in taking life seriously—just not too seriously.

Born in the small town of Homer, Alaska, Doug’s family originates from southeast Alaska, around the Ketchikan area. He and his wife, Kim, raised their children in the Anchorage area, where he resides today.

He is the author of Fifty Shades of True Crime: Sex, Drugs, and Killer Kink.

 https://dougfifer.com/

http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Support the show